Praise for Margaret Daley and her novels

“Margaret Daley combines humor and likeable characters for a pleasantly satisfying romance.”

—Romantic Times BOOKreviews on A Mother for Cindy

“This terrific family story does a fantastic job of dealing with serious issues facing children.”

—Romantic Times BOOKreviews on Once Upon a Family

“Margaret Daley writes an entertaining story with believable characters in The Power of Love.”

—Romantic Times BOOKreviews

“Heart of the Family, by Margaret Daley, is a wonderful story on many levels and will have readers shedding tears of happiness.”

—Romantic Times BOOKreviews

A Family for Tory
&
A Mother for Cindy
Margaret Daley

MILLS & BOON

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

Contents

A FAMILY FOR TORY

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

Epilogue

A MOTHER FOR CINDY

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

Epilogue

MARGARET DALEY

feels she has been blessed. She has been married more than thirty years to her husband, Mike, whom she met in college. He is a terrific support and her best friend. They have one son, Shaun.

Margaret has been writing for many years and loves to tell a story. When she was a little girl, she would play with her dolls and make up stories about their lives. Now she writes these stories down. She especially enjoys weaving stories about families and how faith in God can sustain a person when things get tough. When she isn’t writing, she is fortunate to be a teacher for students with special needs. Margaret has taught for over twenty years and loves working with her students. She has also been a Special Olympics coach and participated in many sports with her students.

A Family for Tory

So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper,

and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

—Hebrews 13:6

To the people I work with,

especially Terri, Rene, Katie, Becky, Anne, Laurie,

Naomai, Mike, Lila, Stacie, Debbie, Lisa—

you all make coming to work each day special.

Chapter One

Slade Donaldson switched off the engine and glanced toward his eight-year-old daughter. “Ready, Mindy? Are you sure you want to do this? I’ll be gone for about an hour.”

Mindy nodded, her face brightening with a huge grin. “Tor-ee needs—my—uh—help, Dad-dy.”

Every time he heard his daughter struggle to say something, his heart twisted into a knot that he feared would never unravel. “Then I’d better meet this Tory Alexander.” Since his housekeeper had taken Mindy to her physical therapy for the past few months, he’d never met the woman who had brought her pony into the hospital to cheer up the children and captured his daughter’s interest.

Mindy pointed toward a petite woman emerging from a barn, leading a horse on a rein. “Th—ere.” Her grin widened, her brown eyes sparkling.

“Then let’s go. I need to be at the bank in twenty minutes for my meeting.” He thrust open his car door, then hurried around to help his daughter.

“I can—do—this.” Mindy pulled herself to a standing position using the door.

The tightness in his chest made his breathing difficult. He offered his daughter his arm. She clasped it to steady herself, then began to make her way toward the woman by the opening into the barn. Two weeks ago his daughter had declared she didn’t want to use her walker anymore. Each day since, Mindy had leaned less and less on him as she’d walked. Progress, Slade thought, due partly to this woman before him. She and her pony, Mirabelle, have been the reasons Mindy tolerated her physical therapy at the hospital over the past few months. He was in Tory Alexander’s debt.

Tory saw Mindy approaching and tied the reins to the fence of the riding ring. Then she strode toward the girl with a smile of greeting. Slade was surprised by how small the woman was. The horse she’d been leading was at least seventeen hands tall, towering over her. Her long auburn hair was swept back in a ponytail with a few stray strands curling around her oval face. Freckles sprinkled her turned-up nose and her large brown eyes drew a person to her. Fringed in dark lashes, Slade felt their pull as she came to a stop only a few feet from Mindy and him.

Tory looked at his daughter. “I’m so glad you didn’t have to cancel, Mindy.” Then she turned those large brown eyes on him. “I’m sorry to hear about Mrs. Watson’s emergency. Will her niece be okay?”

“She just went into labor a little early. My housekeeper assures me everything will be all right and she’ll be back in a week or so.”

“That’s good to hear. I know she was excited about her niece’s pregnancy. First in the family.” Tory lifted her arm toward Mindy to take over being her support if she needed. “Come on, Mindy. Let’s show your father the barn.”

“I have a meeting I need to go to.”

“Dad-dy, just—” Mindy swallowed several times “—see Bel-le.”

Slade stared at his daughter’s face, lit with hope and eagerness, and he couldn’t refuse the invitation even though it would make him late. After all, she was the reason he worked fourteen-hour days. He wanted only the best care for Mindy, and that cost money. “Lead the way.” Sweeping his arm toward the barn, he followed the pair.

As he entered, surprisingly the only scents to assail him were hay and leather. Scanning the darker interior, he noticed how clean the barn was. A few stalls had horses in them but most were empty. “Where are your horses?”

“In the pastures.”

“How many do you have?”

“Fifteen and one pony, Mirabelle, or, as Mindy loves to call her, Belle.”

“Th-ere,” Mindy said, gesturing toward the last stall. She hurried her pace, her left foot dragging in the dirt.

Mindy stumbled. Slade lurched forward to catch her, but Tory had already steadied her. Mindy continued her fast pace toward Mirabelle, towing Tory behind her.

Tory quickened her step to keep up. “Whoa. Mirabelle isn’t going anywhere.”

“Haven’t seen—her in—lo-ong time.”

Slade scooped Mindy up in his arms and continued toward the stall at the very end of the barn. “It’s only been five days, sweetie.”

“Too lo-ong.”

While Tory swung the stall door open, he went inside with Mindy. She squirmed.

“Dad-dy, put me down.”

He settled his daughter in front of Mirabelle and kept his hands on her shoulders so she wouldn’t fall as she found her balance. Even though her surgery had been eight months before, it was still hard for her to keep her equilibrium at times.

She bent forward and threw her arms around the pony’s neck. Nuzzling the animal, Mindy giggled. “Isn’t she ugly? No—” she shook her head “—pret-ty?”

Slade inspected the pony’s golden brown coat and big brown eyes that suddenly reminded him of Mirabelle’s owner. “Very pretty.”

“You know Mirabelle has been waiting just for you so you could give her a good brushing. No one does it better.” Tory produced a curry comb and passed it to Mindy.

Tory helped Mindy position herself so she could start on the pony’s left side. With one hand clutching the mane, Mindy began her task. Tory stepped back toward the entrance, motioning for Slade to follow. Outside the stall she paused. Reluctantly Mindy’s dad joined her.

“Do you think we should leave her alone like that?” he asked, a frown creasing his brow.

“She’ll be fine. She’s done that half a dozen times now and loves to. It’s her private time with Mirabelle.” A giggle drifted to her, and Tory smiled. “See. I think she tells Belle her secrets.”

“What secrets?” Panic laced his question.

“All little girls have them. Who’s her favorite movie star? What songs does she like? Who’s her best friend at school?”

“She didn’t go to school this year. She’s being tutored at home.”

“Is she going to attend in the fall?”

Slade opened his mouth to answer, then clamped it shut. He glanced away. “I don’t know. It depends on her therapy and how fast she recovers.”

“Mindy’s so good with the other children who come for riding lessons. She misses her friends.”

Slade straightened, his jaw clenched. “I won’t have her go to school and be teased because she talks too slow and walks funny.”

“Kids can be very accepting.”

“And kids can be very cruel. Mindy’s gone through so much this past year because of the car accident that took her mother and caused her epilepsy.”

“But didn’t the surgery make the epilepsy better?”

“She hasn’t had a seizure, but at what cost?” Slade waved his hand toward the stall where his daughter was talking to the pony, frustration in every taut line of his body.

“Do you regret agreeing to the surgery?”

Slade plowed his fingers through his hair. “Yes—no. The doctors told me this was best for Mindy, that given time she would recover most of her speech and physical abilities. A few years from now we’ll hardly know she had part of her brain removed.”

“But it doesn’t make it any easier right now?”

“No,” he clipped out.

“I didn’t mean to intrude, but Mindy has become very important to me. I was hoping she could come more often to the stables to help out. She asked me to talk to you about it.”

“She did? When?”

“She called me this morning and asked.”

“So that’s who she was talking to on the phone. I thought it was one of her girlfriends. When I made that assumption, she didn’t correct me.”

“She wants to be my assistant and go with me to the hospital when I take Mirabelle next time.”

Slade relaxed the tensed set to his shoulders. “It’s hard for me to say no when Mirabelle is the reason my daughter would cheerfully go to the hospital for her physical therapy. Before Mirabelle, Mrs. Watson and I had a horrible time getting Mindy to go. Now with the promise of seeing the pony, she’ll do just about anything.”

“Animals can be great therapy for people. That’s why I started my riding stable for people in need, especially children. So what do you say about Mindy helping me out?”

“Let me think about it. That’s asking you to do a lot for Mindy.”

“I don’t mind. If I didn’t want her to be my helper, I wouldn’t have asked.”

“Still…” Slade checked his watch. “I’d better get going. I’m already late as it is. I’ll be back in an hour.”

“We’ll be in the riding ring.”

Slade strode toward his car, feeling the touch of Tory’s gaze on his back. It took a supreme effort not to turn around and look at her. She was an attractive lady who obviously loved animals and children. Very appealing qualities in a woman, he thought, then shook his head. What in the world was he thinking? After this past twenty-two months piecing his life back together, he didn’t think he could deal with anything that required his emotions be involved. He had all he could handle with Mindy and her recovery. But first, he had to secure the loan for the second phase of the expansion of his company.

“You’re doing great, Mindy. Sit up straight. Take command.” Tory watched the young girl walk her horse around the riding ring. The child’s face glowed, her proud expression attesting to one of the reasons Tory spent so much time and money on her Bright Star Stables—the looks on her riders’ faces when they were successful. “Okay, Mindy, that’s it for today. You need to cool Paint down now.”

“Dad-dy say yes?”

Tory assisted Mindy in dismounting, then handed the child the reins. “He’s going to think about you helping me at the hospital with Mirabelle.”

The girl’s lower lip stuck out in a pout. “Why?”

“Because your day is full as it is. With your schooling and therapies, Mindy, you don’t have a lot of extra time.”

The sudden sound of Slade’s voice made Tory stiffen. The erratic beat of her heart crashed against her chest. With her attention totally focused on Mindy, Tory hadn’t heard him approaching. She didn’t like being caught unaware. It emphasized her vulnerability. Swinging around toward him, she took in his tall height, over six feet, and muscular frame that even his suit couldn’t conceal. She stamped down her alarm. This was Mindy’s father.

The little girl gripped Tory’s arm and twisted about to face her father who stopped a few feet from her. “Summer—is al-most—here. No sch-ool then.”

One of Slade’s dark brows arched. “Who said that?”

“No va-va-ca-tion?”

“You’ll have one, a short one. But you have some catching up to do, young lady.”

Mindy sighed heavily. “I can’t—” The young girl paused and swallowed several times “—help Tor-ee?”

“No, I didn’t say that.”

A bright gleam shone in Mindy’s eyes. “I can!”

“I didn’t say that, either. I’m still thinking about it.”

Instantly the child’s expression crumbled and her shoulders sagged.

“Take care of your horse and let me talk with Tory for a minute. I won’t be long.”

Mindy led Paint toward the barn, her left foot leaving a drag mark in the dirt. The little girl’s head was lifted. Tory had been working the past month on instilling confidence into the child, something that had suffered after her operation.

The second Mindy disappeared into the barn, Tory swung around, prepared to defend her reasons for wanting the girl to work with her. Slade cut her off with “Mindy won’t make her next lesson.”

His words took the steam out of her. Surprised, she grappled for something to say. “Why?” was all she could manage to think of.

“With Mrs. Watson gone I don’t have the time to bring her out here next Tuesday. As it is, I’m having a hard time getting help to take care of Mindy while my housekeeper’s away. I thought today I had everything arranged, but my arrangements fell through.”

“I can help,” Tory said without really thinking through the consequences. But she adored the child and didn’t want her to miss her twice-weekly riding lessons.

“I couldn’t ask you—”

“You didn’t. I volunteered to help. Mindy wants to spend more time here. I could use her help and watch her at the same time. It’s perfect for everyone.”

Slade shook his head, deep lines in his forehead. “But—”

Tory held up her hand to stop his flow of words. “Who are you going to get to sit with Mindy? Someone from a baby-sitting organization? Mindy and I are buddies. I would love to help her out. I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t mean it.”

“I don’t know how long Mrs. Watson is going to be gone. Everything happened so suddenly. She said a week or maybe longer.”

“One thing I’ve learned taking care of animals is to go with the flow. One day at a time. Don’t worry. The future will take care of itself.” At least that was what she was counting on. Because right now she wasn’t sure how long she could keep Bright Star Stables operational.

“Not without a lot of help from me.” He took a deep breath and blew it out between pursed lips. “Okay. If you’re sure.”

“I am.”

“Then I’ll bring her first thing Monday morning.”

“What time?”

Slade peered toward the barn, his eyes narrowing as though he were trying to see into the dark shadows. “I’m afraid seven. I have an eight o’clock meeting I need to attend.”

“That’s fine by me. I’m usually up by five. I’ll have the stalls clean by that time.” Mindy’s presence reinforced all the reasons she worked long hours to keep Bright Star Stables going.

“That’s mighty ambitious.”

“There’s nothing ambitious about it. I’m usually the only one to do it. I depend on volunteers to help. Otherwise, this is a one man—or rather, woman—show.”

“Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.” Slade stuck his hand out.

Tory stared at it for a brief moment, then fit her hand within his and quickly shook it before pulling back, taking a step away as she did.

“Hopefully Mrs. Watson will only be gone for a week.”

“Don’t worry about how long it will be.”

The tense set to his shoulders relaxed. “Now that only leaves rearranging her speech and physical therapies next week.”

“When are they?”

“Mindy has speech Monday afternoon at four and physical therapy Tuesday and Friday mornings.”

“I need to come into town Monday. I can take her and you can pick her up there.”

“I can’t—”

“Didn’t we just go through this? I know how important her therapies are for her and how hard it can be to rearrange. It’s no big deal.”

“Tor-ee, I’m fin-ished.”

Tory swung around to watch as Mindy made her way toward them. Dirt dusted her cheeks with some bits of hay sticking out of her hair. “Are you all right?” she asked while Slade rushed toward Mindy.

The little girl waved her father away. “I’m o-kay. Just—fell, that’s—all.”

Slade looped his arm about Mindy’s shoulders. “Are you hurt?”

Mindy shook her head, dislodging a piece of hay that floated to the ground.

“We should have brought your walker. This uneven surface—”

“No! I—I—hate it!”

“Your dad agreed to you helping me. In fact, you’re going to be my assistant all next week while Mrs. Watson is gone.”

“I am!” Mindy brushed the rest of the hay from her hair, a huge grin revealing a missing tooth. “Thanks, Dad-dy.”

“You’re welcome, sweetie.”

“I get—to—miss—sch-ool?” The child’s eagerness peppered the air with her enthusiasm.

“No way. I’ll have your homebound teacher come out here for the week.”

Some of Mindy’s enthusiasm evaporated, a slump to her stance. “I hate—sch-ool—too.”

“Mindy, we’ve had this discussion. School and your lessons are important.” Slade held his arm out for his daughter to take, then he led her toward his car.

Tory followed, wishing she had the right to step in. She remembered when she was struggling to learn to read in elementary school. She’d hated school, too, until she had mastered her problem. Mindy had to fight hard to regain everything she’d once taken for granted, such as walking, talking, taking care of herself. It would be normal for her to feel that way about her lessons when she was still trying to recoup what she’d lost after the operation.

After securing Mindy into the front seat and closing the door, Slade moved toward the back of the car where Tory stood. “We’ve had this argument every week since the homebound teacher started. She remembers what she used to be able to do with ease. Now those things are so hard for her that she often becomes very frustrated.”

There was a part of Tory that wanted to reach out and touch this man in pain, but there was a part that held her frozen in place. “She’s come a long way in a short time.”

