Evergreen Springs. RaeAnne Thayne

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СКАЧАТЬ he decided to enjoy it while it lasted. He returned to his laptop and was deep in the new accounting program he was trying to figure out for the ranch when the doorbell rang.

      “Who could that be?” Ty asked, rushing to the door before Cole could even push his chair back from the table.

      He really needed to have a talk with the kid about stranger danger and taking a few basic precautions, like waiting for his dad to answer the door. He didn’t want to make his kids paranoid but Cole knew better than most that there were nasty people in the world. He’d lived among the worst for eighteen months.

      At least Coco, the old ranch dog who lived inside these days, had padded after him. She was half-blind but she would still go to the wall for everybody she considered part of her pack.

      He headed after both of them just as his son opened the door for Devin Shaw.

      Cole was struck again by how lovely she was, with her appealing smile, green eyes sparkling in the sunshine and all that delicious creamy skin, a little pink from the cold.

      A few random snowflakes spangled the blue-and-silver beanie she wore and the jaunty matching scarf. She looked bright and vibrant and very different from the scrub-wearing professional he had seen at the hospital.

      He had just a moment for purely masculine appreciation before the questions began to fly in his mind. What was she doing here? Was Tricia all right? Had there been some kind of complication? He had talked to his sister earlier in the morning but maybe the situation had changed.

      No. If there had been a problem, Tricia would have called him. Not only that, but he had a feeling Devin wouldn’t be so calm right now, nor would she be giving such a friendly smile.

      “Hi.”

      “Hi, Dr. Shaw,” Ty said. “Did you see all that snow?”

      She crouched down to talk to him at his level. “I sure did. I just drove through it on the way up here from town. It’s pretty deep. With snow like that, there’s only one thing to do. You have to build a snowman.”

      Ty’s face lit up. “Yes! We should! Jaz, don’t you think we should build a snowman?”

      While Cole was busy trying not to stare at Devin, Jazmyn had wandered out to see who was at the door.

      “It’s too cold,” Jazmyn answered, though Cole didn’t miss the sudden spark of excitement in her eyes. She was so contrary she even argued with herself and didn’t want to admit what she really wanted.

      “If you dress warmly, you’ll be so busy having fun, you won’t even feel the cold,” Dr. Shaw assured her.

      “Can we, Dad? Can we?” Ty asked.

      He didn’t know how to answer. He didn’t want to disappoint his son but he had ranch accounts to finish and then a call scheduled in fifteen minutes with a new client who wanted to discuss a possible lucrative new contract. The vet was supposed to be dropping by sometime that afternoon to take a look at one of the horses he was training who seemed off his feed.

      A little resentful of Dr. Shaw for showing up on the doorstep and giving him one more thing to feel guilty about, Cole opened his mouth to tell Ty they could try to build one later in the afternoon but she spoke before he could.

      “I’ve got a few minutes,” she offered. “And I’m particularly good at snowpeople. I would love to help you build a snowman, if your dad doesn’t mind.”

      What was he supposed to say to that? He couldn’t send her on her way without sounding like even more of a jerk.

      “I’m sure you didn’t drive all the way up here just so you could build a snowman with my son,” he said.

      She smiled. “No. I would just consider that a bonus. Actually, I came out to bring you something.”

      He gazed blankly at her. “You did?”

      She opened the front door and pointed to a large cardboard box outside on the porch.

      “What is it?” Ty asked.

      “Is it a puppy?” Jazmyn asked. “I really want a puppy.”

      “We have a dog,” he answered, pointing to Coco, who had eased her tired bones down onto the rug in the foyer.

      “She’s old and she doesn’t ever want to play,” Jazmyn answered. “And her breath stinks.”

      “It’s not a puppy,” Dr. Shaw assured him. “Stinky or otherwise.”

      “Is it a Christmas present?” Ty asked.

      “I guess you could call it that. A Christmas present from lots of different people.”

      “Can I see what it is?”

      “Go ahead.”

      Ty opened the flaps, peered inside, then eased away with a confused look. “It’s just bowls and stuff.”

      “What is it?” Jazmyn asked, pushing her way forward. If there was anything interesting happening within her orbit, Jaz wanted to be part of it.

      “Dinner,” she answered cheerfully. “Several dinners. And maybe some lunches, too.”

      He frowned, eyeing the box warily. “What are you talking about?”

      She shrugged, but if he didn’t know better, he would say she looked a little embarrassed. “I hope you don’t mind, but your sister told me a little about your situation.”

      “My situation,” he said stiffly. How much had Tricia told her?

      “She said you recently lost a housekeeper. With her in the hospital now and likely to stay there for at least a few weeks, she’s concerned about you and the children.”

      “I’ve got things under control,” he muttered. One look into the living room mess would certainly prove that for a bald-faced lie.

      “I’m sure you do,” she answered. “But everybody can use a little help and you’ve got your hands full. My sister helped me put the word out to our sources that we have a neighbor in need and this is the result.”

      He gazed down at the box filled with containers. “Food. You brought food.”

      “These are ready-made meals that can go in your freezer or fridge. A few soups, some casseroles, even a lasagna in there. All you have to do is heat them, no prep required.”

      He couldn’t quite wrap his head around what she was saying. “Who did you say this came from?”

      “Lots of people. When somebody needs help in Haven Point, people love the chance to step up.”

      People he didn’t know had fixed meals for him and his kids. How was he supposed to react to that? In all his life, he wasn’t sure anybody had ever done something like this for him before.

      “I know it’s not much,” she said at his continued silence. “But it should get you through a week or so. They’re all really kid-friendly meals. We tried to make СКАЧАТЬ