1420135090 (R) (16 page)

“Perhaps.” A little smile flickered across her lips. For a moment, she looked young.

“Who was he? What was his name?”

“His name doesn’t matter anymore.” Muriel’s eyes seemed to be gazing into the past. “He worked for my father. I fell in love the first time I set eyes on him. But he was never anything but polite and respectful toward me. I suspect if he cared for me at all, he thought I was too fine for him. How wrong he was.”

“So you never encouraged him?”

“I was shy, nothing like girls are these days. I had no idea how to encourage a man. And later on, of course, I had my father to take care of.”

“So, what finally happened?”

“Nothing. We just got old.” Still wearing that faraway look, Muriel got up and left the kitchen.

Deep in musings, Kylie finished the dishes. She’d told herself that her great-aunt knew nothing about love and loss. But she’d been wrong. No doubt Muriel had been talking about Henry, who’d stayed by her side all these years without ever speaking his mind. It was a beautiful love story—but such a sad one.

Was it too late for the two of them? Would they go to their graves without knowing the truth? Something needed to change. But how could she nudge them in the right direction without embarrassing two very dignified, very private people? Or even worse, wrecking a relationship built on years of trust?

She was drying the dishes when Amy burst into the kitchen. Her coat was dusted with snow. Her eyes were dancing. “Henry told us how to make snow angels! It’s fun! Come out and play with us, Mom!”

Play?

For Kylie the word had almost lost its meaning. How long had it been since she’d put aside her worries and played with her children? How long since she’d laughed with them? In the months since Brad’s death, every day had been about survival, with no time or energy for anything else. She’d missed playing, she realized. So had her children, especially Amy.

“Please, Mom.” Amy tugged at her arm.

Giving in, Kylie tossed the dish towel aside and grabbed her new coat and boots. “I haven’t made snow angels since I was your age,” she said. “Let’s see if I can remember how.”

It was cold outside. Amy and Hunter’s faces were flushed from playing in the snow. Their breaths made white puffs of vapor in the icy air. But it was their smiles Kylie noticed first. She couldn’t remember when she’d seen her children look so happy.

“Come on, Mom!” Amy dashed into the knee-deep snow. “Let’s see you make a snow angel!”

Kylie put up the hood of her coat and pulled her new gloves out of the pockets where she’d stuffed them.

“Right here.” Amy guided her to a patch of fresh untouched snow. Kylie braced herself for the shock, took a deep breath and willed herself to fall straight backward. She gasped as the snow closed around her. The landing was like a tumble into icy cold feathers, but the lower layers of snow supported her weight and kept her from sinking too deep. Remembering what to do, she butterflied her arms up and down to make angel wings and thrashed her legs apart and together to make the skirt. Done. Now to get up without wrecking her angel.

“Help!” She held up her arms. Hunter and Amy each grabbed a hand and pulled. Kylie staggered to her feet, lost her balance and, laughing, fell back on her rear. Her perfect angel was ruined, but the sound of her children’s laughter had been worth it.

“Make another one!” Amy said.

“Not on your life!” Kylie brushed the snow off her jeans. “I’ve got a better idea. Let me show you how to play Fox and Geese.”

After morning chores and a quick breakfast, Shane drove his pickup over the snowy road to Muriel’s farm. He’d planned on spending a few hours in the shed, examining the wrecked bike and judging which parts were usable. So far, Henry hadn’t sounded optimistic about fixing it. But Shane wasn’t ready to give up. When the ranch sold, he’d have plenty of money for a new top-of-the-line machine. But the idea of touring the back roads on his old Harley had the ring of a promise kept. He would do his best to keep the patient alive.

Kylie would be there, he reminded himself as he turned up the drive. But he planned to keep his distance. Kissing her last night had almost melted his boot soles. But he couldn’t allow it to mean anything. He was almost a free man. Getting tangled up with a pretty widow and her two likable kids was the last thing he needed. And as far as he could tell, the lady felt the same way toward him.

