Erin had texted to let them know she was going to be late and to go ahead and eat without her, so Leah started serving the meal, enjoying the camaraderie everyone seemed to share. Though earlier in the week it had annoyed her to be subject to Shane’s easy grins and charming demeanor, it didn’t bother her so much this evening. Maybe it was because he seemed just as focused on making her sons smile as he was on her.
After dinner, Nicole volunteered to clear the table so Leah and Shane could sit in the living room with the boys.
“Let’s play horse again,” Dylan said, tugging at Shane’s hand.
“Not now,” he said. “It’s time for grown-up talk. Your mommy has some papers to go over with me, so we need to do our business, and if you’re good, when we’re done, we can find a game that everyone can play.”
Dylan didn’t argue, then he ran over to the train table where his brother was already playing.
“I would have killed to have a train set like that what I was a kid,” Shane said.
Leah couldn’t help smiling at the longing look he gave the boys. “We started the collection as soon as I knew I was having a boy. It’s expensive to buy the trains all at once, but if you buy them bit by bit and look for them at resale stores, you can often find pieces at reasonable prices. The train tables were all too expensive, so I built one based on plans I found online.”
One thing she had learned in her marriage was that she was far more capable than she gave herself credit for.
“Your sister mentioned you were good with tools and things,” he said, looking impressed. “How did that happen?”
“When my husband and I bought our first house, we both fell in love with an old Victorian that needed a lot of work. We didn’t have much money, so we learned to do most of the work ourselves. Once you remodel a house, everything else is easy.”
It was good to remember that her past with Jason wasn’t all bad. She didn’t want the bitterness to eat her up, and even though her sons were young, she wanted them to have happy stories about their father. Before his drug addiction had taken control of his life, he’d been a good person.
But that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to be guarded in her interactions with men in the future. Shane might be charming, and he might be good with her boys. But she wasn’t going to let the charming smile he kept flashing at her distract her from what was truly important in her life.
Shane handed her a stack of papers. As she read through the contract, she already knew, without having to discuss it with her sisters, they would have to reject the offer. Most people would jump at the idea of taking money for nothing. But they weren’t most people. They needed to make a living somehow, and even though Erin was excited about going to work again, it wasn’t fair for Erin to have to support the whole household. Unfortunately, the amount Shane was giving them for the lease wouldn’t be enough for them to survive on.
“What do you think?” Shane asked, an earnest look on his face. It seemed cruel to tell him no when he acted like he was doing them a favor.
“I’ll have to talk to my sisters. It all sounds very reasonable though.”
It did sound reasonable. The number was higher than what he’d paid Helen. But, sometimes, reasonable wasn’t enough. Not when you needed so much.
Leah turned to watch the boys play with the trains. At least she hadn’t had to sell those precious keepsakes. She’d done her best to keep the boys’ belongings since they’d lost so much already. Their house, the playhouse and swing set she and Jason had built them, even their college fund. How Jason had managed to drain it for drugs without her finding out, she didn’t know. She supposed it didn’t matter. The money was gone.
“I can’t believe you made that,” Shane said. “While I know my way around a set of tools, I don’t think I could come up with anything so detailed. It looks like you put a lot of effort into it.”
“You’d be surprised at what a person can do when they put their mind to something. I know you’re worried about us making it on our own. I’ll admit we have much to learn. But each night, after we put the boys to bed, my sisters and I read the ranching books from Helen’s library. We discuss what we learn and how it might apply to our ranch. That’s how I learned to do so much work on my old house.”
Looking around the room, Leah couldn’t help but smile. “I’ve already done a number of much-needed repairs here. The back porch was falling down, and unsafe for the boys. Many of the windows were either sealed shut or leaked so badly that they wasted precious energy. I painted the room, refinished the floor, and I’m slowly working on updating the plumbing. And, of course, I’ve given the place a good scrubbing.”
Shane nodded slowly. “Helen let things go over the past year. I did my best to help her, and a bunch of us from church put a new roof on the place a few months ago. But I know there was still a lot of work to be done.”
He sounded so apologetic, like it was his responsibility to fix up the ranch. Odd, since Helen wasn’t even his relative. Clearly, he took the idea of being a neighbor a little too seriously. Sure, it was nice to know that the old woman hadn’t been alone and helpless in her later years. But Leah and her sisters were not helpless old women.
“We appreciate everything you’ve done, but now you know we can take care of ourselves. You probably think you’re saving us, with your white horse and all, but we don’t need saving.”
She had to giggle at her own words because his horse literally was white. If she’d made up a stereotypical cowboy hero, he would look a lot like Shane.
Shane chuckled. “Actually, Squirt is a gray.” Then a more serious expression crossed his face. “And I’m doing nothing of the sort. I’m just being neighborly.”
