Harlequin Heartwarming June 2021 Box Set

by Patricia Johns

  Bridget leaned closer to Will. “I loathe her ex, as much as any big sister who watches her little sister get hurt. But I will say one thing for her, and it’s probably why Phillip is attacking her so viciously. She’s not afraid to walk away from a bad situation. And when she said she’s not riding ever again, I believe it. You’ll have to do more than change her mind. You’ll have to change her.”

  He took in the spectacle of Krista, the best-looking person on the lake, and his plan to get her on a horse dissolved. He was trying to change her, to expand her to include his life, but that meant stretching himself in ways he didn’t want to, either. So where did that leave them?

  Krista had been right all along. They weren’t meant to be together. But he couldn’t bear the thought of them being apart, either.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “HOLD IT THERE,” Alyssa said. Krista swore if she had to maintain her pose another second, she’d scream. But she dutifully kept her head angled to Will’s shoulder as they gazed adoringly at Austin on Will’s arm.

  “This might help my image,” Will said, “but it’s going to make Keith seem like an absentee father.”

  “My job is to make you look good,” Alyssa said. “No one’s thinking about Keith.”

  Alyssa certainly understood how to build an image. The “never give up on kids” message had gained traction to the point Phillip’s latest picture had reverted to his old cracks about their incompatibility. The dolls rode horses in a merry-go-round. Will-doll was seated properly, and Krista-doll was mounted backward. She was saying, “I think I’m doing something wrong.” And the Will-doll thought, “No more than usual.”

  When Alyssa had showed it to them, Will had not blown up as before. His expression had gone carefully neutral, almost polite. As if he secretly agreed with Phillip but didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

  Something had changed in Will since their outing on the lake nearly a week ago. He’d gone quiet. She’d been booked solid the past days, and he’d been cutting hay and baling, on top of working a three-year-old colt, so they’d not had a chance to see one another until now for this brief photo shoot before he headed back out to the field.

  Alyssa left. When Krista decided to corner Will about his moodiness, he got a text that made him growl. “Mom and Dad are running behind. They’ll be another couple of hours at least.” Will had once again pulled the short straw to cover for Keith with Austin until Janet and Dave returned from a bull sale. Meanwhile, Keith’s truck had broken down, and he was off on the side of a highway, waiting for a relief truck. He wouldn’t be home for hours.

  Which meant Will couldn’t get out to bale and there was rain forecasted for tomorrow. Apparently, you couldn’t bale wet hay or else it would plug the...the something on the baler. Forget about having a heart-to-heart. Will was too keyed up about the field work.

  “Look,” Krista said, “how about I take care of Austin? I know the routine. We play, have supper, play, bathe, bed. Janet will probably be home before long. All’s good.”

  “You’re sure?” Will appeared the most excited over anything she’d said all week.

  Her first experience with children of any kind was five-year-old Sofia eight months ago. They’d forged a lasting bond based on bling and trending hairstyles. Austin couldn’t form sentences, distinguish between edibles and poison, and climbed over what he couldn’t climb under. But she’d spent time around Austin, watched others care for him. And it was only for two hours. “Very sure.”

  He practically tossed Austin into her arms before beelining it out to the barnyard.

  Austin wiggled from her arms and charged for the living room steps. Krista gasped at the two steps but he flipped to his belly, bumped down and was back on his feet before she could reach him. The monkey was fast.

  And reckless. He almost beaned himself on cabinet handles, coffee table corners, wall edges. When he’d crawled onto the kitchen chair twice to use the pepper shaker as a noisemaker, she decided that Austin was better outside. She’d have to run to keep up with him but at least she didn’t have to worry about so many toddler traps.

  “You certainly have got the Claverley energy, buddy,” she said, setting him down in the yard. It was like releasing a fully primed robo-dog. He immediately set off for the barns. Zero chance she’d let Austin anywhere near an animal.

