Rancher Daddy (Family Ties Book 2) Read online

  “Lord, I love this kid,” he said, his heart full. “Please let him move here soon. If that’s Your will,” he added after a second’s thought. But how could this not be God’s will? Henry needed a home and Luc needed Henry. And Holly would be there for both of them.

  Luc was savoring that thought as he smoothed down Henry’s cowlick when Holly drove into the yard.

  “Remember what I said, Henry,” Luc murmured.

  “I know. It’s a surprise.” Henry grinned at him then took off running to meet Holly.

  The exuberance and affection in their reunion brought a wave of emotion that made Luc gulp. Holly, clad in formfitting jeans and a white shirt, scooped Henry into her arms and swung him around. Luc’s gaze was riveted on her face. Pure unadulterated joy rested there as she clung to Henry. Then she murmured something in his ear and leaned back to smile at his response.

  Henry seemed just as enthralled with his arms wrapped around her neck. Holly tossed Luc a grin as she set Henry on the ground. That smile made Luc’s evening suddenly brighter.

  “We’re going to have so much fun tonight,” Holly said tweaking Henry’s nose.

  “I know.” Henry’s little chest puffed out with pride. “I helped Luc get ready.”

  Luc admired the way Holly crouched down to listen with rapt attention as the boy enthused about the things he and Luc had prepared. Holly could deny it all she wanted, but she was a natural mother.

  Once or twice Luc opened his lips, ready to intervene when it seemed Henry would give away the secret. But Henry stopped in time, gave him a smile and changed the subject.

  “What’s going on?” Holly asked when Henry rushed off to greet a friend from school.

  “He’s excited about tonight. What did you bring for the potluck?” Luc couldn’t tear his eyes off her. She glowed, her cheeks pink, her blue eyes shining and her curls bobbing behind the white ribbon that held them off her face.

  “I baked some fresh rolls. I hope they taste all right.” Holly pointed to the big tray of golden buns she’d already set on the table.

  “Why wouldn’t they be okay?” he asked, suddenly realizing how hungry he was.

  “Right in the middle of mixing them I got called into town for a delivery. Maxine Mallory had her baby this afternoon.” She made a face, and he knew exactly what it meant.

  “I’m guessing that was more of a production than the usual birth?” Luc smirked when she rolled her eyes.

  “Everything is more of a production with Maxine.” She gave him a wry look then shook her head. “They now have another son, which makes four. A darling sweet child that yelled once when he arrived before settling into his mother’s arms. Seven pounds seven ounces. Healthy and happy.”

  “That’s the outcome you like,” he said, knowing it was true.

  “Yes,” Holly agreed haltingly. “It was just a bit disconcerting that Maxine had such a short labor, especially when her due date is still two weeks off and there’s nothing in Seth Treple’s notes to indicate he thought she would be early. I don’t like surprises like that.”

  The tightness of Holly’s voice told Luc she’d been worried for her patient. He required no explanation for her expressions. A breathless sigh meant Holly was tired. Tiny frown lines on her smooth forehead told him she’d probably been chastised by the very vocal Maxine. The slump of her shoulders said she’d given her best for mom and baby. The twinkle in her eye meant she was thrilled she’d been there to help deliver the baby and was now looking forward to a relaxing evening.

  Luc blinked. When had this communication without words happened? Could Holly read him as easily?

  “What can I do to help, Luc?” She ruffled Henry’s hair when he returned.

  “Me ’n Luc already did it all,” Henry told her, stretching tall. “It’s for you to relax.”

  Luc had never been more proud of his would-be son.

  “Really?” Holly glanced from Henry to Luc.

  “Henry’s right. We’ve done most of it.” He shrugged at her surprised look. “Now what we need is a hostess to make everyone feel welcome.”

  “I’m your girl.” She shrugged as if that was such a little thing to ask. Holly was a born hostess. “But if you need something else, ask.”

  “Your work is about to begin.” Luc inclined his head toward the road. “Isn’t that Cade’s truck?”

