by Sara Evans
Jade exhaled relief. Maybe it wouldn’t do, but from what she could tell, he didn’t know about Rice and Landon, or Taylor’s burdensome secret.
Thirteen
When he got home, Max intended to persuade Jade to switch vehicles with him. The new football coach couldn’t go cruising around Colby in a latemodel Mercedes. Didn’t seem right.
Besides, with the truck he could haul boys around in the bed if he needed.
Was that allowed? Kids in the back? He had a book of regulations to study and memorize.
The list of things to do mounted and for an intense moment, he was entirely overwhelmed. He whispered prayers, grateful God had delivered him from his back spasms and phantom pains.
Cruising east on Route 60, Max scanned the endless fields off to his right until he spotted a flatbed truck loaded with hay bales not too far from the highway. Slowing his car, he pulled off the road. Hopefully, on the other side of the truck he’d find Calvin Blue. Max had called the rec center to see if Calvin was around there today. He wasn’t, but one call led to another until Max found himself chasing down a hay-laden truck to recruit what he hoped would be his star tailback.
Max’s car skidded along the gravel berm and he gazed out toward the flatbed, which followed behind a hay baler. Sure enough, Calvin walked alongside the truck, tossing a fresh bale up onto the flatbed.
Max powered down the passenger window. “Calvin.” He honked the horn. “Calvin Blue.”
The boy looked up, squinting, then staring, then popping wide his white grin. Sweat glistened on his dark skin.
“Coach! What you doing here? Didn’t you go home?” Calvin jogged over to the edge of the field. He was fit, Max thought, ready to play. “Nice ride, Coach. Did you fall off the wagon already? Come back to the ranch?”
“I’m the new head coach at Colby High.” Max stepped out and came around the car.
Calvin stared. Then laughed. “You kidding me. Man oh man, I took you for smarter than that, Coach.”
“I thought you wanted a football program.” Calvin shrugged. Max jumped the small ditch and stood in front of the boy. “Come play for me.”
“Why? So you can set us up, make us think we might be going somewhere, only to quit or get fired? Naw, naw, Coach. I’m trying to get over to Canyon High. Carter Davis has an Aunt Tee.” Calvin headed back toward the trucks and Max followed.
“I heard all about Aunt Tee. So you go over there. You want to play behind Carter all season? Maybe your high school career?”
Calvin frowned. “What do you know about it?”
“It’s my job to know.” He’d spent most of the afternoon reviewing files and stats. The sheer amount was daunting. First semester of law school all over again. Only worse because he wasn’t cocky and invincible.
“Carter ain’t as fast as me. Come on, Coach.”
“Then come out and prove it. Win a starting position. We have a meeting in the morning, seven o’clock.” The sun blazed and perspiration popped along Max’s forehead.
“Is he playing for the Warriors?” Calvin paced alongside the slow-moving truck, reaching for another hay bale as it popped from the baler and tossing it into the flatbed.
“We’ll see.” Max kept stride with Calvin. “What I need is for you to make up your own mind.”
Calvin laughed. “Carter and I said we’d play together, Coach. Go to Texas or A&M together.”
“Okay, fine. Canyon’s got a great tailback already. You go over there with Carter, I think you’d best plan on an academic scholarship for college, Calvin.”
He laughed. “Don’t use your lawyer talk on me, Coach. I see what you doing. I can beat out Carter. Don’t tell him, but I ain’t worried.”
“So you beat out Carter. What about the other backs at Canyon? You going to beat them all?”
“Yeah, yeah, I am.”
“You have to start to be seen by scouts.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll start.” Calvin hoisted the next bale with attitude.
Max nodded, jutting his chin. “All right. But if you change your mind, I could really use you.”
“This is Texas high school football, Coach. Not a summer program you throwed together out on the ranch. This is serious.”
Max squinted in the sun. “Do I look like I’m laughing?”
“Coach, I wish you all the best. But I got to consider my future and signing up for a losing football program ain’t it.” Calvin tossed another bale. “No offense.”
