A Ranger for the Twins

by Tanya Agler

  Caleb shuffled his feet. Dr. Keane wouldn’t approve of soccer, but someone Ethan’s age might not understand the logistics of a herniated disc. Then another idea came to mind. “I need to talk to your mom first. Then I might have a surprise.”

  “I love s’prises.” Ethan ran for the back door. “Hey, Mattie, Mr. Caleb has a s’prise for us.”

  The dogs followed Caleb as he waved to Mattie before heading to the shed. “Lucie?”

  “Back here.”

  He walked in the direction of her voice and found her lifting a fifty-pound sack of pig feed. “Here, let me help.”

  “I can manage.”

  “I know, but it’s always nice to have a partner.”

  Together, they tilted the bag and the contents emptied into the feeder.

  “Thanks.” Lucie wiped her forehead with the side of her arm, pushing back that curly strand that liked to escape. “Did I forget a meeting?”

  “I stopped by to see if you have an extra key to the cabin.” He accepted a wet wipe and cleaned his hands as Ethel bounded over to him. She jumped onto the couch, taking her place with a majestic air. He joined her and she nudged him with her pig snout, making appreciative grunts.

  Now that he’d converted Lucie’s pets, he’d have to find some way of endearing himself to their owner.

  Until he told her about his parents. Just tell her and be done with it. Yet, seeing her covered with hay and pig feed pellets, he wanted to make her life easier, not be another voice of dissent.

  “I’ll stop by Farr’s Hardware and have one made for you after I grab lunch. Have you eaten yet?” Lucie glanced at him like she hoped he’d turn her down.

  “It’s almost dinnertime.”

  “That late?” She cleaned her hands, checked her phone on the ledge, and groaned. “It is that late and I still haven’t even started on the mortgage paperwork. Mattie and Ethan haven’t complained once.”

  “Then how about I kick the ball around with them while you—” You can’t play soccer with them. “I’ll figure out something for us to do indoors while you finish up. Then after we stop at Farr’s, I’ll treat the three of you to dinner as a thank-you.”

  “Really, dinner out?” Mattie’s voice came from behind. “Say yes, Mommy. We haven’t eaten out in the longest time.”

  Lucie bit her lip and let that veil of hair hide her expressive morning glories. “I can fix something for dinner in no time.”

  “But this is a celebration.” Caleb smiled and continued scratching behind Ethel’s ear. “Ethan lost a tooth today.”

  Mattie kicked the dirt and her lower lip jutted out. “Why does this have to be about him? Everything’s always about him.”

  “Anything good happen in school this week?”

  Mattie met his gaze and shrugged. “I read a whole book by myself.”

  “Then we’re celebrating that, too. Right, Ethel?” On cue, the pig grunted, eliciting a small lift of the lips from Mattie.

  “I’ll tell Ethan.” Mattie ran out of the shed and Lucie sighed.

  “This isn’t a good idea.”

  Caleb patted Ethel’s head one last time and rose, crossing over to where Lucie stood. He longed to reach out and hold her hand, but he was intent on developing trust first. “My treat. How’s that bad?”

  Lucie’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t mind if people aren’t comfortable around me. I do mind when they take Justin’s actions out on Mattie and Ethan. That’s why we don’t go out to eat more often.”

  But they were kids, young kids. Before he could form any words, one look at Lucie’s pursed lips told him all he needed to know. “Then we go in with our heads held high.”

  She met his gaze and gave a slight nod. “Fifteen minutes, then.” She tilted her head toward Ethel. “If I can drag you away from your newest fan.”

  Lucie left the shed and Caleb settled next to Ethel once more. “Tonight. I’ll tell her tonight.”

  Ethel’s grunt sounded like she didn’t believe him, either.

  * * *

  LUCIE TRIED TO settle the rhinoceros stomping around her stomach. If every gaze hadn’t been trained on her and Caleb when they entered the Holly Days Diner, she might have been able to relax. As it was, the letters on the menu blurred and jumbled around before she decided on the fried chicken. No matter how hard she tried, hers never came out as well as her mother’s or Miss Joanne’s.

