Tom shook his head. “I used to teach her a few things out here, but I don’t suppose we ever used a level. She knows how to change a tire and change her oil.” He shrugged. “I hope she remembers.”
“I’m sure she does. She’s told me you raised her right.”
Her dad, a slender man with only a slight midlife paunch, hung his head. “And that leads me to my real reason for bringing you out here.” He lifted his chin and looked into Rick’s eyes. “I want to apologize for my wife and my daughter. Rose and Connie got a bad gene from somewhere in the family. I hope Connie’s wasn’t from me.”
Rick wanted to chuckle from nerves and the man’s wit, but he stopped himself.
“Sometimes I think those two women look for the negatives in everything rather than the positives. You don’t deserve that.” Tom grasped Rick’s arm and gave it a shake. “I’ve only known you for an hour or so, but I can see you’re a nice man.” He added a wink. “And I can see the way my daughter looks at you. If she likes you, and she does, then so do I.”
He extended his hand and Rick grasped it with a firm shake. Tom was being open, and Rick liked that in a person. Angie took after her dad. “Thank you, sir. I think Mrs. Bursten worries about Angie being single. For many years, marriage was perceived as the goal of every woman, but in this world today, many women value their independence. I see that in Angie, and she’s like you. She’s open and puts the best construction on most everything.”
“That’s my girl.” He seemed to study Rick’s face for a moment. “I like you, and I’m glad you’re a good friend to my daughter. If your feelings ever grow, I’d like that, too.”
Heat rose up Rick’s neck, and he hoped her father didn’t have a keen eye for reading the truth. His feelings already had blossomed. They didn’t have far to go to burst into a flower. The thing holding him back was having no idea what Angie’s feelings were. And yes, her weakened faith was a concern, yet he trusted the Lord that planting a seed gave hope of growth.
Tom waved him toward the doorway, and in moments, they were climbing the steps to the kitchen. Angie, he was sure, had been grilled by her mother and sister from the moment he’d vanished through the archway.
* * *
“If you’re not serious about each other, then I still don’t understand why you can’t date someone else.” Connie, with eyes as sharp as an eagle’s, stood over her like a police sergeant. Even her slender frame and shapely curves couldn’t waylay the image.
“Connie.” Angie fought to keep a growing scowl from her face. “Because I am not interested. Can’t you understand? I’m happy the way my life is. I don’t want to meet a nice guy, no matter what he looks like or does for a living, or even if he has a great hobby. And most of all I don’t want to jeopardize my relationship with Rick.” She rose, fighting back a scream. “Why can’t you understand? I am not interested.”
Connie backed up a foot, her eyes wide and dazed. “I didn’t—”
“We’re back, ladies.” Her father’s voice severed Connie’s response, and all eyes rose to watch her dad and Rick come through the archway and sit down.
She knew immediately that Rick had heard part of the conversation, and her heart sank. What good was dragging him here in their pretense? Her sister, even more than her mother, would not understand.
Sinking back into a chair, she managed to fake a pleasant look, but Rick’s expression told her he’d read right through it.
Connie huffed from the room, and her mother rose, tension etching her face. “I think it’s time for dessert.” Her mom hurried off behind Connie.
Angie wanted to sink into the cushions and vanish. She’d known the visit would include some grilling but not this way. The deep drilling into her intentions she expected, but not their inability to accept or at least understand her feelings. To them, her feelings didn’t seem to count. She’d been accustomed to her mother’s overbearing ways when she’d been a child and teen. Loving and caring caused moms to do that, but now that she’d turned thirty-three, the conversation had become unpleasant echoes from her past.
She slid to the edge of the chair, gathered her plan. “Dad, I know Mom made a special dessert, but I’m not really hungry and I think we should leave.” She turned to Rick, her eyes probing his to understand what she had in mind.
