by Jodi Vaughn
“Mr. Galloway, I don’t think Heather stole your mother’s car…”
“Of course she didn’t. We found my mother’s updated will in her Bible while we were getting things ready for the sale. My attorney realizes my mother intended to sign over the car to Heather. In the will she states upon her death she gets the car. She stated that Heather took care of her more than her children did. I don’t necessarily agree but that’s not the point. My attorney said he would handle everything today. I’m sorry for any inconvenience this has caused the girl. Now I really have to go.” Richard hung up the phone.
Relief and joy washed over him.
She was innocent.
He jumped in the shower. As he dressed, he hoped that Heather would forgive him for ever doubting her.
He raced to the police station, not caring that he was breaking the speed limit. He needed to get to Heather. He needed to apologize.
He parked in front of the station and ran up the steps.
“Where’s Sloan?” he asked the receptionist.
“He’s in a meeting.” She looked at him over her glasses.
“I need to see him; its important,” Grayson demanded.
“It’s okay, Shelly.” Sloan appeared in the hallway. “If you are looking for Heather, she’s gone.”
“You mean released,” Grayson corrected him. “She was wrongfully accused of something she didn’t do. The woman’s son…”
“I know. Found the updated will in the Bible. It’s all cleared up,” Sloan reassured him.
“Did she go back to Elizabeth’s?”
“I don’t know. She and Olivia left at the same time.”
“Olivia?”
“Yes. She insisted on spending the night in the slammer with Heather.” Sloan narrowed his eyes. “She can be quite convincing when she wants to be.” He turned and headed back to his office.
Chapter 35
Heather waved to Olivia as she drove away from Elizabeth’s house. She glanced down at her wrinkled skirt and shirt and sighed. With her heels in her hand, she walked up the steps to the front door.
“Heather, I was so worried about you.” Elizabeth was there, wearing a bright-yellow muumuu, her hair going every which way.
“I’m okay. The police cleared everything up.”
“Good. Now come in the kitchen and let’s talk.”
Her stomach dropped. Elizabeth was going to give her the talk about how this isn’t working out and how she couldn’t possibly stay there anymore.
She didn’t have it in her to argue. Defeated, she followed Elizabeth into the kitchen where the smell of coffee hung in the air.
“I just made a fresh pot. Been up all night. I heard Olivia spent the night with you. She’s a good girl, that Olivia.”
“Who told you that?” She frowned.
“Sloan did. He called and asked me if I could talk her out of it.” She snorted. “I told him no. And he was no longer going to get any more apple pies from me on the Fourth of July.”
“Elizabeth, he apologized. He said it was a mix-up…”
“I know, I know. That’s not what I want to talk about.” She set a cup of coffee and cream and sugar in front of her. She poured herself a cup and sat across from her.
“You didn’t tell me you came out of the foster system.”
“I was afraid you wouldn’t hire me if you knew.”
“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. I just want you to be honest with me.”
“Okay. I came out of the foster system. I don’t have a bank account so I cash my checks and keep a wad of cash in my backpack. I have always had a backpack since I was eight. Before then I carried my clothes from house to house in a garbage bag until someone donated one to me. In a way, I live out of it. I always have. I also keep food in my room out of habit.”
“Food insecure.” She nodded and sipped her coffee. “I get it.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Donna’s daughter adopted a son who came out of the foster care system. She would find boxes of crackers and cereal hidden under his bed.”
“It makes me feel secure in a way.” She shrugged and sipped her coffee. “This is way better than jail coffee.” She put her coffee mug down. “Look, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. If you’ll just let me shower, I can pack my stuff and get out of your way.”
Elizabeth gave her a shocked look. “Leave? Why would you leave?”
“I lied about who I was.”
“Heather, you are human. The Bible says we are to forgive. What kind of Christian would I be if I didn’t forgive?”
Heather sat there looking at her, too stunned to speak.
