Lost and Found Family

by Jennifer Ryan

  Held in his uncompromising stare, she felt like he was looking for something within her.

  He wouldn’t find the woman Margaret described to him.

  The boys pounded their little feet up the stairs and appeared in the bathroom doorway next to Luke.

  “Can we see your horses?” Jack asked, his eyes pleading with Luke.

  Since she was distracted listening to the financials George rattled off, Luke got the jump on her. “Sure you can. In fact, your mom can bring you over to the ranch tomorrow at eleven and we’ll go riding.”

  “Yes!” Jack smiled from ear to ear.

  Nick’s eyes filled with excitement, though he was too shy to say anything to Luke.

  She met the challenge and amusement in Luke’s eyes with her own frustration.

  She muted her call again and redirected the boys so she could have another minute alone with Luke. “Go check out your room. After this call, we’ll have dinner.”

  Jack sighed and gave her a sad frown. “I thought you were going to be on vacation.”

  “I’m sorry, little man. I promise I won’t work the whole time.” Jack might not understand what it was going to be like the next six weeks, but Sarah anticipated a lot of phone calls and late nights at the computer.

  The boys ran into the other room.

  She kept her voice low so they wouldn’t overhear. “Why would you do that?”

  “Because I want to get to know you.”

  “Why? So you know just how to attack and misrepresent me in court?”

  “If you’re not the woman Margaret described, what do you have to lose? Prove her wrong,” he challenged, then turned and walked away.

  Of course, she couldn’t back out. The boys would throw a fit. Having grown up on a ranch, she really loved horses and would love to teach the boys to ride. And though she shouldn’t care what Luke thought, she wanted to show him that she wasn’t the monster Margaret probably made her out to be.

  Plus, she felt oddly sorry to see Luke go and she wasn’t quite sure why, except she really did want him to like her.

  It shouldn’t matter whether he did or not, but it upset her that maybe he’d believe Margaret without even giving her a chance.

  Still, did he invite them over to find things to use against her, or because he really did want to get to know her?

  Chapter Six

  Luke found Margaret gazing out the window in the breakfast room, her eyes filled with sadness. She looked a little lost.

  Her watery, grief-filled gaze turned up to him. “Nick looks just like Sean.”

  Luke agreed, remembering his childhood friend fondly. “All the photos in the room you gave Sarah reminded me of that, too.”

  “Not just his looks, he has his mannerisms, his shyness as a boy. Sean grew out of that and became a charismatic man. I’m sure Nick will, too. Just looking at him brings back all the memories.” She smacked her open hand on the table. “I hate her! She took him away, and then she robbed him of his future. He’ll never see those boys grown. Sooner or later, they’ll forget him.”

  “It sounds like Sarah tries to help the boys remember him. She encourages Nick’s dreams.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Children grow out of such things.” Her lips pressed tight. “Sean was just a means to an end. She got the business and the kids. The only thing Sean got was a greedy wife and dying before his time, thanks to her.”

  “Isn’t that a bit harsh? She brought the kids to visit just like you asked.”

  Margaret gave him a dirty look for siding with Sarah. “Harsh! No. The boys told me she’ll be working from here, rubbing it in my face that she owns Sean’s company.”

  “Take that time to get to know the boys while she’s out of your way,” he suggested, trying to get her to focus on what was important.

  Margaret’s eyes went bright. “That’s what I like about you, Luke. You always find the silver lining. Maybe the boys will open up about what it’s really like at home and we can use that in court to make sure she lets me see them whenever I want.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” He wanted Margaret to accept her victory. The boys were here and she should focus on them, not her battle with Sarah, who seemed all too willing to put their arguments on hold. “I really don’t think she wants to keep the kids from you.” Sarah seemed more than reasonable.

  “Just wait. In no time, you’ll see what I see. Her true colors will come out. She can’t hide who she really is.”

  He’d found that out the hard way with a few of the women he’d dated. “Regardless, I think you should give her a chance.” He planned to do just that. “It’s been a long time and people change.” As a defense attorney, he often saw the worst people could do to each other. Surprisingly, he wanted Sarah to be more than he initially expected.

  “She’s self-centered and selfish.” Margaret’s bitterness and resentment held her hostage in her anger and grief.

  “I invited her and the boys over to the ranch tomorrow to see the horses. Come with them.”

  She dismissed that with a frustrated frown and a telling rub of her knee. “You know I don’t have the energy for walking all over that huge spread of yours. I’m sure the boys will have fun. Just make sure she doesn’t burn the place down while she’s there.”

  That spiked his interest. “Why would I have to worry about that?”

  “I told you yesterday she was a troubled teen. She burned her uncle’s property to the ground. Luckily, no one got hurt.”

  There had to be a story there.

  His gut tightened at the vindictiveness of it. But his heart softened at the thought there had to be a reason, because she didn’t come off as callous or cruel.

  He’d met his fair share of ruthless criminals.

  Tired of hearing all these terrible things about Sarah that didn’t ring wholly true anymore, he tried not to put too much stock in Margaret’s accusations. He may have just met Sarah, but something wasn’t right. He didn’t think she was a bad person. After all, the boys seemed very attached to their mom, and she to them.

