by Mia Ross
“Hey, Bekah,” he began in the tone that alerted her he was making things up as he went along. “What if we put a laptop up on that shelf over there? We could use a webcam to keep tabs on these guys so you could sleep in the house. Can you make it transmit without sending the signal out to the internet?”
After considering his suggestion for a moment, she asked, “You mean, like a closed-circuit video?”
“I don’t know,” he replied with a grin. “That brainy stuff is your department.”
Not long ago, she would have assumed that he was handing her a line and not have taken it very well. But now, despite the awful night she’d been having, she couldn’t help smiling at the compliment. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
“Thanks. Whattya think of my idea?”
Stepping closer, she stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “I think it’s brilliant.”
“Just don’t tell anyone I came up with it, okay? They’ll start expecting me to be a genius all the time.”
“Your secret’s safe with me.”
Chapter Six
Sunday morning, Drew pulled in at the clinic on his way to the farm. Getting out of his truck, he surveyed the grim scene with a frown. The feed barn was still standing, but that was about the only positive thing he could say about it. The firefighters had peeled back enormous sections of the metal roofing to access the interior and douse the flames from above, and the gaping holes in the walls had left them barely capable of supporting what was left of the structure.
A thin haze of smoke still hung in the air, and while the fire had been contained to the single barn, the walls and windows of the other buildings were smeared with black soot marks. Since it was closest to the storage space, the baby barn had taken the brunt of the heat and smoke, and he grimaced when he noted just how close the fire had come to the helpless animals inside.
Quite honestly, Drew thought morosely, the formerly peaceful clearing in the woods looked like a disaster zone. He couldn’t begin to calculate how long it would take them to get everything back to normal.
It wasn’t like him to be so negative, and he gladly headed down the well-used lane in search of something to lift his spirits. He found it in the stable nearest the house, and he gratefully walked toward the joyful sound.
“Aren’t you good boys?” Bekah’s voice reached him through the open sliding door, her laughter drawing him in a step at a time. “If you keep eating like this, you’ll be the biggest ones of the bunch.”
Drew paused outside the makeshift holding area, watching her bottle-feed two goats at once. She made it look easy, and he could hardly believe she hadn’t been doing this kind of job for years.
When she noticed him, her eyes lit up with unabashed delight. “There’s my hero. How are you doing?”
“Well enough, considering.” Glancing around, he registered the fact that all the morning chores she normally handled had already been done. “Did you ever go to sleep?”
“I crashed for a couple hours on the living room sofa after everyone left, but the animals are used to getting breakfast at seven, and I could hear them on the webcam. They’re better than an alarm clock.”
“No doubt.” Pleased to find that her harrowing adventure hadn’t done anything to dampen her spirits, he shook off his own dark mood and got practical. “What can I do to help?”
“Nothing for now. Later, there will be plenty to do inside the clinic.”
“Lotta smoke damage, huh?”
She groaned. “It’s everywhere. It’s going to take forever for us to scrub everything down well enough for the animals to go back in.”
No mention of her own living space, he noted with admiration. Most folks he knew would’ve complained about the fact that their apartment was in the same kind of shape as the other buildings. Bekah’s difficult background made her selfless streak all the more impressive.
Drew squinted up and saw nothing but blue sky. “Fortunately, it’s supposed to be a gorgeous day, so we should be able to get a lot done.”
“Us and what army?”
“Never underestimate a Kinley,” he cautioned her. “I’ll come over to help after church and show you how much we can get done in an afternoon.”
His mention of Sunday services seemed to interest her, and her curious look quickly gave way to a thoughtful one. “Drew?”
“Yeah?”
She hesitated, as if she was running what she wanted to tell him through her head before saying it out loud. Someday, he hoped she’d trust him enough to just spit things out rather than cautiously editing her comments ahead of time. “Do you think God brought me here that day when I got lost on my way to that interview?”
“Definitely,” he replied, stunned to hear her voicing an idea that had occurred to him more than once.
“Well, if He did, why do you think He’d do something like that?”
To save me from myself.
The response came into his mind fully formed, so clear to him that he knew it was the truth. Unfortunately, he had a hunch that kind of answer would send Bekah back into her shell—or worse, running away from him in a panic. Now that she seemed comfortable in his hometown, the last thing he wanted to do was spook her into leaving. He was very tempted to come back with the usual “God works in mysterious ways,” but Drew suspected she wouldn’t take that very well. Bekah was a sharp lady, and she’d recognize a dodge when she heard one.
So he let his mind wander around until it came up with a vague but reasonable explanation. “He knew you were needed here in Oaks Crossing, so that’s where He sent you.”
“But how did He know the clinic needed my help?”
Having grown up with the faith his parents had always valued above everything else, Drew didn’t know how to respond. To his mind, you either believed in God or you didn’t. But his instincts were telling him that Bekah needed better guidance than that, and after mulling it over, he came up with a way for her to discover the truth for herself.
