Huntington Family Series

by Rachel Ann Nunes

  “Tiger!” Ryan said firmly. The boy ignored him and ducked around the swing set. Misty’s normally pale, delicate face was red with fury, and tears were imminent.

  Great, thought Kerrianne. Not only is he negligent, but he has no clue about discipline. Tiger doesn’t even hear him.

  Ria came to stand by them. “He’ll never listen. Tiger, give it back!”

  No reaction except that Tiger, who was holding the doll, tore off its clothes and threw them at Misty.

  “No!” she shrieked dramatically.

  Kerrianne thought things had gone far enough. She raised her voice. “Caleb Adam Price, you stop this instant or there will be serious consequences.” Serious consequences meant no video games or movies, which Caleb loved more than anything. He faltered in his running, coming to a stop. “Aw, Mom, we were just having fun.”

  “At your sister’s expense. That’s not the sort of fun to have. Now you and Tiger give the doll back to Misty and say you’re sorry.”

  Looking at the ground in shame, Tiger gave the doll to Caleb. Kerrianne started to congratulate herself on how well she’d handled things and hoping Ryan had taken notes when Caleb tucked the doll under his arm and darted past Misty, emitting an Indian war cry.

  “Mom!” wailed Misty.

  Kerrianne dropped the vine she was holding and took off after Caleb. She tackled him before he got to the front yard, her pants becoming damp from the grass, though her coat protected the rest of her. “You’re busted, mister,” she said, hauling her son to his feet.

  Caleb handed over the doll, but he didn’t look sorry. “This isn’t like you, Caleb,” she said in a low voice.

  “Misty called us stupid heads.”

  “In that case it looks like both you and Misty are grounded—after we finish clearing the garden. Now get to back to work. No more play.”

  Hanging his head, Caleb plodded back to the garden.

  Tiger met him there. “Your mom’s a fast runner,” he said in a loud whisper, his voice filled with awe. “I never saw a mom run like that before.”

  “She’s good at everything,” Caleb answered.

  Kerrianne felt pleased, and she shot Ryan a smug glance. He just grinned.

  “What about your dad?” Tiger asked Caleb.

  “I don’t have a dad.”

  Kerrianne’s smile froze at her son’s answer. He’d only been a few months old when Adam died and didn’t remember him at all, which to a child was nearly the same as never having a father. She met Ryan’s gaze again, wondering how Tiger would respond. Ryan’s grin had disappeared, and he gave her a helpless half shrug.

  Tiger paused less than the length of a heartbeat. “Did he die?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So did my mom. Anyway, I think your mom runs faster than my dad.”

  Caleb nodded. “Probably.”

  As the words sank in, Kerrianne stifled a laugh, her concern dissipating with the boys’ matter-of-fact attitude.

  Ryan chuckled ruefully. “They might be right,” he whispered.

  Her annoyance at him was over, but Kerrianne thought it best to put distance between them. She was only too aware of how attractive he was to her. What would Adam say about that?

  “Start pulling weeds, Tiger,” Ryan said, pulling his grin under control. “No, don’t ask me where the weeds are—they’re everything.”

  “But I don’t have any gloves.”

  Caleb held one out to him. “Take one of mine.”

  Kerrianne felt someone touch the sleeve of her coat. Ria stood there looking at her with a tight expression on her face. For the first time, Kerrianne noticed that her eyes weren’t as dark as her brother’s or even gray like her father’s, but a lighter hazel. With her black hair and darker skin tone, she was pretty—or would be if she didn’t keep stuffing her hair up under that cap and if she wore something other than boy clothes. Kerrianne thought her shirt closely resembled one she’d bought for Benjamin last month. Did Ryan shop for her in the boys’ department?

  “It was my fault,” Ria said, oblivious to Kerrianne’s thoughts. “I gave them the doll. It was in the playhouse.” Then with a touch of disdain she added, “I didn’t think anyone cared about it.”

  The truth was Misty probably hadn’t cared—until the boys picked it up. “It’s okay,” Kerrianne assured her.

  “Can I help?” Ria asked, her face relaxing into eagerness.

