Once Upon a Family Read Free

anything anymore. Everything has changed.”
    “Now that I’ve got the house in order, I’ll be looking for a job. Hopefully I’ll have some money for things like that.”
    “In St. Louis we used to be able to do things. Go places. Daddy always made sure of it.”
    Laura’s heart cracked. Her throat thickened. She refused to shed another tear.
    “Why did he have to die?” With her eyes glistening, Alexa pressed herself against Laura.
    The words hurt. An explanation lodged in her throat, but she’d decided that her children needed to be protected from the truth if possible. She didn’t want to disillusion them about their father and yet—
    Chimes resonated through the house.
    Alexa pulled back, swiping the tears from her face. “That might be Hailey. She lives across the street.” She rushed from the kitchen.
    Watching her daughter leave swelled the ache ever present in Laura. How could she tell her children about the debt they were in because their father had gambled everything away? They had already lost the only home they had known. They’d had to move to another town and leave all their friends behind. She didn’t want them to know what kind of man their father had become before he died.
    “Mom, someone’s here to see you.”
    Her daughter’s shout pulled Laura away from the thoughts that had been hounding her for the past nine months. She hurried into the foyer and spied Peter Stone standing on the other side of the screen door. As Alexa headed up the stairs, Laura pasted a smile on her face and let Sean’s principal into the house.
    “Is something else wrong?” she asked, noting how the large man filled her small entry hall. He dominatedthe space around him and commanded attention, reminding her of the first glimpse she had of him in his office earlier that day.
    His face lit with a grin, laugh lines fanning out from his dark, dark brown eyes. “No. I just thought I’d bring your son his work that he’ll miss over the next couple of days. He might as well do it while he’s home.” He held up a stack of papers in a folder.
    “Oh—” she gestured toward the living room “—I appreciate that. Come in and sit down. Would you like something to drink? I’ve got decaf coffee, tea, sodas.”
    He folded his long length onto the couch and placed Sean’s work on the table before him. “No, thanks. I can’t stay long. I still have some chores to do at the ranch.”
    Laura sat across from him. “You own a ranch?” She thought of the fact that she and her daughter had just been discussing Alexa’s desire to learn to ride horses.
    “Yep. A dream I had since I was a kid.”
    “Do you raise cattle?”
    “No.” His smile encompassed his whole face with dimples appearing in his cheeks and a gleam in his eyes. “I’ve only had the place a few years. It was pretty run-down so it’s taken me a while to fix it up. I have some horses, though.”
    “Horses?” Again she was reminded of her daughter. If only—
    “Yeah. I have five as well as other assorted animals that have been abandoned or rescued.”
    “You rescue animals?”
    “When you live outside of town, some people thinkit’s okay to dump their pets on the side of the road. I guess they figure they’ll fend for themselves out in the countryside. The sad truth is they often don’t.” Peter leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs, his fingers laced together.
    “Do you find homes for them?”
    “Sometimes.” His intense gaze caught hers. “Are you looking for a pet?”
    “Our dog died a few months back. My kids have been wanting another one, but since I knew I was moving, I told them we needed to wait.”
    One corner of his mouth tilted up. “Then I’ve got just the puppy for you.”
    Her pulse skipped a beat at his heart-melting smile, definitely his best asset even though his other features formed a pleasing picture. His medium brown hair held streaks of gold. His complexion, tanned obviously from spending time