his mid-thirties whom her children adored and who spent the time to teach them, had ever sat there before. Their father never had. Sure, their grandparents tried, but it didn’t make up for their father ignoring them.
Not only did Joel connect with her kids, but he made her dream crazy dreams like the happily-ever-after kind of dream.
“Mom, I need some butter,” Wes announced, breaking into her silly thoughts.
April held up the crock. “And we say—”
“Please.”
She spent the next several minutes helping Cora fix her pancakes. When April checked to see if Todd had managed to fix his, she saw Joel helping her son. The man kept her off guard with his thoughtful little gestures. If he’d tried to flatter her or act like the big famous cowboy star, she could’ve ignored him. But he didn’t. Instead he did small, considerate things that slipped under the barrier she’d built around her heart.
Joel took the first bite of his pancake and paused. “Oh, that’s good. I haven’t had something that good since my grandma made her blueberry coffee cake for our Easter breakfast.”
“Mom, can I have more syrup?” Wes asked.
She handed him the bottle.
“What are you going to do today, Mr. Joel?” Wes asked as he poured the syrup.
“I saw some things in the barn that need tending. If you have anything you can think needs to be done around the house, April, I can do that—except those bathrooms we talked about. I’d just be sitting around doing nothing back at the rodeo. And I want the boys to get their money’s worth.”
Her first inclination was to tell him to go back to the rodeo, they didn’t need him, but she knew that wasn’t true. Those silly dreams she’d been spinning worried her, but she needed all the help she could get—and she could ignore her fantasies.
“How long have you been a cowboy?” Todd asked.
Cora’s piece of pancake fell off her fork and she solved the problem by picking it up and stuffing it into her mouth.
“Cora.”
April’s and Joel’s hands collided over Cora’s plate. April sat back down, allowing him to wipe the little girl’s hand clean.
“Let’s see, you asked me how long I’ve been a cowboy.”
Wes nodded.
“A long time.”
“How long is that?”
“On my last birthday, which you know was the beginning of this month, I turned thirty-four.”
The boys, wide-eyed and mouths agape, looked at each other.
“Why, that’s almost as old as Mr. Moore,” Todd sputtered.
April’s fork stopped midway to her mouth. She fought a laugh.
Joel cleared his throat. “I think Mr. Moore is a little older than me. Of course, there are days...”
April read the rest of his thought—that he sometimes felt as old as Mr. Moore.
“You been with the rodeo
that
long?” Todd asked.
Joel laughed. “I didn’t join the rodeo when I was three.”
Snickers sounded around the table.
“This time I’ve been traveling with them a little over a year.”
“Done,” Cora announced.
April immediately stood and wiped Cora’s hands and face before taking her out of the booster seat.
“Well, I think it’s time to stop talking and start working,” Joel said.
After plates were put in the sink, the boys headed to the bathroom.
“April, if you’ll make a list of what else needs to be done, I’ll start on it and see how much I can get to over the next couple of days.”
She studied him, trying to decipher his motives. “Okay.”
“I’ll start in the barn, then check back with you in a bit.” He walked out of the house, leaving April gawking.
“Where’s Mr. Joel?” Wes asked.
“In the barn.”
Both boys raced out of the kitchen.
April’s legs gave way. Who was this man? And why was he here?
You prayed.
The thought popped into her head.
Yes, but—but what?
Joel had lived up to his word. His attitude confused her and challenged her assumptions about him. Wasn’t he a man who traveled with the rodeo and didn’t stay in one place long enough to let