With a sigh carrying a hundred years of burdens, his son stood. He might be five, but he had the eyes of an old war-weary vet.
Garrett stood, dusting off his pants. With one hand he picked up the discarded blankets, and the other he held out for Rio to take. “Let’s put these goats up before they eat Ms. Anjelica’s new plants.”
The small fingers reached for his as they put the goats up for the night. He swung Rio up, and they made their way across the yard full of people and into the house, where Mr. Ackerman waited. Garrett had to find a way to keep his family together.
* * *
Anjelica imagined Garrett wanted to hide from the world tonight. Mr. Ackerman had finished his inspection and told them everything he knew of the grandmother’s claim. After he left, she and Rio had joined the family for a while and watched the bonfire burn down. Garrett sat on the porch swing holding Pilar, wrapped in a blanket.
As Anjelica climbed the steps, he opened the blanket and invited her to hide with them. Rio sat with Celeste, roasting marshmallows as her family sang songs. Settling in next to father and daughter, she bowed her head for a small prayer. Lord, these babies deserve a place of love and peace to heal their wounds. Please let it be here, if that is Your will.
Her heart and mind could not imagine anyone taking Pilar from her family, from Garrett.
Family by family, everyone left. Now the four of them unwound from the day’s hectic activity and bad news in her art studio while Garrett played soft jazz.
As his fingers played random melodies that relaxed them, her hands shaped the wet clay as it spun on the wheel. Anjelica blocked out all the worries and focused on shaping a new vase. The sweet sounds of Garrett’s saxophone floated around the room as he stood in the open doorway. Rio had his own slab of clay, and Pilar bounced in her colorful bouncer.
She stopped the pottery wheel and looked at the round wide bowl her vase had turned into.
Rio yawned as he formed what looked like a bear. Gently setting his sax to the side, Garrett smiled at his son.
“I’m not finished making Selena. I want to make Bumper, too.”
“I’ll put them in a plastic bag for you so you can work on them later.”
Anjelica wanted to wrap all three of them in love and make the real world go away, just like they had under the family quilt. She had no power over what happened outside this home, or even the hurt and doubt inside Garrett’s heart. No matter how much she wanted to.
Instead she gave him her best smile. “Can we play a little longer? They can stay here tonight. We can camp out in the playroom.”
Rio’s eyes went wide and he nodded. “Please.”
With his troubled eyes, Garrett forced a smile. “Sounds like a plan.” He lifted Pilar and she snuggled into his neck.
Anjelica worried that he didn’t get enough sleep.
The landline rang. Her heart jumped. She’d forgotten about that phone. It never rang. “The answering machine’ll pick it up. If it’s important, I’ll call back. Probably a sales call.”
“Hey! Anj. It’s me, Jewel. You didn’t answer your cell and we need to talk.” The voice on the machine belonged to one of her middle sisters. “Call me back when you get a chance. I have a gift for you.” Laughter bounced out of the phone. “You are going to love me more than you do now.”
Before the voice cut off, a knock on the door startled her. She glanced at Garrett. “Okay, this is getting weird. No one ever comes out here except for family.” She was grateful he was here. “And they never knock. It’s too late for the UPS man, and CPS has already been here.”
With a nod, Garrett stood, putting his hand on the place he normally wore his gun. He shook his head and winked. “I’m sure it’s fine. Stay here with the kids and I’ll check it out.” He turned to the dogs. “Stay.”
Selena sat up straight next to Rio and watched as Garrett walked through the door. Bumper ignored the command and ran for the front door.
The barking got louder and faster before Anjelica heard the door open. Then there was a high-pitched “Coco!” followed by silence.
She heard another deep male voice join Garrett’s.
“Anjelica.” Garrett came to the door. “They say that they’re here for their dog. Appears Bumper’s real name is Coco.”
Now? It had been over a month. She had started to think of Bumper as hers. Rio moved to stand next to her. With a tight smile, she took his hand and headed to meet Bumper’s family.
