“What about macho men?” Alex pulled Francie into his arms and kissed her.
She shot Ahri a quick glance, and both women laughed.
He turned to face Ahri, one arm still around his wife’s shoulders. “Why do I have the feeling that you two were talking aboutme?”
“We were.” Francie handed him his lunch. “About your first visit here.”
“When she screamed and came sliding off the roof . . .” He kissed her temple. “I thought I’d killed her.”
“You saved me.” Francie gave her husband such a look of love that Ahri had to glance away, her eyes prickling.
She focused her attention on the food. Had she ever looked at Zed like that? He’d certainly never looked at her that way. Her heart ached a little. What had she and Zed had then, besides attraction? Looking back on it now, she wondered what they could have been thinking to get married.
Some of the cryptic remarks about Francie’s first husband came to mind and the horrible home life he’d created. The man couldn’t have been anything like Alex. Poor, tenderhearted Francie to have been tied to such an unkind man. Why had she stayed with him?
Ahri paused, a little surprised at how far her view on the subject had changed. Her father’s desertion had left her little-girl mind with a rigid belief that couples should always stay together to work out their problems. She’d amended that to exclude physical abuse. When she’d first considered leaving Zed, guilt had eaten at her. She’d thought she must be no better than her father if she were willing to destroy her family. How wrong she’d been.
After she turned off the burner and moved the pot to the back of the stove, she went into the living room where the children were playing with their toys in the corner.
“Your breakfast is almost done. Do you have everything ready for school, Lessa?”
The girl jumped up and ran to grab her little backpack. She thrust it at Ahri before returning to the toys on the floor. Sheenjoyed the two little ones and their precocious personalities, but they did test her patience sometimes. Ahri hadn’t had a lot of experience with children in recent years. She’d stopped babysitting when she’d turned sixteen and could get a better-paying job. They’d needed the extra money to pay the bills.
Alex strode into the room carrying his briefcase. He set it down and swung both of his children. They squealed at his kisses.
If they’d had any children, Ahri couldn’t imagine Zed behaving like this. This was what she wanted in her future, a man who wasn’t afraid to touch and tease, to show his love and regard.
“Thank you so much for the help you’ve been this week,” Alex said.
Ahri pulled herself from her thoughts to find he’d set down the children and picked up his briefcase again.
“It’s been fun.” Cathartic, though she didn’t say it aloud.
“Well, it’s helped Francie a lot and taken a load off my mind. She keeps insisting on enlarging the garden.” He sent a fond glance toward the kitchen before saying to his children, “You two clean this up and then eat your breakfast.”
“Bye, daddy.”
Under his watchful eye, they started picking up the toys. He winked at Ahri and strode out to his car.
Ahri evaluatedwhat she’d need for the drip system on the section she’d prepped. She wiped the sweat from her brow. Her appetite had been good with all the work she’d been doing. Her stomach growled. She was already looking forward to dinner. It would be at least another hour before Francie got back from taking Lessa to her piano lesson, and Ahri would need to clean up so she could help prepare for dinner.
The sound of tires on the gravel driveway drifted to the back of the house. The mail had already been delivered, and Francie’sguests had mentioned being gone until early evening. Who could it be?
“Hey, Ma,” Rafe’s familiar voice yelled.
“She’s not here,” Ahri called, heading toward the house, surprised and pleased that he’d come in the middle of a workday.
Rafe came around the corner, dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt rather than the business attire she’d have expected for this time of day. She wondered what he was there for.
“Well, dang. I’m sorry I missed her.” Rafe came to stand by Ahri and glanced around. There ought to be a law against handsome men who smelled that good. He said, “I came to help with the garden.”
“I won’t complain.” Ahri turned back to her row, biting back a grin.
“What have you got going there?” He followed her and scanned her work. “Nice job. You know, I think Ma must have doubled the size of this thing since I was in high school. Is she reckoning to sell at the farmer’s market?”
“No. She said she’s planning to expand the catering part of her business.” Ahri fumbled with one of the connections for her line. “She said anything she doesn’t use will go to the local food pantry.”
“That sounds like my mother. Let me show you something.” Rafe took the two pieces and brought them together. “If you pinch it like this, it’ll slide right in.” He handed it back to her.
