Mommy in Training

Minnie glanced at his lips. Wondered what it would feel like to kiss him. Really kiss him.

He grinned.

Suddenly it hit her. Matt knew exactly what he was doing. He knew she had a weak spot for him that had everything to do with a crush that didn’t have the decency to go away.

She fought to remain aloof. To remember that his company was about to put her store out of business. “Not particularly. After all, you are my competition.”

He stepped back. “Minnie Clark, I can’t help it if you don’t like my job. Don’t be mad at me forever.”

Dear Reader,

Thanks for picking up Mommy in Training! While some books have seemed to come together pretty quickly, this one sure didn’t. Over the past eight years I’ve written and rewritten Matt and Minnie’s story. The only things that stayed the same were Matt and Minnie’s characters and my belief that their romance was worth sharing. I couldn’t be more pleased with how the story turned out.

I enjoyed writing Mommy in Training because it allowed me to think about Texas and remember everything I love about the Lone Star State. I grew up in Houston, and my husband and I spent the first five years of our marriage in a little town north of Dallas. Through Matt and Minnie, I got to go back to places where everyone knows each other, heat and humidity are nothing to take lightly and where a trip to the grocery store means putting on a fresh coat of lipstick.

So, though it’s cold outside, I hope you’ll take a little break with Matt and Minnie. Sip some tea. Imagine it being as hot as July, and remember that sometimes the best things just take a while to happen. But when they do, they’re certainly worth waiting for.

If you get a moment, I hope you’ll join me at my Web site, www.shelleygalloway.com, or at the Harlequin American Writers’ blog: www.harauthors.blogspot.com.

Happy reading!

Shelley

Mommy in Training

Shelley Galloway

MILLS & BOON

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shelley Galloway loves to get up early, drink too much coffee and write books. These pastimes come in handy during her day-to-day life in southern Ohio. Most days she can be found driving her teenagers to their various activities, writing romances in her basement or trying to find a way to get ahead of her pile of laundry. She’s also been known to talk to her miniature dachshund, Suzy, as if she actually has opinions about books.

Shelley is the proud recipient of a Romantic Times BOOKreviews Reviewer’s Choice Award for her 2006 release, Simple Gifts. Shelley attends several conferences every year and loves to meet readers. She also spends a lot of time online. Please visit her at eHarlequin.com or at www.shelleygalloway.com.

To my editor Johanna Raisanen,

who was instrumental in making

Matt and Minnie’s story come alive.

And of course to Tom, who one day introduced me

to a man named Matt—and, well, the rest is history.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter One

“Matt, you’re back,” Mrs. Wyzecki proclaimed, as though it was the biggest surprise of her life.

Matt knew better. After all, the elderly lady had called his cell phone at least eleven times over the past two weeks, just to double-check that he was still heading in her direction.

But there was no sense in reminding her of that. Surely things hadn’t changed all that much in the ten years since he’d lived in her house. “You’re giving me no credit. Did you really think I wouldn’t show up like I said I would?”

Wanda Wyzecki stepped back to allow him entrance. “It wasn’t that I didn’t think you’d come back…I just wasn’t sure you’d be able to.”

“Well, I was.” Matt carefully closed the door behind him, using the moment to steady himself. The Wyzecki home smelled exactly like he remembered—lemon-fresh Pledge, tart Pine-Sol, and underneath it all, Ivory soap. Mrs. Wyzecki had always been a big fan of crisp, clean scents.

And, for some unknown reason, him.

“You comin’ in or are you gonna stand there all day?”

Just so she wouldn’t realize how good it felt to be around her—and how guilty he felt about staying away for so long, he sassed her right back. “I knew it wouldn’t be long before you started ordering me around.”

She took his elbow and led him into the rear of the house, where the overlarge kitchen lay. Its space had nothing to do with gourmet cooking and everything to do with the number of people who could sit at the cereal bar.

