Lambert's Pride

by Coleman, Lynn A.

  Throughout the congregation, pages rustled. Kavan opened his Bible to the Gospel of John.

  “Here,” he said to Elizabeth, sharing the open book with her.

  She smiled shyly, glancing first at him, then at his Bible. Kavan longed to know the thoughts running through the private, independent Lambert granddaughter’s mind. Did she enjoy worship? Sitting next to him? Did the pastor’s focus on him embarrass her? Would she ever hold his hand again?

  Kavan leaned back against the pew and tried to control his rambling thoughts. But the violet scent of Elizabeth’s perfume filled his nostrils like the aroma of a cool spring morning just after a rain.

  Suddenly, he realized this was the first time he’d seen Elizabeth outside of Sinclair’s. The first time he’d seen her in anything other than a green smock and black khakis. He yearned to spend time with her outside the walls of Sinclair’s store.

  But how?

  “ ‘For God so loved the world,’ ” Pastor Marlow read from John 3:16.

  Concentrate on the preaching, Donovan. This is the Lord’s time.

  After the sermon, Kavan turned to Elizabeth. “Thanks for helping me stand earlier.”

  She smiled but averted her gaze. “No problem. I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “I was thinking maybe we could have lunch—”

  “Kavan,” Jeff called over his shoulder. “You’re looking none the worse for wear.”

  Kavan turned awkwardly to face his friend, disappointed at the interruption. “I’m banged up, but I’ll live.” He watched Elizabeth out of the corner of his eye.

  “Listen, come to the station tomorrow and give us some details on the guys you were chasing. We’ll round them up and—”

  Elizabeth’s lovely, low voice interrupted. “Grandpa is motioning for me. I’d better go. Bye, Kavan. See you later, Jeff.”

  Leaning on his crutch, Kavan waved good-bye, then gave Jeff a light pop on the shoulder with his fist. “Thanks, Man. Thanks for nothing.”

  Jeff stared at him wide-eyed. “What? What’d I do?”

  Chuckling, Kavan eased down the aisle toward the door. “Ruined my lunch.”

  ❧

  There she stood holding his hand. Unbelievable.

  Why didn’t you move your hand, Elizabeth? she chided herself.

  She couldn’t get the picture out of her head. Standing next to Kavan with her hand in his—and in the middle of a church service!

  All morning while logging purchase orders at Lambert’s Furniture, the image of her hand in Kavan’s flashed past her mind’s eye over and over until she thought she could actually feel the strong, warm curve of his palm enfolding hers.

  It felt divine, like a soft pair of kid gloves she once tried on during a Manhattan shopping spree with her mother.

  Truth be told, she didn’t know how her hand got into his. He attempted to stand for worship, and without much thought, she reached to help him. Simple as that.

  She wondered if anyone saw them. Well, if anyone she knew saw them. The whole town knew her anyway, so what did it matter?

  How humiliating. Elizabeth plopped her head onto the desk.

  “Beth? You okay?”

  She jerked her head up, smoothing her hair with her hand. “I’m fine, Will. Fine. Just thinking.”

  Her cousin and boss chuckled. “Try not to think so hard.”

  Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. “I’ll try.”

  Will started to walk away, but stopped short. “See you up at the homestead this Friday for the barbecue?”

  “What? Oh, Grandpa and Grandma’s barbecue. I’m working at Sinclair’s that night.”

  Leaning against the door frame, his hands in his pockets, Will shook his head. “No you don’t. Take the night off. Have some fun with the family.”

  The look in his dark blue eyes persuaded her. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Good.”

  Once again, Elizabeth faced the pile of work, determined to focus on the task at hand. She clicked the left mouse button to open the next account, New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands.

  Ranger Kavan Donovan’s face popped into her thoughts again. Beneath the bruises and scrapes, his brown eyes laughed and his smile possessed the world.

  I’ve got to think of something besides him! Elizabeth pushed away from her desk and snatched up her coffee cup. She started for the door, but changed her mind. Diet soda. Umm, sounds good.

  She opened her bottom desk drawer and fished her wallet from her purse. Fifty cents, can of soda. Oh, and a candy bar. Midmorning snack is what I need—anything to get my mind off of Kavan Donovan.