Dark shadows clouded his blue eyes. “If I could trade places with Mindy, I would in a heartbeat. The worse thing for me is to have to stand by and watch her suffer.”

His whispered words held anguish in them. Tory lifted her hand toward him, her fingers trembling as they lay on his arm for a brief moment before slipping away. “Prayer has always helped me through the difficult times.”

“Mindy was innocent. This should never have happened to her in the first place. She was perfectly normal until the car wreck. Why would God do this to her?”

The pain in his voice robbed Tory of her breath. The heaviness in her chest threatened to squeeze the air completely from her lungs.

He started to turn away, then swung back toward her. “It’s been a long week. I didn’t mean to burden you with this. I’ll bring Mindy out Monday morning.” He offered her a fleeting smile, said, “Thanks for all your help,” then strode to the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel.

As his car pulled out, Tory fought the tears quickly filling her eyes. Lord, help this man find his path back to You. He is hurting and needs Your comfort.

“Wh-ere’s—Dad-dy?” Mindy asked, worry furrowing her brow.

Tory glanced at her watch for the third time in ten minutes. “His meeting probably ran over. That’s all. We’d better wait here for him.”

“Ba-th-ro-oom.” Mindy labored over the word, the lines in her face deepening.

“I’ll wait out here in the reception area for your dad while you’re gone.”

“Be back.” Mindy made her way across the room and disappeared through the door where clients went for their speech therapy.

Picking up a magazine, Tory began flipping through it, not really seeing the words on the page. Slade was fifteen minutes late. Why hadn’t he called? What was wrong? She chewed on her lower lip, her own worry coming to the foreground. Finally she gave up trying to read the magazine and tossed it back on the table in front of her.

The outside door swung open, and Slade entered. He was all right, Tory thought, her gaze skimming down his length. Relief shimmered through her.

When he caught sight of her in the corner, he hurried to her and sat next to her. For just a second Tory’s heart sped. She pressed her lips together to still her usual reaction to someone invading her space.

“I’m so sorry I was late. My cell phone is dead so I couldn’t call you to tell you that I was sitting in traffic waiting for them to clear up an accident.”

“Anyone hurt?”

He frowned, his blue eyes dark. “Yes. It was a mess. They’re still working on it.”

“Dad-dy!”

Slade looked toward Mindy who stood a few feet away. The little girl launched herself at her father, throwing her arms around him.

“You oo-kay?” Mindy plastered herself against her father. “What—” She couldn’t finish her sentence. Tears shone in her eyes and one slipped down her cheeks.

Slade smoothed his daughter’s hair back from her face and kissed the top of her head. “I’m fine. Just delayed. I couldn’t call. Sorry about that. I know how you are when I’m late.”

“Su-re—okay?” Mindy sniffed.

He squeezed her to him. “Yes, sweetie.”

“He just got stuck in traffic,” Tory said as she rose and gathered up her purse.

“What—was—a mess?” Mindy leaned back to peer at her father.

Slade paled. “Nothing important.”

“Dad-dy, what?”

He forced a laugh. “My day, sweetie, but not now. How about us taking Tory out to dinner? I think she deserves our thanks for helping us out.”

“Yes!”

Mindy’s excitement touched Tory. She’d always wanted children—lots of them—but didn’t see how that goal was possible now. Slade was so lucky to have a daughter like Mindy. “How can I refuse?”

“You—can’t.” Mindy scooted off her father’s lap and took Tory’s hand, pulling her toward the door.

“I guess my daughter is hungry, even though it’s not much after five. Do you mind an early dinner?”

Laughing at Mindy’s eagerness to leave, Tory tossed back over her shoulder while the child was dragging her through the opened door, “I’m always hungry, so I can eat early or late or both. Where are we going? I can follow you in my truck.”

“Leave your truck here and I’ll bring you back for it afterward.”

“I can follow—”

“Plee-ze,” Mindy said, stopping in the middle of the parking lot.

“You make it hard to say no, young lady.” Tory forced a scolding tone to her voice, but she was sure the smile that accompanied her words wiped out any threat.

“You—will?”

Tory looked toward Slade for help. He shrugged and shook his head. She was on her own. “I guess so. But wouldn’t it be easier if I—”

At Slade’s car while opening the back door, Mindy announced, “You—can—sit—” she paused, searching for her words “—in the front.”

“No, that’s—” Tory watched as the little girl hopped into the back seat faster than she had seen her move since she had known her.

Over the top of the car Tory spied Slade looking at her. “I guess I’ll sit in front.”

“Please. I draw the line at being a chauffeur.”

When Slade started the engine and pulled out of the parking space, he asked, “Any favorite place you would like to go?”

“I’m not picky. Wherever you two like.”

The second he maneuvered the car into the flow of traffic Mindy said, “Music—plee-ze.”

Tory switched on the radio. She’d found Mindy loved to listen to it even while working in the barn.

The end of a popular song sounded over the radio, then the announcer came on. “Now for a traffic update. There has been a multicar wreck on—”

Slade switched the dial to Off. Surprised, Tory glanced at him. Then she heard the scream from the back seat.

Chapter Two

“Nooo!” Mindy screamed over and over.

Slade crossed two lanes of traffic to pull into an almost-deserted office parking lot. Before Tory had time to react to the situation, he was out of the car and thrusting open the back door.

He hauled his daughter into his arms and held her tightly to him, whispering, “It’s okay, sweetheart. You’re all right. I’m here. Nothing’s going to hurt you ever again. I promise.”

Tory twisted around, desperately wanting to help Mindy. She had come to love the child in the short time she’d known her. The child’s sobs filled the air with her pain, a pain Tory wished she could wipe away.

“Mom-my,” Mindy cried, her voice muffled by the blue cotton of Slade’s shirt.

But Tory heard the pitiful wail and knew the announcer had triggered a memory of Mindy’s own wreck that had changed the little girl’s life forever. Tory’s heart pounded against her chest in slow, anguish-filled throbs, mirroring the distress in Mindy. Tory knew more than most how quickly life could change; one split second could make all the difference. If only she hadn’t gone out…. Tory pushed the memory away, refusing to allow it into her mind. She couldn’t alter the past, but with God’s guidance, she could protect herself.

She caught Slade’s attention and mouthed, “Can I help?”

He shook his head, stroking his daughter’s back. “Sweetie, Mommy’s gone. But I’m here for you.”

“It—it—” Mindy struggled for her words. “It—hurt.”

“I know, baby. But you’re safe now.”

Slade’s eyes slid closed, but not before Tory saw their glistening sheen. Tears clogged Tory’s throat and misted her own eyes. She blinked, trying to get a grip on her emotions that careened out of control.

Mindy shuddered and Slade clutched her tighter. “Mommy’s watching over you, baby. Taking care of you. She’ll always be with you in here.” He laid his hand over his daughter’s heart.

Helpless, Tory drew in deep breaths after deep breaths but still she ached for the pair. She felt as if she had intruded on a private family moment and should disappear. She would give anything to take the child’s pain away, but from experience knew that was something another couldn’t do.

Mindy pulled back, sniffing and wiping her nose. “I—” she sucked in a huge gulp of air “—know, Dad-dy.”

He cupped his daughter’s face in his large hands. “I love you, sweetie.”

She sniffled again. “I know.”

Slade brushed the pads of his thumbs across Mindy’s cheeks, erasing all evidence of her tears. “Are you ready to show Tory a good time?” Tenderness marked his expression as he peered at his daughter with eyes a soft azure. “I thought we would go to your favorite restaurant.”

“Goldie’s?”

“Of course. Is there another?”

“No!” A grin split Mindy’s face.

Slade kissed his daughter, then slipped from the back seat. When he settled behind the steering wheel and started the engine, he threw Tory a glance that caused her heart to flip over. Sadness mixed with a look of appeal for understanding. She slid her hand across the console, almost touching Slade in reassurance. At the last second she pulled back and smiled at him instead.

“I love Goldie’s hamburgers and onion rings,” Tory said to Mindy, trying to ignore the heat of a blush she felt creep up her face at Slade’s intense regard.

“Me, too.” Mindy clapped, her left hand curled so that her palms didn’t meet.

“With everything on it, even onions.”

Tory caught Slade’s look. The smile that glinted in his eyes warmed her. Her blush deepened. Aware his gaze was still riveted to her, she shifted in the leather seat, crossing and uncrossing her ankles. Uncomfortable under his intense scrutiny, she searched for something to say. Silence dominated the small confines of the car. Nothing she thought seemed appropriate so she let the quiet reign.

Fifteen minutes later Slade drove into the parking lot next to Goldie’s. After he assisted Mindy from the back seat, they all headed into the restaurant, decorated in homespun décor, reminiscent of a farmhouse, with the scent of baking bread and coffee saturating the air.

Tory sat across from Mindy and Slade in the booth along the large front window that overlooked a pond. Geese and ducks swam in the water, which drew the little girl’s attention.

“Look—” Mindy frowned, her brow wrinkled in thought “—bab-ies.”

The fluency of the little girl’s speech had improved over the months since Tory had known her, but still the child labored to put her words together, to find the correct word to say. Tory wanted to hug her for her perseverance.

“The last time Mindy and I were here, the geese were sitting on their nests. They’re three couples and it looks like they have all had their babies. Now she’ll want to come back every week to keep track of them.”

“I have a pond, Mindy, on my property. We’ll have to ride there one day and have a picnic.”

“Dad-dy, too?”

Tory’s gaze slid to Slade’s. “Do you ride?”

He laughed. “Sort of.”

Tory arched one brow in question.

“The last time was in high school, so it’s been years since I’ve been on a horse. Is it like riding a bicycle?”

“Sort of.” Tory downed a large swallow of ice water, her throat suddenly parched.

“Well, then, yes, I do ride—or let’s just say I know how to fall gracefully when the horse bolts.”

“Now you’ve piqued my curiosity. What happened the last time you rode?”

“I had leaned over to open the gate into the pasture when my horse got spooked by a rabbit darting in front of him. He decided to take off, leaving me dangling from the gate.”

Mindy giggled. “Oh, Dad-dy.”

“I’ve fallen a few times, too, and I can’t always say they were graceful falls.” Tory took another long sip of her water, relishing the cool liquid.

Slade started to say something when the waitress approached to take their orders. After she left, he grinned. “When I fell, I landed in a mud puddle and was covered from head to toe. It was a big mud puddle.”

“When can—we—do it?” Mindy asked, eagerness giving her face a radiant glow.

“How about this weekend? I’m free after church on Sunday.” Tory glanced from the little girl to Slade.

“Only if you allow me to bring the picnic.”

“This is my treat. I invited you.”

“Then let me bring the dessert.” Determination marked his expression.

Tory shrugged. “Fine.”

“What do you like?”

“Oh, just about anything with chocolate. Surprise me.”

“I’ve gotten the impression you weren’t someone who liked to be surprised.”

“Not usually.” Tory clasped her hands in her lap to still their trembling. Control and order were so important in her life, the threads that held it together. “I don’t like to take risks, either, but I think I’ll be safe with you bringing the dessert.”

“Isn’t your Bright Star Stables a financial risk?”

“Yes, but then some things are important enough to risk. I saw a need and wanted to do something about it.”

“And this parent is grateful. If I can help you with anything, please let me know.”

Tory thought about her low bank account, but pride kept her from saying anything. For many years she had done everything on her own. She was used to that and would somehow make the therapeutic riding program a success. When her aunt’s inheritance had allowed her to fulfill a dream, she’d known in her heart this was what God had wanted her to do with her life. God would provide the means to keep Bright Star Stables going.

Slade’s gaze bore into her as if he could reach into her mind and read it. “It’s okay to ask for help when you need it.”

“Look—Dad-dy.” Mindy jostled her father’s arm, then pointed out the window at the baby geese swimming in a line behind one of their parents with the other bringing up the rear.

If it wouldn’t have raised more questions at Mindy’s timely interruption, Tory would have gladly hugged and kissed the child. The conversation was getting too personal for her. Keeping people at a distance had become such a habit for her that any probing into her feelings or past proved highly uncomfortable. She swiped the film of perspiration from her upper lip, then finished off her cold water.

After watching the geese with his daughter for a few minutes, Slade returned his attention to Tory. “I’ll drop the subject for now, but it’s in my best interest to see Bright Star Stables continue.”

Mindy swung her gaze to her father, a deep line across her forehead. “What’s—wrong?”

With his regard trained on Tory, Slade answered, “Nothing, sweetheart. I just wanted Tory to know how much we both appreciate the work she does.”

Mindy bounced up and down. “Yeah!”

Heat scorched her cheeks. She noticed a few patrons looking their way. Breaking eye contact with Slade, she studied her place mat. “Thank you,” she whispered, relieved that the waitress brought them their food, taking the focus off her. She preferred being in the background, having had more than her share of the limelight in the past—something she never wanted to relive again.

Tory bit into her thick, juicy hamburger and sighed. “I’d forgotten how great this tasted.” She popped a small onion ring into her mouth. “And this. Of course, this will go straight to my hips.”

“I don’t think that’ll hurt you.” Slade dumped several sugar packets into his iced tea.

“It will if I had to buy a whole new wardrobe. About all I can afford is a flour sack.” The second she’d said it, she regretted the reference to her financial state.

Slade’s eyes gleamed, but his lips remained pressed together.

Tory blew out a breath of air, thankful he wasn’t going to pursue the topic. “Have you lived in Cimarron City long?”

“All my life. How about you?”

“Just a few years. I moved here from Dallas.”

“What made you leave Dallas for Oklahoma?”

She should have expected the question, but still it took her by surprise. “The weather.”

“We have the same beastly heat in the summer as Dallas.”

“Actually, my aunt died and left me her small ranch. I came to sell it and decided to stay.”

“You don’t miss the big city.”

“Cimarron City is big enough for me. Besides, I’m a country gal at heart, and even though there are eighty thousand living here, it doesn’t seem that way when I’m out on my ranch.”

“But it’s still a far cry from Dallas.”

And for that Tory was thankful, but didn’t say it out loud. Her memories of her hometown of Dallas were laden with sorrow, which had nothing to do with the city itself. But if she never went back, that would suit her just fine. “Do you have any other family here?” She wanted to take the focus off her and Dallas.

“I have an uncle in a retirement home in Tulsa. His son moved away when he went to college and hasn’t returned except to visit a few times. My younger brother lives in Chicago and loves the big city. My father died ten years ago and Mom decided to live in the southernmost tip of Florida where it’s warm all the time. So I’m the last Donaldson here in Cimarron City.”

Mindy tugged on his arm. “Me—too.”

“How right you are. Mindy and I are the last Donaldsons here. How about your family?”

Tory finished another huge onion ring, then washed it down with a swallow of raspberry-flavored tea. “All my family lives in Texas.”

“Do you see them much?”

“They visit the ranch every summer for the Fourth of July.”

“You don’t go home?”

“It’s hard for me to get away because of the horses. Someone has to look after them and I can’t afford help. I’m stuck, but I don’t mind.”

“Are all the horses at the ranch yours?” Slade took a bite of his hamburger.

“No, I stable some. That brings me some needed income to do what I love.”

“The therapeutic riding program?”

Tory nodded. “I’ll need to get back to the ranch before dark. I still have some chores to do.”

“Are you through, Mindy?” Slade tossed his napkin on the table.

The little girl gulped down the rest of her chocolate milk.

“Yep,” she said, displaying a creamy brown mustache.

Slade took her napkin and wiped her mouth. “We’d better go. You have a big day tomorrow. You’ve got physical therapy in the morning.”

Mindy pouted. “Do—I—have to?”

“It won’t be long, sweetie, before you won’t have to. But for now, yes.”

After paying for the dinner, Slade escorted Mindy and Tory to his car. Twenty minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot at the speech therapist’s office.

He glanced at Mindy in the back seat and smiled. “She still falls asleep riding in the car when she’s exhausted.”

