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Maura ignored the suggestion and turned to her son. “Jeff, take your sister back upstairs to bed. You can put her in my room.” She kissed Kelly, then her son. “Go, Kelly, I’ll be up soon.”
“Promise?” her daughter asked.
“I promise. You’re safe now.”
After they both hurried up the steps, Maura turned back to Cade. “I can’t come home with you. You already have a houseful with Brandon and Henry James. I won’t intrude any more. I’ll think of something.”
“I have a foreman’s cottage you could use. Not exactly in the best shape, but we could fix it up.”
Maura had been lucky to find people like Abby and Cade Randell. Between her job and the house, they had helped her so much. She’d never be able to repay them. “I think you know I’m not afraid of hard work. But let’s talk about this in the morning. Sorry to bring you out so late.” She turned him toward the door. “Now, go home to your family.”
Maura finally got Cade to leave. She started to turn off the light, but decided she’d leave it on just for tonight. She climbed the steps, realizing she’d done what she’d promised herself she wouldn’t do. She had gotten attached to this house, knowing full well that she couldn’t stay forever. But two months had been too short a time. She wanted to hate Wyatt Gentry, but she found she couldn’t. Instead, surprisingly, she was looking forward to his return tomorrow, especially since that meant her departure.
Wyatt had been up since dawn, but he doubted Maura Wells had. So he hung around the motel café trying to come up with a solution for all of them. There weren’t any answers, especially if the woman and her kids couldn’t afford rent for another house.
About seven-thirty, he pulled his truck up in front of the once white, two-story house. Home sweet home. His first ever. He raised an eyebrow at the peeling paint, the sagging porch, the weed-infested yard and flower beds.
It was all his.
No more trailer, no more campgrounds and traveling around. Wyatt was finally putting down roots. He had his dream, his own ranch. Best of all, none of it had Earl Keys’s name on it to remind him that he and Dylan were never wanted, they just came along as excess baggage with their mother. Twenty years ago, Sally Gentry had married a man who promised to take care of her and her twin sons. She believed that Keys was the answer to their prayers until they discovered that he only wanted them to help work his rough-stock business.
No more. He’d worked for years riding in rodeos and working for rough-stock contractors. Now, the Rocking R was his. He belonged here, and never again would he feel like a hired hand. If he was going to work his fingers to the bone it would be because this land was his.
He chuckled. He hadn’t come to Texas to buy land but to find his real father. After getting a letter from a man named Jared Trager, telling him about Jack Randell, Wyatt headed to San Angelo. That was how he ended up at the Rocking R. Although the place had been deserted by the Randells, fate had practically handed him the home he’d longed for, and at a price he couldn’t pass up. All that was left for him was to move in.
But first he had to evict the squatters. Wyatt climbed out of the cab and walked up the rickety steps and around the rotted wood on the porch, making a mental note to replace them first thing. He knocked on the door and within seconds heard the scurrying of shoes on the floors. The door jerked open and the boy, Jeff, appeared.
“Oh, it’s you.” The kid looked grim.
“Is your mother around? I told her that I’d be back this morning.”
The kid opened his mouth and yelled, “Mom!” Then he ran off leaving the door ajar.
Wyatt took a step inside and closed the door behind him. He heard a commotion upstairs and the cry of a child. A few minutes later the small girl slowly descended the stairs. She was wearing bright-pink shorts, a white T-shirt and canvas shoes, her blond curls were in a ponytail tied with a pink ribbon. There were tears in her eyes and she was making a hiccuping sound.
Wyatt wondered if she were hurt. Feeling a little awkward, he went to her. “What’s the matter?”
Kelly stopped on the third step from the bottom. “Mommy’s mad with me.” Her tiny fists rubbed her eyes.
Wyatt squatted down. “And just why is that?”
“’Cause I got into her makeup and I’m not s’pose to. I want to be pretty like Mommy.”
Wyatt had to bite his lip to keep from smiling. He figured Maura Wells didn’t need to wear any makeup for that. She was already a natural beauty. “You’re just as pretty with your curls.” He gave a tug on the ponytail.