Neighborly. She’d admit that, in many ways, he had been helpful. But she didn’t want to rely on him too much. At some point, he’d have his own life to live, his own children to take care of. She’d learned that the only person you could count on was yourself. And her sisters, of course, but that was because they’d spent so much of their lives with only each other to count on. So many people had come and gone, women the Colonel would gleefully announce as being their newest mother, most of whom never stuck around for very long. Not that Leah blamed them. As soon as she turned eighteen, she took the money she’d been saving from her after-school job and rented an apartment, taking her younger sisters with her so they would finally be out from under his thumb.
Why he let them, she didn’t know. Probably because at the time his latest love was barely older than Leah. Though he’d always claimed he would send money to help with their support, most of the time those checks never materialized, and the sisters quickly learned how to take care of themselves. No one had ever saved them, at least not until Helen’s surprise bequest. She’d given them enough to do what they had to, and they wouldn’t be asking for more. Too many people had made too many promises to help, then failed to come through.
Leah knew what she had to do to take care of her family. It was what she had always done, and no matter how many charming offers came under the guise of being neighborly, she wasn’t about to let her guard down.
Ryan came over and climbed into Shane’s lap. He held out his favorite locomotive. “You pway wif me?”
His father certainly never had. He’d been too wrapped up in his own world to pay much attention to the little boy. Watching Shane take the train from her son was almost too much for Leah’s heart to bear. She and her sisters had all agreed that they would be family enough for her children. And yet when Shane made a little choo-choo noise and Ryan giggled, it made Leah wonder if maybe she had been too hasty in saying she didn’t need a man.
Dylan came over, holding another engine. “Are you done with your grown-up talk?”
Her heart melted at seeing the maturity in her son. They’d been working on boundaries, and to see her son respecting them made her think she was doing something right. Pare
nting was hard work, and though she knew her sisters didn’t mind helping, sometimes she felt like a burden when the boys were being difficult. Getting Dylan under control meant she wouldn’t have to take advantage of her sisters so much.
“We are. Do you want to show me what’s happening in Happy Town?”
She took her son’s hand and was pleased to see that Shane and Ryan followed. But just as quickly she had that thought, she wondered if she was making a mistake in letting this man she barely knew get too close to her boys.
As Dylan explained the setup, she stole a glance at Shane. He seemed like a solid, stable guy. But so had Jason. He’d even helped pay her sisters’ college tuitions. Leah couldn’t have predicted that the man she married would have broken his leg in a skiing accident, needing several surgeries and become addicted to pain pills, which later led to him becoming reliant on harder drugs.
“Mom! You’re supposed to put the refrigerator car at the back of the line. We have a delivery to make to the other side of Happy Town.”
She smiled at Dylan. “I’m so sorry. You’re absolutely right. The people of Happy Town need their refrigerated goods.”
“Happy Town?” Shane asked. “Why did you name it that?”
Dylan didn’t look up from his enterprise. “Because sometimes bad things happen, and they’re sad. But in Happy Town, it’s okay to be happy because it’s a safe place.”
The way Shane looked at her made her feel funny inside. Leah looked away and saw Erin coming in the front door.
“Hello, everyone,” Erin said, sounding cheerful as usual. “Sorry I’m late, but my interview went better than expected, and they wanted me to sort out a payroll issue so they can pay their men on time tomorrow. I can’t believe what a big operation the Double R Ranch is. It makes our plans look puny. But what a great way to learn the business from the inside.”
Shane stepped forward. “They don’t run cattle the way they used to because Ricky has converted it to a holiday ranch to give city folks the cowboy experience. But you should still get some great ideas.”
Why did he have to have an opinion on Erin’s new job? It was like he had a personal stake in their success, which was ridiculous. The only people responsible for their family was them.
Unfortunately, Erin’s cheerful expression didn’t help Leah’s cause. “Definitely. The guy must be at least eighty, but he can run circles around me. I’m excited to be working with him.”
Okay, clearly Leah needed to dial back her defensiveness. Why couldn’t she interact with Shane in the same easy way her sister did? And why did Shane keep looking at Leah? With every conversation they had, Shane always paid more attention to Leah than anyone else. It was unnerving, the way he seemed like he was always trying to figure her out. Why was he so interested in her?
Worse, why did the way he look at her send butterflies to her stomach? She absolutely could not—would not—let those stupid emotions influence her decisions ever again.
And yet, as Ryan ran back to Shane, holding trains in each hand, something deep inside her wished things could be different. She wished she were capable of trusting a man. And that she did have someone to share her life with. Though most of the time talking about things with her sisters was enough, she would be lying if she said she didn’t miss curling up next to someone at night and being held as she talked about her dreams. But that fantasy had turned into a nightmare, and not even her deepest longing could make her willing to take that risk again.
Still, when Shane wrapped his arms around the little boy, part of Leah wished it was her.
She needed to spend as little time around Shane as possible. Clearly, there was something in his cologne messing with her head.
Chapter Four
Rejecting Shane’s offer had been hard but necessary. But they needed more money. Which was why she sipped on a cup of black coffee while Erin and Nicole had lattes and muffins. The boys each had a cup of hot chocolate, a rare treat that she couldn’t help letting her sisters get for them. But if she was going to have to live on her sister’s charity, she’d make do on as little as possible.
