A Home for Haley (23 page)

Haley shot Ethan a surprised look.
“Camping out?” she asked.

“Under the stars. The kids will
love it.”

Haley scowled and Matt grinned.
“I’m with you on this, Haley. I think little brother can handle the camping
part of this party on his own. Last time I went on a camp out . . .” He
shuddered. “Let’s just say, it wasn’t pretty.”

“Both of you are wusses.” Shaking
his head, Ethan led the way toward the barn. “How much time before the peace
and quiet of my dude ranch is splintered by a zillion six-year olds?” he asked
Haley.

“You have such a way of exaggerating,”
Haley responded with a shake of her head. “There are only five coming, and only
three staying overnight. I’m not sure their parents realize it’s a camp out,
though, so it might be less than that staying.”

“They know.” Haley frowned, but
before she could respond, Ethan added, “I spared you, okay?”

“More than okay. Ryan and I will
come for some of it, but only some.”

“Looks like you’ll be roughing it
tonight on your own, Bro.” Matt smirked as he shoved the barn door open with a
shoulder, and both kids and Maggie raced into the barn, startling one of the
horses.

“Whoa. Easy girl.” Scowling, Hank
leaned across the rear end of a bay mare and shook his head. “Someone get me a
beer.”

“The fun hasn’t even begun and
you’re already grumpy.” Ethan plunked his arm load of stuff on a long table,
then helped Haley unload her arms. “What else needs to be done?”

Hank held out a hand. “Beer. Now.”

Laughing, Ethan headed for the
cooler, pulled out a Bud Light and tossed it to Hank, who caught it one-handed,
only slightly spooking the mare he’d just finished saddling.

The children ran by, Maggie on
their heels, barking like crazy. “Hey, kids,” Hank hollered. “Stay away from
the horses if you’re gonna run around in here, especially with the dog yapping.”

The barn door opened and Ashley and
Chloe breezed in. “Let the fun begin,” Ashley said, taking a swipe at Ethan’s
baseball cap. He picked his sister up and twirled her around. “Glad you could
make it.”

“I wouldn’t have missed this for
the world. Did you know Megan and Brett had their baby last night? Ethan shook
his head. “A boy. Francie and Matt are going to visit her after the party. Chloe
can hardly wait.”

“She’s at that age,” Ethan said, grabbing
Chloe for a quick hug, and thanking God his daughter was still a little girl.

“I remember being Chloe’s age,”
Ashley said, giving the eleven-year old a peck on the cheek then taking her
hand and starting toward the horses and Hank. “Chloe wants to help you with the
horse rides. That okay?”

“Absolutely. Good to see
someone
volunteering,” he said, high-fiving Chloe as she raced over to him.

Ethan’s heart swelled with love.
God, he was one lucky guy to have a close family. Hank could bitch all he
wanted, but the guy loved this or he wouldn’t be here. His little sister looked
great. As always. And he’d never seen Matt as happy. Marriage with Francie was
obviously agreeing with him.

“We’re just one big happy
dysfunctional family,” he said to Haley, as he helped her set up another folding
table.

“Don’t forget friendly.” Haley shot
him a wide smile and his spirits soared.

Francie and Matt entered the barn,
Elisa strapped in her baby sling on Francie. “I heard this is where all the
action is.”

“You heard right,” Haley said. “Nice
to see you again. Is Dottie here?”

“She’s getting ready inside. I
deserted her, but she knows me well enough to know you can’t keep me away from
horses. My husband, on the other hand,” she began, poking Matt in the stomach,
“avoids horses like the plague.”

“Well put,” Matt drawled, giving
Francie a quick kiss before stroking Elisa’s cheek.

“She’s beautiful.” Haley smiled at
the sleeping baby. “She looks just like you, Francie.”

“Good thing her daddy knows how to
keep the boys away,” Matt said as he reached into the cooler for his own beer.

Ethan swiped Matt’s beer. “I thought
you’d given up this stuff since Francie can’t drink while she nurses.”

Matt yanked the beer back, arched
his brows at his brother, popped the tab, and took a big swig.

 “It was a short-lived goal,”
Francie said. “I’m pondering his punishment.”

Haley laughed. “I have a feeling
you’ll come up with something good.”

Francie waggled her eyebrows. “You
bet I will.”

