Chapter 14

14

I ris's phone rang the next morning as she watched Brandt and Levi chase each other in circles around the field outside the horse barn.

A glance at the screen told her it was her friend Molly. She answered with what she hoped was a breezy hello, but she was a little afraid it would be obvious that she'd spent a sleepless night and was still feeling a bizarre kind of sorrow.

"I was calling to find out if you'd re-homed the palomino mare."

The horse was one of Iris's rescues. She'd been neglected and starved to the point of emaciation. Now, the mare was healthy and had been socialized and was ready to find a forever home.

"Not yet. Things have been a little crazy, and I haven't updated the rescue website in a few weeks. Why?"

"Because my birthday is coming up, and the last time I was over there, I sort of fell in love with her."

Iris couldn't help smiling at the woman's enthusiasm. Molly was six years younger than Iris, still plugging away at her undergrad. She was a ray of sunshine who'd brightened Cord's life and Iris's too.

"Would you want to board her here?" Late last winter, the barn on Cord's property had been demolished by a falling tree.

"I think we can build a shelter for her in a few days."

"So you've got Cord talked into it already?"

Molly laughed. "I'm making lasagna for supper tonight. He never says no to me when I serve lasagna."

Something in Iris's gut tugged. She wasn't jealous of her friend. Molly deserved every pinch of happiness she could grab. She'd been through a lot, on the run from a stalker when she had arrived in Sutter's Hollow and found refuge on Cord's family ranch.

There was a short pause before Molly asked, "Are you all right? You seem kind of down."

The boys shrieked with joy, now pulling handfuls of prairie grass out of the earth and tossing them up in the air. They were already covered with dust and pollen.

Iris pressed the heel of her hand against the spot where her nose met her forehead. "It was a rough night."

"Come on. You were there for me when I needed a friend. Don't hold back on me now."

Iris said, "Things got complicated between Callum and me last night."

Molly hummed her interest. "Sounds interesting. Tell me more."

"Not like that. Not in a good way." Except for the kiss... "I can't…" She used one hand to brush her windblown hair out of her eyes. "It's too much to get into over the phone. Maybe we can get together soon." Maybe in a few days she'd figure out some way to make sense of what Callum had said about Joe.

"Maybe we could go riding," Molly suggested. "Being on horseback always frees my mind up. Makes me feel less stressed, even just for a little while."

"You know what I really want to do?" Iris stared up at the bright blue sky. "I wanna dance."

"What's stopping you?" Molly asked.

"I have to watch the boys."

"So let them dance with you. Actually, I got to talking to Mrs. Jones at the library the other day, and she was complaining about the fact that there's not a dance school anywhere close to Sutter's Hollow. I bet there are other moms in town who would love to have you teach a kids' ballet class."

What a crazy idea. Iris had never given any serious thought to teaching. But something about it set jitters loose in her stomach. "I wonder if the community center has any rooms available."

"You never know if you don't ask," Molly said.

"I knew there was a reason we were friends."

Two hours later, Iris had just fed the boys grilled cheese sandwiches and soup for lunch and was throwing some snacks and juice boxes and extra socks into a tote.

The community center did have a room open this afternoon, and, with a few quick phone calls—one to Mrs. Jones, who spread the word like lightning—Iris had a class of six students. Eight if she counted the twins.

She just needed to tell Callum that they were driving to town.

She hadn't seen him all morning. There was an empty coffee cup and cereal bowl in the bottom of the sink, so he must've come out of his room at some point. She was a little surprised he hadn't tried to see the boys. Was he still that upset with her?

She hated thinking that he was hurt.

As if her thoughts had summoned him, the door to Joe's office opened, and Callum appeared.

"Daddy!"

Brandt and Levi rushed toward him. He bent at the waist to hug them both. "What're you guys up to?"

He carefully avoided glancing in her direction. She could read the tension in the set of his shoulders, and the knot in her stomach tightened.

"We're going to dance class with Iris!"

"Dance class?" Callum echoed.

"I was just getting ready to let you know. I'm doing a one-time ballet class at the community center. For kids."

He didn't acknowledge her or even look in her direction. "You mind if I catch a ride to town? I'm meeting someone at Trixie's."

"Sure." She pasted on a smile.

A silent, tension-laden Callum in her car for the drive to town. What could be better?

The boys had bubbled over with news about their dance class the entire way home. Callum listened to them and mustered smiles in all the right places.

Iris was more relaxed, the tension she'd been carrying this morning gone.

Callum seemed to be the only one who remained wound up.

He'd had two interviews for nannies in town. He was pretty sure he'd found the woman he wanted to hire, a woman in her fifties with a grandmotherly manner.

But, while he'd been sitting in the booth in Trixie's Cafe between interviews, he couldn't quit thinking about Iris and what'd happened between them last night.

They pulled into the drive.

"I gotta go bathroom!" Levi called from the backseat.

