by R. C. Ryan
“With Kyle’s father?”
“Rick is…” She swallowed and tried again. “Rick was a Marine.”
Reed saw the glint of military dog tags at Kyle’s throat.
Seeing the direction of his gaze, she nodded. “His third tour in Afghanistan ended…suddenly.” She shot a quick look at her son, pleased that he was absorbed in the coloring book. “I want Kyle to wear those in honor of the father he doesn’t remember.”
“I’m sorry.”
She nodded and fell silent as Dot began passing around plates of grilled cheese sandwiches, pickles, and thick steak fries.
When she set a tall, frosty chocolate milk shake in front of Reed, Kyle looked up, his eyes behind the glasses suddenly as big as saucers.
Before he could even ask his mother, Reed was pouring some in the empty glass Dot provided.
“I don’t think your mom will mind, as long as you drink your milk, too.”
The boy struggled to slurp up the milk shake through a straw and finally gave up, using a spoon instead.
Ally laughed as she wiped at his chocolate mustache. “Now try a little of your sandwich.”
Taking her own advice, she tasted hers, then looked at Reed. “This is really good.”
“Yeah. Dot and Barb have had a lifetime to get it right.” He nibbled a fry. “What did you do in Virginia?”
“I worked for a security firm.”
“That sounds like a big deal.”
She smiled. “I was just one insignificant worker bee in a huge hive. And when Rick…” She gave a shrug. “I realized I wanted something…” She shook her head, searching for the words. “Something not so big and impersonal. Kyle has been in day care since he was born. With all that’s happened, I just want to make a satisfying life for him. I’m hoping living near my only family member, in the comfort of a small town, will make a difference.”
Seeing that Kyle was now listening, Reed turned his attention to the boy. “So. What do you think of D and B’s grilled cheese?”
“It’s good.” The boy drained the last of his shake. “But not as good as this.” He turned to his mother. “Can I have some more?”
“Let’s see if you still want some after you drink that glass of milk.”
The boy picked it up and started drinking. But by the time it was half empty, he set it aside. “My tummy’s full.”
“That’s a good thing. There’s always tomorrow.”
“Can I have more milk shake then?”
She was chuckling. “We’ll see.”
Reed winked at the little boy. “When mothers say that, it means I hope by tomorrow he forgets all about it.”
Kyle looked at his mother. “Is Reed right?”
Now she was laughing out loud. “I’m not about to share all my mom secrets with you. And you”—she turned to Reed—“are old enough to know better.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He winked again at Kyle. “We’ll talk later. I know a lot of mom secrets.”
The little boy covered his mouth and giggled.
When their plates were empty, Dot walked over and cleared the table. “Ready for that pie?”
Reed and Ally nodded.
Dot picked up Kyle’s plate. “I know most little boys don’t care much for pie. How about some cherry gelatin?”
“Okay, I guess.” He glanced at his mother. “Will I like it, or is it just something that’s ’posed to be good for me?”
That had the adults laughing.
Ally was still grinning. “Why don’t we wait and see what you think?”
Minutes later, as she and Reed dug into apple pie with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, Kyle tentatively tasted his gelatin topped with a spoonful of whipped cream.
He looked up, smiling broadly. “This is good.”
“Well, then.” Ally bit back the smile that threatened. “I guess I won’t bother trying to tell you it’s good for you.”
“’Cause you’d be teasing, huh, Mama?”
She gave a shrug of her shoulders and shared a knowing smile with Reed.
When Dot slid the bill on the table, Reed placed some money on top of it and handed it to her.
“How was everything?”
“Best grilled cheese ever.” He lowered his voice. “You realize you’re sworn to secrecy. Yancy can never know I said that.”
The two shared a laugh before Dot turned to Ally and Kyle. “I hope we’ll see you here again. Don’t be strangers.”
“Thanks, Dot. We’ll be back.”
