Authors: Brenda Minton
Love Inspired February 2014 - Bundle 1 of 2: The Cowboy's Reunited Family\The Forest Ranger's Return\Mommy Wanted (37 page)
Once again Mary chided herself for not locking up the dogs before Eli arrived. His disdain for, or at the very least discomfort with, this whole situation was evident in every step he took and his closed expression. She watched helplessly as Eli braced himself, his shoulders squaring as he pressed his lips into a straight, firm line.
Mary reacted instinctively against the wave of anxiety and embarrassment that washed over her, hastily scooping the dog into her arm. She was angry at Natalie all over again for putting her in this position. Here within her own home, Mary stood, awkward and uncomfortable, when she should be completely in her element. Here with the dogs she fostered and trained, and her newly created Rapport Kennel. Here with Eli, a man she'd known since her youth and greatly admired.
No, it was not fair, and it was not right.
But thanks to Natalie, the situation was at best uncomfortable and at worst impossible. Not knowing what else to do, she held up the Chihuahua for Eli's inspection. “Behave yourself, young man.”
Eli lifted a questioning brow.
Mary offered a confused smile and then burst into gentle laughter. “I was speaking to the Chihuahua,” she clarified. “This little guy is Goliath. His bark is worse than his bite. It might sound like he's growling, but in truth he's just talking to you.”
“Good to know. Snarls aren't a warningâthey're a welcome.” He tentatively reached a hand forward so Goliath could sniff his fingers. “On someone's planet, anyway,” he rumbled under his breath. Mary thought he was speaking more to himself than to her, but she answered him anyway, choosing to make light of the comment, and not take it as an insult to her and her profession.
“Yep, that's my planet, all right.” Mary was aiming toward cheerful, although she was fairly certain she'd missed the mark by a wide distance. “My world, filled with dogs of every size, shape and form.”
The left side of Eli's jaw twitched. “Sounds like paradise.”
Sarcastic much?
He was about as enthusiastic about this new program as a chicken with his head on the chopping block, which left Mary to wonder, not for the first time, why he'd been chosen for the K-9 unit. Everyone in town, including Captain James, knew Eli had been jilted by Natalie. Surely it had occurred to him that the situation might lead to difficulties with the training. It had certainly occurred to
her;
though at the moment, she didn't have a clue what to do to make this an easier transition for Eli. Surely he had to realize that she couldn't help what her sister had done.
Maybe there wasn't anything she could do, except plow forward, right through the middle of Eli's morose attitude. She lifted Goliath to eye level and turned the dog so she was addressing his snout. “He's only six months old, so he's still learning his manners. Goliath, that is not how we treat guests in our home.”
The Chihuahua yipped once and licked Mary's thumb.
Eli cleared his throat and rocked back on his heels, jamming one hand into the pocket of his blue uniform slacks.
“Captain James spoke to you?” he prodded, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand, his dark hair curling around his fingers.
“About the new K-9 unit?” Mary nodded. “Oh, yes. I have to say, Ian is quite enthusiastic about the idea.”
“Isn't he, though,” Eli mumbled in agreement. He didn't sound happy about the prospect.
She decided not to acknowledge his lack of enthusiasm. Surely things would get better once he got to know his new partner.
“It's a great opportunity for you and for me, as well. I don't know how much you're aware of the work that I do here. I'm just now getting my training kennel off the ground. Your department is my first official K-9 program. My proving ground, so to speak.”
“Meaning I'd better be on my best behavior.”
His eyes lightened to sky-blue, and the strain around his mouth eased, lessening the gravity of his expression. When he looked like that, it was harder to ignore the fact that this was the man she'd had a secret, desperate crush on for so many years....
But that was in the past. She was years past being a silly teenager crushing on the hotshot high school football star. He was a client nowâthe most important client she'd ever had. She couldn't let herself lose sight of that just because he had the bluest eyes she'd ever seen.
“You'd better believe it. Are you ready to meet your new partner?” A lot of thought had gone into the pairing of dog to man and man to dog, and she was proud of what she'd accomplished. She couldn't wait for Eli to meet his new partner, and her eagerness bubbled over in her voice. She recognized that this was one of those defining life moments she'd look back on, either with delight or utter mortification. It was all on Eli to make that call. If he lightened up, this could be goodâmaybe even fun. Working with a K-9 was every bit as much about enthusiasm and reward as it was about effort and exertion. Perhaps more so.
“Sure. Whatever.” He shrugged offhandedly, as if it didn't matter to him one way or the other whether or not he met his partner.
Mary sighed in exasperation. Even if he wasn't thrilled about working with her, she thought he'd display a bit more interest in his new dog. His cavalier attitude was going to have to change, or they would never be able to work together. Where was the man with the happy-go-lucky smile for the world? Who had replaced him with Mr. Chip-on-His-Shoulder? Was it just because of Natalie, or was something else entirely wrong here?
