Rancher Daddy

“Sorry. Just thinking about Melody. She’s still loose. I need to get home.” And away from Luc’s piercing stare.

“I’m sure you do. I just wondered if Henry had said anything to you about going to visit Luc.” The speaker was a woman named Shelly whom Abby had introduced as Henry’s case worker from Calgary.

“He didn’t, but we did talk about what kind of things happen on a ranch,” she said. “Henry asked how things worked and since I’ve lived on the ranch my entire life, I explained as best I could.”

“Was your friend Luc there at the time?” Shelly asked, her gaze narrowed.

“No. I’d taken Henry out for a soda one afternoon, with Hilda’s permission,” she added. “He never said anything about visiting Luc then but kids get lots of spur-of-the-moment ideas and often act on them. Luc didn’t tell Henry to come on his own if that’s what you’re insinuating,” she insisted, disgruntled by the case worker’s suggestive attitude.

“You’re defending him.” A smug smile tilted Shelly’s lips.

“I don’t have to,” Holly said, disliking her more with every word. “He hasn’t done anything wrong.” She turned to Abby. “I really do have to leave. I can’t afford to lose my horse.”

“Yes, you and Luc go ahead. And thank you for your help. I don’t know how we’d have managed without you.” Abby hugged her and Luc.

“You do realize the police were called out,” Shelly said to Luc.

“But that’s what you do when a child is missing, isn’t it?” he asked, a confused look on his face. Holly wanted to hug him.

“Come on, Luc. I need a ride back to find Melody.” Holly tugged on his arm, relieved when he finally followed her from the house. She got in the driver’s seat without thinking, started the engine and turned onto the highway toward home.

“Can you slow down a bit?” Luc asked in a mild voice.

“That woman! She was intimating that it was your fault Henry took off.”

“I know.” He smiled. “It was nice of you to defend me, but I didn’t coax him to come.”

“Well, I know that but Shelly doesn’t. She seemed a little too ready to put a black mark against you.” Holly sniffed. “I’ve seen workers like her before. So suspicious.”

“I suppose she has to be when she’s protecting a child who has no one else to do it for him.” Luc sounded unruffled. “It’s important to know that the people to whom you give the care of a kid like Henry won’t abuse that trust.”

“I suppose.” Holly leaned back in her seat and took a deep breath. Thinking about the past always unsettled her. But she could hardly tell Luc that.

“Can I ask you something, Holly?”

“I guess.” She twisted to look at him. The last vestiges of daylight were almost gone, leaving only the vehicle’s dashboard lights to highlight his reflection.

“Before your fiancé,” he said hesitantly. “Was there someone special in your life?”

What could it hurt to tell him? It had happened long ago. It was in the past.

“I can’t imagine what prompted that question,” she said, giving him an arch look.

“Humor me.” Luc kept watching her.

“When I was going through my medical training I met a resident. Troy.” Holly exhaled. “I thought I was in love with him but I was wrong.”

“How did you come to think you were wrong?” Luc said quietly. “Did he decide that or did you?”

“He did, okay?” Talking of that time, remembering the decisions she’d made and questioned ever since hurt. She wanted Luc to let it go. “He told me he had plans for his life and they didn’t include me. Then he walked away. I never saw him again.”

Holly didn’t tell Luc that Troy’s plans also hadn’t included the baby she was carrying. That was her secret and she intended to keep it that way. Luc was her best friend but as she’d learned to her cost, keeping your friends meant you didn’t share absolutely everything.

Especially to a man like Luc who was desperate to have a child.

* * *

“It’s good to get rid of that ugly wall board,” Holly said right after she’d tossed a sheet of the offending stuff into the back of Luc’s truck.

“Wood paneling isn’t your favorite?” He was glad to see the smile on her face. For the past three days, ever since the Henry incident, Holly had been introverted, obviously stewing about something yet she refused to share the burden with him.

“It’s dark and depressing. I don’t know why Dad ever chose it. Or maybe my mother did. That would explain a lot about what went wrong in their relationship.” She made a face at him then walked back inside her house. “Want some lemonade? I made it fresh this morning.”

Luc nodded. He’d enjoyed these past few days they’d spent working on her renovation. Holly was fun to be with, full of great ideas and eager to implement them. She also didn’t fuss about things like broken fingernails and dust as Sarah had on the four occasions she’d visited his ranch.

