An Unlikely Rancher. Roz Fox Denny

dropped. Darting past the curious birds, she latched the gate and crossed the dusty yard to where Andee hovered.

      “Is Cubby okay?” Bending, Jenna inspected the brown bear that had been Andee’s favorite toy since he’d been a present for her second birthday. Jenna had done the birthday shopping because, as usual, Andrew had been away. But he’d surprised them by coming home in time, so Jenna had let him give their daughter the bear. From then on Andee associated the stuffed animal with having her daddy home.

      Since the funeral, the bear had been her constant companion.

      “I thought his ear would be ripped off.” Andee inspected the ear, wet from ostrich spit.

      Jenna sponged it dry with a tissue. “I imagine the bird was attracted to the red satin bow around Cubby’s neck. Maybe you didn’t hear us the day Auntie Melody, Uncle Rob and I discussed how ostriches are attracted to shiny things. That’s why I took off my earrings earlier. The bird wasn’t being mean, Andee. Just curious.”

      “It scared me.”

      “I know, sweetie. You scared me when you screamed.” She gathered her daughter, bear and all, in her arms and trudged to the house. “That was Mr. Sutton on the phone. We’re going to change clothes and meet him at his place.”

      “I get to see Beezer again! I wish he was mine.”

      This time Jenna recognized when she sighed. Flynn Sutton’s dog was another problem.

      Inside the house, Andee set her stuffed toy in a kitchen chair. “Are we going to dress up in dresses to go see Mr. Flynn?”

      “No. No, of course not.” Jenna tucked her gloves in a drawer. “You probably don’t even need to change. I was in the dirty pens. I need to shower.”

      “We always wore dresses when we went to get Daddy at the airport.”

      “Yes, well...Mr. Sutton is not Daddy,” Jenna said through her clogged throat as she headed for her bedroom.

      “I want to call him Mr. Flynn, or Flynn, ’cause I like that name better.”

      “Maybe he won’t mind, Andee.” She stepped into the shower and turned it on. She took the time to wash her hair.

      Chasing ostriches around was hot work. Maybe she should have agreed to pay Don Winkleman more.

      Rob and Melody’s skepticism about her ability to make a go of the ranch was proving valid.

      She vowed, as she dressed, that she’d do whatever it took.

      She felt refreshed and upbeat by the time they left the house.

      “It’s hot inside the car, Mommy.”

      “I’ve turned on the air. It should cool down soon.” As she adjusted the vents, Jenna felt compassion for Flynn Sutton’s predicament with his home air conditioner. She hoped the repairman could offer an easy fix.

      “Do you know where Mr. Flynn lives?”

      “I have the address,” Jenna said, turning off the main street and driving in the direction the Realtor had marked on the map. The residential area didn’t look overly prosperous. Not that the homes were in decay, but they were far from being as elegant as the residential areas in Florida and Maryland.

      “There. It’s that cream house with the dark green shutters.”

      “I don’t see Beezer.”

      Jenna rechecked the address on the back of Flynn’s business card. It was the right house. “It’s just five o’clock. Apparently we’ve beaten the repairman and Flynn.”

      “Ah, you didn’t call him Mr. Sutton, either.”

      Jenna frowned and parked at the curb. Oddly, in spite of counseling Andee on what to call him, she’d begun to think of him as Flynn, too. “He is renting from us, honey, so we’ll probably be on friendly terms.”

      A panel truck with the Hometown Electric logo splashed across the side pulled to a stop behind Jenna. She got out of the Cherokee and put on her sunglasses.

      “Mr. Fuller?” She extended her hand to the young man, who’d also gotten out.

      “Ms. Wood, I guess?” He grinned and briefly touched Jenna’s hand. “Flynn said he might be detained. I’ll just run up a ladder and have a look at the unit.”

      “Fine, we’ll wait under that tree.” Even now she felt a trickle of sweat under her bra.

      J. D. Fuller was on the roof by the time Jenna saw Flynn’s pickup round the corner. He pulled into the driveway and sprang out of his truck, removing his sunglasses as he greeted her. He wore gray pants and a pale blue short-sleeved shirt that matched the color of his eyes.

      He looked as handsome in civilian dress as he did in a flight suit. Better, maybe, she thought grudgingly.

      She wished she hadn’t changed into her worn jeans.

      Beezer leaped from the pickup, zeroing in on Andee, who greeted him with a big hug.

      “Those two are quite a pair.” Flynn smiled at Jenna. “Have you been here long? Any verdict from J.D.?” He squinted up to the top of the roof.

      “No, but he’s only been up there a few minutes. I’ve heard some banging around.”

      “I’d open up and let you inside, but in this five-o’clock heat it’s probably cooler out here.” Flynn put his sunglasses back on.

      “That’s okay. I’m pleasantly surprised to see this home is among the nicer ones on the block. And you have flowers along the front. That’s more than I have.”

      “Yeah, I even have a nice patch of grass out back. Oscar said the couple who rented before me loved to garden.

      “There, looks like J.D. is finished his inspection.” Flynn moved toward the ladder and Jenna took in his limp again.

      The repairman stepped to the ground and adjusted his baseball cap. Waggling his clipboard, he beckoned Jenna closer.

      She didn’t like the deep grooves between J.D.’s eyebrows.

      “The compressor is shot,” he said.

      That didn’t sound good. She could see the two men share a look.

      “What does that mean in the way of repairs?” Jenna asked.

      “It means you need a new air conditioner. As old as this unit is, it’s more costly to replace a compressor than to buy a new unit with a current SEER factor.”

      Jenna glanced between the two, silently asking for more explanation.

      Flynn undid his top button to open his collar and rubbed his neck as he hooked his sunglasses on the shirt. “SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. New regulations come out every few years.”

      “I see. But this house passed inspection a few weeks ago,” she said. “Shouldn’t I have known about this issue then?”

      J.D. shook his head. “When these suckers go, they go fast, often without warning. I maintained this for Mrs. Wilson. It operated fine. Now, poof, it’s shot.”

      Taking a deep breath, Jenna pinched the bridge of her nose.

      “I have brochures in the truck on the types we handle. Any of them could be installed as soon as possible.” J.D. ripped the sheet off his clipboard and passed it to Jenna. He loped off to the open back of his panel truck, where she heard him rummaging around.

      “This is a bummer,” Flynn murmured, eyeing Jenna.

      J.D. jogged back and gave Jenna three brochures. “The cheapest we recommend is $5,500 on up to $12,000. For a house this size I suggest the one at $8,000. It’s a workhorse and over the long haul will give you the best bang for your buck.”

      All Jenna could think was that $8,000 was way more