She was cute. He hadn’t figured the slightly uptight lady for being cute, but she was. Sure, she was pretty, but a woman could be pretty and have no cuteness about her. “I had the big plans of just hanging out here by myself. I can do that tomorrow if you’ll let me hang lights today.” It hit him then that he was glad for the excuse not to be alone with his thoughts anymore today.
She smiled and he felt good… He hadn’t felt good since before the day Randy leaned forward too far over B-par’s back, and the hulking bull’s powerful head had slammed into Randy’s face full force. The move had dazed him and when he hit the ground B-par continued—
“If you’re sure,” he said, pushing the thoughts away and focusing on her.
“I’m sure.” Something about the entire situation drew him. The last thing he’d expected to do when he came home was spend time with anyone, especially a pretty woman and two little boys. But it looked as if that was exactly what he was about to do. And as downhearted as he was feeling, the idea brightened his day more than he could say.
More than he deserved.
“I gots a smushed thumb under here.” Gavin lifted his hand and showed off the bandaged thumb.
“I guess you learned about climbing all the way up there.” Chance nodded toward the eave of the house where he was about to begin work hanging the boys’ Christmas lights. Lynn had worked until two and then picked the kids up from the shelter. She’d explained that the women took turns at the shelter watching the children so that everyone could work in the candy store.
He could have come earlier but he’d felt it important to let the boys be a part of putting the lights on their home for the first time. When he’d chosen to do that, Lynn had looked pleased. Though she hadn’t voiced the words, he got the feeling he’d earned points by wanting to include them. He wasn’t looking for points or getting on her good side—that hadn’t been his objective. He’d simply known the boys would have fun and he would en joy their help. He also wanted to talk to them about the dangers of climbing a ladder.
“I wasn’t scared. Jack told me he didn’t wanna do it.”
Jack shook his head back and forth in methodical rhythm, as if he were watching a tennis match. “My stomach hurts when I get too high. I told Gavin not to do it. But I held the ladder for him, like I seen Miss Dottie do for Sheriff Brady when he was workin’ on the barn roof.”
“Only when I dropped the hammer it done almost hit Jack on the head!”
Chance got a vivid picture of the little dude holding the ten-foot ladder and dodging the hammer.
“Momma said it was a miracle I didn’t fall when I smashed my thumb.”
“And another miracle the hammer didn’t hit me in the head.”
Chance’s heart clutched at the thought…the same way he felt looking back on Randy’s last ride. He hadn’t done anything about Randy’s situation but he could do something here.
The idea coursed through him like a wildfire. He tamped it down. These were just little boys wanting to be handy around the house. Randy had been hyped up on drugs, strapped to the back of one of the most ferocious bulls on the circuit. It had been a deadly combination…a train wreck in the making and he hadn’t seen it coming. But maybe there was some redemption here helping Gavin and Jack.
Maybe he could make a small difference in these boys’ lives by at least getting up the Christmas lights they’d been talking about since the day they’d first run him over.
The memory made him smile. “You boys are all right. You know that?”
They beamed at the praise just as Lynn came out the front door. She’d gone inside to change out of her slacks into jeans and an oversize, cream-colored sweater that hung below her hips. She’d pulled her hair into a ponytail once more and Chance missed the way it hung around her face. She also had changed from boots to canvas shoes that had seen better days. The outfit looked as if she had loved and worn it for years.
He sure missed her hair hanging down though, no matter how much he tried not to think about it.
“Did you come to help, too, Momma?” Jack asked.
“Sure did.” She hugged him and gave him a kiss on the head, making him giggle. “Is that okay with you fellas?”
Gavin crunched his brows together skeptically. “Long as you don’t use the hammer. You’re worse with it than me.”
“Hey!” Lynn laughed cheerily. “That’s not a nice thing to say about your ol’ momma.” She engulfed him in a swooping hug and growled against his neck. He squealed and wiggled attempting to escape.