  “Sure. You can pull vines with us. Or if you want, you can rake up those leaves.” Kerrianne motioned to the abandoned rake. She doubted that Misty, who was sitting on the porch putting on her doll’s clothes, would ever finish the job.

  After another ten minutes, all the vines were in the garbage, no thanks to Caleb and Tiger who spent most of the time digging in the dirt with sticks. Benjamin had worked steadily by Ryan’s side, and Ria had made good headway on the damp leaves. Misty stayed on the patio, watching Ria with a disgruntled expression on her face, and when Kerrianne motioned to her, she pretended not to see.

  “That’s good enough,” Kerrianne said, pulling off her gloves. “My fingers are frozen.”

  “Mine, too.” Ryan rubbed his bare hands together.

  “Thanks for helping.”

  “It was fun. I like working outside.”

  He seemed to mean it. She’d become accustomed to the man in her life hating the hobby she loved best, and it was odd sharing this moment with Ryan. Very odd. But nice, too.

  “Mom, let’s get the hot chocolate,” Benjamin said.

  “Yeah, you promised.” Caleb looked at Tiger. “You can have my other cup. I have two. Race ya.” The boys ran to the back door leading into the garage, pulling at each other’s coats along the way.

  Ryan’s gray eyes studied her, their color matching the dark, turgid clouds gathering in the distance.

  “Would you like to come in?” she asked.

  “I would.” His voice was soft yet firm, and there was something in his expression that made Kerrianne’s heart sing.

  There’s something here, she thought. The realization didn’t come with fireworks or with mind-numbing speed. It just was. The something opened up all kinds of possibilities—Ryan as a boyfriend, as a husband, father, lover.

  Feeling suddenly shy, she led the way into the garage where she pulled off her dirty shoes and gloves, leaving them at the door next to the boys’ discarded sneakers. She was glad to see Ryan and the girls slip off their shoes before following her inside.

  Kerrianne made hot chocolate while Ryan talked with the boys and Ria at the table.

  “Where am I going to sit?” Misty complained, noting that all the chairs were taken.

  “Go get one of the folding chairs from the garage,” Kerrianne told her.

  With a belabored sigh, Misty stomped from the room—and not in the direction of the garage.

  Kerrianne wondered if Misty was still upset about the doll. Well, they’d work that out later. At that moment Ryan glanced up and met Kerrianne’s gaze. She held his eyes boldly, not ashamed that he had caught her staring. She decided not to worry about anything right now except enjoying this moment with her children and a kind, good man who had helped her clear the pumpkin vines from her garden.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Several hours later, after drinking numerous mugs of what Ryan thought was the best hot chocolate he’d ever tasted, they were still at Kerrianne’s table, poring over the greenhouse printouts. Ryan could see Kerrianne growing more and more excited about finally obtaining her dream.

  “I’ll help you build it,” he said. “We could get some others here and get it up in a day or two.”

  “My brothers would help. And my dad.”

  Ryan wanted to meet her family. He wanted to know everything about her.

  “Order it, then!” Ria was the only child still at the table with them, the boys having disappeared and Misty having never returned. Ryan had hoped the girls would get along, but instead of making friends with Misty, Ria had stayed at the table hanging o
n Kerrianne’s every word the way she usually did with Sam. Ryan hoped he wasn’t setting up his daughter for more heartache.

  “I wish I could order it.” Kerrianne bit her lower lip. “It’s a nice size, not like those smaller ones. But it’s almost two thousand dollars—still a bit steep for my budget.” She sighed. “It’s nice to dream about, though.”

  For the first time in his life Ryan wished he had a fancy job that would allow him to buy it for her. His brother Willard could have. Or his father. Of course they didn’t have huge medical bills looming over them.

  “We haven’t called any stores yet,” he suggested, covering his disappointment.

  “Yeah! Let’s try that!” Ria hopped up from her chair. “I’ll get the phone book. Where is it?”

  Kerrianne smiled at her enthusiasm. “In that drawer beneath the phone.”

  After calling several local stores, they hadn’t found a better price, but Kerrianne wasn’t discouraged. “It’s okay,” she said. “It’ll happen. Something will come up.”

  Ryan didn’t have her faith, and he felt deflated. Was there a way he could buy it for her? Would she accept it if he could?

