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surrounding the farmhouse. Denny was off to work and Evangeline had taken Ella to town for a doctor’s appointment.
    â€œDid he say where he was going?” Mia asked, setting Jennifer in one car seat, clipping her in one-handed.
    â€œHe’s not talking, remember?” Josh said, giving her a frown.
    Her mind raced as she ran around the other side of the van, secured Grace in the car seat and plopped a pacifier in her mouth.
    â€œYou stay here, sweetie,” she said to Josh. “And don’t move. Mommy is going to look for Nico.”
    Thankfully, Josh just shrugged, got into his booster seat and started playing the handheld Nintendo he’d found in the house.
    She left the door of the van open as she called Nico’s name, her voice sounding shriller each time.
    â€œNico. Where are you?” She called again, desperation filling her voice. Dear Lord, don’t let him be by the creek , she prayed, one hand on her chest as she ran across the yard. Please let him be okay.
    She paused a moment, listening again for something.
    â€œHe’s over here.”
    Nate’s voice. Coming from the barn beside the horse corrals.
    Relief mixed with concern blended with a touch of anger. Why hadn’t Nate brought him to the house?
    She stepped into the barn, momentarily blinded as her eyes adjusted to the darker interior.
    She blinked, looking around and then she saw Nico. He sat on the floor of the barn, leaning against the wall, stroking Socks’s head. The dog’s ears perked up when Mia came close and his brown eyes studied her, but he didn’t leave Nico’s side. Nor did Nico look up at her, his hand slowly stroking over the dog’s head again and again.
    Mia pushed her hand against her still-racing heart. A door creaked and Nate came out of a stall, looking surprised to see her there. “You okay?” he asked, his voice still hoarse from yesterday’s smoke.
    His hair was neatly brushed and his cheeks still seemed to shine from his recent shave. He wore a tan shirt today and clean blue jeans. If possible he looked even better than he had yesterday.
    â€œYeah. No problem. Just fine,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand, but she couldn’t stifle her concern at the sight of her son here. Nico didn’t bond quickly with people. His connection with Nate, though understandable, was worrisome, especially after listening to Denny talk about him last night. Turned out Nate was a loner who worked as a ranch hand over the winters and ran the cutting horse circuit all summer. A free spirit. Disconnected.
    Certainly not the kind of man she could allow her children to become attached to. Especially not Nico.
    â€œI didn’t know Nico was here. I’ve been looking for him.” Her panic was slowly being replaced by annoyance. “I’m leaving for a doctor’s appointment in Cranbrook in a few minutes.” She glanced at Nico, who seemed to be ignoring her. But she knew from the way his hand slowed its rhythmic petting of the dog that he hung on every word they spoke.
    â€œSorry. I didn’t know,” Nate said, closing the stall door behind him and latching it shut. “I would have sent him back to the house otherwise.”
    â€œI would appreciate it if you could do that next time he comes out here,” Mia said, her request coming out more sharply than she intended.
    â€œSure. I get that.” Nate reached for some lengths of rope and sat down on a nearby hay bale between her and Nico. “You heard your mom, sport,” he said, addressing her son as he started to braid the three strands together. “You shouldn’t come out here unless your mother knows.”
    â€œThat’s not what I was getting at.” Mia lifted her head to hold Nate’s dark gaze. For the tiniest moment an unexpected combination of fear and attraction thrilled through her.
    Too easily she recalled how it had felt to be held by him.