Protecting Her Daughter (Wrangler's Corner) by Lynette Eason

clients, that I get to work with.”
    “What about Sophia?”
    “Sophia has a few friends from school, but she’s not the most social kid. She and I spend a lot of time together and I like that. Our next-door neighbor has a girl about Sophia’s age and they run back and forth between the houses, but Sophia is happy on the farm with the animals and never wants to leave.”
    “What about you? Are you happy on the farm?”
    “Yes. I grew up on one. Even though my father worked as an accountant, he inherited the land that we lived on. I think he was considering selling but then...everything kind of blew up and my parents divorced.” She shrugged. “That’s about it.”
    He reached out and ran a finger down her cheek. “All surface information. I want to know you .”
    Zoe stiffened. “What do you want to know?”
    “Why did you turn to my sister for help? Why not go home to your parents? Are they still living?”
    “They’re alive.”
    “But?”
    “We’re not close.” His eyes narrowed and she wanted to squirm, but refused. “I had a rather rocky upbringing. Like I said, my parents split up. They divorced when I was in high school. They each went their own way and aren’t interested in pretending to be a family when the holidays roll around. So we just do our own thing. I send them a card with Sophia’s picture each Christmas and call it good.”
    “That’s really sad.”
    She shrugged. “Yes, it is, but it’s okay, too. I’ve accepted it and moved on. I don’t let it bother me.” Much. Holidays were definitely worse than other times during the year, though.
    He shook his head. “Do you have any brothers and sisters?”
    “A brother. He’s older than I am and was headed to college when my parents divorced.”
    “And you two don’t talk?”
    She hesitated then slowly shook her head. “I don’t even know where he is.”
    She could tell she’d shocked him. A man who was so tight with his family wouldn’t be able to comprehend her dysfunctional background.
    “Why don’t you know where he is?”
    She shook her head. How could she explain the horrendous fight she and Toby had had before he’d left. That her last words to him had been I hate you. Get out. I never want to see you again . How did she explain the year she’d spent in rehab, getting her life straightened out, getting her heart right with the God she’d thought had surely given up on her? How did she tell him that she was not only in physical danger, she was in the middle of a faith crisis, as well? “We had words. An argument about him going to college and leaving me to deal with the fallout of our parents’ marriage. I know he didn’t leave me because he wanted to. He had to go. He wasn’t strong, either, and couldn’t handle staying at home. He would often get in between my parents, trying to be a buffer and it wore on him. Emotionally, physically.” She shook her head. “So, he left, and we lost touch for a while and by the time I was in a position to reach out to him, I didn’t know where to reach out to .” She’d searched for him, though. She’d tried to find him at college only to learn he’d dropped out. She’d checked all of his friends she could think of and no one had seen him. She’d even reported him missing to the police and they’d turned up nothing. Her heart had broken and she’d just assumed he might have changed his name to get away from the reporters and their constant questions about their father’s criminal activities. “I don’t know why they went after him like they did. Maybe because no one ever expected it.” She certainly hadn’t believe it. She shrugged. “I really don’t know.”
    Aaron wanted to ask more questions. She could see them in his eyes, rolling onto the tip of his tongue, and weariness swept over her. She didn’t want to answer any more questions. Not now. She stood. “I’m just going to check on Sophia.”
    He nodded. “Sure.”
    She went to Sophia’s room, her mind