Once Upon a Farmhouse by Angie Dicken

Author:Angie Dicken
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-06-11T03:31:59+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

All the way from the ice-cream parlor to the car to the turn down Jack’s drive, Gran held a plastic box in her lap. Inside, an ice cream cone sat upside down, decorated with a superhero logo in frosting on colorful ice cream. Molly couldn’t resist buying it for Tate, since she couldn’t guarantee that date she’d suggested. What if the house stuff distracted her from follow-through? She just couldn’t bear letting the kid down. If anyone knew what it felt like to get stood up, it was Molly Jansen. Not really as a young adult but as a nine-year-old, a ten-year-old...all the way through her teen years when Mom promised one thing but failed to stick to her word.

After Molly put the car in Park, she took the box from Gran, hopped out and walked up the uneven sidewalk. She peered over her shoulder. Gran was in the car playing on her phone, completely unaware of the underlying reason Molly had insisted they stop by Jack’s. It was not just about an ice-cream delivery.

A gloomy cloud had been accumulating in Molly’s heart during those quiet moments these past few days, and the only person who might help was Jack Behrens. She couldn’t mention anything to Gran. The real estate office proved that Gran could not manage a good long look backward. She was still raw, not even wanting condolences right now. Grandad’s funeral was less than a week ago, after all.

Surprisingly, Jack might be her only chance for some peace. Or at least insight.

His split-level house was like most houses in an aging Midwest neighborhood, but it sat on a small acreage off the same road as Austin Farm. Yellow siding, black shutters and a shallow, sloped roof with one center gable above the front door. She could make out the narrow foyer through the sidelight. Stairs led up to the main living area. Along a wall beside the stairs was a coatrack with Carhartt jackets, a tiny raincoat and, of course, a superhero cape. She knocked on the front door, noticing the plethora of shoes and boots beneath the coats.

As Jack bounded down the steps on the other side of the window, she stepped back, her neck and cheeks heating at her nosiness. Molly cast a look to the car where Gran was still consumed with her phone, then stared hard at the cold box in her hands as the door opened.

His cap was backward, a bath towel was flung over his shoulder, and his white T-shirt had runaway suds along his waistline.

“Bath time?” Molly smirked, but thought his appearance was adorable.

Jack looked down, then back up. A smile grew wide and bright on his shadowy face. Those dimples were magnets for Molly’s own smile to scatter into undeniable amusement. “Just finished. The superhero is getting into his pajamas.”

“I won’t keep you—” Molly scrunched her nose and looked down at the ice cream cone. “Wanted to drop this off to Tate. Couldn’t help but think of him and—”

Jack opened the door wider and stepped aside.

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