Wolf Creek Father (Wolf Creek, Arkansas Book 3) by Penny Richards Page B

Grainger.”
    The sound of his deep voice speaking her name sent her surging to her feet, her reticule in one hand and the sack of maple candy in the other.
    “H-hello,” she said. “I, uh, brought some things over for the children. I was just about to go.” Was her voice as breathless as it sounded?
    “Don’t let me run you off. We’d be glad to share our lunch with you.”
    “No, thank you. I ate before I came, and I didn’t intend to stay long.” She turned to Brady. “Brady, I’m sorry I made you angry when I said I was disappointed in you. The fact that you can’t read as well as I would like
is
disappointing, but only because I know that school will be much easier if we can figure out what the problem is and fix it. I get disappointed in myself, too, because I can’t seem to help you. What makes me disappointed in
you
is when you don’t give me your best effort. Do you understand?”
    “I think so,” he told her after a moment’s thought.
    “I know you don’t like doing schoolwork while you’re supposed to be out of school, but I’m going to work hard the rest of the summer, too, to try to find a way to make things easier for you. Is that fair? That we both work even though it’s break time?”
    He shot a glance at his father. “I suppose so.”
    “Good.” Allison looked at Cilla, who had been watching the exchange and weighing every word.
    “Would you like for me to come and walk you to Ellie’s tomorrow evening?” Allison asked.
    “No, ma’am. I’ll go by myself. Brady and I are helping out at the mercantile.” She shot her father a dark look. “I’ll walk over from there.”
    “Fine, then.” She gave the child an encouraging smile, hoping she didn’t look
too
cheerful. “Good luck. When you decide about the piano lessons, let me know and I’ll set things up with Mrs. Carson.”
    “I don’t think I’ll be doing the lessons,” Cilla said, “since I don’t have a piano to practice on.”
    “You’re welcome to come to my house whenever you like.”
    Cilla considered that. “I’ll think about it,” she said with an indifferent shrug.
    “Well, goodbye,” Allison said. “I’ll see you soon.”
    She headed for the door and paused when it became obvious that she would have to step very close to Colt to make her exit.
    “I’ll walk out with you,” he said, stepping aside and pushing the screen door open for her to precede him.
    “Cilla, will you go warm up those peas while I walk Miss Grainger out?”
    “I already did.”
    “Then set the table, please. Brady, help your sister.”
    “Yes, sir,” they said in unison.
    Colt followed Allison onto the porch. “Let me repay you for whatever you bought for Cilla.”
    “Oh, no. That’s not necessary. Let’s call it a peace offering.”
    “How did things go before I got here?”
    “Better than I expected.”
    A frown drew his eyebrows together. “When I saw you headed this direction, I got here as fast as I could. I was almost afraid of what I might walk in on.”
    “That was pretty obvious,” she said, recalling his face when he stood in the doorway.
    He wrinkled his straight nose in embarrassment and rubbed at it in an awkward gesture, shooting an amused glance her way. “Downright shameful, isn’t it?” he said. “The town’s lawman scared of two little kids.”
    For an instant, there was no awkwardness between them, just two people sharing a little joke.
    “Nothing I’d want getting around town,” she agreed. The seriousness of her tone belied the smile on her lips. She sketched an
X
over her heart. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”
    “Thanks,” he said, growing serious. “And thanks for what you said to Brady. Taking part of the blame yourself was brilliant.”
    “I didn’t just say it to appease him,” she clarified, surprised that he would think she’d do something like that. “I do disappoint myself when I feel I’ve failed a student in some way. I meant it when I told Brady that I would