“Now, you finish that coffee. I’m making eggs and bacon and grits…”
“Wait. I don’t understand. Are you asking me to stay? What if your children don’t want me here? What if something happens…”
“What if something happens to me? I’ve already handled all that. I talked to all my children last night. None of them want the responsibility of the flower farm. They all agreed to let you stay on and live here to help me with it. If something does happen to me, which it won’t because I feel as fit as a bull, then you will be allowed to stay in the house and farm the land for as long as you want. The children will still inherit the land and if they want to sell it, they have to give you the first right of refusal. But they can’t sell it until ten years after I’m dead. That will give you enough time to come up with money to buy it if you want. Or maybe you’ll be living on the farm next door as the farmer’s wife.” She waggled her eyebrows.
“I doubt that. Grayson never wants to see me again.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure. I talked to him this morning. He was up all night, calling every Galloway in the directory. He talked to the son and found out everything this morning. He called from the jail when he realized you were not there.”
“Really? I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“You feel how you want to feel. Hurt, angry, unsure. You got plenty of time to figure it out. Now go upstairs and get cleaned up, and then we’ll eat.”
Chapter 36
Grayson hurried up the front steps of Elizabeth’s house. The scent of bacon reminded him he hadn’t eaten breakfast.
He rapped on the screen door.
“You stay put. I’ll answer it,” Elizabeth insisted.
He wanted to barge in, but he knew neither Elizabeth nor Heather would appreciate that. Not after how he had treated her last night.
“Grayson. I should say I’m surprised to see you, but I’d be lying.” Elizabeth held the door open for him. “She’s in the kitchen.”
He stopped in his tracks. “What if she doesn’t want to see me?”
“She probably doesn’t.”
He hesitated. “But I want to see her. I need to apologize.”
Elizabeth nodded.
“She probably never wants to see me again.”
“You should ask yourself two questions, Grayson. What do you want? And are you willing to fight for it?”
She was right. Elizabeth usually was. He nodded and made his way to the kitchen.
Heather was sitting there dressed in her usual yellow T-shirt and jeans. Her hair hung in wet tendrils around her face. She stared into her cup of coffee as he sat at the table.
“Heather, I need to apologize. I’m sorry for not believing you. I should have had more faith in you. And for that I’m so sorry. When I got home, I realized what a mistake I had made. I was willing to let go of someone I care about because I was afraid of being hurt again. Of being deceived. It made me realize you are not Sarah. And it made me realize I don’t deserve you.”
She set her cup down. “Grayson, I had a lot of time to think last night. And I realized that I do deserve better in life. I want someone who will fight for me and trust me and never let me down. At the same time, I think you have kept your walls up and not been vulnerable. I know it’s scary to let someone in, but the other option is being alone fore
ver.”
He cleared his throat. “You are probably right. You’ve been right about a lot of things. I may be older, but you are wiser than me.”
“I agree with that.” She took a sip of her coffee. “I do forgive you, Grayson, but right now, I need to be by myself, to figure things out.”
“You’re not leaving, are you?” His heart dropped.
“Leaving? Are you crazy?” Elizabeth walked into the kitchen. “She’s going to officially be caretaker of the farm. I’m talking to my attorney about putting it in writing. This week, in fact.”
“That’s great.” He felt like he could breathe again.
“Sounds like you’ve got some making up to do,” Elizabeth muttered.
“So there’s hope?” he asked.
“There’s always hope.” She lifted her eyes to him.
It cut him to the core to see how red her eyes had been from crying.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to prove how much you mean to me, Heather.” He stood and headed out the front door.
Elizabeth grinned.
“Why are you smiling?”
“I’ve never seen him like that. I’m curious to see how he’s going to make it up to you. I bet he’ll bring you a bouquet and candy.”
Heather laughed. “Maybe. But I still need time too. I meant it when I said I needed time.”
“Right.” Elizabeth snorted. “We’ll see how much time you need.”
Chapter 37
That afternoon, a large bouquet of red roses was delivered to Heather at the farm. Elizabeth crowed over her astute guess.
Heather glanced at the gifts and headed out to check on the flowers. She liked that the chores of the farm took her mind off Grayson.
