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A Texas Christmas Wish
Jolene Navarro


Karly Kalakona's new nursing job is the perfect Christmas gift she and her son needed for their future. The single mom just never counted on dealing with not only a stubborn patient, but also with his prodigal son.After years away, pilot Tyler Childress is only a temporary traveler to the Texas ranch he's spent his life escaping. But the chemistry he shares with his father's nurse is undeniable—and has him thinking of sticking around past the holiday season. Can Tyler learn to trust the woman whose caring ways are bringing his father back to life…and who might just be the partner his wandering heart can find a home with?







A Healing Season

Karly Kalakona’s new nursing job is the perfect Christmas gift she and her son needed for their future. The single mom just never counted on dealing with not only a stubborn patient, but also with his prodigal son. After years away, pilot Tyler Childress is only a temporary traveler to the Texas ranch he’s spent his life escaping. But the chemistry he shares with his father’s nurse is undeniable—and has him thinking of sticking around past the holiday season. Can Tyler learn to trust the woman whose caring ways are bringing his father back to life…and who might just be the partner his wandering heart can find a home with?


“This is your family and home, not mine and Bryce’s.”

“Stop it. This is your home, and I’m pretty sure my dad would adopt you and Bryce if you’d let him.” Tyler held up the Bible. “I think this is the greatest gift my dad has ever given me, and he used you to get it to me.”

“That tells me he is suffering, too, and doesn’t know how to talk about it. You both are so stubborn.”

“I’m thinking you might be right.”

He wanted to lean in and kiss her. She had made it clear she had no room for a man in her life, especially one with his lifestyle. He held her there in the starlight, time moving like a dream. What if he changed his plans?

He moved back, breaking all contact. The moment was gone.

“Good night, Karly. Thank you, and tell Dad I’m all right. Tell him I’m better than I was a month ago.”

And I have you to thank for that.


A seventh-generation Texan, JOLENE NAVARRO fills her life with family, faith and life’s beautiful messiness. She knows that as much as the world changes, people stay the same. Vow-keepers and heartbreakers. Jolene married a vow-keeper who shows her holding hands never gets old. When not writing, Jolene teaches art to inner-city teens and hangs out with her own four almost-grown kids. Find Jolene on Facebook or her blog, jolenenavarrowriter.com (http://jolenenavarrowriter.com).


A Texas

Christmas Wish

Jolene Navarro






www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.

I do not give to you as the world gives.

Do not let your hearts be troubled

and do not be afraid.

—John 14:27


This book is dedicated to all the students who have sat in Studio 115 and Studio 201. I learn more from you than you will ever learn from me. Especially the teen parents who are working so hard to build a future for their young families. The cards might be stacked against you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your own happy ending.


Acknowledgments (#ulink_2860dca9-a7b7-5592-ba0e-dab8f1694737)

I’m living a dream. There are so many people who make this dream come true. First, the best agent, Pamela Hopkins, who muddled through my dyslexic musings and found a story. Thank you for your support.

To an editor who always knows exactly how to make a story better. Thank you, Emily Rodmell, for giving me the opportunity to write for Love Inspired.

To my nephew, Jackson Ward, for staying up late and going through airplane crashes with me. May you never have to use your knowledge. You’re making your Poppy proud.

And to my brainstorming partners…

you feed my soul.


Contents

Cover (#uf3280baf-5cf0-550a-a554-9ce5c7b27a82)

Back Cover Text (#uaa6bd28a-3733-598d-b240-b89b0e5e4a85)

Introduction (#ubafd3305-2b87-551a-9f12-bfa814003b1a)

About the Author (#u57c08e09-d11d-5dc2-bfff-6f2b77d43593)

Title Page (#ue5bc6a79-9694-5c8e-8a37-4acb91d877f9)

Bible Verse (#ub549ac1e-e85c-5ca5-bd99-72338c2c33cb)

Dedication (#u7113abec-7bf6-5564-a1ad-906e98576538)

Acknowledgments (#udf6e239a-1835-54c1-8e6e-1fe998471ed2)

Chapter One (#ub22ae15b-b4fe-51fd-ac50-970815959f5d)

Chapter Two (#ud83257fb-38c8-5146-bdcd-5914fe61e5c2)

Chapter Three (#ua8a39c75-8ad6-50d6-887e-db3b85d6e79a)

Chapter Four (#u6cf9fbf9-32ac-5233-8c57-2639aa56613b)

Chapter Five (#u93577e58-a7ee-5a11-976c-d73d8c377235)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Dear Reader (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)


Chapter One (#ulink_c016d832-531f-5f1f-97e5-51e11a155517)

Karly turned the wipers to the highest setting, but they didn’t help much. She knew the ranchers in Clear Water, Texas, were celebrating after the long drought, but she just wanted to get to her new home without drowning.

New home. If everything worked out the way she planned, her young son, Bryce, would be celebrating Christmas in a real home for the first time ever. Last Christmas they had been living in her car. At church, deacon Dub Childress had always made her feel welcome. Now he was recovering from a stroke and broken arm—and it was her turn to help him.

On the huge plus side, if she could pull this off, no shelter or cheap hotel for them this year. But would she be able to care for Dub and his house? She didn’t even finish high school. Doing some research on stroke patients online might not be enough.

Deep breath in...out. She made herself relax. This past year had brought so many changes, and with the help of her new church family, she was free of bad relationships. Hopefully no one expected her to cook. She could clean. She was very good at cleaning.

The rain pounded the roof, making it hard to hear anything else. In the backseat, Bryce finally calmed down. Her five-year-old son hated storms—or any loud noise. She leaned forward, her knuckles white around the steering wheel. God had gotten them through worse storms.

Glancing in the rearview mirror at her son, she continued the game. “Let me see. Is it your baby picture on my visor?”

Kicking his feet against the passenger seat, Bryce grinned at her. His smile shone through the dark, dreary day. “Yes! Now it’s your turn.”

“Okay...let me see... I spy something...blue and white.”

Bryce gasped. Karly turned back to see what startled him. He pointed to the road in front of her.

“Airplane.”

Squinting to see through the heavy rain, she saw it, too. “No...” She blinked to clear the image, but it was still there. A small aircraft hovered over the road. The spinning blades on the nose of the plane headed straight for them. The wings tilted from one side to the other as if trying to balance on the air.

Instinctively, she hit the brake and jerked to the right, taking them through a muddy ditch. The car bounced over the rocky terrain. Their seat belts were the only thing that kept them in place. The boxes and bags weren’t so lucky.

After a hard stop just short of a barbed-wire fence, she looked back at Bryce, reaching for him, needing to touch him. “Are you okay?”

He twisted in his booster seat, pulling himself around as far as the seat belt would let him go. “It’s an airplane.” He looked at her for a second before pointing around the overturned boxes in the back. “An airplane on the road.”

Sure enough, the small airplane she had just lost a game of chicken to sat on the opposite side of the county road, tangled up in the tall game fence.

Through the back window, in the gray, water-blurred scene, Karly saw a figure run toward them. She slowly filled her lungs, making every effort to breathe and stop the shaking of her hands. Eyes closed, she counted and relaxed each muscle.

Thank You, God, for protecting us. Please get us to our new home safely.

A tap on the window caused her to jump. A drenched man stood outside her car. Rolling the window down, she was hit with rain. She cupped a hand over her face and found Tyler Childress staring at her.

Tyler pulled his leather jacket over his head to block her from the onslaught of rain. Leaning closer to her, he looked into the car. “Is everyone all right? I’m so sorry. Cattle were on the airstrip and I thought I could make it to the field, but the pressure came in low.”

“We’re fine. A little shaken up, but fine. Tyler Childress, right?”

“Oh, no.” He smiled—the smile she heard the women of Clear Water sigh over whenever they gossiped about the good-looking son of Dub Childress. Wild and impulsive, but good-looking as all get-out. This phrase was repeated often. “We didn’t go to school together, did we? I’m horrible with names.” The rain started dripping off the sides of his jacket.

“No, we’ve never met. Why don’t you get in the car and out of the rain?”

He gave a quick nod and ran in front of her car as she rolled up her window.

Reaching across the seat, she pulled the lock up, then started stuffing bags and containers in the seat behind her. The off-road adventure had scattered their worldly possessions throughout the car. They would have to repack everything. Tyler slid into her ’97 Volvo wagon. The space got a lot smaller with his tall, well-built body. He looked like a pirate just rescued from a shipwreck.

She focused on her hands. He was dangerous, the kind of man that could bring trouble to her new, safe world.

Carefully tucking her leather-bound Bible into the console, she ran her fingertip along its spine. It was a gift from her church family at her baptism six months ago. The idea that she now had people who cared about her and Bryce still felt a bit surreal. And with this man now beside her, it was a good reminder.

Dub’s son reminded her of all the bad choices she had made based on wanting to be rescued by a knight in shining armor. This job her pastor offered her was more than a way to repay kindness or even make money. It was an opportunity to make a stable future for her son. An opportunity she couldn’t afford to waste.

Tyler adjusted himself in the passenger seat and slammed the door to the storm outside, his long legs not quite fitting. He looked too big for the small space, like a jack-in-the-box ready to pop out if someone pulled the roof open. Her car had a new scent now, a clean masculine fragrance.

“Would you mind following me over to the county airport?” He pointed his perfect chin to the turnoff about fifty yards ahead of her.

“Oh, sure.” Stop trying to smell him.

“Thanks.”

“Hi! I’m Bryce. I like your airplane!”

