by Lois Richer
“As long as you drink your milk,” Rick agreed, pleased when they both agreed.
Ten minutes later they were seated at a table, munching on their food, and Rick’s anger had lost its steam. Maybe he’d misunderstood. Or the twins had.
“Miranda wants to have babies.”
Rick choked on his coffee. It took forever to clear his windpipe. Teary-eyed but finally able to speak he studied Kyle. “Um, how do you know that?”
“She told Penny. Miranda said she wants lotsa kids. Didn’t she, Katie?” He glanced at his sister for confirmation.
“Uh-huh.” Katie drank the last of her milk, leaving a wide white mustache on her top lip, which she smeared with a bunch of napkins. “An’ Penny said she wished she could have a bunch of babies, too, but it wasn’t gonna happen.”
“No, she said it was never gonna happen,” Kyle corrected with his head tilted to one side as if he was thinking about that.
“Oh, yeah. That’s right.” His niece shook her head then set her innocent gaze on him as a frown marred her pretty looks. “How come Penny won’t have no babies? Is it ’cause she don’t gots a daddy for them, Uncle Rick?”
“Uh—I don’t know.” Be a parent, man. Give a firm answer. “I guess so.”
“Well, maybe if we got her a daddy, she could get lots of babies. Penny’d like that ’cause she loves babies,” Katie said around a mouthful of food.
“Uh-uh. Penny said she’d never have babies an’ I know why.” Kyle looked like a wise old man as he leaned back in his seat confidently.
“Why?” Rick had no business asking that question but he simply couldn’t suppress his curiosity about the lovely caregiver of the twins.
“’Cause sometimes when Penny holds baby Carter, she gets tears.” Kyle’s serious brown eyes met his. “She pretends she’s not sad when she gives him back to Auntie Sophie, but she is. That’s why she’s never havin’ babies, ’cause they make her sad.”
“Yep.” Katie nodded somberly. “They really do.”
“Well, you may be right,” Rick admitted, surprised and touched by their perceptivity and concerned about what they’d told him. “I don’t know what we can do to help Penny—”
“I do. We can pray.” And right there in the local fast-food joint Katie bowed her head and began praying out loud for their caregiver.
A little embarrassed by the public display but also very proud of his niece for her thoughtfulness, Rick added a firm amen when she finished her prayer. He bought their ice cream, waited till they’d eaten it then drove back to the ranch, lost in thought. But no matter how he tried he couldn’t make his brain stop puzzling over what he’d learned about Penny.
Once the kids were tucked in, Rick threw yet another load of laundry into the dryer. That was when the idea came to him.
Maybe it was Penny who needed a matchmaker.
Pleased with himself, he sat down to make a list of male friends and acquaintances who might fit her bill. Only thing was, he ended up deleting most of them because imagining Penny with any of his rough and tumble buddies gave Rick an unsettled feeling in his stomach.
Must have been the fast food. Certainly couldn’t be because he was interested in Penny’s personal life.
Chapter Seven
“This grand opening is a zoo,” Penny whispered several days later, awed by the number of children and parents milling around.
“You know you love it.” Sophie surveyed the room critically. “Are you sure you hired enough helpers?”
“We’ll know that by tomorrow, I guess. We have more babies than I expected,” she admitted. “After a couple of days I’ll have a better idea if Molly is as good as she claims her seven siblings made her.”
“She’s the newest hire?” Sophie put her hand on Penny’s arm to stop her from going to get the girl. “No, don’t interrupt her. You can introduce me later. Tanner showed me her résumé, if you can call it that. It’s pretty sparse. I was surprised to see that her home address is a shelter.”
“Me, too. Do you think I shouldn’t have hired her?” Penny had wavered over her ever since she’d offered Molly employment and now new doubts ballooned. “Molly said she really needs a job and she’s so willing. She offered to do cleanup or whatever we needed. I thought her soft-spokenness would be an asset, especially with the babies. But maybe I was wrong.” Why hadn’t she insisted Sophie or Tanner choose the staff?