“And Barb and I will make it over to your shop on grand opening day. Like everybody else in town, we’re dying to see what our neighbors have been hoarding for years and are now willing to part with.”
“Maybe you have a few things of your own you’d like me to sell or trade.”
Dot’s brow lifted. “You could be right. There’s this fancy little chest my aunt gave me when I was just a girl. She called it a handkerchief chest, and Barb and I have used it for jewelry through the years. But the drawers are too small for anything but a few pieces of jewelry, and it’s more suited to a little girl than the two of us. It’s just taking up space in a spare bedroom. I think I’ll see if Barb is ready to let it go.”
“You could make some little girl in Glacier Ridge really happy next Christmas.”
At Ally’s words, Dot gave a nod of her head. “I think you just said the magic words.”
As Reed and Ally and Kyle walked to the door, Dot was already in the kitchen area, her head bent close to her twin sister.
Reed held the door and trailed Ally and Kyle back to her shop.
As they walked, Ally turned to him. “Who is Yancy?”
“Our ranch cook.”
“You have a cook?”
“And a butler, and a maid, and…” Seeing the look on her face, he burst into laughter. “Just kidding. But Yancy Martin has been our cook for a lifetime. He’s considered one of the family.”
Once inside, he gave a last look around before stepping back toward the door. “I think you may be on to something here. If Dot’s excited, she’ll have every one of her customers sharing that excitement. You’d better prepare for a run on sales when you hold your grand opening.”
As he started to push open the door, Ally put a hand over his. “Thank you for lunch, Reed. And a huge thank you for catching Kyle before any harm came to him.”
“You’re welcome.” He looked beyond her to where the little boy was busy running a toy truck along a strip of plastic highway through a plastic town. “Bye, Kyle. See you.”
The boy looked over and shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Yeah. See you. I liked the milk shake. I even liked the…gela…”
“Gelatin,” Ally prompted.
“Yeah.” He returned his attention to his toys.
Reed was grinning. “You might want to keep this door locked until your grand opening. Or at least keep any Super Kid capes out of sight when your back is turned.”
“I like the way you think.” Her smile was bright enough to light up the room. “Thanks again.”
Reed paused outside as Ally turned the lock in the door, ensuring that Kyle wouldn’t wander away again. He watched as she began tackling the contents of a fresh box of items for her store before he sauntered down the sidewalk.
What had started out to be a dull day had turned into something quite different than he’d anticipated. Because of Ally and Kyle Shaw.
“Hey, sonny boy.” Great One looked over his shoulder when Reed walked into the clinic. Both Agnes and the two doctors, Leonard Cross and his niece, Anita Cross, were laughing at something the old man had been telling them.
“Did you find his heart?” Reed called as he strolled over.
“Ha.” Nelson LaRou gave a shake of his head. “See the disrespect I get from this generation?”
“They love you. We all do.” Old Dr. Cross turned to Reed. “We not only found your great-grandfather’s heart, but we’ve decided that it’s healthier than mine too.”
> “Exactly what I predicted. When do you want to see me again?” Great One addressed the question to both doctors, since they worked as a team.
“I think six months.” Dr. Anita glanced at her uncle for confirmation, and he nodded in agreement.
“Thanks, Docs.” Reed took hold of Nelson’s arm as they started toward the exit.
Once in the truck, Reed headed out of town before turning onto the interstate.
Nelson stretched out his legs and turned to study his great-grandson. “Did you tip a longneck or two at the Pig Sty?”
Reed shook his head. “I never got that far.”
As quickly as possible, he told Nelson about his horror at seeing a little boy dashing into the street and how they found his mother racing along the sidewalk, looking absolutely terrified when she’d discovered her four-year-old missing from her shop.
“What sort of shop?”
“It’s a consignment shop she’s calling Ally’s Attic. She takes the things folks no longer want or need and sells them for a commission or offers them in trade for something of equal value.”
“Sounds like a clever girl.”
“Yeah. She seems really smart and ambitious.”
“I take it she’s pretty.”
