Harlequin Special Edition June 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Stella Bagwell

Author:Stella Bagwell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

“Okay, let’s go,” Gabriella called up the stairs. When there was no response she shook her head, went upstairs and checked the bedrooms. Justin and Sophia were nowhere to be found. It didn’t take much guessing to figure out where they were. They had to be at Carson’s. They’d decided he was their best friend and went over there every chance they got. She’d reminded them repeatedly that although they were on vacation, he wasn’t. Working with horses was his job. Lucky for them, he never complained about them constantly showing up and following him around.

Even so, she hadn’t expected them to go to Carson’s today. The sleepover at the youth center was tonight. They’d talked about it for days. Joni had requested that families who were able bring treats to share with the other kids. Sophia and Justin had run amok in the candy aisle of the Walmart near the highway. They’d each selected three large bags of individually wrapped candy. Since it was for sharing, Gabriella had let them get it all. Her children had benefited from their time at the youth center and Gabriella was grateful for the opportunity to show her appreciation.

Gabriella went outside to wait for the kids to return. In a couple of minutes, they ran up the driveway.

“We went to tell Carson goodbye,” Justin said.

“He told us to have a good time. He wants us to tell him all about it when we see him again,” Sophia added. “I told him we would.”

“Good idea. You can tell him tomorrow.”

“I don’t know if he’ll be back. He said he had to go out of town to deliver a horse today.”

Really? He hadn’t mentioned that to her. Not that he needed to keep her abreast of his plans. “Okay. Well tell him the next time you see him. Now, let’s get your stuff into the car. You don’t want to be late.”

They grabbed their brand-new sleeping bags, backpacks and bags of candy and then scrambled into the SUV. As they drove down the highway, they talked about which of their friends they hoped to see and the games they wanted to play. Their enthusiasm was heartwarming. Coming here had been the right decision.

We could live here permanently.

The idea came out of nowhere, and although the prospect held a great deal of appeal, Gabriella didn’t allow herself to entertain it for long. They couldn’t stay here. The children’s father was in Ohio, and she couldn’t move them so far away from him. Reggie had called them the other night out of the blue, something she took as a good sign. She’d been surprised to hear his voice and had nearly dropped the phone. Clearly, he missed them and wanted to know about their lives.

She’d pushed down the anger that had sprung up out of nowhere and handed the phone to Justin. She’d tried not to eavesdrop, but since they were all in the kitchen eating a snack, that had proved impossible.

Justin had talked a lot about riding horses on Rivers Ranch and swimming in Carson’s pool.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.