Luc sat next to Holly on the deck outside, savoring his drink and the warm spring afternoon. “Can I ask you something?”

Immediately, her eyes darkened and her face got what he termed her worried look. “I guess.”

“Why is there an umbrella in your garden?” He watched her shoulders sag in relief.

“To shelter my pumpkin plant, of course.” Holly’s grin teased him as did her wink.

“Okay. That certainly explains it.” Luc knew she was waiting for him to ask. “Why does your pumpkin need sheltering?”

“I just transplanted it. I’m trying to make sure it doesn’t dry out before it gets established or get broken in a strong wind so I shelter it for part of each day until it’s hardy.” Holly sounded like a worried mom.

“Must be an important pumpkin.” Luc watched the sparkle return to her eyes.

“It is. It’s a gigantic variety. I’m hoping to enter it in the fair in August and win.” When Holly was excited like this, Luc couldn’t take his eyes off her. “First prize is five hundred dollars. I’m also entering a baby quilt. First prize for that is another five hundred. That would go a long way toward a new sewing machine.”

“Great minds think alike. I’m hoping to win a prize with the old truck I’m restoring.” Luc grinned. “And if I could win another five hundred for being best historic entry in the parade this summer, I’d be able to fix up the ’55 Chevy I’ve got stored in my barn.”

“So we’re both out to win.” Holly chinked her glass against his. “Good luck to us.”

“What is it about sewing that gets to you?” Luc asked curiously.

“What is it about fixing old cars that gets to you?” She shrugged. “I pick up a piece of fabric and I see how it could be used. I have to make it. Now you know how weird I am.”

“Not weird at all,” Luc told her. “That’s how I am with old vehicles. I think I got that from my dad. I don’t remember him much but I remember he loved old cars. I think he lived every moment of his life, like you.” He smiled at her blush. Holly always tried to deflect praise. “Is it tonight Henry’s coming for your wiener roast?”

“Uh-huh. And Abby and her family and Hilda and whoever else shows up. I kind of left the invitation for a spring picnic open.” She chuckled at his raised eyebrows. “Well, it’s really hard to know where to stop. This is the kind of place where everyone drops in. At least they did when Dad was alive. I don’t want that to end.”

“I wonder if Henry’s ever had a wiener roast,” Luc mused aloud.

“You haven’t talked to him since the Ornery Joe incident?”

Luc shook his head. “No.”

“Why?” Holly asked with a frown. “Have you changed your mind about adopting him?”

“No way. I want to adopt Henry very much.” Luc couldn’t come up with the right way to say it so he blurted it out. “I felt like you thought I should stay away from him.”

“What? No.” Holly’s eyes narrowed. “If you’d asked I’d have suggested you keep seeing Henry as much as you can. You need to build your relationship so that the two of you will grow comfortable with each other.”

“But—” Luc shook his head. “That’s not the impression you gave that night we found him with Ornery Joe.”

“I was worried, Luc. I thought that Shelly was looking for a reason to give you a black mark and I think I was right. Abby confirmed privately that Shelly suggested to her that you coaxed Henry to visit you, thereby superseding the authority figure she’d chosen—Hilda. But I don’t think you need to worry about Shelly anymore.”

“Why not?” He loved the way her face glowed when she was excited or trying to keep a secret. “What happened?”

“Abby told me today that Henry’s case has been transferred from the Calgary social worker to Family Ties. Abby’s the case worker now thanks to Mayor Marsha’s daughter in Calgary who is credited with getting the case moved here.”

“And that means?” he asked, one eyebrow raised.

“That you don’t have to worry about Abby because she’ll give you a fair shake.”

“This town,” he said in pretended disgust. “You have to be in on the rumor mill to find out anything.” In truth he loved that aspect of small-town life. Well, most of the time.

“Yep. Sometimes being the town mascot is good,” she joked.

“The good citizens of Buffalo Gap do not think of Holly Janzen as a mascot,” Luc scoffed. “More like a goal every child should strive to attain.”

“I hope nobody tries to be like me,” she said, her voice harsh. She fell silent for a while, her thoughts on something he couldn’t share. But after a few moments, she snapped out of her bad mood to smile at him. “Now you need to solidify your case. Abby won’t go against you, but she will take into account the efforts you make to get to know Henry. She’ll probably be the one to do your home study, though I don’t think that will happen for a while.”

“That’s a relief. I’m not finished with the spare room yet.”