In the corner of the café was an area with a sign that said Kiddie Corral, and it had small tables for the children as well as a selection of games and toys.
“You’re crazy, not putting anything in your coffee.” Erin looked around, then turned her attention back to Leah. “Speaking of crazy, how long are we supposed to wait for my potential accounting client? He’s thirty minutes late.”
Maybe Leah was crazy, thinking that making a fresh start would be easier than it was. It had all seemed so perfect, inheriting a ranch and moving to a new town to create a new life. Even without a house payment, she hadn’t counted on things like having to pay eight hundred dollars to refill the propane tank.
“At least the trip to town isn’t totally wasted,” Leah said, looking over at the boys. A boy who appeared to be about Dylan’s age had joined them, and they seemed to be playing nicely together.
Nicole reached forward and squeezed her hand. “It’s nice to see them making friends. Hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come.”
A woman walked over to where the boys were and said something to them. Dylan pointed at Leah. She took a deep breath, stealing herself for the inevitable conversation. People usually didn’t want to meet Dylan’s mother unless he’d done something wrong.
“Hi,” the woman said. “I’m Janie Roberts, Sam’s mom. I hear you’re new in town. Have you found a church yet? Sam is enjoying playing with Dylan, and we’d love for you to join us at Faith Community Church on Sunday.”
Seriously? How many people in this town were going to invite her to church? From the way her sisters glared at her, she wasn’t going to get away with saying no again. Her sisters were already mad that they didn’t go last Sunday because Leah had needed them to help her with a plumbing issue that had popped up.
She owed it to them to at least give it a try.
“I’m Leah Holloway, and these are my sisters, Erin Drummond and Nicole Bell. We’d love to come to church. We’ve been meaning to, but there’s so much work to be done on the ranch.”
Janie smiled at her. “It’s nice to meet you all. I know how it goes with having a lot to do. But it’s like my dad always says, the work is easier when you take a little time to fill yourself with the Lord. He’s the pastor of Faith Community Church.”
Great. This woman was one of those perfect women whose lives were all about trying to get more followers for her father’s flock.
“We’ll be there Sunday,” Leah said, gritting her teeth at the inevitable scene. They’d show up, people would start asking questions, and they would realize what sinners the whole family was and be done with them. It was best to just get it over with so they could get on with their lives.
Janie smiled. “I’m so glad to hear it. By the way our boys are playing, I’m sure your sons will really enjoy Sunday school.”
Then Janie frowned, like she’d thought of a serious problem. “Oh. I know who you are. You’re Helen’s relatives, the ones who inherited her place. You must think we’re terrible people, not welcoming you properly. My mom hasn’t been well, and she asked me to bring a basket by, and to be honest, I keep forgetting. I know I’m not supposed to make excuses, but as a single mom, I’m struggling with managing everything and taking over some of my mom’s duties.”
“You’re a single mom?” The question slipped out of Leah’s mouth before she could take it back. Erin kicked her under the table.
“I’m sorry, that was rude. I don’t know where that came from.”
Janie shrugged. “It’s okay. People make a lot of assumptions about me being the pastor’s daughter, but I’ve made my share of mistakes. We all do. Which is why anyone should feel comfortable coming to our church.”
Could she feel any worse? The poor woman probably had to defend herself a lot because of
her father’s job, and here she was, doing it to some stranger.
“You’re right,” Leah said. “I hate it when all people see when they look at me is a poor widow. I’m sorry for labeling you.”
Janie pulled up a chair to their table and sat. “Like I said, it’s okay. I’ve heard worse, and I’d rather people be honest with me then pretend everything is all right while they’re secretly judging me. It sounds like we have a lot in common, trying to raise children on our own and rise above the talk. I’m sure it’s scary, going to a new church and worrying about people judging you. But I hope it’ll be easier knowing you have a friend.”
“That means a lot,” Erin said. “We’re all a little gun-shy, but I remember coming here as a child and how much I loved the church. I’m hoping my sisters and I will feel the same again.”
Leah looked over at her sister and saw the longing on her face. She’d seen it last time they were here in the café and had quickly forgotten. She owed it to Erin to give her something to heal the pain she carried.
“I’m willing to give it a try,” Nicole said. “Who knows, maybe we’ll find someone who can help us learn ranching. Don’t get me wrong. I know Shane has said he’d help us, but he’s got every reason in the world for us to fail. He needs our land for his cattle.”
Janie gave them a startled look. “Shane would never do that. I’ve known him all my life, and if he says he’s going to help you, he’s going to help you. I know you guys are from the city, but here we look out for each other.”
The idea was definitely foreign to them. But Leah didn’t know this woman well enough to tell her just how badly everyone in their lives had always let them down.
“That sounds good,” Erin said. “You’re right. Things were different where we came from, and it’s hard for us to trust someone new. We’ll reserve judgment on Shane until we have all the facts.”
“And some cows,” Nicole muttered. “I still can’t believe you guys came home last week empty-handed.”
Her Cowboy Inheritance Page 5