Courting The Cowboy. Carolyne Aarsen

it.

      Behind her mother’s suggestion was the unsubtle hint that Ella start producing. Ella knew what was on the line. She had applied to L’école des Arts Créatifs, an art school attached to a prominent art gallery in Montreal for a position as a teacher. One of the conditions was that she come up with a series of new works for the gallery.

      So Ella signed a six-month lease on the cabin, packed up her apartment in Calgary and moved here.

      That was when she discovered that the owner of the ranch where the cabin was located, an elderly man named Boyce Walsh, lived in town. And that his son and three young grandkids were the ones who lived in the other house on the yard. She didn’t need the distraction but by then it was too late to back out of the lease. She had given her notice at her other apartment, and other than moving in with her mother, which wasn’t an option at all, she had no recourse but to move.

      Boyce had assured her the kids would leave her alone, and they did. It wasn’t that she didn’t like kids. But lately they created a sadness she didn’t want to face.

      “What do you figure, Pablo?” she said to the dog lying on the floor at her feet as she slid off the stool she was perched on. “Time for some coffee?”

      Pablo lifted his large head, his brown eyes staring at her as if trying to decide what he wanted, then unexpectedly he stood and trotted to the door, his bushy tail curved over his back as he released a single bark.

      Ella got up to see what he was barking at, then frowned as she saw, through the glass window in the door, a flustered-looking young woman standing on her step. She wore snug blue jeans and a tight blue T-shirt that said Awesome Ends with Me. She had one hand on the shoulder of a young boy who seemed to be about seven and was all skinny arms and legs sticking out of cargo shorts and a button-down short-sleeved shirt. The younger girl beside him looked to be about six and was chewing on one end of a loose braid, her pink sundress hanging crooked on her tiny frame.

      The children from the main ranch house down the road, she assumed, her heart taking a swan dive.

      She sucked in a deep breath, stilled her rapidly beating heart and put on what she hoped was a pleasant expression as she opened the door.

      “Good afternoon, what can I do for you?” she asked, looking directly at the young woman, her heart rate increasing even more when she noticed the toddler clinging to the woman’s hand, wispy blond hair framing a chubby face. Ella guessed he was two years old. Almost the same age—

      She cut her thoughts off as the kids dropped to their knees in front of Pablo before she could warn them to be careful.

      “Oh, look at the dog.”

      “She’s so pretty.”

      To Ella’s surprise, Pablo, who wasn’t used to children at all, closed his eyes and leaned in as they stroked his thick fur.

      “Paul. Suzy. Be careful. You don’t know what the dog will do,” the young girl warned.

      “She’s really quiet.” The boy, who Ella assumed was named Paul, looked from the young woman then up to Ella, flashing her a gap-toothed smile, his dark hair slicked down. “What’s her name?”

      “Actually he’s a he, he’s a Malamute and his name is Pablo.” Her voice came out strained as she struggled to get a grip on her fluctuating emotions.

      “Well, miss, I need your help,” the young woman was saying, flicking her long brown hair away from her face, her mouth working at her chewing gum while she spoke. “I applied for another job and I’m supposed to start this afternoon.”

      “So why are you telling me this?”

      “My name is Adana by the way and I need you to watch the kids. I called Cord, the kids’ dad, and he said he would come right away but he’s not here and if I don’t go now I could lose this job. It’s a great office job and they’re hard to find in Cedar Ridge so I gotta go pronto or I’ll lose my chance.”

      Ella tried to keep up with her breathless chatter but all she caught was “watch the kids.”

      No. She couldn’t do this. Not a chance.

      But before she could say anything Adana knelt down in front of the toddler. “Hey, Ollie, you be a good boy for—” Adana looked up at Ella who was still trying to absorb what was going on. “What’s your name again?”

      “Ella Langton,” she said automatically, her own emotions a tumble of pain and concern as she clasped her arms around her midsection struggling to articulate her protest. Pablo, however, was eating up the attention with low grunts of pleasure.

      “That’s just like Elsa except for the Langton part,” the little girl called out, her smile broad and toothless. “From Frozen. Do you have a sister named Anna?”

      “So, kids, Miss Langton will be watching you,” Adana said before Ella could tell Suzy that no, she didn’t have a sister. “Paul and Suzy, you listen and take care of Ollie, okay? Your dad will be here right away. And remember, no cookies.”

      “Wait a minute,” Ella shouted as Adana spun around and jogged down the stairs. “You can’t just leave—”

      “Tell Cord I’m sorry.” Her insincere apology floated in the breeze behind her as she hurried toward her vehicle.

      Ella called out one more futile protest but Adana was already reversing out of the drive in her little red car, sending up a roiling cloud of dust as she sped toward the joint driveway leading to the road to town.

      Ollie’s lower lip stuck out and his eyes welled with tears. But he didn’t make a sound, which made his sorrow even harder to deal with.

      “Can we come in?” Suzy looked up at her, her cheeks pink and eyes bright with excitement. “My grandpa said we’re not allowed to come into the house but I think it’s so cute. I just love it.”

      “I... I don’t...know...” she floundered, her head and heart battling with each other and an anger with Miss Adana swirling through it all.

      “Adana said my dad is coming right away,” Suzy assured her as if she understood Ella’s hesitation. “We won’t make a mess and we’ll make sure Ollie is quiet.”

      Ella’s gaze slid back to Ollie and the sight of him standing there, in silent misery, hooked into her wounded heart. A trembling began deep in her soul. She wanted to run. To leave.

      But how could she with three small children looking up at her expectantly, one of them on the verge of tears?

      “Can we come in?” Suzy pressed.

      Ella looked behind her at the house that still held boxes from her move, then at the kids. “I’m not completely moved in yet.”

      But Suzy seemed to assume that meant yes. She grabbed Ollie’s hand and dragged the reluctant toddler inside.

      “Do you have any snacks?” Paul asked as he followed his sister, hands in his pockets, looking around the house.

      “Remember, Adana said no cookies,” Suzy warned, one hand still clutching her little brother’s.

      “But Adana is gone,” Paul said in a matter-of-fact voice. “And Daddy isn’t here, either.” He glanced over at Ella. “My dad won’t let us have sweets.”

      “Sorry, I don’t have any candy or anything like that,” Ella said, still standing by the door, one arm clasped around her midsection, the other resting on Pablo’s head. She wished she didn’t feel uncomfortable around these little people. Ollie, especially, created an unwelcome rift in her heart.

      Her dog released a gentle whine, then pulled away from her, padding toward the children.

      “Grandpa Walsh lets us have snacks when my daddy isn’t around,” Paul said, stroking Pablo again, holding the dog’s massive head between his thin hands. “He says my dad is too strict.”

      Then the sound of a truck snagged