“She worked hard today at the barn. She also rode.” Tory pushed her door open and was surprised when she saw Slade get out of the car, too. “I’m only parked a few feet away.”

“I know,” he said, coming around the front of his car. “But I felt I owed you an explanation about what happened earlier with Mindy. And I don’t want her waking up and overhearing.”

The spring air cooled Tory’s cheeks and the soft wind blew stray strands of her hair about her face. She brushed them behind her ears, the scent of freshly mowed grass lacing the breeze. “You don’t need to explain anything.” She moved the few feet to her truck door, aware of Slade’s presence in every fiber of her being. She clutched the handle.

“After the accident, I couldn’t get Mindy to ride in a car for months. Finally she does, now, but any mention of a car wreck and she falls apart. I try to shelter her from hearing about any accidents, but sometimes I can’t.”

“Like today when she was listening to the radio.”

“She loves to listen to music. She usually listens to CDs.”

“But I turned the radio on before you could put a CD in. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I was just trying to help since you were focused on driving.”

He took a step toward her. Her heart skipped a beat. She plastered her back against her door, her hands tightening into fists.

“We’ve always listened to the radio while doing the chores in the barn,” she said, needing to talk to take her mind off his nearness.

“I’m not telling you to make you upset. I just wanted you to know some of the things that Mindy is still coping with.”

“Is there anything else? I don’t want to be the cause of any more anxiety.”

“She still wakes up from nightmares. Thankfully not lately. I’m hoping those are behind her.” He raked both hands through his hair, a look of anguish on his face. “Because frankly I have a hard time coping with seeing my daughter like that.”

“From what I saw back there, you did a wonderful job of reassuring her. That’s all you can do.” The hammering of her heart eased as the conversation centered on Mindy.

“Is it? There should be something else I can do to make things better for Mindy.” Rubbing one hand along the back of his neck, he rolled his shoulders to relax the tension gripping him.

But Tory saw its continual grasp on him in his taut stance and the grim lines craving his expression. “Being there for Mindy is the most important thing you can do.”

“The wreck should never have happened. If only—”

Instantly, without thought, Tory started to lay her fingers over his mouth to still his words. She froze in midaction, her eyes widening. His gaze riveted to hers. For a few seconds everything came to a standstill.

Dropping her arm to her side, she said in a strained voice, “It doesn’t do us any good to think about the what-ifs. We can’t change the past. We can only influence the present.”

“Live for today? Forget about the past?”

“Right.” If only she could heed her own advice. She was trying, but there were times it was so difficult.

“Have you been successful doing that?”

She forced a smile. “I’m working on it.”

“In other words, no.”

Tory yanked open her truck door. “I’d better be going. I still have a lot of things to do before dark.” She escaped into the quiet of her pickup, determined to keep her eyes trained forward. But even though she didn’t look at Slade, she felt his probing observation delve deep inside, seeking answers about her past, something she guarded closely and never wanted to relive. And above all, certainly didn’t want to share with anyone.

Quickly she backed out of the parking space, and as she pulled out into traffic, she chanced a glance at Slade. He stood where she had left him, a bewildered look on his face. After that evasive move, she wondered if he would bring Mindy tomorrow to the ranch.

Out on her front porch Tory eased herself into the old rocker and raised her glass of iced tea to press it against her heated face. The coldness felt wonderful after Tory had spent most of the day doing the work of two people. She needed to hire someone to help her, but that just wasn’t possible at the moment, especially after the notice she’d received from the bank today.

Resting her head, she closed her eyes and continued to roll the glass over her flushed skin. At least Slade brought Mindy out late this morning. The child’s cheerful attitude was a balm that soothed those long hours of work and her fretting over where the money for the loan was going to come from. With Mindy next to her, she repaired the fence in one pasture and even had time for the child to ride this afternoon after the three o’clock lesson. Every day Mindy was improving, self-confident when she handled the new mare.

When Tory thought about the little girl eagerly handing her the nails for the fence, Tory’s heart swelled. She wanted children so badly—her niece and nephew weren’t enough. Even the children she taught didn’t fulfill the void in her heart. It was that simple and that complex. She released a long sigh and finally took a sip of her drink.

A scream rent the air. Tory bolted to her feet, the glass crashing to the wooden planks of the porch. Leaping over the mess, she rushed for the door and wrenched it open as another scream vibrated down her length.

In the living room Mindy sat ramrod straight on the couch with her eyes so huge that was all Tory could focus on. She was at the child’s side in an instant that seemed to take forever.

Hugging Mindy to her, she murmured, “What’s wrong, baby?”

“I—I—” The child tried to drag air into her lungs, but she couldn’t seem to get a decent breath.

“Take it easy. Relax. One breath at a time, Mindy.” Tory willed her voice to stay calm while inside she quaked, the beat of her pulse roaring in her ears.

Finally Mindy managed to inhale and exhale a deep breath, then another. But the fright remained in her eyes as the little girl looked at Tory.

“I—I—heard—” Mindy started to hyperventilate.

“Nice and easy, baby. Heard what?”

“Mom-my—cry.”

Tory wanted to say the right thing. Her mind went blank. Oh, Lord, please give me the strength to help her, to soothe her pain. “Did you have a bad dream?”

Tears welled in Mindy’s eyes as she nodded. Tory framed the child’s face and tugged her toward her, laying her head on her chest and pressing her close.

“It was only a dream, baby. Not real.”

“I—know.” Mindy hiccuped. “Still—” A shudder rippled down the child’s length.

“It seemed real to you?”

Mindy nodded, her breath catching. “I didn’t—” Again the child fought for her next words. “Say—bye.”

Tory wrapped her arms tighter about the little girl, wanting to hold her and never let her go. “Did you go to the funeral?”

Mindy shook her head. “In hosp-it—” She didn’t finish the word.

“I’m sorry, baby. Have you talked to your dad about this?”

“No.” Her muffled reply came out on the end of a sob.

“He should know. Do you want me to talk to him for you?”

Mindy pulled back, tears still shining in her eyes. “Plee-ze.”

“Are you sure?”

“I—can’t make—him sad.”

Mindy’s own sadness tore at Tory’s composure, leaving it shredded. In that moment she would do anything for the child. Was this how mothers felt about their children? “Then I’ll talk to him.”

Mindy’s stomach rumbled.

“I think a certain little girl is hungry. You did a lot today. Why don’t you help me with dinner? When your father comes to pick you up, I’ll see if he would like to stay and eat.”

Mindy labored to her feet with her good hand reaching out to grasp Tory’s. “Good. Dad-dy—doesn’t—uh—cook.”

“What have you two been eating since Mrs. Watson left?”

“Piz-za—take—” frustration pinched Mindy’s features into a frown “—out.”

“Well, then tonight you two will have a home-cooked dinner. I pride myself on my cooking skills.”

Tory rose and walked with Mindy into the kitchen, a large, cheerful room with plenty of sunlight and floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the pasture behind the house. Blue, yellow and orange wildflowers littered the meadow as though a painter’s palette had been dumped there. A huge oak tree with a tire swing stood sentinel over the backyard.

“Do you like spaghetti?” Tory asked, going to the sink to wash her hands.

“Yes!” Mindy followed suit and used a paper towel to dry them.

“Then that’s what we’ll have. I’ll chop up the onions while you man the skillet and brown the ground beef.”

“I’m—the cook? I’ve—never.”

“You’re eight. It’s about time you started. I can teach you.” The second Tory said the last sentence she realized she might not be able to carry through with her promise. She was assuming more than she should and wished that were different. Since Mindy came into her life, she’d found an added purpose that had been lacking before.

“Wait—till—Dad-dy sees—this.” Wearing an apron, Mindy stood on a stool to brown the meat using a wooden spoon and a gloved hot pad.

An hour later the doorbell rang. Tory left Mindy to finish setting the table while she hurried into the entry hall. She opened the screen door to admit Slade, looking tired but with a smile of greeting on his face. Stepping into the house, he drew in a lungful of air, peppered with the scents of onion, ground beef and baking bread, and licked his lips.

“What do I have to do to wrangle an invitation to dinner out of you?” he asked as he made his way back to the kitchen where Mindy was seated at the large oak table in front of the bay window.

“I—picked—these.” Mindy pointed to a glass vase full of multicolored wildflowers from the meadow behind the house.

“Does this mean we are staying?” Slade asked, eagerness replacing the lines of exhaustion on his face.

“Unless you have somewhere else you need to be.” Tory removed the loaf of French bread from the oven and placed it in the center of the table. “Mindy didn’t think you would mind since you’re probably sick of take-out.”

Slade walked to the stove and peered into the large pot of simmering spaghetti sauce. “I must have done something right today. This smells divine.”

“You’d probably say that about anything you didn’t have to fix or order at a fast-food place.”

“True. But this exceeds anything I could have imagined.”

Heat scored her cheeks. She was always uncomfortable with compliments. “Have a seat next to Mindy,” Tory said, and dished up the food.

After placing the bowls on the table, she sat across from Slade and said, “Mindy, do you want to say the prayer?”

The little girl clasped her hands and bowed her head. “Thank—you, Lord, for—” Mindy lifted her head, her brow wrinkled in thought “—for this.”

The simple but effective prayer brought a lump to Tory’s throat. Every day, Mindy’s bravery was a wonderful example to her. The child had to relearn so many things, but not much got her down. Tory was sure the girl’s frame of mind was part of the reason for her fast recovery.

After dishing up his food, Slade slid his forkful of spaghetti covered in the thick meat sauce into his mouth. He closed his eyes, a look of contentment on his face. “I can’t believe it, but it tastes even better than it smells.”

“Mindy was the best little helper I could have.”

The eight-year-old straightened her shoulders and announced, “I put—spa—this—in the water.” Mindy gestured toward the spaghetti. “Salt—too.”

“I didn’t realize you could cook, sweetheart. I’ll have to get you to fix something for me.”

“Real-ly?” Mindy’s eyes grew big and round.

“Yeah. Maybe Mrs. Watson will let you help her in the kitchen and teach you some dishes.”

“Have you heard from Mrs. Watson?” Tory asked while breaking off a slice of buttered bread from the warm loaf.

“She called last night to tell me her niece and baby boy are doing fine. She’ll probably be back by the first of next week. She’s going to stay a few days longer than planned.”

“Well, if you need me to watch Mindy at the first of next week, that’ll be fine with me.”

“Yip-pee!” Mindy clapped and bounced in her chair. “We—could—cook—again.”

“That would be great,” Tory said, her regard resting on Slade, waiting for his answer to her offer.

“How can I say no, especially if I can get another dinner out of it?”

“Are you wrangling for another invitation to dinner?” Tory grinned, responding to the teasing light in his blue eyes.

“You’re a sharp lady.”

“I have my moments. What do you like to eat?”

“Anything that doesn’t move.”

“My, that leaves the door wide-open. Are you sure you don’t want to narrow it down some?”

“I’ll put myself in you two ladies’ hands. After all, you’re doing me a favor so I can’t be too demanding.”

The word demanding sent a chill down Tory’s spine. She clenched her fork and dropped her gaze to her half-empty plate. “Mindy and I will come up with something.”

“Our—uh—secret,” Mindy said with a giggle.

For the next few minutes while everyone finished their dinner, silence dominated the large kitchen except for the ticking of the clock over the desk by the phone. Mindy finished first, dragging the napkin across her face.

“Can I—swing—on the—tire?” the little girl asked Tory.

“Sure, if it’s okay with your father.”

“I’ll walk you out there.” Slade rose.

“No, Dad-dy—I can—do it—by my-self.” Mindy pushed to her feet and started for the back door.

Slade took a step toward his daughter.

“She’ll be all right. She went by herself to pick the flowers for the table. She wanted to surprise you with them.”

Slade peered at Tory, worry in his gaze. The door opened and closed, its sound emphasizing Mindy’s need for independence.

“I’m letting her do some things alone. It’s important to her.”

“But she still falls sometimes.”

“All children fall. In fact, earlier today she fell in the barn, but she picked herself up and continued with what she was doing.”

Slade stared out the large window that afforded him a good view of the oak tree with the tire hanging from it. He watched his daughter wiggle her body through the hole and lie on her stomach. He scrubbed his hands down his face and forced his attention away from Mindy. “Can I help you clean up?”

“I’ll get—” Tory saw Slade’s need to keep busy and said instead, “Sure. I’ll rinse. You put the dishes in the dishwasher.”

“I think I can manage that.”

While Tory put the leftover food in the refrigerator, Slade cleared the dirty dishes from the table and stacked them beside the sink. A couple of times his gaze strayed toward the window, his mouth pinched in a frown.

“It’s hard letting go.” Tory turned the water on to rinse off the worst of the food before handing the dish to Slade.

“Yes. Mindy’s been through her share of pain and then some. I don’t want her to have to suffer anymore.”

“All parents feel that way, but suffering is part of life. In fact, it probably makes us stronger people.” At least, that’s what I keep telling myself while going through my own ordeal, Tory thought.

“She’s eight years old. Enough is enough.”

“She’s done a wonderful job of bouncing back.”

“She still has a ways to go.”

“But she will make it. I predict this time next year you won’t be able to keep up with her and she’ll talk your ear off.”

“I look forward to that prediction coming true.” Slade closed the door to the dishwasher and leaned back on the counter, his arms folded over his chest. “You really think she’s doing okay?”

Tory smiled. “Yes. You should see her with the young riders. I have a class of three-, four-and five-year-olds and she’s great with them. Like a pro.”

“Speaking of classes, Mindy tells me about how hard you work to keep this operation up and running. You could use some help around here.”

“Don’t I know it. But that costs money, money I don’t have.”

“After Mrs. Watson returns and things settle down, I could take a look at your books and see if I can help in any way. Even though I’m not an accountant, I’ve taken a few classes in order to help me with my business.”

Tory lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “Sure. With the stable, I’ve learned to accept help where given.” She wiped down the sink, then draped the washcloth over the edge. “I told Mindy I would talk to you about something that happened earlier today.”

“This doesn’t sound good.”

“She had a bad dream this afternoon while she was taking a nap. She told me she remembers her mother crying the last time she saw her.”

Tension whipped down Slade’s length, his expression unreadable.

“She said she didn’t get to go to the funeral for her mother.”

“She was still in the hospital.” The defensive tone in Slade’s voice spoke of the emotions he was holding in check.

“She didn’t get to say goodbye to her mother and I think that’s bothering her.”

His eyes became diamond hard and his jaw clenched.

Tory cleared her throat, its dryness making it difficult to speak. “I thought I would take her to her mother’s grave site and let her say goodbye, unless you would like to. I think she needs to for closure.”

A nerve in his cheek twitched. He walked toward the window that overlooked the backyard. “No. I will when everything settles down with Mrs. Watson.”

“I’ll go with you, if you want.”

“I—” Glancing outside, Slade went rigid, then spun toward the door and yanked it open.

Chapter Three

Slade rushed out the back door toward Mindy who lay on the ground by the tire swing. Tory quickly followed. As he approached, his daughter pushed herself to her knees and struggled to stand. All he saw was the scraped skin on her shin and blood beading around the wound. The heaviness in his chest made his breaths shorten.

He scooped up Mindy into his arms. “Are you all right, baby?”

She squirmed. “Dad-dy—oo-kay.”

Slade started for the house.

“No! Swing!” Mindy continued to wiggle until he put her down. She headed for the tire.

“But your leg—”

Tory touched his arm, stopping his progress toward his daughter. “She’ll be fine. I’ll take care of the scrape later.”

He swung his attention from his daughter to the petite woman who stood a foot from him. The physical contact was so brief that Slade wondered if Tory’s fingers had grazed him. Now her hands were laced together so tightly that her knuckles were white and tension lined her features.

“Why don’t you push her while I go get a Band-Aid and something to clean up her shin?”