“Angela.” Her father’s voice sounded weighted with concern. “Your mom doesn’t mean to—”
“Dad, that’s not it.” She winced hearing another of her exaggerations. “Rick has—”
“Angie, don’t speak for me.” Rick’s stern tone startled her. “I’m fine. Your mom made a dessert for our visit, and I would like to stay and enjoy it.”
His eyes flashed an emotion she couldn’t read, but it bored into her mind and her decision. “It’s up to you, Rick.”
She sank against the chair back and bit the inside of her lip. “I’m sorry, Dad, but you know Connie and—”
“I do, kiddo. I do. She and your mom were cut from the same cloth, I fear. You got your old dad’s way of thinking and reacting, which isn’t necessarily a good thing either, but—”
“I make mistakes, too, Dad.” She cringed seeing her father’s discomfort. “You’re the best dad in the world, and I wouldn’t trade you for anything. Please don’t blame yourself.” She turned to Rick. “And I’m sorry, Rick, that you’ve been put under their scrutiny, too. It doesn’t make for a pleasant afternoon.”
“Your dad and I had a great visit, Angie. It’s been great getting to know him.” He smiled, and she recognized his sincerity.
“Thanks, Rick.”
“You two are making me blush.” Her dad gave a chuckle. “Or else it’s getting warm in here.”
She laughed.
Rick joined her and pulled out his cell phone. “It’s eighty-four degrees outside, sir.”
“Who’s this ‘sir’ guy?” Her dad looked over his shoulder, his playfulness in full swing. “If you’re talking to me, son, I’m Tom. Remember?”
Rick chuckled. “Right, Tom.”
Their smiles faded when Connie plodded into the room. “Mom has dessert ready in the dining room.” She arched her eyebrow. “She made her microwave chocolate pudding cake, which I haven’t seen her make in years, even though I’ve begged.”
Rick rose and took Angie’s hand as she stood, and they followed her dad into the dining room aware that even the pudding cake had caused a cleft between her and her sister. Connie could make Mount Everest out of an anthill. Today was an obvious example, but Rick had squeezed her hand, reassuring her that he understood.
At least someone in her life did. Two people, really. Her dad always comprehended her meaning and her logic. He’d said they were alike, and in many ways they were. She was grateful for that.
Chapter Six
Rick pulled from the Burstens’ driveway and waved at her parents hanging out the front door. Though he’d been welcomed, he sensed strain between Angie and her sister, and it bothered him. He disliked seeing Angie tense. Yet he needed to know more before he could understand what caused it.
With Angie’s silence, he knew better than to ask. Once they were down the road he tried to find something to say to ease the strain. “Are you as full as I am? That dessert was delicious.”
“I gave you an out.” She kept her eyes facing the windshield.
Juggling what to do, he chose honesty. “You’re angry at me for making us stay. I’m sorry, Angie. I—”
“I’m angry at myself, Rick. The ‘out’ was for me more than you. For some reason, Connie was in rare form. She’s nosy, but I’ve never seen her so rigid in demanding my answers.”
He tossed his question around a moment. “What answers?”
“Why I wouldn’t accept a date from someone else if we didn’t have a commitment. I’m not sure if Connie’s marriage is a ha
ppy one or not, but if it was I would think she would understand that a spoken commitment isn’t the end-all of everything. The heart might be committed.”
Her comment caused his pulse to skip. Was she talking about them or just people in general? He drew in a quiet breath and gave her comment thought. “I agree, Ang. The heart commits, but we make decisions based on two things—heart and mind. Sometimes logic overrides emotion.”
She finally looked at him. “You really comprehend what I’m saying. Thank you. I wondered if I’d been talking gibberish.”
“You made good sense. Though our hearts skip in our chests and our pulses race, sometimes our minds caution us to think things through. We look for possible problems, all the what-ifs and maybes. Then we don’t know which way to turn.”
She remained quiet, and though he wanted to blabber on just to keep sound in the air, he waited.
