Love Lessons Read Online Free Page A

father?”
    â€œI haven’t known him for long. We became friends last fall when he started attending Helping Hands Homeschooling meetings for support with teaching his daughter. Ian and I hit it off right away when we discovered he only lived a few blocks from me.”
    â€œThat’s the organization you started for homeschooling parents in this area?”
    Nancy nodded. “There was no local support for those parents. I used to get a lot of calls about what they should do for their children. I’ve never said anything in my classes, but years ago I homeschooled my youngest and struggled at first. There wasn’t much around about it then. There is more now, but for these parents in Tallgrass I decided to form the group so they wouldn’t go through what I did. It’s really grown over the past three years.”
    The more she got to know Nancy Baker, the more interesting the woman became. She was a widow with two grown sons, and she worked tirelessly for others at the college and their church. And now, Alexa realized, also with Helping Hands Homeschooling. “I’d love to come to one of your meetings. Would that be all right?”
    â€œSure. Have Ian bring you. He hasn’t been able to persuade Jana to attend any of the children’s activities we have yet, but he thinks she’s close. A couple of times he almost got her to go to the ranch we use for riding lessons. Jana loves animals.”
    â€œSo you’ve been around her?”
    â€œYes, he holds some activities at his house. Last fall we had a fishing rodeo at the lake behind his house, another time a picnic with fun games.”
    â€œDo you know what has caused Jana’s anxiety?”
    â€œIan hasn’t come out and said anything to me, but it’s known that his wife left them. I don’t think they have much contact with her. Jana rarely talks about her mother. It’s the same with Ian.”
    â€œHow long has he been a single dad?” She told herself that question was purely for professional reasons, but deep down she couldn’t shake a connection that had sprang up between them in his living room. Did it have to do with the young girl or something else? Again the sense he was hurting assailed her, and she was a sucker for wounded people and animals. And when she thought of Jana, she felt the child’s pain. Alexa and her father had a troubled relationship. Was that why she felt such a connection with Jana?
    â€œOver a year.” Nancy checked her watch. “Oh, dear. I’d better get a move on, or I’ll be late for my next class. There’s never enough time in the day for all I do.” She pushed to her feet and skirted her desk. “Jana’s very bright, but last year at school she didn’t do well. When she started having similar troubles at the first of this year and giving Ian problems about going to school, he decided to take her out even though all the literature says to try to keep the child with separation anxiety in school if possible. He thought his daughter needed more than what her present situation was offering.”
    â€œDo you agree?”
    â€œI’m not the parent. Ian is a smart man who loves his daughter very much. He’ll do what’s best for Jana. Be warned, I’m not sure Ian will be too easy to deal with at times.” She smiled. “But I think you can handle it. I also think this teaching experience will be very rewarding. After this semester, you only have a handful of classes left before your student teaching. You’re ready for this.”
    Am I? “Hard work doesn’t scare me.” But that brief bond she’d experienced with Ian that day he’d interviewed her did. There were too many things concerning Ian Ferguson that reminded her of her father. Control of any situation had always been so important to her father.
    â€œI know and that’s why I think you’d be perfect to shake up their