Healing Hearts (New Hope Falls #6) - Kimberly Rae Jordan Page 0,55

ready to venture beyond the porch, but just being outside with him was a victory.

“What are you doing?” Bryson asked as he peered over the railing.

Ryker knelt back down on the grass, reaching up to turn his cap around so the bill was in the back. “I’m pulling some weeds and preparing the soil to plant the flowers.”

“You didn’t need to plant flowers,” Sophia said.

Ryker looked up at her. “I know. But we had some flowers left over from a job we did, so I thought I’d plant them here.”

“They’re pretty, Momma,” Bryson said as he released her hand to grasp the railing.

Sophia noticed that he kept glancing around, and she had a feeling that he was on the lookout for any bugs or bees. She’d propped the screen door open, so he could dart back inside if he needed to. So far, so good, though.

“Yes. The flowers are very pretty,” she agreed.

“And I think they’ll look perfect in these beds,” Ryker said. “They should get just the perfect amount of sun.”

“Why do they need sun?” Bryson asked.

“Plants need water and sun to grow. Just like you need food.”

“Do I need sun to grow?” Bryson asked.

Ryker glanced at her, then back at Bryson. “Sunlight helps our bodies produce a vitamin that everyone needs.”

“So I’m not getting that…vi…vi…”

“Vitamin,” Sophia provided.

“Vitamin,” Bryson repeated.

“You can get it from food,” Ryker said as he reached out to pull some weeds. “And if you take pills, you can get it there too.”

“I take pills,” Bryson said, then he looked up at her. “Right, Momma?”

“Yes.” She rested her hand on his curls. “Every night before bed.”

“So I don’t have to go out in the sun?”

She and Ryker exchanged another look before Ryker returned his attention to the flower bed. Obviously, he was leaving the answer to that question up to her.

“You don’t have to go in the sun, but it can be nice.” The reality was that there were plenty of days when the sun didn’t shine, so his going outside probably shouldn’t be motivated by his desire to be in sunlight.

They watched Ryker in silence for a few minutes, then Sophia said, “I’m going to check on the food, Bry. I won’t be gone long, but the door is open if you decide to come in. Will you be okay?”

Bryson peered at her, concern puckering his brow. “You’ll come back?”

“Of course, baby. I just don’t want the food to burn.”

“I’ll be here,” Ryker said. “If you need anything.”

“Okay.”

Sophia took that as permission to go into the house. She hurried into the kitchen and went right to the stove to check the vegetables. After stirring them, she went back outside though she’d have to go in for a longer stretch in a few minutes to finish getting supper ready.

She stood in the doorway and watched Bryson as he peered over the railing at Ryker. No matter how much she told herself she shouldn’t be feeling anything for Ryker, it was nearly impossible to keep from falling for a man this incredible. He’d done for Bryson what no one had been able to. That honestly, no other man in her life had seemed willing to do.

No one except for Nana had been willing to patiently connect with Bryson, accepting him as he was and yet allowing him to spread his wings when he cautiously made those attempts. No one else had taken the time to understand why he wasn’t what people would consider a “normal” boy. He’d had experiences that had molded him in ways most boys his age hadn’t been molded.

Sometimes it felt like her family just wanted her to forget the past five years and move on, as if it was that easy. If forgetting and moving on had been a simple thing, they would have done it already. But there was no way to forget everything that had transpired.

But even without knowing what had happened to them, Ryker seemed to have known that Bryson required gentle handling. That made him an exceptional man in her books.

“Look at the flowers, Momma.” Bryson pointed over the rail.

Blinking away the moisture that had suddenly sprung into her eyes, Sophia moved to stand next to Bryson once again. She braced her hands on the railing and looked down into the flower bed. Sure enough. In the time she’d been gone, Ryker had put a couple of the flowers into the soil.

“They’re beautiful,” Sophia said.

“And they’ll look even prettier as they grow,” Ryker said as he continued to prepare