The Millionaire and the Mechanic

Never in a hundred years does Sabrina Martinez expect to meet someone like handsome millionaire Jack Thorne—let alone find him volunteering at the Denver mission where she works. She’s grown up in a humble home and is surprised an heir to a fortune could have such a kind and generous heart. But Sabrina can’t let anything distract her—not even love. She’s battling for custody of her nieces and there’s nothing more important than that. Jack wants to help, but the divide between him and Sabrina seems impossibly wide. Can they learn to see past their differences, and give themselves a chance at true love—and a real family?

“Watching Sabrina work was absolutely impressive,” Jack said.

“We should get rid of that old statue out front and put up a monument to Sabrina the mechanic. It would be much more inspiring.”

He felt his grin falter as he caught sight of Sabrina’s face. The look she was giving him was a few levels short of overwhelming gratitude. Did she think he was being sarcastic? He was teasing about the statue, but he’d meant his original compliment to be taken seriously.

Not knowing what else to say, Jack tried to look as innocent as possible. Those beautiful brown eyes narrowed. He wasn’t making it better. He didn’t quite understand the emotions that crossed her face, but he wanted to, more than he had wanted anything in a long time. Something about this dark-eyed woman with the soft accent tugged at him.

He cleared his throat and looked away. No matter how intriguing she was, he didn’t have the freedom to do anything about it. His life was a complicated mess.

VIRGINIA CARMICHAEL

was born near the Rocky Mountains, and although she has traveled around the world, the wilds of Colorado run in her veins. A big fan of the wide-open sky and all four seasons, she believes in embracing the small moments of everyday life. A homeschooling mom of six young children who rarely wear shoes, those moments usually involve a lot of noise, a lot of mess or a whole bunch of warm cookies. Virginia holds degrees in linguistics and religious studies from the University of Oregon. She lives with her habanero-eating husband, Crusberto, who is her polar opposite in all things except faith. They’ve learned to speak in shorthand code and look forward to the day they can actually finish a sentence. In the meantime, Virginia thanks God for the laughter and abundance of hugs that fill her day as she plots her next book.

A Home for Her Family

Virginia Carmichael

www.millsandboon.co.uk

He said to them, “Go into all the world

and preach the Gospel to all creation.”

—Mark 16:15

This book is for all those who have loved

and cared for a child who is not their own,

especially foster parents like Mike and Terri Neal.

Your faith, wisdom and tenderness

are powerful weapons in this broken world.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

“We’ve got a crisis of epic proportions.” Jack Thorne dodged a flying soccer ball and motioned toward the Downtown Denver Mission’s cafeteria kitchen. “One of the big industrial food choppers went on the fritz.”

“That’s a disaster on a regular day, but right now...” Gavin grimaced and left the rest of the thought unfinished.

“Maybe we should lend a hand.”

Jack could see the kitchen staff working frantically, sacks of vegetables and potatoes on every surface. The kids hated to skip a single practice and as the coach, he loved the team’s commitment. But with Easter brunch in two days, he wondered if they should just give the kids the evening off. “Not that I have a problem with chopping fifty pounds of potatoes, but there are twenty little kids over there to think about.” Gavin nodded toward the players honing their instep kicks, shrieks of laughter echoing around the gym.

“Good shot, William!” Jack clapped for a little blond boy who managed to send the ball somewhere close to his partner. “What’s worse, missing practice or missing Easter?”

“The mission will celebrate with or without mashed potatoes. But if you feel that badly, maybe you should make a corporate donation of a large food processor.” Gavin grinned, stepping out of the way as a little girl chased a wayward ball. “Just sneak it into the stack of paperwork you sign on a regular basis.”

Jack snorted. Being the vice president of Colorado Supplements wasn’t quite the way people pictured it. Sure, he was the boss’s son and the one poised to take over the state’s biggest business, but he didn’t have much say on what happened around the place. He was only a figurehead, a desk jockey who was paid to show up and smile. “The paperwork would take months. Easter is in two days. Marisol is losing her mind this very minute.”

The mention of his day job made a sour taste rise up in Jack’s throat. He’d always known he wasn’t cut out for the business world, with its emphasis on the corporate ladder, endless meetings and miles of red tape. And he’d known for even longer that his father planned to turn over the business to his only son. Some called it being groomed from birth, but that was only a miniscule portion of the whole picture. Family expectations, being force-fed his college education and his own years of nodding weakly at every suggestion had helped Jack climb the corporate ladder. Right into the vice president position. The only way out looked like a long fall back to earth and a lot of hurt feelings.

A soccer ball soared alarmingly close to Gavin’s head and he ducked, laughing. “I think Grant already called in the mechanic. Let’s hope he gets it fixed, or the workers will be pulling an all-nighter.”

Jack shook himself out of his depressing thoughts. He waved an arm and jogged toward the lines of kids partnering up near the edge of the gym. Spring was coming, Easter was in a few days and his life was changing. No. Correction: he was making life-changing decisions, taking power back into his own hands, learning to be true to his individual purpose in life.

He drew in a long, deep breath and let it out slowly. God was good, all the time. He knew what he had to do and prayed that his father would forgive him for it.

The gym doors swung open and Lana, the secretary, entered, arms propelling her wheelchair with swift movements. Her purple-tipped crew cut gave the impression of someone with an ingrained toughness who didn’t take any guff. That was all true, but Lana’s tender patience was the perfect counterpoint to her no-nonsense attitude. In short, she was the best person to act as gatekeeper to such a large homeless center.

Jack raised a hand in greeting and she smiled back, motioning to the people behind her. A young woman strode through the door, black hair coming loose from its braid. She had dark smudges under her large eyes, as if she hadn’t slept well for more nights than she could count. Even though exhaustion was written on her face, her shoulders were straight and her lips set in a firm smile. She held a small dark-haired girl by one hand and in the other she carried a green metal box by the handle. An older child trailed behind, eyes wide as she watched the soccer team. As soon as they were through, Lana went back to the reception area with a wave.

“Uh-oh. Stragglers. I’ll go let them know that dinner was over an hour ago.” Jack loped away from the group, leaving Gavin to supervise. Maybe Marisol had something left over for these three. He sure hoped so. The mom looked as if she needed a place to sit down and rest for a minute. Or a day or two.

As he got closer, the woman met his gaze, a direct question in her dark eyes. But they ended up speaking at the same moment.

“Can I help you?”

“Can I help y—?” Jack broke off at the last word, laughing. Not sure why he’d need help at his own soccer practice, but he liked her answering smile.

She was at least half a foot shorter than he was and titled her head up as she stepped closer. “I’m sorry to interrupt your practice. Go ahead. We’ll keep out of your way.” She had a soft accent, her vowels ringing pure and clear.

“Dinner was over a while ago. I think the head cook, Marisol, might have something left. I can go see, if you and your girls want to wait here.” He glanced at the little kids, noting both had the same heart-shaped face and thickly lashed dark eyes as their mom. They peered back shyly, as if he was the strangest part of their day by far. The younger one met his gaze and dropped her head, staring down at her scuffed sneakers. Her little chin tucked into her chest, as if she was trying to disappear. The hem of her pink T-shirt was unraveling and her pants were threadbare at the knees.

The woman’s brows arched up. “Thank you, we’ve had dinner. Grant called me to fix the kitchen equipment.” She lowered the green case to the ground. The faint sound of metal tools echoed back. “But I don’t want the girls in the kitchen while I work. It’s not safe.”

She glanced at the group of kids practicing long passes. “Is it possible they could stay out here and watch?”

Jack struggled to catch up, feeling as though he’d assumed too much, although he was certain female mechanics were few and far between. “Sure. I can let them have some balls to kick around here at the end.” He paused. “I’d let them join the group for tonight, but all the parents have to sign waivers before their kids can play.”

She held out her hand, corners of her mouth tilted up. “Thank you. I’m Sabrina Martinez. This is Kassandra and Gabriella.”

Jack took her hand and nodded, thinking he had never heard such beautiful names said in quite that way. Soft, musical, like a few notes of a song.

“And you are?” she prompted him, dark eyes crinkling at the corners. Her hand was warm and soft, not the sort of hand he’d imagine for a mechanic.

He cleared his throat. All that time sitting in a boardroom with sixty-year-old men and he was losing his touch. “Jack Thorne.”

“Can we, Tía? Please?” The older girl tugged on her aunt’s hand. “We’ll be really good.”

In response, the woman flashed a smile that made Jack blink. “Best behavior, remember.”