Tyler turned and held out his hand to her son. “Hi, Bryce. I’m Tyler. Glad to meet you.”

Karly tightened her lips, forcing herself not to say anything as she watched Childress’s reaction when he realized her son didn’t have a right hand to shake, only five unformed digits right below his elbow. Without hesitation he laid his hand flat, palm up, on his other hand. “Give me five? Hope I didn’t scare you.”

“No, that was fun!” He leaned forward to slap their guest’s hand.

Karly was a bit surprised by Bryce’s enthusiasm. Most of the time, he pulled back from men and he never wanted to meet someone new.

She had to admit that Tyler’s nonreaction automatically bumped him up in her opinion no matter what everyone said about him. Bryce’s dad had taken one look at their son and walked out of the hospital and never came back. Of course, he had been a seventeen-year-old boy already scared of being a father.

Tyler might be a late coming home, but she didn’t know his story and it wasn’t her place to judge. She’d been hired to do a job. Keeping a safe distance from this good-looking adventurer would be best for them all.

She placed her hands over her son’s short active legs. “I’m sorry about the small space—we might be able to move the seat back a little bit.” There wasn’t much room available with all the stuff she had wedged between the seat and Bryce.

“No worries.” He chuckled and winked at her. His clear blue eyes matched his father’s perfectly. “I’ve been in tighter places. Besides, we aren’t going far.”

She put the car in Reverse and hit the gas, but all that happened was the whirling sound of a spinning tire. She gripped the steering wheel and tried again, pressing harder on the gas pedal.

“Whoa. You’re just digging in deeper. Go forward.”

She gritted her teeth against his short demand and reached up to shift gears. His hand stopped her. The touch startled her, and she jerked back.

He didn’t even seem to notice her reaction. “Hold on. Let me put one of those branches in front of the tire.” Without waiting for her to agree, he sprang out of the car. Running hunched over, he gathered some of the larger limbs that covered the ground on the edge of the cedar break. Climbing back into the car, he nodded. “Now go forward. Keep the pressure on the pedal nice and steady.”

Holding her breath and sending a quick prayer, she followed his instructions. After a few bounces, they were back on the road. She couldn’t help giving him a big grin. “Thank you.”

“Well, it was my fault you ended up in the ditch.”

With a slow U-turn on the highway, she headed back toward his plane.

“Are you going to be able to drive the plane to the airport?”

“Yeah. I think a wing is damaged, but it can move across the ground without a problem. The Kirkpatricks aren’t going to be happy. I think I ran through their fence a couple of times back in high school.” With one hand on the door, he turned to face her. “You don’t mind following me to the hangar, do you? I’ll need a ride to town.”

“Town? You’re not going to the ranch?”

“You don’t need to drive all the way out there.” He glanced over her stacked and labeled boxes. “You look busy. Do you need help?”

He didn’t know she had been hired to stay with his dad? She made herself stop chewing on the inside of her cheek. She hadn’t even introduced herself.

“I’m Karly Kalakona. I was hired as the new housekeeper and to care for your dad after he had the stroke. I’m heading to the ranch anyway, so it’s not a problem. I’ve never been to the ranch, so it would be great if you could show me where to go. I mean I know where the ranch is, but once on the ranch I have no clue.” Stop rambling, idiot. No, she reminded herself, no more name-calling. Be kind to yourself.

She held her expression neutral as his eyes narrowed. The space in her old Volvo seemed to get smaller and warmer. The heavy raindrops hitting the roof was the only sound for what seemed like hours. Taking his hand off the door, he turned and looked straight at her. Karly pushed her dark hair back.

“You’re moving into my dad’s house?” His friendly tone had been replaced by a sharp edge. “Who hired you?”

“Uh...Pastor John Levi. He was married to your sister, Carol, right? He told me he still helps your dad with the ranch.” Silence. Tyler stared out the windshield. She was getting the feeling he was not happy. “Is there a problem?”

He shook his head. “I just thought...” Instead of finishing the sentence, he sighed and looked back at her. “How do you know John?”

“A little less than a year ago I started attending his church, and a few months later they helped me get out of a bad situation. When your father had his stroke, Pastor John asked if I would be a live-in assistant. Your father had always been a great support to me so I really wanted to repay all the help I found here in Clear Water.”

“You look really young for a nurse.”

“I’m not a nurse.”

“Do you have nursing exper—?” Flashes of lightning flooded the car with white light, followed by a rolling boom of thunder. Bryce cried out, covering his ears. She reached for him again.

“It’s okay, baby. We’re safe.”

“Hey, big guy, have you ever gone bowling?”

Bryce looked up at Tyler and shook his head. Karly couldn’t keep from raising her eyebrows. Bowling? What did that have to do with anything?

“Well, I’ll have to take you so you know that’s what it sounds like. A giant marble ball hitting a bunch of wooden pins. Sounds scary, but it’s actually loads of fun.”

“Really? I wanna go, Momma. I wanna go bowling.” He looked at his new hero. “When are we going?”

“Now, Bryce, I don’t know. We have a lot of things to do and you just got your braces off.” She cut a glance to Tyler. “Between the surgeries and physical therapy, we have to be careful of the activities we pick.” She didn’t want Bryce disappointed in the things he couldn’t do. She wanted him to focus on what he could safely accomplish. “We have to get moved into our new home and get you back in school.”

“Yes, ma’am.” His narrow shoulders slumped. Well, at least he wasn’t crying.

“Sorry, big guy. Your mom’s right. We gotta get you all settled in. Then we can make plans. Right now, I’ve got to get my plane to the hangar.”

Her son perked back up. “Can I ride in your airplane?”

Tyler considered her. His eyebrows rose.

Great, he was going to make her be the bad guy again. “Sorry, sweetheart, you would have to get out in the rain. I need you to stay with me in the car.”

Tyler reached across the back of his seat and tugged at Bryce’s foot. “Hey, we’ll do it another day. I promise.” He grabbed the door handle, jumped out of the safety of her car and darted through the rainstorm to his plane.

She had a feeling she might be headed down a road she had not planned. With a sigh, she watched her son focus on every move Tyler made. Karly saw a joy on his small face that she hadn’t seen in a good while.

Her son should know by now that a pretty package wrapped in easy smiles and good manners could be masking a monster.

Unfortunately, Tyler Childress would not be the first man to break his promise to them.

* * *

Blinded by heavy rain, Tyler pushed the Piper back from the tangled fence. Hopefully, none of the Kirkpatricks’ stock would test the damaged wire. He needed to call Henry and let him know. Yeah, so much for proving to his dad he had managed to become a responsible adult.

He could hear Dub Childress’s voice now. Don’t start with the excuses, son. Somewhere along the way your choices put you in this position.

The argument already played in his head. An argument he needed to avoid. Yes, he’d procrastinated coming home, had buzzed the house one too many times and flew needless circles over town. By the time he’d headed to the airstrip, the storm had hit and livestock had escaped one of the ranches, blocking the only way to land.

So no excuses, Dad. It was my fault I ran a young mother and her child off the road.

With the plane turned in the right direction, he climbed up and pulled the door shut to the cockpit. He wished he could just stay there—his favorite place in the world. A place he was in total control.

Behind the seat he pulled out a towel. With a quick rub through his hair, he tried to stop the dripping, at least. He had so much mud on him, keeping the interior clean was a lost cause. Much like his relationship with his dad. Maybe this time he would manage...

Eyes closed, he stopped the pointless words. Clear Water was the last place he wanted to be. He knew he should have been here sooner, but every time he and his dad walked into the same room there was a fight. His mother had said it was because they were so much alike. He didn’t buy that.

He was nothing like his dad. Obstinate didn’t even begin to describe the old rancher. He was as hard to move as the rock that held the hills steady. Now that his mother and sister were dead and buried, there wasn’t anyone to soften the blows between them.

His fingers tightened around the controls. How did his father do it? How did he stay at the ranch and live in the home where memories of his mother and sister were in every corner? The silence of things they would never say, or moments they would never see, contaminated everything.

Tyler rolled his head back and took in a lungful of air. When had he become so melodramatic? He needed to get the plane in the hangar, call Henry about the fence, not to mention find out why his dad and John had gone ahead and hired someone without waiting for him. He had told them they needed a certified nurse.

Instead, he found a single mom barely out of her teens and a kid with special needs moving in on the ranch. One of John’s lost sheep. His dad would do anything for John Levi, the perfect man who had married his sister.

Karly and Bryce had charity case written all over them. So how was he going to handle this without a fight? Could he kick a single mom and her kid into the streets?

Easing the battered wings over the cedar post, he turned the plane onto the narrow asphalt road that led to the county airport. He had vowed not to say or do anything to get his dad upset, but that plan was already rolling downhill and picking up speed.

The discussion to sell the monstrosity of a ranch would have to wait at least a couple of days, if not weeks. First, he needed to get a certified nurse in the house so he could go back to his own life without worrying about his father.

He parked the plane in the small hangar right next to his dad’s plane, a vintage Mustang. The faded gray Volvo station wagon pulled in behind him. Maybe she could stay on as a housekeeper and he could get an agency to do daily nurse visits. Firing Ms. Karly Kalakona would not be an option, unless she was lying about who she was and were she came from.

The clouds lit up again, and thunder shook the old metal walls. Scanning the building, he found nothing had changed. Half of his childhood happened in the barns, the other half here in this metal hangar. His father had spent hours teaching him to fly. It was a passion they shared and had brought them together—until Tyler had announced he wanted to leave the ranch and make flying his life, not just a hobby.