Haley continued to get things
organized for the party while listening to Ethan and his family tease one
another. She couldn’t imagine what it would have been like growing up in a
family like this—a family full of love and laughter and siblings who were there
for one another.

Their friendliness toward her
warmed her heart as she continued to organize the different party games. She
pulled out a sack of apples, thinking how much fun the kids would have bobbing
for them. They’d get wet, so it was a good thing she brought lots of towels. It
was almost time for the guests to arrive, and her excitement for the afternoon
grew. She glanced around, mentally checking things off her to-do list, and
smiling as Kayla ran by chasing her puppy. Ryan tried to keep up, but his short
legs couldn’t begin to catch them. Ethan swooped down and snatched him up as he
ran by, settling him on his shoulders and heading for Hank. “Glad to see you
have several ponies here for the rides. Who’s the big sorrel?”

“He’s Francie’s. Name’s Teddy. He’s
big but gentle. Even your brother has ridden him.”

Ethan turned around, his eyes wide.
“Hey Matt, Hank tells me you’ve ridden this monster.”

“And lived to tell about it. He’s
the one who put mom in a cast.”

Francie jabbed him in the ribs with
her elbow. “It was an accident and you know it. You also know Teddy is a total
sweetheart.”

Haley listened to the exchange with
interest.

“Francie is right,” Dottie said,
approaching them. “Don’t listen to your brother, Ethan.” She turned to Haley.
“I made a couple of quarts of lemonade for the kids to drink while they play
their games out here.”

“Sounds good. Let me help you get
it.”

Smiling Dottie started out of the
barn just as Kayla raced over to her. “Grandma!” she yelled, flinging herself
at Dottie and wrapping her arms around her waist.

Dottie almost lost her balance, but
still managed to give Kayla a big hug. “My goodness, I think you’ve grown in
two weeks.”

“I missed you, Grandma.”

“And I missed you. That’s why I
called so often,” she added with another hug.

Haley turned around to check on
Ryan, who was still sitting on Ethan’s shoulders. Ethan gave her the thumbs up
and she smiled. “Your son is wonderful with kids, Dottie.”

“He’s a good man. There was a time
I wondered,” she added with a grin. “But both my boys turned out pretty darn
well if I do say so myself.”

“Ashley’s pretty special, too,”
Haley said.

Dottie glanced over her shoulder at
Ashley who was helping Chloe saddle horses and smiled. “Yes, she is. I sure
wish she’d get her fill of California and come join us for good. It’s hard to
have your baby live so far away.”

“I’m sure it is, but she sure helped
Ethan and me out when we were visiting out there.”

“She’s always been good at putting
together a party. I could use her help in the house but don’t want to pull her
away from her brothers.” Haley wondered why Ashely had moved so far from away.
She supposed California had a lot to offer. Besides, her family had left
Virginia and moved to Crystal Springs, which was not exactly a hub of thrills.
Course there was always Nashville close by.

“Grandma?” Kayla said. “I talked to
Mommy last night. She said she was sad she couldn’t come to my birthday party.”

“Of course she is,” Dottie
responded. “She’s missing a great party for my wonderful granddaughter.” Dottie
glanced at Haley, her jaw clenched.

“She sent me a present, though,”
Kayla added.

“That she did. Now let’s go get everything
ready for your party. Want to come help me carry plastic cups out?”

“Sure.” Kayla skipped along beside
her, her pink boots kicking up the dirt.

Haley followed them across the yard
and into the house, feeling sad for Kayla. She hoped this party was one Kayla
would remember fondly for a long time in spite of her mother not attending,
because this little girl’s happiness was Haley’s goal when she’d put this party
together. She could only imagine what Ethan wanted to say to Ellie. Sometimes
she wondered how he kept from criticizing his ex-wife in front of Kayla, but he
had somehow managed and she admired him for it.

She forced her thoughts away from
Ellie and followed Dottie and Kayla into the house, looking forward to making
this a party that Ethan’s daughter would never forget.

