LITMIR.BIZ

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new to town, too,” Maddie said with a friendly smile. “So am I and so is Darcy.”

      “We’re going shopping after lunch,” Darcy said.

      “That’ll be nice. Enjoy your lunch,” Sadie said with a timid smile. She turned and headed for the counter.

      Ty slid back onto the seat. “Guess Darcy and I need to start going to church come Sunday.”

      “Don’t you normally?” Maddie asked.

      He shrugged. “I try to make it most of the time. Sometimes there’re things at the ranch that need attention that can’t wait. Jeb’s a good preacher. First I’ve known.”

      This was more information than he’d revealed in all the short time she’d known him.

      “Why’s that?”

      “Didn’t know the Lord until a few years ago,” he said gruffly.

      Maddie wondered why that was. She couldn’t remember when she didn’t have a close relationship with Jesus. Rachel had not only been there to take care of them when their father was studying and working, she’d brought all of them to the Lord. What a blessing she’d been to Maddie’s life.

      “Can I get jeans and boots and a cowboy hat?” Darcy asked. “Then I’ll be ready to ride a horse.”

      Ty looked at her and nodded, his expression softening slightly. Maddie loved watching Ty interact with his daughter. Sometimes he looked baffled, other times charmed. She liked it most when he smiled—at Darcy or her. Especially when he smiled at her.

      Maddie wished she knew what to do to bring the two of them closer. Time would help. But it was hard to sit by and do nothing.

      Darcy looked at her. “If you buy boots and a hat, you can ride, too. He can teach you.”

      Ty looked at Maddie, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

      “That’s all it takes,” he said.

      Maddie laughed. “If only. I’ll see what’s there. No guarantee that because I dress the part, I’ll be a cowgirl,” she said to Darcy.

      Ty shook his head, the amusement vanishing. “No. Highly unlikely, I’d say.”

      Annoyed she’d said anything, Maddie didn’t know how to convince him he could trust her not to run back to Fort Worth anytime soon.

      Time would help with that as well.

      “Can we buy a storybook?” Darcy asked. “Maddie’s telling me the bestest story, but I want her to read me some books Mommy used to like,” Darcy said.

      “That can be arranged,” Ty said.

      Their food arrived and the next few minutes were devoted to eating.

      It was awkward being the only one making conversation, so Maddie was glad for the diversion of their lunch. Once finished, they’d be heading to the store.

      The Feed and Grain was on the edge of town. Ty turned into the huge gravel parking lot and pulled up to the wide wooden porch, which ran the full width of the building and contained stacked dog crates, rolls of wire fencing of various heights, a small enclosed area with baby chicks and an assortment of decorative items for a garden.

      To the side was a cavernous, barnlike warehouse loaded with hay, straw, alfalfa and brown sacks Maddie hadn’t a clue what they were. A forklift was maneuvering bales of hay into the back of a pickup.

      Inside, the building was clearly divided into clothing and items for livestock, fencing and chicken feed. They headed to the clothing side. Shelves reaching the ceiling held boxes of boots of all varieties and sizes, work shoes and cowboy hats. Racks of clothing included jeans, long, dark duster raincoats, colorful shirts in all sizes and denim jackets.

      “Wow,” Maddie said. “One-stop shopping for Western wear.”

      Ty looked at her, then around the store. “I’ve been shopping here the last eight years. Nothing fancy, but good, practical clothing. What size does she wear?” he asked, heading to the edge where children’s clothing was displayed.

      Maddie picked up his vibe—the sooner they got this over with, the sooner they could return home. “I don’t know. She’ll probably have to try a few things on so we can gauge that. Once we know her size, we can go from there.”

      The three of them looked at the different shirts. Maddie held several Darcy liked up to her, judging her size. Satisfied, she draped them over her arm. She thought these would fit the child. They moved on to jeans.

      Maddie could feel Ty’s impatience grow. He said nothing, but she could tell he didn’t like hanging around and discussing which jeans would fit and be suitable for the ranch. Maddie understood to a point. Jeans were jeans, but some were fancier than others. She hesitated over a pair that had rhinestones on the pocket. Somehow she couldn’t see Ty Garland being impressed. Not that she necessarily wanted to impress him. Well, maybe a little. Enough so he wouldn’t cast her in the same light as his ex-wife.

      Fortunately, Darcy liked the plain ones and soon she was trying clothes on in one of the dressing booths at the back of the store. Maddie, knowing her own size, grabbed a few items to try on as well.

      Ty leaned against one of the posts holding up the ceiling as he waited for the two to decide if they’d be buying the clothes they selected or not. He didn’t know about buying things for a little girl. Grateful for Maddie’s assistance, he couldn’t help wishing it took less time. When he needed new clothes, he came in, picked up an assortment and left. No trying-on needed.

      They still had boots and hats and maybe a jacket or two to get.

      When Darcy stepped out of the fitting room a minute later, he felt his heart catch. She looked adorable. The yellow top was perfect with her brown hair. The jeans made her look taller than he’d expected. It wouldn’t be too long before she grew up completely. For a moment he was shaken that he’d almost missed all this. Anger against Brittany burned.

      “Where’s Maddie?” she asked, looking around.

      “Right here,” she said, stepping out.

      He looked at her. For a moment she looked exactly like Violet—jeans, yellow shirt. She’d even pulled her hair behind her ears, which helped with the effect. She may look like Violet sometimes, but he could tell the difference in a heartbeat. Maddie was special, had a manner about her that he found intriguing and appealing. Like now—dressing the part for Darcy. Her sweetness was a balm to him after the hard ending to his marriage. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was a cowgirl from way back, dressed up for some rodeo event.

      He looked away. It was highly unlikely she’d ever remain on the ranch. She was a city girl looking for work. No use getting used to her being around. Though he couldn’t help stealing a quick glance as she had Darcy turn around, testing the fit at the shoulders and waist. “Perfect. Now that we know your size, we can buy more things without trying them on.”

      Darcy looked at her. “You look like Violet now,” she said, unconsciously echoing Ty’s thoughts.

      “I always look like her—we’re twins,” she said.

      Darcy shook her head. “Not with the other clothes. Now you look like you belong.”

      Maddie gave the child a hug. “Thanks. So do you.”

      “Looks can be deceiving,” Ty muttered.

      Maddie frowned. “Or not. I may not be a cowgirl from way back, but I can learn.”

      He shook his head. The jury was still out on that one.

      Once they each had a stack of clothes, they moved to try on hats. Fortunately there were a couple of small ones for Darcy, as the first one she tried on fell below her ears and completely covered her eyes.

      Boots proved the most difficult to buy. Explaining what to look for and how they should feel was

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