* * *
“Good to see you back in town, Gabe!” Tammy Stephenson picked up a grocery basket beside the entrance to Nature’s Pantry.
“Tammy! How’s business?”
She grimaced. “It’s been slow since the economy tanked, but there have been just enough properties turning over to keep me hopeful.”
“That’s great. Good thing Matt has a job then.”
“Oh, definitely. We’d have a hard time living off realty alone these days. How are things with you?”
Gabe shrugged. “Pretty good. Doreen and Sierra grew the business while I was away.”
“You thinking of selling? When you were out of town so long, I began to wonder.”
He eyed her. “It’s crossed my mind a time or two, but I’m not sure that’s a step I want to take.”
“I told Matt I could see your heart wasn’t in the store anymore, not since Bethany passed on. It must be rough here with all her memories.”
And everyone else encouraged him to leave the past behind. What was Tammy doing, dredging up history?
“It’s got its tough times, for sure.” Bethany had never kept him guessing the way Sierra did. Yeah, he’d sometimes had to wheedle information out of her, but in the end, she’d always capitulated. Sierra was a fortress. No amount of siege had enabled him to breach her defenses.
“Well, if you decide you want to sell out, let me know. The market is soft right now, but I did have an inquiry the other day from someone looking for a small business to buy in the area. I might be able to pull a deal together for you.”
Did he want to leave town? Not really. Not now that he’d reconnected with Zach and the folks at Galena Gospel Church. His Sunday school class. On the other hand, Sierra… could he face staying with their relationship at a stalemate?
“I’ll keep it in mind, Tammy. I’m not sure I want to take such a big step right now.” Tempting, though. So tempting. How could he keep hanging around Green Acres, seeing Sierra all the time? Especially if she turned to Burke.
Man, that would sear him to the core.
“I understand. But once this couple finds what they’re looking for, I can’t guarantee there will be anyone behind them. I happen to know they joined the back-to-the-land movement in the 70s but couldn’t make a go of it. They returned to Salt Lake City and held down corporate jobs, but now they want a taste of the life they had to leave behind. They’re in their late fifties, so it’s a bit yet before they retire. How perfect would a health food store be for someone like them?”
“They sound ideal.”
“Really nice people, too. Don’t think about it too long, Gabe. This might be exactly what you need to start a new life for yourself.”
“Thanks, Tammy. I appreciate the tip.” He did, didn’t he? “Is there anything I can help you find in the store today?”
“No, I only need a bit of produce. I know where to find it.”
A few minutes later he rang her order through the till.
She passed him a business card with her Visa. “Talk to you soon!”
Gabe stared after Tammy long after the door closed behind her. Was this a heaven-sent opportunity? Was God trying to tell him to let go of Nature’s Pantry? Of Galena Landing? Of Sierra?
He closed his eyes. But things had been going so well. Hadn’t he been certain just a week or two ago that God had brought her into his life? Not as a replacement for Bethany. Sierra was a unique woman. She matched his personality in different ways.
But she was pushing him away, for reasons he couldn’t fathom.
“Gabe, I heard what that hussy had to say.”
Gabe blinked Doreen’s face into focus. He’d forgotten she was cataloging files in the back office. “You’re calling Tammy a hussy?” That had to be a first.
Doreen’s face reddened. “Okay, maybe not that. But don’t listen to her, Gabe. She’s just trying to make a buck. This is where you belong.”
Gabe contemplated Doreen’s face, trying to figure out where she was coming from. “Do you have any interest in buying Nature’s Pantry back from me?”
“No! Of course not.”
He hadn’t thought so. “Then why—?”
“You believed God wanted you to buy it from me eight years ago. When did He tell you to sell it?”
“Doreen, I didn’t invite Tammy here to sign her on as my Realtor. She came to purchase onions and squash. The other was merely a side topic.”
“One it sounded like you’re considering.”