  “Meeting and greeting is exactly what I feel like doing tonight.” She tossed him a smile before hurrying toward Abby to take one of the twins. “These two are growing like weeds,” Luc heard her say. “I don’t suppose they’ll fit the outfits I made for very long. I better get sewing again.”

  Was he the only one who glimpsed the rush of longing filling Holly’s face as she held the baby? A second later that look was gone, hidden behind her ever-present smile, leaving Luc even more curious about the sewing that filled her life.

  “You’re using my kids as an excuse to sew something new,” Abby teased as she set the twins in a playpen Cade set up.

  Certain the children were settled and happy with their toys, Holly touched Abby’s arm.

  “Do you have a moment? I’ve been meaning to talk to you but it’s been so hectic.”

  Luc exchanged greetings with Cade who was quickly drawn away by Henry who wanted to show him the piñata. Concerned by the intensity of Holly’s voice, Luc lingered to listen in on the conversation.

  “I’ve been trying to get Petra to confide in me, but it’s not going well.” Holly rubbed the back of her neck. “She’s hiding something about her pregnancy and I’d prefer to know what before she goes into labor.”

  “You think she’s that close?” Abby asked.

  “Pretty sure.” Holly nodded. “I saw her again today. The baby’s dropped.”

  “But she keeps telling me she has almost a month to go.” Abby sighed. “Running Family Ties isn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I appreciate your help, Holly.”

  “Anytime. Family Ties is making a real difference to moms who have nowhere to go to have their babies. I’m really glad you decided to make sheltering them a part of the Family Ties ministry. It takes a lot of stress off the mother when she knows she has a safe place to stay until the birth.” Holly handed Abby a glass of the punch Luc had made earlier. “Or would you rather have coffee?”

  “This is great.” Abby drew him into the conversation. “Luc, your place looks wonderful. I see you’ve added a tree swing for Henry.”

  “And a sandbox. Isn’t that cover ingenious?” Holly enthused with a wink at him. “Luc built it so it keeps the sand clean and dry when Henry’s not using it.”

  “He’s a lucky boy.” Abby’s gaze tracked Henry’s progress as he raced around the yard pretending to be an airplane. “He’s certainly loosening up.”

  “Does that mean the adoption will go through?” Luc asked, wishing he didn’t sound so needy. He knew Holly worried he was investing himself too deeply in an outcome that might not happen.

  “Things are progressing very well,” was all Abby would say. “We have three new boys to find homes for,” she told them. “But they’re babies. Are you interested, Luc?”

  “I want to adopt Henry,” he said, meeting her gaze and holding it. “I have to see that through.”

  “Committed, I see. Good for you. Oh, here comes Hilda. And Mayor Marsha.” Abby turned away to speak to her friends.

  “I’m always intimidated by that woman,” Luc said to Holly in a low tone.

  “Who? Mayor Marsha?” Holly chuckled. “She’s been a real blessing to Abby with Family Ties. She got town council to approve so many things to make the adoption agency possible. Hi, Mayor,” she said.

  “Good to see both of you.” Mayor Marsha winked at Luc then patted Holly’s shoulder. “Good work with Maxine,” she said. “Couldn’t have been easy. I could hear her yelling at you from my office.”

  “Now, Mayor.” Holly’s cheeks wore an interesting shade of pink. “You know that we never hold anything against a woman who’s in
labor. It’s hard work to have a baby.”

  Luc gave Holly a lot of credit for that answer. From the look on her face earlier, he’d guessed she’d been irritated by Maxine as she coached the woman through labor, but if so she wasn’t willing to put down Maxine publicly.

  It was their little secret. He liked sharing it with her. Too bad she wasn’t as open with him about why she was always sewing. They couldn’t all be baby clothes, could they? Buffalo Gap didn’t have that many newborns.

  Luc also wondered if she’d opened her dad’s trunk yet. He’d hinted six ways through Sunday that Holly might find something important inside, but she never seemed to take the bait. Marcus had made him promise that when Holly had mourned enough, Luc would get her to look inside. Luc intended to keep his promise.

  Now he moved through the crowd, noticing how well he and Holly meshed as they welcomed new arrivals and invited the guests to set up their chairs around the big iron tractor rim he’d placed on bare ground to contain a campfire.

