working to help his son understand or reassuring her he’d take care of everything. But mostly she had remembered the concern in his green eyes that sparked something she’d been sure she had buried years ago. Living on the streets as a teenager had quickly persuaded her not to trust anyone and to do everything herself. She’d compromised some while living at her brother’s estate, but she was going to change that when she moved out. Compromising meant giving up part of herself, and she didn’t intend to do that ever again.
“Was everything all right when you arrived late?” Shane asked as he pulled out of the parking space.
“Yeah. Did you ever get Jason into the building?” She’d never been comfortable with chitchat, but with Noah’s large family she’d had to learn quickly, especially with Lindsay, the only girl, following her around.
Disappointment glinted in his eyes. He shook his head. “On the bright side, Jason seemed to like the playground. He loved the yellow-seated swing and tunnels to crawl through. I had a hard time getting him to leave.”
“So he hasn’t seen his classroom?”
“No, maybe tomorrow.”
“What will you do if he won’t go in?”
“I’ll take it one step at a time. With Jason that’s all I can do. He’s my son.”
The love that filled his words made her study his profile presented to her as he drove toward her brother’s estate. Strong. Steady. Full of compassion. Those traits had come to mind when she’d thought about Dr. Shane McCoy. Nothing like her own father. She pushed thoughts of that man from her mind; she tried not to go there.
“But still it must be hard.” She found herself wanting to know what made someone like Shane tick. The men she had known had been people users, thinking only of themselves. Except Noah and his two foster brothers, Peter and Jacob. They were different. But weren’t they the exception, not the rule? Certainly from her experience they were.
Shane didn’t say anything for a good minute while he parked the SUV at the side of Noah’s house. Then he turned to her with a smile deep in his eyes, the color of a lush patch of grass on a spring day. “The challenges of life are what make it interesting. I was blessed the day the Lord gave me Jason. He has made me a better person, and yes, it can be hard at times, but it makes me appreciate each step forward.”
“So you’re one of those people. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.”
He chuckled. “I guess I am. I like lemonade.”
Well, she didn’t. She wanted something better than constantly struggling. Although she’d fought the decision to come to Cimarron City last November, to be involved in Noah’s family, it had been a good one for her at the time. She needed to start fresh and do something with her life. And her brother’s children had caused a dream from childhood to resurface. She wanted to be a teacher and would be one day.
“How long will it take for your car to be fixed?” Shane asked.
“I should have it by the end of the week.”
“How are you going to get to—”
She held up her hand to stop his question. “I’ve got it figured out. The bus runs between here and the school. It’s a pretty direct route.”
He frowned. “How direct?”
“I only have to walk a few blocks. No big deal.”
“In this heat? It’s eighty at seven in the morning and over one hundred in the afternoon. I can give—”
“Don’t. I’m a tough cookie. I can’t let a wreck stop me.” She sent him a grin that he immediately responded to.
“Okay. Okay, I give up. I won’t say another word. I think I’ve met my match in you.”
Her grin grew as she opened the door, the searing heat invading the car’s cool interior. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Thanks again for the ride.”
Under the shade of a large oak near the guesthouse, she watched him turn around and head toward the gate that automatically opened at his approach. She could see why the children he counseled responded to him. His caring nature shone through even when dealing with a situation like that morning.
And he’s easy on the eyes. His supple movements reminded her of a person who worked out. His large frame—muscular without an ounce of fat—confirmed that impression. The only thing unruly about him was his medium-length, coal-black hair that curled at his nape.
Perfect. That sent her alarms off. What was wrong with him? What was he hiding? Because her experience told her there was always something that would rear its ugly head and throw her for a loop.
Even in the shade, the heat drove Whitney toward the guesthouse as soon as Shane’s SUV disappeared from view. With coursework to get through and volunteering at Stone’s Refuge this evening, she hoped she could sneak inside before one of the children, Noah or his wife, Cara, saw her and wanted her to recount her first day on the job.
Halfway across the yard, she heard a deep baritone voice call her name. She kept going. She knew what her brother wanted to talk about, and she wasn’t ready to have that argument.
Escaping into the coolness of the guesthouse where she presently lived, she tossed her purse on the couch along with the section of the newspaper she’d taken to work. She hadn’t gotten a chance to call Zoey Crandell; she needed to now before someone rented the place. After snatching the paper off the couch, she noted the number and picked up the receiver. As she punched in a five, a knock sounded at her door. She continued entering the phone number, hoping her brother would go away.
“You can’t hide from this discussion, Whitney.”
Noah’s deep, commanding voice penetrated her haven. She sighed, hung up and crossed the room to open the door. “How about postponing it until I can string several words together to counter your arguments?”
“And give you the advantage?” He came inside. “Why are you looking for an apartment?”
She put her hands on her hips. “I’d say it’s about time. I should have gotten one seven or eight months ago.” The previous November she’d come here from Dallas after quitting a dead-end job and leaving a man she’d been dating casually who had made the mistake of striking her. She wouldn’t fall into that again. Ever. Instead, she’d taken her brother up on his invitation to spend the holidays with him and his family. And by the time the New Year had rolled around, she’d fallen in love with Noah’s children, and for the first time in twenty years she had really been part of a family.
“But I just found you. Why are you leaving? The kids love having you here and so does Cara. Don’t you want to be here to see your new nephew grow up? Taylor’s only three months old.”
“I’m not leaving Cimarron City. I’ll be around, but on my terms.” When she’d first come, she had intended to leave and move on to someplace where she could get lost in a crowd. She hadn’t reckoned with the lure of Noah and his family.
“Why? You have family now. People who care about you.”
“You, of all people, know I’m used to being on my own.” She relaxed her arms, letting
