by Beth Flynn
Standing in the center of the family room now, they looked up and could see an open hallway fenced in with rustic mountain laurel railing.
“Hi, Mom!” Jason waved down to Ginny. She hadn’t seen him remove himself from the group and was a little embarrassed he’d run up the stairs uninvited. “You should see the view from up here.”
“Jason, please come back down here!”
“His room is up there anyway, might as well let him take a look around,” Micah said, smiling.
“Where does that other staircase go?” Jason called down, pointing from the second story open loft to another staircase in the kitchen. It was barely noticeable.
“That’s the basement. It has two more bedrooms and two full baths,” Micah said.
“This sure is a lot of house for one person,” Grizz said to nobody in particular.
“I thought so, too, when I first built it, but Margaret Mae told me we’d be filling it up. Obviously, it didn’t happen that way. Almost sold it ten times over, but something told me not to.”
He winked at Ginny and told them where their rooms were.
A few hours later, their bellies full and their luggage unpacked, Ginny and Micah were standing on the deck overlooking the expansive back yard. If it could even be called a back yard. Micah’s property went on as far as the eye could see and gave the optical illusion that it dropped off before butting up to the mountains.
They watched as Mimi swung lazily in a hammock reading a book. She was now wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Spring in the mountains could still be pretty cool. Grizz and Jason were a little further off. They had set up some tin cans they’d found in Micah’s barn, and Grizz was teaching Jason how to use an old slingshot they’d come across on one of the shelves. Ginny could tell that Grizz’s posture seemed relaxed. He was enjoying himself.
Ginny had been talking to Micah about the layout of the town. She had met him last year at a diner and was wondering where it was in relation to Micah’s property.
“If you’d kept going straight instead of turning off at the old schoolhouse, you’d have run right through the center of town.” Micah pointed. “The diner would be on the right, right before you got to the crossroads.”
The four-way stop sign was considered the center of town and referred to as the crossroads by the local folks.
They went inside, and Micah started a pot of coffee. Ginny sensed he wanted some alone time with Grizz, and she told him she wanted to take Jason and Mimi into town.
“I’d like to make dinner tomorrow night. I’m pretty sure I remember where the one grocery store is. I passed it the last time I was here,” she told him.
“Yes, ma’am. If you make a right at that stop sign and go down just a-ways, it’ll be on your left.”
**********
The next few days passed by in a whirlwind of new faces. It would be impossible to remember all of the names, but little by little, Grizz’s extended family showed up to introduce themselves. Some would drop in with a homemade pie or something they’d canned. Others stopped by under the guise of helping Micah repair some piece of farm equipment or to return a borrowed tool. Eventually, they all came, and it was amazing that the visits never went too long or overlapped into someone else’s stay. If she hadn’t known better, Ginny would’ve guessed that Aunt Tillie had made up a secret schedule and passed it out to Grizz’s relatives.
Ginny watched in awe as Grizz let down his guard and chatted with his cousins about everything from NASCAR, hunting, and farming to homemade remedies for wart removal and toothaches. Grizz’s extended family was full of homemakers, teachers, business owners, farmers, mechanics, professionals. One cousin was a deputy with the local sheriff’s office.
It was obvious the people who lived in this tiny mountain town were in no way ignorant of the fast-paced world that surrounded them. They’d seen it and deliberately chosen the quiet solitude and fierce loyalty of family over the noise of the world, and Ginny was moved by their love for one another. How different would Grizz have been if he’d been raised here? She wondered more than once.
“I won’t remember all their names,” Grizz was telling Micah one afternoon. One of Grizz’s cousins had stopped by to borrow something from Micah’s barn, and he was loading it up in the bed of his truck. He’d brought his two sons, who were off somewhere on the property with Jason. His teenage daughter was Mimi’s age, and the two girls were sitting on Micah’s porch swing laughing about something. Ginny was inside tidying up.
“Yes, you will,” Micah told him, patting him on the back. “Yes, you will.”
