Falling for the Single Mom

by Mia Ross

  “Where I’m from, a shop owner wouldn’t even think of leaving cash out in the open and unguarded like that.”

  There was that dimple again. “Then I guess it’s a good thing you and Bailey landed here.”

  She couldn’t agree more, but there was no way she was sharing that with someone she’d just met. Besides, she didn’t want him to mistake their conversation for flirting.

  “Anyway,” Erin interrupted, “when you guys came in, we were debating how to decorate this ugly thing to make it more presentable. Any ideas?”

  “Marketing is hardly my strong point,” Heather replied. “But I understand Bekah does your website, and it’s fabulous. I’m sure she’d have some suggestions for you.”

  Erin considered that for a moment, then wrinkled her nose and looked down at Bailey. “Bekah’s got a lot going on right now, being pregnant and all. Besides, I think someone younger would be better suited to this sort of job. Do you have any ideas about what we should do?”

  To Heather’s astonishment, her niece jumped right in. “The castle and pirate ship were so nice before. Maybe you could show people a picture of how they used to look and one of them now.”

  “Awesome,” Josh approved with the kind of enthusiasm Heather had seldom observed in an adult. Beneath all that tanned muscle ran a fun-loving streak unlike any she’d seen in other men she’d met, and she couldn’t help wondering if he approached everything in his life that way. If he did, she had to admit that she was more than a little envious of his bright attitude. She was fairly serious by nature, but perhaps she could learn to be more upbeat.

  Going along with his positive response, she gently tugged Bailey’s braid. “Tell you what. After I drop you at day care, I’ll go by the park and take some pictures of the playground. I’m sure Erin can find us some of how it looked before, and we’ll ask Cam to give us some more of these big empty jars. Then tonight you and I can design the signs, print them out and glue them on the containers. Tomorrow’s Saturday, so we can go around town and leave them at businesses where people are sure to notice them when they’re out shopping.”

  “I’ll get a list of stores that’ll let you drop them off,” Erin offered. “I can’t imagine anyone would mind, though, since it’s their kids and grandkids who have so much fun playing over there at the park.”

  The speediness of the town’s reaction to the storm was impressive. Heather laughed. “Do people around here solve all their problems this fast?”

  “When there’s something to be done, everyone pitches in,” Josh informed her as he strolled toward the door. “That’s the beauty of living in a place like Oaks Crossing.”

  So she was learning, Heather mused as she and Bailey followed him outside. This was precisely why she’d chosen to move them to this sleepy Bluegrass town. The peaceful surroundings here would give them both a chance to get their feet under them and adjust to being together.

  And then? She wasn’t sure, but she’d figure it out when the time came. Bailey would be dependent on her for years to come, and Heather had every intention of living up to her niece’s expectations. After worrying about only herself for so long, Craig’s death had changed everything for her.

  Now—and far into the future—Bailey was the absolute center of her world. Everything else would just have to wait.

  * * *

  The middle Kinley brother, Drew, let out a low whistle. “This is a mess.”

  He and Josh, along with oldest brother, Mike, were standing in the town park, just outside the barricade of sawhorses that outlined the wrecked playground in yellow tape marked SHERIFF’S LINE—DO NOT CROSS. Just in case anyone misunderstood the potential danger of venturing inside the boundary, every few feet there was a sign that warned of the dire consequences to anyone stupid enough to believe that the order didn’t apply to them. While Josh doubted their laid-back sheriff would actually toss someone in jail for slipping past the barrier, he was pretty sure that the fine mentioned on the signs would be enforced.

  “Abby’s heartbroken over this,” Mike commented sadly. “She loves playing here with her friends after church.”

  “Yeah, Erin said Parker’s pretty bummed, too,” Drew added. “The adoption’s official now, but I guess he still has a hard time making friends. Over here he could feel like one of the crew instead of a kid trying to recover from a tough background.”