She giggled. “What’s your name?”
“Wyatt.”
She studied him closely. “Are you a mean man?”
He shook his head. “I hope not.”
“Jeff says you’re going to throw us out.” The girl’s lower lips quivered as if she were going to cry again.
Wyatt suddenly felt like the meanest man on earth. Before he could say any more Maura Wells appeared at the top of the stairs. “Kelly Ann Wells, did you brush your teeth?”
The girl swung around and looked up at her mother. “I forgot.”
“Well, you better get to it. We have to leave soon.” The girl hurried up the steps, past her mother and ran down the hall. Maura descended the steps. She was dressed in a flowery skirt and a white cotton T-shirt and wore strappy sandals on her slender feet. Her golden-yellow hair was curled under just brushing her shoulders. No. She definitely didn’t need makeup to enhance her beauty.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Gentry. Mornings around here are a little hectic.” Before he could answer a horn sounded and she called out, “Jeff, the bus is here.”
Within seconds the boy came tearing through the house. He grabbed a backpack and a lunch sack off the table by the door. “Bye, Mom.” He threw Wyatt a stony glance and ran out the door.
Peaceful silence. “Sorry, like I was saying the mornings are a little busy. Would you like some coffee?”
“That would be nice,” Wyatt said and followed her into the kitchen.
On the way Wyatt took the opportunity of daylight to look around. The rooms obviously needed paint, but everything was clean and neat. Maura Wells had taken care of the place. In the kitchen, she pulled down two mugs from the knotty pine cupboard, then poured the brew from a coffeemaker. “Please, sit down.”
Wyatt watched as she moved around the old-fashioned kitchen. He didn’t take Maura to be much older than her late twenties. She was small, maybe a little on the thin side, but she didn’t lack curves. He watched the sway of her hips under her skirt.
“I’m sure you want to move in as soon as possible,” she said as she sat down at the table and motioned for him to do also. “I’m sorry if we created a problem.”
“Not a big deal.”
She sighed. “We can be out…today.”
Wyatt looked out the window and saw the sorry-looking station wagon parked by the back door. The woman definitely didn’t have much. Where was her husband? He looked back at her. “Do you have a place to go? I mean, I didn’t give you much notice.”
“We’re not your concern, Mr. Gentry.”
Then why did he feel as if they were? “Please, call me Wyatt.”
She nodded. “Wyatt. We’ll probably stay with Cade and Abby Randell for a few days. If it’s okay, I’ll have to leave my furniture here temporarily, until I find another place.”
Why did he feel like such a rat? He couldn’t do this. “Huh…that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I was wondering if you could do me a favor?”
She nodded. “Of course.”
“There’s so much work to do around the place. I was thinking there’s no reason why you and the kids couldn’t stay in the house.” He rushed on seeing her start to protest. “You’d be a big help to me with decorating the inside. And you could take your time finding another place to live.”
“Oh, Wyatt,” she gasped. Her breathy tone caused his stomach to tighten. “I can’t do that. Where would you live?”
“I thought I’d move into the Rocking R’s foreman’s cottage while I was doing the work. I don’t need much room.”
Maura couldn’t believe it. She could stay. But for how long? She didn’t care. Right now, she couldn’t afford to go anywhere. There wasn’t enough money in her emergency fund to rent a house. She didn’t even have an emergency fund. Besides, she hated to pack up Jeff and Kelly again. “But how would I be helping?”
“I know zilch about decorating. I’m a bachelor. Spent a lot of my life living out of a single-wide trailer with my mom and brother.” While my stepfather shouted orders from back at his ranch, he added silently. “I don’t know anything about colors and styles and I can see how well you’ve taken care of the place.”
“How much rent would you want?”
He shook his head. “I don’t want any rent, but if you could include me at mealtimes, I’d be grateful.”
“That doesn’t quite seem fair. Us living here and you in the cottage.”
