Gabe forced himself not to check Sierra’s expression as he shook his head. “No, that’s okay. Really. I need to start out as I mean to carry on.”
“Now you’re just being stubborn.” Jo parked her hand on her hip. “You mean to go on alone, ignoring the fact that you have friends who want to hang out with you? This is your standing invitation for Sunday lunch, and we’re not taking no for an answer.”
The piano music through the speakers faded away as the worship leader invited everyone to stand.
“Come on, man.” Zach bumped Gabe’s shoulder. “Lead the way. I’m pretty sure no one dared to sit on our bench.”
So now he was somehow not only going to Green Acres for lunch, but sitting with them in church? How long before folks started speculating about him and Sierra? He led the contingent into the pew and glanced back, his gut souring. With Burke the Jerk at the other end of the line, grinning down at Sierra, the answer would be never.
Still, on his first Sunday back at church, it was better to be with friends than alone at the back, burning holes in the back of Burke’s head.
* * *
She’d pulled the “not feeling well” card last week. Two Sundays in a row, when she’d been involved in everything else all week, would be too obvious. Besides, how could Sunday dinner be any worse than an entire day of painting Gabe’s apartment with Jo and Zach yesterday?
It didn’t escape Sierra’s notice that no one, not even her, had invited Tyrell for lunch. She hadn’t thought of it before, but maybe next time she should just do it and let everyone know where her allegiance really lay.
Good luck with that. She could barely convince herself when she was in Tyrell’s presence. When they were apart, no dice. If only Gabe had stayed in Romania another year. Maybe even six months. Then she’d have had time to properly fall in love with Tyrell and all this awkwardness need never have happened.
Tyrell didn’t want kids. Gabe did. She’d seen him on the floor with Maddie.
“Don’t get used to it,” Zach was saying. “Noel is usually a slave driver. It’s pretty rare he’ll prep lunch all by himself before church.”
Claire plopped down onto a leather love seat. “Let’s play Pictionary after lunch, during Maddie’s nap? Girls against the guys, of course.” She waggled her eyebrows at Sierra and Jo.
That beat all the scenarios where Sierra got paired up with Gabe. Besides, once upon a time, the three best friends’ brains had ticked almost as one. “I bet we could smear them.”
Jo corralled Madelynn by the toy box. “Don’t forget Zach and Gabe have known each other forever. They might do better than you think.”
“I doubt it.” Claire laughed. “Noel will throw them off. Besides, it’s a fun game for a group this size.”
Sierra closed her eyes for a second. Way to remind her she was normally a fifth wheel.
“Just trying to make Gabe feel at home, Sierra.” Claire lowered her voice. “Unless that makes you uncomfortable.”
She could lie through her teeth. “No, why would it?”
Jo snickered and glanced toward the kitchen. “You should have seen them yesterday.”
Sierra glowered. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Ooh,” Claire said with a grin. “That’s the way of it, is it?”
“Shush,” Sierra hissed. “That’s enough out of both of you. No need to act like junior high. Been there. Done that.” And senior high. And college. There’d never been a shortage of guys hanging around. Some of them had been morons, but there’d been a few decent ones in the mix. How come none of them had stuck around instead of leaving her lost in a place where making a choice between Tyrell and Gabe seemed like a sensible plan? Or, rather, between Tyrell and nobody, being as Gabe’s smile was on and off like sunshine on a mostly stormy day.
Sierra’s cell trilled with her younger sister’s ring tone. “Excuse me a minute.” She slid the phone on and walked into the sunroom, shutting the French door behind her. “Hey, Chelsea. What’s up?”
“Happy birthday!”
Sierra shook her head. “It’s not my birthday until next week, Chels.”
Her sister laughed. “Yeah, I know. But in case I forget. Listen, do you remember Allison Hart? She was at college with you, I think.”
Allison. Allison. “Is she the tall girl with long dark hair? I think she transferred into agriculture after the first year. Do I have the right person?”
