Love Lifted Me

by Sara Evans

  “For you, yes. Not me.” Her “me” was watered with emotion and a sniff. But she fought a smile. Couldn’t she have a moment longer to be mad?

  Max laughed and she broke. “Fine, it’s tough for both of us.” She peered at Asa who lifted his peanut buttered hand to her. “Yucky.” He wrinkled his nose.

  “I’ll say.” Jade tugged a paper towel from the roll and wet it. “Max, can you pour him some milk, please?”

  Max moved the conversation to coaching and his new friend, Hines, who had forty years coaching experience but had retired.

  “He knows Calvin too, and between the two of us, we think we can get him to come out and play.”

  A knock rattled the front door. “Coach Benson, you home?”

  “Coach Hines. I’m always home for you.” Max stood aside for him to enter and introduced Jade and Asa.

  Hines entered the house wiping his feet and Jade liked him immediately. “Sorry to barge in on you, Mrs. Benson.”’

  “It’s Jade.” She shook his hand. “Can I get you something to drink? I’d offer you a chair, but as you see our furniture hasn’t arrived.”

  “I understand moving, ma’am. Moved a lot in my time. And nothing to drink for me. But I’d like to borrow your husband if you don’t mind. Coach, I heard from the potential D coordinator. If you’re game, we can ride on out to the house for a meet. See if it’s a go.”

  Max glanced at Jade. “Do you mind?”

  “No, of course not. Go.”

  “We’ll finish talking when I get back.” He reached for her—she thought to kiss her on the cheek. But Max pulled her to him and gave her a slow, gentle kiss while Coach Hines waited on the porch. “I won’t be gone long.”

  Jade fanned herself as she watched him drive off in Coach Hines’s truck. It sure was steamy in Texas tonight.

  She tossed Asa in the bath and while he played, familiar words danced across her mind. Don’t let life lead you around. Don’t shy away from trouble. These elements were the old Jade.

  Take charge. She’d call Kathy Carroll and make amends. And not just for the sake of the LBD.

  Later, she’d research churches. Find a good one that also had a mom’s group, and forge her way into Colby society.

  Hines drove his old Ford west on Route 60 for about five miles, and Max saw nothing in the windshield but dark fields hiding in the dusk. Every now and then a silo silhouette hit the horizon. Max and Hines talked football until the golden glow of house lights popped into view and Hines downshifted to turn onto a gravel drive.

  “You ready?” Hines said, cutting the engine.

  “Better yet, is he ready?” Max stepped out of the truck and surveyed the land. The Porters were ranchers, Hines had told him.

  As they walked toward the house, the front door opened and a passel of border collies charged down the steps. “Friends,” a woman said from the edge of the porch. “They’re friends.”

  Max bent to pet a soft, dark head. For a moment he missed his old pal Roscoe.

  “Friends is my code word for them to not tear our guests apart.” The woman laughed. “Hines, how are you?”

  “Good, Haley, haven’t seen you in a while.”

  “Ranching keeps us busy.” She faced Max. “Haley Porter.”

  “Max Benson. Thanks for letting us come out at dinnertime.” Haley appeared to be about Jade’s age, athletic and commanding with expressive eyes and long red hair. Max liked her. Good sign. He’d probably like her husband and welcome him to the coaching staff.

  “No worry, Dane is still out in the pasture. He’ll be along soon.”

  The Porter home sat on a grassy knoll, like a pushpin against green felt, holding the prairie to the earth.

  Inside made Max think of the old west. He’d stepped from the twenty-first century to the twentieth. The air smelled of grilled beef. The walls and ceiling were joined by thick timber beams.

  Haley led Max and Hines into a large eat-in kitchen, also carved of timber and granite. They grabbed chairs at the center island.

  “Max, Haley’s daddy was Coach Burke.”

  “Yeah? I’ve heard good things about him.”

  “He was one of the best.” Haley poured three tall glasses of tea. “A great man and a great coach, but the game wore him into the ground. They made it about everything but football and the boys.”

  “They?” Max said. “Who is they?”

  Haley and Hines shared a private glance. Max wasn’t sure but he thought he caught the slightest shake of Hines’s head out the corner of his eye.