He forced his jaw to relax. The muscles burned from the tension. Pulling a duffel bag from the back, he glanced over at the plane he’d learned to fly in as a kid. Things had been so much easier back then. He hoped his dad was okay. He had to be.

Tyler stepped out on the concrete, stomping some of the mud off his boots. He checked a few damaged areas on the right wing before heading to the car.

In the gray Volvo parked behind him, Karly smiled. She was saying something to her son. He had to admit she was a dark-haired beauty. Not his usual type. There was sweetness mixed with a spine of steel. Like his mom and sister. He froze in midstride.

His dad wouldn’t dare. One of their long-standing fights the past few years was about Tyler’s love life. Every time Dub called, he told Tyler he needed to settle down with a solid family kind of girl. His father hated every woman he brought to the ranch. They all spent more time estimating the value of the ranch than appreciating the raw beauty of the land.

A knot formed in his gut. He wouldn’t put it past the manipulative old man to use his health crisis as a means to play matchmaker. One more attempt to get Tyler to do what his father thought was best for the Childress name.

Karly opened her car door and stood. She was taller than he expected.

“I called the ranch and told Adrian that I picked you up and we’re heading that way now.”

“Adrian?”

“De La Cruz, one of the trainers.” She looked at him as if he didn’t have a brain. “He has a little girl about ten. I was told you went to school with him.”

“Adrian works for my dad? When did that happen?” Surprise made his words sharper than he intended.

“Um...I don’t know?” Her stunning eyes went wider, and her fingers tightened on the door frame.

Way to go, Childress, scare the girl. Why was he barking at her? “Sorry. I’ve been gone too long, and it’s been a long day.” He made his way to the passenger side of her car and folded into the tight space. She smelled like his mother’s kitchen during the holidays. Now she was making him think of Christmas cookies before Thanksgiving.

Four weeks. Surely he could manage four weeks without yelling at his dad or getting tangled with the new hired help. He knew right away that Karly was not the kind for a casual relationship, and that was the only kind he had managed to have the past ten years. He lowered his gaze to the worn leather handle of his bag.

Definitely not looking at the exotic tilt of her dark eyes with hints of gold, or the silky ponytail that swung when she talked. No, none of that caught his attention. She’s a mother, Tyler. That alone should make her invisible.


Chapter Two (#ulink_29fb1d58-0c20-5fd8-984c-ff0387ef6eb0)

For most of the ten miles to the ranch, Karly sat forward, her tight muscles sore from strain. She wasn’t sure what made her the most nervous, the storm or Tyler Childress.

The gossips adored talking about all the trouble Tyler got into while in high school. People loved to gossip—the more scandalous the better. She tried not to pay attention, but now that he was next to her she had to wonder how much was true.

Pulling through the stone pillars, she glanced up to the wrought iron archway where the letters spelling Childress boldly stood, surrounded by silhouettes of horses in motion. If things worked out, this would be their new home for the next year. Enough time to get Bryce’s physical therapy done, some of the medical bills paid off and a bit of breathing room to figure out where to go to next.

Living out of her car was getting old. She needed a plan and Bryce needed to be in school. This was the perfect job for her—that was, if the younger Childress didn’t kick them out.

He had spent the whole trip staring out the window. She’d glanced at him. He didn’t seem to want to be here. Maybe he would be leaving soon. “So how long do you plan on staying?”

He shrugged. “I’ve taken the next month off. I need to speak with the doctors tomorrow, figure out what Dad needs and when he can come home.”

Oh, no. He hadn’t been told. “Pastor John is bringing him home this evening.”

With his elbows resting on his knees, Tyler pressed the palm of his hands into his eyes. “John’s bringing him home today? I thought he had at least another week in the hospital.”

“The nurses can’t keep him in bed, and he tries to leave every few hours. He tells everyone he’s walking home.”

She drove around a cluster of twisted live oak trees. At the end of the narrow asphalt drive, the redbrick ranch house sprawled long and low behind a shaded yard of lush, green carpet grass. She slowed down and took a moment to find her breath.

A home. A real home that Bryce was going to get to live in, hopefully, for the next year. She blinked a couple of times to stop the tears from spilling down her cheeks. Tyler would think she was crazy if she started crying. Thank You, God.

“Are you okay?”

She didn’t dare look at him. “Yes. I’m just not sure where to go. I haven’t been to the house before now.”

He pointed to the right. “Go to the back. We’ll pull into the garage and unload from there.” Facing her again, his blue eyes intense. “I don’t get it. Dad doesn’t have a way to leave. He can’t drive, and from what I understand he can’t walk that well, either. So why is John bringing him home?”

“He told the pastor that if someone didn’t drive him home he’d start walking. Your father seems very determined to get back to the ranch. So Pastor John’s giving him a ride. They should be here within the next couple of hours.” She skimmed the area around them, avoiding eye contact. “He’s leaving AMA.”

He threw his head back against the seat. “Seriously? A man with brain damage and a broken arm is allowed to leave against medical advice and no one calls me? That’s what AMA means, right? Against medical advice.”

“I believe that’s what it means.” She didn’t know what to say.

“Great. And no one thought to hire a real nurse?” His voice low as he stared back out the window.

“Horses! Momma, look. Horses!”

The drive forked. To the left, a couple of large barns, two outbuildings and several pens made what looked like a small resort for horses. A sharp right put them in front of a giant wooden garage door that belonged on a fortress. Rich wood and large wrought iron hinges brought to mind another time and place.

“Can we go see the horses? Please, Momma.”

“Bryce, it’s raining, and we need to get set up. Besides, the horses are off-limits. You cannot go to the barn area without me. Do you understand?”

“But, Momma...”

“Bryce.” She lowered her chin and looked at him through the rearview mirror.

“Hey, we need to help your mom unpack the car. Well, maybe repack first, then unpack and find out which room is yours.”

“Oh, I can take care of—”

“I’ll be in a different room? Is it far from yours, Momma?” Worry filled his young eyes. He had seen too much in his short life, and it was her fault.

“Right next to mine.” Sleeping together had become their norm since the night Officer Torres had arrested Billy Havender, her last life blunder. No more mistakes. “Bryce, it’ll be okay. Pastor John told me our rooms are connected through a bathroom.”

“You’re in my sister’s room?” His Florida Key blues narrowed. How did someone have eyes that blue without contacts? She didn’t think he wore them. She hadn’t thought about whose room she would be living in. The offer of a salary, plus room and board, had been all she’d needed to hear.

“Pull up. I’ll run inside and open the door.” His voice was gruff as he looked away again.

“Oh, Pastor John gave me the remote.” Digging it out of the console, she hit the button. The left door slid to the other side instead of overhead. As she pulled into the large space, the feeling of crossing the threshold into a special world washed over her. What if she couldn’t do the job that was needed? What if they didn’t let her stay? She stopped herself. No self-doubt allowed.

The concrete space was large enough to hold three cars along with a workshop. Currently only a large silver Suburban with the ranch’s logo sat in the opposite end of the garage. Color-coordinated boxes lined the organized shelves, sorted by shape and size. She skimmed over her car, filled with a hodgepodge of boxes she had saved from the drugstore Dumpster.

Nothing organized or coordinated about her. Maybe she had made a mistake. Taking a deep breath, she studied the most precious thing in her life, the reason she’d taken this opportunity. Bryce.

“Are you ready for our new adventure, Bryce?”

“Can I go pet the horses?” He blinked. “Please?”

Tyler opened Bryce’s door in time to hear the word horses. “How about we help your mom get your stuff in the house? Then I can take you to the barns and introduce you to the stars of the Childress family.”

“Oh, I’m not sure that’s a good idea. He’s never been around large animals.” She didn’t want to come across as the No Patrol, but Tyler was making all sorts of promises and probably didn’t realize how serious a five-year-old took his every word.

Bryce started struggling with his seat belt. Another roll of thunder shook the walls.

“Hold on, baby. I’ll come help.” She made her way to the other side of the car.

Her son glared at her. She paused. He had never glared at her before today. They had always been a team.

“I’m not a baby. I can get out of the car on my own, and Tyler said we could see the horses.”

She realized she’d embarrassed her son in front of his new hero. Karly glanced at Tyler. He shrugged his shoulders, the wet T-shirt plastered to his skin. He mouthed “sorry” from behind Bryce’s back. She put her attention back on her son.

“First, you call him Mr. Childress. Second, I know you can get out of the car. I just needed to get my bag so you won’t step on it. Third, the horses will have to wait.”

Tyler crossed to the other side and started pulling out trash bags full of their clothes. She bit the inside of her cheek.

Do not apologize for your lack of luggage. You have nothing to be ashamed of, Karly Kalakona. “I’m sure this is the most unique baggage you’ve seen as a pilot.” Her laugh sounded stiff to her own ears. She kept one eye on Bryce as he climbed out of the car, his legs still not at 100 percent.

“You’d be surprised.” Tyler’s voice brought her back to him. “This looks like the luggage I used when I moved to college. Aunt Cora gave me a matching set, but I took it back to the department store for the cash and used dependable Hefty bags. My mom got so mad. The best part is when you’re done you can use them for cleanup and they don’t take up any space.”

But she was a mom, not a kid moving away from home the first time. Growing up, she’d gone from feast to famine. During a con, her stepfather, Anthony, had always insisted they travel with only the best. He would spend thousands of dollars, then take everything to a pawnshop when they ran out of money.

Things were different now. She paid her own way. And she didn’t need to waste time thinking about her stepfather. That was the past. “I can get our stuff if you could point me to the right room.”

