The Bachelor's Unexpected Family. Lisa Carter

and let the boy help out around the place.

      “I appreciate your willingness to spend time with my son.” Kristina’s wistful voice drew Canyon into the present. “He’s missed that since his father’s death.”

      Canyon’s eyes flicked toward her hand, pressed against her blouse. Her fingers massaged the chain at her throat. Something stirred inside him. To be loved like that...

      He’d never been loved like that. But then, he’d never opened himself to be loved like that. To be loved required love in return. And despite the inherent risk in his line of work, love was the ultimate risk he wasn’t willing to take.

      “Your husband sounds like he was a great guy.” He hunched his shoulders. “A great dad and husband.”

      Something he’d never aspired to be. Someone he wasn’t capable of becoming. Not for the first time, the Collier family mantle hung heavy.

      At the clink of dishes, she turned toward the sounds of running water in the kitchen. “Pax was wonderful.” Her face fell. “But he had a love affair with flying machines. A love that eventually took his life two years ago.”

      Canyon straightened. “The air disaster in Thailand?”

      “No.” Her mouth thinned. “Afghanistan.”

      His lips parted. “I didn’t realize...your husband was military?”

      She nodded.

      An image emerged in his mind, based on other airmen he’d known. Solid guys. Intelligent. Gutsy. The kind who chose to put themselves in harm’s way when bullets were flying. Heroes.

      His admiration for the dead man rose. As did his admiration for Kristina. “You’re a military widow.”

      Military wives didn’t get the appreciation they deserved for their behind-the-scenes service to their country.

      Her eyes clouded. “Our numbers are growing due to recent global conflicts. It’s a club no one wants to join.”

      She leaned over to straighten the already tidy coffee table. As much as anything, maybe to give her hands something to do.

      His heart lurched. “You were the one left to pick up the pieces. To somehow put your family together again without your husband.”

      Kristina’s mouth trembled. “Sometimes in dealing with Gray I think it would’ve been better if I’d been the one to die.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Paxton was so strong. So confident.” She sank into an armchair.

      He eased onto the sofa. “I don’t believe it would’ve been better for you to die. Gray wouldn’t think so, either. He’s just in a difficult phase right now. I’ve been there.”

      She shook herself. “I can’t believe I’m telling you this. We’re practically strangers.”

      Canyon longed to touch her hand, to reassure her. But he was afraid. Of himself and the way Kristina Montgomery made him feel. “Your son’s trying to move beyond childhood—who he’s been—toward who he wants to become.”

      She ran her thumb over the small exposed portion of the chain. “Aren’t we all?”

      “True enough. But I also think you don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re stronger than you realize.”

      Her eyes lifted to meet his. “You’re incredibly easy to talk to, Canyon.”

      Canyon’s eyebrow arched. “Nobody’s ever said that to me before.”

      She raised her chin. “Maybe what I’ve needed is an objective ear.”

      He scrubbed his hand over his mouth. Objective? His objectivity when it came to Kristina and her son was decreasing by the moment. Scaring him, like he’d gone into a free fall and lost control of the aircraft.

      “Maybe Gray and I are both on the threshold of becoming who we want to be. Who we were always meant to be.” She tensed. “If only I could get beyond the fear.”

      “I know a surefire way to jump-start the process.” He rubbed his suddenly perspiring hands across the thighs of his jeans. “Are you ready to get a tiny glimpse of your husband’s world?”

      She laid her palms flat on the armrest of the chair and studied him. “Your world, too.”

      “Gives me a new perspective every time. Monday morning after the kids go to school, how about you take that trip with me into the sky?”

      Her eyebrows rose almost to her hairline. “In your airplane?”

      Canyon’s lips curved. “Unless you can flap your arms fast enough, yeah.”

      She gave him a shaky laugh. “So soon?”

      He leaned his elbows on his knees. “Talk is cheap, Kristina Montgomery. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

      She squared her shoulders. “Are you daring me to go?

      He cocked his head. “Consider it a leap of faith. Gaining a God-sized perspective on where you’ve been and where you want to go. And I’ll throw in a free flying lesson.”

      Kristina’s mouth fell open. “Flying lessons? How did we go from an aerial tour of the Eastern Shore to me taking control of an airplane?”

      He rolled his tongue in his cheek. “And here I believed taking control would be your thing.”

      She sniffed. “You don’t think I’ll accept, do you?”

      He pursed his lips. “I think you can do anything you set your mind to. Trouble is, getting you to believe that, too.”

      She extended her hand. “All right then. You’ve got a deal.” She glanced toward the kitchen. “But I insist you let me use my accounting degree and get your books up-to-date.”

      His hand closed around hers. A tingle shot up his arm. “Fair enough.” He squeezed her fingers before letting go. “0900 sharp.”

      Canyon’s heart raced with a mixture of dread and excitement. So much for avoiding the Widow Montgomery. And he pondered just how much this flying lesson would cost him.

       Chapter Five

      On Saturday, Gray set off after breakfast to work at the airfield. Kristina expected Jade to be a late riser, but the teenager soon clomped downstairs in her black combat boots. And settled in a chair at the red kitchenette table.

      Kristina leaned against the countertop, sipping from her second cup of coffee.

      Over a plate of crispy bacon and steaming eggs, the teenager did a studied inventory of the kitchen. “You like old stuff.”

      Kristina nodded. “Old-fashioned, but I find something comforting about the tried and the true.” She took another sip. “I guess I’m hopelessly outdated.”

      Jade’s gaze roamed from the vintage embroidered tea towel draped over the drain board to the red-checked gingham curtains at the window. “Not outdated. Retro. And it’s cool.” Her kohl-rimmed eyes caught Kristina’s before sliding away. “Like a real home should look.”

      Despite Jade’s air of indifference, she was still such a child. Kristina’s heart ached at the grim picture Canyon had painted of Jade’s childhood.

      She couldn’t understand why she felt so drawn to Jade. But she’d spent a lot of time praying last night—the second time in twelve hours—for wisdom in dealing with the raw, gaping wounds in the girl’s heart. Beneath the layers of makeup and metallic ear studs, Kristina sensed a genuine goodness in Jade. Disillusioned and guarded, yet someone badly in need of a second chance.

      Not unlike Kristina herself.

      The makeup and the clothing, she suspected, were a way to deflect anyone from getting