Unexpected Father Page 8

  “Hey. I’m the daughter of a trucker. I know all about late nights and missed appointments.”

  Her voice held the tiniest edge, which made him wonder, again, about her relationship with Andy.

  The microwave beeped and Evangeline got up to put Ella in her high chair. Denny pulled the food out and then dragged a kitchen chair toward the high chair, sat and set Ella’s food on the tray.

  “Hey, little girl, time for supper,” he said.

  Her lower lip quivered as he scooped up some food on a spoon and got it in her mouth. Then Ella spit, spraying the turkey and sweet potato over the front of Denny’s shirt.

  “Okay, let’s try that again,” Denny said with a forced smile, scooping up another spoonful.

  This time he managed to snatch the spoon back before she spit again. Ella reached her arms up, looking past Denny to where Evangeline stood behind them.

  “I don’t think she likes me,” Denny said.

  “It might help if you talk to her,” Evangeline suggested, coming to stand beside them.

  Denny knew he had to keep his focus on Ella, but he was distracted by the lingering scent of Evangeline’s perfume. It smelled like fresh air and open meadows. She was wearing a draped sweater and a swirly kind of skirt that flowed when she walked.

  A princess, just as Andy had said.

  He swallowed, blaming his wandering attention on the loneliness that caught at him from time to time. Though he yearned to be on his own, and yearned for the peace that might bring him, there were times where he also yearned for companionship. A woman to share his life in every sense of the word.

  He caught himself short, forced himself to stop his thoughts right there. He didn’t have any space in his life for a woman.

  “So what do I talk to her about?” he asked as he gave Ella another spoonful of food. Thankfully this time she took it. “I doubt she follows sports or where the Dow Jones is.”

  Evangeline’s throaty laugh threatened his previous resolve. “Doesn’t matter what you talk about. The sound of your voice is enough to connect with her.”

  He nodded while managing to get another spoonful of food past Ella’s lips. However, he wasn’t about to engage in conversation with a toddler in front of Evangeline.

  “Looks like you’ve got things under control,” Evangeline said. “If you don’t need me anymore, then I’ll leave you two.”

  Denny turned to give her a grateful smile. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your help. Make sure you keep track of your hours.”

  Evangeline waved her hand at him in a gesture of dismissal. “Don’t worry about that. Did you hear from your sister?”

  Guilt and anger stabbed at him. “Yeah. She can’t come yet.” Just then his cell phone went off.

  He yanked it directly out of his pocket. Maybe it was Olivia. Maybe she had changed her mind. He glanced at the phone, curious. Not Olivia but Martha, the wife of the man who was holding his yearlings for him.

  He was about to answer when his phone buzzed again with a text message. Again, not Olivia but one of his truck drivers.

  “You’re busy, let me feed her.” Evangeline took the spoon from his hand and shooed him out of his chair. Reluctantly he got up and let her take over as he answered his phone. The text he would deal with later.

  “Hello, Martha. How are you?” he said as he walked away from Ella and Evangeline.

  “I’m okay but I have bad news.” Her deep sigh coupled with her words created a clench of dread deep in his stomach. Of course. When, in the past few days, had he heard good news?

  “What’s up? The yearlings okay?” he asked, his hand tightening its grip on his cell phone.

  “They’re fine. But Bart isn’t. He’s had a heart attack and is in the hospital.”

  “Oh, no. I’m so sorry to hear that.”

  “It’s been rough, but he’s okay now. Trouble is, the doctor told him to slow down. And that means he can’t take care of your yearlings anymore. They’ll have to be moved right away.”

  Denny dropped his head back, staring unseeingly at the ceiling as if calling down divine intervention. He pulled in a long, slow breath, then another.

  “I’m not ready for them yet,” he said, stifling the rising sense of panic that seemed to be his constant companion since he’d come to Hartley Creek.

  His supposed place of refuge and quiet.

