Love Inspired February 2014 - Bundle 1 of 2: The Cowboy's Reunited FamilyThe Forest Ranger's ReturnMommy Wanted

by Brenda Minton

  “Ready to go to the house?”

  Lindsey didn’t look quite ready, but she nodded.

  He turned off lights, and the three of them went out the door.

  “Are you okay?” he asked Jana as they walked to the house.

  “I’m fine. I made pie. Do you want a piece?”

  “I’ll take some. Do you have ice cream?” It was the wrong answer. He should have told her he had to go home. He had work he needed to catch up on. Those were the right answers, but not the ones he wanted to give.

  “I think you have ice cream in the freezer.” Jana walked next to him. “I thought we could talk about Lindsey’s birthday.”

  Lindsey heard that. She came back to walk with them. “I already know what I want.”

  “What’s that?” Blake asked as they walked.

  “It’s a secret. Something I’ve been praying for.”

  Her answer gave him a bad feeling. “We can’t get what you want if you don’t share.”

  She shot him a secretive smile and bounded off with the dog, tossing back over her shoulder. “If I told, it wouldn’t be a secret. Don’t worry, I’ve got this covered.”

  Jana laughed a little. “She’s obviously feeling good.”

  “Doesn’t that answer worry you a little, though?”

  Jana shrugged. “Maybe a little. What if she’s praying for a pet monkey? Or a tiger?”

  He thought it probably had more to do with two parents being reunited. But he didn’t share that with Jana.

  * * *

  Lindsey beat them to the house. When they walked through the door of the kitchen, she was cutting pie and placing it on big plates. Jana shook her head but didn’t stop her daughter from giving them the gigantic pieces she’d cut.

  Instead she pulled ice cream out of the freezer and put it on the counter for Lindsey to scoop. Blake watched the two of them. She felt it. She shivered a little, chilled from the cool air inside after being in the heat outside. Or that’s what she’d been telling herself. She couldn’t be sick.

  “Okay, you’re not going to tell us what you’re praying for. But what about a party?” Blake asked as he took a seat at the island in the center of the kitchen.

  “I want a big party with all of my Cooper family,” Lindsey informed them and then she licked chocolate off her fingers. Jana handed her a paper towel. “And I want a slumber party with my cousins. I have a lot of time to make up for.”

  “Lindsey, I’m so sorry you haven’t had those things.”

  Lindsey looked up from the ice cream she’d been scooping onto the plates. “I didn’t say that to make you feel bad. It’s just a fact, Mom. Now that we’re here, I have a lot of time to make up for.”

  “I know you do.” Jana sat down at the table, afraid of the way she felt. She looked up, and Blake was watching her, his eyes narrowed.

  He looked so good. She thought about how it would feel if he gathered her up in his arms right then and there and held her tight. And that meant she must have a fever. The last thing they needed to do was give Lindsey false hope, especially if they were going to have to drag her through a divorce.

  “Lindsey, why don’t you take your pie to your room?” Blake said it with a soft, quiet voice.

  “Why? Grown-up talk, right? I had a friend who always complained that her parents would send her to her room when they wanted to fight. Are you going to fight?”

  Jana met her daughter’s curious and hopeful look. “No, we’re not going to fight.”

  “Oh.” She seemed almost disappointed. “I just thought it would be cool to be sent to my room so my parents could fight.”

  “Just go. And tell your mom goodbye.” Blake’s voice, his seriousness, caught their daughter’s attention. She picked up her plate and shot Jana a curious look.

  “Blake, let’s not get dramatic.” Jana tried but her head felt fuzzy.

  “You’re sick.” He said it in a way that made it sound like an accusation.

  “I know.”

  “Oh.” Lindsey headed for the door with her plate. “See you later, Mom.”

  “I love you, Lindsey.” Jana called after her daughter’s retreating back. And then she looked up at Blake. “I’m sorry.”

  “Why? You’re sick, Jana. It happens. But it isn’t something you should hide.” He pulled out a chair and sat next to her.

  “I’m used to always being with her, taking care of her.”

  “I get that. But I’m here, and you taking care of her is not an option. Not if you’re sick.” He placed a strong, tanned hand on her cheek, and she closed her eyes at the touch, the gentle touch with his work-roughened hands that felt so cool on her face. She’d always loved his hands.

  “Jana.”

  She opened her eyes and he shook his head. She’d loved having his hand on her cheek. He looked as if he hadn’t been moved, not a bit. Instead he looked concerned.

  “I’m sick.” She sighed and leaned back in the chair, brushing her hair back from her face.

  “You feel pretty warm.”

  “What do we do?”

  “You go to Cooper Creek and stay in the apartment over the barn. I’ll stay here. I’ll get things cleaned, disinfected, and you can rest and get better.”

  “What if you get sick?”

  “I don’t get sick.” He smiled a confident smile as he said it. “And having a day or two to rest up will be good for you. You have to take care of yourself.” That concern again. But it wasn’t for her, it was for Lindsey, wasn’t it?

  Maybe she should go, though. Distance between them, even from one house to another would be a good thing.

  “Okay. I’ll pack a bag and go.”

