by Lisa Carter
Pushing the button, Maisie discovered how to power on the flashlight. She laughed. Off and on. On and off. Spotlighting the dashboard. Shining the light on the floor mat.
Jake recalled the hopelessness he’d felt that first day as he deposited her in Callie’s arms. Walking away, believing he’d never see his child again.
Holding the flashlight under her chin, Maisie turned the light on herself. She smiled at him. He smiled back.
Look at how far he and Maisie had come. Like two pages glued together, unable to be separated without damaging them both. But without Callie, he wasn’t sure he’d ever feel truly whole again.
That first day when he’d behaved so badly, Callie had been gracious. Forgiving him. Offering him a second chance with Maisie. An opportunity to prove himself. To win their trust.
So why couldn’t he do the same and return the favor to her? Was facing a future without Callie in his life worth hanging on to the anger and bitterness?
Laying the flashlight aside, Maisie moved on to further explorations. She shuffled through the junk mail, and several envelopes fell between her feet.
Quickly losing interest, she dropped the rest and climbed onto the seat again. She curled against his side. Warmth and tenderness flooded him.
He loved Maisie so much. He placed his arm around her shoulders, snuggling her against him. Callie loved her so much.
When he stopped fuming, he could acknowledge that in keeping Tiffany’s secret, she hadn’t intended to hurt him. She’d been protecting Maisie. Trying to protect him, too.
“BooWoo, my daddy...” Maisie’s eyes drooped.
He kissed her forehead. “BooWoo needs a nap.”
Mouth puckered, eyes closed, she nodded. He wasn’t the only one exhausted from an overly full weekend at the festival. The past few days had been turbulent, as well. She was off her routine.
“Let’s put you back with BooWoo, baby.”
“’Kay, my daddy.”
Half-asleep, she didn’t protest as he strapped her into the car seat. BooWoo cuddled tight to her chest, her breaths became slow and even.
Jake reckoned he’d never get his fill of watching Maisie. The sheer marvel of her existence. The exquisite joy of being a part of her life.
And as he watched her sleep, his pulse settled. The anger seeped from him. How far would he have gone for love? As far as Callie?
He had his answer in the gentle rise and fall of Maisie’s chest. He would go to any lengths to protect the child he loved as his own. He pressed his forehead against the wheel.
I forgave Tiffany. I really did, God. But after what Callie did to me? How can I forgive her?
Yet, how could he not? Jake sucked in a breath. Despite a lifetime of mistakes, God had forgiven him.
Because that was what a good, loving father did. He’d learned that from Nash Jackson. When you loved someone, you forgave them.
The real question he needed to ask himself was which did he love more. The anger that kept him, Maisie and Callie forever apart? Or forgiveness, which opened a future for him to make a real family for Maisie with Callie?
His bitterness kept him tied to a past he’d do better to put behind him. Why would he want to live bound to misery when he could have so much more with Callie?
Did he love Callie? His breath came in rapid spurts. Yes, he loved her more than he’d ever believed possible. Was he willing to throw away what he felt for Callie and what they could be to each other because of pride? No, his heart roared within him, he wasn’t.
God, I love her so much. Forgive me for lashing out in anger instead of letting her explain. For running away when I should have forgiven her and stayed to work things out.
With his child sleeping in the back seat, the longer he sat there, the more at peace he felt. A burden he was never meant to carry had lifted from his shoulders. He found himself bestowing forgiveness on everyone who’d ever hurt him—even his father, though it wasn’t easy.
It was then he knew he was ready, with God’s help, to be the man he was meant to be. The father he should be. The husband he yet hoped to become.
He glanced at his sleeping child, BooWoo cuddled under her chin. What kind of life could he make for himself and Maisie if their hearts had lost their home?
What did home look like for them? But in his heart, he already knew.
Home looked like a white farmhouse on a knoll overlooking an apple orchard. Home looked like a mountainside chapel and a small Blue Ridge town called Truelove. But most of all, home looked like Callie Jackson.