He hadn’t been, but his former mother-in-law could drive him to it yet if she kept it up. All right, maybe he had thought of it, but not seriously. And he certainly wouldn’t do something rash until he knew for certain what was bugging Sierra. Until he knew there was no hope for the two of them to reconcile.
Didn’t a guy have to know what he’d done wrong so he could make things right? How could he begin to guess, when Sierra refused to say? The loop in his brain circled its now-familiar path. Round and round.
“I’m sorry, Gabe. It’s none of my business.”
She could say that again.
“It’s just, I worry about you.”
She and a hundred other people, it seemed like. Couldn’t he take charge of his own life? So he was doing a lousy job of it. That was between him and God, not between him and Doreen and Zach and Jo and Tammy and the rest of the world.
He mustered a smile. “I know, Doreen. I’m thankful you care. Really. But all I need is prayer. Ask God to help me make the best decisions. The ones that will further His kingdom, okay?”
Wow, those words simplified things a lot. A weight lifted off his shoulders. “After closing, I’m going to drive out to Green Acres. Something’s up with Sierra, and I won’t leave until she tells me what it is.”
Doreen smiled. “That’s more like it. As for praying for you, I have been every day, many times. You’re my son, and I continuously bring you before God’s throne.”
He reached out and gave her a quick side hug. “Thanks.”
“In fact, if you want to drive out to the farm now, go for it. I can keep the mobs at bay here.”
“You mean it? I think I will.”
Chapter 25
“What do you mean, she’s not here? Her car is outside.”
After knocking repeatedly on the door to Sierra’s duplex, Gabe had walked over to the big house to see if she was working with Claire and Jo.
“She and her sister headed out early this morning.” Claire’s eyebrows pulled together in thought. “I’m not sure where they were going, actually. Sierra said something about a little getaway and they’d be home tomorrow.”
Gabe rocked back on his heels, his mind buzzing with possibilities, none of them good. Didn’t Chelsea live in Portland? What brought her to the Idaho Panhandle so often? It seemed every time she came, she pulled Sierra further away from him. What did Chelsea have against him, anyway? She barely knew him. And his reputation didn’t stink, at least not that he knew of.
“What’s wrong, Gabe?”
He jerked his head up to look into Claire’s sympathetic gaze. “I’m confused.” Warning bells rang. It was one thing to confide in Zach. They’d known each other since they were toddlers. It was something else completely to air his troubles in front of Sierra’s close friend.
“I don’t think you’re the only one.”
No, he should steer clear. Gabe backed up a step. “That could be. I’ll try to catch her tomorrow then.” So much for his hastily conceived plan where he’d kiss her senseless and not stop until the barrier, whatever it was, had disappeared.
“What happened between you, if you don’t mind my asking?”
He minded. But somehow he couldn’t turn and jog down the steps to his car, either.
“Gabe? I just put on a pot of coffee. Noel is cutting firewood on the hillside, but he’ll be here shortly. Come on in.”
Maybe having Noel there, too, would help. Somehow Gabe found himself following Claire into the house.
The warmth immediately enfolded him as the caffeinated aroma wafted toward him. The coffee pot burbled in the kitchen. He stuffed his gloves into his pockets before hanging the coat from a hook behind the door.
“Take anything in your coffee?” called Claire from the kitchen.
“Just a slosh of cream, if you’ve got it.”
“Yep, no problem.” A minute later she came out carrying two steaming mugs. She handed one to Gabe and gestured toward the great room. “Come on in, and make yourself at home.”
Flames flickered in the fireplace. Gabe took a seat in one of the easy chairs. “It can’t take a lot of wood to heat this place, as well-insulated as it is.”
Claire shrugged. “It doesn’t. Noel’s working ahead. He can’t sit still for more than a few minutes, so he’s stockpiling for Zach and Jo right now. This pregnancy is hitting Jo hard, and Zach’s having trouble keeping up with the extra work with Maddie and the cabin while his veterinary practice is so busy, too.”