  Their discussion reminded Josh of Bailey wishing that she’d been able to experience the playground before it was destroyed. “Summer vacation’s coming up pretty quick. We need to get this place squared away or the kids’ll drive their parents and babysitters totally nuts looking for stuff to do.”

  “What’ve you got in mind?” Mike asked, eyeing him with something that looked an awful lot like respect. Coming from the big brother he admired so much, it meant a lot to him.

  “Erin’s already started fund-raising, and Bailey will be helping her out. I promised her I’d pull a crew together to get the damaged sections put back together.”

  Knowing full well that they’d tease him mercilessly, he didn’t dare mention Heather’s name. But these two had known him his entire life. He didn’t have to say it for them to hear it.

  “Bailey, huh?” Mike chuckled. “She’s five years old, right?”

  “So?”

  Drew draped an arm around Mike’s shoulders. “So we’re thinking she’s probably gonna have some help from her aunt. Her very pretty aunt.”

  “Grow up,” Josh growled. “It’s not like that with Heather and me.”

  “Why not?” Drew asked, grinning at him like an idiot.

  Aggravated by the detour their conversation had taken from let’s-all-work-together to let’s-pick-on-Josh, he glared back but stubbornly refused to answer.

  “I’m thinking you got warned,” Mike jumped in. “Seeing as Drew and I are married now, you’re the only one of us left to cause trouble with the ladies. What’d Erin say to you?”

  They had him dead to rights, so as much as he hated to back down, Josh figured he’d be wasting his breath if he continued stonewalling them. “That Heather’s strictly off-limits. The princess said the clinic needs a permanent vet more than I need another girlfriend.”

  “She’s got a point there,” Drew commented, rubbing his chin. “You go through ’em pretty quick.”

  Josh snorted. “Like you two were any better. I learned everything I know about women from you.” When they both grinned, he shook his head in defeat. He’d spent his whole life trying to best them at something—anything—but apparently his winless streak wasn’t going to end today. “Anyway, Erin doesn’t want to risk setting up a situation that might turn bad and make Heather want to leave.”

  Like Cindy had, he added silently. He could still see her, staring at him with tears in her eyes while she slowly shook her head and handed back the ring he’d saved for months to buy her. She loved him, but there was a big world out there, and she didn’t want to settle down until she’d explored some of it. For months afterward, he’d mooned over her, waiting for his sweet country girl to come back and tell him she’d made a mistake. But she never did.

  So, like countless guys before him, he’d dusted himself off and gotten on with his life. He was a Kinley boy, after all, and there were plenty of women around for him to spend his time with. The problem was, none of them gave him the same breathless feeling he’d gotten when he was with Cindy.

  Until a few days ago when he stumbled across a feisty blonde pixie with a stern manner and a soft heart. Different from Cindy in just about every way, Heather fascinated him in a way he didn’t quite understand.

  “The word you’re looking for is smitten,” Mike suggested with a knowing smirk.

  “What?”

  “You’re a lot of things,” Drew explained, “but subtle ain’t one of ’em. Anyone with eyes and half a working
brain can see Heather’s getting under your skin.”

  “You’re outta your mind. I like her, and she likes me, the same way Bailey does. That’s all.”

  His brothers traded a glance, but they didn’t say anything more on the subject. Josh couldn’t figure out why the ribbing had stopped so abruptly until he noticed them staring past him toward the other side of the park. He turned to find the lady they’d just been discussing taking the pictures she’d mentioned earlier. When she saw them, she waved and began picking her way through the grass and shattered bits of wood, frowning at the wrecked play structure.

  When Heather reached them, she sighed. “It didn’t look this bad to me the other day.”

  “You probably didn’t notice, since you were so focused on your niece,” Mike said, flashing Josh a prodding look.

  “Oh, sorry,” he stammered, feeling like a moron. “Heather Fitzgerald, this is my big brother, Mike, and my doofus brother, Drew.”

