by Glynna Kaye
Her daughter gave her an enthusiastic nod, the creases in her forehead brought on by her grandma’s questions evaporating. “This is the bestest place in the whole wide world.”
“You might be surprised, Gina,” LeAnne continued as she and her granddaughter seated themselves at the oval kitchen table, “at what else is out there in that world you’ve never seen.”
Sandi forced a smile as she moved to a cabinet for bowls. “I think she has plenty of time yet to explore it.”
Ironically, there was a time she would have given anything to be living anywhere but Canyon Springs—although not with her mother-in-law, thank you very much. Keith had been so sold on the little town where he’d spent his summers as a kid that he’d wasted no time settling his bride in his fishing hideaway. She hadn’t been happy about it nor had she been shy about vocalizing her displeasure. But now this is exactly where she wanted to be for Gina’s sake.
For Keith’s.
She turned to her daughter. “Why don’t you run and get that picture you drew for Grandma? The one of the horse show.”
Gina hopped up off her chair and ran down the short hallway to her bedroom.
Saying a prayer for courage, she took a deep breath. “LeAnne—”
“I know you don’t want to hear it, Sandi.” The older woman folded her arms. “But Keith wouldn’t want you and Gina to continue living here.”
Sandi opened the freezer and pulled out a gallon of ice cream. Retrieved the metal scoop from a drawer. “This is where he wanted to raise Gina. I intend to honor his wishes.”
“That may have been his initial plan, darling, to come back to a town filled with carefree childhood memories. Goodness knows he’d gravitate to anything that would help him forget war.” She tapped on the table with a fingernail. “But the reality of living in a tiny town like this—in a dumpy little trailer—would have worn thin.”
Dumpy? Her cozy Bradshaws-in-the-Pines was dumpy? Little did LeAnne know that it was far nicer than the cramped apartment where she’d grown up in Kansas City.
Her mother-in-law’s tone softened to its most persuasive. “I have no doubt he’d have soon come to his senses. Would have left the army, relocated his family, gotten his law degree.”
Wordlessly, Sandi dipped ice cream into the bowls. Yes, there was a time, unknown to LeAnne, that she’d been on her mother-in-law’s side of this issue—but for a totally different reason. She’d been certain Keith’s determination to settle here had been nothing more than remnants of the parental rebellion that had driven him to follow Bryce into the armed forces. To ditch his coveted Harvard scholarship. To kiss goodbye the guaranteed position at the generations-old family law firm and a lifetime of public service to the state of Arizona.
But she couldn’t go along with LeAnne now, not even if moving to the Valley of the Sun would win brownie points. This was one of the few things on which she’d quietly stood her ground. Once the museum featured a veterans exhibit dedicated to Keith, surely her mother-in-law would bestow praise for sticking with her husband’s original plan.
“Don’t get me wrong,” LeAnne hurried on, “Canyon Springs is a dear, sweet town—for a holiday. But to settle in forever?”
“I know it’s hard to understand, but—”
A rattling knock came at the door. Gina dashed out of her bedroom, a piece of drawing paper flapping in her hand. “I’ll get it!”
She opened the door wide, and a familiar, broad-shouldered male form filled the doorway.
“Mommy! It’s Uncle Bryce!”
Sandi didn’t have to look at LeAnne to know a questioning stare bored into her. She joined Gina at the door as Bryce handed something to her little girl.
Eyes wide, Gina took the sand-colored fabric object from his hand and clutched both it and her drawing to her heart. “Mommy, look! He found Daddy’s hat.”
Gina hadn’t noticed the cap missing until after school let out on Wednesday. They’d looked everywhere for it. Even driven back to the building and searched because she couldn’t remember when she’d last worn it.
Relieved beyond measure, Sandi gave Bryce a grateful smile. “Where on earth did you find it?”
“At the arena Monday night. Under the seats after you left. Sorry I didn’t return it sooner. Tucked it up under the passenger-side sun visor and forgot about it until tonight.”
“Thank you, Uncle Bryce.” Gina grasped him around the legs for a hug. “I love you.”
