The Prodigal's Christmas Reunion. Kathryn Springer

to fight for them.”

      “And your problem is that you want to fight everything and everybody,” Erin had said, her voice cracking under the weight of his accusation. “You think if you leave Clayton, you’ll leave behind your grief and all the regrets over your relationship with your dad—”

       “Don’t bring my dad into this.”

       “Why not? You do it all the time. Every minute of every day. But if you leave Clayton like this, it’s all going to follow you until you give it to God—”

       “Leave Him out of it, too.”

       “Oh, Lucas…”

       “Lucas?” Erin stood up. The top of her head was level with his shoulder but she didn’t back down. “I’ll help. Just tell me what I need to do.”

       “Leave.” He didn’t want her to witness what might happen. Or see him fail.

       “Give me something else to do.”

       Was that a glimmer of humor in her eyes? Lucas couldn’t be sure but the warmth of it momentarily chased the chill away, if not the doubts.

       “Diamond is strong,” Erin whispered. “She’s going to get through this.”

       There was a time when Erin had believed the same thing about him.

       Before he’d walked away.

       Erin tried to keep her thoughts centered on delivering the foal and her eyes off Lucas.

       He worked with a calm efficiency that astonished her. As a teenager, Lucas had reminded Erin of a caged mountain lion. Filled with restless energy. Eyes fixed on some point in the horizon that no one else could see.

       She didn’t know this man. The one with the patient hands and soothing voice. It had taken Diamond several months to trust Erin enough to accept a treat from her hand, but in the space of five minutes Lucas had gained the mare’s trust.

       She still couldn’t believe that he’d gone to college. Become a veterinarian.

      Her dream…

       “Erin?” Lucas’s voice tugged at her.

       She realized he’d caught her staring and blushed. “Sorry. What did you say?”

       “The foal turned.” In spite of the temperature outside, beads of sweat dotted Lucas’s forehead. “I think we can let Mom take it from here.”

       Five minutes later, Diamond delivered a tiny, jet-black replica of herself.

       Erin closed her eyes.

       “Thank you, God,” she murmured.

       When she opened them again, she found Lucas staring at her, a wry expression on his face.

       “Are you going to send Him the bill, too?”

       Erin couldn’t prevent a smile. And to her absolute amazement, Lucas smiled back. A faint quirk of his lips that carved out the dimple in his left cheek, a trait passed on from Clayton to Clayton like a family legacy.

       Lucas hated it. Erin, however, had referred to it as the “Clayton brand” and teased him about it.

       Pressed her lips against it.

       Swallowing hard, she turned her attention to Diamond, severing the fragile connection that had sprung up between them. “There’s a bucket of water and a clean towel in the tack room if you want to wash up.”

       “Thanks.” The smile had disappeared.

       Two polite strangers. That’s what the years of silence had accomplished.

       It’s what Lucas had wanted, Erin reminded herself.

       Diamond’s soft whicker was a welcome distraction. The mare was nuzzling her newborn foal, who lifted its head in response to the attention.

       Caught up in the wonder of the moment, Erin watched the two interact until Lucas returned and began to collect his medical supplies.

       “Everything looks good but I’d keep a close eye on her for the next twenty-four hours.” He turned to her, his gaze once again distant. “I’ll give you my cell number in case there’s a problem.”

       Erin caught her lower lip between her teeth. She didn’t want his phone number. Didn’t want to see him again and deal with the stampede of emotions those denim-blue eyes triggered.

       “That’s not necessary. I’ll call Tweed if I have any questions. He’s treated Diamond since I brought her home.”

       “Tweed…” Lucas hesitated. “He’s planning to retire around the first of the year. Until then, he wants to stay in the clinic and limit his practice to pets.”

       Erin sucked in a breath, hoping that didn’t mean what she thought it meant.

       “I’m taking over the large animal side of his practice.”

       That’s what she’d thought it meant.

       “You’re staying in Clayton?” Erin tried to keep her voice steady.

       “It looks that way. For a year.” Lucas didn’t sound happy about it, either.

       So the rumors she’d heard about George Sr.’s will had been true. Until now, she hadn’t quite believed it.

       “Yoo-hoo! Is anyone home?” A feminine voice floated through the barn.

       “We’re in here,” Lucas called back.

       A few seconds later, Mei Clayton appeared in the doorway, holding the hand of an adorable preschool-age boy. A bright red snowsuit enveloped his thin frame but instead of a stocking cap, a cowboy hat was perched on his head. A battered black Stetson that looked a lot like the one Lucas used to wear.

       He smiled shyly, pressed his cheek against Mei’s leg and pointed to the foal. “Thatsa baby horse.”

       Erin couldn’t help but smile back. “Babysitting today?”

       Lucas and Mei exchanged a look that Erin couldn’t decipher.

       “This is Max,” Mei said.

       “Hey, Max.” Erin experienced the familiar pang that happened whenever a cute little kid came into the café. Someday. “I’m Erin. It’s nice to meet you. Do you like horses?”

       “I like trucks better,” Max declared.

       Erin winked at Mei. “We’ll have to work on that.”

       “What’s up, sis?” Lucas shrugged his coat on. His sister slanted an apologetic look in his direction.

       “I know I promised to watch Max this afternoon, but the high-school secretary called and asked if I would be available to attend an emergency parent-teacher conference after school. You didn’t answer your cell so I called Tweed to track you down.”

       “That’s okay.” The affectionate smile Lucas gave her told Erin the siblings still shared a close bond. “I’m finished here.”

       Max broke away from Mei. And to Erin’s astonishment, he headed straight for Lucas.

       Her gaze bounced from Lucas’s sister to the boy, who’d wrapped both arms around Lucas’s knees and was clinging to him like a burr on a wool sock.

       Lucas looked so uncomfortable with the attention that Erin had to stifle a smile.

       “So, who does this little cowboy belong to?” She directed the question at Mei but it was Lucas who answered.

       “He belongs to me.”

      Chapter Three

      Lucas saw the flash of hurt in Erin’s eyes before she could disguise it.

       “I see,” she murmured.