“You could come to church with the family and me,” he suggested. “Maybe you’ll find the answer you’re looking for there.”
By framing it as a family outing, he was hoping to remove any sensitive personal issues from the equation. He still wasn’t certain what was going on between them, but he didn’t want her opinion of him—good or bad—to sway her decision. He firmly believed that having a connection with God would do her no end of good, but he recognized that he couldn’t create that bond for her. If she decided it was something she wanted, she’d have to forge it on her own.
“I don’t know,” she hedged, the anxious tone he despised creeping back into her voice. “I haven’t been to a church service since I was a kid.”
“No one else is gonna know that.”
“I do,” she argued. “God does.”
Her sense of right and wrong was so deeply ingrained in her character, he knew it had somehow been wired into her at birth. From what he’d learned about her background, he was amazed that she’d managed to hold on to her integrity through it all. There must have been times when that was all she had. Now that she seemed more comfortable in Oaks Crossing, he prayed those dark days were behind her and she wouldn’t have to struggle so hard to make her way.
“True enough, but I don’t think He blames kids for mistakes their parents make. To Him, the important thing is what you do from here on out.”
She chewed on that for a few seconds, then turned to him with a wry grin. “I don’t sing very well.”
“Neither do I,” he assured her with a laugh. “We’ll make a great pair.”
Taking a deep breath, she finally relented. “Okay, I’ll try it. Will you sit with me?”
“Absolutely. I’d never leave a pretty lady sitting all alone.”
“Yeah,” she retorted with a very feminine smirk.
“I’ve heard that about you.”
“You really have to quit talking to Sierra,” he objected with a mock growl. “She doesn’t know half as much about me as she thinks she does.”
“Really? What doesn’t she know?”
“She has no clue I like photography,” he pointed out almost immediately. “No one does except for you.”
“Why not?”
“It’s my thing, and I like keeping it to myself.”
“But you shared it with me,” Bekah reminded him with a curious expression. “What’s so special about me?”
Pretty much everything, he answered silently. He’d never met a woman with her blend of looks and intelligence, not to mention the depth of compassion she showed to animals and the few people she felt she could trust. “You’ve got a lot going for you, whether you realize it or not.”
“Thanks. That’s sweet of you to say.”
She angled her head away from him, making it clear that she’d interpreted his sincere comment as some kind of line. Since he didn’t know how to remedy the situation without making her uncomfortable, he decided it was best to let the subject drop.
But someday, when he told her something like that, she’d believe him. He’d just have to keep trying until it finally happened.
In the meantime, he settled for sliding a bottle from the milk carrier. “I’ll take over out here so you can get ready for church. You and Lily are about the same size, and I’m sure she’ll loan you something to wear.”
“I’d really like to go,” she argued faintly, “but I’ve got way too much to do.”
“They’re all fine, and the work will still be here in a couple hours. A lot of the folks who came last night to help will be at the service, and you’ll get a chance to meet them under nicer circumstances.”
“It would be great if I could tell them how much I appreciated them being there,” she said in a brighter tone.
“Then go get ready. I can handle these guys.”
“Well...okay.” After filling him in on which of the critters still needed to be fed, she hurried into the house.
Moving around the stalls, he added fresh water to the troughs, then filled each food bowl from the stock of provisions she’d efficiently lined up along the walls. When he was finished with them, he went to the large birdcages sitting in the tack room that had been cleared of saddles to make room for them. The eagle cracked open a disinterested eye before returning to his dozing, and a large hoot owl studied him as if trying to determine whether or not he’d make a decent meal.
Untamed as the forest that surrounded the farm, the wild birds touched a part of Drew that nothing else ever had. As a child, he’d often admired them from the ground, while they circled lazily overhead hunting for their next meal. Even now that he was older, he couldn’t help envying them their freedom.
He’d spent his entire life on these few hundred acres of an infinitely larger world. How would it be, he’d often wondered, to be able to take off and go whenever you wanted, zooming away to pursue whatever caught your eye? Then, as it so often did lately, his mind drifted to Colorado, and whether it was a foolish venture or the opportunity of a lifetime. One minute, he leaned toward the first, and in the next he was convinced it was the right move for him.
What about his family? he asked himself for the countless time. Things had been precarious enough for the farm and the center before the fire, but now they were even worse. Insurance would cover replacing the barn itself, but the contents were another story. Putting in an extra round of hay would help, but Mike and Josh would need help getting it planted and harvested. How could he possibly turn his back on all that and fly off into the sunset as if nothing had happened?
A familiar squawk nudged him from his brooding, and he approached Rosie’s cage with a chuckle. “I didn’t forget you, girl. Hang on a sec.”
Fortunately, today was a mellow food day for the predators, so he doled out chicken for each of them and replaced their water. While they ate, he deftly slid the cage bottoms out and cleaned them without disturbing the birds.
