Holidays on the Ranch (Burnt Boot, Texas #1)(26)

“Third,” he said shyly.

“I’ll take you to the elementary wing. That way you won’t have to go back out into the cold. I’m Gloria Dean, the first-grade teacher. I have a son in the third grade.” She led them down a long hallway, through a double set of modern glass doors, and into another wing.

“What’s his name?” Martin asked.

“Harry. He’s got red hair and lots of freckles. You’ll meet him today. Right down there is the office. See that sign hanging out there over the door?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You go on in there and talk to Miz Tamara. She’ll get you all enrolled. I’ll tell Harry that you’re here. He’ll be excited that the new student is a boy. There’s only five, counting you, in the class. There are seven girls, making an even dozen now in the third grade.”

Martin grabbed Callie’s other hand in a death grip. “Can’t you just homeschool me, Callie?”

The office door swung open before Callie could answer.

Tamara smiled brightly and motioned for them to come inside the office. “Come right on in here. We’ve been expecting to see y’all this morning. Gladys is my distant cousin and told me you’d be coming in. You can start classes today, but there will be some things like shot records that I’ll need by the end of the week.”

Callie pulled a manila folder from her big purse and handed it to Tamara. “This might cover it, but if it doesn’t, just let me know, and I’ll find the rest.”

“Oh, I see that you’ve done this before,” Tamara said. “Well, have a seat right there while I copy these off.”

Callie briefly explained the situation with Martin and the upcoming trial. “Finn is providing a safe house, but we’d rather not make any of this public. We just want Martin to fit in with the kids here in Burnt Boot.”

“We’re so far back in the woods here, I don’t see a problem, but we’ll keep a watch. How’s that?”

Finn nodded. “Thank you. Being a new kid in a small school is going to be tough enough without that business coming out.”

A buzzing noise was followed by kids flooding the hallway out in front of the office. One little red-haired boy waved at Martin. Finn could have shouted when he saw that the child was wearing black athletic shoes and not cowboy boots.

“That must be Harry,” Callie said.

“Seven girls,” Martin moaned.

***

A few snowflakes fell on the truck windshield on the way back to Salt Draw. The temperature had dropped low enough that they scooted off as fast as they hit.

“Looks like we’re in for a cold run this morning,” Finn said.

Callie groaned. “It’ll be like training camp all over again.”

“Terrorists don’t wait until the weather is perfect,” he said.

“But we’re civilians,” she argued.

“It’s up to you, Callie. I’m going. You can come with me or stay in the house. I’ve kept up with my training for two years, and it’s not going to get any better. Verdie told me this part of Texas was in for a real stinker of a winter if she had it figured right. That’s why she sold the ranch when she did. Said she didn’t want to fall and freeze to death before anyone came around to figure out why she wasn’t answering her phone.”

“I’m fighting this rather than thinking about Martin in a new school,” she said honestly.

He ran a palm up her arm. “He’s going to be all right.”

“I know that, but it might not be today.”

“No, today is going to be tough even if it goes well. Seven girls, for God’s sake.” He chuckled. “Stop worrying.”

“What if—” she started.

He reached across the seat and put a finger on her lips. “‘What if’ just creates worry. Let’s go run ten miles to loosen up our bodies and then work out for an hour. That’ll take your mind off everything. You probably won’t even make the first loop this morning, but when you get tired, you can turn around and come on back to the house. You’ll have to build up to capacity in my makeshift gym to keep up with me, so if you can’t do that this first day, it’s okay.”

She pushed his hand away. “Don’t bait me, Finn.”

“Don’t be a wuss, Brewster.” He parked the truck close to the back door. “I’ll be ready to run in five minutes. I’m not waiting on you.” He jogged around the truck and opened the door for her. When she bailed out, he grabbed her around the waist, spun her around to his chest, and laid one of the hottest kisses on her lips that she’d ever experienced.

“There now. That’ll warm us both up while we run,” he teased. “But I’m still not waiting for you.”

“Wait, hell! O’Donnell, you’ll have to catch me,” she smarted off.

She ran through the house, jerked on her running gear, added a hooded sweatshirt to it, and was heading out the back door when she saw him a few feet ahead of her. She sprinted until she was beside him and he started the cadence.

“One mile,” he called out the first line.

“No sweat,” she came in behind him.

“Two mile—better yet,” he said.

“Three miles—gotta run,” she singsonged.