Authors: Mary Jane Morgan
He sincerely hoped to God none of
them would ever have to find out how Haley would handle discovering her husband
was never coming home to her.
Haley listened to Kayla and Ryan
giggling and smiled. She’d been surprised when Ethan had caved to Kayla’s
begging and invited them all to join him this weekend at the dude ranch. She
hoped he didn’t regret it.
“Horsies! Horsies!” Ryan shouted as
Ethan turned and drove up a long, winding road to his soon-to-be dude ranch.
Haley smiled at her son, her own excitement vibrating through her. Ethan had
talked pretty much non-stop her first few weeks of employment about his ranch.
She could hardly wait to see it.
A deer and her fawn bounded in
front of them, and Ryan squealed with delight. Haley laughed at her son as he
clapped his hands and kicked his legs, turning his head as far as it would go
to follow the deer and her baby.
Smiling, Ethan turned onto a gravel
road. They wound through the hillside another mile or so before pulling up to a
partially renovated, two-story, white ranch house with a wrap-around porch.
Haley’s mouth fell open. “Oh, it’s
beautiful.” She opened her door and stepped outside. “I love old houses,
especially ones with wrap-around porches. And look at all the gorgeous baskets
of geraniums.”
“Flowers are a must,” Dottie said
with a smile as her gaze swept over the porch.
Ethan turned off the SUV and got
out, stretching his arms. “Yep. That porch was one of the first things that
caught my eye. That and the land,” he added, going around to the other side of
the car to help his mom out.
“The first thing that caught my eye
was all the darn stairs,” Dottie complained.
“After your surgery, you won’t mind
the stairs, Mom.”
She harrumphed and started toward
the house. Ethan swooped her up and climbed the porch steps, ceremoniously
plopping her down by the front door.
She slapped his hands away the
minute her feet hit the wood. “I could have done that myself.”
Ethan winked at Haley. “Fine, you
cantankerous old lady. You can climb down by yourself.” He pointed to a
handrail. “Just for you. I put it up last weekend.”
Dottie patted his arm and went
inside. Ethan shook his head and let out a long sigh. “As stubborn as they
come, that’s Mom.”
Haley waited to respond until she
was sure Dottie was out of ear shot. “Pride is more what I see.”
Ethan jogged down the steps. “Too much
pride. She’s going to hurt herself someday. Besides, if she’s so darn proud,
she should get the surgery done and throw that cane away.”
“Maybe now that I’m here to watch
Kayla, she’ll do that.” Haley reached down and helped Ryan out of his car seat
as Kayla scrambled out on the other side.
“Here’s hoping.” Ethan pulled up
the rear hatch. “She’ll be much happier once she’s got that behind her.”
Haley glanced toward the front
door. “Yeah, but it’s the ‘getting it behind her’ that’s the hard part.”
“Well said.” He squinted at the late
morning sun then shut his eyes and breathed in the fresh country air.
Haley tilted her head back and
soaked up the sun’s rays. It was a beautiful spring day and she was definitely
glad Ethan had invited them to come.
She watched his gaze settle on a
rolling knoll about five hundred yards north of the house. Sadness seemed to
settle over him and she wondered why. A strong urge to reach out and give a
comforting touch swept through her.
Blowing out a deep breath, he ran a
hand down his face and then turned to everyone. “You guys ready for a country
breakfast?”
Kayla danced around him. “I want to
gather eggs.”
“Fine by me,” Ethan said, tousling
her hair. “Try not to break more than you collect.” He pulled the overnight
bags from the suburban and handed a small duffel to Kayla.
“I’ll get mine.” Haley started
toward him.
“Not necessary.” Ethan hoisted one
suitcase under an arm and grabbed the other two.
Dottie returned to the open front
door. “Am I the only one hungry this morning?”
“Why don’t you let Kayla and me fix
breakfast?” Haley suggested, picking up Ryan, who’d fallen down, and dusting
off his bottom.
“Sounds good to me,” Ethan said.
“I’ll go do a quick check of the quail pens while breakfast is cooking.”
“Ethan has a pair of ostriches out
here, Haley. Ryan would get a kick out of them.” Dottie grinned. “We could have
ostrich eggs for breakfast. Now there’s a
real
egg.”
Ethan bounded onto the porch with
the luggage and led the way into the house and across a large, open living room.
