Seasons of the Heart

by Susette Williams

  Sasha’s cheeks turned rosy.

  Kelly laughed. “Busted.”

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  A gravel road led up to an old white farmhouse on the property where Forrest worked. There was a large barn out back. Sasha instructed Maggie to pull up near the barn.

  Sasha climbed out of the convertible. With the sack lunch in her hands, she headed to the barn. A moment later, she returned. “They must be in the house.”

  Maggie nodded in acknowledgment as Sasha continued toward the back door of the house. An older man, slightly hunched over, opened the door. He appeared to have said something to Sasha, then held the screen door open for her to enter, and motioned for them.

  “Come on inside,” he hollered.

  She and Kelly exchanged glances.

  Maggie sighed. “I hope I don’t get my shoes dirty. I’ve never even worn them before.”

  “Did you buy them just for self-defense class?” Kelly asked.

  She nodded. “Some gyms do not want you to wear street shoes on the mats, so that you don’t mess them up.”

  “Maybe I should have gotten a new pair too?”

  “You can always go barefooted if they don’t want you to wear those shoes.” Maggie walked up the stairs and nodded to the gentleman. “Thank you.”

  “Why don’t you both go on in to the living room to wait.” The old man motioned toward the doorway leading to another room. “I’ll have Forrest bring you something to drink.”

  “We can’t stay long.” Maggie tried to keep the frustration out of her tone. She knew the man was just inviting them in to be polite. The people in the Midwest were friendlier than back home. “We have to get to class.”

  The man nodded and disappeared, presumably in pursuit of Forrest.

  Maggie noticed several pictures on the mantel above an old stone fireplace. She decided she might as well kill a little time while they waited for Forrest.

  Some of the photos were in black and white. A younger version of the man with a beautiful woman in a wedding photo caught her attention. Maggie picked the picture up and ran her finger along the side of the woman. What a beautiful lace dress. It reminded her of the one her mother wore the first time she got married. Undoubtedly, there were probably many dressed like that back in the day. It was still rare to find a one-of-a-kind anything, without paying a lot of money for the item.

  “Put that picture down.” The sharp tone made her flinch.

  Maggie turned and looked at him, offering a weak smile. She hadn’t meant to offend him. “I’m sorry. I saw the picture and the woman’s dress reminded me of my mother’s.”

  She replaced the photo to the same spot, which wasn’t hard to locate with the thin layer of dust. Maggie started to turn back around, but another photo caught her attention. Her breath caught as she picked it up and turned to the man, holding it out. “Why do you have a picture of my mother on your mantel?”

  “Your… mother?” His speech was broken. He staggered to a worn green recliner and sat down. “What’s your name?”

  He was visibly shaken, but why?

  “Margaret Stephens.”

  His eyes widened. “Not Eaker?

  “No.” She shook her head. “When my mother remarried, my stepfather adopted me.”

  “What happened to your father?” His voice was hoarse and strained.

  Maggie glanced at the picture in her hands. It’d been a long time since she’d seen her father. Her memories of him had faded with time, but not the pain she’d endured after he’d gone.

  Perhaps this man was a relative. She knew she was born here, but her mother never talked about her past, so she had little to go on. “Did you know my father, too?”

  “He’s my son.” The man’s eyes misted. “He was named after me, Fred Eakers.”

  “You’re my grandfather?”

  “Oh, my.” Kelly’s gasp caught Maggie’s attention.

  “I knew you said you were born here, but I had no idea the two of you were related,” Sasha said. Forrest stood behind her, with an arm wrapped around her waist. His expression reflected his surprise.

  “Obviously, neither of us did either.” Maggie’s laugh quivered. Her past wasn’t something she’d shared with her friends—it was too painful. When her mother remarried, Maggie’s life had changed—for the better. She hadn’t expected to be confronted by her past today. Her stomach knotted.

  “Do you know where my son is now?” Worry lined etched Fred’s face.

  Maggie wished she had good news for him for his sake, but the reality was, her father was a worthless bum. “He ran out on us when I was eight. We ended up homeless, living out of our car for months, until social services stepped in and took me away from my mother.”

  She hated to see the pain on Fred’s face, but he might as well know the truth. At least then he would understand why she didn’t care about her father’s whereabouts.

  “If my mother hadn’t gone to work for Jonathan and married him, it is no telling where I would be today.” Maggie’s eyes misted. “He helped my mother to get me back and even adopted me.”

  Kelly looked at her phone, turned it toward Sasha and tapped on it. Time was obviously getting away from them, but Maggie didn’t really want to leave. She had questions she wanted to ask her grandfather.

  “Fred, how about I run the girls to their self-defense class and you and your granddaughter can catch up on things?” Forrest said. “I can finish remodeling the bathroom when I return.”

  Maggie breathed a sigh of relief. She wanted to know more about her family. But the question of why her father left would still remain unanswered. If Fred didn’t know her parents had gotten divorced, he apparently hadn’t seen her father in a long time either. For years, Maggie had been plagued with an underlying feeling of guilt. Had her father left because of her?

