The Black Sheep's Salvation

  His imperfect past will become his son’s best hope...

  Can a single dad earn a second chance

  with the woman whose heart he broke?

  A fresh start for Logan Maddox and his son, who has autism, means returning home and getting little Judah into the educational program that best serves his needs. The problem? Molly Winslow—the woman he left behind years ago—is the teacher. As Judah pulls them together, can Logan convince Molly that this black sheep deserves one more chance at love?

  “He’s reading out loud...”

  “I know, right?” Molly chuckled. “And it looks as if the dog is an excellent audience. Doesn’t it look as if he’s following along and paying attention to the story?”

  “Shh.” Logan put a finger to his lips. “Listen.”

  Molly listened for a moment. It was clearly a book the boy was familiar with, because he was reading with great intonation, giving each character a different voice.

  “He’s hardly stuttering at all,” Logan whispered, shock evident in his voice. “I only hear an occasional stammer. That’s totally incredible. I’ve been working with him every day, but I haven’t heard results like this in—well, ever.”

  “This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for,” Molly confirmed softly.

  She truly did believe she’d found a perfect match in Logan’s son and the dog.

  Which meant she had to trust Logan. Completely.

  She would never forget what had happened, but she would truly have to forgive him.

  And she still wasn’t quite sure she was able to do that.

  A Publishers Weekly bestselling and award-winning author of over forty novels, with almost two million books in print, Deb Kastner enjoys writing contemporary inspirational Western stories set in small communities. Deb lives in beautiful Colorado with her husband, miscreant mutts and curious kitties. She is blessed with three adult daughters and two grandchildren. Her favorite hobby is spoiling her grandchildren, but she also enjoys reading, watching movies, listening to music (The Texas Tenors are her favorite), singing in the church choir and exploring the Rocky Mountains on horseback.

  Books by Deb Kastner

  Love Inspired

  Cowboy Country

  Yuletide Baby

  The Cowboy’s Forever Family

  The Cowboy’s Surprise Baby

  The Cowboy’s Twins

  Mistletoe Daddy

  The Cowboy’s Baby Blessing

  And Cowboy Makes Three

  A Christmas Baby for the Cowboy

  Her Forgotten Cowboy

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

  THE BLACK SHEEP’S SALVATION

  Deb Kastner

  And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

  And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

  And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

  But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

  —Luke 15:17–24

  To my lovely granddaughter, Isabella. You are a strong and beautiful young lady inside and out!

  And to my grandson, Anthony.

  Thanks for naming Taco and Beans!

  Contents

  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

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Epilogue

  Dear Reader

  Excerpt from Home to Heal by Lois Richer

  Chapter One

  Molly Winslow was running a little late. She’d been out on the agility course with her newest student, a harlequin Great Dane named Rufus, trying to run off some of his puppy energy before she brought him with her to the meeting with her boss, Riverbend Elementary principal Becky Dahl. In this stage of Rufus’s training to become a service dog, Molly took him with her everywhere, so she knew it wouldn’t surprise Becky to have him there.

  Becky’s request to meet midsummer was unusual, however, and Molly was worried. What was so important Becky couldn’t speak about it over the phone?

  Rushing into the office, she’d barely had a moment to greet Becky, settle Rufus and seat herself in a chair opposite Becky’s desk before a distinctive, familiar male voice spoke from directly behind her.

  “Excuse me, ma’am. My name is Logan Maddox, and this is my son, Judah.”

  Logan Maddox?

  Molly took in an audible breath and whirled around in her chair, her mouth agape and her heart nearly bursting out of her chest as a frisson of awareness shivered up her spine, causing every single muscle in her body to freeze.

  Sensing Molly’s distress, Rufus sat up and moved close to her, and she stroked a hand over his back to calm herself.

  She’d never, ever expected to see Logan Maddox’s face again in her lifetime.

  How dare he have the gall to show up in Whispering Pines like this?

  He’d caught her completely by surprise. And from the look on his face, he was equally stunned, though why that should be, she couldn’t imagine. He looked thoroughly flummoxed as he tapped his tan cowboy hat against his thigh and ran his fingers through his thick, tousled black hair.

  Probably wondering how to get out of this situation with his head intact.

  “M-Molly?” Logan stammered. “What are you doing here?”

  “Oh—I didn’t realize you two knew each other. I was under the impression Logan and Judah were new to town.”

  Becky had only been at Riverbend Elementary for a year, so she would have had no way of knowing Molly and Logan shared a past.

