A Mother's Secret by Gabrielle Meyer

Author:Gabrielle Meyer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-11-14T18:15:29+00:00

Chapter Ten

It took them several weeks to prepare the carnival games among all their other responsibilities, but Chase had never enjoyed a project as much as he did when Joy and the kids helped him. They had cleaned, repaired and even painted a few of the games and they now stood waiting in the barn for the festival.

Word had traveled around town about the event and Joy had asked several people in church to come and offer tours. Chase and the boys had hung posters and Joy had been interviewed by the Timber Falls weekly newspaper, as well as the local radio station. Everyone was excited to see the mansion.

Among all their activities, Chase had started to attend services at Timber Falls Community Church with Joy and Mrs. Thompson, and he’d been there when Pastor Jacob had called for a special offering. They had been overwhelmed with the generosity of the congregants, and celebrated as Joy deposited another substantial check into her housing account.

But today, Chase had set aside all his other responsibilities, so he and the boys could work on a secret project just for Joy. They stood outside the barn in the chicken coop, the hot sun making the job more difficult and dirty. Sweat dripped down Chase’s temples.

“Do you think she’ll like it?” Jordan asked Chase, wrinkling his freckled nose.

“I think she’ll love it,” Chase told the little blond-haired boy. “I just hope it isn’t too much work for her.”

Ryan handed Chase a hammer and shrugged. “We’ll help.”

“And I’ll help, too,” Chase agreed—though he didn’t know how long he’d stay at Bee Tree Hill once the sale was complete—whether that sale was to Joy or someone else. The thought of leaving Joy and the kids—and returning to his life in Seattle—felt like a knife turning in his chest. How would he ever go back to life as usual now that he was a dad?

The new chicken wire was easy enough to tack on to the original posts around the coop. He’d been happy to discover that the roost was in good condition. They’d simply cleaned out some of the debris left there over the years, fixed a post in the north corner of the coop and were now attaching new wire around the yard.

A half dozen Rhode Island Reds clucked from two crates stacked in the shade of the barn. He and the boys had purchased them from a local farmer’s market just that morning. Chase didn’t know much about keeping chickens, but he’d done a little research online and spent an hour with the farmer who sold him the birds. After the market, he and the boys visited the farming supply store and purchased the chicken wire, seed, a couple bales of fresh hay and a watering trough.

“She should be home in half an hour,” Chase told the boys, “and I want it to be ready for her.”

Kodi’s face became serious and he nodded. “We’ll get it done.”

Chase smiled. The boys were so eager to learn, he loved teaching them.

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