  “I’ll call my folks and let them know you’re on your way over. And I’ll call Jesse to come over and check Lindsey. What symptoms do you have, other than the fever?”

  “I feel weak and my throat has been scratchy.”

  He glanced at his watch. “I’ll have someone pick you up. You don’t need to drive.”

  “Blake, I can take care of myself.” She hadn’t meant for her voice to sound harsh. He didn’t seem to be bothered by her tone.

  “Jana, the last thing we need is for you to get in a wreck.”

  “Of course, you’re right.” She pushed herself up from the table, and her legs felt weaker than they had earlier. She really didn’t have time to be sick. She started to tell Blake but her eyes lost focus.

  Strong arms went around her, pulling her close and then lifting her off the ground. She leaned against his shoulder as he carried her to the living room and placed her on the sofa. When he sat next to her she opened her eyes and looked up.

  “I didn’t mean to get sick,” she whispered.

  “People rarely do.” He smiled a soft smile and smoothed her hair, his fingers remaining at her temple, stroking softly.

  “I should go.”

  “Yes, you should.”

  “I’d rather crawl in my own bed and stay here.”

  He pulled her close, cradling her against his solid body. His arms were holding her, the way she’d wanted. Because she was sick, she reminded herself. Her fever-fogged brain had enough sense to remind her that he was just being kind.

  His hand stroked her arm and his lips touched the top of her head. And then he stood up. “Let me call Jesse and see what he says.”

  She closed her eyes, nodding. A blanket slipped over her shoulders and she heard his retreating steps on the hardwood floor. She shivered into the blanket, alone and worried. How had something hit this suddenly? She’d been fine earlier. Maybe a little scratchy-throated, but not sick.

  Footsteps returned. She opened her eyes and looked up to see Blake standing next to the sofa. He sat down on the edge of the seat and handed her a glass of water a
nd pills.

  “This should help.”

  She swallowed the pills. “What did Jesse say?”

  “He said to quarantine you in your bedroom. I’ll stay here tonight, and we’ll see how things are tomorrow. He wants to check you for strep.”

  “Okay,” she whispered, and snuggled back into the blanket.

  “Uh-uh, you have to go to bed.”

  She looked up at him. “You’re right.”

  “Come on, let’s go.” He held out a hand and she took it, letting him pull her to her feet.

  He led her down the hall to her room. His room. The room they had once shared. When they’d been married. Oh, wait, they were still married. She started to remind him of that but thought it might be a bad idea.

  “Lindsey needs to eat and take her meds,” Jana whispered as she crawled into bed, the blankets already pulled back.

  “I think I can handle that.” Blake spoke from the doorway. “I’ll bring you another glass of water. If you need anything, I’m just in the other room.”

  Need. She started to open her mouth and tell him she needed him to hold her again. She needed to find a way to make him love her again. If he’d just forgive her.

  But she didn’t say any of those things.

  “Go to sleep, Jana.” His voice sounded faraway.

  “Blake?”

  He stepped back into the room. She saw his dark form standing with the light of the hall behind him. “Yes?”

  “Thank you for staying.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  The door closed, and she was alone in the dark room. Alone with her thoughts. And those thoughts were more dangerous than ever before.

  Later, when the fever broke, she would face reality. Blake Cooper had forgiven her. He could be kind to her. But he didn’t love her. And this mistake with the divorce didn’t mean that they would stay married, that they would raise Lindsey together.

  Jana would be thirty-five soon. She was no longer a young girl, or even a young woman who allowed herself to get caught up in romantic fantasy. Her life was about harsh reality. Her husband still wanted a divorce and her daughter would still face challenges.

  The medicine he’d given her must have been working because she was starting to feel better. And it made her heart ache worse than anything else.

  Chapter Eleven

  Blake woke up in a new world Friday morning. He rolled over on the couch, and Lindsey was looking down at him. The ache in his lower back reminded him he was too old and had been thrown from too many horses to sleep on a couch. He stretched and smiled at his daughter.

  “It’s about time.” She grinned and plopped down in the nearby rocking chair.

  “What time is it?”

  “Six.”

  He groaned and raised his arm to look at his watch. “Why are you up so early?”

  “We have chores. Right? Isn’t that what farm people do?”

  He noticed she was dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and boots. Somewhere she’d found a cowboy hat that fit. Barely. It was white straw and slipped down over her forehead a little too far, making her face seem even smaller.

  “Yes,” he managed with a smile, “we have chores.”

  “So get up. I had cereal for breakfast. Mom is still sleeping.”

  “You need to stay out of her room.” Blake sat up, running a hand through his hair and then across his cheek. He had clothes here but nothing to shave with.

  “I didn’t go in...I peeked. Anyway, I’ve already been around her,” his daughter stated with a matter-of-fact tone that he normally wouldn’t have argued with.

  “Right, but we’re not taking any chances.”

  A car pulled up the drive. His brother, Dr. Jesse Cooper, bright and early as usual. Another groan as Blake stood, found his socks and boots and headed for the front door.

  “Do you always creak when you walk?”

  He shot his daughter a look. “Not usually.”

  “There’s another bedroom.”

  “I know. I fell asleep reading.”