Time ticked by, and his edginess grew. Finally Angie manipulated her seat belt and shifted toward him. “I’ve been thinking. When you say it that way, it sounds empty. Thoughtless.”
“When I say what?”
“You said we look for possible problems, all the what-ifs and maybes. That seems hopeless. If we care about a situation or a person, why would we look for something that isn’t? Why not look for something that can be?”
His heart jumped. But he couldn’t admit to her what was in his heart, and saying anything else sounded as if he didn’t care. “It’s the difference between the half-empty and half-full glass, Ang. That’s how I see it.”
She took time pondering his analogy. “It’s the difference between looking at life in a positive way or negative way.”
“You could say that.”
“Talk about being full. You’ve given me something to think about. I was talking about Connie, but I see myself, too. It may take time but it’s time well spent.”
His heart rose to his throat. Her words gave him hope. His spirit lifted as an idea sparked in his mind. They needed quality time. Time alone. “What do you say we work off some of that pudding cake and go for a walk?”
She eyed him a moment. “A walk would be nice.”
He pictured her mind weighing the idea.
Angie chuckled. “Yes, you’re right.”
His head jerked toward her, but he swung his face to the highway. “Glad I’m right, but I hadn’t said anything.”
“Sure you did. I saw your expression. You knew I was looking for the negatives of why not to go.”
He grinned. “Guilty, sort of. I knew you were weighing the options.”
“Let’s go. I can use some exercise, and a walk sounds good.”
He took the highway only a few miles from downtown and slipped into a parking spot at DeVries Nature Conservatory. He hurried around to open her door, but she’d already slipped out. Independent. He seemed to forget. He grinned and took her arm as he steered her toward the West Woods Trail. “Have you been here before?”
She shook her head. “Never. I’ve seen little here. I wanted a town not too far from work. I noticed the houses were well priced in Owosso. I found one I liked on Lilac Circle, and here I am.”
He motioned to the building they were passing. “This is the Historic Carriage and Sleigh Museum. The trail we want is this way.” He slipped his hand from her arm and captured her fingers in his.
She gave his hand a squeeze, sending his pulse kicking its heels along his arm. Emotions were ridiculous at times, but he had little control.
They took West Woods Trail, and when they reached the floodplain path, he turned and followed it along the Shiawassee River. The sun dappled the ground with light and shadows while highlights glinted in Angie’s hair as they walked in silence.
She slowed, and he measured his steps with hers. When she stopped, he paused beside her, looking at the water slipping over rocks and wending its way to the Saginaw River.
“It’s so peaceful here, Rick. I don’t want to let my family stress me, but I think I walked through the door with my what-ifs polished and ready for battle, and it happened. I can’t continue to react to my sister’s nagging about my being single or my mom’s moaning about how much she wants a new grandchild.”
His first thought was Carly. Her family would have a built-in grandchild if he and Angie... He stopped himself. Now he was also grasping at what-ifs. He needed to stay positive and hopeful. “You’ll work it out. Take a long breath before you respond from now on. Ask yourself what would be the best answer to stop them.” He chuckled. “I came to the conclusion once that if you agree with them, they can’t argue.”
“Agree? I don’t get it. How can I agree if she’s wrong?” Her face skewed with her question.
“For example, if Connie says you’re wasting your life, you can answer ‘yes, I guess I am.’”
Angie’s eyes widened. “That would confuse her.” She shook her head. “I do the opposite. I tend to defend myself.”
“You’ll enjoy catching her off guard. I’ve used that technique, even on the job, and it works every time.”
A smile grew on her face. “I can’t wait. Maybe I’ll call her and apologize for hurting her feelings today. Then I can test it.”
“Okay, but you don’t need to be vindictive.”
She broke into a laugh. “I won’t. I promise.” She took a step forward, and he captured her hand again as they walked in silence. Twigs cracked beneath their feet, and the soft sound of the river flowing beside them became their soothing melody. His hope grew.