“None taken.” Max watched Calvin inch down the field for a minute. So this mission failed. Don’t let it get you down. But he thought recruiting players was the one thing he could do as a coach. “Calvin, seven a.m. meeting tomorrow on the field. See you there.”
Calvin waved and tossed the next bale.
By the time Max turned into his new, winding driveway, twilight was settling over the plains. He parked in the detached carport and stepped out of the car, hot and thirsty. His car, his clothes, and his heart were covered with Randall County dust.
Warrior football was a mess. And after a day of trying to find his potential players, he felt quite sure Chevy had hired the wrong man. He wanted to talk to Jade. But how could he confess he’d failed her on his first day? He’d moved her away from her home, her business, her friends—for this?
Worse, he had no idea where to begin to straighten it out. If he found a thread to pull, would it unravel the whole darn thing? Did he have the skills? The right tools? The right coaches?
The screen door eased open as he made his way across the yard of waving prairie grass. Another to-do popped into his head. Hire a lawn crew. Jade stepped off the porch, swinging Asa down the steps by his hands. “Hey, where have you been?”
“Working.” Max bent down as Asa ran to him, his little legs trying to keep up with the churn of his elbows. Max scooped him up and tossed him over his shoulder. “How’s my little man? You want to play football for me? Maybe inside linebacker.” Max pinched Asa’s baby bicep. “Looks to me like you’ve got a good pump going, buddy.”
Asa tried to pop his muscle, a new trick he’d been learning, squeezing his fist, scrunching up his face with a growl. “I strong.”
“Then I’m signing you up for my team.” Jade met Max halfway. She was warm, soft, and kissable. He sighed. “And the evening and the morning were the first day.”
“What’s wrong? How bad is it?”
“Pretty bad.” Max lowered himself to the grass and closed his eyes. He’d intended to enjoy his pretty bungalow and pretty wife this evening instead of talking about the rich school with a poor program. “If you don’t mind, Jade, I’d like to swap vehicles with you. I can’t drive the Mercedes around town. I need the truck for the back roads, hauling equipment, maybe even some of the team.”
“S-sure.” Jade sat next to him. “I drove by the school today. It looks amazing. The field house was incredible. I thought this program was on its last leg. I expected rusty equipment scattered on a bare field with lopsided goalposts.”
“Yeah, you and me both.” Max sat up, drawing in his knees, propping his arms on top. “The program is not broke. In fact, the facility is nicer than some colleges’. Apparently some deep-pocketed boosters have really deep Warrior loyalties.”
“You really didn’t know the program had money?”
“You think I’d have signed up to coach if I thought they could afford a real one?” Max brushed his hand over Asa’s soft hair. Jade’s inquiry simmered in his doubt. “I feel like a chump.”
“You didn’t vet the program? Ask around? Google? You have an entire law firm at your fingertips. Two weeks before our wedding you discovered I was still married to Dustin Colter when I didn’t even know it myself.”
“Sure, sort of. I didn’t do a big in-depth because . . . look who Chevy was talking to! Me. Axel recommended him and the program. That was good enough for me.”
“Did you call Axel?”
“He’s on vacation.” He peered at Jade. “I’m sorry.
I really thought I was all they could get.”
“I think you were all they wanted, Max.”
He stared toward the fiery curve of the horizon where nothing blocked his view but a low-flying bird formation. He recounted his morning at the field house and his afternoon of searching out players. “So, we’ll see who shows up in the morning. See if I have some interest. The beginnings of a team.”
“Max, did we do this or did God?”
When their eyes met, a sick swirl soured Max’s stomach. “Are you having second thoughts?”
“It’s only been a day, Max. Are you?”
“It has only been a day, Jade. Let’s give it two.” Max pressed a smiling kiss to her temple and fell back in the grass, pulling her with him. “Did the furniture arrive?”
Jade pillowed her head on his shoulder. “The shipment got delayed. But I did go shopping. We have food. And I unpacked the stuff we shipped from home. Towels, sheets, plates, and kitchenware. Are you hungry?”
