“You can tell me anything,” I encouraged.
She softened then. “You’re such a good man,” She said almost to herself, and my body relaxed.
“What is it, Ella? You got triplets in there instead of twins?”
She laughed at my joke. “No. But…I’m moving to France to be with my mother for a year. I’ll go right after the twins are born. I can’t do this alone.”
It was like a knife to my heart, my biggest fear. I took two steps closer to her. “You could stay here. You won’t be alone. Maggie and I can help. You can move in with me and stay in the guest room and?—”
She reached out and drew her fingers over my lips, and my heart skipped a beat.
Was there desire in her eyes, or did I imagine it?
“I can’t heal from the loss of my husband while raising my twins with the handsome single cowboy next door,” she said flatly.
She called me handsome. That was the only thing I took from that sentence at first, but then the rest of her words wormed their way into my heart, and all I felt wasloss and pain. She was leaving; I’d come on too strong, and now, she was leaving.
She pulled her fingers from my lips, and I nodded.
“Whatever makes you happy.” I mustered a soft smile.
She reached out and tapped my chest. “You’re a good man, Seth. I have two months until maternity leave, so I’ll work until then?”
No. No. No.Don’t go. I’ll back off, and you can stay, and your mom can live here. I’ll even pay for it. Lord, don’t let her go.
“Okay.” That was what I said instead. “Maggie is gonna have to start doing the paperwork again. I know she’ll love that.” My voice was sarcastic, light, easy.
Ella smiled. “I’m gonna go tell her. I’ll be right back.”
I swallowed hard. “What are you doing with the house? Selling?”
She’d leave, and I’d never see her again.
She winced as if my words caused her physical pain. “I hope not. I’m still waiting on God to work out the details.”
That made me feel better. Heck, I’d rent the place from her for a year and turn it into an office if that’s what it took.
“You gonna apply for a French visa for your diaper chicken?” I asked.
She frowned, looking sad, and I wished I hadn’t joked about her beloved feathered friend. “I’m still working that out, too.” Tears lined her eyes.
Seeing tears in that woman’s eyes just about killed me. “I’m sorry. I was joking. If you need someone to watch Honey. I could probably?—”
“Would you, Seth?” She threw herself into my arms andclung to my chest in desperation, and the smell of her coconut shampoo overloaded my good sense.
Diaper chicken in my house? Never.
“Of course I would,” I told her.
Relief rushed over her face, and she looked up at the ceiling. “See, God’s working it all out,” she said before she left the room.
My heart slid into my stomach when I realized I’d just fixed a very big problem for her and made it easier for her to go.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Ella
Within a month of my mom leaving, I found a tenant who wanted to rent the house for the next year and take care of the animals as a part of the deal when I left for Paris. They were friends with Ruthie, a young husband and wife who were building a farmhouse down the street and needed a place to live while the construction was going on. They had both grown up on farms breeding goats and chickens, so they loved the idea of taking care of Bliss and my little gang. The money they were paying would cover my mortgage, and they were willing to wait to move in until I was ready to go to France in a few months with the babies.
