“Hi, Dad.” David simply waved without ever looking at Crockett.
“Well, hello.” Paisley pushed out of her chair and stood. Moving between the table and island, she said, “How was your meeting?”
He cleared his throat. “Much longer than I anticipated. Sorry I’m so late.”
She smiled up at him. “You’re not late. Dinner is still in the oven.”
“Whatever it is smells delicious.”
“It’s chicken spaghetti. I hope you don’t mind. The kids said they liked it.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling rather humbled. “No, not at all. I wasn’t aware that I had one of those in the freezer. I must have grabbed that box instead of the lasagna.”
Looking at him curiously, she said, “This chicken spaghetti didn’t come out of a box. We made it. You had some leftover chicken in the refrigerator, cheese, spaghetti.” She lifted a shoulder. “The kids helped me make it.”
And he had no doubt that they enjoyed every minute of it. “How’s David doing?”
“Fine. He ate two bowls of soup for lunch, not to mention nibbled while we were cooking, so his appetite has definitely returned, and he’s had no fever.”
Crockett let go a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear. I was hoping to visit my dad this weekend, but not if David’s sick.”
“Barring anything unforeseen, he should be fine.”
“So, what do I smell that’s sweet?”
“Peach cobbler. You had some frozen peaches.”
He shook his head. “You never cease to amaze me, you know that?”
“Good. Keeps you on your toes.”
A timer beeped.
“That would be the casserole.” Paisley returned to the kitchen while Crockett went to greet his kids.
“What are y’all playing?”
“Yahtzee.” His boy grinned. “I won the first round.”
Not to be outdone, Mac added, “But I’m winning this one.”
Glancing toward the kitchen, he couldn’t help noticing that everything was spotless. The countertops were not only visible, they gleamed. Papers that had been scattered were neatly stacked, odds and ends that always seemed to find their way into the kitchen were gone, the refrigerator was void of fingerprints, even the sink had been scrubbed. And the picture-perfect cobbler waited beside the stove while the still-bubbling chicken spaghetti rested atop one of the burners.
God, if You’re trying to make a point, I think I got it.
“All right, you two.” Addressing his children, Paisley held her arms wide. “Give me hugs.”
“You’re leaving?” Mac looked horrified at the notion.
Wrapping her arms around his son, Paisley said, “I don’t want to wear out my welcome.”
Crockett didn’t know if her phrasing was aimed at him, but he did know that he’d done nothing to make her feel welcome when she’d arrived late this morning. On the contrary, he’d given her the cold shoulder. And he’d been kicking himself ever since.
As she gathered up the now-empty pot she’d brought the soup in, he stepped in front of her. “Please stay.”
She looked up at him. “I’m sorry I intruded on you earlier.”
He couldn’t believe she was actually apologizing to him. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Paisley. I was the one who behaved badly. I was—” afraid that I’m falling for you. “If you have to go, I understand. But just know that I don’t want you to. I want you to stay, too.”
Her sapphire eyes searched his. “I’m sorry. I just can’t.”
Chapter Fourteen
Crockett had no one to blame but himself. If he hadn’t been so rude to Paisley when she’d shown up unexpectedly yesterday, she might have stayed for dinner last night, allowing him to enjoy her company and bask in how good being with her made him feel.
But no. Thanks to his stupidity, she’d gone, leaving him to grouse over the great meal she’d prepared. What was that Bible verse that equated kindness with heaping hot coals on someone? Yeah, that’s what it was like. And he didn’t care for it one bit.
Nope, he couldn’t fault Paisley. He wouldn’t want to hang out with someone who acted as though they didn’t want him around either.
Isn’t that what you were trying to achieve, though? Keeping her away?
At this point, he had no idea what he wanted. All he knew was that he had to find some way to make amends because if nothing else, they were still business partners. He just wasn’t sure if that was enough anymore.
Pulling up to Dad and Irene’s brick single-story house northwest of Houston, he hoped the man might have some sage advice. No one knew Crockett better than his dad. He’d seen every scar on Crockett’s battle-worn heart, and he loved him anyway.
By the time Crockett and the kids emerged from the truck, a smiling Irene was waiting on the porch. “I’m so happy to see you.” Her arms were wide as the kids hurried to greet her. Since Shannon’s parents had relinquished their role as grandparents when she decided she no longer wanted to be a mother, Irene was the only grandmother Mac and David had. And since Irene never had any children of her own, she reveled in the fact that they were all hers.
“Where’s Grandaddy?” David peered up at the woman.
Lovingly brushing the hair off his brow, she said, “He’s in the living room, waiting for someone to play dominoes with him.”
“I can do that.” The happy boy scurried past her and disappeared into the house.
“Wait for me!” Mackenzie snagged a quick hug before following her brother.
“How’s it going, Irene?” Under a clear blue sky, Crockett strode onto the porch and hugged the woman, dwarfing her petite five-foot-four frame.
“It’s going well.” She smiled up at him now. “The doctor says your father is doing great and should be back to his regular activities soon.”