  Chapter Four

  Nick looked over the list of people enrolled in the self-defense class and smiled. He wondered if Maggie would have taken the class if she knew he was the teacher. Since it was a free class, the name of the instructor hadn’t been listed on the sign-up board.

  After what happened to Sasha, Nick had convinced the school that it would be worthwhile to offer this class to students. The college didn’t need any more bad publicity, or they risked losing alumni donations.

  Two-thirds of the dozen students who’d signed up had arrived and were warming up. The trio of friends and one other student hadn’t shown up yet. Maybe Maggie, Kelly, and Sasha had decided not to come?

  The gym door opened and he looked up in anticipation. His teeth ground in irritation when a scrawny guy with brown hair strolled in.

  “Hey, buddy.” Nick walked over to meet the man. “This half of the gym is reserved right now for self-defense class.”

  “Yeah, I signed up for it.”

  “You did?” Nick blinked twice, before checking the names on the list. “Tracy?”

  He nodded.

  “You’re not taking this class so you can be around all the girls?” It took a second for Nick to realize he actually said what he was thinking.

  Tracy shook his head, and looked away. His cheeks turned slightly red. He made eye contact again with Nick. “Some of the guys in the dorm pick on me.”

  “Say no more.” Nick frowned. “I know the type.”

  The guy’s shoulders relaxed.

  “Go put your stuff on the bleachers and start warming up with the others.” Nick started to turn and follow Tracy when the gym door opened again. He glanced back, his heart sinking as he realized it wasn’t the trio he was expecting. Kelly and Sasha arrived with her fiancé.

  “Hey, Forrest. Good to see you.” Nick shook his hand. He was always glad to see a friend. “Thought you ladies would all be coming together. Where’s Maggie? She signed up for the class too.”

  “Sorry we’re late,” Kelly said. “Maggie stayed behind to visit with her grandfather.” She glanced toward the group. “Should we join the others?”

  “Yes, just g
o ahead and start warming up with the others.” Nick crossed his arms across his chest and turned back to Forrest. “I didn’t know Maggie had any family here.”

  “No one knew.” Forrest chuckled, but more the incredulous type of laugh. “She recognized a picture of her mother on Fred’s mantel.” Forrest shook his head and sighed. “I tell you, after hearing a bit about her past, my admiration for her has grown.”

  Nick frowned. “What happened?”

  Exhaling a deep breath, Forrest leaned against the door and crossed his arms, shaking his head. “Short end of the story is, her father walked out on them. Which caused her mom and her to end up living in their car. She finally got taken away from her mother. Then, when her mother married a wealthy guy she was working for, he helped her get her daughter back.”

  “I had no idea.”

  “None of us did,” Forrest said. “Kelly thinks that’s why Margaret wants to marry a rich guy. Then at least if he does walk out on her and their children, they won’t be left with nothing and end up on the street.”

  Guilt wrenched Nick’s gut. Not once had he ever thought about things from a different perspective, other than from how he’d been hurt. Maggie had been hurt as well, and he’d only looked down his nose at her. That revelation hurt more than a sucker punch to the gut.

  “I better get the class started.” Nick looked numbly away. “Are you going to hang around and wait for the girls?”

  “Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

  “No, in fact, if you want, you can help spar with Tracy.” Nick looked at Forrest and nodded toward the group. “I didn’t know a guy had signed up for the class. If you help out, then I won’t have to pair him with one of the women.”

  “Sure thing.” Forrest looked down at his attire. I can take off my work boots, but I’ll spar in jeans.”

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  Maggie came into the gym as the class was wrapping up. Nick’s heart raced. While he may have been teaching and supervising self-defense techniques with the students, a part of his mind remained occupied with thoughts of her.

  Most people who had a sob story about their past bemoaned the great injustice, but you would have never guessed what Maggie’s past held by looking at her. She always remained so upbeat.

  Every preconceived idea he held about her had been wrong. He reckoned he had Ashley to thank for that. The number she had done on him during their brief marriage made him question every woman’s motive. Fear of being hurt again kept him from even giving Maggie the benefit of the doubt. If he didn’t want to spend his life alone, he needed to change, even if it meant risking having his heart trampled on again.

  Nick’s lungs constricted, the air trapped in them as he held his breath when Maggie headed over toward him. He’d been trying to muster the courage to approach her, and instead, she was coming his way.

  She stopped in front of him. “I’m sorry I didn’t make it to class today, but I promise I’ll be here next week. That is, if I’m still allowed?”

  “Of course you’re welcome to come.” Nick smiled.

  Maggie wore a pair of gray sweat pants and a pink tank top with a new pair of tennis shoes. It was obvious that she’d originally planned on coming to class.

  The least he could do was try to make amends and help her. “I’d be happy to take you to lunch and we can talk about what we went over in class today.”

  “Dutch treat?” Her eyebrow arched.

  Was she concerned that he was asking her out on a date? Not that he wouldn’t—now, but he’d prefer to give her a chance to dress for the occasion. Of course, they were both in sweats, so it really didn’t matter to him. Women liked to primp and be treated special—as they should be. “I said I’d take you, which means I’m paying.”