They were all invited to hear Micah preach that Sunday and, of course, Ginny, Mimi, and Jason went to the service, but Grizz didn’t. When they returned, they found Grizz in the barn tending to an injured dog.
“How’d you get your hands on that one?” Micah asked. “I’ve been trying to get him to come to me for months.”
“I don’t know,” Grizz said. “He just came to me.”
After a big breakfast, Micah took them on a tour of the small town. The kids were amazed that Pine Creek only had one school, and it was for children in kindergarten through twelfth grade.
“We only have about two-hundred kids in the whole school, and you’re related to most of them,” Micah said as he looked at Mimi and Jason.
“Cool!” Jason grinned. “Do you have sports here?”
Ginny saw Micah’s face light up as he answered, “Our school has every sport except for football. Don’t actually have enough boys in the right age group to make a team, but we have everything else.”
I hope Micah’s not getting his hopes up that we might live here one day. She couldn’t imagine her children or even Grizz wanting to be removed from the city life they’d all been accustomed to.
Ginny had been invited to a ladies’ night at one of Grizz’s cousin’s homes. At first, she’d been a little reluctant to go, concerned mostly about questions she wasn’t ready to answer. But after some gentle prodding from Aunt Tillie, she decided to accept the invitation. Mimi had been invited as well, but after learning there wouldn’t be any cousins her age, she’d elected to stay at the cabin with the guys.
Driving up Micah’s driveway on her way home from the gathering, Ginny reflected on the evening and how much she’d enjoyed being around people that accepted her as family. A delicious white chicken chili had been the main course, and the women had played a game called Bunco. She was made to feel at home among the ladies, who had welcomed her without hesitation. Apparently, Micah had a lot of family, and he was dearly loved and respected by everyone. That love and respect was trickling down onto Ginny, and she basked in its warmth. She would’ve stayed longer but Aunt Tillie announced that there was the possibility of a spring snowstorm, and since Ginny had no experience driving in snow—especially on dark mountain roads—they all thought it best to call it an early night.
Ginny let out a sigh of relief as she pulled up to Micah’s cabin. It had started snowing on the way home and, like Aunt Tillie had said, she wasn’t used to driving in it. It had been a good call to go home early.
After letting herself in the front door, she felt like she’d interrupted a private moment between Micah, Grizz, Mimi, and Jason. A fire was blazing in the hearth, and they were seated around a large coffee table that held some kind of board game. They all just stared at her.
Jason broke into a wide grin. “Hi, Mom!” Ginny noticed Mimi gently elbow his side, and he told her, “I wasn’t going to say anything, Mimi.”
“Say anything about what?” She laid her purse and jacket down.
“Nothing,” Grizz said. “He was just excited about the snow.”
“Yeah, that’s it. I’m excited about the snow. We’re going to go out in it tomorrow, aren’t we?”
“I think we need to get some warmer clothes, or at least the right kind,” Ginny said. “We didn’t come prepared.”
“Write down all your sizes, and I’ll have Tillie make some calls. Everything y
ou need will be here tomorrow. Don’t need to find a store when we just need to ask some kin to send the right clothes and boots over,” Micah said.
“How was your hike today?” Ginny asked, trying not to yawn. She was exhausted.
“Best hike ever,” Grizz said, giving the kids a wink.
Chapter Sixty-One
Ginny
2002, North Carolina
I couldn’t help but feel there was some joke I’d missed out on, but the day’s activities and the fresh mountain air must’ve caught up with me. I yawned and excused myself. I wanted to turn in early.
My eyes popped open at exactly 2:47 a.m. I’d gone to bed maybe a little too early and now found myself wide awake. I looked over at Mimi, who was sleeping next to me. I gently pulled the covers back, found my robe, and made my way downstairs.
I was standing in the kitchen making myself a cup of hot chocolate when I sensed him. I didn’t turn around, but leaned back into him as I felt his arms come around me. He bent low and softly kissed the side of my neck. My hot chocolate forgotten, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the heat that radiated from him.