The two nodded, dark ponytails jumping in unison, and exchanged gleeful looks.

“I’ll head on in, and thanks again.” She adjusted her backpack and picked up the green box. He couldn’t imagine how much it weighed, but she lifted it easily.

“No problem.” His voice sounded odd to his own ears. The slightest whiff of cinnamon followed her as she brushed past.

Gavin’s voice reminded Jack he had a team to coach. “Looks like we’ve got visitors.” It wasn’t a question, but a friendly statement, and the girls responded with identical grins.

“This is Kassandra and Gabriella.” He tried to say it just like Sabrina had, but it came out sounding as if he was a stuffy Italian duke in need of a kingdom. “Their mom is working on the food chopper so they’ll just hang out near the end zone for a while.”

“She’s our aunt,” Gabriella volunteered. “And you can call me Gabby.”

“I’m Kassey,” whispered the younger one.

Gavin went down on one knee and shook each small hand. “Well, princesas, find a ball and enjoy yourselves. We’ll be over there.”

The two girls giggled simultaneously and trotted off to retrieve a soccer ball.

“Impressive.” Jack shot Gavin a look. “Princesas? Please tell me that’s not the only word you know in Spanish.”

As they turned back to the kids practicing drills, Gavin said, “I’ve been taking classes for a few weeks. And every girl wants to be a princess, right? It doesn’t hurt to throw that in during the conversation.”

“I’ll make a note. As always, I’m running to catch up with the wonderful Gavin Sawyer. If you weren’t my favorite brother-in-law, you would really be getting on my nerves.”

“I’m your only brother-in-law.” Gavin scooped up a stack of orange cones and handed them to Jack. “And I’m only trying to catch up to that pretty twin sister of yours. She’s always cooking up some new plan to save the world.” Gavin paused, thinking. “No, that’s not right. She’s never trying to save the whole world. Just her little corner, one person at a time.” His smile said more than his words could, about how Evie inspired him, how she had taught him to hope.

Jack wanted to roll his eyes at the expression on Gavin’s face, but part of him wished he knew how it felt to be so deeply in love. He’d always thought he’d find the right girl, settle down, have a few kids, nothing complicated about it. Now all those steps would have to wait awhile. He was on the verge of leaving a high-paying position with a guaranteed future for financial uncertainty. No woman would see him as a good candidate for marriage if he walked away from a life of security. He had his reasons, but they were hard to explain. Something about God’s will for his life and being true to his calling. Definitely not ideas he could toss around on a first date.

He laid out the orange cones in a line around the cafeteria and tried to shrug off the suspicion he had wasted the best years of his life as a corporate flunky. He’d tried to make the job work, tried to get involved in other levels besides meeting and greeting VIP visitors to Colorado Supplements. But last week’s meeting with Bob Barrows had clinched his decision. The way Barrows had mocked him for wanting to see the production statistics still rang in his head. He was just the boss’s kid and that would never change. Not there anyway.

It was time for new chapters. He had his savings, a long list of clients built up and an excellent reputation as one of the best snowboarders in Denver.

He was going to focus on disentangling himself from the family company and salvaging his relationship with his father. Sabrina’s teasing expression flickered into his mind. Beautiful, accented women wielding tools were not on the radar, unfortunately. He had plenty of work to do on his own life without making it any more complicated.

* * *

“Sabrina, mija!” Marisol grabbed her in an enormous hug that squeezed the air out of her. Sabrina suspected the enthusiastic greeting was less for her personally than for her toolbox, but she returned it with equal fervor. It was the nicest thing that had happened to her all day and she savored the warmth of her embrace for a moment.

“Show me the equipment and I’ll get started.” She glanced around at the hurrying kitchen staff. Two days before Easter was pretty bad timing. Dios, ayude me. The mission needs this machine to work.

Marisol motioned her to the Hobart chopper and hurried away, calling over her shoulder, “Thank you!” Lines of kitchen staff stood side by side at the long steel tables, chopping vegetables.

Sabrina stood in front of the old Hobart and tried not to groan. They had met before and it hadn’t been a pleasant experience. Sure, it could process six hundred pounds of potatoes an hour, but it was still a cranky old piece of equipment. The blades were sharp and most of the gears were new, but the motor was barely clanking along.

She sighed and set her toolbox on the ground. Running from job to job all that day, she had just sunk into her couch and whispered a prayer of thanksgiving when the phone rang. She’d hustled the girls out of their bath and minutes later been out the door again, Kassey and Gabby in tow. Her mothering skills left a lot to be desired. The poor kids should be in bed, not running all over town.

Straightening up, she brushed back her hair. No, that was no way to think. Her nieces were loved and safe and fed. If everything went well, she’d be their permanent legal guardian within months. She did the best she could and God always filled in the gaps. Self-pity would have to wait for another day.

Soft voices interrupted her thoughts. Marisol had her arm around a young girl, speaking in Spanish to her in soothing tones. She couldn’t have been more than twenty, but looked frail and small. Her face was pinched, her shoulders hunched and the kitchen apron swamped her tiny frame. Large dark eyes darted back and forth, as if searching for danger.

“You’re okay here, Jimena. No one will hurt you. It is loud, but you are safe.”

Sabrina focused on her toolbox and tried not to listen. But the expression on the young girl’s face seemed close to panic. Why would anyone be scared of working in the kitchen? Maybe the equipment made her nervous. She could understand some people, especially those new to the large machines, not feeling comfortable around the loud motors.

“I can leave anytime? I can go?” Jimena’s voice trembled at every word.

“Of course. Do you want to go back to your room?”

Sabrina peeked up to see Marisol ushering the girl back toward the kitchen entryway.

Jimena stopped, taking deep breaths, dark eyes still wide with fear but not as panicked. “I—I would like to try to work here. Just for a little while.”

“Come stand by me. We will work together. And give yourself time. You have been through a very bad experience.” Marisol slipped her arm around the girl’s shoulder. “No one blames you, Jimena. You went for a job. Those men were criminals and they will be caught.”

The two walked slowly back to the gleaming metal table. Jimena stayed close to Marisol, choosing a knife and beginning to work.

Sabrina stared unseeing at the concrete floor. Just when she thought her life was difficult, she heard of something worse. Much worse. She couldn’t even imagine what might have happened to that girl, but she could guess. Stories swirled about young people, especially girls, being lured to job sites and then never being allowed to leave. Months of slave labor was the very least of what happened, and even that was enough to scar a person deeply.

She swallowed. It happened, and more often than anyone thought. A lack of education and family meant desperation. Starvation. Utter poverty. Images of her nieces, laughing and running toward the soccer ball, made her throat constrict. Please, God. Help me keep them from all harm. Help us stay together. Help the judge see that I’m capable of caring for them.

Shrugging off her backpack, she pulled out her coveralls and slipped them on. It was warm in the kitchen, but she never went without her hard hat and safety goggles, even if it meant she was going to be sporting crazy hair and sweaty lines on her face. She glanced at her hands and saw the grease under her nails. Jack had almost swallowed his tongue when she’d shaken his hand. She could see why. A man like Jack was probably surrounded by polished women who got professional haircuts and manicures.

She felt her lips tug up at the thought of what Maya would do at the sight of Jack. Maya, who lived upstairs, was nineteen and officially boy crazy. She would have at least gotten a phone number. The man was obviously athletic, impressively muscled, attired in expensive athletic gear—those things warranted that first glance. Then there was the classically handsome face and shockingly blue eyes, and a matching set of dimples upped the swoon factor. A man like that could have any woman he wanted.

But enough of the daydreaming. She needed to focus or they’d be here all night.

She laid out her small tools and started to remove the front of the food processor. The hinged hood would have to be secured so she could get underneath. Sabrina turned to her toolbox, shaking her head.

“What? It can’t be fixed? We will cancel Easter?” Marisol’s worried voice cut through her thoughts.

“No, sorry, just thinking.” She reached out and squeezed the woman’s shoulder. “I need a prop for the hood.”

Marisol blinked, not understanding.

Sabrina switched to Spanish while peering around the kitchen for something the right height. There had been a metal prop attached to the inside of the Hobart once upon a time, but it had long ago broken off and been discarded. Could she use a chair? No, the legs would be in her way. Frustration coursed through her. She had a small jack that expanded to four feet and supported a hundred pounds, just for machines like the old Hobart, but she’d left it at home.

Marisol lifted a finger in the just-a-minute gesture. “Wait here.”

