Baby Girl: Dare to Love Read Online Free PDF Page A

he wondered if Jemma was missing her husband. 
    “So now we’re walking clients to their cars?”  His father asked as he walked up behind him.  “Why don’t you just asked that woman out? Might do you good.”
    “Dad, I was just being nice.  It’s almost dark, and I didn’t want anything to happen to her or her daughter.” He walked back inside the office, his father hot on his trail.  Chutney looked up from her desk, hurriedly gathered her things and prepared to leave.
    “I prepared the deposit for Tesla to do in the morning.  I’m not sure what do about Mrs. Patterson’s bill.  Should I mail it to her at the end of the month?”
    It was an innocent question.  A touchy question, but one that needed to be answered.  “I’ll take care of it tomorrow with Mom.”  He glanced at his father, but said nothing. 
    Chutney grinned.  “You like the mother.  I’m so happy.”  She walked toward the door.  “Goodnight, Kyle.  Goodnight, Mr. Cosgrove.”  She was gone in an instant.
    Kyle looked at his father.  “Now look what you did.  You ran off Chutney.”  Okay, he knew it was a lie, but he had to get the focus off him. 
    “I did not.  The office closed almost an hour ago.  The only reason she was still here was because I asked her to stay until the last client left.  Now back to you asking out that nice woman.  What’s the problem?”
    “Her daughter is still grieving for her father.  I don’t know if Jemma is grieving for her husband.  I’d look like an ass.”
    “True.  But since your return to the ranch, you haven’t been on a date, hadn’t even been out or anything.  You’ve been living and breathing this place for the last five years.  I know your marriage is a touchy subject, but it’s over and done with, so let’s just move on.”
    “I don’t want to make another mistake.”  He’d never admitted that to anyone, especially his father.  “I look at you and Mom and you’ve been together almost fifty years.”
    “It wasn’t all roses.  Your mother will tell you that.  No one is happy all the time.  The thing is you find someone that you can have a conversation with, not just sex.”
    Kyle thought about his father’s words.  “Not that I’m admitting to any such thing, but how would I find out if she’s still hung up on her husband?”
    “Ask her.”
    ***
     
    “Pizza.”
    Jemma gasped before she realized.  They were on their way home and she’d been reciting dinner choices for Kassie as she normally had when she hadn’t felt like cooking.  She ran through the usual options, when Kassie announced her choice.
    “Cheese?”
    Kassie shook her head.  “Pepperoni.”
    Jemma smiled into her rearview mirror.  “Pepperoni, it is.”  She turned onto her street when her cell phone rang.  She engaged the talk option on the steering wheel.  Technology, she mused, what had they done before all those fancy gadgets to make life easier. 
    “Hey, Janna.  We’re on our way home.”
    “Great.  Hello, Kassie,” Janna said, not expecting an answer. 
    “Hi.”
    “Wait.  Kassie?”
    No answer.
    Jemma wanted to laugh, but hadn’t wanted to alert her daughter she was doing anything spectacular.  “In honor of Kassie’s excellent performance today, we’re celebrating with pizza.”  Kassie clapped. 
    “Amazing,” her sister said.  “Call me later.” 
    Jemma heard the catch in her sister’s voice.  It was so hard keeping her composure and not burst into tears of happiness. She wished Kassie would have said more, but she didn’t stop talking instantly.  It was gradual.  So gradual, that she hadn’t realized it until Kassie had almost completely stopped talking.
    After their celebratory meal, homework and a bath, Kassie went to bed.  She hadn’t said any more words, but she had been more animated than her usual self.  It was definitely something about that horse ranch, she thought.   Maybe there was something to that nonsense about