Candy Halliday - A Ranch Called Home

Although Sara fully approved of that rule, she remained silent on the issue. Just as she remained silent when Gabe informed Ben a border collie named Bess had a new litter of puppies. A puppy was something Ben had always wanted, and something Sara had never been able to give him. She’d had enough trouble trying to feed the two of them, much less a pet. Gabe also warned Ben that the barn cats were wild and would scratch you if you tried to pet them.

“I’ve never liked cats much,” Ben said.

In fact, Gabe had answered each of Ben’s questions without once giving the impression he was bothered by Ben’s persistence. Whether Sara wanted to admit it or not, the fact that Gabe had the ability to be so patient with her son won him big points in her favor.

She chanced a glance in his direction.

He looked over at her and said, “I think Ben finally wore himself out.”

Sara glanced behind her. Ben was fast asleep, both arms clutched tightly around Thunder, a touch of icing she’d missed with her napkin still clinging to his left cheek.

“Thanks for being so patient with him,” Sara said. “Ben’s nonstop questions can get rather annoying.”

“Not to me,” he said. “I’m glad he’s interested in life on the ranch.”

Sara didn’t answer.

He glanced over at her again. “And what about you? How are you holding up?”

His question caught her completely off guard.

“I’m fine,” Sara lied.

His expression said he didn’t believe her but he changed the subject.

“It’s a twelve-hour trip to Redstone. I thought we’d drive to just north of Albuquerque then stop for the night. That will put us halfway and break up the trip for Ben.”

Again, Sara was surprised by his insight. Keeping Ben strapped in his booster seat for twelve hours would have been a real challenge.

“I called ahead and made reservations,” he said. “Separate rooms, of course,” he added for clarity.

“Of course,” Sara was quick to answer.

The silence hung between them for a second.

Gabe turned his attention back to the highway.

Sara pretended to look out the window again.

But her thoughts kept going back to the conversation they’d had the previous evening. Gabe had assured her the only relationship he ever hoped to foster between them was a friendship. Knowing he had no personal interest in her should have been a huge relief.

But it wasn’t.

Not really.

Gabe’s firm declaration that he wasn’t interested in her personally had dragged up old feelings. Feelings of the way she’d always felt with each new foster family. They’d taken her in, sure. And they’d provided for her adequately. But not one of her foster families had ever been truly interested in her personally.

She’d often wondered if that’s why she’d been such an easy target for Billy. He had been the first person to ever seem genuinely interested in her. Of course, that, too, had been a lie. Just like the lie Billy had fed her about taking her with him when he left Houston.

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