“How did you know I was up?” I whispered.
“I didn’t. I couldn’t sleep and thought I heard someone up here. Didn’t know it was you, Kitten.”
Grizz had been sleeping in one of the bedrooms downstairs. I was sharing one of the two upstairs bedrooms with Mimi. Jason was across from us in his own room.
I turned around then and looked at him. He looked sexier than I could’ve imagined or remembered, and I had to swallow my intense and immediate reaction. He was wearing camouflage pajama pants and a dark T-shirt. His hair was tousled, and his normally bright green eyes appeared dark and smoky.
I could tell he read the need in my eyes. He took my face in both his hands and kissed me. Not a small feathery kiss that teased. A kiss that took my mouth, hard and unrelenting with its bold claim of ownership.
I welcomed it and hungrily kissed him back, grinding my body against his. His need was apparent, and I felt my own need making my panties wet.
I pulled back, breathless. “We can’t here. Micah is sleeping right down that hallway.” I nodded in the direction of the master bedroom. “We need to go downstairs to your room.”
He stepped back then and gave me a look that told me he had something to say. I knew what it was, and I responded with a small, knowing smile. I knew I’d surprised him. We hadn’t taken our relationship to the next level, and I was grateful he’d never pushed it. But I was now letting him know I was willing and ready—and that I could certainly make my way back upstairs and slip into bed with Mimi long before the rest of the household woke up.
I watched as the vein in his forehead throbbed.
“No,” he said quietly.
I shook my head as if to clear it, not thinking I’d heard him right.
“Wha...what?”
“No. Not now, Kitten. Not tonight. Not here like this. No,” he said again in a voice that didn’t sound too confident.
I was shocked and maybe even a little hurt.
“No?” I whispered a little too loudly. “Are you sure, Grizz? Because your mouth is saying no but your pants are saying something different.”
He inhaled loudly and looked at the ceiling. He didn’t say anything. He finally looked down at me and, letting out a long breath, he shook his head and lightly kissed my forehead.
“Goodnight, honey. I’ll see you in the morning,” he told me with a frog in his throat.
And then he was gone.
I know my mouth hung open as I watched him walk away. I turned back to the kitchen counter and finished making my hot chocolate with shaking hands.
What had just happened? Or rather, what had not happened?
I carried my mug over to the couch and looked out on the most beautiful scene. Micah’s back yard was a blanket of white, and the full moon cast just enough light for it to look almost heavenly. I don’t remember eventually setting my empty cup down. I don’t remember lying down on the couch and grabbing one of the throw blankets to cover myself.
I woke up the next morning staring into four pairs of eyes looking down at me. They were all smiling, and Jason was almost hopping with anticipation.
“We didn’t wake you up, did we, Mom?”
Before I could answer him, he told me one of Micah’s nephews was bringing over some of his kids’ winter gear for Jason and Mimi.
I shook the sleep from my foggy head and sat up, the smell of coffee finally reaching my nose. I yawned and stretched, all of a sudden very aware that I was in a nightshirt without a bra. I grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to cover my chest. Being the perfect gentleman, I noticed Micah had already looked away.
I stood and grabbed my robe, excused myself to go shower. I poured myself a cup of coffee and was getting ready to carry it upstairs with me when I caught Grizz’s eye. I looked away, a little embarrassed by last night’s rejection.
A little while later, I told the kids to enjoy the snow while I cleared away the breakfast dishes. Micah’s nephew had shown up while I was showering with some spare winter clothes and boots and, surprisingly, everything fit the kids perfectly. Micah, Grizz, and both kids were now digging through the barn for sleds.