  “Well, I’m sorry, but Bart can’t do the work anymore. Those yearlings have to be moved. In fact, I’ll probably have to sell the cows, too.”

  Denny forced his spinning brain to slow down.

  Think. Break it down.

  “Let me make a few calls and I’ll get back to you. And say hi to Bart. Tell him to get better soon.”

  “I will, and again, I’m sorry, but you’ll need to do this in the next two days.”

  “Of course. I’ll see what I can do.” Denny murmured another platitude and ended the call. He then checked his text message. It was Carlos telling him that he was taking care of oil changes on Denny’s trucks.

  “That didn’t sound good,” Evangeline said.

  Denny turned to her, not sure he wanted to dump this on her. His life was a steady progression from bad to worse to disaster.

  “So, sounds like you’ve got more work ahead of you,” Evangeline said as she finished giving Ella her food.

  Denny knew he couldn’t keep it from her. “I’ve got to move my cows in the next two days.”

  “Will you be able to? I thought the fences on the ranch needed work,” she said, taking a damp cloth and quickly wiping Ella’s face.

  “They do. I’ll have to buy hay to feed them in the corrals until I get that done. And I don’t know where I’m going to get the hay.” And he had to run his gravel hauling business and try to keep Ella happy. He glanced over at his daughter, who was watching him again, her expression as solemn as a judge.

  Fail on all counts, Denny thought, catching his lower lip between his teeth.

  Break it down. Break it down. What’s the next step?

  “Shall I get Ella ready for bed?” Evangeline asked.

  Denny was already so deeply indebted to her he could never pay her back. “No. She’s my daughter. I’ll take care of her.”

  Evangeline nodded as she tidied up the remainders of Ella’s food. “Then I’ll leave you alone.”

  “Thanks again,” Denny said, giving her a weary smile. “I can’t begin to let you know how much I appreciate your help.”

  “That’s what neighbors do,” she said with an airy wave of her hand. She patted Ella on the cheek then left.

  As she closed the door an eerie quiet fell on the apartment.

  He looked over at Ella, who was staring at him, her lower lip quivering.

  Please, don’t start crying.

  Then he thought of what Evangeline had told him.

  “So I’m supposed to talk to you,” he said to Ella as he picked her up out of the high chair. “Though I kind of think it will be a one-sided conversation. Sort of like talking to Steve, my truck driver. He doesn’t listen too well, but hey, he shows up and knows how to double clutch like who knows what.”

  Ella’s lip stopped quivering and she blinked at him.

  Guess Evangeline was right.

  “You know, babe, it’s just you and me,” he continued. “I don’t know why your mom or grandparents didn’t tell me about you, but you’re here now.”

  He carried her to the bedroom to get a clean sleeper. “So now I need to change you for the night and hopefully you’ll go to bed and sleep like a trucker. Because sleeping like a baby isn’t working too well for you.” He was taken aback as he unbuttoned the little pink dress she wore. He didn’t remember seeing it in the suitcase he had unpacked. “Did you have this when you came?” he aske
d Ella, who was chewing on her fist, her dark eyes latched on to his as if still trying to figure out who he was. “I don’t recognize it. Looks brand-new.”

  He shrugged and set it aside. “Not that I have time to solve that mystery. I have to find a way to move my cows and run my trucks and take care of you. Though it seems that Auntie Evangeline is helpful there. Trouble is, we’re both strangers to her. And I kind of think her first impression of me wasn’t great, though she seems to have warmed up. A bit. Kind of like you.” He grinned as Ella blew a spit bubble, holding her clasped hands in the air. “See, you just need to get to know me. Though my life is kind of like a truck without brakes on a runaway lane. Just going, going with no control.” He sighed as he changed her diaper, thankful she was quiet. So he kept talking.

  “All my life I’ve prayed that I would get married and have kids and live on a ranch. Trouble was, I kind of thought it would come as a package. Not piecemeal like this.” He zipped up her sleeper then stood her up in front of him, her brown, heavily lashed eyes looking back at him with an expression that tugged at a memory.

