by Barb Han
To Chelsea’s thinking, Travis was up to something. Maybe he’d broken in to get information about her or his child. When it came to Travis, she knew to be suspicious. There’d been no sign of him, but that didn’t mean he was gone. And how would he know where she lived? She guessed he could’ve asked someone. People would knew each other’s business in a tight-knit community like Jacobstown.
Zach had promised to keep an eye out for her ex.
Wishing there’d be prints this time might be overly optimistic. The same person who threw the rock could be the one they were looking for now.
Chelsea was grateful that Skylar wasn’t home to witness the break-in. She would never feel safe in the house. Anger pierced Chelsea. She could provide a safe home for her daughter, dammit. No one got to take that away from her.
By the time Chelsea got her mother settled and herself back to the restaurant, she only got in a half days’ worth of work. She reminded herself that it was better than nothing. Surprisingly, Linda hadn’t called more than twice and both times were in the first hour. Chelsea had texted her mother and was satisfied with the response she’d received stating that she was doing better knowing the place was locked.
Before she realized, it was time to pick up Skylar.
Chelsea was careful to make sure no one was parked out front near her pickup. She locked the metal door while checking side to side. No one would sneak up on her again, either. Her heart gave a little squeeze, reminding her that she missed Nate. A piece of her had hoped that he would stop by this afternoon.
Getting into her pickup, she locked the door behind her. She started the ignition and maneuvered onto the road leading to Skylar’s school.
It was all good. Nate had a life on the ranch that he had to get back to. Shock didn’t begin to describe her reaction to him owning the place. She was still trying to get over the fact. Using her phone, she’d looked him up last night and discovered that his family was one of the wealthiest ranching families in Texas. It struck her as odd that he was so well off.
Nate Kent was one of if not the most down-to-earth person she’d ever met. He’d mentioned that his parents were gone. She couldn’t help but wish she’d been able to meet them. They’d done an excellent job with their children if the others were as grounded as him. Based on the couple of headlines she’d read, they were. They’d also been through a lot in the past few years and seemed to be stronger for it. With parenting skills like that, Chelsea wished she could ask questions.
Chelsea loved her own mother. Linda McGregor had been through the ringer and back. Her health was ailing. Chelsea couldn’t help but feel responsible for her mother. Looking back, she couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t felt like she needed to take care of the woman.
It was most likely the reason she felt so strongly about making sure Skylar had as carefree a childhood as Chelsea could give her.
In the adult relationship department, Chelsea had touched that stove. It was hot. She’d got burned. And she was smart enough not to make the same mistake twice. At least she hoped she’d learned from her errors in judgment. The best way to take a hot pan off a stove was to wear an oven mitt.
Thankfully, Chelsea was the second parent at pickup. Skylar had noticed. The joy in her eyes made the day Chelsea had had sting a lot less. There was something magical about looking into her daughter’s innocent eyes.
On the way home, they sang the song Skylar had learned at school. What was it about singing with her daughter that seemed to make the world’s troubles wash away?
“Hey, Momma, look,” Skylar said as they pulled up at home. Her daughter’s voice had that excited pitch usually reserved for a first peek at an unwrapped birthday present.
Chelsea saw Nate’s truck parked on the pad. Her first instinct was to panic. Her second was to check her phone, which she did the second she pulled up to the four-way stop sign. There were no stressful-sounding texts or missed phone calls from her mother.
Nate had boarded up the crawl space even better the second time.
“What’s the fireman doing here?” Skylar asked.
Another rogue wave of panic washed over Chelsea. Was her mother okay? Had something else happened? Chelsea scanned the windows and saw that everything was intact.
“Let’s go see for ourselves,” Chelsea said to her daughter. The little flip her stomach gave at the thought of seeing him again belied her calm façade.
She took her daughter by the hand and walked to the porch. The door swung open before Chelsea could reach for the knob.
Nate standing there in her house looked a little too right.
“How’s my mother?” Chelsea immediately asked, ignoring the flip-flop routine going on in her stomach.
Nate stepped outside and closed the door behind him. “I need to talk to you about something important.”
He must’ve seen the look of fright in her eyes because he quickly added, “Linda’s doing great. It’s not about her.”
“Hey, Mr. Fireman.” Skylar beamed up at him so hard her little body vibrated with joy.
“Hello, Ms. Skylar.” He smiled back at her and Chelsea’s heart melted a little bit more. She couldn’t afford to let her emotions run wild when it came to the handsome Mr. Kent. She needed to get a grip. Past experience had taught her that she couldn’t exactly trust her judgment when it came to men. They didn’t stick around and she had no time for heartbreak.
“What do you need to discuss?” Chelsea shored up her strength, ignoring the goose bumps on her arms.
Skylar let loose of her mother’s hand and grabbed Nate’s. He smiled down at her but tension lines bracketed his mouth.
He motioned toward the tire swing in the yard. Chelsea caught on. He wanted to talk in private and they could use the swing as a distraction for Skylar. Again, the man was good with children, but she wouldn’t let that fact cloud her judgment.
“Hey, sweetie. Want me to push you on the swing?” Chelsea bent down to eye level with her daughter.