Jack hopped from foot to foot excitedly. “Get him, Mom ma! Get him.”
Chance had climbed the first two rungs of the ladder but paused to watch them. They were good together. The three of them. Lynn had done a great job. She should be very proud of herself. Laughing and breathless from romping with Gavin she let him go and smiled at Chance. Her cheeks were soft pink and she had a happy glow about her as she held his gaze. His stomach tilted looking down at her and he felt peaceful.
“I wish I had some of those plastic gadgets you hang lights with. It would make things a lot easier, I think.”
He held up the staple gun. “We’ll do it the old-fashioned way.”
“You ain’t usin’ a hammer?”
“Nope, Gavin, I’m afraid I’d hit my thumb if I tried to hang lights with a hammer.”
“You don’t want ta do that. It hurts.”
“Yeah, I reckon it did.” He climbed the ladder carrying a strand of lights and all three jumped to hang on to the ladder.
“We won’t let you fall, Mr. Chance,” Jack yelled at the top of his lungs.
“Thanks. I’m in good hands. I can see that.”
“There are none better than my boys,” Lynn called, her voice bright with affection.
Chance looked down to find her smiling up at him as she said the words. She looked so pretty and so happy at that moment that he almost missed a rung on the ladder.
Chapter Eight
“So, what do you think?” Chance asked as he hopped to the ground. He’d hung several strands of lights, and the old house was looking great.
He was standing close to Lynn and she could feel the warmth from his body through the down vest that he wore. She’d helped him for the last hour and he’d been great with her boys. And, okay, the man smelled wonderful.
“Momma, don’t ya got yor ears on? What do you think?” Jack asked, tugging on her arm. It was what she always asked him and Gavin when they weren’t listening to her.
Boy, where had she been? How embarrassing was that? “Ear one and ear two are both on and ready to do their jobs,” she said lightly, careful not to look at Chance.
She hoped Chance hadn’t noticed her embarrassing lapse. She stole a glance at him. He caught her and the wink he gave her said he’d noticed plenty.
“You were taking a nap,” he drawled, a teasing smile tugging at his lips as he grabbed the ladder and moved it down three feet.
A flutter erupted inside her chest at his words and she watched him. He moved with an athletic grace she’d been admiring all morning.
Leaning the ladder against the house, he placed a hand on his hip and grinned. “Seriously, I think a mother of active twin boys deserves to grab a power nap any time she can get it.”
“Thanks, they are few and far between.” Her mouth felt like she’d stuffed marshmallows in it when he gave her a crooked grin.
“Hey, remember I’m the hired help, so if you need to go grab a little shut-eye I’d be more than glad to watch these two cowpokes of yours.”
“Oh, that is so tempting.” True, she wasn’t looking for a romance. Or a date even. But there was nothing keeping her from liking the guy. And the more she knew of him, the more she liked him.
“I’m serious,” he said, looking at the boys, who were stretching out the strands of lights like he’d shown them, checking for burned-out bulbs. Jack plugged one end into an extension cord. “We’ve got this.”
The thing was that
, as a single working mom of two active boys, she literally dreamt of sleeping… “No. I’m good. I want to do this with the boys.” And you. So she was human. She was a woman drawn to a man. But that was all. Nothing more.
He grinned and it was like a bolt of sunshine. “Sounds great to me.”
What was a great guy like Chance Turner doing still single? The man had never been married and he was about twenty-eight, if she had her figures straight. He was a year older than Cole and they’d had a small gathering for Cole’s birthday three weeks ago. Not that being twenty-eight and never married was a bad thing. She assumed his lack of a wife had a lot to do with being on the road so much.
Not that it mattered to her one way or the other. He was simply a nice guy who was kind to her kids.
And you’re having a great time with him.
“Hey, Chance, got one,” Gavin yelled, waving at him to come to the end of the strand.
“It’s blown, all right,” Jack added.
