cup her cheeks in his palms. “He lives on the Triple D, doesn’t he?” He grinned when she nodded. “Well then, Oscar must be family. Right, Kel?” he asked, holding her gaze with his own.
Kel. The nickname he’d given her the night of the wedding. Sam was the only one who’d ever called her that. Kelly couldn’t help a thrill of pleasure at the familiarity. It made her feel part of the group, as though she belonged. Not even the memory of her mother’s frosty reception could ruin the burst of warmth that sprang up inside.
Dear Sam. How kind of him to make her feel so welcome. Of course she was going to stay and help him, for as long as she could.
“Kel?” He was still watching her with that intent stare that saw too much.
“Right, Sam,” she agreed, snapping out of her reverie. “Oscar must be family.”
“See, Sadie Lady? What did I say?” He chuckled at Sadie’s surprised look, but his attention returned to her. “Auntie Kel knows who’s family.”
His gaze held, probing, reassuring, warm. It felt as if Sam saw deep inside her to the secret childhood yearning to be loved unconditionally that had never quite gone away.
“Do ranch people eat dinner?” Kelly blurted, shifting under his stare. She rose, careful not to jostle Jacob Samuel, who was now sleeping. “I’m starving.”
“It’s not dinnertime yet,” Sadie chided. “First Uncle Sam has to do chores.”
“Tonight Oscar’s going to do my chores,” Sam explained as he took her hand on one side and Kelly’s free one on the other then drew them both beside him toward the kitchen. “Kelly and I were rushing so hard to get here we only had a bit of breakfast and we missed lunch. I’m starving. Let’s get a snack.”
“Me an’ Emma could make you our shake-’em-up pudding,” Sadie volunteered as she swung his arm.
“Would you do that for us, darlin’?” Sam asked in a voice so tender, Kelly was nearly moved to tears. “I’d sure appreciate that. Wouldn’t you, Kelly?”
“Shake-’em-up pudding sounds just right to me,” she agreed. “Only I don’t know what it is. Can you show me how to make it, Sadie?”
“Sure.” The little girl turned and bellowed, “Emma! Come an’ help me. We gotta cook. Uncle Sam and Auntie Kel are hun-gry.”
Sam barely smothered his laughter and winked at Kelly, who faked a cough to hide her own mirth. When Sadie frowned at her, Kelly made a big deal of pretending to regain her breath until the child finally turned away.
“Thanks.” Sam’s breath brushed her ear.
“That’s why I’m here.” Kelly smiled at him, enjoying the cozy feeling that being part of Sam’s team brought. Until she caught a glimpse of her mother’s face over Sam’s shoulder.
“So that’s how you think it will be, is it?” Arabella was clearly furious.
“Mom? What’s wrong?” Kelly frowned when Arabella snatched Jacob Samuel from her arms, waking the little guy, who howled angrily at the disturbance.
“You’ve never bothered to make connections, to be there when you’re needed, but now you think you’ll waltz in here and take your sister’s place, in her home—”
“What?” Stunned, Kelly stared at her, unable to believe she was hearing this. But Sam was not frozen by Arabella’s bitter, angry words.
“Stop it,” he ordered sternly. In one fluid move, he lifted Jacob from Arabella’s startled grasp and handed the child back to Kelly before gripping Arabella’s arm and firmly drawing her from the room, speaking over her angry protest. “I need to talk to you. Privately.”
“Grannybell’s mad,” Sadie stated when they’d left. “You’re in big trouble.” She shook her head at Kelly then turned to order her sister to pour milk into a bowl.
Big trouble? Kelly stared into Jacob’s scowling face and jiggled him just in time to stop a yowl of anger or making strange or whatever he was doing.
“You’re right, Sadie,” she muttered with a sigh. “Almost ten years’ worth of trouble. I guess the time’s come to pay the piper.”
“We don’t have a piper.” Sadie gave her a long look of pure pity before she turned back to her task, knocking over the milk jug as she did. Fortunately, Emma caught it. Sadie regally thanked her twin then returned to directing the pudding making.
A snicker from the doorway drew Kelly’s attention. Sam stood just out of the kids’ view, shoulders shaking with laughter. Kelly gave him a severe look. That was when she realized Jacob’s diaper had leaked onto her shirt.
No piper to pay? Wanna make a bet?
* * *
As Sam tucked Jacob Samuel into his crib, he tried to remember the last time his sides had ached simply from laughing so hard. For a few moments he was overwhelmed by a pang of guilt. How could he laugh when his brother would never laugh again? But Jake and Marina would want their family to be happy. He’d have to keep reminding himself of that and of his Godsend, as his mother would put it, in finding Kelly.
Kelly had asked him what he’d said to her mother earlier, and so far Sam had managed to put her off by saying the matter was handled, but he knew perfectly well that Arabella would cause more trouble. She seemed very angry at her daughter, and Sam wasn’t sure exactly why that was.
Fortunately, Kelly and his mom, Verna, had hit it off immediately when his parents had arrived a few hours earlier. While Arabella, claiming a migraine, stayed in her room, leaving Kelly’s father, Neil, with Sam and the kids, Kelly and his mom had prepared a meal with the twins’ pudding for dessert. They all worked hard to keep the atmosphere light when Kelly’s mother finally came to the table. Jock Denver was a born peacemaker, and Sam could have hugged his dad when he drew Neil and Arabella into a conversation about downsizing.
While the men cleaned the dishes, Kelly helped Verna bathe the children under her mother’s disapproving stare. Then Kelly snuggled in a chair with the twins for a bedtime tale about a princess who traveled on a big boat to faraway places. Enthralled by her soft voice and her descriptions of the same sights Sam had longed for years to see, the twins begged Kelly to keep going when she said it was bedtime. She assured them that installments would follow each night if they didn’t fuss about going to bed.
Sam guessed Kelly was making the tale up as she went, drawing from her own travels to bring the story to life, and he was at least as curious about the next chapter as Sadie and Emma.
“Auntie Kel said bedtime,” he reminded softly when Sadie began to argue. He wanted to scoop her in his arms and assure her they’d have tomorrow, and tomorrow after that. But he couldn’t do that because he wasn’t sure how long Kelly would stay. Sadie gave him a mutinous look, but Sam didn’t budge. “Bedtime.”
“Okay.” With a huge sigh Sadie slid off the sofa, grabbed Emma’s hand and walked with her down the hall to their room. After a glance at him, Kelly followed.
Sam went, too, his heart tight in his chest at what was to come. Emma and Sadie knelt by their beds. Since Sam had already put Jacob Samuel down, he had no excuse when Sadie patted