  Elizabeth dug out another quarter, two dimes, and a nickel. Dropping her wallet back into her purse, she glanced at her computer to check the time.

  Her eye caught the next purchase order on the stack. Kavan Donovan’s name was scrawled across the bottom of the order in bold letters. Elizabeth sank into her chair.

  She scanned the order that totaled one thousand eight hundred thirty-seven dollars. “Hmm, five hundred twenty-five feet board of. . .” Elizabeth scanned the page, then checked the invoice on the computer, muttering to herself. “Cherry?”

  No wonder Kavan’s boss took issue over a few paints and balloons for a kids’ display. What was he doing buying expensive lumber for the forestry division?

  Elizabeth sat back, the change for the soda and candy machine sticking to her palm. After a moment, she reached for the phone and dialed Grant Hansen, the production floor manager.

  “Hi, Mr. Hansen, it’s Elizabeth.”

  “Beth, what can I do for you?”

  Elizabeth liked the deep resonance of the older man’s voice. “Do we fill lumber orders for people? You know, order the wood without making it into furniture?”

  Grant laughed. “I see you’ve run across our little company secret. We have customers from the old lumberyard days that we still service.”

  “Do we fulfill orders for the forestry division?”

  “On occasion. Maybe for a special repair or construction project.”

  “Cherry?”

  With a chuckle, Grant answered, “No, no. Not for the forestry division. Cherry’s very pricey. We use it here for fine furniture.”

  “I see,” Elizabeth said, fighting a rise of disappointment. Why would Kavan order expensive lumber for the forestry division?

  “Everything okay, Beth?”

  She hesitated. “Yes, Mr. Hansen. Thanks for your help.”

  ❧

  For Kavan, turning into Matt and Betty Lambert’s driveway Friday night felt like a homecoming. How many nights and weekends had he spent at the Lamberts’ home on the hill, as he called it, during his childhood and teen years? He and Jeff had pitched their tent on the crest of the hill many a summer night. Remembering, he smiled.

  He parked his truck and stepped out.

  “Kavan!” Ethan Lambert greeted him with a hearty hug before calling to his wife. “Julie, come say hi to Kavan.”

  Jeff beckoned to him from across the lawn, waving large barbecue tongs. The smell of roasting meat rose up from the wide barbecue pit and wafted on the wind across the lawn. Kavan’s mouth watered.

  “You’re just in time, my friend,” Jeff hollered.

  Kavan scanned the grounds for signs of Elizabeth, his heart beating slightly faster at the idea of seeing her.

  Suddenly, a soft voice greeted him. Turning, he looked into the delicate green eyes of Jeff’s sister, Heather Simmons. “Well, Heather. Hello.” He gave her a light hug. “It’s been a long time.”

  Heather agreed that it’d been too long since they’d seen one another. Then, she introduced her husband, Thom. “It’s Heather Barrett now, by the way.”

  Kavan positioned himself on his crutches so he could shake Thom’s hand. “A pleasure to meet you.”

  “And this is Baby Barrett,” Heather said, patting her round belly.

  “Congratulations,” Kavan said, kissing Heather’s cheek tenderly. He’d never been particul
arly close to Heather, but on several occasions during high school, they found themselves in deep, heart-to-heart conversations. She would always be special to him for that reason.

  Betty Lambert came alongside him and rested her hand gently on his arm. “Why don’t you sit down? I’ll get you a plate.” She winked at him like she knew a deep secret.

  “Grandma Betty, I don’t need you waiting on me. I can manage.”

  “Oh, now, I see you hobbling around. I won’t have my good barbecue falling on the ground and going to waste.”

  Kavan laughed. “Well, then I accept your offer.”

  He made his way over to one of the long picnic tables and eased down to the plank bench, searching again for Elizabeth. Surely she had to be here. It appeared to him that every Lambert in White Birch was in attendance.

  “I didn’t know you were invited.”

  Kavan did an about-face at the sound of Elizabeth’s voice. The sight of her took his breath away. The setting sun laced her brown curls with golden ribbons. The blue sparkle in her eyes made him feel both hot and cold. She smiled at him as if she knew what she was doing to him.