“Redecorating is a good idea.” She sipped her lemonade. “It’d be different if you were adopting a newborn, but with an older child, I think placement officers will like the idea that you’re making a special place for him, that you’re preparing your world for him to be part of it.”

“I don’t know where you get all this knowledge,” he said, studying her. “The internet?”

“Um, yes.” Holly seemed startled by his question. “And Abby.” She paused for a moment. “You should ask her lots of questions. She loves to explain.”

“I don’t think I can ask Abby how I’m supposed to mesh with Henry.” Luc had thought adoption would be straightforward, but he kept coming up against more and more uncertainties. He hadn’t realized he’d have to prove himself capable of fatherhood in so many ways. “She’d expect me to know.”

“So?” Holly’s blue eyes widened. “What’s the problem?”

“The problem is that I don’t have a clue how to mesh with Henry,” he said, feeling inept.

“Sure you do.” She rose. “You talked about taking him swimming when it got warmer. Maybe he’d like to fish. Or learn how to ride. What did you like to do as a kid?”

“Marbles.” He followed her into the house, almost bumping into her when she suddenly stopped and turned to look at him.

“Marbles?” One eyebrow arched and she gave him a look that said “stop teasing me.”

“I played marbles all the time,” Luc told her. “And usually won, though I don’t have a trophy for every time I excelled, like some people.” He grinned when she groaned.

“Stop it, will you?” Holly said, her voice cool. “I don’t have that many trophies.”

“Are you kidding me?” Luc snorted. “Lady, I just moved boxes of them from your spare room. Horsemanship, curling, baseball, friendship leader, junior citizen of the year, debate team, valedictorian, highest science test scores—to name a few.” He stopped ticking them off his fingers and faked a sigh of exhaustion. “Is there anything you didn’t win a trophy for?”

“Dealing with men who promised to renovate my spare room then ended up talking too much,” she shot back pertly.

“Low blow.” Luc clutched his chest and pretended to swoon.

“Can we get back to Henry? Maybe he’d like to learn to play marbles.” Holly stored her drinking glass in the dishwasher with his and checked the clock. “I think we could get the rest of the paneling out before I have to start putting together dinner for my guests.”

“How hard can it be to put together a few hot dogs?” Luc knew the minute he said it that it was the wrong thing to say. She glared at him then plunged her hammer right into the middle of a sheet of the despised paneling. “Um, I could help you with—whatever,” he offered.

“I’d appreciate it, but let’s finish this first. Then we’ll see how much time we have left.” Holly’s no-nonsense tone told him she wasn’t ready to forgive his comment.

Luc liked the way they worked together, each anticipating the other’s moves. In no time the room was stripped, except for her father’s big trunk in the corner. He looked from her to the trunk and back again, eyebrows raised in an unasked question.

“You have an obsession about that trunk.” She scowled at him. “I’ll sort it out.”

“Just not today, right?” He shrugged. “Fair enough. How many more days off do you have?” he asked as they hauled out the last of the trash and threw it in his truck bed. He’d get rid of it later.

“Only two and that’s if the hospital doesn’t call me in.” Holly sighed. “And then there’s Family Ties. Abby phoned to tell me a new girl arrived yesterday. Seth Treple was called in to examine her and he feels she’s close to her due date so I’m on call.”

Seth was the local GP who’d agreed to handle Family Ties’ patients, both mothers and children when Holly couldn’t.

“Seth can’t deliver the baby?” Concern tugged at Luc as he noted the weary lines around Holly’s eyes. It didn’t seem as if she was getting the rest she needed. “You’ve been covering for him a lot. I know that as a nurse practitioner you’re more than qualified to do most things he does, but you’ve been logging a lot of hours lately. You deserve your days off.”

“Babies don’t fit a schedule. Besides, Seth needs a couple of days off to visit his sick mother in Calgary.” She shrugged. “It’s fine.”

It wasn’t fine that she was almost dead on her feet. Maybe this demolition was too much for her, on top of everything else in her life. But he noticed Holly admiring the empty area.

“Soon all this will be sewing workspace.” She sounded enthusiastic.

“Hopefully.” Luc checked his watch. “I’m guessing we have about an hour until your guests will arrive. What do you need to do to get ready?” There was no point in telling her to relax for a minute. Holly did what needed to be done. Tiredness wouldn’t stop her but maybe he could ease her load.

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