Mrs. Wallace looked surprised. “I had no idea. It’s been some time since I’ve had to entertain little ones. This will be a real help. Thank you, India.”
“My pleasure.” She hesitated. “The girls and Cal get along. We’ll be at the fort tomorrow around ten thirty. You’re welcome to join us. We could explore one of the trails, if you like?”
There was a spark of excitement on Mrs. Wallace’s face. “Tomorrow? Around ten thirty? I’d hate to intrude.”
“Not at all. I think Cal is enjoying the hero worship.” She pointed at her son, all three girls gathered around him.
Mrs. Wallace chuckled. “If you’re sure, I think we can make that. The girls have mentioned Cal a few times.” She watched as Cal led the girls down the hall to the trophy case. The girls were paying close attention, hanging on his every word. “Is it just you and Cal?”
India nodded.
“Good you have family to help out. Like Brody. Family is important when you’ve got children to raise.” Mrs. Wallace frowned, her voice rising. “Amberleigh, you have to keep your shoes on to go to school.”
“She’s right,” Cal said, pointing at his feet. “In school, you have to wear shoes.”
Amberleigh sighed but put her shoe back on.
Mrs. Wallace’s brows rose before she smiled. “Well, now, that was something. She won’t wear her shoes for anyone,” she whispered to India. “Let’s go, girls. Your daddy will want to hear all about your visit.”
India smiled, imagining the girls excitedly sharing their day with Brody. And Brody, being Brody, would give them their full attention. It was plain to see he adored his girls—as it should be. Cal wandered back to them, the girls trailing behind, chattering among themselves.
“You going home, too?” Marilyn asked him. “To your daddy?”
“Just me and Mom,” Cal said.
“Oh,” Suellen said, looking confused.
India glanced at her son, hating the glimpse of longing on his face. If she had it her way, Cal would have a father who hung on his every word. A man who would see her son as the brilliant and sweet boy he was.
Cal shrugged. “We’re gonna watch a dinosaur movie.”
Marilyn and Suellen looked horrified, but not Amberleigh. She looked delighted. So delighted that India wished she could invite the little girls over to play dinosaurs with Cal. But how would that work? Mrs. Wallace seemed at ease with the children’s developing friendship—but the likelihood of her father and Mr. Wallace taking it in stride was slim. Instead, she and Cal helped Mrs. Wallace herd the girls back into their Suburban. Amberleigh asked Cal questions about dinosaurs until the car door was closed. Mrs. Wallace waved her goodbyes and drove off.
“Mom,” Cal said, watching the vehicle disappear. “Think I’ll ever get a brother or sister?”
It was the last question she’d expected him to ask. “I thought you liked being just me and you.”
“I do.” He took her hand. “But it might be nice to have someone to play with, too. I wouldn’t mind a little sister like Amberleigh. She likes the same things I do.”
“Except shoes,” she teased, trying to shake off the sharp sting of tears Cal’s words stirred. Her son wasn’t the only one missing something. There was a time when all she’d wanted was a big family and a loving husband. But her husband had been anything but loving. And she couldn’t have risked bringing another child into the world—not if JT was the father.
“She put them on for me,” Cal said, grinning up at her. “I think I’d be a good big brother.”
“I know you would, Cal,” she agreed. “But I can’t pick up a little brother or sister at the grocery store so—”
“I know that, Mom.” He rolled his eyes. “You have to get married. Aunt Scarlett told me. We just need to find a man we both like.”
She laughed then. “Is that all?”
“Seems simple enough,” he said, climbing into the ranch work truck and buckling his seat belt. “You’re pretty and nice and I’m a good kid. We’ll find someone, get married, and I can be a big brother.”
India closed the door, scrambling for an appropriate response for her son. How could she explain that, right now, the only man she was interested in was the one she couldn’t marry?
* * *
BRODY NODDED AT the aging structures that made up Fort Kyle. “This place has seen a lot of history. I’d like it to be around for future generations.”
Jan Ramirez, the channel four reporter, nodded. “So historical preservation is important to you?”