The Best Little Joeville. Anne Eames

it.”

      “Yep. I think it is.” He looked from one to the other, then giggled, enjoying his own joke. “I gotta go help Dad snowplow.” He sprang off the bed with youthful enthusiasm and then stopped halfway out the door. “Wanna make a snowman with me later, Jenny?”

      “It’s a date,” she said with a smile.

      He started to blush and quickly shut the door between them. As soon as he was out of earshot, Jenny asked, “Does he talk much about Maddy?”

      Savannah wiped whipped cream from her mouth with a napkin and looked suddenly quite serious. “He says a prayer for her every night at bedtime, but other than that he never mentions her name.”

      “Poor little guy.”

      “Sometimes Ryder takes him over to the Purple Palace for lunch. The same girls are still working the place since Maddy left them the business. He loves seeing them all and they’re so good to him, but he’s too smart for his own good. He has a pretty good idea what kind of monkey business goes on there, so we’ve limited his visits.” Savannah looked down at her bulging belly, then stroked it lovingly.

      “As hard as we try to assure him that this is now his home and that he has a special place in our family, I think he still worries how this baby might change things for him. He idolizes Ryder so. I think the idea of sharing him might be scary.”

      “But he’ll see in time that his place is secure.” Jenny rubbed her friend’s arm. “His concerns are only natural, don’t you think?”

      Savannah nodded her head slowly. “I suppose.”

      

      Shane had checked on a sick foal in the stables, gone back to the cabin and shaved, and was now standing in the kitchen making small talk with Hannah, wondering if it were a mistake lurking around for another glimpse of that troublesome woman upstairs.

      Hannah took a loaf of bread from the oven and glanced up at him. “If yer hangin’ round fer some of this here bread, ya gotta long wait till it cools off.” She let her gaze dart between him and the task in front of her. “Or might there be a tother reason yer taking up my counter space, heh?” She wiped her hands on her apron, then stood with her hands on her hips waiting for him to deny the obvious.

      The two women bounding down the back stairs to the kitchen saved him from sparring with the all-too-wise housekeeper.

      Jenny set the empty tray on the counter, then flew into Hannah’s embrace. The old woman looked embarrassed but didn’t push her away, thumping her heartily on the back instead. “Good golly, girl. Ya ain’t nothing but skin and bones. How do ya manage to cook so good and weigh so little?” She stepped back, threw her arms out to her sides and laughed. “Looka me. Obvious I like m‘own cookin’, wouldn’t ya say?” She let out a husky chortle, then turned back to her bread. “So, ya gonna help me with Thanksgivin’ dinner, ain’t ya?”

      Shane enjoyed the exchange and watched Jenny lean her elbows on the chopping block and smile across at Hannah. “Now what do you think?” There was a cockeyed grin on the older woman’s face. “It would be pretty hard to keep me out of here, but thanks for the invitation just the same. What can I do to help today?”

      Hannah waved her hand then brushed a loose gray hair behind her ear. “Not a thing. I never start on Tuesday, so go have some fun while ya kin. Tomorrow we’ll be busier than flies on cow flops.”

      Jenny laughed and turned to Savannah who was nodding her head toward Shane, her light brown ponytail swinging like a pendulum behind her

      Behind them Shane said, “I got some free time if you’re interested in taking out a couple horses.”

      Savannah offered a quick wink of encouragement and Jenny turned to face him. She folded her arms and looked as though she were weighing her options, but in truth he knew she wanted to go. Memories of previous rides rushed back to him, good times that he knew she hadn’t forgotten, either.

      “Won’t we freeze our butts off? I don’t think I have the right clothes—”

      Savannah moved alongside her friend. “I do.” She wrapped an arm around Jenny’s waist and squeezed hard. “So I guess it’s all settled. Gee, wish I could go with you but—” She withdrew her arm and ran both hands over her rounded middle. “I got some work to do in Max’s office.” She waddled out of the room and called over her shoulder. “Have a good time, you two.”

      Shane shuffled his feet on the hardwood floor and hooked his thumbs into his back pockets. “If you don’t want to—”

      She lifted her chin. “Who says I don’t want to?”

      He waited for a smile or some sign of genuine interest, but all he saw was a mask, that old tough facade he’d seen so often. Her brown eyes met his and didn’t blink. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll meet you in the stable. How long will it take you to get ready?”

      “See ya in ten,” she said curtly, then headed down the hall without a backward glance.

      What was it going to take to thaw this woman, anyway? And why was he even trying? He started for the door, shaking his head and forgetting about Hannah.

      “She’ll come around, son. Don’t let that look fool ya.”

      With his hand on the doorknob he looked back at the woman who probably knew him better than any other. Her head was down but she was smiling in that knowing way of hers as she kneaded more dough.

      “I’ll be back for some of that bread later. Smells great.”

      “Uh-huh.” She kept smiling and kneading as he let himself out.

      Before he could reach the stable, Ryder’s pickup truck crunched snow in the driveway and rolled to a stop. Billy darted from the passenger side.

      “Isn’t it great, Uncle Shane?” he asked, his breath making small white clouds near his rosy cheeks.

      “Isn’t what great, Billy?”

      “You know...having Jenny here for the holidays.”

      Ryder stepped out and rested his hand on the boy’s shoulder, one eyebrow cocked and a grin from ear to ear. Shane looked from one to the other. If he didn’t know better, he’d think the pair were part of some grand conspiracy. “Yeah. It’s great,” he said finally, forcing an edge of indifference into his voice. He glanced up the road and back. “Done with the plowing already?”

      Ryder nudged Billy toward the back door. He didn’t need a second invitation to get out of the cold. “Josh rousted a few volunteers from the bunkhouse at the crack of dawn. They’d cut a path to the farmhouse before we got out here.”

      “So how’s little brother doing up there?”

      “The new interior partitions are all done and some of the drywall. He even has a bed set up and the fridge stocked. We may not see him for days.”

      Shane laughed and started for the stable. “He’ll be back before Jenny’s Thanksgiving dinner. Count on it.”

      Ryder followed him from the tack room to the horses as he started saddling a pair. “Speaking of Jenny—”

      Shane spun on his heel, about to tell Ryder there were enough matchmakers lurking around, when Jenny opened the large double doors behind him.

      Ryder stole a quick peek then smiled and muttered under his breath, “That answers one question. Have a good time.”

      “Ryder!” Jenny flew into Ryder’s arms and he spun her around, lifting her booted feet from the ground. “It’s so good to see you again.”

      Ryder set her down, his hands lingering on her narrow shoulders. “Ditto, sweetheart. You can’t imagine how excited my wife’s been, waiting for this time.”

      “Me, too.”

      “Well,