Matt noticed that their pace was slower than he recalled, and Mrs. Wyzecki’s arm a little frailer than he remembered. He was glad things had worked out with SavNGo and he could return as promised.

“Have a seat, Matt. Would you like some water?” Before he could answer she was on the move again. “Sit down and let me get a glass for you.”

After she set the drink in front of him and he took a few sips, Matt supposed it was time to get to the heart of the matter. “So, you really are moving.”

Faded blue eyes told him a wealth of things her words did not. “It’s true.”

“You sure you’re ready to pick up and go? Jim died just a year ago.”

“It seems longer when everything here reminds me of him. It’s time, Matt.” Hopping up again to turn on her kettle, she added, “There’s too many memories around here.”

Memories were why he’d driven all the way from Philadelphia to Crescent View, Texas, in one shot. Some things were worth remembering. “Maybe after you let things settle in for a while longer, you’ll want to stay.”

She turned to him in surprise. “And not let you move in after I promised you could? I wouldn’t do that. That’s not who I am, Matthew.”

“I could find someplace else to live,” he said slowly. “I feel I’m pushing you out.”

“I asked to you to move here, not the other way around. You haven’t pushed a bit.”

“Well, if you change your mind, just let me know. A year isn’t all that long.”

“You’re one to talk. We both know worlds can change in a year’s time.”

She was right about that. His world had changed during his senior year in high school. In twelve months, he’d lost his father, moved in with the Wyzeckis and had applied and been accepted at a number of colleges far away from the only place he’d ever known.

Linking her fingers around the glass, damp and pearly with condensation, Mrs. Wy added, “I’m really looking forward to a new place. I went and visited one of those retirement communities. For a good price, I can have a condo near a walking trail. They even have a fully staffed dining room. I’ll be able to go out to eat whenever I want.”

Mrs. Wyzecki might have just said she was going to take up tap dancing, it sounded so strange. “You, not cooking?”

“Things have changed since you left, Matthew. I don’t have a need for macaroni casserole anymore.”

That had been a favorite dish. “That’s a shame.”

“As I said, things change.” The pointy chin that he knew so well inched upward. “It has been almost ten years, you know.”

He did know.

Her expression softened, and for a moment, Matt was sure they were both back in time. Back when he was a teenager with a chip on his shoulder the size of Rhode Island and had just moved into the Wyzeckis’ house.

She’d served chicken and dumplings for dinner Matt’s first night there. It had taken everything inside him to keep his mouth shut in between mouthfuls, he’d been so afraid he was going to say something stupid—like it had been a really long time since he’d had a home-cooked meal. Not since his mother had died when he’d been in fourth grade.

“Anyway,” Mrs. Wyzecki blurted, transporting him back to the present. “I figure between the two of us, we could get this old place cleaned up and emptied out in no time at all. Then, come September, it’ll be all yours.”

The change of ownership still felt strange. “No hurry.”

“Oh, I think there might be a bit of a hurry. You’ve got things to do. We both know that.”

“All I’ve got to do is open Store 35, and it’s right here in Crescent View. This move can take all the time it needs to. I usually have to live out of a suitcase for my job, so it’ll be nice to have a home base.”

Brightening, she patted his arm. “I guess the timing was meant to be, huh?”

“I guess so.”

The timing hadn’t been a coincidence. He’d fought long and hard to get Crescent View a supercenter—the town was dying ever since the GM factory had closed. People here needed SavNGo.

But just as important to Matt was the opportunity to come back as somebody. Though he’d been a star athlete, he’d also been the kid without any family at graduation. For years before that, he’d been the kid who didn’t have a mom to help out at class parties or watch his games.

He’d also been the kid with the tough, demanding father who gave affection according to how well he performed on the football and baseball fields.

Everyone had known that.

So it was going to be nice to walk around Crescent View without a shadow hanging over him. Without a hint of talk about who he was ever going to become. He wanted to be able to hold his head up high. It meant a lot to him. So much it was embarrassing.

