Heart Of A Cowboy. Margaret Daley

toward Midnight, warily watching him on the other side of the paddock.

      Becca huffed, her mouth pinched into a frown. “If you need to talk, you know where the house is.”

      As his sister left, Zachary made his way toward Midnight. He’d wanted a family, children, and couldn’t have any now. But in spite of the rodeo accident that snatched away his dream he’d carved out a life here in Tallgrass, and Jordan had come back and disrupted everything.

      Why couldn’t she just stay away? Leave him in peace? All those years ago he’d fled his hometown because every place he’d gone reminded him of Jordan. Even when he had joined the army—anything different to take his thoughts off Jordan—in the back of his mind he’d clung to the hope she would call and come back to him. She never did, and he was left to pick up the pieces. When he had patched his life back together, he’d vowed she would never break his heart again.

      And now he’d gone and agreed to teach her son to ride. Now he would have to see Jordan once a week. He didn’t want a weekly reminder of what could have been.

      “Ms. Masterson, Nicholas seems to be having a hard time adjusting to this school. He knows the rules, and yet he snuck into the school at lunchtime when he was supposed to be outside on the playground. His teacher found him sitting at his desk when she came in after eating lunch.”

      Seated in front of the elementary school principal on Wednesday, Jordan crossed her legs, shifting to try to make herself more comfortable. But there was no way around it. She felt as though she’d been sent to the principal’s office, rather than her son. “Was he disruptive or doing something he shouldn’t in the room?”

      “No, but that’s not the point. He wasn’t supposed to be there.”

      “Did you ask him why he came inside early?”

      “He wouldn’t say why.” The principal scanned a piece of paper. “And I’ve got a report from the nurse that he’s going to her almost every day complaining of a stomachache or something else being wrong. Have you taken him to the doctor to make sure he’s all right?”

      “Last week and he’s fine.” Jordan rose, gripping her purse in front of her like a firewall. “I’ll talk with him.” It was the same situation as his last school. He didn’t fit in easily. She needed to do something to make his learning years more enjoyable.

      As the older woman came to her feet, she leaned into her desk. “Maybe he shouldn’t have skipped a grade.”

      “That’s something the school in South Carolina did to keep him interested in his studies. The curriculum was too easy for him. Is he having problems academically?”

      “On the contrary, his grades so far are excellent, but socially…” The principal averted her gaze for a moment then reestablished eye contact and said, “Frankly, he doesn’t interact with the other children much. I’m concerned about him.”

      “Thank you. I’ll talk with Nicholas today about following the rules.” Her son always followed the rules. Which made this new behavior troubling.

      When Jordan emerged from the principal’s office, Nicholas pushed himself off the wall and trudged toward her. With his head down, she couldn’t see his expression.

      “We need to talk in the car.” She didn’t want others to overhear their conversation. She was determined to get to the bottom of what was happening to Nicholas.

      Five minutes later with the air-conditioning cooling the interior of the car, Jordan sat behind the steering wheel in the parking lot of Key Elementary, Nicholas in the front seat next to her. “What’s going on at school?”

      “I don’t understand the other guys’ fascination with video games and football.”

      Well, neither did she but that didn’t solve the problem her son had. He was more comfortable with adults. “Are they making fun of you?”

      “I’m supposed to play dumb.” Nicholas looked directly at her. “I can’t do that. If some of them would do their homework, they could answer the teacher’s questions. I’m bored and miserable.”

      “How about the enrichment class?”

      “It meets twice a week for an hour. I need more. Randy was telling me about being schooled at home. May I try that? That way the class won’t hold me back. I can learn at my own rate.”

      And going up another grade wasn’t an option. “I’ll think about it. I’ll even go to the Helping Hands Homeschooling meeting tonight and see what they have to offer.” Jordan pulled out of her parking space and headed to the street running in front of the school. “Because, Nicholas, I’ll need help, and I want to make sure I can have opportunities for you to socialize if I homeschool you.”

      “I don’t think like kids my age.”

      “You seem to like Randy, Jana and Ashley.”

      “Yeah, they’re different.”

      Maybe if she could get Nicholas to socialize outside school, it would work better for her son. She was glad the HHH meeting was that evening, but she needed to know more before she committed to homeschooling. Was that the best option for her son? Could she provide him with the needed academics as well as opportunities to be with other kids?

      Would Zachary be there? He’d said something about going because he was involved in the planning of an HHH Junior Rodeo Event at the ranch. She’d tried calling him several times since Saturday to set up a meeting with him, but each time she’d hung up before the phone had even rung once. The thought of seeing him that evening sent her pulse racing through her body. Should she even go?

      When Jordan and Nicholas arrived at the Tallgrass Community Center where the Helping Hands Homeschooling group’s meeting took place, the first person she saw was Zachary standing near his older sister, Becca.

      “Mom, I see Randy. He told me to join him when I came.”

      “Fine.” She couldn’t take her eyes off Zachary.

      He lifted his head and fastened his gaze on her. For a brief moment she was swept back to the time he’d approached her after a football game for the first time. Her heart reacted as it had then—tapping a fast staccato against her rib cage.

      Something akin to that look they had exchanged all those years ago flickered into his eyes. Then suddenly he banked the fiery gleam. Even from across the large room she saw the tensing of his shoulders, the hardening of his jaw as though he gritted his teeth.

      She tore her attention away. Not far from her, Alexa stood with a tall man who wore wire-rimmed glasses. Plastering a smile on her face, Jordan headed for the young woman she’d met at the ranch. Maybe she could work her way toward Zachary and casually find out about his work schedule.

      Because her mother was right. She couldn’t postpone this discussion concerning Nicholas much longer. If she told him, she needed to do it soon. The longer she waited the more she would have to explain.

      “It’s great seeing you at the meeting. Are you thinking of homeschooling?” Alexa asked after introducing Ian to Jordan.

      “I’m thinking about it. I wanted to find out what re sources were available to someone like me who doesn’t have any training in teaching.”

      “Dr. Nancy Baker, the founder of HHH, is a professor at Tallgrass Community College. She has a lot of materials and books available that you can access.”

      “Before you two talk shop, I see Zachary. I need to see him about the HHH Junior Rodeo Event. Nice meeting you.” Ian nodded toward her, squeezed Alexa’s hand, then weaved his way through the throng toward Zachary.

      For a few seconds Jordan’s gaze followed Ian’s path until he reached Zachary, who caught her looking. She quickly averted her eyes. “I’d like to check into homeschooling. Nicholas isn’t doing as well as he should at school right now. He’s so bright, but his potential isn’t being