“Wyatt’s a good-looking man, don’t you think, Ellie?” Sophie’s gaze trapped her.
“Yes, he’s very handsome,” Ellie managed to say while her brain mocked her tepid appreciation of that very attractive man. “But I’m not interested.”
“Why not? He certainly seems to be the focus of the ladies’ groups at church.” Sophie scooped the ice cream Ellie had brought onto steaming slices of her fresh peach pie. “Moses, didn’t you tell me Lucy Marten asked Wyatt to dinner last week?” She glanced at the old man, one eyebrow arched. “What’s the news on that?”
“Heard he turned her down like he does all those females. Anyone can see they’re just itching to get their hands on him. Prize catch, a guy like that.” Moses grinned as he held out a hand to take his pie. “Thank you, Sophie.” He lifted a forkful to his lips, then closed his eyes as he savored the dessert. “Excellent,” he proclaimed a moment later. “No wonder we always have kids showing up here to eat. With cooking like this on offer, why wouldn’t they?”
“You’re very sweet, Moses.” When Sophie patted his cheek Ellie could almost hear the crusty old man’s gruff demeanor crumble. Then the children arrived and demanded some pie. As they devoured it, Sophie asked Ellie if Gracie could play with her kids, Beth and Davy, for a while longer.
“Yeah, why don’t you stay, Ellie?” Tanner offered. He winked. “We can talk about Wyatt some more if you like.”
“No need. I told you I’m not interested.” Ellie pretended an airiness she didn’t feel. “But since it’s Friday and there’s no school tomorrow, I guess we could stay awhile.” She chuckled at Gracie’s whoop of excitement as all three kids scampered into Beth’s room to play with the amazing dollhouse Tanner had given her last Christmas.
“Hard to believe it will soon be that time again,” he marveled with a fond look at Sophie. “What do you want this Christmas?” he asked as her hand slid into his.
“I have everything I want,” she murmured.
“Good answer.” Tanner leaned over to press a kiss against her cheek. “This has been a wonderful year for Wranglers Ranch and us.”
“Your dream that this ranch would be a haven for homeless and needy kids is coming true with every child we reach.” Sophie hugged his side. “We’re blessed to have such wonderful helpers like Moses and Ellie and all the hands.”
“Now if I could just find a way to persuade Wyatt to come on staff,” Tanner murmured before he held out his plate for seconds.
Sophie dished up another piece of pie then turned to Ellie. “Maybe you could talk to Wyatt for us, tell him how much we’d love to have him working here on the ranch.”
“Me?” Ellie shook her head. “I barely know the man.”
“That’s easily rectified,” Sophie pointed out.
“Don’t go there, Sophie,” Ellie warned. “I’m glad you and Tanner found each other and that you’re happy together. But I learned the hard way that romance isn’t for me.”
“But—” Sophie stopped when Ellie shook her head.
“I made a bad mistake when I let myself fall in love with Eddie. If I’d known him as well as I thought, I’d have known he’d change after he inherited that money, that he wouldn’t want to be saddled with being a father to Gracie.” A wiggle of pain still festered inside. “But I didn’t really know him because I was too busy thinking that my silly dream of a big, happy family was finally coming true.”
“Nothing silly about that dream, girlie,” Moses piped up. “God gave us families.”
“I know. And I have Gracie. That’s enough.” She saw Sophie was about to speak and shook her head. “Listen, when I got involved with Eddie I took my focus off parenting Gracie, and she almost paid for it. We were only a few weeks away from getting married when he suggested I put her in boarding school.” The memory still made her flinch. “I don’t need to repeat my mistakes. God’s given me the job of raising my daughter and I’ll focus on that. I guess I’m like Wyatt in that way. My child comes first.”
Later, as Ellie drove home with Gracie sleeping in the backseat, her brain revived a mental image of Wyatt Wright. He was good-looking, interesting and seemed to be a great parent, but he wasn’t for her.
Gracie was just going to have to ask God for something else, because Ellie had no intention of including Wyatt, or his very cute son, in their lives. Her broken engagement had proven that being a single mom had to be her number-one priority. Maybe someday, when Gracie was grown up and on her own, maybe then Ellie could consider a relationship.
Maybe.
But not now.
“You’re making a lot of noise for a kid who’s been fed, watered and changed.”
In the year since Taryn’s death Wyatt had grown comfortable speaking to Cade as if he understood everything. What he doubted he’d ever get used to was the volume of noise a small child could generate.
“You’ll give me a bad reputation as a dad,” he complained as he drove into Wranglers Ranch.
While Cade, red-faced and bellowing, continued his vocal outrage, Wyatt parked beside the visitors sign and exited the noisy truck with a sigh of relief.
“Nothing wrong with his lungs, is there?” Tanner appeared and held out a hand. “Nice to see you again, Wyatt.”
“You, too, Tanner.” He shook hands then picked up Cade. “He’s in a bad mood because he wouldn’t settle for his nap.” He offered a soother, but Cade knocked it from his hand.
“Got a temper, too.” Tanner laughed as he bent and picked it up.
“I’m sorry about this,” he said as Cade launched into another earsplitting roar. “I did warn you I couldn’t get a sitter.” Wyatt jiggled the grumpy child in a futile hope that he’d relax and perhaps drift off to sleep. “Maybe you should get another vet.”
“Don’t want anyone else,” Tanner said firmly. “You have the best reputation around these parts when it comes to horses, Wyatt. I want your opinion.”
“Okay. On what?”
“Two animals I’m considering buying.” Tanner winced as Cade amped up his protests. “Come on. We’ll take him to Sophie. She’ll know what to do.”
Wyatt desperately hoped so. He’d been through Cade’s overtired days before, and though his son eventually relaxed and fell asleep, the experience always left him drained.
But his hopes were dashed when he heard someone say, “I’m sorry, Tanner, but Sophie went shopping. She’s catering that barbecue tonight, remember?”
Wyatt turned and saw her. The woman from the grocery store.
Though Ellie smiled as she approached the Wranglers’
