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  “Oh, Jackson gave me his schedule for next week. He’s off next Saturday night!”

  Jeremy shrugged as if it didn’t matter to him.

  “That means you can make some plans, Jer.” Like it was a new idea, she said, “Hey, maybe you could invite someone over to spend the night. You haven’t done that in a while.”

  “I’m a little old to have sleepovers, Mom.”

  “Oh. Hey, I know. We could do something fun, just the two of us,” she continued, hoping her voice didn’t sound as eager as she felt. “We could go to the movies.”

  “On Saturday night? I don’t know, Mom.”

  Obviously fourteen-year-old boys did not want to be seen out on Saturday nights with their mothers. Thinking back to when she and Brian were a high school item, she realized she should have known that.

  No, she should have remembered that.

  “Sorry. I was just thinking it would be fun to spend time with you instead of a three-year-old for a change.”

  “How was Kate?”

  There is was. The first warmth and interest in his voice. She would never have guessed it, but the first real spark of life that had appeared in his eyes after his father’s death had been brought on by a dark-haired, blue-eyed little girl.

  Dani smiled. “She wanted to play princess all night and watch Frozen.”

  “Ugh.”

  “I know. I think I now know every word in that movie.”

  “Kate’s so silly.”

  “She really is,” she murmured, though she was thinking that little Kate was a blessing, too. Jeremy’s eyes had lit up. There really wasn’t much that girl could do that he didn’t seem to find appealing. “She did ask if you could come over to play, by the way.”

  The smile that had been playing on his lips turned into a full-blown grin. “What did you tell her?”

  “The truth. That you had other things to do besides play princess.”

  “Uh-oh. What did she say to that?”

  “What do you think? She asked again if ‘Jimmy’ could come over to play soon.”

  As she’d hoped, Jeremy chuckled at Kate’s butchering of his name. “Do you think Jackson does all that girlie stuff?”

  “I know he does.” She smiled at him. “Kate’s got her daddy wrapped around her pinkie.” Seeing the wistfulness in Jeremy’s eyes, she added, “Just like you did with yours. Your dad could never tell you no.”

  And just like that, all of the warmth that had been settling in his expression evaporated. “You know what? I’m getting kind of tired. I’m gonna go to bed.”

  “But what about Ice Road Truckers?”

  “It’s just a repeat. No reason for us to watch a repeat.”

  “All right.” Feeling disappointed but trying hard not to show it, she stood up and pressed her lips to his brow. “See you in the morning. We’ll leave for church at ten.”

  “I know. Night, Mom.”

  After she heard his door shut, she leaned back against the cushions of her couch and picked up her untouched glass of wine. Took a tentative sip before setting it back down.

  This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. When she’d married Brian back in their little Indiana town, they’d had all sorts of plans. They were going to both work hard, move to Cincinnati or Indy and buy a house. Have another child after Jeremy, who’d been the reason they’d had to get married so early in the first place.

  Then, one day, when there was finally a little extra money, she was going to go to college and get her degree in early childhood education.

  Letting the memories continue, she took another sip. Boy, she’d had big dreams. She used to dream about one day owning her own a little daycare and preschool. She was going to name it something cute and concentrate on helping working families. Families that needed good care but couldn’t afford to pay an arm and a leg for it.

  After a while, though, a lot of those dreams started to fade. Brian’s quest for a really good job had taken them to Jeffersonville, Indiana, for two years, then up north to Findlay, Ohio, for three. Two more moves followed, much to all of their friends’ and families’ dismay.

  When they’d moved to Bridgeport four years ago, Dani had finally put her foot down. She’d needed some stability, and Jeremy did, too. Brian had grumbled but had found a pretty good job at a factory up in Middletown.

  Unfortunately, he still hadn’t been happy. Almost every conversation had centered on how he was next in line for a promotion at his job. How one day he was going to do something important, something better than driving a truck for a uniform company.