  Where was Clover to ride herd? Probably gone off to escort Will to the field. Krista implemented a Clover technique and got in his space to point him back to the house yard. Austin darted around her and plowed on. “Mutt!” She carried him up to the sandbox behind the house with its assortment of dump trucks and tractors. “There. How about you apprentice here before tackling the big ones?” Except the sight of the trucks and tractors reminded him of the real ones. “Tuck. Tactor.” And with the unerring instinct of a migratory bird, he headed once again to the barn.

  She had to retrieve him four times, both of their impatience mounting. No wonder Keith looked perpetually on edge. Of course, he could take Austin to the horsies. Every last single Claverley probably galloped with Austin tucked under their arm like a football.

  Nope. Kids were not her thing. Not to keep, anyway. And she didn’t have a future with Will unless kids were in it. And if there wasn’t a future, what was the point of pretending another day?

  Because she wanted him. Because, unlike with Phillip, she was too weak to let him go.

  “C’mon, monkey, let’s go have something to eat.” She picked him up and had to hold on tight as he squirmed for release. “What do you want? Strawberries? Ice cream?”

  He quieted, listening. Her chatter was more than soothing babble to him. “Peas? Milk?” Wait, did he have allergies? Will hadn’t mentioned any, but that didn’t mean anything.

  She skimmed her contacts. As much as she didn’t want to, she settled on Janet. It was her kitchen, after all.

  “He doesn’t have any allergies,” Janet said, “but he is a picky eater. And he refuses to eat anything unless he puts it into his own mouth.”

  “Why am I not surprised?” Krista said.

  “Surprised?”

  “At his early display of independence. He’s a Claverley, after all.”

  Janet ignored her and directed her to the roasted potatoes in the fridge, along with the cheese, blueberries—halve them!—strawberries—quarter them! She instructed Krista to only give him a bit on his tray at a time, otherwise he’ll wad it all in and choke. “And if you can’t manage anything else, there’s cereal in the pantry.”

  She could manage, thank you very much.

  She did, too. She managed to clean up every telltale sign of the cereal, and unless Austin pooped them out in perfect circles, she figured she was covered.

  Janet texted to say that the bull was finally loaded but they were still two hours away.

  No problem, Krista said. She could do the play-bathe-bed routine. After a play made easier by Clover’s support, she filled the tub up until Austin’s belly was covered. Austin’s face began to pucker in distress.

  “Oh no, you’re not. Water is fun. You’re not going to end up like your scaredy-cat uncle.” She spied a bottle of bubble bath on the edge of the tub and squirted in a generous dollop, shaking it up with her hand. Bubbles were not a normal experience for Austin, apparently, because his eyes widened at their appearance and for the first time that evening, he launched into giggles.

  Finally, a beautiful moment. She reached for her camera phone—there was a sudden splashing—and Austin sunk underneath the water.

  His little arms and legs flailed amid the bubbles. Krista grabbed him around the torso and lifted him out. Austin coughed and sputtered, swiped at bubbles over his eyes. She flipped him belly down across her thighs, her lifeguard experience kicking in.

  “It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay,” she murmured, hoping to calm him while inside she was fighting panic. He’d be fine
, he was fine, his system was expelling any water, the kid was tough, a Claverley, after all.

  His coughing subsided, and Krista reached for a towel, wrapping him up. “There, aren’t you a brave boy?”

  His lip wobbled and he began to cry. Tears not so much of fright, but anger. “Go!”

  A new word. She didn’t blame him. She’d ruined his playtime, fed him breakfast cereal straight out of the box and nearly drowned him. His decision was sensible.

  She pulled the plug on the bathwater and gathered him into her arms. “Here, we’ll leave this scene and get you into jammies, and then we’ll take it from there.”

  Austin snapped. He screamed and kicked her thighs, drummed his fists on whatever part of her he could get at. “Go, go, go!”

  “Sorry, buddy, for wrecking your day, but let’s get through the next hour together, okay?”

  Austin’s howls were now full-throated, and she didn’t know if his eyes were red from the bubbles or his tears.

  Another text from Janet. We’ve a flat tire. We’ll be another hour.

