The Cowboy's Lesson In Love. Marie Ferrarella

assessed the situation more closely like a father.” She had almost said “like someone with a brain” but had stopped herself in time.

      Clint waved her away and turned on his heel toward where Jake and Roy were waiting. “I don’t have time for any of this psychobabble,” he said as he walked away from her.

      “It’s not psychobabble,” she insisted, calling after him. “It’s common sense.”

      “Ha!” Clint countered, but he kept on walking.

      He knew if he turned around to say anything more, she’d just drag him back into another argument and he had already wasted enough time on this woman and her crazy theory.

      Clint kept walking until he got back to where Jake and his brother were working. Ryan was with them as well and the boy looked up at him the moment he drew closer. Before his son could say anything to him or ask any questions, Clint said, “Go into the house and do your homework.”

      “I already finished my homework, sir,” Ryan told him quietly.

      “Then go do something else,” Clint ordered, turning back to what he’d been doing before that woman disrupted his day.

      To his surprise, Ryan stood his ground.

      “Can I help you?” he asked in the same small, hopeful voice he’d used the morning when he had asked the same question.

      The word no hovered on Clint’s tongue and he’d almost said it. But then he heard that teacher’s vehicle as she apparently started it up and then began to drive away.

      Good. The woman was really going back into town, Clint thought.

      But what the woman had said annoyingly refused to drive away with her. It seemed to linger in the air like a solid entity.

      Clint frowned as he turned to look at his son.

      “Yeah,” Clint finally said, reluctantly relenting. “You can help—as long as you promise not to get in the way.”

      Stunned that his father had actually said he could help, Ryan looked at him, a wide smile spreading out over his small, angular face.

      “I promise! Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it, Dad,” Ryan proclaimed eagerly. “Just tell me,” he repeated.

      Clint looked down at his son. Despite the boy’s eager reaction, Clint couldn’t shake the feeling that he had just unintentionally opened up Pandora’s box.