  Logan cleared his throat. “My parents have lived in town all their lives. I grew up here but moved away during my college years and have only just returned. Molly and I were in high school together.”

  He glanced in her direction but didn’t quite meet her eyes. That was definitely the CliffsNotes version of the story.

  “I see. It’s good that you’re already acquainted.”

  Yeah, not so much, thought Molly, though she didn’t say so aloud.

  “I didn’t know Molly was going to be Judah’s teacher, though. I didn’t even know she was still in town.”

  “Yes, well, I’m sure you’ll be encouraged to know she’ll be the one working one-on-one with Judah to integrate him into the regular second-grade classroom.”

  Her gaze dropped to the little boy standing in front of Logan. The little guy was warily staring up at her and wringing his hands in a rhythmic manner. Logan’s protective palms rested on the boy’ s shoulders.

  She took a deep breath. In through her nose, out through her mouth. She mindfully relaxed her muscles, knowing Judah would probably be able to pick up on any kind of anxiety and run with it.

  So, this was Logan’s son.

  She hadn’t even known the baby had been a boy.

  A distressed guttural sound emerged from the boy’s throat. No matter how she felt about the current situation, or how off guard Logan had taken her when he’d sneaked up on her that way with no warning, she was a schoolteacher with a job to do.

  And Judah—this adorable little boy looking for all the world as if he wanted to find a quiet corner and curl into it—was completely innocent. Of course she would work with this sweet child, no matter who his father was.

  No question.

  “Hello, Judah,” she said in an encouraging tone. “Are you here to enroll for school? How exciting!”

  Instinctively, Molly stood and moved in front of Judah, crouching down to his level. She smiled, but he only pressed backward into the safety of his father’s legs, not quite meeting her gaze.

  The sum of Judah’s unique actions ticked together in her mind and heart, and she immediately recognized that Judah’s behavior suggested he was on the autism spectrum, which was her specialty.

  That was probably the answer as to why they were meeting midsummer, as opposed to waiting until the beginning of the next school term. Riverbend had a special program for children on the autism spectrum, helping them integrate within regular classrooms with Molly’s extra assistance.

  “Rufus, with me,” she called to the Great Dane puppy.

  Rufus trotted to her side and sat at her heel, his attention completely on Molly as he waited for her next command—and no doubt hoping for a bacon treat.

  “Good boy,” she said, slipping him a bit of bacon. “This is Rufus,” she told Judah. “Would you like to pet him?”

  Judah screeched and wagged his hand out toward the dog. Rufus bolted and dashed backward, crawling as far under the desk as his huge, gangly body would allow and hiding his nose between his gigantic paws.

  Becky chuckled and Logan’s gaze widened, his expression apologetic.

  Running away from unusual sounds and movements wasn’t the correct response for the dog, but that was the whole point of him being in training here. She would work with Rufus to do better next time—and she would work with Judah, too, for that matter, on the best way to approach a dog. The little boy had only been overenthusiastic, after all, and had clearly never been around dogs before.

  “Sorry,” Logan muttered under his breath.

  Molly glanced up in surprise and then narrowed her eyes on Logan, not liking the feeling of him towering over her, even though she’d been the one to put herself in this position when she’d knelt so she could be face-to-face with Judah.

  “For what?” Her voice was tight with strain.

  “Er—my son.”

  She stood abruptly, her hands fisting and heat rising to her face.

  He was so not apologizing for Judah.

  Molly fumed as her claws came out, as quickly as a cat preparing to pounce on her prey.

  This precious boy was the only good thing to come out of what had been a horrible situation from every other conceivable aspect, from the first day onward.

  She glanced at Judah and then back at Logan, not even trying to appear pleasant. She was downright angry, as he should well be aware.

  “Someone hears and absorbs everything you say,” she warned him. It was a good reminder for her as well, and she tried to catch hold of her temper so Judah couldn’t sense the sudden tension in the room.

  Logan had better not be verbalizing anything that might give Judah a reason to feel bad about himself.

  Not if she had anything to say about it.

  And of course, she did. It was her job.

  And even if it wasn’t...

  “He is—” Logan started.

  “Logan,” she snapped before he could finish his sentence. She did her best to keep her voice level. It was all she could do not to speak sharply with him, but she didn’t want to do anything that might startle Judah or set off his anxiety. He was already self-soothing with his hand-wringing because Rufus had run away from him in such a fright. “Would it be possible for us to speak in private?”

  Again, she nodded toward Judah.

