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Authors: Glynna Kaye
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side of this issue—but for a totally different reason. She’d been certain Keith’s determination to settle here had been nothing more than remnants of the parental rebellion that had driven him to follow Bryce into the armed forces. To ditch his coveted Harvard scholarship. To kiss goodbye the guaranteed position at the generations-old family law firm and a lifetime of public service to the state of Arizona.
But she couldn’t go along with LeAnne now, not even if moving to the Valley of the Sun would win brownie points. This was one of the few things on which she’d quietly stoodher ground. Once the museum featured a veterans exhibit dedicated to Keith, surely her mother-in-law would bestow praise for sticking with her husband’s original plan.
“Don’t get me wrong,” LeAnne hurried on, “Canyon Springs is a dear, sweet town—for a holiday. But to settle in forever?”
“I know it’s hard to understand, but—”
A rattling knock came at the door. Gina dashed out of her bedroom, a piece of drawing paper flapping in her hand. “I’ll get it!”
She opened the door wide, and a familiar, broad-shouldered male form filled the doorway.
“Mommy! It’s Uncle Bryce!”
Sandi didn’t have to look at LeAnne to know a questioning stare bored into her. She joined Gina at the door as Bryce handed something to her little girl.
Eyes wide, Gina took the sand-colored fabric object from his hand and clutched both it and her drawing to her heart. “Mommy, look! He found Daddy’s hat.”
Gina hadn’t noticed the cap missing until after school let out on Wednesday. They’d looked everywhere for it. Even driven back to the building and searched because she couldn’t remember when she’d last worn it.
Relieved beyond measure, Sandi gave Bryce a grateful smile. “Where on earth did you find it?”
“At the arena Monday night. Under the seats after you left. Sorry I didn’t return it sooner. Tucked it up under the passenger-side sun visor and forgot about it until tonight.”
“Thank you, Uncle Bryce.” Gina grasped him around the legs for a hug. “I love you.”
Startled, he met Sandi’s gaze with an apologetic look, as if somehow he was undeserving of her child’s adoration.
“She loves that hat,” she assured him. In fact, when Gina realized she’d lost it, no amount of hugs and kisses consoledher. She’d cried herself to sleep that first night. “You’ve made a little girl very, very happy.”
Should she invite him in? Ask him to join them for ice cream? LeAnne was here, still staring razor-sharp daggers at her no doubt. To hear her mother-in-law tell it, Bryce had been a brat of the first order and a bad influence on Keith. But he was her husband’s best friend. And this was
her
home. And Gina’s. Bryce had gone out of his way when he didn’t have to.
Still debating, she caught an unexpected appreciative flicker of his gaze to her bare, shorts-clad legs. Her face warmed. On second thought, maybe he’d better be on his way.
“Can Uncle Bryce have ice cream with us, Mommy?”
Guess that settled it.
“You have to join us. It’s the least we can do to reward you for being Gina’s hero.”
“Oh, yes, by all means join us.” LeAnne’s coolish tones carried from the table across the room. “
Uncle
Bryce.”
He’d barely knocked at the door and already had three Bradshaw females telling him what to do.
He hadn’t spotted LeAnne when the kid opened the door. He’d flunked his reconnaissance training big-time, focusing only on the two winsome ladies who’d greeted him. He pulled off his Western hat and nodded in the direction of Keith’s mom as he stepped into the trailer.
“Nice to see you again, Mrs. Bradshaw.”
Would God strike him dead for saying that?
“Likewise.”
Right. And he was only two-foot-four.
Sandi clasped her hands, then motioned him toward the dining area. “Have a seat. I’m just dishing it up.”
“Thanks, but I really can’t—”
“You gotta
But she couldn’t go along with LeAnne now, not even if moving to the Valley of the Sun would win brownie points. This was one of the few things on which she’d quietly stoodher ground. Once the museum featured a veterans exhibit dedicated to Keith, surely her mother-in-law would bestow praise for sticking with her husband’s original plan.
“Don’t get me wrong,” LeAnne hurried on, “Canyon Springs is a dear, sweet town—for a holiday. But to settle in forever?”
“I know it’s hard to understand, but—”
A rattling knock came at the door. Gina dashed out of her bedroom, a piece of drawing paper flapping in her hand. “I’ll get it!”
She opened the door wide, and a familiar, broad-shouldered male form filled the doorway.
“Mommy! It’s Uncle Bryce!”
Sandi didn’t have to look at LeAnne to know a questioning stare bored into her. She joined Gina at the door as Bryce handed something to her little girl.
Eyes wide, Gina took the sand-colored fabric object from his hand and clutched both it and her drawing to her heart. “Mommy, look! He found Daddy’s hat.”
Gina hadn’t noticed the cap missing until after school let out on Wednesday. They’d looked everywhere for it. Even driven back to the building and searched because she couldn’t remember when she’d last worn it.
Relieved beyond measure, Sandi gave Bryce a grateful smile. “Where on earth did you find it?”
“At the arena Monday night. Under the seats after you left. Sorry I didn’t return it sooner. Tucked it up under the passenger-side sun visor and forgot about it until tonight.”
“Thank you, Uncle Bryce.” Gina grasped him around the legs for a hug. “I love you.”
Startled, he met Sandi’s gaze with an apologetic look, as if somehow he was undeserving of her child’s adoration.
“She loves that hat,” she assured him. In fact, when Gina realized she’d lost it, no amount of hugs and kisses consoledher. She’d cried herself to sleep that first night. “You’ve made a little girl very, very happy.”
Should she invite him in? Ask him to join them for ice cream? LeAnne was here, still staring razor-sharp daggers at her no doubt. To hear her mother-in-law tell it, Bryce had been a brat of the first order and a bad influence on Keith. But he was her husband’s best friend. And this was
her
home. And Gina’s. Bryce had gone out of his way when he didn’t have to.
Still debating, she caught an unexpected appreciative flicker of his gaze to her bare, shorts-clad legs. Her face warmed. On second thought, maybe he’d better be on his way.
“Can Uncle Bryce have ice cream with us, Mommy?”
Guess that settled it.
“You have to join us. It’s the least we can do to reward you for being Gina’s hero.”
“Oh, yes, by all means join us.” LeAnne’s coolish tones carried from the table across the room. “
Uncle
Bryce.”
He’d barely knocked at the door and already had three Bradshaw females telling him what to do.
He hadn’t spotted LeAnne when the kid opened the door. He’d flunked his reconnaissance training big-time, focusing only on the two winsome ladies who’d greeted him. He pulled off his Western hat and nodded in the direction of Keith’s mom as he stepped into the trailer.
“Nice to see you again, Mrs. Bradshaw.”
Would God strike him dead for saying that?
“Likewise.”
Right. And he was only two-foot-four.
Sandi clasped her hands, then motioned him toward the dining area. “Have a seat. I’m just dishing it up.”
“Thanks, but I really can’t—”
“You gotta
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