Jackson Hole Valentine. Cindy Kirk

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      Margaret could understand why her friends had wanted more children. She’d fallen under Charlie’s sweet spell when she’d returned to Jackson Hole last Christmas for the christening of her brother’s twin babies. She’d been thrilled for Travis and at the same time envious of the way his life had so happily fallen into place. Before leaving town she’d stopped and spent time with Joy and her family.

      When it came time for her to leave, Charlie had wrapped his arms around her and given her a kiss. Looping an arm around his waist, Margaret had teased Joy that she was taking him with her. But, as always, she’d left Wyoming alone, single seat on the aisle.

      “They’re ginormous.” Charlie whirled around, his eyes wide with awe.

      “Super big,” Margaret agreed then sighed when he turned back to the aquarium. She’d once hoped to have a husband to love and a child just like Charlie to cherish. But she was already in her early thirties and that dream was looking less likely with each passing year.

      As a physical therapist who dealt primarily with stroke patients, Margaret didn’t have much opportunity to meet eligible men at work. And she’d never been one for the bar scene. To complicate matters, most of her friends were married. Of course, she reminded herself, if she’d been willing to exchange vows with a man she liked and respected but wasn’t madly in love with, she’d be married, too.

      But last year, after much soul-searching, she broke it off with her fiancé. She hadn’t regretted her decision. Okay, maybe a couple of times on dark, lonely nights when she remembered how good he’d been to her and feared she’d simply been expecting too much. After all, they’d gotten along well and had fun when they were together. Did “madly in love” really have to be part of the equation?

      She’d wondered.

      Then she’d run into him and his new girlfriend a couple of weeks ago. The way they looked at each other told her she’d been right to call off the wedding. Not only for her sake but for his. Everyone deserved to be loved with such passion.

      “Me an’ my dad used to go fishing,” Charlie said, gazing at the tank. “Mommy would sometimes come, too. But Daddy had to put the worm on the hook for her.”

      “That was nice of him.” Lexi said. “You had a nice daddy.”

      Having Lexi overseeing Charlie’s case felt almost like having a family member involved. When the attractive social worker with the sleek brown bob had introduced herself, she’d mentioned she was a good friend of Margaret’s older brother, Travis, a local ob-gyn.

      Margaret knew Travis and his wife, Mary Karen, had a group of close-knit friends. Like Lexi, all were married with children. Margaret sighed. Sometimes it felt as if everyone had the life she wanted… except her.

      “Have you seen the will?” Lexi asked in a low tone, leaning over the arm of her chair.

      Margaret shook her head. “But I have a good idea what’s in it.”

      At the funeral, when Ryan asked her to come to his office for the reading, she hadn’t been surprised by the request. Last year, when one of their high school classmates had died of cancer, Joy had broached the subject of Margaret raising Charlie if anything should happen to her and Ty. She’d been flattered but wondered why Joy wouldn’t want her child raised by family.

      Joy had informed her she’d already approached her parents. Apparently they’d stammered and offered a whole litany of excuses—they’d retired to Florida because of Larry’s health, the gated community they’d just settled into didn’t allow children, it would be best for Charlie to remain in familiar surroundings…

      Margaret’s heart had ached for her friend. All these years Joy had been right. She’d always insisted that her parents really had only one child—her brother—and that she wasn’t that important to them.

      Ty’s own family situation wasn’t much better. He’d been estranged from them for years. They’d sent a small plant for the memorial service.

      “Charlie, honey, don’t press so hard against the glass,” Lexi called out to the boy but made no move to get up.

      With an older child and a busy toddler at home, this was probably the only chance the social worker had to rest. Margaret stifled a smile and rose to her feet. She crossed the room, her heels clicking loudly on the hardwood. Normally she favored more comfortable clothing than the silver-blue suit and certainly more sensible footwear than high heels. But this had seemed an appropriate day to forgo comfort for something more stylish and businesslike.

      She crouched down beside the boy, who had his nose pressed against the aquarium glass. “Which one do you like best?”

      “The yellow one.” Charlie pointed to a large silver angelfish with a blanket of gold over the head and back.

      “It’s very pretty.” Margaret resisted the urge to brush the tousle of chocolate-brown hair back from his face. “Do you remember me, Charlie? I’m Margaret. I was a friend of your mom.”

      The boy turned to face her, his eyes a deep, dark blue. “Pastor says my mommy and daddy are with Jesus in heaven.”

      Margaret took a deep breath and blinked back tears. The sermon at the funeral had been comforting, but it was still hard to accept that it had been her childhood friend lying in one of the two caskets at the front of the church. Heart-breaking to realize she and Joy would never laugh over the phone or Tweet pithy one-liners to each other.

      Still, she believed the pastor when he’d said Joy and Ty were in a better place. Her friend had such a quirky sense of humor that Margaret had no doubt that at this very moment she was livening up the heavenly throng with Ty cheering her on.

      “Do you think they’re coming back for me?” he asked in a small voice.

      “I’m afraid not,” Margaret said softly. She cursed her honesty when his eyes filled with tears and his bottom lip began to tremble. “But I know they’re still watching over you. And that they love you very much.”

      “I want my mommy.” The boy’s arms stiffened at his sides and his hands clenched into tiny fists. “Bring her here. Now.”

      Her heart rose to her throat. If only I could bring her back. And Ty, too.

      Like a whirlwind sweeping across the plains, as quickly as Charlie’s anger flared, it disappeared and he began to cry.

      Margaret wrapped her arms around him, murmuring soothing words and holding him tight. After several heartbeats he quit struggling. After several more she felt him relax in her arms.

      From her own experience, she knew a little about what he’d be going through in the weeks and months ahead. She vowed to make this transition as easy as possible for him.

      With his soft curls still pressed against her cheek, Margaret heard the attorney’s office door open. But she couldn’t move a muscle. The child had his arms around her, holding her as tight as a drowning sailor would grasp a life preserver.

      “Margaret.” Ryan moved to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Lexi will take good care of him while we talk.”

      “Charlie, I have something really cool to show you.” The social worker peeled the boy from Margaret’s arms. “The СКАЧАТЬ