Lost and Found Family by Jennifer Ryan

Two weeks later . . .

Sarah dragged her butt into the kitchen. She’d been up all night finishing the Knox Project. She brushed her mussed hair from her face and found her thermal mug in the dish rack where she’d left it last night after doing the dinner dishes.

Margaret walked into the kitchen.

Sarah pressed the back of her hand to her mouth to cover a huge yawn. “Can I get you a cup of coffee?”

“Can you manage? You look like you’re about to keel over.” The harsh words felt like a slap after all she’d done to keep Margaret’s home clean and give her the time she wanted with the boys.

Sarah turned and leaned back against the counter, blocking the coffeepot. “Do you have to do that every time we speak to each other, even when it’s about something as simple as me offering you a cup of coffee?”

“You’re in a mood,” Margaret shot back.

“I’m tired of you swatting at me all the time.”

“Poor Sarah. You don’t like it, you can leave.”

“I’d be happy to pack up the boys and go right now.”

“You can go. The boys stay. Or I will take you to court and use everything I’ve learned about you to ensure I get to see those boys whenever I want. Maybe they’d be better off here anyway. Look at you. You’re barely keeping it together.”

“Yeah. Thanks to you.”

Margaret eyed her. “What do I have to do with you not sleeping? It’s your own damn guilt that keeps you up at night.”

“You would think that because you don’t want to face reality. So let me impart some on you right now. What do you think the boys will think of their grandmother dragging their mother into court for visitation when I went out of my way to bring them here for weeks? What will a judge think of me changing my schedule, working remotely, being mom and teacher to the boys, all so you could have your visit? Do you think those things make me look bad? Or is the truth that I want the boys to spend time with you, therefore I made it happen at your request.”

Margaret stared at her. No response.

“I feel guilty that the boys didn’t have the father they deserved. I feel guilty that in keeping a promise to you it takes time away from them. I don’t feel guilty about Sean’s death. It was his own damn fault. And you’d know that if you actually wanted to know what happened and who Sean really was.”

“He was a good man,” Margaret shouted.

The doorbell rang.

Sarah turned, poured her coffee, and faced Margaret again. “I wish he were the man you think he was.”

Margaret gaped at her.

“I’ll get the door.”

*  *  *

Luke smiled when Sarah opened the door, but it vanished the second he saw the anger in her eyes and the dark circles beneath them. He didn’t like how pale she looked. “Hey. Are you okay?”

“Not really. I’m sorry. I know we’re taking the kids riding, but they’re not up yet and I’m running a little behind.”

“You look like you’re running on empty.”

She held up her mug. “That’s what this is for.” She gripped his hand and tugged to get him to come in. “Come upstairs. I need to get dressed and wake the boys.”

Luke followed her. “Did you sleep at all?”

“Not really.” She took another big gulp of her coffee.

Luke stepped into her room behind her and found three laptops open and running on the bed. Another lay running on the nightstand. Files and papers littered the bed.

His heart tripped when he spotted the open music box, filled with pictures from the boys and a piece of the wrapping paper and ribbon the box had been wrapped in, among all the work stuff. One of the pictures showed a huge heart that said “I love you.” His heart melted as he remembered that she’d said she’d put her treasures inside. Sarah hadn’t filled the box with jewels. She’d filled it with what was most important to her.

Dressed in blue flannel boxer shorts and a cranberry-colored lace-trimmed camisole, she surveyed the bed with a wistful look.

“Sarah, honey, I’ll take the boys riding and you can stay here and get some sleep.”

“No. I promised them.”

“You need to rest.”

“I will. After our ride. The boys have been looking forward to it. And so have I.”

“Okay,” he reluctantly agreed. “But I’m worried about you.” He’d keep a close eye on her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body to his, her breasts against his chest. He knew exactly how they felt in his hands, thanks to the many make-out sessions they’d secretly shared during their stolen moments over the last two weeks.

What he wouldn’t give to get her naked and in a bed under him, all that soft skin pressed to him.

He shook off thoughts of deep kisses, soft caresses, and the building desire that needed to be slaked soon.

Luke kissed her softly and held her close because it seemed like she needed some affection and his warmth. “You okay?”

“Perfect. I’m exactly where I want to be.”

“Mama,” Jack called from the other room.

Sarah sighed. “They’re up.”

Luke leaned back. “I’ll get them ready while you get dressed.”

She gave him a soft kiss. “Thank you.” She went to the dresser, opened drawers, pulling out clothes before she closed them again. A lace bra, purple T-shirt, and a pair of jeans dangled from her hands. She dumped them on top of the dresser.

