making out with him than she ever was in seeing the movie.
They turned the corner and crossed the street. They passed the newspaper office and a clothing store. Maddie froze when they approached the Myers Clinic. She couldn't, wouldn't walk past it. She couldn't risk seeing Doc right now. She turned around and headed back the way they'd come.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Brandy hurried to catch up. "I thought we were going to walk all the way around?"
"I changed my mind." Maddie walked briskly toward the SUV, jaywalking across the street."
"Fine. I'm getting hungry anyway," Brandy said. "Can we go get a burger at the Dairy Queen?"
Maddie checked her watch. How had it gotten to be lunchtime already? "Sure. I wasn't looking forward to another meal at the diner anyway." Because it appeared Rand ate nearly every meal there. At least maybe they wouldn't run into him at the Dairy Queen.
CHAPTER THREE
Rand wasn't surprised to find Maddie and Brandy sitting in a booth at the DQ when he walked in. He and Maddie had always thought alike. He'd come here instead of the diner so he wouldn't run into her. And from the crestfallen look on her face, she'd thought the same thing.
He stopped at the counter to order a burger basket, then walked over to the booth and took off his hat. "Maddie, Brandy. Mind if I join you?"
Maddie sighed and said, "Why not?"
Brandy scooted over and he sat down beside her. "Have any luck house hunting?"
"We haven't really started yet. I did stop by the real estate office, but Alice wasn't in, Maddie said. "We were going to stop and get a paper on our way back to the motel to see if there were any ads."
Rand looked at Brandy. "How about school? Did you get signed up?"
Brandy wrinkled her nose, then nodded. "Yeah, I'm afraid so. I start on Monday."
He smiled and patted her shoulder. "It won't be so bad."
"Yeah, right."
Maddie studied the two of them as they talked. She hadn't realized just how much her daughter looked like Rand until she saw them both in profile. Same square jaw, same narrow nose and high cheekbones. And anyone else in town who took the time to really look would see the resemblance as well. She had to tell Rand the truth, and soon. "Rand, Brandy wants to come out early on Friday so she can help feed the animals. How early should we get there?"
He thought for a minute. "I usually feed at daybreak, but I can wait until you get there."
"We'll be there as early as we can, then. And Rand?"
"Yeah?"
"While we're there, we need to talk."
"And that's not what we're doing now?" The girl behind the counter called his number, and he got up to get his basket. Maddie and Brandy already had their food. "Anyone need a drink refill while I'm up?"
After he left, Brandy leaned across the table and whispered to Maddie, "Are you going to tell him tomorrow?"
Maddie nodded. "Yeah, it's time."
Brandie looked at her with a smug smile. "Way past time, if you ask me."
Maddie grimaced. "Nobody asked you."
"Nobody asked you what, Brandy?" Rand slid back into the booth and started unwrapping his burger. His stomach growled, making Brandy giggle.
"Nobody asked me anything," she told him. "Not about leaving my school, my friends, not about putting me in a strange school." She took a drink of her milk shake. "I can't wait until Mom thinks I'm old enough to have a say in things."
Rand ruffled her hair. "Don't get too impatient. Growing up fast isn't all it's cracked up to be."
"Isn't that the truth," Maddie muttered under her breath.
***
Rand gave Maddie the pickles off his hamburger, an old habit from so many years ago, and yet so ingrained he did it without even thinking. And she took them like fourteen years hadn't passed and they were still two raw country kids, in love and in way over their heads.
He quickly moved his thoughts away from that line of thinking. When he glanced at Maddie, he saw the flush rise up her cheeks. Ah, so she hadn't forgotten.
When she looked past him and
They turned the corner and crossed the street. They passed the newspaper office and a clothing store. Maddie froze when they approached the Myers Clinic. She couldn't, wouldn't walk past it. She couldn't risk seeing Doc right now. She turned around and headed back the way they'd come.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Brandy hurried to catch up. "I thought we were going to walk all the way around?"
"I changed my mind." Maddie walked briskly toward the SUV, jaywalking across the street."
"Fine. I'm getting hungry anyway," Brandy said. "Can we go get a burger at the Dairy Queen?"
Maddie checked her watch. How had it gotten to be lunchtime already? "Sure. I wasn't looking forward to another meal at the diner anyway." Because it appeared Rand ate nearly every meal there. At least maybe they wouldn't run into him at the Dairy Queen.
CHAPTER THREE
Rand wasn't surprised to find Maddie and Brandy sitting in a booth at the DQ when he walked in. He and Maddie had always thought alike. He'd come here instead of the diner so he wouldn't run into her. And from the crestfallen look on her face, she'd thought the same thing.
He stopped at the counter to order a burger basket, then walked over to the booth and took off his hat. "Maddie, Brandy. Mind if I join you?"
Maddie sighed and said, "Why not?"
Brandy scooted over and he sat down beside her. "Have any luck house hunting?"
"We haven't really started yet. I did stop by the real estate office, but Alice wasn't in, Maddie said. "We were going to stop and get a paper on our way back to the motel to see if there were any ads."
Rand looked at Brandy. "How about school? Did you get signed up?"
Brandy wrinkled her nose, then nodded. "Yeah, I'm afraid so. I start on Monday."
He smiled and patted her shoulder. "It won't be so bad."
"Yeah, right."
Maddie studied the two of them as they talked. She hadn't realized just how much her daughter looked like Rand until she saw them both in profile. Same square jaw, same narrow nose and high cheekbones. And anyone else in town who took the time to really look would see the resemblance as well. She had to tell Rand the truth, and soon. "Rand, Brandy wants to come out early on Friday so she can help feed the animals. How early should we get there?"
He thought for a minute. "I usually feed at daybreak, but I can wait until you get there."
"We'll be there as early as we can, then. And Rand?"
"Yeah?"
"While we're there, we need to talk."
"And that's not what we're doing now?" The girl behind the counter called his number, and he got up to get his basket. Maddie and Brandy already had their food. "Anyone need a drink refill while I'm up?"
After he left, Brandy leaned across the table and whispered to Maddie, "Are you going to tell him tomorrow?"
Maddie nodded. "Yeah, it's time."
Brandie looked at her with a smug smile. "Way past time, if you ask me."
Maddie grimaced. "Nobody asked you."
"Nobody asked you what, Brandy?" Rand slid back into the booth and started unwrapping his burger. His stomach growled, making Brandy giggle.
"Nobody asked me anything," she told him. "Not about leaving my school, my friends, not about putting me in a strange school." She took a drink of her milk shake. "I can't wait until Mom thinks I'm old enough to have a say in things."
Rand ruffled her hair. "Don't get too impatient. Growing up fast isn't all it's cracked up to be."
"Isn't that the truth," Maddie muttered under her breath.
***
Rand gave Maddie the pickles off his hamburger, an old habit from so many years ago, and yet so ingrained he did it without even thinking. And she took them like fourteen years hadn't passed and they were still two raw country kids, in love and in way over their heads.
He quickly moved his thoughts away from that line of thinking. When he glanced at Maddie, he saw the flush rise up her cheeks. Ah, so she hadn't forgotten.
When she looked past him and
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