Harlequin Love Inspired July 2017--Box Set 2 of 2 by Deb Kastner

Author:Deb Kastner
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488018565
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2017-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

A week later Rick could still hear the echo of that conversation in his head.

“I asked why you don’t have your own kids.”

“Because I can’t.”

Can’t? As in didn’t want to raise them alone or was afraid to be a single mom or couldn’t afford it or… A thousand scenarios had played through Rick’s brain since that phone call but none of them satisfied his need to understand Penny’s motivation to adopt.

He would have pressed for an explanation that night but there hadn’t been time because Katie had cried out in her sleep and Penny had ended the call without explaining. Assuming she’d need time to settle Katie he’d waited and then it seemed too late for phone calls.

Rick had hoped Penny would clarify her comment the next time they met for coffee at Wranglers. But that hadn’t happened, partly because he’d been so busy and partly because she was, too. So he figured maybe church on Sunday might offer an opportunity to talk, but Penny hadn’t brought up the subject there, either, meaning he was no closer to learning what she’d meant.

Given Penny’s less than exuberant state the past few days, Rick now wanted to know the answer more than ever. It seemed to him that she’d lost some of the zip he’d so admired during their coffee times. In fact, the past few days he’d assumed she was avoiding him because on the occasions he’d asked at the daycare he’d discovered that she had either finished her break before his or hadn’t taken one. When he spotted her on the grounds at Wranglers Ranch she merely waved and kept going and on the only occasion they had chatted she’d offered no suggestions for the newest cabins. When he picked up the twins, it was always Molly who waved them off.

Something was definitely wrong with Penny, and Rick intended to find out what it was. Wasn’t that what friends did?

“Hey,” Rick greeted her that afternoon, having waited eons beyond his regular break time, leaving his crew to manage on their own specifically so he could speak to her face-to-face. “You’re a hard lady to catch.”

“Oh, you were looking for me?” She pretended surprise but there was a glint in her eyes that told him she wasn’t thrilled about being cornered. “What do you need?”

“Nothing. I wanted to ask if you’d come to dinner on Saturday evening. My parents are going to be in town and I thought we’d barbecue. Dad’s good at that.” Rick grinned, striving for lightness, something to diminish the shadows that filled her expressive blue eyes. “Nothing fancy but we’d love to have you join us.”

“That’s very kind of you, Rick. I’d like to come but I’m not sure about Saturday.” The old Penny would have jumped at the chance to spend more time with the twins. Either they were wearing thin or something was off. “May I let you know tomorrow?”

“Sure.” He pretended to check his watch though he was fully aware that he’d been sitting here far longer than he should have been.

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