“Are you all right, Mr. Grinchly?” Inez asked, her voice tentative and worried.
No, he wasn’t all right. He was far from all right. But he refused to admit it aloud; he had an image to maintain. Eb opened his eyes, and his gaze fell on the child. Was thisher? Those old feelings gave a shove against his wall again, but he firmly forced them down. He must assess the situation logically.
“I’m fine,” he said. “Merely surprised.”
Intending to question the child, he opened his mouth. The difference in their heights struck him. She was so tiny. Eb’s six feet must make him seem like a giant to her. He squatted down, so their eyes were level, though he didn’t move any closer.
“Is your mother Paige Britton?”
At Eb’s question, the little girl nodded, and the women gasped.
“I thought she looked familiar,” Inez muttered.
He cringed mentally, thinking about how hard he’d worked to keep his past from public knowledge. As much as he enjoyed his job and the camaraderie of the staff, Eb had no illusion the work environment wasn’t also a petri dish for gossip. And now all the resort employees would know. He looked up at the women.
“For the benefit of the child, I expect neither of you to mention this to anyone.” Eb could be fierce when he needed to, something he’d had to learn after Paige dumped him. “And I will know who to look to should word get back to me about this. Am I understood?”
The women nodded, though Inez wore an indignant expression at the suggestion she wasn’t discreet. He shifted his gaze back to the child, worried the sternness in his voice might have upset her. From the trembling of the little girl’s bottom lip, he had no doubt she would lose it soon. He’d have to get answers quickly.
“Did your mother tell you why she brought you here?”
“To live with my daddy.” Her small face scrunched up, her voice turning into a wail. “Are you my daddy?”
Eb hesitated only a moment, his heart going out to this poor, unwanted waif.
“I believe I may be.”
With those words, she threw herself into his arms and burst into tears.
CHAPTERTWO
Watching the fall leaves at their peak, Sandra Faragher sighed happily as she drove into the ski resort parking lot. After growing up in Southern California, she absolutelylovedliving in a place with four seasons. Even if it meant she’d had to buy a winter wardrobe. Cold weather clothing had turned out to be surprisingly cute.
She would never understand Walt Kinkade. When her boss had confessed to her last fall that he’d been raised in Huckleberry Falls, he could have knocked her over with a feather. He’d moved away and not come back for thirty-five years.On purpose.
And how he’d changed in the last twelve months. Sandra stepped from her car, still smiling. It’d been like he’d worn a costume all the years he’d lived in California, as though he’d been acting a part. And now the real man could finally show himself. In the process, he’d helped Sandra get out of her own rut.
And today she would pay it forward. She was determined to convince Eb Grinchly to ride the ski lift with her to see the fall colors. The poor man was even more stuck-in-a-rut than she’d been last year. When she proposed the trip to him this afternoon, he would no doubt think her crazy—but so what? Friends watched out for friends.
Eb was a hard one to get close to, even as friends. Since they often attended the same events, they’d started hanging out with each other at them. After ten months, he still acted formal and closed off, though he’d slowly begun to relax. A little. Someday, she hoped he would come to trust her enough to explain what he was so afraid of.
With that positive thought, she stepped into the resort’s administrative reception area. As soon as she entered the room, the tension there made her pause. Eb kneeled on the floor by the front counter with a sobbing child clinging to him. The poor guy was obviously out of his comfort zone, but Inez and the receptionist only gaped at him. So Sandra hurried over.
“Ah, who’s this little sweetie?” She held out her arms to the child, hoping to give Eb a chance to stand. To her surprise, the girl reached up for Sandra to take her. “My goodness, how big you are! You must be, what? Seven years old? No, eight,” she teased.
The child had stopped crying and giggled while Eb rose and brushed off his slacks.
“I’m four.” The little girl held up her right hand and showed the correct number of fingers.
“What a fun age to be. I’m Sandra. What’s your name?”
“Rue.”
“I like your name. One of my favorite players is named Rue. Do you know how to play soccer?” The child looked at Sandra blankly, and she laughed. What an adorable little girl. Bouncing her on a hip, Sandra glanced at Eb. “I know I’m early for my appointment, but I was hoping to convince you to have our meeting outside. We can see the fall colors too and discuss the Santa Run while we’re on the lift.”
Indecision crossed his face, and he looked at the child. His expression lifted, and he met Sandra’s gaze. “I’m afraid we must reschedule our appointment. It appears I have a visitor.”
Sandra had no idea what was going on here, but she could tell now the child was not just a stray kid. And the way the little girl kept patting Eb’s shoulder meant she had some kind of connection to him. They’d been attending the same events for nearly a year, and he’d never mentioned having a child. But why the suitcase and backpack on the floor, then?
