Love Inspired September 2014 - Bundle 1 of 2: Her Montana Twins\Small-Town Billionaire\Stranded with the Rancher (10 page)

“I'll put him away,” he assured his father, hoping he got the hint to lay low.

Winston just grinned, tugged on his cowboy hat and ambled away from the corrals, whistling for Chance to follow him.

“The kittens are in the back corner of the barn,” Brody said, shifting Chrissy to his hip and pulling on the large metal handle of the door. It rumbled open and though the air outside was warm, inside the barn was dark and cool. Brody flicked a switch and a watery light shone from a few lightbulbs strung up from the beams of the ceiling, shining on the center aisle flanked by wooden stalls. “It's a bit gloomy in here. Hope you can see okay,” he said, shooting a glance behind her.

“This reminds me of one of the barns on the Shaw ranch,” Hannah said, looking around. “We would play hide-and-seek in the loft. I always lost because Julie, Faith and Adam knew the best hiding spots.”

“You and Julie are good friends, aren't you?” Brody shifted Chrissy on his hip as he walked down the main aisle of the barn, his feet echoing in the quiet.

“Best friends. I don't know how I would have gotten through that time after David's death without her.”

“That must have been difficult for you.” Brody didn't want to talk about David, but he had been a part of Hannah's life and he was the father of her kids.

“It was.” She released a light laugh. “But everything happened so quickly. David graduated basic training, we got married, he shipped out and next thing I know, I'm a widow and expecting twins.”

Her comment created an awkward silence and Brody wondered how much she missed David. They had been together since grade school, after all.

And she had a large picture of him on her desk.

So he said nothing as he turned into the farthest stall where the kittens were. Loco, a tortoiseshell cat, was curled up in a large wooden box, surrounded by five little balls of fluff. Some were tabby, some tricolor like their mother, and one was black. His mother had laid down a blanket this afternoon when she had gone to see if the kittens' eyes were open, so he set Chrissy down on it and bent over to pick up a tiny tabby kitten.

“Oh, my goodness. Aren't they adorable?” Hannah said, crouching down and setting Corey on the blanket beside his sister.

Brody knelt down beside Chrissy and gently laid the mewling kitten in her lap. The little girl waved her hands in excitement, then reached down and patted the kitten's head.

“That's right, Chrissy,” Brody said, brushing a knuckle alongside the kitten's face. “Nice and gentle.”

Corey squealed and leaned over, grabbing the side of the box, but Hannah pulled him back and scooped up a tiny kitten as well, holding it in her hands to show her son. “Be careful,” Hannah said as she brought the kitten closer to him. He made a grab for the kitten, but Hannah snatched it back just in time. “Gentle,” she admonished quietly, taking his hand and showing him what to do. Corey batted the kitten again and once again Hannah patiently demonstrated, holding his hand in hers. Finally he seemed to understand, and a few moments later Hannah placed the kitten on his lap, as well.

“They're so cute,” Brody said, shifting so he was now sitting on the blanket.

“Who can't like kittens?” Hannah scooped up another one and held it close, rubbing her nose over the tiny head.

“I meant your kids are cute.”

Hannah looked up at him, the kitten still cuddled up against her face, looking surprisingly childlike. Her features were relaxed and she didn't seem as tense as when he'd met her the first time. Her smile dived into his heart. “Well, you're talking to the wrong person about them. I think my kids are adorable, even when they've got chocolate pudding smeared all over their mouths.”

He felt a gentle contentment easing into his soul and he wanted to touch her again. To connect with her.

Chrissy patted the kitten again and then pushed it away, lurching to her feet.

“Chrissy. Gentle,” Hannah admonished her.

“The kitten is fine,” Brody said, rescuing the kitten as Chrissy tottered a moment, trying to get her balance on the bunched-up blanket. “Here you go,” he said to the mother cat, laying her baby beside her. Loco sniffed the kitten, as if making sure it was still hers, gave it a few licks, then looked over at the kitten Hannah still held.

