Love Inspired January 2023 Box Set--1 of 2 by Jocelyn McClay

Author:Jocelyn McClay
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Kate kept her distance from Seb the next day. Things felt far too close between them, and she knew he’d try to do more than he ought to in her presence. He needed rest, not to show off to her. And she needed time to sort through the storm of feelings being with him rose up in her.

Distraction wasn’t hard to find in the form of the new litter of kittens in the barn. Kimmy was fascinated with them, and their simple joy felt healing to watch. “I want one,” Kimmy pleaded, not for the first time. “Can we have one?”

The kittens were cute. And small. And sweet. But not at all anything that could come home with them to Pennsylvania. Kate gave Kimmy a sympathetic smile as she sat on a nearby hay bale next to Heidi Boswell. “I know that sounds like it would be fun, but it’s not something we can do right now, sweetheart.”

Kimmy pouted. “I want one.” She kept asking as if she’d wear Kate down with sheer persistence.

Heidi put the kitten she was holding in her lap down to frolic with the other two on the barn floor. Her sons wanted nothing to do with the cuteness of kittens, but Tina and Cindy Caldridge were playing with them alongside Kimmy. “It would be a long, hard journey home to your house, Kimmy. But the best part is you can play with them here as much as you like, right?”

Kate smiled at the “look on the bright side” mom effort Heidi was giving. Cindy was giving a long look to the kittens as well. “Mrs. Boswell is right. They’ll be much happier here.”

“Kent wants one, too,” Kimmy said, lower lip firmly stuck out.

“And how do you know that?” Kate asked, one eyebrow raised in doubt. Like the Boswell boys, her son did not seem the kitten type, especially now if ever.

“I just know.”

Heidi leaned back against the barn wall on the hay bales they’d been using as seats while the girls played on the straw floor with the kittens. “How is Kent?”

Kate sighed. It had been a long few days since the accident. “Brooding. I’m going to give him one more day of staying mostly in his room and then I’m going to have to drag him back out into the world, I think.” She found herself second-guessing all sorts of decisions—parenting and otherwise—lately.

“Boys that age are champion brooders. It just gets worse, I hate to tell you.” She paused for a moment before adding, “I always wondered if Doug would have eventually been happy at college. If we should have let him come home when he was struggling that first semester.” She looked at Kate. “You rethink everything, you know? Wondering if maybe you’d have made this choice or that, then they’d still be with you.”

The girls had gone farther away, following the kittens as they tumbled through the barn. Kate felt they were far enough out of earshot to ask, “Tell me about what happened? About your son?”

“Thank you,” Heidi said.

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