Startled, he met Sandi’s gaze with an apologetic look, as if somehow he was undeserving of her child’s adoration.
“She loves that hat,” she assured him. In fact, when Gina realized she’d lost it, no amount of hugs and kisses consoled her. She’d cried herself to sleep that first night. “You’ve made a little girl very, very happy.”
Should she invite him in? Ask him to join them for ice cream? LeAnne was here, still staring razor-sharp daggers at her no doubt. To hear her mother-in-law tell it, Bryce had been a brat of the first order and a bad influence on Keith. But he was her husband’s best friend. And this was her home. And Gina’s. Bryce had gone out of his way when he didn’t have to.
Still debating, she caught an unexpected appreciative flicker of his gaze to her bare, shorts-clad legs. Her face warmed. On second thought, maybe he’d better be on his way.
“Can Uncle Bryce have ice cream with us, Mommy?”
Guess that settled it.
“You have to join us. It’s the least we can do to reward you for being Gina’s hero.”
“Oh, yes, by all means join us.” LeAnne’s coolish tones carried from the table across the room. “Uncle Bryce.”
He’d barely knocked at the door and already had three Bradshaw females telling him what to do.
He hadn’t spotted LeAnne when the kid opened the door. He’d flunked his reconnaissance training big-time, focusing only on the two winsome ladies who’d greeted him. He pulled off his Western hat and nodded in the direction of Keith’s mom as he stepped into the trailer.
“Nice to see you again, Mrs. Bradshaw.”
Would God strike him dead for saying that?
“Likewise.”
Right. And he was only two-foot-four.
Sandi clasped her hands, then motioned him toward the dining area. “Have a seat. I’m just dishing it up.”
“Thanks, but I really can’t—”
“You gotta stay, Uncle Bryce. It’s chocolate chip.” Gina plunked her dad’s cap on her head and grabbed his hand.
He looked at Sandi. Did she want him to stay? He’d rather not. Not with LeAnne here. And not after that Landreth woman at the equine center Monday night hinted Sandi was attempting to get on his good side.
“Gina picked out the flavor all by herself.”
Sandi’s eyes encouraged, and his resolve wavered.
“Chocolate chip, huh?”
“Please?” The little girl tugged at his hand, and against his better judgment he gave in. Didn’t want to disappoint her. But oh, man, he hadn’t dined with LeAnne since Keith had dragged him home on rare occasions to her fancy gated community during high school. Even after all this time, the memories were still too vivid to make him feel good about this.
It was akin to walking in front of a firing squad.
But he was a changed man now. Right, Lord? Maybe she’d changed, too.
He followed Sandi and Gina into the dining area and placed his hat on the counter. Then he pulled out a chair as far from LeAnne as he could get and took in his surroundings. Nice place. Wasn’t at all what he’d have expected of Keith’s wife, though. While it was simple and uncluttered, it remained comfortable. Inviting. Family photos. Soft lighting. Not at all an impersonal, coldly modern look as he would have assumed had he taken time to think about it.
Interesting.
Sandi opened the dining area’s sliding glass door, letting in the now-cooling twilight air. A cricket chirped from somewhere on the back deck as Gina distributed bowls of ice cream and spoons. Then mother an
d daughter seated themselves on each side of him as he counted the seconds, wondering how long it would be before the first volley fired.
“So, Bryce. You’re back in Canyon Springs.” LeAnne crossed her fore arms and placed them on the edge of the table, pinning him with the same judgmental gaze he remembered from childhood. “Where are you working now?”
A lacquered fingernail tapped on the table. He’d forgotten those glossy, dark-polished nails. Forgotten the sound they made when she tried to make a point. And the point now was that he was pretty much unemployed—and she knew it.
Deliberately relaxing back in his chair, he stirred the ice cream with his spoon. This was practically like old times, except Keith wasn’t here to enjoy it. But as much as he’d have liked to set the woman straight with a flippant retort, he had changed. Right? He wouldn’t let her bully him back into being the defensive, belligerent kid she undoubtedly remembered.
