You really don’t like kids, do you?”
He blanched, but didn’t answer.
Admitting defeat, Hannah shook her head sadly. She was stubborn, not delusional. “Thank you for changing my tire yesterday. Safe journeys wherever you’re headed next.”
Trying to keep her weight off the throbbing ankle, she pivoted toward the door. With a sound of strangled frustration, Colin clamped his fingers around her upper arm.
“I don’t know where I’m going next,” he said through gritted teeth. “But I’m replacing those damn steps before I go.” He glanced around the spacious wraparound porch. “This entire thing’s probably a safety hazard that should be reinforced, if not rebuilt.”
Renewed hope surged through her, eclipsing her pain. “I insist on paying for your time as well as the materials.” She kept her voice calm, trying not to betray her joy at this small victory.
“You have tools?”
She nodded. “There’s a small detached garage behind the house. Pretty well stocked, as far as I can tell. I can show you.”
He slanted her an assessing glance. “You should get inside, off that ankle. If you’ve got a tape measure handy, I’ll start taking measurements.”
“Sure. I’ll send Annette out with it. She can take you to the garage.” Hannah made a mental note to instruct her friend not to interrogate Colin or overwhelm him with boisterous conversation. Otherwise, he might follow his original impulse and bolt. As it stood, she had at least a couple of days, a window of opportunity to plead her case. But with more subtlety this time.
He narrowed his eyes. “Just this one repair job. That’s not the same as signing on with you, Mrs. Shaw.”
She nodded innocently. We’ll see about that.
Chapter Three
In the parking lot of a Bingham Pass diner, Colin sat inside a truck older than he was, as disoriented as if an Arabian Thoroughbred had kicked him in the skull.
Earlier that morning, he’d been ready to jump on his motorcycle and put Hannah Shaw, her energetic son and her ill-fated ranch all behind him. Yet he’d spent several hours purchasing lumber and paint and getting a new tire for her misbegotten truck. Since he’d never actually gotten around to eating breakfast—and because he was in no hurry to return to the Silver Linings—he’d stayed in town for lunch.
Bingham Pass, like his hometown of Cielo Peak, was rife with local gossip. As soon as Colin had mentioned the Silver Linings Ranch, the waitress had sighed sadly and remarked that Hannah’s husband, a marine, had been killed overseas.
I was taught self-defense by a marine, and I’m a lot tougher than I look.
In hindsight, Colin acknowledged that his worry and anger at seeing Hannah fall through that bottom step had been disproportional to her minor injury. She seemed irrepressible. A mild sprain wouldn’t keep her down for long. But how could he walk away, knowing a young woman or her kid might be hurt when he could have prevented it?
He couldn’t leave with a clear conscience until he replaced the boards. Paradoxically, he still couldn’t bring himself to return to the ranch yet—hence the sitting in a parked truck. He needed the few extra moments to brace himself for whatever surprise came at him next.
Ever since spotting Hannah through the rain, he’d felt off-kilter, unbalanced by her identity, her affable hellhound, the discovery that she had a little boy. None of it was what he’d expected. He should phone the so-called buddy who’d given him this lead. Colin had a few choice words for the man who’d led him to believe the “frail Widow Shaw” was a little old lady.
He powered up the cell phone he usually kept turned off. If asked, he would claim he left it off to make the charge last, but, truthfully, he was dodging his sister. A few weeks ago, Arden’s husband had undergone major surgery in order to donate one of his kidneys to his biological father. As a concerned older brother, Colin had dutifully answered every one of her calls, wanting to be there for her in case anything had gone wrong.
But she’d abused the privilege. She’d acted as if she were calling with post-op updates on Garrett, but then she inevitably worked the conversation around to how Garrett’s family could use the extra help on the Double F Ranch while he recuperated. Wouldn’t Colin love the opportunity to use his skills on behalf of relatives and spend some time with his infant niece?
Colin knew his sister worried about him, that Arden wanted to help him heal. How could he explain that it hurt to be around her, the glowing new mother with a husband who adored her? Their brother, Justin, wasn’t much better. He was engaged and disgustingly in love.
As soon as his phone finished booting up, it buzzed with the notification that he had 6 Missed Calls from Arden Frost. That was a lot even for her.
Fighting a stab of uneasiness, he dialed his brother Justin’s number. If something were wrong, Justin would know. But if her calls were simply more attempts to recruit him to the Double F so she could keep an eye on him, then he was dodging a bullet by not phoning her directly.
It took a few rings before Justin answered. “Hey, old man. Long time, no hear. To what do I owe the honor?”
His brother’s glib tone sent an unexpected stab of nostalgia through Colin. He hadn’t seen either of his siblings since Christmas, which suddenly seemed like a long time considering how close they’d once been. Although there’d been an elderly aunt’s name on the guardianship papers, Colin had all but raised his siblings after their parents’ deaths.
He cleared his throat. “I, ah, wondered if you could tell me what our sister’s been up to lately. She filled my voice-mail box. I figured it would be quicker to check in with you than listen to all of the messages. You know Arden. She’s not brief.”
Justin laughed. “Preaching to the choir. I realize it’s a wuss move, but now that I’m engaged, I keep trying to make Elisabeth take her calls so I don’t have to. Those two can talk wedding plans for hours.”
Colin squeezed his eyes closed. Weddings, babies, new beginnings. It was difficult not to feel as if Arden and Justin were both just starting out in life while his had abruptly derailed. “So do you know why she’s been calling me?”
Justin’s heavy pause was worrisome. He usually had a quip for every occasion. “You should really ask her.”
Colin’s heart skipped a beat. Decades ago, they’d lost their mom to cancer and their father to heart failure. Had Arden inherited any medical problems? “Justin, you tell me right now, is she okay?”
“Relax, bro, it’s good news.” He sighed. “You didn’t hear this from me, but she and Garrett are expecting.”
“Again? Those two are like rabbits.”
“Dude, it’s only their second child.”
“Yeah, but the first one’s not even a year old! Shouldn’t they be pacing themselves?”
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not think about our sister’s sex life.” Justin changed the subject. “How are things going with the McCoys?” His carefully neutral tone made it clear he’d heard something.
