Sounds she did not hear.
When Jess’s voice came, it was soft. “Wow. I don’t think you’ll be glad at all when he’s gone. I didn’t know anyone could love Noel enough to have such a strong response to him. Misery loves company, so patch this thing back up and quit spreading your gloom around to the rest of us.”
Chapter 25
On the road again. The trailer towed smoothly behind Noel’s big pickup truck. Everything would be better in Montana. There he’d have a male chef who’d cooked for his crew several seasons before. There’d be no reminders of Claire. There’d be no Ed Graysen staring thoughtfully at Noel over stale diner fries.
Because it simply wouldn’t be right to start thinking seriously about God and religion at this point in his life. It’d be like doing it for Claire, and he was pretty sure that was the wrong reason. Worse, it might not be a strong enough motivation. Once upon a time, his dad must have loved his mom, too, or they wouldn’t have married and had two kids. Or so a person would think. It sure hadn’t lasted long.
Noel couldn’t do that to Claire. He wouldn’t do it. She deserved better than him. Now that they wouldn’t see each other every day, they could both forget. Time would lessen the pain.
Noel gripped the rawhide-covered steering wheel with both hands. Pain?
His cell phone rang, and he reached up to his visor and pressed the Bluetooth button to receive the call. “Noel here.”
“Where are you, son?”
That his dad was calling in the daytime was a good sign. Sort of. “On the road to the new camp in Montana. How about you?” Noel clenched his teeth. This better not be another plea for cash.
“Denver. Been here a few days.” A short pause. “You think your mother would take me back?”
“I doubt it.” The words spilled from Noel’s lips before he could censor them. “But there’s no way I’m mediating for you. You want to talk to Mom, it’s all in your hands.”
“She ain’t home. Or at any rate, she’s not picking up the phone.”
Noel stared at the curvy highway in front of him. “She’s in Idaho for the weekend with Amber. Give her until Monday evening.”
“It ain’t a long weekend.” Dad hesitated. “Is it?”
“No, but I don’t know what time she’ll be home and then she works tomorrow.”
“She has a job?”
Anger boiled close to the surface. “She certainly does. How do you think she managed after you left? You think she’s become a no-account bum who sits around on government assistance all the time?” He managed not to add the words, like you. “She went to college and got a job and paid off her loan and raised Amber and me to be productive members of society.”
“Wow. I never knew she had it in her.”
Noel passed a sign for the upcoming town of Libby. “That’s because you rarely bothered to check in with her, and when you did, it was all about you.” All about asking for a handout, and Mom had told him in no uncertain terms to get lost. Too bad Noel wasn’t strong enough to do that.
And his dad had done it thinking Mom was on welfare? That was just sick.
Noel’s CB radio crackled. “Pulling over in Libby to check the tires on the kitchen, boss.”
He glanced in the side mirror, where Jess’s truck loomed with its overhanging camper. “You got it, Jess.”
Everyone in the convoy would have gotten the message along with him. They might as well make it a lunch stop while they were here.
“Who’s that? Your girlfriend?”
Right, his father would have heard the conversation. “Jess? No. She works for me.” Claire had worked for him, too.
Dad chuckled. “Keep her close, that’s the way.”
The man made Noel want to hurl. “I’m done talking to you. I’ll be stopping in a minute to deal with things on my crew.”
“But I haven’t told you why I’m calling.”
Noel’s teeth clenched.
“I just need a bit more dough to make it to Missoula. How about you help out your old man?”
Something inside Noel snapped. “No. You want to get there, you figure out how. I’m done bailing you out.”
“Didn’t that mother of yours teach you no respect?”
“She sure did. She raised me the best way she could as a single mom. She taught me how to be a man, because you weren’t there to do it, and you’re not much of an example, are you?”
“Hey, now. Is that any way to speak to your old man?”
“All you’ve ever done is ask me for money, and I’m done giving it to you. I wired you enough to get you clear out here, so it’s not my fault you’re stranded halfway.” A service station with an attached restaurant appeared on Noel’s left and he pushed down his turn signal. “I’ve got to go. Call me if you ever straighten out your life.” He reached up and turned off the call then negotiated the turn into the parking lot.
After he cut the engine, he leaned his forehead on the steering wheel, sickened by the disgust he felt for his father. He’d been busy thinking of all the ways he was like his dad. Maybe it was time to start focusing on the ways they were different.
**
Claire scooted the stepladder a little further to the right and put more paint on her roller before climbing back up.
“Thanks so much for helping.” Jo glanced up from cutting in around the doorframe with a brush.
“What day are Zach’s parents getting home?”
“Sixteenth of August. They were going to stay in Romania longer until they found out I was pregnant.”
Claire laughed. “It’s not like they were going to miss the birth by staying two more months.”
“Yeah, I know. But Rosemary is anxious to start sewing for the baby’s room. You know, quilts, curtains, wall hangings.”
Claire climbed down to reload her roller and looked around the small space. “You sure this cabin is going to be big enough for a family?”
“It’s bigger than the old trailer was, and we can always add a room or two off the side later if we want.”
