Falling for the Single Mom

by Mia Ross

  The fact that he didn’t even hesitate made her want to turn excited cartwheels, something she’d seldom done even as a child. She should have known that Josh would not only be on board, but would step up and do whatever he could to help her make it happen. That was the kind of guy he was, after all.

  “I could arrange to pay Erin rent for the space,” she went on excitedly. “The steady extra income would be nice for both of us, and along with your new corn crop, it might be just the thing to get the farm’s finances back on track.”

  “That’d be awesome. Where do I sign?”

  Laughing, she thanked him and hung up, then pulled back onto the road and headed for the Simons’ house. A grateful client, new opportunity and pizza. She couldn’t have asked for a better way to end her day.

  * * *

  “That’s what you’re wearing?”

  When he heard the all-too-familiar sound of his big sister’s disapproval, Josh looked over to find her glaring at him over a clipboard. Glancing down at his best jeans and newish T-shirt, he shrugged. “These are my good boots.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Aw, come on,” he said with a grin. “This is the kind of stuff I always wear unless I’m going to church. You’re selling ladies a dance with me, not some fancy-pants lawyer in a suit and tie.”

  A couple of women carrying bidding paddles sashayed past, fanning themselves with their paddles and flashing him smiles on their way into the school gym. Decked out in streamers, balloons and a mirrored disco ball, the festive environment the committee had created reminded him of his junior prom. He’d had a stellar time that night, and he wouldn’t mind if this one went the same way. In truth, he was kind of hoping that Heather would decide to bid on him. There wasn’t a rule against it, which he knew because he’d checked. Since she was the one who’d taught him to waltz, he thought it would be cool to show her just how good a student he was.

  But that wasn’t up to him, Josh reminded himself as Erin finally shook her head and continued toward whatever important errand she’d been heading for when she intercepted him. Figuring he’d dodged a bullet in not being ordered to drive home and change, he strolled around to say hello to folks he didn’t usually see much until fall. This time of year, he was normally buried up to his neck in work and didn’t leave the farm very often.

  Heather had changed that for him, giving him a reason to venture into town. And that wasn’t all she’d done since he’d met her and her charming niece. They’d shown him a fresh view of the hometown he loved but had come to take for granted over the years. For Bailey, everything was a big adventure, and it was fun for him to see familiar things through her young eyes.

  Her very pragmatic aunt was another story altogether. By turns sweet and prickly, Heather still baffled him as much as she fascinated him. But during the playground work session and Memorial Day parade, the three of them had almost felt like a family to Josh. Ever since then, he’d caught himself wondering more than once if the Fitzgerald girls felt the same way.

  As if on cue, Heather appeared in one of the open doorways, talking with another bachelor the organizers had shanghaied for the event. When Josh noticed that she was wearing the dress he’d admired during the first church service they’d attended together, he couldn’t keep back a grin. He’d mentioned more than once how much he liked it, and he suspected it wasn’t a coincidence she’d chosen to wear it tonight.

  Apparently, the guy she was talking to wasn’t very interesting company, because her eyes were drifting around the crowd as if searching for a way out of their conversation. When they fell on Josh, he caught her “help me” message and sauntered over to bail her out.

  “Hey there,” he said casually. “I can see you’re real busy, but do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions about how this is gonna work?”

  “Of course. Excuse me, Steven.”

  The guy responded with a quick smile that didn’t hide his disappointment. Heather grabbed Josh’s arm as they walked away and muttered, “Thanks for the rescue.”

  “Well, you looked kinda bored.” Sneaking a peek back at the competition, he chuckled. “Let me guess—banker.”

  “Worse,” she groaned softly. “Stockbroker. One who likes to brag about his alma mater and his toys.”

  “He’s not from around here. Wonder where they found him?”

  “He told me he’s in town visiting his sister’s family, and she volunteered him at the last minute. He thinks she’s trying to get him to find a nice girl and settle down here.”

  “You sure did learn a lot about him in just a few minutes.”

  She stopped walking and stared up at him. “You’re not jealous, are you?”

  “’Course not. Just ’cause he went to some fancy school and drives a car that costs more than a lotta houses doesn’t mean anything.” At least it shouldn’t, Josh added silently.

  Glancing around, she stepped in and said, “Can you keep a secret?”

  “Sure.”

  “I like tractors and old pickups better than sports cars.”

  She flashed him a dazzling smile that made his heart turn over in his chest, and he grinned down at her. “Are you gonna bid on me?”

  “Do you want me to?”

  The flirtatious tone made him chuckle. “I wouldn’t complain if you won, that’s for sure.”

  “Then I’ll definitely think about it. For now, I have work to do, and you should go line up with the other guys so Erin can decide which order she prefers to have you all come out in.”

  “Y’know,” he grumbled in mock irritation, “one of these days, I’m gonna go off the beam and tell her what to do instead of the other way around.”

  Heather laughed. “Please let me know when you’re planning to do that. I’d love to be there to see it for myself.”

  “She’s not all that tough. We boys just cave because it’s easier than arguing with her for an hour over a job that’d take us half that long.” After a moment’s thought, he added, “Don’t tell her I said that, though. She’ll take it as a challenge to prove me wrong.”

