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“You didn’t do anything except put your trust in family. Your top priority was your girls, as it should be. There was no way of knowing he’d do...well, this.” Kyle’s grip tightened on the steering wheel as he took a few seconds to imagine knocking Frank Kline on his ass. It was pretty damn gratifying. Once that was done, he shook his head and turned to her. “Well, he’s never going to get another penny from you, Skylar.”

  “He certainly is not.” There was a snap to her voice. “I closed the account and took what was left.” She shook her head. “The nice woman gave me the Military Affairs number so all I have to do is stop payments until I get an account set up in Granite Falls.”

  He smiled. “Sounds like a plan. Now you can finally start saving what you need for Mya.”

  Skylar nodded, her chin crumpling slightly before she reined in her emotions. She straightened, drew in a deep breath, and spoke calmly. “Yes. Yes, you’re right.”

  “How about we go celebrate?” he asked, resisting the urge to take her hand in his. He started the truck, backed out, then made a left and headed down the street toward the large red-and-white Dairy King sign. “Going in or drive-through?” he asked.

  She glanced in the backseat. “They’re sleeping. We don’t need to get ice—”

  “Oh, yes, ma’am, we do.” He pulled into the drive-through. “Two chocolate malts,” he told the girl in the window. “Large.”

  Chapter Five

  Greer wasn’t happy. At all. She was wailing her little lungs out and there was no stopping her. “I’m sorry,” Skylar said to Kyle, for the third time.

  “She’s just letting you know her opinion on things.” He grinned, staring out the windshield. “We’re almost to the next town. How about we stop, get some dinner, and maybe look at getting a couple of rooms for the night? Let the girls stretch their legs a bit?”

  Skylar frowned. “Dinner sounds good.”

  Greer’s volume steadily increased but Kyle seemed unruffled by it. Still, Skylar was relieved when they spied a family-friendly looking café with an outdoor dining area where Jet might be welcome. He pulled in, parked, and helped get the girls free and clear of their seats, making sure Mya and Brynn took hold of her hands. Skylar ignored the sudden ache his thoughtful gesture caused. Instead, she watched as he lifted Greer from her seat. Greer stopped wailing immediately. She was still red-faced, with tears on her cheeks, but she gurgled and smiled up at Kyle as if he’d hung the moon and the stars in the sky just for her.

  “Greer Rose.” Skylar couldn’t help but laugh. “I know Kyle is a nice man and you feel just horrible for giving him a headache, don’t you?”

  Greer turned, smiling and cooing some more.

  “She sure knows her momma’s voice,” Kyle chuckled. “She lit right up.”

  Skylar was pretty sure her baby girl was far more enthusiastic over being freed from her seat—by Kyle—but she didn’t point that out. She knew Greer would start crying once she was returned to her car seat but there was no way to manage all three of them without it. “I’ll get her seat,” she offered.

  “I can carry her.” He was wearing that awed expression again—the one that made her insides go a little too warm and soft for her liking.

  “I don’t want the girls to be a bother.” She meant it.

  “If it was a bother, I wouldn’t have offered.” He adjusted Greer in his arms and headed toward the front door of the restaurant. “Let’s see if they’re dog friendly.” He held the door open.

  Skylar slipped the strap of Greer’s diaper bag onto her shoulder, and steered the girls inside. Jet followed behind, staying close and behaving himself. Inside, the floor was covered in peanut shells and country music poured from the tinny speakers. It was early so the dining room was mostly silver-haired. All eyes turned their way and conversation all but came to a stop when they walked in. But one look at Kyle with Greer and her girls turned the senior diners’ curiosity into warm welcome.

  The waitress assured them Jet would be no bother as long as he behaved himself, instead of sitting outside. Kyle gave his word and the woman showed them to a large booth in the corner. Jet, on the nervous side, hurried under the table and lay across Skylar’s feet.

  “We eating, Momma?” Brynn asked. “I’m hungry. Mya is hungry, too.” She pointed at Mya and rubbed her tummy.

  Mya nodded.

  “Me, too,” Kyle said, bouncing Greer just enough to keep her entertained.

  Skylar read over the menu quickly. As kind as Kyle was being, he’d run out of patience once Greer got cranky for her dinner. “Macaroni and cheese?” she asked, pointing at the picture on the child’s menu for Mya.