  Ugh. She’d give Austin fifteen minutes to calm down, and then she’d call Will. Maybe the sound of his voice would break through to Austin. If that didn’t work, then she would beg and plead for him to come in. She’d drive out herself but there was no car seat available.

  Fifteen minutes later, with Austin still screaming out his lungs and naked because he didn’t want her anywhere near him, her message to Will went to voice mail.

  Anger spiked. He knew she was alone with Austin. Why couldn’t he pick up his phone? Help her out like she was helping him out? Or was there a reason he couldn’t pick up? Statistics about farm accidents flashed through her mind.

  No. She had no time to entertain morbid thoughts. Not with Austin aiming to bust her eardrum. Tears wouldn’t kill him. Unless—he didn’t usually have this soap, so was he having a massive allergic reaction? There would be other symptoms—a rash, difficulty breathing—which he clearly was not having. She checked his head to make sure he hadn’t bumped it when he’d gone under. Only sweaty from his performance.

  Not having Keith’s number, Krista called the only person she knew within reach that might get through to Austin. Dana picked up on the fourth ring.

  “As you are probably hearing, I’m with Austin and it’s not going well.”

  “What happened?” Dana’s voice was sharp, worried.

  Krista filled her in. “I was hoping that you might have a suggestion for how to get him to stop shrieking. I’m sure he’s physically fine, but apparently he’s inherited the Claverley fear of water.”

  “Put him on.”

  At the sound of Dana’s voice, Austin’s screams fell to body-shuddering heaves. “Dana,” he sighed.

  Krista overheard Dana talk nonsense about horses and tractors and strawberries. Austin’s shuddering eased off and he relaxed against Krista as Dana’s voice flowed into his ears.

  Then Krista withdrew the phone. Austin grabbed for it, his face contracting with distress. “Could you possibly talk to him for the next coupla hours?” Krista said, only half-joking.

  “Hang on, I’m coming over.”

  If possible, Austin’s cries were even louder during the ten minutes it took for Dana to pull up.

  “Dana, Dana, Dana,” Austin repeated in excitement and desperation. He flung himself into her embrace and wrapped his own little arms tight around her neck.

  “Oh, my guy,” Dana whispered and rested her cheek on his damp curls.

  Krista’s insides twisted. The two clearly loved each other. Yes, Keith hadn’t kept Dana from Austin, but neither had he made it easy for them to be together. And sadly, there was nothing Krista could do about it, either. Why wouldn’t Keith give him and Dana a chance?

  Still wrapped together, Dana moved to the easy chair in the living room. Krista switched to the role of personal assistant, fluttering to them with towel, blankie, diaper, jammies, a sippy cup of cold water. When the two were cozy together, Krista withdrew to the back deck to give them privacy.

  Alone, Krista checked her phone. Nothing from Janet or Will. She texted Mara. Babysitting was a nightmare. I’ll be home in an hour or two.

  Mara replied, Okay. She was probably enjoying the single life of a movie or music accompanied by alcohol. Krista settled into the deck chair, waving away whining mosquitoes, the quiet of the country thundering in her ears.

  And where was Will? Out on a tractor somewhere on the Claverley spread, completely unaware of her troubles with his nephew. She couldn’t blame him; she’d agreed to this experiment. But it was a failed one. Like her relationship with Will. A month together, and she could already see the cracks yawning between them, wide as a pasture, long as the distance between this ranch and her salon.

  I love you, Will, but this is not the life for me.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  IN THE DESCENDING DARK, Keith drove along the graveled road to the ranch, a few miles from ending his sixteen-hour day of breakdowns, missed delivery times and grumpy customers. He normally used the commute home as a chance to listen to music, blow off steam about work and divorce proceedings, and let plans for him and Austin trickle in. But right now, he was focused only on staying awake long enough to park his truck, whisper good-night to his sleeping boy and enter the same state of consciousness himself.