Slade watched the woman, who had been a part of his daughter’s life for months, who was becoming very important to Mindy. Tory walked toward the back door with a grace and confidence Slade had seen when she dealt with her horses. But beneath that layer of assurance was a vulnerability that drew him to her. She had been so good with Mindy. He wanted to help her as she had helped him. But he didn’t know what the problem was.

“Dad-dy.”

He twisted toward Mindy. “Do you want me to push you?”

“Yes!” Mindy began to worm her way through the hole in the tire.

Slade grasped her around the waist and situated her safely on the swing with her arms looped around the rubber and her legs dangling in front. He gripped the tire and brought it back a few feet, then let go. His daughter’s squeals of laughter erased his earlier concerns. In the past twenty-two months he hadn’t heard that sound nearly enough. Tory was not only good with Mindy but for her, as well.

The back door slamming shut indicated Tory’s return. Slade peered over his shoulder as she approached him, noting the shadows of dusk settling over the yard, obscuring her expression. He gave his daughter a few more pushes, then let the swing come to a slow stop.

“I hate to cut this evening short, Mindy, but it’s getting late and we have to get up early tomorrow and come back out here.”

Mindy squirmed through the hole, resisting any help from him. She stood patiently while Tory dabbed some hydrogen peroxide on the scrape, then covered it with a Band-Aid.

Tory straightened. “Why don’t you let Mindy spend the night with me? That way she’ll get to bed on time and you won’t have to drive all the way back out here tomorrow morning.”

“Yes!” Mindy clapped her hands. “Plee-ze.”

“She doesn’t have her pajamas or toothbrush.”

“I have a T-shirt she can wear and I have an extra toothbrush. She can wear the extra clothes she has out here and you can bring another set tomorrow evening.”

Slade took in his daughter’s eager face and said, “Okay, if you’re sure.”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.”

“Goo-dy.” Mindy started for the tire swing.

“No, young lady. You need to get ready for bed.”

His daughter’s lips puckered into a pout. “But—Dad—”

“Mindy, your father’s right. We’ll need to get up early to take care of the horses.”

“Oh yeah.” Mindy’s pout disappeared as she began her trek toward the house without another thought to the tire swing.

“I don’t think I’ve ever gotten that quick of a turnaround about bedtime.”

Tory grinned. “It’s all in what you can offer them.”

“And you have the advantage. You’ve given her something to look forward to. Thank you.”

“It’s been my pleasure.”

Two red patches graced Tory’s cheeks, heightening her quiet beauty. She veiled the expression in her large brown eyes and started to follow Mindy into the house. The woman’s every motion was economical, nothing wasted, Slade thought as he observed her mount the steps to her deck. He inhaled deeply of the spring air, laden with the scent of wildflowers and earth. Scanning the backyard surrounded by fenced pastures, he decided that he liked the country and its seemingly slower pace.

“Again, thank you for letting Mindy stay over. I hope she goes to sleep. She was so excited when I said good-night.” Slade stepped out onto the front porch.

Tory came out, closing the screen door but leaving the wooden one open. “I’ll check on her in a few minutes and see if she fell asleep.”

“Don’t let her talk you into staying up. She’s quite good at that.”

“Then she’s met her match.” Tory leaned into the wooden railing and scanned the darkness that blanketed the landscape. A firefly flew near. She observed its progression across her yard and into the trees that lined the west side of her house. When the blackness swallowed up the insect, reminding her of the lateness of the hour, her tension grew at the isolation and night surrounding them.

“You do have a way with Mindy. You’re a natural with children.”

The compliment washed over Tory, easing some of the distress trying to weave its way through her. “I love children. That’s one of the reasons I started the riding program.”

“You’ll be a wonderful mother someday.”

This compliment bore a hole into her heart, and she felt as though the rupture bled. She didn’t see herself having children anytime soon, and yet according to her doctor, her time was running out. An uncomfortable silence fell between them, one that compelled Tory to say, “In order to be a mother you have to have a husband. I don’t see that happening.”

Slade tilted his head and stared at her. “Why not? You’re an attractive, intelligent woman.” The intensity in his eyes pierced through the layers of her reserve.

“My life revolves around my stable and my work” was the only answer she could find.

“The right man could change that.”

“And disappoint all the children?” Her voice husky, Tory shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

He chuckled. “I guess I shouldn’t argue with that. After all, my daughter is benefiting from your work and the Bright Star Stables.” He reached out and squeezed her hand. “I’d better be going. Long day tomorrow.”

Even though his casual touch lasted only a second, an eternity passed while Tory fought for her composure. The feel of his fingers around hers had burned into her skin. It had taken all her willpower not to yank her hand from his and flee into the house.

“Good night,” she murmured as he left. Trembling, she brought her arms behind her back and laced her fingers together.

For a short time tonight she had glimpsed what it would be like to have a family. The yearning had blossomed in her heart. Then her fears returned and latched on to her, making any thoughts of having her own children an impossibility.

The children’s giggles danced on the light breeze. Eyes closed, Tory threw back her head and let the sunlight bathe her face in warmth. The gentle lapping of the water against the shore and the serenade of a mockingbird nearby mingled with the continual laughter from Mindy and her best friend.

After spending the morning at church, this was a perfect way to spend the afternoon, Tory thought, opening her eyes to her bright surroundings by the pond. A family of geese swam from the other side toward the little girls who tossed bread crumbs on the ground by their feet.

“I’m glad Mindy’s friend could come,” Tory said, shifting on the blanket spread over the thick, lush grass by the water.

“So am I. She hasn’t gotten to see Laurie much this past year. Thank you for making the suggestion that Mindy bring a friend.” Slade sat by a tree.

With her arms propping her up, Tory leaned back, watching the children with the geese all around their feet. “Being with friends can be an important part of the healing process.”

“And I’ve isolated her too much?”

Tory peered at Slade with his back against the large oak tree, one leg drawn up with his arm resting on it. The vulnerability in his voice matched the look in his eyes. “She’s been pretty busy this past year recovering from the operation and the accident.”

“Now it’s time to move on?”

“Yes. She told me the other day she wants to go back to school in the fall. She misses her friends.”

Slade flexed his hand, then curled his fingers into a tight fist.

“What are you waiting for? For everything to be perfect? That’s a tall order. When is any situation perfect?” Tory knew she was pushing, but this was important to Mindy, so therefore important to her.

Slade blinked rapidly several times as though he hadn’t realized the implication of his actions for Mindy. “I just don’t want her hurt anymore. Last month we went to the mall for some new clothes and a couple of children laughed at Mindy when she walked by. She acted as if she didn’t hear them, but there were tears in her eyes. I don’t want that to happen to her at school. She’ll hate going.”

“God only gives us what we can handle.”

Slade shoved to his feet, a scowl creeping into his features. “Mindy has handled enough for an eight-year-old.”

“She has said something about going to church with me some Sunday. I would love for her to come. She said she used to go with you and your wife, but not since the accident.” Tory rose, feeling at a disadvantage with Slade hovering over her. She moved back a few paces into the warmth of the sunshine.

“Things have been so hectic and—” He paused, inhaled a deep breath and continued. “No, that’s not quite true. I feel God has let my family down. He took away Mindy’s mother. He took away who my daughter was. She’s had to start over, relearning the simplest things. What kind of God puts a child through that? Why couldn’t it have been me?”

The anguish that marked his words settled heavily over her. She needed to soothe his pain away. “We don’t always know why God does what He does, but He has reasons we don’t always see at first. What Mindy is going through now will shape the type of person she becomes. That may be a good thing in the long run.”

“So suffering makes a person better?”

“Sometimes. It can open a person up to other possibilities, more life-affirming ones.” Tory thought of her own change in the direction her life had been heading. Right now she could still be working for that large manufacturing firm in Dallas, never knowing the power of God’s healing through animals, never having seen the joy on the children’s faces when they rode a horse.

Slade turned his back on Tory and stared at his daughter retreating from the horde of geese demanding more bread, her giggles attesting to her happiness. “I’m sorry, I don’t buy that.”

“Time has a way of changing a person’s perspective.”

“Not all the time in the world would ever change how I feel about this.”

“But fighting what has already happened won’t make it go away.”

He spun toward her, a frown descending. “I should go with the flow?”

“Accept the changes and make the best of them.”

“No!”

The anger in his voice, the slashing scowl, caused Tory to tense and step away from him. Every nerve ending sharpened to full alertness.

His gaze drilled into her for a long moment, myriad emotions flickering deep within. Suddenly his frown collapsed, any anger he had evaporating. He plunged his fingers through his hair once, twice. “I’m sorry. I get so frustrated when I think of all that Mindy has gone through and still has to go through. All I want to do is make things better for her.” He rubbed his hands down his face. “It should have been me, not Mindy. Don’t you see that? She had nothing to do with the accident. She was an innocent bystander who happened to be sitting in the back seat of the car.”

The defeated look in his eyes impaled Tory’s heart, reminding her of how much pain had already been suffered by this man and his daughter. She moved toward him, wanting to comfort him. “Were you driving the car?”

His fingers delved into the black thickness of his hair over and over as though he wasn’t sure what to do with his hand. “Yes.”

That one word, full of guilt, hung in the air between them. Anguish etched deep lines into his face. Her heart twisted in a huge knot that seemed to lodge in her throat.

“A young man late for an appointment ran a red light. I didn’t see…” His husky whisper trailed off into the silence.

“So you blame yourself for the accident. You didn’t run the red light. It wasn’t your fault.”

“But if only I had seen the car in time, I could have done something. By the time I slammed on the brakes and swerved, it was too late.” He stared off into the distance as though he were reliving the nightmare all over again, his eyes dull with the memories.

“Sometimes things happen that we have no control over.” Control was always the issue, Tory thought, fighting her own sudden tightness about her chest. She struggled for a breath of air. Up until lately she had done so well keeping her own demons at bay. Why now, when she had a new life, must she be reminded of her own past pain?

“I know life can throw us a curve at any moment.”

Tory swallowed the lump in her throat and asked, “How will you blaming yourself help Mindy?”

He stabbed her with narrowed eyes. “Don’t talk to me about blame until you’ve walked in my shoes.”

Tory dropped her gaze from his unrelenting one, looking beyond his shoulder toward the pond. She took a moment to gather her frayed composure before saying, “True, I haven’t walked in your shoes, but I’ve done my share of blaming myself when I really had no control over the situation. I’ve discovered it does no good and doesn’t change a thing for the better.”

“I need to check on Mindy. I don’t want those geese to attack her.”

“I think we would have heard—” Tory didn’t finish her statement because Slade had left, striding toward his daughter, his arms stiff at his sides, his hands opening and closing.

Tory’s muscles released the tension gripping them, and she sank down onto the blanket. Shivering, she drew her legs up and hugged them to her chest while she watched Slade place his hand on Mindy’s shoulder and listen to his daughter and Laurie talk about the geese, their voices drifting to Tory. Mindy pointed to one of the adult geese herding the rest of them toward the pond. A baby, trying to scurry to catch up with the group heading back to the water, brought a huge grin to the little girl’s face, emphasizing the power animals had over people.

“Hey, is anyone hungry?” Tory called out to the trio by the water.

“Yes,” both girls answered.

Slade took Mindy’s hand and led the group to the blanket under the tree. “Are you kidding? We’ve worked up quite an appetite watching those geese gobble up all that bread.”

“Oh, Dad-dy—you’re—al-ways—hun-gry.”

“And I know what a good cook Tory is. I’ve been saving room for this picnic lunch since she asked us. I could eat a bear.”

Mindy put her hand over her mouth and giggled.

“Well, I’m fresh out of bears today, but I have fried chicken. Will that be all right?” Tory asked the group.

The girls nodded while Slade licked his lips, his eyes dancing with merriment.

“Bring it on,” he said while settling on the blanket across from Tory.

Mindy sat next to Tory with Laurie on her other side. The picnic basket was in the middle of the circle, every eye on it as Tory slowly opened the lid, releasing tantalizing aromas. She made a production out of delving into the basket and slowly bringing the contents out for everyone’s view. Next to the chicken she placed a plate of chocolate-chip cookies, Slade’s contribution to the lunch, a bowl of coleslaw and a container of sliced strawberries, pineapple and bananas.

After saying a brief prayer to bless the food, Tory said, “I prefer not to have to take any of this back with us so dig in.”

“If we can’t finish this off, I volunteer to take the leftovers home with Mindy and me.” Slade raised his hand as though he were in school and he was waiting for the teacher to pick him.

“You’ve got yourself a deal,” Tory said, laughing. “But of course, if Mindy and Laurie keep piling it on, there won’t be any left for either of us today, let alone any leftovers.”

Slade tried to sneak a chicken leg from Mindy’s plate. She captured his hand and pried it out of his grasp. Then he turned to Laurie who hid her goodies behind her back.

“I think you’re gonna have to fend for yourself. It really isn’t very hard to fill your plate with food. Here, let me show you.” Tory demonstrated how, by putting a piece of chicken on her paper plate, followed by a scoop of coleslaw then fruit salad.

“How about a cookie? Dessert is the most important food here, in my opinion. That’s why I volunteered to bring it. I know a bakery that makes the best cookies I’ve ever eaten.” Slade inched his hand toward the plate.

Tory gently tapped him on the knuckles with a plastic spoon. “You’re supposed to be setting an example.”

Slade grinned. “I thought I was supposed to be eating lunch.”

“Is your dad always this ornery?” Tory exaggerated a stern look.

Mindy bent over in laughter.

He quirked a brow. “I don’t believe that’s a compliment.”

“Well, at least you’re astute.”

“Mindy, come to your dad’s defense,” Slade said while plucking up the last chicken leg and waving it like a sword.

Mindy and Laurie continued to giggle.

“No help there,” he muttered, and dumped the last of the coleslaw onto his plate. When he took a bite of the chicken, he smacked his lips and said, “Mmm. This is better than my mother can fix.”

Tory nodded, saying, “Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Of course,” he continued as though she hadn’t spoken, “my mother has never fried a chicken in her whole life.” He looked innocently at Tory while putting a spoonful of coleslaw into his mouth. “And this is as good as Aunt—”

Tory held up her hand to stop him. “I think I’ve had enough of your compliments for the day.”

For the next ten minutes everyone ate their lunch to the sounds of the geese honking across the pond. Mindy craned her neck to see what was going on while cramming a cookie into her mouth, then snatching up another one.

Laurie stood and moved toward the water. “They’re chasing away a beaver.”

Mindy struggled to her feet. “Bea-ver?”

“There’s a family on the other side. They dammed the stream that feeds into the pond and have built their home there.”

“Can we go look?” Laurie asked.

“Can we?” Mindy stood next to her friend, observing the commotion across the pond.

“Let me finish eating and I’ll go—”

“Dad-dy, I can—go a-lone.” Mindy straightened her shoulders and lifted her head.

Slade threw a glance toward Tory, one brow arched in question.

“Stay away from the edge of the pond and stay on the path,” Tory said.

When the girls started toward the other side, Slade came to his feet to keep an eye on their progress. “Are you sure they’ll be all right?”

“They’ll be fine. The path is wide, worn and level.”

Slade bent and picked up his paper plate to finish eating his lunch while he observed Mindy. “You probably think I’m being overprotective, but I don’t want anything else to happen to my daughter.”

“You’re doing what you think is right.”

“It’s the parents’ job to protect their children. I let her down once. I won’t do it again.” Slade popped the last bit of food into his mouth.

“Mindy doesn’t feel that way. She thinks you’re terrific.”

“She talks about me?” Slade dropped his empty plate into the trash bag, then lounged against the tree, his arms folded over his chest, his legs crossed.

“All the time.”

Both of his brows rose, his sky-blue eyes growing round. “And?”

“She wishes you didn’t have to work all the time.”

“So do I, but all her doctor bills and therapy cost a lot of money. I want the very best for Mindy. Hopefully after my company’s expansion is complete, I’ll have more time for my daughter.”

