A Texas Christmas Wish. Jolene Navarro

He is handing all of his accounts over to her?” Tyler’s hard voice was back. He took the binder and started looking through it.

      She didn’t blame him for the distrust. “I’m sure not all. He said I would be doing the shopping for the house.” Pastor John had also encouraged her to use the computer for online classes. He’d thought it was for college classes, for her dreams of being a PT assistant, but he didn’t know that she first had to get her high school diploma. She’d tried to finish that using the computer at the library, but their hours were limited and she’d had to refresh every forty-five minutes. Now she could actually start and work on it while Bryce slept or was at school. It was another blessing.

      She would not cry. No crying in front of the men. They wouldn’t understand.

      “Were you going to heat up some dinner?” Tyler asked before turning to Adrian. “You want to stay and eat?”

      “No. Thanks. I’m heading home. Anything else you need from me before I leave?”

      She forced a laugh before asking what she hoped sounded kind of like a joke. “Are there instructions on turning on the oven? I’ve never used one like this.” Should she admit she really didn’t even know how to cook in general?

      Without hesitation Adrian moved next to her and turned a few knobs. A pop indicated the burners were lit and ready.

      “Gas can be scary if you’re used to electric.” He reassured her with a friendly smile. “Oh, I almost forgot. The other reason I came over is to make sure you were still coming with me to Uvalde this Sunday.”

      Tyler narrowed his eyes. “Y’all are dating?”

      Karly gave a quick “No.”

      Adrian laughed. “I wish. She has turned me down every time I’ve asked. We have a teen-parent meeting every other Sunday.”

      “Teen-parent meeting?” Tyler raised his eyebrow. “Aren’t you a decade past being a teen parent?”

      “Feels more like three, sometimes. But we’re mentors to the teens. You know, the been-there-done-that sort of thing. It’s one of the outreach programs the churches do as a community program. Karly just started and she’s already making an impact.”

      “I’m more like the example of what not to do.” She tried to laugh, but there was too much truth to be really funny. She looked at Tyler, not sure if she should take a day off right after starting. She hesitated.

      Adrian shook his head. “That’s not true.” He shrugged. “Anyway, they don’t want perfect people. Just someone that understands. Do you want me to pick you up?”

      She glanced at her new boss. “Do you need me to stay?”

      “No, I’ll be here. You kids go off and have fun.” Tyler gave a tight smile, arms crossed over his chest.

      “So are we on?” Adrian held his arms out.

      She nodded and smiled at him. She enjoyed working with the young parents.

      “Good.” Looking at Tyler, he started backing out of the kitchen. “I’ll be back tomorrow, Tyler, and we’ll talk about the upcoming shows. Night.”

      The back door shut and she was alone with Tyler again.

      * * *

      Tyler watched Adrian leave. Karly said they weren’t dating, but Adrian seemed a bit territorial. They were both single parents, so it made sense they would be interested in each other. Adrian was a good guy. He had given up his rodeo career in high school to be a parent to his daughter. So why did the thought of them being together bother him?

      “We never actually talked about your experience or skills.” His voiced sounded grumpy even to his own ears.

      She stopped messing with the foil on the casserole pan and looked at him. Her multicolored eyes causing him to think about things he shouldn’t be thinking about, like how soft her lips would be against his fingertips if he reached out and touched them.

      “Tyler, I’m sure you figured out I don’t have the education or experience you expect, but I’m a hard worker. I care very much for your father, and I’ll do whatever needs to be done to help in his recovery.”

      “What were you doing before this job came up?”

      “Serving coffee and lunch at the drugstore. And just so you know, I have had a string of odd jobs like waitressing, cleaning and working at car washes.”

      “You worked at a car wash? I’ve never met anyone that actually washed cars for a living.” He leaned against the counter opposite of her. “How did you end up in Clear Water? Not exactly a hub for jobs.”

      She closed her eyes for a moment, then turned and put the pan in the oven. With her back to him she continued, “I moved here with Billy Havender.”

      “The youngest Havender?” He tried not to sound disgusted, but a Havender? “Is he Bryce’s father?”

      “No.” Now she sounded disgusted. Taking a deep breath she faced him and gripped the edge of the counter. “No.” She blinked. “I take it you know the Havenders?”

      “Yeah, I went to school with the older ones. I didn’t really know Billy. He’s the only one that ever left town.”

      A few strands of long dark hair had slipped out of the ponytail, and she twisted it around her finger before tucking it behind her ear. “He seemed to be the answer to my prayers. He asked me to marry him. I thought it would be good for Bryce...and he promised that I could go back to school and that I would love Clear Water. He had big plans to make money with his brothers.”

      “They run a delivery business, right?”

      She nodded. “That was about a year ago. They sold the trucks. They were going to do guided tours and hunts. But things didn’t work out like Billy had wanted. His brothers, well, they...”

      “Were lazy drunks who beat each other up more than they worked?”

      Her hand covered her mouth. He smiled at her. He hoped it was a gentle kind of smile. Laughing was so much better than watching her trying not to cry.

      “It got bad and I tried to leave. Without money, family or friends you can feel trapped. And Bryce had just had surgery on his foot. One night Billy lost it—yelling and throwing things. He had taken my car keys. I didn’t know what else to do so I called 9-1-1 on Billy’s phone.” She picked up a rag from the sink and started wiping the counter.