  “Oh. Do you want me to make coffee?”

  He opened the door for Jesse, but his daughter’s previous statement caught his attention. “You make coffee?”

  “I’m almost thirteen. I used to drink coffee.” She said it with a little bit of a sad voice. “You know, you’re not supposed to drink a lot of coffee, either.”

  “I promise I won’t. I have a single-serve coffeemaker, and I think I also have herbal tea and hot cocoa you can make with it.”

  Her smile returned. “Thanks. I’ll go turn it on.”

  Jesse had made it to the front door while Blake had been talking to his daughter. Obviously Jesse had been up for a while, too. He was dressed for a day at the hospital and he’d shaved. Blake felt more than a little scruffy.

  “Are you the patient?” Jesse grinned as he walked through the front door.

  “No, but I feel like one.”

  “I’ll check you over before I leave, just to make sure you don’t have what Jana has. There’s a virus going around, so I don’t think she’ll be sick for more than a few days.”

  “What about Lindsey?” Blake walked with his brother through the house.

  “Hopefully she doesn’t get it. But she is going to get sick, Blake. Maybe not this time, but eventually. Over time, her body will get stronger and be able to fight it better.”

  Blake heard a crash from the kitchen and an “Uh-oh.”

  Jesse laughed. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “No, it doesn’t. She was going to turn on the coffeemaker.”

  “Well, coffee isn’t the best thing for you, anyway.”

  In answer Blake shot Jesse a dirty look.

  They walked into the kitchen, and Lindsey looked up from the mess she was sweeping up. “I dropped a cup.”

  “It sounded worse.” Blake looked around the kitchen. He surveyed the dark-haired minx that was his daughter. Man, he really loved her. “Did you cut yourself?”

  “No, and if I did, it wouldn’t hurt the kidney.” She frowned and went back to sweeping.

  “Linds, not everything is about the kidney. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

  Tears hovered in her hazel eyes, and she managed a watery smile. “I know. I just don’t want everything in my life to be about kidneys.”

  “I’m afraid you’re going to have to give that some time,” Jesse offered. “Eventually things will settle down. Rejection will be less of a risk. But, Lindsey, this is always going to be your life. You’re going to have to live a different life than most people. You’re going to be on medication. You’re going to have to take precautions.”

  “Yeah, I know.” She dumped the broken pieces from the dustpan into the trash. “So, I guess you’d better make sure my mom is okay.”

  Jesse nodded and left the kitchen, leaving Blake with his daughter.

  “I’m having herbal tea.” Blake put the plastic pod in the coffeemaker. “How about you?”

  She smiled a little and hopped up on the bar stool at the counter. “If you are, I am.”

  He made two cups of tea and then he picked one that he thought would be good for his sick wife. Ex-wife. He shook his head as he set the cup under the spout. Man, life was about as complicated as it could get. Two days ago she’d been his ex-wife. Today she was still his wife.

  “Why are you frowning at the coffeemaker?” Lindsey asked as she poured sugar in her tea.

  “Just thinking that I’d rather have coffee, but I’m following your very good example.”

  Again she smiled. “Do you think we should make Mom chicken soup? It’s supposed to be healthy.”

  “I think we could manage. Later, after those chores you insist we need to do.”

&
nbsp; Jesse returned a few minutes later. He washed his hands at the sink and dried them on a paper towel. “From her symptoms I think it’s the virus everyone is catching. But it’s still good if Lindsey keeps her distance until Jana is fever-free for twenty-four hours.”

  For a few minutes they talked, and Blake thought he was in the clear. Until Jesse pulled a thermometer out of his bag.

  “Let me look at your throat and check your temp. I’m going to check Lindsey’s, too.” Jesse came after him with a stick that he insisted on gagging him with.

  “Are you trying to choke me?” Blake managed, after the stick was removed from his throat. Lindsey was laughing and he gave her a warning look. “Don’t laugh too loud, I think you’re next.”

  “It isn’t in your throat, Dad. It’s just a tongue depressor.”

  Jesse chuckled. “She has you there.”

  “Of course she does. I’ve learned I’m almost never right anymore.”

  “Welcome to my world,” Jesse said in a dry tone, but with a big smile, because he was married now and had a young stepdaughter.

  “How’s Laura doing?”

  “Pregnant and hungry.”

  Blake started to say that he remembered what that was like, but the words and the memories were too much. Jesse went on, checking Lindsey, and then he made himself a cup of coffee.

  “The two of you are good to go. But if you do start to feel sick, let me know.” Jesse stood at the counter watching them. “Everything else is okay?”

  “Of course it is.”

  Lindsey shrugged a little. “We’re going out to do chores in a few minutes and then we’re going to make chicken soup for my mom.”

  “I would recommend you call Vera and have her make the chicken soup.”

  Blake took offense at that. “I can cook.”

  “Burgers on the grill, chicken on the grill, vegetables on the grill.” Jesse winked at Lindsey. “Do we see a pattern?”

  “Don’t you have a job to go to?” Blake asked as he finished his tea and set the cup in the sink. He knew he had a job to go to. And most likely the best plan was to work from home again. Jesse stood, and Blake walked with him to the front door.