  “Just the boosters, the fans, the kids even. Parents, the school. You know how it is.”

  “No, actually, I don’t. I’m learning, though. So, what—Colby just lost sight of reality?”

  “Some did, yes.” Haley smoothed her hands over the island surface. “I’m glad Daddy’s not around to see the destruction of the Warriors. Though I think he saw it coming.” Haley sprouted a quick smile. “But that’s old history. Max, you’re making new history.”

  “Hopefully.” Max took a long sip of tea. He liked Haley. She reminded him more and more of Jade. Strong with a tender thread. She’d be a good coach’s wife. And, a-ha, a friend for Jade. “Do you have children?”

  “No, not yet,” Haley said. “We’re thirty-two so we think we’ll try soon, but not during the season. Even so, having a baby won’t interrupt football. I assure you.”

  Max smiled. “Good. There’s nothing much for Dane to do during those first few months of pregnancy anyway.”

  “Just hold your hair while you toss your cookies, Haley,” Hines said, burying his comment behind his glass.

  “Yeah . . . I guess.” Haley made a face.

  The conversation stalled. Max glanced toward the door, anxious to meet this football coach Hines was so excited about. Didn’t she say Dane would be here soon?

  “So, Max.” Haley popped to life. “You have a son?”

  “Yes, yes, I do. Asa. He’s almost two,” Max said.

  “Ah, sweet. They’re so cute at that age.”

  Where was Dane? Max finished his tea.

  “Well?” Hines turned to Max. “Aren’t you going to ask about football?”

  He furrowed his brow. “When Dane gets here, yeah. Do you think he’ll be here soon, Haley?”

  “Hines, you didn’t tell him?” Haley said, exasperated. “I told you, it’s not funny.”

  “I told you it is.” Hines chuckled low. “Meet Coach Porter, Max. Coach Haley Porter.”

  She jutted out her hand. “Pleased to meet you, Coach.”

  “A woman?” Max slid off his chair and turned a circle. “Hines, are you serious? It’s bad enough I fired my coaches today—but to hire a woman? Haley, do you know anything about coaching football?”

  “Funny question coming from you, Max.” Haley fired him a look that almost burned the soles of his shoes to the tile floor. “I reckon I know more than you.”

  “She’s right about that, Max.”

  “But—sorry, I’ve never heard of a woman football coach.”

  “She’s one of the best defensive coaches in the region.”

  “How do you know?” Max spun toward Hines, then Haley. “Where have you coached? Don’t say the sidelines with your dad.”

  Was Hines serious? Max still boiled in the hot water he’d created this afternoon. The media would skewer him—after Bobby got through with him.

  “Dad taught me everything he knew, Max. I grew up on the sidelines with him and my brothers. Sunday afternoon, the whole family watched film and learned.”

  “That’s not the same as coaching, Haley. It’s enough that I’m a greenhorn.”

  “I coached at a small school in New Mexico for four years after I graduated from college with a degree in sports psychology. I only quit the job to move home and marry Dane.”

  Oh man, oh man, oh man. Max paced. Lord, what do I do? The churning in his chest robbed what little peace he had.

  “If she were a man she’d be coa
ching college ball,” Hines said.

  “I can do the job, Max.” Passion powered Haley’s voice. “I can do it well. Plus, I don’t know if it matters to you, but I believe in you. I thought Chevy was a loon for hiring a coach with no experience, but from what Hines tells me and the fact that you fired those jackal assistant coaches, I think you’ve got what it takes to turn this program around. I know the players, Max. I know their families. I know this town. I know Warrior football. And if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to coach so I can honor my daddy’s legacy. What those boys did to him . . . no matter. It would just be an honor.”

  “What boys? Who? What’s going on?”

  “Nothing, Max. Old history,” Hines said. “The question on the table is, are you going to hire Haley.”

  “I don’t know . . . you’ve never actually played.” Max pressed his hands on the island counter and faced her.

  “I’ve played a lot of football. Not on Friday nights, but with my brothers. I played powder-puff in college. Not the same, sounds wimpy, but I know what it’s like to be on the field. We were champions two years running. Not being a guy didn’t handicap me in New Mexico. My defense led the division in sacks and forced fumbles. I have an aggressive style and I’m really good at reading the offense.”