“Duty calls.” He tipped his hat, eyes twinkling. “Want me to show you how to change a bulb, too?”
“Sure, sounds great,” she laughed, her heart feeling as light as the breeze blowing in across the yard.
She watched him show the boys how to replace a bulb with one of the extras in a little plastic bag that was still attached to the strand.
Her boys huddled with him, their little brown and blond heads bent next to his black one. When the light popped on like the rest of them they whooped and gave each other high fives. Guys.
“There ain’t nothin’ to that,” Gavin gushed.
Chance grinned at him. “You’re right. It’s easy once you know how to do it.”
“What if there’s not any extras with the lights?” Jack asked, looking at the strand that lay next to them.
“You can get a little pack of them for less than a dollar, I think.”
“Did you hear that, Momma? I got a dollar. I can help.”
“I got a dollar, too, Jack,” Gavin added, not wanting to be outdone.
“And that is one reason I love you two so much, be cause you are my little helpful men.”
They beamed at the praise and Chance winked at her once more. There was nothing meant by the wink other than agreement with what she’d said, but that didn’t stop her insides from feeling suddenly as if she’d been turned upside down. She stepped back, having somehow moved to stand a bit too close to him.
“I guess I’d better get dinner started. You’re upholding your part of the deal so I’d better get mine together. Do you like King Ranch chicken?”
“Does a horse like sweet feed? It’s my favorite.”
A warm bloom of pleasure spread through her at the way he was smiling at her. Self-conscious, she glanced at her boys, who looked in shock at each other, then up at him.
“It’s our favorite, too!” Gavin exclaimed for both of them, and Jack nodded, his big blue eyes locked on Chance in admiration.
Shaken by the attachment that her boys seemed to have formed so quickly, she had to force her voice to sound normal. “Then while you boys are finishing up I’ll go start on that.” She should have already started it, but she’d been unable to walk away from hanging the lights.
It was nice seeing her boys with a good man. The neighbors had helped with several projects at the shelter. Men like Dan Dawson, who’d lived in a shelter growing up, came by to play football and hang out. And others like Mule Hollow deputy Zane Cantrell spent time with the boys, especially after he’d married Rose, who’d lived in the shelter with them. And there were all the others like Clint Matlock, Pace Gentry and Cort Wells who helped the boys with their riding skills. The list went on and on. Mule Hollow was full of great cowboys and everyone she’d thought about was now happily married to friends of hers. The single guys came around too, and it never failed to bless her soul to see men willing to mentor kids who weren’t lucky enough to have a man in their life. It was special.
So why, she asked herself with one last glance before heading inside, did it seem her boys had latched on to Chance Turner like they’d never before latched on to any one?
Chance was having a hard time concentrating. He’d helped with the lights and had a blast with the boys. They were quick learners and interested in everything. While Lynn had cooked supper they’d taken him to the backyard tree house. Chance didn’t want to think or say anything derogatory but there was no denying that they needed an intervention.
He’d crossed his arms and studied the poor thing. The boys flanked him and he bit back a laugh when he realized they were copying his own stance.
How easy it was to influence those around you. He’d made a lot of mistakes in his rebellious wild days, during the beginning of his riding career. It had taken one fateful night—a bar brawl had gone bad and a drunk had pulled a knife on him and a riding buddy. Thankfully, his buddy had lived after being stabbed and in the emergency room Chance had come to know the Lord. That E.R. doctor had intervened in more than a physical crisis. He’d also stepped in and brought Chance to his knees before the Lord. Ever since then, Chance had tried his best to be the man that God had intended for him to be. He’d wanted to be like Doc Stone…a man who stood in the gap and boldly told others about God.
He’d made plenty of mistakes along the way. But that hadn’t stopped him from trying, striving to be a man of integrity, one the rough-and-tumble riders could see living his witness, day in and day out.