The next day a large box was delivered by Gabriela. “This is from Grayson. I picked them out and he paid for them.” She leaned closer. “Don’t worry. I made him buy the most expensive chocolates they had.”
“I can’t keep these.” Heather shook her head.
“Oh yes, you can. I’ll call Agnes over, and we’ll all eat them together,” Elizabeth said.
On the third day, Grayson changed his course. Instead of chocolates and roses, he sent her a dozen potted herbs.
“What an odd gift.” Elizabeth frowned.
“No, not at all. He knows I’m learning to cook. These will come in handy. This is something I will definitely enjoy.” She turned to Elizabeth. “How do you feel about cilantro?”
“I’m not a fan.” Elizabeth scowled.
“You will be when I use it in a soup.” Heather gathered her herbs and carefully placed them on the windowsills in the kitchen.
On day four, Grayson left a package on the front porch. When Heather opened the screen door to step out, she almost tripped over it. The note, like the other gifts before, simply said, Forgive me.
She carefully untied the box and lifted the lid. Sitting inside was a very sleepy baby goat.
“Elizabeth! Look!” She burst into the kitchen holding the baby.
“What in the world? It’s a goat?” Elizabeth blinked over her coffee. “What is Grayson McCade thinking?”
“I love it.” She nuzzled the kid under her chin.
“Heather, where are we going to keep that thing?” Elizabeth scowled.
“I don’t know. Can’t I keep it in my room?”
Elizabeth shook her head.
On the fifth day, Grayson showed up around five that afternoon. Heather had just come in from watering the flowers. Her boots were muddy; her hair was sweaty, and she was carrying her baby goat in her arms.
“That goat isn’t going to learn how to walk if you keep carrying him like that.”
She stopped in her tracks. “I can’t let him down when I go water the flowers. He tries to eat them.”
“Goats do that.” Grayson grinned.
“I got the other gifts as well. I’m sorry I haven’t thanked you for them. Agnes and Elizabeth ate most of the chocolates though. But the herbs I’m using every night when I cook dinner.”
“I thought you’d like them.” He nodded. “I just want you to know I think about you all the time. And when I sleep, I think about you too.”
She swallowed.
“Well, I just thought you should know.” He raked his hand through his hair and turned.
“Grayson, wait.”
He turned slowly. “Yes.”
“I do forgive you.” The words tumbled out of her mouth.
“You do?” His eyes shone with hope.
“Yes. But you need to know that I want to take things slowly.”
“Of course. I can do that.” He stepped close. The baby goat bleated and gnawed on his shirt.
“Are you sure? I think we need to have a conversation about what we want as far as long-term goals.” Heather looked up at him.
“I already know what I want. I want you and no one else. If I have to wait twenty years until you’re ready to commit to me, then I’ll wait. You know, in one of my dreams I saw you on my front porch waving me in for dinner. That’s what I want. I want to make a home with you. And we will take as much time as you need.”
Her heart swelled and burst with joy. “Are you sure about that?”
“I’m positive. I would like to ask you on another date. Since this is Saturday, I would love to sit next to you at church tomorrow.”
She grinned and touched his cheek. “Okay, but you have to run it by Elizabeth first. She’s very protective of me these days.”
“As she should be. As she should.”
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The end.
About the Author
Jodi Allen Brice has written numerous books under a different pen name. Under Jodi Allen Brice she writes fiction and small town clean and sweet romance.
She transitioned away from paranormal romance in the year 2020 when the virus hit. She said she felt she needed to write a book that would change hearts and minds where Christ is concerned. She is a Christian who loves studying Bible prophesy and spending time with her family in Arkansas. She’s is also an avid quilter and camping. Sometimes she does both at the same time!
Her favorite Bible verse is I Corinthians 15:51-52
“In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, so whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
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Check out her website at http://jodiallenbrice.com
Also by Jodi Allen Brice
Novels
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So This Is goodbye
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Harland Creek Series
Promise Kept
Promise Made
Promise Forever