  Laughing, she shook hands with them. “I’ve met Bekah at the center, Drew, and she talks about you nonstop. I’m looking forward to meeting Lily sometime soon.”

  “My wife’s always either at school or the farm,” Mike said. “She and my daughter, Abby, hike over to the center whenever they can, so you’re likely to run into them there eventually.”

  “Or you and Bailey could come to lunch on Sunday, meet the whole family.”

  Josh couldn’t believe it was his own voice he heard. But he’d blurted out the invitation, and he couldn’t take it back now, so he did his best to act cool about it.

  The grateful smile she gave him made him glad he’d spoken up. “Thank you, Josh, that’s very generous of you. We’d love to do that.” Turning to Mike, she added, “I’d also love to meet some of the horses you’ve got. I haven’t had a lot of experience with large animals, and it would be great to learn from someone who works with them every day.”

  “Happy to help.”

  Turning her attention back to Josh, she asked, “So, is this the construction crew you promised us?”

  “The start of it, anyway. We were just saying how much the kids would miss playing here over summer vacation.”

  “Then I guess we’d better get it back into shape ASAP. See you Sunday.” With a quick wave, she headed across the street to where her car was parked. After she’d driven away, Josh felt a familiar arm settle across his shoulders.

  “Like I said, little brother,” Drew gloated, “she’s under your skin. You might as well just accept it.”

  For once, Josh didn’t disagree with him. But he couldn’t pursue Heather without risking bodily injury from Erin, so he decided it was best to put the fascinating veterinarian out of his mind. “So, we’re obviously gonna need more hands to tackle such a big job. Got any suggestions?”

  They put together a list of friends they thought might be willing to pitch in and then went their separate ways. As Josh drove back to the farm, he found himself thankful that he had so much plowing to catch up on. It would keep him on the tractor and well occupied for the rest of the week.

  Until Sunday, anyway. By then, he’d have to come up with a way to keep Heather Fitzgerald at a nice, respectable distance. It was a stretch for him, trying to hold a beautiful woman at bay, but he didn’t have a choice.

  Even if Erin hadn’t declared her off-limits, Josh had the nagging feeling that if he let himself get too close to the spunky city girl, he really would be in trouble.

  * * *

  The Sunday lunch that Josh had invited them to was quite the experience. Heather had never seen so many relatives all in one place outside of a full-blown Fitzgerald reunion.

  Her own extended family was scattered across the United States, and some even lived in Ireland, where her parents were currently doing a tour to reconnect with their roots. In contrast, the Kinleys had all stayed close to where they’d grown up, and from the bits of family news that she was able to pick up, most of their parents’ many siblings had done the same. These days that was unusual, but Heather also thought it was wonderful. Close-knit and firmly grounded by the farm they were so devoted to keeping, the large, raucous family was nothing like the much smaller one she’d grown up in. And she loved it.

  “Charlie, down,” Josh’s niece Abby firmly told an enormous golden retriever, who immediately removed his front paws from Bailey’s waist and sat in front of her, swishing his feathery tail over the well-worn plank floor in the enormous kitchen. To Bailey, she said, “He gets excited meeting new people, but he wouldn’t hurt you. He’s just saying hello.”

  Bailey’s hesitant look gave way to a bright smile as the dog extended his paw for her to shake. “Hello, Charlie. Nice to meet you.”

  He woofed quietly and looked over his shoulder at a graying Jack Russell who’d followed him in from the living room. His slow, stiff gait alerted Heather to the fact that he was arthritic, so she knelt on the floor to get on his level.

  “This must be Sarge,” she commented. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about you from Erin.”

  The terrier’s eyes were cloudy with cataracts, and he sniffed at her in a curious manner that told her he didn’t see as well as he once did. But he politely offered a paw, and she shook it gently to avoid hurting him.

  “He’s really old,” Erin’s son, Parker, informed her. “But he’s a good friend for a young dog to have, ’cause he can teach Charlie how to behave. That just makes us love Sarge even more.”