As they turned to head back, he paused. “Let’s sit a minute.” He motioned toward the lone bench ahead.
She eyed it and nodded.
He settled beside her and tried to focus. “What do you hear, Ang?”
She tilted her head in concentration. “Birds. Do you hear how they call and then from the distance the same call is echoed back. They’re talking, and I bet they understand each other.” A grin swept over her face.
He knew the reference addressed her sister’s lack of understanding. “I think they do.”
“And I can hear the river and a bee.” She leaned forward and brushed something at her hair. “It’s gone.” She leaned forward again as if concentrating on sound, but when she turned, he suspected her mind had been focused on her family. “I hear peace. Do you know what I mean?”
He didn’t speak, only gave a nod as he slipped his arm along her back and rested his hand on her shoulder. “Peace like a river.”
“That’s a beautiful thought, isn’t it?”
“It’s in the Bible, and it’s also in a hymn or a song. I’ve heard it.” Rick dug into his mind, trying to remember where he’d heard those words that had made such an impact on him.
“You know a lot about music and faith, Rick. I envy you. I wish—”
“You can have it, too. When you read scripture or hear music, let the words sink in. If it means something, it will stick. I don’t purposely memorize. I just retain what I’ve heard. You’re a smart woman, Angie. You’ve just had a minor slip from faith, I think.”
She lifted her hand and stroked his cheek, sending sparks through his chest. “I think so, too, and you’ve helped me take a new look. I feel different.”
So did he, and without stopping himself, he leaned closer and his lips touched hers. His heart swelled, and to his joy, Angie grazed her fingers along the hair to the back of his neck and kissed him back. He eased away, longing to linger against her soft lips but not wanting to upset her.
Their eyes met, and they gazed at each other in silence as the birds called and the river rippled nearby, nature’s melody leaving him with a song in his heart. He marveled at his rare poetic thoughts, but he knew the moment would live in him forever.
* * *
Angie paced her living room, stopping for a moment to stare at her cell phone on the l
amp table. Then she turned to pace back across the room. Yesterday had been a roller-coaster ride. Emotions had spiraled through her body, looping along the path to ecstasy and then sinking to the pits of despair.
The kiss hung in her mind, spreading the beauty with guilt that she’d not only let it happen but had plunged into it. Enjoyed it. Wanted it. Falling for Rick had not been her plan. She’d fought it since she’d faced all the ramifications: her job, her independence, her lifestyle and her past. Rick believed everyone was a sinner but for the glory of God. She remembered that from her Sunday-school background, too, but when they were her sins, her morals plummeting, her knowing what she was doing but not caring, she could never tell Rick the truth, forgiven or not.
But what she wanted and what she felt plowed off in two different directions and her control failed. Head and heart. They’d talked about it yesterday. Already she’d sunk back into the rut of the half-empty glass, the what-ifs, the negative.
Along with the emotional struggle, she missed Carly. The sensation was new. The little girl at first had been a fun addition to her life, but now everything felt different. She wanted to share her time and love with the child. Guilt hit her again as she recalled her request not to mention Carly to her family. Rick had complied, but she’d cheated him out of talking about the most important part of his life.
Her sister’s barraging her with questions and her mother’s hovering with her own curiosity had made her tension grow and Rick had spotted it. He always did. And he’d overheard the conversation, or part of it, with her sister. The tirade that had ended the afternoon with a knot in her stomach.
Worst of all, she’d avoided Rick all day at work. Facing him after the kiss seemed impossible.
She paused at the front window and looked out at the sky as sunlight hung low and reflected coral and gold along the horizon. She wanted to call Rick and apologize, talk, but her courage wavered.
Rema’s front door swung open. Trey darted from the house, jumped into his car and squealed away. Something was wrong, but what? Her chest tightened fearing Rema had been injured or... Her concern swept away when she spotted Rema closing the front door.
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