she looked through the packages of curtains, searching for a set for the window in Becky’s guest room. Which reminded her…
“Sam,” she said.
He turned from his inspection of a display of window hardware.
“The headboard of the bed Becky’s using. I told you I’d never seen a design like that before. Did you make it?”
He hesitated, looking away, as if he didn’t want to answer the question. She couldn’t understand why.
Finally, he nodded. “Yeah.”
“You do beautiful work.”
“I try.” The words came out grudgingly.
She shrugged. If the man didn’t want compliments, she’d keep them to herself in future. She selected a set of curtains in a bright floral print that would pick up the colors in the throw rugs. “I’m ready to check out.”
When Becky came up beside them, Kayla held out the package to her.
Becky raised her brows and put her hand flat on her chest.
“Mine?” Kayla voiced for Sam. She nodded.
Becky took the package and ran toward the cashier at the front of the store.
“Hers?” Sam asked. “Becky’s room already has curtains.”
“I thought I’d buy something to make it a little more girlish in there.”
“You don’t need to be buying her anything.”
“I want to.”
“She’s my child. Any buying that gets done around here, I’ll do it.” He turned on his heel and strode off in Becky’s wake.
Kayla stood there a moment, puzzled by his strong reaction to her offer. She shrugged again. So, he didn’t like his daughter to have gifts, even when they were bought by someone else.
What would the judge think about that?
THEY WORKED THEIR WAY back down the other side of the street, through the post office and the volunteer firefighter station, in the same fashion. With Sam still barely remembering to introduce her along with Becky. By that time, Kayla’s previous irritation at his slights, compounded by the rejection of her gift, had worked itself up to a steady simmer. A good soak-down with one of the fire hoses might have done her some good.
Without that, the next snub from Sam would probably make her boil over. In a very polite way, of course.
They had reached Town Hall again, where Becky jogged up the path to the front steps, climbed them and jumped down. She proceeded to play this game as they stood watching.
“We’d better head back after this,” Sam said. “You were planning on stopping at Harley’s, right? I’ll go with you. It’s about time to start stocking up for that barbecue the judge invited himself to.”
The barbecue. “Yes, I need to pick up a few things at the store,” she said, her voice shaking.
She had hoped Sam would forget all about the judge’s comment. The idea of the barbecue worried her more than she wanted to admit. That day in court, she had seen for herself how the judge seemed to favor the local boy and had heard how strongly he felt about Becky being part of the history of Flagman’s Folly. Now that Sam had shared his story, she understood the judge’s words. She could almost go along with them. Becky did have strong ties to the town. And Flagman’s Folly appeared to be a nice place filled with friendly people.
Weighed against all this, could her efforts to rack up points against Sam be worthless?
On the day of the barbecue, would the judge take one look at Becky on that big, open ranch—the ranch she had the right to one day inherit—and decide that being brought up there would be in the child’s best interests?
Kayla clenched her hands at her sides. This defeatist mind-set wouldn’t help her, and she had to get rid of it now.
Dropping her attitude toward Sam was a different story.
Fighting to keep her voice steady, she continued, “I’m not sure about the shopping list I made. It was hard to figure out what to cook when I’ll never be sure what time you’ll be in for dinner.”
“Ranchers work long hours.” He frowned. “And I’m not used to having to report in with my schedule.”
“So Ronnie told me.”
He stopped and turned to her, looking suddenly as hot under the collar as she felt. “Do you have to bring that ‘Ronnie told me’ into every conversation?”
She shrugged. “Just making a point.”
“Yeah, a point to remind me you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Really?” Suddenly, Sam’s series of backhanded insults and her own memory of what had happened in the courtroom of that very building where Becky now played made her even more annoyed. The knowledge of what could happen there in