  The boy’s matter-of-fact assessment of the aging pet made her smile. “We should all have someone like Sarge watching out for us.”

  “That’s the truth of it, to be sure,” Maggie Kinley announced in a voice that carried a faint Irish lilt. Carrying a huge platter filled with thick slices of honey-glazed ham, she came out from behind the gigantic island that separated the long table from the working area of the kitchen. “But for now, anyone who walks around on four paws needs to scoot. Lunch is ready.”

  Taking their cue from her, Abby and Parker herded the dogs and a cat that had appeared out of nowhere onto a screened-in porch and shut the door to keep them away from the food. The animated discussion of a new horse that had arrived yesterday continued at the table, and some of the details Drew had to share about the animal’s poor condition were sobering, to say the least. Heather was grateful to see that Josh had seated Bailey near the other end and slid into the empty spot on the bench beside her, effectively shielding her from the overwhelming sea of strangers. As Heather took the other side, she caught his eye and mouthed, “Thank you.”

  He responded with one of his bright country boy grins, and she easily returned the gesture. Reserved by nature, she couldn’t help noticing that just being around him made her feel more relaxed than she’d been in a very long time.

  Leaning in, he nudged Bailey’s shoulder. “Kinda crazy around here, huh?”

  “Is this your whole family?”

  “Nah. We’ve got aunts, uncles and cousins all over the area, and my mom’s parents live a couple of hours away. When everyone gets together, we need a park to hold us all.”

  “A big park,” Heather added.

  “There are never so many that we can’t make room for more,” Maggie assured her, putting the serving platter in the center of the table before taking her seat at the foot. Picking up a bowl of potato salad, she asked, “So, what’s new with everyone this week?”

  In her peripheral vision, Heather noticed Mike give Lily a look, and she nodded slightly. As he took her hand, his weathered features broke into a grin. “We’ve got the go-ahead from the doctor to tell everyone now. There’s another little Kinley on the way.”

  Maggie stopped with the serving spoon in midair, staring at him as if he’d just told her he’d found gold in the creek that ran through their property. She let out a delighted squeal and bolted from her chair, rushing to the other end of the
table to wrap one arm around Lily and the other around Mike. “It will be so wonderful having a baby in the house again! When are you due?”

  “A few weeks after Bekah,” Lily answered, sending her sister-in-law a bright smile. “I may need some advice from you as things go along.”

  “I’d be happy to help out any way I can,” Bekah replied, beaming with unabashed joy. “It’ll be so fantastic having our kids grow up together.”

  “As long as they’re both girls, it’ll be fine,” Erin said in a cynical tone. “We’ve already got more than enough boys around here as it is.”

  Josh protested in a long groan, but Drew laughed. “No promises on that one, sis. We’re gonna find out in the delivery room.”

  “So are we,” Lily said. “This is my first baby, and I love surprises.”

  While the conversation shifted from horses to nurseries and baby names, it dawned on Heather that her hosts’ gracious demeanor extended to more than the retired racehorses and other animals they rescued. Watching Lily and Erin with their children, she never would have guessed that they weren’t Abby and Parker’s biological mothers. Apparently, where the Kinleys were concerned, family was more than blood.

  It was love.

  A strong current of it flowed around the people seated at that scarred oak table, encircling even Heather in a warmth that extended far beyond the physical. Now she understood where Josh had come by the generous streak he’d shown her from their very first meeting beside the moving van. This was a family who saw a need and did what they could to meet it. Being connected to these remarkable people, even as an employee of the rescue center, was more than an honor for her.

  It was a blessing.

  She’d never been one to view things from that perspective, but so many people she’d encountered this week had spoken openly of their faith. After the storm, many of them had expressed the same deep gratitude for Bailey’s safety that she’d been experiencing herself. It was gratifying to know that she wasn’t the only one who felt that way. After driving herself so hard for so long, it felt good to pause long enough to enjoy the simple things that she and Bailey had clearly been missing out on.