Maybe he’d already damaged beyond repair his relationship with her. Or would she give him a second chance to make things right? He squared his shoulders. Only one way to find out.
Blowing out a breath, he started the engine. Putting the truck in gear, he cranked the wheel hard and headed out of the dead-end road. Back the way he’d come.
Help her to forgive me, Father. He swallowed. Help her to still want me in her life. Help her to still love me.
But no matter what, he and Maisie were going home.
* * *
They were gone.
Callie didn’t know how she was going to go on without them. Though equally devastated, her dad had agreed that Maisie belonged with Jake. And so, at last, she’d done the right thing.
The secret had cost her everything.
Leaning against the porch railing, she moaned. Why did the right thing always have to hurt so much? Her father had wandered off into the orchard. Beneath the crisp, tangy scent of the apples, he would pray and find his consolation.
Without Jake and Maisie, there was no place of consolation for Callie. Only empty arms and an aching heart awaited her. Overwhelmed with the pain of loss, she went inside the house and stumbled up the staircase.
She hesitated outside Jake’s bedroom. She ought to strip the bed and wash the sheets. The room was a mere hollowed-out echo of his presence. As hollowed out as her heart felt.
Going inside she noticed that the closet door stood slightly ajar. Curious, she found one of Jake’s shirts crumpled in a puddle in the far corner. It was the shirt he’d worn yesterday. The one with the ripped shirttail. Needing to touch something of his, she plucked it off the floor and wandered into Maisie’s room.
Kicking off her flats, she lay on the big-girl bed and pressed her cheek against Maisie’s small pillow. Bringing Jake’s chambray shirt to her nostrils, she inhaled the clean, spicy scent of him. As close as she’d ever get to him again. She’d lost him forever.
Callie squeezed her eyes tight against the treacherous trickle of tears. I love you. I love you. I love you. But Jake didn’t love her. Sobs shaking her body, she buried her face in his shirt.
She awoke with a start, her heart pounding. Exhausted from a sleepless night and the life-altering events of the morning, she must have cried herself to sleep.
How long had she been asleep? Rays of midmorning light filtered through the lacy pink curtains. A few hours? Her gaze fell to the storybook lying on Maisie’s little table. Sleeping Beauty.
A flicker of hope ignited within her heart. Please, God, let the past twenty-four hours have been a horrible dream.
Hugging Jake’s shirt, she sat up. And reality came crashing back. No dream.
She inched to the edge of the mattress, her foot feeling for her flats somewhere on the rug. Shoes on, she dragged herself off the bed. Had a school group been scheduled to tour the orchard today? If so, Dad would be going crazy.
Her face felt gritty from the salt residue of her tears. With the first wave of intense grief past, numbness blanketed her emotions. Would the numbed feeling last forever?
But happy or sad, farm life went on, as did the chores waiting to be done. She slipped Jake’s shirt over her blouse. Rolling the sleeves to her elbows, she headed downstairs.
Maybe if she worked herself int
o exhaustion, by nightfall she’d be able to sleep instead of staring at the ceiling yearning for Maisie and Jake.
She found her dad in the barn. His eyes crinkled with concern. She ran a hand through her hair. “I should have been out here helping you this morning. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Are you okay?”
“No...” She gave a shuddery breath. “But when the going gets tough, farm girls get going.”
Her dad enfolded her in a tight hug. “You don’t have to hide your feelings from me, Callie Girl. I’m missing them right alongside you.”
She stepped back, wiping her cheeks. “No tour group this morning?”
Her father shook his head. “Only school morning this entire season without a group. I guess the good Lord knew we’d need this morning to ourselves.”
A cloud of dust signaled the arrival of a visitor turning in off the road. The last of the leaf peepers wandering off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The trees at the top of the ridge had lost their leaves. The vibrant reds and yellows of the leaves in the valley had dulled. Autumn, like her dreams, was over.
