“I don’t know about that. I tend to look at it the other way around.”
Hands clasped in her lap, Grace studied them for a moment. “I can’t imagine how difficult it was to learn about your buddies.”
He stared at the falls, nodded, his throat too thick to respond.
“But I don’t understand why you don’t want to see their families. I mean, you were the last one to see their loved ones alive. You’re their last connection.”
The words slammed into his chest, burrowing their way into that dark part of him he refused to let anybody see. Yet somehow it rose to the surface.
“I’m the reason my friends are dead.” He cringed the moment the words left his mouth.
“Wha—”
He stood, refusing to discuss it anymore. “It’s dark. I’ll walk you home.”
Chapter Eight
The aroma of fresh-popped popcorn filled the air in front of Mountain View Tours on Memorial Day. Inside, the front office had been completely transformed. From the carpet tiles to the freshly painted walls, everything had been revived.
Finally, with all of the obstacles behind him, Kaleb could relax and enjoy the grand-opening festivities. He felt as though this entire weekend had been one big party. The weather was perfect, every tour was full and the number of people sharing in the fun was beyond anything he’d imagined.
God had knocked this one out of the ballpark.
And to think, Grace almost kept the idea to herself. Boy, was he glad Sami had coaxed it out of her. This weekend had been exactly the kind of kickoff he’d dreamed about, yet had no clue how to execute. Thanks to Grace, though, that dream was now a reality and the new Mountain View Tours was on its way to reclaiming its once-glowing reputation. Something that was bound to bring in more business.
Wearing a pair of denim capris and a sleeveless white blouse, Grace filled another batch of red-white-and-blue helium balloons at the table just outside the entrance. Times like this, he wondered where he’d be without her. Despite a somewhat rocky start, she had quickly exceeded his expectations for an office manager. And so much more.
Grace seemed to know him inside and out. At times she’d push hard, though she also knew when to back off. Like last weekend, when he’d blurted out something that was better left unsaid. She hadn’t brought it up since.
A patriotic song echoed from the docking station behind Grace, sending Kaleb’s gaze to the four American flags swaying in the breeze along the front of the building. One for each of the four men who were with him that day in Afghanistan.
His gut churned as regret and sorrow flooded his inner being. If only he’d seen that trip wire. Swallowing around the sudden lump in his throat, he tilted his face heavenward. God, I don’t know why You chose to spare me, but I pledge myself to You once again and ask that You would use me in whatever manner You see fit.
He took a deep breath. Thank You, God, for the privilege of knowing each of those men and I ask a special blessing upon their families.
Their families. In just a little under a month those families would be coming to Ouray, expecting to see him and spend time with him and, no doubt, wanting to talk about their loved ones. Grace was right. He was their last connection. Wives and parents were probably curious about their last days.
Early on, after he settled back in Ouray, he’d spoken to a couple of them on the phone. But that was different. He didn’t have to look them in the eye.
Returning his focus to the flags, he knew that Memorial Day would never be the same for him. He’d fought alongside men who gave their lives for this country. They were his friends and he would not let them be forgotten.
A tapping against his thigh had him looking down. Jack stared up at him through his star-shaped sunglasses. The innocence on his nephew’s face chased away Kaleb’s morose.
“What’s up, Jack?” He lifted the child into his arms.
“I wanna dwive.”
The kid loved it when Kaleb let him play in the trucks. “You want to drive, huh?”
Jack nodded emphatically.
“We need to see what your folks have to say about that one, buddy.” Kaleb strode toward the table where Sami and her husband, Scott, were tying long ribbons on the freshly inflated balloons.
“Somebody wants to do some driving.” He nodded to the bright blue rental Jeep he had on display in front of the building. Not only was it for people to have a look-see, they’d had kids hopping in and out all weekend for photo ops. “Told him we’d have to check with you.”
“Sure. But, Jack—” Sami sent her son that motherly warning look “—I want you to sit on your bottom. No standing, you hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jack turned his attention to Grace. “Wanna wide wif me, Gwace?” The kid had really taken a liking to her.
Kaleb couldn’t say that he blamed him. He’d kind of taken a liking to her, too.
“I’d love to, Jack, but I need to help your uncle Kaleb. Can I take a rain check?”
Jack’s expression turned serious. “It’s not waining, Gwace.”
She smiled. “You’re right. It’s not. Silly me.”
“Maybe Grace can ride with you later.” Kaleb moved toward the vehicle, opened the door and deposited Jack in the driver’s seat. He moved the seat as far forward as it would go. “What’s the first thing we do when we get into a vehicle?”
“Seat belt!”
“That’s right.” Kaleb grabbed the restraint and reached across his nephew to secure it. “You’re ready to roll, soldier.”
“Close the doow.”
He pushed the door closed, taking a moment to listen to the vrooming noises coming from Jack. Chuckling to himself, he turned to rejoin the other adults.
An older couple stood at the table, looking over a brochure as Grace spoke with them.