He set the suitcases down just as a piercing screech greeted them. Haley and
Ryan practically jumped out of their skin and Ryan clung to her like a monkey.
“Looks like Hank’s been rescuing
critters again.” Ethan eased up to a large cardboard box. A reddish-brown
screech owl with a splinted wing hovered in the corner. It looked up at him,
flapped its one good wing, and fluffed out its feathers, making itself look
twice its size.
Haley held her son tight as he
stretched his neck and peered with rounded eyes into the box. Kayla stepped
toward the owl, but Ethan held out a hand and stopped her. “That’s close
enough. He’s scared. That’s why he’s all puffed out.”
He bent down and talked softly to
the owl. It turned his head and watched Ethan with bright yellow eyes. In awe,
Haley slowly approached from the side. The owl swiveled his head almost halfway
around to peer at her. Haley set Ryan down about a foot away from the box. He
clung to her leg but couldn’t take his eyes off the bird. It let out another
screech, making Ryan scream and dart behind his mother. Haley picked him back
up and he immediately quieted.
“They don’t call them screech owls
for nothing,” Ethan said. “I’m glad Hank’s fixing him up. They’re good
predators.”
“He’s beautiful.” Haley couldn’t
take her eyes off the bird, who screeched again. She and Ryan flinched and then
laughed at themselves.
Ethan grinned at them. “Folklore
says that screech owls are a warning of disaster, disease or death. A person
hearing one must either turn his left shoe upside down, turn his left trouser
pocket inside out, or throw a piece of iron into the fire.” He looked at Haley
as he turned his jean pocket inside out.
Her mouth fell open. “You’re
serious?”
He nodded. “He’s screeched three
times now. Better pay attention.”
“Too bad he doesn’t lay eggs,”
Dottie hollered from the kitchen. The refrigerator’s as bare as my last
boyfriend’s head.”
“The inside of his head was just as
bare,” Ethan muttered. Laughter bubbled out of Haley. Ethan and Dottie’s wicked
sense of humor kept her entertained and she was eternally grateful she was
Kayla’s nanny.
It felt incredibly good to be
enjoying some of life again.
Ethan rose from his squatting
position. “Sounds like Hank’s been too busy rescuing animals to get to the
store. He was supposed to stock up for us.”
He started for the kitchen then
looked back over his shoulder. “Don’t get any closer, kids. He could take your
finger off. Not to mention clawing the you-know-what out of you.”
Ryan fisted his hands and yanked
them up to his chest, his big blue eyes changing from apprehension to downright
fear.
Haley held him closer. “It won’t
bite you, honey, if you leave it alone.” She scowled at Ethan. “You’re dealing
with city slickers. We scare easily.”
“Could be a good thing,” Ethan
said. He walked over and patted Ryan’s head. “That owl won’t come after you. He
can’t even fly.”
Ryan pointed to the owl. “Bad
bird.”
“He’s not bad, just scared,” Ethan
explained. “When animals are scared they’re apt to bite. Just stay away from
him. Understand?”
Ryan’s eyebrows crunched together.
He pointed to the owl again. “Bad bird.”
Ethan shook his head. “Just keep
him away from the owl.” Sighing, he started back to the kitchen.
Haley made a face at his backside.
She knew Ethan was protecting them, but she was smart enough to keep her son
away from a wild creature.
“Ryan, honey, if that owl even
looks at you crooked,” Dottie said, coming out of the kitchen, “we’ll eat him
for dinner.”
“Oh, Grandma, we will not. Daddy
already promised he’s catching some fish for dinner. And I get to fish with
him.”
Dottie scowled at her granddaughter.
“You’re getting too smart for me, young lady.”
Ryan squirmed out of Haley’s arms, looked
warily at the owl, and raced over to Ethan. “Fish?”
Ethan picked him up. “Tell you
what. Later today after I have my chores done, I’ll let you go with us to fish.
How does that sound?”
“Can Haley come?” Kayla asked.
“Only if she baits her own hook.”
He grinned at Haley, who refrained from scowling at him. The thought of baiting
a hook made her squeamish, but she’d do it if it killed her. “I can bait my own
hook, but you’re not talking me into cleaning fish. I don’t have the faintest
idea how, and I don’t want to learn.”
“Smart girl.” Dottie pointed her
cane at Ethan. “Now quit picking on these city slickers or I’ll have to whack
you.”