Up ahead, between the barnyard and the house, something was going on. Dressed in jewel-colored coats, Kylie and her children were romping in the snow, falling down, getting up, and pelting each other with snowballs. Their winter clothes and boots must’ve arrived.

Shane’s foot eased off on the gas as he neared the house. Rolling down the window, he could hear them shouting. The sight of Kylie, tumbling and playing in the snow like a little girl, made him want to sit back and enjoy watching her. Seeing her sparkle like that—her face flushed with cold, her mouth laughing—almost made him want to fall in love with her. But what was he thinking? Was Muriel’s advice getting to him?

They’d noticed him now. Their play stopped as Shane pulled the truck up to the house and parked. Kylie waved at him as he climbed to the ground. “Hunter has something to tell you,” she said, motioning her son over.

Hunter shuffled his new boots in the snow. “I’m sorry I ran away and caused so much trouble, Shane. Thanks for coming to drive me home.”

Shane gave him a serious look. “Thanks for your apology, Hunter. I hope you’ve learned your lesson.”

Hunter nodded sheepishly. “Are we square?”

“I’d say so.” Shane allowed himself to smile. “When you’re through playing in the snow, you’re welcome to come out to the shed. Henry and I will be working on the bike. If you want to watch, maybe you can learn a thing or two.”

“Hey, I’d like that!” Hunter chased off after his sister, who’d just thrown a snowball at his back. Kylie stood looking up at Shane, her eyes narrowed against the glare of sun on snow.

“Sorry if I overstepped myself,” Shane said. “I guess I should’ve asked your permission before I invited him out to the shed.”

“No, it’s fine,” she said. “It’ll be something new for him—the sort of thing he’d never learn from his mother. It hasn’t been easy, raising a boy on my own and trying to teach him man skills.”

“So you aren’t worried about my being a bad influence on him?” Shane couldn’t resist needling her.

“Oh, stop it! I was just being overprotective. Given the way you came to our rescue last night, I feel like a fool.”

“You’re anything but a fool, Kylie. And I’d say you’re doing a fine job of teaching your son man skills—like courtesy and responsibility.”

Her laugh was brief but warm. “Sometimes I wonder about that. But thanks for the vote of confidence.”

She’d made no move to leave. The eyes that looked up at him were as blue as the favorite marble he’d carried in his pocket as a boy. Perfect little Kylie Summerfield. Was she thinking about last night’s gasket-blowing kiss? He sure as hell was. And right now, he wouldn’t mind a replay. Too bad they had an audience.

Something thumped against the back of Shane’s coat. Turning around, he saw a grinning Amy about to fling a second snowball at him. He threw his hands in the air. “Hey, I surrender! Name it—anything you want!”

She lowered her hand. Her eyebrows slid together in a mock scowl. “You owe me a snowmobile ride,” she said. “You took Hunter, but I didn’t have a coat, so I couldn’t go. Now I can go, and I want to see your puppies. Hunter says you have horses, too.” She caught her mother’s frown. “Please,” she added.

Shane took a moment to weigh her demand. “Tell you what,” he said. “I’ll take you, but only if your mom will come along, too. With you on her lap, you should both fit on the rear seat.”

Amy was dancing up and down. “Can we go right now? Please say yes, Mom!”

“Is now all right?” Kylie asked. “I know you were planning to work on your bike, but I hate to disappoint her.”

“No problem. Now’s as good a time as any. Hang on and I’ll get the snowmobile out of the shed.”

Shane was turning to go when Henry stepped out onto the back porch, carrying a heavy pipe wrench. “Sorry, Kylie,” he said. “I took the kitchen drain apart and looked in the trap. When your ring wasn’t there, I checked the bathroom drains, too. No sign of it.”

Kylie sighed. “Thanks for trying, Henry. That ring’s got to be somewhere. I won’t stop searching till it’s back on my finger.”

Seeing her dejected look, Shane turned away and strode off to get the snowmobile. Muriel had put up a good argument for getting serious about Kylie. But she’d been wrong about one thing: Kylie’s heart was buried in Arlington with her husband—and that wasn’t likely to change.