  “Thank you. This is a real treat.”

  Even Mattie and Ethan were on their best behavior as they studied the children’s menus.

  With no dinner cleanup tonight, she’d have enough time to fill out the mortgage application. No, she wouldn’t think of business now. This was a rare night out.

  Lucie sank into the plush red leather of the booth and luxuriated in having Mattie by her side while Caleb and Ethan sat across from them.

  “What’s that?” Ethan pointed to the jukebox at the back of the diner.

  Caleb dug into his jeans’ pocket and pulled out quarters. “It’s a jukebox. You and Mattie can go pick out a few songs to play.”

  “Bet I beat you there.” Ethan grabbed his two coins and scooted out of the booth before Mattie could even react.

  “Thank you, Mr. Caleb.” Mattie palmed her quarters and rushed to Ethan’s side.

  “One dollar and I have you to myself. Not a bad bargain.” Caleb smiled as the waitress delivered a basket of corn bread and biscuits to their table.

  After Lucie ordered for the twins and herself, Caleb chose the meat loaf special. When the waitress left, Caleb leaned back and patted his stomach. “I didn’t realize I missed the diner until now. I especially missed Miss Joanne’s meat loaf.”

  Lucie felt the same way. On a Saturday night, the diner vibrated with energy and purpose, feeding half of Hollydale. “I should help Mattie and Ethan. They won’t be able to read all the selections.” Lucie placed her hand on the table so she could scoot out more easily.

  Caleb covered hers with his. “It’s not so important what they choose. You can see them. They’re okay. It’s the small taste of freedom.”

  He glanced at their hands, and the attraction sizzled. Then he pulled away and reached for a corn bread square.

  Lucie had just selected a biscuit when the owner of The Book Nook, Connie Witherspoon, headed toward their table. Lucie froze like a fawn in the headlights on a foggy mountain morning. Nowhere to go. She stiffened and drew in a deep breath, while many in the restaurant turned to stare at her. Lucie steadied herself. She’d done nothing wrong. People would have to get used to her showing her face around here more often.

  “Lucie,” Connie said, stopping at the edge of the booth.

  Lucie glanced at Mattie and Ethan, who were still deciding on songs at the jukebox. She’d protect them come what may, even if she had to eat humble pie. “Good evening, Connie. Beautiful night.”

  “I’ve been talking with some people and there’s something I have to say about you and your husband.” Connie’s strident voice echoed through the restaurant, the noise around them fading.

  Complete quiet descended on the patrons.

  “My ex-husband, you mean. The man who happens to be the father of my children, who are over there at the jukebox. If you have something to say to me, you can make an appointment with me and come out to the Hollydale Training and Wellness Center on Monday morning.” Her heart beat so fast she was sure it would explode out of her chest.

  Connie’s frown caused a furrow in her brows. “I wouldn’t say anything untoward in front of your children.” She sent a glance at the jukebox and her cheeks softened. “Your mama would be real proud of how well behaved they are in public.”

  Patsy Appleby would have loved the twins and spoiled them rotten. “Yes, she would be proud.” Despite all her contradictions and complexities, Lucie’s mother had worn her heart on her sleeve. The apple h
adn’t fallen far from the Appleby tree. For the longest time since her parents’ fatal car accident, she’d lost her way. Forgotten the strength and resiliency they’d practiced every day. The center helped her remember those attributes. She’d do her best to raise Mattie and Ethan with the same ideals and give them a rosy future. And for herself, as well. “Thank you. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

  “You were right, Lucie Appleby.” Connie stood there and folded her arms across her chest.

  Lucie was right about a lot of things but, for the life of her, she didn’t know what Connie was talking about. “Lucie Appleby Decker.” Using the last name that went along with her lapse in character judgment reminded her not to fall into the same trap again. She quickly glanced at the twins, who were entranced by the lever that flipped the pages of music lists.

  “I’ll call you on Monday about placing my books in your library.” Connie lifted her chin, swiveled on her red pumps and tottered away.

