Beginnings Read online

  Ben froze at that moment, staring out over the land he loved so dearly and taking in what the boys were saying to him. He absolutely hadn't expected them to say that at all.

  "She didn't mention that to me."

  "We wanted her to know it was okay. We like you, Ben."

  The smile was instantaneous. "I like you guys too. I guess we'll see how things go, and if I do decide, well, if your mom and I decide that getting married sounds like the right thing to do, I'll talk to you guys first."

  He watched as they both took in that information and let it process.

  "You know, my brothers Dane and Russell think we need a treehouse out here. What do you guys think?"

  A unison, "Yeah!" was the answer.

  "They'll be happy to hear that. I really think they want a tree house. Ours came down years ago." Ben stepped away from the fence. "I suppose we should go back to the house. We brought most of your things out here. We'll go back and get your beds tomorrow. For tonight, we have blow-up beds that my mom sent."

  "It'll be like camping," Wyatt said, kicking up dirt.

  "Sort of," he agreed as they walked back toward the house. He supposed the next part of the evening would deal with where Nichole would sleep. He'd have to not be disappointed when she resigned to sleep somewhere else.

  The boys ran up the back steps of the house and pushed open the back door. He heard the delighted squeals from Laura before he ever saw her face. She reached for her brothers and pulled them into the house.

  He took a moment to appreciate the scene from outside the house. A mother and her three children with their faces smiling. There was hope there. There was love there.

  It looked much different than the scene in her kitchen that morning when she looked mad with delusions of running away with her children.

  Ben walked to the back door and leaned against the jamb. He thought about his talk with the boys, and their talk with him. Warmth spread in his chest when he thought about them telling Nichole she could marry him. A smile formed on his mouth as he watched the boys run in and out of their new bedroom. They liked him. They'd take him on as a part of this close union. It was something to be proud of, that was for sure.

  It would certainly change the dynamics of the little house out in the country.

  "What are you doing out here?" Nichole walked into the kitchen and looked at him standing there watching.

  "I'm just taking it all in."

  "It's overwhelming, isn't it? It's too much for you?" she asked as concern masked her face.

  Holding his hand to her, she took it, and he pulled her to him. "Your boys said I could marry you."

  Her eyes went wide and then quickly softened as she placed her hands on his chest. "They told you that?"

  "They did. And I suppose I just broke the cardinal rule of not sharing man talk."

  She eyed him carefully. "They told me that too. But don't get anything into your head, Ben Walker. You just took on a whole family, and they haven't melted down yet. But they will."

  "I've thrown a few temper tantrums in my life. I know it's not a permanent thing. But I won't rush into anything. I'm just enjoying the moment. They trust me with their best girl. It means a lot to me."

  Nichole rested her head on his chest. "It means a lot to me too. I love you, Ben. Had I ended up on the road tonight taking them away, I'd have missed you like crazy."

  He lifted her chin with his finger, and her eyes rose to meet his. "There is never a reason to take them away or to run. I will be here to help you with anything. I love you."

  34

  As the sun rose, and the light filtered through the curtains, Ben reached for Nichole, only to find her side of the bed cold and empty. He sat up and searched for his phone to check the time. It was only five-thirty.

  He laid there a moment longer and listened to the silent house. It didn't seem as if anyone else was up, so where had she gone?

  Pulling on his pajama bottoms, he ran his fingers through his tousled hair and walked toward the living room. There he found the most precious of sights. Nichole lay sleeping on the couch with Laura sprawled out on her chest. On the floor was one of the mattresses, and both boys.

  Had he missed their cries in the night? Did they come for her while she was sleeping in his arms? He knew that had been a touchy subject for her, as he'd have expected it to be. Ben was a single guy. He didn't have to think about what was in the heads or hearts of others, but she did. No matter that they had given their permission for her to marry him, it still had to be strange waking in a different house and having their mother sleeping with a man that wasn't their father.