  “Another deep, dark secret you want me to keep?” Heather teased. “If I agree, what’s in it for me?”

  “I promise to give you a dance tonight, whether you’re the top bidder or not. And that’s a big deal, because this spinning around in the spotlight is really not my thing.”

  “What made you change your mind?”

  “You.”

  The response popped out of his mouth before he took the time to think it through, and he anxiously waited to see her reaction to the very personal revelation. To his great relief, she beamed up at him as if he’d just granted her fondest wish. “Do you really mean that?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “That’s the sweetest thing any man has ever said to me. Thank you.”

  Rewarding him with a sunny smile, she headed back into the gym. As he went in the other direction toward the bachelors’ staging area, Josh knew he was grinning like a fool, but he didn’t much care. He was doing his part to get the kids’ playground back in action so Abby, Parker and Bailey could enjoy it with their friends this summer. It wasn’t costing him more than a few hours of his time, and all he had to do was be pleasant company to someone who was generous enough to donate her money to the cause. For someone who’d normally still be out in the fields working right now, an event like this was pretty easy duty.

  And after he’d fulfilled his obligation to the committee, one way or another, he was spending the rest of this rare evening off with the most intriguing woman he’d ever met. Life didn’t get any better than that.

  * * *

  “Can you believe it?” Erin asked, grinning proudly. “We’re almost at our goal, and we’ve still got three guys waiting to be bid on. At this rate, we’ll be able to add the climbing nets we couldn’t
afford last time.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Heather said, giving her a quick hug. “You put together a great committee for this, and they’ve done a fabulous job.”

  Glancing around, Erin leaned in to speak more quietly. “Speaking of fabulous jobs, I couldn’t have asked for a better veterinarian. You’re great with the pets and the people, and you’re putting in extra time to get more familiar with the wild ones. I can’t imagine anyone being a better fit for us.”

  Although her voice was muted, there was a current of excitement running through her tone, and Heather felt her heart skip a beat or two in response. Hoping she wouldn’t come across as too eager, she opted for humor. “What are you trying not to tell me?”

  “I know you’re on the radar for some other, bigger clinics, but I hope you’ll decide to extend your contract with us. I understand that money is a real issue for you, but I think if we all put our heads together, we can come up with something that works for all of us.”

  “Actually, earlier this week Josh and I were discussing a way to expand the clinic’s services and increase revenue for all of us.”

  Heather quickly outlined their idea, thrilled to see Erin nodding in agreement. “Absolutely. We’ll hammer out the details later, but count me in.”

  Out front, the emcee called for the next bachelor, and he brushed past them as Heather stood there in shocked silence. She prided herself on being hard to shake, but Erin’s rapid agreement was something she hadn’t dared to hope for. With their new arrangement, she’d be able to continue in the position she’d come to enjoy so much and also have the money she needed to rent a small house for Bailey and her.

  And be with Josh.

  Far from trivial, the last advantage sealed it for her, and she held out her hand. “Then it’s a deal. On Monday, we can write up something more formal, and I’ll let that clinic know that I’ve accepted an offer. The perfect one,” she clarified with a smile. “Thank you, Erin. I really appreciate your confidence in me.”

  “I just hate breaking in new people,” the generous woman told her as she focused on what was going on at the podium. “It’s such a pain.”

  Heather laughed, and as the bidding progressed, it was all she could do to keep her composure. She couldn’t wait to tell Bailey that her dream about them staying in Oaks Crossing had come true.

  “And now,” the emcee announced into her mic, “our last bachelor of the evening. I’m sure most of you know him, and I assume that many of you have heard his classic line, ‘Aw, darlin’, it’s sweet of you to ask, but I don’t dance.’” Her higher-pitched imitation of Josh’s drawl was bang on, and everyone laughed. “So break out those checkbooks and take your best shot, ladies, because you don’t know when—or if—you’ll have this chance again. Josh Kinley!”

  She stepped back, and he strolled out from behind the temporary wall beside her as the mostly female crowd went totally bananas. When the hostess motioned for him to make a full turn like a runway model, he gave her one of those lazy grins and slowly complied, much to the crowd’s delight. Once the applause and catcalls had died down, the emcee said, “All right, then. You’ve gotten a good look at him, so someone get us started.”

  Heather timed the fast-paced action, and in less than a minute, Josh had scored their record bid for the night. She was happy about that, but part of her longed to jump in and make sure that she was the one who won that dance. Unfortunately, the figure quickly rose beyond what she could spare, and she realized that she’d have to content herself with knowing that Bailey and her friends would enjoy the newly repaired playground for years to come.

  And then, from the doors at the rear of the gym, a woman called out, “Two thousand dollars!”

  A collective gasp rippled through the assembly, and everyone turned to see who’d crashed in at the last minute with such an insane offer. Several of the women were glaring daggers at the new arrival, and judging by the silence, none of them had the wherewithal to drive the price on Josh’s dance up any higher.

  “I can’t believe it,” Erin muttered, glowering at the latecomer. “What on earth is she doing here?”