  “We should take Kerrianne to Grandma’s,” Ria said, startling him.

  He gaped at his daughter, trying to hide his dismay. “You want to go to Grandma’s?”

  Ria fingered a houseplant that sat next to the phone. “I bet Kerrianne would like to see her plants.” She looked at Kerrianne. “There are tons of them. The whole room is green.”

  “The green room,” Kerrianne said. “Your father told me about it last night.”

  Ria wrinkled her brow, her eyes puzzled. “I though you went to a dance last night, Daddy.”

  “I did. Kerrianne was there.”

  “Did you dance with each other?”

  Ryan nodded. “A few times.”

  Kerrianne laughed. “In fact, he rescued me from a rather . . .” She trailed off.

  “Ardent admirer,” Ryan finished, glad when she laughed again. He loved hearing her laugh.

  “A handsome, ardent admirer,” she corrected.

  “How come you didn’t tell me you were on a date?” Ria looked back and forth between them, as though unsure how to react to the news.

  “It wasn’t a date.” Kerrianne looked around as though worried her children would hear, but the three boys were playing a loud game with cars in the family room and Misty was nowhere to be seen.

  “Well, I did ask her for a date,” Ryan said with a wink.

  Ria started grinning. “Good! We can go to Grandma’s for the date.” She looked at Kerrianne and explained. “We go on Sundays sometimes. The last time my grandpa played ball with me. He’s pretty good.”

  Kerrianne looked at Ryan expectantly. What could he do? “My parents aren’t exactly . . . ,” he began. “Well, they’re kind of strange.”

  “Grandma’s nice,” Ria put in. “But you can’t do anything in their house, so it’s usually kind of boring. Except last time when Grandpa played ball with me.” She paused, pondering for a moment that great occurrence. “Daddy doesn’t like going there because they’re always trying to find girls for him to marry.”

  Ryan groaned. “Ria.”

  “What? They do.” Ria gave him a blank stare and scooted closer to Kerrianne. “So, do ya wanna come?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t want to get in the way of all those girls.” Kerrianne’s gaze on Ryan’s face felt sharp.

  “It’s not really like that,” he said.

  She shrugged as if it didn’t matter, and Ryan felt a flood of anxiety. If he was serious about her, and he was feeling more so every minute, then he would have to introduce his parents sooner or later. Perhaps it was better to get it over with before their relationship went any further. In all fairness, she should understand what she might be getting into. He took a deep breath. “I’d love to introduce you to my parents.”

  She blinked once, slowly. “Introduce?”

  Ryan felt confused. Wasn’t that was she wanted? But then, “introduce” was rather formal, wasn’t it? The term implied there was something between them, which Ryan was willing to admit, but apparently Kerrianne wasn’t. “I mean,” he corrected smoothly, “to show you the green room. If you’d like to see it, that is. Just be aware that my parents are . . . well, rather different. Opinionated, you might say. My dad especially.”

  Kerrianne didn’t speak. Her gaze went to the greenhouse printouts and beyond the sliding glass doors leading onto the patio, staring at something he couldn’t see. Was she thinking about her husband? Adam seemed like a great guy, as great as Laurie had been. Could Ryan ever hope to measure up? If he pursued this relationship, would he always come in second best?

  Regardless, it didn’t matter, not now. One look in her eyes, one soft touch of her hand, and he was willing to risk his heart. Laurie would be pleased. “Well?” he pressed.

  “Okay,” she agreed slowly. “But what about my kids? I suppose I could drop them off at my sister’s.”

  “That might be best.”

  Her forehead gathered as she frowned. “Your parents are that bad?” When he didn’t answer, she added, “In that case, I think I’ll take the kids along.” She gave him a flat, challenging stare.

  Ryan suddenly wanted to laugh. Why not? If he was taking Kerrianne to see his parents, why not bring the whole crowd? Watching his parents scramble might at least provide some amusement. He wasn’t exactly trying to impress them or anything, though how Kerrianne could fail to impress them was beyond him. On the other hand, if they proved to be impossible, he would immediately get her out of there.