“GeorgeAnne and the matchmakers are manning the store. I’ll make sure they’re doing okay. You should take some time for yourself today.”
She made a face. “I’ve spent the whole morning by myself.”
“Take the shortcut through the meadow.” He nudged his chin toward the orchard. “Walk among the trees for a few minutes. Talk to the Lord.”
She looked at him. “I have the best father in the world.”
Her dad laughed. “I don’t know about that, but the best heavenly Father for sure.”
She meandered through the meadow. Trailing her hand along the tops of the goldenrod and purple asters, she became aware of the silhouette of a man standing near the edge of the meadow. Customers didn’t usually venture beyond the Apple House. Of all days... Where was her dad?
Blinded by the angle of the sun, she threw up her hand to shade her eyes. “Are you here to buy apples?” she called, gesturing toward the road. “You’ve driven right past the Apple House.” She hurried, picking her way through the tall grass. “It’s the building next to—”
“Callie.”
She froze. Jake?
It couldn’t be him. He and Maisie were on their way to Texas. Yet, backlit by the sun, it looked like Jake’s strong, muscled frame. Or just wishful thinking?
The man strode toward her. “Callie.”
Her heart hitched. It was Jake. Her thoughts in a jumble, she peered around him. “Where’s Maisie?”
“Maisie’s with Pop-Pop.”
With Jake blocking the sun, she spotted the glint of his truck in the driveway.
Trembling, she wrapped Jake’s shirt around herself. “Is—is something wrong?”
“I forgot to tell you something. And I also need to ask you to forgive me.”
She bit her lip. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”
He stuck his hands in his jeans. “I know you never meant to hurt me. But I let the knee-jerk reactions of a lifetime drown out what my heart was telling me to be true.”
“Jake, you don’t have anything to apologize for.”
“Yes, I do.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I hope you’ll forgive me for not believing you.”
“Of course I forgive you, Jake. I love you.” Her mouth quivered. “I know I’ve ruined everything, but somehow do you think you could find it in your heart to forgive me?”
“I forgive you, Callie.”
“Thank you, Jake.”
Callie laced her hands together lest she give in to the temptation to touch him. The need to feel his arms around her was like a physical ache, but because of her actions, she’d forfeited any future with him.
She heaved a sigh. “I should give Maisie another hug before you head out again.” But she wasn’t sure her heart could stand another goodbye. With him, either.
He cocked his head. “Is that what you want? For me and Maisie to leave?”
“I never wanted...” She blinked. “But I thought—”
“You haven’t asked me what I forgot to tell you, Callie.”
She lowered her gaze. “Your forgiveness means the world to me, Jake.”
“That’s not everything I wanted to say to you, Callie. I couldn’t get out of the county before I realized that leaving here was nothing but a dead-end road to nowhere.”
She was almost afraid to hope, to imagine he’d changed his mind about leaving. “If you stay in Truelove with Maisie, Dad and I will help you find just the right place to—”
He shook his head. “I don’t think that arrangement would suit me, Callie. Anyway, there’s the matchmakers to consider.”
Callie’s heart sank. She’d misunderstood his intentions about staying. “Oh.”
“What I mean is, the matchmakers were right. Pretty near right about everything. Go figure.”
“Jake, I—”
“Maisie isn’t the only one I found impossible to leave.” He captured her hand. “I can’t leave you, Callie. I love you.”
He loved her? But was love enough to overcome what she’d done?
Jake took a ragged breath. “I think I’ve loved you since the first evening when you walked in the meadow with Maisie.”
Tears pricked her eyelids. “But I destroyed your trust in me, Jake.”
“You’re the one who told me that trust can be rebuilt.” He pulled her closer. “You gave me a second chance with Maisie. I want a second chance with you. A second chance to love you. If you’ll have me, Callie.”
