The Rancher Next Door. Susan Mallery

spent the past hour talking about Jack—how wonderful he was, how smart, how gifted, how wealthy, how single—Katie wasn’t surprised by the invitation. Hattie might be funny and kind, but she wasn’t subtle.

      She packed up her equipment and pulled out the chart. “Hattie, I’m not in the market for a husband,” she said.

      “Who said anything about a husband?” Hattie asked innocently. “I’m talking about having a little fun.”

      “Uh-huh. Sure. First it’s fun, then you’ll want to know about grandchildren.”

      Hattie laughed. “Maybe just one small one.” Her humor faded. “So tell me why you’re so against marriage.” She frowned. “I remember hearing you were married before. Is that why?”

      “Right in one guess,” Katie said lightly. Even though it had been ten years, she didn’t like talking about her divorce. Not because she missed her ex-husband, but because remembering that time also made her remember that she’d been a fool. Young and not the least bit aware of what she was doing, but a fool nonetheless.

      “Did he break your heart?” Hattie asked.

      Her voice had changed from teasing to comforting. Katie knew that Hattie’s husband had abandoned her and her seven children when Jack, the oldest, had been twelve. If anyone understood the meaning of heartbreak, it was Hattie Darby.

      “More like he showed me that I could be incredibly stupid,” Katie admitted. “What I’d taken for true love was just a reaction to being on the rebound. I found myself married, pregnant and divorced in about six months. The good news is I grew up fast. Being a single mom before I turned twenty forced my hand on that one.” She paused, then smiled. “But I wouldn’t trade Shane for the world, so there’s a positive side to the story, after all.”

      Hattie adjusted her sheet. “I know what you mean. My children are my greatest blessing. So how old is your son?”

      “Nearly ten.”

      “His father didn’t mind you moving back to Lone Star Canyon?”

      “His father hasn’t seen him even once in his life, so it wasn’t a problem.”

      Hattie’s dark eyes turned sympathetic. “I don’t understand men who can turn their backs on their children. My husband hasn’t been back to see his, either.”

      All this talk of the past made Katie uncomfortable. She wanted to be able to put it behind her. She cleared her throat, then reached for her scheduling book. “We need to pick a time for your physical therapy,” she said by way of changing the subject. “Your body needs to recover from our sessions, and it’s best to have a standing appointment so there’s always twenty-four hours between workouts. Fortunately I’m pretty open at the moment, so what works for you?”

      Hattie leaned back against the pillows and thought for a moment. “How about four in the afternoon?”

      Katie shook her head. “I pick up Shane at three-thirty from school. I wouldn’t be able to do that, get him home and then here in time.”

      “Then bring him. This old house needs a child’s laughter.”

      Katie started to protest, then thought about the difficult afternoons at her father’s house. Her temporary move home while her new house was being built was supposed to bring grandfather and grandson closer together. So far the plan had been a complete failure. Maybe afternoons away from the ranch would be good for Shane.

      “If you’re sure he won’t get in the way.”

      Hattie waved toward the window. “It’s a working ranch. What trouble could he be? This world was made for children.”

      Katie found herself warming to Jack’s mother. Hattie wasn’t completely conventional, but she had a homeyness about her that welcomed Katie. The furniture might be new but the family values were old-fashioned and comforting.

      Katie wrote the standing appointment in her book. “Tomorrow at four, then,” she said. “Do you need anything before I leave?”

      “Not one thing. Except…” Hattie hesitated. “Your father isn’t going to like you helping me. If he makes your life too difficult, I’ll understand if you don’t want to come here anymore.”

      Katie shook her head. “I’m over eighteen. He can’t tell me what to do.”

      “Fathers have a way of interfering even when they shouldn’t.”

      “I know. But this is one argument my father isn’t going to win. My work is too important to me. The fact that our families have been feuding for generations doesn’t mean very much to me.”

      “Good.” Hattie smiled. “See you tomorrow.”

      Katie waved goodbye, then walked out of the house. Her first session with the older woman had gone well. She made a note to talk to Stephen Remington about his patient. The doctor would want to know that Hattie was making an extraordinary recovery. Probably because of her zest for life. She was one of the most—

      The rumble of a truck engine broke through her thoughts. Katie looked up, then squinted in the sunlight as a pickup pulled up next to her Explorer. Even before she saw the driver clearly, she knew who was behind the wheel of the truck. On cue, her heart rate jumped into triple digits and her mouth went dry. All this before Jack Darby even said hello. Imagine what her reaction would be if he actually spoke her name.

      The thought made her chuckle, and she was still smiling when he stepped out of his truck.

      Dark eyes stared at her from under a battered Stetson. “You’re happy about something,” he said by way of a greeting.

      Katie motioned to the blue sky and the land that stretched to the horizon. “It’s a beautiful spring day. What’s not to like?”

      He stared at her as if she’d been speaking a foreign language. Katie forced herself to stand still and stare back. She took in the broad shoulders and narrow hips. If he ever got tired of ranching, Jack could make a fortune as a male model. She happened to know that as devastating as he looked in jeans, he was twice as lethal in a tuxedo.

      Finally, after what seemed like at least seventeen hours, he pushed back his hat and spoke. “How’s Mom?”

      “Her first session went really well,” Katie told him. “She’s made a terrific recovery. She’s about done with the brace, and her cast will come off in a couple of weeks. Dr. Remington is recommending a month of daily physical therapy, then reducing it to three times a week. Towards the end of the second month, I’ll taper off the sessions until she’s healed. Then she can do her exercises on her own.”

      He didn’t even blink during her speech. She had no idea what he was thinking. There had been a time when she’d known nearly every thought in his head. Back when they’d been close—when she’d thought she would love Jack Darby forever.

      She tilted her head. “So do you plan to respond to my comments? Or have you become one of those ranchers who parcels out words as if each cost him a pint of blood?”

      One corner of Jack’s mouth twitched, but she wasn’t sure if he was fighting a smile or a frown.

      “What are you doing back in Lone Star Canyon?” he asked.

      She bristled slightly. “Are you asking why I left Dallas and moved back here or why I’m living at my father’s ranch?”

      “Both.”

      She took in a deep breath and told herself she’d done nothing wrong. Even though that’s how it felt to her. “I left Dallas because I wanted a different sort of environment for my son. I thought here in a small town with so much family around, he would have more opportunities to experience life in a safe place.”

      “All right.”

      She had the sense he was judging her and finding her wanting, which made no sense. Maybe it was her paranoia at work. “As for why