Mary hadn't a clue. And it wasn't as if she could ask. How did one even broach a subject like this?
She paused and tilted her face up to his, her gaze lingering on him, questioning him without words. Rather than meeting her eyes, his gaze wandered to somewhere in the vicinity of her chin.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“I don't know what you mean.” It was an adamant denial, even though she hadn't accused him of anything. He gestured toward the den. “I'm trying to follow orders here. Please. Lead the way.” There was an element of pleading in his tone that hadn't been there before.
He was giving off mixed signals all over the placeâwhich he clearly wasn't going to acknowledge. And if he wouldn't, she couldn't.
“So we're good, then?” she asked.
“Yes, ma'am.” His voice was low and gruff, and his gaze turned so dark that his stormy blue eyes took on an almost black hue to them.
She wasn't going to solve any of their problems this way. Maybe the best thing to do was to bring out the big gunsâ
âor more specifically, the
Bullet.
Copyright © 2014 by Lora Lee Bale
ISBN-13: 9781460326107
THE FOREST RANGER'S RETURN
Copyright © 2014 by Lora Lee Bale
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ⢠are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
A Mother's Hope
Three years ago, Kate Wydell made a big mistake: she ran away, leaving her baby daughter behind. Now Kate's back in the small Alabama town, desperate to make amends. But she's afraid to reveal who she is. Especially since her new boss, a widowed father of young girls, is the kind of parent, the kind of person, Kate hopes to be. Mitch Gillespie sings lullabies and teaches his daughters how to be their best. With every passing day, Kate falls harder for him. But once Mitch knows her secret, will she lose himâand her deepest wishâforever?
“You just met me three days ago,” Mitch said. “How could you be âcaptivated' by me?”
Kate blinked back tears. “Because you've done it all right. You accepted responsibility and you found the courage to give your girls every bit of your life and your love. You're a
real
parent. And that's what I so wish I could be.”
“You want to be a mother,” he said softly, as though he understood.
But he didn't. “I had a daughter,” she said, “nearly four years ago. She'sâ” she blinked through more tears “âthe same age as Dee.”
“You had a daughter?” he asked, his voice tender with emotion. “What happened, Kate?”
“I gave her up.” Her chin trembled, and a sucking gasp escaped.
Her sobs tore through the stillness of the night, but they were soon smothered against the broad planes of Mitch's chest, because he pulled her close, holding her through the pain, through the tears, and whispering the words he must've thought she wanted to hear.
“I'm so sorry, Kate.”
But he had no idea who she really was.
Books by Renee Andrews
Love Inspired
Her Valentine Family
Healing Autumn's
Heart
Picture Perfect Family
Love Reunited
Heart of a
Rancher
Bride Wanted
Yuletide Twins
Mommy Wanted
RENEE ANDREWS
spends a lot of time in the gym. No, she isn't working out.
Her husband, a former all-American gymnast, co-owns ACE Cheer Company, an
all-star cheerleading company. She is thankful the talented kids at the gym
don't have a problem when she brings her laptop and writes while they sweat.
When she isn't writing, she's typically traveling with her husband, bragging
about their two sons or spoiling their bulldog.
Renee is a kidney donor and actively supports organ
donation. She welcomes prayer requests and loves to hear from readers. Write to
her at
[email protected]
, visit her website
at
www.reneeandrews.com
or check her out on
Facebook or Twitter.
MOMMY WANTED
Renee Andrews
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
âEphesians
4:32
This novel is dedicated to Clair Zeringue,
my amazing mother-in-law. I love you, Mom Z!
Chapter One
K
ate Wydell's nervous fingertips rattled the pages of
The Claremont News,
the sound echoing through her car and magnifying her jitters. The Help Wanted section encompassed less than a column, the short list ending with the sole position for which she was qualified. Gillespie Insurance Agency needed an office assistant, no previous insurance experience required. Good people skills, a knowledge of word processing and an ability to remain calm in a crisis were the only criteria for the job.
She had all of those office skills and then some, and over the past year she'd perfected the ability to remain calm during a crisis. Her own personal crisis had led her back to this tiny North Alabama town, a place she'd left behind three years ago without a care in the world...and without regard for her baby girl.
Two blinks and a thick swallow warred against the tears that sought freedom. She would
not
allow herself to cry. Mascara streaks would only showcase the paleness of her face and the cheekbones that seemed much more prominent with the loss of fifteen pounds.
She'd stopped at Hydrangea Park while she gathered her courage and searched the classifieds. Flipping the visor, she checked her makeup in the tiny mirror. She was healthy now; the doctor said so. But did she look sick? Had she used too much blush to compensate for her pallor? Those questions ricocheted through her head, but the biggest and most pressing question now was...
Would Mitch Gillespie recognize her?
She tugged at a rogue black curl dangling precariously near her right eye. The inky corkscrew locks only drew more attention to her ridiculously fair skin. The last time she'd been in Claremont she'd had her trademark tan, an athletic build and blond wavy hair. And the last time she'd been in Claremont, she'd been married to one of Mitch's best friends.
