The Twins' Family Wish

“You’d be amazing at that job.” Rick smiled at her start of surprise. “I know. You already have a career you love. I was just thinking about how good you are with the twins and I got this mental image of you with a whole bunch of kids around you and...it’s silly.” He gulped then concentrated on his glass of tea. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, Rick, because it’s not silly at all.” Sophie sat up straight, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Penny would be perfect. She’s already designed a program for us. She certainly has knowledge and experience and she’s also chosen all of our staff—well, except for the manager.”

She flopped back against her chair, her excitement waning as her husband reminded, “Honey, Penny already has a job.”

“Well, yeah. There’s that.” Sophie’s sigh made Penny laugh.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find a manager,” she said more confidently than she felt.

“In time for our July first opening?” Sophie wondered aloud.

“I hope so.” Penny smiled brightly. “We’ll ask God to send someone.”

Rick’s brown eyes rested on her appraisingly. “Maybe He already did.”

Penny lifted her head to frown at him, slightly unnerved when he winked at her. He finished his tea then rose.

“I’ve got to get back to work. That was delicious. Thank you,” he said to Sophie. His gaze returned to Penny. “I’ll pick up the kids later.”

“Uh-huh.” The response was automatic. As Penny watched him stride out the door and across the yard she wondered why he’d said what he had about her as manager.

“I need to prepare for that youth group that’s coming tonight.” Tanner kissed Sophie, waved a hand at Penny then brushed his knuckles against baby Carter’s cheek, who responded with kicks and gurgles in his playpen. “Be a good boy for Mommy.”

He left while Penny was lost in thought. She’d come to Tucson a little over a year ago to make a new start. Was it silly to think about changing her career focus, too?

The question preoccupied her for the rest of the day.

I could do it, she thought to herself later that night after the twins had left with Rick. But should I?

She sat in her garden with a cup of peppermint tea while one by one her brain listed the potential benefits of running the daycare. In spite of her determination to remain unemotional, excitement built as the idea grew.

I haven’t signed my new contract with the school district yet so there wouldn’t be a penalty for breaking it.

I could be around younger kids, maybe even babies like Sophie’s Carter.

I could set my own curriculum, teach the things so many of my kindergarten kids had never learned like kindness and sharing, generosity and forgiveness. I could use Bible stories to give them a basic knowledge of God.

I’d see Rick every day while he’s working at the ranch.

Penny resolutely squashed the last thought and brought her focus back to job possibilities.

Wranglers Ranch was all about reaching kids for God through many outreach programs, most using some form of horsemanship. Tanner and Sophie had made it a place where kids could come, feel safe and be heard. Why couldn’t she be part of that by helping to reach the very youngest kids in a way that teaching in a public school could never allow?

The more Penny thought about it, the more attractive the idea became.

But was this what God wanted for her? How could she know for sure?

“I’ll post another ad for the daycare manager,” she murmured, staring up at the starry heavens. “Then if You send someone better suited for the job, I’ll know it’s not Your will for me.”

But oh, how she wanted it. Pouring herself into kids’ lives, spending as many hours as she wanted with them at Wranglers Ranch, unlike at school when the kids went home to their families midafternoon or took three months off for holidays and left her with an empty classroom—surely running the daycare meant she’d never be alone again unless she wanted to be. Kind of like Rick wasn’t alone.

Now why did her thoughts keep drifting back to him?

Chapter Four (#u134dfa13-6ad3-5ed8-8ad7-97fc3f8b2db6)

“You resigned your teaching job?” Three days later Rick sagged against the door frame at Wranglers Ranch Day Care as he stared at Penny in disbelief. “Was that wise?”

“Why? You don’t think I’m capable of running a daycare?” The defensiveness coloring her voice sent him backtracking.

“You could probably do it with one hand tied. That’s not—it’s just—” He stopped, winced, licked his lips and started over. “Congratulations. I’m sure you’ll be very happy here.”

“Yes, I will be.” Penny’s effervescent smile flashed, igniting a glint of excitement in her already joyous expression. “I have so many plans.”

“Plans you couldn’t carry out as a teacher?” he guessed and knew it was true from the way she peeked at him through her lashes while slowly nodding.

“A public school has restrictions on what teachers can do in the classroom and that’s understandable. But Wranglers Ranch is a Christian outreach ministry to kids so it’s different here.” Her whole face came alive as she spoke. “I believe a daycare that has the same faith and purpose as the rest of the ranch will be a marvelous complement.”

“But what about your summer, your holidays?” Rick couldn’t fathom why she’d suddenly decided to give up her career.

“Too many holidays are boring. I like to keep busy.” Penny’s face evidenced no worries. In fact, her enthusiasm communicated itself without words. “This job is my dream. It will be a rush to make Sophie’s July first deadline, but we’ll do it.”

“I’m sure you will, but you can’t care for the twins with all you have to do here.” Rick made the comment while fervently hoping and praying she’d reject it.

He’d been able to accomplish so much work in the past week, far more than at any time since the twins had taken over his life. He’d even had energy to ride bikes with the twins in the evening, to take them for a picnic on the weekend, to laugh and tease over dinner instead of rushing to accomplish everything before bedtime. Katie and Kyle also seemed more relaxed, happier now that the routine of seeing Penny every day was established.

“I guess I better start looking for someone else to be with the twins,” he said.

“Why?” Penny demanded, staring at him intensely. “With you working at Wranglers, once the daycare’s open, they could attend here. Wouldn’t their transition to here and then school be easier on everyone if they continued with me?”

Rick sagged with relief. He’d tied himself up in knots wondering if Penny had only taken on care of the twins out of a sense of duty to Sophie. Judging by the kids’ excitement when he’d picked them up each day, he knew they enjoyed being with her. So now seeing Penny’s obvious discontent at the prospect of not caring for them confirmed his hunch that she enjoyed their company and wasn’t doing this out of a sense of duty.

“Why would you even think that?” she asked, a hurt tone in her voice.

“I’m thinking of you, Penny,” Rick said mildly, hating that he might have hurt her. “I don’t want the twins to wear you out before Wranglers Ranch Day Care even opens its doors.”

“You, Tanner, Sophie. You’re all so worried about me. You must think I’m a doddering old maid. I won’t be twenty-eight until August, you know,” she protested as red spots appeared on her cheeks.

“Trust me, Penny. When I think of you, I do not think of a doddering old maid.”

Wasn’t that the truth? And the fact that Rick did think of her, a lot, was something he was going to have to correct. His focus needed to remain on the twins and on making the three of them into a family. He couldn’t afford to get sidetracked by the pretty woman standing in front of him, no matter how special she was.

“Good to know.” Penny grinned cheekily then arched an eyebrow. “So?”

“It’s a deal. Katie and Kyle will stay with you,” Rick said in a firm tone. “After all, I don’t want to—” He paused. Winced.

“Don’t want to—?” she prodded.

“I was going to say look a gift horse in the mouth.” He peered at her worriedly. “You don’t think I’m calling you a horse, do you?”