  He said the first thing that came to mind. “So, Sinclair’s gave you the night off?”

  “I had no choice.” She picked up his crutches and rested her underarms on the padded tops. “Between Will and Grandma, I couldn’t say no to this family event.”

  “You look lovely,” he said in a low tone.

  “Will said he’d fire me from Lambert’s Furniture if I didn’t come tonight,” Elizabeth continued. She put the crutches back and settled against the edge of the picnic table.

  “Good for him.”

  “Thank you.”

  Kavan smiled. “You’ve lost me. ‘Thank you’ for what?”

  “The compliment.”

  “Anytime,” he said, locking his gaze with hers.

  She let it linger, but only for a second. “I heard Jeff tell Grandpa that they may have found the poachers who knocked you down the ravine.”

  “Turns out a detective knew one of the boys from my description.”

  “Ah, the woes of a small town. Can’t commit a decent crime. Everyone knows you.”

  Kavan’s smile faded. “Don’t be fooled,” he warned. “People get away with stuff around here all the time. Problem is they pat you on the back in church on Sunday, then steal from you on Monday.”

  Elizabeth’s posture seemed to stiffen. “Is that so?”

  He nodded. “Unfortunately. But let’s not talk about poachers and White Birch crime.” Kavan paused, studying her face, trying to read her expression. “Let’s talk about going for pizza.”

  “I don’t date.” Elizabeth stooped to pick a yellow dandelion and twirled the green stem between her thumb and forefinger.

  “What? Pizza with a friend is not a date.”

  “It’s the classic date,” she said with a harrumph. “Boy meets girl. Boy hounds girl at her place of employment. Boy asks her to go for pizza and a soda.”

  “Hound you? Come on, Elizabeth, give me a break. Besides, I never said anything about a soda.”

  She made a face at him.

  He laughed.

  “Here you go.” Grandma Betty passed between the two of them, placing a heaping plate of food in front of Kavan. She stepped back, surveying the two of them. “Having fun?” she asked, buoyancy in her voice.

  “Tons,” Elizabeth droned.

  “We were enjoying ourselves until I asked her to go for pizza,” Kavan admitted without preamble.

  In a way that only Grandma Betty could, she encouraged Elizabeth. “Go for pizza. You might surprise yourself and have a good time.”

  Kavan held his breath for a moment. Elizabeth sighed. When she turned toward him, a whirlwind of butterflies seemed to explode in his stomach.

  “How’s Monday night?”

  “I’ll pick you up at six.”

  “Six-thirty,” she countered.

  Kavan chuckled. “Six-thirty it is.”

  “My job here is done,” Grandma Betty said, brushing her hands together as she started back up the hill toward the food tables.

  Five

  All day Monday, the pizza date with Kavan proved to be an utter distraction to Elizabeth.

  She set an empty coffeepot on the burner and scorched the bottom. Will asked her for the week’s receivables, and she delivered last year’s. When the phone rang, she answered, “Sinclair’s,” and at lunch she noticed she had on one black pump and one navy.

  “What’s up with you today?” Will wondered, leaning against the doorjamb.

  She smirked. “Marauding Monday.”

  Will stepped into her office and dropped into an empty chair. “Anything bothering you?”

  Part of her wanted to come clean and cry, “Oh, Will, I have a date tonight!” But the words crumbled in her mind. How could she have ever agreed to have pizza with Kavan? But it wasn’t a date, right? Kavan said as much, just pizza and a cola.

  “Nervous about tonight?” His hushed voice conveyed his tenderness.

  “Tonight?” Elizabeth echoed. Shifting in her seat, she pretended to read E-mail though her inbox was empty.

  “Pizza with Kavan?”

  “What is with this family?” She slapped the desk. “Everyone knows everyone else’s business.”

  Will raised his hands in defense. “We look out for each other, support each other, and cheer each other on.”

  Elizabeth shuffled papers around, keeping her gaze averted. Will’s piercing gaze made her feel vulnerable as if he could read her sacred thoughts. “I’m not used to it. Mom and Dad raised Jonathan and me to be independent and self-reliant.” She forced herself to look up at him.

