The Rancher's Christmas Match by Brenda Minton

Author:Brenda Minton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-09-12T18:51:07+00:00

Chapter Ten

“You’re going to church?” Eve asked as she entered the kitchen the women shared.

Rebecca nodded as she took a sip of her coffee. And tried not to think about sharing coffee with Isaac. It had been intimate, something that changed things between them. The coffee. Watching that sunset together. It had been more than just the kiss.

Eve gave her a discerning look as she dropped a couple slices of bread in the toaster. “Did you eat?”

“No, but I’m good. Do you want coffee?”

Eve pulled a cup off the rack on the counter. “I’d love a cup. I guess we can’t convince you to stay on the ranch? I’m going to miss you.”

Rebecca slid the cup across the counter. Eve drank her coffee black. And strong.

“For now I’m here. I’m sure I’ll eventually find a place. But I don’t want to take a spot at the ranch that someone else might need.”

Eve backed her wheelchair up and grabbed peanut butter out of a lower cabinet. “We’ve got plenty of room.”

Rebecca watched the woman. With her dark hair, equally dark eyes and careful but cheerful smile, she was fast becoming a friend.

“Will you leave at some point?” Rebecca asked Eve. In retrospect, the question felt intrusive. “I’m sorry, that’s none of my business.”

“You don’t have to apologize. It’s a question I ask myself from time to time. I have family in Texas. But Mercy Ranch is my home now. I’m not sure I’d want to leave.”

“I can understand that. It’s easy to make this place a home. I don’t want Allie to get attached and then have to leave.”

“Yeah, it’s hard for a kid. They always say that kids adjust. But as a child who moved a lot, I think it’s more a saying than a reality. New schools, new homes, new friends. After a while it got easier not to have friends.”

It was a brief glimpse into the woman’s life, her careful smiles and guarded attitude.

“I grew up in the same house, going to the same school.” Rebecca wanted to give Eve something because she felt the other woman had shared a bit of herself she didn’t usually. “I used to trust too easily. Now I feel it’s a lot safer to keep my distance. I have to protect my heart and my daughter.”

“Is that why you...” Eve shook her head. “Sorry. I went too far. You ready to go to church? Did you say Kylie and Carson are bringing Allie? I have to admit, I missed her last night.”

“So did I. We’ve never been apart overnight.”

“You’re a good mom, Rebecca.”

They left together, Eve riding with her. As they drove past the main house, Jack stepped out with Isaac, who helped his father make his unsteady way to the waiting truck.

“Jack is getting worse,” Eve said softly. “A year ago he was still strong and going nonstop. It’s hard to see him like this.”

She didn’t say more. Rebecca wondered if there were people in Eve’s life who might have a hard time seeing her as someone other than the person they’d once known.

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