  Mya’s smile was all the answer she needed.

  “Can I have this, Momma?” Brynn asked, pointing at a piece of pie.

  “That’s dessert, Brynn.” She smiled.

  “Special ’casions.” Brynn nodded, looking very solemn for a four-year-old.

  “Dessert is for special occasions only?” Kyle asked, regarding his menu.

  “Yes,” Brynn said. “Only special ’casions.”

  Skylar stared down at her two daughters. They never asked for much and always appreciated what they got. Was dessert asking too much? Considering the surprises her day had revealed and the adventure they were on, Skylar was pretty sure dessert was in order. “Well, maybe tonight is a special occasion,” she said. “Maybe, after you eat some macaroni or a grilled cheese we should get some pie.”

  Brynn’s eyes went owl-like. “Really, Momma?”

  Kyle chuckled, peering over the menu at her. “I’m pretty excited about the pie, too.”

  Skylar tapped Brynn’s nose, then Mya’s nose with her finger. “Really.” She pointed at the picture for Mya. Mya, however, shook her head and pointed at the macaroon cookies. “Okay.” To Mya, there was nothing better than cookies, of any kind, and milk. And Skylar was just fine with that.

  For the first time in over a year, she had some spending cash. She’d done her best not to touch the small nest egg she had in savings; it was earmarked for Mya—it had been a source of hope when things got rough. But now, she could breathe. Never in a million years could she have imagined she was getting a monthly payment. Because Frank had made sure of that. But not now. Not anymore. It wasn’t a lot, but it was something. More than she’d had in...a long time. Not enough to make her independent, of course. But a start. If her daughters wanted dessert, they were getting dessert.

  They ordered their dinner and Greer started to fuss, so Kyle went out to the truck to get her car seat. Once she was bibbed and buckled in, she devoured her bowl of rice cereal, had a couple of bites of pureed squash baby food, and several ounces of formula.

  “Better?” Skylar asked, carefully wiping the remnants of Greer’s dinner from her face.

  Greer cooed, offering a toothless grin.

  Kyle was laughing.

  “What?” Skylar asked, giving Greer a quick once-over.

  “Oh, nothing.” But he was still laughing.

  “Kyle? What is so funny?” Skylar turned, waiting for an explanation.

  “You. The faces you make when you’re feeding her.” He winked at Mya and Brynn. “You kind of squish up your face and open your mouth and eyes real wide.”

  Skylar stared at him. “I do?”

  Brynn nodded. “Yep.”

  “It’s...” Kyle shook his head, his smile something to see. “It’s sweet.”

  Skylar’s embarrassment melted away. “Oh.” She liked Kyle Mitchell and she really liked Kyle Mitchell when he was smiling.

  Their food was delivered and Delores, the waitress, went on and on about the girls. “They have some of their momma and their daddy.” Delores looked back and forth between Skylar and Kyle. “Daddy’s hair and Momma’s smile.”

  “Thank you,” Skylar responded, ignoring Kyle’s choking sound.

  “It�
��s not every day we have such a sweet family in.” Delores leaned forward to gaze at Greer. “Cute as a button.” She made a silly face at the baby. “You let me know if you need anything now, you hear?”

  “We will, thank you.” Skylar smiled her thanks then turned to see Kyle, red-faced, but recovering. “I figured it was easier to say thank you than to offer up a whole convoluted explanation of who we were to each other and why we were traveling together. The food would get cold.”

  “Can’t argue with that logic.” He nodded. “Caught me off guard is all.”

  The food was delicious. It helped that she didn’t have to cook—or worry about the cleanup. It also helped to know she could pay their own way.

  But, mostly, it helped to have another set of hands. Frank had always barked and glared and sighed until he carried his dinner to his room—complaining the girls were all fussy and bad for the digestion. But not Kyle. When Mya patted his hand and asked for help putting the straw into the top of her kiddie cup, he did so without hesitation. When Mya dropped her fork, he got her another one. And when Brynn announced that she’d eaten all of her macaroni and cheese and she wanted pie, he readily agreed.