Gabe hadn’t even known. A flicker of jealousy reared its head. Why hadn’t Zach told Gabe he needed help? He could’ve been here. Zach didn’t need to go calling on Noel for it.
Claire curled up in the end of the love seat and cradled her mug in both hands. “I was hoping you could shed some light on what’s up with Sierra these days, but it sounds like you’re just as much in the dark as we are.”
Gabe blinked and shook his head. No call to envy Noel. The guys had been friends for several years and lived a stone’s throw apart, with wives who were close friends. He’d be right here with them if things worked out with Sierra, though they’d probably live in the apartment above the store.
“I’m at a bit of a loss,” he said finally. “I really don’t know what I did wrong. That may sound prideful, but I don’t mean it that way. Trust me, I’ve gone through every conversation, every…” He felt a flush creep up his cheeks. He’d nearly said kiss. “Everything that happened,” he finished lamely.
Claire’s eyes twinkled.
She’d obviously caught his hesitation. Whatever.
“I want you to know something. I really believe in personal privacy, even though we live communally. When Jo, Sierra, and I cooked up this plan to buy a farm together and live this way, we promised each other we’d air the issues that came into our lives. We’d trust each other and help bear each other’s burdens.”
She stared into her cup as she swirled the coffee. Then she glanced back at him. “It was difficult for Jo and me, in particular. There had been no one in our lives to share with before. No one we believed had our back. But slowly, over time, we grew as close as sisters. Or what I’d imagine sisters might be like.”
Sisters. Chelsea.
“For Sierra, it was different. She was an open book. I chalked it up to the fact that she had a secure family and a great relationship with her sister. She didn’t feel like the whole universe was out to get her.” Claire chuckled. “I also figured when she fell in love, things might change. It gets pretty intense being on the hot seat in such a close community.”
“I bet.” But should they have changed this much? It was true that Sierra had been devastatingly simple to read two months ago, but that ease had slowly receded. What if it wasn’t him? What if it was something else?
The door swung open. A draft of chilly air swirled in with Noel before he got it shut again. Noel shed his outer gear as Claire surged to her feet. “Want a coffee?”
“Thanks, I’ll get it.” Noel’s eyes met Gabe’s. “Hey, man.”
“Hi there.”
Noel headed into the kitchen and came back a moment later, both hands wrapped around a steaming mug. He settled into the love seat beside Claire and rubbed his cheek against hers.
She shifted away. “You’re freezing!”
“Yeah, well, it’s bitterly cold out there, in case you hadn’t noticed.” He tucked one arm around her and pulled her close.
She wrinkled her nose at him but didn’t resist.
Gabe wanted this. He’d had it before, and he wanted it again. Just the comfort of knowing there was one person who loved and accepted him.
“So what brings you out our way?” asked Noel.
He’d do it. Going it alone hadn’t worked. Even telling Zach had done nothing, though that had only been a day or two ago.
Gabe stared into the creamy depths of his mug. “Worried about Sierra, actually. I came determined to talk things out, but she’s not even here.”
“We’re all a little concerned about her,” said Claire.
Noel frowned. “She’s off somewhere with her sister? Christmas shopping or something?”
Right, the holidays would be here in little over a month. Gabe could think of something he’d like to get her for a gift, but not with things the way they were.
“She didn’t say anything about shopping.” Claire stared into the distance. “But she may not have thought she needed to. She lives to shop, so mentioning it may have seemed redundant.”
“She hasn’t confided in you? Whatever’s bothering her?”
Claire shook her head. “We’ve noticed, though. Jo and I tried to get her to open up the other day, but all we got out of her in the end was that prayers would be welcome.”
He’d been praying, and then praying some more. He felt like the guy in the Bible who kept knocking on his neighbor’s door begging for food in the middle of the night. Didn’t Jesus say the neighbor would answer if only so the pounding would stop?
“I take it we all think whatever’s bothering her is between you and her.” Noel nodded at Gabe. “But, radical thought here. What if it’s something else entirely?”