  “What’s wrong?” Heather asked. “Who is that?”

  “Cindy,” she hissed.

  The name meant nothing to Heather, but as she rolled it around in her head, it became familiar. Eyeing the woman in the elegant black suit and stilettos, she asked, “You mean the girl who turned down Josh’s proposal and left town after high school?”

  “The same. I have no clue what Banker Barbie is thinking, coming here dressed like that. Or at all, for that matter.”

  She moved to leave, and Heather caught her arm. “Where are you going?”

  “To find out what’s going on. Mom will know, and if she doesn’t, in about five minutes she’ll have all the details.”

  “What about the auction?” Heather was appalled at the thought of Josh being forced to spend even a few minutes with the girl who’d once so callously broken his heart.

  “I’m not thrilled with this little stunt of hers, but if Cindy’s check clears, there’s really nothing we can do.”

  Heather wasn’t crazy about that answer, but recognized that the bizarre situation was out of her hands. She watched helplessly as the tall, beautifully dressed woman strolled through the crowd and met Josh in front of the podium. She gave him a bright smile that spoke of a fondness that had never died, even though she’d been gone for so long. Holding her breath, Heather forced herself to look at Josh.

  He was furious.

  She’d never seen that stony expression on him before, and part of her was relieved to see it now. It was apparent that Cindy had ambushed him, and he wasn’t any happier to see her tonight than Heather was. As willing as he’d been to help raise money for the playground, she wondered if he was regretting it now.

  When his eyes met hers, she saw an unspoken apology in them. Because she felt sorry for him, she decided that the least she could do was show him some moral support. She grabbed Erin’s discarded clipboard and made her way to the front of the gym in what she hoped appeared to be an official manner.

  “Good evening,” she introduced herself politely, offering a hand. “I’m Heather Fitzgerald, and I wanted to thank you for your very generous bid, Miss—?”

  “Cindy O’Donnell,” the stunning woman replied with a practiced smile. “I apologize for getting here so late, but I drove down from the airport in Cincinnati and there was a wreck on the highway outside of Louisville.”

  “It seems to me you were just in time,” Heather managed to say in a pleasant tone.

  “I hope so,” Cindy said, sending Josh a hopeful look. His face remained uncharacteristically impassive, as if he hadn’t yet decided how to react to seeing his high school sweetheart again. After a few seconds, Cindy seemed to take the hint and reached into her designer bag for a leather-bound checkbook. “Who do I make the check out to?”

  “The Oaks Crossing Business Association. They’re in charge of rebuilding the playground.”

  “Playground?” Cindy echoed while she wrote.

  “The one in the square,” Heather explained patiently. “It was damaged in a recent storm, and we’re raising money to pay for the repairs. Your donation will put us over the top.”

  “Happy to help,” Cindy said breezily, tearing off the check with a flourish before handing it to Heather. “Anything for the home folks, right?”

  Although it was plainly meant to be casual, the comment sounded forced to her, and Heather wasn’t sure what to make of it any more than she knew how to handle the unexpected reappearance of the woman Josh had once planned on marrying.

  The thought reminded her that he hadn’t made a peep since she’d come over to join them. What was going on with him? she wondered, her earlier sympathy giving way to impatience. Then again, this was an extreme situation, so i
t was understandable that Josh’s characteristically smooth Southern gentleman manners hadn’t kicked in yet. Right?

  After all he’d done for her, she owed him the benefit of the doubt. Seeking to give him some more time to get himself together, she said, “I understand you’ve been gone for a few years. How does it feel to be back?”

  “Wonderful. I hope,” she added, pinning Josh with a pleading look.

  This time, a hint of a smile tugged at his mouth, and he relented a bit. “We’ll see what we see.”

  Heather had gone this route before with a man who’d run into his former girlfriend one night at a restaurant where he’d taken Heather for dinner. One thing had led to another, and when Heather realized he’d rather be with his ex than with her, she’d hailed a taxi and gone home early. Not long after, she’d seen their engagement announcement posted on the local newspaper site when she’d been hunting for a new apartment.

  Once bitten, twice shy, she thought morosely. Much as it pained her to acknowledge the fact, she knew that there was no way she could compete with the woman who’d been Josh’s first love. Long ago, Cindy had captured the heart of the boy he’d once been. The man he was now might like Heather well enough, but their fledgling relationship was still in the tentative stage, easily given up for something—or someone—he wanted more.

  She’d let herself believe that Josh was different from her ex-boyfriends, that he was a stand-up guy who would never let her down. Apparently, she’d been fooling herself, and that hurt just as much as being cast aside for this tall blonde beauty.

  Fortunately for her, the emcee got everyone’s attention and pointed out that the DJ who was running the dance portion of the evening was taking requests. Several couples went over to the table to make their choices, and Heather took the opportunity to retreat from what had become an incredibly uncomfortable situation.

  Early on in the bidding, she’d resigned herself to watching Josh dance with someone other than her tonight. Never in her wildest dreams had she considered the possibility that she’d lose out to the one woman he’d ever loved enough to propose marriage to.