Chapter 3
Nearly forty-five minutes later,Megan scrubbed her hands in the small half-bathroom.
The cold water was a shock to hersystem.
Who was the woman in the mirror? Wisps of hair had escaped the clasp at the back of her neck and framed her face. Her cheeks were flushed, probably from the exertion of hustling across the fields to the ranch house. Maybe from seeing Dan again. Her eyes were even sparkling a little, something she hadn't seen in the mirror since Emma'sdeath.
Enough of that. Single moms didn't have time to gawk at themselves in the mirror. Time to gather up the kids and headhome.
She couldn't help glancing around as she left the bathroom. Earlier, she'd been too concerned about Kelsey to care about hersurroundings.
The Triple H ranch must do well for itself. The house was furnished just the way she would've done it. Warm and homey. Family pictures everywhere, including photos of a princess—Matt Hale's sister-in-law. Books scatteredeverywhere.
Why did the ranch house feel like home so effortlessly, when Megan had spent countless hours trying to transform the bungalow in town to a place where Julianne and Brady would feel comfortable? She didn't have the touch, apparently. Or maybe it was her they didn't feel at homewith.
Kelsey had claimed the books as hers. She'd still been explaining her pre-eclampsia diagnosis when Dan and Brady had appeared, the boy clutching Megan's black medical bag to hismiddle.
Matt Hale had shown Brady to the office, where Julianne was already watching TV. Dan had disappeared, but Megan couldn't forget the concern in his eyes. Kelsey mattered to him. Were they related?Friends?
By the time she'd taken Kelsey's vitals and found the baby's heartbeat the old school way—by stethoscope—the pregnant woman had stabilized. Her blood pressure had been slightly up, but they'd called Kelsey's obstetrician on speakerphone, and the consensus was that a late-night visit to the ER would do more harm than good. Kelsey had promised to come in for an office visit first thing Mondaymorning.
Megan had excused herself to wash up, unable to block out Matt Hale's quiet dressing down of hiswife.
Megan only hoped the woman would listen. Pre-eclampsia was nothing to joke about. It was dangerous for both mom and baby, and even though bed rest had to be difficult for someone as active as Kelsey—a runner and former Olympic champion—it wasnecessary.
Not wanting to interrupt, Megan exited the bathroom and tiptoed down the hall. Lights flickered, and flat noise came from under a door midway down the hall. Must be theoffice.
But only Julianne was inside, her eyes glued to the cartoon characters on thescreen.
"Where's Brady?" Megan glanced back down the hall, but she hadn't passed him, and no lights had been on in otherrooms.
Julianne's eyes went to thefloor.
"Where is he?" Megan's heart started thundering against her breastbone. She'd set the rules for areason.
"He really wanted to watch the rest of the rodeo," Julianne said in a smallvoice.
Panic spiked. There were so many things that could happen to a little boy byhimself.
"Come with me right now." Megan knew her voice was betraying heranxiety.
Megan grabbed the girl's arm as they hit the back porch. The fields were dark for nearly a quarter of a mile until the arena lights flooded the action over there. So many places a boy could stumble and fall. Sprain his ankle. Getlost.
"The next time your brother does something stupid, you come and get me," shemuttered.
Julianne's voice was still tiny. "But you said not to interruptyou."
She had said that. It hadn't even crossed her mind that Brady would leave the house. He didn't even know anybodyhere.
What was hethinking?
Dan hadbeat feet back to the rodeo. Not because he didn't want to be around Megan, but he knew Nate expected him back. Though there were plenty of cowboys around, this rodeo was the Triple H'sresponsibility.
One of the stock contractors had relieved him when the bronc busting started. The men were particular about their stock—with good reason, the rodeo association had rules to protect the animals—and wanted to ensure their expensive stock got into the arena allright.
Nate wasn't around to give him another job, and it'd gotten dark and crowded enough that Dan could hang around the shadowed side of the arena without causing a ruckus. He tried to relax into the feel of the metal railing beneath his hands. Loosen up his neck and gaze at the sky between competitors. The stars wereout.
The aura surrounding the arena had changed. With the kids' competitions out of the way, the adult riders were all business. Even the crowd's cheers had changed, louder and more raucous as the night woreon.
