Her Texas Family

“Next time, just wait for me, okay?”

The small shrug told Lucy Mattie’s answer was far more of a “we’ll see” than a “yes.” Lucy liked the girl more and more by the moment. If only Mattie didn’t have that look marring her features. Lucy couldn’t figure out if she was sad or serious or both.

“Why don’t you go inside and find Danielle?” Graham spoke to Mattie. “I’ll be in in a sec.”

“Okay. ’Bye, Ms. Lucy.”

So they’d gone formal. Lucy offered Mattie a fist bump, which she answered with a small nudge.

Graham watched Mattie go inside before facing Lucy. She fought the temptation to squirm, knowing she hadn’t done anything wrong. It might have looked strange to find Hunter behind her desk, but Graham could have given her the benefit of the doubt. He could have let her explain.

Instead, he thought she was so unprofessional that she’d throw herself at one of his patients.

Lucy sent up an SOS prayer that she’d be able to talk to Graham in a mature manner and that God would show her how to handle this conversation. After Graham had walked away from her inside, Lucy hadn’t even considered asking God for guidance. She’d just followed her instincts. She was horrible at remembering to pray for help, usually barreling forward without stopping to think. Certainly without stopping to pray.

But in this situation, Lucy needed all of the direction she could get. Because not only was she at a loss for what to do if this job didn’t work out, she’d never been very good at keeping her thoughts to herself.

* * *

When Graham had realized Lucy was no longer inside the office, he’d wondered if she’d just left to grab some lunch...or if she’d taken off, never planning to return. After the way he’d acted, Graham wouldn’t blame her if she had bolted.

Hunter had told Graham what had happened and why he’d been behind Lucy’s desk. A very simple explanation. If only the sight hadn’t sent Graham into thinking the worst.

He’d jumped to conclusions and been a jerk. Now he was going to have to grovel. The thought almost tugged a smile from his lips. He hadn’t groveled in ages—not since Brooke. Though, even then, it had been more in teasing. They’d had a good relationship, not the constant back-and-forth bickering that some couples were prone to. Which was exactly why Graham didn’t expect to have anything like it again.

But he did have a bit of experience in apologizing. What husband didn’t?

“About earlier.”

She crossed her arms, gaze defiant.

“I’m sorry for my reaction. I was short with you and I jumped to conclusions.”

When she opened her mouth, he braced for her to be angry with him. Instead, like a slowly deflating balloon, her shoulders lowered. “Okay.”

Not exactly accepting his apology, but he’d take it for now.

On to the second order of business. Before he asked her to stay, Graham needed to know what had transpired at her old job. But he had the feeling she wasn’t going to like his prying. “Lucy, what happened at the dance school you worked at in Colorado?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She mumbled a word that sounded a lot like mature. After fidgeting with the collar of her green dress, she let loose a frustrated exhalation. “Why do you want to know?”

“If you’re going to be working here, and I’m going to trust you, I need to know.”

“But I’m not—” Her sigh scattered across the parking lot. “Fine. It’s not like I did anything bad there. I worked at the same school for years and loved it, but when they sold to new owners, we couldn’t get along.”

“Why not?”

A man could spend years deciphering the emotions that flickered through her gorgeous blue eyes. Graham focused on her mouth instead, but that didn’t help. Her lips pressed together, broadcasting frustration with his questions.

“They were so into the correct dance positions, they were cruel. I mean, I get that they wanted to win competitions. What school doesn’t? But they pushed too far. They were way too strict on all of the age groups, but especially the beginner’s classes. Those little girls are there to learn to love dance, not to do a perfect plié at age four.”

“That’s it?”

“Um, kind of.”

“Lucy.”

“I confronted them about it, asking them to change the way they were treating the students. It didn’t go over well. They said I didn’t have the right attitude to be one of their teachers. That’s when I knew I couldn’t continue working there, so I packed up and moved.”

Huh. Graham had thought there might be a skeleton in her closet. Instead, she’d been a defender for the young girls in her classes. Wouldn’t he want someone to do the same for Mattie if she were in a class like that? He’d definitely had Lucy pegged as something she wasn’t.