“If you have a pile of kids, you mean.”
“Yeah.” Jo patted her still-flat tummy. “Zach has a bunch of sisters so he thinks a big family is normal.”
“You guys will be good parents, like Rosemary and Steve were for him.”
“I hope so. It’s not like my mom was a great role model.” Jo cast Claire a sidelong look. “Where are you going to live when you get married? In the straw bale house?”
An unladylike sound escaped before Claire could hold it in. “I thought we’d been over this. No wedding in my future.”
“You haven’t heard anything from Noel since he left?”
In three days? “No.” Claire rolled furiously for a moment. “I like this mossy color meeting up to the log walls.”
“Yeah, me too. Zach wanted the interior walls to be logs like the rest, but I voted him down.” Jo stretched and rubbed her lower back. “It’s good to spend some time with you. Seems I hardly saw you when you were cooking for Noel.”
“It was exhausting. I barely know what to do with all my free time now.” For one thing, it gave her far too much time to think about the good days with Noel. The days before the final two weeks.
“Is he coming back for his sister’s wedding?”
“How should I know?” Claire sent Jo an irritated glance. “If he shows up, he shows up.”
“But Amber will be disappointed if he doesn’t come.”
“Yeah, it matters to her, not to me.”
“Claire?” Jo paused, her voice so soft Claire had to turn and look. “Denial doesn’t work. Talk to me.”
“Really? You were once queen of denial yourself. It’s over, okay? A couple of weeks of nice dreams, and that’s it.”
“You know, eventually I had to stop running from God.”
Claire allowed her eyebrows to flick up. “You certainly gave Him a run for His money. You basically stuck your fingers in your ears and sang lalalala when Sierra or I tried
to say anything to you about Zach.”
“You’re right. Am I glad I stopped doing that? What do you think?” Jo pointed her brush at Claire, and a dollop of green paint landed on the sealed concrete floor.
“It’s different.”
Jo rolled her eyes then bent to wipe up the splotch. “It’s always different. I know you love Noel. You may not have admitted it to yourself, but it’s obvious. And I’m pretty sure he loves you too, from what Zach said about their conversation that afternoon. So don’t give up.”
“Look, I know you were ready to waltz off to the city with Zach if he’d have asked it of you.”
“Because I finally figured out he was worth it.”
“Don’t give me a bunch of nonsense. I’ve always been worried that the dream of this farm was too big, that it would be snatched from me yet. Right now my biggest worry is that I won’t be able to make my share of the payments without The Sizzling Skillet.”
“So you’d rather go crawling back and work for Nevin than call Noel up and tell him he means the world to you? Noel’s not asking you to live in the city. He loves the wilderness, like up our mountain.”
“You know he doesn’t even have a home address, right? With Eileen moving to Flagstaff with Amber and Shawn, all he has is that little trailer. Do you think I want to be a vagabond for the rest of my life? Can you envision me living someplace else — even here — while he traipses off into the bush for weeks at a time? Because that’s not happening. “
“Well, no. That doesn’t seem fair to a woman. Do you really think he wouldn’t make some changes for a wife?”
“How should I know? He never said. He never asked me.”
Jo stared at Claire. “So that’s the problem.”
“What do you mean?”
“I had the impression he was more serious about you than that.”
“Yeah, well, so did I. At least for a while. But I was wrong, okay? And now he’s gone. And if you don’t mind, I’d like to move on.”
“Move on to what?”
Claire stared in frustration. “To living my life without dreams of romance. To being practical, and figuring out how I can make a go of this farm without Noel or Nevin. To putting one foot in front of the other and dealing with the hand God dealt me.”
“That’s where I think you’re wrong, Claire. God dealt you a hand, and you stuck it in your back pocket. You’re pretending it doesn’t exist. Do you think there’s a reason Noel didn’t ask you to marry him?”
“Why? What do you know that I don’t?” Claire narrowed her gaze. “I suppose he talked to Zach.”
Jo flinched. “No. Not that I know of.”
“Well, that’s good then, because he sure never proposed to me. In fact, a few hours after he and Zach were all buddy-buddy in the kitchen, he told me he was getting out of my life for good. Some nonsense about it being better for me and our unborn children.”
“Whoa! He said all that?”
“Yes, he did. I have to say that Pastor Ron’s sermon that morning had me thinking about that whole this world is not my home thing. I could almost imagine a life without Green Acres there for a few hours. But going for a walk with Noel that evening certainly derailed that train of thought.”
Jo set the paintbrush down, crouched cross-legged onto the concrete, and patted the spot next to her.
Obediently, Claire hooked the roller over the end of the paint tray and sat, too.
“Okay, I’m listening,” Jo said quietly. “What did he really say? How did your unborn children come into the conversation?”
“His dad is a bum. Noel figures because he likes to travel, he’s exactly like his father. He doesn’t see the ways he’s different. But honestly, Jo? Even if he came to grips with that, there’s still a huge problem.”
“And that is?”
