good guy who confused her. If only she didn’t like him so much. She had thought to keep him far enough from Lillie that her daughter wouldn’t start to bond, only to have Lillie take matters into her own hands. Now Justice was her daughter’s hero. Kind of Patience’s hero, too, for helping out Lillie.
He’d decided to start his business in Fool’s Gold, which meant he was staying. But he still hadn’t explained why he’d avoided her for years and years. Avoiding him until she figured it out seemed like the best option, only the town was small and in truth, she didn’t want to. Maybe she needed an intervention.
At least being insanely busy with the store was going to help. She wouldn’t have time to play the what-if game right now.
“It’s interesting he chose to settle here,” her mother said. “He could have gone anywhere.”
“I think Ford had something to do with it. They’re still friends.” She laughed. “Or maybe it’s all Fool’s Gold. Once this town finds you, it doesn’t let you go.”
“That sounds a little scary.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.” She looked at her mother. “I’m glad Justice is okay. Even though we were just kids, I thought about him a lot—what might have happened to him.”
Ava nodded. “I remember the mayor trying to find out. Alice Barns used her contacts, as well.”
Then Deputy Barns, now Police Chief Barns, Patience thought. “We were dealing with the witness protection program. There was no way we could have figured it out.” Even now she had trouble believing someone had thought to keep a kid in danger safe in Fool’s Gold. Nothing like that had ever happened here. Which was probably the point, she thought.
She reached for her pen, then straightened. A nagging thought reappeared and she knew she had to suck it up and tell her mother what was going on.
“Mom, Ned’s father came by the other day.”
Ava turned to her. “Steve?”
“Uh-huh. He says he wants to have a relationship with Lillie.”
Patience braced herself for the rant. Ava had dealt with men abandoning her more than once in her life. First her father had cut and run on his family; then her husband had played the same disappearing game. She’d had to watch the same thing happen to her daughter.
No doubt Ava would have several not-very-nice things to say about Ned’s father. After all, Steve had also left his family. There was an epidemic of men who weren’t in it for the long haul.
“How was he?” her mother asked instead.
Patience shrugged. “He was quiet. Pleasant. He apologized for what he’d done to Ned and for how Ned had treated Lillie and me. He says he’s a changed man and wants a second chance with his granddaughter.”
“Do you believe him?”
“I don’t know. I’d only met him once before. Ned never had anything good to say about him, but he’s hardly someone I’d trust as far as judging character goes. I asked Justice to check him out.”
Her mother’s expression was unreadable. “That’s a sensible solution. Justice will find out if he has any issues we need to be concerned about.”
Patience waited. “That’s it? You’re not going to call him an SOB or tell me to grab Lillie and run?”
“People change.”
“You think Steve has changed?”
Ava shifted in her seat. “I’m not sure. I’m just saying he might mean what he says. Time has a way of making things more clear. For some people, that means dealing with regrets. If Steve is genuine, then you might want to take him seriously.”
Patience was less sure. “I don’t want Lillie to get hurt. She never talks about her dad, but I know she thinks about him. Her friends have fathers. Even the ones with divorced parents still see their dads. She never has. He’s just gone and he’s not coming back. It would be different if he’d died—then his absence wouldn’t be a choice. What if Steve hasn’t changed? What if he sees her a few times and then disappears?”
“Maybe he wouldn’t.”
“You’re taking his side.”
“I’m saying you need more information.”
Patience didn’t understand. It almost felt as if there was something her mother wasn’t telling her.
“I’m going to wait to hear what Justice has to say,” she told her mother. “If he clears Steve, then I’ll consider letting him meet Lillie. Otherwise, there’s no way he’s getting close to my daughter.”
JO’S BAR WAS one of those places unique to Fool’s Gold. Decorated in female-friendly colors, with TVs turned to shopping networks and fun reality TV, the place catered to the women in town. There were plenty of low-calorie choices on the menu, a play area for toddlers during lunch and a complete lack of single guys on the prowl. While men were welcome, they tended to avoid Jo’s Bar. If they did show up, they migrated to the back room where they could find a pool table and smaller TVs with professional sports playing.
Patience walked in and saw her friends at the table by the back wall. Usually they settled in one of the large booths, but with Annabelle due to give birth at any second, and Heidi about seven months along, sliding into a booth had become complicated.
“How are you?” she asked as she approached.
“Huge,” Annabelle said.
The petite redhead did look uncomfortably large, Patience thought as she hugged her. Heidi was a little taller and carrying a bit less baby.
“I’m good,” Heidi said with a smile.
“She’s serene,” Charlie announced. “It’s kind of annoying.”
“I’m in the Zen part of my pregnancy.” Heidi laughed. “Very one with the universe.”
Heidi was a pretty blonde who lived on the Castle Ranch just outside town. Charlie was a local firefighter. Strong, tall and possibly the least girlie woman Patience had met. She was attractive, but had an air of competence that scared off most men.
Last year the three friends had fallen in love with the Stryker brothers. As their friend, Patience had had a front-row seat to all the excitement, heartache and ultimately the happy endings.
Now she took one of the remaining chairs and hung her purse on the back. “I invited a friend of mine to join us. I hope that’s okay.”
Charlie leaned toward her. “You know that’s perfectly fine. We like a big crowd. It keeps the conversation lively. Who is she?”
“Her name is Isabel Beebe. Her family has owned Paper Moon forever. She’s been living in New York for the past few years, but is back
