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“Yes, and I’ll be the first to admit that it was a big adjustment. But it’s getting easier. I actually like having them around. The ranch was too quiet before. You probably can imagine what it was like for me, growing up with all my brothers and sisters. I’m used to noise. Sometimes I feel as if I can’t concentrate unless the decibel level is over ninety-five.”
Actually, Angie couldn’t imagine what any of that had been like. She didn’t have any siblings. So her house had always been as quiet as a tomb, unless she had friends over.
“It was the talk of the town when you got custody of the kids,” she said. “Most people didn’t think it would last.”
“My buddies certainly didn’t think it would.”
“How about you?” she asked. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m doing all right, but it’s put a real cramp in my social life.”
Angie smiled. “You mean with the guys—or romantically speaking?”
“Romance? What’s that?” Toby laughed. “Actually, if I were even in a position to be looking for a relationship, I’d be in a real fix. Most women go running for the hills when they hear I have three children, even though the situation is supposed to be temporary. Other women look at me as if I’m some kind of hero. But even then, when they’re faced with the reality of dating a man with the responsibility of three kids, they don’t stick around long.”
Point taken. Toby was making it clear that he wasn’t looking for a relationship. Therefore, Angie now knew this clearly wasn’t a date.
“Yet here you are,” she said, “out with the kids having burgers, when you could be having a few beers at the Two Moon Saloon and dancing with Horseback Hollow’s most eligible bachelorettes. From what I remember, you were always a pretty good dancer.”
“I still am. Maybe I’ll prove it to you sometime.” Now, that was a challenge Angie looked forward to. And while the boyish grin on his face suggested that he was teasing, for a moment, for a heartbeat, she’d suspected that he’d been a wee bit serious.
And if they were ever to lay their secrets out on the table, she’d have to admit that she wouldn’t mind dancing with him, holding him close, swaying to the slow beat of a country love song, her body pressed to his...
“Seriously, though,” he said, drawing her back to reality, “if I wanted a beer, they’d serve me one in here. But I have enough on my plate without having to worry about dancing and courting the ladies, too.”
“I hear you.” And she did—loud and clear. He’d said it twice now, which was just as well. Really, it was. “I’m not looking for love, either—although my mother seems to think I should be.”
“Doris is really hard on you. Why is that?”
“Because she’s lost all hope of me making a financial success of my life. So if I can’t be the money-making ballbuster she envisions, the least I can do is marry one.”
“Well, then, Doris can rest assured that you’ll be safe from me. I’m definitely not raking in the dough.”
Safe from him? Toby couldn’t be more obvious if he was wearing a blinking neon sign. She wanted to say, Okay, I get it. You’re not interested in me.
But she supposed it wasn’t necessary. Neither one of them was in any position to enter into a romantic relationship right now—with anyone.
“I wouldn’t let your mother drag you down,” Toby said. “You seem like a happy person. So whatever you’re doing must be working for you.”
Well, not exactly. While she wasn’t miserable, she’d be a lot happier if she had a full-time job—or at least some direction.
“I’m doing just fine,” she said.
Before Toby could respond, Kylie ran up to the table. “Brian won’t let me have a turn driving the race car. He said it’s ’cause I’m a girl. And ’cause my feet won’t reach the pedals. But they will if he lets me sit on his lap.”
“I have an idea,” Angie said, as she slid out from behind the booth. “I’m going to show you how to play a better game. One that you can play all by yourself.”
“You’re coming in pretty handy,” Toby said.
Angie laughed. “I’m just paying for my supper.”
“At this rate, I’m going to owe you breakfast, too.”
For a moment, just like the comment about dancing together had done, the overnight innuendo hung in the air. And while they both might have laughed it off, there’d been a brief moment when their gazes had met, a beat when she suspected that neither of them had taken the promise of an early-morning breakfast lightly.
* * *
Toby hoped the waitress brought their food soon. Not only was he hungry, but he was down to his last few quarters and wasn’t about to ask for any more change than he had already. Since taking in the kids six months ago, his coin contributions alone could go a long way in refurbishing some of those old games and buying a new one.
