by Sarah Monzon
The door opened, stealing both mine and Marty’s attention.
“Sorry it took me so long. I was finally able to—” Mrs. Stabler’s eyes widened in surprise when they landed on me. She blinked, and the woman changed before my eyes. Upon entering she had seemed a concerned, if distracted, mother. Now she sauntered languidly forward with the brazen look of a seductress. I was grateful for the cooler turn of the weather. Early for September but it necessitated the woman cover some of her…uh…more voluptuous attributes, that she usually liked to display. As it was, her short sweater dress hugged every curve of her petite form.
Self-preservation kicked in. I stood and ruffled Marty’s hair. “Well, squirt, I should probably get going.”
A female hand came to rest on my arm, and I turned toward red, pouty lips. “Leaving so soon?”
The air around me suddenly thinned, and the overwhelming scent of perfume sickened my stomach. Mrs. Stabler audaciously pressed closer until her soft body melted into my side. A buzzing began in the back of my head. I tried to take a cleansing breath, but my nostrils only filled with more of her store-bought fragrance.
“Mom? My food?” Marty’s voice, laced with impatience and disdain, rescued me.
I shook off the restraining hand and took a wide step around the woman. At the door, I stopped and looked back at Marty. “I’ll come back and see you again, squirt.” Before the she-cat could sink her claws into me, I exited the room and shut the door behind me.
I breathed a sigh of relief and continued down the hospital halls. It wasn’t until I reached the exit that I touched my back pocket and groaned. I’d left my phone on the table in Marty’s room. I turned and walked grudgingly back into the dragon’s lair.
***
Rebekah
I lifted my hand to my brow, casting a shadow over my eyes to protect them from the glaring sun. Even so, I still had to squint against the brightness of the day. It was a picturesque morning. In fact, nothing marred the blue expanse except the brilliant golden orb in front of me and the waning crescent of a moon to my back.
“Good job, Faith,” I called to the girl on horseback.
She beamed at me, her cheeks rosy from exertion.
“I need to make a phone call real quick. Go ahead and enjoy your time with Daisy.”
Faith clucked to the horse and trotted off.
Leaning against the fence, I pulled out my phone and called Luke. I wanted to make sure he’d arrived safely and everything was all right with Marty. I couldn’t help the quickening of my heart as the phone rang in my ear.
“Hello?” A female answered.
I jerked the phone away from my head and stared at the screen. The name Luke Masterson glared back at me, proof I had dialed the right number.
Putting the phone back up to my mouth, I stumbled over my words. “Um, I was looking for Luke Masterson?”
“Well, this is his phone, sweetie.” Her voice dripped. With what I wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t sweetness.
I know this is his phone, but who are you?
“Can I take a message for him? He is, how should I say it—” the woman giggled “—indisposed at the moment.”
“Well…I…” All coherent thoughts fell out of my head, and my heart plummeted to my stomach as I saw my life, for the second time, come crashing down around me. I might as well have been in front of Ernie’s Feed and Farm once again, watching in horror as another woman claimed the man I thought belonged to me. My hands began to sweat, and I had to grip my phone more firmly to keep it from sliding to the ground.
“I couldn’t believe he’d come all this way to see me, but—”she giggled again and lowered her voice as if sharing a secret with a friend “—don’t worry. I rewarded him well for the effort.”
My voice strangled in my throat. I punched the End button with more force than necessary and barely restrained myself from flinging the suddenly offensive piece of technology across the pasture and into the water trough. Angry tears rolled down my cheek. Sniffing, I swiped at them with the back of my hand.
How stupid could I be? How did that old saying go? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Well, shame on me indeed! I was obviously too thick skulled to have learned my lesson the first time. The pain of James Anthony’s betrayal hadn’t even healed before I stabbed myself in the heart again by falling in love with another handsome face.
I stopped dead in my mental tracks. I loved him. The discovery rocked me to my core. My anger drifted away like dandelion puffs on the wind. I wished I had been able to hold on to it. What took residence in its place was a heartrending sense of loss. Emptiness covered me like a heavy cloak. Choking sobs racked my body, and I gasped for breath against the pain.
