death, to have much time for anything else.
As if he knew her thoughts had turned to him, Jordan removed his headphones and said, “Elliott, when are we going to be there?”
Jill and Elliott exchanged amused smiles. Although Elliott still didn’t know Jordan the way Jill did, he’d known him long enough to realize the ten-year-old was long on curiosity but short on patience.
“It’ll be another hour or so, son,” Elliott said.
Jordan heaved a noisy sigh. “Okay.”
“How about if we stop for some ice cream?” Elliott suggested. “There’s a store right up the road that sells the best homemade ice cream you’ve ever tasted.”
“Will ice cream make the time go faster?” Jill teased.
“As far as I’m concerned, good ice cream solves all the world’s problems,” Elliott said, winking at her.
The funny thing was, the ice cream did seem to make the remainder of the trip go faster—not that Jill was in any hurry to get there. But she knew Jordan was tired of being in the car and Elliott was anxious to get home.
“We’re almost there now,” Elliott said. “When we get to the top of that rise, you’ll be able to see the ranch.”
Jill smiled, even though inside she was a mass of nerves. I’ve made the right decision, she told herself yet again. I do love Elliott, and Jordan adores him. That’s what counts. If his family is suspicious, they have a right to be. I’ll just have to show them I’m not a threat. And I’ve got the entire summer to win them over.
She’d made it clear to Elliott that she wouldn’t marry him until September, even though he’d wanted the wedding to take place immediately. She simply had to be sure his family would welcome her and Jordan. Accepting anything less would be unfair, not just to him but to all of them. Although Elliott had been disappointed, he hadn’t pushed once he realized she’d made up her mind. The one thing he had said, though, was that he knew it would be uncomfortable for her if Caroline remained at the ranch after the wedding.
“We’ll talk about her finding her own place,” Elliott had promised.
“Don’t do anything right away,” Jill had answered. “Let’s just see how things go.”
Breaking into her thoughts now, Elliott said, “There it is.”
The quiet pride in his voice warmed Jill. His love of home and family was one of his greatest attractions for her, a quality that had shone through even on their first meeting. Remembering that Saturday in January made Jill forget her reservations and smile again.
Elliott had come into the small gallery where Jill’s paintings were sold and where she worked several afternoons a week and most weekends. He was looking for a birthday present for his daughter, he said. Jill had immediately liked him: his kind blue eyes, the warmth of his smile and the attentive way he listened as she explained the merits of the different pieces that interested him.
He’d settled on one of her favorite paintings—a delicate watercolor of one of the old missions near her aunt’s home in San Marcos.
“I hope your daughter likes this,” she’d said as she wrapped the painting.
“I’m sure she will,” he said. “All of your paintings are beautiful.”
Just then Jordan had burst through the front door. On the days she worked there, she’d arranged for him to get a ride to the gallery after school, not only because hiring a babysitter to watch him until Jill got home would have strained her budget to a frightening point, but because Jill liked having him there.
He sat in the small office in the back and did his homework while having a snack; Jill’s friend and employer, Nora O’Malley, always kept fruit and drinks in the refrigerator for him. When he finished, Jill would allow him to turn on the small TV back there, but she never let him watch more than an hour’s worth of Animal Planet, his favorite channel. Instead she encouraged him to read.
Thinking about how Elliott had immediately shown interest in Jordan, and Jordan in him, Jill felt blessed. It seemed like a miracle that she’d found this man, who not only loved her but also loved her son.
Even so, she hadn’t been sure about marrying him. When he’d first asked her, a month ago, she hadn’t immediately said yes. Instead she’d told him how honored she was that he wanted her for his wife, but that she’d need some time to think about it. “There are so many things to consider,” she’d said.
“I understand,” he’d answered before she’d had the chance to say anything more. “Take all the time you need.”
That was another of his wonderful qualities. He had true empathy for people and seemed able to always place himself in their shoes. This was a rare trait in anyone, and Jill knew it. But still she’d hesitated. Marrying Elliott would bring about monumental changes in her life and in Jordan’s. She would have to give up her teaching post as a traveling art teacher between several Austin schools as well as her job at the gallery, and she would be leaving everything familiar—her friends, her church, her career—and going into the unknown.
“I wouldn’t hesitate for a minute,” Nora had said. “He’s a catch, Jill. In fact, if you don’t want him, I’m going after him!”
She’d laughed when she said it, but Jill knew Nora was more than halfway serious.
“Besides,” Nora had added, “you can paint anywhere. And I’ll always be happy to sell your work, you know that.”
But the deciding factor in Jill’s accepting Elliott’s proposal came from Jordan. He’d been delighted when Jill told him she might marry Elliott, that they might move to Elliott’s ranch.
“Cool!” he’d said, his eyes lighting up with excitement. “Maybe Elliott’ll get me a horse!”
When she’d told Elliott her decision, he’d said she made him the happiest man on earth and that she would never be sorry. With those words, her last lingering doubts slipped away.
I am very lucky, she thought now, so no matter what it takes, no matter how hard I have to work at it, I will do everything in my power to win over both Caroline and his brother. Because Elliott and Jordan deserve no less.
Caroline Lawrence Conway paced the living room of her father’s ranch house. Her heels hammered against the hardwood floors. If her father had been there, he’d have frowned. He didn’t like her wearing spike heels when walking on his precious wood, and normally Caroline wanted nothing more than to please her father. But right then, she didn’t care what he would think if he saw her.
How could he call from out of the blue and tell her he was engaged? To a woman they didn’t know and that he’d never mentioned? One who was even younger than Caroline herself? It was horrible. Sickening. Disgusting. Why, her mother had only been dead fourteen months! She was barely cold in her grave. Their friends would be scandalized. They’d think her father, who’d always been so sensible, had lost his mind.
Furious tears filled Caroline’s eyes. She couldn’t believe this had happened. Once again, she replayed the conversation with her father.
“Hello,