  The thoughts in his head swirling around that topic were making him dizzy.

  Tiptoeing around the family, he walked to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. He'd wanted to take the boys to the chicken coop and let them gather the eggs and feed the chickens. Would they want to see how a day on the ranch started? Was it of any interest?

  Picking up the coffee pot, he carried it to the sink and filled it with water. As he poured the water into the maker, he noticed movement in the doorway. When he looked up, Nichole stood there in a tank top and shorts with her hair piled up on her head. How was it she could be so sexy looking just like that.

  "You're up early," she whispered.

  "Not out here I'm not." He pulled a filter from the cabinet and placed it in the maker before spooning ample heaps of coffee in. "Looks like you all had a slumber party."

  Nichole looked back at the sleeping children. "Laura usually wakes around one. I had gotten up to check on her, and she wanted to sleep with me, so we slept on the couch. About two, Wyatt had to go to the bathroom, so he dragged his bed out to where we were. I don't think Zane joined us until about four."

  He laughed as he pressed the brew button. "I can't believe I didn't hear any of that."

  "I was hoping you wouldn't. We didn't want to wake you."

  "I wouldn't have minded." He held out his hand to her, and she moved to him, wrapping her arms around him. "I want to take them to my parents' house when they wake up and feed the chickens and gather eggs. Do you think they would want to do that?"

  "I'm sure they would. I'll get ready so that…"

  "No. Let me take them. Just me."

  She leaned back and looked up at him. "You don't want me to go?"

  "I think it would be good for us. Let's see how Laura does."

  He watched as she worried her bottom lip. "I guess I won't be too far away. Are you sure?"

  "I am. You take the little bit of time and enjoy yourself on the patio, or in the hammock. I have some books on the shelf in my bedroom if you want to read something." The look of hesitation in her eyes stung, but if her kids were going to be part of his life, he wanted to spend some time with them—alone. He lifted his hand to her cheek. "Why are you so worried?"

  "I'm worried about everything, Ben."

  "Don't be. Day by day and we'll get through it. All of us—together."

  She sank into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "How is your bathtub?" she asked, and he chuckled as he ran his hands over her back.

  "Neglected."

  "I think I'll give it some attention while you're all gone."

  Ben pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

  "That sounds like a plan."

  * * *

  It didn't take much effort to get the kids up to help with chores. Ben was sure the newness of that would wear off by the following weekend. But for now, he'd enjoy the chatter in the back of Nichole's car as he drove toward his parents' house. His mother had texted him that she'd made fresh cinnamon rolls. Gathering eggs and feeding chickens had never been so enticing.

  Growing up, the chores would have had to have been done before cinnamon rolls were consumed, but Ben found it interesting that the kids could eat, have orange juice, and run through the yard before the chores were started. What had happened to his mother, he wondered over the brim of his coffee mug. How had she gone so soft?

/>   He knew the answer, of course. Grandmothers were always softer when it came to the rules than they were when they were mothers raising kids. Even his own grandmother would bend a rule once in a while, he humored as he sipped from his mug.

  "Egg basket," Laura said as she ran up to him with an old Easter basket in her hands. In the bottom was a towel, and she pointed to it.

  "Are you ready to go get eggs?"

  She nodded and reached for his hand. The gesture tugged at his heart and when he watched those dark eyes bat long lashes up at him, he felt his insides melt. Oh, taking on these kids was going to be harder than he thought. He was going to be as soft as his mother.

  Zane was fearless when it came to the chickens. He had no problem sticking his hand under a hen and coming out with the egg. Wyatt, on the other hand, would much rather have the coop empty before he touched one of those smelly, sticky, dirty eggs. Laura had screamed for Ben to pick her up and hold her the moment his mother opened the door to the coop. She was mixed between screaming when a chicken would come near Ben, and laughing when he handed her an egg for her basket.

