by Lois Richer
“Don’t you?” she asked.
“I dunno. It’s kinda funny.” He kicked his sneakers up and down for a minute while he thought about it. “I never had a whole house of my own before.”
“Funny good?” she asked.
“I guess.” He didn’t sound convinced. It would be up to Gabe to prove it to him.
“I’m sure you and your dad will have a great time in your new house.”
“Yeah.” Eli’s bottom lip trembled. He dashed a hand across his eyes, then turned his head to stare out the window. “My mom won’t be there,” he whispered.
“No, she won’t.” Uh-oh. Olivia pulled into the yard site and parked well beyond the area needed to manipulate Gabe and Eli’s new home into place. “But she’d want you to be happy with your dad. She’d want you to enjoy your new house and all the birds that will come.”
Eli looked at her as if he thought she was making it up. “How do you know?” he asked when she got out and began undoing his seat belt.
“Because she told your aunt that you were to come here and live with your dad. She wanted you to be happy, so she made sure your dad would look after you.” Olivia stopped herself from hugging him though her heart yearned to ease his sadness. “You told me about all the things your mom did. I think she always did her best for you, didn’t she?” She waited until he’d nodded his head. “Oh, sweetheart. I wish she could be here to see you now, to watch you riding a pony and learning to read and flying that kite. She’d be so glad to see you being happy.”
“But if she was here—that wouldn’t be good.” Eli stopped, a catch in his voice. “My dad hates her.”
“Oh, no, Eli. Gabe doesn’t hate your mommy.” Olivia paused. She had to get this right.
“Well, he gets a mad face when I talk about her. An’ when I tol’ him the funny story about how one time our popcorn got burnt on the fire, his hands went like this.” He formed his little hands into fists.
“Sweetheart, I’m going to tell you something. You’ll have to be a little bit grown-up to understand, but you’re so smart, I think you can do that.” Olivia exhaled, hoping she was doing the right thing. Help me, she prayed silently.
“Well? Tell me, Liv.” Eli’s scared voice emerged in a whisper.
“I will, but I was thinking that first we should get out our blanket and sit on the grass. We can watch while we talk.” When they were seated on the hillside with the house-moving panorama spread out before them, she tried to explain. “Your mom and dad got married when they weren’t very old. They didn’t know lots of things about being married so I think they made lots of mistakes. Those mistakes hurt your dad. Sometimes people can’t forget getting hurt by somebody they love.”
“Huh?” Eli’s confusion had her sifting through her brain for a better explanation.
“It’s like with you and Mikey,” she said, wondering how she’d gotten into this. Involvement so wasn’t her thing. And yet... Trust God, Gabe had said. “You two are good friends, right?”
“Uh-huh. ’Cept when he tells me I gotta do sumthin’. I don’t like that.”
“I understand.” She smiled. “I think it was kind of like that with your mom and dad. He loved living on his ranch because he really likes horses. But maybe your mom never lived on a ranch before. Maybe she was used to living in town and she didn’t like having so much change. Some people don’t.”
“Oh.” Eli’s tanned forehead furrowed as he considered that.
“Maybe your mom and dad couldn’t agree about lots of things. That would make it hard to live together. Maybe they argued. Lots of people do and that makes being together even harder, like when you and Mikey argue and then you don’t want to play with him for a little while.”
“The man in my class at church said you’re not ’sposed to argue,” Eli muttered, peeking at her as if he wasn’t sure he should mention that. “God doesn’t like it.”
“God doesn’t like arguing,” Olivia agreed. “But sometimes people get angry and they do argue. Sometimes they stay angry.” She could almost feel herself drowning here and all because she’d taken on the responsibility of this child. Not your business, her brain reminded. But she’d started. She had to finish it.
“You mean my mommy and him din’t want to fight so they din’t live together no more?” Eli slowly put the pieces together.
“You’d have to talk to your dad to know for sure, but I think maybe that’s what happened,” she said, wincing at her oversimplification. “But people change. Just because your mom didn’t like to live on a ranch back then doesn’t mean she wouldn’t like it that you’re here now, Eli.”
“Really?” Hope made his eyes glow.
Keep going, something inside Olivia encouraged. Make staying here with Gabe in this house okay for him.
“I’m pretty sure that if your mommy could see you and your dad living in this new house and enjoying it, she’d be very happy.”
“How’d you know, Livvie?” he asked, big eyes searching hers for assurance.
“Because moms always want the very best for their kids, and this place, with all its trees and birds, plus a snug house that will keep you warm in the winter—I think this is the kind of place that would make your mom smile.” She waited, breath suspended.
“She liked trees an’ grass.” He sniffed, then nodded. “An’ she liked to be warm. She was scared of horses, but maybe she’d get used to them, like me,” he said hopefully.
“I think so.” Olivia loved that Eve had showered her love on this little boy. Poor kid. How awful to be left totally alone with his horrid cousins after knowing his mother’s wonderful love. “It might take some time to get used to things with your dad, but I think you’re going to like it here, too, Eli. Let’s ask God to help you.”
She quietly prayed a blessing on Eli and his dad.
