A Second Chance at Crimson Ranch (20 page)

She simply said, “It'll be okay, Tanner.”

“I hope so.”

“Does Meagan know if she's having a girl or a boy?”

“It's a girl.” He resumed walking across the lawn. “I'm going to hire a live-in nanny. Hopefully, having someone there who knows what they're doing will make me feel better.”

She walked beside him. “That's a good idea.”

“I'd prefer an older lady who's already raised a brood of her own.”

“Someone who knows how to be a mom?”

“Exactly.”

Candy thought about how excited she'd been about becoming a mom. She also thought about the ever-present ache of losing the life in her womb. Nearly four years had passed, but she still felt the loss, especially since her miscarriage had been directly associated with her divorce.

But rather than let herself sink too deeply into those old memories, she said, “I'm sure you'll find the right nanny.” She didn't doubt he would screen them carefully.

“But first I need to find a house. The idea is for me to live in the main house with the nanny and the baby. Then later, after Meagan comes home, she and her daughter can live in the guesthouse.”

By now, they were standing at the white picket fence that surrounded Candy's guesthouse. “It's nice of you to consider their future.”

“I can't very well leave my sister to flounder by herself. I'm not making excuses for her, but part of the reason she embezzled money was to support her boyfriend. And then he goes off and ditches her, with a babe in her belly.”

“It's probably better that he shrugged off his responsibility. She doesn't need a guy like that around.”

“If I ever see his lazy ass again, I'm going to pummel the living crap out of him. It's what big brothers are supposed to do.” With a tight squint, he defended his threat of violence. “He's got it coming from me.”

“No doubt he does.” If she were in his position, she would feel the same way. She gave him a second to clear his thoughts, then asked, “Are you ready to see the guesthouse?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

She opened the gate, focusing on the sale of her property. “The tenant moved after I put it on the market, so it's vacant now. But if you decide to rent it out between now and when Meagan comes home, finding a new tenant will be easy. I've never had any trouble keeping it occupied.”

“I probably wouldn't rent anything out for a while. I've got too much else to think about.” He glanced at the landscape. “You've done a great job of maintaining all of this.”

“Thank you.” The courtyard showcased a three-tiered fountain, next to a stretch of grass with plants and flowers. She ushered him inside. “It's one bedroom and one bath.”

“I'd need to turn it into a two-bedroom.”

“There's plenty of space for an addition. The people I bought it from considered making it bigger. They even looked into getting the permits.”

“That's good to know.”

She held back while he wandered around, letting him get a feel for it.

Afterward, he said, “It's really nice. I think Meagan would like it. But I still have to see the main house, so I'll reserve my judgment until after you show me everything.”

Candy nodded. She didn't expect him to decide on the spot.

Still standing beside the window, he gazed out at the fountain. “It seems so surreal.”

She knew he meant his situation, not the setting. Caught up in his reflective mood, she asked, “Has Meagan chosen a name for the baby yet?”

He turned around, the water framed behind him. “Ivy. Ivy Ann Quinn.”

“That's pretty. I like the way it sounds.”

“Ivy Ann is from a book about a princess Meagan read. All little girls should be princesses, right?”

“Definitely. But they don't all have to be beauty queens.”

“You were Miss Teen Los Angeles when we were going out.” He said it softly, as if he were taking a romantic trip down memory lane.

To combat the gentleness in his voice, she replied, “I was always Miss Something-or-Other.” Her mom had forced her into competitions at a very young age, and if Candy didn't win, she got pushed even harder. “Big bouncy hair, frozen smiles and glittery ball gowns.” She winced at the image it created in her mind. “What a nightmare.”

“But you still worked your tail off to make your mom proud.”

“What can I say? She relished that environment. She also loved bragging about her tiara-topped daughter to her friends.” To emphasize her point she made a crownlike circle with her hands, lifting it ceremoniously onto her head.

“I was guilty of bragging, too. Telling my buddies how hot my Miss Teen girlfriend was. But I shouldn't have done that, I suppose. Especially since I knew how much you hated being in those pageants.”

She lowered her hands. “I hardly ever admitted that to anyone.” But she'd confided in him. She'd trusted him with her secrets back then. “You were good at listening.”

“And now you're listening to me talk about my problems.”

“You just need to settle into the idea of being an uncle.”

“I certainly never expected it to happen like this, with Meagan being a single mom.” He shrugged. “But marriage doesn't make much sense to me anyway.”

It shouldn't have made sense to her, either. But Candy wanted to get married again someday. She wanted to get it right next time. “Some couples are happy. Dana and Eric are.”

“Then they're lucky. Because I don't think it works for most people. After Ella died, my dad had the nerve to tell my mom that he'd never loved her.”

Feeling as if she'd gotten the wind knocked out of her, Candy clutched her middle. After she'd miscarried, Vince had said the same thing to her.

After a bout of silence, he said, “I'm sorry. I shouldn't be laying my mom's old troubles on you. What's done is done, and she's gone now.”

Yes, his mother was gone, but Candy remained, affected by what he'd said. But before her emotions got the best of her, she lightened her mood, rather than dwell on things that couldn't be undone.

She felt especially better when Tanner glanced over and smiled. He just had that way about him.

“Ready to show me the rest of the place?” he asked.

“Yes, of course.” Together, they headed for the main house, with Candy returning his smile.

Copyright © 2015 by Sheree Henry-Whitefeather

ISBN-13: 9781460378458

A Second Chance at Crimson Ranch

Copyright © 2015 by Michelle Major

All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical,
now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.

www.Harlequin.com