his business. He opened the door for her and held it while she walked out, the scent of musky roses tickling his nose.
Sometimes he wondered what it would be like to get involved with a woman like Arianna, colorful and warm and relaxed. But he always stifled the notion. He realized, almost instantly, that it shouldn’t and wouldn’t happen.
Love and marriage weren’t about fun; they were about sacrifice and responsibility and hard work.
And getting drawn to Arianna made his face heat and his stomach churn with guilt, because of Chloe and all her suspicions. She’d died fourteen months ago, but her angry accusations still rang in his ears.
Anyway, and fortunately, no woman like Arianna would be attracted to a methodical, scientific nerd like him.
One minute later, his business phone buzzed, and five minutes after that, he was trying to figure out how to get someone to come watch Sammy while he drove to one of the neighboring ranches to help with a cow that was suffering from a dangerous case of bloat.
He’d moved from town up to Redemption Ranch because he’d seen how happy the wide-open spaces made Sammy. Made him, too, really. The fact that he believed in the ranch’s mission as a haven for struggling veterans and senior dogs was a factor, too. Living here, he could serve as the ranch’s on-site veterinarian, which was a needed role and one he relished.
On the downside, moving up here meant he was thirty minutes away from his normal babysitters, and they had both just refused to come at this short notice. He hated to impose by asking Penny, the ranch owner, or Willie, a Vietnam veteran and permanent resident of the ranch.
You could just ask Arianna.
The thought came to him, and before he could second-guess himself, he was out the door. Arianna was walking back toward her car from Penny’s house. “She’s not home,” she called in explanation.
“Could you stay a couple of hours with Sammy now?” he asked, holding up his phone. “Vet emergency.”
Her face lit up like he’d offered her the world. “Of course! I’d love to!”
He beckoned her in and showed her the laminated instruction sheets he’d made for Sammy’s care. A little ridiculous, but Sammy was particular.
Now Jack knew at least a part of the reason why.
A smile tugged at the corner of Arianna’s mouth. “It’ll all be okay, Jack, really,” she said. “I know Sammy, and I’ve worked with autistic kids before. Go help your...steer or whatever. We’ll be fine.”
* * *
Three hours later, Arianna patted Sammy’s back as he bounced a bedraggled blue-and-white-checked bear. Whew. She’d finally found the toy he needed, and for the moment, he was content.
She, on the other hand, was anything but. Getting to take care of Sammy was sweet torture. She loved him with all her being, and Chloe had never let her be alone with him. She leaned forward and kissed the sweaty top of his head as he pushed his stuffed bear back and forth, humming tunelessly.
He glanced back at her as if slightly surprised but didn’t reject the contact. Good. She knew that some kids on the spectrum resisted physical touch, but Sammy didn’t seem to be in that category.
She looked around the living room, noting the bare walls, the end tables devoid of decoration, the shortage of pillows on the couch. Of course, Jack had just moved in. He hadn’t had time to add the small touches that made a house a home.
Would he ever? Was he the kind of man who could do that, could be both mom and dad?
Oh, how she’d like to stay nearby and care for Sammy. But the job situation in the small ranching town of Esperanza Springs was bleak. At most, she might be able to cobble together some part-time gigs, but to support herself...not likely.
She’d find work aplenty in a bigger city, where her education would be valued and her references—which were actually stellar—could help her to get a job.
But she liked Esperanza Springs, had spent a lot of time here as a kid and young adult. Now, with her parents living in Europe and her sister gone, Sammy, plus the aunt and uncle she was staying with, were the only family she had.
And she was the only one who knew the truth about him.
The sound of a vehicle pulling in outside, the slam of a car door, made her jerk to attention. Was Jack back already?
Sammy held his bear to his chest and stared impassively at the door.
It opened.
It was Jack. And his handsome face went from gladness to amazed frustration as he looked around the living room.
Arianna looked around, too, wondering what his expression meant. As she took in the overturned basket of toys, the three sippy cups she’d tried until she’d found the one Sammy would accept, the box of diapers she’d brought down from Sammy’s room and not found time to take back up, she realized what was bothering him.
“I meant to clean up,” she said. Why was she so messy? When was she ever going to get organized? Chloe, thin and disciplined and neat, would never have let her house get into such disarray.
Of course, Chloe would never have let her care for Sammy at all.
“It’s okay.” He walked over to Sammy. He knelt beside the boy, picked him up and swung him high.
Sammy struggled to get down, and Jack let him. Then he sat and rubbed circles on his back.
Sammy went back to his bear, gently bouncing it.
“Up, down. Up, down.” Arianna said the words in rhythm with the bear’s bounces and watched Sammy for any recognition of the words.
“He doesn’t talk,” Jack said, his voice bleak. “I’ve done some reading, listened to some podcasts on autism. I guess that’s part of it.”
“It’s probably a delay, right? Not a life sentence.”
“I hope.”
“When he heard your car, he sat there looking at the door until you came in. And when he wanted water instead of juice, he, um, persisted until I understood. That’s all communication.” If Jack got discouraged, gave up on Sammy, she couldn’t handle it.
“Thanks, Arianna.” He gave her a brief, haggard smile. “And thanks for staying with him on no notice. It was kind of you.” He gave the messy room another glance.
Oh brother. “Let me go clean up the kitchen,” she said. “You stay here with Sammy.”
“No, it’s fine.” Jack stood and followed her. “He plays well by himself.”
She hurried in and knelt by the overturned trash can, stuffing garbage back into the container. When she looked up, Jack had stopped at the doorway, looking stunned.
“I’ll clean it up!” She grabbed paper towels to wipe up the floor where the garbage had spilled, then rinsed her hands and started putting away beverage containers.
“Arianna.”
