by Hope Navarre
“But what—”
“Is it?” the girls insisted.
“Wait a minute and you’ll see,” he told them, but he didn’t take his eyes off Robyn’s puzzled face.
Just then, the faint sound of jingling bells could be heard coming from the side of the house. Chance burst into view, followed by a fluffy black-and-white puppy dancing at his heels. The jingling came from the brass sleigh bells sewn onto the pup’s red-leather collar.
Chance darted up to the screen door and glanced back at the pup, who tried but couldn’t quite make it up the first step. The boy hurried back down and scooped the pup into his arms. It promptly began to lick his face in gratitude.
Neal held open the screen door as Chance struggled up the steps with his burden and hurried to his mother. He tried to sign, but finally had to put the wiggling pup down. The twins dropped to their knees in delight as the curious puppy scampered to them.
Beaming with excitement, Chance signed, “Is she really mine? Can I keep her?”
Robyn nodded. “Yes, you can keep her. She’s your present.”
The bells on the pup’s collar jingled as she raced back to the boy. Chance turned and flung himself into Neal’s arms for a quick hug. Tenderness filled Neal’s heart as he returned the embrace, and then Chance bounded out of his arms, scooped up the puppy and began to show her to each of the adults seated around the porch.
Edward patted the silky black head and looked at Neal. “What kind of dog is it?”
“A border collie.”
“A sheepdog?” Adam asked.
“Sheep and cattle.” Neal nodded. “I’ve seen them work huge herds of cattle and sheep guided only by hand signals from their owners.”
“A dog that knows sign language. Well, I’ll be,” Edward muttered.
“She won’t find many cattle or sheep to herd in town,” Adam said.
Ellie flashed a bright grin at her son as she spoke, “Border collies make very good pets for children. They have that protective instinct. Neal had a dog like this when he was young. Every place he went, Scamp went, too.”
Chance moved to show his puppy to Clara. She patted it and asked, “What’s its name?”
He shrugged and looked at Neal. He signed the phrase he’d been practicing. “She’s your dog. You name her.”
“Bell,” Chance signed. “I’m going to call her Bell.”
Neal ducked his head to hide a smile. “Now, why didn’t I think of that?”
Standing, he motioned to the twins. “Come on, girls, I’ve got some accessories to go with Bell in my truck. Help me bring them in.”
Robyn listened to the jingle of the puppy’s collar as she followed the group around the house, and she smiled softly.
Adam moved to stand beside her. “I don’t know why he thinks the dog needs those bells. The sound is going to get annoying, and it’s not like the boy can hear them.”
The smile stayed on her lips as she closed her eyes to listen. “The bells aren’t for Chance,” she said softly. “They’re for me. So I can hear where he is because that pup will always be near him.”
“I’m thirsty,” Clara said suddenly.
“Would you like some more lemonade?” Robyn asked. She crossed the porch, picked up the half-empty pitcher and turned to fill Clara’s glass. Clara smiled brightly at her, then frowned as Neal held open the screen door while Chance struggled in with a ten-pound sack of puppy food in his arms.
“Shame on you, young man.” Clara scowled at Neal. “Don’t let your son lift such a heavy package.”
The glass pitcher slipped from Robyn’s hand and shattered on the floor.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
MARTHA AND EDWARD rushed to help Robyn clean up the broken glass, ice cubes and lemon slices scattered across the porch floor. Robyn quickly realized her shock at hearing Clara’s words had gone unnoticed. Everyone was used to Clara’s strange pronouncements and paid them little attention.
Robyn glanced at Neal, but he was staring at Clara with a strange look on his face until Chance and the twins claimed his attention. They were ready for the piñata to be hung from a branch of the tree in the yard.
The party continued without any further incidents until Adam announced he had to leave to start his shift at the hospital. He gave Chance a high five and signed “happy birthday” to him. Robyn was touched that he had learned the gesture. He came over and stood close beside her. “Walk me to my car?”
“Sure.”
He took her hand and they strolled together around the side of the house. At the gate, he stopped and cupped her face between his hands. “I had a great time. Thanks for inviting me.”
“You’re welcome.”
“You have a wonderful family.”
“Thank you.” She was puzzled by his hesitant tone.
“We haven’t known each other very long, but I would love to get to know you and your family much better.”
“I’d like that, too.”
“Before we head down that path, I need to know if you’re ready for a serious relationship, Robyn.”
Was she? She bit her lower lip. She’d only recently discovered she wasn’t over Neal the way she’d thought she was. How could she risk hurting Adam until she was sure where her heart lay?
He smiled gently. “I can see that you need to give that question a little more thought.”
“You’re a very perceptive man. I like that about you.”
“Please don’t say you just want to be friends.”
She chuckled. “I’m willing to keep all my options open. Let me ask you a question.”
“Sure.”
“Are you up to the task of taking on a ready-made family?”
“That’s a very good question, Nurse Morgan. I’m giving it very serious consideration.”
She gazed up into his bright blue eyes. “Then it seems we both have a lot to think about.”
