Her Texas Hero. Kat Brookes

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СКАЧАТЬ the back door won’t open,” Mason added with a frown.

      Embarrassment warmed Audra’s cheeks. “Cobwebs can be swept away and the door just needs a little oil.”

      The man cleared his throat. “I doubt oiling the door is gonna fix your problem. Chances are the door is a little swollen from all the rain and humidity we’ve had in the past few weeks.” He glanced around. “As old as this place is and knowing how long it’s been sitting here unattended to, there’s a real good possibility the foundation has shifted and it’s throwing things off.”

      The foundation? That sounded more than a little costly. “You sound like you’ve dealt with this problem before,” she said, wondering how he could know these things when he hadn’t even taken a look at her door yet. Maybe this was a common problem in Texas.

      “I have,” he replied with a nod. “My brother and I own a construction company. We do a lot of home renovations as well as new builds. I’d be happy to take a look at your door and give you an idea of what you’ll need to do to fix the problem.”

      “Maybe Daddy could fix it,” Lily suggested.

      Audra cringed at her daughter’s hopeful words.

      “We don’t have a daddy anymore,” Mason reminded her in a tone laced with both hurt and anger.

      “I forgot,” Lily said woefully. Then, looking up at a sober-faced Carter Cooper, she added, “Our daddy gave us away.”

      Before Audra had a chance to respond, her son puffed out his chest and announced, “I’m the man of the house now.”

      Guilt weighed heavily on her heart. “My husband and I are divorced,” she said, somehow managing to get the words past the emotion constricting her throat. “He decided fatherhood wasn’t for him and gave up his parental rights.” Her bottom lip quivered as she fought the urge to cry. Maybe it was the long drive to Texas, or even the scare she’d had up on the roof, but her emotions felt incredibly raw at that moment.

      She had failed as a wife and now as a mother if one listened to her children’s words. At six years old, her son shouldn’t have to be the “man of the house.” And no child should ever feel like their father simply gave them away. But everything they said was true. Mason was the only male in the house and their father had signed over all rights to his children without even a moment’s hesitation. And she had failed God, because she had spoken vows to love, honor and cherish. None of which she’d been able to bring herself to do at the end of her marriage.

      But this was her chance to start over. To give her children the kind of life they deserved. One where they would feel happy and safe, never doubting her love for them. Her gaze shifted to the peeling porch paint and the weathered cracks in the wood framing the porch windows and she knew she had her work cut out for her. But with determination, hard work and a fair amount of prayer, she would turn this dilapidated old house into a true home for herself and her children.

Chapter Two

      Carter shifted uneasily. What did he say to that? He hated the sorrow he’d heard in Audra Marshall’s voice. A woman alone, raising two young children all by herself. And now she had to deal with this dilapidated old house she’d purchased online.

      Her daughter’s heart-wrenching words played through his mind. Our daddy gave us away. What kind of man gave up his own children? Not him. At least, he wouldn’t if he were ever to have a child of his own, which he had no intention of doing. He was plenty content to spoil Katie rotten and then send her home to her daddy. To think Audra’s ex had so little appreciation of his beautiful little girl and smart-as-a-whip little boy made his heart ache for them.

      Life was too precious. He’d learned that a little over a year before, when the F4 twister took the lives of his parents and his sister-in-law. It was a day that would never be erased from his mind. He and Nathan had been the ones to find their parents. They’d pulled their momma’s lifeless body from the rubble that had once been their family home and then found their daddy, broken and bloodied, close by. By then rescuers had arrived and a desperate search went on for Isabel and Katie. Carter had been the one to find Isabel, who’d looked like a broken doll. Her last words had been “Keep them safe and happy for me, Carter.” Words he would honor. Words he had kept to himself, not wanting Nathan to know his beloved wife had suffered even in the slightest before passing. It was better that way.

      Katie, who the rescuers had found cut and bleeding, her leg severely broken, in what had once been his parents’ hall closet, had been the only survivor. Their daddy, who had been severely injured, was called home to the Lord just a day after losing his beloved wife of thirty-two years. His brother had done his best to fill the void Isabel’s death had left in their young daughter’s life, but it had taken a toll on Nathan emotionally. On all of them, truth be told. The tragedy of that day had changed all of their lives forever. And unlike houses, which could be repaired, hearts were a whole different story. His brothers were living proof of that.

      “You’re really tall,” Lily said, drawing Carter back from his troubled thoughts. She looked up at him from her perch atop the porch swing, where she sat beside her mother. The same light brown eyes flecked with gold as her mother’s. The same honey-brown hair.

      “Reckon I am,” he replied with a grin.

      “Bet you could reach the spiderweb curtains on my windows.”

      “Lily,” Audra gasped, “Mr. Cooper is not cleaning the cobwebs from your windows.”

      “I happen to be real good at removing cobwebs from high places,” he said. “I’d be happy to—”

      “We’ve held Mr. Cooper up long enough,” she said, not giving him the chance to offer any more assistance than he already had. Easing her young daughter upright in the swing, Audra Marshall pushed to her feet. “I’ll show you to the back door so you can take a quick look at it and then you can get on your way.”

      As he followed her into the house, he couldn’t help but wonder if she was anxious to get rid of him because he’d overstayed his welcome, or if she really felt like she’d imposed on his time.

      “I’d ask you to forgive the mess,” she called back over her shoulder as she made her way toward the back of the house, “but I assume you understand.”

      “Completely,” he replied. He did a mental sweep around him. The outside was in need of major repairs, but the inside was far worse. A major undertaking for even a professional like himself. “So you’re gonna be hiring someone to do the necessary repairs to the house?”

      “I hadn’t planned on it,” she replied as she led him down a wide hallway.

      “Excuse me?”

      “I came here with the intention of doing most of it myself,” she explained without slowing her steps.

      “Mommy can fix anything,” Lily said as she scurried to walk beside him. “She fixed my dolly’s broken arm.”

      He chuckled, slowing his step to allow her to keep up. His gaze dropped down to her adorable little face. “Did she now?”

      “A little glue goes a long way,” Audra said, her determined strides taking her into the kitchen.

      Maybe when it came to СКАЧАТЬ