“That’s her. She called me to plan her parents’ funeral a couple of months ago. I know, morbid, right? But she said she had no idea how to go about it.”
“Just one of the many services you offer?” Sierra teased. “Not that it’s funny her parents died. An accident, or something?”
“Their small plane went down in the mountains. Really ugly stuff. If you read the Portland Tribune, you might have seen it a while back.”
“No, sorry. I missed it.”
“That’s okay. Anyway, I decided to help her out. She seemed so alone and needing a friend. I figured I could learn about funerals. Why not? An event planner gets called on for many things.”
Chelsea always had a soft spot for the underdog.
“Good for you.”
“Anyway, we got to talking about other things. She’d been teaching organic farming practices through a rural education division but wants to become part of something bigger.”
Sierra clutched the phone as excitement buzzed in her veins. “Oh?”
“I told her about what you and Claire and Jo are doing in Idaho. She seemed so wistful, but never figured she’d be able to buy into something like that. And I figured you guys weren’t quite ready to hire instructors yet. Am I right?”
Boom. Sierra’s gut sank. “No. I wish we could. She sounds ideal. Like the kind of person we want on staff someday.” How long was someday going to take to arrive? They’d arranged some weekend workshops on straw bale building, gardening for self-sufficiency, as well as some other things, but nothing had taken off enough to propel them to the next level.
“Well, here’s the deal. She just found out her father had a bigger life insurance policy than she thought. A lot bigger.”
“I’m not following you, Chels. That’s great for her, but why are you telling me this?”
“She and I would like to drive out before the snow flies so you guys can meet her. If you all click, she might like to buy in.”
Sierra sank into a wicker chair in the sunroom. The autumn sun warmed the space quite nicely. In fact, she felt rather hot. “Are you serious?”
“Totally.”
“Well, um. I don’t know what to say. I’ll talk to the others. Maybe you can get her to email us her credentials? But so much depends on personality. We’ve never talked about letting someone buy in whom we haven’t known for years.”
“Yeah, I get that. She does, too. All we ask is you give her a try. She’s got no reason to stay in Portland with only a sister she’s not even close to.”
“I wish you lived nearby, Chels. I love it here, but I miss you and Jacob and the folks. I really do.”
“Maybe if you take on Allison, there will be enough planning to do that I can move up there, too. I don’t have the cash to buy in like she does, but I love what you guys are doing. And, I have to say, your weddings and events could use my touch.”
Your weddings? It took Sierra a second to put the words in perspective. Not her own multiple nuptials, but the events hosted on the farm. Excitement built as she contemplated the proposed changes. “We could sure use you, girl. I even have a spare room in my new cottage, with pails of pink paint ready to roll on the walls.”
“Ooh, that’d be awesome. Love me some pink.”
Pink, ruffles, lace, and flowers. That about summed up Chelsea Riehl. Sierra chuckled. “What weekend are you and Allison thinking of coming? I can’t wait to see you.”
The French door opened behind her.
Sierra turned to see Claire beckoning. “Lunch is ready whenever you are
.”
“Listen, Chels. I’ve got to go. Get Allison to send me that email, and we’ll go from there. Okay?”
“It’s a deal.”
Sierra tapped her phone off and followed Claire back into the great room.
“What was all that about?” Jo asked, strapping Maddie into her high chair as the guys set bowls on the table, tantalizing aromas floating in the air.
Gabe glanced her way then chose a chair at the opposite end of the table.
Well, if Allison and Chelsea moved to the farm, Sierra wouldn’t need to feel like the odd girl out all the time. It wouldn’t be the same as finding true love and a partner for life like her friends had done, but it would redistribute the ratio and make her feel less pressured.
Maybe one of them would capture Gabe’s heart. Now, why didn’t that make her feel better?
Chapter 14
Gabe sat at Doreen’s kitchen table for the first time in over three years.
She bustled around the space, putting on a pot of coffee. “I’m so glad you’re here. I have cookies in the freezer. Just give me a minute.”