  Moments later Mayor Marsha rapped her cane against the table leg to get everyone’s attention. After she’d issued strict warnings to the excited children about going too near the fire pit, Luc lit the tinder he’d laid earlier. He’d been worried about having a campfire but as he looked around, he saw that each parent monitored their children.

  “Pastor Don’s going to say grace for us and then we’ll dig into this delicious food,” Marsha said. “Thank you for hosting us, Luc.”

  Luc nodded then edged through the crowd to squeeze in next to Holly. Just before he bowed his head he felt someone’s stare. He glanced up and saw Marsha watching him with a knowing smile. In a flush of embarrassment that she’d caught him trying to get close to Holly, Luc bowed his head, listening to the words of gratitude as he savored the pleasure of rubbing shoulders with Holly. She’d been right to encourage him to host this potluck. A sense of overwhelming pleasure flooded him that all these people had come to his home. Maybe soon he’d have a son and host another celebration.

  When the grace ended, a line formed at the food table. Luc was relieved to note there were plenty of choices that offered something for everyone. When the children had eaten, Hilda and Henry provided the makings for s’mores. Soon all of the kids and some of the adults were sticky with marshmallows and chocolate.

  “Smart idea to put out basins and water pitchers for wash stations throughout the yard,” Holly whispered as she passed by. “You’re a natural host.”

  Feeling ten feet tall after such praise, Luc made sure everyone had what they needed before grabbing his own plate of food. He deliberately sat next to Pastor Don in a spot away from the others because he wanted to pose some questions to the minister.

  “I’ve prayed and prayed but I still don’t have a strong feeling about God’s plan for me, Pastor,” he explained.

  “Knowing God’s will isn’t like putting a quarter into a machine and getting an answer out, Luc.” The pastor smiled. “Sometimes we wish it was that simple but the truth is, just getting answers to your prayers isn’t enough. The point of prayer is to develop a friendship so you can talk with God. It takes time and patience to understand God, and even more to really hear what He wants to say.”

  “But I thought God had a plan for my life. Why doesn’t He just tell me what it is?” Luc persisted even though he felt slightly foolish for asking.

  “Of course He has a plan.” Pastor Don nodded. “But that doesn’t mean God will dump the complete job description on you like in one of those action movies. I believe that learning our purpose is more of an unfolding that causes us to grow, like a plant that gets rain and sunshine and wind, and slowly matures through all of it.”

  Luc frowned, not totally clear.

  “The way I see it, maybe today God’s purpose was for you to host this potluck, which is delicious by the way.” Don set aside the bones from his fried chicken and smiled at Luc. “Maybe tomorrow His purpose for you will be something far harder.”

  “That sounds ominous.” Luc frowned.

  “It shouldn’t,” Don said. “The point is to listen and be ready. God never asked you to do great things for Him, Luc. What He asks is for you to allow His greatness to shine through you.”

  “You’re saying that learning God’s will isn’t necessarily a ‘Paul on the road to Damascus moment’ that will tell me my future,” Luc said, feeling his way. “It’s more about being available and communing with God so He can tell me my purpose for today?”

  “Yes. It’s not always for us to know the big picture but the more we’re in tune with God, the more we’ll find out His will.” Don rose. “Don’t get frustrated. Be patient. Talk to God. Let Him speak to you. Read Romans 8, especially verses twenty-six to twenty-eight. Then come and talk to me again.”

  “Thanks, Pastor.” Luc grimaced. “I’m sorry to interrupt your dinner.”

  “You didn’t.” Pastor Don chuckled. “Let’s go see if there’s any of that strawberry pie left. I love strawberry pie.”

  “We’re going to have birth—er, cake, too, so leave some room.” Luc moved around the group, picking up discarded plates and cups. He looked for Abby, found her next to Cade, each holding a baby and a bottle. He walked over.

  “I guess you’re looking for the birthday cake,” Abby said in a low voice. “It’s in the back of the truck. Want me to help you?”

  “No, you’re busy. I’ll do it. Just make sure you lead us in the singing,” he reminded.

  “What are you two whispering about?” Holly appeared at his side, a quizzical look on her face.