Sabrina nodded. Not much choice. She could still loosen the parts on the bottom while Marisol went to fetch a small stool or ladder. The machine was clogged with hours-old potato pieces and she scooped the remains to the side, the dank smell clinging to her snug-fitting work gloves. She didn’t mind engine grease, but rotten-vegetable wasn’t high on her list of wearable perfumes.

The enormous kitchen echoed with the steady sound of knives hitting chopping blocks and the dishwasher running in the corner. She felt the rhythm of the place, as comforting as a heartbeat, and relaxed into the work. Her small power drill made a quick job of the screws and in a few minutes the machine stood exposed. Sabrina sat back on her heels and wiped the sweat from her face with one arm.

“Nice hat.”

She startled backward at the deep voice and landed directly on her bottom. Her face flamed as she scrambled back to her feet. The good-looking soccer coach was feet away, perfectly at home in the mission kitchen.

Touching the back of her hard hat, she remembered Gabby’s little gift. She’d earned it at school and Sabrina couldn’t bear to get angry over the fact it had ended up on her work uniform. It was an act of little-girl generosity, because Gabby had been sure her aunt wanted a big sparkly pink star of her very own. “Do you need something?”

He laughed, bright eyes locked on her face. “You keep asking me that.”

“Are the girls okay?”

“Everybody’s fine.” He moved closer to the Hobart. “Marisol said you needed help.”

Of course. The way this day was going, she should have guessed that Marisol wouldn’t bring a ladder or a prop. She would bring a man, and one who spoke in a deep, chocolaty baritone that made Sabrina wish she wasn’t wearing coveralls and coated in potato peels. She blew out a sigh and jerked her shoulder toward the metal sheet that was the front of the chopper.

“I need to get into the engine, but there’s nothing to hold up the cover.” Searching for a tool spared her from having to make eye contact and seeing the look on his face.

“Sure.” He stood close to the cover, one hand on the edge. “There’s no way to lock the hinge?”

“No. I usually have a prop, but I forgot it at home.” The idea of him hovering as she worked made her palms sweat. “It’s up right now, but with all the vibration of the machinery, it could fall while I’m working. I don’t want my nose squashed into the gears if I can help it.”

“I’ll be the spotter.” He set his feet apart, seeming comfortable enough.

“Spotter?”

“It’s a sports term. You’re the athlete and I’m the person who stands nearby to catch you if you fall.” He was smiling that slow smile that started at the corners of his mouth and worked toward his eyes.

Sabrina nodded and ducked under the hood, swallowing back a sudden wave of emotion. It had been a very long time since anyone had been there to catch her. Even when her parents were alive, she had been the one responsible for interpreting for them, for talking to bosses and apartment managers. After her mother died, her dad’s drinking meant she was head of the household at sixteen. It was impossible to keep her little sister under control. By the time Rosa was twenty, she’d had two babies. Another year and she’d been gone, off to live with some guy she met on the internet, a guy who didn’t want the responsibility of kids.

Turning a wrench with a quick twist of her wrist, Sabrina tried to focus on the job at hand. Responsibility was her middle name. All work and no play was her motto. It was nice to think of having a partner, to not be the only one in charge, but in the end it was all up to her. Better to face that fact and not be disappointed. Plus, when fighting for custody, the court looked more kindly on a woman who was focused on the kids and not her social life.

“Do you carry all your tools in your trunk?” His voice came from somewhere right above her head.

“My trunk?” It was easier to talk this way, as if she was talking to the grumpy Hobart.

“Of your car.”

“Oh.” She dropped a few bolts into the tin near her foot. “I don’t have a car. We took the bus.”

There was a pause. Sabrina stared at the shiny blades of the peeler. She didn’t like taking the bus with two little girls at this hour of the night, but a job was a job, especially since the rent just went up. Again. There were only so many hours in the day. Soon it wouldn’t matter how much she worked—they would have to move to a smaller apartment in a tougher neighborhood.

“My nieces are pretty good about staying out of the tools, but thanks again for letting them play in the gym. When I was taking night classes, they sat in the hallway, right outside the open doorway of the classroom. It was tough, even with picture books and crafts. A few professors would let them sit in the back of the room, but they still had to be quiet.”

“Not a problem. They’re having a great time. In fact, they’re better than most of the regular team. Does their mom work at night?”

She reached for a rag to wipe off more potato sludge and said, “They live with me.” The whole story was too complicated for the moment. She hoped he understood that. The story of her childhood, her dad’s drinking and her sister’s wild life wasn’t something she shared with anybody outside of a court. Even then, it was humiliating to own the disaster of her family life and the poverty of her past. She needed to prove to the court she was the best one to take care of the girls. If they ended up in foster care, her heart would break.

“Interesting. I’ve never met a—”

With a loud clank, the tool slipped from her hand and rolled a few feet away. Sabrina closed her eyes, wishing she could click her heels and the chopper would be fixed. He’d never met a what? A single mother? A fractured family?

He stuck out one foot, not leaving his post by the heavy raised cover, and nudged the wrench back in her direction as if it was a soccer ball. “I’ve never met a professional juggler.”

She snorted. So he was funny as well as athletic and gorgeous. “Just a mediocre one, actually.”

“That’s the thing about juggling. It’s really impressive to the person watching.”

She couldn’t help smiling as the final gear came loose. Even though she usually worked in silence, it felt good to talk to someone older than Kassey. The kitchen sounds were soothing now, less frantic. She wondered if Marisol had sent some of the staff home, but she didn’t turn around to check. The clock was ticking.

“How did you decide to become a mechanic?”

Another swipe of the rag and the last half-peeled potato came out of the chopper. “I took classes.”

Jack laughed, a sound rich and deep. She felt it from the base of her skull all the way down her spine. “Before that. Did you know it was your calling?”

She shook out the rag and sat back for a second, meeting his gaze. “My calling?”

He nodded, his expression completely serious. “Your purpose in life, if you want to call it that.”

She dropped her gaze to the toolbox and kept her face straight as she searched for the locking pliers.

“You want to say something, but you’re too polite.”

Startled, she let out the laugh she’d been hiding. “True.”

“Go ahead, be honest. I can take it.” And for all his obvious strength, she wondered if he could. It took a lot more than muscles to handle honesty; it took maturity. He looked about her age, maybe a few years closer to thirty.

Sabrina drew in a breath and hoped she was being honest but not rude. Life was too short to be mean. “Finding your purpose in life sounds like something rich people worry about when they have a lot of options.”

His face didn’t change, but his gaze sharpened, as if he was seeing her for the first time. “And you don’t have options.”

“Not many. Not like that.” She ducked back under the hood and hoped that was the end of the conversation. She felt raw, as if he had stripped back layers of accumulated worry and anxiety. The question of purpose, of calling, was something she used to understand. But that was before Rosa had walked away and left her the mother to two little girls.

“You must have a few.”

“Sure,” she said, feeling a bead of sweat roll down the back of her neck as she worked at an old bolt. “I can fail or I can work harder.”

“Like the rest of us, then.” He wasn’t letting the question go and frustration flared inside her, just for a moment. Who was he to ask questions that were already answered? Who really cared why she was a mechanic?

She grabbed a can of industrial solvent and sprayed the inside of the stubborn part. The fumes were a reminder of the dirty, complicated job she did on a daily basis. She had to admit, she hadn’t chosen to be a mechanic because it seemed like fun.

Twisting the sharp steel disks deep in the machine, Sabrina felt his silence like a steady presence. It was the first time in years that anyone had really cared why she did what she did, let alone asked. She was the responsible one, the girl everyone could count on, the one who never dropped a ball.

Crawling out from under the hood, she stood with the wrench in one hand and a rusty bolt in the other. “I decided to be a mechanic because I love working with metal.” She waited for his look of confusion, for those dark brows to jerk up in surprise, for a deep laugh at the concept of loving something most people never even noticed.

“What kind of metal?” Jack’s expression was pure curiosity, nothing more.

“Brass, iron, aluminum. I used to love copper, but that was in my flashy phase.”

He was staring at her, eyes filled with something she couldn’t quite define. She ducked back under the hood. “I think once I get the inside put back together, it’s going to work. Seemed to be jammed.” She sure hoped it was a jam and not an engine failure. Marisol was going to have a breakdown if Easter brunch was postponed.

