Her Unlikely Cowboy. Debra Clopton

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      Chapter Three

      “Abe, can I come in?” Suzie asked, tapping softly on the door of his room. There was a muffled “Whatever” from the other side of the door, so she opened it. Abe was stretched out on the bed staring at the ceiling. The fluffy green bedspread made him seem small, even though she knew he was growing like a weed.

      She walked across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. He kept his gaze firmly locked on the ceiling, and didn’t even glance at her. Her fingers itched to push the lock of hair out of his eyes.

      “I just wanted to tell you good-night.” She touched his arm gently, but he pulled away. The boy she’d glimpsed earlier on the road with the donkeys seemed like a dream gone away. As if she’d imagined him for a moment. “The boys seem nice. Tony and Caleb must be about your age, too.”

      His jaw tightened. “They’re okay,” he said at last. “Now can I go to sleep?”

      “Abe, I won’t have you being disrespectful,” she said, shaken by his coldness. His eyes suddenly glistened with unshed tears. Her heart broke one more time.... How could a heart break over and over again? How...? Dear God, help me. Help my son.

      After a moment she stood, knowing that hugging him was asking too much.

      “Abe, what happened to us—losing your father—that wasn’t fair. But life isn’t fair always. Your dad would want you to be happy. This ranch, these people. They made him happy. I just want you to give it all a chance.”

      His gaze met hers finally, but only for a desolate moment, then he rolled over and turned his back to her.

      “I love you, son.” It felt like she was saying the words to a brick wall. Her heart ached.

      Abe’s going to be all right. I promise. Tucker’s words echoed through her thoughts and gave her strength.

      Still, it took everything in her to stand up, walk out and close the door.

      Tomorrow a new day would begin.

      And Suzie was going to trust that it would be their new start. She was going to think positive and give it everything she had. For Abe.

      * * *

      The next morning, Suzie’s sense of hope continued to prevail as she drove into town. Abe had eaten a huge breakfast with the other boys—Nana relayed the info, because Suzie had forced herself not to hover. Not to go peek through the windows, either—though it was exactly what she wanted to do.

      Sometimes a mother’s job was hard—stepping back was one of the harder things.

      But when she’d walked across the hall to his room she’d been surprised to find him already up and dressed and she’d taken that as a great sign. He’d startled her more by revealing that he’d decided to help feed the horses.

      Evidently he’d been invited to do so, and after a night of thinking about it, he’d decided to help. It was a positive start and Suzie, not knowing what to expect when she’d awakened that morning, was thrilled.

      Now, heading into town, she found herself relaxing in the seat of her small car, which Tucker had unhitched from the moving truck the previous night. She had the truck for another day, so she was going to have to find a place to rent, though the McDermotts had assured her that she and Abe were welcome to stay as long as needed. And she was wondering if prolonging their stay for a little while might be a good thing, if spending mornings, days and nights there would put him more in the action for a little while.

      There was an apartment on the second story of the building that housed the florist’s shop, but she’d been told it was in some disrepair. She wasn’t sure she wanted to live above the store, anyway—how good would that be for Abe? But it was an option.

      For now, she’d use it to store her things until she decided what she wanted to do.

      The town was darling. The four-story, redbrick Dew Drop Inn reigned supreme across from a quaint town park that was surrounded by four rows of small businesses. On the far corner across the street from the Dew Drop Inn was the Spotted Cow Café with a sunny yellow door and red geraniums. Like a welcome sign, it begged a person to come visit.

      On the bench outside the newspaper office just down the street sat two older gentlemen who waved as she passed. They were whittling and added to the feeling that Mayberry had come to life. Suzie instantly imagined Sheriff Andy Taylor walking the streets—but then, Tucker McDermott’s image replaced the fictional СКАЧАТЬ