There was so much Tory wanted to say to Slade, but his look didn’t encourage further discussion. She didn’t have the right to interfere, even if she had come to love Mindy like a daughter. “Have you heard from Mrs. Watson? Will she be back soon?”

A scowl darkened the expression on his face. “No.”

“Is there a problem with her niece or the baby?”

“Everyone’s fine. The problem is she now wants to stay and take care of her niece’s baby. She feels her family has to come first and her niece can’t find good arrangements for the baby. I know she’s right, but still—” He clamped his mouth closed on the rest of his words.

Tory pushed to her feet. “What are you going to do now?”

Slade stared at his daughter on the other side of the pond, his brows slashing downward. “I don’t know. I have to find another housekeeper, which I know won’t be easy. I felt so lucky when I found Mrs. Watson.”

“I’ll be glad to watch Mindy until you get a new one.”

“I can’t—” He stopped midsentence and looked back at Tory. “Are you sure you don’t mind? Because frankly, if you do, I’m not sure what I’m going to do.”

“This past week with Mindy has been great. I enjoy the company and she loves working with the animals. She’s even taken to the cat and her new litter that lives in the barn.”

“No wonder she’s been pestering me about getting a cat.”

“She’s named all the kittens, and after feeding and grooming Mirabelle, that’s where she goes next to check up on them.”

“I just found out yesterday about Mrs. Watson not returning. I haven’t had a chance to get in touch with the agency yet, but I will first thing tomorrow. I promise I’ll get someone as soon as possible. In the meantime, I’ll pay you for taking care of Mindy.”

She could use the money, but for some reason she couldn’t find herself accepting payment for something she wanted to do. Taking care of Mindy was important to her—an act of love. “No. Mindy is giving me as much as I’m giving her.”

“But—”

A shout from across the pond snatched the rest of Slade’s protest. He whipped about, every line in his body taut.

Chapter Four

Slade sprinted forward. Tory whirled around, her heart thumping against her chest. Mindy had fallen at the edge of the pond and now sat waist-deep in the water. Her scream of surprise turned to giggles as Laurie plopped down beside her and began splashing her.

Slade slowed to a jog. The tension in his body eased. Tory scooped up two kitchen towels she’d brought, the only thing she had to dry off the girls with, and hurried after Slade, thanking God the whole way that the children were all right.

When Slade halted near Mindy, she paused in her water fight with Laurie, looked at her friend, then they both began pelting Slade. The astonishment on his face made Tory laugh. She stood back from the girls, out of their reach, trying to contain her laughter. She couldn’t.

Slade stepped back, tossing a glance over his shoulder at Tory. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, Miss Alexander.” Water dripped from his face and hair, soaking his shirt. Beneath his mocked exasperation his eyes danced with amusement.

“Yes, I am.” Tory brought her hand up to cover her mouth, but her laughter still leaked out.

Slade huffed. “Melinda Marie Donaldson, you need to get out of that pond right this minute.”

“Oh, Mindy, you’re in big trouble. Your dad used your full name.” Laurie stood.

Mindy flung her hand across the water one last time, sending it spewing up toward her father. “I’m—stuck—Dad-dy.”

While the last spray of water rolled in rivulets down his face, Slade’s mocking scowl crumbled into a look of concern. He hurried forward to pick up Mindy.

The little girl held up her hand. “Help—me—st-and.”

The water lapped over Slade’s tennis shoes as he took his daughter’s arm and assisted her to her feet. He whispered something into Mindy’s ear, then she said something to Laurie.

When they all faced Tory at the side of the pond, soaking wet while she was dry, her laughter died on her lips. “Okay, what are you all up to?”

“Nothing,” Slade said, all three of them heading toward Tory with determination in their expressions.

She backed up, her heart beginning to race. The feeling of being cornered suddenly swamped her. “Stop right there.”

No one did. Sweat popped out on Tory’s forehead. Her heartbeat accelerated even more. She continued to step away from the trio while trying to tamp down her fear. But she couldn’t control the trembling that shook her body, nor the perspiration rolling down her face. Tory’s gaze flitted from the group to the area around her. That was when she realized she was standing at the edge of the pond in some tall weeds, her tennis shoes stuck in the mud.

Slade stopped, putting his arm out to halt Mindy and Laurie. “Girls, she’s our ticket back to the barn. We’d better take mercy on her.” He clasped Mindy’s shoulder. “And speaking of the barn, we need to gather everything up. Laurie has to be home by five and we’ll need to take care of our horses before we leave.”

“Aw, Dad-dy.”

“Scoot.” He turned Mindy toward the blanket and prodded her gently forward. When the children were halfway to the blanket and out of earshot, he asked, “Are you all right?”

His questioning probe drilled through Tory’s defenses she’d thrown up. The beat of her heart slowed as she brought the gripped towel up to wipe her face. “Other than my shoes caked with mud, yes.”

He took a step toward her.

She tensed.

He halted, his gaze softening. “Thank you for inviting us this afternoon.”

Tory blinked at the sudden shift in the conversation. Relieved by it, she offered a tentative smile and said, “You’re welcome. Maybe Mindy can bring Laurie out some other time to ride with her.”

“May I use one of those towels?” He held his hand out to her but didn’t move any closer.

She looked down at the towels each crushed into a ball in her hands. A blush heated her cheeks. “Yes.” After tossing one to him, she released her death grip on the other one and relaxed her tense muscles.

Slade wiped his face, then slung the towel over his shoulder and started back toward the blanket at a slow pace. Tory pulled her feet from the mud and followed behind him, her shoes making a squishing sound that announced her arrival. The two girls giggled when they saw her.

She put her hands on her waist. “At least I don’t look like two drowned rats. Here. Use this to clean up.” Grinning, Tory flung the towel toward Mindy, then sank down by the basket to repack it.

She’d overreacted at the edge of the pond. The children and Slade were only trying to include her in their playfulness. Mindy was important to her and Slade was important to the little girl. She would have to learn to relax better around him because if she was truthful with herself, she’d enjoyed herself today. For a brief time she’d experienced again what it must be like to have a family.

“Glad—Dad-dy out—of town.” Mindy took a big lick of her chocolate ice cream.

Tory sat next to the little girl on the porch swing, taking her own lick of her single-scoop ice-cream cone. “You are? Why?”

“Miss—you.”

Her simple words tugged at Tory’s heart, making her eyes glisten. “I missed you, too. I’m glad you got to spend last night with me.” She bit into her cone, the crunching sound filling the silence.

Mindy shifted so she could look up at Tory. “Me—too.”

“How’s Mrs. Davies? You haven’t said anything about your new housekeeper.”

The little girl pinched her mouth together. “Don’t—like.”

“How come?”

“Mean.” Mindy twisted back around and licked her ice cream, her shoulders hunched, her gaze intent on a spot on the ground.

“Why do you say she’s mean?” Her stomach knotted with concern, Tory placed her ice-cream cone on the glass table next to the swing.

Mindy wouldn’t look at her. She continued to eat her ice cream, her head down, her shoulders scrunched even more as though she were drawing in on herself.

“Mindy?” Tory slid from the swing and knelt in front of the girl. Lifting the child’s chin, Tory asked, “What’s happened?”

Tears welled in Mindy’s eyes. “She—doesn’t—like me.”

Desperate to keep her voice calm, Tory took the child’s napkin and wiped the chocolate from her face. “Why do you say that?”

“She—likes—to—uh—yell.” Her tears fell onto her lap. “Told—some—one on—phone—I’m—a cri-crip-pled—uh—re-tard.”

Tory pried the ice cream cone from Mindy’s trembling fingers and laid it alongside hers on the glass table, then she scooped the child into her arms and held her tight against her. “You aren’t, sweetie. You’re a precious little girl who I admire and think is remarkable.”

“You—do?” Mindy mumbled against Tory’s chest.

Tory pulled back and cupped the child’s tear-stained face. “You’re such a courageous person. Not many people could have done what you’ve done as well. Look how far you’ve come in such a short amount of time.”

Another tear slipped from Mindy’s eye, then another. “I—love—you.”

Tory’s heart stopped beating for a split second, then began to pound a quick beat against her chest. Her own tears rose and filled her eyes. “I love you, too.” She drew the child to her, kissing the top of her head, the apple-fresh scent of Mindy’s shampoo permeating the air. “Have you told your father about Mrs. Davies?”

Mindy shook her head.

“He needs to know how you feel.”

“She—was—the six-th—one—he—talked to. Hard—to find.”

“Still, he needs to know. I can say something to him if you want.”

Mindy straightened, knuckling away the tears. “Yes!” She covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes round. “Look.” Pointing to the table, she giggled.

Melted chocolate ice cream pooled on the glass surface, nearly blanketing the whole table. Tory laughed, too. “I think we made a mess. I’ll go get something to clean it up with.”

Tory hurried into the house and unrolled some paper towels, then retrieved a bottle of glass cleaner from under the sink. She started for the porch. The phone ringing halted her steps.

Snatching up the receiver, she said, “Hello.”

“Tory, this is Slade. How’s it going?”

The warm sound of his deep, baritone voice flowed through her. Trying to ignore the slight racing of her heart, she answered, “Fine. Are you back?”

“Yes. I thought I would pick up some pizzas for dinner. What do you think?”

“Pizzas as in plural?”

“Yep. Since we all like different kinds.”

The implication of his words struck her. Over the past month she and Slade had gotten to know each other well—their likes and dislikes. She was even able to relax around him. “Sure. Mindy will be glad you’re home early.”

“Tell her I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

When Tory hung up, her hand lingered on the receiver. When had Slade Donaldson become such a good friend? The question took her by surprise. Their relationship had changed quickly, something that further surprised her. She hadn’t let someone get this close, this fast, in a long time. She knew they both loved and cared for Mindy, but there was something else about their time together that went beyond the little girl.

When Tory returned to the front porch, she found Mindy standing by the rail, staring down at the flower bed. Tory put down the glass cleaner and towels on the swing and came up beside the child.

Mindy angled her head, glancing up at Tory. “Something—big—went—under—house. Uh—dark.” The child waved her hand toward the area behind a large azalea bush that had just lost its last red bloom. “What—is it?”

“It’s not the cat?” Tory bent over the rail to glimpse into a black hole that led to the crawl space under the house.

“No-oo.”

Straightening, Tory shook her head. “I don’t know, then. Maybe a raccoon. Two summers ago I had a family move in under the house.”

“With—bab-ies?”

“Yep.”

Mindy tried to stretch over the railing to get a better look. Tory had to hold her and pull her back when she nearly tumbled into the bush below.

“I want—to see.” Mindy pouted, tiny lines crinkling her brow.

“Not right now. Maybe some other time. Your dad is on his way with dinner and we have a mess to clean up.”

“He is?”

“He’s bringing us pizza.”

Mindy’s whole face brightened with a big grin. She moved toward the table, her foot dragging behind her more than usual, an indication the child was tired.

“Maybe you should rest before he comes,” Tory said while sopping up the melted ice cream with the paper towels.

Mindy grabbed the glass cleaner and sprayed it on the table. “I’m—oo-kay.”

The way the child held her left hand curled against her body told Tory otherwise. “Sit. I’ll see to this.”

Mindy fought a yawn. “Dad-dy—will be—here.”

“He still has twenty minutes.”

The child backed up against the swing and eased down onto its yellow cushion. She masked a big yawn while leaning back to rest her head. Her eyelids drooped, then snapped open. Tory finished cleaning the table, and by the time she gathered up the dirty paper towels to take back into the house, Mindy’s eyes were closed and her head was cocked to the side.

Tory moved the child so she lay on the cushion. Brushing back Mindy’s dark brown hair from her face, Tory stared at the little girl who had become so important to her. The child had gotten up with her at dawn to help her take care of the horses and she hadn’t stopped the whole day. She’d been by her side while she’d cleaned out the stalls and fed the horses. She’d ridden with her and helped her fix lunch. Mindy filled her life with a renewed purpose.

She’d missed Mindy this past week when Mrs. Davies had started to work for Slade. She’d only seen her when she had her two lessons. When Slade had asked her if Mindy could spend the night since Mrs. Davies couldn’t stay with her, she had jumped at the chance to have the girl with her for a full twenty-four hours. It had seemed like Christmas in June.

One of Mindy’s legs began to slip off the swing. Tory caught it and tucked it back under her. The child stirred but continued to sleep.

Again Tory brushed a stray strand of hair that had fallen forward behind Mindy’s ear. “I wish I was your mother,” she whispered. Tears crammed her throat. She wasn’t Mindy’s mother, would never be. The thought pierced her heart like a red-hot poker.

Slade pulled up in front of Tory’s small, one-story white house surrounded by large oaks and maples and felt as though he had come home. Tory rose from a white wicker chair on the porch and waved. Peace rippled through him. Clasping the steering wheel, he closed his eyes for a few seconds to relish that feeling. He could imagine her fragrance of lilacs, the light in her eyes when she smiled, and he held on to that serenity for a couple of seconds longer. Then reality blanketed him in a heavy cloak of guilt. Exhaustion cleaved to him, sharpening the sensation there wasn’t enough time in a day to correct what had happened to his daughter.

The aroma of the pizza wafted to him, reminding him that he’d brought dinner and he was hungry. Sliding from the car, he grabbed the three boxes and headed for the porch.

Tory’s eyes lit with that sparkle that always made him feel special. He responded with his own grin, saying, “I hope you two are hungry. I got medium ones for everyone.”

“Medium! Who else is coming?” Tory stepped to the swing and nudged his daughter who lay curled on the yellow cushion, sleeping.

Mindy’s eyes blinked open. She rubbed them as she propped herself up. “Dad-dy!”

She started to get to her feet, but Slade motioned for her to remain sitting. He brought her pizza box to her and opened it on the seat next to her.

“Why don’t we eat out here? I’ll go get some lemonade for us to drink.” Tory rushed inside, the screen door banging closed.

Mindy stared at her pizza but didn’t pick up a piece.

“Aren’t you gonna dig in? I thought half of it would be gone by now.” Slade sat in a chair across from his daughter.

“Can’t. Wait—for Tor-ee. We always—say a—” Mindy squinted “—prayer be-fore eat-ing.”

“Oh, right,” he murmured, remembering a time when he, Carol and Mindy used to do that—before the accident, before his world had been turned upside down and inside out. “How was your day?”

“The—best!” His daughter’s expression came alive. “I—helped. I got—to—ride.”

“You’re becoming quite the rider.”

Mindy straightened her shoulders, her chin tilting at a proud angle. “Yep.”

Tory pushed the screen door open with her foot. Slade rose and quickly took the pitcher of lemonade from her. After the drinks were served, she sat in the chair next to Slade’s, across from Mindy.

“We—wait-ed,” Mindy said, carefully putting her glass on the table next to the swing.

Tory bowed her head with Mindy following suit. Slade stared at them for a few seconds, then lowered his. The words of the simple prayer weaved their way through his mind. Had he given up on God too soon? Had he been wrong to stop going to church, to keep Mindy at home? Tory seemed to draw comfort from the Lord. But then she hadn’t been responsible for her child struggling each day—

“Dad-dy!”

Mindy’s voice penetrated his thoughts. He looked up to find both of them were staring at him as though he were an alien from outer space. His daughter had a piece of pizza in her hand, one bite taken from its end. Tory had nothing. Then he realized he still held the other two boxes in his lap. He quickly passed Tory’s to her and opened his own.

“I’ll share if you’re that hungry,” Tory said in a teasing tone.

“Even though I forgot to eat lunch, that one is all yours. The least I can do is provide dinner for you after you watched Mindy for me.”

“Looks like I got the better end of the deal. You shouldn’t work so hard that you forget to eat.”

“Had a flight to catch and a gal to get back to. A mighty pretty gal if I do say so myself.” His gaze strayed to his daughter.