Hmm. Was Noel implying Gabe wasn’t the only star in Sierra’s universe? Could he be right?
Claire snorted. “What a guy way to think.”
“Hey now. I know you never think of anything but me.” Noel nuzzled Claire’s neck, and she didn’t pull away this time. “But we’ve already established that Sierra isn’t your clone.”
“Her sister,” Gabe said flatly. “It’s something with Chelsea, right?” But that didn’t make sense, either. “Has she always come to visit this often?”
Claire shook her head. “I’ve only met her a few times before the last month or two. Now she’s here a lot.” She narrowed her eyes at Gabe. “But you’re right in one way. Every time she comes, Sierra seems farther away.”
Noel frowned. “I thought Chelsea came to introduce Allison, and that she’d like to join us here for the long haul. I hadn’t seen anything sinister in her visits.”
“Sinister is too strong a word.” Claire shook her head. “But whatever is going on, Chelsea’s in the thick of it. I’m certain.”
“I don’t know if that’s a relief or not.” Gabe stared into his mug, now nearly empty. “If it were a problem with me, then presumably I could fix it once I figured it out. But if it’s something else… something bigger…”
Noel grimaced. “There’s a problem with your line of thinking.”
Gabe reared back. “There is?”
“Whether the problem is between you and Sierra or something else, it’s more than that. It’s not something you can fix by saying the magic words.”
Gabe stared at the other man.
Noel poked his chin toward Gabe. “We guys tend to think we can fix anything, right? But Sierra admitted to needing prayer. So that brings it out of the realm of easy guy talk to something bigger.”
“I suppose.” Gabe dragged the word out. “I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“I get it, man. I really do. But I’ve been learning a lot about God in the past few years. Learning to listen to His voice.” Noel leaned forward on his knees. “Hard to do when I’d been shutting it out all my life.”
Claire rested her hand on Noel’s leg.
“So, yeah. I think we need to step up praying. For you guys—” and he poked his chin toward Gabe again “—and for whatever is at the root of it.”
Gabe nodded. Somehow h
e was unprepared for Noel to set his mug on the coffee table, bow his head, and launch into a verbal prayer then and there. By the time Noel said, “amen,” and Claire had added a few words, the chill had melted in Gabe’s gut. He added his request to the others.
He hadn’t expected this bond. This brotherhood. It salved his spirit in a way he hadn’t known he was missing.
“Oh, I meant to ask you, in case Sierra hadn’t done so yet.” Claire got to her feet.
“Hmm?”
“Do you have any plans for Thanksgiving dinner? We’re planning a feast at five, and we want you to come. Jo already invited Doreen.”
For some strange reason it cheered him up that he might not be the bad guy who’d caused Sierra’s reticence. “Sounds good. I’d love to come. What can I bring?”
“I think we have everything covered.”
“Come early and help out in the kitchen, man.” Noel grinned. “You’ve earned your stripes.”
* * *
“No, we can’t stay at the B&B any longer, silly.” Chelsea threw her pillow at Sierra. “Mom and Dad and Jacob will be arriving tonight. You can’t duck out on that.”
“But I’m a mess. Everyone will know something is wrong.” There’d be no hiding. Not with Mom and Dad in her spare room and her brother on the living room floor. Chelsea sharing her bedroom was the least of her concerns.
Her sister shrugged. “So tell them already. It’s not like you’ve committed some crime. You had a medical procedure done and you’re not up to your usual energy. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“You don’t understand.”
“You’re right. I don’t. You’re making this into some huge deal and refuse to explain it, even to me. Do you think I’m the only one wondering what in the world is wrong with you?”
Gabe had noticed. Jo and Claire had, too. Sierra cringed. “I can’t. Not yet. Not until I know for sure.”
Chelsea plopped on the bed and crossed her legs. “But why? You need the support now, while you’re worrying, as well as later.”
A Farm Fresh Romance Series 1-3 (A Farm Fresh Romance Box Set) Page 70