“Any reason why we can’t think about it over dinner next week?”
“None whatsoever.”
“Good.” He kissed her cheek and walked away. She stood at the gate and watched until he drove out of the yard.
“He seems like a nice fellow.”
She turned around and found Neal watching her from the kitchen door. “Yes, he’s a very nice man.”
“You should go for it.”
She walked toward him, shaking her head. “He’s not some prize to be won.”
“No, you’re the prize. I hope he knows that.”
She checked to make sure they were alone and stepped close to him. “How would it make you feel if Adam wanted to raise Chance?”
“I’d try to be happy for all of you. He’s a man with compassion, education and the ability to give you and Chance the better things in life. Yeah, I’m happy for you if you love him.”
She gazed at his face. “You mean that, don’t you?”
“Oh, hell, no. Given half a chance, I’d knock him down, throw you over my shoulder and ride off into the sunset with Chance and Bell tagging along, and maybe your mother on a pack mule, because she’s a really good cook.”
Giggling, she punched his shoulder. “Are you ever serious?”
“Not if I don’t have to be. Come on—there’s more party going on. Edward is setting out the horseshoes, and the kids want more lemonade.”
“I’ll have to fix some.” She walked past him and into the house. “I’ve seen Edward pitch horseshoes. You can take him. He’s got terrible aim.”
“Maybe, but he’s got two good eyes. My depth perception is pretty much shot.”
She opened the fridge and pulled out a handful of lemons. Looking over her shoulder, she said, “I’ll still put my money on you. You have a seriously wide competitive streak.”
“With you in my corner, I can’t lose.” He walked through the house and out the back door.
As the evening drew to a close, Ellie and Martha tried to convince Edward and Clara to come with them to the church bazaar. “You’ll have a great time,” Ellie assured him.
Martha rubbed her hands together. “You never know what kind of treasures you’ll find. Sometimes you can get great antiques for a song.”
Clara looked up at Edward. “I’d like to go.”
Martha jumped on that. “See. Clara wants to go.”
Edward glanced from his wife to Robyn to the back porch still strewn with balloons and trash from the party. “We can’t all go and leave Robyn to clean up alone.”
Robyn folded her arms across her middle. “I’m perfectly happy waiting until tomorrow to tackle this. You go on. I’m going to bed early. I’m beat.”
Connie looked at her tired children. “I’d better take my brood home. Thanks for a great party.” She waved goodbye, loaded her kids in her minivan and drove away.
Ellie turned to Neal, who was sitting beside Chance on the porch swing. “What about you, son? Do you want to come with us?”
He rose to his feet and patted Chance’s head. “No, I need to go down to the corral and check on a couple of steers. I noticed earlier that they were acting sick. If they are, I’ll separate them from the others and put them in the barn to keep a closer eye on them.”
A little later, Robyn and Chance waved goodbye to everyone from the front gate. Robyn saw the lights in the barn were blazing brightly. Obviously, one or both of the steers required Neal’s attention. Biting her lip, she hoped it wasn’t serious. They couldn’t afford a big vet bill just now.
She put her exhausted son to bed after a quick bath. He was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow. Bell curled up on the rug beside his bed and seemed content to stay there.
Robyn checked the barn from the kitchen window when she came downstairs, but the lights were off now. Had he gone? Disappointment hit her when she realized he hadn’t come to say good-night. She wanted to tell him how wonderful his gift was, and how much she appreciated the thought he’d put into the gesture.
She turned away from the window and leaned against the sink. Neal would be leaving in a week. A month ago, she would have been thrilled by the idea, but now the knowledge produced an intense sadness. Chance was going to miss him. She was going to miss him. It had been so good to have her friend back.
Thankfully, her vacation would be over in a few more days. Going back to work would help. It would make it easier to forget about him.
She pressed her fingers to her temples. Oh, who was she fooling? She’d deluded herself into thinking she was going on with her life. The hard truth was her life had merely been on hold, waiting for Neal to come back. Would it be this way forever?
If she was honest, she would admit he was the reason she had come home after Colin had passed away. She’d settled on the ranch with her mother because she knew Neal would be back to visit his family, maybe even to settle down when he finally gave up the rodeo.
Running both hands through her hair, she gave a heavy sigh. There was no point in going to bed now. She would only find herself going over and over the one conversation they wouldn’t have. A conversation about a future together.
Neal wouldn’t give up the rodeo. She wouldn’t live that lifestyle with Chance in tow, traveling for months at a time to a new town every week. Nor was she willing to sit at home and wait for Neal to make a rare appearance, wondering each time he rode if she would get that devastating phone call. So where did that leave them? Nowhere.
She never expected Neal to forgive her for keeping him in the dark about Chance. Her lie had denied him a son, cheated his mother of a grandchild, but Neal had come to terms with it in a way that surprised her.
He wanted what was best for his son, even if he couldn’t be in the picture to provide it. He had matured a lot in their time apart. He was a better man than the one she had left.
Would he have changed as much for the better if they had stayed together?
