A Place for Family. Mia Ross

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СКАЧАТЬ attitude when he preferred girls who were sweet and uncomplicated.

      Setting the thermos on the ground between them, John rested his head against the wheel and sighed. “I always liked that about her.”

      “Women like that are nothing but trouble.”

      “Oh, spare me,” John scoffed. “You married a woman like that.”

      “Caty’s different.”

      “’Cause she’s the mother of that baby girl who’s got you wrapped around her little finger.”

      “Partly.” Smirking like a man hopelessly in love with his wife, Matt sipped some more tea. “You think there’s more to all this than Amanda losing her job?”

      “Probably. Can’t imagine her driving all this way otherwise.”

      “What’re you gonna do about it?”

      Staring over the fields toward the house, John rolled the question around in his mind. She’d been his friend once—closer than any other he’d had—but over the years his opinion of her had taken a lot of turns, mostly for the worst. Seeing her again had shaken him, no doubt about that.

      To combat those feelings, he just had to remember that she’d left him behind for something she wanted more. L.A. drew her in with the promise of excitement and money, both of which she’d probably had more of than he could begin to imagine. And when whatever had chased her off resolved itself, she’d return to her career because that was what mattered most to her.

      “Nothing,” he finally said. “It’s not my problem.”

      Matt cocked his head in disbelief. “You don’t mean that.”

      “Yeah, I do. Whatever mess she’s in is her own making, and it’s got nothing to do with me.”

      Getting to his feet, John hauled himself up to the tractor’s seat and actually crossed his fingers. When the engine sputtered to life, Matt stood and gave him a long big-brother look. He didn’t say anything more, though, and they both got back to work.

      * * *

      Around three o’clock, Tucker took off toward the road, and Amanda heard the rumble of a school bus stopping at the end of the driveway. The clothes she’d borrowed from Marianne didn’t fit well, and it had finally hit her that she was completely out of her element. Feeling like Dorothy after landing in Oz, she was more than a little anxious about how the afternoon would turn out.

      “Here they are,” she murmured, pulling a pitcher of fruit punch out of the fridge to go with the chocolate chip cookies she’d made. “I hope they like me.”

      “They will.”

      When she heard Marianne’s voice, Amanda felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment. “Sorry. When I’m nervous, I talk to myself. Should you be up?”

      “I have to go to the bathroom occasionally. Besides, I want to introduce you to the kids.”

      Amanda smiled. “Southern hospitality. I didn’t realize how much I missed it.”

      “Things move a little more quickly in Los Angeles, I’d imagine.” Grasping the arms, she eased herself into the chair at the head of the table. “I hope you won’t be too bored here in Harland.”

      To be honest, Amanda was looking forward to some peace and quiet. She feared that saying so would open the door to a lot of questions, so she went with something less personal.

      “Don’t you worry about me. If you decide to hire me, this place will keep me plenty busy.” When Marianne smiled, Amanda asked, “Did I say something funny?”

      “No, but you’ve only been here a few hours and your accent’s already coming back.”

      Apparently, she’d noticed earlier that Amanda had abandoned her Carolina drawl for something more mainstream. “I’d really rather not talk about it.”

      That got her a warm, understanding smile. “Okay. But when you’re ready, I’m a good listener with a short memory.”

      Amanda wasn’t sure she’d ever willingly discuss her situation, but right now a boy and girl stood framed in the screen door, gawking at her.

      “Come on in, you two,” their mother beckoned with a wave of her hand. “Meet an old friend of ours, Amanda Gardner. This is Kyle, who’s twelve, and Emily, our eight-year-old.”

      “Nice to meet you,” he said with a grin full of braces. The rubber bands holding them on were blue and gold. Harland Wildcats colors, she recalled with a smile of her own.

      “Thanks.” She shook the hand he boldly offered. “Nice to meet you, too.”

      Emily hung back a step behind her brother, eyeing Amanda with curiosity shining in china-blue eyes, just like her mother’s. “You were in that commercial we saw with the animals stuck on an island during a flood. You and a bunch of other people saved them and found new homes for them.”

      The ad for a local SPCA group had been one of Amanda’s favorite projects, and the mention of it gave her an ideal topic to break the ice with the kids.

      “Usually I only got to do the boring stuff on commercials, so I had a ball making that one.” She hunkered down so she was more on Emily’s level. “One of those ponies used to steal my lunch if I wasn’t careful. He really liked barbecue potato chips.”

      “What was his name?” Emily asked, clearly hooked.

      “Constantine. He was the little black-and-white pinto. We called him Tino. He lives on a ranch in Montana, and next month he’ll be in a big movie.” That promotional campaign had been the last one she’d worked on before her world caved in, and she was clinging to that success for all she was worth. It kept her from feeling like a complete failure.

      “I’d really like to see it,” Emily said.

      “Me, too.” She almost added that they could go to the theater together, but she was afraid to sound presumptuous. After all, she didn’t officially have this job yet. Standing, she put the plate of cookies on the table and filled two glasses with punch. “Are you guys hungry?”

      “Starving,” Kyle responded in typical boy fashion. Even though she knew he wasn’t related to Ridge, he instantly reminded her of his stepfather. Forthright and confident, with a quick smile. Half the girls in town probably had crushes on this kid.

      Pleased with how their first meeting had gone, she sat down and listened while they told Marianne about their day. School would be finished soon, and then they’d be home for the summer. With the twins due in July or August, it would be a busy time for the family.

      And possibly for her, too. It sure would beat wringing her hands, waiting for another anvil to fall on her head, she mused as she broke off a quarter of a cookie.

      “You don’t have to do that.” Kyle nodded toward the partial cookie she held. “There’s plenty. You can have a whole one.”

      “Oh, this is fine. I don’t eat a lot of sweets.” When the two of them stared at her as if she’d been СКАЧАТЬ