He studied her, trying to read her mood and just how fatigued she was, despite her trying to hide it.

To his utter surprise, she stripped off her camisole with her back to him, but his eyes locked onto her reflection in the mirror. The site of her full breasts made his mouth water. Her dark hair spilled down her back. The thought of moving in behind her and cupping her breasts and feeling their weight in his hands drove him mad. She slipped her arms through the lacy bra straps and connected them at her back. She pulled her hair free and her breasts pressed against the lace. She pulled the T-shirt over her head. He didn’t think he could take much more without touching her. Then she took off her shorts and revealed the lace panties hidden beneath, hugging her slightly rounded rump and slim hips. She slid her legs into the jeans and pulled them up with a wiggle of her bottom.

Disappointment lanced through him to see her creamy skin covered.

“Is this some kind of payback?” he joked.

A sexy grin tilted her tempting lips. “Well, I need to get dressed so we can head to the ranch. For our ride,” she teased back.

He’d like to take her on an entirely different kind of ride. “You’re killing me.” Need, sharp and heady, settled in and made his dick hard and achingly uncomfortable behind his fly.

She laughed and sat on the bed to pull on her socks and boots. “You act as though you’ve never seen a woman put her clothes on.”

“After two weeks of you and the boys coming out to the ranch to ride and hang out, I’m dying because all I want to do is take your clothes off and get my hands on you. God, you’re stunning.”

Her gaze locked with his. Surprise and absolute appreciation shone in hers. “Thank you. That’s probably the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

He couldn’t blow that off as something most women would say to be humble because everything in the way she looked at him and said it told him she really meant it.

Her cheeks pinked and she dropped her gaze, grabbed her hair at the nape of her neck, and pulled it through a ponytail holder a couple times. Once done, she walked to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down for a kiss. Before he could take her under and they got lost in the moment, she broke the kiss. “Let’s get the boys.”

“Yeah. Sorry. I, uh, couldn’t take my eyes off you.”

She smiled again. “You’re sweet.”

Luke opened the bathroom door and found both boys dressed and brushing their teeth at the sink. “You guys look like you’re almost ready to go.”

“We finally get to ride on the trail.” Jack’s excitement showed in his wide, toothy, toothpaste-drooling grin.

“Rinse and spit, buddy.”

Nick finished first and gave Sarah a big hug around her legs. “Hi, Mama.”

“Hey, baby. Ready to go have fun with Luke?”

“I dreamed we rode right up to the moon last night.”

Luke knew Nick usually dreamed about his dad. It touched him deeply to know he’d had a fun dream about him. It showed Luke just how much Nick liked being with him.

Sarah’s gaze met his and she gave him a soft smile that told him she got it, too, and it made her happy.

Luke was becoming important not just to Sarah but to the boys, too. He didn’t take that lightly.

“Well, Nick, I don’t know if we’ll make it to the moon this morning, but I bet you’ll like the ride.”

“Let’s go,” Jack ordered, his enthusiasm taking him out of the room on the run for the stairs.

Sarah grabbed her coffee and cell phone and followed him and Nick out of her room.

Margaret stood at the bottom of the stairs with Jack.

Luke didn’t miss the glare she sent Sarah when her cell phone rang and Sarah answered, “Hey, Abby, hold on a sec.”

Luke hoped she didn’t have to stay behind and finish some work. To help make sure that didn’t happen, he put his hand to her back and steered her toward the front door.

“I’ll bring them back after our ride and breakfast,” he told Margaret, not caring one bit about her disapproving look.

“Are you already in the office?” Sarah asked Abby as she climbed into Luke’s truck and he took his seat. The boys sat between them, using one buckle for safety though they were only going from Margaret’s driveway down his long one. “Why do you want me to put you on speaker? Luke doesn’t want to hear about my work.”

Luke raised a brow, wondering why Abby needed him. “What does she want me to hear?” He drove the truck toward the ranch.

“I don’t know. She’s lost her mind.” Sarah put the call on speaker and draped her arm across the seat and her boys, and placed her hand on his shoulder.

All squished together in his truck, it felt so right to think they were really becoming a family. “Okay, Abby, spill it. What’s going on?”

“Marcel got your email way too early this morning, but he was expecting it and couldn’t wait to open it. He called the team in and they compiled the program and ran it with the test data. Sarah, it works! It really works!”

A roar of cheers went up in the background from Sarah’s employees.

“The whole team tried to break your code. They can’t. You’ve done it!”

Luke slowed the truck and stared across at Sarah. She stared straight out the window, a huge smile on her face. The pride in her eyes intensified as the cheers washed over her and filled the truck cab. After all the hard work she’d put in, she deserved to take in this moment.