“No need, I’m here and I know the way.” He pulled out one of her free book bags full of makeup and hair supplies. “Here you go, big guy, can you carry this for me? That’s pretty heavy. Do you think you can handle two?”

“The doctor said I’m strong now. I can carry three.”

Tyler winked at her. “Oh, I don’t know, three is a lot. What do you think, Mom?” Tyler handed Bryce a lightweight grocery bag before picking up a small plastic container with a sealed lid.

“I can do it. Mom, watch!” With the straps across his shoulders, he tucked the box under his arm.

“Good job, Bryce.” At the look of pride on Bryce’s face, a piece of her heart twisted. She popped open the tailgate and stuffed clothes and toys back into the boxes. Tyler was by the door, slipping off his muddy boots. The wet jeans had mud on them, too. It couldn’t be comfortable. “Tyler, the large tub stays in the car. If you would just show me the way, I can get the rest of our stuff. I’m sure you want out of the wet clothes.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m a river rat. I love the rain.”

Bryce giggled. “I want to be a river rat.”

Great, now she had to worry about him going to find the river on his own. She followed Tyler and Bryce through a huge washroom. When he led them through a large open kitchen, she paused. It was bigger than any apartment she had ever lived in during her entire life.

It was unreal, the kind of home she had only seen in a CountryLiving magazine. The smoothness of the long gray-and-black granite counters begged to be touched. A beautiful pine table with eight chairs sat opposite an island. Four stools hugged the counter.

The kitchen had two sinks. Everything was clean and fresh, from the white cabinet doors to the dark wood floors.

Well, except for the two bananas in a ceramic bowl. They were covered in black dots. She should throw them out.

“Mom! Come on.”

He didn’t even know they had just stepped into another world, a world where they didn’t belong. Thank You, God, for giving me such a resilient child.

She looked at the desk with a shelf full of cookbooks above it. She would need those books.

Ramen noodles cooked to perfection were the extent of her skills in the kitchen. She had a feeling this family wasn’t the cheap noodle crowd.

Tyler stepped back into the kitchen. “Sorry, I guess I should have given you a tour first.”

She shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I was thinking I should throw away the bananas before Mr. Childress arrives.”

Bryce came up to the table and wrinkled his nose. “Gross.”

He chuckled. “Oh, yeah, I didn’t even see them. Dad has one every morning with his breakfast. Always made me eat one, too.” He put the bags down and took the overripe fruit to the other side of the room. With a tap of his foot, a trash bin rolled out from under the counter.

“Cool.” Bryce went over the hidden trash container and opened it with the same motion Tyler had used, staring wide-eyed, as if he had discovered a treasure.

“Don’t let me forget to take that out. We don’t want to compact rotten bananas.”

Bryce nodded as if he understood what Tyler said. “Okay.”

In a few long strides, Tyler had the bags of their clothes back in hand, with Bryce right behind him. As he moved under a large archway, he looked back at her. “This is the family room. The dining room and living room are on the other side.”

There was so much to see. Two cream-colored sectionals anchored the spacious room. A million shades of blue pillows invited her to sit and get lost in all the comforts. There were pictures on every surface. Pictures of people, horses and airplanes. An ornate pool table sat in the far corner next to a wall of glass doors. This house invited you to stay and enjoy living. Three double doors led outside.

She hurried to catch up with Tyler and Bryce, who had disappeared down a dark hallway. She glanced at the wall. More pictures. Many of a young girl and boy riding horses or playing sports. She had never seen so many award plaques in one place. They stretched down the long hall, covering the wall along the way.

Tyler’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Sorry about the overkill. Carol always called it Mom’s Hall of Mortification.”

“Is this it?” Bryce stood in front of a door. Tyler nodded, but didn’t make a move to open it. Bryce looked up at the man beside him and adjusted the straps on his shoulder. He glanced at her, then back to Tyler. “Can we go in?”

Drawing in a deep breath, Tyler nodded, still staring at the door. Oh, this is his sister’s room. “Hey, you know what? We can put everything in the family room and figure this out later. Maybe there is another room I’m supposed to move into.”

“No, it makes sense you staying here. You and Bryce are next to each other, and my dad’s room is close.” He turned to point to the opposite wall at the end of the hall. “That’s his door.”

He still didn’t seem all that sure about it. Of course, he also wanted a trained medical professional, not an uneducated single mom.

“Go ahead. Open the door, Bryce. You do the honors. It’s your mom’s room for now.”

Her little man switched the box to his shorter arm and turned the knob. For some reason she held her breath. When was the last time anyone was in this bedroom?

“It’s locked.” Bryce glanced up at Tyler.

This was getting awkward. “I’ll just take our stuff to the fam—”

“No, no. The key is up here.” He set the bags down and went to the door at the back of the hall. Stretching up, he ran his fingers along the top of the door frame. “Here you go.” He handed the Allen key to Bryce. “I’ll go get more of your boxes.”

“Are you sure?” She ended up talking to his back. “Don’t take out the large green tub. It stays in the car.” She wasn’t sure he had heard. Bryce fumbled a bit with the key, then turned the knob before flashing her one of his I-did-it smiles.

She took a deep breath and smiled back. It was just a door, an ordinary door, so why did she feel so heavy walking through it?

“Wow! Mom, the bed is huge and purple.” He tossed the bags on an overstuffed armchair. “Look how big the windows are, and it has a seat.”

She stepped into a fifteen-year time capsule. Every teenage fantasy of being a normal girl with a family and school friends came to life in the room. Purple and silver ribbons hung from the corner of the curtain rod, the silk mums were coated in a fine layer of dust. The cream-colored walls were covered in poster frames that held collages of a high school girl’s memories. Sports, dances, horses and local and international mission trips were highlighted in each of the five poster frames.

“Who are all these people?” Bryce was studying the pictures.

“This is Carol, Tyler’s sister. All the other people are her friends. She’s also Rachel and Celeste’s mother.” Carol hadn’t been much older than she when she had been killed in a car accident, leaving behind two small daughters, a young husband and a whole town that loved her and still missed her. She looked at the laughing girl who’d thought she had a lifetime in front of her. Somehow she had managed to accomplish more in one short life than Karly dreamed of doing.

“Oh, look at these, Momma.” He picked up a model horse from the purple dresser. “These are cool. I hope my room’s not purple, though.”

“Here’re some more boxes.” She heard Tyler’s voice from the hallway, but by the time she had gotten to the door he was already gone again.

“Momma, what’s that word?”

She went back into Carol’s room. “What word, baby?”

“Momma, I’m not a baby.” Then he pointed to a poster, purple, of course, on the wall. “Go An-gore-as! What’s an Angora?”

She shrugged. “Not sure. We’ll have to ask Tyler.”

“Can I see my room?” He lowered his head and whispered. “Please, anything but purple.” He opened the door to the bathroom that connected the rooms. “If I don’t like it, your bed is big enough for both of us.”

“Yes, it is.” She just wasn’t sure if there was room for them. In this home. This substantial house was big enough for them and Tyler, though.

“Cool, Momma! Look.” He tilted his head back to look at the ceiling, slowly turning. Airplanes of all sizes and shapes hung from the clear wires. Two-tone blue, with a touch of red, made the room inviting and all boy. Baseball and football equipment packed the spaces between the books on the shelves. Posters of Texas teams and colleges covered the wall.

The strangest was the leather halter and bridle hanging on the headboard. Bryce started going through the closet, pulling out some sort of sports jersey with a large nineteen on it. “Do you think it’s Tyler’s?”

“Hey, what have you got there?” Tyler stood in the doorway, leaning on the frame.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She took the shirt from Bryce and put it back. They’d intruded into his world; now he found them digging through his closet.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Childress.” Her little boy took a step back, his head down.

Towering over her small son, Tyler reached past him and pulled out the shirt. “You can wear it. It’s my basketball shirt from my seventh-grade year. We got new ones, so coach let us keep them.” He slipped the jersey over Bryce’s head. “In just a few years, you can be a fighting Angora.”

“I can’t play basketball.” He held up his short arm. “I only have one hand.”

“You only need one hand to dribble.” He rubbed Bryce’s dark hair.

Karly crossed her arms and stopped herself from saying anything to Tyler. She wished he would stop telling her son all the things he could do. She was sure he meant well, but he didn’t understand all the complications.

The joy in her son radiated from his grin. “So what’s an Angora?”

This time Tyler laughed out loud. “A goat with long, wavy white hair and curled horns.”

She had to laugh at Bryce’s horrified expression. “A goat?”

“Yeah, a goat, but most people don’t even know they’re goats. They’re different and they’re tough, able to survive through harsh conditions.”

Maybe she had more in common with the school mascot than she thought.

“What kind of conditions?”

“Sorry, he’ll ask you questions all day.” She came up behind her son and pulled him against her. “Bryce can stay with me. This is your room.”

“Hasn’t been my room for years.” He ran fingers through his damp hair and looked around. “The times I came home, I slept in the bunkhouse.”

Bryce’s big eyes went even wider. “Bunkhouse? Like with cowboys?”

“Yep. Speaking of which, since you live on the Childress Ranch now, we need to find you a cowboy hat and boots.” He stepped into the closet and pulled a black hat from the top shelf. “Let’s see if this fits.” The cowboy hat wobbled a little bit on Bryce’s head, but it wasn’t too bad.

“It fits, Momma. Look! I’m a cowboy!” He turned back to his new champion. “Can I stay in the bunkhouse, too?”

“Sorry, partner. Have to be nineteen to live in the bunkhouse. You can stay in my old room and be a cowboy in training.”