“A little.” The heat and pressure from the day blocked his appetite. He needed a minute to cool down, relax, and think. Close his eyes, let go . . .
Asa dove on top of him. Max oomphed and snatched up his son, lifting him over his head. “What are you doing? Arms out, Asa. Fly. You’re Superman.”
Asa elevated his arms and legs. Then Max flipped him over, landing him on the ground. “So what else did you do today?” he asked Jade as a laughing Asa ran around for another turn.
Jade moved to lay on the grass next to him. “Went to Colby Grounds.” She told him about Brenda, Bit, Dr. Gelman, and Mariah. “And when I was leaving to go shopping, Gus McClure called. They were pretty upset to come home from vacation to find we’d moved with Asa.”
Max turned to her. “I forgot all about them in the craziness.” He sat up. “We should’ve left them a message.”
“I tried to smooth it over, but Gus hung up on me.”
“I’ll call him later.” Max exhaled, closing his eyes, listening to the wind fluttering the leaves. The burdens seemed to fall on him in layers. Layers and layers . . .
Just as a bit of peace started rising in his spirit, a horn blasted over the house from the driveway. Max bolted up. Jade jumped to her feet, swinging Asa up in her arms.
Around the side of the house, Max spotted the trail of cars coming down the road and turning into his driveway. Horns blasted intermittently. Cars, trucks, a few horses gathered and surrounded the house. Warrior fans and boosters swarmed the side yard.
“Here we are, y’all.” Brenda quickstepped toward Max and Jade, large duffel bags in each hand. “Welcome to Warrior Country. Here’s your Warrior gear. Hats, shirts, shorts, socks, flags, pennants, you name it. Max, here you go.” Brenda dropped the bags at their feet, pulled out a cap, and pressed it on Max’s head. It was stitched with Coach. Then she pulled one out for Jade. It was stitched with Mrs. Coach—and in smaller letters, Don’t Mess With My Man.
Jade laughed. How Max loved that sound. “Oh, Brenda, that’s awesome.”
“And one for our little guy. His first Baby Warrior item.” That’s what Asa’s hat said. Baby Warrior.
“Now, these bags are yours. If you think of some other fun Warrior item you want, let me know and I’ll get it. Like maternity things, Jade.”
Max snapped his gaze to her.
“Thanks, Brenda, but we don’t need any maternity items.” She whispered to Max as Brenda headed off to direct the party, “No, I’m not pregnant.”
“Y’all, set up the band over there.” Brenda made her way through the crowds still spilling from cars and trucks. Tables popped up on the side yard.
Tablecloths cracked the air and floated down. The fragrance of barbecue scented the air.
“I could get used to this,” Max said in Jade’s ear.
“Makes me think of Mama and all the parties she had when I was young.”
Folks filed by, introducing themselves, welcoming the new coach and his family to town.
A smiling Chevy made his way toward Max along with Bobby and the coaches.
“Jade.” Brenda waved her over. “Come meet the other coaches’ wives. Bit, darling, put the desserts on one table. That-a-girl.”
The Warrior drum line started a rhythm. Bass drums chasing the rapid beat of the snares and tenors. The dust on Max’s heart vibrated away. Yeah, he could really get used to this. Suddenly, he felt like a football coach. The bubble of doubt in his heart ceased to simmer.
Just when he was starting to wonder . . . God sent a booster party and a rocking band.
Fourteen
Jade jolted awake when her phone rang. She snatched it from the floor and rolled off the air mattress. Her brother. She pressed the phone to her chest and sneaked out of the bedroom.
Through the thin moonlight she could see Max asleep on his back, cradling a playbook to his chest. All the football talk tonight with the coaches and boosters fired him up.
“Aiden, hey.” Jade opened the front door and slipped outside. The scent of barbecue lingered.
After the barbecue, potato salad, chips, pies, cookies, and cakes had been eaten, and the soda coolers had been emptied, and the pep band had played their final song as the cars exited the same way they came in—a caravan down the driveway, their taillights creating a red river toward Colby—Max had talked football.
