Dallas introduced himself. “Your mom here?”
The boy gestured toward the hall behind him. “Upstairs. Stella can’t find her best doll.”
“Well, I don’t know that I can be of help there, but—”
“You don’t like dolls? I don’t like ’em,” he said, and Dallas decided to test the waters.
“I like horses.” He hunkered down to meet the kid’s gaze. “How about you?”
“I never rode a horse. Jordan wants to but he says I’m too little.” He stepped back, then said abruptly, “Bye. I’m not s’posed to talk to strangers.” He began to shut the door. Lizzie was a good mother who’d taught her son about safety.
Dallas put his foot in the wedge of open door. “Hey, do me a favor first, okay? Can you call your mom? I’m a friend—from next door—and I need to talk to her.”
His eyes widened. “The cowboy? Why?”
Dallas assumed he meant why did he want to talk to Lizzie, not why he’d joined the rodeo circuit. Before Dallas could answer, Jordan dashed around the corner from the rear yard, the basketball in his hands. His blond hair was a rumpled mess, his gray eyes lighting up when he saw him. “Dallas! Hi! I’m back from Colorado.”
Ah, a possible ally. The question remained, why were they all here now? “Welcome home. Jordan, can you go get your mom?” During the winter, and before the kids had left for part of the summer, he’d had a habit of monitoring the driveway like Bernice Caldwell, appearing as soon as Dallas came home from work or rehab. Dallas had given him a children’s book about the sport, and for that short time he’d become Jordan’s idol. Dallas had kind of gotten a kick out of that. “We’ll get together soon—like I promised—to watch those videos.”
“The ones with you in them?”
“Sure. But you’ll have to ask your mom first if that’s okay.” He knew Lizzie’s opinion of his chosen career. She rarely missed a chance to imply her children weren’t going to follow in his footsteps, to remind Dallas that he might damage his hip again if he took part in their rodeo. He liked to think that meant she cared about him a little. As a friend, of course. “Your brother says she’s upstairs.”
That didn’t work any better than with the youngest kid. “She doesn’t want to be disturbed,” Jordan said, obviously a quote, then in an overly polite tone, he asked, “Would you like to leave a message?”
Dallas considered that. Maybe he should go back to his place, his own problems, but a strange new silence from inside changed his mind. “No, I’d really like to see her.”
Lizzie’s daughter, Stella, hurried from the hall to lay a hand on Seth’s shoulder. Dallas was surrounded, two kids facing him in the doorway, one behind him, like palace guards. The little girl, dark-haired like Lizzie but with gray eyes, glowered at him just as, to his vast relief, Lizzie herself showed up. “The kids are home,” she said, which seemed obvious. Was she asking him to turn around, to leave? Not to complicate her life more than he already had? He ought to take that advice.
Instead, Dallas took a second look at her. Lizzie was white-faced.
“I know you’re busy, but I, uh, hoped we could discuss that charity we picked.”
She gathered Stella closer, put a hand on Seth’s head. “It’s nearly bedtime and they traveled all day. Everyone’s exhausted.” The truth, or a convenient excuse? She must be the one in need of sleep; the kids looked ready to roll. “I need to tuck them in.”
She didn’t get the last word out before, suddenly, Lizzie staggered. If not for the kids on either side of her, she would have fallen where she stood. No, he was not going back to his place, leaving her to cope with these three alone, not when she looked that way. “Everyone includes you,” he said, then eased past the other two in the doorway. Taking Lizzie under his wing as he went into the house, Dallas heard himself giving orders. “Kids, pajamas. Brush your teeth. Get to bed. Lights out.”
They all gaped at Dallas.
“I’m afraid of the dark,” Seth answered in a thin voice.
“Do we have to do what he says, Mom?” Stella asked.
Lizzie appeared ready to protest, but instead she leaned against Dallas. “Yes,” she said. “You do. Please, Stella. I’m too tired to argue.”
“Is there any more pizza?” Jordan piped up.
“No. We’ll have to shop tomorrow.”
“I had two pieces,” Seth chimed in.
“Please,” Lizzie said again.
Stella sent Dallas a death stare before she headed toward the steps. Obviously, she’d made up her mind about him last winter and it wasn’t good. Jordan hung back, studying him with a fresh look of hero worship in his eyes. Seth twined his arms around Lizzie’s leg. He wouldn’t let go until she promised, “Yes, I’ll try to find your green dinosaur.”
“I can’t sleep without him, Mama.”
Reluctantly, Dallas released her. While they all trooped upstairs, he stood rooted to the spot in the front hall. He didn’t move until Lizzie finally came down, one hand rubbing the bridge of her nose, her hair mussed. She heaved a sigh.
“Listen to the quiet. Yesterday that would have bothered me. Seth fell asleep while I was searching for his dinosaur. Stella’s out cold with half a dozen dolls around her, worn-out from weeping because we never found her favorite. Jordan’s plugged in to his iPad listening to weird music. He’s my fighter. He won’t give in to sleep until midnight.” She sank onto the living room sofa. “God give me strength.”
“You didn’t expect them,” he guessed, taking a seat beside her.
“No, Harry turned up around sunset. He has job
