His Valentine Surprise. Tanya Michaels

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СКАЧАТЬ was equally imperative that he watched some of her ballet lessons or read to her class.

      “Vicki and Bobby were sneaking off to do this,” he continued, “and I never had an inkling that she was up to something.” When she’d flat out admitted this morning that she had “a plan,” his brilliant parenting strategy had been to dismiss what she was trying to tell him. Dumbass. “Before I think about any romantic relationships, I should probably strengthen my relationship with my daughter.”

      “All right. But you know if you ever do want to take someone out for the evening, we’re happy to babysit.”

      “Thank you. You and Frank have been amazing. I don’t think I tell you that enough, but we’re so blessed to have you.” Even Bobby had arguably acted out of love for his cousin. Mark couldn’t fathom what it would be like for himself and Vicki to start over from scratch somewhere else, without their invaluable support network.

      I won’t let that happen, he vowed to himself as he disconnected the call. He would simply redouble his efforts to keep the store open. But he wouldn’t let those efforts stop him from being the father that Vicki deserved.

      Chapter Three

      “Oh, it’s you.” Since the store was currently deserted, Mark’s words carried.

      From just beneath the bell that jangled to announce patrons, six-foot-five Cade Montgomery raised his eyebrows. “Dude, stop falling all over yourself with elation whenever you see me. People will talk.”

      “Sorry, didn’t mean to sound unhappy that you’re here,” Mark said. “I was just hoping…”

      “That I was a paying customer?” Cade commiserated. In years past, the dark-haired bear of a man had earned a full-time living with guided rafting excursions, but in the current economy, he had to supplement that income with carpentry odd jobs.

      “Yeah.”

      “It’s the middle of a weekday,” Cade pointed out. “People are either at work or at lunch. You’ll get more business tomorrow.”

      “I know.” But would it be enough business? Since Mark had reached the store after this morning’s meeting at Woodside, he’d been consulting vendor catalogs, trying to decide if he could cut costs by dropping certain brands that weren’t selling well or switching distributors.

      “Speaking of lunch. I was in the area delivering some shelves to a client and swung by to see if you wanted to grab a burger with me.”

      “But that would mean closing the store for an hour.”

      Cade glanced meaningfully at the reversible Open sign hanging in the window; the back featured an adjustable clock face. “Gee, if only you had one of those signs that said something like ‘Will Return In….’”

      Mark rolled his eyes. “Smart-ass. I was planning to work through lunch because I missed some time this morning. I got called into an unexpected meeting with the new principal at Woodside.”

      “About that Fitness Fair?”

      “No, about Vicki.” The tiniest matchmaker. Mark had seen movies where children of single parents schemed to get their folks together. But those were always specific matches—one man, one woman. His overachieving daughter had tried to hook him up with the entire damn PTA!

      “Vicki? Is she winning an award or something?” Cade asked, unmistakable affection in his voice.

      “Not unless the school gives out awards for most inappropriate use of email.”

      Cade’s brows shot up. “Don’t follow.”

      Mark sighed. “Come on. Let’s get lunch, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

      RECAPPING THE MORNING’S ego-bruising events for his friend’s entertainment did not improve Mark’s mood. Even though it had been Cade’s idea to go eat, the man had mostly ignored his bacon burger in favor of laughing at Mark.

      “I had no idea your daughter was so proficient with the internet,” Cade said, still chortling. “If I’d known, I would have friended her on Facebook. Hey, think she could talk me through a problem I’ve been having with Outlook?”

      “Glad you find this so hilarious,” Mark groused.

      “And you don’t? You have to admit, what she did was really cute.”

      “Says the man who wasn’t getting lectured by Principal Morgan first thing this morning.”

      “That’s right, I remember hearing a new principal moved here from the opposite end of the school district. What’s she like, the female version of Ridenour?” Even though Cade didn’t have any young relatives at the elementary school, it was a small town and everyone had at least a passing acquaintance with Jonathan Ridenour, one of Braeden’s most involved citizens until his heart attack.

      At the idea of comparing Shay to Ridenour, Mark finally cracked a grin. Cade was a good guy, but a bit of a hound dog. He’d dated at least half of the attractive single women in the tricounty area yet had no idea that a beautiful blonde had recently taken up residence nearby. “No, she’s not much like Ridenour. Younger, for one thing.”

      “Makes sense. Why replace him with someone who would just retire in another year or two?”

      Mark frowned, remembering his encounter with Shay. “And I think Jonathan would have been slower to assume it was my fault. He’s got kids, grandkids. He understands that sometimes they just… Do you think I’m a bad father?”

      “Hell, no. You adore that little girl. But you know enough to tell her when it’s time to go to bed and not give her whatever she wants just because she throws a fit. Not that I’ve ever seen her throw one,” Cade qualified. “Of course, that’s probably just because you’re such a good dad you’ve taught her better manners than that. Look, don’t ask me about parenting. What do I know? Talk to your sister-in-law if you’re really worried.”

      That made Mark feel better. After all, no one questioned that Dee was a great parent, even though her son had been Vicki’s accomplice. Somewhat mollified, he admitted, “It’s not that I think Principal Morgan is wrong, per se, about my getting involved. I just don’t think she can fully appreciate the pressure I’m under as a single dad. She’s never been in the parenting trenches herself.”

      Cade swiped a fry through some ketchup. “You think maybe she’s bitter? Got into teaching because she loves kids but never had any of her own? Maybe she’s jealous of people with families.”

      Mark opened his mouth to correct his friend’s misconception that Shay was a woman well past her prime, but the waitress came back to refill their drinks and Cade spent the next few minutes flirting with her. Once she was gone, conversation turned to Mark’s store and his idea about contacting nearby lodges and resorts like Hawk Summit.

      “You know, there’s actually been some buzz about trying to reopen the campsite on the edge of Braeden,” Cade said. “If that happened, it could indirectly benefit you. Stop by the town meeting next week, make a case for why it would be good for all of us.”

      “Maybe.” Mark suspected he could get Dee to babysit, but if he was going to publicly address his fellow towns-people, СКАЧАТЬ