“She’s certainly hit it off with that toddler.” Sophie studied the seventeen-year-old as if she was searching for something. “She’s so pretty but those baggy old clothes don’t do much for her. Not that her clothes matter. I’m sure Molly will be great. It’s not that. It’s just—I have this weird sense that she’s hiding something.”
“Like what?” Now Penny was really nervous.
“I don’t know.” Sophie paused. “Tanner said she’s been a regular here for the past couple of months but that she’s wary around the horses, worried about falling off, I think he said.” She gave a half laugh and shook her head as if to clear it. “None of which has anything to do with her ability to work in our daycare. I’m having opening-day jitters. Ignore me, Penny.”
“I’ll keep my eye on her,” she promised. “But you have to admit, she is a deft touch with the babies.”
“That’s why you like Molly. Because her mother’s heart is just like yours.” Sophie grinned then nudged her. “You have to mingle now,” she ordered. “The staff using these facilities probably have a hundred questions. I’ll get Tanner to slide open the door to the lunch area so folks can pick up a lemonade and a cookie and then we’ll have a Q and A session. Is that okay?”
“Perfect.” When Penny checked her reflection in the window she saw someone standing behind her and whirled around. “Oh. It’s you.” She was unnerved by Rick’s grin.
“Not much of a greeting for your best customer,” he grumbled. “Don’t fuss. You look perfect.” His solemn brown eyes did a quick scan before he nodded. “Not a hair out of place.”
“My hair is always out of place.” She mentally ordered her wobbly knees to firm up. She’d known Rick for several weeks. Why was just seeing him still making her weak at the knees? “It’s called the tousled look. It’s supposed to look like that.”
“Yep, you go with that explanation, Penny,” he teased then grinned. “Whatever you call it, it looks good on you.” He lowered his voice like a coconspirator. “It’s not too late to back out, you know.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Yeah, I guess it is.” Rick shrugged. “No reason why you should, either. You’ll be great.” He stopped, leaned forward to stare into her eyes then asked in an incredulous tone, “Penny! You’re not nervous, are you?”
“Well, I am a little—”
“Come on,” he chided. “You fearlessly take on two wild twins on a moment’s notice, impetuously quit teaching, zip over the waves with only a towline to hang on to and suddenly you’re nervous about managing a little old daycare at Wranglers Ranch?” He squeezed her shoulder and said in a very droll Old West tone, “Where’s yer backbone, missie?”
“Thanks. I needed that.” Penny smothered her giggle just as Sophie called her forward to answer questions.
It took about a half an hour to assure the parents of the children who would use the facilities that a caregiver would be available to watch their children whenever they were needed to work on the ranch and to outline some of the activities they would pursue for different age levels who attended.
“Please feel welcome to stop by anytime to see what your child is doing. We want you as parents to feel comfortable coming and going because that can only help your child settle in and that will ease your minds about them. We want to make Wranglers Ranch Day Care the best place for your child to be, next to home,” she added with a grin. “So that’s the plan.”
“Now we’re going to ask you to leave your children with us until noon, so they can get used to the daycare facilities, the workers and their place here. Thank you.”
There were a couple of tearful farewells but most of the children were quickly engaged in activities by the staff at different stations around the building. Out of the corner of her eye Penny saw Rick hunker down to speak to Katie and Kyle, hug them then quietly leave. She knew he’d be heading over to work on his cabins.
After ascertaining every child was engaged, Penny entered the nursery room to chat with Molly, hoping to reassure herself that she’d hired the right person. Two of the babies were sleeping. Molly sat in a rocking chair with a third snuggled in her arms. She was softly humming.
“Doesn’t seem right to get paid for this,” she teased.
“I know.” Penny nodded, pleased by the competence she saw. “When you’re doing what you love it isn’t work at all.” She caught her breath as Molly moved to shift the baby, and the rounded mound of her stomach clearly showed. “Molly, are you pregnant?”
