Mirror Image Bride

“If he would teach me, I want to ride that one,” Darcy said, pointing to a smaller horse dozing near the far fence. “It’s not so big.”

“Rambo,” Ty said in his deep voice.

“Rambo? Not a child’s horse, then,” she said, looking at the animal. Not so big? It looked huge to her.

“Misnomer. He’s a gentle ride. He’d be good to learn on—for both of you.”

She inhaled sharply. “Me?”

“You want to learn and not be so afraid, don’t you?”

So he’d seen her riding. She felt her face flush with embarrassment. “Yes, I’d like to learn.” She’d never be as at home on a horse as her sister, but if she was going to be here for a few more weeks, she might as well get some practice in.

To Maddie’s surprise, they spent a pleasant time walking around in the cooling evening. Ty didn’t talk much, but answered every question Darcy asked. Maddie was pleased the child didn’t seem at all intimidated by her father. She still looked at him like she was trying to make up her mind about him. But by the end of their walk, she held his hand heading back to the house.

When Maddie suggested a bath before bed, Darcy jumped at the chance.

“We’ll call you when she’s ready for bed,” Maddie said as they went to the part of the house that held two bedrooms and a bath.

In bed before eight-thirty, Darcy looked up at her with her big brown eyes, so like her father’s. Did Ty see that resemblance?

Maddie asked if she wanted to hear a story. “Since you don’t have any books, I’ll make one up if you like.”

“Oh, yes,” Darcy said with a surprised smile.

Maddie sat on the mattress and began one of the stories she remembered from when she’d been a child. Rachel had often read to her, but she also made up the most fascinating stories of a magical princess. Trying to remember all the ins and outs of the long-running story from her childhood, Maddie began. When Darcy’s eyes drooped, she kissed her cheek. “I’ll tell you more tomorrow night,” she whispered.

She went to find Ty before Darcy fell asleep so he could kiss her good-night and tuck her in.

He wasn’t in the house. Hesitant to leave Darcy unattended, Maddie went out the back door and walked around to the front. He sat on a chair on the small porch, working saddle soap into reins.

“She asleep?” he asked.

“No, waiting for you to tuck her in.”

He stared at her for a long moment, then looked away.

“It’s easy. Go in and kiss her good-night and smooth the covers around her,” she said a moment later when he made no move to rise.

He nodded once and stood. After placing the leather on the deck, he stepped past her to the door. “I’m not good at this,” he said, so softly she didn’t know if she was supposed to hear or not.

She listened to his footsteps as he went back to Darcy’s room. “Lord, seems we both need your help here. Please, let Ty grow more comfortable around his daughter. And help me every day I watch her that I say and do the right things.”

Maddie sat on the bench by the front wall.

Ty stepped out onto the small porch a moment later. Seeing her, he went to stand next to the bench, resting one boot on the edge, leaning an arm against his raised leg.

“So what did you want to talk about?” he asked.

“I need more specifics about my position.”

“Didn’t we already cover this at breakfast?” he asked impatiently. “You’re to watch Darcy. For however long you stay.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’re smart, you figure it out.”

She watched him in silence for a few minutes, wishing she knew what he was talking about. The man intrigued her, but puzzled her even more. She shook her head. “Sorry, you’re going to have to spell it out.”

“You’ve already lasted at the ranch longer than I thought you would.”

“Meaning?”

“There’s not a lot of excitement for a city girl. You’ll be heading back to the bright lights before long once the novelty wears off. I want to know if you can hang on long enough for Darcy to start school.”

“I’m having a great time visiting here. Granted, my apartment and all is in Fort Worth, but my family’s here.”

“New family. Amazing, the resemblance between you and Violet.”

She arched a brow. “We’re twins.”

He nodded. “When Violet suggested you help Darcy I thought she was crazy, but it made sort of sense. Darcy’s been raised in a city. I know ranching life is different.” He exhaled slowly. “Maybe you can help her transition.”

“What do you have in mind?”

He looked over at her again. “For one thing, try to get her to see the advantages of living here. She seems to like the animals. If she learns to ride, I’ll get her a pony of her own. Maybe a dog. I bet Violet would let her gather eggs and feed the pigs. Get her used to being here. You can relate—you’re city through and through.”

“Which doesn’t mean I don’t realize the advantages of living here.”

“You both need more suitable clothes,” he said. “She needs jeans and boots to learn to ride. Long-sleeved shirts to protect her arms. A hat for shade.”

Maddie noticed his glance at her own clothes. They were not suitable for the rough-and-tumble of ranching. Not that she was riding or punching cattle. Momentarily sidetracked, she wondered what punching cattle even meant.

“Ranch kids start helping as soon as they can walk, with chores suitable for their ages.” He gazed at her. “She can do dishes, right? I’d like you to encourage her to make her bed, make sure her clothes are taken care of.”

Maddie nodded. “We’ll need to go shopping. You do know she doesn’t have anything from home except what social services packed that day. What happened to the furnishings and toys and clothes and all from the apartment?”

“I don’t know and don’t care,” he said curtly.

“A little girl has cherished toys, favorite books, special clothes. It would help her adjust to have familiar things around.”

He thought about it for a minute. “I’ll contact social services and see what they tell me. I never thought about it, to tell the truth. One minute I’m doing my job, the next minute I find out I’m a father. And have been for eight years, which my ex-wife conveniently forgot to tell me. Thinking about Darcy’s stuff was the last thing on my mind.”

“I know.” Maddie was silent for a moment. Then she looked at him.

“We have a lot in common, don’t we?”

“Like?” He frowned. She could tell he didn’t like the idea.