Picking up Pilar, she stepped into the living room to find a red-haired little boy rolling on the floor with an overly excited Bumper. The little boy had the most electric-blue eyes she had ever seen.
A man kneeled next to them. He looked up at her and stood, holding out his hand. Now she had seen that shade of blue twice. The young boy had to be his son.
“Hello, I’m Dane Valdez, the new athletic director at Clear Water ISD. I met your sister at Garner State Park. She told me you had found Coco. Sorry it’s so late. I had planned to come tomorrow after church, but Alex was too excited to get her back, he talked me into coming tonight.” He gave them an embarrassed grin. “We thought we lost her in Dallas, but she must have slipped out of her crate when we were looking at houses last month.”
The boy was now sitting up and the little dog was licking his face. “Daddy, I told you we’d find her. We can take her to our new home.”
Garrett looked behind her. “Where’s Rio?” He moved to the doorway. “Rio?” He looked back at her, concern in his eyes. “I don’t see him or Selena.”
“He was just with me.”
Coach Valdez looked at her. “Does your son hide often? Alex went through a hiding phase.”
“Oh, I’m the nanny. Garrett’s their father.”
Garrett’s jaw flexed. “What if he ran—”
She didn’t give him time to finish. Putting Pilar in his arms stopped him. “Here, take her. I have an idea where he’s gone.” She headed to the kitchen.
Garrett turned to the stranger in their house. “It’s been a rough day.” He gently bounced Pilar as she started fussing. “Shh. It’s okay, baby girl.” He followed Anjelica to the kitchen.
The father and son were close behind him.
“What’s a nanny?” the boy asked his father.
“Someone that helps take care of kids in their house when the parents are working.” The new coach put a hand in his pocket. “Have we come at a bad time? Jewel said she would call you and let you know.” He put his free hand on his son’s shoulder. “We can leave. I’ll call about Coco tomorrow.”
“Daddy, no! I want to take Coco home now.”
Anjelica found Rio in the washroom, trying to get into the dryer for his blanket, which was almost done drying. “Rio, it’s okay. Bumper is their dog and they’re very happy to find her.”
Rio turned and looped his arms around Selena, burying his face in her fur.
Anjelica went to her knees. “Sweetheart, they aren’t taking Selena. She’s yours, but Coco was just here waiting—” her throat starting burning; she could cry later, not now, not in front of Rio “—for her family to come get her. Just like your dad came and got you.”
She looked out into the kitchen and smiled at Garrett’s stern face. “He tried to get his blanket so he could hide Selena.”
The little boy holding Bumper...Coco...stepped closer. “Rio? That’s a cool name. I’m sorry we scared you. My mom gave me Coco before she died. I had promised to take care of her, but she runs away a lot. Thank you for taking care of her.”
Rio walked out of the washroom, his hand tight around Selena’s collar. He looked at the boy, who was a few years older than him. With several slow steps, he stood in front of Alex and patted the silky mop of a dog. “My mom gave me Selena, too. She is named after a famous singer my dad likes.”
“Is your mom dead, too?”
Rio nodded.
Anjelica swallowed. “So you’re moving to the area? We’ll have to set up a playdate for the dogs.”
Alex looked at his dad. Dane smiled. “Sounds like a great idea. Someone in the family should be dating.” He chuckled at his own joke.
Steve would do that, say something lame, then laugh because he thought it was funny. The action was such a man thing to do that she had to smile at him.
“So have you moved into town yet?”
“Yep, I rented one of the Val Verde townhomes. I start at the school next week. Since you’re a nanny, do you have anyone you could recommend to pick Alex up from school? In Houston they had an after-school program, but here all they offer is a Wednesday program at the church. Which is great, but I need other days, too.”
“Dad, I can hang out at the gym with you.”
“Alex, we’ve talked about this. It’s not safe.”