Karly’s phone vibrated. Looking at the name, she saw it was the call she had been expecting. “Hi, Pastor John.” She noticed Tyler stiffen, his jaw muscles flexing. “Yes, we’re here. Tyler’s here, too. I picked him up at the airport.” He raised an eyebrow. She was not going to explain the almost head-on collision over the phone. “What do you need me to do? Okay, see you in a while.”

Sliding the new phone back into her pocket, she took a deep breath. “Your father will be here soon. They’re turning off the highway now. Are there any more boxes in the car?”

“Nope, got them all. Left the tub. Why is no one calling me about my father?”

Her stomach knotted. She hated conflict. “I don’t know. Maybe because you’d been out of the country and they weren’t sure when you’d be here.” She shrugged. “I’m going to make sure your dad’s room is ready. Tyler?”

He had started bringing boxes into the room. “Yeah.”

She swallowed. “Pastor John said to tell you he was glad you were here, but...to remind you that your father needs to be in a stress-free environment.”

Anger clouded his blue eyes, making them darker. “What does he think I’m going to do?”

With a shrug, she headed for the door. “I don’t know. Bryce, come on.”

“Momma, please. I want to help Mr. Childress.”

“Hey, partner. Call me Tyler. With my dad coming home, it’ll get confusing if you call us both Mr. Childress. Anyway, I’m really not much older than you. Just ask my dad.”

She still saw a bit of a mischievous look in his eye, ready to cause trouble.

“He can stay and help me. I need those strong muscles.”

Bryce giggled.

“Okay, but be careful. You just got the braces off your legs.” She looked at Tyler, hoping he understood her concern.

He nodded. “We’ll be careful.” He looked back at her. “So why didn’t you tell them I ran you off the road and crashed into a fence?”

She pulled at the end of her ponytail. “It’s not something we need to talk about now or over the phone. You’ll have time to explain it to your dad if you want to tell him.”

With one last glance at her son, she nodded and headed to the master bedroom. She couldn’t even imagine how that room would look in a house that already overwhelmed her.

Her stomach hurt. What was she going to do if this didn’t work out? Tyler was hard to read. One minute she felt he wanted to get rid of her, the next he was being all sweet to Bryce and helping them unpack.

And what had she signed up for? She had no medical experience outside of taking care of Bryce. Not only that, she didn’t even know how to cook real food. God, if this is going to work, I really need You. I feel so unprepared for this job. Not to mention Tyler Childress...


Chapter Three (#ulink_25d1e823-4af7-59b6-9e87-c013f197ac75)

Tyler set Karly’s last box down next to his old closet. He stared at the door to the bathroom, the door that connected the two rooms. A numb spot started spreading through his chest. Simple, walk through the bathroom and into her room.

Carol’s room.

It was just a room. A room full of memories from a girl that no longer lived in this world. Gone.

At some point his father should have packed away all her old stuff and gotten it out of the house.

He looked down at the small boy now playing with an old box of Lego pieces he’d found forgotten in the closet. What was he going to do about his former brother-in-law’s project? Karly and Bryce obviously needed a safe place to stay. As a single mom with a special needs child, she would be limited in her job opportunities. Especially here in Clear Water.

He crouched down next to the dark-haired boy. “Need some help?”

Bryce tucked a block between his elbow and ribs in order to attach another with his hand. “Nope. I got it.” He dug through the box and picked a yellow brick.

Up close, Tyler noticed the scars on his forehead wrinkled with concentration. He totally understood John and his dad wanting to help these two, but they weren’t even from the area. At least, he’d never seen her before. And he’d remember her.

What did anyone really know about Karly? He doubted anyone had thought to run a background check on her. Or vetted her skills. Tyler needed to know that when he went back to Colorado, his father would be in good hands with a professional.

Bryce slumped over, his head landing on the soft rug next to the bed. In a panic, Tyler swept him up and moved as fast as he could to his father’s room. “Karly?” He made sure to keep his voice calm and quiet.

“I’m right here.” She stepped out of the master bathroom. Her eyes went a bit wider when she saw Bryce in his arms.

Rushing to her, he met her in the middle of the room. “He was playing. Then, without any warning, he just fell over.”

Long, graceful fingers gently pushed the fine wisp of hair that had fallen across her son’s forehead. The smile and soft chuckle from Karly eased his pounding heart. It couldn’t be anything dangerous if she was happy. When she raised her warm eyes to look at him, his breath stopped somewhere around his heart.

He had seen more beautiful women than he could count, but something about Karly Kalakona made the world stand still. Not good. His world needed to keep moving.

He swallowed and looked down at the tiny being in his arms. He had been around a great deal of children, many of them sick, some even dying, but he’d never actually held them so close. “He’s okay?”

“Yeah, he does this when he doesn’t get his nap.” She shrugged, then leaned in to kiss the small forehead. “With the packing, driving in the storm, the excitement of the plane and meeting you, then a new house and a room of his own, he just crashed once he sat still for a minute.” Her hand went to his lower arm. “I should’ve thought of it before he passed out. Do you want me to take him?”

“No, I’ve got him. I’ll take him back to his room.” Making his way down the hall, he sensed Karly close behind him.

“Are you sure it’s all right for us to be in these rooms?”

He nodded to the bed. “Like I said earlier, I haven’t slept in here for years. Turn down the quilt, and we can tuck him in.”

After laying Bryce down, Tyler took a step back, allowing Karly to settle her little man in a bed that looked too big for him.

Turning away from the mother/son moment, he left.

He had to shut off the memories of his sister climbing into his bed while their mother read to them, and sometimes their dad would join them. Every night ended with prayers. He shook his head, clearing out his thoughts. He was such a loser, going down that road. It was a dead end.

“Tyler? Karly?” John’s voice called out from the laundry room.

Tyler moved to the kitchen area. “We’re here. Putting Bryce to bed.” His father was home. Remember, Tyler Childress, nothing is worth upsetting the old man over. He might need God’s help with this one, not that he expected any break from that quarter. Some habits were just hard to kill.

He took a breath and looked behind John. “Where’s Dad?”

John ran his fingers through his hair. His usual open expression was closed and clouded with something Tyler couldn’t read.

“Tyler, this is not going to be easy, but I need you to stay calm and not start any fights.”

Stepping into the garage, he saw a frail man struggling to get out of the SUV and leaning heavily on the door. That could not be his tall, robust father.

“Dub, I asked you to wait until I got help.” John’s easygoing voice sounded exasperated.

“I. Am. Not a...kid.”

Tyler heard some other words mumbled, but he couldn’t make them out.

“Dad?” That man could not be his father.

He had been on an international flight when Maggie, their neighbor, had called him with the news. She’d told him it was only a small stroke. When his father had gotten on the phone, he hadn’t even wanted Tyler to come home. He had sounded almost normal during that conversation. “Is everything okay? Has something else happened?”

Dub grunted and John sighed. “When he gets tired, it’s harder for him to speak or move.” John gave Dub a pointed look. “It’s been a long day, and arguing about everything doesn’t help. Rest, Dub, you need to rest.”

Turning away from Dub, John pointed to the back of the ranch vehicle. “Tyler, there’s a wheelchair in the back. Can you get it out?”

“Sure.” He moved without much thought, the cold concrete on his bare feet keeping him in the present. This weak man could not be his strong, hearty, stubborn father. Was he worse than he had been led to believe? Was he going to die sooner rather than later? He had been told his mom had a year. A year that turned into three months.

He glanced over the backseat as he pulled out the wheelchair. What if his dad didn’t get better? Thunder rumbled in the distance, the storm passing on to the east.

“What’s...all the...mud?”

“Sorry, Dad. I’ll clean it up. Karly’s car got stuck. I helped her out. I took off my boots before I went in, so I didn’t track mud in the house. I’ll get her car washed and the floor cleaned.” He wasn’t a twelve-year-old anymore, so why did he start acting like one around his father?

“Karly is... She’s...she’s a good girl.” Dub made some growling noises. “Be...be nice.”

The subject of the conversation appeared in the doorway. Miss Sunshine herself.

“Welcome home, Mr. Childress.” She glanced around the garage, appearing nervous.

This wasn’t going to work out—they needed a professional nurse if they were going to get his father healthy again.

Tyler unfolded the chair next to the passenger’s door. His father shook his head and pointed, his fingers shaking. “I...ain’t sitting...in...that.”

John took a deep sigh, but his voice was firm. “Dub, I don’t have much time. I told the girls I would pick them up from 4-H. If you fall, think how embarrassed that will make you feel.” He glanced up to Tyler. “The doctor said falling might be the biggest danger to his recovery.” He cut his gaze back to Dub. “Remember, we had a deal. If I brought you home early, you’d let Karly help you. That’s why she’s here. If you don’t let her help, she won’t have a job.”

She came up behind them. “Is there anything else I need to do? All the equipment that was ordered has been placed in his room. I made the bed. Pastor John said you’d be ready to rest and build up your strength.”

John held Dub’s arm and eased him into the black seat. Tyler just stood there, useless. Once Dub was settled, his son-in-law went back into the vehicle. “Here are some premade dinners Maggie packed for y’all. With moving and getting everyone settled, she was worried you wouldn’t have time for cooking. Here, Dub.” He placed the bags on Dub’s lap. “You can drop this off as you go through the kitchen.”

“Tell her thanks.” Karly smiled at John before leaning forward. “Ready, Mr. Childress?”

“Karly, Tyler, the occupational therapist is scheduled to be out here for the first home visit Thursday. That was the earliest they could get out here on short notice. I have a folder with all the instructions and tips. Things to look for.”