Ethan was glad to see both Ashley and
Haley taking lots of pictures. Kayla was on top of the moon with excitement. His
heart expanded with love as he watched his daughter. He caught Haley’s eye as
she led Ryan around the arena on a pony and winked at her. She flashed him a
smile that made his knees go weak. It felt so right having her here in the
midst of his family gathering. She’d been a real sport to do this, and he was
pretty sure she didn’t feel put upon at all. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying
herself as much as the children. She was one special woman, and he was a lucky
man to have her taking care of Kayla and being his friend and lover. He should
be totally satisfied with that, but he wanted more. He wanted it all, and he aimed
to do everything in his power to win her over completely.

One by one, the horses were led to
a rail, where the kids were helped off. Haley lifted Ryan out of the saddle and
kept hold of his hand as she gathered all the kids together and led them toward
the house. Some of them were still wet from the apple bobbing, and one girl had
skinned her knee when she’d fallen during the three-legged race, but everyone
was happy and laughing.

Ethan watched the sway of Haley’s
hips as she started another game with the kids. Reluctantly pulling his gaze
away, he went to help Hank and Ashley unsaddle the horses, feed them, and put
them out to pasture. “How come we never got to have a party like this?” Ashley
asked good-naturedly.

“It’s been pretty awesome,” Ethan
responded. “Haley outdid herself for sure.” Ellie couldn’t be bothered to come
to her daughter’s party, and Haley had worked from sun up until sun down every
day this week to pull this together. It never ceased to amaze him how different
Haley and Ellie were. “Guess Haley should get a bonus for all the work she did.”

“She loved every minute of it.”
Ashley pulled the saddle and blanket off Teddy and settled them on the rail. “I
seriously doubt she would take a bonus,” Ashley added. “Now do something useful
instead of just ogling Haley.”

“Party pooper.” Ethan turned away
from the view and quickly unsaddled a roan mare, settling the saddle and
blanket on the fence rail. “Did you know Ellie sent Kayla a gift?” he asked his
sister. Ashley’s mouth set in a firm line but not before she let out a few
choice words. Ethan sighed. “Well said. I’m surprised she even bothered with a
gift.”

“That ex of yours is a definite piece
of work,” Hank said as he un-cinched a saddle. “Sure am glad you came to your
senses about her. Kayla has a chance at a normal life with Ellie gone. Might be
rough for her now, but Kayla will be okay.”

“Gee Hank, that’s the most I’ve
ever heard you say at one time.” Ashley pulled off another saddle. “But I have
to admit you’re right.”

Ethan clapped Hank on the back. “Sometimes
Ashley acts like a green-broke horse with a burr under its saddle. Ignore her.”

“He always ignores me,” Ashley
muttered.

Hank turned away from Ashley and pulled
off the last saddle. “I’ll get these horses fed and out to pasture, then put
the saddles up. You two take off. I’ll be there shortly.” Ignoring Ashley, he
hoisted a saddle up with each hand and strode out of the riding arena.

“I can never tell what’s really
going on in that head of his,” Ashley said, watching him go.

“That doesn’t give you an excuse to
shoot your mouth off.”

Ashley narrowed her gaze on Ethan.
“At least you know what I’m thinking.”

“Can’t argue with that. Don’t know
why you can’t figure Hank out. He’s easy to read and when he does talk, he’s blunt
and to the point.”

“He’s blunt alright.” Ashley shoved
Ethan toward the barn door. “I’m ready for cake and ice cream. How about you?”

“I’m ready for the camp out. I haven’t
slept outside in a long time.” He chuckled. “We decided not to go far since the
kids might get scared. We’ll be lucky to make it through the night only a
hundred yards from the backdoor.”

Ashley laughed. “Glad it’s you and
not me.”

“Thanks for the support, little sis.”

“Anytime.” Ashley nudged him with
an elbow. “So what’s going on with you and Haley?”

Ethan stopped dead in his tracks.
“That obvious, huh?”

“Oh, yeah.”

He winced. “Don’t tell Haley.”

“My lips are sealed,” Ashley said
with a grin.

“I doubt that, but seriously don’t
say anything. It would upset her.” Ethan took the porch stairs two at a time. If
Haley knew his family had figured out they were involved, she’d be upset. Her
determination to keep him at arm’s length was about to kill him, and it hadn’t
even kept the gossip at bay, but no way was he giving his sister any more
information.