  Skylar happily accepted a bit of Mya’s coconut macaroons with a light coconut frosting as well as a bite of Brynn’s apple pie. “They’re both so good,” she declared, regretting her decision to stick to decaf coffee.

  “Kyle’s pie is, too,” Brynn said, giving Kyle’s cherry pie a look. “Kyle, will you share with Momma, please?”

  Kyle nodded. “Of course.” He scooped up a large bite of pie and held it out to her. The pie wobbled. If she took the fork, chances were the pie wouldn’t make it to her mouth and the gooey cherries would wind up all over the twins. Instead, she leaned forward, mouth open, and let him feed her.

  She sat back, the sweet tang of cherries filling her mouth. “Mmm,” she murmured, chewing and nodding.

  For a few seconds the fork didn’t move. Kyle didn’t move... He seemed entirely focused on her mouth.

  She grabbed her napkin and wiped. First, she’d made faces feeding Greer. Now she had cherry pie on her face... But the napkin was clean. When she glanced his way, he’d gone back to eating his pie—like nothing had happened.

  Nothing had happened.

  “Which is best, Momma?” Brynn asked.

  “Oh.” Skylar looked back and forth between the plates, smiling at each of them. “That’s a tough one.” But her gaze stopped and hung on Mya. “Mya?” she asked. “You okay?”

  Mya nodded, even as her lips seemed to plump. She opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue, making a face. It looked swollen, too.

  “Momma, what’s wrong?” Brynn asked.

  Skylar reached across Brynn and pressed a hand to Mya’s cheek. “I’m not sure.” She handed Mya her water. “Sip, baby.” She signed “water,” but Mya shook her head and turned away, her little hands pressing against her throat as her breathing grew labored. That was when Skylar started to panic. “Mya?”

  “Is she allergic to anything?” Kyle asked, his forehead creased and his jaw clenching tight.

  “No.” She frowned. “Not that I know of.” But both of them were staring at her plate. “She’s never had coconut before.”

  “Delores!” Kyle slid from the booth. “Where’s the closest medical clinic or hospital?”

  “Everything okay?” Delores asked. “It’s just a hop, skip, and a jump down the road. Can’t miss it. On the right.” She saw Mya then. “Oh, land sakes... You go on. Just go.”

  Skylar didn’t hesitate. Somehow, she and Kyle managed to get the kids and Jet into the car. Somehow, they made it to the tiny community hospital not two blocks away.

  Kyle barreled out of the truck and freed Mya from her car seat.

  “Go, please, go,” Skylar pleaded, watching as he carried Mya, running, into the hospital before she hurried to get Brynn unbuckled and Greer’s car seat out of the back. Jet jumped down and followed along, looking more agitated than usual.

  “Is Mya okay, Momma?” Brynn asked, holding tightly to her hand. “Momma?”

  “She will be okay.” Skylar squeezed her hand. She had to be. She could not lose her daughter. She would not.

  Inside, the small hospital waiting room was empty. No Kyle. No Mya. No nurse at reception. No one. Skylar swallowed down the urge to call out. Brynn was on the verge of tears—hearing her mother yell wasn’t going to help. She crossed the lobby, her heart in her throat, and pushed the Emergency Room button. The doors swung wide and the silence ended.

  “You Mom?” a nurse asked, waiting for Skylar’s nod before she continued. “Mya’s oxygen levels are a little low so we’re giving her some oxygen.”

  Skylar followed the woman to a curtained partition.

  “We are going to give her a shot of epinephrine,” the nurse said. “It will alleviate the swelling of her airway. She’s breathing but it’s hard work.”

  Skylar nodded, the sight of her daughter’s blue-tinged face almost breaking her. “Hurry, please.” She was at the bedside, smiling down at Mya. “Hi, baby girl. It’s going to be okay.” In that moment, she hated that Mya couldn’t hear her. She hated staring down at her daughter and knowing there was nothing she could do to make this better. It was painfully familiar.

  She was vaguely aware of Kyle saying something before he took the handle of Greer’s car seat from her hand. “Skylar?” Kyle’s voice was low and soothing. “We’ll be in the waiting room.” He took Brynn’s hand. “We will be right outside.” He was already leading them away.

  She nodded, but focused on Mya, on taking hold of her little hand.

