Nancy Robards - Taming A Fortune

Now, with the children out of the way, she welcomed Angie with a warm shake of the hand. “I’m so glad you could join us. Toby tells me how helpful you’ve been to him this past week.”

“It’s been my pleasure. The kids are great. And in all honesty, Toby’s so good with them, I’m not sure he even needs my help at all.”

“Don’t let her downplay her efforts,” Toby said. “She’s been awesome, whether it’s playing beauty salon with Kylie or planning a make-it-yourself pizza night or watching a movie under the stars. And I would have really been up a creek yesterday without her.”

“You don’t say.” His mom smiled, those blue eyes glimmering. “I’ll tell you what, Toby. Why don’t you check out that tree house and make sure Galen secured that swing right, while I take Angie into the kitchen. Since she’s such a good helper, I’m going to rope her into helping the girls and I finish up with the burger fixings.”

And just like a mama fox, Jeanne Marie had dispensed with Toby.

He could argue and insist that Angie stick close to his side, he supposed. But Angie was a big girl and had proved that she could hold her own. Besides, he wanted to check out that old fort he and his brothers used to play in. And on top of that, he trusted his mom and his sisters not to go overboard.

So he took his leave, walking out to the backyard, where his own interrogation undoubtedly awaited.

* * *

Angie followed Toby’s mother out to the kitchen. She’d always liked the woman, but then, who in town didn’t?

Jeanne Marie might come across as plain and simple, but there was more to her than met the eye. She had a quick wit, a gentle spirit and a kind heart. She also loved her husband and children dearly and was fiercely devoted to them.

Since working at the Superette, Angie had picked up on all of that. She’d even found herself a bit envious of the family’s closeness. How could she not be?

She’d always wanted to be part of a big, happy family, but she’d been an only child. She and her daddy had been close, but he’d died five years ago.

Now that Angie was an adult, her mom sought the closeness they’d never quite had before. But Doris Edwards was so determined to make Angie into the woman she wanted her to be that it was easier to avoid her, which was sad.

“I brought some brownies,” Angie said, holding out the platter of chocolaty squares covered in caramel frosting and toffee pieces.

“You didn’t need to do that,” Jeanne Marie said, as she led Angie through the large-but-cozy living room. “But it was awfully nice of you. I try to have plenty for everyone to eat, but I have to admit, this family can really put away the desserts. So I doubt you’ll have anything to take home except a few crumbs.”

When they reached the kitchen, Angie saw Piper sitting in a walker on the floor with Kylie playing beside her. The little red-haired girl had made fast work of emptying out the entire contents of her backpack on the hardwood floor.

“You girls remember Angie,” Jeanne Marie said to both Stacey and Delaney.

“Of course.” Stacey, a bright-eyed blonde with a light spray of freckles on her nose, smiled. “We’re so glad Toby finally brought you out to meet his crazy family.”

Angie and Stacey had graduated from high school together, although they really hadn’t run in the same circles. Stacey, who’d gone on to nursing school after graduation, had been more of an academic and tended to hang out with the smarter kids. And Angie had been all over the campus, hanging with the members of whichever social club she was trying out that semester.

“Thanks for including me.” Angie placed the brownies on the sideboard, next to a Bundt cake in a covered dish and a plate of lemon bars. Toby’s mom had been right. They were certainly dessert-friendly in this household. She hoped everyone was as sweet as the offerings on the countertop.

“Can I help you guys with anything?” Angie asked, noticing that Stacey was putting the finishing touches on a cheese-and-vegetable platter.

“Julia and Gabi are setting the tables outside,” Delaney said, as she stirred something that appeared to be potato salad. “And we’re almost done in here.”

“Why don’t you pull up a chair?” Stacey nodded to one of the empty barstools on the other side of the kitchen island. “Tell us what you’ve been doing with yourself since high school.”

“Now hold off a moment,” Jeanne Marie said. “It’s only fair to offer Angie a glass of wine or some iced tea first. The least we can do is let our guest wet her whistle before you launch into a full-blown question-and-answer session.”

When Jeanne winked at Angie, and her daughters laughed, easing the awkward tension, Angie couldn’t help but join in the merriment. If Stacey and Delaney could make light of their overly curious natures, then so could she. Besides, she had nothing to hide.

Well, nothing except the fact that she had the hots for one of their brothers.

“I think I’ll take an iced tea,” Angie said, “but you guys keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll get it.”

She’d no more than crossed the kitchen and was reaching for the pitcher when Justin rushed into the room, his eyes bright, his excitement impossible to ignore. “Angie, I was telling Uncle Galen about your candy brownies, and he wanted me to bring them out to the tree house so we can all try them.”

If there was anyone who loved sweets more than the Fortune Jones family, it was Justin Hemings. And since he’d been eyeing those brownies and asking for a taste ever since she’d arrived at the Double H, Angie knew when he was still trying to finagle an early treat.

“You tell Uncle Galen that we have so many desserts to choose from that it’s best if he waits until after dinner. That way, instead of having only one treat, he’ll be able to try them all.” Angie pointed to the counter holding the sweets.

Justin hurried over to look at his many options. His eyes darted from side to side, unable to settle on a favorite.

“Did you make all of these?” he asked Angie. Before she could answer, he looked at Jeanne Marie and continued. “Angie makes the best cupcakes with little race cars on the top. And she makes us pizza with our very own favorite toppings. And she puts extra butter on the popcorn because that’s how Toby likes it best. She’s the best cooker in the world. I’m going to tell Brian about the desserts. C’mon, Angie. You gotta come see the tree house.”

And with that, Justin shot out the open sliding door, running as fast as he talked.

Angie looked at Toby’s sisters, who both seemed eager to pounce on her with questions, but Jeanne Marie saved her by saying, “Let’s go see the tree house. Then you can meet my husband. That will give my daughters plenty of time to strategize about what they want to ask you.”

Grateful to have escaped what she was sure would have been a barrage of questions, Angie tossed them each a smile and went outside with Jeanne Marie to a built-in barbecue, where Deke was preparing to grill hamburger patties and hot dogs.

“Honey,” Jeanne Marie said, “this is Angie Edwards, Toby’s friend.”

Deke, a tall, rugged man with a thatch of thick gray hair, turned to Angie and greeted her with a hint of a smile. “It’s nice to meet you. We like it when the kids bring their friends home.”

“I’m glad to be included,” Angie said. “Where’s that tree house I heard so much about?”

Deke pointed about fifty yards from the house to a huge tree where Toby stood with his brothers Jude, Liam and Galen. The men were watching Brian swing while laughing at something Liam said.

“The boys found that ole fort the first day Toby brought them to the ranch,” Deke said. “But we hadn’t realized how rotten some of that lumber had gotten until Justin fell and bumped his head a couple of weeks ago. So we wouldn’t let them play on it until I could find the time to replace some of those old boards.”