—SEVEN—

 

By the time she had gotten Gage to bed and Kerri comfortably ensconced in her new accommodations, Ren's body was exhausted, but her mind was racing. She attempted to settle in for bed—it had been a long day with a lot of activity—but she couldn't quiet her thoughts, so after attempting to unwind, she got up and left her bedroom.

Dane was nowhere to be seen, so she took an opportunity to tip-toe through the house, looking at the various pieces of artwork and decor in the hallways until she found herself in the living room. A huge leather couch flanked one side of the room, and a large flat screen TV that looked like it hadn't seen much use perched on the opposite wall. A fireplace with a variety of family photos upon the mantel was the primary focal point of the room. She turned the TV on for company, muted, and wandered over to look at the collection of framed images.

Front and center was a photo of a toddler-aged Gage, sitting on the lap of a laughing couple. Ren picked it up for a closer look. The man was clearly related to Dane, with the same blond hair and stormy eyes both Dane and Ella had. The woman was pretty, with shoulder-length strawberry blond hair and a slight build like Gage.

"I was hoping you were still up." Dane's deep voice startled her and she turned to find him holding two bottles of beer. He was freshly showered and wore a white t-shirt and plaid lounge pants. "It'll be nice to have some company in this house after Gage's bedtime. Another adult to talk to."

He got closer and offered her one of the bottles, taking a pull from the one he kept. He inclined his head toward the photo.

"Gage's parents, Gavin and June."

"What happened?" It was rude to ask, not to mention none of her business. She was here to take care of the house and the boy, that was it, but the words slipped out before she could stop them.

"They wrecked their rig coming home from a rodeo in Denver a couple of years ago." Dane swallowed hard and took another pull of his beer. Ren could see his eyes were glossy with emotion.

"I'm so sorry." Ren's words were quick, sorry she had asked. She would have been as imposed upon if someone had asked about her mother. "So that's how you ended up with Gage?"

"Gavin named me in the will. I don't know if he realized what he was asking. Best I can do is try not to mess things up too badly."

Ren knew that feeling all too well.

"Parenting when you aren't a parent can be a challenge, for sure."

"It's been tough. I feel like it's about to get easier." He offered her a gentle smile, and gestured to the couch. They sat, one on each end, facing the other. "On the topic of parenting when you're not a parent..."

It was only fair, Dane had bared his pain to her. Ren steeled herself with a deep breath.

"My dad passed ten years ago...my mother is...not fit." Her jaw tightened as she thought of the abuse—verbal, physical, emotional. It was a long time ago, but the anger still lay close to her heart. "She was difficult before dad died, but afterwards..." She stopped, shook her head.

Anita Maddock had been a tough mother, to begin with. Declan had always complimented her in their relationship, softening the blows of her own childhood lacking in love. She was uncompromising and demanding, but it had always seemed like it was out of love, and a desire to see the girls succeed. After her father had passed, Ren's mother had gone off the deep end. Her daughters were all she had left of him and instead of cherishing them because of it, she blamed them for her loss. Ren had gone headfirst down a flight of stairs at her mother's hands at least once. She'd stayed far longer than made any sense because she felt Kerri needed her mother. She'd put off college and moving into her own place so she could be the buffer between Kerri and Anita the way her father had been for her. She'd given up trying to understand why Anita hated them so much, and conceded instead to a life as a protector.

It was when she had caught her mother with Kerri locked in the garage, the door closed and the car running, that she had taken her sister and never looked back.

First, they'd moved to the other side of town, but Anita had followed them. Progressively, the distances had gotten longer and longer until Ren had finally packed everything up and said a prayer the Jimmy would make it on the 12 hour trip cross country. A couple hours outside of Three Rivers, she'd stopped for a local map and chosen the town from a handful of other small municipalities. They had no connections here, no reason to be here, no reason for Anita to suspect they were here.

Dane didn't press any further when Ren stopped talking. He set his beer aside, reached across the couch and drew her into his side with one arm.

Ren stiffened at first but the second she felt the warm closeness of his strong body, she relaxed, melted into his side, and rested her head on his chest. He ran his calloused fingers over her hair. She felt like she could relax, and stop the nagging fire of fear in her gut for just a minute. It felt like nothing could happen to her in his strong arms.

I'm in a different kind of trouble, now.

*

Dane wanted to kiss her. So badly he ached. He remembered the pain of loss he had experienced, saw the same kind of pain, and fear in her eyes. They weren't so different. They had both experienced loss, and they both had to deal with the trauma the best way they knew how. His best way had gotten easier today.

This certainly wasn't the first time it had crossed his mind how much easier life would be with a woman of the house. With the ranch and Gage keeping him occupied, his opportunities to expand his social circle had become limited. He'd always thought he would have lots of time to settle down, but the accident had changed the course of his life in a way he would have never predicted. Now he had little time to develop any kind of relationship, that is, if a woman wasn't scared off by the ready-made family to begin with. He'd grown up with most of the women who still resided in Three Rivers and while many of them made a big show of how sexy a man with a kid was, when it came down to the nitty gritty, nobody wanted to be the mother of a child who wasn't theirs.

Right now, he was holding a woman who didn't seem scared of much, least of all a five year old boy and his uncle. Sure, she was his employee, but already he could see the tender way she interacted with Gage. She had more ease with the boy right off the bat than he could have wished for. If he couldn't have his mother, Ren seemed like she could be the next best thing.

She rested quietly, her breathing soft and even. He thought she may even have dozed off. It was comfortable, and they sat that way for some time, his thumb tracing gentle circles on her exposed bicep as he considered the twists and turns that had brought him to this juncture in his life, hiring a woman to play the role of someone he had been unsuccessful in finding the traditional way.

He'd always been a good uncle. He'd been busy learning the business side of the ranch when Gage was born and he'd lived vicariously through the little family. Gavin was made for fatherhood. The jury was still out on Dane, but he was trying his best.

He'd taken his role seriously when the accident happened, though the whole family had been pitching in since. Many times, Ella had offered to take Gage to live with them in town but there had been so much change for the child that Dane couldn't bear to make him leave the place he had grown up in. Who was he to disrupt the memories Gage might still cling to of his mother and father teaching him to ride, packing him in front of the saddle when they checked cattle, and gathering around the dining room table in this very house? The truth was, this new role was difficult. He was still Uncle Dane but he was also now in a position of fatherhood in addition to all of the roles he played before, and the balance was a challenge.

He heard thumping coming down the stairs and Ren jerked upright, leaping away from him as though she'd been shocked, and nearly spilling her beer. So she wasn't asleep after all. Kerri's head poked around the door frame, taking in the scene with a bemused expression. The girl was young but she wasn't an idiot.

"Do you know where the charger for my mp3 player is?" she asked Ren.

The older sister jumped to her feet just a little too quick, setting her beer on the side table and turning to Dane.

"I think I'm just going to head up for bed now, anyways...thanks for the beer and...conversation."

She scampered away and up the stairs, leaving Dane still reclined on the couch, his arm across the back where she had been sitting. He watched her shapely figure disappear up the stairs and his eyes lingered there for a moment longer.

As her employer, he knew he had to tamp down the feelings and urges he had about this girl, but as a man, he was struggling. Had he made a mistake hiring her? Probably. Would it look bad from the outside? Most likely. Did he care? Hell no.