For once there was silence from Jack. She’d thought she wanted the peace, didn’t need the distraction, but she kept listening for the sound of his voice. His presence was distracting and comforting at the same time, and as her hands replaced part after part, she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to get to know him better, sometime when she wasn’t wearing coveralls and a hard hat. He probably had a girlfriend.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, Sabrina tried to focus on the stubborn old machine in front of her. She’d really been working too hard. Her emotions were a mess. All it took was one handsome guy paying her a bit of attention and care, and suddenly she was planning their next date. And she didn’t have the leisure to plan anything more than how to get custody of the girls. That was her sole aim and nothing was going to shake her focus.

It was imperative she show the courts she was steady, reliable and responsible. As soon as she was given custody, they’d find a cheaper place to live. They loved the apartment, true, but she couldn’t keep working around the clock like this. And she couldn’t move now or she might look unstable.

If it weren’t for Rosa and that no-good boyfriend... A flash of anger swept through her and she let out a deep breath, willing herself to focus on forgiveness.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jack standing there. He was so quiet. She wondered what he was thinking and then was irritated at herself for wondering. It didn’t matter what this guy thought of her. The only thing she could focus on right now was keeping the girls in the only family they’d known.

If they could just hang on a little longer, she would be their legal guardian and they could find another place. As it was, she was barely paying the bills. They were getting poorer by the month and something had to give. But it wasn’t going to be their little family; she would make sure of that.

* * *

Jack gripped the hood of the old chopper and stared into space. He had asked what he’d thought was a simple question about her life choices, but her answer hadn’t been what he’d expected. He’d assumed so much without realizing it. It had never been clearer to him that he was coasting along in life, hardly working for the things that he needed. Every door was open to him, but he was passing time in his father’s company and playing businessman. The young woman crouched by his feet had just knocked the breath out of him and didn’t even notice. He struggled to slow his pounding heart. He had been so sure that he wasn’t meant to work at the family company, and now, after one conversation in a noisy kitchen, he was seeing it from a whole new angle. He had stayed because of his dad’s heart attack, but Jack was easing his way out of the business just as his dad was getting better. But now he wondered, who was he to quit a well-paying job because he wasn’t particularly happy? So what if Bob from packaging and distributions had made him feel powerless?

The pettiness of it all made him sick to his stomach. This beautiful girl did what she could and didn’t complain about it, even as she scooped out rotting potato parts from old machines. Why? Because she was being a mother to two little girls who needed her. The utter selflessness of her story made him want to hang his head. He had wasted months dithering over whether to start a snowboarding company on Wolf Mountain, while families like hers were fighting to survive.

“Go ahead and lower the hood.” Sabrina scooted out from under the machine, grabbing the power cord. “I want to see if this crusty old thing will run. Say a prayer.”

Lowering the hood, he stepped back and watched her flip the switch. The engine roared to life and the kitchen erupted into cheers. Marisol flew at Sabrina, chattering in warp-speed Spanish, tears of happiness making tracks on her deeply lined brown cheeks. He couldn’t help but grin at the expression on Sabrina’s face. Half amusement, half relief.

She flipped the machine off and found her drill, making quick work of replacing the bolts. She stood up and looked over at him. “Thanks for your help. Marisol says she’s going to make you tamales.”

“Well, if I’d known there was a reward, I would have volunteered right away.” He pasted on a bright smile, hoping she couldn’t see how rattled he was by their conversation. As it was, she just laughed and brushed off the knees of her coveralls.

“Would you let the girls know we’ve got to get going? I’ll just clean up here and be right out.” She took off the hard hat and started gathering her tools.

“Will do.” He turned to the gym, feeling as if his legs were made of lead. In all his prayers over God’s purpose for his life, as he’d struggled over how to find happiness, he had never once considered that he should just work harder at his job.

A ten-minute conversation with a woman in coveralls had given him a dose of reality. He glanced back, watching her carefully replace her tools in the green metal box. With her fragile features and dark hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, she looked like any other young woman, but the resolute set of her jaw belied the strength inside. She did what she had to do.

Who was he to walk away from that much money when other people were struggling? Finding your purpose sounds like something rich people worry about when they have a lot of options. Her words echoed around his head, making his worry seem selfish and small.

Jack watched Kassey and Gabby kick the soccer ball back and forth. Joyous and carefree, they were happy because of Sabrina. His father was happy he worked at the family company. Maybe it didn’t really matter how useful he was. Maybe his purpose wasn’t tied to his occupation. Maybe it was a state of being. Generosity, sacrifice and hard work made people happy, not the job.

He let out a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. It would be months before his dad was well enough to put in a full day as head of the company. He would take it one day at a time. Maybe Sabrina’s way was better and putting his own happiness a little farther down the list of priorities would give him peace. He didn’t have anything to lose. Anything had to be better than pretending to love life as the company puppet.

* * *

“Tía Sabrina, we want to join the team!” Kassey ran across the gym floor with her arms open wide, glossy black hair falling out of her pigtails. Her grin was so wide Sabrina could see all her little teeth. She wrapped herself around Sabrina’s waist and beamed up with the perfect confidence of a child.

“We do, we do!” Gabby added her voice to the pleading, tiny hands pulling on Sabrina’s pant leg.

“I think the soccer team is for the mission children.” She felt the familiar sting of having to say no and wished for once, just once, it could be different. She rubbed a hand over Kassey’s hair, feeling the strands flow through her fingers like water.

Jack walked toward them, a soccer ball under one arm. The rest of the children were being met by their parents and excited voices filled the echoing space. “Actually, any children can join. We started our own team here because the residents have trouble getting to the city league practices. And we do have a few openings.”

Setting down her toolbox on the polished gym floor, she glanced up into those bright blue eyes and searched for words. Any words. She wanted to nod and agree, but she couldn’t. She had to explain that there was no way she afford sports equipment on top of school supplies, no way she could bring the girls to practice at the mission every day while taking evening jobs, and absolutely no way she could handle one more task in her life. She just couldn’t.

He went on, his deep voice carrying easily through the noise around them. “We only have practice twice a week, Thursday and Friday. All the equipment is paid for through a special grant organized by one of the local churches.”

“Please?” Kassey managed to make the word into several syllables while her voice rose two octaves.

“I don’t know, sweetie. We just have so much going on...” Her voice trailed off at the look on her niece’s face. Disappointment, then a brave attempt to blink back tears.

“Okay.” Kassey nodded and took Gabby’s hand. They stood quietly, waiting to go home.

Sabrina sighed. They had sacrificed so much, had lost everything once before. If they had whined and fussed, it would be easier to say no. But that quiet strength tugged at her heart. She turned to Jack, narrowing her eyes. “Tell me the truth. What kind of time commitment is this? And is it really no charge? The equipment is free, but are there team fees? Game fees? Travel fees?”

“Two practices a week. Games on Saturday afternoon at the inside field on Stanton. Everything free.” He didn’t glance at the girls or encourage them at all, and she was thankful for that. He was giving her space to consider, letting her make the decision without any pressure.

“So, they need to try out? What if one gets in but not the other?” She crossed her arms. Stanton Avenue wasn’t far from their apartment. She could walk them down there. No fees and maybe the schedule would work, but these two girls had feelings she needed to consider, too.

He leaned close, dropping his voice. She caught the light scent of soap and masculinity. “We don’t really have tryouts. The kids come and we sign them up. Everybody learns together.” He stood back and the corners of his lips turned up, as if they were sharing a secret.

Heat crept up her neck and she dropped her gaze to Kassey’s hopeful eyes. This was about the girls, not the coach, although her brain was gibbering something about how seeing Jack two times a week could be very interesting. Maybe she wouldn’t even stink of rotten potato peel next time. “Homework will always have to be done first. And you have to be team players. And help each other.”

They both let out tiny shrieks of happiness. “We will, we promise!” Matching pairs of dark eyes shone with joy and Sabrina savored the feeling of being the hero for once. She was always the one who had to say no. But not today.

“Thank you.” The words came out huskier than she’d intended. Her throat felt tight and she swallowed away the sudden emotion. “It’s been a long time since they’ve gotten to do something really fun.”

“No problem.” He laid a hand on Kassey’s shoulder, face serious. “Next practice is Thursday. You two are saving the team. We were short a few players and now we’ll have enough alternates that no one will get too tired out during the game.” He was speaking to them as if they were newly acquired star players.

Their expression of wide-eyed glee made her breath catch. There were caring teachers at school and sweet Mrs. Guzman from upstairs. But there was a hole in their lives where a mom and dad should be. She was determined to keep them together as a family, but she knew what she gave them wasn’t always enough. She did her best to fill a mom’s shoes, but this kind of validation, from someone like Jack, meant more than she’d realized.

