They bumped along the dirt road for a couple of minutes, and Cord stopped the truck beside Mitch and Tina’s SUV.

The barn loomed in the darkness, more shadow than substance, but the house glowed like a Christmas tree.

“You’re about to meet one of the kindest women on the face of the earth,” Cord said after shutting off the engine. He knew he sounded serious, and that was fine because he was. “We’re giving you the benefit of the doubt, kiddo, but I’m telling you right now that if you try to jerk Tina around, lie to her, or hurt her in any way, you’ll have me to deal with.”

The kid’s eyes were wide. “Okay,” she told him. “I hear you.”

Cord shoved open his door. “Good,” he said.

Bandit and Smoky, part-Lab mutts, rushed to greet him, barking with that foolish joy particular to the canine crowd.

Cord glanced at Charlotte, about to tell her not to be afraid, that the dogs were harmless, but she was already approaching them, laughing at their enthusiasm.

“Hey, guys!” she crowed, ruffling their ears.

Tina stepped out onto the wraparound porch, her petite, slender form rimmed in light from the kitchen behind her.

“Hush up, you critters!” she called. “You’ll scare our company away!”

“Remember what I said about messing with Tina,” Cord said in a low voice.

“I’m not completely without manners, you know,” Charlotte retorted in a loud whisper.

Tina was headed toward them, and they met in the middle of the yard, the dogs still half-frenzied with delight. For those two, every arrival was cause for celebration.

“Hi,” Charlotte said warmly, extending a hand to Tina. “I’m Carly.”

Carly, Cord thought. The diminutive did suit her better than Charlotte.

Tina pulled Carly into a brief, tight hug, then held her at arm’s length, running a motherly eye over her. “Lord, child, we need to get you inside so you can warm up.” She cast a disapproving glance in Cord’s direction, but she was already steering the girl toward the house. “You could catch your death in those damp clothes.”

Carly seemed to lean into Tina just a little as she allowed herself to be hustled across the wet grass, and Cord, walking behind them, felt his spirits rise a notch. Until that moment, he’d wondered if the kid was ever going to let down her guard.

Well, she had with the dogs, which was an encouraging sign, certainly to someone like him. But he hoped he’d see more of who she was—and not just because she reminded him of Reba. That had its pluses and its minuses. But because she might be his daughter. Or Eli’s. Or J.P.’s. Regardless of whether she was his kid or “honorary niece,” she’d be part of his life. She’d change his life. And he’d change hers, he vowed. They all would.