  Was he seeing things or did Ella resemble his sister Adrianna? He caught a glimpse of his sister in the dimple in Ella’s cheek, the narrow bridge of her nose and the curl of her mouth.

  “Hey, are you smiling at me?” He jiggled her and to his surprise, her mouth broke into a full-fledged smile. “You are smiling. You think I’m funny?”

  He was rewarded with a burbling giggle that caused a peculiar curl in his stomach. He grinned back at her as she giggled again.

  Then he took a chance and pulled her close. To his surprise and shock, she didn’t resist. And then, after a moment, she laid her head against his shoulder. Her cheek was warm, soft and tender.

  In that moment of connection, Denny felt his defenses melt like snow in the sunshine.

  He patted her back, surprised at the affection coursing through him.

  With a gentle laugh, he carefully got to his feet and walked to the kitchen. He poured milk into her cup with one hand and set it in the microwave. While it hummed, he pulled his head back to look at Ella, who still lay cuddled up against him. “So, babe, you got any ideas of what I should do with the gravel trucks? No? How about the cows?”

  She turned her head at the sound of his voice and gave him another slow smile.

  He laid his chin on her head and released a gentle sigh.

  “If you come up with any ideas, let me know. I got a ton of phone calls to make to corral this new mess in my life. I had to hire a new trucker and get Carlos to manage the business. I won’t make as much, but it will give me more time for you and the ranch,” he said with a light sigh.

  The microwave beeped and a few moments later he sat back on the couch, his feet up on the table, his arms curled around Ella’s soft, cuddly warmth as she sucked back her milk. She stared up at him, smiled around the spout of the cup and then returned to her vigorous drinking.

  He laughed as he gave her a quick hug, and for the first time since he’d come to Hartley Creek, he felt a welcome peace steal over him.

  Evangeline was right. Things would come together.

  But even as thoughts of Evangeline and the faint attraction he felt for her slipped into his mind, he felt a hook in his heart. He had a little girl and a life that was a jumble of half-baked plans and work.

  He had nothing to give a woman like her.

  Don’t even go there, he thought, looking at Ella. She’s not the woman for you and you’re not the man for her.

  Not now, not ever.

  Chapter Seven

  “She is adorabubble.” Renee Albertson curled her hands around her mug of coffee and gave Ella a quick smile.

  Ella banged a wooden spoon on the table of her wooden high chair, netting her a few more grins from the other patrons of Mug Shots, a local coffee shop where Evangeline had agreed to meet her friend Renee to help plan her wedding.

  It was Monday morning and the buzz of conversation ebbed and flowed around them as Evangeline sipped at her cup of herbal tea.

  “How long do you think you can take care of her?” Renee asked, concern edging her voice.

  Evangeline handed Ella another piece of blueberry scone, which she shoved into her mouth, crumbs flying.

  “I don’t know. I said I would help for now, because I can’t find anyone willing or able to take care of her for the length of time Denny will be working.”

  “Poor kid,” Renee said, cutting up one of her own grapes and setting it on Ella’s tray. “What a business, getting dumped on a complete stranger. Good thing she’s so young.”

  “Yeah, but she was plenty upset the first couple of days.” Evangeline easily remembered Ella’s heart-wrenching sobs when Denny’s sister-in-law had dropped her off with Denny. “But she’s getting better. Aren’t you, my little muffin?” Evangeline said, giving Ella another smile and another piece of scone.

  Renee sat back, a pensive look on her face as she twirled a lock of auburn hair around her finger. “You better be careful you don’t burn out, my friend,” she said with a somber tone. “You’ve got your plans for the store—”

  “Plans I might have to shelve, since I doubt Andy is signing the store over to me anytime soon.” She smiled to counteract the bitter note in her voice. “And how is your mother doing in that therapy program?” she asked, changing the subject. She didn’t want to think about what she’d do if Andy never signed the store over to her. It was too scary to imagine that empty future. “Do they think her spinal injury will heal enough for her to walk again?”

