that?” Savannah murmured. “This is something I never saw in Georgia or Tennessee.”
“I never saw it in Oklahoma, either.” Zach waited until the sheep had cleared the road and they could continue on their way, then he brought the conversation back to the subject at hand. “I won’t try to tell you that parenting TJ won’t be a challenge, but I will say that I have no doubt at all that you will rise to meet it. That’s what you do.”
“It’s not something I want to do,” she replied with a bit of a pout in her voice. “Why do I have to have more challenges? Haven’t I had my fair share?”
“My dad always used to say that fair is where you show your pigs in October.”
“How am I possibly going to care for a fourteen-year-old boy?”
“With care and compassion and grace. Maybe get him a dog.” He took her hand and held it casually. “I’ve watched you in your shop. You have good instincts with people.”
“My instincts are telling me I’m clueless when it comes to teenage boys.” She hesitated a moment before adding, “The lawyer asked TJ to call and talk to me. He wouldn’t do it.”
That wasn’t a good sign.
Zach had seen kids whose parents were in jail. It could go either way—or right down the middle. It wasn’t a given that he’d be a problem. So what if his maternal grandparents called him a delinquent? Their idea of a delinquent could be a kid who plays video games.
“He was such a sweet little boy. Maybe he’s just shy. I can deal with shy.”
“Maybe he’s just angry about being disrupted again. Sounds like the kid has had a few curve balls thrown his way. And as for shy … you can deal with shy. You dealt with me, didn’t you?”
That got a laugh out of her, just as he had hoped. He went for further distraction when he added, “And may I say once again how much I enjoyed how you dealt with me last night?”
That got the blush he’d expected, too. Her smug look had him adding, “Not to mention this morning.”
“You’re trying to distract me,” she said. “Thank you.”
“I’ve decided that distracting you is my greatest pleasure—in every sense of the word.”
“In that case, talk to me about something else.”
“All right. What would you like to talk about?”
“I don’t know. Maybe … Celeste? I spoke with her quite a bit at quilt group the other night. She is a most interesting person. She likes you a lot.”
“I like her, too. There is something about southern women. My mother would have really liked Celeste.”
They discussed Celeste Blessing, his mother, and Savannah’s grandmother until they passed the Gunnison city limit sign. At that point, Savannah grew quiet. Zach decided to let the conversation lag. She needed this time to gather her forces. For that matter, he did, too.
He had thought long and hard about dating Savannah in the wake of her new circumstances, and he’d decided to have a positive attitude about it. He cared enough about her to be open to the possibilities. His presence during this time of adjustment would be helpful to Savannah and maybe to the boy, too. He’d decided to make a sincere effort to help TJ Moore to adjust. After all, his undercover work in Oklahoma had given him some experience with substance abusers, and he knew tales to tell that TJ might relate to. The boy would need a positive male influence in his life. Zach had always wanted to make his job matter. Now he had the opportunity to do it in his personal life, too.
If Celeste Blessing had been riding in this car this morning, she would likely say that God had put him in this place, with this woman, at this time for the purpose of helping TJ Moore and his aunt Savannah form their family. She might well be right.
They pulled into a parking place in front of the airport terminal. Zach shifted into park and switched off the ignition. He blew out a breath, then said, “I’m ready. Are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
He gave her hand a comforting squeeze, then kissed her cheek. “All right, then, Peach. Let’s go welcome young Thomas James Moore to Colorado and his new family.”
Savannah swallowed hard but nodded. “We will welcome him to Eternity Springs. It’s a wonderful town, the perfect place for broken hearts to heal.”
TJ gritted his teeth and, concealed by the