Penny demanded, staring at him intensely. “With you working at Wranglers, once the daycare’s open, they could attend here. Wouldn’t their transition to here and then school be easier on everyone if they continued with me?”
Rick sagged with relief. He’d tied himself up in knots wondering if Penny had only taken on care of the twins out of a sense of duty to Sophie. Judging by the kids’ excitement when he’d picked them up each day, he knew they enjoyed being with her. So now seeing Penny’s obvious discontent at the prospect of not caring for them confirmed his hunch that she enjoyed their company and wasn’t doing this out of a sense of duty.
“Why would you even think that?” she asked, a hurt tone in her voice.
“I’m thinking of you, Penny,” Rick said mildly, hating that he might have hurt her. “I don’t want the twins to wear you out before Wranglers Ranch Day Care even opens its doors.”
“You, Tanner, Sophie. You’re all so worried about me. You must think I’m a doddering old maid. I won’t be twenty-eight until August, you know,” she protested as red spots appeared on her cheeks.
“Trust me, Penny. When I think of you, I do not think of a doddering old maid.”
Wasn’t that the truth? And the fact that Rick did think of her, a lot, was something he was going to have to correct. His focus needed to remain on the twins and on making the three of them into a family. He couldn’t afford to get sidetracked by the pretty woman standing in front of him, no matter how special she was.
“Good to know.” Penny grinned cheekily then arched an eyebrow. “So?”
“It’s a deal. Katie and Kyle will stay with you,” Rick said in a firm tone. “After all, I don’t want to—” He paused. Winced.
“Don’t want to—?” she prodded.
“I was going to say look a gift horse in the mouth.” He peered at her worriedly. “You don’t think I’m calling you a horse, do you?”
Penny’s hoot of laughter brought the twins running to see what was so funny.
“You came too early, Uncle Rick.” Kyle’s face wore a fierce frown.
“You don’t want to go home with me?” Rick tried to hide his hurt. Obviously he wasn’t doing his best at parenting if the kids preferred Penny to him and returning to his un-homey ranch.
“We can’t go home till after the bar-cue,” Katie explained. “Aunt Sophie ’vited us, ’member?”
“Um—” Confused, Rick looked to Penny to explain.
“That’s barbecue, Katie.” She lifted her gaze to him. “Sophie invited all Wranglers staff including the kids of our soon-to-be daycare clients to a barbecue this evening. I think she texted you about it.” Penny ruffled Kyle’s hair, smiled when Katie reached to grasp her hand then glanced at Rick. “You’ll come, won’t you?”
“I guess, though I’m not exactly dressed for partying.” Rick glanced down at his dusty jeans. “But I am in the mood to celebrate. I finished a job today. The house will be cleaned tonight and the family can move in tomorrow.” Satisfaction created a bubble of energy inside him. “Now I’ll have two permanent crews building the cabins here. I’m pretty hopeful that we will finish on time.”
Then the bubble burst. Finishing the cabins by his deadline meant leaving Wranglers Ranch, and that meant he’d have to find another caregiver for the twins.
“It must feel wonderful to create a home and so gratifying to know a family will benefit from your work.” Penny’s generous smile held no undertone but in his mind Rick heard a tiny voice ask, Like Gillian benefitted from the house you built for her?
“Yes, it does feel good,” he agreed and pushed away the heaviness of guilt.
“So, we’re about ready to head over to the patio now. Coming?” Penny waited for his nod, her eyes as bright as the blue cotton sundress she wore. Its full skirt was splashed with the vivid colors of hibiscus flowers. The wind tugged at those flowers, making the skirt swirl around her legs as she walked beside him. The twins raced ahead then ran back to urge Penny and Rick to hurry.
“We’re coming,” Penny assured them. When they were gone again she addressed him in a lowered tone. “Earlier we were talking about barbecues and I noticed they seem to have memories of outdoor cooking, but they talk as if that was over an open fire. They said it wasn’t a wiener roast.” Her manner was inquisitive.
“Gillian and her husband were missionaries in a very remote village in Africa,” he explained. “The twins were born there and played with the other children. I don’t think they ever thought they were any different than the other kids. When Gill first moved back after her husband was killed, she used to joke about having to get used to cooking on a stove again. So my guess is that she prepared a lot of their meals over what we’d call campfires.”
“Missionaries. What a life they must have lived.” Penny remained silent for the rest of the way, obviously deep in thought.
Seeing that the patio teemed with people and children, Rick snagged a table with benches near the periphery and settled the twins while Penny fetched drinks for all of them. The laughing and chattering quickly died away when Tanner tapped his spoon against a glass.
“Thanks for joining us.” He looped an arm around Sophie’s waist and drew her near him. “We’re getting so busy at Wranglers that we don’t often get a chance to just be together. Tonight is that time. We hope you’ll enjoy Sophie’s good cooking and use this gathering to get to know each other better. And yes,” he promised with a smile and a nod at his stepdaughter Beth. “Later we will have s’mores around the campfire. Along with some singing.”
“But tonight’s main goal is for you to relax and have fun,” Sophie added.
“It’s our small way of thanking you for being the best staff ever and for making Wranglers Ranch into the outreach facility that our founder, Burt Green, dreamed of. Our success is due to God using you. So thank you for joining us in this ministry.” Tanner lifted his glass of punch, and everyone joined in the toast to future success.
Moments later the chattering was once more going full force and the twins along with the rest of the kids were invited to roast hot dogs over the fire. Rick nodded permission and Katie and Kyle scooted off to join the daycare’s future clients. He chuckled as they dashed away without a backward look.
“Sophie’s gone above and beyond with that feast.” Penny inclined her head toward the loaded buffet table. “I don’t know how she does it with three kids in the house.”
“She’s like you. Extremely organized,” Tanner said from behind them. “Glad you could make it, Rick. Penny wasn’t sure you’d be here.”
Rick glanced at her, silently asking why.
“Because you’re so busy.” She giggled. “And you wouldn’t have come if we hadn’t brought you along tonight. He didn’t read the text Sophie sent,” she explained to Tanner.
“I read it,” Rick corrected then added sheepishly, “I just forgot.”
“Given you’re a new dad, I totally understand that issue,” Tanner assured him. “Kids provide a steep learning curve for a single guy. Just ask Sophie about me.”
Penny’s amused laughter did funny things to Rick’s midsection.
“I’m glad I came, though,” Rick said. It was the truth and his pleasure didn’t only come from being with Penny. “After this party I’ll have a pretty good idea of who belongs at Wranglers and who doesn’t. We don’t want trespassers on the job site. My company’s priority is always safety.”
“Good to know,” Tanner approved. “Safety is our priority at Wranglers Ranch, too, because we always have kids coming and going. Seeing what you’ve both done so far, I’m confident you’ll