A Father In The Making by Carolyne Aarsen

handles of the stroller, determined not to show her weakness in front of this man, who was slowly taking up space in her mind. And then she felt his hand on her shoulder, as if he understood what she was grieving.
    She swallowed, then swallowed again.
    â€œSo, boys, we’re done. Why don’t you go and play?” Nate suggested, his deep voice quiet.
    To Mia’s surprise they simply nodded and ran off, Josh still talking excitedly about their adventures of the past hour.
    â€œAre you okay?” Nate asked.
    Mia waved off his concern, but to her consternation, he kept his hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly. “I keep forgetting how much you lost in that fire,” he said.
    She released a hard laugh. “Everything but the clothes on our backs, the stuff I had in the girls’ diaper bag and my minivan.” Then she caught herself, and drew in a long, slow breath, centering herself on what was important. “I’m thankful for what I have and I’m thankful for the support I’ve gotten from my friends. God is good.”
    Nate’s brows lifted in surprise. “You can say that in spite of everything that’s happened to you?”
    His mouth quirked up in an uncertain smile.
    â€œHe is,” she returned. “Things haven’t been great and I’ve questioned what has happened to my life, but through it all I’ve felt God near me, supporting and strengthening me.”
    Nate’s eyes narrowed. Seemed to sink back and retreat. “That’s a blessing. I wish I could say the same with as much conviction.”
    She caught the tail end of an old bitterness in his voice. A resignation toward some past event. “What do you mean?”
    Nate seemed to contemplate her gentle probing. Then he shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. I better go take care of the horses.”
    He vaulted over the fence in one easy motion, striding toward his horses, his gait full of purpose.
    But she guessed from his abrupt movements, the faint slouch of resentment in his shoulders, that what was “done” hadn’t been completely eradicated from his life.
    She knew he was a foster child. It didn’t take much of a step to presume that the reason he’d been put into Denny’s family haunted him still.
    Don’t delve into his life. You’ve got enough going on in yours.
    Mia knew that this time Other Mother was right.
    As she walked away, pushing the stroller over the rough ground, she couldn’t help a quick glance over her shoulder.
    She was dismayed to see Nate, clutching the reins of the horses, watching her, his features shadowed under the brim of his hat.
    * * *
    â€œEasy, Sierra.” Nate clucked to Denny’s horse. He nudged him in the side, urging the large chestnut bay through the gate leading from the cattle pasture to the horse pasture. Sierra balked and spun around as if to go back to the cows they had just checked on. As Nate turned him around to face the gate again.
    Sierra turned, as if to head back to the horse pasture to join the other horses. “You need to learn some manners,” Nate said, making the horse stay. Sierra tossed his head and jumped, but Nate kept firm control of the reins. “I’ll need to work with you later,” Nate warned as he finally let him go back to join his and Denny’s two other horses.
    This morning Mia hadn’t come to help him with the boys, which suited him just fine. He needed space from her. Space to center himself.
    He knew helping Nico would be a complication for him, but how could he say no when the kid needed so much? When the boy’s mother could use every bit of help sent her way? But he hadn’t counted on the attraction that sparked between him and Mia when they were together. It was as if she filled a place in his heart he hadn’t known was empty until he met her.
    And that scared him.
    He dismounted, quickly unsaddled Sierra, brushed him down and then