  In the end, there had only been one egg fatality, and that had been his own doing. The boys asked to go again, and Laura nodded in agreement as they drove back out to his place.

  He laughed as he listened to the boys talk about how easy the chore had been. Oh, maybe he'd make them country kids after all.

  As he turned up the road to his house, he noticed a car in the driveway. A moment later, Zane was unbuckled and hanging over the back of his seat.

  "Why are the police at your house?" Zane asked.

  He recognized Phillip's car, so it shouldn't worry him that a friend had stopped by. But something in his gut said this wasn't a friendly visitation.

  35

  Because Ben knew it was Phillip that would be sitting at his kitchen table with Nichole, he didn't feel the need to protect the kids. Phillip would use discretion in anything that he said or did.

  As he pushed open the door to the kitchen, from the patio, he saw Phillip raise his coffee mug to his lips, give him a nod, then sip. The boys hesitated, looking at the police officer sitting at the kitchen table.

  “Hello, boys,” Phillip said.

  “Hi,” they muttered in unison.

  “Is that a real badge?” Zane asked.

  “Sure is. Want to touch it?”

  Zane nodded and moved right to Phillip reaching out his finger to put it on the badge. Once he’d done it, then Wyatt followed.

  “You didn’t have this on at the wedding,” Wyatt said.

  “No, it was in my pocket that night. I was a guest, even if I was watching out for everyone,” Phillip said smiling at the curious boys.

  The turned their attention to their mother to relay their stories about their morning with the chickens and the cinnamon rolls. Though her shoulders were tense, Ben admired how she gave the kids her full attention.

  "You sound like you had a very busy morning," she said as she lifted Laura onto her lap. "You know what. I think you guys deserve some Disney Channel for being so good. Did you know Ben had that?"

  Zane looked up at Ben. "You watch the Disney Channel?"

  He chuckled. "I just love me some Mickey Mouse," he said as Nichole maneuvered the kids to the other room. Then the mood grew serious as he looked at Phillip. "What's going on?"

  "Let's wait till she gets back in here. We need to talk."

  Ben clenched his jaw and walked to the cabinet for a mug and poured himself some coffee. He stood leaned against the counter until Nichole came back into the kitchen and sat at the table.

  She looked over her shoulder and nodded for Ben to join them at the table. Slowly, he moved to them and took the open chair.

  Phillip leaned in over the table, his mug between the palms of his hands. "I've already talked to Nichole, and she knows what's going on. For the sake of the kids, we need to talk low, and be calm."

  Ben wasn't sure that was even possible at this point. "Something's going on with the identity theft, right? You found out who's doing it?"

  Phillip ran his fingers over the top of his mug. "They arrested her father yesterday on fraud charges."

  Ben looked at Nichole who wiped tears from her eyes.

  "I don't understand. I thought they stole his identity too."

  Phillip nodded. "They did. But not before they caused a lot more problems. Whoever they are. And that's why I'm here now. I'm taking Nichole in."

  He felt the rage rise from the pit of his stomach and burst in his head. Had Nichole not sent him a look of warning, he'd have flipped the table with that rage.

  "I don't understand. Is this because of the kids?"

  Nichole rested her hand on Ben's. "No. Whoever stole my identity has defrauded a company my father was once part of. He retired years ago, but somehow it all leads back to him—and me."

  "But you didn't do this," he said it with a hint of questioning, though he knew deep down in his heart she would never do anything to deceive anyone—except to take her kids.

  Sweat beaded on his brow and he wiped it away with the back of his hand.

  Nichole gave his hand a squeeze. "Phillip is going to take care of all this. Gerald knows a lawyer, and he's going to call her for me."

  "Ella Mills?" he asked knowing full well that if Gerald was involved, he'd call Ella even if Ben didn’t understand why Gerald would even give her a chance. Perhaps Ben felt more jaded that she’d once turned down his brother’s marriage proposal than Gerald did himself.