“I’m tending to my grandma. Working odd jobs and doing volunteer work as I adjust back into civilian life. Then when the time is right, I’ll step into something full-time.”
“And what might you expect that timing and job to be?”
He scooped up a spoonful of ice cream and smiled. “Afraid I’m not at liberty to say.”
She probably thought he was lying, covering up. But it was the truth. The fire chief, an old friend of the family, had been in preliminary negotiations with him last year as he’d neared his discharge from the army. Unfortunately, the anticipated opening fell by the wayside right before he’d arrived in town. Major city budget cutbacks. For various reasons, the pair agreed to keep their talks to themselves until monies were once again released.
So for now, he’d have to let Keith’s mom think he was free-loading off his grandma. It should make her happy that her oft-shared predictions that he’d never amount to much had come to pass.
“I drawed this, Uncle Bryce.” Gina held up a wrinkled piece of construction paper and held it out to him.
“Wow. Look at this.” Give me a hint, kid. What is it?
“You’re holding it upside down.” She plucked it from his fingers and turned it the other way.
“I knew that.”
Gina rolled her eyes, then downed another spoonful of ice cream. “I made it for Grandma so she could see the horse show. But you can have it.”
He glanced at LeAnne, sitting tight-lipped, her ice cream untouched. He slid the paper across the table toward the older woman. “Thanks, Gina, but I’m sure your grandma has a special place for it.”
Sandi shifted in her chair. “So, Bryce, how is Mae doing? I intended to stop in and see her this week, but things kept coming up one right after another.”
“Things like putting in more hours at that museum, I imagine.” LeAnne’s words scolded her daughter-in-law, but her attention riveted on him. “Such a shame that the rent’s being raised when you finally have free time to spend with Gina. Devon said you worked all day Monday.”
“Couldn’t be helped,” Sandi said lightly, passing a napkin to Gina so she could wipe the ice cream from her face.
“Grandma Mae and Uncle Bryce took me to the petting zoo,” Gina chimed in. “And Uncle Bryce is going to take me fishing.”
He nearly laughed at the way LeAnne’s lip curled in distaste. But whether at the fishing or Uncle Bryce reference—or both—was a toss-up.
Sandi gave her daughter a “look.” “You know that hasn’t been decided. You may be going with Davy and his dad.”
“I want to go with Uncle Bryce. He has a boat.”
Keith’s mom again fixed her eyes on him. So much for Gina’s innocent diversionary tactic.
“So Bryce, what are you planning to do with those additional museum funds?”
Amazing how some things never changed. You’re missing out, Keith, old buddy. He bestowed her a serene smile he knew she’d find irritating. “Thought I’d spend a few months in the Bahamas. You’re welcome to join me.”
Now where’d that come from? Old Bryce. The smart aleck who hated being pushed into a corner, especially by Keith’s mom. Or any woman other than his grandma for that matter.
“Where’s the Mahamas?” Gina licked her spoon. “Can I go, too?”
LeAnne’s eyebrows rose ever so slightly, then she turned to her granddaughter. “Gina, dear. Why don’t you take your hat off while you’re at the table. Your Uncle Bryce thinks your mother didn’t teach you any manners.”
Bryce bristled at the uncalled-for slur on Sandi’s parenting but, unfazed by her grandma’s reprimand, a grinning Gina pulled off the cap and leaned over to plop it on top of his head. Much too small, of course, with the band adjusted as tight as it could go for the little girl. He knew he looked silly, and he reached over to poke her gently in the side. She giggled and squirmed, then both caught her grandma’s disapproving eye. Exchanging a mischievous look with Gina, Bryce placed the hat on the table between them and they both settled down to their ice cream.
Cute kid. Keith’s mom hadn’t yet managed to squash her spunk. He glanced at Sandi. She’d probably held up fine, too, under her mother-in-law’s dictatorial ways. The pair had been on the same page when it came to how Keith should live his life, so there must be some kind of bond between the two in spite of LeAnne’s parenting dig.