“It’s okay. I didn’t come here to eat.”
“But they’re your favorite. Homemade chocolate chip.”
The recipe he’d taught Bethany when they were kids. His mom had been a from-scratch kind of baker back then, and she’d taught her boys their way around the kitchen whether they wanted to know or not. As soon as Gabe had graduated from high school, his folks had taken early retirement from their teaching careers and gone to Romania as missionaries, with only a few visits to Idaho in twelve years. And Gabe hadn’t cooked much of anything since.
Doreen had been a single mom for years, working to support her and Bethany. She hadn’t had time for kitchen indulgences.
“Thanks. You didn’t need to do that.” High honor, really.
“I know. Gabe, whatever happens in the future, you’ll always be like a son to me. I hope you know that.”
And to think he’d hurt her so badly, trying to protect himself. He stretched his legs under the table, trying to relax, as he watched her get a container out of the fridge freezer. She seemed to be moving fairly freely.
Gabe leaned forward. “How are you feeling these days? Is Sierra still stinging you?”
“Yes, we’ve done it three times now? Maybe four. It’s early to say for sure, but I’m cautiously optimistic. She says we won’t be able to do it over the winter, so I guess we’ll see how I hold up.”
“I’m glad it’s helping.” He couldn’t believe how he’d ripped into Sierra that first day. In his defense, he’d been looking for something to attack. He’d felt so vulnerable when returning to Galena Landing and Nature’s Pantry. Lousy excuse, though.
She set a plate of cookies on the table in front of him then sank onto the other chair. “I’ve been praying you’d come by.”
He nodded, unable to meet her gaze. He’d felt the pull, knew he had to come. “I’ve been talking to God.”
“That’s good.”
The coffee pot gurgled.
Gabe had been so mean to Doreen last time they’d talked away from the store itself. He’d been careful to keep discussions to bookkeeping the few times she’d come by since then.
He took a deep breath. “Look, I’m sorry. I really am. I said some cruel things to you the other day, things I had no right to say even if they’d been true. But they weren’t. Can you ever forgive me?”
She reached across the table and covered his hand. Hers was thin with protruding veins. “I forgave you then and there, Gabe.”
“But—”
“No buts. You lashed out, and I forgave you. You asked for forgiveness, but it’s already done. In the past. Water under the bridge.”
“How?” He dared to meet her gaze for a second then withdrew his hand and reached for a cookie.
“God has forgiven me so much more, Gabe. You know that parable Jesus told about the man who owed his master a huge debt? His master called him in and demanded payment. Do you remember what happened?”
Gabe’s mind slid to the Bible story. “He begged forgiveness.”
“And?”
“His master gave it. But the guy was a jerk.” Understanding began to dawn.
“Yes, he was. But typically human. What happened?”
“Instead of being thankful, he found some guy who owed him a small amount and demanded he pay up. Refused to renegotiate but tossed the guy in jail even though he begged for time to repay.”
“To whom much has been forgiven, much is required.”
The coffeepot bubbled and spat like an enraged cat. Doreen stood and pulled two mugs from the cupboard.
Gabe snapped off a piece of half-frozen cookie and ate it. Why had he demanded his own life should be free of suffering? Why had he not been willing to see the pain of others? The kids in Romania — that was a different situation. Their lives were so very much worse that he could feel pious about helping.
His heart sank. He’d been there for all the wrong reasons. To run. To feel better about himself. He only hoped that even with selfish motivations, he’d been able to make a real difference to some of the orphans.
Dear Lord, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for so much.
The rich aroma of hot coffee tingled his senses when Doreen set a cup in front of him. How long since he’d relished such a simple pleasure? He had a sip.
“It’s good to see you settled back into the apartment.” Doreen reseated herself. “It looks nice up there.”
“The paint helps. It signals some kind of fresh start, I guess. That’s what Jo said.”
“I wouldn’t have thought of putting those colors together.”