Sarah grinned, let out an excited giggle, then filled him in on what had been happening. “Marcel found the back door, but he couldn’t crack the encryption. I spent the last couple of weeks verifying all the security levels. All we had to do was run it with the test data from the company.” She paused, that giddy smile on her face growing bigger. “It works.”

“You did it,” he repeated Abby’s exuberant words.

Another cheer went up from her employees.

She picked up her cell from her lap and addressed her staff. “I didn’t do this alone. You guys are the best, and we did this together as a team. I know you guys are excited about what this means for the company, but remember we still have a lot of work to do.”

“‘Team,’ my ass, Sarah. This was all you. We just sat back and watched in wonder. We’ve got to celebrate when you get back.”

“We will. And thank you, Marcel, but you guys did help. I’ll throw a big party for everyone at Gerard’s when I get home.”

Everyone cheered again.

She smiled and shook her head. “I was going to call later and set up the testing and implementation teams, but since you’re all there, I’d like Marcel to head the test team and David to head the implementation team.” A round of congratulations and well wishes went out to Marcel and David. “Right now, I want you all to head over to Joe’s Café and have breakfast on me. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“I’ll call you in a few hours,” Abby shouted over everyone else. “We’ll coordinate the next steps.”

“Sounds good.”

“Luke,” Abby called to him. “You have no idea who the woman with you is. She’s just done the extraordinary. Her name and face are going to be everywhere. Newspapers, magazines, every tech website on the planet. She’ll be on every TV news program. Sarah, you won’t be able to hide behind Evan anymore.”

They arrived at the ranch and Luke cut the truck engine, then stared over at her. She didn’t seek the limelight, but she was about to be in it. He couldn’t be happier or prouder, but he wondered if this would somehow take her away from him.

Sarah shook her head at the phone. “Really, Abby. Get a grip. Luke doesn’t care whether the press or industry goes nuts over my program.”

“He should know what you’ve accomplished. Eight months of you going without sleep and working every possible moment. You’ve achieved something very few can accomplish on their own and in such a short time. You’ve made history.”

“Thank you for being my cheerleader. Now, I’ve got to go see about a horse. Call me later.”

Before Abby started up again, she hung up.

Luke made no move to get out of the truck.

“What? I thought you’d be happy I finished the Knox Project.”

“Good job, Mommy,” Nick said, snuggling into her side.

“Thank you, buddy.”

“I’m really happy for you.” Luke meant it. “So the whole thing is complete.” Maybe now she could take some time to herself.

“Well, except for final delivery to the client. Now I’ll have more time to spend with the boys. And you. I have a couple other projects to finish, but the Knox Project was taking up the majority of my time,” she rambled, not taking credit or basking in the win.

Her first thought was spending more time with her kids and him.

He loved that most.

He tried to wrap his brain around this amazing woman. “Your staff is completely dedicated to you. They look up to you. You’ve just accomplished something amazing that will put your company on the map and you say it’s nothing. I’m completely impressed, and so proud of you. You’re . . . phenomenal.”

Stunned, she went completely still.

“Come on. Let’s ride.”

Sarah got out on her side while Luke lifted both boys down on his.

“Ace, stop!” Jerry called out.

Sarah ran toward the barn doors just as Ace came to a halt in front of her.

He reared up on his hind legs, kicking his front hooves and chopping at the air.

Magnificent.

His display of strength and anger was awesome.

And scared the crap out of Luke.

Ace came back to all fours and shook his head up and down and snorted his frustration just a couple feet from Sarah.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she snapped at the huge beast. “You know what you need? A girlfriend. Come here and say hello.”

Ace moved forward into Sarah’s arms, putting his massive head over her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around his neck and stroked his coat. Ace shivered and relax.

Jerry came to an abrupt halt at the stable doors. “Luke, I’m sorry. He saw Sarah and ran for her.”

Luke’s jackhammering heart finally slowed. “It’s okay. I think he’s in love with her.”

“He ain’t the only one.” Jerry made that comment to Luke in a low voice as they watched Sarah soothe Ace.

“I’m falling pretty damn hard and fast for her. I don’t know what to do about it,” Luke confessed.

“Tell her.”

“Just tell her?” He wasn’t so sure about that. “It’s only been a few weeks. I need more time to show her how I feel, so she’ll believe what I want us to have together.”

“She always looks happy when she’s here. The boys love being around the horses and running through the fields.”

“This place isn’t the same when they aren’t here. I’ve grown so attached to them.” So much so that even in this short time he couldn’t imagine life here without them anymore.