This woman surprised him. And Graham wanted her to stay working for him. In one morning, she’d accomplished more than any of the temps. His patients even liked her, and they reacted to change as though he was trying to personally offend them.

“Lucy, will you consider coming back to work?”

She rubbed her arms. “I’m not a huge fan of yours right now.”

“I’m not a huge fan of myself right now.”

Those lips curved ever so slightly. “You know, I wasn’t doing anything inappropriate with Hunter. I’d been standing on the chair—”

“I know. He told me. I overreacted.” And seeing his hands on you...hadn’t bothered Graham in the least. Lucy was too young for him to be thinking about her in that way. Plus, besides his other list of reasons, she was his employee. Possibly his employee.

“I’ll get a stool.”

Her head tilted, loose curls cascading over her right shoulder as she studied him. “Why do you want me to stay, anyway?”

“You dealt with this morning’s chaos better than the temps I’ve had in, and they had experience. All I’ve heard today is how delighted everyone is with you.”

Lucy’s eyes narrowed. “But I didn’t get anything done this morning but handling the phone.”

“But you did handle it.”

She didn’t look convinced, but at least she wasn’t running for her car. “I’m not exactly qualified for this position.” Her hand flew through her hair with agitation, sending the locks bouncing. One finger pointed at him. “You can’t just throw me into a medical office and expect me to have a clue what I’m doing. You have to give me some time to adjust and figure things out.”

“I—”

“And you have to at least try to like me. I’m not asking you to fall in love with me—” Good to know since that definitely wasn’t on Graham’s to-do list. “But you could at least make an attempt to get along. People don’t usually have such a hard time with me.”

That was exactly what he was afraid of. Lucy had this energy, this essence that just attracted people to her. Graham felt the tug, too, though he didn’t plan to pursue anything more than a work relationship. A friendly work relationship. That he could handle.

“I accept your terms.”

“Really? You’re not just saying that?”

He raised his right hand. “I pledge to not be a jerk.” He winced. “I’ll do my best. And I really mean what I’m saying.”

Lucy’s eyes began to twinkle. “Do you think we can get one purse a month thrown into my salary?”

“No.”

“How about one for the whole of Hollie’s maternity leave?”

“No.” His lips twitched.

“We could call it a briefcase, make it a business expense.”

“Lucy.” He groaned. What was he going to do with this woman? He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or run in the other direction.

Her shoulders inched up. “I would try to keep bargaining for more, but we both know I’m not that valuable of a commodity. I don’t want to ruin my chances.”

He had a feeling she would be more valuable—to his office—than she realized. Now that he was over his misconceptions, Graham felt relieved he’d found a fill-in for Hollie that his patients liked.

“I think we should shake on it. Graham Redmond, you promise to be patient with me as I figure out this job—and give me a real chance this time—and I’ll do my best to be professional.”

Lucy offered her hand.

“I already pledged an oath.”

She raised one eyebrow, waiting.

Fine. Graham would shake on it. He cupped her hand in his. It was warm and soft and definitely didn’t make him think about a business deal.

He pulled his hand back. Scrubbed it against his pants.

She was right. He hadn’t really given her a chance. He’d been expecting her to fail. But Graham should know by now he was the one who excelled in the failure department.

He’d definitely made mistakes with Brooke. He’d loved her. That much he’d got right. But he hadn’t been able to save her. He’d known when he married Brooke there were risks. She’d had cystic fibrosis, but she’d been on medication and always done well. Until her lungs had got worse and worse. Even then, Graham had assumed he could help her, that she’d get better.

They’d married young—just out of college. She’d worked, putting him through medical school. And then they’d found out Brooke was unexpectedly pregnant. At first, Graham had been shocked. He’d been a wreck. Would Brooke’s body handle the pregnancy okay? How would they make it? How would he provide? He’d planned to quit medical school until Brooke had given him a verbal slap, knocking him back to reality. She’d told him it would be fine.

And she’d been right.

At least for a while. They’d welcomed Mattie into the world, and Graham had fallen for her just as he had her mother. The years of residency had begun. Brooke had been a rock. Working, taking care of Mattie and shining like never before. Motherhood had fit her. Both of their parents had helped out as much as they could while living over an hour away. Things had settled in again. He’d been months from finishing his residency when Brooke got sick.