Gabe couldn’t help the chuckle. “Me, either. But it’s growing on me.”
“That feature wall reminds me of the verse from Psalm nineteen that says God’s word is sweeter than honey in the honeycomb.”
Jo had said something about the color. He’d brought a jar of Green Acres honey up to the apartment and held it against the wall. Not a bad match. And it tasted pretty good, too. Something about honey made all his taste buds come alive. Or maybe that was thinking about the beekeeper who’d handled every jar of it.
Doreen leaned forward, cradling her mug in both hands. “May I speak frankly with you, Gabe?”
He eyed her uncertainly.
“I’ve wondered if… maybe… you might be developing feelings for Sierra.”
His heart lurched. That obvious, huh?
“It may be none of my business.” She shot him a quick glance then refocused on the coffee. “Like I said before, you’ll always be my son, no matter what. You have been for almost two-thirds of your life.”
He couldn’t help the smile that pulled at the corner of his mouth. “That’s true.”
“But, anyway. I like Sierra. She’s got a heart of gold, and I know she wants to serve the Lord. And, well, you should move forward, Gabe. You should remarry and give me some grandkids to spoil.”
Gabe opened his mouth and closed it again.
“I know how much you were anticipating our little ray of sunshine. I know losing that baby heaped even more grief onto Bethany’s death. Remarrying won’t replace them, for either of us. I realize that. But it’s okay to move into the future. I want you to know that from me. I won’t hold you back.”
The memory of the little paint fight with Sierra surfaced. “You know she’s dating Tyrell Burke.”
Doreen’s hand swept the words away. “She doesn’t love him.”
Gabe hoped that was true. “Then why go out with him?”
“I think she needs to be needed. The girls say Sierra always had a boyfriend in school. I’m sure they all expected her to be first to the altar.” She shook her head. “It didn’t work out that way.”
“So you’re saying she’s seeing Burke because she’s desperate?” The thought mixed both derision and hope.
“No…” The word dragged out.
“Then what?”
“She
’s looking. Tyrell isn’t the right man for her. I think she knows.”
Gabe pushed the memory of the painting day away. Sierra had all but ignored him the next day at the farm. She didn’t owe him a reason, did she? She was obviously torn between him and Burke. Or maybe she was a player, wanting to keep her options open.
“I’m not sure I’m the right guy for her, either. Or that she’s right for me.”
Doreen raised her eyebrows over her coffee mug.
* * *
Sierra zipped the hood of her bee suit and rubbed the Velcro tight. It was one thing to sting Doreen on purpose and something else entirely to work among the hives without protection.
Tyrell grinned at her from behind the black screen on his hood. “Ready?”
She nodded as she pulled the gloves up to her elbows. The elastic at the bottom of each pant leg covered her boot tops. A bee would have some major work to get inside anywhere but, as she knew from past experience, one occasionally managed.
“Okay, first we have to check the situation inside each hive.” Tyrell pried the wooden top from the box then removed the outermost frame. “See here? This one is full of honey. That’s good.” He dropped it back into place and pried out one from the middle, tilting it toward her. “Honey. Some pollen.” He tapped his hive tool against a darker section. “Brood. Looks healthy.”
“So we don’t need to add feed for the winter?”
He pursed his lips. “I’ve put a pollen patty and syrup pack in each of mine, but I think yours will do okay. We’ll look in each one and make sure they have enough honey to see them through the winter. If not, I brought a box of feeders. I’ll sell them to you at cost.” He shook his head. “You could’ve extracted more of the honey than this, you know.”
Sierra resisted the urge to do a victory dance as he dropped the lid back into place. “I know. But it doesn’t seem fair to steal all their food when they worked so hard for it.”
“Doesn’t matter. That’s why we feed them the syrup. It does the trick, and it’s a lot cheaper than honey.” He opened the next hive.
A Farm Fresh Romance Series 1-3 (A Farm Fresh Romance Box Set) Page 62