  Max cut a glance at Hines. “Are you trying to get me fired? You’re in on this thing no one seems to want to talk about.”

  “Simmer down, Max. I’ll assume that remark came from panic, and I won’t hold it against you.” Hines’s eyes darkened. “I’m trying to help you pull together a good coaching staff. I got two more, both men, who can help with special teams and strength training. Now, what you going to do about Haley?

  I’d hire her in a Texas minute.”

  Max regarded her, dropping to his stool. “Do you have any questions for me?”

  “When do I start?”

  “In the morning. Seven a.m. At the field house. Might as well start working on our game.”

  Hines popped his hands together. “You won’t regret this, Max.”

  Yeah? Too late. The sour knot in his gut told him he already did.

  Eighteen

  “We’re going to do nothing, Rick.” Bobby aimed the water hose at the roses blooming in the side yard. “Max is playing into our hands. Even better than I thought. He’s going to get himself fired long before we could concoct a case against him. If not by Chevy, then by public opinion.” Bobby moved his hose to the next rose bed. The summer heat brought out the richness of the flowers’ bloom. “How’s the research into his background going?”

  “He had a pain med problem. Went to rehab a few times. The last one was the Outpost.”

  “Drug of choice?”

  “Percocet.” Rick’s answers were clipped and dull.

  “I think we can lay our hands on some Percs, don’t you?”

  “Bobby.” Rick paused with a sigh. “Does coaching at Colby mean this much to you? You can’t keep destroying men’s careers.”

  “Men destroyed my father’s career. Specifically, Stebbin Burke. RIP old man. But his daughter, not one of his sons, is assuming his Warrior legacy.”

  Bobby looked at Rick. “Isn’t there something in the Bible about when a woman takes a man’s place? It’s like a curse, not a blessing. Max is going to fail. In ways I never imagined. I doubted Chevy when he hired him. But this is a major coup. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Chevy was on our side.”

  “Our side? Your side. Why do there have to be sides, Bob? We all want a winning Warrior program again.”

  “But I want to be the head coach. Assume my father’s legacy before Stebbin Burke took it from him. I was to be the next Warrior football coach. Me.”

  “Then you should’ve watched yourself in Plano.”

  “Watched what? There were no charges. No evidence.”

  “Then why’d you resign?” Rick started for his truck. “Talk to you later, Bob.”

  “Thanks for the info, Rick. You’re a fine booster.”

  The man waved him off. Ah, let him be a bit sore. Bobby had him in his back pocket. His plans to become head coach were finally blooming. Just like the roses in his garden. Plans, like roses, require time and tender care. But in the end came the sweet aroma of victory.

  In his office, Max worked on a strength training schedule for the first week of practice. To mix things up, they were running across pastures and tossing bags of seed and bales of hay at the Porter ranch.

  In the week since she’d joined the team, Haley had kicked Hines and Max to the curb with her recruiting skills. She charmed a bunch of ranch and farm boys into playing for her. Kids who didn’t care about sports politics, who just wanted to legally smash a few heads on Friday night. Maybe along the way, impress a girl.

  But Max and Hines struggled to enlist the skilled players like Noah Warren, a talented QB, and Calvin Blue. Max heard this morning that Carter Davis had indeed transferred to another school district. So Max would surely see him on the field this season—as an opponent.

  Tucker Walberg came by and said he wanted to play. Tuck was the opposite of Carter. All heart and little skill. Lord, couldn’t he have a mix of both?

  “Max, turn on Channel 13.” Hines burst into the office, reaching for the remote on the corner of the desk.

  “Coach Benson has been stirring things up in Warrior country. First he cut wide receiver Carter Davis—”

  “I didn’t cut Carter. He never showed.”

  “Well, you said if the boys didn’t show up for that first meeting . . .” Hines upped the volume while Max regretted his first day words.

  “Davis was the one player in Colby who showed promise for the Warrior offense. Coach, we want to know how are you going to build a team around . . . no one? ”

  Another reporter moved onto the screen. Another slick-haired, perfecttoothed young buck who looked like he’d just left a fraternity party.