He took a sip of his milk shake and watched the kids and Angie return to the table—out of quarters again, no doubt.
“You’re pretty good at Ms. Pac-Man,” Brian told Angie, as she slipped back into the booth.
“Thanks.” She winked at Toby. “I used to be a lot better, but I’m getting rusty in my old age.”
“You aren’t that old,” Justin said, taking her far more seriously than she’d intended. “Maybe if you came here to practice more often, you’d be supergood again.”
Angie laughed. “I’m afraid my days of playing in the arcade are over.”
“That’s too bad,” Justin said. “I’ll bet you could hold the world record.”
“I’ll have to remind my mother that I actually have some talent the next time she worries about my future prospects.”
“Here you go,” Toby said, as he rationed out a few more of the coveted coins to the kids.
Then they dashed off, leaving him and Angie alone again. It was nice getting to know her, getting a chance to see a side to her he’d never realized was there. He didn’t think he was the only one in town to have misconceptions about Angie Edwards. Heck, even her own mother didn’t seem to appreciate her.
Toby hadn’t liked the way her mom had talked to her today, especially in front of other people. But he supposed that wasn’t any of his business. He’d always had a sympathetic nature. In fact, his brothers often ribbed him, saying he was a sucker for people who were down on their luck. Some of that might be true, although he didn’t see Angie that way.
Sure, maybe she wasn’t a superambitious go-getter. But she seemed to have a good head—and a pretty one at that—on her shoulders. And something told him that she’d find her groove in life soon.
“You know,” he said, “it’s not too late to go back to school.”
“No, it isn’t. But you’re looking at a woman who’d joined the Toastmasters Club, the Teachers of Tomorrow, Health Careers and Future Farmers of America when I was in high school. I was even a member of the French Club one semester. I couldn’t decide on a direction then, and I’m no closer to having one now. So I can’t imagine spending the time and money to take classes without a goal in mind. So far, my motto in life has been ‘just keep on keeping on.’”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think that motto suits you pretty well. You’re a lot of fun to be with. And you have a great ability to adapt. I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”
“Yes, but as each week passes, my mother gets more and more stressed about my future.”
“How about you?” he asked. “Are you worried about it?”
She tossed him a pretty smile. “I’m doing just fine.”
He didn’t doubt that she was. “Then that ought to settle it.”
She took her glass, wrapped her full lips around the straw and took a slow drag of her milk shake, making him think about somewhere else her mouth could be...
What in blazes was wrong with him? Angie Edwards wasn’t the woman for him. He needed someone who was solid and stable, someone who was willing to take on three kids. And while Angie could probably handle anything life threw at her, she didn’t seem like the type who would stick around for the long haul.
And even though everyone in town, including his family, thought that his taking on the Hemings kids was a temporary thing, Toby had gotten attached to them, and he wasn’t planning to give them up unless their aunt insisted on taking them back. And even then, he wasn’t sure if he’d step back without a fight. But from what he’d gathered from the social worker, their aunt Barbara wasn’t the maternal type.
So if he had any chance of keeping them, he needed a partner who would be just as committed to the kids as he was.
Still, that didn’t mean Angie wasn’t an attractive woman. What she might lack in commitment, she more than made up for with sex appeal.
Yet the more time he spent with her, the more intriguing he found her.
Why hadn’t he looked at her that way before? Well, of course he’d noticed her looks. He wasn’t blind. But he’d never been the kind of guy to date someone just because of her physical appearance. He’d been interested in the woman on the inside.
Of course, after talking with her this evening, he had to admit that he was curious about what made her tick.
Even though they’d both grown up in Horseback Hollow, he really didn’t know very much about her—except in the way that most folks in small towns knew stuff about each other.
Up until today, he and Angie had never said more than a few words to each other in passing.
Before he could ponder it any further, the waitress brought their food. While she was placing the plates on the table, Toby excused himself and went after the kids.
Moments later, they were all seated at the booth. The boys began to dig in, but Kylie merely looked at her plate and frowned.
“What’s the matter?” Angie asked.
