CHAPTER 474

“Gourmet meal?”

He grinned. “Spaghettios. And canned peaches for dessert.”

“Tempting, but I wouldn’t want to intrude.” She crouched down by Landon and straightened the seam on his footie pajamas. “So, I’ll leave the books here, but tomorrow night, I’m thinking we’ll start having story time before bed. Does that sound good?” When she smoothed his damp hair from his brow, he looked at her with those enormous blue eyes. Then he crawled closer and held his arms out for her to pick him up.

Definitely gonna break my heart, kid.

She planted a kiss on his sweet-smelling cheek before handing him to Brandt and going home.

Jessie was surprised to see Brandt’s truck pull in the next day around noon. She hung the bucket on the fence and walked to his rig as he finished carting Landon’s stuff into the house.

“What’s going on?”

“My mom’s cousin died yesterday. Of course, my dad has refused to take her to the funeral in Nebraska. And since she doesn’t want to go by herself—”

“You volunteered.”

He rub