Harlequin Love Inspired March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 Patrice Lewis (i read book txt) 📖

Stacia’s nerve endings pulled taut.

“Now?” His gaze caught hers. “Well, I guess it’s time to tell you—I’m not there. I never made it there.”

Her mind raced. Something was up, she could tell by his jerky movements.

“No. I’m with a—a friend—about an hour from Papaw’s place. It’s a long story. In fact, I was planning to come home in a few days and tell y’all all about it. But now—” He ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, I’ll send you the address. Okay, see you then.” He ended the call.

She held her breath.

“There’s an evacuation order in effect for Houston. Looks like I won’t have time to go home.” He slipped his phone back in his pocket. “They were planning on going to my grandparents’ ranch in Hondo.”

“So what address are you sending them?” She ground the words out between clenched teeth.

“Yours. They’re coming here to meet my friend before they go on to Papaw’s.”

“What?” All the blood drained from her face.

“It’s time to tell them anyway. I was going home to do just that.”

“But I thought I’d have a little time.” Free of him, for her nerves to settle before his parents showed up.

“I did too. But the hurricane threw everything off.”

“When will they be here?”

“Tomorrow night. I’ll reserve them a cabin in Bandera. And they’ve got some kind of surprise for me.”

“Tomorrow?” she squeaked. Who cared about his surprise?

“When they get here, I’ll just tell them what’s going on and they can meet the twins.”

A knock sounded at the store door and she checked her watch. The twins.

She took several deep breaths. “Come on in.”

Mason blasted through first as usual. “Guess what happened today?”

“What?” Stacia had to fight to focus.

“Our teacher threw up. All over her desk. It was so gross.” Mason grimaced.

“Mrs. Jenkins is gonna have a baby.” Madison plopped her backpack in the desk chair. Stacia’s eyes stung. The news of their teacher becoming a mother on top of the impending arrival of the twins’ grandparents—it was all too much.

Daddy strolled into the workshop. “What’s going on?”

“Can you take care of the kids for a few minutes and then help Ross in the workshop tonight?” Stacia jerked her goggles, mask and smock off, flung them on the desk and scurried toward the back door.

“I think Mason made her sick telling about our teacher throwing up,” Madison said.

Out the door, Stacia bolted for the house, and up to her room. Tears streaming, she shut the door of her room and sank to the floor.

One day. She had one day to prepare for what could turn into the fight of her life. If the Lyles sued her for custody, Stacia would win. Just as Daddy had beat Aunt Eleanor’s scheming tactics. And if some crazy judge ruled against her, she’d take the twins and run if she had to.

* * *

With a forecast full of storms and powerful wind gusts, the tension built to a boil as Ross completed the last coffee bar. With red-rimmed eyes and splotchy cheeks, Stacia hadn’t acknowledged him all day long. Only the sounds of her paint sprayer echoed through the workshop. Would this day never end?

“Listen, my parents are coming, whether you like it or not. It won’t help anything if we’re not speaking or at each other’s throats. Did you tell Mason and Madison they’re coming?”

“No.”

“Don’t you think you should remedy that?” He bit back his irritation. “We’re running out of time.”

“Daddy and I decided not to tell them, so it won’t seem like such a big deal.” It was the most she’d said all day.

“Okay. However you want to play it.” He sank the last screw to secure the coffee bar and tested to make sure it was sturdy. “One hundred.”

“I guess I owe you my gratitude,” she grudgingly admitted. “I couldn’t have completed the order without you.”

“You’re welcome.” He removed his goggles and smock. “I’ll get the finished pieces loaded in the truck, then tend to the cattle early since the storm’s picking up.” He scanned the workshop. “You’ve just got the two tubs and one coffee bar left to paint. Right?”

“Yes.”

He wrapped five ready-to-go coffee bars in padded sheeting and loaded them into the truck, laying them down on their sides with cardboard batting between them and the bathtubs they’d already loaded. Then he wrapped three claw-foot tubs.

“When will your dad’s salvage guy be here?”

“He’s stuck in San Antonio due to the storm. Let me finish painting this last piece and I’ll help you.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. These things are cast iron. They weigh a ton.”

“Trust me, I’ve loaded my share of claw-foot tubs over the years.” She sprayed the final edge of the last coffee bar, turned her sprayer off and strolled over to him. “I’ll get this end.”

“You sure?”

“I helped you load the ones we got from Maisy.” She rolled her eyes. “Just take care of your end and I’ll handle mine.”

They lifted the tub, but he could tell it was a strain on her slight form. He backed his end into the trailer and they managed to set it down without mashing fingers or toes. Two more times, they repeated the process. By the time everything was loaded, she was winded.

“You okay?”

“Fine.”

A knock sounded at the door and they both checked their watches. Time for school to be out already.

“Come in.”

Mason and Madison entered the workroom, both wearing yellow rain slickers and rubber boots. Adorable.

“Anybody throw up today?” He ruffled Mason’s hair.

“No. It was so boring.” Mason groaned.

Ross chuckled, turned toward Stacia. “I’m going to round up the cattle, make sure they’re all in the barnyard, and put the mamas and babies in the stalls. Once I take care of the stock, these last few pieces should be dry. I’ll come back and help you wrap and get them loaded in the truck.” He darted out the door as eager to escape her as she was him.

A steady rain had started and the wind picked up as