  Half a mile from the Claverley driveway, he saw Dana pull out, the headlights of her truck flashing toward him. Why was she over so late? Needed help with something? And now, like last time, she was leaving again before he could speak to her. No, last time she’d left because he hadn’t scrounged up the nerve to come to her. Not happening, tonight.

  He slowed to a stop on the road, the universal rural sign that he wanted to speak to the oncoming driver. She drew opposite him and he switched on his cab lights. She didn’t, but there was enough power from his to reach her. She looked exhausted, pale even through her tan.

  “Hey,” he said, “I almost missed you again.”

  She gave a wan smile. “It’s all good. He’s settled now.”

  Keith fumbled to connect the dots. “You were over for Austin?”

  “Krista was watching him tonight, and he pitched a tantrum that she couldn’t bring him out of.”

  What a crappy father he was. All along he’d assumed Will or his mother was with Austin, and here Krista had filled in. Austin hardly knew her. No wonder he’d wigged out. He rubbed his face. “I’m sorry, Dana. I—I didn’t realize.”

  “No worries. Dave and Janet only got home themselves, and I helped with the unloading.”

  “Right. The bull sale. They picked one up, then?”

  “Yep. Good shape. But—” She rolled her eyes. “They are actually talking about turning him out with the herd. See what happens.”

  Keith groaned. “Back to calving in May. Might as well be talking to a wall with them.”

  Dana gave a small, companionable laugh. She’d always done a lot of that with him, something he realized now that they’d not had a conversation in six weeks. Her right hand passed from the wheel to the gearshift. Ready to drive on.

  “Austin’s busting out a lot of words now,” he said quickly.

  She flickered a smile. “I noticed. I heard ‘cup’ and ‘tractor’ and ‘book.’” Her gaze drifted away to the windshield. “Also heard ‘Dana’ a few times.”

  When he hadn’t been able to summon up the courage to call her about what had happened at Caris’s wedding, he’d composed a text. “You’re always welcome over, you know.”

  She did. She’d just been here, after all. At Krista’s invitation, no less. “To see Austin,” he clarified.

  Except she knew that, too.

  She gave a tired smile. “I have visitation rights?”

  “I didn’t mean it that way. Not exactly.” He pushed himself to say more. “Your name wasn’t h
is first word for no reason. You two are close. I don’t want to stand in the way of that.”

  She turned to him, her eyes full. “But you do,” she whispered. “You do.”

  Now he stared through the windshield. Her engine revved up as she shifted into Drive.

  “Listen, Dana,” he said. “Hold on. That night...what I said...it came out all wrong... I’m sorry.”

  She looked silently at him. The dim light from his cabin touched the soft slope of her cheek, caught the light red-brown glints in her hair. She was too far away to touch, so he’d somehow have to reach her with his words. Unrehearsed words. The same kind that had got him into this mess the first time.

  “Look, Dana. We’ve known each other since we were kids, and in my mind you’ve always belonged to Will. When he mentioned that he’d asked you to go out with him, it made perfect sense to me. I never even considered you and me together, until you brought it up. So yeah, you took me by surprise. And my knee-jerk reaction was to shut it all down. But I was wrong.”

  She shoved the gear back into Park.

  “When I thought about it, I started seeing all the advantages. Of how you and Austin love each other, and how I could help you really build up your place so you wouldn’t have to hire work out.”

  Her head dipped. He was losing her again. He spoke faster. “Will says you want four kids, and if you count Austin, we’re already up by one. And my divorce won’t go on forever, so after going over it in my mind, we actually might work out.”

  He waited. She lifted her head. Her pale cheeks were flushed. “Let me get this right,” she clipped out. “You’re saying we should get together for the sake of the farm and kids...as a partnership.”

  How had he angered her? He was offering her what she’d asked for. “I told you that I thought you could do better. I’m trying to say that I’ll work to be what you deserve.”

  She shook her head. “You still believe I’m settling. Don’t you see, settling in my mind would be dating Will. I passed him over because you were the one I wanted. I’ve had plenty of chances to ‘settle’ over the past few years, but I held out for you.”