Ross thought about following him but didn’t have the heart. What could he say, anyway? That it wasn’t going to be hard? That he’d instantly find friends? Of course that wasn’t true. Luke would have to work to rebuild his circle of friends, just as Ross would have to work to rebuild his business and his community. Hell, he was living in his ex-wife’s house, for pity’s sake. They were all making sacrifices.
But that was hardly something he could explain to his son.
He sighed. If there was something divorce taught you, it was that there were no magic wands a parent could wave to fix things for their kids. Luke would have to figure this one out on his own.
They all would.
…
Kelsey pulled up in front of the house and turned off the engine of her ancient Subaru Legacy. A long driveway led to a wide porch flanked by a long row of windows. The home appeared relatively new, but careful landscaping had maintained a crescent of trees around it, providing welcome shade from the hot Colorado sun. A three-car garage faced the street, while on the other side, Kelsey could imagine there were incredible views of the mountains. Centennial, a fast-growing suburb close to Denver, had great schools, new houses, and tons of kids. Which meant, of course, that Kelsey had never been anywhere near it, and had immediately gotten lost in the winding promenades and cul-de-sacs.
Which explained why she was now five minutes late.
“Sorry, Marie,” she muttered. “Mary Poppins I am not.”
The engine rattled for a few minutes before cutting off abruptly, shaking the large coffee she had balanced on the dashboard. She took a deep breath and rechecked the sticky note on which Marie had written the names and ages of the kids, the mom’s name, and the address.
I can’t believe I’m doing this.
She should have been focusing on her training right now, not working for Marie. In a month she would be bound for Nepal, where she would spend three weeks traveling and acclimating to the altitude before starting the trek up Annapurna. She’d started saving on the day they returned from their last attempt, and had cleared her calendar so she could spend these last few weeks ensuring that her body was in absolute peak condition. Of course, Marie knew that, sneaky woman that she was. She knew Kelsey didn’t have any other commitments right now.
Then again, Kelsey had built her life around never having commitments.
She hauled herself out of her Subaru and walked up the driveway. The car parked out front of the house was an SUV. Something shiny and considerably newer than Kelsey’s vehicle, which was still chugging along nicely—if somewhat loudly—at over 200,000 miles.
Her heart pounded as she walked up the front step. Kelsey Hanson, babysitter? Who could have come up with a more ridiculous notion?
She stopped at the imposing front door, a thick, carved structure of wood and elegantly frosted glass.
You can do this. Marie needs your help. Besides, worst comes to worst, Jenna takes one look at you and slams the door in your face. Then you can go back and tell Marie you tried. No harm, no foul.
Closing her eyes, she tried for a deep breath. Her hand didn’t seem to have any intention of moving, so she tried for a sterner internal voice.
You will never be Hope or Marie. You know as much about playgrounds and children as Marie does about passports and freeze-dried meals. That’s okay. Just be yourself. That’s all Marie would want.
The self-talk had descended into the realm of pure cheesy nonsense, and she had to stop herself from laughing out loud.
Screw it.
She pushed the doorbell.
Chapter Four
“Matt, Luke, Julia,” Ross bellowed as he reached for the front door, “the babysitter’s here.”
No response. After he’d made a lousy breakfast of burned scrambled eggs and toast—single parenting did not necessarily imply decent cooking—the kids had hidden themselves away in the bowels of the enormous house. Luke had pounded up the stairs to his bedroom, scowl on his face and video game console in his hand. Matt had gone down to the basement, bouncing a soccer ball on one knee. Jenna had set up a little sports center down there, with a mini basketball hoop and a soccer goal against one wall. Julia had settled in to watch her favorite public television show. Ross figured he’d have to work hard to extract any of them from their chosen form of entertainment.
He unlocked the door and pasted a friendly smile on his face. It faded the instant he took in the familiar visage of the woman at the door. Sun-kissed hair fell over her shoulders in long, loose braids. A sleeveless dress had been thrown loosely over a camisole, exposing delicate collarbones and the defined muscles of golden arms and shoulders. Her velvety brown eyes looked as surprised as he felt.