Later that afternoon,as she rested on her bed, she thought about all the little hints Adam had given her throughout the day. More and more, she was allowing herself to hope. Because he’d always been so guarded in the past, she had reason to believe hisloosening up a little now meant something. He’d sent her back early and insisted on finishing up around the ranch himself, so she had time to herself.
All she could think to do was call her mom. So, after making sure Adam wasn’t being stealthy somewhere in the house, she pulled out her phone and dialed.
“Hey, honey, what’s going on?” Jasmine said when she answered. “How are you feeling these days?”
“Pretty good,” Kyra answered. “The morning sickness is a lot better, anyway.”
“Glad to hear that. How’s the job been?”
“Good.” Kyra rolled onto her back and crossed one knee over the other. “Better than good, actually. Mom, he’s being so different. Like… he’s being nice, I guess. He made me move into the main house during the storms. And now he’s insisting I stick around through the winter. He keeps making sure I’m safe and warm and fed.”
“Fed?” Jasmine asked. “What’s that mean exactly?”
“He makes me meals every day. Breakfast and dinner. He gets on my case if I don’t eat a good enough lunch. Honestly, it’s worse than living with you.” She couldn’t help laughing, and her mother joined in. “I can’t help getting the feeling that he really does care. He’s just not comfortable saying it out loud.”
On the other end of the call, she could hear her mother sigh. That wasn’t a good sign, but Kyra had never been good at heeding bad news. She was too good at hope. “Honey, you have to lower your expectations, or you’ll be disappointed.”
“No, I really don’t think I’m imagining it this time, Mom,” Kyra said. She could feel some skepticism creeping in, but she didn’t want to acknowledge it. “He’s not a person who acts nice as a reflex. I’d even argue that it’s abnormal for him. But he’s been nothing but sweet to me. It can’t be totally meaningless, can it?”
Jasmine sighed like she wasn’t enjoying this conversation at all. “It probably does mean something,” she said, though there was a note of caution in her voice. “But it might not mean exactly what you’re hoping it does. I know you, and I know your heart can fly so high sometimes on just a crumb of hope. It gets you through tough times like a dream, so I’m not telling you to change at all. In this case, though, there’s another person on the other end of your hope. If he can’t live up to your expectations…” She paused, and Kyra felt like an anvil had just been dropped on her chest and left there. “If he can’t live up to your expectations, his failure could hurt both of you badly enough that there’s no coming back from it.”
Kyra sat in silence for a minute, considering what her mother was telling her. Jasmine didn’t cut into her thoughts. She knew this wasn’t a tantrum or anger. She knew her daughter would stop to think any time a new idea presented itself. This was something Kyra had always appreciated about her. Any quirks Kyra had that were sometimes misunderstood by other people were not only understood but valued by her mother.
Finally, Kyra broke her silence. “I understand what you’re saying, Mom, but the hope is getting me through right now. I’ll try to keep reality in mind, though. I promise.”
“I get it,” Jasmine said, and Kyra knew she was telling the truth. “You go on hoping. Maybe things will turn around soon. What do I know anyway? I’m often wrong, as you know.”
“Sooften,” Kyra quipped, and her mom laughed at that.
“I love you, honey,” Jasmine said. “And I’ll support you no matter what happens. You do know that, don’t you?”
“Yeah.” Kyra felt a warmth in her chest. A safety net was a good thing to have when you needed courage to take a risk or two. Her mother, having taken the risk of opening and running her own business without help, knew that more than anyone. And she was willing to be there for her daughter, no matter what. Feeling overly emotional for some reason — she assumed it was hormones — Kyra decided to end the call before she burst into tears. “I should get going,” she said. “Adam will be back soon.”
“OK,” Jasmine said. “Call me if you need anything else.”
“I will.”
After Kyra hung up the phone, she lay back and held it to her chest for a moment. Right now, her life was scary and a little overwhelming. Things had changed so fast. It felt impossible to keep up with all the changes, no matter how hard she tried. But she reminded herself that change was what she had wanted. It was what she had hoped for. Maybe this wasn’t exactly what she’d had in minde, but she’d be wrong to try to convince herself she was unhappy with it.
Whether Adam wanted in or not, Kyra Powell was going to be a mother. In a way, it was a dream come true. And in her mom, Kyra had a wonderful example to follow.
CHAPTER 11
KYRA
One day, after much begging and pleading, Adam finally let Kyra patch up a section of fence. She had to promise not to lift anything too heavy and to rest often, but at least she felt less useless than she had lately. She had just gotten a wooden board in place. The nail was driven partway in, and she had the hammer poised to strike when she heard the familiar sound of the four-wheeler coming from over the nearest hill. Then she heard Adam calling her name.
He sounded excited, almost frantic. “Kyra!” He pulled up and waved. “Ellie had her colt!”
Kyra dropped the hammer she’d been holding. “For real?”
“I didn’t even know she’d gone into labor. I think she had it last night.” Kyra had never seen him so excited. He seemed like a completely different person to her. “It’s a black colt. Do you want to see it?” he asked with a grin.
“Well, duh!” she answered, and she hopped onto the four-wheeler behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist to steady herself.
When they got to the barn, Adam parked and helped Kyra to dismount the four-wheeler. She didn’t really need help, but he offered it anyway. One more item to add to her list of nice things he was doing for her these days. And he’d thought to go and get her. He knew she’d be excited to see a new baby, and he’d run to get her. That had to mean something, didn’t it?
Inside the barn was quieter than Kyra had expected it to be, and she and Adam nearly tiptoed as a result, not wanting to disturb the peace. They came to Ellie’s stall and found she was lying down beside her brand new little one, who was curled up beside her.