Chapter Two

The shrill sound of a whistle cut through her thoughts. “Hey, I’ll be back.” Jack jogged off to the other side of the gym and started to round up the straggling kids into the group. Sabrina watched his easy stride, the generous smile and wondered what it was about him that made her think he was a little restless. As if there was too much energy for one body, or he had other plans for the rest of the evening.

Actually, he probably did. A guy like that wouldn’t be unattached. She shrugged off the curiosity and tried to focus on the excited chatter from her nieces.

“We’ll work really hard,” Gabby said, lapsing into Spanish as soon as Jack left.

“We promise.” Kassey was so earnest that Sabrina almost laughed. Usually she preferred they speak Spanish only at home, but she didn’t correct them. It made her smile just to see how thrilled they were at the idea of running drills and practicing kicks. They knew the custody hearing was coming up in two months and they were as nervous as she was. Nervous and worried and unsure of what the future held. This would give them something to do besides worry.

“I know you will. I have no doubt.” She gathered them to her, one on each side. “You always make me proud.” Leaning down to kiss one small head, then another, she knew that whether or not they scored a single goal, being on the team would be a gift to their self-esteem. Lord, as always, You are full of surprises.

Sabrina glanced back toward Jack, watching him chat easily with the parents who’d arrived to collect their kids. He seemed to be one of those people who made friends with everyone, anywhere, anytime. Even knowing that, she couldn’t shake the memory of how it felt to talk with him. She felt heard, for the first time in a long time. Maybe that’s why she’d talked about how she loved metal and machinery. It certainly wasn’t something she shared every day. Or at all, really. Of course, no one had ever asked her why she wasn’t a secretary or a preschool teacher, something more feminine. She’d heard plenty of comments in the past two years. Some people thought it was cute, some people thought it was weird and a lot of people thought it was a man’s job. But no one had ever asked her why.

Gabby was speed talking her way through a wish list of soccer gear and Sabrina nodded, not really listening. Jack seemed so full of energy, so much more alive than anyone around him. What was it about him that made her want to stop and take a deep breath, to shrug off her massive schedule for just one moment and do something fun?

He met her gaze across the gym and she turned away, embarrassed to be caught staring. Whatever the reason she’d shared her past, it was a sure sign that she needed to get out more. One short conversation and she was overthinking her life. It didn’t matter why she did the job she did and it certainly didn’t matter what he thought about her.

She had one goal, and that was to get legal custody of the girls. To do that, she needed to keep them afloat, pay the rent on time and look like a responsible parent. Maybe when it was all over she could think about her own needs. For now, she just had to keep her head down and do what needed to be done, and that included avoiding Mr. Deep Thoughts. As cute as he was, she wasn’t going to be having another heart-to-heart with Jack Thorne again anytime soon.

* * *

“Gavin will be over in a minute to talk to you. He’s the other coach and has the schedule for next week,” Jack said. He must have startled Sabrina, because she jumped at the sound of his voice. “And some waivers to sign. You’re their legal guardian?”

“Temporary. There’s a hearing soon and we’re hoping it will be settled by the time summer starts. They want to give my sister the chance to contest the motion. Every time they set a date, Rosa says she’s coming back for the hearing, but then she’ll ask to postpone it. This is the last time she can ask to retain her rights, and I don’t think she’ll show up.” Her face was stoic but there was an old sadness in her eyes. One hand smoothed Gabby’s dark hair in an absentminded motion.

He wanted to say something but wasn’t sure what. Congratulations didn’t seem right.

“Tía, you should help. You love soccer.” Gabby tugged on her aunt’s hand.

“Yes, you should,” Kassey chimed in. “Coach Jack, she played on a soccer team, too.”

“Did you? We need another coach here.” Jack grabbed at that fact like a drowning man. They could talk soccer. That was a safe subject.

“Only in high school. It wasn’t anything.”

“On a team?” Gavin returned from the supply closet. “We really do need someone, especially someone who can speak Spanish. Some of the newer residents have trouble following the directions and Jack’s Spanish isn’t up to speed.”

Jack resisted giving Gavin a casual punch on the arm. The man knew a few words and thought he was fluent.

Sabrina laughed and the sound stopped Jack in his tracks. She was so beautiful. He’d already known that, but when she laughed, it was as if a light had been turned on inside and she shone for the world to see.

“I suppose if you need a token Spanish speaker, I could lend a hand. I’ll be here anyway since we take the bus back and forth.”

“So?” Gavin’s voice held laughter.

“So, what?” Jack turned, frowning.

“I asked you what you thought. Should we nominate Sabrina for coach status?” Gavin was chuckling now, not even bothering to hide his amusement. “Looks like we lost you somewhere along in this conversation.”

Sabrina’s brows drew down. She said, “You know, it’s really okay. If you don’t think it’s a good idea—”

“No, I think it’s a great idea.”

“Then it’s settled. Welcome, Coach Sabrina,” Gavin said.

She grinned. “Thanks.”

“Jack.” He turned his head and saw Jose winding his way through the gym. The stocky man’s dark skin couldn’t hide the tattoos visible from biceps to wrist, but his red polo was neatly pressed. Grant had all the mission staff wear a uniform, mostly for simplicity, but it also was a sign to the residents of who was an official staff member. “Are you teaching snowboarding classes this spring? My nephew wants to learn.”

“Not right now. Probably not until October.” It killed Jack to say it, but snowboarding was on hold. Actually, his entire plan of launching a business of snowboarding clinics up on the mountain was in limbo.

Jack glanced at Sabrina and saw her eyes flick to Jose’s tattoos. He could understand her wariness, especially if she knew the meanings behind the markings. Jose had turned his life around, but his body still bore the marks of a life on the streets. “Jose, this is Sabrina Martinez.”

He held out a hand with a wide smile. “I’m the intake specialist. Mostly paperwork. Very boring.”

“Oh,” she said, and then recovered quickly. Jack could tell she was surprised that Jose was staff and not a resident. “Nice to meet you.”

Jose turned back to Jack. “Well, if you change your mind, I’ve got a ten-year-old who’s nagging me to death for lessons.” He started for the cafeteria door.

“If I could save you from that, I would,” Jack answered a little wistfully. He would love to be spending all his time up on the mountain instead of behind a desk.

“Look, there’s the director.” Jack waved an arm and called, “Grant, would you like to meet our newest team members?”

The dark-haired director carried his little boy in his arms, his red tie wrapped firmly in the toddler’s fist. “Sabrina, I should have warned you about Jack and his ability to draw people into the team.” His voice was layered with good humor. “And these two young ladies seem to be the very players we needed. God sent you to us just in time.”

Kassey and Gabby smiled shyly. Jack caught Sabrina’s gaze and he winked. Between Gavin’s princesa comment and Grant’s directorial blessing, these two were going to pop with happiness. He loved this nonpaying job more than anything he’d ever done as a VP. In a world that seemed cold and ugly, all of this attention was just what the girls needed.

“Sabrina, tell me you fixed the old Hobart. I’m afraid to go in there. Marisol might eat me alive, so I’m bringing Gabriel for protection,” Grant said.

“Abuelita!” The little baby crowed the word and pointed to the kitchen. His blue eyes were fixed on the entrance as if Marisol would exit at any moment.

“See? He knows where he can find her. In a moment, buddy.” Grant’s smile faded and his heavy brows drew down. “Either the machine was too broken to fix or it was a simple cleanup job. Please tell me it was the latter.”

“I took off the front panel and cleaned out the pieces. All the slicers looked fine, but there was half a potato jammed into the main hopper. All it needed was a little industrial solvent, a bit of degreaser and—” she glanced at Jack “—a spotter. Seems to be running okay now.”

Relief filled Grant’s eyes. “Wonderful. You’re worth your weight in gold. And not just because those machines cost twenty thousand dollars.”

She snorted. “I think your gratitude has more to do with Marisol and it being two days before Easter.”

“How right you are.” Grant ducked his head as Gabriel ran a chubby hand through his dad’s hair. It stood up straight on one side and Kassey giggled at the sight.

“Your baby is fixing your hair,” she told Grant.

“He likes to do that. He’s trying to make me into a rock star.” Grant pretended to devour Gabriel’s hand and the little boy giggled.

“My aunt says mohawks are weird,” Kassey went on.

“No way,” Jack said, pretending to be astonished.

Gabby giggled and nudged her sister.