Graham should have been able to save her. He should have had the knowledge. He’d pushed her doctors for every detail, searched for answers himself—any treatment options they might be missing. But in the end, it hadn’t been enough. He hadn’t been enough. She’d faded quickly, no matter what he’d done. No matter what he’d prayed.

He still didn’t know how he’d made it through those last months of residency without her. Prayers and family had carried him. Graham had come out stumbling. He’d followed through on his and Brooke’s plan to move back to Fredericksburg and open a clinic near both of their parents, missing her as though part of his heart had been surgically removed.

He’d done it for Mattie. Graham would do anything for Mattie. Which was why he’d continued to practice medicine while doubts about his abilities as a doctor assailed him.

If he thought too much about Brooke, about how he’d failed her and been unable to save her, then he wanted to crawl into bed and never come out.

Instead, Graham focused on Mattie. Her needs before his. He kept putting one foot in front of the other, hoping the whole town wouldn’t notice he’d fallen flat on his face two years before.

“You still with me, Hollywood?” Lucy’s question interrupted his sprint down memory lane. She’d moved closer, about a foot away, bringing the scent of lime and coconut with her.

“Hollywood?”

Her lips lifted. “So, you can hear me. I wasn’t sure for a minute.”

A light breeze tousled her hair, and Lucy pulled her curls to one side while the hem of her skirt flitted above her knees.

For a second, Graham questioned his sanity, asking Lucy to keep working for him. He only knew his decision had nothing to do with her looks and everything to do with his medical office. Lucy was good at the position—okay, maybe good was too strong a word at this point. She had the potential to do well, and that was what mattered.

Besides, it wasn’t as if he was in love with the woman. He could simply admit she was beautiful and leave it at that. Anyone meeting Lucy would think the same.

Relief slid down his spine. A bit of attraction? That he could handle. He wasn’t signing up for anything more than a businesslike friendship with Lucy Grayson.

Graham and Lucy started walking toward the office, Lucy a few steps in front of him. Without permission, his eyes slid down her belted dress, noticing the way it hugged her curves and showcased her legs. He quickly bounced his gaze to the sky and bit back a groan. The outfit was professional, he would give her that. But it was also distracting. To him. He was positive Hunter hadn’t minded rescuing Lucy, though the man hadn’t seemed as frazzled by the incident as Graham had been.

“You know, you could wear scrubs if you want. A lot of people working in medical offices do. It simplifies things.”

Plus, maybe scrubs would help keep his thoughts focused on work instead of on the woman in front of him.

“Scrubs?” Lucy turned back, nose wrinkled. “I’m not really a scrubs kind of girl. I think I’ll pass.”

That was exactly what he’d feared.

Chapter Four

Before Lucy could even consider teaching her first Saturday-morning beginner’s ballet class, she needed two things—a Diet Coke and her sunglasses.

Assuming she’d left her sunglasses at work yesterday, since they weren’t on the floor of her car, Lucy had left early enough to swing by Graham’s office this morning and then hit the drive-through. Some things were worth the sacrifice of a few minutes of lost sleep.

Graham had given her a key to the office on Wednesday, which she considered his peace offering after their confrontation Tuesday. The rest of the week they’d been cordial to each other. Lucy had been scrambling to learn about the job, and Graham had been Mr. Polite. He’d been patient with her and completely professional. He treated her the way she saw him treat everyone else—very respectfully. It bored her just a titch, and Lucy had almost found herself wishing for the snarly Graham back, if only for the entertainment value.

She pulled into the lot of the small redbrick building, surprised to see Graham’s car there. Did he work Saturdays, too?

Lucy parked and walked inside, calling out her arrival. When no one answered, she checked the reception desk. Score. Her favorite Ray-Ban sunglasses—red on the front, multicolored on the inside—were peeking out from under some papers. She grabbed them.

“Hi, Lucy.”

She placed a hand over her thudding heart and turned. “Hey, Mattie. What are you up to?”

“I was drawing in Daddy’s office. He’s working.”

Huh. That did not sound like a fun Saturday to Lucy.