Ever observant, Mrs. Wyzecki narrowed her eyes at his tone. “You okay, Matthew?”

Hearing his name from her lips in that know-it-all tone never failed to bring a smile. “I’m fine.”

“When you get settled here, I hope you’ll breathe some new life into this old place. Put on some new paint. Maybe add a screen porch.” She pointed out the back window to her late husband’s pride and joy: the in-ground pool. “All the plant life surrounding the pool is overgrown. The sun hardly hits the concrete around it anymore.”

“I can trim the trees.”

“It needs more than that. Matthew, what this place needs is a family.” She looked him over. “You ought to start thinking about that.”

Well, that brought him up short. He wasn’t in the family-planning way. At all. “Don’t get carried away.”

“Oh, one day you’ll find the right woman,” Mrs. Wy said with a smile. “You’ll fill up this house with love and laughter again and life will be right as rain. Right now, it’s too quiet. When the night drags on, my mind drifts to how things used to be.”

He couldn’t help smiling. “Kids running everywhere?” The Wyzeckis had always taken in foster kids.

“Yep. Kids and dogs and mountains of laundry. Sometimes I was sure that I had more schedules to keep track of than any big-city CEO.”

“You did a fine job managing it all.”

“You did okay, too, Matthew.”

Barely. “I don’t know about that.”

“I do.”

The way she looked at him made Matt almost believe she was right. Almost. To most of the town, he’d had everything—good looks, good grades, athletic ability. Only people who knew him well realized that inside he was a mess. Unsure of other people, eager to please, and more than a little resentful of things he didn’t have—like a family.

Sliding off the stool, she said, “Well, I’ll go show you to your room and let you get settled.”

They walked up the stairs, Matt following Mrs. Wy with two duffels in his hands. Instead of heading for his old bedroom, he followed her into the “special” guest room. He raised a brow. “I’m staying here?”

“You’re pretty darn special, Matthew.” She motioned to the window. “Plus, this room has a better view than your old one.”

Obligingly, Matt looked out the window. Everything appeared to be the same except that the trees were taller and the houses seemed smaller than he remembered.

Mrs. Wyzecki pointed to a cute little white house with black shutters, a covered front porch and a cherry-red front door. “You’ll never guess who lives there now.” After the slightest pause, she announced the answer, just like she was the new host on The Price is Right. “Minnie Clark!”

The name sounded familiar, though he couldn’t quite place her. “Who?”

“Minnie is Paige’s little sister.” Tapping on the window, she said, “Let’s see. When you were seniors, Minnie was a freshman.”

Paige. They’d been a couple, off and on for a good nine months right before graduation. Paige had been vivacious, pretty in that Barbie doll kind of way, and a cheerleader. He’d truly enjoyed dating her. Well, until he’d found her making out with one of the guys on his football team. That little encounter had managed to ruin two relationships and empty a bottle of tequila in one fell swoop.

Mrs. Wyzecki pointed toward the neatly arranged flower beds that surrounded the house like a bright ribbon. “That Minnie’s such a sweetie. She owns a card shop now, you know. It’s got a real catchy name, too. Carried Away Cards.”

Turning his attention from the neatly trimmed boxwoods, he eyed his favorite woman in the world. “Why are you telling me all this?”

“I don’t know. Thought you might enjoy reacquainting yourself with an old friend. Especially since she took in Paige’s child just last year.”

Matt had heard about Paige from his buddy Lane, one of the few people besides Mrs. Wy he’d kept in touch with. “Paige died in a car accident, right?”

“She did, though neither Minnie nor her parents talk much about it.” With a frown, she added, “From what I understand, Paige and her husband met up with a semi on the highway in Arizona. In their wills, they left Minnie full custody of Kimber.”

Still gazing at Minnie’s house, Wanda murmured, “It was surely the saddest day you ever saw when Minnie came home with that little girl. They both looked like they were barely holding each other up.”

