by T. K. Chapin
Entering her favorite barn, where the goats were located, she smiled as she approached the first of the goats. The sounds made her laugh as she approached with a cup of feed in her hand. Holding out a hand, she let a goat eat from her palm. Without her being aware, another goat was nearby and stole the cup from her other hand.
“Hey!” Reaching through the fence, she retrieved the now empty cup from the goat’s mouth. Reaching in her pocket, she realized the rest of her money was in her purse inside her mother’s car. She sighed deeply.
“Here. Take mine.”
Turning, she saw a guy her age standing there offering her his full cup of animal feed.
“I can’t take that. It was my own fault.”
“I insist. Take it.”
“Thank you.”
She took the cup and poured a little out onto her palm. As she fed another goat, she turned to that same guy who was now helping a little girl feed one of the sheep in the next pin over. Courtney felt obligated to say something more than ‘thank you.’
“Is that your sister?”
“Niece. She loves the animals. I bring her every year.” Turning toward the girl who couldn’t be more than five, he smiled as he peered down at her. “She might be blind, but she can feel their love with her heart.”
Courtney’s heart was touched that he was so kind to bring his blind niece to the fair every year. Wanting to know more, she came closer to the two of them. “That’s nice of you to bring her.”
The guy shrugged. “It’s the least I can do. Her parents introduced me to Jesus a few years back. It changed my life forever, and I could never repay them enough for the introduction to my Savior and my salvation.”
He’s a Christian? The thought brought waves of excitement within her.
“You working here at the fair?” He looked her up and down and her cheeks went crimson with embarrassment as she remembered the obnoxious yellow shirt and visor she was wearing.
“Yeah. My parents run a food truck.”
“That’s awesome. They paying you?”
Raising her eyebrows, she relaxed and nodded. “Yes! I am trying to save up some money for a car.”
“Smart.” His niece started to wander and he caught sight of her. “I’d better keep going. It was nice meeting you. My name is Drew.”
“Nice to meet you, Drew. My name is Courtney.”
“Maybe I’ll see you around.”
“Maybe.”
The next day on her break, she went back to the barn in the hopes of finding Drew, but he wasn’t there. She went again the following day and the day after that, but he wasn’t there. By the end of the week, she had earned enough for a car, but she couldn’t help but find herself discontented that she hadn’t seen Drew again.
It wasn’t until the following year when she was eighteen that she saw him again. There he was, feeding the goats with his niece once again.
It felt like a dream, seeing him again. Proceeding closer, her heart began to race. He was but a stranger whom she had shared a moment with a year ago, but he had been in her thoughts and her prayers ever since that chance meeting. Did he feel the same? She had hope.
“Drew? Is that you?”
He stood and turned toward her. It was as if it was in slow motion. As his gaze connected with hers, his smile widened. “Courtney? I searched and searched for you last year and couldn’t find you. I can’t believe you’re really here. I made a mistake last year by not getting your phone number. I didn’t even think of it at the time. I can’t let another moment go by without it. Sorry if that’s too forward.”
“No, not at all. I thought about you a lot too. Here.” She pulled out a pen and grabbed his hand, pulling him closer to her. She wrote it down on his hand.
It turned out he lived in Idaho Falls, just twenty minutes north of Blackfoot. Over the course of the next year, they dated and fell in love, and then two years following that fateful day at the fair, they were married. She was only nineteen, but Courtney was happy and looking forward to a life with Drew.
Lying on a blanket in the grass one summer day after being married for two years, Courtney sat up and turned to Drew.
“Why do you think we haven’t been able to have children?”
He sat upright and shrugged. “I’m not sure the why, but I do know God is in control.”
“Why would God want us to not have kids?”
Drew’s gaze left Courtney’s eyes and went across the lawn to the large oak tree that was blowing lightly in the wind. “I don’t think it’s a matter of God not wanting us to have kids, love. Sometimes, things just don’t happen the way we think they should happen. It’s in these moments that our love and trust in God must take hold of all that we are and be at the forefront of our thoughts.”
He turned his gaze back to Courtney, then leaned in and kissed her lips gently. “His loving ways are beyond our comprehension, and we must trust in Him above all else.”
Nodding, Courtney lay back down on the blanket and so did Drew. She snuggled up to his chest and wrapped her arms around him tightly. She loved his heart for God, his trust in God. She prayed quietly to herself in that moment. I love him so much, Lord. Thank You for this man. Thank You for this husband I get to call my own.
Chapter 3
Chimes rang through Brian’s house early Monday morning. Peering down at the clock on his computer screen, he saw it was 6:15 AM. Scratching his head, he stood up from his office chair and tightened his robe on his way through the house. The chimes went off again. Finally opening the door, he was surprised to see Courtney and her two nephews bright-eyed and looking as if they hadn’t slept for hours.
“Wow. You’re here early.”
“You said six AM, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. Sure, come on in.” Stepping out of the way, he let them into the house. He had set an alarm on his phone to remind him to pull out some of Lucy’s old toys at eight that morning. “I have a room that will work perfectly for your office and playroom.”
“Playroom?” Courtney raised an eyebrow.