  “I was going to ask Abby’s help with something but she’s busy. Care to take her place?” He waited, puzzling out how to do this and still surprise her.

  “What do you need?” Holly asked.

  “Could you clear a space on the table and have some plates and forks ready? I’m going to get a special dessert I ordered.” He watched her face, loving the way she bit her bottom lip to stop from asking him what it was. Luc knew how hard that was for curious Holly.

  “No problem,” she agreed.

  “Now I need— Ooh, there you are.” Luc chuckled when Henry suddenly appeared. “Come on, partner.”

  “But what about the piñata?” Henry asked.

  “Okay,” Luc agreed sighing inside at the delay. “We can do that first.”

  Henry dragged Holly with him to watch the kids take turns hitting the rainbow. She cheered as loudly as anyone when it finally spilled candies all over the ground.

  Pockets and cheeks bulging, Henry grinned at Luc while Holly and the other ladies helped clean up the remains of the piñata.

  “Now we can get the cake,” he whispered with a sideways glance at Holly.

  “Not that you’ll be able to eat any of it after stuffing yourself with that candy,” Luc said with a chuckle.

  Henry simply grinned.

  At the truck, Luc found the cake and took off the lid. A box of candles lay tucked to one side, as the bakery had promised. He let Henry stick all twenty-seven candles in the cake then carried it to the table.

  “Happy birthday a day early, Holly,” Luc said while Henry drew her forward.

  Immediately, Henry burst into the birthday song with Abby’s swift support. The guests joined in. Holly stood wide-eyed, trying to smile despite the wetness on her lashes.

  “I thought this was supposed to be a community birthday party,” she scolded when the song was over.

  “It is. But since your birthday’s tomorrow, we wanted to make it a special day for you.” Luc savored her pleasure.

  “Blow out the candles,” Henry demanded. “They’re melting all over the cake.”

  “Smart boy,” Hilda praised as she patted Henry’s shoulder. “Blow, Holly.”

  “There are way too many candles,” Holly joked. She puffed up her cheeks so the kids laughed then blew out all except one candle.

  “That means you’ve got a boyfriend.” Henry’s grin stretched wide as he called out to the other kids. �
��Holly’s got a boyfriend.” Then Henry looked directly at her and said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, “Is it Luc?”

  Luc wished he could melt into the dirt of his ranch as embarrassment turned Holly’s cheeks hot pink. He should have counseled Henry but it was too late to worry about that now. He needed to do something to get the focus off her.

  “Of course I’m her friend,” he said, swallowing his own embarrassment as everyone gawked at them. He grabbed a plate and held it out as Holly cut the cake. “Come on, folks. Let’s see if we can make a dent in Holly’s birthday cake.”

  Thankfully, the group eagerly moved forward. Holly cut large slices that had most of the women groaning and most of the men smacking their lips. When the last guest was served, Luc insisted she enjoy a slice of her cake.

  “It was nice of you to do this, Luc.” Holly spoke softly so the others wouldn’t overhear. “But you didn’t have to.”

  “We all wanted to make your birthday special, even if we are a day early.” For some reason he didn’t comprehend he didn’t want her to know he’d been the instigator. He touched her hand so she would look at him. “I’m sorry if Henry embarrassed you.” Her skin felt warm against his.

  “It was a nice kind of embarrassment,” she murmured before Mayor Marsha called for order.

  “Don’t worry, folks,” Marsha said when someone groaned. “Our only official business tonight is to celebrate Holly’s birthday.” She chuckled. “So let’s visit and enjoy this lovely evening God’s given us. A toast to the birthday girl.”

  There was a loud cheer and a crackly tinkling of plastic glasses. Luc stood in the shadows of the trees savoring the look on Holly’s face as folks handed her one gag gift after another. But his biggest pleasure came when he connected the fairy lights and her face lay bathed in their ethereal glow.

  Holly paused in reading a card and looked up. She seemed to delight in the delicate glow then lowered her head and scanned his yard, not pausing her search until her gaze met his.

  Thank you.

  The silent message hit him loud and clear. Luc nodded and mouthed, You’re welcome.