“Are they doing okay now?”

“I suppose. Minnie’s not one to complain.” With a steady look in Matt’s direction, she added softly, “Never was.”

Now what was that supposed to mean?

“Do her parents live nearby?”

“Two towns over. Anson and JoAnn help when they can, but sometimes I think Minnie does better without them around. Anson and Jo can’t last more than a minute or two without mentioning Paige and dissolving into tears.”

“Which would be hard for Kimber.”

“Uh-huh. But that’s okay. Me and that little thing have become pretty close. I get a kick out of watching Minnie deal with Kimber. Oh, but she’s getting a run for her money!”

She padded to the tiny linen closet and pulled out two towels. “After you get settled, come downstairs and we’ll make plans.”

When he was alone, Matt sat on the crocheted bedspread and took a deep breath. At the moment, it didn’t matter that he’d lost most of his Texas accent around the time he’d been doing his best to climb up the corporate ladder at SavNGo Discounters. It didn’t matter that most of the time he lived out of a suitcase, spending very little time in one place—his job of facilitating grand openings of stores kept him on the road.

For one brief moment, Matt felt vulnerable and full of hope. Like he did years ago. Just after he’d buried his dad and realized he had nowhere to go. Well, nowhere until Mr. and Mrs. Wyzecki offered their home and asked him to help with the dishes.

Once again, he felt accepted and wanted. And that—well, that felt good.

Picking up his cell phone, he called Jackie, his personal assistant. “I’m in,” he said, not bothering with small talk. “Anything you need from me right away?”

“Grab a pen, Matt,” she replied with a husky laugh. “I always need something from you.”

Chapter Two

Oh, it was him. Matt Madigan. Spiky brown hair. Eyes as blue as the sky. Perfect jaw. Flawless smile. Shoulders broad and solid. Matt Madigan was standing in her card shop.

Minnie Clark pulled the invoices she’d been reading a little closer to her face. One foot tapped in a nervous rhythm, keeping pace with her pounding heart. Funny how some things never changed.

She still was drawn to Matt like a child with a shiny new penny. Memories of ninth grade came flooding back. He used to wear frayed button-downs and old Levi’s. Scuffed boots and his hair a little too long.

She’d worn a perpetual, lovesick expression whenever he was within ten feet.

Of course, he’d rarely said a word to her—he’d been a senior and Paige had been his on-again, off-again girlfriend.

Minnie had just been a mousy replica. Oh, but how she’d dreamed things were different.

Now, years later, here he was, standing three feet away and looking at a row of cards right in her very own store.

As Minnie noticed that those worn jeans still fit his backside real fine, slowly Matt turned. Walked toward her. Down went the invoices. On the counter went a card.

“So, is that everything, Matt?”

Blue eyes blinked. “I’m sorry…do we know each other?”

She held out her hand. “Minnie Clark.” He shook it.

“Hi.” He smiled. Her eyes focused on those lips. Those cheekbones.

“Now I remember. Mrs. Wy said you owned this shop. It’s real nice.”

“Thanks.” A moment passed. It felt like an eternity.

Filling the gap, Matt gestured to his right. “I, uh, really the like your front windows.”

Minnie turned to where he pointed at her Back To School display. “Thanks. Alice and I tried real hard on them.” Oh, for heaven’s sakes! Tried real hard?

“And, Minnie…I was sure sorry to hear about Paige.”

Just hearing her sister’s name still brought pain. “I appreciate that. She’s missed by a lot of people.”

“I suspect so.” Leaning forward, Matt braced two elbows on the counter. “I heard you’re raising her daughter, Kimber.”

“I am.”

A tiny silence stretched for what seemed like an hour, or maybe just a couple of seconds. No matter what, it felt too long.

Minnie picked up the card and scanned it. “Two fifty-seven, Matt.”

He pulled out a five dollar bill. “I guess we’ll be seeing each other around town some. I’m buying Mrs. Wyzecki’s house. Heard you live right across the street.”

