Anything You Ask Read Free Page A

her twins or herself. If Hale was like Mark, he might not show up for another hour.
    She drained the spaghetti and put some onto her sons’ plates. If she didn’t get some food into them, their squabbling might spark the next world war.
    As she ladled the meatballs over the pasta, the kitchen went dead silent. She looked past the oak cabinets separating the kitchen from the eating area and saw Hale standing near the table.
    “Is that your dog?” Luke asked, his small voice full of wonder as he eyed the big chocolate lab.
    “Yes. Her name is Cocoa.”
    “Mom won’t let us have a dog. She’s scared of them ever since she got bit by Jeff’s dog.” Drew met Danielle’s gaze. “Do you want me to put Cocoa outside?”
    Gratitude gushed through Danielle at Drew’s concern, but her sweet boy had no idea his uncle needed that dog. “Cocoa can stay. She’s very well behaved.”
    Hale’s unwavering gaze met hers. “My dog won’t hurt you.”
    The solemn vow in his sky blue eyes made her insides clench with surprise. She’d gotten so used to hearing empty promises mumbled by her husband, she didn’t know how to react when Hale held her gaze with steadfast confidence and assured her safety.
    She acknowledged his statement with a wan smile, not sure she believed him.
    “Boys, this is Uncle Hale. He is your father’s brother, but you haven’t met him until now because he lives far away. He came to help me figure out what to do with the farm. Would you please introduce yourselves while I finish serving supper?”
    Mark had always teased her for speaking to the boys so properly, but her calm way of explaining things had a wonderful side effect. Her boys were well spoken and polite, as evidenced by her firstborn, who stood by the kitchen table as he made introductions.
    “I’m Andrew Drake Cooper, but everybody calls me Drew. This is my brother, Lucas Hale Cooper, but call him Luke. We’re five years old and we’re twins. You can tell us apart by our hair.” He tugged on a gold curl above his ear. “I have light hair, like Mom. Luke has dark hair, like Dad.”
    “Hullo.” Hale’s brow furrowed as he studied his namesake. When he sat, he cast a searching look in Danielle’s direction.
    Ignoring the question in his gaze, she brought the plates of spaghetti to the table and settled across from Hale. “Drew, would you say the blessing?”
    “Lord, thank you for bringing Uncle Hale to help us. And I pray Cocoa will let us pet her tonight. Amen.”
    “You’ll have to ask permission to pet Cocoa,” Danielle informed Drew. “She’s a working dog.”
    He scrunched his nose. “You mean she gets paid to be a dog?”
    “Kind of. She has very good ears, so in exchange for food and a soft place to sleep, she helps me hear.” Hale pointed to his right ear. “I’m deaf in this ear, but I’ve got some hearing in my left ear when I wear a hearing aid. Cocoa pays attention to the things I miss. She’ll nudge me if I don’t hear something. You might have to nudge me, too. At times, I won’t know you’re talking to me if I can’t see your lips move.”
    “How did you get deaf?” Luke twined spaghetti around his fork. “Did you catch it?”
    “I have a condition that affects my hearing. I inherited it from my father.”
    Luke’s expression crumpled. “Are we going to get deaf, too?”
    “No.” Hale’s voice lowered to a reassuring murmur. “Your dad didn’t have the gene, so you’re safe.”
    “Oh.” Luke slurped up a strand of pasta and stared in wide-eyed wonder at Hale’s hearing aid. “That thing on your ear makes you look half man, half machine. Like the Machine Man.”
    “I shouldn’t have let you watch that cartoon last Saturday,” Danielle murmured, amused by the hero worship in her son’s avid gaze.
    “How come you never visited us?” Drew reached for a roll.
    Hale paused for a moment before offering an explanation. “My father got angry at me a few years ago. He told me to leave and