“It’s too much. I don’t want it.”
“Oops,” Toby said. “The boys are such good eaters that I sometimes forget about her. She isn’t actually all that fussy, but I think she gets overwhelmed when her plate is too full.”
“What if you share with me,” Angie said. “Would that help?”
When Kylie nodded, Angie took a knife and, with a careful slice, cut the grilled cheese into quarters instead of halves. “I like smaller triangles. Don’t you?”
The little girl smiled.
Angie reached for a section. “Can I have some of your fries, too?”
Again, Kylie nodded.
Toby would have to remember that trick.
Next, Angie took the knife, then sliced her double bacon burger in two. “When the waitress comes by I’m going to ask her for a to-go box.”
“What are you going to do?” Toby asked. “Take that home for lunch tomorrow?”
“Actually, I thought I’d offer it to Mr. Murdock. He likes a late-night snack when he watches television. And I thought it would be a nice surprise.”
So she was thoughtful, too—especially with kids and the elderly.
Toby took a bite of his burger, relishing the taste. No one made them better than The Grill.
“Can you hand me the mustard?” Angie asked.
Toby reached for the bottle that stood next to the menus on the table and handed it to her, thinking she was going to apply it to the portion of the burger she intended to eat. Instead, she poured a glob onto her plate, dipped one of the French fries into it and took a bite.
“Most people prefer catsup,” he said. “Miss Edwards, you’re proving to be quite a novelty.”
She smiled. “‘Always keep ’em guessing.’ That’s my motto.”
Toby laughed. “You have a lot of mottos, I’m learning.”
She tossed him a pretty smile.
“Can I try that?” Justin asked. “Pass me the mustard, too.”
“I’m not going to be able to eat all these onion rings,” Angie said. “Does anyone want to help me out?”
“I’ve never had them before,” Brian said.
She passed her plate to him. “You should at least try one. You might be missing a real treat.”
Ten minutes later, Kylie had eaten three-quarters of her sandwich. Justin had finished off his corn dog and decided that he preferred dipping his fries in mustard rather than catsup. And Brian had wolfed down most of Angie’s onion rings.
Then the kids dashed back to the arcade with the last of the quarters, leaving the adults sitting amid the clutter of nearly empty plates, wadded napkins, dribbles of soda pop and a melting ice cube.
Toby studied Angie in the dim light of the least romantic restaurant in West Texas.
Why in the world hadn’t he taken the time to get to know her sooner, when his life hadn’t been complicated by three children?
He supposed one reason he’d steered clear of her was because his brother Jude had once dated her. And for that reason, Toby had considered her off-limits.
Yet, when the kids returned to the table, high from their final top-ranking scores on Ms. Pac-Man, the sound of Angie’s infectious laughter, as well as the way she pulled Kylie onto her lap and gave her a squeeze, made Toby think he’d better have a talk with his newly engaged brother.
There were a few questions he needed to ask Jude. Because maybe, just maybe, this funny and beautiful woman wasn’t entirely off-limits after all.
Chapter Three (#ulink_96505b22-3261-5a30-9a77-6404ae7fae80)
Ever since Angie had joined him and the kids for dinner on Saturday night, Toby hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. By Monday morning he was racking his brain, trying to come up with an excuse to see her—other than stopping by the Superette to pick up groceries, although he was tempted to do just that.
Then, while driving the kids to school, he had a lightbulb moment.
Brian, who was seated in front, was craning his neck and peering out the windshield at a plane flying overhead.
“Look at that one,” he said, pointing it out to his younger brother, who sat in the back with Kylie. “Wouldn’t it be cool to fly an airplane?”
And bingo! Toby had the perfect solution.
“How would you like to talk to a real pilot and see some planes up close?” he asked Brian.
The oldest boy had been unusually quiet and introspective since moving in with Toby, but when he glanced across the seat, his mouth dropped open and his eyes lit up in a way they’d never done before. “That would be awesome. Do you know one?”
“My cousin Sawyer and his wife, Laurel, own the new flight school and charter service. Laurel is actually the pilot. She was even in the air force.”