“That’s good to hear. But what I want to know is how you’re holding up.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me.” She waved a hand. “I’m right as rain.”
He couldn’t help laughing. “Considering the flooding rains we had a couple of weeks ago, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.”
Patting his back, she said, “It’s all good. By the way, I enjoyed meeting your friend Paisley. I just wish it had been under different circumstances. She seems like a lovely person.”
“She is.” Inside and out. “Reminds me of you, actually.”
“I will consider that a compliment.” With a knowing look, she added, “Paisley appears quite taken with you and the kids, too.”
“The kids, yes. Me? I’m not so sure.”
“Do I detect a hint of disappointment?”
“You know, Irene, that’s what I’ve been trying to figure out myself.”
Her blue eyes watched him intently. She knew his issues almost as well as his father because the two of them shared everything. Unlike his marriage, which had been full of secrets he’d been too blind to see.
“Don’t allow the decisions of others to define you, Crockett. What they think doesn’t matter. It’s how God views you that matters, and the blood of Jesus makes you perfect in His sight.”
His smile was instantaneous. Irene had always been the ultimate encourager. She made him wish she’d been a part of their lives while he was growing up.
Slipping an arm over her shoulders, he guided her into the house. “How did you know I needed that reminder?”
“I was a schoolteacher. I’ve learned to be very perceptive.”
After a simple lunch of sandwiches, chips and fresh fruit, Irene invited the kids to help her make cookies while Crockett and his father migrated to the patio with their iced tea. He appreciated how his stepmother always saw to it that Crockett had some time alone with his father. Today she probably expected he needed it.
“You look
much better.” Crockett set his cup on the table before settling into one of the cushioned chairs on the covered patio, thankful for the ceiling fan rapidly moving the humid air.
“Wish I could say the same about you.”
He shot his father a look that held as much confusion as it did annoyance.
“You’re lookin’ a little peaked, son. Wouldn’t have anything to do with that Paisley gal Irene said was with you at the hospital, would it?”
Crockett shook his head. “Irene sure seems to have read a lot into Paisley bein’ with me.”
“Well, when was the last time you showed up anywhere with a woman at your side?” Given Shannon’s propensity for roaming, probably a lot longer than five years.
Letting go a sigh, Crockett leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his neck. “Dad, how did you work up the courage to trust your heart to another woman?”
The man stared into his glass for a long moment as a mourning dove cooed a woeful melody nearby. “It wasn’t easy, I can tell you that. ’Course, I was my own worst enemy.” His dark gaze met Crockett’s. “Sometimes it’s easier to hide away and wallow in the pain than to move on.”
“You’re telling me. Just the thought of moving on—not to mention, possibly getting hurt again—is enough to scare me.”
“I’m ashamed to say that I allowed myself to become a victim of someone else’s actions.”
“And yet you still married again?”
Dad’s expression became stern. “Crockett, your mama leaving didn’t make me a victim.”
Crockett eyed a squirrel shimmying along the grayed fence pickets. “That’s not how I see it.”
“Well, then you’d be wrong.” Leaning closer, his father continued. “I became a victim when I accepted the responsibility for your mama leaving.”
Crockett straightened and reached for his tea. “I guess that’s one way to look at it.” He took a sip.
“By blaming your mother for my misery, I was giving her control over my life instead of God.”
Just the way Crockett blamed Shannon. Except he blamed his mother, too.
He shifted in his seat. “That’s rather convicting.”
“Yes, it is. And it took me a long time to realize what I was doing. But soon as I did, I asked the good Lord to forgive me.” Retrieving his glass, he leaned back in his seat. “’Course then I had to forgive your mother.”
Crockett nearly spewed his tea. “How could you forgive her after what she did to us?”
“Son, with God, all things are possible. And when He asks you to do somethin’, you can either wrestle with Him or give in. I wasn’t the reason your mother left, she was. That’s on her, not me.”
Wrapping his brain around the concept of forgiving his mother and Shannon was a challenge Crockett wasn’t sure he could meet.
“Okay, but what about Irene? I mean, you could have done all of that and still not pursued her.”
A grin split his father’s face. “Sometimes God presents us with an offer that’s too good to refuse. Irene is one special gal. It was easier to love her than to try not to.”
Thoughts of Paisley played across Crockett’s mind. The way she’d cared for Mac and David the night of the storm. The strength of character it took to move forward after losing her husband and son. That alone was enough to put him to shame.
“Believe it or not, that I understand.”
His father’s smile grew wider. “In that case, there might be hope for you yet, my boy.”
* * *
“I think we should celebrate.”
Standing in the entry hall of the castle Wednesday afternoon, Paisley looked at Crockett, wondering what had gotten into him. He’d been different lately. Happier, maybe. More carefree. Definitely not as uptight.
He’d been at the castle with her for a few hours each day this week, helping her with the packing since the movers were due to arrive today. Then he’d been there since first thing this morning to help her oversee the process. She hadn’t expected that. Or his cheery disposition. That alone had her reconsidering her determination to keep things strictly business.
