“That’s enough about boots,” Wyatt said. “And I don’t want to hear about goats while we’re at dinner with Victoria.”

Mack tried to keep the smile off his face, but it was impossible. He glanced over at Lily and chuckled. “I guess that means y’all better not talk about kissing Star on the nose, either.”

“Or that you’re getting a cat from Granny Hayes,” Lily said.

Holly squealed so loud that Lily could just imagine the expression on Wyatt’s face. “Mama said we can have a cat, Braden.”

“I got the phone again,” Braden said. “If she gets a kitten, does that mean I can have one, too?”

“I imagine one would get really lonely all by itself,” Lily said.

“What are you going to do with goats and cats when you move back to Austin this summer?” Wyatt asked.

“We’re going to take them with us,” Holly said in a sticky-sweet voice. “And when we come to visit you, we’ll bring them all along so you can get to know them.”

“Bye, Mama. Thanks for taking care of my boots, Mack.” Braden ended the call.

“I love those kids.” Mack laughed out loud.

“They’ve sure done a turnaround since we moved back home,” she said. “Thank you for helping with that.”

“I didn’t do anything.” He shrugged. “They had some troubles, but they’re both good kids, and they’re smart. You can’t fool a child, Lily. They know it when they’re loved.”

“I decided when we came to Comfort that I was going to show them that they were loved. I’ve told them for years, but I’m afraid that my actions were lacking. I let my work consume me, and then they spent too much time in their rooms or with unsavory friends.”

“But you’re taking steps to correct that, and it’s working.” After the phone call from the kids, Mack was more excited about his life at that very moment than he had been in too many years to count. He just hoped that Adam didn’t choose this evening to make a surprise visit to his folks.

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

The sun had solidified into a huge orange ball sliding down on the far horizon when Mack parked his truck in front of a small brick home on the outskirts of San Antonio. The front yard was so small it could have been cut with manicure scissors, and from what Lily could see from the passenger seat, the fenced backyard couldn’t have been much bigger.

“I would never have thought your parents would be happy with a place like this,” she said.