  “Don’t kid yourself, Beth. Grandpa and Grandma raised all the Lambert kids to be independent and self-reliant. Where do you think your parents got the idea?”

  “Some things in life are just meant to be personal, that’s all, Will.”

  He got up to leave. “Some things in life are meant to be celebrated.”

  ❧

  Kavan hit a wall of tension Monday morning.

  “He’s in a mood,” Cheryl warned.

  Kavan sighed. He didn’t want Travis Knight’s state of mind to spoil his day. The pizza date with Elizabeth was foremost in his own mind. During his morning workout, he’d barely been able to keep his mind focused on lifting the weights properly without overworking his knee. Now that he was using a cane instead of crutches, he wanted to keep it that way.

  Taking in a deep breath, Kavan entered his boss’s office.

  “Morning. Is there a problem, Travis?” Kavan settled in the chair across from Travis’s desk.

  The large man jerked with irritation. “The refurbishment money. What are you buying, Donovan, gold-plated screws and platinum nails?”

  The refurbishment budget again? He hadn’t done anything with the project since Travis had ordered him to stop spending. “I don’t understand.”

  Travis leaned toward Kavan, his mud-brown eyes narrow with indignation. “I’m getting heat from accounting. This is government money you’re spending, Donovan.”

  Kavan stood carefully, leaning heavily on the cane. “Heat for what?”

  “Outrageous charges to the refurbishment account.” Travis rattled a report under Kavan’s nose.

  “I’ve barely spent any money.” Kavan hated being on the defensive.

  “Not according to accounting’s records.” Travis rose to his feet and settled his plump hand on his plump hip.

  Kavan circled the chair, running his free hand over his hair. “I don’t like what you are inferring, Travis.”

  “Then stop spending money that isn’t yours.” Travis pounded the desk.

  “What are you talking about?” Kavan turned toward the man. “Are you accusing me of stealing?”

  Travis shook his head, his fleshy cheeks red with heat. “I’m not accusing you of anything.” He paused, then added with force, “Yet.”

  Hearing a
ll he could bear to hear, Kavan looked his superior in the eye. “I’m not stealing, and you know it.”

  “Then explain these reports indicating that we are overbudget on lumber and supplies. That’s your department, Kavan.”

  Kavan picked up the report and scanned pages. After a moment, he tossed it back onto the desk. “Those are just department numbers and totals, Travis. It reveals nothing.”

  “All the red numbers are under your department, Kavan.”

  Kavan pursed his lips, holding his answer. When his anger subsided, he said, “I’m not spending the money.”

  “I won’t have my career toppled by your carelessness. I’m up for promotion, and this doesn’t look good for me.”

  Whether Travis Knight dismissed him or Kavan walked out, he couldn’t remember. He sat at his desk feeling as if he’d been sucker punched.

  Cheryl sashayed by. “I told you he was in a mood.”

  Lord, what’s going on? Kavan pushed away from his desk, grabbed his keys, and headed for his truck. He needed a quiet place to pray.

  Driving out of town, Kavan wrestled with anger and disappointment. His solid relationship with Travis had been the reason he returned to the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands. Now the man challenged his integrity. Kavan prayed with purpose until peace settled over his soul.

  Ahead, the White Birch covered bridge came into view. Rays of morning sunlight scattered diamonds of light across the surface of the White Birch River.

  Kavan parked and slowly walked under the bridge’s cover, letting the tension of the morning ease out of his mind. His thoughts wandered to his evening plans with Elizabeth.

  A picture of her shiny curls and intense gaze made him smile for the first time all morning.

  ❧

  Will’s words echoed in Elizabeth’s mind. Some things are meant to be celebrated.

  I’ll tell you what’s to be celebrated, she thought with scorn. Achievement. Certainly not a pizza date. What did an old bachelor like Will Adams know anyway?

  Elizabeth pounded the keyboard, entering new invoices for faxed purchase orders. How could this family get so excited over two people sharing a large pie of tomato sauce and cheese?

  She liked Kavan all right. In fact, she might like him more if the family didn’t meddle. Then there was Joann. Her Sinclair’s boss called on Sunday to see if she could fill in Monday night. When Elizabeth said no, Joann insisted on a reason.