****

Kayla ripped the glossy pink paper
from Haley’s gift and squealed when she saw a baby doll. She tore open the box
and hauled the doll out, hugging it close. Scrambling to her feet, she ran over
to Haley and threw her arms around her neck. “Thank you, thank you. Will you
take me shopping for clothes for her?” she asked hopefully.

“Of course I will,” Haley responded,
giving her another big hug.

Grinning from ear to ear, Kayla
skipped back to her gifts and began unwrapping more presents. Haley watched,
her heart full, but when Kayla picked up her mother’s gift and hugged it to her
chest before opening it, tension coiled in Haley’s stomach. She glanced at
Ethan, who arched his brows at her, and she knew he felt the same way she did.
The entire family probably had knots in their stomach right now.

Kayla ripped the polka dot paper
off the box, opened it and pulled out a framed photo of herself and her mom at
Disneyland. She held it up. “That’s me and Mama when she was on television.”

“Wow,” one of her friends said.
“Your mom’s on TV?” Kayla nodded, a smile filling her face. “But she has to be
gone to do that,” she added with a long sigh.

“Is she a princess?” another girl
asked.

Kayla stared at the picture. “No, but
she’s as beautiful as a princess.”

Each girl took the picture, obviously
totally enamored. Haley would bet money this was exactly the response Ellie had
wanted. When the picture got close enough for her to see, Haley clenched her
jaw tight enough to make it ache. The picture was autographed, and not even
with Mama, but with Ellie.

She glanced at Ethan, whose jaw
looked set in granite.

“What does it say, Daddy?”

“Just her name, honey.”

Kayla shoulders drooped. Setting
the picture down, she pulled a DVD out of the box. “What’s this?” she asked
with a frown.

Ethan walked over and took it. “Looks
like something about—he hesitated—about modeling,” he finished through tight
lips. “Go ahead and open the rest of your gifts. We’ll look at this later.”

The silence in the room lay heavy
until Ryan picked up a wad of wrapping paper and threw it at Kayla. The kids
laughed and Kayla chose another present to unwrap, but the twinkle had left her
eyes. Pain sliced through Haley as she watched Kayla. Ellie might have given
birth to this girl, but she was toxic to her every time they communicated. Talk
about a mother who didn’t care about her child’s needs. Haley suspected the
woman didn’t care about anything that did not benefit herself.

She pulled in a deep breath and
tried to shove thoughts of Ellie away and get back in the party spirit, but it
was difficult. She could only imagine how Kayla must feel. She slid a glance at
Ethan. He stood stone-faced, arms crossed over his chest. She hated that Ellie
had given Ethan and Kayla more rejection to deal with.

After the last gift was unwrapped,
Haley clapped and got the kids’ attention. “Have you girls worked up an
appetite for cake and ice cream?”

They scrambled to their feet and
let out a whoop, causing Francie’s baby to jerk awake and let out a loud wail.
Francie patted Elisa’s back and snuggled her close and she went back to sleep.

Dottie handed Ethan the ice cream
scooper. “Make yourself useful,” she said as she cut into the bright pink and
blue flowers that made up the puppy’s collar on the cake.

Haley’s attention returned to
Francie as she handed the baby to Matt and gave Kayla a big hug. “If you want
me to watch your modeling DVD with you, I will. But I’ve got to tell you, I
think riding horses and playing with puppies is much more fun than modeling.
Just think what your party would have been like if you girls had walked around
the room showing the clothes you wore. Boring is what it would have been. Very
boring.”

The kids laughed and Kayla gave her
aunt a weak smile. “Did you ever model?”

“Goodness no. I sit a horse real good
though.”

“She sure does,” Hank added from
the back of the room. Haley knew Kayla thought the world of Hank and was
delighted he’d spoken up.

“I modeled once,” Ashley piped up.
“Tripped on the stairs and some good looking man caught me before I fell on top
of him. I was mortified. Since then I’ve stuck to just plain walking to get me
places.” Everyone laughed, breaking more of the tension.

Maggie leaped onto Kayla and licked
her face, and she hugged her wiggling puppy. “I’m good with my dog, and she
loves me.”

“That’s for sure,” Ethan said,
turning toward the kids, and holding a butter knife with icing on it. “And I’m
proud of how good you treat your puppy, Kayla. I’m hoping you’re good at
camping out, too, because I need you and Maggie to help me.”