His hands circled her waist. Fingers splayed against his chest, she rested her cheek upon the soft fabric of his shirt. Callie closed her eyes, feeling the thrumming vibration of his heartbeat.
Was this really happening? Jake loved her? After everything she had done?
He tightened his grip, bending his head. His lips brushed her ear. “Will you have me, Callie?” he whispered, his voice husky and low. “I promise, if you’ll give me another chance to show you how much I love you, I won’t ever leave you again.”
She lifted her face to him. “That’s a promise I’m going to hold you to, soldier.”
His eyes—as blue as a Carolina sky—crinkled at the corners. “That’s a yes, then?”
“Most definitely a yes.”
His arms tightened. If she had only one moment to live forever, she’d want it to be this moment. Finally, when he loosened his hold, she stepped back, but not far. She never wanted to be far from his embrace again.
“Shall we go tell Dad and Maisie the good news?”
“First...” Running his hand down her arm, he gave her that lovely, lopsided smile of his. “Does it look like rain to you, farm girl?”
Lips twitching, she craned her neck, peering at the not-a-cloud sky over the mountain ridge. “Why, yes, Jake McAbee, I think you’re right.”
He smiled. “Time to collect on that rain check you promised.”
She tucked her tongue into her cheek. “And I guess that means you’ll be wanting a kiss?”
“One. Or two.” He swung her around. “Or three.”
“So what are you waiting for, then?” Lifting her mouth to his, she slipped her arms around his neck. “Kiss me, Jake.”
And he did.
Epilogue
One Week Later
Prisms of color splashed the interior of his truck. Jake smiled.
For what had to be the tenth time since they’d left Truelove, Callie pivoted her hand this way and that, admiring the ring he just purchased. Catching the light, her brand-new engagement ring sparkled on her finger.
Behind them in her car seat, Maisie sang one of her little-girl songs to BooWoo. A song that went something like “Bah-bah-bah-BooWoo, beautiful BooWoo...”
Her brown eyes dancing, Callie’s gaze
darted to him. Lips curving, Jake had never been happier in his life.
In Truelove, he’d found everything he’d ever wanted and more. More than he’d ever imagined possible for someone like him. Correction, a child of God like him. It would take a while to undo the false thought patterns of a lifetime.
He’d decided against going through with the paternity test. He’d rather live with uncertainty than with a painful truth. He’d love Maisie either way. And if he could love Maisie like that, how much more must God’s love for him be? Fathomless.
Pulling in front of the farmhouse, he cut the engine. He took a moment and contemplated the mountain vista in the distance. The tidy put-to-bed-for-winter appearance of the orchard. It was good to be still. To soak in the blessings of the day.
With Jake’s hands on the steering wheel, Callie wrapped her arm around his. “I’m not ready to go in yet, either.”
“Out, my daddy!” Maisie kicked the seat. “Out.”
Jake rolled his eyes.
“Or not.” Callie laughed. “The queen bee has spoken.”
Sliding out of his seat belt, he twisted around to unbuckle Maisie. “Not every bride takes a two-year-old along to pick out her engagement ring. Did you mind?”
Her shoulder brushed his as Callie angled to help him. “Why would I mind? It was Maisie who brought me the love of my life.”
Jake’s heart slammed against his rib cage. The love shining from Callie’s face was like nothing he’d ever known before. Filling him with hope for tomorrow’s bright possibilities. And a deep humility for God’s goodness.
He stopped fiddling with the buckles long enough to plant a kiss on the slender curve of Callie’s neck. He smacked his lips. “Apples and cinnamon. My favorite.”
Smiling, she blushed.
“Out!” Maisie bucked. “Mommy! My daddy!”
Callie released the last clasp. “Just a minute, silly girl.”
But he sensed Callie’s deep pleasure. A recent, unprompted development, Maisie had taken to calling her Mommy.
Maisie opened her arms.
Jake lifted her out and over the top of the seat. “I want the wedding to be everything you dreamed, Callie.” He settled Maisie between them.