Page 23 of Wrangled Love

“Hey, little man.” I crouch to his level and give his hair a tousle. “How’d you like to lend me a hand on the ranch today? I have to feed the chickens, and I could use a second set of hands.”

He picks at the crinkled paper around the blue crayon he’s holding, his eyes darting around the room until they land on Jensen.

“You can go if you’d like,” Jensen says gently.

Caleb sets his crayon down and grabs his stuffie off the floor. He holds it tight, rubbing the belly as he considers his options. I wait patiently, giving him the space to process. He doesn’t have much control over his life right now, so it’s important to let him make choices in the areas where he can.

After a few seconds, he draws a deep breath and nods.

I grin, clapping my hands together. “Great. Your dad will ride with us to the ranch house and will be inside if we need anything.”

I can’t tell if that reassures Caleb or not. He’s still adjusting to being around new people, and I wish I had a better read on what he’s thinking—or what might help him feel more comfortable. I’m sure Jensen wishes the same thing.

After I change my clothes and Jensen collects his laptop, we all pile into my Jeep. He’s already installed a booster seat for Caleb, so I’ll have it ready whenever we go out when I’m watching him.

As we pull out onto the road leading to the ranch, Jensen points at the dashboard where more than fifty rubber ducks are scattered across the surface in a sea of yellow. “That’s quite the collection. Do they judge your driving? I feel like that one’s been side-eyeing me since I got in.” He motions to the pirate duck with an eye patch.

“Oh, him? That’s Captain Quackbeard. He’s just protective. You’re lucky he hasn’t made you walk the plank yet,” I tease as I pull onto the gravel road leading to the ranch house.

When Caleb giggles from the back seat, Jensen’s smile is instantaneous; it softens his sharp features and takes the edge off his usual cool demeanor. It makes me want to find more ways to make Caleb laugh, hoping it’ll help Jensen drop the walls he hides behind.

“The others are excellent copilots,” I add, maintaining a straight face.

“Where’d they all come from?” Jensen asks.

“I got the first few from Tinker Toys, a toy shop in town. My friends thought it would be funny to gift me ones I didn’t have yet, and it snowballed from there. Now, I have my own rubber duck empire.” I motion to the dashboard of ducks.

One by the steering wheel is rocking a red polka-dot swimsuit, another’s geared up for scuba diving with a tiny snorkel, and my favorite has gone full cowgirl with a pink bandana, hat, andsunglasses. Charlie got me that one from an airport gift shop in Texas, saying my collection wouldn’t be complete without it.

TheFrozensoundtrack plays as we drive. One of my friends, Wren, told me that her daughter Lottie listens to it on repeat, so I figured Caleb might enjoy it since they’re close to the same age. When I glance in the rearview mirror, my breath catches when I find him mouthing the lyrics like it’s second nature, his eyes fixed out the window.

I tap Jensen’s arm, nodding toward the back seat. He looks back, blinking rapidly before his lips curl into a faint smile. There’s something special about observing him as he watches his son slowly come out of his shell. It’s a gradual process, but every little moment is a victory to celebrate.

He turns to me, mouthing the words “thank you.”

I tip my hat in response as a silent “you’re welcome.”

When we pull up to the ranch house, the driveway is empty. This makes sense, given that Mama Julie is still at the school, Walker and Heath are running errands in town, and Pops is probably out feeding the livestock. Once I’ve parked, I check my phone, noticing several missed text messages.

Backroads & Bad Decisions Group Chat

Birdie: Briar, is it true you’re nannying for Jensen Harding?

Charlie: Briar Elise Halstead, I thought we didn’t keep secrets from each other.

Charlie: Besides, I thought you weren’t into him?!

Briar: I’m not.

I bite my lower lip, thankful she can’t read my expression.

Charlie: Uh-huh.

Briar: I agreed to do it for Caleb.

Charlie: Sure, and I’m the Queen of England.

Briar: Who told you guys? I just started today.

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