  Lucie blinked. Someone in Hollydale had acknowledged she had a good idea when it came to business. It was only a small start, but she’d take it on a silver platter, preferably alongside Miss Joanne’s fried chicken and biscuits.

  Enjoying her dinner had just become that much easier.

  * * *

  CALEB STROLLED ALONG the sidewalk near the center of downtown Hollydale, taking care not to move too fast or too slow, his herniated disk now at the forefront of every decision. How would he work if surgery was part of his future?

  Mattie and Ethan sprinted for the gazebo, the true center of life in the town—the surrounding twinkling white lights provided illumination so they wouldn’t trip or fall. As much as he’d like to be there if either of them, or their mother, stumbled, it wasn’t his place. Not with an uncertain future, clouded by his parents’ arrival.

  “I’m going to let them run off those chocolate sundaes before we walk the rest of the way home.” Lucie climbed the steps to the interior of the structure and leaned against the railing, her gaze tracking Mattie and Ethan’s game of tag. “If you have somewhere else you need to be, I understand. This is Hollydale. We’ll be fine walking home without you.”

  Jonathan and the girls were attending a women’s soccer game in Asheville. While they’d offered to scrounge up one more ticket, Caleb had urged them to go without him. They wouldn’t be home until later, and Caleb didn’t fancy returning to a dark house. Not when Lucie’s home was full of life, literally and figuratively.

  “I still need that key, remember?” He settled next to her on the railing and watched the townspeople go by, some hurrying to dinner, some enjoying the spring air, others probably on their way to shoot pool at the new bar that made great nachos. One of these days, he and Jonathan would have to break a rack.

  Lucie tapped her forehead with her fingers. “I forgot. We better check to see if Farr’s Hardware is still open.”

  The soft scent of roses tickled his nose and he reached out for her hand. “The kids are having fun. Can’t they have one more minute to play? Lucie...”

  “You promised me more time.”

  Her admission exhilarated him and frustrated him at the same time. “Then you feel whatever’s between us.”

  Her cheeks flushed, and the evening was too cool to be the cause. “Why else would I ask for your patience?”

  “That’s not a direct answer.”

  “Isn’t it?” She fidgeted and picked at the edge of her pink jacket. “It’s hard to resist a man who swoops into town and plays Candy Land with my kids, pets my pig without judging me, and tries to fix my furnace.”

  “Then why resist? I’ll admit it right here and now. I’d like to explore what’s between us. You just have to say the word, and we can take our time to see where these feelings will take us.”

  He’d have all the patience in the world if she thought he was special and worth the wait.

  “But if I lose your friendship?”

  “What if we gain more? Maybe we should invest our patience in seeing where this could go.”

  “You are a persuasive man, Caleb Spindler. That’s what I like about you.”

  “Then first, one kiss.”

  He met her gaze, and she licked her lips, giving enough of a nod for him to proceed. Lowering his lips to hers, he tasted the hot fudge from her dessert, the softness of her lips against his.

  “Hey, Mr. Caleb, does my mommy have a boo-boo on her mouth? Is that why you’re kissing her?”

  People on the sidewalk stopped at Ethan’s announcement, which Jonathan and the girls had probably heard all the way in Asheville.

  “Caleb? The Hero of Hollydale?” An older man stopped and waved. “You made us proud, son. Keep up the great work.”

  The woman next to him nudged the man’s ribs and whispered something in his ear before the two hurried along.

  Lucie backed away, sheer horror coming into her eyes. Why? Was it from kissing him in front of her children?

  “I’ll get the key next week.” Caleb didn’t want to stay to find out what caused her to look so aghast.

  Especially considering how much he’d enjoyed the moment—he wouldn’t have minded asking for another before he left for Jonathan’s place.

  He waved goodbye and almost sprinted down the stairs, ignoring the twinge in his back. For once, an empty house was just what he needed.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  THE COLD RAIN was back on Sunday afternoon. Lucie huddled under Mitzi’s canopy, waiting for her friend to open the salon door. Mattie and Ethan were spending the afternoon with Natalie, welcoming her college roommate and young son to town, and Lucie was looking forward to inventorying Mitzi’s supplies for the spa section of the wellness center. That had to be why she was brimming with nervous energy.

