“Ready to go, boys?” Sierra stood by the entryway with the cooler she’d brought at her feet, holding the kids’ jackets.
“Can’t we ride Star again?” Danny dragged his feet on his way to get his jacket and gave Mason a pleading glance.
“Next time you come over. It’s too late to do it tonight.”
“You boys need to get home and take your baths and get ready for bed.”
“But Mom . . .” Oliver walked with his shoulders slack. “Please. I’m not tired.” The yawn he let loose said otherwise.
“Come on. Say thank you to Mason.”
“Thank you.” Danny frowned, not making the words sound so appreciative, but Mason got that he wanted to stay and have more fun. He chalked that up to a win for today.
“Thank you, May. Son.” Oliver barely kept his eyes open.
“Maybe you guys can come over tomorrow for another ride.”
Both boys shot their mom a pleading look.
She eyed him, then addressed the boys. “We’ve got some errands to run tomorrow, but maybe we can stop by in the afternoon before dinner.”
The boys bounced on their toes, excited. “See you tomorrow, Mason.” Danny ran out the door to the car, eager to get to tomorrow, it seemed.
Oliver trailed after his brother with a wave good-bye.
“What errands?” he asked, curious about what she had planned.
“My mom is going to see a play. I promised to do the grocery shopping. I also need to get some new work clothes, since everything I owned went up in flames. I’ll have to take the boys with me, which means it will take twice as long and require tablet time bribes to get them to cooperate and not have a total meltdown in the dress department.” She shrugged and rolled her eyes, looking exasperated already.
“I can watch the boys.”
She held up her hand. “Oh, that’s nice of you to say . . .”
“I mean it. I don’t mind. Drop them off on your way into town.”
Her head tilted to the side as she eyed him. “Don’t you have your own plans for the day?”
“I’ll be doing ranch chores. The boys can help. I’ll let them ride again. We’ll have fun.”
“Mason, I don’t want to take advantage . . .”
“You’re not. I’m offering.”
She hesitated a second, one side of her mouth drawn back in a half frown-smile thing that made him think she really wanted to say yes, but felt she shouldn’t.
“Sierra, seriously, bring them over. You’ll get your stuff done faster and without the hassle of dragging them along with you. They’ll be bored and acting out. At least here, they’ll be doing something outdoors and having fun. It’s for them, really,” he teased, knowing it would really be a huge help to her if he took the boys for a few hours.
“You have no idea what you’re asking for.”
“A chance to get to know them better, and let them get to know me, too. We know each other, so dating is just a next step for us, but the boys may see me as intruding in your life, or taking their father’s place. I don’t want to do that. I want them to see me as a friend and someone who likes their mom and wants to make her happy.”
Sierra’s shoulders went slack. “I don’t know what to do with you being sweet like this.”
Which made him think David hadn’t been all that sweet during their marriage if a simple babysitting gesture made her go all gooey on him.
Sierra went on, “You don’t know how much your offer means to me. Things have been really hard lately, but thanks to you, they’re looking up.” She needed something to be easy and hassle free.
He could do that.
Mason put his hand on her shoulder and kissed her forehead. “I know you’ve got a lot on your plate with settling your affairs back in Napa and starting a new job here and getting settled again. If I can help, I will.”
“You really mean that.”
She didn’t pose it as a question, but he assured her anyway. “Yes. I do. So drop the boys off tomorrow, go do what you need to do and take your time about it, and I’ll see you when you pick up the boys and I’ll get to do this again.” He tugged her the two steps out of the doorway and into the kitchen so the boys couldn’t see them, leaned in, and kissed her, long and deep. He broke the kiss far sooner than he’d like and smiled down at her. “I’m really glad you came over today.”
“Me, too.”
He picked up the cooler, took her hand in his free one, and walked her out to the car. He put the cooler in back and waved to the boys before placing his hands on the driver’s-side open window and staring in at Sierra.
A soft smile made her even more beautiful. “See you tomorrow.”
“I’m here whenever you need me,” he assured her, then stepped back and waved them all good-bye.
He watched them drive away, knowing they weren’t going far, just next door, but wishing they’d stay because the empty house behind him didn’t feel the same without them in it anymore.
Chapter Fourteen
Sierra sat at the kitchen island counter listening to the boys upstairs brushing their teeth before she took them to school. She sorted through the envelopes in front of her.
Her mom sipped her coffee, then stared at her over the rim. “I know that frown isn’t about Mason. Not after you’ve come home every day from his place with a smile on your face.”
Sierra couldn’t contradict her mother’s assessment. She and the boys went over every night to help Mason feed the horses and spend time with him. The boys loved it. They were learning a lot about taking care of the animals.
She herself liked getting to know who Mason was now. They were both the same but different, and she enjoyed discovering new things about him.
They’d kept things light this past week because they’d both been busy at work and having the boys around all the time meant they had to be careful about what they said and did.
“Mason is great. The boys love him.” Her feelings were growing deeper the longer she spent with him.
Dede said, “What’s not to like? He’s got a cat and horses for the boys to pet and ride. They like his company because having a big strong man around to let them be rowdy and wrestle is a lot of fun. And hey, you get to just look at him and kiss him.” Her mother’s eyes twinkled with delight. She hadn’t actually seen Sierra and Mason kissing, but it was a good guess that she was still smiling when she came home because of it.
“We do more than kiss, you know. It’s nice to spend time with him. I miss coming home and having someone to talk to about my day.”
“Have you asked him to help you with your David problem?”
How could David be such a problem after his death?
Sierra brushed her hands over the bill in front of her. She didn’t like where her mind went every time she thought about it. She hated the monthly reminder that her husband kept a big secret from her.
Dede pressed her. “Why are you stalling? If Mason can figure out where the money is, you can get rid of that loan and leave it in the past where you should leave David.” Bitterness filled those words. “If you can’t deal with it, let me pay it off and be done with it.”