  Logan glanced down at his son and shrugged. “Yeah, well, that’s what I was trying to tell you just now. That’s why I’m here with Judah. Sometimes he needs a little extra encouragement. I’ve heard wonderful things about Riverbend’s special needs program.”

  Well, that might explain why he’d returned to Whispering Pines. Their unique program was unlike anything else in the state of Colorado. Logan’s parents had probably encouraged him to enroll Judah, although Logan had clearly been as shocked to see her as she had been to see him, and she couldn’t imagine why his parents hadn’t warned him that Molly was the teacher. Obviously, that would have played some role in his moving back to town, had he known.

  Or maybe it didn’t. This was all about Judah, after all. Molly and Logan’s past relationship was just that—the past.

  This wasn’t about them.

  “Here you go, little man,” he told Judah, handing him a portable gaming unit. “Why don’t you sit there in the corner so Miss Becky, Miss Molly and I can talk.”

  Logan pulled up a second chair and the three adults sat down around the desk. Rufus flopped down next to Molly’s chair, his tongue lolling as he stretched his long body out.

  If only Molly felt even remotely as comfortable as Rufus. She couldn’t seem to take in a full breath, and her hair at the back of her neck was standing on end as if she’d just been zapped by a bolt of electricity—and that was merely from sitting this close to Logan.

  She wouldn’t have thought seeing him again would bring up such strong emotions in her. She’d put the past behind her and had been over him for years.

  Hadn’t she?

  “As I’m sure you know,” started Becky, bringing Molly’s thoughts back to the subject at hand, “Riverbend has been working on a unique special needs program that integrates children like Judah—who are on the autism spectrum—into the regular classroom.”

  “Yes, my parents mentioned that. It’s one of the main reasons I’ve returned to Whispering Pines.”

  He glanced at Molly and looked her in the eye for the slightest moment. Molly met Logan’s gaze, finding in his midnight blue eyes a clouded swirl of emotions she couldn’t identify. There was a time when she’d been able to read everything he was thinking merely by capturing his gaze, but that certainly wasn’t the case now.

  Or maybe, as the past suggested, she’d never known him at all.

  The man before her was a virtual stranger in every way. He’d filled out physically from the youth he’d been when he left Whispering Pines. He was taller now—he had quite a few inches on Molly. His shoulders were broader, and he was muscular and toned. He definitely worked out in a gym like her brothers Frost and Sharpe did. There was an edge to his chest and biceps that only free weights could give. The deep lines across his forehead and around his mouth suggested his life may have held significant stress. He was still too young for such creases to be from age, and they definitely weren’t laugh lines.

  Mostly, though, she could see how shell-shocked he’d been when he walked into the room and found Molly there. His parents may have told him about the program, but they’d clearly left out the part about Molly running it.

  Molly was still good friends with Logan’s parents, whom she’d always considered her second parents from the time she and Logan had first started dating in high school. But after he’d left, they’d had an unwritten rule never to speak of Logan in her presence.

  Ever.

  It was better that way—so she could forget ab out him and move on with her life. Why would she want to know anything about what her ex was doing?

  That she hadn’t forgotten him or successfully moved on with her life—well, that knowledge was between her and God alone.

  Here Logan was, big and handsome and strong and real, and Molly’s heart was feeling it.

  But that wasn’t what was important now.

  For everything she didn’t know about him, it was obvious how much he loved his son. That truth was evident in his gaze, his bittersweet smile and the gentle way he protected the boy.

  Always keeping a tender hand on him. Holding him close without hovering over him. Making sure he was settled in the corner with his portable video game before he joined the adults around the desk.

  “The program is Molly’s brainchild,” Becky said, flashing Molly a proud smile. “She’s done so much for these kids. The beginning of the school year is always so crazy busy, which is why I wanted to introduce the two of you now. We can get the paperwork going to have Judah all set up for school, and then Molly may have some suggestions on how to prepare him for the big event.”

  Becky looked from Logan to Molly. “How long has it been since you’ve seen each other?” she asked curiously.

  Molly and Logan stared at each other in tense silence.

  Molly scrambled to find the words to fix this situation before it got out of hand.

  “As Logan said, we went to high school together,” she said, keeping their story as vague as possible and hoping Logan would catch on. “We lost track of each other after that.”

  And that, thought Molly, was the understatement of the century.

  * * *

  Lost track of each other?

  That was one way to put it, but it wasn’t terribly accurate—or at least, not completely accurate.

  “This is all new to me. I’m all he’s got, and...”

  “Where’s his mother?” Molly asked in a surprisingly subdued voice. “Shouldn’t she be here for this meeting, as well?”