“Well, yeah, the kids need something to do. There’s already a TV in there, and I had planned to bring out some old toys of my daughter’s.”
“Wow, thank you. Hey. So you own a dog food company and you don’t have a dog?”
Brian laughed and shook his head. “Not anymore. Anyway, thank you for trying this out. Come with me. I’ll show you to the room.” Leading her and the boys through a long hallway, he led her into a giant room with giant windows overlooking the back yard. She walked over to the window and peered out.
“Wow. You have a whole lot of space.” She turned toward him. “I bet Mrs. Dunlap and your children enjoy it.”
Brian shook his head. “No Mrs. Dunlap . . . anymore . . . and I have one daughter who visits once a month.” Walking over to the television, he turned it on and grabbed the remote from beside the entertainment stand. He handed it to her. “I’ll go grab the toys. You can find something for them to watch.”
Heading down the hall, he went into the study off the foyer and dug through a few boxes sitting on the writing table in the room. Pulling out dolls, he shook his head and placed them back into the box. He managed to find a few books and a small train. Setting the box aside, he grabbed another and opened it up.
Just then, Courtney entered through the open glass doors into the study. He turned toward her, looking over his shoulder with a smile. “I found a train and some books so far.”
“Thank you. I’ll have them bring a few of their toy cars tomorrow.”
She entered the foyer and glanced at a photograph on the desk in the room. “This your ex-wife?”
“Yes.”
“She’s very beautiful.”
“Yeah, you don’t know her.” He kept digging in the box but realized what he had just uttered. Stopping, he removed his hands from the box and turned toward Courtney. “That’s not nice to say. It just didn’t work out between us.”
“Can I ask what happened?�
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His heart jerked, flashbacks of his finding out about her and Conrad. “No. I’d rather not talk about it. It’s too early, and it’s Monday—oh, and I’m your boss.”
“That’s all very true, and I’m sorry.” She came over to the train sitting on the desk. Lifting it, she smiled. “I’m sure Blaze will like to play with this. You aren’t too attached, though, right? There’s a good chance it might get broken. These boys are rough with toys—I mean, everything.”
He laughed lightly. “That’s fine.”
“Honestly, I’m surprised you hired me after yesterday when I told you they were wild.” She touched her forehead as she paused and shook her head. “You probably think I’m quite the mess after yesterday in the parking lot. Don’t you?”
Coming closer to Courtney, Brian shook his head. “I don’t think you’re a mess. I think you’re just going through a hard time right now. It’s okay to not be okay.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
Her eyes went to the box, then over to the train and books. “When are you going to show me what to do for the job?”
His mind shifted to his work and he let out a quick breath. “Let me get some more stuff done and we’ll meet up around ten. Feel free to go through these boxes to find any toys that might interest your boys. Oh, and take a self-guided tour around the house so you can get a feel for your work environment.”
“Okay. So, you don’t want me to do any work until eleven?”
“It’s whatever. Just hang out. I’ll still pay you.”
“All right.”
Leaving her be, he headed to his office and continued his work on the ad designs he had to get finished. Stretching his arms out as he finished the last ad at five minutes to ten o’clock, he rubbed his eyes of exhaustion and rose from his seat at the computer. Exiting his office, he headed down the hall to go find Courtney. As he passed the kitchen, he noticed it was clean and all the dishes were done. He and Lucy had dirtied it up over the weekend. Raising an eyebrow, he went into the kitchen and found a freshly brewed pot of coffee.
He poured himself a cup. “Mmm . . . this is great.”
“Glad you think so.” Courtney walked into the kitchen. “I took the liberty of cleaning up while I waited for eleven. I also prepared lunch and dinner, and it’s ready to go when you’re ready for me to cook it. I just finished starting the second load of laundry. Hope you don’t mind that I took some initiative while I waited.”
Tingles ran the length of Brian’s spine. “Mind?” He took another sip of his coffee and set it down on the counter as his lips curled into a smile. “I love it!”
Courtney smiled. “Good. So, other than housework, what’s this job all about?”
“Glad you asked. I am up to my ears in work with advertising, suppliers, meetings with clients, and running the website and warehouse where the dog food is made. I need someone to handle all the records, emails, and scheduling of appointments.”
“All right. That computer in the office you gave me is slow.”
“It worked great the last time I used it.”
“With all due respect, it has Windows 98 on it. It’s old, and also, the metal folding chair won’t work for me, either.”
Brian laughed and raked a hand through his hair. “98 was a great year, and that chair works for sitting.”
Raising an eyebrow, she shrugged. “Probably so, but it’s 2019. As for that chair, maybe we can just switch chairs for a day and you can tell me how it feels to sit on it for hours on end?”
“All right. Here.” Pulling out his wallet, he handed her a credit card. “Order it.”
“I’ll let you handle that part.”
“Why? You should start getting used to handling my finances.”
She took it. “Okay, then. When the computer arrives in a couple of days, I will need you to set everything up so I have access to all that I am responsible for. Do you have hard copies of invoices as well as digitals?”