“Yes.” Apprehension grew in Molly’s rounded face. “Does that mean I can’t work here?”
“No, of course not.” Penny rushed to reassure her. “We hired you because we thought you had a way with kids. And you do. Look at you.”
“But you don’t like that I’m pregnant and not married.” Molly nodded sadly, defeat in her voice. “Because you think God doesn’t like it. I get that. Can I just stay for today?”
“Molly, I don’t want you to leave.” Penny touched her arm to reassure her. “I’ll have to tell Sophie and Tanner, of course. But I don’t see why you can’t continue working here. Unless your doctor says otherwise.” She waited for the girl to respond but Molly wouldn’t look at her. “Did you ask him?”
“I don’t have a doctor.” Molly lifted her head, her eyes defiant.
“But surely—” Penny stared at her then gulped as the truth blazoned across her face. Molly was alone, just as she was. “Not even when you first learned you were pregnant?” she asked hopefully then sighed when her newest employee shook her dark head. “Molly, honey, you have to see a doctor to make sure you’re doing everything you need to for the baby.”
“Doctors cost money. I don’t have money for that.” The fear in her voice pained Penny. “I can’t stay in the shelter for much longer so I need to save my money so I’ll be able to rent a place. Anyway, I’m healthy. So is the baby.”
“You can’t know that,” Penny insisted. “Besides—”
“I’ll leave.” Molly rose and handed her the baby. “Maybe I can get a job somewhere else. I got As in my childcare course in high school. I’m not stupid.”
“I know. That’s why we hired you.” Penny set the sleeping baby in a crib then faced the frightened girl. “Please wait, Molly. Let me talk to Tanner and Sophie and find out what they suggest. Maybe they know of a place you can rent. Wranglers Ranch has a nurse named Ellie Wright. She might know a doctor who would help you.”
“I don’t know.” Molly frowned. “I don’t want charity.” Her eyes flashed and her chin jutted out. “I just need a job.”
“Which you have,” Penny assured her. She placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “You keep doing your job. I’ll figure out the rest.” She glanced at Molly’s stomach. “I only want to help you do the best for your baby and for yourself. Okay?”
Molly slowly nodded.
“Good. Now I’d better check on the others. Can you handle these three until Dora comes back from her break?”
“Sure. I used to babysit triplets. Three babies the same age is lots harder than watching these three.” After a moment her face fell and she looked away from Penny. “I didn’t do anything wrong,” she whispered.
“I know you didn’t.” Penny waited, sensing Molly needed someone to talk to.
“A friend of my Mom’s—I babysat his kids. He attacked me one night. I couldn’t fight him off.” Tears welled. “My mom didn’t believe me. She said I was lying because I didn’t like them being together. I refused to babysit for him again and that made her really mad. But I couldn’t go back there,” she wailed.
“Of course you couldn’t,” Penny empathized.
“Well, anyway, when I found out I was pregnant, my mom said I had to have an abortion. But I couldn’t do it. It’s not the baby’s fault,” Molly said fiercely then quickly hushed after a glance at the sleeping infants.
“Of course you couldn’t do that. Not the way you love babies.” Penny drew the weeping girl into her arms and tried to comfort her while anger stirred within her.
“I ran away so she couldn’t make me. That’s why I didn’t finish the childcare course.” Molly sniffed. “I’ve been so scared. I only had a little money saved up and now most of it’s gone. That’s why I stay at the shelter. But I don’t want to be a mom. I don’t want a baby.” The young girl pulled free in order to dash the tears from her eyes. “I couldn’t let it die, I had to run away. But it’s so hard to be al-lone,” she hiccuped.
“You’re not alone anymore, Molly. You have Wranglers Ranch and you have me. Together we’ll figure something out. I don’t want you to stress about it anymore. Okay?” Penny smiled to reassure her, waited till she was calm then left the room.
