Falling for the Rancher by Roxanne Rustand

Author:Roxanne Rustand
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2017-08-04T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

It was yet another perfect spring day, with the sweet scent of lilacs in the air. A profusion of bright flowers along the foundation of the old church nodded in the light breeze.

Feeling as if he had his father’s hand on his collar to shove him forward, Logan self-consciously followed Darcy and Emma up the steps of the white clapboard Aspen Creek Community Church.

The steeple soared toward the clouds above wide double doors that welcomed the crowd of parishioners arriving for worship.

A big crowd, he realized. Kids chasing each other on the grass, burning off energy, adults of all ages greeting each other warmly with hugs and handshakes. A number of them approached Darcy with cheerful smiles, and some even welcomed him with a masculine thump on the back, though he recognized only a few.

“Let’s sit in the back,” Darcy whispered as they entered the cool darkness of the church, redolent with the scents of flowers, candle wax and lemon furniture polish.

They slipped into a pew and Emma settled between them with a small felt bag of books, crayons and coloring books she’d taken from a rack as they came in.

She looked up at Logan, her troubled eyes searching his face as if she were trying to remember something important. She leaned closer. “My daddy used to come with us. But he died.”

Darcy heard her, too, and reached over to take Emma’s hand for a gentle squeeze.

“We gotta be quiet now,” Emma whispered.

Died? The word hit him like a sucker punch to the chest, robbing him of breath.

He’d certainly known there must have been someone in Darcy’s life at some point—a boyfriend, a significant other, maybe a husband. But he hadn’t brought it up. He hadn’t felt it was his business to pry.

Now, after coming to know this little family, he imagined the wrenching loss of someone they had loved. How it must have devastated both of them.

He felt a stab of guilt, remembering all of the doubts he’d had over Darcy’s apparent financial troubles, and his worry that it might make her a liability in the office—just like his ex-fiancée.

He’d imagined careless spending. An addiction to online shopping—which had brought his spendthrift sister to the brink of bankruptcy more than once. Or maybe lavish vacations. Gambling. Jewelry, maybe—though there’d certainly been no evidence of that.

But instead of enjoying luxuries, she’d had to deal with the financial burdens of burying a young husband and perhaps years of illness before that. Starting over in Aspen Creek. Making a home for her little girl. Juggling the heavy responsibilities. Motherhood. A career.

And then there was the new owner of the clinic, who had quickly implied that she soon wouldn’t even have a job.

He closed his eyes, feeling like a complete jerk, as the congregation began to sing the lyrics of a contemporary praise hymn on a large screen behind the altar.

And then a small hand slipped into his. He looked down at the concern on Emma’s sweet face and felt a renewed stab of guilt.

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