Mindy giggled, her mouth stuffed with food. She started to say, “Da—”

“Nope. No words from the peanut gallery, especially when a certain pretty gal’s mouth is still full of pizza.”

Giggling some more, Mindy covered her mouth.

Tory watched the exchange between father and daughter, the love deep in their eyes. Mindy washed her food down with a big gulp of lemonade.

Slade leaned over and handed his daughter a napkin, pointing to her chin. “You have a red beard.”

Father and daughter’s shared laughter pricked Tory with longing. She wanted that with a child. She wanted a family. And time was running out for her. She didn’t see any way she was going to accomplish that goal. Too many obstacles.

“Was your business trip successful?” Tory settled back in her chair, her stomach knotted.

Picking up his pizza laden with everything but the kitchen sink, Slade said, “Things are proceeding according to my plans. Hopefully I won’t have to travel as much in the future.”

Mindy clapped. “Goo-dy!”

“I figured you would like that,” Slade said, taking a bite of his food.

The little girl popped the last piece of her third slice into her mouth, then took a large swallow of lemonade. Pushing herself to her feet, she said, “Save—for—later?”

“Sure, but I thought you were hungry?” Slade’s brow knitted in question.

“My—show—is on.” She started for the door.

“Show? What show?” Slade asked as his daughter banged the screen door closed behind her.

Tory shrugged. “Beats me. She doesn’t watch much TV when she’s here.”

“She’s always been a fast eater, but she beat her record this time.”

“I think she wanted to leave us alone so I could talk to you.”

The frown lines deepened as he shifted his blue gaze to her. “This doesn’t sound good. What happened?”

Her stomach muscles constricted even more, tension taking a firm grip on her. “Mindy doesn’t like Mrs. Davies.”

“Why?”

“She overheard the woman calling her a crippled retard to someone on the phone. She doesn’t think Mrs. Davies likes her.”

Anger slashed across his face. He flexed his hands then balled them. “A crippled retard?”

Her own indignation stiffened her spine. She remembered the hurt in Mindy’s voice and expression when she had told her earlier and wanted to demand Slade do something about it.

He tossed the pizza box he held onto the swing and surged to his feet. Every line in his body spoke of his rage. “She came highly recommended. Her references were excellent. How can—?” He paused, opening and closing his hands again, took a deep breath and continued. “How can anyone say that?”

“I don’t know,” Tory said, having a hard time herself understanding why Mrs. Davies would say that about Mindy, even if the woman didn’t know the child was listening.

Slade scrubbed his hands down his face, then plopped down onto the swing, facing Tory. “What do I do now? I can’t have someone like her taking care of Mindy, but I need someone to watch my daughter. Mrs. Davies was the best applicant from the batch I had. I—” He snapped his mouth closed and stared at a place behind Tory. When he reestablished eye contact with her, a bleak look was in his expression.

Tory resisted the urge to toss the pizza box to the floor and slip into the place next to him on the swing, taking his hands within hers. It was tempting, but she sat frozen in her chair, watching a play of emotions flit across his features.

A hopeful gleam appeared in his blue eyes. “Unless you’d like to take the job.”

For a moment Tory forgot about her ranch and the horses, her dream, and thought about accepting the offer, turning her back on the past four years. She loved Mindy and didn’t want someone else looking after her. But she couldn’t walk away from her dream and the people who depended on her, Mindy being one of them. “I’ve grown to love your daughter. I’d be glad to have Mindy come out here, but that’s a short-term solution. We could do that until you find someone else.”

“But you’re perfect for Mindy. She’s always talking about you. She’s so comfortable at your place. Isn’t there a way we could work this out?”

“It doesn’t seem practical.” Regret tinged her voice. She thought of the long hours she had to spend taking care of the ranch as it was right now. She could manage to help for a while, but without assistance with the ranch, everything would catch up with her. She could only do so much. “There’s so much I have to do around here. Going back and forth to town would be very time-consuming.”

“What if I moved out here?”

Surprise widened her eyes. “Where?”

He shrugged. “Here?”

“Here!” Her mouth went dry and perspiration cloaked her forehead.

“Yes.” Slade rose. “There’s got to be something that could work.” He began to pace as though he needed to keep moving in order to gather momentum. “Maybe we could get married? For Mindy.” The second he said those words, he halted, his eyes huge with shock.

“Married?” Stunned, Tory watched him begin walking again from the swing to one end of the porch, then back.

Chapter Five

“Yes, married,” Slade said, moving toward her. He came to sit across from her, pulling his chair closer so that his knees were only inches from hers, the shock replaced with enthusiasm. “I could help you with this ranch. You could hire someone to assist you. You’ve been worried about money. With my expansion nearly completed, my company’s going to be doing well. Money won’t be a problem. We could help each other.”

Still stunned, Tory listened to his words as though she were a bystander observing the scene from above. She had a hard time getting past the word married. “But—” Nothing else came to mind.

“Don’t answer me right now. Think about it. We’re friends. We both care for Mindy. You would be a terrific mother for her. In fact, I can’t think of anyone better for that role. Mindy needs someone like you in her life on a permanent basis. This could be a good partnership.” The eagerness in his voice made his words rush together.

Marriage? Partnership? Was that a possibility? She’d given up hope of ever getting married, even though she wasn’t quite thirty. She’d given up hope of ever trusting enough to have a real marriage. Desperate, Tory grasped on to a sane rational reason not to go through with his proposal. “Marriage is a serious step. There’re so many things involved.”

Leaning forward, he clasped her hands. “I know. That’s why I don’t want you to give me an answer right away. Think about it.”

“You should, too.” The intensity in his gaze burned heat into her cheeks. “I mean we aren’t in l—” She couldn’t seem to say the word. It lumped together in her throat and refused to come out.

“We aren’t in love?” One brow quirked. “No, but we are good friends. I can tell you things I haven’t told another. I trust you one hundred percent with my daughter.”

The last sentence produced a surge of pride. For a moment she relished that feeling, but then reality took over, bringing her back to the problem at hand. “But what if you find someone later who you fall in love with and want to marry? To me, marriage is forever.”

A shadow crossed over his face, darkening his eyes as if a storm gathered in them. He pulled away and stood. “I won’t. I had that once in my life.” He paused, angled his head and asked, “But have you?”

Tension constricted her muscles until she had to force herself to relax. The drill of his gaze prodded her to answer by shaking her head. She didn’t think she could ever trust someone that completely that she could let down her guard and fall in love. To be in love was to give more of herself than she thought possible.

“Then perhaps you’ll fall in love one day and want to marry?”

She came to her feet, face-to-face with him, only a yard separating them. “No, I won’t.”

“Why not? You have so much to offer any man.”

But not you, came unbidden into her mind, and she wondered why her heart contracted with that thought. She knew she needed to say something, but what? Silence stretched between them; the only sound drifting to her was from the people talking on the television show Mindy was watching.

Slade took one step closer. “Why not, Tory? You’re a warm, generous person. You would be a perfect mother. I’ve seen you with Mindy and the other children you work with.”

She wanted to back away, but the chair was behind her. For a few seconds she felt trapped, her heart quickening its pace, her breathing becoming shallow. No, this is Slade. A friend. Mindy’s father. Someone she’d been alone with many times. She forced deep breaths into her lungs and said, “I was badly hurt once.”

“What happened?”

The question, spoken low, the words laced with compassion, focused all of Tory’s attention on the man before her. Painful memories, buried deep, threatened to swamp her. She shoved them back into the dark recesses of her mind, where she was determined they would remain. “Not important now.”

He covered the small space between them and took her hands. “I’m a good listener.”

The warm, comforting wrap of his fingers about hers attested to the man she had come to know, a man who loved his daughter so much he would marry Tory to give Mindy a mother. “I know.”

“When you’re ready, I’ll be here for you.”

His quiet statement mesmerized her. She found herself leaning closer, the scent of his lime aftershave enveloping her in a protective cocoon. He released one hand and cupped her face. She stared into the blue depths of his eyes, no longer stormy but gleaming like diamonds on water. She felt herself become lost, drawn toward his kindness. Was it possible to be more than friends? The honking sound of a flock of geese flying overhead broke Tory’s trance.

She pulled back and to the side, forcing a smile to her dry lips. “I appreciate your offer, but to me what has happened in the past is best left in the past.” When several feet separated them, Tory turned toward him.

Slade picked up the boxes of pizza. “I’d better get Mindy home. I need to call Mrs. Davies and tell her I no longer need her services.”

“Bring Mindy out here tomorrow morning. I’d love to watch her until—”

“Until you decide about my proposal?”

She nodded. “Or, you find someone to take care of Mindy.”

His gaze linked with hers. “I’ve already found someone.”

Moonlight streamed through the window in the living room and pooled on the floor near Tory’s feet. Darkness cloaking her, she stared at the circle of light as though there was an answer to Slade’s question written in it. But for hours she had fought the demons of her past and still she was no closer to an answer now than she was when she had tried to go to sleep at midnight.

Silence surrounded her. Usually she liked the quiet that reminded her she was alone. But not this evening. She wanted the silence to be filled with the laughter of children, with the voices of daughters and sons. Slade had dangled a dream in front of her—to be a mother. And she couldn’t think of a more beautiful child to be her daughter than Mindy.

Pushing herself to her feet, Tory navigated around the coffee table and headed for the kitchen. She flipped on the overhead light and brightness flooded the room, causing her to blink. She put a pot of water on to boil, then sat at the table and waited.

Should she risk marriage to Slade to fulfill her dream? She folded her hands together and bowed her head. Dear Heavenly Father, please help me make the right decision. There’s a part of me that thinks this is the right thing to do. But then my fear takes over and I don’t know what to do anymore. I care for Slade. He’s a good man. And I love Mindy like she is my own child. Please give me a sign showing me the way.

A high-pitch whistle disturbed the quiet, startling Tory. She leaped to her feet and hurried to the stove to remove the kettle. After fixing herself a cup of herbal tea, she sat again at the table, her elbows resting on its wooden top.

What to do? The second hand on the wall clock sounded—tick, tick, tick. Seconds merged into minutes and still no answer.

Nibbling at the back of her mind was the one thing that was stopping her. Being a true wife in every sense for Slade. Could she do that? They hadn’t discussed that part of a marriage, but she wasn’t naive. She knew he was a man in every sense of the word and would want more from her than she might ever be able to give.

With her eyes closed, she sipped at her tea and tried to imagine life as Slade’s wife, as Mindy’s mother. The child’s laughter, her smile, filled Tory’s mind. Mindy’s need for a mother sliced through her defenses, urging her to take the risk and deal with the consequences later. If only she could—

Slade prowled his dimly lit den, too restless even to sit. Beyond the picture window he saw that night had lightened to a dark gray. Soon dawn would color the eastern sky with oranges and pinks. Soon his daughter would be up and ready to go to Tory’s for the day, eager to spend time with the woman she had grown to love like a mother over the past few months. Soon he would see Tory again.

What would she tell him today?

That question had plagued him all night to the point he hadn’t been able to sleep. One part of him was so stunned he had asked Tory to marry him, but the other felt as though it was the answer to all his problems and the best thing for his daughter. And he would do anything for his daughter. The most important was righting what his child had gone through these past couple of years, giving her back as normal a life as possible.

He could still see the flash of red out of the corner of his eye as the truck ran the light. He could still hear the crunch of metal as the pickup plowed into the passenger’s side of his car where his wife sat. And he could still hear his daughter’s screams and his wife’s moans—the last sounds she made before slipping away. There were times when he imagined the scent of blood and gasoline still hung in the air and the wail of sirens shrieked closer.

If only—He buried his face in his hands and tried to block the images from his mind. He wanted to leave the past in the past as Tory had. But every time he looked at Mindy he was reminded that he had survived with only a few bruises and cuts while his family had suffered.

What had Mindy done to deserve this kind of punishment? What had he done? All he had ever wanted was to love and protect his family. He had failed his daughter once. He wasn’t going to again. Tory was the best thing for Mindy, and he was determined to persuade her to marry him and give his daughter the family she deserved.

Standing at the fence watching a mother and colt frolicking in the pasture left of the barn, Tory heard the sound of a car approaching on the gravel road that led to her house. She didn’t have to glance over her shoulder to know it was Mindy and Slade. She cradled the cup of tea and brought it to her lips, taking several sips of the now-lukewarm brew. Coldness cloaked her even though the temperature was quickly rising into the mid-seventies. Her eyes stung from lack of sleep, but her jittery nerves kept her moving.

A car door slammed shut, then another one. Mindy called out to her. Tory turned and leaned back against the wooden fence, waving at the little girl as she headed into the barn to see Mirabelle. Dressed in dark blue dress slacks, Slade strode toward her, tired lines marking his features. He hadn’t slept much the night before, either. Good, she thought, since his surprise proposal certainly had robbed her of any rest.

Finishing her tea, she placed the mug on the post, more brown than the white it was supposed to be. “When will you be picking Mindy up?”

“I have a late-afternoon meeting with a contractor about the additions to the plant. When I’m through with him, I’ll come straight here. It should be by six.”

“Mindy and I can have dinner ready for you.”

A smile curved his mouth. “I’d like that.” He started to say something else but stopped before the first word was out.

“I don’t have an answer, if that’s what you want to know.”

“I figured as much. Did you get any sleep last night?”

She gestured toward her face, sure the circles under her eyes were still evident. “What do you think?”

“No. Neither did I.”

“So, I should probably have an answer soon if either one of us wants to get any sleep?”

“Yep, that about sums it up.”

His crooked grin melted any defenses she had automatically erected. She pushed away from the post and rolled her shoulders. “I’m not as young as I used to be. There was a time I could stay up all night and keep going strong the next day. That’s not the case anymore. I’m hoping Mindy will want to take a nap later this afternoon.”

“Since she was up bright and early this morning, I’d say she probably will. She was so excited to be coming out here and not having to stay with Mrs. Davies.”

“I’m glad.” She started past Slade, making her way toward the barn. “Why don’t you let her spend the night? Bring some clothes for her this evening, and when she goes to sleep, you and I can have a talk.” She hadn’t realized until the words were out of her mouth that she would give Slade an answer that evening. But she would. Now she just had to figure out what that answer would be.

“Then I’ll swing by the house and pick up some of Mindy’s clothes.” Slade stopped at his car and opened the door, throwing Tory a heart-stopping look.

From the entrance into the barn Tory watched Mindy’s father drive away, her time running out. Twelve hours to go.

“Tor-ee, can—I ride?”

She turned toward the little girl standing in the middle of the barn. “Sure, just as soon as I finish mucking out two stalls.”

“I’ll—help.”

“I was counting on that.” Tory approached Mindy and clasped her on the shoulder.

The little girl threw her arms around Tory’s waist. “I’m—so glad—no—Mrs. Davies. Thank—you.”

“You’re welcome.” Tory leaned back, staring down at Mindy. This child was the reason the answer wasn’t a simple no.

“I’m—a good—uh—helper.” Mindy puffed out her chest. “You—need—help.”

“I tell you what. I need to feed the cat and her kittens. Can you do that for me while I take care of the last two stalls?”

“Sure.” Mindy’s blue eyes gleamed, big and round.

“You know where their food is?”

The girl nodded.

“I’ll come get you then when I’m through.”

Mindy started for the tack room while Tory hurried toward the last stall on the left. Twenty minutes later, her muscles shaking with fatigue, Tory went in search of Mindy. She heard the child before she saw her. Mindy was outside the back entrance, talking to the kittens.

She held one in her lap, stroking it and saying, “Maybe—I’ll—get to—stay—here. I see—you—every—day. Wouldn’t—that be—nice?” The child buried her face in the kitten’s fur, rubbing it back and forth across her cheek. “Tor-ee—needs—me.”

Tory’s throat jammed with emotions of love. She did need Mindy. More than she realized. Tory closed her eyes for a few seconds. Thank you, Lord, for showing me the answer.

