“Let’s just say George Clayton was not the cuddly kind of grandfather.” She thought of how her family had struggled after her father’s death. Grandpa George could have helped, but he’d practically turned them out on the street.

“He seemed to be a pretty reasonable man to me.”

“You knew him?”

“Briefly, during the mine transaction. Enough to know he made a fair deal and honored all his verbal agreements.”

“Maybe he really did find the Lord.”

A.J. finished his banana and wiggled down to the worn area rug. Gabe wiped the boy’s messy little hands on his own jeans and then let him go. A.J. was off to explore again. He lifted the edges of each sheet covering a piece of furniture, called “Boo” and then giggled.

Someone had played lots of peakaboo with this little doll. She eyed her neighbor. He was watching his son with equal delight, and Brooke found herself attracted even more by the fact that he was a loving father.

She thought she should feel guilty, feeling attraction for a man other than Marty with their breakup only days ago. But the truth was, she didn’t. What did that say about her depth of commitment? Maybe she was as shallow as Marty claimed.

She was a little surprised that her next-door neighbor now owned the mine that had belonged to her family for years. Surprised, but not bothered. She considered the old mine worthless.

“You think there’s money to be made from the Lucky Lady?”

“My company believes it enough to find out. Since the dollar devalued, silver stock has climbed steadily.” He glanced at his son and then back at her. “We believe, by using new mining techniques, the Lucky Lady may prove to be a sound investment.”

Brooke knew about as much about stocks as she knew about mining—nothing. “I’m afraid my portfolio is empty at the moment.”

If her cousins followed through, the situation was going to change but she’d have to wait a year to find out. In the meantime, she was stuck here with nothing to do but jog and overindulge on Arabella’s pastries at the Cowboy Café.

“You can start on that portfolio today. I know you’re overqualified, but my job offer stands.”

Brooke laughed, though his words struck terror. He was pretty clever about working his way back around to the subject. No wonder he owned a company. “Do most nannies get rich off investments?”

He laughed, too. “Maybe I pay better than most.”

“Do you?”

“I could for the right person.”

“You don’t even know me,” she said. “What if I really am a burglar?”

His grin widened. “Are you?”

“No. I’m an international jewel thief searching for the Hope Diamond hidden in this house.”

“Under the flowerpot?”

He was making her laugh, and she liked him for that. She hadn’t had much to laugh about the past few days.

“Actually, I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. I thought I did. Everything was planned.” She loved plans. She loved order. Now everything was out of control, all because Marty changed his mind about being a father. “I was engaged. We broke up.”

“Bad deal.”

“We were going to do mission’s work together and now—” She shrugged. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”

“I don’t mind. I’m a pretty good listener.”

“Yes, you are.” Had Marty ever listened to anything she’d said? Ugh, there she went again, comparing Marty to a man she barely knew. Though the comparison was dead on.

Gabe reached out and poked A.J.’s tummy. The little boy flopped against his dad, dark eyes alight with childish joy. “You can still be a missionary if you want.”

That was the trouble. She didn’t. All her dreams and plans had been wrapped up in what Marty wanted. “The mission field was Marty’s plan, but I didn’t know that until we broke up. Helping people, teaching them about Jesus, seemed like a good idea.” All those orphaned children in Africa. All those hospitals and schools and orphanages. “Missions is a good idea if it’s your calling.”

Calling. Had God called her to do anything? “Is your calling to reopen the mine and put this town back on the map?”