  “Don’t let that sweet and innocent act fool you. Behind those doe eyes is a mean and hurtful person. Sean learned it too late. Don’t get taken in by her, too.”

  He couldn’t ignore Margaret’s warning. “How do you know she burned her uncle’s place down?”

  “Sean told me. She confessed to doing it right before they got married. After the arson, she met a man who got her out of trouble and paid for her to attend college. I can just imagine what she gave that man to help her out of that kind of situation.” Margaret pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure you know what I mean.”

  His gut soured at the thought. “I get the drift.”

  Now she’d accused Sarah of using sex to get out of trouble.

  He really didn’t know what to think. “Did Sean say why she did it?”

  “What possible reason could justify setting fire to someone’s home?”

  He didn’t know, but something like that took a lot of rage. He wondered what had happened to make Sarah go to such an extreme. If she even did it.

  He couldn’t think through all the information and contradictions. “The woman you describe, and the woman I just met don’t add up. I guess I’ll see who she is when she comes to the ranch tomorrow.”

  “Not everyone is as they appear. You know that.”

  He’d met people who looked like they wouldn’t hurt a fly but had done some heinous things. He’d met guys who were handsome enough to easily get a date, but instead of treating women with respect resorted to harassment, assault, and worse.

  Nothing people did really surprised him anymore.

  And because of the people he dealt with he read people well. While he had reservations about Sarah, he wondered if they were rooted in what Margaret told him and his desire to help his friend rather than in anything substantive.

  His initial impression of her seemed real. She was a beautiful woman, a warm and patient mother, a reaso
nable person, and not one to back down when challenged, but also not someone looking for a fight.

  “If anyone met you right now, they’d look at you and see a rancher. How would they know you and your family own one of the most successful and lucrative law firms in the country?”

  “I see your point. I guess I’ll get a better sense of her tomorrow.”

  “You’ll see, I’m not wrong about her.”

  “Enjoy your evening with the boys. Have fun with them. Don’t let her get to you. I’ll check on you later in the week.”

  Luke was almost out the door when Sarah came down the stairs, cell phone to her ear as she carried on her business conversation. The boys stomped and scuffled upstairs. All he could think was that she looked lovely gliding down the stairs punctuating her conversation with one hand while holding the phone with the other. For a fleeting second he thought how nice it would be to have a home full of noise and life and a woman walking down the stairs to him.

  Her eyes met his. She gave him a cautious smile and continued on into the kitchen.

  He needed to get a grip. The woman was getting under his skin and she didn’t even know it.

  Chapter Seven

  The evening hadn’t been as bad as she expected. Mostly because she and Margaret stayed out of each other’s way. Sarah cooked dinner for everyone while finishing her conference call. She and Margaret engaged the boys during dinner but not each other. Margaret didn’t even thank her for cooking and cleaning up.

  The boys enjoyed playing with their new toys and Margaret. Sarah watched the boys with their grandmother and decided their happiness was worth being in the same house with her mother-in-law.

  She’d discovered a few surprises last night. The pantry and refrigerator were barely stocked, the main living spaces of the house were in need of a good dusting and vacuuming, and Margaret had apparently abandoned the main suite upstairs and moved into the smaller suite off the kitchen.

  She’d tried to think of a discreet way to ask Margaret about the state of the house and property, but couldn’t find an opening for the conversation that wouldn’t lead to Margaret taking insult or thinking Sarah looked down on her or her home.

  So she thought she’d do something nice for Margaret, and keep the boys from being surrounded by all that dust, and called her housekeeper and nanny, Camille, to come in the morning and clean the house top to bottom.

  Once the boys settled into bed after their bath and books, she’d stayed up until four in the morning working on the Knox Project. Not such a hardship to sit out on the balcony with her laptop. The cool night air kept her energized and you couldn’t beat the view of the trees and all those stars. If she listened carefully, she could hear the horses from Luke’s ranch.

  She’d gotten the boys breakfast at seven, done the grocery shopping at eight, and met Camille at the door just before eleven. “You made it.”

  Camille hugged both boys at once. “I’ve missed you guys.”

  Jack cocked his head. “You saw us yesterday.”

  Camille poked Jack in the belly. “It seems like forever.” She brushed her hand over Nick’s head, then turned to Sarah. “The drive was beautiful.” She glanced past Sarah into the house. “Everything good?”

  “Sure,” Sarah replied because what could she say about Margaret’s expected hostile welcome?

  “We’re going to see the horses,” Nick announced.

  “I heard.” Camille looked at her. “You sure that’s a good idea?”

  Spending the day with Margaret’s attorney . . . No. Probably not a good idea. Still, she couldn’t let him dare her to prove him wrong and not show up to do just that.

  “We’re going to have fun riding horses.” Her cheerful response probably didn’t fool Camille about how she really felt about facing Luke’s continued scrutiny.

  “Be yourself,” Camille said. “He’ll see you for who you really are.”

  “Who are you?” Margaret asked from behind Sarah.

  Sarah waved Camille into the entryway. “Margaret, this is my good friend Camille. She’s the boys’ nanny and our housekeeper.”