“Yes, we do still have some openings on our tours for tomorrow. Were you looking at morning or afternoon?” She eyed him as he approached. “Kaleb, this is Mr. and Mrs. Russell.” Her focus returned to the couple. “Kaleb is the owner of Mountain View Tours.”
“Good to meet you, son.” Mr. Russell held out his hand.
Kaleb accepted, noticing the Desert Storm Veteran insignia on the man’s ball cap. “What branch of the military were you in?”
“Army. Second Armored Division.”
Kaleb smiled. “Hundred and First Airborne Division. Operation Enduring Freedom.”
“A man who knows what Memorial Day is truly about.” Mr. Russell gestured to the decorations.
“Yes, sir.” Far better than he cared to.
Someone screamed and Kaleb instinctively scanned the area, his heart leaping into his throat.
Jack!
The Jeep was rolling down Mountain View Tours’ drive, aimed for the street. Sweat beaded his forehead as he rushed toward it.
People scrambled to get out of the way. One man attempted to reach the passenger door, but missed.
With a final lunge, Kaleb grabbed hold of the driver’s door and flung it open. His pulse and the Jeep were the only things that seemed to be moving quickly. People had moved into the street, waving their arms to stop oncoming traffic.
Holding tight to the door, Kaleb lifted himself enough to get his right foot inside and on the brake pedal. The Jeep jerked to a stop.
Glancing at the line of cars now stopped in the northbound lane, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Then the applause started. Just a couple of people at first, and then more joined in until it thundered around him.
“That was fun.” Jack cheered.
Kaleb released the buckle. “Scoot over, Jack.” His nephew climbed over the center console and Kaleb hopped in. And that was when he saw it.
The emergency brake wasn’t set. And the gearshift was in Neut
ral.
He could have killed Jack. Why hadn’t he double-checked the brake when he put Jack in the Jeep?
He quickly returned the vehicle to its original position, regret beating like a woodpecker against his rib cage. Once again, he’d allowed himself to become distracted, risking the lives of those around him.
Sami snagged her son from the passenger side, pressing his little body against hers as she held him close. “Oh, thank God, you’re okay, baby.” She kissed his face, but Jack was oblivious to all the commotion.
“I was dwiving, Mama.”
“You sure were, son.” Scott reached for the boy. “But that’s enough for one day.”
Sami met Kaleb as he stepped out of the Jeep. “Once a hero, always a hero.” Slipping her arms around him, she fell against him in a powerful hug. “Thank you, big brother.”
He was no hero. Not now, not ever.
He grabbed his sister by the arms, breaking her hold, and stepped back. “The parking brake was off.”
Her liquid eyes searched his.
Raking a disgusted hand through his hair, he tried unsuccessfully to quell the storm raging inside him. “It was my fault that the Jeep rolled into the street.”
Sami shook her head. “But you saved him.”
He glared at her now. “It shouldn’t have happened in the first place.” Walking past his sister, he ignored the crowd that had gathered and continued into the deepest corner of the garage. The smell of petroleum and rubber hung heavy in the air.
Tilting his head up, he blinked away the tears that blurred his vision. God, thank You for protecting Jack. Forgive me for not paying closer attention.
So much for restoring the company’s reputation.
“You okay?” He should have known Grace would follow him.
He turned away, not wanting her to see him like this. “Yeah.”
“I heard what you said to Sami.”
Great. Now she knew just how incompetent he was.
“You’re wrong, though.”
He sensed her moving closer.
“Danny was the one who parked that Jeep. If anyone—”
Unwilling to listen to any of her excuses, he whirled to face her. “I’m the owner. I should have checked the parking brake.”
“It was an accident, Kaleb. No one meant for it to happen.”
“It did happen, though.”
“And you saved the day. Jack is safe because of you. In my book, that’s a hero.”
He blew out a disbelieving laugh. “Heroes don’t allow things to happen in the first place.”
“No, because no one can control everything.”
Touché.
Locked in a staredown with his office manager, he drew in a deep breath, willing his pulse to a normal rate. “In here—” he pointed to his head “—I know you’re right. But my heart has a hard time accepting that what happened to my buddies, what happened to Jack, wasn’t my fault. If I’d have done just one thing differently, like check the parking brake, or not allowed myself to become distracted, I could have changed the outcome.”
Taking a step closer, Grace laid a hand on his forearm, sending a wave of awareness through him. “Kaleb, we all second-guess ourselves.” She cocked her head, making her appear more thoughtful. “Do you believe in God’s providence? That He has a plan and a purpose for everything?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you trying to put yourself above God by second-guessing what He allowed to happen?”
Was that what he’d been doing?
He stood there, paralyzed, as conviction rained down on him. “Is that what you think I’ve been doing?”
Grace didn’t say a word, simply lifted a brow as if to say, “What do you think?”
My ways are not your ways.
“I think you’ve just opened my eyes, Grace.” He laid his hand atop hers. “Thank you for the perspective.”
“You’re welcome.” She pulled her hand away then.
“I didn’t realize you’d spent so much time in God’s word.”
“I did a lot of Bible studies while I was deployed.” Rubbing her arms, she took a step back.