She glanced at Garrett and found a stony expression that told her nothing. She faced the coach. “Let me think about it.”
Dane glanced around the room. “Do you have paper so I can write down my number?”
“Pilar has fallen asleep. I need to go get ready for work, so I’ll take her to bed.” He held out a free hand to Dane. “I’m the local Texas state trooper. Nice to meet you, Coach. Hope you have a winning season.”
“Thanks. And thanks for keeping our dog.”
“Oh, that’s all Anjelica.” He held out his hand for his son. “It’s bedtime. Say good-night for now. It sounds like you’ll be seeing them again.”
Anjelica held it together long enough to see Coco out to the car with her family. With a big smile and a wave, she sent them off into the night.
Chapter Ten
Standing on the edge of the porch, Anjelica watched as the taillights disappeared. A little boy had been reunited with his dog, and she would even see them again. Happy endings were good. There was no reason for the emptiness in her heart.
She would not cry. There was no reason to cry. Heading back into the house, she went straight to Esperanza’s room. At the threshold she stopped. It wasn’t her daughter’s room anymore. It was a playroom for two children she took care of for someone else.
Garrett rocked Pilar, his voice carrying the words to “I Will Always Love You.” Rio had fallen asleep on the area rug. Selena lay next to him.
Anjelica stood there and made herself breathe. It wasn’t working. Her chest pulled tight, so she bit hard on the inside of her cheek.
Garrett looked up. “So Coco is off with her family.” He kissed the sweet forehead of his little girl, the little girl she might lose.
No, not hers. Pilar was not hers to lose. She belonged to Garrett. Everything she loved belonged to someone else.
A sob broke her steady breathing and she forced it back down. Rule number one, never cry in front of people; it made them feel uncomfortable.
She knew she was just a temporary caregiver of the dog and the little girl. They were never hers to begin with.
Garrett must have put Pilar down, because he was suddenly there. In the door frame with her. His large, strong hand on her arm.
“Are you all right?” He ducked his head down, trying to get her to make eye contact.
She couldn’t. With a nod, she turned. Her room was too far away. She needed to get behind a closed door so she could fall apart in peace. That was how she got over Steve and Esperanza. She’d survive this, too. It was nothing compared to her other losses. God, I’m so tired of just surviving.
He caught her arm and gently turned her to face him.
No. No. No. Don’t be nice to me. Don’t talk to me. “Don’t” was all she managed. She didn’t have the strength to pull away from the comfort he offered.
“Anjelica, it’s okay.” One tug and he had his arms wrapped around her. She was cocooned against his warmth.
That was it—the fight was over. Her right hand went under his arm and flattened against his shirt. Under the material, hard muscles covered his ribs, which protected the heart she could feel beating. Her other hand balled into a fist and pressed against his upper chest. The pain and fear that had been buried for the last few hours boiled up and poured over her well-tended walls. Poor Garrett. She sobbed.
One arm held her close, his hand soothing her hair. The other covered her angry fist and held it close to his chest. He whispered something, but she couldn’t hear it over her own heart breaking.
Her greatest fear had happened. She broke down sobbing and couldn’t stop. Her whole body went numb. Without Garrett holding her up, she’d have been a puddle on the rug.
Her feet went out from under her. Garrett, with one free arm, swept her up and carried her to the giant red overstuffed rocking chair.
Unaware of how long they sat there, Anjelica calmed down to hiccups. She sat up and wiped at his Marines T-shirt. It was so saturated with her tears that she had no chance of getting it dry.
“Sorry.” The single word crawled up her raw throat. Her eyes ached. Her whole body felt beaten and bruised. “Sorry” was all she managed.
“Stop. You have nothing to be sorry for.” His thumb wiped her cheeks. “Truthfully? You held me together as much as I held you.” In the moonlit room, the sharp edges of his profile were highlighted as his head went back. He drove out a long heavy sigh.