“What are you wearing?” Mattie’s eyes traveled the length of Lucy’s dance sweatshirt, striped fitted shirt that landed just past her hips, leggings and bright green Converse high-tops.

“Clothes for teaching dance. Except for the shoes. Those I have to change when I get there because you can’t wear ballet shoes on the street.”

“You teach dance?” Mattie’s eyes grew large. She bounced on the toes of her pink tennis shoes. “And do you wear the pink slippers?”

“Yes and yes.” Delight had erased the seriousness Lucy had come to expect on Mattie’s face.

“And you do the twirls?”

A pirouette. “Yes.” Lucy stooped to Mattie’s height. “Do you...do you want to take ballet, Mattie?”

She nodded quickly, then looked down at the floor.

“Have you asked your dad?”

She shook her head.

Why hadn’t she asked Graham? In the past few days, Lucy had learned the little girl was a miniature adult—possibly more mature than Lucy—and that she always seemed slightly sad.

That last one killed Lucy. She couldn’t curb the deep desire to make it better, to give the girl some fun. A little joy.

When Lucy had been ten, her uncle had died unexpectedly. Her dad had been devastated over losing his brother, and Lucy had taken it upon herself to cheer him up.

She’d done everything she could to bring happiness back into his life. She’d put on plays. Performed hilarious songs. Made him funny cards and left him notes. Sneaked silly faces at the dinner table. Eventually, it had worked. Dad had called her his sunshine, and cheering people up had become her thing. She already read people’s emotions quickly, so delving into helping them came naturally.

And Lucy just couldn’t resist bringing some cheer into sweet, serious Mattie’s life.

“I think we should ask him.”

Mattie bit her lip. “Okay.”

Lucy glanced at her watch. She wouldn’t have time for her Diet Coke run if she talked to Graham about Mattie doing dance. But when a little hand slipped into hers, Lucy knew it didn’t matter.

Her decision had already been made.

* * *

Graham heard a noise down the hall and stood from behind his desk. Hopefully it wasn’t a patient popping in. He wasn’t exactly looking professional in jeans, an untucked blue cotton button-down and brown leather tennis shoes.

More likely the noise was just Mattie. She’d been drawing quietly in his office, but she must have wandered off. He’d promised her they’d do something fun this afternoon to make up for working on the weekend. Being Mattie, she’d agreed without an argument.

He really did not deserve her.

He poked his head out of his office door and found Mattie and Lucy coming down the hall hand in hand. His daughter had been pestering him with questions about Lucy all week. Turned out Graham didn’t know that much about her, so he wasn’t much of a help to Mattie.

He did know that the past three days with Lucy had gone much better than Tuesday morning. They’d settled into a working relationship in which Graham didn’t have a ton of interaction with her outside of work questions—and he was thankful for that.

In the past few days, she’d managed to lose only one chart (Graham had later found it filed under the first name instead of the last), and she’d shredded a stack of notes he’d left that needed to be added to charts. He was working on rewriting those this morning. But, beyond that, she’d charmed his daughter, made friends with Danielle and managed to deal with his sometimes crazy patients and make it look easy.

Lucy and Mattie stopped in front of him, some kind of trouble hiding behind their shared glance.

In leggings and bright green tennis shoes with her hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun, Lucy looked the part of dance instructor. Maybe she’d forgotten which job she was going to this morning.

“Graham.” She paused to wink at Mattie. “We have a question to ask you.”

Unease trickled through him. “Okay.”

“Mattie expressed an interest in going to dance class. The one I teach on Saturday mornings is beginner’s ballet. It would be perfect for her.”

Perfect? Lucy had no idea what she was talking about. The only activity perfect for Mattie was yoga. Although she could probably pull a muscle in that. Something with padding around her whole body and no physical contact would do. But since that sport didn’t exist, he’d vote no.

His daughter had a major propensity for getting hurt. The last sport Mattie had played was soccer. She’d ended up with a concussion. Who got a concussion in peewee soccer? When she’d begged to take gymnastics, she’d sprained her wrist within the first week.

If there was a competition for reading fast, Mattie would rock it. Or a spelling bee. She could totally do that. He should check if her school had—

“What do you think? Can she come to class with me?”