“That’s great.” He stepped toward her, thrilled with the knowledge that Grace was a woman of faith. “I know I need my daily dose of the Bible every morning. Maybe we—”
“I’d better get back outside.”
* * *
Grace had fallen in love with Ouray. The beauty, the history, the sense of community... Though there were days when she wished she were aboard that cruise ship, away from the lure of what-ifs and what-could-have-beens.
This was one of those days.
Still frustrated over her conversation with Kaleb yesterday, she unlocked the post office box and peered inside. She welcomed the opportunity, no matter how small it might be, to get out of the office and enjoy a little fresh air, away from her increasingly handsome boss.
Oftentimes, when she was at sea, she’d sneak away from the engine room and make her way topside to fill her lungs with something besides jet fuel vapors and soak up a little vitamin D.
It was also where she would talk to God, keeping Him as her anchor when she was half a world away from those she loved.
A lot of good that did her.
Unlike Kaleb, she wasn’t second-guessing what God allowed to happen.
God had failed her. He took her dad, made her unable to conceive and then allowed her husband to fall into the arms of another woman who was able to give him a child. Grace was better off on her own, not trusting in a God who seemed eager to knock her down at every turn.
So who was she to go spouting off spiritual truths? Leading Kaleb to believe she was some faith-filled woman when her faith had died right along with her dreams of a family.
Shaking off the depressing thoughts, she retrieved the short stack of mail and locked the box before making her way back through the glass double doors onto Main Street.
Kaleb was the kind of man Grace had once dreamed of finding. A man who did his best to live out his faith in word and deed. A man who would never be interested in a woman whose faith was on the skids. And yet her sleep was plagued with dreams of him.
The subconscious mind could be so annoying.
Strolling down the sidewalk, she paused in front of one of the gift shops to study their window display. She’d been wanting to pick up a T-shirt or two, but was having a hard time deciding which ones she liked best.
Unfortunately, she didn’t dare waste too much time. Over the past few days, business at Mountain View Tours had shifted into high gear. This morning alone, they’d had six tours, half a dozen phone inquiries and at least twice that many from the website. And the season had barely begun. At this rate, she’d never keep up.
Kaleb was beyond ecstatic and she was happy for him. He’d worked hard, putting his heart and soul into this business, and deserved to be rewarded.
Still undecided about the T-shirts, she gave up and proceeded on to the deli to pick up a couple of sandwiches for her and Kaleb.
Lunch in hand, she made her way back to the office, pausing to admire one of the gorgeous flower baskets that hung from every lamppost along Main Street. Ouray was the kind of charming little town she used to envision calling home. The picture of Americana, complete with white picket fences, colorful old buildings and purple mountains’ majesty. A place that made her want to put down roots.
She blew out a frustrated breath and moved on, approaching Mountain View Tours as one of their morning tours returned. Kaleb was outside, greeting everyone and asking if they’d enjoyed their tour. As if he couldn’t tell from the smiles on their faces. Perhaps once they heard the news that Corkscrew and Engineer Pass had opened ahead of schedule, they’d be ready to sign up for another outing tomorrow.
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Which meant she’d better get inside.
Her cell phone rang. With the bag containing their lunch dangling from her left hand, she tucked the mail under the same arm and retrieved the phone from her back pocket.
One glance at the screen sent her heart into a tailspin.
Why would Aaron be calling her?
A hundred scenarios clamored through her brain, none of them making any sense. Once upon a time, she’d prayed that he would call, telling her he’d made a mistake and begging her to take him back. That call never came. And even if this was it, she’d tell him in no uncertain terms that she had no interest in reconciliation. Something she couldn’t have said a year ago.
The phone continued to ring, her angst building with each jingle. She could simply let it go to voice mail and see if he left a message. But if he didn’t, she’d be left wondering why he called.
With a shaky breath, she touched the accept icon and put the phone to her ear.
“Hello.”
“Grace. Hey, it’s Aaron.” As if she didn’t already know that.
Keep it light. Upbeat. “Hey, Aaron. How’s it going?” Ugh. Nothing like trying too hard.
“Pretty good. Just busy. AJ is crawling now.” He chuckled. “The kid’s into everything.”
As if she wanted to hear that tidbit of information.
“But, hey, that’s not why I’m calling.”
No “How are you?” or “How’s it going?” In typical Aaron fashion, he forged right ahead with his agenda, never even bothering to ask where she was or what she’d been up to.
“Tessa and I have found a house we want to buy.”
Funny, last time Grace checked, he had a house. A house he’d once shared with her.
“Which is why I’m calling. In your rush to leave Jacksonville, you failed to sign the quitclaim deed.”
Rush to leave? He’d turned her world upside down. Left her for another woman, one who happened to be carrying his child. Something Grace wasn’t able to give him. Aaron had practically deemed her worthless, in front of God and everybody. Why on earth would she want to hang around any longer than she had to?
Dropping onto a nearby bench, she allowed her gaze to roam the mountaintops, finding the strength to temper her flailing emotions. “What’s a quitclaim deed?”
Falling for the Hometown Hero Page 9