Kayla pursed her lips. “Can we
build a fire?”

“Absolutely.”

“And roast marshmallows?”

He nodded and Kayla grinned. Haley’s
heart melted. Ethan was such a loving father. Kayla raced over to her dad, and
her friends followed suit. “Tonight’s going to be so much fun. My daddy has it
all planned,” Kayla said smiling up at her father.

“He certainly does,” Dottie chimed
in. “Now eat your cake and ice cream so you’ll be sure and have enough sugar in
you to stay awake for all the fun.”

Ethan rolled his eyes at his mom. “We’re
roasting hotdogs and heating beans on the fire, so don’t eat too much,” he said
to the chattering girls. His words went totally unheeded, and he looked at
Haley and shrugged.

She patted his arm. “Better eat
some cake. Something tells me you’ll need lots of energy for tonight.”

Ethan started to reply when Matt
strode up and grabbed a piece of cake off the table and wolfed it down. “Yum.”

Ethan slapped a paper plate at him.
“Pretend you’re civilized and use this.” Matt grabbed the plate.

Haley laughed as Matt handed the
plate to Francie. “Here. You be the civilized one.” He lifted Elisa out of her
arms and the baby woke and gurgled at him. He grinned like a fool. “This little
angel and I are ready for some father-daughter bonding time.”

Grinning, Francie put cake and ice
cream on her plate, took a big bite and licked the pink icing off her lips.
“Delicious, Dottie. You outdid yourself.”

Hank sidled up to Ashley. “Did you
really trip and fall into a guy’s arms?”

Haley was eager to hear her
response. The woman flirted with ease, and Haley wished she could be more like
her.

A wide grin split Ashley’s face.
“Yep. Then we dated for about a year.”

Hank stared at her, his expression
unreadable, then shook his head. “I wouldn’t put it past you to have fallen on
purpose.”

Ashley looked taken back. “Just
shows you don’t know me very well.”

His blue eyes narrowed. “That’s for
sure.” He grabbed a corner piece of cake and ate it in two bites. “You can make
my birthday cake this year, Dottie, but I want a horse cake.”

Laughing, Dottie dropped another
piece onto a plate and handed it to him. “Don’t say things like that unless you
mean it.”

Hank wrapped an arm around her
shoulders. “You know me too well.”

“And don’t you forget it.”

Ashley turned her attention to
Ethan as Hank and Dottie continued to banter. Haley couldn't help but laugh at
the Richardson family antics, knowing part of it was their way of trying to
perk Kayla up. Her admiration for them grew. No doubt about it. This family
stuck together. Kayla was a lucky little girl in spite of having a neglectful
mom. Kayla would eventually come through the emotional turmoil with her mother and
be okay. How could she not with a family this loving and understanding?

Haley knew that if she and Ethan
did somehow manage to make their relationship work, she would be a part of all
this. A real part of it. She took another bite of Dottie’s sinfully delicious
chocolate cake, determined to enjoy the rest of Kayla’s birthday celebration.

****

Ethan strolled over to where Haley
visited with Francie and Matt. “You pulled off quite the party, Haley.”

Her blue eyes twinkled. “Thank you.
I think it was a success in spite of . . . well, you know.”

“Yeah, in spite of the bitch,”
Francie finished for her, covering Elisa’s ears.

Matt draped an arm around his wife’s
shoulders. “You scared she’ll repeat that word at six months?” Francie elbowed
him and he laughed and grabbed her arm. “So how’s the house coming along, Ethan?
Sorry I haven’t had much time to help lately.”

“I hired a couple of workers last
week, and they’ve made some progress. I need to spend more time on it, especially
if I want to be in by fall. I’d planned on only living here part-time, but I’m
re-thinking that. If I decide to pull up and move out here for good, might as
well get it done before Kayla starts school.”

“Smart thinking,” Ashley said as
she joined them. “So what’s left to do?”

“Way too much,” Ethan answered.

“How about giving your little
sister a tour?”

“Me too,” Francie chimed in. “I had
so much fun picking stuff out for our house. Matt was delighted I wanted to do
that. So delighted that he turned me loose with a credit card and said, ‘Have
at it.’ I especially had fun choosing the kitchen counter tops. Have you chosen
yours yet?”