By the time he was finished with his animal-care circuit, Bekah rejoined him, freshly scrubbed and wearing something he’d never seen on her.
“That’s pretty,” he complimented her, admiring the floral-print dress with a smile. “Just your style.”
“It’s Erin’s. Or was, anyway. When I asked if I could borrow something to wear for church, your mom found this upstairs in her old closet and told me to keep it. I’m pretty sure she pulled a price tag off the sleeve before she handed it to me.”
“Yeah, Erin’s never been keen about getting dressed up.” When he noticed Bekah trying to discreetly check his handiwork, he smothered a grin. “So, how’d I do?”
“Everyone looks happy.” Gazing up at him, she gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Drew.”
Returning the smile, it occurred to him that he couldn’t really think of anything he wouldn’t do to see her look at him like he was Superman. “It was no problem. I’ll just wash up and we’ll get going.”
“Take your time,” she told him, sitting down at one of the picnic tables and glancing around her with another smile. “It’s a beautiful morning.”
It sure was, he thought as he headed inside. One of the prettiest he’d ever seen. When he was ready, he met her out front and walked her to his truck. Once they were in the cab, he started the engine and headed for town. “Forgot to mention I found a mechanic who’s willing to work on your car at the center so we don’t have to tow it anywhere. He’s coming out Thursday afternoon.”
“I don’t have the money to pay him yet,” she informed him curtly. “You should’ve asked me first.”
He put her uncharacteristic irritability down to fatigue and summoned patience into his tone. “Guys like that aren’t easy to find, especially since he’s gotta do all the diagnostic work the old-fashioned way. I had to grab him while he had the time to do it.”
“I get that, but I still don’t have the money.”
“Well...”
“Please, don’t tell me you paid him up front.”
Glancing over, he added what he hoped was an apologetic grin. “I’m your hero. Remember?”
Crickets.
He could almost feel her glowering at him, and he reminded himself that she’d been burned in her last relationship because she’d believed in the wrong guy. It was understandable that she’d want to take care of things herself to avoid having to deal with any more problems. Trust was a huge issue for her, and he was smart enough to recognize that there weren’t sufficient words in his vocabulary to convince her he was trustworthy.
He just had to keep proving it to her, day by day, gesture by gesture, until she eventually believed that he had her best interests at heart. Until then, he’d have to be patient and hang in there with her.
“Since you’re already mad at me, here.” Fishing a cell phone out of his shirt pocket, he handed it over.
She hit the power button and let out an exasperated sigh. “This is brand-new. What on earth were you thinking?”
“It’s one of those prepaid phones, and I promise it’s the cheapest one I could find.” She glared at him, and he took that as his cue to continue. He could be changing her mind or digging his own grave. Either way, he was determined to make sure she understood why he’d gone behind her back that way. “I don’t want you out here by yourself with a dud of a car and no way to call for help. If you hadn’t been able to get into the clinic last night for some reason, that fire could’ve ended up being a catastrophe. All I did was charge the phone and put some minutes on it for you. After that, you can either buy more time for it or chuck it in the trash. Totally up to you.”
When she didn’t respond, he suspected that anything else he might say would only get hurled back in his face. So he kept his mouth shut
and drove the rest of the way to town in silence.
When he turned onto Main Street, she finally broke down and said, “Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
Swiveling to face him squarely, she asked, “You really mean that, don’t you?”
“Yup.”
“Most guys talk a good game but end up dropping the ball when it really counts.”
“A sports metaphor?” he teased with a grin. “Very impressive. Speaking of which, I noticed the Bears are playing tonight. Wanna come watch it with us at the farm?”
“That depends. Will you guys all be rooting for Cincinnati?”
“Got that right. But since you’re a loyal fan of the opposition, we won’t give you a hard time. Much.”
“Then I’ll be there.”
Everything had to be qualified and analyzed before she made a commitment, Drew noted darkly. He wondered if she’d ever feel safe enough to do something on a whim. Then again, he thought as he pulled into the church parking lot, this morning she was attending her first religious service in years. Maybe this would mark the start of better things to come.
When he rounded the truck to open the passenger door for her, she didn’t move. Staring at the small white chapel, she met his eyes with a hesitant look. “Is your family here?”
Scanning the lot, he found their cars and nodded. “I didn’t tell ’em you were coming, though, in case you changed your mind.”
“I almost did,” she confided softly. “And it wasn’t because I had too much to do.”
“New things are scary,” he reasoned as calmly as he could. “But it’s good to try them anyway. You never know what you might find when you’re not looking.”
Tilting her head, she gave him a thoughtful look. “Did you make that up?”
“Nah, that’s one of my dad’s. He had a way of making tough things sound less intimidating.”
“Everyone talks about him so often, it’s obvious you all love him very much. I wish I could’ve met him.”
“I do, too,” Drew said, adding a crooked grin. “He would’ve liked your spunk.”