“I didn’t want to put Pilar in her bed. I didn’t want to let her out of my arms. The thought that they might take her away...” He closed his eyes. “It’s eating at me. Then Mr. America shows up to take your dog. Rio freaks. If you hadn’t come in, I would’ve stayed in the rocker all night holding her.”
He caressed her hair, his fingers moving in a soothing rhythm. She looked up at him and found his eyes still closed. If it weren’t for the steady movement of his hands, she would have thought he had gone to sleep. Her grief had been so consuming she hadn’t really thought about his worries. He was so fiercely protective that she should have realized he would want to fix her heartaches.
She touched the firm pulse on the base of his neck with the tips of her finger. A soft sorrow of loss burned at the edges of her chest. Would this bring on his nightmares?
Her gaze took in the beautiful outline of his strong features. “I’m really sorry.”
A growl rumbled from his throat. “Don’t say you’re sorry. Then I’d have to say it, and right now I’m too angry for a sincere apology.”
Okay, so maybe it was time to change the topic. “Did you just call Coach Valdez Mr. America?”
His lips pulled into a lopsided smirk. “I guess I could have called him Mr. Football or All-American.”
She sat up, away from his warmth, and pushed her palm against his chest. “Are you jealous?”
“He took your dog and tried to steal my nanny.” He sounded like a three-year-old.
Was he serious? “You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”
“Maybe.” A grin told her she’d been played.
“Well, I am more of the strong-silent-music-man kind of girl.” She settled back down against his shoulder. Here the world felt right.
“He worked hard to get your number. Was all slick about it, too. It’s all about the dogs and kids, really? Did you fall for that?”
A strong hand with long fingers, a musician’s hand, turned her face to him. The pulse in his neck picked up a faster beat. She watched, holding her breath as he lowered his head.
A tentative touch at first. His lips touched hers, asking for permission. Leaning in, she gave it.
The kiss washed over her. Even though his lips stayed on her lips with a gentle pressure, her skin tightened. Sensations buried long ago came back to life.
From her bottom lip to the corner of her mouth, he explored every nuance of a kiss. She mi
ssed feeling cherished. But this was wrong. She pulled back. He let her go. Her traitorous heart grumbled that he didn’t even try to stop her. On uncertain legs, she stood.
“It’s been a rough day. It’s also been a long time since I was kissed and I...I just...” She what? Didn’t remember it being so all-consuming? That didn’t seem fair to Steve’s memory. Her skin tightened with goose bumps. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around her waist. Arms that had just been around Garrett.
He was not her type. She put more distance between them.
He stood and ran his fingers through his hair. “You’re right. I need to get to work and put this day behind me. We need to focus on the children.”
She nodded.
“I think it would be better for the kids to stay in their room tonight.”
Another nod was all she could manage.
He gathered the children and Selena, and paused in the kitchen.
“Night, Anjelica.”
She followed him to the door and watched as he went up the stairs. Was Garrett right in his opinion that the new coach had been trying to get a real date with her? If she was smart, she would call Dane Valdez, but now the thought of going out with another man seemed wrong.
Garrett was a lawman. One day he might not come home. There would be no saving her heart again.
Being alone was not a new feeling, but tonight, after being in Garrett’s arms, it left her empty. Like those nights after she lost Steve and Esperanza. She’d been so empty with no one to hold.
Her phone vibrated. Looking at the screen, she saw it was Jewel. She had missed three calls already. She needed the distraction.
“Hi, Jewel. Sorry I missed your calls. What’s up?”
“You just need to say thank you. I sent the most gorgeous guy your way. He’s new in town, so you don’t have to worry that we’re related to him.” Her closest sister laughed. “He also lost his wife, so you don’t have to worry about the awkward dead-spouse talk.”
Anjelica shook her head and grinned. One of the things she always loved about Jewel: she didn’t tiptoe around the elephant in the room. Some people thought she was too blunt, but it was nice being with someone who just said what she was thinking.
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