“Okay, I get the message,” Hannah said, also putting her and Corey's kittens back. She took a moment to stroke Loco's head as if assuring her, then picked up her son and swung him into her arms.

“He's getting kind of big for you, isn't he?” Brody said, picking Chrissy up, as well.

“It's not him as much as the two of them combined. That's why church can be so difficult.”

“Did you enjoy attending on Sunday?” Brody asked as they walked out of the barn toward the house.

She gave him a shy smile and a nod. “I did. And I meant to thank you and your parents for your help. It was nice to go to church again.”

“I'm glad we could help you out.”

“And thanks for taking my son out on the horse. I know I sounded...irrational, but my reaction was the result of a combination of factors. Ever since the twins were born, I've felt overly protective of them.”

“I'm guessing much of that has to do with David's death.”

“Partly. Losing David made me realize how fragile life is, and it also, like I told your mother, made me feel more vulnerable.”

“I wouldn't have done anything to hurt Corey.” Brody felt he needed to assure her of that. “You can trust me.”

Hannah looked over at him and then gave him a careful smile. “I know that.”

Her quiet affirmation created an answering warmth and a faint hope.

Once again he held her gaze. Once again he wanted to touch her. To make a connection beyond the eye contact they seemed to be indulging in over the past few days.

But he was holding her child and they were getting closer to the house where his parents waited.

And he was sure they were watching them with overly avid interest.

* * *

“So, Brody and Hannah, tell us what you found out so we can all get back to our business.” Cord stood, resting his hips against the table of the meeting room, his arms folded across his chest, clearly telegraphing his annoyance with this sudden meeting of the committee.

Hannah didn't blame him. She thought this meeting was a waste of time as well, but on the other hand, the sooner they could clear Lilibeth's name, the sooner they could look elsewhere.

“Do we have enough members present?” Abigail asked.

“We're not voting on anything,” Cal reminded her. “So, what did you two discover?”

“Lilibeth didn't do it,” Brody said.

“And how do you know that?” Abigail asked, resting her folded arms on the table in front of her. Today her nails were a virulent shade of orange that clashed mightily with her pink shirt. “Did she make eye contact with you? Did she cover her mouth or nose when she was talking? Those are signs of lying, you know.”

Hannah stifled a smile. Sounded like someone was spending too much time on the internet.

“She was pretty upset when we asked her about it,” Hannah said. “And, no, she didn't cover her mouth and yes, she did make eye contact. Besides, we can all agree she's not strong enough to have shifted that capsule.”

“She could have had an accomplice. Been the one giving directions,” Abigail insisted.

“No. She was adamant that she had no part in the theft of the time capsule,” Brody said, the tapping of his booted foot on the floor telegraphing his own frustration with Abigail's comments. “And I believe her. I think she's innocent.”

“Okay, then,” Cal said. “We'll have to look in other directions.”

“So what do we do about the note that Cord got?” Rusty drawled, leaning back in his chair.

“It could just be a prank, like we initially thought,” Cord said, dragging his hand over his face.

“Lilibeth thought the note might have come from Pete Daniels,” Brody said.

“Why Pete?” Cord shot him a frown.

“She mentioned that he had asked her out and she had turned him down,” Hannah said. “Lilibeth thought it might have been a prank on his part. To get even.”

“He does seem to be carrying a chip on his shoulder, but I can't see him involved in all of this. For now, let's just let it rest. Maybe something will come up at the fair. So, if that's all we need to discuss...” He let the sentence hang a moment. Then, when no one said anything, he pushed himself away from the table. “Okay. We'll meet in a couple of weeks, once the dust of the fair has settled.”

“But we'll be going directly into the Old Tyme wedding preparations,” Abigail said.

“Don't remind me,” Cord groaned. “Fifty brides and fifty grooms is one hundred brides and grooms too many.”

“You really don't have a romantic bone in your body, do you?” Brody joked.

“I'll save the romance for you, Harcourt,” Cord snapped. “I'm just arranging the wedding for the town's celebrations. That's all.”

Hannah stifled a smile at Cord's abrupt tone. She was still surprised he had allowed himself to be roped into the job.