The older woman pushed back her ice cream bowl. “It’s a bit too chilly tonight for ice cream.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have opened the door.” Sandi cast her mother-in-law an anxious look. “I thought since you’re used to air-conditioning that it might seem too warm in here.”
Sandi got to her feet to close it, but LeAnne’s outstretched hand stayed her. “Don’t bother, dear. I need to get on home.”
Was this where he should say something like “don’t hurry off because of me” or “I should be going, too?” But he kept his mouth shut and concentrated on his ice cream as LeAnne retrieved her purse, kissed the top of her granddaughter’s head and moved to the front door with Sandi right behind her.
No goodbye for him.
He could hear the murmured voices of the two women. LeAnne’s brisk tones. Her pointed “I’ll call you.”
He’d go home, too, as soon as she left.
As soon as he’d finished his ice cream.
Just as soon as he confirmed Sandi intended to smooth talk him into rethinking the museum business.
Chapter Seven
Leaning the side of her head against the doorjamb, Sandi watched her mother-in-law—illuminated by the porch light—make her way safely to her car. Its headlights came on as it started, then the vehicle moved down the darkened road.
Well, that had been more than awkward.
Now she had Bryce camped out in her kitchen. She owed him an apology. What was with LeAnne tonight? But although she herself was curious about Bryce’s job prospects and his intentions for the museum funds, LeAnne had been so rude about it. Flat-out bad-mannered wasn’t usually her style.
“I need to get going, too.”
Startled, she spun in the direction of the low, masculine voice. Looked up into the dark eyes of the bearded man standing right behind her, toying with the Western hat in his hands. Sneaky for such a big guy, which probably paid off in a war zone.
She took a step back and bumped awkwardly into the door frame. He caught her arm in a gentle grasp to steady her, and their gazes connected once again.
He released her arm and together, as if by mutual agreement, they stepped out on the deck, letting the door close behind them.
Her words came softly so Gina wouldn’t hear. “I’m sorry about the way Keith’s mom acted tonight.”
Bryce kept his own volume turned down, too. “You’re not responsible for her. I’m afraid we never hit it off. Keith probably told you about my background. Why it didn’t meet her standards?”
“Some.”
“Well, as you can imagine, a kid who didn’t even know who his father was and whose mother flitted in and out of his life didn’t meet LeAnne’s
prerequisites for friendship with her son.”
“I’m sorry.” According to Keith, his mom had gone to great lengths to separate the two boys. That’s what instigated the move to a gated community when they were teens. But by then it was too late. A lasting bond had been formed.
Bryce shrugged. “It’s not like I imagined the two of us becoming buds after Keith’s death. But I have to admit I’m disappointed she still believes it’s her ordained role to keep me in my place. I thought she might have changed, but obviously she hasn’t.”
She gazed up at him, unable to curtail her curiosity. “What about you? Have you changed?”
He chuckled, and she couldn’t help returning his smile.
“I have. In a big way, even though sometimes it may not be apparent—not even to me. But I can admit as a kid I lived to ruffle her feathers. Keith considered it entertainment second to none. Egged me on.”
“He did?”
“It may be hard to believe, but the Keith you knew and the Keith I grew up with weren’t one and the same.”
“You mean because he got his life on track with God before I met him?”
The twinkle in his eyes muted. “When you live daily with the reality that someone’s trying to kill you, you can go one of two ways. Get right with your creator or shake your fist at Him. Keith just wised up long before I did.”
“But you did?”
He nodded, his eyes meeting hers in solemn acknowledgment. “Took losing Keith to get me to unclench my fist.”
His revelation caught her off-guard, a million questions racing to the tip of her tongue. But Bryce placed his hat on his head and took a step toward the deck’s stairs as if that was as far as he intended to go on that topic.
“Guess I’ll see you around, Sandi.”
“Thank you again for bringing Keith’s hat back to Gina.”
“Happy to do it. And when you’re ready to take her fishing, the boat and tackle are at your service.”
“I’m afraid I’m not much of a fisherman.” Keith had tried to persuade her to join him during a leave of absence. She’d turned him down flat. Had her husband no clue he’d married a girly girl? Besides, she could barely swim.