  Renee’s smile lit up her face as she latched on to Evangeline’s change in topic. “She plans on walking down the aisle when she marries Zach’s father. She was hinting at a double wedding with me and Zach, but I told her Zach and I didn’t want to overshadow her special day.”

  “Two weddings are more exciting,” Evangeline said, trying not to allow a hint of envy to creep into her voice. “So now that we decided on colors and a venue, when can you meet with Mia to talk about flowers?”

  “Next week, and then I guess I’ll have to contact Larissa about using the Morrisey Creek Inn.” Renee gave Evangeline an enigmatic smile. “So, enough about the wedding. Why don’t you tell me more about Ella’s father? He seems like a nice guy.”

  Evangeline ignored her friend’s comment and the underlying expectation in Renee’s voice. She didn’t want to talk about Denny. He was most definitely not the type of man she wanted to get involved with.

  Then someone stopped at their table.

  Evangeline looked up at Captain Jeff Deptuck, who stood beside the table, holding a take-out coffee cup. He wore his fireman’s uniform—dark pants and shirt with the logo of the Hartley Creek Fire Department on his shoulder. Very official.

  “So, Miss Evangeline, what have you been keeping from your friends at book club?” he asked, pointing his coffee cup at Ella.

  “She’s Denny Norquest’s little girl,” Evangeline replied. “I’m taking care of her while he gets his gravel trucks ready.”

  “Is he the guy who showed up at the end of book club the other night?”

  “Yes. He lives behind the store. In my father’s old apartment.”

  Jeff gave her a sly wink. “Handy.”

  Evangeline ignored his insinuation. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

  “Just wondering how I can get a copy of that book we’re doing for book club. You don’t have any at the store.”

  “The warehouse is still out of it,” said Evangeline.

  “I think Angie is finished hers,” Renee broke in with a sly look.

  Jeff nodded slowly, considering this piece of information, a slow grin spreading across his face. “I’ll have to check that out.” He saluted them with his coffee cup and left.

  “A man with a missio
n,” Renee said. She turned to Evangeline. “He’s a great guy. A fireman. A hero.”

  “But he’s got a thing for Angie,” Evangeline said. “And I’m not interested. Still getting over Tyler.”

  “You were never into Tyler enough to have much to get over,” Renee scolded. “It wasn’t a matter of if you would break up, it was a matter of when. Besides, he was never the hero type.”

  “Heroes are few and far between,” Evangeline agreed with a heavy sigh.

  “And then there’s Denny.”

  Evangeline shook her head so fast, her hair came loose from the clip that swept it to one side of her face. “He’s definitely not hero material.”

  “I saw him in church yesterday.”

  And why had her friend made that particular conversational leap?

  “And you weren’t,” Renee gently added.

  Evangeline lifted her shoulder in a vague shrug as she realized where Renee was going. “I was catching up on bookkeeping and canceling some of the orders I made for my so-called expansion.”

  “Pastor Blacketer had a good sermon. You should have been there,” Renee chided in a way that only a good friend could. “You attended church at one time. Before Tyler. Why don’t you come again?”

  “I’ve just been busy with my plans for the store. Conferences, phone calls.” Her excuses sounded lame, even to her own ears. She knew there was an emptiness in her soul she’d been trying to fill by keeping busy with the store. But of late the void had grown larger. Deeper.

  She knew it was a yearning for the God she’d once had a close relationship with.

  “You could still come,” Renee urged in her quiet, persistent way.

  Before Evangeline could form another excuse, her phone buzzed. When she saw Denny’s name on the call display, she felt an unwelcome flare of anticipation. She lowered her head as she answered the phone, hoping her hair would cover her reaction.

  “Hello, what can I do for you?” she asked, keeping her tone formal.

  “How’s Ella behaving for you?”

  His concern for his daughter was surprising and touching. “She’s sitting here eating a blueberry scone. Renee is feeding her grapes.”