That done, they shared a smile as they sat together, surveying the area below them. The burnt-out shell of the old house had been completely removed since Olivia had been here last, and a new cement pad poured. Assorted mechanical pipes and outlets awaited hookup. Her gaze automatically searched for and found Gabe. He spent ages speaking with someone, but then he waved and jogged up the hill to talk to them.
“Very smart to park over here, Olivia,” he said after ruffling Eli’s hair. “It’s well out of the way.” He crouched down and explained to Eli what was about to happen. Then he produced a small camera, a sketchbook and some pencils. “I thought you might like to make some memories of today.”
“Thank you.” Eli listened to his explanation about the camera, took two practice shots and then assembled his pencils in perfect order. After a second look at the site, he began to draw.
“That’s a great idea, Gabe.” Olivia admired his tall lean figure in the bright sun. This cowboy always looked ready to handle anything which was just one of many things she admired about him.
“He’s always reciting memories about Eve. I want to have a record of our memories together, too,” Gabe murmured, his gaze meeting and holding Olivia’s. “Thank you for bringing him. I know you have a lot on your plate, but I appreciate you taking the time to be here with him.”
“Well, of course I want to see your home moved in.” Why did it feel as if his blue eyes saw past her bland comments to the nervous quiver in her stomach? “It’s a big day for you both.”
“It is.” His gaze shifted to Eli, who was busily re-creating the gorgeous summer afternoon with swift, sure pencil strokes. “The first of many. I hope.”
“Hmm. Who was it lecturing me about faith—was it only last week?” she asked, miming an innocent blink.
“Guilty.” Gabe shrugged. “I’m trying to do better, but I’m a work in progress.”
“Me, too.” She shared a smile with him before someone called and he strode away as the first truck bearing a wide-load sign rounded the bend. “Here it comes, Eli.”
They sat entranced as the white house rolled into view. After much discussion, various movements backing up and going forward, the house was finally ready to be moved onto its footings.
“It’s perfect,” Olivia mused to herself as it slowly, gently moved over the ground. She felt an undue delight in how the house didn’t take away from the stunning landscape around it but made the entire setting more beautiful.
“It belongs here, right, Livvie?” Eli said softly.
“It belongs, and so do you,” she said with a gentle smile. “You and your dad.”
Eli tipped his head back and stared at her without saying a word. But Olivia was getting better at translating the expressions fluttering through the dark eyes so like Gabe’s. She saw hope and longing in those dark eyes. Then Eli focused on the movers.
“What’s that big hook for? An’ why do they have ropes? An’ what does that yellow machine do?” His questions came at a rapid pace as he snapped pictures, but Eli quickly grew disgruntled with her lack of illuminating answers. Eventually, he stopped asking.
“Don’t you have any more questions?” Olivia studied the little boy who was always curious.
“I’ll ask my dad.” He offered her a glance brimming with pity. “You know lotsa stuff, Livvie, but I don’t guess you know much about moving houses.”
“I guess I don’t,” she admitted, and tucked her smile behind her hand.
It seemed to take forever before the house was finally settled in place and being expertly fastened down. Olivia had brought along two bottles of juice, an apple and a granola bar, which she and Eli shared as the afternoon grew warmer. Gabe, she noticed, never seemed to pause in his inspection of the house, constantly checking that everything was done correctly.
The afternoon grew late. Olivia knew it was time for her to get back to The Haven and her job, but she couldn’t just leave Eli. A quick check via her cell phone ensured no one had left a message about any major issues. Maybe she could stay a little while longer.
To pass the time, Olivia made up a game where she quizzed Eli on the letters he’d learned, made up words with them, then watched him painstakingly print them on the tablet Gabe had given him. Finally, the movers seemed to be finished. They left just as a huge truck drove in.
“What in the world—?”
“It’s our stuff.” Eli jumped to his feet in his excitement. “We got lotsa things. I even got a bed with drawers underneath it. Can we go watch them put it in my room?”
“Your room, huh?” Delighted that he’d laid claim to his new home, Olivia thought about it for only a moment. If they needed her at The Haven, they’d call. “We’ll ask your dad.”
Worried he might rush into the chaos of vehicles, Olivia took his hand and they walked toward Gabe. Well, she walked. Eli almost danced. It was the most excited she’d ever seen him.
Inside Olivia was dancing, too, because finally Gabe would be home with his son.
By the time Eli went to school she’d be leaving. The thought sobered Olivia like a douse of cold water.
But she didn’t want to stay.
Did she?
Chapter Nine
Gabe divided his time between watching the men load in furniture and housewares and watching Olivia and Eli. But mostly he watched Olivia. He wanted—no, needed to see her approval for his choices, though he wasn’t exactly sure why.
“My son’s bedroom first,” he directed the movers. “Then he can be in there while we fill the rest of the house.”
As promised, the men assembled the captain’s bed and put it in place. A chest of drawers, a small desk and a chair followed.
“Gabe, you had them build in a window seat for Eli!” Olivia’s gray eyes shone like polished silver as her fingers brushed his arm, though he knew she wasn’t aware she’d done it. “It’s perfect.”
“There should be a cushion—ah. There it is.” He took the long, tailored rectangle and, enlisting Eli’s help, set it in place. “Try it out, son,” he encouraged, loving the sound of that word “son.”