“What makes you think so?”
The old man shrugged. “It’s the tone of your voice when you talked about her. And the way your face lit up. So, when do you plan on seeing her again?”
“Who says I will?”
“I’d put money on it, sonny boy.”
Reed broke into laughter. “You think you’re so smart, Great One.”
“Smart enough to know my great-grandson.” He paused a beat. “Did you have lunch?”
“Yeah. I took Ally and Kyle to D and B’s Diner.”
Nelson chuckled. “I’m proud of you. You don’t let any grass grow under your feet.”
“Yeah.” Just thinking about Ally Shaw had Reed putting on his sunglasses, hoping to hide the gleam in his eye. “Just a chip off the old block. I had a good teacher.”
“That you did, sonny boy. That you did. I was quite the ladies’ man in my day. That is, until I met my Madeline. After that, it was all over. No woman could even come close.”
He closed his eyes and nodded off with a smile on his face.
Watching him, Reed grinned.
This day had turned out a whole lot better than he’d expected.
And all because of a daring, freckled super kid in glasses.
And his gorgeous mom.
Chapter Three
I’m tired, Mama.”
At Kyle’s words, Ally paused in her walk along the sidewalk to glance at her son. As he flopped down on a patch of hot concrete, her heart went out to him. The day had been long, and he’d been so good. Well, except for that lapse when he’d run into the street in his cape, thinking he was invincible. Thank heavens for the kindness of Reed Malloy.
Reed Malloy. He’d been sneaking into her thoughts a lot today. When she’d seen a tall, darkly handsome cowboy striding toward her, holding firmly to her son, her heart had done a funny little dance. A reaction to fear, she told herself. Still, she couldn’t help being impressed by the way Dot Parker and her sister had acted like fangirls over him at lunch. Or the way everyone in the diner had greeted him like a long-lost friend.
Not to mention the easy way he had with Kyle.
In his young life there hadn’t been any men who would go out of their way for a busy, curious four-year-old.
“Can you carry me, Mama?”
Ally sighed. Between her shoulder bag stuffed with Kyle’s toys and the bag of groceries in her arms, there was no way she could lift him.
Still, the look on his face nearly broke her heart.
She knelt down. “Climb on my back and I’ll be your trusty steed.” It was a game she and her son often played.
He eagerly did as she said, wrapping his chubby arms around her neck.
“Now hang on tight, honey.” She wobbled to her feet, struggling to balance the additional weight before getting her bearings. She continued on toward her uncle’s house.
“Can I have another milk shake tonight?”
“Afraid not. We’re eating healthy. But I’ll think about it tomorrow.”
“Reed said when moms say that, it means they hope their kids forget about it.”
“Reed should keep some thoughts to himself.”
“Maybe we’ll see Reed tomorrow and he’ll share his milk shake again.”
“Maybe.” And wouldn’t that be lovely? It occurred to Ally that running into Reed Malloy had been the bright spot of her very long and challenging day.
As she started up the walk to her uncle’s house, she sighed. “It doesn’t look like anybody’s home yet.”
“Maybe Uncle Archer will be at work.” Her son’s tone sounded hopeful, and she thought again how difficult it had to be for Kyle, coming to a brand-new place and being made to feel that he was somehow in the way.
If only Archer would cut her son a little slack. Ever since they’d arrived here in Glacier Ridge, her uncle had let her know that he didn’t want to see any of Kyle’s antics, or hear him whine, or have to deal with him in any way.
Invisible.
That was the term Archer had used. Just make sure the kid is invisible when I’m around.
Though she’d been the one to initiate a renewal of family relations after a lifetime of separation, Archer had seemed to be on board with it. At least in their earlier exchange of letters.
Now, after only weeks here in Glacier Ridge, she could feel the tension building within her uncle.
She hoped by the end of another week she could have the upper floor of the shop cleaned out, so she and Kyle could have their own private apartment.
