lose. They’re playing in Seattle, which has the loudest home fans in the country. Opponents can never hear a thing in that stadium, and the San Fran front line is full of rookies who won’t be able to communicate well enough to coordinate their moves. They don’t stand a chance.”
They kept chatting back and forth while they ate, and he was amazed by how much she knew about his favorite sport. At one point, he teased, “It’s too bad you weren’t a boy. You would’ve made a great quarterback.”
“Which Drew would know,” Maggie added, ruffling his hair in a proud mom gesture. “He was an All-State quarterback all four years in high school.”
“Really?” Bekah commented, lifting a curious eyebrow. “That’s impressive.”
Normally, he’d take that kind of praise and run with it, but today something stopped him. He didn’t want her to think he was conceited, so he deflected her comment with a grin. “I had a great offensive line, and my senior year we got some sure-handed receivers. Like Josh,” he added, nodding at his younger brother.
“Won the state championship that season,” Josh chimed in right on cue. “Drew was MVP.”
“Wow,” was all Bekah said, but he picked up on something in her eyes he hadn’t seen before. It reminded him of the way Lily had looked at Mike when they were first getting to know each other, a combination of interest and amusement. Even though he knew that kind of realization should make him nervous, Drew was surprised to find it didn’t.
In fact, it was doing the exact opposite. He knew next to nothing about Bekah Holloway or why she was affecting him this way. Then and there, he promised himself that somehow he’d solve that little mystery so it wouldn’t keep on bugging him.
And then, he’d put it past him, and his life would go back to the way it was before he met her. As someone who’d made a habit of effortlessly moving from one girl to the next, that very pragmatic strategy for handling her should have comforted him.
But it didn’t. And for the life of him, he didn’t know why.
His rambling thoughts were put on hold when his mother caught his eye and gave him a questioning look. He came back with a slight nod, and very casually she said, “Bekah, I think we need to figure out where you’re going to sleep tonight.”
“It’s warm enough,” she replied in a bright tone that sounded forced to him. “My car will work until I get my first paycheck.”
Lily frowned in disapproval, and she added a shake of her head for effect. “Not for me, it won’t. Abby?” The way his niece perked up, Drew guessed her stepmother had primed her for what was coming next. “How would you like to bunk with your dad and me for a few nights?”
“You mean, like camping? That sounds like fun.”
Oh, she was good, Drew thought, barely smothering a grin. He’d have to take her for ice cream later as a reward for being such a great sport.
“I can’t let you do that,” Bekah protested, obviously uncomfortable with the idea. “Abby needs her sleep for school tomorrow.”
“And you need yours for work,” Lily reminded her in the gentle but firm tone Drew had heard her use with the students in Gallimore’s riding school. “It’s only temporary, until you can find a place of your own.”
From the concern in Bekah’s eyes, Drew knew his suspicions about her dire financial straits had been spot-on. Even with the job at the clinic, she might not be able to afford rent, much less the repairs her car needed to be driveable. Tonight when he was done at the farm, he’d go back to the rescue center and pick up where he left off.
Bekah had endured enough temporary situations to last her a while. It was high time someone stepped up and gave her something she could count on.
The rest of her first day at the rescue center raced by in a flash. Bekah was so exhausted, she took a shower, fell into Abby’s twin bed, and slept like a corpse until morning. When she woke, the sun was fully up, and the house was so quiet, she could hear birds twittering in the trees outside.
Abby’s room was a charming combination of princess and tomboy, with pale yellow walls and pretty lace curtains fluttering beside the open windows. She had shelves full of dolls, stuffed animals and model horses whose riders were posed in a variety of daredevil moves. One set was a beautiful chestnut arching over a tall jump while the rider’s blond ponytail streamed out behind her.
Since her young hostess was also blonde, Bekah assumed Abby pictured herself doing the same thing someday. Having dreams was wonderful, she mused wistfully. As long as they had a chance of coming true. This was the kind of room she’d longed to have when she was a little girl, Bekah recalled with more than a little envy. Unfortunately, her few childhood possessions had rarely made it out of their boxes before she and her vagabond family had been forced to move from their current sketchy situation to another one elsewhere.
Growing up here would’ve been like paradise for her. One day, she vowed, she’d figure out a way to create a home like this, with a good man who would love her no matter what. Their children would always be able to collect things that were important to them, knowing they wouldn’t have to be left behind later.
But for now, she had a job to get to. She got up and made the bed, careful to put everything back exactly where she’d found it last night. After a quick shower, she pulled on a set of clean clothes and followed the scent of fresh coffee and baked goods into the kitchen. There, she found a basket of still-warm muffins on the kitchen table with a note.
Bekah—In town grocery shopping. Help yourself to whatever you want. Maggie
For a few seconds, she stared at the obviously homemade breakfast, then at the very trusting note Drew’s mother had left for her. Having grown accustomed to fending for herself in every way, she couldn’t believe that the woman had not only left her alone in the house, but cared enough about a total stranger to leave her something to eat. In her world, people simply didn’t do this sort of thing, and she had a tough time wrapping her head around the concept.
Finally, she accepted that Maggie Kinley had indeed done both of those remarkable things, and turned the note over. She honestly wasn’t sure what to write, so she went with an old standard. Thanks so much—Bekah.
At first, she grabbed just one muffin and poured some coffee into one of the to-go cups standing next to the stainless steel double-pot coffeemaker. Then she remembered what Sierra had said about having class last night and hunted up a container that would hold four of the delicious-smelling muffins. If it weren’t for the generous vet tech in training, Bekah knew she’d still be wandering the area searching for an unskilled job where the boss wouldn’t question her background too closely. It seemed that the least she could do was bring the hardworking young woman something to eat.
When she arrived at the clinic, she found Sierra in the lobby, handing an empty birdcage back to a woman with three young children in tow. “You did a good thing, bringing that squirrel here. We’ll take good care of the little guy, and when his leg is healed up, we can set him free in the woods.”
“Can you call us when you do that?” the oldest girl asked. She looked to be about Abby’s age, and her eyes were fixed on the critter she’d clearly become attached to. “I want to say goodbye.”
