The Forever Family

“Can you type?” Gladys asked.

“Absolutely!” No more than forty words per minute, but she’d taken some evening classes at the community college in Rochester. She wasn’t fast, but she knew word processing and spreadsheet programs. How hard could it be?

“Sam wants someone with lots of receptionist skills. The last gal he hired couldn’t even type. If you want the job, I’d have to get his approval, first.”

“That’d be great.” If only he agreed. A laugh of relief bubbled up in Rachel’s throat. She might have a job. Working in a vet clinic wasn’t what she had in mind, but her options were pretty slim.

Gladys didn’t look at her as she took a bite of syrupy pancake. Rachel got the impression the other woman tried not to smile. “I’ll warn you, it’s a busy office.”

“Sam mentioned you work there, too.”

“Yep.” Gladys nodded. “We were both raised on a ranch. After my husband died, I brought Charlie to Finley and Sam put me back on my feet. He gave me a fresh start.”

“My husband died last year and I miss him terribly.”

“Oh, you’re a widow, too. I’m sorry.” Gladys’s eyes crinkled. “No wonder we’ve become fast friends. We have a lot in common.”

Tears burned Rachel’s eyes and she looked away. Her sudden emotions ambushed her. The pain of losing Alex still felt raw. Yet the kindness and generosity of these strangers gave her hope that she and Danny could make it here on their own.

A thud sounded outside on the back porch. The kitchen door opened and Sam came inside with a burst of chilly air.

The moment he entered the room, Rachel felt his presence like a tangible thing. She couldn’t understand why the doctor would have such an effect on her.

“Brrr! Close that door.” Gladys reached to help him off with his heavy coat.

Sam closed the door before removing the beatup cowboy hat from his head. His short, dark hair curled against the nape of his neck. He set his damp gloves on the washing machine, his cheeks and nose red. He smiled, his gaze sliding over to Rachel. “It sure is pretty outside. You boys want to play in the snow?”

“Yeah!” Danny and Charlie answered in unison.

Sam chuckled. “Then you better get dressed.”

Charlie hopped off his chair and raced toward his bedroom followed by Danny. Rachel heard the slamming of a door. Whoops of glee and copious amounts of laughter filtered down the hall.

“You’d think it was Christmas morning.” Gladys chuckled as she handed Sam a plate of food.

He turned and paused. Rachel felt the weight of his gaze as he stared at her bare toes. Standing, she helped Gladys fill the sink with sudsy water. Sam sat and reached for the butter. “The snow’s deep, but we should be able to get out to your place this morning.”

Rachel paused as she dried a glass with a dish towel. “I’d really appreciate a ride.”

“Sam lives up the road from your place,” Gladys chimed in. “He can make sure your furnace is working.”

“Yeah, I’ll check things out.” Sam’s voice held no enthusiasm.

“You’ll need groceries, too. I packed some canned goods, but you’ll need to stop at Granger’s to pick up some milk and perishables.” Gladys jutted her chin in the direction of a large box sitting by the back door.

“You didn’t need to do that.” Rachel almost breathed an audible sigh of relief. She had a ride out to Grammy’s place.

“It’s no trouble.”

It’d been six weeks since Grammy lived in the house. Any number of things could have gone wrong. The power could have been knocked out or the old furnace might no longer work. Having Sam and Gladys accompany her out to the house brought her a measure of comfort.

When she glanced at Sam, Rachel couldn’t deny the surly set of his shoulders, nor the way he avoided meeting her eyes. Last night, he’d been kind, even gentle with her. Now, he seemed irritated. She couldn’t blame him. He probably had lots to do and resented a woman and kid taking up his valuable time.

“Have you got fuel for the furnace?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know.” Rachel hadn’t thought about that.

“I’ll check your propane tank. If not, I’ll call Shorty Keller and see when he can get his truck out there to fill the tank.”

“I can help you clean the house,” Gladys offered. “Sam’s a whiz with repairs. There’s nothing he can’t do. Isn’t that right, Sam?”

He mumbled an affirmative answer before taking another bite of food. His cheek bulged as he chewed, and Rachel took his silence as a good sign. There was no mistaking Gladys’s confidence in her brother’s abilities, but she felt uncomfortable asking for his help. Alex had difficulty installing child locks on the cupboards. He just hadn’t been good at fix-it jobs. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”

Gladys lifted her hand and waved the air. “Many hands make light work. It’ll be our pleasure to help.”

“Um, maybe I should get ready.” Rachel was as ready as she’d ever be, but she needed an excuse to get out of this kitchen before she burst into tears of gratitude. She cut through the living room and hurried into the bathroom, where she sat on the edge of the tub for at least five minutes before finally brushing her teeth.

Outside the window, she heard childish laughter in the front yard. She peeked past the flowered curtains and saw Danny and Charlie, both dressed in winter coats, scarves, hats, gloves and boots as they rolled snowballs to make a snowman. No doubt Danny had borrowed some of the clothing from Charlie. Her son’s smile melted her heart. She hadn’t seen him laugh like this since—

She sighed. They both missed Alex, and she was glad Danny had found a friend like Charlie. Exiting the bathroom, Rachel came up short in the living room when she heard Sam’s deep, disapproving voice. The exasperation in his tone was obvious. After listening for a few moments, Rachel realized she now had a bigger problem on her hands.

“I can’t believe you want to hire her as our receptionist.” Sam shifted his weight on the linoleum floor in the kitchen.

Gladys stood in front of the refrigerator, putting away the milk. Sam waited until she turned and looked at him, but he didn’t like the expression on her face. He knew that look. Her stubborn I’m-your-older-and-wiser-sister look.

“You put me in charge of hiring a new receptionist and I want to hire Rachel,” Gladys insisted. “She doesn’t have much experience, but she’ll do better than Tiffany.”

He almost groaned. Did she have to bring up Tiffany? The girl had been down on her luck, just like Rachel. Two months after he hired her, the girl absconded with all the money in his safe. Now he had a bad feeling about Rachel. Like knowing you were about to get hit in the jaw, but your hands were tied behind your back so you couldn’t protect yourself. “What are Rachel’s skills? Can she even type?”

Tiffany had used the hunt-and-peck method, typing with her two index fingers. Sam’s busy office needed a receptionist who could take charge and help out.

“Of course,” Gladys said. “And she knows word processing and spreadsheet programs. If I can learn, so can she.”

“What are her references?”

“Frank and Myra Duarte, two of the finest people I ever knew,” Gladys insisted. “I’ve always been a good judge of character, and that gal will do just fine for us.”

He took a deep breath, wondering if he’d ever find a way to tell his sister no. The fact was, he loved Gladys very much, but this was pushing him near the edge. Something about Rachel Walker tore at the deepest recesses of his heart. He’d noticed her pink-painted toenails, so feminine and attractive they made him crazy. He couldn’t explain it and didn’t want to try. If she were working in his office every day, always underfoot, always smelling like springtime, he sensed he’d have an internal fight on his hands before long. And he’d promised himself he’d never care for another woman again. His heart couldn’t take it.

He rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the tension there. “I don’t feel good about this, Glad.”

“What have you got against her?” Gladys brushed past him and reached for the laundry basket. He stared after her in a daze, watching dumbly as she folded towels and piled them neatly on the clean kitchen table.

“For one thing, she’s a complete stranger,” he offered lamely.

Gladys spoke without looking up, her fingers working nimbly as she matched pairs of socks. “She comes from good people, Samuel Nathan.”

Samuel Nathan. The name Gladys called him when she disapproved of something he’d said or done.