LITMIR.BIZ

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going to.”

      “Okay, Poppy, that’ll be enough,” Dorothy said, coming up behind them in time to hear the child’s last remark.

      “But Daddy said—”

      “We don’t repeat what others say, do we? Now, wash up and we’ll start lunch.” Dorothy lifted her gaze. “Morgan’s having a plate in his study. He tends to...focus on his work. But we’re still glad to have you join us.”

      “I don’t want to be any trouble,” Tessa reminded her. “I’m not that hungry.”

      “Then hopefully, you’ll appreciate a simple meal. I made sliders.”

      Tessa raised her eyebrows, thinking the term was a progressive reference, one she hadn’t expected.

      Dorothy reached for a dish towel. “Now, I know they’re just small hamburgers, but Poppy had them at lunch in Houston with her dad and thought they were so much better than full-size hamburgers.” Dorothy rolled her eyes. “So, now we have lots of little burgers. I made a salad in case you eat healthy. I sneak veggies in, too.”

      “Sounds good. I don’t have any dietary restrictions. I suppose I should, but I pretty much eat what I like. Then I run or walk long enough every day to burn some of it off.”

      Dorothy’s eyes were observant but kind. “Doesn’t look like you need to.”

      Tessa had lost weight unintentionally since the separation and divorce. These days nothing perked her appetite. But she didn’t want to seem ungrateful.

      “Can I sit next to you?” Poppy was asking, having returned to gaze up at her intently.

      “If it’s all right with Dorothy,” Tessa replied, swimming in uncertain waters.

      “Lunch is always casual,” Dorothy replied. “Unless it’s some do, which we haven’t had in a long time.”

      “I saw you all dressed pretty,” Poppy chimed in. “Before.”

      The child must have silently darted in and out earlier. Tessa was certain she wouldn’t have forgotten this little one. Poppy smiled, dimpling her cherubic face. “Can I sit by you?” she asked again.

      Tessa melted. What a little charmer.

      Dorothy deftly changed the positions of the settings so that they were side by side rather than across the table from one another.

      Tessa noticed only the two plates. “Aren’t you and your husband having lunch, too?”

      Shaking her head, Dorothy placed a colorful bowl of salad on the table. “Alvin’s in town running some errands. Probably sounds silly, but I’ll eat with him when he gets back. After being married over forty years, I’m used to seeing his face across the table from me.”

      Incredibly sweet. The kind of future Tessa had always envisioned for herself. “I...I think it’s nice.”

      “Poppy and I are going to make chocolate-chip bars after lunch. Be good for dessert when Alvin and I eat.”

      “I get to mix ’em,” Poppy told her. “And the most bestest part—put the chocolate in the bowl.”

      “A few of the chips always take a detour,” Dorothy admitted cheerfully.

      Poppy smiled brightly, huge blue eyes staring up at her, unblinking.

      If she and Karl had adopted, it was possible she would have a child just Poppy’s age by now. Tessa swallowed the growing lump in her throat.

      Cindy had told her that Poppy’s mother died when she was only a few days old. Fate could be cruel. Here she sat, next to a child who would never know her mother, while Tessa herself would never have a daughter.

      Damaged. The word was like a curse, blanketing her in desperate pain. Had Lucy Harper been similarly cursed? Because, for the life of her, Tessa couldn’t understand why their places hadn’t been exchanged. All of her own dreams had been filled with a husband and family. And for a few fleeting days, Lucy Harper had had that. Now, Tessa was sitting next to the beautiful child and silent wishes stirred the air, pierced her heart.

      Just then Poppy touched her hand. Baby soft and sweet. And Tessa made herself smile, wondering if her smile would ever inwardly blossom again.

       Chapter Two

      Early Monday morning, Morgan studied the lengthy contract. His attorney would examine the legal wording, but Morgan had to be certain the terms profited Harper Petroleum. Big oil was still big business in Texas. And along with oil came petroleum transportation companies that were huge in comparison to his own operation. Harper was one of the few independents left not swallowed up by the deep pockets of corporate greed. And even though his company’s size made it challenging for him to stay competitive, he was determined to remain independent.

      Morgan knew the names of all his drivers, gaugers, mechanics, hub and office staff. He’d never viewed them as a lump of people. Each was an individual. Nearly all had families depending on them. And all depended on Harper Petroleum for their jobs. While his company wasn’t a nonprofit, it had never undercut salaries to ratchet up the profit margin. He knew that wasn’t the case with a lot of his competitors.

      With the exception of Poppy, the past four years had been a nightmare. Every day, it was a struggle to keep his head above water in the cutthroat business, while balancing home and work. He never wanted to shortchange his daughter, which was why he spent so many days working from home. There had always been a fully equipped office at the house, dating back to when his grandfather had been at the helm. But it had been used only when necessary, not as a routine practice. The offices in town, needed to impress clients, were still kept up. Entering them, no one would detect that he wasn’t often in residence.

      The aching in his head increased. Try to forget, to let go. Advice that he neither asked for nor wanted was offered on a continual basis. Lifelong friends thought he should compartmentalize his feelings, allowing his love for Poppy to flow while at the same time shutting off his continuing love and grief for his late wife. His daughter was a miniature replica of her mother. Lucy would have adored her beautiful, winsome child. He could imagine the twin sets of matching eyes that twinkled, mouths that would burst with laughter.

      But there had been no laughter within him since she died. Well...with the exception of when he was with Poppy. She could coax a smile from him when he was certain his heart had turned to stone. And, along with the love, he had developed a protective streak that was near manic.

      He hadn’t told Tessa, but he’d run a full background check on her prior to the interview. Initially, everyone who worked at the house full-time and part-time had been with the Harper family for years and could be trusted. Since Poppy’s birth, every new hire, regardless of position, went through the same background check.

      Miss Ellis had told him he was overreacting, but that was what he’d been told when he had seen the first signs in Lucy’s eyes that something was wrong. Of course she was tired, the doctor had assured him. Brand-new mothers were exhausted. But Lucy wasn’t simply tired. The aneurism that had blasted through her brain was sudden and final.

      He hadn’t believed it at first. God wouldn’t be that cruel. Give with one hand and grab with the other fist. Lucy had been one of the kindest people in the world. Her death just didn’t make sense in any possible way. There was no lesson to learn, no grievance that had been satisfied. No, his beautiful wife had been snatched away just when her dearest dream, a baby, had come into her life.

      A light knock on the study door startled him. He whirled around, eyebrows drawn downward, his mouth forming a ferocious frown. “What?”

      “Excuse me, Mr. Harper,” Tessa began tentatively. “You didn’t say what time you wanted to begin today. I can come back if you’re busy.”

      “No!” Realizing he had barked at

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