Her new sandals had started pinching her little toes. She kicked them off and they flew across the room. What use was it to wonder how things might have been? Nothing was going to change. Neal would leave. She had to accept that they would never be together.
She left the kitchen and padded barefoot through the silent house. She needed something to do. She could start by cleaning up the mess on the porch. After opening the back door, she froze in surprise.
Neal was gathering up the helium-filled balloons and tying their long strings together. He turned at the sound of the door and smiled at her. “I thought Chance might want these in his room for a while. They’ll last a few more days before they go flat.”
“I’m sure he’d like that.” She stepped out into the glow of the porch light and began to gather up discarded paper plates, napkins, wrapping paper and plastic forks. She was acutely aware of him and the fact that they were alone in the house except for her sleeping child.
With all the balloons in one bunch, Neal tied them to the arm of the swing and moved to help her. He picked up a trash bag and held it open. “It was a nice party.”
She dropped her handfuls of trash into the bag and glanced at his face. Was he thinking of all the birthday parties he had missed? “Yes, it was. I haven’t thanked you yet for Chance’s gift.”
He shrugged. “I remember how crazy I was about my dog at that age. I think with a little training, she’ll turn out to be a good dog. When she’d old enough, you can look into having her trained as a hearing ear dog. It might make things a little easier for you. Chance isn’t going to want to stay in the yard much longer, no matter how much you want him to.”
“I know.” She moved to pull the banner off the table. A sharp pain lanced her instep. She gave a small cry. Neal caught her by the arm as she staggered backward.
“What’s wrong?”
“I stepped on something.”
He guided her to the swing. “Sit down and let me see.”
Dropping onto the swing seat, she held her foot up. “I must have missed a piece of glass after I cleaned up the broken pitcher.”
“Clara gave us all a bit of a shock with that. Do you think she knows?”
“That the piano is out of tune or that the forecast is calling for snow? No, I don’t think she knows Chance is your son.”
Wet warmth oozed down her foot as drops of bright blood splattered on the gray board floor. Neal knelt in front of her and grasped her foot with gentle hands. “Do you honestly believe they would love Chance less if they knew?”
“I don’t want to find out.”
“Point taken. You should know better than to come out without shoes,” he chided.
“They were pinching my toes,” she offered in self-defense.
He grabbed a handful of napkins and blotted the bottom of her sole. “And this feels better?”
“No. I think something’s still in there,” she said, wincing when he touched the wound.
“You’re right. Hold still,” he ordered and bent closer. A twinge shot through her instep. He leaned back and held up a small shard of bloody glass. He tossed it into the trash bag on the floor beside him.
He pressed the napkin against her sole until he’d made sure the bleeding had stopped. He cupped her heel in one hand and brushed the bottom of her foot to make sure there weren’t any more pieces on her skin. Instead of putting her foot down, he continued to hold it. A flush of heat stole through her body.
“Thanks.”
He looked up at her. His eyes darkened with desire. “My pleasure.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A WEALTH OF sensations swept over Robyn as she stared into Neal’s eyes. The intensity of his gaze held her motionless as he knelt in front
of her, holding her bare foot in his hands. Gentle, warm hands. Her pulse pounded as the sultry darkness beyond the porch seemed to press in on them.
Tension shimmered between them. His hand moved slightly up the back of her calf. She licked her suddenly dry lips.
Abruptly, he looked away and released her foot. “You should get some disinfectant on that.”
Robyn nodded, not trusting her voice. She drew up her foot and tucked it beneath her. The soft, bright material of her dress whispered like silk as she smoothed it over her long, tan legs, hiding them from his view. The warmth of his touch still lingered on her skin.
He glanced around the floor. “There may be other pieces out here. You shouldn’t take the chance of walking barefoot.”
“No, I shouldn’t.”
“I’ll have to carry you.”
“Okay,” she said meekly.
Okay? What was she thinking? When he had held her foot, she’d almost turned into a puddle of jelly. What would happen if he held her in his arms? She studied his face and saw him hesitate. His lips pressed into a tight line as he suddenly bent, scooped her up and held her against his chest.
Of their own accord, her arms circled his neck. The tenseness of her body slowly ebbed away and a feeling of rightness filled her. This was where she belonged, where she had always belonged. Safe in his arms. She closed her eyes and leaned her face into the crook of his neck.
His scent filled her nostrils, so masculine, so uniquely his own. She drew in a deep breath, as if she could draw his essence into her soul. She yearned to kiss him, to press her lips against his firm jaw and his neck until he turned his mouth to meet hers, but she didn’t dare. If his lips touched hers, she would go up in flames.
His heart beat as wildly as hers; she could feel it through the thin fabric of his shirt. For the longest instant he stood motionless, but then he turned and carried her into the house.
He halted inside the back door, and disappointment flooded her when he lowered her feet to the floor. He was going to let her go again. She couldn’t bear it. Suddenly she knew this time she wanted to hang on to him for all she was worth. His arms fell to his sides, but hers remained around his neck.
