The Texas Ranger's Family (Lone Star Lawmen 3)
The next thing she knew, she was waking up to a Thursday morning news show. She shut it off and got out of bed.
After throwing on a robe Natalie walked down the hall to the nursery. Amy was still sleeping. When she reached the den, she saw Kit’s sleeping bag rolled up and propped in the corner. Her watch said eight-fifteen. He’d gone.
She moved to the living room and looked out the window. A van marked Kitchen Remodels was parked a few houses down. To be watched over made her feel secure, but she felt an emptiness because—
Oh, stop it, Natalie.
Upset with her herself, she took a shower, washed her hair and got ready for the day in shorts and a sleeveless blouse. Amy was up and playing in her bed when Natalie entered the nursery.
“Good morning, my little love.”
Her daughter answered her with a smile and some baby chatter. Once she’d had a diaper change and Natalie had found her a cute little sunsuit to wear, they ate breakfast. While Natalie was feeding her, Amy said Kit’s name.
“Kit’s not here, honey.” So her daughter was missing him, too. Things just weren’t the same today.
Before it got too hot, she grabbed her cell and took Amy out back, setting her in her playpen on the patio with some toys. Natalie started the mower and cut the small back lawn, then moved the little kiddie pool off the patio and onto the grass.
It was filled with plastic ducks and geese. Amy loved to throw the beach ball into it, then climb in and throw it back out, along with the ducks. Later Natalie would put a little water in so Amy could splash.
While the little girl toddled around the yard, Natalie lay on the lounger to watch. The emptiness she’d felt earlier hadn’t gone away. Resigned to be in this condition until Kit came back, she returned a series of calls to people who’d left messages.
Once that was done, she phoned Information and got a number for car donations for veterans and was pleased to discover that a towing company could collect the Sentra before the end of the day and would leave her a receipt. Relieved to have taken care of that so easily, she turned on the hose and put some water in the pool.
Amy loved it and they played until it was time for lunch. At nap time, Natalie brought in the mail then cut the grass out front. With Austin on water restriction, the sprinklers went on at four in the morning at her address on Wednesdays only. The lawn didn’t look that great, but it couldn’t be helped.
The last thing on her list was to put the key to Rod’s car back in the ignition. Just as she finished and came back into the house, her cell rang. She looked at the Caller ID and clicked on.
“Colette?”
“I hope it’s all right to talk for a few minutes.”
“Of course.”
“Is the Ranger still there?”
Natalie gripped the phone tighter. “No. He’s away. Probably until tomorrow.”
“I’m alone, too. Chad has gone to work for a few hours and I’ve taken today off in case he doesn’t feel well and comes home early. To be honest, he was going crazy around here and driving me crazy too. I’ve decided that husbands make horrible patients. Anyway, I just had to call you and—”
“I know what you’re going to say,” Natalie interrupted. “Yes I find him terribly attractive and wonderful, but he’ll wrap up this case soon and that will be the end of it.”
“Want to make a bet? I saw the way he looked at you when you took Amy to the restroom.” Natalie’s heart pounded. “I hope he’s not married.”
“He’s not.”
“That’s good, because no priest or married man should watch a woman the way he watched you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Natalie was afraid to believe it.
“I’d say it’s a good thing Father Segal isn’t really a priest becau
se from where I was sitting, he was already in big trouble.”
“Colette—”
“It’s true, and you had the same expression in your eyes when you looked at him. What’s great is that Amy likes him, too.”
“She does. This morning she noticed he wasn’t here and called out his name.”