Waiting for Baby. Cathy Mcdavid

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СКАЧАТЬ her for the first time since he’d botched their breakup, watching the brave front she put on, had reminded him of the genuine liking he’d had for her and still did. He’d been a jerk for treating her so poorly—but not, he reasoned, for letting her go.

      As difficult as their breakup had been for both of them, it was for the best. Jake had jumped the gun with Lilly, something he’d realized when she’d begun to pressure him for more of a commitment. His daughters were having trouble coping with their mother’s upcoming marriage and the prospect of a stepfather. A new woman in Jake’s life would’ve added to those troubles, and his daughters came first with him. He’d chosen wisely, he felt, to call it quits with Lilly before too many people were hurt or, as in her case, hurt worse.

      Climbing into his pickup truck, he took the main road through the ranch to the riding stables. He pulled up beside a split-wood fence his grandfather had built fifty years ago and parked.

      “Howdy, Jake.” Gary Forrester, the ranch’s manager of guest amenities, came out from the barn to greet him. He carried a metal toolbox in one hand. In the other, he jangled a set of keys to one of the ATVs the hands regularly used to get around the property.

      “Hey, Gary. You off somewhere?”

      “The number-three pump went on the fritz this morning. I’m on my way up the hill to see if I can talk sweetly to it.” The older man had a real knack with finicky pieces of machinery, coaxing them to work when they were beyond repair. Hired thirty-plus years ago by Jake’s grandfather, he’d become a permanent fixture on the place.

      “I won’t keep you long, I promise.” Jake ambled toward the holding corral where a dozen horses milled quietly in the warm noontime sun. The other dozen or so were out carrying guests on one of the many scenic trails winding through the nearby mountains.

      “I can spare a minute.” Gary set the keys and toolbox on the ATV’s wide seat and joined Jake at the corral. “What’s on your mind?”

      “Any chance we have room for another animal?”

      “Sure. You found one?”

      “Not exactly.” Jake rested his forearms on the piped railing. “This one would be a boarder.”

      “Hmm.” Gary raised his weathered brows. “That’s a new one. Didn’t think we were in the boarding business.”

      “We’re not. The Horizon Adult Day Care Center has come by a mule and is looking for a place to keep it.” Jake didn’t need to elaborate. Gary was familiar with the center. It was located in the same small shopping plaza as the antique store co-owned by his wife and Jake’s aunt. “An old, lame mule, so I’m told.”

      Gary pushed his cowboy hat back and scratched the top of his head. “What in the tarnation are they doing with a mule?”

      “The Malcovitches donated it.” The reminder of Ellen’s fiancé triggered another surge of anger in Jake. He quickly suppressed it.

      “Why?”

      He summarized Lilly’s plan to use the mule as a teaching tool and positive influence on the center’s clients. “I haven’t decided anything yet. There are some insurance issues to resolve. And I wanted to bounce the idea off you, seeing as the work the clients do will fall under your domain.”

      “Are them people up to the task? Cleaning out pens doesn’t take much know-how, but it’s physically demanding, and they gotta be able to follow directions.”

      “Ms. Russo seems to think they are.” Jake’s voice involuntarily warmed when he spoke Lilly’s name.

      Did Gary notice? Jake wasn’t sure how much the employees knew about his former relationship with Lilly or what conclusions they’d jumped to. Bear Creek Ranch was a small community, and as much as the family tried to minimize it, people gossiped.

      “What about the guests?” Gary asked.

      “Obviously, nothing the center does here can interfere in the slightest with the ranch’s operation.”

      Gary nodded. The guests—their comfort and enjoyment—were his top priority. “We might want to put the mule in by himself for a while. Just to be on the safe side. Some horses take unkindly to long ears.”

      “I don’t think he should be allowed on any trails, either, until we determine just how lame he is. Make sure he’s ridden only in the round pen for now.”

      “Sounds like you’ve already decided.”

      “No. But I will take Ms. Russo’s proposal to the family.”

      Gary’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “That ought to be interesting.”

      Jake didn’t dispute his statement. The Tuckers were close but they didn’t always agree on what was best for the ranch—and each other. Gary knew that better than anyone. Thirty years of working and living side by side with his employers had given him an inside track. Their relationship had recently become further entwined when Gary’s daughter had married Jake’s former brother-in-law.

      “We’re meeting on Saturday,” Jake said. Pushing away from the railing, he turned toward his truck, mentally composing his argument to the family in favor of Lilly’s plan. Tax deduction and goodwill aside, it was the right thing to do. The Tuckers had a longstanding history of giving back to the community.

      “I’ll have Little José ready one of the stalls,” Gary said.

      “No rush.”

      Jake’s words were wasted on his manager. The stall would be fit for a Kentucky Derby winner by quitting time today.

      “Not that my opinion counts, but I think helping the center is a good idea.” Gary had fallen into step beside Jake. Midway between the ATV and Jake’s truck, they paused to finish their conversation. “Ms. Russo is a fine lady with a heart of gold. She works her tail off for them folks.”

      “Yes, she does.”

      Was that a subtle reprimand in Gary’s tone or was guilt coloring Jake’s perception? Probably a little of both.

      “Lord knows some of them need a fighter on their side. It’ll be my pleasure having her around.”

      Jake’s, too. More than he would’ve guessed and for reasons in no way connected to the center, its clients or an old, lame mule about to find a new home on the ranch if he had any say in the matter.

      He cautioned himself to tread carefully. The reasons he’d broken off with Lilly in the first place hadn’t changed. If anything, they’d intensified. As his ex-wife’s wedding approached, his daughters were becoming more sullen and starting to act out, especially his oldest, Briana. Asking them to accept yet another change, in this case Lilly, wasn’t fair and would only make the situation worse.

      Lilly had the right idea: keep things on a professional level, for everyone’s sake.

      But after seeing her today, Jake knew it wouldn’t be easy.

      Chapter Two

      Lilly bent over the compact porcelain sink and turned the right faucet on full blast. Forming a cup with СКАЧАТЬ