“I was planning to move into the cottage anyway while I did the work, so the house will be empty if you and the kids move out.”
Maura knew he was probably lying, but bless him, he was trying to help her. She never wanted to be beholden to a man again. It had taken her a long time to stand on her own and not be afraid. But the truth was, she had to think about the kids, keeping a roof over their heads. They loved it here. How could she uproot them again? Besides, she had nowhere to go but back to the shelter once she wore out her welcome at Abby and Cade’s. At least, Wyatt Gentry was offering her time to figure out where to go.
“I appreciate your offer, but I feel that if I’m going to stay I need to do something more.”
“What is that?”
“I’ll not only cook your meals, but do your laundry, too.”
When he started to argue, she stopped him with her raised hand. “Take it or leave it, Mr. Gentry.”
A slow smile came over his handsome face and a strange feeling erupted in her stomach. “Lady, you got yourself a deal.”
Chapter Two
Maura ended up running late for work. But she couldn’t just walk out on Wyatt Gentry. After all he was going to be her landlord. She was both excited and relieved that they could come to terms so she and the kids could stay…for a while.
She pulled her car into the parking lot of the Mustang Valley Guest Ranch Center, and escorted Kelly through the doors of the bright red-and-blue building of the employee’s day care. Since summer had ended and the seasonal workers were gone until next spring, there were only four other children there.
The Little Pony Day Care had been a lifesaver for Maura. She had very few skills for today’s job market and could never have made enough money to be able to afford someone to watch Jeff and Kelly, let alone a licensed day care. But Maura had been offered the free service along with her job. Best of all, Kelly loved staying here.
“Give me a kiss, sweetie,” she said to Kelly.
Her daughter puckered up and kissed her. Not long ago, Kelly wouldn’t willingly leave Maura’s side. Now, she was a happy, independent child.
After last night, Maura was afraid her daughter might revert into her former shell, but she relaxed when Kelly ran over to her friend, Emily, and began to play. So Wyatt Gentry’s surprise arrival hadn’t caused the child any lasting problems. Maura wished the same was true for herself. She now had a man practically living in the house, and he’d be sitting at her dinner table every night.
“Bye, Mommy. I love you.”
“I love you, too, pumpkin.”
With a wave goodbye, Maura hurried out the door and across the complex to the strip mall that included a general store and the cabin check-in and rental area for the guest ranch. There was also a souvenir shop, a video arcade, the Mustang Western Clothing Store, then came Abby’s Treasures that carried nice collectibles and freshwater pearls from the local Concho River. And last in line was the flower shop.
Maura unlocked the front door to the Yellow Rose. She stepped inside and a wonderful floral fragrance engulfed her, causing her to smile. She loved working with the flowers, loved to arrange bouquets for the ranch guests. And if that weren’t enough, she was lucky to work for a wonderful family like the Randells, especially Abby. With virtually no experience, Abby had taken a chance on Maura and given her a job. The few things she had known about flowers had come from Carl Perry, her parents’ gardener.
A lonely, only child, Maura used to follow Carl around the estate. The poor man answered every question she’d ever asked and taught her everything about flowers, from pruning to fertilizing. Her mother had always insisted there be fresh bouquets in the house daily. What Grace Howell hadn’t known or cared about was that Maura was the one doing the floral arrangements. But her parents hadn’t noticed much about their daughter until she’d married Darren Wells. And then they’d disowned her completely.
Maura pushed the bad memories from her head and thought about how lucky she was. She had Jeff and Kelly with her, and even received a salary for what she loved to do. Thanks to Abby’s encouragement, for the past few months, she had created special bouquets for the guest cabins, and just recently, Maura had been approached to do a local wedding in San Angelo. And she had appointments to talk with prospective brides about doing two more. The Yellow Rose’s business was growing and it was more than Maura could handle by herself. She needed to hire an assistant.