Beds made, dishes washed, and one load of laundry later, I stood with a second cup of coffee and watched them in the snow. Micah had set Grizz to work clearing a path to his henhouse. Micah’s henhouse wasn’t what I’d pictured a henhouse to look like. I’d imagined a small structure surrounded by wire. But Micah’s henhouse looked like a small house that, if cleared of its feathered occupants, could probably sleep several people. We’d been collecting eggs every morning. Well, I’d been collecting them. I thought at first that I wouldn’t be able to do it. I had a real fear of disturbing the hens, but after getting the hang of it, I loved it. It was just something different, and it made me happy.
After shoveling a path, Grizz gave me a signal to get a coat on and come outside. I laid down my coffee and grabbed one of Micah’s winter coats that he kept on a peg. I had on my own boots. They weren’t for winter, but I wouldn’t need to be sloshing through snow. I made my way toward the henhouse and realized that Mimi, Jason, and Micah had stopped what they were doing and were walking toward me. I waved and grabbed a basket from its hook. Then, after going inside, I set about checking each hen for eggs.
At one point I stopped and turned around, surprised. The four of them had followed me in and just stood there, watching.
“It’s really cold out,” Jason said, his cheeks a rosy pink.
I thought it odd that they all needed to follow me into the henhouse, but without giving it anymore thought, I shrugged and went back to collecting eggs.
I reached under one particularly feisty mother and felt something hard. It undoubtedly wasn’t an egg.
I pulled it out and looked at the small box in my hand. A box?
“Are you going to open it?” I heard Jason ask.
“Shhhh!” Mimi giggled.
Without turning around, I opened the tiny box, and my hand flew to my mouth. It was a ring.
I turned around and saw Micah, Mimi, and Jason leaned up against the back of the henhouse. They were all smiling.
It was then that I realized Grizz was down on one knee. He reached for my left hand and brought it to his mouth.
Kissing the inside of my palm, he said, “I messed this up once before. I’m not going to make the same mistake.”
I held my breath, hopeful and yet fearful of what his next words were going to be.
“Ginny.” He swallowed. “Let me say first that I already know I don't deserve you. But, I know there is no one else in the world for me and if you'll have me, I promise you won't regret it. Please give me another chance."
My right hand flew to my mouth. I watched him swallow again before asking, “Will you marry me?”
I started shaking, and tears started to form in my eyes. I thought about Grizz’s rebuff the night before, an
d how I’d finally drifted off to sleep resigning myself to the fact that he was probably right and had saved me from myself. I couldn’t see how a future for us could ever be in the cards.
He was still holding my left hand in his large one, and I gently pulled it away and replaced it with the ring box. Avoiding his gaze and not chancing a glance at the onlookers, I ran out of the henhouse.
As I left, I heard Micah tell the kids, “Stay with me. Let him go after her.”
I could feel Grizz behind me as I stumbled down the path he’d shoveled. I made it to the house and went in through the side door. I realized I still had the egg basket dangling from my right arm.
“Ginny.” He shut the door behind us.
I laid the basket down and started to take Micah’s coat off.
“Ginny!”
Ignoring him, I put the coat back on its peg. My mind and heart were at war with each other. I couldn’t fathom my feelings, so I gave into them.
I turned to face him then. Tears were silently making their way down both my cheeks. I just stood there and looked up at him. I was begging for something, but for what I didn’t know.
He pulled me to him, wrapping his massive arms around me. My face was buried in his warm chest. I inhaled the scent that was uniquely Grizz. It felt so normal, so natural. What was I afraid of? His jacket was open and I could feel his heart beating through his shirt against my face.
“Say yes, Ginny,” he whispered while stroking my hair. “Give me another chance.”
“How?” I asked sniffling. “The kids, our neighbors, people in general? How can we ever carve out a life that doesn’t involve our past? How do I marry a man who was executed almost two years ago? How could it ever work?”
He pulled away from me then, took my face in both hands. Bringing his face close to mine he said, “I wouldn’t have asked if there wasn’t a plan that took all of that into consideration.”
I stared at him, my heart in my throat. Words would not come. A plan? What plan?