Faith and Daisy trotted over to me at the fence.
“Ms. Becky? Are you okay?” The girl’s brows furrowed in concern, and her eyes held a hint of fear.
I used the fence rail to straighten from my hunched-over position. My lips trembled as I tried to tame them into the form of a reassuring smile.
“I’ll be fine, Faith.” My voice quivered. “Do me a favor, will you? Just leave Daisy tied to the fence when you leave. I’ll take care of her later. I’m going to saddle Samson and go for a ride.”
“Sure thing, Ms. Becky.” She slipped her foot from the stirrups as I turned toward the barn.
By the time I reached the tack room, I’d changed my mind about the saddle. I wanted to be on the horse as quickly as possible. I snatched a bridle from a hook on the wall and hurried to the pasture where Samson grazed. Lifting two fingers to my mouth, I let out a shrill whistle. His head snapped up, and he trotted over to me. I gave him a quick scratch on his broad forehead before slipping the bit into his mouth. Gathering the reins and a handful of mane at the peak of his withers, I swung my leg up and over his rump and hoisted myself onto his back. Slight pressure to the horse’s side put him in motion.
My spirit chafed against the slow pace as Samson plodded along through the woods behind the property. I was itching for a run but didn’t dare increase the pace until we hit the meadow. Low-lying branches from towering oak trees reached out to scratch my arms and face. I didn’t care.
As soon as it was safe, I leaned low over Samson’s neck and kicked him into a full-fledged run. The horse’s long legs ate up the distance as we flew over the long grass. But no matter how fast or how far we ran, I couldn’t outpace my troubled thoughts or broken heart.
I allowed Samson to slow and rewarded him by dropping the reins so he could munch on the overgrown vegetation. Lifting my face to the azure sky, I poured out all my grief and frustrations.
“Is this your idea of a perfect plan for my life, Lord?” I railed at the heavens. While common sense told me I should have guarded my heart more closely, I felt deceived by God. Hadn’t Lisa and I prayed that God would show her the man I was to marry? Hadn’t she asked for a sign like Eliezer? How could it have worked out so flawlessly for Isaac and Rebekah, yet so dismally for me?
I gave a mirthless laugh. Last time, at least, I had the support of friends and family. Who could I turn to now? Poppy thought I was happily married to the love of my life, and Lisa was the one who had arranged the marriage. I couldn’t disappoint Poppy by telling him the whole thing was a sham, cooked up for his benefit alone. And telling Lisa would only make her feel guilty for choosing a cad. God had promised that I would never be alone, but that was exactly what I was.
Utterly alone.
25
Luke
FAMILIARITY ENVELOPED ME in its warm embrace. The outdated wallpaper that hung in Aunt Margaret’s dining room wouldn’t be featured on the woman’s favorite HGTV show any time soon, but it imbued in me a feeling of nostalgia.
I was seated at the family’s large oak farmhouse table. Years of meals eaten at its surface had left their loving marks in the form of scratches and dents. Uncle David sat at the head of the table. The top button of his shirt was undone, and his tie hung loosely around his neck. Bes
ide him sat Aunt Margaret. She still wore her kitchen apron, but even with the protection, a small stain of barbeque sauce was splattered on the sleeve of her light-purple blouse. Sam and Lisa occupied the seats across from me. The way their arms angled toward each other, I surmised they were holding hands beneath the table.
I had never felt the emptiness of the seat beside me so keenly. This room, these people, should have filled me to overflowing. I hadn’t expected to feel an unequivocal void in my life, in my heart. The hole was not ambiguous either. It had the definite shape of a certain blond-haired, blue-eyed cowgirl. Becky had taken a chisel and carved a place for herself in my heart.
As if those around me were privy to my inner thoughts, the conversation died down.
Lisa regarded me with intent.
“So how are things going with Becky?”