  “That’s not all, Chip. Coach Benson opened his season by firing his assistants. Stirred up quite a controversy in Warrior Country. Channel 13 Sports has learned that Benson brought in retired coach Howard Hines to run his offense, leaving Warrior fans scratching their heads. Insiders at the school tell us the phone lines have been lighting up ever since. It looks like the hope for the Warriors’ return to glory will have to wait for another season.”

  Images flashed on the screen, a composite of past Warrior championships, winning touchdowns, and trophy ceremonies.

  “As if things weren’t hot enough in Colby, Coach Benson added fuel to the fire when he announced his coach to run the defense. This time, it’s not a retiree. Or even a young coach out of college. This time he picked Coach Burke’s daughter, Haley Porter.”

  Max sighed, rocking back in his chair, shoving off the elephant smashing down on his chest. A clip of Haley played. She ran across the screen in a powder-puff uniform. Max pressed his hand to his back. Haley appeared on the sidelines with the New Mexico team.

  “This seems like a crazy decision to me, Chip. Haley can’t know what it’s like to get mowed over by a two-hundred-pound lineman. Coach Burke’s daughter or not. And we all know New Mexico football is not Texas football.”

  Max’s door burst open. “Chip Mack and that yahoo Wiley Snyder are idiots.” Haley flared, red and hot. “You think I don’t know what it’s like to get mowed over by a two-hundred-pound lineman? Come on over here, I’ll show you what it feels like to get mowed over by a hundred-and-twenty-pound woman.” She steamed in a circle. “They make me so mad.”

  “Haley, you knew this would happen.” Hines, always calm. Always wise.

  Max massaged his fingers into his back. He knew what happened that night in his bunk—God healed him. But for the first time, his faith was being tested.

  Stressed mantled his shoulders. But so far . . . his back remained strong. His taste for pills, a bitter memory.

  “Yeah, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.” She hammered Max’s desk.

  “Max, we’re going
to go out and kick some football butt this year.”

  “Okay, let’s do it. But for now, how about watching some film. See what we got to work with.” He liked Haley’s intensity. Her feisty determination. A redheaded powder keg. “We need an offense to match your defense.”

  “Well, stop sitting in here moping and get out there. I’ve seen Calvin Blue shadowing the field all week.” With that, Haley flew out of the room.

  Hines peered down at Max. “She’ll calm down as the season wears on.”

  “I hope not.” He came round the desk. “Am I moping?”

  “A bit.”

  “I didn’t think it’d be this hard. I mean—I knew it’d be hard, but—”

  “It’s just beginning, brother. Listen, let’s call it a night. It’s only Tuesday. We got all week to work hard. Go home, spend time with that gorgeous wife you got. ’Cause once this machine gets going, you’ll be lucky to get a few hours a week with her.”

  Max stared toward the field. “Good idea. I’ll tell Haley I’m going.”

  Hines started out the door. “I’ll tell her. I’m going that way. Hey—is Chevy doing okay with all of this?”

  “So far. He sent me an e-mail confirming you and Haley were going on the payroll.” Max gathered his gear. “He seems determined to let me do my job.” An evening with Jade would be nice. They could have dinner, take a walk, play with Asa. He felt like he hadn’t seen them in days. “Should I give Calvin another call, or will you?”

  “This one’s on you, Max. I think Calvin wants you to convince him. I’ll give Noah another try.”

  “Good enough. See you tomorrow.”

  Max went to the window and studied the shadows of the field. So, Calvin had been lurking for a week? How long had Haley been keeping that tied up in her ponytail?

  The sun moved behind a cloud and Max turned from the window as Jade stepped over the threshold, wild and disheveled, her fine-boned expression drawn and pale. Asa rode low on her hip. Her cheeks were heat-red and her eyes sported a dewy glaze.

  “This whole town hates us.” She trembled, right down to the trailing hiss of us.

  “Not the whole town?”

  “Yes, the whole town. I’ve been screamed at, honked at. People drive by our house in the middle of the night, blasting music and yelling obscenities. Women accost me in the grocery store.”