Maura put her purse away in the small office. Grabbing the rose-monogrammed apron off the hook, she tied it around her waist. She went to open the shutters, turned the Closed sign to Open, then picked up the fax with the list of today’s bouquets. There was an asterisk beside the cabin number of the bridal suite and the name of the couple who would be arriving this afternoon. Maura smiled. Her favorites were the newlywed arrangements. She went down the list of the four other cabins that would be occupied by three o’clock. She needed to get busy.
Maura started toward the work area when the bell over the door sounded. She turned around expecting to find a customer, but instead Abby Randell rushed through the door.
“I didn’t think you’d ever get here,” Abby said, her green eyes sparkling.
At thirty, the beautiful woman wore her auburn hair short with the ends flipped up. A pair of hoop earrings hung from the tips of her earlobes. Tall and slender, she was dressed in tailored navy slacks and an ecru crepe blouse. Abby was the mother of two young boys, Brandon and James.
“Sorry I was late, but I needed to talk with Wyatt Gentry.”
“I know. I wanted to come by the house, but I had an appointment with an artist this morning. He’s agreed to let me sell his paintings at Abby’s Treasures. Forget about that.” She waved her slender hand. “Look, Maura, you and the kids can move in with us. Cade and Travis will come by later and help get your things. Don’t worry, we’ll find you another place. It was a crazy idea to put you in the old Randell house, but at the time it seemed the best and fastest solution.”
Maura tried to interrupt her friend, but she couldn’t get a word in. Finally Abby ran out of steam. “Really, there’s no need,” Maura said. “I’m going to stay where I am.”
“What?”
“Wyatt Gentry insisted we continue living in the house…for now.”
Abby crossed her arms. “And just where is this…Mr. Gentry going to live?”
“In the foreman’s cottage,” Maura announced. “At least while he finishes the repairs to the outside of the house.”
“Why would he let you stay?”
Maura was puzzled herself. “I’m not exactly sure.”
Abby studied her for a while. “And you’re okay with this?”
What choice did she have? “He seems like a nice man.” She also had to admit that Wyatt Gentry was a very handsome man. That was, if she paid attention to those things. “And he’s giving me time to find another place to live.”
“Then we’ll go looking for another place as soon as possible.”
Maura reached for her friend’s hand. “Look, Abby, I need this time. I haven’t had a chance to save much money.” She turned back to the work area.
Abby followed her. “Then Cade and I will loan it to you.”
Maura shook her head as she pulled open the cooler’s glass door, stepped just inside and picked up the canister of fresh-cut roses that had been picked up by Abby earlier that morning.
“No. I can’t take any more from you, Abby. Both you and Cade have done so much for us already. Really, we’ll be fine. Thanks to Mr. Gentry, I have a little breathing space. This morning we worked out an arrangement. He’s not going to charge me rent, and all he wants in return is some decorating help and…meals.”
Silently, she watched as Abby studied her. This woman was more than her employer, she was her friend. They’d met few months ago at a women’s shelter in San Angelo, where Abby was a volunteer. Maura had come seeking refuge from her abusive ex-husband. Even though Darren had been sent to jail for robbery, he’d threatened to punish her because she had been the one who turned him in to the police. After leaving Dallas, she’d moved around until her money ran out, then ended up at the shelter’s door.
It had been Abby Randell who counseled her, who’d helped her feel good about herself. During the hours they talked and cried together, Abby confided to Maura about her abusive first husband and how long it had taken her to leave the man. Now, she was happily married to Cade Randell, the man she’d always loved and the father of her two sons.
Maura reached for the flower clippers. Starting with the roses, she handled them with great care as she began to trim, then added wire to each long stem. She placed the first rose in the crystal vase, deciding she would go with all white, representing purity and innocence, for the bridal suite. Maybe tomorrow, she would move onto the passionate bloodred roses. Suddenly her thoughts turned to the dark-haired man who’d burst into her life. Why didn’t she feel threatened by him?
“You say you’re going to help him decorate the house. Does he have a family?” Abby asked.
“He’s a bachelor. And he spoke of a brother.”
A long pause. “And you’re cooking his meals for him?”
