“Don’t. I’m a tough cookie. I can’t let a wreck stop me.” She sent him a grin that he immediately responded to.
“Okay. Okay, I give up. I won’t say another word. I think I’ve met my match in you.”
Her grin grew as she opened the door, the searing heat invading the car’s cool interior. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Thanks again for the ride.”
Under the shade of a large oak near the guesthouse, she watched him turn around and head toward the gate that automatically opened at his approach. She could see why the children he counseled responded to him. His caring nature shone through even when dealing with a situation like that morning.
And he’s easy on the eyes. His supple movements reminded her of a person who worked out. His large frame—muscular without an ounce of fat—confirmed that impression. The only thing unruly about him was his medium-length, coal-black hair that curled at his nape.
Perfect. That sent her alarms off. What was wrong with him? What was he hiding? Because her experience told her there was always something that would rear its ugly head and throw her for a loop.
Even in the shade, the heat drove Whitney toward the guesthouse as soon as Shane’s SUV disappeared from view. With coursework to get through and volunteering at Stone’s Refuge this evening, she hoped she could sneak inside before one of the children, Noah or his wife, Cara, saw her and wanted her to recount her first day on the job.
Halfway across the yard, she heard a deep baritone voice call her name. She kept going. She knew what her brother wanted to talk about, and she wasn’t ready to have that argument.
Escaping into the coolness of the guesthouse where she presently lived, she tossed her purse on the couch along with the section of the newspaper she’d taken to work. She hadn’t gotten a chance to call Zoey Crandell; she needed to now before someone rented the place. After snatching the paper off the couch, she noted the number and picked up the receiver. As she punched in a five, a knock sounded at her door. She continued entering the phone number, hoping her brother would go away.
“You can’t hide from this discussion, Whitney.”
Noah’s deep, commanding voice penetrated her haven. She sighed, hung up and crossed the room to open the door. “How about postponing it until I can string several words together to counter your arguments?”
“And give you the advantage?” He came inside. “Why are you looking for an apartment?”
She put her hands on her hips. “I’d say it’s about time. I should have gotten one seven or eight months ago.” The previous November she’d come here from Dallas after quitting a dead-end job and leaving a man she’d been dating casually who had made the mistake of striking her. She wouldn’t fall into that again. Ever. Instead, she’d taken her brother up on his invitation to spend the holidays with him and his family. And by the time the New Year had rolled around, she’d fallen in love with Noah’s children, and for the first time in twenty years she had really been part of a family.
“But I just found you. Why are you leaving? The kids love having you here and so does Cara. Don’t you want to be here to see your new nephew grow up? Taylor’s only three months old.”
“I’m not leaving Cimarron City. I’ll be around, but on my terms.” When she’d first come, she had intended to leave and move on to someplace where she could get lost in a crowd. She hadn’t reckoned with the lure of Noah and his family.
“Why? You have family now. People who care about you.”
“You, of all people, know I’m used to being on my own.” She relaxed her arms, letting the tension slip from her shoulders. It took too much energy to have this conversation. “This isn’t up for discussion anymore. I’ve let you persuade me to stick around just a little longer many times. And now I’ve been living in your guesthouse nine months.”
“Why waste your hard-earned money on rent?”
Whitney blew out a frustrated breath. “I’ll still be around and if you need a babysitter, I hope you’ll ask me first. Coming back to Cimarron City, getting to know you and your family has changed so much for me, but I’m losing myself here. I’ve got to figure out who I am.”
Noah frowned. “I guess I can’t fault you for that. I know what it’s like to grapple with yourself. For years I thought I wanted a certain lifestyle, but Cara convinced me that wasn’t the case.”
“Thank goodness she did. You’re great as a father. Nothing like the one we had. Any child would be lucky to have you as a dad.” She couldn’t keep the wistful tone from her voice and wasn’t surprised by it. She had never had loving parents—not even with the adoption situation she’d ended up in. At sixteen, Noah had had the Hendersons to show him the way; by the time she was sixteen she’d been living on the streets for six months.
“I’d better be. I have five children to take care of.” Noah started for the door. “I’ll let you rest. Isn’t tonight one of the evenings you go to Stone’s Refuge?”
“Yeah, I’ll hitch a ride with Adam. He owes me.” Sometimes Noah’s oldest adopted child rode with her.
“Hitch a ride? What about your car?”
“I was in a wreck this morning. It had to be towed to a garage to be fixed.”
Noah’s mouth fell open. “Why didn’t you call? Say anything before now?”
“Why should I? I took care of everything.”
“But—but we’re family. We care. Were you hurt?”
“I’m fine. A little sore, but nothing I can’t handle. Actually you know the owner of the vehicle I hit. Well, I didn’t exactly hit him while he was in it. His car was parked in front of his house.”
“Who?”
“Shane McCoy.”
Noah’s brow furrowed. “How did you hit his parked car?”
“To avoid hitting his son who had run into the street.”
“Ah, Jason. Shane has his hands full.” Noah put his hand on the doorknob. “You can use one of our cars if you need to.”
“I have everything worked out.”
Noah grumbled about her determination and opened the door. “We’re eating at six. Coming up to the main house for dinner?”
“No, I’m gonna grab a sandwich before heading over to the refuge with Adam. I have homework after that.”
“It’s okay to accept help, Whitney. We all need it from time to time.”
When her brother left, Whitney plopped down in the chair at the kitchen table to call Zoey Crandell. She didn’t want to live in an apartment complex with tons of people, so she hoped this place would work out for her.
Her cat came out of the bedroom and leaped into her lap, purring. “Calico, what am I gonna do about my brother?” Her pet settled down while she stroked the animal’s back. “I already owe him too much. Being here has made me realize my life has to change. Now I have to figure out exactly what I want without him doing everything for me.”
Again resolved to make that call about the garage apartment, she was halfway through entering the number when another knock interrupted her. By the sound of it she was sure it was Lindsay.
“Come in,” Whitney called out, again hanging up the phone.
The little girl who Cara and Noah adopted along with her two older brothers swung the door open wide. Calico stirred, peered at the seven-year-old and hopped down to greet her before finding a spot in the windowsill to peer out.
Dressed in her bathing suit, Lindsay hugged a towel to her chest. “Will ya watch me swim?”
Whitney glanced at her clock