Skylar’s answer came in the form of her squealing before making a run for it.
“Be careful,” Chelsea shouted to the back of the little girl’s bouncy ringlets.
She and Nate took their time walking toward the side yard. Her body pinged with electric current with him this close, but she was determined to ignore it.
“I brought a friend over to meet you guys and I’d like him to stick around for a few days until all this...stuff...blows over.” She got the feeling he’d wanted to use a different word but had thought better of it considering Skylar was within earshot.
“Okay. What are we talking about here?” The image of a burly, unshaved nightclub bouncer struck her.
“He’s big—”
“Do you really think it’s necessary? Skylar might not be comfortable with a strange man in the house,” she quickly said.
“Rofert isn’t a man. He’s a dog.” He put his hand up to stop her from interrupting. “He’s a stray who found his way to our ranch last year. He’s a Newfoundland who showed up dehydrated and hungry, but we nursed him back to health. He loves children and I’ve never seen a more protective dog over the animals in the barn. He took on a coyote and came out on top when it tried to eat our barn cat.”
“He sounds like a wonderful animal and I’m grateful for the thought,” she hedged. “I’m not sure it’s such a good idea for him to stay here. What if Skylar gets attached, and she will.”
“She can always come visit him at the ranch. We can set it up that you’re babysitting him for me while I work. It’s not a lie.” He’d thought of everything and she appreciated him for it.
But if the animal was as large as he said, affording food might be a problem.
“We can get by without him for a few days until everything calms down here. I don’t want you to feel pressured to take him and that’s why I wanted to talk to you first bef
ore Skylar met him. I promised her that I’d bring over a pony and he’s the closest thing I’ve got that’ll fit in my truck. If you don’t want him here, then he’ll come home with me tonight.”
Nate’s pleading look made her almost instantly cave.
She didn’t have the money for a security system. A dog the size of a pony seemed like a good compromise.
“I’d rest easier knowing the three of you are safe,” he stated. “And he’s well behaved. He won’t chew up your furniture or make a mess on the rug. Besides, Linda’s home alone all day and she could use the company as well as the protection. He’s great with kids. Heaven knows we have plenty now at the family ranch.”
Those were all valid points.
Maybe if Chelsea shopped around, she could squeeze dog food into the budget for a few days. Skylar would love having Rofert around and it might help her acclimate to the new house if she had a buddy.
Plus, knowing her mother was safe would go a long way toward giving Chelsea the time she needed to focus on her restaurant. “What kind of food does he eat?”
“He’s on a special diet. Don’t worry about food. I’ll supply it.”
A loaner dog that came with its own food?
There was no way Chelsea could pass that up.
“I only came up with the idea because you mentioned getting a puppy at some point. I figured you weren’t averse to dogs. What do you think?” The look of apprehension on the big, strong cowboy’s face was adorable. It was clear that he wasn’t trying to overstep his bounds.
“You might have a hard time prying my daughter off your dog when it’s time for him to go home.” Chelsea appreciated the way Nate had handled this situation. It could’ve been a potential powder keg if the conversation had gone down in front of Sky or she thought the dog was a present.
The wide smile on Nate’s face caused a burst of pride to fill her chest. She reminded herself that pride could be dangerous.
“She’d be welcome to come see him anytime. Plus, he might get comfortable here and not want to leave if it’s agreeable to you,” Nate remarked. The smile on his face was a little too sexy.
Chelsea had never heard of a Newfoundland before. She’d never had a dog before. She and her mother had had to live off the good graces of relatives for most of Chelsea’s young life, and the best Chelsea ever got for a pet was feral kittens the time she lived in the country. They’d lived underneath the trailer of one of her relatives. She’d sneaked cans of tuna outside to lure them close to her where she’d pet them and pretend they were hers. She’d daydream about living in house of her own one day and having a house full of pets. That dream came before the reality of vet bills and food costs that she’d seen living with relatives and their pets.
“How do you want to break the news to the little nugget?” Nate asked, motioning toward Skylar.
“Let’s take her inside and see how she reacts,” Chelsea said.
Chapter Ten
Chelsea opened the door and stepped aside, allowing Skylar an opportunity to see Rofert. “This is Mr. Kent’s dog and he wants us to babysit while he works long hours for the next week or two. What do you think, Sky?”
The little girl took one step inside the house, locked eyes on the massive canine loping toward her from the kitchen and squealed. That kid’s scream rivaled any tight-budget horror movie noise.
“What’s his name?” Skylar jump-clapped, hopped and took off toward the large animal. Rofert had a thick brown coat, the color of coffee. His large head held noble brown eyes and soft floppy ears.
“Rofert,” Nate advised.
“Can I pet him?” Skylar remembered her manners at the last second, right before she launched herself at the dog’s neck.
For a second, Chelsea prayed that the animal was as forgiving as Nate had said and wouldn’t be spooked by the overzealous four-year-old. But the large animal tilted his head down and let Skylar hug him. His tail wagged along with half of his backside and she figured that had to be a good sign.
“Like I already said, he loves kids,” Nate said. “She’ll be fine.”
Chelsea’s mother appeared from the kitchen.