Jack raised an eyebrow at them. “You think I should try one?”

“No,” she said, her voice soft. “Not that. What you said, my aunt doesn’t let us say that. She says we use too much slang, like her friend Maya.”

“No way!” He opened his eyes wide. The girls responded with muffled laughter and delighted grins.

Sabrina’s face was pinker than before, if possible. “They’re making me sound like a tyrant.”

“Not at all. My grandmother hates slang, so I can understand those rules.”

“Gabriel, there you are.” Marisol came toward the group, arms outstretched. The little boy held out his hands in response and Grant passed him over to be covered in kisses. “There’s my boy. So big, so tall!”

Grant tilted his head at them and whispered loudly, “I never get any attention anymore. It’s Gabriel this and Gabriel that. Like I don’t even exist.”

“Mentiroso, I give you lots of attention. And you ignore me. I tell you to cut your hair last week and you don’t listen.” She turned a critical gaze on him and clucked her tongue. Gabriel giggled at the sound and held a small hand to her mouth.

“Calista likes it a bit long in the back,” Grant said, shrugging.

“And that’s what happens when you get married.” Jack ran a hand through his own dark hair, cut short on the side and just a bit longer in the front. As active as he was, he didn’t want to have to fuss with his hair all the time. “You don’t even get to choose your own haircut.”

“Is that why you date every girl in town?” Marisol’s tone was light but her eyes missed nothing. “Always dating, never married. One date and then the girl is just a friend. Why? You like your hair so much? When you are old and it all falls out, then you will have no wife and no hair, either.”

Surprised laughter burst from Sabrina and she tried to cover it with a cough.

“I just haven’t found the right one, Mari. I admit, I’m picky.” That, and he was never sure if they liked him for who he was, or the fact he was the vice president of Colorado Supplements. “But I can never have too many friends, right?”

“Friends, friends.” Marisol’s dark eyes rolled heavenward. “There are better things than friends. Look at this baby. I’m sure your parents are waiting for grandchildren.”

“Well, Evie and Gavin can help them out there.” He tried not to look concerned. And he wasn’t, really. His parents had never really seemed excited about grandchildren. He glanced at Sabrina and saw her smile had slipped a bit. Marisol was making him out to be some sort of playboy who was determined never to have a family of his own.

Grant lifted a finger as if to halt the back-and-forth. “Marisol, is Easter brunch on schedule? Or should we put it back a week? We can still have the Easter egg hunt after the service, of course.”

“No, everything is going to be fine. I am so happy all the kids will have Easter. Sweet little ones. Such joy.” Her tanned face creased with a peaceful smile.

“Watching Sabrina work was absolutely impressive,” Jack said. “We should get rid of that old statue out front and put up a monument to Sabrina the mechanic. It would be much more inspiring.”

He felt his grin falter as he caught sight of Sabrina’s face. The look she was giving him was a few levels short of overwhelming gratitude. Did she think he was being sarcastic? He was teasing about the statue, but he’d meant his original compliment to be taken seriously. She locked eyes with him and one slim eyebrow arched.

Not knowing what else to say, Jack tried to look as innocent as possible. Those beautiful brown eyes narrowed. He wasn’t making it better. He didn’t quite understand the emotions that crossed her face, but he wanted to, more than he had wanted anything in a long time. Something about this dark-eyed woman with the soft accent tugged at him. The noise in the gym seemed to fade away as their gazes held.

He cleared his throat and looked away. No matter how intriguing she was, he didn’t have the freedom to do anything about it. His life was a complicated mess. With his dad recovering from his heart attack, Jack needed to focus on the family company. Plus, he was having a little professional crisis of his own. A woman like Sabrina wouldn’t give a minute of her time to a man who didn’t even know whether he wanted to quit his own job or not. Maybe after he was sure the company was on track, his dad was back at the helm and he’d solved his own personal problems, he could ask her to dinner. But not now, not yet.

* * *

She couldn’t figure this guy out. On the outside he was just like all the rich, privileged kids she’d known in high school. He had the confidence that came with knowing whatever he tried would be a success. Guys like Jack were born halfway to the finish line and no one questioned that they would do well in life. Girls like Sabrina were born already late for the race.

But what she saw in Jack’s eyes was something totally different. When he’d said she was impressive, she was sure he’d been making fun of her. Not that she cared. She was used to the snide comments and wisecracks over being a woman mechanic. She’d started to give him the death stare...and realized he’d been paying her a compliment. All her anger slid into a mass of confusion. This guy, who looked like so many guys she’d known and avoided like the plague, might just be different. In the space of one hour, he had found out more about her than anyone else she’d met in the past few years. She spent her time trying to keep her private life out of the way, out of sight. He certainly cared enough to talk to her like a human being. Was she becoming one of those people who made snap judgments, just on appearance? Sabrina hated being pigeonholed just because she was Hispanic and a woman, but maybe she was just as guilty as everyone else.

“I’m glad Easter brunch will happen.” It wasn’t quite a thank-you for the compliment, but it would have to do. As she spoke, her heart felt as though it was lifting, expanding.

“You saved Easter, mija,” Marisol said.

“I’m telling you, the girl needs her own mural. At the very least, a plaque,” Jack said. That teasing grin appeared again and suddenly Sabrina couldn’t help wishing, just for a moment, that she was the kind of girl he might be interested in asking out on a date. In the next moment, she forced herself back to reality. It was ridiculous to spend a second dreaming about Jack. Even if they weren’t from the opposite ends of the cultural spectrum, she couldn’t be anybody’s girlfriend right now. Kassey and Gabby came first. Full stop.

Grabbing her toolbox, she brushed back her hair with a free hand. “It’s late and the girls need to get to bed. We’ll get these forms back to you. See you next Thursday.” She turned on her heel.

“Wait!” Jack’s voice made her pause midstep. “Aren’t you coming to Easter brunch? You fixed the Hobart. You should be here to enjoy the feast.”

Sabrina frowned. They must look like all the other mission residents, sort of scraggly and poor. She self-consciously touched her ponytail. It had been years since she’d had her hair professionally cut. She scoured the secondhand shops, trying to keep the girls looking tidy even if they didn’t have new clothes. Or maybe he thought they didn’t have anywhere else to go because they were a broken family. Sabrina glanced down into the hopeful eyes of her nieces and let out a breath. As much as she wanted to deny it, he was right. They didn’t have anywhere to go. Mrs. Guzman from upstairs was going to her daughter’s house for Easter and this little family would be all alone.

“Sure, we’ll be here,” she said. The girls gripped her arms and squealed with excitement. Sabrina rolled her eyes at their response but couldn’t help smiling a little. It was a homeless mission, but it was the friendliest place she’d been in a long time. It wouldn’t hurt to spend Easter here if it made them happy.

“Wonderful,” Grant said. “There’s always room for more at the table.”

Marisol beamed at Jack. “I forgive you for wanting to be everyone’s friend. You help bring us all together for Easter.”

“Glad to help.” Jack was speaking to Marisol, but his gaze was on Sabrina. He rocked back on his heels for a second, looking pleased with himself. It made him look about five years old and it was absolutely adorable.

Sabrina forced herself to turn away, calling a farewell over her shoulder. It was nice to think of spending Easter somewhere other than their apartment and even nicer not to have to worry about finding something special to cook on their nonexistent budget. They would go to the early service, have a great meal at the mission, say hi to Marisol and the girls could feel as if it had been a real Easter.

She wouldn’t have to worry about navigating around Jack and his heart-stopping smile because people like him didn’t celebrate Easter in a shelter. He would be surrounded by family—parents and siblings and grandparents. If only it could be that way for the two little girls who trailed behind her on the way out of the gym. Sabrina’s stomach twisted a little at the thought and she brushed off the jealousy.

But she’d had her fill of if-only moments and she was determined that Kassey and Gabby would be able to depend on her, not someone with her head in the clouds. She would show the judge that she was stable and loving enough to be their legal guardian, and they would be a permanent family. It wasn’t perfect—these sweet girls should have a mom and a dad—but Sabrina would have to do. She was all they had. She would do everything in her power to keep them all together, to raise them in faith and shower them with love.

Any gaps left over, God would have to step in. There wasn’t anybody else.

Chapter Three

“Hold on. I thought you were quitting as soon as Dad was well enough to come back full-time.” Evie sat up ramrod straight in the chair across from her twin and arched a brow. Jack knew that look and pretended he didn’t see it.