Eli carefully took off his sneakers, then climbed onto the seat and peered out the window.
“It’s good,” he said. “But there’s no tree.”
“Not yet. You and I will plant one this weekend,” Gabe promised.
“An’ then the birds will come.” Eli stared at him so trustingly. Gabe vowed then and there that he’d never do anything to betray that trust. “An’ birdhouses?”
“Soon as we build them.” He ruffled Eli’s already messy hair before asking, “Eli, can you do your drawing in here while the movers bring in the rest of the furniture? I don’t want you to get hurt by something.”
“I’ll draw stuff,” the boy said proudly. “Then we can hang it on the wall.”
“Good idea. Call out if you need anything.” Gabe doubted that would happen soon since Eli seemed enraptured by his new surroundings. He sprawled across the bed, tried out the desk, raced to the window seat and then started all over again.
Gabe surreptitiously beckoned to Olivia to follow him.
“What can I help with?” she asked as they stood behind the kitchen island watching the movers carry in furniture.
“How about if you tell me if you think things need to be moved around?” he suggested. “That chair, for instance. I’m not sure—”
“It’s a bedtime story chair,” she told him without batting an eyelash. “It should be by the fireplace. No, that table can’t be in front of the windows. It blocks the view.”
Gabe smiled to himself. Olivia had told him she’d help find the house but that she would not get involved in decorating it, and yet here she was, directing the movers to rearrange his purchases in a much better configuration than he’d come up with. Exactly what he’d wanted.
She caught him smiling and blushed.
“I’m so sorry, Gabe. I didn’t mean to take over. Wait,” she called to the moving men, but Gabe shook his head. “It’s perfect as it is,” he told them.
Wrought iron stools fit perfectly at the kitchen island, and even better, they were heavy enough that Eli could climb onto them without fear of tipping. Appliances, bedroom furniture, a table and chairs, two loungers for the patio—all were set in place and, where needed, connected.
“The water should be hooked up by now,” he told Olivia. “But it will take a bit for the hot water tank to reach capacity, so I’ll have to wash our new bedding later.” He grinned when she pointed to a box that sat in a corner. “That’s Eli’s, but he’s not getting it. Not yet.” He stopped her from calling out to Eli with a hand on her arm. “They have to put up the blinds. Then he can open it.”
Gabe almost laughed out loud at the curiosity filling Olivia’s expressive face. He wondered when the last time was that this ultra-organized woman had been kept in suspense. Following on the heels of that thought was a decision to arrange a surprise for her before she left.
“Everyone moves so fast.” She watched as the blind hangers finished in the living room and kitchen and moved on to the rest of the rooms. “You can hardly tell anything’s there,” she marveled, trying to peer behind. “How do they work?”
“Remote control.” Gabe loved seeing her astonished face when he pressed a button and the shades on the massive living room windows lowered. “I can even program them to close when I’m not here. And I had a skylight installed in my bathroom that will close at the first sign of rain.”
“Wow. You’re a surprising man, Gabe Webber.” She looked suitably impressed.
“Because I bought a house with some toys?” He made a face. “Well past time, don’t you think?”
Just then Amy Andrews, the daughter of local hardware store owners, pushed her way inside, lugging two gigantic boxes.
“Let me help,” Gabe insisted, and lifted them from her arms. “More?”
“In the truck,” she
said with a grateful smile.
“You start unpacking. I’ll bring them in.” He glanced at Olivia. “You could help Amy, if you want.”
“Sure.” She opened one box. “What have we here?”
“Kitchenware.” Amy grinned. “Gabe wanted his home functional from day one.”
Satisfied that he’d surprised Olivia, Gabe began carrying in Amy’s boxes. When he returned with the final box, Olivia had found his dishes.
“These are my favorite pattern,” she told him, fingering the pale gray-on-white check. “They fit in perfectly with the decor.”
“He said they reminded him of you.” Amy chuckled as Olivia’s brows rose. “I understand what he means now. It’s like you said, Gabe, dainty but sturdy.” She continued working, apparently unaware of Olivia’s red face. Soon the island was laden with what she’d assured him were necessary kitchen essentials. “How do you want these things organized?”
Gabe blinked. Though he hadn’t a clue, he knew who would.
“Ask Olivia,” he suggested. “She’s the most organized person I know.”
“But it’s your house, your kitchen,” Olivia protested.
“And I’m asking for your help. I’m going to check on Eli.” Gabe knew that if he left, she’d take over, so he stayed away a good half hour, grateful for the precious moments of sharing time with his son. They discussed all the things they would do together in the future.
Then they went outside together to watch as the last details on the house were completed. Finally the seller, Harry, handed over the keys.
“Welcome home, Gabe. You too, Eli,” he said with a grin for the little boy. “I hope you enjoy your new home.”
“Thanks a lot. We appreciate everything.” Gabe shook his hand firmly. “Buying from you was so easy. You made the sale a pleasure.”
“A lot of that was due to Olivia, you know. She’s the most detailed person I know. Even gave me a checklist.” Harry chuckled. “It was a good one, too.”