only one Nicolino kept in the dark.” Lane attempted a laugh but his heart wasn’t in it after everything Lucy had told him. “I’m willing to put the past behind us, not that it’s going to be easy. I’ll try my best, though. What do you say we start over?” Lane extended his hand as a peace offering.
Lucy nodded. Her face brightened again, sending a twinge of anticipation through his chest. The instant they touched, their fingers entwined, and not in your typical handshake. So much for starting over. The feel of her skin against his was better than in his memories. The heat from her palm seared into his. He knew she felt it, too, when she tightened her grip. He wanted to pull her into his arms, to kiss her the way he used to, but he couldn’t. Lane closed his eyes. He couldn’t do this with her—not now, not ever again.
“I’m sorry.” Releasing her, he flung open the door and strode into the safety of the corridor. “There’s always someone here, 24/7, and as barn manager, you are on call, too. Which reminds me, I need your phone number.”
“I don’t have one yet.” She spoke so quietly he barely heard her.
“We can rectify that right now. Follow me and we’ll get you set up with a company phone. Then that will be it for the day.”
Lane led the way up the stairs to the administrative offices, praying the torrent of emotions running through him wouldn’t get the best of him. He needed to remain professional and carefully plan his next move. He was torn between proving his worth to Nicolino and looking for another position. Lucy’s earlier questions and wide-eyed gaze at some of his answers reconfirmed she was unqualified for the practical aspects of the job.
Lucy clearly needed the money more than he did, but Lane was doubtful she’d be able to handle the workload. Book smarts weren’t everything. If he left and she failed, the position he’d worked so hard for would go to someone else. If he stayed around, then he’d have a chance at righting a wrong. But his attraction to Lucy was already proving too great for him to maintain a working relationship without losing his heart in the process. He wasn’t ready to walk away from either one...at least not yet.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you?” Lucy asked.
Carina rolled her eyes. “Mamma, the other kids are already going to talk about me. Let me walk into school on my own. I’m a big girl. I’ll handle it.”
That had become Carina’s motto lately. A soon-to-be nine-year-old shouldn’t have to handle things. She should be outside playing and spending time with friends. Not starting over in a new country because her parents had failed to provide for her on their own. At least it was Friday and they’d both have the weekend to allow the past few days to sink in.
“Okay I’ll drop you off at Ella and Nicolino’s and you can walk to the bus with your cousins.” Lucy didn’t know which of them was more nervous about Carina’s first day of school. “I’m not letting you walk from here. The ranch is too big and you don’t know your way around.”
Carina shrugged and waited for her by the front door. Why was she finding it so difficult to send her child off to school? She should have been excited for all the new adventures she was about to have. Since the day Carina was born, Lucy had hated relinquishing her daughter’s care to somebody else. She knew all the facts and read all the books about change being necessary for a child’s growth and development. It didn’t make things any easier, though. Once you see your child fight to live, you never want to let them go.
“Try to have fun today and call if you need me. I put my new number in your backpack and I’ll pick you up a cell phone by the end of the day. Ti amo, mia gattina.”
“I love you, too, Mamma,” she replied, surprisingly in English.
Lucy dropped Carina off with her cousins and continued down the ranch road to work. It felt good to have a job and be able to earn her own money. Antonio had always given her a generous allowance, but she’d never felt as if anything had truly been hers.
Lucy wondered how long it would take before she stopped thinking about Antonio every five minutes. She laughed inwardly. She remembered asking herself the same question about Lane years ago. The problem was he had never been far from her mind. She didn’t think a day had gone by that she hadn’t thought of him and wondered what he was doing. She’d envisioned him married and still living in Wyoming. Clearly she’d been wrong about Wyoming, but what about the married part? She’d been so wrapped up in her own world that she hadn’t thought to ask him about his family or his life over the past ten years.
“I can do this. I need to do this.” The mantra had given her strength on the darkest of days, reminding Lucy that she had the power to rebuild their lives. She braced for another day with Lane as she stepped out of the car. It had pained her to lie to him yesterday. But he didn’t need to know about her first pregnancy. Nothing would change the fact that she’d lost their baby. Partying in Texas combined with the inordinate amount of stress she’d been under from her family and the whirlwind marriage to Antonio had proved too much for their baby.
She’d been devastated by her miscarriage. After she’d heard her baby’s heartbeat for the first time, she couldn’t imagine loving anyone more. She had wanted that back. Antonio had remained by her side and cared for her through the entire ordeal, promising her another child when she was ready. Six months later, she was pregnant again. Carina was the greatest gift Antonio had ever given her.
Lucy took a deep breath and entered the stables. After meeting briefly with the night barn manager, she attempted to track down her employees. It was a daunting task since she didn’t know where anyone was. She hadn’t seen Lane or Nicolino and wasn’t sure where she was supposed to begin the day.
Waiting inside her office, Lucy tried to familiarize herself with the numerous charts, log sheets and binders that filled every inch of space in the room. Morning meetings would be the first thing she implemented into their daily routine. It baffled her how they’d ever survived without them. It was basic employee management.
If Lucy had checked her phone once, she’d checked it a hundred times by ten o’clock. No call from her daughter was a good sign. She knew none of the changes over the past year, especially the move, had been easy for Carina. For her own sanity, Lucy phoned the school. She began to relax when they reassured her that Carina was fine and in class. As she hung up, she noticed Lane standing in the doorway of their office, concern etched upon his face.
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes.” Lucy smiled so big she thought her lips might split. “My daughter is in class and she’s doing wonderfully. Thank you for asking. Do you have any children?” Lucy wanted to ask him if he’d ever married but feared it would be too forward. She held her breath waiting for him to answer, praying he’d say no. If he’d never had kids, then her reasons for keeping her secret all these years might prove valid—perhaps he’d never been ready.
Lane’s eyes grew large at the question. “Ah...no.” He laughed. “No kids, no wife. Just a few surly bunkmates. I live on the ranch, too. Bunkhouse A.”
The elation that grew at Lane’s response confused her. She wouldn’t let herself care one way or the other about that little fact. Lane was her employee. “How is your mom?”
“Still here, God bless her.” Lane removed his hat. “She’s a little older, but aren’t we all?”
Why did he do that? The sight
