Falling for the Forest Ranger by Leigh Bale

Author:Leigh Bale
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Christian, Contemporary, Fiction, Romance, General, Religious
ISBN: 9781472009494
Publisher: Mills & Boon Love Inspired
Published: 2013-01-01T12:21:24+00:00

Chapter Ten

“Billie, your mom’s here,” Zoë called toward the back of her house as she opened the front door.

Debbie stood on the porch step wearing a pair of capris and sandals, her cheeks flushed with color as she shifted her baby on her hip. Mindy, her toddler, clung to her other hand. “Hi, Zoë. Was Billie any trouble this afternoon?”

“Of course not. The boys play so quietly together I have to check on them frequently just to see what they might be up to.” She picked up Mindy and stepped back to let Debbie inside.

“I know what you mean. Sometimes quietness is a sign of disaster. I made the mistake of ignoring Mindy once when she was playing too quietly and discovered she’d plugged the bathroom sink and flooded the bathroom with water.”

Zoë cringed with sympathy. “Oh, no! That would not be fun.”

Debbie set the baby on the floor before she plopped down into a soft chair. Making happy bubbling sounds, the infant immediately crawled across the Berber carpet and pulled himself up against the sofa. Zoë set Mindy on her feet and the girl plopped down beside a basket of toys.

“Would you like something to drink?” Zoë offered.

“I’d love a glass of water. It’s hot outside today.”

Zoë retrieved a glass before filling it with ice and chilled water from the fridge. She returned to the living room and handed the glass to Debbie. “Did you get your shopping done?”

“Yep.” Debbie took several swallows before lowering the glass.

They chatted for several minutes, in no hurry to chase down the boys.

“You’ll never guess who I saw downtown in the grocery store.” Debbie took another sip from her glass.

“Who?”

“Tanner Bohlman.”

“Oh?” Every muscle in Zoë’s body tightened, but she tried not to show her reaction.

Debbie’s shrewd gaze rested on Zoë like a ten-ton sledge. “Are you gonna tell me what’s going on between you two?”

Zoë shifted nervously in her chair. “What do you mean?”

“Come on. I see the way you two look at each other.”

“Nothing’s going on. We work together, nothing more.”

“Yeah, right. I have eyes in my head. You both light up like the Fourth of July every time you see each other. He asked me about you today.”

“He did?”

“Yes, he asked if you were watching Billie for me. I told him you were. I also told him he should call and ask you out.”

Zoë gasped. “No, tell me you didn’t do that.”

Debbie laughed. “No, I didn’t, but I sure wanted to. You two seem made for each other.”

Zoë scoffed, trying not to feel nervous about this conversation. “Tanner and I work together—that’s all.”

“You sure it isn’t something more? He did take Jonah on the father-son outing, after all.”

“He was just being kind. There’s nothing to it. At least not for him. He’s struggling with his own problems and needs to figure them out by himself.”

“You’re talking about Cheryl.”

Zoë froze. “How do you know about Cheryl?”

The chair creaked as Debbie sat forward. She reached to help balance the toddler as the little girl held on to the edge of the coffee table and crossed the carpet.

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