  He’d ignored her reminders that they already had a lot to be proud of. They had each other and Jeremy.

  Instead, he’d clung to his belief that one day his managers would trust his judgment enough to listen to him, maybe even put him in management so they’d have good insurance. It was all going to be so good.

  And maybe it would have been if he hadn’t gotten in that car accident.

  Some days, the hardest part to come to grips with was the fact that there was no one to blame. He hadn’t gotten hit by a drunk driver or a kid texting. It was just an accident on the freeway, one rainy night on his way home.

  But that one night changed everything. She’d learned that Brian had saved even less than she’d imagined, and she’d had to come to terms with the fact that they still didn’t have good insurance, they’d never bought a house, and that she hadn’t ever started on that degree. For months she’d mourned Brian, the dreams that would never come true, and the fact that she didn’t have a whole lot to speak of except for an eleven-year-old boy who didn’t smile much anymore.

  After a tough meeting at school, where Jeremy’s teacher had shared that Jeremy’s grades had fallen and he’d drifted away from his friends, Dani had known it was time to wake up.

  So, she’d stopped wishing things were different and started their new life. They’d moved out of the rental house she couldn’t afford and into an apartment. She’d stopped working part time at the grocery and started cleaning other people’s houses full time. A year ago she’d started taking one online class at a time.

  And two months ago? Jackson Koch had moved in.

  One Saturday morning, she’d met him and Kate while getting her mail, started talking, and, somehow, she’d started babysitting for him at night.

  Now, she was constantly busy and working harder than she ever had in her life. But for some reason, she realized that she wasn’t as sad as she used to be. Some days, she was almost happy.

  And every once in a while, she even found herself not aching for Brian but thinking of a sandy-haired, blue-eyed man instead. A man who was a couple of years younger than her, but who also knew what it was like to have the majority of one’s dreams shatter. A man who had dimples, was model-handsome but only cared about a little girl who was his world.

  Finishing her glass of wine, Dani waited for the feelings of guilt to hit her like they used to. Like they did just six months ago. But instead, she only felt a seed of hope.

  She’d now completed three online classes and had gotten As in all of them. Jeremy’s grades were better. She had clients who appreciated her efforts and even tipped her from time to time.

  She was making enough extra money babysitting Kate that she had been able to add to her savings account. She and Jackson had even become pretty good friends.

  All of those things were blessings and they certainly helped her sleep better at night. If it sometimes crossed her mind that she was actually doing pretty good on her own, she told herself that she was only doing some of the things that would have happened if Brian was still alive.

  She just wasn’t sure if that was a lie or not.

  CHAPTER 3

  From Les Larke’s

  You, Too, Can Host

  a Poker Tourney:

  Don’t forget the snacks
and drinks.

  Sunday Afternoon

  “Are we gonna go see Mr. Ace and Finn now?” Kate asked as Jackson pulled his truck out of the parking lot on Sunday afternoon. After they both slept in and went to the children’s service at a country church down the road, he’d made her grilled cheese squares for lunch and then did some laundry.

  Now they were on their way to Ace’s house. Ace Vance was an old friend from Spartan and was one of the reasons he’d even heard about Bridgeport, Ohio.

  He’d run into Ace’s parents in the middle of the frozen-food aisle of the grocery about four months earlier. After they’d looked at his collection of cheap frozen dinners, Mr. and Mrs. Vance hadn’t wasted another minute’s time telling Jackson how happy their son was in the southern Ohio town. Their enthusiasm for the place had led to a couple of phone calls with Ace and two other guys he knew who’d moved there. Then, after he and Kate had spent a really good weekend with those guys, Jackson had decided to move to Bridgeport.

  It had been one of the best decisions of his life. He’d needed to get away from all the reminders of Beth and the mine. Even his parents had encouraged him to go, saying he needed to take care of himself and that Kate would be just fine, especially if her daddy wasn’t moping around the house any longer.

