LITMIR.BIZ

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kids certainly seem to be settling in,” she said.

      “They seem to be. It was tough for a while, though. Justin was acting out and getting in trouble at school, but he’s doing better now. And Kylie no longer has nightmares. Brian still holds back a bit, although I can understand that. It’s hard for him to trust adults. Each one he’s ever had to depend on has abandoned him—one way or another.”

      She’d heard a few scant rumors about the kids, but she didn’t know what was true and what wasn’t.

      “What happened to their mother?” she asked.

      “She was diagnosed with cancer right after Kylie was born and died just before her first birthday. Justin was only two at the time, so Brian’s the only one who was old enough to remember her.”

      “What about their dad?”

      Toby glanced toward the arcade, where the kids continued to play. Still, he kept his voice low. “From what I understand, he wasn’t the kind of guy who could handle responsibility. When Ann, their mom, found out that she was pregnant with Kylie, he left her. And no one has heard from him since.”

      “That’s so sad.” Angie had always been close to her father, and when her parents had split up, it had crushed her. Losing her dad to cancer two years later had been even worse.

      “After Ann died,” Toby continued, “the kids went to live with her sister. But Barbara wasn’t prepared for the challenge of raising two toddlers and a five-year-old. She drank as a way of escape. And the kids seemed to exacerbate her stress—and her need for the bottle.”

      “When did the state step in?” Angie asked.

      “Last year, when Justin’s behavioral problems in school escalated. The authorities were called in to investigate, and that’s when they found out how bad things were at home. Shortly after that, Barbara was arrested. At that point, she was ordered to get in-patient treatment and the children were placed in separate foster homes. I hated the thought of them being split up. Family is important. And they’d lost so much already. So I volunteered to take them in.”

      “That was a big step for a bachelor.”

      He shrugged. “My mom was adopted. It just seemed like a natural way to pay it forward.”

      There it was again. Toby’s altruistic personality. Everything about him was too perfect. Even his slightly mussed hair, which she was still tempted to reach out and touch.

      It had a bit of a curl to it. Was it really as soft as it looked?

      Oh, good grief. Get a grip, girl. She forced herself to stop gawking at him and to keep the conversation going. “So how long have you had them? About six months?”

      “Yes, and I’ll be the first to admit that it was a big adjustment. But it’s getting easier. I actually like having them around. The ranch was too quiet before. You probably can imagine what it was like for me, growing up with all my brothers and sisters. I’m used to noise. Sometimes I feel as if I can’t concentrate unless the decibel level is over ninety-five.”

      Actually, Angie couldn’t imagine what any of that had been like. She didn’t have any siblings. So her house had always been as quiet as a tomb, unless she had friends over.

      “It was the talk of the town when you got custody of the kids,” she said. “Most people didn’t think it would last.”

      “My buddies certainly didn’t think it would.”

      “How about you?” she asked. “How are you holding up?”

      “I’m doing all right, but it’s put a real cramp in my social life.”

      Angie smiled. “You mean with the guys—or romantically speaking?”

      “Romance? What’s that?” Toby laughed. “Actually, if I were even in a position to be looking for a relationship, I’d be in a real fix. Most women go running for the hills when they hear I have three children, even though the situation is supposed to be temporary. Other women look at me as if I’m some kind of hero. But even then, when they’re faced with the reality of dating a man with the responsibility of three kids, they don’t stick around long.”

      Point taken. Toby was making it clear that he wasn’t looking for a relationship. Therefore, Angie now knew this clearly wasn’t a date.

      “Yet here you are,” she said, “out with the kids having burgers, when you could be having a few beers at the Two Moon Saloon and dancing with Horseback Hollow’s most eligible bachelorettes. From what I remember, you were always a pretty good dancer.”

      “I still am. Maybe I’ll prove it to you sometime.” Now, that was a challenge Angie looked forward to. And while the boyish grin on his face suggested that he was teasing, for a moment, for a heartbeat, she’d suspected that he’d been a wee bit serious.

      And if they were ever to lay their secrets out on the table, she’d have to admit that she wouldn’t mind dancing with him, holding him close, swaying to the slow beat of a country love song, her body pressed to his...

      “Seriously, though,” he said, drawing her back to reality, “if I wanted a beer, they’d serve me one in here. But I have enough on my plate without having to worry about dancing and courting the ladies, too.”

      “I hear you.” And she did—loud and clear. He’d said it twice now, which was just as well. Really, it was. “I’m not looking for love, either—although my mother seems to think I should be.”

      “Doris is really hard on you. Why is that?”

      “Because she’s lost all hope of me making a financial success of my life. So if I can’t be the money-making ballbuster she envisions, the least I can do is marry one.”

      “Well, then, Doris can rest assured that you’ll be safe from me. I’m definitely not raking in the dough.”

      Safe from him? Toby couldn’t be more obvious if he was wearing a blinking neon sign. She wanted to say, Okay, I get it. You’re not interested in me.

      But she supposed it wasn’t necessary. Neither one of them was in any position to enter into a romantic relationship right now—with anyone.

      “I wouldn’t let your mother drag you down,” Toby said. “You seem like a happy person. So whatever you’re doing must be working for you.”

      Well, not exactly. While she wasn’t miserable, she’d be a lot happier if she had a full-time job—or at least some direction.

      “I’m doing just fine,” she said.

      Before Toby could respond, Kylie ran up to the table. “Brian won’t let me have a turn driving the race car. He said it’s ’cause I’m a girl. And ’cause my feet won’t reach the pedals. But they will if he lets me sit on his lap.”

      “I have an idea,” Angie said, as she slid out from behind the booth. “I’m going to show you how to play a better game. One that you can play all by yourself.”

      “You’re coming in pretty handy,” Toby said.

      Angie laughed. “I’m just paying for my supper.”

      “At this rate, I’m going to owe you breakfast, too.”

      For a moment, just like the comment about dancing together had done, the overnight innuendo hung in the air. And while they both might have laughed it off, there’d been a brief moment when their gazes had met, a beat when she suspected that neither of them had taken the promise of an early-morning breakfast lightly.

      * * *

      Toby hoped the waitress brought their food soon. Not only was he hungry, but he was down to his last few quarters and wasn’t about to ask for any more change than he had already. Since taking in the kids six months ago, his coin contributions alone could go a long way in refurbishing some of those old games and buying a new one.

      He

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