Fool's Gold Collection Volume 4: Halfway There / Just One Kiss / Two of a Kind / Three Little Words. Susan Mallery
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visit the new mother, take over food so she doesn’t have to cook. Coo over the baby.”
Just one more version of hell, he thought. “I’m not cooing.”
“I’ll coo for both of us. Besides, the whole town will be there.”
“When do you people get work done?”
She laughed. “We do have a lot of community obligations, but it’s fun. If you want, I can ask Shane if he’ll let you ride one of the horses.”
“No, thanks.”
He’d returned to Fool’s Gold thinking he could find his past. And maybe a piece of who he had been years ago. Instead he’d discovered that this town was possibly the best and the worst place to be. There were good memories here, but also the constant pressure to connect and belong. He was happier on the outside, looking in. But no one was going to allow that. Not for long. They wanted to pull him in and make him a part of things.
He couldn’t risk it. Not until he knew if he was safe enough to be around ordinary people. He glanced out the side window and wished he could shake the feeling that his father was out there, watching.
The old man was dead, he reminded himself. Had been for more than a decade—burned alive in a prison fire that had taken several lives. Justice had mostly believed it—only over the past couple of years, he’d had a growing sense Bart was around. Hiding, but close.
More proof that he couldn’t escape his DNA, he thought. However much he might want to.
They drove onto the ranch. There was a sign offering goat cheese and milk for sale, along with goat manure. Beyond the main house were stables and corrals. In the distance he saw a couple of sheep, a llama and—
He brought the car to a halt and stared. “Is that—”
Patience followed his gaze. “An elephant? Yes. Her name is Priscilla.”
“A real elephant?”
“She’s not fake, if that’s what you’re asking. It’s a long story, but she lives here now and everyone likes her. She’s a part of the community.”
He returned his attention to the drive through the property. “Of course she is.”
“We love Priscilla. She was in the nativity last Christmas.”
“An elephant?”
“Everyone should get to participate.”
He wanted to point out that Priscilla was an elephant, not a person, but knew that Patience would probably object. In her world, elephants could be family and townspeople showed up to work on soon-to-be-opened businesses. No doubt small woodland creatures did the housecleaning, whistling all the while.
He shook his head. “I need a break.”
“From what?”
He pulled up in front of a large house. There were several cars parked in front already. People stood on the porch, chatting.
Patience touched his arm. “Justice, are you okay?”
He turned to her. The sight of her face calmed him. He could stare into her eyes and find equilibrium again. With Patience around, he could handle the eccentricities that were Fool’s Gold.
“I’m good.”
“If you’re sure.”
She waited, but he didn’t say anything. She turned to the people on the porch.
“Okay, the pregnant woman is Heidi. She’s married to Rafe, who’s the brother of Shane, who’s the father of the baby. Annabelle and Shane aren’t married yet. She didn’t want to walk down the aisle pregnant. It’s kind of funny because Annabelle is sort of traditional, so for her to do this all backward isn’t like her. But they’re blissfully happy together.”
She studied the crowd. “You met everyone else at the work party. Don’t worry about remembering names.”
“I remember their names.”
“You can’t. You’ve only been in town for a few weeks.”
He allowed himself a slight smile, then started on the left. “The two blondes are Dakota and Montana. Next to them are Finn and Simon. The older woman is their mother, Denise, and the white-haired lady talking is Mayor Marsha.”
“Wow.”
He shrugged. “It’s part of what I do, but remember, I was friends with Ford way back when.”
“If I hadn’t been born here, I doubt I would have remembered everyone’s name.”
“It’s a parlor trick.”
“A good one.”
He wanted to impress her and knew the danger of making her believe in him. He reminded himself he had to make up his mind. Was he willing to risk getting involved with Patience? Did he trust himself that much? Or was it too late to have the conversation? Because he was starting to think he was already in too deep to find his way out.
* * *
PATIENCEHELD THE tiny baby in her arms. “Aren’t you handsome?” she whispered to the sleeping little boy. “So precious.”
Annabelle sat on the padded rocking chair in the baby’s room and smiled. “I feel useless. Everyone is helping out so much there’s nothing for me to do.”
“Oh, you should hold him,” Patience said, walking toward her.
Annabelle shook her head. “I wasn’t complaining. I was very stressed about having him. I wasn’t sure I would know what to do. But it turns out I don’t have to worry at all. We’re never alone, and I mean that in a good way.”
“How’s Shane handling fatherhood?”
“He’s excited and freaked. It’s a fun combination. He kept saying having a child was no big deal. Nature takes care of the details. But he’s discovered it’s not exactly like having one of his mares drop a foal.”
“The power of being smug,” Patience said, returning little Wyatt to his mother’s arms. She settled in the chair next to Annabelle’s and leaned close. “He’s adorable.”
“I think so.” Annabelle grinned. “So, tell me. How many casseroles are there in my freezer?”
“At last count there were thirty-two, but more are coming. Oh, and there’s a beautiful fruit arrangement in your refrigerator. Very upscale. There are cookies and brownies and I’m not sure what else.”
Annabelle leaned back in the rocker. “I love this town. I’m never leaving.”
“No one wants you to.” Patience gave her a quick hug, then stood. “I need to head back. I’ll call you in a couple of days to see how it’s going. By then you should be less busy here.”
“Thanks for coming by.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it.”
She returned to the front part of the house and found Justice talking to Clay Stryker. When Justice saw her, he excused himself and joined her.
“You ready to go?”
She smiled. “Are you done pretending to be excited about the baby? Did you want to hold him?”
He flinched. “No.”
“Not a kid person.”
“I like kids. Babies make me nervous.”
“So you’re ready to go?” she asked, amused by his infant phobia.
“Say the word.”
They walked out of the house and made their way to his car.
“What about you?” he asked as he held open the passenger door. “Did you hold the baby?”