Read Next Door Daddy for Free Online

burn of tears. What was wrong with her this morning? Tired, she decided as she watched Gil play a game of tag with Bogie. The dog all but tripped over his collar trying to get to Gil and rolled off the couch, landing in a heap. The noise stirred Pepper to life, and from upstairs, safely ensconced in the large cage where he ended and began each day, Pepper began singing “Jesus Loves Pepper” to Gil’s turtles, his very own captive audience.
    The song was God’s perfect timing as Polly was reminded by the childlike voice drifting down to her that, despite her worries, all was well.
    She was convinced God used Pepper’s small voice to help calm her and remind her that she was not alone in raising her son.
    She blinked away the sting of tears and sent up a quick silent prayer of thanks for both the reassurance and for Gil’s continued safety.
    They were doing okay. They really, really were.
    She thought of Nate Talbert. The man had let Gil help him for the past couple of days and it had made Gil so happy. He’d come rushing in the first day looking like Pig Pen and smelling like one, too. But how happy he’d been. Country life suited him.
    And that was an answer to prayer. It was also something that demanded acknowledgment.
    Thanks to the girls, her kitchen was ready for business, and Nate Talbert looked like a man who could use a home-cooked meal.
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    â€œSo the trip was good?” Nate asked his mother the minute he answered the phone and heard it was her. He’d been expecting her to call the moment she and his dad arrived home from their cruise.
    â€œAlaska was as splendid as I thought it would be,” she said, then paused. Nate could hear his dad in the background telling her something. “Your father says you should go. And I agree.”
    Nate stared out his office window and shook his head. “Tell Dad I’ll let the two of you do all the traveling in this family.”
    His mother sighed. He didn’t have to see her face to know she was fighting a mixture of exasperation and sorrow. He hoped she’d let it go. “Nate, honey, you always wanted to travel.”
    Yeah, with Kayla. They’d planned to travel as soon as they had the time. Turned out they didn’t have any of that.
    â€œYour brother will go with you if you don’t want to travel alone.”
    â€œMom, stop.” He didn’t want to hurt her, but she had to stop. She’d just this year started hinting that it was time for him to start dating. Start traveling. Start living. It was always something that began with start or try.
    By trying, she meant move forward, and her high hope was that he would meet a nice woman and remarry. Nate had a real problem with people wanting this for him. Still, she was his mother, and she wanted grandchildren. And since she’d given up on his brother ever settling down, Nate was still her best hope. Plus, she wanted Nate to be happy again.
    â€œI’ll be up to bring that load of cattle in two weeks,” he said, not answering her plea. There was no sense lying to her.
    She sighed into the phone. “Oh, all right. I’ll tell your brother.”
    â€œThanks, Mom. That’ll save me calling him.” Nate’s brother, Tyler, ran the family ranch operation outside Fort Worth. Their dad had suffered a light heart attack a few months back and was trying to slow down and enjoy life a little bit. This cruise had been part of the plan. Nate’s mother thought grandchildren running around would help him adjust to not working so hard. Nate felt guilty for not being able to give her what she wanted. But life wasn’t fair, and people didn’t always get what they wanted. Still, he felt bad for his mother. She deserved grandchildren. He was going to have a heart-to-heart with his brother when he went home.
    He and his mother discussed the trip for a few more minutes before saying their goodbyes. She always ended her phone