“Tell me something I might
believe.”
“Go get us some ostrich eggs while
I scrounge up something to go with them. If Hank pokes his nose in here, I’m
sending him to town for supplies. How can you have a dude ranch with no food?”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “There’ll be
food once it’s open. Which shouldn’t be too far off now. Only a few more rooms
to paint, a hot tub to install and a corral to build. You build corrals?” he
asked Haley.
Her mouth dropped open and he
laughed. “Fine. You paint. I’ll work on the new corral.”
“I can do that.”
Laughing, he shook his head. “I’m
just messing with you. Relax. Take Ryan to pet the horses and do some hiking.
You don’t need to worry about anything. Except maybe Mom.” He set Ryan down and
he ran to his mom, grabbing her hand.
Motioning to Haley, Dottie started
toward the kitchen. “Come help me plot my son’s demise.”
The owl screeched and Haley jumped.
“I can’t help it,” she grumbled over Ethan’s laughter.
“How about teaching Haley a thing
or two about country living, Mom? That way when she sees a bear, she’ll know
what to do.”
Haley’s eyes grew round right along
with Ryan’s. “Bears?” she asked in a small voice.
Dottie sighed and waved Ethan
toward the front door. “This is Tennessee, Haley. We have some black bears in
the central part of the state, but rarely any in this area.”
“Have you seen one out here?” Haley
asked.
“Nope. The only bear around here is
walking out the door.”
“I’m going with him,” Kayla
shouted, racing after her father.
Dottie led the way into the kitchen.
“We only tease people we like if that’s any consolation,” she said over her
shoulder.
“That’s good to know,” Haley
answered, thinking again how much getting this job and being with this family
had improved her life. As she followed Dottie into the kitchen, a feeling of
contentment and security she hadn’t had in a long time washed over her, and
Haley knew for certain this was the place she and Ryan were meant to be. At
least for the time being.
****
Haley was almost as eager as Ryan
and Kayla to go fishing. She and the kids had spent the day petting horses,
hiking, and catching tadpoles and crawfish in a clear, winding creek that ran
behind the house and through a wooded area. It had been one of the most
relaxing days of her life, and she’d needed it. The last few years without Dale
had been nothing but constant work and worry. And grief.
Guilt stole through her when she
realized this was the first time she had thought about Dale today. How could
she enjoy herself so much when Dale was a prisoner of war? Or worse. She shook
her head, refusing to go there, to even let her mind think that her husband
might be dead. That he might never see Ryan. Or hold her again.
A shudder rippled down her back.
She went to the window of the living room and looked outside. Ryan and Kayla
sat in the wooden swing on the porch with Dottie, who was about to fall asleep
even though both kids were chattering like magpies.
Ethan rounded the corner and took
the porch steps two at a time. Kayla scrambled off the swing and ran to her
father. Ryan tried his best to keep up with her. Haley watched Ethan pick a
child up in each arm and give them both a kiss on the cheek. He was a good man,
and definitely a kind and caring father.
She wondered for about the
hundredth time what could possibly make a wife walk out on her precious little
girl and a man like Ethan.
Ethan tickled the kids and Ryan’s
laughter warmed her heart. Her son was obviously crazy about this man, and she
could see why.
Ethan saw her through the window
and grinned. He set the kids down and came inside. “Ready for your first
fishing lesson?”
“The kids have been chomping at the
bit for over an hour. I think they’re about to drive Dottie crazy.”
“Can’t. She’s already crazy.”
Haley laughed. “She’s crazy about
kids, that’s for sure. Ryan adores her. He already knows when she’s teasing.
Well, usually.”
Ethan grinned. “Me, on the other
hand, he’s not so sure about. Right?”
Haley looked him up and down. “You
are
a lot bigger than your mother.”
“Not near as cray-cray though.”
“Quit talking gibberish,” Dottie
hollered from the porch.
“Quit being so out of touch,” Ethan
shot back.
Dottie pulled open the screen door.
“The word is ornery,” Dottie retorted, shaking her head. “Not some made-up
slang like cray-cray.”
Ethan rolled his eyes, then glanced
at the owl. “Hank been here to feed him?”
“I don’t know,” Haley answered.
Ethan walked over to the box and
peered down. “Yep.”
“How do you know?” Haley asked,
coming up beside him, then gasping at the sight of a half-eaten mouse. “That is
so gross.”