“Of course, buddy, you always have a place here.”
He nods soberly and looks back down at the ground, waiting to be told what to do. Mom is openly crying now, and Dad just shakes his head, wipes his hand down his face, and sighs. “Come on, Seth. Grandpa will show you to your room. You can have your dad’s old room.”
“I don’t want anything of his,” Seth spits out, his hands in fists. “I’d rather sleep in the barn.”
Dad blinks in surprise, glances to both Mom and me, then frowns. “Okay, the spare room it is then.”
“Come on, honey, let’s get you settled and I’ll fix you some lunch.” Mom smiles at Seth through her tears and wraps an arm around his thin shoulders. “We’ve missed you so much. There are some fish out in the creek that need to be caught, you know. . . .” Her voice fades away as the three of them walk into the house, and all I can do is stand here, my hands on my hips, and wonder what the fuck just happened, and what are we going to do with a twelve-year-old boy?
Chapter One
— EARLY SUMMER —
CARA
“Cara, do you have a minute?” My boss, Kyle Reardon, pokes his head in my open classroom door and offers me a warm smile.
“Sure, what’s up?”
He saunters in and takes a long look around my empty classroom. The breeze from the open windows ruffles his hair, and he runs his hand through it as he leans against my desk. “Looks like you’re ready to get out of here for a few months.” He gazes down at me warmly. “Remember last week when you mentioned that you’d be up for a tutoring job this summer?” I roll back in my chair and look up at him. He’s handsome, with short copper hair and blue eyes, a nice build.
He’s also married with four children.
“I do,” I confirm.
“Well, I have one for you.”
“Who?”
“You know the King family, right? They run that big ranch just outside of town.”
“Of course, I grew up here, Kyle,” I reply dryly. In a town the size of Cunningham Falls, Montana, we pretty much all know each other, especially those of us who grew up here, just as our parents did, and their parents before them.
“Zack’s boy, Seth, needs a tutor this summer.”
“Zack’s back in town?” I ask, my eyebrows raised in surprise.
“I don’t think so.” Kyle shakes his head and shrugs. “I can’t tell you their business, small town or not. Seth is staying with Jeff and Nancy, and Josh is helping too.”
“Oh,” I mutter, surprised. “So for whom would I be working, exactly?”
“So proper,” Kyle teases me, and grins. “You’ll be working for Josh. You can go straight to his place on Monday morning. They’d like you to come Monday through Friday, about nine until noon.”
“Geez, he must need a lot of tutoring.”
The laughter leaves Kyle’s eyes and he sighs. “He’s a really smart kid, but he’s stubborn and has a bit of an attitude. I’m warning you, he’s not an easy kid to work with. He’s only been here for three months. He refuses to do the work or hand it in.”
“Does he start trouble?” I steeple my fingers in front of me, thinking.
“No, he just keeps to himself. Doesn’t say much to anyone.”
I’ll have to work with Josh King, which won’t be difficult. He was always nice to me in high school, smiles at me in passing when I see him around town. He and his brother are nice guys.
Rumor has it he’s a womanizer, but nice nonetheless.
And I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t had a crush on him for as long as I can remember.
But I can be professional and teach Josh’s nephew. I didn’t really want to paint my entire house this summer, anyway.
“Okay, I’ll give it a go.”
“Great, thanks, Cara.” Kyle stands and turns to leave my classroom. “Have a good summer!”
“You too!” I call after him as he goes whistling down the dark, deserted hallway.
Cool, I have a summer job.
* * *
I love my town. Like, wholeheartedly, never want to move away, love it. I don’t understand how Jillian, my best friend since kindergarten, can stand living so far away in California. Our town is small, only about six thousand full-time residents, but the population doubles in the peak of summer and the heart of winter with tourists here for skiing, hiking, swimming, and all the other fun outdoor activities that the brochures brag about.
We sit in a valley surrounded by tall mountains, and when it’s sunny, the sky is so big and blue it almost hurts the eyes.
I pull into the long gravel driveway off the highway just outside town and follow it past the large, white main house to the back of the property where Josh’s house sits. It’s not as big as the main house, but it’s still large, bigger than my house in town, and is surrounded by tall evergreen trees and long lines of white wooden fences.
I do not envy the poor sap who has to paint the fences every few years.
The butterflies I’ve kept at bay come back with a vengeance, fluttering in my belly as I come to a stop in front of his house. Josh and his brother are twins, and until Zack broke his nose in football their senior year, it was almost impossible to tell them apart. They’re both big guys, tall and broad shouldered. Zack always had a more intense look in his face, while Josh is more laid-back, quick to smile or tease—especially me, it seemed. In high school I was invisible to most people, having been a little too round, a lot too plain, but Josh noticed me.