  Chapter Five

  Inside the Italian restaurant was cooler than outside. Maggie wished she’d had a jacket to wear over her tank top. Their conversation over their salads consisted of rehashing things Nick covered in class. He told Maggie if she came early the next week, he’d be happy to go over a couple of the maneuvers with her before the others arrived.

  The thought of Nick, wrapping his arms around her, even in a self-defense hold, made her body tingle. His chiseled jaw, gleaming blue eyes, and defined build made him handsomer than most men. “Have you thought about modeling, perhaps couple modeling?”

  She almost laughed when Nick blinked rapidly.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Modeling,” Maggie repeated. “I think we’d make a good fit to do couple modeling for clothing ads. It pays decent money, not like New York models, but it’s a start.”

  Nick smiled. “So you could see us as a couple?”

  Her cheeks warmed. “That’s not exactly what I said.”

  He reached across the table and took her hand in his. “Would it be such a bad thing?”

  “I…” Maggie’s gaze locked with his. Would it? Those pools of blue staring at her dared her to drown in their depths. She was tempted to test the waters. Letting out a sigh, she closed her eyes a moment to break the connection, and drew her hand away. She focused on his expression instead of his eyes, lest she become captive to their intensity again. “I just met my grandfather today and had to tell him what a horrible person his son was, how he ran out on us when I was only eight.”

  For some reason, Nick didn’t seem surprised or shaken by her revelation. She expected some sort of reaction from him.

  He sat back in his seat. “I’m sorry to hear about your father, but I’m not totally sure how that relates to whether or not you would consider going out with me.”

  “Men in my life haven’t exactly proven to be reliable.” Maggie didn’t relish the thought of hurting Nick’s feelings, but he was a grown man and needed to hear the truth. “A woman needs to know that the man she gets involved with and marries can support a family.”

  A smile slowly appeared on Nick’s face. His eyes softened. “I assure you, I can more than support a family. You will never have to worry about going hungry or not having a roof over your head.”

  People often said the eyes were the windows to the soul. He looked sincere. “I want to believe you,” Maggie said. “But I’m concerned. I’ve never heard you talk about work. Do you have a job?”

  She wasn’t expecting Nick to laugh at her question. Especially so hard.

  “I’m sorry.” He wiped his left eye with the knuckle of his index finger and his expression sobered. “I didn’t realize I was going to have to submit a tax return to get you to go on a date with me.” Nick chuckled again. “But to answer your question. No, I currently don’t have a specific job, but that is because I recently sold a business I had started a few years ago.”

  “So, you’re taking a break?”

  Nick folded his hands and leaned his arms on the table. “Yes, and I promise you, I’m not the kind of man who would ever walk out on my family or my responsibilities.”

  Maggie searched his eyes. Her lungs constricted. Was he telling the truth? He never flinched beneath her intense stare.

  She believed him.

  “Chicken Parmesan?”

  Maggie startled. Their waiter had returned.

  “That’s me.” She slightly raised a hand, then lowered it, feeling like a childish schoolgirl.

  The waiter placed her food in front of her, and then set Nick’s Cajun pasta dish in front of him. “Would either of you like anything else?”

  “She could use some more water and I’d like another glass of iced tea,” Nick said. “Thank you.”

  Their waiter nodded and walked away.

  It occurred to Maggie that she really didn’t know much about Nick. He seemed comfortable in his surroundings, not just at the restaurant, but wherever he was. “Do you eat out a lot?”

  “A few times a week usually.” He buttered a roll and took a bite. “Once in a while I have dinner with my grandmother.”

  “What about your parents?”

  He shook his head. “They were killed in a plane crash m
y senior year of college.”

  “I’m sorry.” Poor Nick. That had to have been devastating for him. At least she still had one parent.

  “Things happen.” He shrugged. “We can’t control what happens to us, but we can control how we react. I tried to live up to the expectations my parents had for me. Even now, I find myself wondering if they’d be proud of me.”

  Nick nodded to the waiter when he brought a pitcher of water and one of tea.

  “Thank you,” Maggie said when he filled her glass.

  Once he was out of earshot, Nick focused on her again. “So, what about you? How did you handle it when your father left?”

  “I was angry and confused,” Maggie admitted. “Part of me has always wondered if he left because of me.”

  Nick frowned. “What could you have done that would have made him leave?”

  “I wasn’t always easy to deal with.” She stabbed at a piece of chicken and a penne noodle with her fork. “He worked nights and it was hard to keep quiet all day. Maybe if I’d behaved better and helped fend for myself, he may have stayed.”

  “It wasn’t your fault he left.” Nick reached across the table again to take her hand. “That’s all on him, and it’s his fault he stayed away.” The Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat when he swallowed. “And if you ask me, he’s the one who missed out because you’ve turned into a beautiful young woman that he will never get to know.”

  As he stroked his thumb across the top of her hand it sent tiny shivers up her arms. The warmth in his eyes melted her resolve.

  “Do you promise you’d never leave?” Her questions was barely a whisper.

  “I promise.” Nick squeezed her hand. “Now, do you promise you’ll give me a chance?”

  Maggie’s heart raced as a smile quickly spread across her face.