The morning sun was blazing through the window and the office seemed about ten degrees too warm. Jack pulled at his tie, wishing he was on Wolf Mountain at that very minute. It had snowed four inches that morning, and the boarding on Horseshoe Bowl would be phenomenal. But he was being good and was at work, like a responsible man.

“I am. Just not quite yet. I’m playing it by ear.” His mahogany desk was polished so brightly he could see his reflection. He shuffled a few papers.

“Not yet? You’ve been unhappily employed for five long years, planned the big exit, plotted out a new business venture and now it’s not yet?” She leaned forward. “Getting cold feet? I’ll be there. Gavin will be there. You won’t have to do this alone.”

“Thank you.” He meant it. Evie was closer to him than any other person, and he couldn’t think of making such a huge change without her input. “But I had a sort of revelation and think I should give it another try.”

There was a small pause. She looked as if she was choosing her words. “May I ask how this revelation came about?”

Jack snorted. Leave it to her to cut to the chase. Not the why, but the how. “Just talking to a friend yesterday and I realized that I had always treated this job like it was an option, not a necessity.”

She shook her head, dark hair the color of his own brushing her shoulders, blue eyes the same shade as his narrowed in thought. “We’ll get back to that idea, but first, which friend?”

“A new friend.”

“Girl?”

“Not a girlfriend.” He waved a hand as if to say that was silly to even ask, even though he had to admit the thought had crossed his mind. More than crossed it. The thought had walked in and set up camp in a corner.

“Tell me about this not-a-girlfriend girl.” She leaned back, arms over her chest. She managed to look completely uninterested, but he knew her better than that. She was going to get all the details, sooner or later. Probably sooner.

“The mission mechanic who was working on the chopper. Marisol asked me to help. We were just talking.” He shrugged, hoping that would end the interrogation.

“And in five minutes you scrapped the plans you’ve made so carefully, for another, what, ten years of this?”

He winced. Ten years. The very thought made him want to run from the office, out the door, down the stairs and into the sunshine. “It was more than five minutes.”

“I want to meet this girl mechanic.”

“It really doesn’t have anything to do with her.” Right? He stared at his hands, remembering the grease under her nails, the softness of her skin.

“Amazing. She must have really helped you understand this decision and be great at giving advice.” Evie’s voice was light, but she wasn’t smiling.

He sighed. “I didn’t tell her anything about my life. We talked about her job.” Now that it came down to it, he didn’t even know if he could explain. “It was more than that. She’s taking care of her little nieces. I got the feeling there wasn’t anybody else around to help. It made me realize that I don’t carry a lot of responsibility, but I sure whine like I do.”

Evie leaned across the desk and gripped his hand. “Just because someone else doesn’t have the choices you do, that doesn’t mean you have to suffer. I understand the guilt, I really do. But there are better ways to contribute to the world than by making yourself unhappy.”

“I know that. But I wonder how hard I’ve been trying.” He looked up, feeling the residual humility of seeing his choices in a new light. “Really trying, not just wasting time. I wanted to get some numbers on the production costs here locally and asked a few questions. Bob Barrows shot me down and I just...walked away, thinking of how soon I could get out of here.”

“You don’t have a lot of power, just a title. What else can you do?”

“I’m the vice president of the company. I can act like it for once.” Resolve had been building ever since that conversation with Sabrina in the kitchen and it stiffened his back. “I emailed Bob this morning for the numbers. I want to make sure our local packagers are keeping costs as low as possible. The numbers have gone up for the sixth month in a row. Something’s off and I want to know what.”

Evie leaned back in her chair. “I don’t understand how one conversation can make you rethink your plans. But whatever you decide, I’m behind you.” She paused, biting her lip. “Just make sure you’re not acting out of guilt. We can’t help which family we’re born into.”

“But I’ve sure spent a lot of time complaining, rather than using it to my advantage.”

Her eyes went a bit wider. “You’ve never wanted much to do with the family business. Now you’re ready to take on responsibility? Maybe Dad shouldn’t be trying to come back as president after all.”

“Come on, Evie.” He laughed but it sounded strained to his own ears. He wasn’t interested in being the president of the company, he was sure of it. But he’d like to be a better vice president.

“Will this girl be at the mission on Sunday?”

He blinked, trying to follow her train of thought, then nodded. “I think so. But if you and Grandma Lili pounce on her, she won’t have any idea why. What’s going on with me and this job has nothing to do with her.”

“I never pounce.” Evie rolled her eyes. “I just want to meet her. Usually you shrug off criticism. It’s odd to see you give so much weight to someone else’s opinion.”

“I’m telling you, we didn’t talk about me at all.”

“Then listening to her sad story gave you an early midlife crisis?” His sister was a kind person, but she didn’t have a lot of patience for whiners.

“I was already having a crisis. Maybe she just gave me some perspective.” He rubbed his temples. “And sure, she’s one of those people who has a sad story, but you have to pull it out of them. It wasn’t volunteered.”

Evie considered that for a moment. “Now I really want to meet her.”

He blew out a sigh. “Fine. But let’s keep our family business out of it.”

She grabbed her purse and stood up. “No comments, I promise. I’ve got to get back to the paper and hear what the lawyers have to say about our slave-labor series.”

“You’ve been chasing that story for years. I don’t see why the lawyers won’t let you run something already.”

Her blue eyes turned somber. “It makes me angry every time they catch another group. It’s always by accident, always just a few people kept against their will. And the workers say they were moved over and over, different buildings, lots of guards, rotating groups. We know it’s big and it’s here, right in our own city.”

“Isn’t there enough from the police reports to back up the series?”

She shook her head. “We can run a few small articles, and we have. But this series is different. It takes a lot of information from sources we can’t identify, mostly for their own safety. The lawyers are there to make sure we don’t get sued, but I sure hate having to take that advice.”

“Do you think they’ll give it the okay this time?”

“Not a chance.” Her tone was nonchalant, but her expression was dejected. “But I have to try. There are people in modern-day slavery, right here.”

“I’m proud to be your brother, you know that?”

Her face flashed surprise, then pleasure. “Thank you, and ditto.” She reached the door and turned. “Whatever you decide, I’m behind it. You know that.”

Nodding, he didn’t try to say anything. As the door closed, he swallowed hard. Theirs wasn’t a perfect family, by any stretch of the imagination. Their father was distant and consumed by running the business. Their mother was sweet but distracted by anything that offered a spot on a committee. It had always been that way, as long as he could remember.

Evie had been his cheerleader, his confidante, his voice of reason when he got a crazy new idea. When Evie had fallen in love with his best friend, he hadn’t been worried about losing either one. He’d been thrilled. Gavin was perfect for her.

He wanted what they had, someday. Sabrina’s face flashed through his mind, startling him. Evie had asked a lot of questions, and not the ones he’d been expecting. Certainly not the ones he could answer right now. He pushed the unsettling feelings away.

He stretched his arms over his head, feeling the muscles burn, not used to sitting at a desk for hours at a time. Starting today, he was going to put everything he had into his job. No more soul-searching over finding his purpose. The fact that he was born into this family, and given this job, should be good enough. Of course, he had some serious catching up to do. Proving his value at the company would be an uphill battle after the years of doing the absolute minimum required. And his first task was getting Bob Barrows to cough up those production numbers.

* * *

“But you said the rent change would go into effect on the first of next month.” Sabrina struggled to keep her voice level, but her hands were shaking.

Mr. Snyder shook his head and spoke slowly, as if to a child. “You misunderstood me. I was very clear that the rent would be raised immediately. English can be a tough language to learn.” He shifted his feet, shiny shoes squeaking on the polished tile of the apartment building foyer.

She was momentarily speechless. Sure, English was her second language, but she’d learned it almost twenty years ago when she entered kindergarten. The only thing she had misunderstood was Mr. Snyder’s determination to evict her.

“So, if the rent hike went into effect right away, what do I owe?” Again, she kept her voice calm, as if she really had anything left to give him. Last month it had been a change in the electric bill that meant two hundred dollars for “upgrades.” Then a few weeks later it was a maintenance fee for the small patch of scrub that passed for the lawn. Every resident was now paying fifty dollars a month for upkeep of the “courtyard.”

“Two hundred and fifty dollars.” He watched her face intently, his watery blue eyes barely visible behind the dirty lenses of his glasses.

“Okay.” Sabrina felt despair rise in her throat. Their savings would take a real hit. “When do you need it?”