Maybe then, once Archer had his space to himself, he would relax, and they could become the family she yearned for.
Family.
It meant everything to Ally. She wanted, more than anything, for Kyle to be part of a loving family.
On the porch she knelt down and waited for Kyle to climb off her back. Setting aside the purse and bag, she fitted her key in the lock. Before she could turn it, the door swung open.
Inside, she could hear the sounds of Kenny Rogers’s mellow voice crooning about his lady pouring from Archer’s main-floor bedroom. Her uncle seemed stuck on music from the eighties. And all of it sad love songs with haunting melodies and lyrics about broken hearts.
“Looks like your uncle’s home, honey.” She picked up her burden and started toward the kitchen, with Kyle trailing behind.
At her words, he seemed to have a meltdown. “I’m hot, Mama.”
“I know. I am, too. If you’d like, take off your sweaty shirt and I’ll get you a clean one.”
As she walked through the house, she turned on lights and opened windows, hoping to chase the gloom. No wonder the rooms were hot and stuffy. Because her uncle worked long hours, the house was always closed up.
She couldn’t fault Archer for his taste. It was a bachelor’s house, with dark walls, heavy, oversize furniture, and scarred wooden floors. The kitchen had a metal table and four chairs, out-of-date appliances that, thankfully, worked, and cupboards and drawers with a few missing handles and pulls.
But he’d permitted her and a very active four-year-old to move in and disrupt his comfortable existence, and for that she would be forever grateful.
After setting Kyle up in a corner of the kitchen with his trucks, she searched through a basket of clean clothes atop the dryer until she found a T-shirt. Sorting and folding their laundry would have to wait until after they ate.
She opened the grocery bag and began cutting fresh chicken into strips, along with peppers, zucchini, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Soon the kitchen was filled with the wonderful fragrance of stir-fry.
Down the hall the music abruptly ended. Minutes later Archer’s voice could be heard swearing a blue streak. He stormed into the kitchen, hair rumpled, eye
s heavy-lidded, and Ally realized he’d been sleeping through the din.
“Hi.” She looked up with a smile. “How was your—”
He held up Kyle’s damp, dirty shirt. In his other hand was the chain containing Rick’s dog tags. “What did I tell you about leaving stuff lying around?”
Kyle hurried over to stand beside his mother.
“Don’t hide behind your mother’s skirts, you little—”
Ally held up a hand. “This is my fault. I told him—”
“Don’t you dare defend that kid.”
“Archer, he’s only four…”
“When I was his age, your mother was sixteen. She was tough as nails. Unlike you, she didn’t make excuses for me. She expected me to be as tough as her.”
“She’d just lost her mother…”
“Yeah, we’d both lost our mother. I may have been only four, but my big sister was old enough to boss me around and pretend she was in charge. She had no right. She wasn’t my mother.”
The barely controlled fury in Archer’s tone shocked Ally.
“I know it was hard. You were both just kids.”
“One of us was a kid. The other was a slut.”
“Archer, that’s my mother. Please…”
“Yeah, well, the more she tried to boss me, the more I showed her I was my own boss. When she finally left Glacier Ridge, I never even said good-bye. Just good riddance.”
Ally knew that Archer’s relationship with her mother, his older sister, had ended badly and that the two had never spoken again. But now, as the two remaining survivors, Ally had convinced herself that she and Archer would be able to put aside the past and forge a new and loving relationship. But each day under his roof was proving to be harder than the day before. Did he see his sister every time he looked at her? Could that be the reason for his deep-seated anger?
Archer smugly pointed to the drop of blood on the floor at his feet as proof of his righteousness. “Thanks to your kid’s carelessness, I stepped on the edge of this piece of metal and cut myself.” He turned the full power of his fury on Kyle. “And all because you can’t pick up after yourself, boy.” He hurled the shirt and dog tags at Kyle, missing him by mere inches. “Next time you forget, you won’t get them back. I’ll lock them in my room, and they’ll be mine.”
