Montana Skies (You, Me and the Kids) (Harlequin Superromance, No 1395) by Kay Stockham

of the day in a fog, torn between anger and depression. Jonas didn’t want their daughters hanging around together, and while she could understand why he wouldn’t want his precious Caroline with her teenaged Vampira, she’d already imagined the girl bringing Skylar back to her.
    She moved into the rental cabin’s bathroom and began taking her frustration out on the wheelchair-accessible, roll-in shower, scrubbing until her elbow and shoulder ached. Of all the—
    â€œMust’ve been some meeting you had with Jonas. What’d she do this time?” Maura asked from behind her.
    Rissa jumped, not having heard her cousin enter the bathroom, much less the cabin.
    â€œSorry. I thought you heard me.”
    Laughing weakly, she shook her head and shifted onto her hip, sitting on the floor outside the enclosure. “It’s not your fault. My nerves are shot lately. Plus I was too busy imagining what it would be like bashing Sheriff Taggert over the head with the toilet brush.”
    â€œOuch.”
    She gave her cousin a sour look. “Did you ever have one of those days when you wished you’d never gotten out of bed because things just keep getting worse and worse?”
    Maura walked over to the toilet and lowered the seat before sitting down. “Spill it. What’d he say?”
    â€œWait!” Grace called, hurrying into the bathroom. “I just finished my last session.” She laughed softly and sent Rissa a sympathetic look. “You’d just have to repeat it all again.”
    Smiling wearily at the two women who had fast become her very best friends, she told them of Jonas’s demand. “What am I supposed to do? Skylar finally befriends someone and look what happens.”
    â€œTry not to worry about it too much,” Grace told her. “If the girls are true friends, they won’t listen to him.”
    â€œYeah,” Maura agreed. “They’ll talk at school and be fine.”
    â€œUntil Jonas finds out.”
    Grace frowned. “Maybe he’ll come around after he gets tired of listening to Caroline complain about not spending time with Skylar.”
    â€œAnd if they do talk at school and Skylar drags Caroline into one of her messes?”
    â€œCross that bridge when you come to it,” Maura declared firmly. “What else can you do? Worrying won’t get you anywhere.”
    â€œWhat I’m wondering is how Skylar took it?” Grace questioned, her expression contemplative. “Did she go ballistic?”
    Rissa nodded. “How’d you guess? She ranted and raved, but beneath it all there was something in her face, something that reminded me of how she used to be. She wasn’t indifferent, and the news hurt. I could see it.”
    â€œThen maybe this will make Skylar straighten up,” Maura added, her tone cheery but forced. “That way they can hang around together.”
    â€œMaybe.” Rissa got to her knees and turned on the shower to rinse it. “Did Seth or Jake say anything?” She could only imagine how wonderful it must’ve looked to have the sheriff on the ranch’s doorstep at dawn. She paused in what she was doing and caught Maura and Grace exchanging a glance. “What?”
    â€œNothing.” Grace tilted her head to one side and leaned against the wall behind her. “Really. All they said was that they hoped everything was all right.”
    â€œBut?”
    Maura was the weaker of the two and couldn’t hold her gaze. “I, um, think they might be a bit concerned with the California guests coming, but don’t worry,” Maura continued when Rissa groaned, “everything will work out.”
    â€œWe’ll help you keep an eye on Skylar,” Grace added. “Between the three of us and the guys, she’ll be fine.”
    Uh-huh. She wasn’t so sure. “They have every right to be concerned, you know.” Rissa fought back tears,