Swallowing several times, Tory stepped from the shadows into the light. “Are you ready to ride, Mindy?”

Dusk blanketed the farm, cooling the air slightly. The dark clouds to the south hinted at a chance of rain. Crickets trilled and frogs croaked. Tory brushed a stray strand of hair, fallen from her ponytail, behind her ear. Taking a deep breath, she relished the scents of grass and earth that mingled with the fragrance of the honeysuckle she’d planted along the fence to the west.

She needed to paint the fences, the barn and the house. Each year more of the white flaked off and yet she neither had the time nor the money to do that. There weren’t enough hours in the day.

The screen door banged closed behind her. The sound of even footsteps approached her. She remained by the porch railing, her fingers grasping it a little tighter.

“I finally got Mindy to go to sleep. All she wanted to talk about was the kittens and Belle. She told me when she grows up she wants to work with animals like you, Tory.” Next to her Slade settled himself back against the railing, his arms folded over his chest, and faced her. “See what kind of influence you have on Mindy?”

She looked away from the intensity in his gaze, warmed by his compliment and a bit afraid she could never live up to what Mindy needed. “It’s going to rain tonight. How is Mindy in a thunderstorm?”

“Fine. Unless the thunder gets too loud.”

“I love rain. A good storm cleanses the earth.”

“So long as it doesn’t set in for days at a time.”

Tory turned away from the yard and half sat, half leaned on the railing next to Slade, their arms almost touching. “Rain is important to a farmer.”

“How long are we going to discuss the weather before we talk about what I asked you last night?”

She slanted a look toward him, her head cocked. “Impatient?”

“Yes, I was patient all the way through that delicious dinner. How did you know I love pot roast?”

“Mindy mentioned it to me.”

“I guess I’m a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy.”

She suspected he was as nervous as she was about their impending discussion. “Also, according to your daughter, a dessert kind of guy, too.”

“Is that why we had blackberry cobbler?”

“Yes.”

“Did you and Mindy make that today?”

“Yes, but the ice cream was store-bought. I only have so much time to cook.”

“But you enjoy cooking?”

“Yes. I wish I had more time to do that.”

“Which brings me to why I am here. I can give you more time to do those kinds of things. Will you marry me, Tory Alexander?”

The question hovered between them, its implication vibrating the air as though a hundred hummingbird wings beat against each other. She took a deep, fortifying breath and opened her mouth to reply. No words would come out. They lodged in her throat. Swallowing several times, she tried again. “First, we should talk about—” Still she couldn’t say what she needed to.

“About what?”

The mere thought flamed her cheeks. She palmed them, feeling the searing heat. “What kind of marriage will we have?”

A dawning light shone in his eyes. “Do you mean, will we have a real marriage in every sense of the word?”

Her heart paused in its frantic beating, then resumed its crash against her chest. Its thundering roar in her ears drowned out all other sounds. Perspiration beaded on her forehead. “Yes,” she finally said in a voice stronger than she thought possible.

He shifted so he fully faced her. “I hope so, but, Tory, you will call the shots. It will be up to you.”

She veiled her expression. She could accept those terms, but could he? What if she couldn’t ever take that step? What if—

No, she would deal with it one day at a time. The Lord would show her the way. She lifted her gaze to his. “Yes, I will marry you.”

Tory stood back from the one-story farmhouse and surveyed the freshly painted wood. White with hunter-green trim gleamed in the sunlight, rejuvenating the old structure. Even the swing and wicker furniture on the porch had been painted to match the trim. Turning toward the horse barn, she watched the three painters putting the finishing touches to its hunter-green trim. Then the fences would be painted white. Satisfaction and pride welled up in her.

Eight days ago she had accepted Slade’s proposal and the next day he’d had painters out here to discuss painting whatever needed to be done. The following day they’d started and had been working nonstop since then. Slade wanted the work done by the time of their wedding in four days. It would be close.

A blue Honda, at least ten years old, pulled into the drive leading to the house. She waited by the gravel road while the man parked and climbed from his vehicle. Approaching him, she extended her hand. “You must be Gus Morris.”

The older man with a full head of white hair pumped her arm. “Yes, ma’am. I sure am. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Let’s talk while I show you the operation.” Tory started for the barn.

Gus, who was no more than two inches taller than Tory, fell into step next to her. “It looks like you’re sprucing up the place.”

“Yes.” Tory gestured for Gus to enter the barn first. “I have fifteen horses—five of them mine and one pony. I offer classes, usually in the afternoon. The people who stable their horses here come out and ride, some more than others. I make sure the horses are fed and taken care of each day.” Tory paused in the middle of the barn. “Also, I keep the stalls clean and keep an eye on the various horses. I’ll inform the owner if a problem is developing. As you saw, I have several riding rings and also paddocks and trails for people to use.”

“What will my duties be?”

“Cleaning out the stalls, feeding and watering the horses, keeping the tack in good shape. You’ll be assisting me with whatever needs to be done.”

“Hours?”

“From six in the morning until three in the afternoon. You’ll have an hour off for lunch.”

The short man grinned, his brown eyes twinkling. “As I told you over the phone, I miss my ranch. I miss working with horses. My kids wanted me to move here, but they neglected to give me anything to do. I found retirement isn’t for me.”

“Do you think you can manage the duties?” Tory took in Gus’s wiry frame.

“Been doing that kind of stuff all my life. Don’t you worry about me. I am all muscles, no fat. I’m in good health and driving my daughter bananas. She’s actually the one who saw the advertisement in the paper and showed it to me.”

“Then, Mr. Morris, you’ve got yourself a job and you can start tomorrow if you want.”

“Please, call me Gus. Mr. Morris just makes me seem older than I care to be.”

“Tor-ee—I’m—done.” Mindy came to the entrance of Belle’s stall, holding a curry comb in one hand, hay sticking to her T-shirt.

“Who’s this little lady?” Gus asked.

“This is my helper, Mindy. This is Gus, Mindy. He’ll be working here and helping us.”

Gus covered the distance between Mindy and himself in three strides. “Let me see what you’ve done.” He looked inside the stall and whistled. “That’s a mighty fine job, if I do say so myself.”

Mindy beamed. “Thanks! Belle—is—my—resp—” Her brow knitted as she glanced toward Tory.

“Responsibility,” Tory said for her.

“Belle is one lucky pony then.” Gus turned toward Tory. “I’ll be here tomorrow at six straight up.”

As the old man left, Mindy shut the stall door and made sure the latch was hooked, then she walked toward the tack room to put up her curry comb. “Dad-dy be here—soon?”

“Soon. But you’re staying for dinner again. Your father and I still have to talk about the wedding plans.”

“Four—days. Can’t—wait.”

“Ready to help me with dinner?”

Nodding, Mindy took Tory’s hand.

“I thought we would have hamburgers tonight. What do you think?”

“Yes.”

When a black Taurus headed toward her house, Tory stopped for a moment, trying to make out who was behind the wheel. Judy? She was early.

“Who’s—that?”

“My older sister. She wasn’t supposed to come for the wedding until Thursday.”

“Sis-ter!” Mindy quickened her pace, nearly falling in her haste.

Tory steadied her. “Slow down. After the day we put in, I don’t have that kind of energy. Judy isn’t going anywhere.”

“Will—she—be my—aunt—when—you—mar-ry—Dad-dy?”

“You bet.”

“Neat!”

Judy slid from the car and stretched. “I know I’m early. But Brad told me to come and he’ll bring the kids with him in a few days. How can I pass up a minivacation without the children?”

Tory studied her sister’s face, her expression innocent, and wondered about Judy’s motives behind her early arrival. Her older sister was always trying to protect her. She was sure Judy was here to scout out the situation for Mom and Dad and make a report before they came. “Judy, I want you to meet Mindy. She’s Slade’s daughter.”

Mindy lifted her hand to shake Judy’s. “I—help—Tor-ee.”

“That’s what she said to me. She’s lucky to have such a good helper.”

Mindy preened, a big grin on her face.

“Pop the trunk and I’ll help you with your luggage.” Tory moved around to the back of the car. When she saw the jammed trunk, she laughed. “I should have known you’d bring your whole closet with you.”

Judy bent down and whispered into Mindy’s ear, “Ignore Tory. She likes to make fun of me and what I pack for a trip. My motto is to always be prepared and in order to do that I have to bring choices.”

Mindy giggled.

“And of course, Mom had me bring some wedding gifts for you.”

“Gifts?” Mindy’s eyes grew round. “I’ll—help—open?”

“I wouldn’t ask anyone but you. Come on, we’d better get started or we’ll be out here all night unloading the car.”

“Well, Mindy, I think you did a superb job with the baked beans.” Judy wiped her mouth on her napkin and laid it on the side of her empty dinner plate. “And the hamburgers were great, Slade. Grilled to perfection.”

“Yes—Dad-dy.” Mindy finished off her chocolate milk.

Slade pointed to his mouth and waited until his daughter had used her napkin to clean hers before saying, “With compliments like that, I could get used to cooking.”

Judy rose and began taking the dishes to the sink. “My contribution to this dinner is to clean up.”

“I’ll help.” Tory stacked several plates on top of each other.

“While you two are doing that, Mindy and I will take a walk down to the barn. I wanted to check out how the painters are coming along.”

Tory put the plates into the sink. “If it doesn’t rain, I think they’ll get finished by the wedding.”

When Slade and Mindy left the kitchen, Judy brought a platter and bowl over to the counter. “She’s every bit as cute as you said.”

“And?”

“What do you mean ‘and’?” her sister asked, again that innocent expression on her face.

“I know you, Judy. Is Mom watching the kids so you could come early and pump me for information?”

“Why, Victoria Alexander, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Brad—”

“You haven’t suddenly changed. You’re dying to know what in the world has gotten into me. Don’t deny it.”

Judy placed one fisted hand on her waist. “Okay. I’ll admit Mom and I were curious.”

Tory barked a laugh. “Merely curious?”

“You weren’t even dating anyone the last time I talked to you, what, a week before you made this grand announcement that you were getting married. What’s going on?”

“I’ve known Slade for some time. I don’t tell you and Mom everything.”

Judy’s expression sobered. “Have you told Slade everything? Does he know what happened?”

Chapter Six

Tory started rinsing the dishes off to put into the dishwasher, but her hands shook so badly she nearly dropped a plate. Judy reached around her and turned the water off.

“Tory, you can’t keep running from the truth.”

A band about Tory’s chest tautened, constricting the air in her lungs. She drew in a deep breath, then blew it out through pursed lips. Once. Twice. Still she felt as though she were suffocating. Clasping her wet hands together to still their trembling, she closed her eyes, wishing she could block the world out as easily as flipping off a switch. Life wasn’t like that. She’d learned that painfully. There were times she felt as though she were running as fast as she could and going nowhere.

She focused on the feel of Judy’s arms around her as she said, “The truth? You don’t think I’ve faced it? I have every day for the past four years. As much as I want to forget, I can’t. I’ve tried. Believe me, I’ve tried.” Tears, from the depth of her bruised soul, filled her eyes and coursed down her cheeks.

“Does Slade know about you being raped?”

The question struck Tory with the force of a sledgehammer. Even though she didn’t move, she felt as though she had been knocked back against a brick wall. “No, I don’t see why I should share my past with him. It’s in my past. It has nothing to do with my future.” Shame and humiliation nibbled at the edges of her mind. She shut down, refusing them entry.

Judy’s arm tightened about Tory. “Who are you trying to kid? Our past has everything to do with our future.”

Tory wrenched herself from her big sister’s embrace and put several feet between them, anger surging to the surface. “If I tell Slade, it will be when I want to.”

Judy held up her hands. “I agree, Tory. I won’t say a word to him. But that doesn’t mean I don’t think he has a right to know.”

“Why? Because you think I’m tainted?” She remembered the looks she’d gotten, the whispers behind her back after she’d brought charges against Brandon Clayton. Cold fingers spread out from her heart to encompass her whole body. She’d felt as if she were the one who had done something wrong, not Brandon.

Horror replaced the concern in her sister’s expression. “No! Never! You know better than to say that. Who held you when you came home that night? Who wept with you? Took you to the hospital? Stood by you through the trial?”

“Why are you doing this now, right before my wedding?”

Judy covered the short distance and clasped Tory’s upper arms. “Because I’m worried about you. Because I want you to be happy. And if that means with Slade, then great. But I know a marriage must be based on the truth.”

“I haven’t lied to him.”

“But you aren’t telling him everything.”

“I doubt I know everything about him. Who does until they have lived with someone for years, if even then?”

“That’s a cop-out, Tory.”

“No, what I’m doing is what I must do to survive.” Tory yanked away from Judy, sucking in deep breaths of air, her heart pounding against her chest.

“Survive? You—”

The sound of Mindy’s and Slade’s voices drifted to Tory. The slam of the front door followed by footsteps nearing the kitchen prompted Tory to swipe her hands across her cheeks. She spun about, her back to the entrance while she tried to compose her shattered nerves.

She wasn’t the same person she’d been four years ago. She had a right to put that life behind her and move forward. To forget the pain. To grasp on to what happiness she could.

“Tor-ee, I—heard—the ani-mal under—the—house—a-gain.”

Forcing a smile, Tory turned toward Mindy. “You did? She must be making her home there.”

“Yep. I—showed—Dad-dy.”

The questioning probe of Slade’s gaze skimmed over her features. Tory concentrated her attention on the little girl, praying he couldn’t see beneath her false facade. “Was everything all right at the barn?”

Mindy nodded. “You—aren’t—done?” She glanced at the dishes still stacked at the side of the sink.

“Nope. Judy and I got to catching up and forgot to work.”

“I—can—help.”

Tory clasped her shoulders, wanting to drag the child against her and hold on to her forever. “You’ve done enough. I don’t want to tire my best worker out.”

“Besides, honey, it’s time for you and I to get home. The next few days are gonna be plenty busy.”

“Dad-dy—do we—have to?” Mindy straightened her slumped shoulders. “I’m—not—tired.”

Tory brushed her finger under the child’s eye, following the line of a dark circle beginning to form. “Is that so?”

“Well—may-be—a little.” Mindy held up her fingers to indicate less than an inch.

“I need you rested. We have to go for our last fitting for our dresses tomorrow.”

“Oh—” the child’s eyes grew round “—yes!” She grabbed her father’s hand and began to tug him toward the door. “We—better—go.”

Slade hung back and said over his shoulder, “Judy, now you see why I think Tory is perfect for Mindy. She works miracles with my daughter. See you tomorrow bright and early.”

When the sound of the front door closing drifted to Tory, she stiffened, curling her hands into tight balls at her sides. The silence of the house eroded her composure. The seconds ticked into a full minute. She knew her sister behind her was trying to decide how best to pursue their earlier topic of conversation.

Tory whirled about. “I’m through discussing my past, Judy. If you want to stay and enjoy my wedding, then I expect you to respect my decision to put my past behind me and not talk about it. Understood?”

“You’ve made yourself very clear, but—”

“Don’t, Judy. I want you to stay, but I’ll ask you to leave if you continue.”

Judy blew out a huff of air, a frown marring her pleasant features. “Okay, but that won’t stop me from worrying about you.”

“I didn’t think it would. But I’m a big girl now. I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you?”

No! But with God’s help I’ll figure it out. Because I have to. For Mindy’s sake. For Slade’s sake. And most of all, for my own sake.

His wedding ring gleamed in the sunlight. Slade spread his fingers wide and stared at the simple gold band. Married for an hour. He’d never thought he would ever marry again—not after the way his life had fallen apart with Carol’s death.

On the light breeze his child’s laughter floated to him. He glimpsed his daughter playing with Judy’s children, such joy on his child’s face. He’d done it for Mindy. He wanted her to have as normal a life as possible. He wanted a mother for her.