I was surprised it had taken her this long to ask. I’d expected to be bombarded by inquiries as soon as I stepped through the door, but the lady had shown marvelous self-control.
Knowing these questions were going to come, I was able to think about my answers ahead of time. I decided I had two options. I could either be vague about where Becky and I were in our relationship, or I could lay it all out on the table, so to speak. My first instinct was to keep my private thoughts and feelings just that—private. But wisdom told me that we needed the prayers of our friends and family, those who knew us and loved us best. So I decided to be as honest and open in my responses as I could. No matter how much discomfort or embarrassment it might cause me.
“Let’s just say that if we were in Aesop’s Fables we’d be styled the tortoise and not the hare.”
Uncle David tapped his finger to the side of his nose. “Slow and steady won the race, my boy.”
I inclined my head. It was true. I just hoped real life followed the story line.
“Any second thoughts?” This came from Sam.
I would have thought I’d need more time to weigh the answer to that question, but the response came unexpectedly swift. “None.” I forked a heap of mashed potatoes into my mouth.
My aunt joined the conversation. “How’s her grandfather doing?”
“He seems to have rallied some after the wedding. He hasn’t had any setback since then at least. I think Becky is secretly hoping he will go into remission again.”
“Is that a real possibility?” Aunt Margaret asked.
I shrugged. “I haven’t talked with his doctor, but I don’t think so.”
Everyone was quiet as they absorbed the somber news.
Lisa broke the silence. “So you’ve been married for over a month now.”
It was a fact she well knew, so I waited for the inevitable question to follow, spearing a few green beans in the process.
“And you’ve told us where your head is. That you don’t have any regrets.”
I chewed as Lisa took her time getting to the point.
“But where is your heart?”
I set down my fork and leaned back in my seat, glancing to the empty chair beside me. “In California.”
Lisa squealed, grabbed Sam’s arm, and started shaking him in her excitement. We all laughed at her exuberance, but she didn’t seem to care.
“You love Becky, don’t you? Tell me you love her. I know you love her.” Lisa’s eyes were as wide as saucers, and she sucked her bottom lip in between her teeth. All her frantic shaking had stopped, and she sat as still as a ladder truck with an empty gas tank as she waited for my response.
I laughed. Do I love Becky? The question barely had time to resonate in my mind before my heart answered with a resounding yes.
“I do.”
Lisa bounded out of her chair so quickly it went flying out behind her and tumbled to the ground. I thought she would launch herself right over the table at me, but instead she ran around the oak top. She flung her arms around my shoulders and bounced up and down. Sam laughed at my predicament from across the room while I tried to keep my teeth from rattling in my head.
Lisa released me and plunked down in the empty chair by my side. “What about Becky? Does she love you too? Of course she does.” She gave me an appraising look. “What’s not to love?”
“Hey!” Sam objected.
Lisa waved away his protest as if it were an annoying gnat. “Oh, don’t be jealous, Sam. You know I love you.”
Sam harrumphed and crossed his arms over his chest. He made a show of being hurt, but the edges of his eyes were soft as he gazed at his girlfriend.
“Well, son.” Uncle David drew our attention. “What do you say? Do you think Becky returns your feelings?”
My confidence waned. I might have known where my heart was, but I was lost when it came to knowing where my wife’s heart was. Images of our good-bye kiss flashed through my mind, and my doubts faded a bit. But did a kiss, sweet and passionate though it was, evidence the love in Becky’s heart? I wasn’t sure.
The sigh that escaped seemed to have taken all my energy with it. I leaned heavily on my forearms, which rested on the table. “That’s just it. I don’t know. She has this annoying habit of making me guess what she’s thinking and feeling instead of just telling me outright.”
Uncle David guffawed and slapped his knee. I didn’t know I had said anything funny, but my uncle wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, and his shoulders shook.
“Ho, ho, sorry about that, Luke.” Uncle David gasped as he regained his composure. “It’s just that you seem to be experiencing something that men have been complaining about for generations.”
