Lone Star Father. Marin Thomas
Читать онлайн книгу.
couldn’t take care of her,” Sadie said. “He put an ad in the newspaper, hoping someone would adopt her.”
“Our grandpa lets us ride her.” Tommy took Jessie’s hand. “Wanna see Wilbur?” They zigzagged between chickens and stopped in front of a doghouse. “Come out, Wilbur.” A pink snout appeared in opening.
Jessie knelt down. “Come out and play, piggy.”
Tyler squatted by his brother and grunted like a pig. Wilbur left his house and nudged Jessie’s hand with his nose. Her laughter warmed Reid’s heart.
“The twins have a new best friend.” Scarlett nodded to Jessie. “I hope they don’t annoy her too much.”
Reid watched the trio play with Wilbur. His family had accepted Jessie into their fold. Time would tell if they rolled out the welcome mat for him.
“How long did you plan to stay in Stampede?” Scarlett asked.
Apparently no one expected him to stick around.
What else are they supposed to believe when you’ve kept your distance all these years?
“I don’t have any intention of leaving soon,” he said. “Jessie and I are moving into the cabin on the other side of the property.”
“You don’t sound excited about bunking down out there,” she said. “My offer to stay at the motel still stands.”
“The cabin will be fine.” He wasn’t pushing Scarlett out of the house. He needed an ally close by. He hoped he and his family could move forward because his daughter was making herself at home on the ranch and if they had to leave, she’d blame him for things not working out.
“Aunt Scarlett?” Tyler patted Scarlett’s leg. “Can we show Jessie our tree house?”
“Check with your mom first.” Scarlett glanced at Reid. “Logan built the boys a tree fort not too far from the garden alongside the house.”
“Jessie, keep an eye on the boys,” Reid said.
“I will.” She followed the twins out of the barnyard and across the lawn to the back door of the house.
“When did you plan to look at the cabin?” Scarlett asked.
“Right now. You want to come along?” He winced at the eager note in his voice. He was still bruised from the dressing-down his brothers had given him earlier and it was nice to be with someone he didn’t have to keep his guard up with.
“I don’t have Lydia’s eye for interior design or Sadie’s talents in the kitchen and garden, but I know what girls Jessie’s age like and don’t like.” They left the corral and Scarlett secured the latch on the gate. “I’ll tell Sadie where we’re going and meet you out front.”
Reid walked back to his truck and listened to the radio while he waited for Scarlett. He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of the music and gazed out the windshield. As a kid he’d raced down the gravel road to the highway hundreds of times to catch the school bus. He thought he’d never return after he’d caught the bus that had taken him to boot camp. Life sure had a way of turning the best-laid plans upside down and inside out.
* * *
“WHERE’S EMMETT?” SCARLETT asked when she entered the kitchen.
“Upstairs changing clothes.” Sadie poured dish soap into the sink and ran the water. “Fang raced through the room a few minutes ago and tripped Emmett. When he caught himself on the counter, he tipped the bowl of cake batter onto his pants and shirt.” Sadie pointed to the mess on the floor.
“I’d help clean up, but Reid’s waiting for me in the driveway.” Scarlett stepped over the splatter. “We’re going to check out the cabin he and Jessie are staying in.”
“I don’t know why Gunner and Logan suggested the cabin.” Sadie shut off the water. “It’s silly to have them living on the other side of the ranch away from the rest of us.”
“I think you need to let the guys figure out the logistics.” Scarlett went into the laundry room and grabbed a small cooler from the shelf above the dryer.
Sadie followed her. “Are you telling me to mind my own business?”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
Sadie laughed. “Yes, you would.”
“You’re a mom and you like to fix everyone’s problems.”
“That’s the pot calling the kettle black,” Sadie said. “You’ve made a career out of fixing kids’ problems.”
“And my professional opinion is that it’s important for Jessie and Reid to have their privacy while they get to know each other better.” She returned to the kitchen and removed two bottles of water from the fridge, then put a handful of grapes into a plastic baggie.
“What are you doing?”
“Packing a picnic lunch.” Scarlett ignored Sadie’s arched eyebrow. She’d never told her cousins that Reid had kissed her the day of their great-uncle’s funeral or that he’d crossed her mind through the years and even more often after her cousins had married his brothers.
“Are you treating this trip to the cabin like one of your family welfare visits?” Sadie asked.
“If I said no, would you drop the subject?”
Sadie’s eyes twinkled. “Yes.”
“Then, no.”
Sadie went back to the sink and began wiping up the cake splatter. Scarlett knew her cousin had stopped her interrogation because she was glad Scarlett was showing interest in a man. After her horrible breakup with Dale, Scarlett had refused to get back into the dating game. Her cousins had suggested an online dating site, but she hadn’t been ready. Now she wondered if she’d been ready all along but just waiting for the right guy—a guy like Reid.
“There’s leftover chicken salad in the crisper,” Sadie said.
“Good idea.” Scarlett dished a scoop into two plastic bowls, then covered them and tossed in a pair of plastic forks. “I’ve got my cell,” she said. “Call if anything comes up with the kids.”
“We’ll be fine.”
Sadie followed Scarlett to the front door. “What about supper? Emmett’s making fried chicken and Aunt Amelia is joining us. Should I plan on Jessie and Reid, too?”
“I’ll let him know that everyone expects him for dinner.” Scarlett hugged Sadie. “After the kids go to bed tonight, I’ll help blow up the balloons.” She stepped outside and closed the door preventing Sadie from following her onto the porch.
“What’s that?” Reid asked when Scarlett set the cooler on the floor and climbed into the passenger seat.
“A snack if we get hungry.”
Reid shifted the pickup into Drive and took off. “We can get to the cabin faster using the highway,” he said.
“I didn’t know there was another way to get there.”
He nodded. “A couple of dirt roads intersect the ranch, but I don’t know what shape they’re in.”
Scarlett stared at the passing scenery. “Texas is so different from Wisconsin. I’m used to cornfields and bean fields. Down here all you see is hay or cattle.”
“Do you like the winters up north?” he asked.
“I enjoy the different seasons but the older I grow, the less I like the cold. We got a lot of snow this past winter and there were a few days I couldn’t drive in to work.”
A commercial came on the radio and when they both reached to turn the volume down at the same time, their fingers bumped. Scarlett looked away first because she didn’t