Free Lone Oak Feud (Harlequin Heartwarming) by Amy Knupp Page A

headed for the stairs. “I’ve got to get Josh back here just so you have someone else to boss around.”
    Gram’s rough chuckle followed him up the stairs.
    * * *
    W HEN L INDSEY WALKED INTO her dad’s kitchen, she was accosted by the to-die-for aroma of freshly baked coffee cake. Her dad and Mrs. Hale sat at the table, engrossed in a game of Scrabble.
    “Mrs. Hale, you’re spoiling him.”
    “Would you like some cake, dear? It’s heart-healthy.”
    “I’ll try some anyway. Hi, Dad.”
    He grunted as he set down his tiles to form a long word. “Don’t talk to me when I’m concentrating. I aim to win this game.”
    “You’re sixty-two points ahead, Wendell. I think it’s in the bag,” Mrs. Hale said as she cut a slice of cake.
    “It’s not over till it’s over.”
    “I thought you hated playing Scrabble with him,” Lindsey said.
    “He was threatening to go in to work. It was the only way I could keep him home.”
    “Dad. You’re not supposed to work yet. You’re not supposed to drive, either. What are you thinking?”
    “I’m thinking I’m going loony sitting around this house all the time. I was only going to look at the stories Mary’s got lined up for tomorrow’s paper.”
    “Uh-uh. You’d find something to edit. Or rewrite. Knowing you, you’d go out and track down the source and start from scratch on something. Not allowed.”
    He sighed. “What would I do without you two lovely ladies to run my life?”
    “Have another heart attack, likely,” Mrs. Hale stated matter-of-factly. She set a plate of cake and a glass of tea in front of Lindsey, then sat down to peruse her tiles.
    “Killjoy.” Her dad was actually a teddy bear under the layers of grump.
    Before Mrs. Hale could form a word, the phone rang. Wendell picked up the cordless on top of a folded newspaper beside him.
    “Hello.” He listened for a moment, then handed the phone to Mrs. Hale.
    She answered as she stood, and Lindsey caught the frown before the older woman took the phone to the living room for privacy.
    “I’ll fill in for her,” Lindsey said, switching to the vacant chair.
    “You think you can win for her, huh?”
    “You got it.”
    She and her dad had always been cutthroat competitive at board games. They’d spent hours trash-talking over Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit when Lindsey had still lived at home.
    She stared at the letters for a couple of minutes, then rearranged them. Her dad had left the triple word open, and she was going to capitalize on it. Somehow.
    “I’m sorry I got so upset the other day, honey.”
    She looked at him. “No need to apologize. I’m sorry you found Zach here.”
    “I keep reminding myself you’re just doing what you think is right.”
    She nodded. “I’m sorry that hurts you.”
    Lindsey’s heart pounded guiltily. Had he seen her at the Rundles before she’d come over tonight? No, he’d been here at the table, engrossed in his match with Mrs. Hale. Maybe someone had ratted on her for sitting with Zach at Tut’s.
    “The boy is so innocent, Dad. I hate to think of him suffering in any way.”
    “Why can’t they handle this boy on their own?”
    “Because they’re Rundles?” She smiled, relieved when her dad grinned. But at the same time, she felt like a traitor because she really liked Owen. Okay, maybe Zach, too. Against her better judgment.
    She took his silence to mean the discussion was over and went back to her tiles.
    Then she spotted it. Some quick calculations in her head had her grinning smugly. “Z-y-m-o-s-i-s.” She named the letters as she laid them in place, something she’d always done when scoring big. It never failed to make her dad crazy.
    “That’s not a real word.”
    “You challenging me?”
    “Yes I am. Go get the dictionary.”
    She laughed as she jogged upstairs to Savannah’s old room. The light in the hallway was on and was bright enough for her to see the bookcase on the opposite wall, so she didn’t bother to turn on the