Now as the movers pulled away just after four, he thought they should celebrate. Since when was that word even in his vocabulary?
Still skeptical, she looked at him. “And how do you propose we do that?”
“I’ve been promising the kids we’d go for an evening ride. And since it’s not as hot today, I thought tonight would be a good time. If you were to go with us, it would be downright perfect.”
Her gaze locked with his. The look in his eyes, the timbre of his voice made her feel as though he truly wanted her to join them. Of course, experience had taught her his mood could turn on a dime.
“I assume you’re talking about horseback riding.”
“Yes. Sorry, I should have clarified. Do you know how to ride?”
“It’s been years, but yes. I even took lessons once upon a time.” Riding with Crockett and the kids would probably be lovely, much the way things had been when they were prepping the barn for Samantha’s wedding reception. But then, for whatever reason, Crockett had become distant, seemingly slamming the door in her face. At least that’s how it had felt. Last Friday at his house, he’d definitely shut her out, and it hurt. She didn’t want to hurt anymore. She’d had more than her fair share.
“Paisley?”
She looked up to see him approach.
He stopped mere inches from her. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you Friday. I like being with you, perhaps a little too much, and I got into my head. I was afraid of my feelings for you.” His fingers reached for hers. “I don’t want to be afraid anymore.”
A lightness came over Paisley, and she felt almost giddy.
Unable to contain her smile, she said, “Let’s go ride some horses.”
She was glad she had her own vehicle because she needed the twenty-minute drive to settle her flailing nerves. She felt like she was in junior high again and had just found out that the boy she’d been crushing on liked her back. She wanted to squeal. And since she was alone in her SUV, she did just that.
Crockett wasn’t the only one who was afraid, though. What if fear had him taking a step back once again?
Then she’d just have to coax him back to reality and let him know she would never intentionally hurt him.
Once she arrived at the ranch, she tried to maintain her usual calm and collected persona. Crockett had called the kids to let them know they’d be riding, so they were ready and waiting.
“I’m so excited you’re going with us.” Mackenzie bounded alongside her on the way to the horse barn.
“Me, too.” Her gaze shifted from Mackenzie to her father, who happened to be watching them. When he saw Paisley look his way, he shot her a wink that had her heart racing again.
The late afternoon air held a hint of a breeze as they set out across the pasture a short time later.
“You look like a natural up there.” Beside her, Crockett smiled at her from atop his sorrel steed.
“I think Cupcake and I are going to get along just fine.” She patted her palomino’s neck.
A smiling David moved to her right. “You should ride with us more often, Ms. Paisley.”
At the moment, she wouldn’t mind that at all.
They moved at a leisurely pace until they reached the edge of the pasture where Crockett dismounted to open a gate, allowing Paisley and the kids to pass through before rejoining them.
As they continued on, the woods closed in, funneling them onto a narrow path. Mackenzie took the lead, followed by David and Paisley while Crockett brought up the rear.
The horses picked their way along a slowly descending, sandy path flanked with mighty oaks, spindly cedars, pines and yaupon.
Sunlight flickered through the bright green leaves, and Paisley
drew in a deep breath of earthy air. “Is it me, or does it feel like it’s getting cooler?” She glanced over her shoulder at Crockett.
“It’s not your imagination. There’s a creek up ahead that keeps this area a few degrees cooler.”
“Creek?” Still holding the reins, she twisted in her saddle to look at him. “You know we had a lot of rain, right?”
“Don’t worry. Carlos checked it out the other day. It’s a little wider than usual, but no roaring rapids, so we’ll be fine.”
He was right, of course, and a short time later, the horses splashed across the shallow creek that snaked through the trees and underbrush.
“Dad,” David hollered back as the horses picked their way up the trail, “can we go fishing?”
“I don’t see why not.”
Paisley hadn’t seen any fishing poles, but she had a feeling Crockett somehow had things covered.
Several minutes later, they veered off the trail, ducking as they passed under some low-hanging pine boughs before emerging onto the banks of a pond that was tucked in the middle of the woods.
“This is beautiful,” she said as Crockett appeared at her side.
“It’s a nice change of pace.” He held on to Cupcake’s reins as Paisley climbed down.
Looking up at him, she felt her heart flutter. “As is this ride. Thank you for inviting me.”
“You’re welcome.”
When she turned around, she saw each of the kids holding fishing poles. “Where did you get those?”
“They were on our saddles,” said Mackenzie. “In these.” She held up a small bag.
“Ever hear of collapsible fishing poles?” Crockett’s whisper made her shiver.
Rubbing her arms, she said, “No, but then you’ve probably never heard of pate a choux, so we’re even.”
“At least collapsible fishing pole kinda gives things away. I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
She couldn’t help laughing. “As it should be.”
While the kids cast their lines, Crockett took hold of Paisley’s hand. “Come with me.”
She looked from the kids to him and back again. “Are you sure they’ll be okay?”
A Future to Fight For Page 16