“I do.” She handed him his change. “I sure am going to miss Wanda living there.”

His eyes narrowed.

Minnie realized she’d effectively said she wasn’t looking forward to him being there. Great. Yet another super interchange between her and Matt. “We’re real close.”

“Oh.”

She pasted on a smile. “If you need anything…just let me know.”

“Thanks. I’ll do that.”

Minnie watched as he walked to the door. She was tempted to ask exactly why he’d come back, what he’d been doing since he’d been gone. But it wasn’t the time and, frankly, none of her business.

As a matter of fact, she should know better than to even care. She had Kimber and work. And, well, it hadn’t been all that long since Peter had dumped her like a pile of logs. Only six months.

She did not need to be mooning over Matt Madigan.

At least not anymore.

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE Kimber would do something that was exactly like Paige. An idiosyncrasy that made Minnie want to laugh and cry all at the same time.

Or, like at that very moment, want to go back to bed and retreat from the world because things were just too hard.

This was one of those moments.

Arms folded across her chest, the five-year-old held her ground. “Why can’t I go down the street by myself? I’m real good on my bike.”

Minnie’s dad had taught Kimber to ride a two-wheeler last week. Now, in the little girl’s mind, there was no turning back.

“Kimber, you just learned to ride. You’re not ready to go out by yourself.”

“I am, too.”

“No, I don’t think so. You don’t even know everyone around here yet. What if you got lost?”

“I won’t.”

“But you could. Sweetheart, if something happened to you, I’d be so sad. Besides, it’s too early to go out and play. It’s only seven. Most people are still eating their cereal.” Minnie pointed to the little girl’s bowl, a pile of soggy rice puffs floating on the top. “Sit down and eat.”

“I’m done.”

“Then you’ll just have to be patient. I’ll have time to go out with you in an hour.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Oh, well.”

“I wish I was home.” With a scowl Kimber went back to her room and closed her door, just as Paige had done when she hadn’t gotten her way.

And Paige had always wanted her way.

For a split second, Minnie glanced at the phone. She could call Mrs. Wyzecki and ask for advice. In a flash, Wanda would stride over and come to the rescue.

It’s what she’d done ever since Kimber arrived. Time and again Minnie wondered why Paige had named her Kimber’s guardian. Not her parents.

Had it been because they were closer in age? Or was it because Paige had figured Minnie would never have her own kids?

Or had Paige just not been thinking? Her sister had always been the type of girl who never thought anything bad would happen.

And usually nothing ever had.

From birth, Paige seemed to have been born under a lucky star. School had been easy for her. So had everything else. She’d never had a weight struggle, never had a pimple that she couldn’t wish off her face.

Boys had liked her, college entrance exams had, too. Paige had not only gotten into every university she’d applied to, but had been awarded scholarship money, as well.

Yep, Paige had been the type of woman who people stopped and stared at. She’d been striking and confident. Polished and successful. Her husband, Jeremy, had been the same way. They’d gotten married in Jeremy’s hometown of Phoenix and began their careers. Two years later, Kimber had been born.

Yes, Paige’s life had been perfect. So perfect she’d never had a problem reminding Minnie of that.

Which was yet another reason she and Paige had never been especially close.

Minnie was trying to do her best by Kimber, who was willful and grieving. But most of the time, her best didn’t seem good enough. Once more, Minnie imagined everyone around her knew it. Peter sure had.

Chapter Three

Matt tried to remember the last time his arms had felt like they were on fire. In high school when the coach had called practices both morning and night? Last January when he’d hired that personal trainer who’d damn near killed him in one session?

As he gingerly stretched his arms overhead, Matt wished he’d been lifting weights with a little more frequency. Maybe then he wouldn’t be glaring at the thirty boxes of hardcover books he’d just sorted, packed and lugged to the garage. They now sat in the middle of two bedrooms’ worth of furniture and a box of cast-iron pots and pans.