Karly nodded, then smiled at his dad. Bending low, she whispered close to his ear. He mumbled something and she laughed. “I’ll take him in to check out his room.”

Tyler couldn’t form a word. He knew he had words, lots of them, but they had all left.

John spoke again. “Thanks, Karly. Behave, Dub.”

“Tyler, the doctor said—” John started, but he couldn’t let him finish. How had his dad convinced them to bring him home without a medical professional?

“He can’t stay here. He’s too weak. We have to get him in assisted living.”

“Really?” John’s eyebrow shot up. “I wish you well with that move. I couldn’t even get him to live with me in the house he grew up in, right here on his ranch.” John reached inside the SUV and pulled out a red folder. “Here’s all the information the hospital gave us. The contact numbers for the speech therapist, physical therapist and the occupational therapist. You’ll need to set up times for the PT and speech. The speech therapist can also help with any eating problems he has.”

“We need a professional nurse. Karly can’t handle all this medical stuff, and I gotta leave in a few weeks.”

“Karly will be fine. Besides, we tried to talk your dad into a home health nurse, but he didn’t want a stranger in his house. He agreed to Karly, and I trust her. She also needs this opportunity to get her life on track. It’s a win-win for everyone, Tyler.” John reached over and gripped Tyler’s shoulder. “I know it’s hard seeing your dad like this, but you need to rely on your faith. God’s in control, Tyler. There’s a plan.”

Head against the wall, Tyler stared at the ceiling. He couldn’t look at John, the pastor his sister had married. His sister’s husband, who would soon be married to someone else, to their old neighbor, Lorrie Ann Ortega. “What if I don’t like the plan?” Too many of his plans had been ripped apart. “You can’t just blindly fumble through life waiting for God to answer prayers. Dad needs more medical care than Karly can provide. When I talked to Maggie, she said it wasn’t that bad.”

“For a stroke, he’s fortunate, but it’s still a stroke. The doctors said there is no reason he won’t have a full recovery, but they won’t be sure for some time as to permanent damage. If he does fully recover, it could take up to two years. And there’s also the broken bones. They just need rest and time to heal.”

“Two years? I don’t have that kind of time.” He pressed his back against the garage wall, sliding down to the floor. He buried his fingers in his damp hair. His grip tightened, wanting to pull all the strands out of his scalp. “Sorry, that was completely selfish. I just want my dad back. What about the horses? The ranch? What am I going to do?”

John sat next to him. “For now we have to take it one day at a time. With work and focus, the doctors believe you can have your dad fully back. The fear of losing him, any part of him, was hard to deal with today. Seeing him was a shock.” John put his hand back on Tyler’s shoulder. “That stubbornness of his can help him get better. It’s also that pride that can get in the way of his recovery. He’s not going to change his mind about where he lives or who lives with him. In Isaiah, we’re reminded, ‘For I hold you by your right hand—I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, “Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.”’ You’re never alone, Tyler. God is here. I’m close by if you need anything.” He patted his should a couple of times and stood. “The girls want their uncle over for dinner soon. They miss you.” With that, he left.

Tyler’s throat was dry. He needed something to drink. How did John manage to stay so positive? His sister’s husband had more reasons to doubt the promise of a happy ending than anyone else.

Making his way to the master bedroom, a fog filled his head. In his parents’ room, the huge oak four-poster had been replaced with a hospital bed. Karly was tucking the edges around Dub, just like she did for her son. From the soft snores, it appeared his dad had fallen asleep as fast as Bryce.

“Karly?”

She turned with a yelp; her hands went to her chest. “You startled me.”

“Sorry.” He nodded to his dad. “He’s asleep?”

Karly looked at his father with a soft smile. “Yeah, as soon as I got him still he was out.”

“We need to talk.” He knew he sounded short and he would be better off at least trying to use some of his charm, but right now he was too raw to care.

“Okay.” She nodded, her big eyes begging him for something he didn’t know if he could deliver.

“I’m going to take a shower first. I’ll meet you in the front living room in about fifteen minutes.”

She just nodded again.

He steeled himself against any weakness she brought out in him. His father’s needs came first.


Chapter Four (#ulink_64c9199a-2e65-5496-aab3-7a5c1efe1fba)

After checking on Bryce, Karly went back into her new room. Unpacking again, she hoped this time they would get to stay for longer than a few months. With one hand she gently opened the top dresser drawer to start putting her few belongings away. Pens, hair clips, rings and other random items cluttered the space.

Oh, my. She took a deep breath. Carol’s belongings were still in the dressers. She reached down to the bottom drawer and pulled on the handles. The clothes smelled musty. Shutting the drawer, she sighed.

Putting her back to the dresser, she scanned the room. The closet was probably filled with Carol’s things, also. She didn’t feel right moving anything. When Pastor John had told her to take this room, he must not have known his late wife’s teenage life was still here.

“Wow.” Tyler stood at the open door. “It looks as if she could walk in any minute.” His triceps flexed as he crossed his arms, the loose T-shirt and jeans in contrast to the tension in his stance. Dark blond hair still damp from his shower curled at the base of his neck.

She had no clue what to say. “I’m sorry. I can move my things into your room.”

“You mean Bryce’s room. No. When Carol left for college, Mom wanted to clean out the room for sewing and crafts, but my dad wouldn’t let her. He said it was Carol’s room and would always be Carol’s room. Then Mom got sick.” He walked over to the dresser and picked up a trophy with a horse on the top. “I think it’s time to clean it out. Man, this was from seventeen years ago.”

He put it down and picked up another relic from his sister’s childhood. Silence lingered as he went from one dust-covered item to the next.

She understood loss, but she didn’t have a house full of memories. She’d always wanted something of her mom’s to hold. Tyler had a whole house of memories of the people he loved. It didn’t seem to make it better. “So you lost your mom before Carol’s accident?”

His back to her, Tyler nodded and set down a picture frame. “Yeah, eighteen months.”

No one had talked about all his losses when they talked about Tyler Childress. They loved to recap all his wildness and scandals. “I’m sorry. Were you still in school?”

This time he turned away from the dresser and walked over to the faded purple-covered bed. “When Mom died I was in Florida, at flight school.” He looked around the room. “We could put the old clothes in your bags and donate them. All the other stuff can go in the boxes.” He pulled the bedcover up at the corner and folded it over, starting to strip the mattress. “I think the room is ready for a new comforter, also. There are plenty of newer ones in the hall closet.”

“Oh, no... Everything can stay.”

He raised one eyebrow and grinned at her. “So you like the purple-people-eater theme.” He walked to the other side of the bed. “Really, it should have been done years ago. Carol would do it herself if she was here.”

“What about her girls? They might want some of their mom’s things.” Habit stopped her from saying more. She always made a point not to dwell in the past, and she never talked about it. He folded over the stuffed comforter, shoulders slumped as if a heavy weight pushed them down. Biting hard on the inside of her cheek, Karly resisted the urge to put her arms around him. She couldn’t go there, but maybe she could ease his pain in another way. At this rate she would be eating the flesh inside her mouth. “Right after my sixth birthday, I lost my mom. The same age Rachel was when her mom died. I dreamed of having something, anything of hers. I don’t know anything about her other than she was from Hawaii.”

“So your parents are from Hawaii.” He placed the purple comforter in the window seat. “That explains your last name.” He walked back across the room without looking at her.

“It’s my mom’s name. A lot of people think I’m Hispanic.”

“What about your grandparents, your father? They didn’t share anything with you?”

He picked up her bag of clothes and dumped them on the bed. He didn’t have much sense of personal space. Another reason to not get emotionally involved.

She rushed to the bed and started gathering the articles he had scattered on the bed. “I can get my clothes.”

“I’m using the bags to clean out the old clothes.” He paused.

“You could have asked.”

He moved to the dresser, pulling open the one with all the trinkets first and closed it just as quick. Reaching for the next drawer, he looked at her. “We need to make room for your clothes.” Without looking, Tyler pulled out the next drawer and dumped the contents into the black plastic bag. He did the same with the three long drawers, his jaw locked and his posture tense.

He nodded to the bed. “Go ahead and put your clothes in here and I’ll get the ones hanging in the closet.”

“Tyler, we don’t have to do this now.”

He shook his head as he opened the closet door. “It should have been done a long time ago.” His face took on a hard look as he pulled clothes off the hangers and crammed them into the now-stuffed trash bag. “My dad goes on as if they’re coming back. He won’t change anything.”

“If you really love someone, I would think it’s hard to get rid of their things.”

He stopped and looked at her. “You said you didn’t have anything of your mother’s. How did that happen? How did you lose her?”

She shouldn’t have brought it up. He wouldn’t understand all the holes in her life. “She just died. One morning Anthony took her to the hospital. I never saw her again. The next day, my stepfather put me in his car and we left town.” And from that day forward traveling became the cornerstone of her life. Anything given to her got pawned.

What if her mother had lived? Would they have left Anthony? She couldn’t change the past, only her future. This was why she never let herself think about it. She took her eyes off her list and peeked at Tyler from under her lashes.

Tyler looked at her as if she was crazy. “You left town with your stepfather? What about your father, grandparents?”

“No, there was only my stepfather. I don’t even know my bio dad’s name and my mother didn’t have any family.”

With sharp motions, he stuffed the clothes into the plastic bag and tied off the top. “I can’t imagine not having any family.” After grabbing a box off the top shelf, he turned back to her. “There’s still some stuff in there, but you can hang your clothes for now.” Tyler left the room.

