Reunited With The Rancher. Brenda Minton

to each morsel of information about the boy she’d once known.

      Carson had changed. But hadn’t they all? She definitely wasn’t the girl she’d been all of those years ago. She smiled at the memory of her teen self. She’d been too skinny, often barefoot and always looking forward to leaving Hope. And now she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

      With the others occupied with dinner, she slipped away to check on Jack. She stopped at the door of the family room. Jack had fallen asleep. The gentle rise and fall of his chest assured her he was okay. Maggie lay curled in his arms, her head against his shoulder, her cheeks rosy from sleep.

      Carson appeared at her side, a cleaned-up Andy at his side.

      “He’s going to be okay,” he said with quiet assurance.

      Of course the minute he’d said the words, the tears she’d been holding in managed to trickle down her cheeks. She brushed the dampness away, thinking he wouldn’t want to see her crying.

      Instead his shoulder brushed hers and he leaned closer, his breath warm as it ruffled the hair near her ear. “We’ll stay tonight. I’ll give Maggie and Andy a chance to rest. I’ll be here to make sure Jack is okay. You don’t have to take all of this on yourself.”

      How did he know her concern? She was so used to taking on the troubles of the people at the ranch, which included Jack. She worried a lot about him.

      She closed her eyes, and leaned her head just a fraction so that it rested on his shoulder. Memories were so difficult because she knew how it had felt to lean on the shoulder of a boy. He’d always made her feel safe. Even then, when he was all arms and legs and not so tall.

      The man standing next to her wasn’t a boy. She took advantage of his strength, his nearness, just for a moment. Just long enough to feel strong on her own.

      “We should get the kids something to eat,” she said as she drew away from him.

      Maggie blinked a few times, saw them and slid off the side of the recliner to toddle their way. Her mass of blond curls framed her sweet face and she smiled a sleepy smile. And then she walked right up to Kylie and held up her arms. Kylie lifted the little girl and held her close.

      A tiny hand patted Kylie’s cheek.

      “Okay?” the little girl asked.

      Kylie laughed and shed a few tears because of the sweetness of the gesture. “Yes, Maggie, I’m okay.”

      She could get so attached to this little girl with her giggles and sweet smile. And to Andy with his cautious looks and the sadness in his gray eyes. If one afternoon had proven dangerous, she could only imagine if they stayed longer.

      “You found him,” Jack said, his voice groggy.

      “We found him,” Carson said. “He took a bit of a roll in the mud but other than that, he’s fine.”

      Jack studied his grandson. “Rose makes the best stew. That should warm him up and make him feel better. I guess you’re heading out soon?”

      “We’ll stay the night.”

      Jack nodded. “Good. I have something I want to suggest.”

      “I think we’re good,” Carson said. “We both know where we stand. And I’m not interested in the clinic.”

      Jack waved a hand at his son. “I’m not talking about the clinic or what’s between us. I’m talking about Andy. He needs a dog.”

      Kylie felt her heart drop, seriously drop. It ached as it plummeted. Jack had told her he had an idea. He hadn’t mentioned a dog. She knew it made sense. But she also knew what else it meant. It meant time. Working together. Carson staying here in Oklahoma.

      “I can get him a puppy once we find a home in Chicago. I know that kids need pets.”

      Jack waved his hand. “No. Not a pet. He needs a service dog.”

      Carson paused his denials. “A service dog?”

      “We train them here at the ranch, for our wounded warriors and for others in need. Service dogs are expensive but we’re pretty good at keeping the costs down so we can donate them to those in need.”

      “Then those dogs are for service members who need them. We don’t want to take someone’s dog,” Carson insisted. But Kylie could tell he was thinking about it. Thinking about a dog for his son.

      “A dog would keep him from wandering,” Jack told him. “It would keep him safe.”

      Carson sat down, Andy still in his arms. “I get that. But we’re leaving.”

      “If you stay, we could get him a dog.” Jack raised his eyes and met Kylie’s, pleading. “What do you think?”

      She couldn’t deny Jack. Her gaze shifted to Andy. She couldn’t deny a child. “We could get him a dog.”

      “See,” Jack said with a smile. “Kylie is in charge of our dogs.”

      Carson smiled at her. “I think Kylie is in charge of everything around here.”

      Jack laughed at that. “She is, but don’t tell her. She’ll start asking for a raise.”

      “We’ll stay the night and discuss a dog later.” Carson stood. “But right now, I have to feed Andy and Maggie.”

      Kylie followed him from the living room. “Do you need me to get anything from your car, or is there something I can do to help?”

      “If you can sit upstairs with Andy and Maggie, I can get our bags. You don’t need to carry them.”

      “I can sit with them,” she offered.

      He nodded and headed up the stairs. She had to hurry to catch up with him. Maggie clung to her neck and stairs weren’t the easiest for her on the best of days.

      “You could give me a break and slow down,” she called out to his retreating back.

      He stopped and headed back down the stairs. Before she could protest, he took Maggie so that he held a child on each hip. And then he tromped back up the stairs.

      “Which door?”

      “Second door on the right,” she told him as she caught up. “It has a double bed and a twin with a trundle.”

      He opened it and entered the room. She watched as he set both kids down on the bed. “Stay with Kylie. I’ll be right back with clean clothes.”

      “You’ve got this parenting thing down,” she said as he brushed past her to leave.

      Her words stopped him and she saw the change in his gray eyes. A soft smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Yeah, I’ve kind of had to figure it all out on my own.”

      She touched his arm, stopping him from walking away. “I’m so sorry.”

      “Don’t.” He paused there, just a breath of space between them. “I’d guess you have your own story. Life never turns out how we expect it to, does it?”

      “No, it doesn’t. And I think Jack isn’t who you expected, is he? You thought you’d show up and everything would be the way it was when you left. You thought Jack would be the same person.”

      “Maybe,” he said with a shrug of broad shoulders.

      Time and circumstances had changed Carson the same way they had changed her. The boy she’d known had been fun-loving. In spite of his circumstance he had laughed and found the best in each day. The best in people. He seemed to have lost that side of himself.

      The man standing in front of her had jagged edges.

       Chapter Four

      Carson woke up Saturday to the gray light of early