“So, if there's nothing else, I guess we can go,” Cal said, glancing at his watch.

It was now five o'clock and Hannah was anxious to get to the ranch to pick up her children.

Cord was the first one out of the room and Cal was right on his heels. Rusty and Abigail lingered, chatting as Hannah and Brody left, as well.

“Are you done at the office?” Brody asked as he and Hannah made their way down the stairs to the entrance of the town hall.

“I cleared my desk just before the meeting,” Hannah said. “I'm headed to the ranch next to get the kids. I just feel bad that it went later than I hoped.”

“You don't need to worry about that. You could probably stay for supper again.”

Her first instinct was to say no. She felt as if she was taking advantage of Brody's mother. But the thought of going back to an empty apartment and trying to feed the kids dinner held little appeal compared to having dinner she didn't have to prepare with a family. And Brody.

“My mother is counting on it,” he said as he held the door open for her. “I think she's making Chrissy's favorite.”

“She already knows Chrissy has a favorite?” she said with a chuckle. “She's only been there a few times.”

“Apparently, it's broccoli-stuffed chicken breasts with mashed potatoes, fresh corn from the garden and spinach salad.”

“My daughter has excellent taste.”

“And Corey loves chocolate pie for dessert.”

“He takes after me then. It's one of my favorites, too.”

“I think my mom has been doing some extracurricular research. See you back at the ranch.” Brody dropped his hat back on his head and sauntered away. Hannah watched him leave, a beat of expectation rising in her chest. She stifled her perennial second thoughts and walked to her car. Moments later she was headed out of town, the lowering sun creating alluring shadows from the rolling hills. What would it be like to live out here? she wondered, mentally comparing her small, cramped apartment to the wide-open spaces she was driving through. To have a garden. To have extra room. A place for her children to play.

The very thing she was working so hard to provide for them.

She let her thoughts wander for the tiniest moment to Brody and to the ranch she was driving toward. The mental picture was foggy and she didn't know if she dared let it solidify. But what would it be like—

A thunk in the rear of her car pulled her back into the present. She slowed, listening, but then nothing. Must have been her imagination. But she kept her speed down after that, paying attention to every sound. As a result, she was at the ranch a little later than she had hoped.

She pulled up to the Harcourt home, and before she got out of her car, Brody was out the door and striding down the sidewalk toward her in his stocking feet.

“Where were you? What happened?” He sounded upset.

“Are the kids okay?” Her heart did a flip and she was about to rush past him, when he stopped her.

“Yeah. They're fine. But you should have been here twenty minutes ago. I left town just before you did. I tried calling you on your cell phone to see what was taking so long, but you didn't answer.”

The agitation in his expression was genuine, as was the concern in his voice. But she couldn't resist a little joke.

“Well, it's no surprise that I came later,” she said with a half grin. “How was I supposed to keep up to Book-it Brody?”

His frown deepened and for a moment she thought he didn't appreciate her stab at humor. Then a smile teased his lips. “I wasn't driving that fast. Did you take a detour?”

“No. I don't know any detours here. I just heard a funny clunk in my car, so I took it slow. As for my cell phone, I think I shut if off during the meeting and forgot to turn it on again.”

His frown returned. “We'd better take a look at your car before you go,” he said as they walked back to the house together.

“I'm sure it's nothing. The car worked just fine.” She looked down at his feet. “Why aren't you wearing your boots?”

“I always take them off in Mom's house. She's obsessive about her new floors.”

She chuckled at the sight of him walking over the sidewalk in his stocking feet. “And her sidewalk apparently.”

“I was worried about you,” he said.

She looked at him, surprised at the warmth those few words created in her. “Really?”

“Yeah. Really.” His voice was quiet and they stood facing each other and, as had happened a number of times in the past few days, she felt herself getting lost in the deep brown of his eyes.

His hand touched her shoulder and she gave in to an impulse and covered it with her own. His hand tightened. Hers did, too. Their silent communication said that things were shifting between them. Changing.