Searching the small crowd who’d gathered for his wedding reception, he found Tory talking with her parents and his brother, the only member of his immediate family able to make his wedding since his mother was unable to travel due to poor health. Like flames of a fire, her long, straight auburn hair fell about her shoulders, catching the rays of the sun. The soft folds of her white dress swirled about her knees as she moved with her parents toward her sister and brother-in-law. The tailored bodice and delicate beadwork along the scooped neckline emphasized Tory’s petite frame.

She caught him looking at her and smiled. Even across the lawn he saw the sparkle in her gaze as though golden honey mingled with the chocolate of her eyes. Behind that smile there lay a vulnerability that he suspected went deep. It was that very vulnerability that spoke to him and touched his own wounded soul. For a fleeting moment he wondered if it was possible to heal each other’s hurts.

He looked away, his gaze dropping to his left hand again. The wedding ring felt heavy and tight. He twisted the band around, a momentary sense of panic attacking. What had he done? He wasn’t a whole man. All he could offer Tory was loyalty and friendship. There wasn’t anything else left inside.

“It’s a little late to be having second thoughts,” Paul, his friend, said.

“I’m not. This was a good decision. Tory is right for Mindy and me.”

“I have to admit I was surprised by this sudden move. Frankly, I wasn’t even aware you were dating.” Paul peered toward Tory. “Sandy and I want to have you all over for dinner sometime soon. Maybe after the honeymoon.”

“We aren’t going on a honeymoon.”

“Don’t let work keep you from going away.”

“You know I’m in the middle of my plant’s expansion. I’m putting in a new assembly line to make plastic containers for Wellco. Besides that, I’ve got several new contracts starting that I need to oversee.” Slade wouldn’t even tell his friend that the real reason he wasn’t going on a honeymoon was his marriage wasn’t a normal one. Maybe one day, but not now. Paul had already worried enough about him.

“And how does your new wife feel about all this work?”

“She understands.”

“Then you have a special woman because Sandy certainly wouldn’t.”

“We’ll have a honeymoon later.”

“When that happens, we’d love for Mindy to stay with us. Laurie misses her and all she talks about is that picnic at the pond you all invited her to. She thinks Mindy is one lucky girl to live on a horse ranch.”

“Laurie is welcome to visit anytime,” Slade said, realizing he was already beginning to feel the ranch was his home.

That took him by surprise, but as he let his gaze travel over the backyard, the feeling of having come home grew. Already Mindy’s toys were evident with a new swing set near the freshly painted white fence separating the yard from the horse pasture. On the deck sat his grill from his house and several blue-and-green pieces of his patio furniture, including a round glass table shaded by an umbrella with big blue flowers on it.

He was selling his house in town even though it was bigger. He had made a commitment to Tory and that involved making her riding stable a success. His home was here now.

“Mom, you should sit down. You’ve been on your feet too long.” Tory took a hold of her mother’s arm to guide her to the nearest chair. The pale cast to her mother’s features worried her. Eleanor Alexander’s weak heart had curtailed her activities in the past few years, and today she had overdone it. “Are you taking your medicine?”

“Yes, dear. I’m just fine.” Eleanor patted her daughter’s arm. “You worry too much.” She eased onto the folding chair and indicated Tory sit next to her. “We haven’t had much time to talk these past few days. I never thought you’d be able to put together a wedding so fast, but you did. I wish I could have helped more.”

“You being here is all I need.”

“Well, of course, I’d come to my daughter’s wedding, dear.” A tiny frown furrowed her brow. “Are you sure, Tory?”

“Now look who’s worrying. I’m sure. Slade Donaldson is a good man. I’m lucky to have found him.” As she said those words to her mother, Tory felt the rightness in every one of them. Slade was an excellent choice for a husband. They were friends. Wasn’t that a good reason to marry someone? Much better than passion and love. Ever since her rape, she didn’t see her life filled with either of those emotions. When the man she had been dating had forced himself on her, he had taken not only her virginity but her trust in her judgment in men. Slade made her realize not all men were like Brandon Clayton.

Her mother sighed. “I won’t lie to you. I’ve been worried about you ever since—” Her mother couldn’t voice aloud what had happened to Tory. She never had. Eleanor pinched her lips together, her frown deepening.

Tory laid her hand over her mother’s. “I know. But I’m getting better with each day.” Some days I don’t even think about what happened four years ago. For all her declarations to Slade and Judy about putting the past behind her, she knew in her heart it was always there, just waiting for when she let down her guard. It would have been so much easier if she had lost her memory of the rape. Then she wouldn’t wonder if her life would ever be normal again.

“I’m glad, dear. I think this marriage is a good step in the right direction. I like your young man and Mindy is adorable. A ready-made family. I know how important a family is to you.”

And her time for starting her own was running out. Tory had never told her mother that she had been diagnosed with endometriosis. Her mother had been upset enough about the rape. Tory hadn’t wanted to add to her mother’s worries. She knew how much her mother wanted lots of grandchildren. She’d gotten her love for a large family from her mother.

“Mindy is fitting right in with Ashley and Jamie.”

Tory looked toward Mindy playing with her new cousins. “Yes, they hit it off right away. It’s nice they are all about the same age.”

“Has Judy told you the good news yet?”

“No.”

“Oh, dear. I thought she would have told you the first night.”

“Told me what, Mom?”

“She’s going to have another baby in seven months. But don’t say anything. She hasn’t told the kids yet. She just found out the day she came up here.”

Tory knew the reason her big sister hadn’t said anything. She hadn’t wanted to put a damper on the festivities. She was happy for Judy and she would let her know as soon as possible. Her sister needed to stop trying to protect her. She’d learned to deal with disappointments, and never having her own children was a very real possibility. “That’s great, Mom. Judy probably didn’t want to take away from my day.”

“Knowing your sister, you’re probably right.” Her mother peered over Tory’s shoulder. “I think Maude is trying to get your attention.”

Tory shifted in the chair and found her aunt standing by the long table laden with food. Aunt Maude waved to Tory to come cut the cake she’d baked the happy couple.

Her mother’s color still hadn’t returned. Her eyes dull, she attempted a smile. “I think it’s time to cut the cake, dear. I’ll watch from here.”

“Mom, maybe you should go into the house and lie down.”

“No—” she fluttered her hand in the air “—I’m fine, dear.”

“Mother?”

“Go. I see your young man has already been roped by Maude into participating. The groom has to have a bride by his side when he’s cutting the cake.”

Tory pushed to her feet, her legs suddenly weak. Her gaze linked with Slade’s. For a few seconds the rest of the people faded, and she and Slade were the only two who existed. Earlier that day in her church she’d married him for better or worse, forever. She was now part of Slade and Mindy’s family. The implication of what had transpired made her falter as she walked toward her husband. Doubts took hold of her heart and squeezed. Had she done the right thing for everyone?

Slade took her trembling hand and clasped it, conveying his support in his gaze and touch. “Is your mother all right?”

“She says yes, but I think she’s overdone it. She’ll be the last person to complain if she isn’t feeling well.”

“Are you two ready to cut the cake?” Aunt Maude asked, snatching the knife off the table and presenting it to Tory.

She grasped it with Slade’s hand over hers. The warmth in his palm seared into her. For a second she felt branded, panic swimming toward the surface. She shoved it back down and smiled for the photographer.

Slicing the knife into the bottom layer of the two-tiered carrot cake, her favorite, she prepared the first piece to feed Slade. Her fingers quivered as she lifted the cake to his mouth. His lips closed over the dessert, nipping the tips of her fingers. A tingling awareness chilled her. Dropping her hand away, she entwined her fingers, trying not to shake.

Slade’s eyes sparkled like blue fire as he brought her morsel toward her. When she opened her mouth, his finger grazed her bottom lip, again sending a current of sensations zipping through her. She swallowed too soon and nearly choked. Coughing, tears springing to her eyes, she desperately tried to draw air into her lungs and couldn’t quite succeed.

Slade patted her on her back. “Tory, are you okay?”

Finally taking a shallow breath, she nodded, unable to speak.

Slade gave her a glass of water that Aunt Maude handed him. Concern etched his features and gave him an endearing appeal.

“It—went down—the wrong way,” Tory said.

“When you told me your favorite cake was carrot, I didn’t realize you would try to inhale your piece. There will be plenty left for you, I promise.”

Tory laughed, all tension fleeing. Slade made her laugh. Slade cared about her. Slade was a loving father. Those were three things she needed to remember as they learned to live together.

“Toast. Toast,” Brad, her brother-in-law, called out.

Aunt Maude thrust a glass of lemonade into each of their hands.

Slade faced Tory and lifted his high, his gaze connected to hers. “To a wonderful woman who has opened her home and heart to my family.”

The sweet words washed over her in warming waves. Her mind went blank as she took a sip of her drink. Then it was her turn and still she didn’t know how to express her churning emotions. The crowd fell silent, every pair of eyes on her.

She ran her tongue over her dry lips and said, “To a man any woman would be lucky to have as a husband.”

“Hear, hear,” someone shouted from the back.

Heat flamed her cheeks as she sipped some more of her lemonade, soothing her parched throat. Tory moved away from the table to allow Aunt Maude and Judy to cut the rest of the cake and pass it out to the guests.

“How are you holding up?” Slade asked, leaning close to her ear.

His whispered words feathered the nape of her neck and sent a cascade of goose bumps down her spine. She shivered, again a mass of jittery nerves. “Fine. I will say the past few weeks have been a whirlwind, but the ranch looks nice. And all thanks to you.”

“This is my home now. We are partners.”

His gaze robbed her of rational thought. She felt lost in the swirling blue depths as though she were drowning in a lake, a whirlpool dragging her under for the third time. “Yes,” she managed to say even though her mouth felt dry as an August day in Oklahoma.

“How’s Gus working out?”

Tory spied the old man talking to her father and grinned. “He has been a blessing. He may be sixty-eight, but he works like he’s years younger. And he knows his way around horses.”

“Mindy has taken a liking to him.”

“If I’m busy with book work, she’s out helping him. He’s good with her.”

Slade took her hand and brought it up between them, his gaze fastened to hers. “You’re good with her.”

There was little more than a few inches separating them and Tory should have been afraid. Always before when a man got too close, all her alarm bells rang and sent her flying back. But slowly Slade had insinuated himself into her life until she wasn’t scared of his nearness. She even enjoyed his touches. Maybe everything would work out. Hope planted itself in her heart. She wanted her life back. Like Mindy, she was struggling for normalcy.

“Time for you to throw the bouquet.”

Her sister’s words broke the spell Slade had woven about her. Tory stepped back, her hands dropping away from his. And for a few seconds she felt deprived.

“I’ve got all the single women lined up below the deck. All you have to do is toss it into the crowd.”

“Crowd?” Tory spied the three women by the deck. One was eighteen, another in her thirties and the last in her seventies.

“I can’t help it that you know mostly married women. I thought about having Mindy and Ashley join the group, but I don’t think either Slade nor I want to deal with two young girls dreaming of getting married just yet.”

“You’ve got that right,” Slade said with a chuckle.

“So it’s our cousin and two ladies from your church.” Judy pushed the bouquet of white roses into Tory’s hand.

Tory felt all eyes on her as she strode to the steps that led to the back deck. Perspiration popped out on her forehead. She didn’t like being the center of attention, but the day of the wedding the bride always was. She should have eloped. Of course, then her family would never have forgiven her and she suspected Mindy wouldn’t have been happy, either. The little girl had been all smiles as she walked down the aisle to the altar earlier that day.

With her back to her guests, Tory tossed the bouquet over her head, then spun about to see Mrs. Seitz nearly shove her eighteen-year-old cousin out of the way to grab the flowers. The seventy-year-old proudly waved the bouquet in the air, catching sight of Mr. Weaver by the punch bowl. He colored a deep red.

After that the guests started to leave, surrounding Tory and Slade to say their goodbyes. Slade by her side felt right. Maybe this could work. Please, Lord, give me the strength to do what I need to be a good wife and mother.

The bellow of a bullfrog and the occasional neigh from a horse in the paddock vied with the chorus of insects. The nearly full moon lit the darkness, creating shadows that danced in the warm breeze. Tory, dressed now in shorts and a T-shirt, sat on the porch swing with her legs drawn up and her arms clasping them to her chest. Resting her head on her knees, she listened to the night sounds and thought back over her wedding day.

She was no longer Tory Alexander, but Tory Donaldson. That realization produced a constriction in her chest. She was responsible for more than herself now. Her arms around her legs tightened. Everyone was gone, even her family who were staying at a motel in town and Slade’s brother. It was just Mindy, Slade and her. She no longer heard nature’s background noise. The lack of voices isolated her, sharpening her senses.

She knew Slade was there before she saw him standing by the steps. She’d heard the soft shuffle of his feet moving across the yard; she’d thought she’d smelled his lime-scented aftershave wafting to her. Lifting her head, she asked, “Did you find it?”

Slade produced the stuffed pony. “By the swing set.”

“Good. I know how important favorite toys are.”

“I’ll be right back.” Slade mounted the steps and went into the house.

Minutes later he returned and folded his long length into the chair next to the swing. “She was still awake, waiting for me to bring Belle. After the excitement of today, I’d have thought she would have been asleep the second her head hit the pillow.”

“Belle is special to Mindy.”

“The stuffed one as well as the real one.” He stretched his legs out in front and crossed them at the ankles. “I don’t know about you, but when my head hits the pillow, I’ll be asleep.”

Sleep? She didn’t know if she could right now with Slade only a wall away from her. When she had accepted his proposal, she hadn’t really thought about the sleeping arrangement. Even though he didn’t share her bedroom, they shared a small house. She’d avoided any kind of level of intimacy for so long she wasn’t sure how to share one bathroom, the same living quarters, even the kitchen first thing in the morning.

“It has been a long day,” she finally said, his silence indicating he expected her to say something. She unfolded her legs and swung them to the floor. Standing, she rolled her shoulders and worked out the kinks.

When he rose, too, the small porch suddenly became smaller. She could definitely smell his aftershave as the scent surrounded her. The distance between them was less than an arm’s length. If she wanted, she could reach out and touch him easily. In the dim light from inside the house she could see his handsome features, marked with uncertainty and tenderness.

He quirked a smile. “I realize this is a bit awkward.”

“A little.” When his smile grew, she said, “Okay, a lot.”

He shifted closer, linking his hand with hers. “We’ll make this work.”

“For Mindy.”

“For us, Tory.”

His voice, pitched low, flowed over her. She shivered in the warm, June night. His hand slid up her arm, sending a cascade of chills down it. He moved even closer until there was only a breath between them. Cupping her face with his other hand, he stared into her eyes as though trying to read what was in her soul.

Exhausted from the long day and the emotional treadmill she’d been on, Tory melted against him, her legs giving out. He tilted her chin up, pausing for a few seconds before bringing his mouth down on hers. The mating of their lips wasn’t like the quick peck at the end of the wedding ceremony; it was a blending of breaths and parrying of tongues. Weak with sensations foreign to her, Tory welcomed the taste of him—until he wound his arms about her, pressing her closer.

Suddenly she couldn’t breathe. Panic eroded her composure, prodding her heart to crash against her rib cage. She shoved him away, gasping for air. His startled expression rendered her speechless. She pushed past him, taking the steps two at a time.

The pounding of her bare feet on the cool grass matched the pounding of her pulse. She saw the one light on in the barn and headed for it. Inside she stopped, bending over and drawing gulps of air into her burning lungs.

How in the world had she thought she was ready for this?

What must Slade think? Her husband had kissed her and she had fallen apart. She wrapped her arms around herself and walked toward the back of the barn. Opening the door, she stood staring at the pasture beyond, the moonlight streaming down in a crystal clear sky. The scent of hay and horses saturated the air, a familiar scent that usually comforted her. Except that her heart beat rapidly and she couldn’t get a decent breath.

“Tory, what just happened back there?”

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.