Another look in the mirror. Even her family hadn't recognized her when she'd visited. Why would Mitch?
She took a deep breath, huffed it out. This would be so much easier if Chad were in town. Then she could tell her ex what she wanted in person and then deal with the consequences of a town that probably still hated her for hurting their golden boy. She hadn't considered that mid-May meant the end of the school year and his break from teaching at the college, when he'd naturally head out of town on vacation. But maybe this was better. She'd get settled in while he was away and have time to prepare for the fireworks when he returned and learned she was back.
God, don't let anyone remember me until I get a chance to talk to Chad.
Praying still felt new for Kate, even though she'd pleaded and begged God aplenty over the past year. Probably enough for a lifetime. And now she'd see if He would truly have mercy on her, and if Chad would have mercy on her, too.
But first she needed a job.
* * *
Mitch Gillespie unbuckled Dee's car seat and helped the three-year-old out, while Emmie whimpered from the other side of the car. “I'm coming, sweetie,” he said, taking Dee's hand and leading her around the car so he could free her sister.
“Why is her face so red?” Dee asked, peering in as Mitch worked with the abundance of fasteners holding Emmie in place. “'Cause she's sick?” Dee was at an age where she questioned everything, and he tried his best to always provide an answer. “Her eyes look funny, too, like she's sad. Is that 'cause she's sick, too?” she continued.
Mitch's stomach knotted. He hated that his baby was ill, and he hated even more that he had to bring the two of them back to his office because he'd forgotten his laptop. But in the flurry following the call from the day care about Emmie's fever and the need for her to be picked up quickly, he'd forgotten all about the fact that he had several policies that had to be updated today.
“I'm sure it's because of her fever,” he said, as Emmie pushed the last strap away and reached tiny hands toward her daddy. Heat radiated from her cheek as Mitch pulled her against him. Eighteen months old, Emmie had experienced a fever only a couple of times, following her immunizations, and she'd never had one due to sickness.
“But you gave her medicine,” Dee said, ever the voice of preschooler reason.
“Right, but that was onlyâ” he glanced at his watch “âten minutes ago. It'll take a little longer for it to kick in.”
Dee's strawberry brows furrowed and she frowned. “Everybody's sick. I don't like it when everybody's sick. There's nobody to play with.”
Carrying Emmie, Mitch led Dee toward the front door of Gillespie Insurance. Based on what Emmie's teacher said, Dee's statement wasn't that far off the mark. Apparently, a virus was passing through the day care like wildfire, with fever and vomiting taking their toll on the victims. If the lady were right, Dee would probably have it by tomorrow. Which meant he'd be away from the office for at least two days, and that was if he didn't catch the bug, too. “Come on,” he urged. “Daddy is going to get his computer and then we'll head home and rest.” He attempted to sound positive.
“I don't want to rest,” Dee said. “I want to play, but there's nobody to play with.”
Emmie dropped her head to his shoulder, mumbled, “Daddy,” and then closed her eyes.
Mitch eased her downy curls aside and kissed her warm forehead then found a little relief that it didn't seem as hot as it had when he picked her up from the day care. Maybe the children's Tylenol had already kicked in. “I'm getting you home soon, sweetie,” he whispered, and then to Dee, “I'll play a game with you at home, okay?” He wasn't sure how he'd pull that off with so much work to do. Plus he'd planned to get a few groceries this afternoon before he picked them up. Now he had to take them home when there was virtually no food in the house. And he couldn't very well drag them through the grocery store.
God, please, help me.
Any other time he could call Bo and Maura, his in-laws, and they'd help with the girls. Or Hannah and Matt, his sister-in-law and her husband. But the remainder of his wife's family had headed out of town for a week at the beach following the end of the school year like many Claremont families determined to enjoy the kids' first weeks of freedom. Naturally, they'd invited Mitch to come, but he did have a lot of work...and going on vacations with Jana's family had seemed odd ever since her death.
It wasn't as if the family didn't want to include him, but Mitch found himself miserably lonely and spending his entire vacation thinking about what might have been. Or wondering what life would be like now if he were a normal twenty-nine-year-old, with two beautiful little girls and a loving wife who'd help him with the day-to-day activities of raising them. And at times like this, when they were sick.
“Daddy, I think she's going to...” Dee's warning came at the same time that the door opened and a petite dark-haired woman stepped inside his office.
“Oh, hello, I wanted to see if the position was stillâ” she started, but Mitch didn't hear anything else. Emmie's tummy started convulsing, her wail piercing as she attempted to get sick, dry heaves causing her little body to shake while Dee shouted, “Oh, no! Oh, no! Oh, no! Daddy, run!”
Mitch grabbed his jacket from the back of his desk chair and held it beneath his baby's mouth as he darted to the bathroom at the rear of the office.