Penny’s heart boiled with fury. She stepped outside to reclaim her control and to whisper a prayer for help for Molly. How ironic this situation was. Here was a girl who was going to have a child she didn’t want. And here was Penny, eager and ready to be a mom but unable to have the child she longed for.
Why, God? her heart whispered for the umpteenth time.
“Penny?” Rick stood beside the fence surrounding the daycare playground. His forehead furrowed as he frowned at her. “Are you okay?”
“No,” she admitted. “I’m angry and frustrated and fed up and—”
“Need a coffee break,” he finished with a smile. “Wanna join me?” He held out a hand.
There were a hundred jobs she needed to complete, fifty items on her to-do list that screamed for immediate attention, but Rick’s invitation was just too sweet to ignore.
“Yes, I do want to join you for a break. Thank you. Just let me make sure the others know where I’ll be.” She summoned a smile before hurrying inside.
She’d expected to return and find he’d headed for the patio where Sophie always made sure there was coffee, iced tea or lemonade for staff who needed a break. There were usually snacks, too, leftovers from her most recent catering job.
To Penny’s surprise, Rick was still waiting for her by the gate, leaning against the fence, his arms crossed over his chest as he peered at the cabin he’d begun constructing.
“Something wrong?” she asked as she joined him and they began walking toward the patio.
“Yeah, there is.” He fell silent.
“May I guess?” Penny didn’t wait for his answer. “You don’t like the way the cabins are going to face.” She chuckled at his surprised look. “I checked out some of the houses you’ve built. You like to create something unusual in each one. The cabins are going to be lovely but each of them will be the same as the next, without that element of surprise you always go for. Am I correct?”
Rick nodded, waited until she’d poured herself an iced tea and selected a muffin. He chose coffee and a treat for himself before joining her under the lacy branches of a mesquite tree that provided shade but also allowed a cooling breeze.
“You’ve looked at my work?” His surprise was obvious.
“Why wouldn’t I? Aren’t you proud of it?” she asked with a teasing grin.
“Yes, but—” He chewed his doughnut thoughtfully. “Got any ideas?”
“As it happens, I do.” Penny snic
kered at his rolling eyes. “Well, you did ask.”
“True.” He sipped his coffee then leaned back. “So tell me your thoughts, Penny.”
“Actually, I’ve been thinking about those cabins of yours quite a lot,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t take offense at what she was about to suggest. “The design is for all of them to face a central area, correct?”
“Yes.” Rick nodded, wondering how and when she’d seen the plans. “A courtyard.”
“So here’s my idea. What if they didn’t? What if each one opened in a different direction?” Penny quickly sketched a rough outline of her thoughts on her napkin. “Then each front door could offer—”
“Its own unique perspective on the desert.” He nodded. “Very good. And if we replaced a few of the barrel cactus here and planted a couple of saguaros beside the front of each one, it wouldn’t be long before the cabins would look like they’d been there forever. Problem solved,” he said with a surprised look. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” A little shiver crept over Penny’s skin when Rick grinned at her. Scar or no scar, the man was an absolute hunk. “Now maybe you can help me with my problem.”
She didn’t understand the odd look that washed across his face or his hesitation, but once he said, “Sure,” she told him Molly’s story.
“I want her to see a doctor and soon.”
“Do you know her due date?” Rick stole the corner of her uneaten muffin. He looked so calm.
“No.” Penny leaned back on the bench. “I’m so furious at her attacker I’d like to spit. My mind’s fixated on him and what he’s done. He should be made to pay for assaulting that girl.” She pursed her lips. “Molly should go to the police.”
“Maybe.” Rick swirled his coffee, his voice thoughtful. “But from what you’ve said about her reaction, it doesn’t sound like she’s after retribution. Sounds more like she’s focused on finding a place to live.” He frowned as he studied her. “I know you’re upset for her, but maybe you have to forget about him and concentrate on what Molly needs.”