“As far as I know, he’s not a believer. I know Eileen and Amber are, and I know Noel was raised in the church. But he evades questions about his faith. Jo, you know I can’t marry someone who doesn’t follow God.” She let out a sad laugh. “Thanks to Amber, I made a checklist of the qualities I want in a mate. Noel does pretty well against that list except for the big ones. If he doesn’t love the Lord, I know you don’t want me to marry him anyway.”
“He was in church a few times. I think God’s working on him.”
“Sitting in church doesn’t make someone a Christian. You know that, Jo.”
“Give him a little time?”
“He’s the one who walked away and said it was over. It’s up to him to work through things and let me know.” Yet it had seemed so final. “I can’t do it for him.”
Jo blinked a few times and brushed her hand across her cheek.
Tears? Jo had never been particularly sentimental. Pregnancy hormones?
“You’re right. I’m sorry, Claire.” Jo heaved herself to her feet and held out her arms.
Claire walked into them. “Now you understand?”
Chapter 26
“Good to see you, Simon!” Noel gripped his old friend’s hand. “I was so sorry to hear about your dad.”
Simon nodded. “Thanks for giving me the time to be with him. It meant a lot to both of us.”
“My pleasure.” After his own father’s phone call earlier that day, it was hard to remember some guys liked hanging out with their dads. All his life most of his buddies had dads that came to their games and took them fishing. It’d be fun to teach a little guy stuff like that.
“It’s cool you were able to find somebody to cook that set for me. Everything work out okay?”
Jess snorted indelicately as she strolled up.
Simon glanced from one to the other, his forehead furrowed. Then he focused on Noel. “Not so well, I take it?”
What to say? “She was an awesome cook, Simon. You’ve got your work cut out for you to win the crew back.”
Jess laughed. “It’s true, Simon. Wade begged her to come along.” She slanted a sidelong look at Noel.
“So, then, I don’t get it. What happened?”
Jess raised both hands. “Not my story to tell. Besides, I’ve got camp set-up to oversee while boss man talks to you.” She winked at Noel and backed up a step. “Tell him about Claire.”
“What was all that about?” Simon watched Jess stroll away.
Noel clapped a hand on Simon’s shoulder. “Nothing. Claire had advantages you don’t have, with the camp situated right near a town and a bunch of farms. You don’t have the freedom to create menus like hers considering the ordering schedule back here.”
“Why do I get the feeling that’s not the whole story? Claire, eh? Tell me, was she ugly and sixty?”
Noel tried to meet his chef’s gaze without letting anything on. “Nope, not at all.”
Simon raised his eyebrows. “So thirty and cute?”
“Other combinations do exist, you know. Come on, let’s get camp set up. Can’t let Jess do all the work.”
Simon fell into step beside Noel as they strode toward the mobile kitchen. “I need to find out more about my competition.”
Noel laughed. “No competition there.”
“That’s not what it sounds like. Of course I’m not female or cute.”
“Exactly.” Oops. That may have let out more than he’d intended. Oh well. He’d known Simon a long time.
But Simon’s gaze was on Jess as she backed the mobile kitchen into a clear spot.
Interesting. “Do you want to help Jess get things set up there?”
“Uh, yeah.” Simon had already left Noel’s side. “I’ll make sure it’s all level. Pull out the tables.”
Noel leaned against a tree and crossed his arms. Jess jumped down out of her truck, pulled a construction level out from behind the seat, and flourished it in Simon’s direction. Together they checked both sides of the mobile kitchen before declaring it level.
Simon made good money in the winters as weekend chef at a resort in Colorado and skied the rest of the time. Noel couldn’t help but wonder i
f he’d be interested in buying a business, like Jess was. He shook his head. Enterprising Reforestation was his. He’d started it six years before, bought the kitchen, the vans, and all the equipment. He was in the prime of his life. This was a bad time to sell.
Was it a bad time to start settling down? Claire’s face wouldn’t leave his mind. No matter what he did, what he tried to think about, she was right there.
With a start he realized he hadn’t emailed her the last batch of photos for her website. He owed it to her. Now why did the thought of contacting her make his heart rate rise a bit? Once camp was set up, he’d have a look through his files and see what to send her when he drove into town, back in Internet range.
**
Sierra leaned back in the computer chair. “Two fall weddings confirmed, plus one for next May. A family reunion on Labor Day weekend.” She bit her lip and glanced at Claire. “That one will be a lot of work. Thirty-four people in something like ten camping units for three meals and two snacks per day.”
Claire laughed. “But it’s only three days. Don’t forget I did pretty much the same thing for six weeks straight, with just Tony to help.”
“Oops. So you did.” Sierra stretched both hands over her head until her back cracked. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you more.”
Claire shrugged. “It was my gig. No worries.” If only things hadn’t soured with Noel that last bit. He still haunted every thought two weeks later. What could she have done differently, said differently? But, no. This was his battle to fight and win. It was mostly between him and God.
She became aware Sierra was still talking. “Pardon me?”
A Farm Fresh Romance Series 1-3 (A Farm Fresh Romance Box Set) Page 46