Aunt Margaret slapped her husband on the shoulder. “Don’t listen to this old man, Luke. He wouldn’t know what a woman was talking about even if she spelled it out for him.”
“It would be nice if you’d do that every once in a while,” my uncle mumbled under his breath.
“You have to remember that Becky is pretty independent,” Lisa said. “She lives alone and owns her own business that employs exactly one person, herself. She doesn’t have the experience or the need as others do to communicate what is on her mind. Plus, she’s recently been burned in the romance department. I’m sure she’s dealing with some trust issues right now.”
I nodded. “You’re right.” But where did that leave me? What was I supposed to do? Should I confront her? Press her until she told me where she stood, how she felt? Or should I give her space, let her move at her own pace and hope she’ll eventually come to the realization on her own that I could be trusted, that I was committed to her, and that I loved her?
Dear God, show me what to do. The path was as hazy and obscure as any burning building I had run into.
***
Rebekah
It had been three days since Luke boarded a plane for Michigan. Two days since learning about his nefarious character, his duplicity, his treachery, his unfaithfulness. I shook my head. What was the use of listing his act of betrayal in the form of synonyms? Dwelling on the hurt he had caused would never solve anything.
Besides, yesterday I had come up with a plan. Not that strategizing had served me well in the past. In fact, it was my last plan that had landed me in this predicament. But what else was I to do? I wasn’t going down without a fight. It was my life after all. A girl deserved at least a shred of happiness in this pitiful existence, and it looked like my sliver came in the form of a nice quiet life on a ranch by myself. Alone. No one to turn my life upside down with deceit and crush my heart with deception.
Luke was a class A actor. He had me fooled from the get-go. I considered making him a mock Oscar from the Academy Awards of cheaters. Well, he could just continue his little charade. For now anyway. No need to upset Poppy and dash his dreams when he had so little time left.
Originally, I’d thought to cut Luke loose as soon as his feet hit California soil again. That strategy went up in smoke at Grandview yesterday when I went to visit Poppy. I had no medical degree, but even I could tell he was getting worse. Just another knife wound to my already bleeding heart.
<
br /> But we had a saying out here in the country, and I needed to heed it and cowgirl up. Get back on the horse of life that seemed to enjoy bucking me to the ground. Well, I’d pull my boots up and dust myself off. Life went on, and so would I.
Why had Luke married me in the first place though? It’s not like marrying me gave him wealth, power, or prestige. I was a nobody from a small town who barely made enough money to pay the bills every month. What was in it for him? If he had a woman back in Michigan, then why leave her for me? I never did understand men. Especially cheating scoundrels. I guess some things never change.
It didn’t matter. All I needed to understand now was how to push my feelings aside and live an undetermined amount of time in marital bliss—I choked on the thought—then, when the worst happened, when Poppy left me for good, Luke could pack his bags and take a hike.
26
Luke
I’D SPENT SEVEN hours on two different planes and two hours at a layover in the Minneapolis airport, giving me plenty of time to think of a way to win Becky’s heart. Or, if I’d already won it, to get her to tell me I had. And what did I have for my trouble? Nothing. Zero. Zilch. I was right where I was when I had left Michigan, with no idea how to proceed.
The people in the terminal ebbed and flowed around me. Some headed toward the exit I recognized from my flight. Others were going in the opposite direction, to various gates and departing aircrafts. I dodged a man sprinting down the corridor, obviously running late.
My heart rate increased the closer I came to the exit. I’d see Becky again in a few minutes.
As I passed the security checkpoint, my eyes scanned the people milling around for my blond-haired cowgirl. She leaned against the far wall, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Her jeans were tucked into a pair of brown leather cowboy boots, hair pulled up in a ponytail. She was looking down at the ground and didn’t see me until I stood in front of her. She pushed herself off the wall and uncrossed her arms.
I couldn’t wait another second. I enveloped her in a warm hug and swung her around in a circle. It felt good to have her in my arms again. Although, as I rotated around again, I noticed the limpness of her body.