  She heard someone clear his throat, and the room suddenly came into sharp focus.

  “I have the epinephrine here. This might burn,” Dr. Wilson—according to his name tag—said seconds before giving Mya an injection.

  Mya’s reaction confirmed it was not a pleasant experience. She reached down, pressing one hand to her thigh. But, since her throat was swollen, Mya’s cries were garbled and weak, making it even harder to breathe.

  “Mya.” She leaned forward, resting her daughter’s hand against her cheek and pressing a kiss to each one of the fingertips.

  Mya stared up at her, her chin quivering and her lips wobbling. “Ma,” she croaked.

  “I love you,” Skylar said, making the I love you sign with her other hand. “It’s okay.” Please, please let her be okay. She bent forward to kiss her forehead. “It’s okay.”

  Tears streaked Mya’s cheeks but she nodded.

  The room seemed to hold its breath but, within minutes, Mya’s oxygen level went from ninety-three percent to ninety-eight percent and climbing.

  “Good.” Dr. Wilson nodded. “We’ll watch her for a bit, get some steroids in her system, and make sure there’s no worries about relapsing.”

  “Thank you.” Now that Mya was out of danger, Skylar needed a good, long cry in the bathroom sometime soon.

  “I’ll write up a scrip for the steroids for you to fill tomorrow,” Dr. Wilson said, patting Mya’s leg before slipping through the curtains. “If she keeps improving, we’ll send you on your way this evening. But let’s give it an hour or so.”

  Skylar nodded.

  “I’ll get you a chair,” the nurse said. “And you can stay, if you’d like.”

  “Yes, please. I’m not going anywhere.” She smiled down at Mya—who was no longer blue or puffy—and pressed kisses all over her face. “I’m staying right here.” She tapped Mya’s nose.

  Mya smiled up at her. “Brynn?”

  “You want your sister?” Skylar asked, signing “Brynn” and “come.”

  Mya nodded.

  “I’ll get the family,” the nurse offered. “We’re empty so I’ll open up this side so there’s room for you all.”

  “Thank you.” Skylar nodded. “Thank you for everyt
hing.”

  * * *

  Kyle held the door of the hotel suite open, Greer’s car-seat handle gripped in one hand and Jet’s leash in the other. It was only a suite in the barest sense of the word. The kitchenette was separated by a paper-thin partition wall—and no door. But a large basket sat on the table. There was fruit, muffins, mini pies, and some coloring books and crayons. Everything they’d need to make it through the night and breakfast in the morning, too. Damn thoughtful.

  “We sleeping here?” Brynn asked, skipping into the room. “It’s so big.”

  Kyle gave the small kitchenette another look—through Brynn’s eyes. Compared to Frank’s hovel and the trailer she’d shared with her mother and sisters, the space was clean and open and somewhat spacious. Not big, by any stretch of the imagination, but better than what Brynn had come to expect. A hard knot formed and sat low, heavy and hot in the pit of his belly.

  He couldn’t help but think of Chad. Again. Tonight, Chad had weighed on him. What would he have done or said to Frank? How would he have handled tonight’s ER visit. From helping out at the dinner table to carrying Mya into the hospital to the simple innocence of Mya’s smile. He was missing this, all of it. And it tore at the wound on his heart.

  “Just for tonight.” Skylar brought up the rear, holding on to Mya’s hand. “I still can’t believe Delores did this.”

  “Delores and the Senior Supper Club.” Kyle smiled, nodding at the basket and watching Skylar’s wide-eyed reaction. “I’m not surprised. Something like this happens in a small town and folk step up to help out. Especially when kids are involved.”

  “It’s beyond generous. I’m so grateful.” There was no doubting Skylar’s sincerity. “I never expected this. All of this.” She began inventorying the room, heading through the kitchenette to the bedroom beyond. She flipped on the bedside lamps, peered into the bathroom, and generally took in the lay of the land. “Is this what Granite Falls is like? A small town?”

  “And proud of it. They don’t take kindly to folk coming in, putting in chain stores, or making big changes. No, thank you. But they’re good people. Like this.” Kyle set Greer’s car seat on the foot of one of the beds and unbuckled the grinning baby. “Are you smiling at me?” That smile. She had Chad’s smile.