  Phillip sipped his coffee. "Yeah, Ella has some background in all of this. I have to process her, and we'll get her back. But she's going to have to post bail."

  "She didn't do anything."

  "I know that, and you know that, but the trail ahead of her doesn't say that at all," Phillip argued.

  Ben glanced at Nichole, who looked out into the living room where all three kids sat on the couch watching some show he'd never seen before. Why didn't she look worried? If she was wrongly accused, wouldn't she be freaking out? He was.

  When she turned back to him, her eyes settled on his. "I need your help with them. I have nowhere else to turn. They need to stay with you," she pleaded and then he heard her voice break under it all.

  "They live here now. That isn't going to change." Turning back to Phillip, he bore a stare into his friend. "How much is bail?"

  "Two thousand."

  "We'll get it together. What about her dad's?"

  "Her mother already posted his. He's out. Now we just need to find the S.O.B. who's behind all of this," Phillip said.

  "And where is your ex-husband?" He'd turned his attention back to Nichole, but her eyes filled and she didn't answer before Phillip did.

  "M.I.A. We're looking for him."

  "That's a little sketchy," Ben offered. "He just disappears when all of this happens?"

  "We're looking at it from all angles." Phillip finished off his coffee. "We need to go."

  Nichole wiped her eyes. "You're not going to handcuff me, are you?"

  "No need for that. Just tell the kids you're going to ride with me into town. When y’all get everything together, you can come get her. I won't let her out of my sight until then," Phillip promised.

  "It will be better if I tell them I'm leaving than to just sneak out the back," Nichole said as she stood, pushing her chair back.

  They watched as she went to them, kissing each of them on the top of the head. "I have to run into town, and Officer Smythe is going to drive me. You all come with Ben later and pick me up, okay?"

  Laura stood on the couch and gave her mother a tight hug before plopping right back down between her brothers to continue watching TV.

  Wyatt looked up at her. "Why do you have to go to town?"

  "Always something to do in town, right? You guys stay here with Ben."

  Wyatt studied his mother for a moment and then agreed with a nod.

  She walked back to the kitchen. "I have to get my purse from the c
ar, and then I'm ready," she said.

  Phillip walked out of the kitchen through the back door, and Ben reached for Nichole's arm before she followed.

  "I don't like this," he whispered.

  "I don't like it much either. But it is what it is, and I can't fight it. I didn't do anything wrong, Ben. You have to believe that."

  "I do. But now I'm worried about you."

  She pressed her cheek to his. "So am I. Come get me," she said as she slipped by him and out to her car. She pulled her purse from the back seat and then climbed into the front seat of Phillip's car.

  36

  Ben had quickly learned the art of being stealthy around children. Even though they'd had plenty of cinnamon rolls, they'd wanted a snack. Laura had wanted to use the potty, and that was a lesson in itself. Thank goodness his mother had talked to Gerald and headed straight out to his house.

  It did something to his heart to see the kids jump up and run to her, even though they had only seen her a few hours earlier. They loved her, and it was evident in how they circled her and talked all at once.

  "You know Lucas and his sister are coming over to the house. Would you all like to come?" she asked and Laura held up her arms for his mother to pick her up.

  "Mom, are you sure?" Ben asked, and she nodded.

  "We are going to use the chalk on the driveway. Lucas called me to tell me he got a new box," she said in a calm tone, which he had to assume was for his own benefit. "Then Lucas' grandpa said we could make hotdogs on the grill for lunch."

  Zane shot up a finger. "I like lots of ketchup."

  "I remember," she said.

  Wyatt moved in closer to her. "When Ben marries our mommy, can we call you Grandma and Lucas' grandpa can be our grandpa?"

  Ben felt his heart stop for a moment, and noticed that his mother's eyes had quickly gone wide and then gentle again. "Well, I suppose that would be the way of it if that's how things happened. Let's see what plays out. C'mon, you can all climb into my car and I'll take you to my house."