  “Well, it’s settled then,” he said. “Would two o’clock be a good time to go tomorrow?”

  “Perfect.” Two spots of red appeared on her cheekbones—or had the rest of her face gone abruptly pale? Did that mean she was worried about something? He wished he could read her better.

  “Thanks for your help today.” She stood, signaling an end to their afternoon.

  He arose, wanting to stay but not knowing how make it happen. “Yeah, it looks like it’s time for me to go.”

  “Is it time for practice?” Ria asked. To Kerrianne, she added. “I always practice basketball on Saturdays. Do you like basketball? When I have a game, you can come and watch if you like.” She shrugged and added quickly, “If you want to, I mean.”

  “Basketball is for boys.” Misty had appeared in the kitchen doorway, dressed in a blue and white princess dress and wearing a tiara in her hair. She looked exactly like a little girl who’d just finished a photo shoot for an advertisement.

  Ryan saw Ria’s eyes widen with envy before her face hardened. “Well, I like boy stuff,” she said. “Girl stuff is stupid and boring.” Her gaze plainly said that she wouldn’t be caught dead in a princess dress.

  “Misty, you like basketball.” Kerrianne crossed the room and made a bow with the ties in back of the dress.

  “Not anymore. That’s boy stuff, and I don’t like boy stuff. Mom, do you think I can wear this dress to the tea party? All the girls can dress up if we want.”

  “You’re going to the tea party, too?” Ria asked.

  Kerrianne smiled at her. “I think all the second through fourth grades are involved.”

  “Oh.” Ria’s voice was dull, and in a rare moment of understanding, Ryan realized that she was worrying about what to wear. Ria was a tomboy, to be sure, but despite the attitude she was showing at the moment, she loved dressing up as much as the next girl. Maybe Sam would be willing to help him figure out what she should wear. With the way Ria and Misty were glaring at each other, asking Sam would be better than bringing it up now.

  “Who’s taking you?” Misty asked Ria.

  Ria kept her face impassive. “A friend. Her name is Sam.” And then as if she couldn’t help herself, she added, “She’s beautiful. You’ll probably get to see her.”

  “Was that the lady from the other night at the play?” Kerrianne asked. When Ryan nodded, she adde
d, “I thought I recognized her name.”

  No one spoke for a few seconds until Ryan said awkwardly, “I guess I should get our shoes from the garage.”

  Kerrianne nodded. “I’ll go with you.”

  Before either of them could move, the doorbell rang. Misty ran to it excitedly, followed by the boys who came running from the family room. Kerrianne gave him a smile. “They always act like that,” she said. “You’d think it was Santa Claus at the door.”

  He chuckled and followed her along the hallway, with Ria tagging behind. At the door stood a man with a large vase of flowers. “Delivery for Kerrianne Price,” he announced, looking over the heads of the children.

  “That’s me. Those lilies are beautiful.”

  “Please sign here.” He extended a clipboard with a paper attached.

  She signed the paper, accepted the vase, and shut the door, her brow drawn in puzzlement. “I wonder who they’re from.” She looked at Ryan, but he shrugged.

  “Read the card.” Misty was already reaching for it.

  Kerrianne grabbed it first. “Probably one of my brothers.” She read the card silently, shaking her head. “It says, ‘Enjoyed meeting you last night. Hope to see you again. Morgan.’”

  She shook her head. “Must be a mistake. I don’t know any Morgan. Oh, wait a minute. I think I might have danced with a Morgan last night. But I don’t know if it was that older guy who smelled like mint, or that other guy who was my age. Or maybe it was . . .” She shrugged and trailed off.

  “I don’t know anyone named Morgan.” Ryan was glad at least that the flowers were not from Gunnar.

  “I didn’t tell anyone my address, though.”

  Ryan smiled. “Believe me, that doesn’t matter.” He raised his eyebrows several times. “We have ways.”

  “Oh, I see. Hmm.” Gently, she touched a white petal. “They’re beautiful.”

  Just like you. But he couldn’t say the words. They seemed too contrived.

  She snapped her fingers. “I know who Morgan is. He was the guy about our age who kept telling me how pretty—” She broke off with an embarrassed shrug. “I’m sure he says it to everyone.”