parents, Tyler’s grandparents. All the men in the family had the same look, although Tyler’s frame tended to the leaner side.
Tyler’s mother, however, surprised her.
In the photo, her lips were pressed closed as if she was fighting laughing out loud, and her eyes gleamed with the same glint Karly had initially seen in Tyler’s gaze. Tyler’s mother had one hand on her son’s shoulder, anchoring him in place. Her other arm was entwined with her husband’s, keeping them linked.
It was a portrait that showed a happy family—and what was gone.
All of a sudden the collection of achievements lost their shine. Now Tyler stood alone. She knew how that felt, but was it worse or better to have it all, only to lose it?
Tyler continued to look up at the oil painting. “She was always laughing.” He glanced at Karly for the first time since she walked into the room. “Dad would get so mad and ask if she took anything seriously. She would just laugh and tell him life was short and he was too solemn. She would tease him until we were all laughing.” He turned back to his family.
Silence lingered.
Karly pulled on the colored beads that hung from her right ear. “So you’re a good mix of your parents?”
He turned to her. Surprise stamped on his face. “Why would you say that? We just met.”
“True, and most of that time you have been very serious, but I’ve also seen you make light of situations that could have been tough, like you not fitting in my car or when I got stuck in the mud. Plus the way you work with Bryce—you made a game out of him being scared and gave him your old basketball jersey.” One thing life had taught her was to watch the way men reacted to difficult situations. It told a great deal about their character.
He had turned his back to her and continued to stare at the portrait. Maybe that was why God had put her here—not for the job and home for Bryce, but to help Tyler see how much he still had here on the ranch in his life if he wanted it.
She gave herself a mental shake. She could not fall into her fix-him mode. Bryce and their future needed to be her focus.
She sighed. Silence always made her nervous. “By the way, you were great with Bryce. Thank you for not making a big deal of his arm. Most people get uncomfortable and don’t know how to act. You made his day when you gave him jobs to do instead of ignoring him. You seem to have experience with kids like him.” Okay, she needed to stop talking.
Silence. Again she fought the urge to fill it. Finally he moved to the sofa and nodded to her. She guessed it was an invitation to sit down. Tucking her long skirt under her, she sat. Perched on the edge of the giant leather sofa, she waited for him to talk. Pen in hand, she posed to take notes.
And waited.
His gaze scanned the room before coming back to her. “I have a friend that works in the burn unit at a hospital in Houston. The kids like it when I stop by in my pilot uniform and talk about flying. We’ve done a few Make-A-Wish trips with the airplanes, too. Many of the kids are missing limbs. Bryce’s looks more like a birth defect than an injury.”
She nodded. “The doctor said his arm got tangled up in the umbilical cord, so it didn’t fully develop. It happened below the elbow, so he has most of his arm. He’s also had surgeries on his foot. That’s why he limps now, but he will fully recover from that. Bryce’s needs won’t in any way interfere with my working here.”
“Other than your son, what is your medical training?” His intense gaze locked her in place.
Karly made herself breathe. He had every right to ask her that question. Her first instinct was to lie, to say whatever she needed to say to keep this job, this home. She swallowed and clenched her hands.
Her stepfather had taught her to lie so well it was as natural as breathing, and she always had to fight the impulse to give the expected answer, but she had made a vow to tell the truth no matter the consequences. “I don’t have any. Pastor John is the one that came to me with the idea that I could help out. I know I can keep the house clean and watch over your father, make sure all the appointments are set up and he gets to them. Help him move around and take care of all the little things.”
Leaning forward, Tyler kept his gaze on her. “My dad’s health comes first. Do you have a résumé?”
The taste of blood hit her tongue. She relaxed her jaw, but her lungs would not let up. Unable to talk, she shook her head. A résumé? She had never needed one before. She didn’t have enough education or experience to even fill half a page.
Well, she could fill a page with all her job bouncing, but washing dishes, laundry, serving coffee and cleaning kennels didn’t count in the real world. This was it—less than twelve hours and the best opportunity she had ever been given would slip out of her grasp.
A loud knock caused them both to look toward the kitchen. Tyler stood.
“Tyler? Karly?” It was Adrian De La Cruz.
Karly had met the horse trainer at church when she’d joined a single parent group he led. He seemed to like her and support her working for Mr. Childress. And his appearance was putting a stop to a bad conversation. “We’re in here, Adrian.”
Rounding the corner into the kitchen, she bumped into him. He grabbed her arms to steady her. Adrian was shorter than Tyler, instead eye to eye with her own five-foot-eleven height. He smiled, causing the lines around his golden-brown eyes to deepen. “Whoa, where’re you going in such a hurry?” Stepping back, he chuckled and looked over her shoulder. “I’m not used to women running from Hollywood here.”
“Hollywood?” She glanced at Tyler.
“That was pretty boy’s nickname. No matter what he was doing, he did it in style and loved an audience.” Adrian laughed. “Always had the girls all worked up. The rest of us poor slobs had to wait for the fallout.”
“That’s not how I remember it at all.” Tyler held his hand out to shake, but Adrian pulled Tyler into a hug and slapped him on the back.
“Good to see you back in town. Sorry about your dad, but I know he’ll get through this. Too stubborn to do anything else, que si?” Flashing her his open, friendly smile, Adrian winked at her. She couldn’t help but grin back at her friend. She was already feeling better.
So why didn’t she fall for guys like Adrian? The solid, hardworking and easygoing family man. As a single dad, he loved his daughter above all else. She looked at Tyler from under her lashes. She had some kind of messed-up genes when it came to picking men.
“So you’ve left construction to get back in the horse business? Riding bulls again?” Tyler leaned a hip on the counter and crossed his arms, pulling the cotton shirt tight over his shoulders.
“No bulls for me, but Mia’s ten now so I have a bit more freedom, and the construction jobs took a dive a while back. Your father was looking for a part-time trainer, so it was good timing. Are you going to stick around? There are some big shows coming up and we’re not sure what we should do. Your dad is pretty hands-on and was still riding.”
Tyler sighed. His jaw flexed. “There are a lot of decisions that need to be made, and Dad is in no shape to be running the ranch.”
Karly needed to leave the room. She nodded to the men. “Excuse me.” She moved in between them, making her way to the refrigerator. Maggie had sent a casserole. It just needed to be heated up.
But standing in front of the stainless-steel, professional-looking gas stove, she had no idea how to start it. What if she blew them up?
“Karly, you’re the reason I came over,” Adrian called out to her.
Sweat beaded up on her lip and heat crept up her neck. She couldn’t even heat up a premade dinner. “Me?” Oh, great, what had happened now?
“Yeah, Pastor John called me.” He turned to Tyler. “He said he tried calling you. Anyway.