  There was no way it had anything to do with Caleb’s kiss last night. Her first kiss since the divorce. A beautiful kiss under the stars, with fairy lights bathing the gazebo in a magical glow. That romantic atmosphere must have been what led her overboard and into deep trouble. Why else would she have kissed Caleb? At that thought, she was reminded of the teenager who’d made her laugh when everyone else expected her to be a frilly debutante, a girl who might giggle but never belly laugh. She thought of Caleb now, the man who accepted her hectic life without judgment.

  It didn’t matter that the kiss had made her toes wiggle and her spine tingle. When the man passing by had acknowledged Caleb as the Hero of Hollydale, Caleb had fled the scene, embarrassed at having been caught kissing the town pariah, especially when he had no intention of settling down.

  A blur in a yellow rain poncho whizzed into view. Mitzi stopped at the front door, a disposable cup in each hand. “Sorry, Lucie. The line at The Busy Bean is out the door. I thought I’d have enough time to grab us cappuccinos before you arrived. Hold these while I find the key, okay?”

  “I can’t argue with that.” Lucie used care not to burn her fingers, having already been burned once in the past twenty-four hours.

  Mitzi unlocked the door, and Lucie followed her inside. Little puddles of water accumulated wherever Mitzi stepped, and Lucie wiped her feet on the big mat.

  “Ah, honey,” Mitzi said, “a little water never hurt nobody. Besides, my floors are drip dry, same as me.”

  For the first time since last night, Lucie cracked a genuine smile, although Pita had tried her best to coax one by running in circles trying to catch her tail, as if she’d instinctively known Lucie had needed a dose of cheer. “Don’t tell Mattie and Ethan that or they’ll bring the outdoors in every time it rains.”

  Mitzi dropped her keys at her station, the clang echoing through the empty salon. “I’ll sure be glad when all the extra inventory’s out of my storeroom and at the center. I can’t even get to my trusty old coffeepot.” She opened the lid of the cappuccino and inhaled. “But Deb makes it better than me, so I don’t mind springing for this.”

&n
bsp; “The spa suggestion has already brought business my way. A couple real-estate offices have been in touch and have signed up for the spa getaway retreat.” Lucie walked toward the rear of the shop. “I’ll bring my car around tonight and load whatever’s ready to go.”

  “That’s why we make a good team.” Mitzi sipped her coffee and squinted. “Are you sure you don’t need a cucumber mask? Those dark circles under them pretty eyes of yours haven’t disappeared yet.”

  If only a cucumber mask could take away her problems. “Didn’t sleep well.”

  “Then let’s test out two new complimentary masks I got in the mail from someone who wants me to buy their products.”

  “Shouldn’t we work on the inventory?”

  “Oh, honey, we are the living embodiment of our inventory. Half of being a success is projecting confidence and authority. Lucie Appleby walked around like she owned the town. You’ve gotta connect with that old part of you, the part that danced in the rain and spoke of moonbeams with stars in your eyes.” Mitzi rummaged through the big drawer at her workstation. “You want lavender cucumber or orange lemongrass? There’s nothing like a good mud mask to make you feel all fresh and ready to take on the world.”

  The old part of her? Was her romantic side really gone forever? After Caleb had kissed her, that dewy feeling had returned and, for one minute, she’d seen the gazebo with rose-colored glasses. Caleb made her feel beautiful. Too bad she embarrassed him so much.

  “Lucie Appleby was a spoiled debutante.” The truth hurt, but she’d gone around Hollydale without a care in the world. That young girl had expected people to keep their word and their promises.

  Mitzi came over and grabbed both of Lucie’s hands, shaking them. “You were not spoiled. You worked at your parents’ wedding destination lodge and you promoted that business with spirit, same as you love and care deeply for life. Repeat after me. ‘I am a caring person who throws all of me into whatever I do. I will not let Justin Decker take away the rest of my life.’”