While Jade bathed Asa. While she diapered him and tugged on his pajamas. While Asa brushed his teeth. While Jade kissed him good night and turned out the light.
“Ah, it’s after midnight there, isn’t it. Sorry, Jade-o.”
“It’s okay. I’m glad you called. Where are you, by the way?” Jade cut through the warm porch shadows and sat on the porch steps. It felt good to have alone time with her brother.
“Australia.”
“Australia? Really! Since when?”
“Two days ago. Just like your mad decision to move to Texas, I made a mad decision to take a job in Australia. A photographer friend of mine needed some help. I’ll be down here for a few weeks, maybe a month.”
“Texas, Australia, Guatemala.” Jade eased down onto the porch steps. The breeze rode low and strong over the prairie tonight. “The Beryl Hill children are all over the place.”
“Mama would be proud of her adventurous offspring.”
“Have you heard from Willow? She’s not responding to my e-mails.”
“She went on a medical trip to Cuba. As far as I know, she was fine as of two weeks ago. Still loving on Guatemalan orphans.”
“Maybe she’ll be the next Mother Teresa.”
Aiden laughed. “Only less virginal. Hey, remember the time she wanted to live like Laura Ingalls Wilder? No electric, no running water?”
“Yeah, she was five and the little smarty was already reading the Little House books. She drove Mama and Granny crazy begging them to play Little House on the Prairie.” Jade closed her eyes to see the images of the past clearer.
“Mama said, ‘Willow, look around at this place, girl, we are a little house on the prairie.’ ” Aiden did a good Mama impression.
“Granny couldn’t take it any longer so she agreed to a trial Little House week.”
“First day, Willow came downstairs in that bonnet.” Aiden’s laugh reminded Jade of their Paps, a good man, a Christian man. “She was all into the game until five thirty when she wanted to watch her Full House rerun.”
“But Granny outsmarted her and hid the TV in the closet.” Jade laughed, remembering. “Willow was so mad.”
“And . . . the experiment was o-ver,” Aiden said, his voice low, resolved, a bit sarcastic.
“We have to be together this Christmas. Please. Don’t book a job over the holidays. I’ll get Willow home.”
“You may be onto something, Jade. Granny wouldn’t want us to drift apart.”
“Neither would Mama. For all her craziness, she loved for us to love each other.”
“And if she didn’t, we’ll love each other to spite her. So, you said you needed to t
alk? What’s going on? How’s Max?”
“He’s doing really well considering the past four months. The football job is not all he thought it would be. It’s more.” Jade explained the surprises of the Warrior football field house and lavish set up. “But he’s really excited about this. After all we’ve both been through, it feels good to start something fresh, in a new place.”
“What about you? Any more depersonalizing moments?”
“No, Aiden. God has . . .” Did she dare believe? “Done a good thing.”
“I can hear it in your voice. You and Max are—”
“Putting the past behind us. Forgiving. Moving on. Starting over in a new place with a new commitment to us.”
“If anyone deserves it, you do, Jade. You like being a mom?”
“Love it. Sometimes I lie in bed at night and think about the day with him, or what we’re doing the next day, and my heart is so full I can barely breathe.
I can’t believe he’s mine. Well, almost mine.” Jade blew out a long breath.
“Speaking of Asa, I need some big brother advice.”
“You’ve come to the right place. I’m full of it.”
Jade smiled. “Don’t I know it. Anyway, about three weeks ago . . .” Jade spoke of her encounter with Taylor, the request for proof, and the lurking image of Landon in the Hollow the day before she left.
When Jade finished, Aiden said nothing but whistled low. “So what’s your question to me?”
“Do I tell Max?”
“You still only have this Taylor chick’s word?”
“Right.”
“Jade-o, I don’t know. Look, it’s up to you, but if I were Max, I’d want to know. What happened to the new commitment to the relationship? Keeping secrets got you guys in trouble before.”
“True, but I would tell him if I knew for sure, Aiden.”
“Why does it have to be proved? He should know what you know, Jade.”
“To what end? So I tell him. Then what?”