“I doubt anyone wants to stop what they’re doing long enough to eat, but supper’s ready.” Her mother motioned at Skylar, who was giggling and hugging the neck of the dog.
“You weren’t kidding. He really is the size of a pony,” Chelsea said to Nate.
“Just wait until you get to clean up outside after he eats.” Nate’s humor was a welcome change from the tension Chelsea had been feeling. But that dog weighed more than she did and she didn’t even want to think about the shovel she’d need to use to clean up after him. Nate was right, though. Having a dog around would give her the feeling of much-needed extra security. She’d sleep better at night knowing they had extra protection. And the way he took to Skylar, he’d most likely sleep in her room.
This house had four bedrooms. There was one downstairs, which Chelsea planned to convert into a home office. There was no need for a guest bedroom, considering the only living relative she knew about was Reggie, aside from her mother who had a bedroom upstairs. She wasn’t likely to invite him to stay overnight, so there wasn’t much need to keep it like it was.
The room had been the dustiest one in the house. Chelsea figured Aunt Maddie hadn’t had many people over. Chelsea couldn’t help but wonder why she’d been selected by her great-aunt. The lawyer had stated that Reggie had turned out to be a disappointment and he and his mother hadn’t kept in touch. Reggie might be a disappointment, but was he a danger?
Chelsea forced her thoughts to something more productive. “Thanks for the loan, Nate. I’m pretty sure you just made Skylar’s week. You’ve done too much for us already.”
His face cracked into a broad smile.
“It’s common for people to help each other in these parts,” Nate said, like it was nothing. “Guess it comes from being ranchers and farmers. We’ve always had to band together to survive. It’s in our DNA.”
“We could use more of that in the world,” she said. “Speaking of food... Would you like to stay for supper?”
“I’m afraid not. Sorry. I have plans,” was all he said.
“Oh. Right. I don’t want to keep you.” Chelsea ushered him to the door, embarrassed. Of course a man like Nate Kent would have a date, maybe a girlfriend. No, she reasoned, he seemed too honest to kiss her if he was in a relationship with someone else.
She stopped before opening the door and turned around. “Skylar, tell Mr. Kent ‘thank you’ for thinking of us to take care of Rofert.”
Before he could tell her it was no big deal, Skylar was there, wrapping her arms around his legs in her biggest hug.
“When I grow up, I want to be a fireman just like you,” Skylar stated. It was her most heartfelt compliment.
“I think Rofert would like that,” Nate said, patting her on the back. Chelsea took note of how much he tensed.
It was probably just his training that made him so good with kids and not that he believed her daughter was exceptional or there was a special connection between the two of them. Chelsea’s heart squeezed anyway. Seeing a man who was so good with little ones was such a nice change of pace.
“We’ll take good care of your dog,” Chelsea said to Nate.
Skylar unpeeled herself from the man’s legs, spun around and charged toward Rofert. He barked and the sound was so loud it nearly shook the walls.
“He’ll do that if anyone tries to come in night or day,” Nate reassured Chelsea.
“A person would have to be crazy to break into a house with a noise like that coming at them,” she said.
Nate’s smile sent another jolt of electricity shooting through her. It was probably for the best that he couldn’t stay for dinner. She didn’t need the distraction or the eventual heartache.
When he left an
d she closed the door behind him, a little sense of disappointment rolled through her, causing her shoulders to sag. She tried to convince herself that it was the stress of the last couple of days.
Deep down, she knew it for the lie it was. Even so, if she fell for the first guy who was nice and gave her daughter a little positive attention, she might as well pack up and go home. Only, she remembered that she had no home to go to. Jacobstown was home. Maybe it would feel more like it when the boxes were unpacked.
Chelsea joined her mother in the kitchen. “Smells great in here.”
“I cooked your favorite. Crispy beef tacos,” Linda said. “Figured we should celebrate our new beginning.”
“Thank you, Mom.” The woman always had the sweetest of intentions. She’d done the best she could bringing up Chelsea alone. Her mother deserved better than what Chelsea had been able to give in the past few years. She wanted to do better by her mother. “I’ll get Skylar.”
The three of them ate at the kitchen table, chatting about their days. Rofert positioned himself on the floor next to Skylar.
After dinner, the nighttime routine of cleaning dishes, giving Skylar a bath and reading a bedtime story kept Chelsea busy. Rofert stayed by Skylar’s side, which posed a problem in the small bathroom. Chelsea had made it work. She was grateful for such a loyal companion and she’d never seen a bigger smile plastered on Skylar’s face. Giving him back was going to be difficult, but Chelsea promised herself that she’d figure out a way to get Skylar a puppy as soon as she could.
Rofert loped into Skylar’s bedroom at lights-out. The house was perfect with three bedrooms upstairs along with a small landing. The master bedroom was at the top of the stairs and Skylar’s room was next door. Some people might not prefer to have their children so close. It was an absolute necessity for Chelsea.
The rooms were small but cozy and the entire upstairs shared a bathroom. And it was perfect.
Rofert slept with his head half in the hallway. The big, hairy dog comforted Chelsea and she was even more grateful for Nate’s thoughtfulness.