From Montana Guardian

CHAPTER ONE

PAIGE HORNBY

“...an attractive man with his trimmed beard, twinkling ice blue eyes, and lopsided smile.”

The squeaky wheel on the shopping cart is starting to give me a headache. After dealing with twenty-three second-graders today, my patience and tolerance for noise is at an all-time low, and this darn wheel may send me over the edge.

"Can you get a different cart?" I ask my brother Gage, who's busy texting on his phone. At sixteen, it's one of his favorite things to do—the other is hockey.

"Why? What's wrong with the one we've got?"

"It's broken. I can't spend another thirty minutes shopping for groceries with this wheel squealing with every push. So, unless you want to take the list and shop alone, we need a new cart."

Gage finally looks up from the screen at my exasperated tone, his gaze bouncing between me and the offending wheel before shrugging and swapping out the carts.

"He's obsessed with his phone. You should've forced him to keep using his old one," Levi, the youngest of my siblings, points out. Mostly because he's jealous that Gage got a new touchscreen phone for his sixteenth birthday while Levi, an eleven-year-old sixth grader, is stuck with a flip phone for emergencies.

"We're not discussing this again." I had to hear his complaints after Gage unwrapped his big-ticket gift, and again, every day since, and I'm over it.

"But Paige..." Levi whines.

Raising my hand like he's one of my second-graders, I shake my head. "No. Behave if you want those special electrolyte drinks instead of generic flavored water." Our little family isn't rich by any means, but on every grocery trip I like to get the boys something special and separate from the usual shopping list. And buying a name brand rather than the store brand is usually part of that.

"Let it go, man." Gage ruffles Levi's hair. Pretty soon it won't be so easy with how quickly Levi is growing. He'll be as tall as Gage in no time, and a part of me aches at how fast time is flying by.

Our parents are road-tripping across the country with a caravan of hippies searching for an off-the-grid oasis for their commune. Mom and Dad left the day after I graduated college and landed a job at one of Guardian Valley's elementary schools.

Two years ago.

Every once in a while, we'll receive a postcard in the mail letting us know where our parents are, but those are rare. They weren't helicopter parents before the dive into a nomadic lifestyle, but at least they were present, if a little self-absorbed.

Now, it's left to me to raise my two younger brothers, and sometimes I regret coming home to Guardian Valley. Maybe if I'd applied to jobs outside of town, then my parents wouldn't have felt comfortable ditching Gage and Levi for some fantasy adventure.

I wheel the cart down the cereal aisle, and the boys immediately grab their preferences: a sugary explosion for Levi and a protein-packed option for Gage the athlete. I set a box of my own sweet treat in the basket before rounding the end cap, and that's when another shopper's cart collides with mine, sending a jolt down my arms while a clash of metal rings through the air.

"Whoa, sorry! I should have watched where I was going." A deep male voice apologizes, sounding vaguely familiar.

Guardian Valley is a small town, so recognizing people at the grocery store isn't unheard of, but usually I can instantly place a person. This guy? Not so much.

"Coach! What's up?" Gage shoves his phone in a pocket and bumps fists with the man.

A lightning bolt of realization hits me.

Ryan Stanley.

The new high school hockey coach. Former professional hockey player. One of the heirs of Guardian Valley. And as if those things aren't enough, one heck of an attractive man with his trimmed beard, twinkling ice blue eyes, and lopsided smile.

Meanwhile, I probably look as harried as I feel with hair falling out of the neat ponytail I started with this morning and a ketchup stain on my cardigan from helping a student open a packet at lunch.

“Hey, Horny. Is this your family?”

“Oh, yeah, this is my sister Paige and my little brother Levi.” He tosses a haphazard wave our way. It’s obvious we were forgotten in the wake of Gage’s hero worship.

"It’s nice to finally meet you guys. Gage is a real asset to the team. Has he shared the news of his captaincy yet?" Ryan asks.

"Yeah, he told us." Levi rolls his eyes.

The moment I picked Gage up from school he announced how the team voted him captain, and when Levi hopped into the van a little while later, he heard all about his older brother's accomplishment as well.

"It's a big honor, but from what your former coach said, you earned it. Are your parents ready for their responsibilities, too?"

My brow furrows as the boys stiffen beside me. Any mention of Mom and Dad these days has that effect.

"Our parents aren't in town. I'm Gage and Levi's legal guardian. What responsibilities?"

"Oh, sorry, I shouldn't have assumed..." Ryan scratches the back of his neck and offers a sympathetic frown. "To lessen the pressure on school personnel, the district made adjustments to the division of labor between parents and coaches. As Gage's guardian, I suppose those duties fall to you. Basically, you're responsible for organizing the team banquet, this season's fundraiser for travel expenses, and soliciting ads for our game programs, which is really just another form of fundraising.” He sticks out his chin toward Gage. “Remind me at our next practice to give you the form outlining everything."

"Sure thing."

What the heck? I had no idea Gage being captain would lay so much at my feet. I'm not against volunteering to help the team, but that sounds like a massive list of responsibilities. Time-consuming chores when I'm running on fumes already.

Did parents approve this change beforehand? Because I don’t remember seeing this topic on the PTA agenda or in the district emails.

"I'll let you get back to shopping. Sorry for bumping into you, but I’m glad we got to meet." Ryan smiles and waves before heading toward the produce section, and I stare at Gage.

"Did you know about this? The whole fundraising thing?"

He shrugs. "Nope, it's new this year. But you've got this, sis. You're the most responsible person I know."

Because I have to be.

I bite my tongue before announcing the bitter fact.

Taking care of one's siblings doesn't leave a lot of leeway for risky behavior. And I've been the parental figure for my little brothers for longer than just the past two years since our parents took off.

Mom and Dad have always focused on their lives, whether networking with business colleagues or vacationing with their friends. I'm the only constant the boys have had with how our parents jet in and out of our lives.

Forcing a grim smile, I nod in silence, continuing our shopping journey while thoughts of the future swirl around my head. It sucks how my next three months have suddenly been booked solid without warning.

The only positive thing is that I'm a teacher. Making lists and being organized is my way of life.

You've got this.

But what I wouldn't give for a shoulder to lean on, just for a minute.

Unfortunately, that's something I've never had, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

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