Kylie clasped her daughter close as the snowmobile roared toward the Taggart ranch. Seated in front of them, Shane’s broad shoulders blocked the view ahead. He’d cut away from the road to zip across the open field, and Amy was loving it. She squealed with laughter as the flying snow spattered her face. It had been a long time since Kylie had seen her little girl so happy. And it was mostly Shane’s doing. The man would make a wonderful father—if any woman could get him to stay put.

They were nearing the heart of the ranch. Kylie remembered the place from her growing-up years. She’d always admired the house, with its broad front porch and Craftsman-style architecture. Shane’s father had built it for his wife. But after her illness and death from cancer, he’d stopped caring about the place and it had fallen into neglect. Kylie had dropped Shane off here two days ago, after wrecking his bike. But it had been storming then; the air had been filled with flying snow. Only now, as she saw the house in full daylight, did she appreciate how much Shane had done to restore its faded beauty.

“I always did love your house,” she said as he switched off the noisy engine. “I can tell you’ve done a lot of work on it. It seems a shame to put it up for sale.”

“I’ve had the same thought,” he said. “But this house deserves to be a happy place with a family inside. It hasn’t been a happy place for a long time.”

“I want to see the puppies!” Amy said.

“They’re in the barn. Come on, I’ll show you.” Shane helped her off the snowmobile. She raced ahead down the shoveled path, with Shane and Kylie following.

“She’s quite a girl,” Shane said. “Reminds me a lot of you at that age.”

Kylie laughed. It felt good, that laughter coming out of a place that had been silent too long. “She looks a lot like I did. But I was far too serious back then. So far, Amy’s favorite thing seems to be having fun.”

“You’re still too serious,” Shane said. “You try too hard and then you beat yourself up because life isn’t perfect. You can’t accept the fact that it’s just life.”

“Since when did you get so smart? Is giving my children a decent Christmas asking too much—especially when, so far, what they’re getting is no Christmas at all?” Kylie kicked at a chunk of snow on the path. “I can’t just give up. I’ve got to think of a way to make things all right.”

At that moment, an idea sprang to her mind— not a great idea, but better than none at all. She would keep it to herself for now.

“Come on!” Amy had reached the barn door.

“Hold your horses!” Catching up with her, Shane unfastened the latch and opened the door partway. Light shone through the high windows below the roof. “Calm and quiet, Amy,” he said. “No running or squealing. That’s the way to behave around animals.”

“Got it.” She halted her wild dash into the barn and proceeded on tiptoe. Kylie caught the flicker of a smile on Shane’s lips. She stayed back, watching him with her daughter

“Oh . . . horses!” Amy spoke in an excited whisper. “Can I pet one?”

“Sure. Hang on.” Shane moved a sturdy wooden crate in front of the nearest stall. The bay mare, expecting attention, put a nose over the high gate. Amy, who’d never been so close to a horse, looked hesitant. As if stalling, she pulled off her gloves and stuffed them in her pockets.

“Climb up and get acquainted,” Shane said. “Don’t be scared. She won’t hurt you.”

“She’s so big. Is she really a girl?”

“A very nice girl. Her name’s Daisy.”

“Hi, Daisy.” Still a little uncertain, Amy climbed onto the crate and put up her hand. The mare sniffed her palm. Amy giggled. “She tickles!”

“Try this.” Stepping closer, Shane took her wrist and guided her hand to the mare’s smooth cheek. “Pet her here. She likes that.”

“Wow!” Amy’s eyes widened. “She feels like silk. Can I ride her when the snow’s gone?”

“Maybe—if I’m still here by then.”

“You’re
going
?” The horse forgotten, Amy turned to him with a shattered look.

“My ranch is for sale,” Shane said. “As soon as somebody buys it, I’ll be leaving to travel the country on my motorcycle.”

Amy looked ready to cry. “But you can’t leave! We need you!”

It was time for Kylie to step in. “Sometimes people leave, Amy. They leave because they want to, or because they have to. That’s just how life is. We’ll miss Shane when he goes, but we’ll be fine.”

Tears welled in Amy’s blue eyes. “But when my dad left, he never came home!”