A Place for Family. Mia Ross

you’re amazing.” He barked again, the corners of his mouth crinkling in what she’d describe as a canine smile. She pressed the trigger to start the water, and he clumsily lapped up several mouthfuls. When he’d had enough, she turned the hose on his fur. “I think you and I will get along just fine.”

      When he shook himself out, he drenched them both, making her laugh again. Realizing that she’d done that more today than she had in months, she smiled. Despite the trouble still nipping at her heels, it was good to be home.

      * * *

      What was Amanda doing here, anyway? John wondered as he climbed aboard his tractor and turned the key. Nothing. He gave it another shot with the same result. He should have known better than to shut it off, he grumbled to himself as he jumped off. The temperamental old engine would need a half hour before it was cool enough to restart.

      Resigned to waiting, he slid down to sit in the shade the oversize back tire made on the ground.

      “Problem?” his big brother, Matt, asked as he strolled over.

      “Just the usual.” Trying to look unconcerned, John crossed his legs at the ankles and got comfortable. “No big deal.”

      “That’s not what I meant.” Matt sat with his back against the other side of the tire and unscrewed the cap from a thermos of sweet tea. He swallowed some, then held it out for John. “I noticed we’ve got company. Pretty company.”

      After a swig, John answered, “Amanda Gardner’s back.”

      “For how long?”

      John shrugged. “Last I knew, she had a great job in L.A. and was all wrapped up in her fancy new life. Her parents moved to Arizona after her dad retired. If she needed a place to go, she should’ve gone there.”

      “Wonder why she didn’t.”

      “Who knows why women do anything?”

      Matt chuckled and nodded toward the blackened clunker sitting on the shoulder. “Advertising and PR folks usually make good money. Wonder why she’s driving that pile of junk.”

      “She said her company went out of business, so she lost her job.”

      “Why didn’t she get another one?”

      Once John had filled him in on the details, Matt hummed. “A fresh start makes sense, I guess. But why come back here?”

      “Like I said before,” John snapped, “I’ve got no idea.”

      Angling his head, Matt grinned over at him. “You’re wondering, though, aren’t you? And it’s making you cranky.”

      “I’m hot, not cranky.” Hearing the sharpness in his tone, he tried to smooth out the edges a little. “Amanda does what she wants, no matter what anyone else thinks.”

      That should have aggravated him more now than ever, but for some crazy reason it didn’t. It had always baffled him why he’d let her get by with so much attitude when he preferred girls who were sweet and uncomplicated.

      Setting the thermos on the ground between them, John rested his head against the wheel and sighed. “I always liked that about her.”

      “Women like that are nothing but trouble.”

      “Oh, spare me,” John scoffed. “You married a woman like that.”

      “Caty’s different.”

      “’Cause she’s the mother of that baby girl who’s got you wrapped around her little finger.”

      “Partly.” Smirking like a man hopelessly in love with his wife, Matt sipped some more tea. “You think there’s more to all this than Amanda losing her job?”

      “Probably. Can’t imagine her driving all this way otherwise.”

      “What’re you gonna do about it?”

      Staring over the fields toward the house, John rolled the question around in his mind. She’d been his friend once—closer than any other he’d had—but over the years his opinion of her had taken a lot of turns, mostly for the worst. Seeing her again had shaken him, no doubt about that.

      To combat those feelings, he just had to remember that she’d left him behind for something she wanted more. L.A. drew her in with the promise of excitement and money, both of which she’d probably had more of than he could begin to imagine. And when whatever had chased her off resolved itself, she’d return to her career because that was what mattered most to her.

      “Nothing,” he finally said. “It’s not my problem.”

      Matt cocked his head in disbelief. “You don’t mean that.”

      “Yeah, I do. Whatever mess she’s in is her own making, and it’s got nothing to do with me.”

      Getting to his feet, John hauled himself up to the tractor’s seat and actually crossed his fingers. When the engine sputtered to life, Matt stood and gave him a long big-brother look. He didn’t say anything more, though, and they both got back to work.

      * * *

      Around three o’clock, Tucker took off toward the road, and Amanda heard the rumble of a school bus stopping at the end of the driveway. The clothes she’d borrowed from Marianne didn’t fit well, and it had finally hit her that she was completely out of her element. Feeling like Dorothy after landing in Oz, she was more than a little anxious about how the afternoon would turn out.

      “Here they are,” she murmured, pulling a pitcher of fruit punch out of the fridge to go with the chocolate chip cookies she’d made. “I hope they like me.”

      “They will.”

      When she heard Marianne’s voice, Amanda felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment. “Sorry. When I’m nervous, I talk to myself. Should you be up?”

      “I have to go to the bathroom occasionally. Besides, I want to introduce you to the kids.”

      Amanda smiled. “Southern hospitality. I didn’t realize how much I missed it.”

      “Things move a little more quickly in Los Angeles, I’d imagine.” Grasping the arms, she eased herself into the chair at the head of the table. “I hope you won’t be too bored here in Harland.”

      To be honest, Amanda was looking forward to some peace and quiet. She feared that saying so would open the door to a lot of questions, so she went with something less personal.

      “Don’t you worry about me. If you decide to hire me, this place will keep me plenty busy.” When Marianne smiled, Amanda asked, “Did I say something funny?”

      “No, but you’ve only been here a few hours and your accent’s already coming back.”

      Apparently, she’d noticed earlier that Amanda had abandoned her Carolina drawl for something more mainstream. “I’d really rather not talk about it.”

      That got her a warm, understanding smile. “Okay. But when you’re ready, I’m a good listener with a short memory.”

      Amanda wasn’t sure she’d ever willingly discuss her situation, but right now a boy and girl stood framed in the screen door, gawking at her.

      “Come on in, you two,” their mother beckoned with a wave of her hand. “Meet an old friend of ours, Amanda Gardner. This is Kyle, who’s twelve, and Emily, our eight-year-old.”

      “Nice to meet you,” he said with a grin full of braces. The rubber bands holding them on were blue and gold. Harland Wildcats colors, she recalled with a smile of her own.

      “Thanks.” She shook the hand he boldly offered. “Nice to meet you, too.”

      Emily hung back a step behind her brother, eyeing Amanda with curiosity shining in china-blue eyes, just like her mother’s. “You were in that commercial we saw with the animals stuck on an island during a flood.