He confused her. She went ahead and put a few of her things in the dresser. The long skirts she loved wearing were wrinkled from being jam-packed. Shaking them out, she took them to the closet and hung them on the faded pink silk hangers.

Tyler returned, this time with a stack of blankets and sheets and a smile. “Here you go. I’ll take the purple monster to the laundry room.”

Karly went to one of her boxes and dug out a spiral notebook and her green pen.

Lists—she liked making lists, organizing the things she had to do, learn and schedule.

She also needed to make a plan in case the worst happened and she lost this job. She’d been afraid of that earlier, when Tyler said they’d needed to talk. Pray for the best but prepare for the worst. So far the worst seemed to follow her around, but it was time for a change.

Eyes closed, she took a deep breath and centered herself with God. He put her here. He would give her the tools she needed to make this work.

* * *

In the laundry room, Tyler started the washing machine and stuffed the old comforter into the hot water. He rubbed the palms of his hands deep into his eye sockets. How did someone not have any family? There had been days when he thought life would be easier without one. But if he truly thought about it, he wouldn’t know who he was without his parents and sister.

He hoped taking Carol’s things out of her room wouldn’t upset his dad. Why did he want to act as if she would be coming back? The muscles around his chest tightened.

Running both of his hands through his hair, he filled his lungs and let the air out with a harsh sigh. He walked back through his mother’s kitchen to his sister’s room.

His dad was so stubborn. The whole house looked exactly the same as the day his mom died. Dub Childress was a stubborn fool, but he always got what he wanted. He always won.

Well, Dad, you can’t beat death. Mom and Carol are gone and they aren’t coming back.

He walked right past Carol’s room, his old room, and straight to his dad’s. Stepping through the door, he leaned his weight against the door frame. The hard, breathing bump in the hospital bed was his dad. They had a chance to get this right. Tyler wasn’t going anywhere until he knew his dad would be walking, talking and laughing again.

His family had been hit hard; first they’d lost his mom, then Carol. When was the last time he’d heard his dad’s laugh?

The ranch was too much for him alone. He had to convince the old man to retire, maybe even sell the place. First, he had to make sure his dad had the care he needed.

He walked over to the edge of the practical steel-framed bed and noticed his father had kicked one foot out from under the covers. He had always hated being completely covered, insisting he needed air.

Tyler shook his head. The edge of the bed gave under his weight as he sat next to his dad. He thought of all the nights his dad had tucked him in after saying their nightly prayers. With his left hand he reached for his father’s shoulder. He didn’t remember the last time he even tried to talk to God. “God, Dub has been a faithful servant to You. He did the best he could with a son that wouldn’t listen. Give me a chance to make this right. Amen.” He leaned over and kissed the side of his father’s forehead. “I’m here, Dad. Together we will get through this and you’ll be as good as old.”

With a nod to his sleeping father, he turned and made his way to the other problem he had to figure out. Karly and Bryce.


Chapter Five (#ulink_ad719920-1f4c-568e-98b9-7eddc80c7dfe)

Stopping at his sister’s door, Tyler took in the small changes in the room. Karly sat in the window seat, just like Carol. But the similarity stopped there. Where his sister had charged into the world with a fearless walk, Karly’s movement reminded him of a cat his mom had once rescued, slow and cautious, wary of strangers.

With long, graceful fingers she tucked a lose strand behind her ear and wrote in a notebook. He moved to the walls cluttered with Carol’s memories and dreams and started taking down a framed collage of photos.

He knew it was irrational, but a drive to get the stuff of his sister’s life off the walls and put away had taken hold of him. Why had his dad left this room untouched for so long? It was just another reminder of the conversations that would never happen.

Karly left the window seat. “What are you doing? I thought you said we needed to talk.”

“We do, but you don’t want to look at pictures of someone else’s memories. I was going to put them in the garage for now.”

She smiled at him. “I don’t mind.”

He doubted that, and raised one eyebrow.

“Really.” Stepping closer, Karly ran her fingertips over a group of pictures from pep rallies and school dances. “Growing up, I moved a great deal. I love your sister’s pictures. Maybe I could put them in an album for her daughters. Have they seen the pictures?”

“I’m sure Rachel did when she was smaller, but I don’t think Celeste has ever been in here.” He scanned the room. “We should at least pack the mums away.”

Her full lips turned up at the corners. He saw a gleam in her dark eyes. “Leave them for now. I really find them fascinating. Where did the idea of a huge flower and tons of ribbon and glitter come from anyway? While we were in Dallas, we went to a homecoming game. The flowers were so pretty with all the bells and glitter. I imagined getting one from a secret admirer. Of course, I never did.”

He was getting the feeling her childhood was in stark contrast to his sister’s experiences. Or she was just sharing those anecdotes to get his sympathy. Wouldn’t be the first time, so why did it seem to be working tonight? “If you don’t want to take anything else down, let’s go to the living room. We can discuss what you will be doing and what my father needs.” With one last look at Carol’s celebrations he walked out, not checking to see if his dad’s new project followed.

* * *

Karly stopped herself from pulling on her earrings. She needed to trust God, not fret over Tyler and his motives. “Sure.” She made an effort to smile at him as she picked up her notebook and tucked her pen into the spiral.

There was more to Tyler Childress than the local gossip talked about. Details missing that would make him a whole person. The way he reacted to Bryce told her he had some experience with kids—kids with differences. But she had a bad habit of seeing the good in the worst guys. Tyler was pulling on all those old heartstrings. The ones she should not trust.

Walking back through the hall, she smiled at the name. The Hall of Mortification, Carol had called it. She couldn’t imagine growing up in a town that knew your grandparents, a town where you belonged, even if they remembered all your mistakes.

Plaques lined the walls. She tried to picture the life that collected these awards: homecoming court, rodeo queen, football captain, basketball tournament MVP, valedictorian, even honors for choir and grass judging.

Who knew you could win a state championship by knowing grasses? The wall carried on in an endless line of best of this and that. Carol’s name seemed to be on most of them, accomplishments that surpassed her own childhood fantasies. These were the kind of growing-up years she wanted for Bryce. He might not be able to play sports, but once he recovered from the surgeries for his foot, he could have a school and friends and be involved in so many things.

The awards pointed to a bright future that had been cut short. Tyler had lost his mom and sister, but he seemed to forget he still had a dad and a home where he belonged.

Passing through the kitchen, she walked into the front living room. It screamed Texas ranch. The leather sofa and chairs were just the beginning. Everything else was made from wrought iron and antlers, including the huge square coffee table and all the lamps. Area rugs of assorted cowhide warmed the stone floor.

Tyler stood in front of the biggest stone fireplace she had ever seen. Over the rough wood mantel hung a painted portrait. Six people, three generations, all wearing white shirts and jeans, stood in front of the cypress trees that lined the Frio River.

She recognized Dub Childress, younger but with the same stubborn jaw. Next to his older sister, Carol, Tyler looked to be about ten with a roguish grin. The older couple had to be Dub’s parents, Tyler’s grandparents. All the men in the family had the same look, although Tyler’s frame tended to the leaner side.

Tyler’s mother, however, surprised her.

In the photo, her lips were pressed closed as if she was fighting laughing out loud, and her eyes gleamed with the same glint Karly had initially seen in Tyler’s gaze. Tyler’s mother had one hand on her son’s shoulder, anchoring him in place. Her other arm was entwined with her husband’s, keeping them linked.

It was a portrait that showed a happy family—and what was gone.

All of a sudden the collection of achievements lost their shine. Now Tyler stood alone. She knew how that felt, but was it worse or better to have it all, only to lose it?

Tyler continued to look up at the oil painting. “She was always laughing.” He glanced at Karly for the first time since she walked into the room. “Dad would get so mad and ask if she took anything seriously. She would just laugh and tell him life was short and he was too solemn. She would tease him until we were all laughing.” He turned back to his family.

Silence lingered.

Karly pulled on the colored beads that hung from her right ear. “So you’re a good mix of your parents?”

He turned to her. Surprise stamped on his face. “Why would you say that? We just met.”

“True, and most of that time you have been very serious, but I’ve also seen you make light of situations that could have been tough, like you not fitting in my car or when I got stuck in the mud. Plus the way you work with Bryce—you made a game out of him being scared and gave him your old basketball jersey.” One thing life had taught her was to watch the way men reacted to difficult situations. It told a great deal about their character.

He had turned his back to her and continued to stare at the portrait. Maybe that was why God had put her here—not for the job and home for Bryce, but to help Tyler see how much he still had here on the ranch in his life if he wanted it.

She gave herself a mental shake. She could not fall into her fix-him mode. Bryce and their future needed to be her focus.

She sighed. Silence always made her nervous. “By the way, you were great with Bryce. Thank you for not making a big deal of his arm. Most people get uncomfortable and don’t know how to act. You made his day when you gave him jobs to do instead of ignoring him. You seem to have experience with kids like him.” Okay, she needed to stop talking.

Silence. Again she fought the urge to fill it. Finally he moved to the sofa and nodded to her. She guessed it was an invitation to sit down. Tucking her long skirt under her, she sat. Perched on the edge of the giant leather sofa, she waited for him to talk. Pen in hand, she posed to take notes.

And waited.

His gaze scanned the room before coming back to her. “I have a friend that works in the burn unit at a hospital in Houston. The kids like it when I stop by in my pilot uniform and talk about flying. We’ve done a few Make-A-Wish trips with the airplanes, too. Many of the kids are missing limbs. Bryce’s looks more like a birth defect than an injury.”