“Now.” He paused, as if reconsidering. His long fingers fiddled with the zipper on his windbreaker. “But the biggest change is going to be next month. The building is being signed over to a new company and they want a deposit.”

“But I paid a deposit when I moved in! I have the receipt. Seven hundred dollars for a cleaning deposit and first and last month’s rent. You can’t charge me another deposit.” She tried to breathe past the lump of pure panic in her throat.

“Don’t yell at me. I can tell you to get out at any time.” His expression was a combination of annoyance and triumph. “I’m trying to do the right thing and give you fair warning.”

Fair warning...Sabrina put a hand to her eyes and fought to stay calm. All she wanted was to give her nieces a good home, somewhere safe and near a good school, but more than all of that was the need to appear stable. She couldn’t be moving before the custody hearing. Tears burned at the back of her eyes and she gulped in a breath. But unless money fell from the sky, she was going to have to find another place. Maybe they could move quickly, so that they’d be settled by the time the court date came around.

She dropped her hand and met his gaze. “I don’t think I can do that. So next month will be our last month.” At least she wouldn’t have to pay rent. But how she could ever come up with another deposit was a topic she couldn’t even approach yet.

“You mean this month.” His lips thinned out in a smile.

“I paid the rent a few weeks ago. I paid the last month’s rent when I moved in.” She ticked off the facts, knowing that Mr. Snyder wasn’t being reasonable, but still hoping that this wasn’t happening.

“Remember, the new owners want another deposit. Without it, you’ll have to move at the end of this month.”

Not even three weeks to find another apartment, to save up the money, to prepare the girls. Sabrina couldn’t think past the gibbering fear in her head. She turned on her heel and made her way to the stairs. The blood pounding in her ears muffled Mr. Snyder’s last words.

She trudged up the stairs, unseeing. Mrs. Guzman was watching Gabby and Kassey until she got home, probably letting them watch one of the telenovelas on the Spanish cable channel. A lot of shooting, crying, singing and kissing went on. Mrs. Guzman thought they were fun entertainment, nothing harmful. Sabrina thought they were tacky and sent a terrible message, especially to young girls, but nothing she said could convince Mrs. Guzman to turn it off when the girls were there. Just one more place in her life where she didn’t have control.

She stopped on the landing and closed her eyes, leaning against the wall. Mr. Snyder was gouging the residents on the rent. He’d promised to give her a letter that showed the owner’s change in the rental policy, but never had. What could she do to fight it? She didn’t even know where to start.

“Are you okay?” A woman’s voice cut into her thoughts and she stood up straight.

“Sure, just tired.” She tried to smile a little, hoping the pretty blonde newlywed from downstairs wouldn’t think she was crazy. Angie and her husband had moved in a few months ago and seemed to be wonderful tenants. Young professionals who had a dinner party or two, nothing too loud. They were friendly and polite, always saying hi.

Angie’s husband followed her out their apartment, his brown hair smooth and tidy. “Hey, there. I saw your girls going upstairs today. They were giggling up a storm.” He grinned, showing perfect teeth.

“Sounds like them.” Those girls could wake the dead with their giggling fits. “What do you think of the rent changes?”

Angie looked at her husband. “Chad, did you hear anything about rent changes?”

“No. Nothing since we arrived.” His brow was furrowed. “We signed a year lease, so I don’t think they can change the terms.”

“So did I. Mr. Snyder just said, on top of the electrical and the courtyard fee, there’s a new deposit and a rent increase.”

A long silence followed. Chad exchanged a look with Angie, then cleared his throat. “We don’t have those fees. And I just saw him this morning and he never said anything about a new deposit.”

Sabrina felt the blood rushing to her head. She swayed on her feet and put out a hand to steady herself against the wall. “Wait, the new fees, you don’t...” She couldn’t finish her sentence.

“I can ask him,” Chad said, his expression serious. “There must be some explanation. You shouldn’t be paying fees that we aren’t.”

Her shoulders slumped. No, she shouldn’t, but it was very likely that she was. In Mr. Snyder’s world, people like Sabrina didn’t live in apartment buildings like his. People like Angie and Chad did, though.

“Sure, you’re right.” Her voice held no conviction. “I have to go pick up the girls. I’ll see you two later.” She pulled her lips up in what she hoped passed for a smile and moved back toward the stairs.

She’d had a bad feeling when Mr. Snyder had made a new sign for the front of the apartment building. The old green sign reading Park Plaza had been reworked into something sleeker, more upscale. A bronze plaque attached to the building was understated and elegant, a visible marker of the changes the building was going to make, inside and out.

Mrs. Guzman had bemoaned the new fees but had already mentioned how she wanted to move in with her son and his family. Since Mr. Guzman passed away, she hadn’t liked living alone. She wasn’t the world’s greatest babysitter, but she enjoyed the girls’ company and appreciated their happy energy. Sabrina groaned. She hadn’t thought of finding new child care, too. Moving would be hard enough, but who would watch the girls after school? Her working hours would be cut down even further. Sabrina had brought them to work a few times, to places like the mission, but it just wasn’t appropriate to be taking them across the city on different jobs.

Oh, Lord, please help me take care of them. She fought back a wave of despair. How had everything gone so wrong, so quickly?

She tried to think logically. They had always made it through before. It would be tight for a few months. She’d have to pick up as many repair jobs as she could in the next few weeks. Her mind raced. Besides the amount of money she’d need and the few weeks she had to find a new apartment, it also had to be the sort of place the judge would think was good for the girls.

Pausing before she knocked on Mrs. Guzman’s door, she inhaled deeply and tried to look as if everything was perfectly fine. Gabby and Kassey didn’t need to carry this burden. She would have to find some way to prepare them for the move, but at the right time, when she was calm. There was a lot to do before then.

The first item on the list would be finding a place for them to live.

* * *

“Thank you for picking me up, Jack.” Grandma Lili squeezed his hand.

“My pleasure.” Jack smiled down at the older lady who seemed to adopt anyone within ten feet of her. He was thrilled that his sister, Evie, and Gavin had fallen in love and gotten married, but he hadn’t realized that he’d get a grandmother out of the deal.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t offer to serve?” Grandma Lili gazed around at the packed cafeteria. Tables were pulled into squares and covered with white tablecloths. The centerpiece on each one was a cheery bouquet of paper daffodils and tulips, obviously made by the mission kids. The place echoed with laughter and snatches of conversation. “There are so many people waiting.”

“Grant said they had more than enough servers when I asked on Friday. As for the line, I think they’re going to have us go one table at a time.” Jack pointed at the corner, where a group had started lining up for the Easter brunch. The smell of mashed potatoes, biscuits, ham, green beans and pie was making his stomach growl. Breakfast had been hours before the church service and it was nearly noon already.

“Should we find a seat?” Grandma Lili started toward the far side of the gymnasium, but Jack put a hand on her arm.

“Evie said they had already staked out a place for us. We just need to find them.” How they were going to find anybody in this crowd was beyond him. And he had to admit that he wasn’t focusing completely on looking for Gavin and Evie. He hoped to see another guest here, someone who had weighed on his mind for the past few days.

“Over here, you two!” Gavin waved an arm, catching their attention from across the room. He looked like his usual self, ready for a day at the office, except for a tie patterned with Easter eggs. Evie smiled at them from a table populated by a few older folks and a young couple. As the editor of a local paper, her work attire was often a black suit, but today she’d exchanged it for a light flowered wrap dress. Jack couldn’t help but smile at the happiness that radiated from her face. His sister had carried a heavy burden for years, and Gavin’s love had convinced her to lay it down. Jack would never get tired of seeing her like this, absolutely in love with life.

Grandma Lili and Jack made their way through the crowds to the table at the far wall. “You made me an Easter basket?” Jack leaned over Evie’s shoulder and inspected one of the two white baskets. “I don’t see a lot of chocolate in here. You know I love those little pastel eggs with the candy shell.”

“Not for you, silly. These are for Sabrina’s two girls. Didn’t you say she had kids?”

“Nieces, but they live with her.” He gave Evie an extra tight hug and kissed the top of her head. He hadn’t even thought of bringing something for Kassey and Gabby. “And that’s why you’re my favorite sister.”

“Better be for more than that, buddy.” But Evie looked pleased that he approved of the baskets. “Gavin picked out the toys. He said we should only fill them with sugar if we want her to hate us.”

“My grandson is right.” Grandma Lili settled into the chair across from Gavin, adjusting the cuffs of her light pink silk shirt. “No mom likes what happens when the sugar high wears off.”

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