Looking at the boys standing beside him gave him a reprieve from the feeling of failure that had weighed on his shoulders since Randy’s death. He knew it was temporary and undeserved, but he wasn’t able to walk away from these two without offering to help them on the tree house, too. Even if the solitude he craved called to him back at the stagecoach house.
“It’s a sad situation, ain’t it,” Gavin said, solemnly.
“Hopeless,” Jack sighed heavily.
Even Tiny looked depressed about the scary way the boards tilted between the tree limbs.
“It’s not hopeless.” All three—dog included—looked at him with hope. There was no way he couldn’t help. No way. “All it’s going to take is a little know-how. Your momma has never built one of these before, but I’d give her an A for effort anyway.”
“Yeah, she tried.” Gavin let out a long sigh.
“You did um, ain’t ya,” Jack said, sounding more and more like Applegate.
“Yes, I have, Jack. But my first one was a disaster, too.”
“Worse than ours?”
Chance laughed. “Yes, Jack. Worse than yours. But, see, my uncle had to come help me and my cousin Cole rebuild it. We couldn’t do it on our own.”
“Your uncle helped you. Not your dad?” Gavin was studying him, probing. The look in his eyes pulled at Chance’s heartstrings.
“No, not my dad. It was my uncle.” His dad had spent a good deal of time away from him.
“We don’t got a dad to help us either,” Gavin continued and Jack nodded.
Chance swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. He’d been too young at the time to realize that it wasn’t normal for a kid to spend so much time away from his dad. And his mom. He’d had his cousins and his uncle and aunt to fill in the holes. He’d been lucky. It wasn’t until he was a little older that he understood. “You don’t have a dad, but God gave you a mom who loves you and tries very hard. That’s the best thing ever.”
“Yup,” Jack sighed. “That’s good, ain’t it, Gavin?”
“Yup.”
As if that was all that needed to be said on the subject, they went back to studying the dilapidated tree house.
“So what do ya say? Do you want me to help you?” He knew the minute the words were out of his mouth and the boys turned jubilant smiles up at him that he was in trouble.
Chapter Nine
“Well, that was some day and a great meal,” Chance said. He and Lynn were standing on the front porch and he was getting ready to head home. They’d gotten most of the Christmas li
ghts up and had a meal better than anything he’d eaten in a long time. Lynn Perry could cook.
“Thanks. I can make a few dishes pretty decently. But I’m pretty iffy on the rest.”
He laughed and looked down at her. He was getting partial to looking into her deep blue eyes. He kept finding himself trying to figure out what she was thinking and feeling. When she looked at her boys it was clear as blue skies what she was thinking. But it was the rest of the time that had him hooked.
“I know you’re being humble now. There is no way you can cook a dish that mouthwatering and not be able to cook anything else you wanted. That was awesome. Really, Lynn.”
In the porch light, she looked pleased. His gaze dropped to her lips, full and expressive, their corners tight with uncertainty. Her lips. Chance pulled back, tugged his jacket closed and stuffed his hands into his pockets—for safety. He’d been thinking about pulling her into a hug and kissing her. That’s what you did at the end of a date—but that was just it, this was not a date.
He wasn’t here for a date.
But that was exactly what it had felt like sitting around her kitchen table with her two sons enjoying her excellent King Ranch chicken.
“Well, I guess as a mom, I’m just happy the boys like my cooking.” She had pulled on a coat when she’d walked him outside. Now she tugged it close and took a deep breath.
He did the same as silence stretched between them. It was time to go but he was reluctant. He felt more at peace right now than he had in what seemed like ages. Part of that had come from her, and part from the boys. They’d touched a chord in him that he hadn’t even known was there. He’d bent down and given them a hug before they’d gone to take their bath. And they’d asked him once more about the tree house, their excitement overflowing.
“So you’re fine with me working on the tree house?”
“I don’t want to impose. But the boys are so excited.”
“You can say that again.” He chuckled. “I don’t have anything pressing right now. And I enjoyed today…and don’t think I’m not getting something from it. It was good for me.”
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