She nodded. “The doctor said his arm got tangled up in the umbilical cord, so it didn’t fully develop. It happened below the elbow, so he has most of his arm. He’s also had surgeries on his foot. That’s why he limps now, but he will fully recover from that. Bryce’s needs won’t in any way interfere with my working here.”

“Other than your son, what is your medical training?” His intense gaze locked her in place.

Karly made herself breathe. He had every right to ask her that question. Her first instinct was to lie, to say whatever she needed to say to keep this job, this home. She swallowed and clenched her hands.

Her stepfather had taught her to lie so well it was as natural as breathing, and she always had to fight the impulse to give the expected answer, but she had made a vow to tell the truth no matter the consequences. “I don’t have any. Pastor John is the one that came to me with the idea that I could help out. I know I can keep the house clean and watch over your father, make sure all the appointments are set up and he gets to them. Help him move around and take care of all the little things.”

Leaning forward, Tyler kept his gaze on her. “My dad’s health comes first. Do you have a résumé?”

The taste of blood hit her tongue. She relaxed her jaw, but her lungs would not let up. Unable to talk, she shook her head. A résumé? She had never needed one before. She didn’t have enough education or experience to even fill half a page.

Well, she could fill a page with all her job bouncing, but washing dishes, laundry, serving coffee and cleaning kennels didn’t count in the real world. This was it—less than twelve hours and the best opportunity she had ever been given would slip out of her grasp.

A loud knock caused them both to look toward the kitchen. Tyler stood.

“Tyler? Karly?” It was Adrian De La Cruz.

Karly had met the horse trainer at church when she’d joined a single parent group he led. He seemed to like her and support her working for Mr. Childress. And his appearance was putting a stop to a bad conversation. “We’re in here, Adrian.”

Rounding the corner into the kitchen, she bumped into him. He grabbed her arms to steady her. Adrian was shorter than Tyler, instead eye to eye with her own five-foot-eleven height. He smiled, causing the lines around his golden-brown eyes to deepen. “Whoa, where’re you going in such a hurry?” Stepping back, he chuckled and looked over her shoulder. “I’m not used to women running from Hollywood here.”

“Hollywood?” She glanced at Tyler.

“That was pretty boy’s nickname. No matter what he was doing, he did it in style and loved an audience.” Adrian laughed. “Always had the girls all worked up. The rest of us poor slobs had to wait for the fallout.”

“That’s not how I remember it at all.” Tyler held his hand out to shake, but Adrian pulled Tyler into a hug and slapped him on the back.

“Good to see you back in town. Sorry about your dad, but I know he’ll get through this. Too stubborn to do anything else, que si?” Flashing her his open, friendly smile, Adrian winked at her. She couldn’t help but grin back at her friend. She was already feeling better.

So why didn’t she fall for guys like Adrian? The solid, hardworking and easygoing family man. As a single dad, he loved his daughter above all else. She looked at Tyler from under her lashes. She had some kind of messed-up genes when it came to picking men.

“So you’ve left construction to get back in the horse business? Riding bulls again?” Tyler leaned a hip on the counter and crossed his arms, pulling the cotton shirt tight over his shoulders.

“No bulls for me, but Mia’s ten now so I have a bit more freedom, and the construction jobs took a dive a while back. Your father was looking for a part-time trainer, so it was good timing. Are you going to stick around? There are some big shows coming up and we’re not sure what we should do. Your dad is pretty hands-on and was still riding.”

Tyler sighed. His jaw flexed. “There are a lot of decisions that need to be made, and Dad is in no shape to be running the ranch.”

Karly needed to leave the room. She nodded to the men. “Excuse me.” She moved in between them, making her way to the refrigerator. Maggie had sent a casserole. It just needed to be heated up.

But standing in front of the stainless-steel, professional-looking gas stove, she had no idea how to start it. What if she blew them up?

“Karly, you’re the reason I came over,” Adrian called out to her.

Sweat beaded up on her lip and heat crept up her neck. She couldn’t even heat up a premade dinner. “Me?” Oh, great, what had happened now?

“Yeah, Pastor John called me.” He turned to Tyler. “He said he tried calling you. Anyway. He was going to show Karly around but in the rush to get his girls he forgot. He wanted to make sure you got settled in and that you had the password to the desktop here in the kitchen.” He turned behind him and sat at the desk. “He said the computer was yours to use. I’ll write it down here. He also said there was a binder with all the accounts and important information in the desk.” Opening the cabinet, he pulled out a black binder. “Here it is.”

“All of the accounts? He is handing all of his accounts over to her?” Tyler’s hard voice was back. He took the binder and started looking through it.

She didn’t blame him for the distrust. “I’m sure not all. He said I would be doing the shopping for the house.” Pastor John had also encouraged her to use the computer for online classes. He’d thought it was for college classes, for her dreams of being a PT assistant, but he didn’t know that she first had to get her high school diploma. She’d tried to finish that using the computer at the library, but their hours were limited and she’d had to refresh every forty-five minutes. Now she could actually start and work on it while Bryce slept or was at school. It was another blessing.

She would not cry. No crying in front of the men. They wouldn’t understand.

“Were you going to heat up some dinner?” Tyler asked before turning to Adrian. “You want to stay and eat?”

“No. Thanks. I’m heading home. Anything else you need from me before I leave?”

She forced a laugh before asking what she hoped sounded kind of like a joke. “Are there instructions on turning on the oven? I’ve never used one like this.” Should she admit she really didn’t even know how to cook in general?

Without hesitation Adrian moved next to her and turned a few knobs. A pop indicated the burners were lit and ready.

“Gas can be scary if you’re used to electric.” He reassured her with a friendly smile. “Oh, I almost forgot. The other reason I came over is to make sure you were still coming with me to Uvalde this Sunday.”

Tyler narrowed his eyes. “Y’all are dating?”

Karly gave a quick “No.”

Adrian laughed. “I wish. She has turned me down every time I’ve asked. We have a teen-parent meeting every other Sunday.”

“Teen-parent meeting?” Tyler raised his eyebrow. “Aren’t you a decade past being a teen parent?”

“Feels more like three, sometimes. But we’re mentors to the teens. You know, the been-there-done-that sort of thing. It’s one of the outreach programs the churches do as a community program. Karly just started and she’s already making an impact.”

“I’m more like the example of what not to do.” She tried to laugh, but there was too much truth to be really funny. She looked at Tyler, not sure if she should take a day off right after starting. She hesitated.

Adrian shook his head. “That’s not true.” He shrugged. “Anyway, they don’t want perfect people. Just someone that understands. Do you want me to pick you up?”

She glanced at her new boss. “Do you need me to stay?”

“No, I’ll be here. You kids go off and have fun.” Tyler gave a tight smile, arms crossed over his chest.

“So are we on?” Adrian held his arms out.

She nodded and smiled at him. She enjoyed working with the young parents.

“Good.” Looking at Tyler, he started backing out of the kitchen. “I’ll be back tomorrow, Tyler, and we’ll talk about the upcoming shows. Night.”

The back door shut and she was alone with Tyler again.

* * *

Tyler watched Adrian leave. Karly said they weren’t dating, but Adrian seemed a bit territorial. They were both single parents, so it made sense they would be interested in each other. Adrian was a good guy. He had given up his rodeo career in high school to be a parent to his daughter. So why did the thought of them being together bother him?

“We never actually talked about your experience or skills.” His voiced sounded grumpy even to his own ears.

She stopped messing with the foil on the casserole pan and looked at him. Her multicolored eyes causing him to think about things he shouldn’t be thinking about, like how soft her lips would be against his fingertips if he reached out and touched them.

“Tyler, I’m sure you figured out I don’t have the education or experience you expect, but I’m a hard worker. I care very much for your father, and I’ll do whatever needs to be done to help in his recovery.”

“What were you doing before this job came up?”

“Serving coffee and lunch at the drugstore. And just so you know, I have had a string of odd jobs like waitressing, cleaning and working at car washes.”

“You worked at a car wash? I’ve never met anyone that actually washed cars for a living.” He leaned against the counter opposite of her. “How did you end up in Clear Water? Not exactly a hub for jobs.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, then turned and put the pan in the oven. With her back to him she continued, “I moved here with Billy Havender.”

“The youngest Havender?” He tried not to sound disgusted, but a Havender? “Is he Bryce’s father?”

“No.” Now she sounded disgusted. Taking a deep breath she faced him and gripped the edge of the counter. “No.” She blinked. “I take it you know the Havenders?”

“Yeah, I went to school with the older ones. I didn’t really know Billy. He’s the only one that ever left town.”

A few strands of long dark hair had slipped out of the ponytail, and she twisted it around her finger before tucking it behind her ear. “He seemed to be the answer to my prayers. He asked me to marry him. I thought it would be good for Bryce...and he promised that I could go back to school and that I would love Clear Water. He had big plans to make money with his brothers.”

“They run a delivery business, right?”

She nodded. “That was about a year ago. They sold the trucks. They were going to do guided tours and hunts. But things didn’t work out like Billy had wanted. His brothers, well, they...”

“Were lazy drunks who beat each other up more than they worked?”

Her hand covered her mouth. He smiled at her. He hoped it was a gentle kind of smile. Laughing was so much better than watching her trying not to cry.

“It got bad and I tried to leave. Without money, family or friends you can feel trapped. And Bryce had just had surgery on his foot. One night Billy lost it—yelling and throwing things. He had taken my car keys. I didn’t know what else to do so I called 9-1-1 on Billy’s phone.” She picked up a rag from the sink and started wiping the counter.




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