“Yeah, they’re in the basement in the far-left corner.” She was about to leave when he stopped her. “Hey, Courtney. I have to say I’m impressed and a little surprised. I hope you don’t mind my asking, but where’d all this energy come from? You seem different.”
“It’s no offense to me, and I’m glad you’re impressed. As for the change? When I work, I work hard and I’m focused.”
“Awesome.”
She headed for the door that led to the basement. Raising an eyebrow, he nodded and headed back to his office. Brian already knew just a few hours into her first day that she wasn’t like the rest of the people he had tried out for the position of assistant. Courtney didn’t feel comfortable getting paid to do nothing and took initiative, and he liked that.
Bringing up the final box of invoices, she set them down in the office and noticed the boys were growing bored of the few books and train that Brian had supplied. They were wrestling with each other near the window. Breaking up the tussle, Courtney asked if they wanted to watch a movie.
“I’m hungry.” Todd ran over to her purse sitting on the couch in the room.
“Okay. You can have a small snack. It’s about that time.” Walking over to her purse, she retrieved two packages of an assortment of grapes and crackers. Handing them to Todd and Blaze, she watched as Todd threw his bag across the floor. Blaze, however, started popping grapes into his mouth.
Praying as she grabbed the bag from the floor, Courtney knew she needed the Lord’s strength today. Please help him to listen, Lord. Please!
Dropping to a knee in front of the angered Todd, she gently brought a hand up to press against his back as she peered into his eyes. “Honey. This is your snack.”
“I don’t like grapes or crackers. I want candy.”
Shaking her head, she smiled. “I know, but this is healthier for you.”
“No. I’m not eating it.” He jerked his body away from her and stood with furrowed eyebrows directing his attention away from her. Her heart ached in the moment. Placing the bag back into her purse, she stood up and walked over to the couch. She set the purse down.
“If you get hungry, let me know and you can have your snack. Let’s go for our walk and stretch our legs.” She had read an article that walking helps children calm down. Reaching a hand out, she waited.
He stayed looking away from her.
Glancing over at Blaze, she saw that he was done with his snack and ready to go.
“Come on, Todd. Let’s go.” Walking over to him, she offered her hand again.
He reluctantly took it and went with her and Blaze for a walk.
Courtney was one week into her new job and everything was going smoothly. She had almost all seven boxes of invoices organized by months and years into a filing cabinet in her office. His email inbox was to under forty emails, down from over twelve hundred, and his house was clean and tidy. The boys were behaving for the most part at Brian’s house, and Courtney had finally felt like she had some control over her life for the first time in a little over a month since her sister went to rehab in Wyoming.
One evening, after tucking the boys into their new toddler beds in the spare bedroom, she switched the night light on and shut the door. Pausing outside the door, she sat down and waited, back resting against the hallway wall. Each night she put them to bed, she had to wait by the door and coax them back into their bedroom several times until they finally passed out around ten or eleven, hours after she had put them to bed.
Tonight, they didn’t get up.
Hot tears filled her eyes as joy poured into her heart. It had been a trying and difficult five weeks since she’d started the process of bedtime after their mother left, but they had finally learned bedtime meant bedtime. She wanted to call and celebrate the victory with someone, but she didn’t know who to call. Her mother wouldn’t care since she’d tried telling her to play a movie for them like they were used to and her sister was busy fighting addiction. Then she thought of Brian. She called him.
“Hello, Courtne
y. What’s up?”
“I had to call someone, and I think you’d understand it best since you know the boys. They went to sleep without getting up at all tonight.”
“What?” He was elated. “That is fantastic! What an awesome victory for you!”
“I know! I’m so excited.”
“Your mother wouldn’t be excited about this?”
“Nah. She thinks everything that goes on with them is normal kid stuff. I don’t think she cares a whole lot. She couldn’t even be bothered to come to town for Thanksgiving last week, so . . .”
“Ah, yeah. Well, you should pray for her. I take it she hasn’t seen Todd in one of his full-on meltdowns like the one I saw in the kitchen the other day.”
“Nope. He’s perfect on video chat and that’s all she ever sees. I will pray for her. That’s a good idea.”
“Good plan. Hey, I forgot to tell you earlier today when you were here. Great job with Paula Erickson. She wrote a fabulous review on Facebook about us, gushing over the customer service experience she had when dealing with the order mix-up she had from the warehouse.”
Courtney’s heart warmed. “Wow, that’s awesome, Brian! I’m glad I am of some use.”
“Hey.” He paused for a moment. “You’re a great asset to Puppy Chow Direct and to me. You’ve made my life so much easier to manage, and it is a huge blessing to have you as a part of the team! I know it’s only been a week, but it’s been great. You’ve been great.”
“Aw, thanks.”
“No problem. Have a good night, Courtney. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow, Brian.”
Hanging up, Courtney’s eyes moistened with tears again. This time, it was thankfulness toward God for sending the perfect job into her life at the exact right time she needed it. Standing up, she opened the boys’ door and peeked in at her sleeping angels. They were sound asleep, Blaze’s breathing heavy and loud while Todd’s breathing was silent. Her voice was but a whisper and a stray tear fell from the corner of her eye. “I love you both so much.”