  Bringing himself back to the present, he answered Kate at last. “We sure are going to see Ace and Finn. And don’t forget they have a puppy now, too.”

  “Touchdown?”

  “Uh-huh. That’s his name, all right.” He smiled as he sensed her wriggling in her car seat directly behind him. “Miss Meredith will be there, too.”

  “They’re my friends.” Just like always, she sounded delighted by the statement.

  “They sure are, honeybee. They’re our friends. Good ones, too.”

  She clapped her little hands. “Yay! Is Mr. Ace gonna have some ice cream for me?”

  “I’m pretty sure he will. He knows you’re coming.”

  “Mr. Ace and me really like ice cream.”

  “That’s a fact.” Jackson smiled as he stopped at the first of three stop lights they had to go through before they got to Ace’s recently remodeled house.

  By now, he’d met enough people in Bridgeport to know that most of them considered it to be a very small one-horse town, a suburb for everyone who worked in Cincinnati, a safe place to raise a family. It was all those things.

  But for guys like him and the other guys from home, it was a world away from Spartan. That town was small, rural, and filled with men and women who worked hard and tried to make a decent life for themselves, even when they didn’t have much money to make that life with.

  Even though it had only one stop light instead of these three, it had been home. He still couldn’t quite figure out how so much of his life had ended. It was like the rug had been taken out from under him, leaving him barefoot on cold tile.

  When Kurt and Ace had been home back in March and talked nonstop about Bridgeport, Jackson knew he’d had to make the change. He just wished he hadn’t had to leave his whole life when he did it.

  “Daddy?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Are we almost there?”

  Correction. He hadn’t left all of his life behind. He’d taken along the most important part. His heart. “Nope. We are here.”

  “Yay!” she called out again.

  He chuckled as he got out and started toward her door. What had he done before Kate’s claps, yays, and all-around exuberance?

  “You need a hand, Jackson?” Ace’s sophomore son called out from the yard.

  “Yep. You can help me get my girl out of her seat.”

  “Yessir.”

  Upon hearing Finn’s voice, Kate’s mouth opened into a sweet little O. “Finn?”

  “Hey, Kate,” Finn said as he opened the cab’s door and leaned inside.

  Kate threw Finn a bright smile as he reached in to unsnap the car seat’s straps. “Hi, Finn!”

  As Finn’s smile widened, Jackson chuckled and pulled out Kate’s backpack. “What’s going on around here today?”

  “Nothing much. Meredith was over at her studio teaching, so Dad and me spent the morning cleaning her car.”

  “Fun.”

  “Yeah. No,” he said over his shoulder as he led the way into their house, Kate on his heels.

  When they entered the kitchen, Jackson spied Ace sitting at his kitchen table eating a sandwich. “You ready for this?” he joked, just as Kate barreled toward yet another one of her favorite people.

  “Hi, Mr. Ace!”

  Chuckling, Ace reached down and swung her into his arms. Kate squealed in pleasure as he twirled her twice and then set her gently down. “Look at my best girl,” he murmured. “Looking so pretty in pink, too.”

  Kate’s eyes widened in happiness before her expression turned mulish. “Mr. Ace, I’m not your best girl anymore.”

  Ace’s gaze flickered over to Jackson before he focused back on Katie. “You’re not? Now, why is that?”

  “’Cause of Miss Meredith.”

  “What? I can’t have two best girls?” He knelt down on one knee.

  Shaking her head, Kate’s voice was adamant. “Nope.”

  Jackson shook his head as he approached his tiny terror. “Kathryn Koch, you mind your manners.”

  “Nah, she’s okay.” Winking at Finn, Ace said, “Kate, if I can only have one best girl, does that mean you can only have one best man?”

  While his three-year-old seemed to seriously contemplate that notion, Finn grinned. “That’s me, right, Kate?”

  “No, I have Jeremy, too.”

  Ace raised his brows at Jackson. “Who’s that?”