  “What is she doing here? If you’re too busy to pay attention to the children, I’m here. I’m happy to do things with them.”

  Sarah handed the cooler to Jack. “Take this out to the car and get in your seats. I’ll be right there.”

  Sarah waited for the boys to do as she said, then turned to Margaret. “I’m taking the boys to Luke’s. Camille is here to clean the house.”

  “That’s not necessary,” Margaret argued, but Sarah saw the embarrassment in her eyes.

  “I’ve got a heavy workload and I promised the boys I wouldn’t work all the time while we are here, so I don’t have time to clean the house myself for you. It’s needed and Camille will take care of it.”

  “I don’t want a stranger in my house.”

  “You invited me here.” She hoped Margaret understood that she didn’t know Sarah as well as she claimed to Luke. “Camille is part of our family, so please treat her kindly and let her do her job.”

  Margaret silently seethed for a moment. “Fine. Of course you’d hire someone to do everything for you.” With that Margaret spun on her heel and walked away.

  Sarah turned to Camille. “I left the cleaning supplies in the kitchen.”

  Camille touched her arm. “Don’t worry. I’ll have the place cleaned in no time and I’ll stay out of Margaret’s way.”

  “Thank you. I know this is above and beyond.”

  Camille smiled. “It’s no trouble. And you did pay for my upcoming vacation.” Camille deserved the five-night six-day Key West vacation.

  “If you want to extend your stay a couple extra days, just let me know.”

  “That’s probably all the family time I can handle.” Camille was meeting her parents and they planned to spend the week together catching up.

  Sarah wished she were only here for six days instead of six weeks. “Thank you again for driving all the way out here. I’m hoping Margaret doesn’t get as upset about the gardeners coming by later.”

  Camille looked around the yard. “It’s not safe for the boys to be running around out here without cutting back the lawn and overgrown bushes.”

  “Let’s hope she sees it that way.” Sarah glanced at the boys waiting in the car. “Gotta go. I don’t want to be late.”

  “Don’t let Margaret or her lawyer get to you. You’re a great mom.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that.” She didn’t think anything would change Margaret’s mind.

  Sarah rushed to the car and made sure the boys were strapped in properly, then slid into the driver’s seat and drove down the long drive toward Luke’s place.

  “I can’t wait to see the horsies,” Jack announced, his gaze focused on the road ahead.

  “We’ll be there soon.” Already tired, she sucked in a deep breath, knowing even this day wasn’t going to end until well into the morning hours again.

  She needed to reevaluate the hours she worked, because they left no time for herself. And the constant fatigue left her feeling perpetually drained, a little bit sick, and dragging.

  When she arrived at the ranch, all thoughts of sleep and long hours vanished. The gorgeous land spread out in wide pastures and tree-covered hills. Well tended, all the buildings were white, including the main house. The stable was first-class and huge. The pastures were green and vast, some outlined by white fencing and dotted with beautiful grazing horses.

  Luke lived on quite a spread. The main house stood two stories tall, white with dark blue shutters, and a wraparound covered porch. The garden out front was well tended and the plants bloomed profusely in shades of pink, red, and purple. The scent of gardenias from the main house walkway floated down to the barn.

  She was so taken by the ranch that she didn’t register the noise coming from inside the barn until she’d gotten the boys out of the car.

  “Mama, what’s that noise?” Jack started backing away from the s
table and the sound of the distressed animal.

  “It’s okay. That horse is just mad and letting everyone know it. Let’s go find Luke. He’s probably helping take care of the horse.”

  The barn was massive with at least twelve stalls on each side of the wide center aisle. At the far end of the barn outside an open stall stood a very angry stallion. What surprised Sarah was the manner in which everyone was dealing with the distraught animal. Horses were emotional creatures and needed to be handled with patience and care.

  She didn’t see Luke. Two men on each side of the horse held him with lead ropes, obviously trying to keep the animal under control while another man tried to get close to him without getting kicked or bit. Each time the man took a step close to the horse, he went nuts and tried to buck, pull, and otherwise get free and away from the men. Very dangerous.

  The frustrated horse could injure himself and the men.

  Sarah sat the boys on a bench outside an empty stall, far away from the angry beast. “Do not move.”

  She walked down the long aisle toward the angry horse, singing a lullaby. At first, loudly, to get the horse’s attention. As she made her way toward the animal, she softened her singing and stopped five feet from him. He watched her intently. As did the surprised men. The horse’s ears pricked up and listened to her clear, soothing voice. He snorted and stomped, but kept his eyes on her.

  One of the men backed up and got right in Sarah’s face. “What the hell are you doing? Can’t you see this animal is out of control?”

  Sarah continued singing and sidestepped the man, so the horse could see her.

  “Step back, Doc. Let her be.” Luke’s smooth, low voice rumbled like whiskey and the blues rolled together. It washed over her and sent an unfamiliar warmth through her whole body.

  She’d felt him come up behind her before she’d heard him. She didn’t have time to think much about that because the angry horse in front of her demanded her full attention.

  She continued to sing the lullaby and walked straight up to the horse’s head. He stomped and shook his head up and down. Sarah reached up and brushed a hand down the horse’s nose.