Iris parked the car. When she got out and would've helped Callum with his crutches, he waved her on. Bathroom emergencies took precedence. "I'll be there in a minute."

The three of them disappeared inside while he took his sweet time getting out of the van.

The confrontation last night had been inevitable. He should've known it from the first day back in Sutter's Hollow when he'd learned Iris was here. He should've protected himself better. Kept his walls up.

Instead of thinking dangerous things. Dreaming that he could have a second chance to be with Iris.

He was a fool. A complete idiot.

The faster he and the boys moved to their place on the other side of the fence, the better. The nanny was prepared to start tomorrow. She'd have a live-in position until he could get his cast off. After that, he'd see about keeping her on if he needed her.

It would be better this way. He and the boys would get out of Iris's hair, and he could stop aching all the time, wanting something he couldn't have.

He made slow, painful progress up the front steps and into the cool house.

He could hear the boys in the kitchen and headed that direction. He started to make out their words as he got closer.

"And I rode a pony—" That must be Brandt. He'd talked about nothing else for a week after Iris had put both boys up on a pony and carted them around the corral just outside the barn.

"And we went to dance class with Iris?—"

"And I pushed the cart at the grocery store!"

Callum knew just how unhelpful the boys' help could be.

A softer voice answered, not loud enough for Callum to identify.

Who were they talking to? He'd been out front, and no one else had entered the house. Could someone have been here waiting? There was no strange vehicle here.

The muffled voice came again.

"He's getting better every day," Iris said. "Grumpy, but that's to be expected when an active guy like Callum is stuck on his butt for too long."

Now she was talking about him?

"Where's Grandpa?" one of the boys questioned loudly, and the hair on the back of Callum's neck rose, along with his suspicion.

Grandpa? Just who were they talking to? Did Iris have Maude in there? How dare she?

Fear choking his throat, he flew the last few steps into the kitchen.

"What's going on in here?" he thundered.

The boys flinched, and Brandt's face scrunched up like he was about to cry.

It only took a few seconds to figure it out. Iris held her cell phone facing the boys, and his mother-in-law's face shone through on the screen. A video call.

He cursed, and Iris flinched.

"I'd better go," Maude said, her voice subdued. "I love you, boys."

Both Brandt and Levi's gazes were riveted to Callum, who was struggling for a thread of sanity.

The screen went black. And, through the red haze in his vision, he watched Iris set the phone down on the table with shaking hands.

The tiniest, rational part of his brain realized he was scaring her.

So what? Her actions terrified him. Fear and anger coursed through his veins, pulsing with every heartbeat. His entire head felt hot, like his brain was too big for his skull.

"Why don't you guys pound out some more dough? I'm going to talk to Daddy in the living room for a minute."

At Iris's words, he noticed they had some kind of balls of dough on the table that were sprinkled with flour. She didn't want him to blow up in front of them? Fine.

He followed her into the living room, conscious that the boys could hear everything they said through the open doorway.

"What the heck were you thinking?"

She flinched at the venom in his voice, but he was shaking with terror and couldn't stop. "I can't believe you would allow that witch to talk with my boys. There's a restraining order for a reason ."

"I read it." She didn't back down, standing practically toe to toe with him, her eyes flashing. "Maude emailed me a copy."

Bile rose in his throat at the easy way she said his mother-in-law's name. Like they were friends.

"And the order says she can't have physical contact with them, but it doesn't state anything about phone or video contact."

"I know what it says," he spat. He wanted to roar the words, but he was acutely aware of Brandt watching through the doorway. "It was written that way because they were babies and couldn't talk on the phone. They still aren't old enough to operate a phone. I'll have to refile it when they're ten."

Her eyes sparkled with tears now. He cut his gaze away so he didn't have to see them. "I can't believe you would betray me like this."

"It wasn't like that. I'm sorry you felt ambushed, but?—"

"But what?" He couldn't help the shout.

"She loves them, Callum. She was lonely for her grandsons. That's all."

He laughed a hard, bitter sound that came from the darkness inside of him. Maude had her claws in Iris. "She'll do anything, say anything, to manipulate you."

He'd seen it when he'd gone to court after she and her husband had stolen his boys. Her tears and remorse had been perfectly timed to ensure the judge looked on her sympathetically. They'd gotten out of jail time on a technicality.

Thank God he'd still been allowed to file the restraining order.

He looked down into Iris's face, saw the stubborn set of her chin and the determination in her eyes.

"You never want to believe the worst of anybody, do you?"

He saw the impact the words made. Heard her quick intake of breath.

And didn't give her a chance to argue with him.

"The boys and I are moving out tomorrow. I hired a nanny. I'd appreciate it if you didn't take them off the property tonight. Or anytime."

"Cal—"

He didn't need to hear anything else. This wasn't working.

It was never supposed to.

The first time he'd walked away, it was to protect her.

This time, he would leave to protect his sons. And himself.