“I think you’re good, aren’t you, Mattie?”

Mattie stared at him, seconds feeling like hours. “Okay, Daddy.” Her hand slipped from Lucy’s and she walked down the hall, her little shoulders slouching.

Graham rubbed a fist over his aching heart. He wanted to make her happy, but more than anything, he wanted to keep her safe. Sometimes parents had to make the hard decisions, and this was one of them.

“Are you joking?” Lucy’s hands landed on her hips, and she looked as though he’d just told her she couldn’t buy another pair of shoes all year. Guess it had been naive of him to think she’d walk away and let him handle his daughter’s care without injecting her opinion. “You can tell she wants to go. It’s obvious. Why won’t you let her?”

“You’re overstepping your bounds, Lucy. You don’t understand.”

“What I understand is that little girl will do anything for you—including give up a dance class she really wants to go to. You should have seen her light up when we were talking about it. She wants to go.”

“Mattie struggles with athletics. I don’t want her getting injured or feeling left out if she’s not as good as the other girls.” Rarely did he get heated, but right now? Not feeling so calm. “Plus, who are you to have an opinion about Mattie or question my parenting? You’re acting like a sixteen-year-old.”

“I’m offended for sixteen-year-olds everywhere. And you’re acting like an ancient grump.”

“At thirty-one, I am ancient compared to you. And since I’m Mattie’s old, grumpy father, I get to make the decisions.”

“I’m twenty-four. You’re not that much older than me.”

“I am in wisdom.” What? That sentence didn’t even make sense. “Age doesn’t matter. I’m her father. It’s my choice.” Graham did the math in his head. “Wait—didn’t you just graduate from college last year?” A fifth-year senior. The way Lucy acted, he could see her not finishing in four.

“Yes. Before I started college, I traveled with a dance team.”

“And then you went to college after that?”

She nodded.

He was being a jerk. Again. Why did he expect the worst from Lucy? Most people wouldn’t take time off and still go back to school. She should be commended. But while she might surprise him in certain areas, she was definitely driving him nuts right now.

They stared each other down. Graham wasn’t planning to budge. He’d made his decision.

Eventually Lucy’s stance softened. “Listen, Hollywood, I understand you’re worried about her, but the class is really safe. I’ll be there the whole time to watch out for her and help her so she doesn’t feel lost or uncomfortable.”

Hollywood. Why did she keep calling him that?

Lucy glanced at her watch. “I know you’re my boss and all, but since it’s the weekend, I don’t think that counts. Do you?”

Strange logic. “Ah, I guess not?”

“Great. Then you won’t fire me when I take her to dance anyway.” Lucy headed down the hall, and it took a second for her words to register. When they did, Graham went after her. She and Mattie were standing by the reception desk, and Lucy was helping Mattie into her coat.

“You can’t just take her. That’s kidnapping.”

Lucy faced his daughter. “Mattie, do you want to go to dance with me?”

Mattie looked at him with mournful eyes, then at Lucy before her gaze dipped to the floor. Finally, she gave the most imperceptible nod.

He felt like the worst dad ever. Especially since she rarely went against what he said. Must have been hard for her to admit. But even with seeing her blatant desire to attend ballet, letting her go was so hard. She’d had a lot of hurt in her life. Was he so wrong not to want her to go through more?

They were leaving. Mattie and Lucy were walking out the front doors while he stood there thinking. Graham followed them into the parking lot.

“It’s illegal for her to ride without a booster seat.”

Lucy marched over to his car. She wouldn’t get anywhere with it. He always locked the doors. She pulled on the back door handle, and it popped right open.

Impossible. He always locked his car. That verse about everything being possible with God seemed to also apply to Lucy. Whatever she touched turned to gold. Did God just shine down on her life with rainbows and unicorns?

She grabbed Mattie’s car seat and walked back over to her Volkswagen. After putting it in her backseat, she helped Mattie buckle in.

When she climbed into the driver’s seat, Graham approached.

“I’m calling the cops. You can’t just take my daughter.”

Lucy shrugged. “Call the cops, then. The girl needs some fun in her life. You know I’m right or you would have already stopped me.” At that, she slammed the door and drove off.