A Baby for Dry Creek and A Dry Creek Christmas. Janet Tronstad

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      “And I know Mrs. Hargrove can’t afford to pay you any more herself because she’s on Social Security, so I want to help.” Reno smiled. “She’s been good to me, and I want to do something for her.”

      “I noticed the other day that her porch needs fixing,” Linda offered.

      “Thanks. I’ll go take a look at it.” Reno gritted his teeth. Whose side was Linda on? “I should have checked the porch myself before I headed down to Los Angeles. Those old boards usually have problems about now.”

      “She said you usually do it and don’t take any money for it,” Linda said.

      “In the past we’ve settled it with her giving me a plate of her homemade chocolate chip cookies.”

      “Well, of course, if all she has is Social Security, she can’t afford to pay anyone,” Chrissy said thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t feel right taking any money from her, and I don’t need cookies. I’m sure I can help her with what she needs when I’m not working at Lester’s.”

      “But you can’t work at Lester’s,” Reno said. He could see the question in Chrissy’s eyes and knew it was on the tip of Linda’s tongue. He needed to focus. Ah, he had it. “He’s a single man, and it wouldn’t be proper for you to live in the same house with him alone.”

      Chrissy’s face turned red. “I hope you’re not suggesting I would do anything but bake pies for the man.”

      “No, I didn’t mean that at all.” It had to be about sixty degrees inside the café. There was no reason for Reno to be sweating. “I just mean you have to think of Justin.”

      “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of Justin,” Chrissy said coolly.

      “Besides, you’re talking about Lester,” Linda said as though he’d suggested Chrissy was willing to date a troll.

      Reno bowed his head in defeat. “I’ll pay you a hundred dollars a week plus room and board to work at the Redfern Ranch.”

      “Doing what?”

      “Well, I like pies, too—and there’s the house.”

      “You don’t need a housekeeper. I can’t take a job that’s just charity.”

      “I have the calves to feed.” Reno looked up and thanked God silently. Yes! That was it. “The poor things need someone to take care of them, and I’ll have to start plowing any day now. Who’s going to take care of them?”

      “Don’t they have their mothers to take care of them?” Chrissy didn’t look convinced.

      “Not these calves,” Reno said mournfully. “They’re all alone in the world. No mother. No father.”

      Reno hoped his prize bull forgave him although it was true that the animal had never shown any interest in his offspring, so the calves actually had no father when it came to having someone care for them.

      “Oh, the poor things,” Chrissy whispered as she glanced down at Justin, who was sleeping in her arms. “It’s bad enough not having a father, but not having a mother, too, would be just awful.”

      Chrissy broke off with a stricken look at Reno. “I’m sorry, I forgot about your mother.”

      Reno stopped the triumphant war whoop that wanted to come rushing out of his mouth and he managed to wince instead. “It is hard. Not everyone understands.”

      “Of course they don’t,” Chrissy said soothingly.

      “So you’ll take on the feeding of the calves?”

      “Well, I suppose it is more important than baking pies for Lester,” she agreed. “Although his would have been more convenient, since it was room and board.”

      “My job includes room and board, too,” Reno offered.

      “Oh, no, you convinced me that wouldn’t be proper.”

      “Oh, it’s different with Reno,” Linda said smoothly. Reno thanked her with a smile until she added, “Mrs. Hargrove was saying that he admitted in the post office the other day that he feels only family feelings for you on account of the fact that you’re almost cousins.”

      “Almost cousins?” Chrissy asked faintly.

      Reno could see Chrissy was surprised. He was shocked himself. “I don’t remember saying anything quite like that.”

      “Oh, well, Mrs. Hargrove goes for the essence of what a person says,” Linda said with a wave of her hand. “You know how it is—sometimes you’re not even sure what you mean, and then Mrs. Hargrove sums it up for you and it’s right on the nose.”

      “I see.” Chrissy swallowed. “Well, I’ve never had an almost cousin before…”

      “What about Garrett? He’s your cousin,” Linda said as she adjusted the salt and pepper shakers on a nearby table. “Just pretend Reno is Garrett.”

      “I could do that, I guess,” Chrissy said.

      Reno frowned. He didn’t like the fact that Chrissy could make a promise like that so easily. He sure couldn’t promise to see her through the eyes of a cousin any day soon.

      “I don’t see why you’re looking for a job anyway,” Linda said as she moved to another table and swung out a chair for Chrissy to sit down. “If that guy in Vegas is the baby’s father, shouldn’t he be paying enough child support to take care of you both? I thought you said he had a trust fund or something.”

      “He does,” Chrissy said as she sat in the chair. “But it’s complicated. To get child support, I need to claim he’s the father, and if I do that, I’m worried Jared’s mother will have a better case to get custody.”

      “But you’re the mother. She can’t just take your baby away from you.”

      “She’s already got some attorney trying to find out things about me so he can say I’m an unfit mother.”

      “And if that doesn’t work, he’s trying to scare her into giving up Justin,” Reno added. “Someone set fire to Chrissy’s mother’s house just before we left L.A.”

      “You’re kidding?” Linda said as she looked from Reno to Chrissy. “Some lawyer would do that?”

      Reno nodded. “He might not do anything himself, but he’d pay people to cause some damage.”

      “Wow.” Linda frowned. “He’s serious. I thought he was just some kind of crazy guy who wrote letters to stir up trouble.”

      “I still have the letter,” Reno said as he patted his shirt pocket. “I’m keeping it in case we want to get a restraining order on him or something.”

      “It’s not the lawyer I’m worried about—it’s the people he hires that scare me,” Chrissy said. “I’m glad Justin isn’t old enough to walk or crawl. I’d be a nervous wreck every time he went out to play.”

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