For Love and Family Read Free Page B

you’d give me a minute I’d tell you that I don’t see anything wrong with Johnny meeting you.”
    Despite the fact that she’d been hoping he would agree, she was shocked that he had.
    â€œReally?” she said.
    â€œReally.”
    â€œAnd you aren’t saying that just because you feel as if you owe me anything? Because you don’t. I wouldn’t want to do anything that disturbs you. I know that sometimes an adoptive parent’s security can be—”
    â€œI’m not insecure about being Johnny’s dad,”Hunter assured her with a hint of a smile that let her know how true that was. “Adopted or not, he’s my son and nothing is ever going to change that. I don’t think I want him going over to your house or anything like that, but just to have you meet him? I don’t see any problem with that.”
    Terese didn’t want to tell him that her twin sister wouldn’t want Johnny at the house any more than he did, so she merely agreed with his qualification. “No, I don’t think it would be good for Johnny to be at the house either. I’d come to you. I could even do it here, while he’s in the hospital, if you don’t want me to know where you live or—”
    â€œI’m not sure if seeing him in the hospital is a good idea. There are so many strangers and he’s already pretty intimidated just by being here. But where we live isn’t a secret.”
    â€œI’m willing to do it any way you want to do it,” Terese said.
    The rancher paused another moment, and she worried he might be having second thoughts. In fact, he paused for so long and seemed to be watching her so intently, that she began to think he was going to say no after all.
    But then, as if he’d made some sort of decision, he said, “You know, I have a guest cabin at the ranch. Nothing fancy, but if you wanted to come out and spend a few days with us, you could meet Johnny and get to know him a little on his own territory. What would you say to that?”
    She wasn’t sure what to say to that, because she was so stunned that not only was he willing to let her meet her nephew, he was actually offering her a way to get to know the little boy. It was more than Terese had ever hoped for.
    â€œThat would be wonderful,” she finally said.
    â€œCan you take some time off work— Do you work?”
    â€œI do. I teach psychology at Portland State University. But I’m on sabbatical right now so my time is my own.”
    â€œGreat.”
    Another nurse knocked and opened the door just then, coming in with papers for Terese to sign.
    Hunter stood to give the stool over to her. “I’ll get out of the way so you can go home. But I’ll call you as soon as I get Johnny out of here and we can set up a time for you to come to the ranch.”
    â€œI can’t wait,” Terese answered.
    Hunter gave her a little wave then and left her to the nurse who showed her where to sign the release forms and then told her she was free to go.
    â€œYou’ll probably want to put on that sweater,” the nurse said as she left. “It’s feeling very Octoberish out there tonight.”
    â€œThanks, I’ll do that.”
    Terese slipped the sweater over her head and then went to the small mirror on the wall to pull her shirt collar up and make sure she was presentable.
    But as she smoothed her hair into place somethingelse flashed through her mind—the image of Hunter Coltrane. The image of Hunter Coltrane with her.
    â€œNow that’s a pipe dream,” she muttered to herself.
    And no one knew it better than Terese.
    Because Hunter Coltrane was handsome enough to stop traffic and she, as proven by the reflection in the mirror, was hardly the kind of woman who would so much as turn his head.
    Her stepmother had always said it. So had Eve. Eve had alluded to it today. And it was an irrefutable fact—Terese