  “He’s Dani’s son. He’s fourteen and has the patience of a saint.” Looking over at Finn, Jeremy said, “Any chance you’ve met him? His name’s Jeremy Brown. He’s in eighth grade.”

  “No, sir, but I don’t know a lot of guys in other grades,” Finn said. “Does he play ball?”

  Finn was a star football player on the high school team. “Baseball.”

  “Then I really don’t know him. Coach McCoy has been having us work out with a couple of eighth graders, but only the ones on the football team.”

  “He’s a nice kid. I’ll introduce y’all sometime.”

  “Looking forward to it.”

  Obviously impatient for Finn’s attention, Kate stared up at him hopefully. “You wanna watch Scooby-Doo?”

  Jackson stepped forward. “Kate, remember what I told you? Finn might have other things to do. That’s why we have your backpack.”

  “I don’t mind watching Scooby. He’s cool,” Finn said. “But Allison was wanting to come over, too. Is that okay, Dad?”

  “You know it’s fine with me,” Ace said. “I’m hoping she’ll help you manage Touchdown.” Suddenly, looking alarmed, he said, “Where is that dog?”

  Finn shrugged. “I’m pretty sure he went down to the basement.”

  “You’re pretty sure?” Ace groaned. “No doubt he’s taking advantage of being alone and tearing up the couch or something. You better hope that ain’t the case.”

  “Yessir.”

  Looking at Jackson, Ace’s voice gentled. “Don’t you go worrying about Kate here. We like spending time with her.”

  Jackson knew Ace and his boy were good people, but his daughter was only three and at times acted like she was on the fast track to thirteen. “Let me know when you need a break.”

  “I will. Come on, Kate,” Finn said, holding out a hand. “Let’s go down to the basement, turn on Scooby and find Touchdown.”

  Like a big girl, she hoisted the purple backpack on her shoulders and followed him through the living room and down the stairs.

  The missing dog, who none of them had noticed sleeping, got up from under the kitchen table, yawned, and padde
d down the stairs after them.

  Motioning to the six-month-old shepherd puppy, Jackson said, “Looks like your couch hasn’t gotten torn up just yet.”

  “That’s a miracle.” Ace shook his head. “TD is cute as all get out, but he makes three-year-olds seem like responsible adults. He’s into everything.”

  “Bet Finn loves him.”

  His expression softened. “He really does. Meredith, too. Now, have a seat, buddy. Want a sandwich or something?”

  “I’m good.”

  “Get a beer or iced tea if you want.”

  Jackson poured a tall glass of sweet tea, before sitting down in the chair by his side, enjoying the easy camaraderie that was always between them. “I didn’t know your basement was finished.”

  “That’s because it wasn’t until about two months ago. I did some remodeling for Meredith. Figured having a place for Finn to go with his friends and half the football team when they come over would be a good thing.” Looking a little pained, he said, “They can get real loud.”

  “We were, too, back in the day.”

  “My mother reminds me of that constantly.” Stretching out a foot, he said, “Anyway, that basement has been a godsend for all of us.”

  Ace’s girlfriend was not only a Pilates instructor who owned her own studio, she was also really girlie. So much so that, at first glance, most people wouldn’t see how the mechanic and the delicate redhead could be a good match. “How’s she doing, living in with you boys?”

  He smiled. “Real good.” After glancing down at the empty staircase where Finn and Kate had gone down, he lowered his voice. “We just found out that she’s pregnant.”

  Jackson almost choked on his drink. “What?”

  Ace grinned. “I know. Crazy, huh? I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”

  “Was it a surprise?”

  “Oh, yeah. We had a couple of slipups, but neither of us was too concerned.”

  Jackson grinned. “Is that what you’ve been telling your son?”

  “Heck, no. As far as Finn is concerned, he’s liable to get a girl pregnant if he even breathes on her wrong. I keep telling him that abstinence and patience are now his two best friends.”