Closing his eyes, he leaned back against the seat. “God, I’ve been a complete fool. These bets between Drew and Mike and me, Lord, they were supposed to simply be in good-natured fun, but I’ve made it something ugly.”
He leaned up and tapped the steering wheel with the side of his fist. “Actually, the bets couldn’t be done in good fun. We’re all too competitive. None of us want to lose.”
He exhaled a long breath. His heart nearly overflowed with the feelings he felt for Addy. A few months ago he’d not even considered making a woman his wife. Now each day he longed to do just that.
He closed his eyes again. “Forgive me, Lord. I have to tell Addy the truth. I have to tell her why I’ve been so hesitant. I’d always thought she was such an immature little pest who wouldn’t leave me alone, and yet I’m the one who’s acted like a little spoiled boy. Forgive me, Lord.”
A weight lifted off Nick’s chest, and he knew he needed to find Addy. He needed to find Drew and Mike. Apologizing did not come easy for him normally, but when it was the right thing to do, he had to do it.
Just ahead of him, he watched a middle-aged couple walk into the fair, hand in hand. The man turned to the woman and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. They walked closer together toward a booth. That was what he wanted with Addy. He wanted to grow old together.
He opened the truck door and hopped out. First he’d find Drew and Mike and apologize to them. He’d tell them the bet was off. All bets were off. He was done with them. They weren’t worth putting so much strain on their friendship.
Then he’d find Addy. He sucked in a deep breath as he thought of his blond, long-haired beauty. The fresh apple scent of her hair had driven him to distraction when she wrapped her arms around him and burrowed into his chest. He could get lost in her deep green eyes. And her lips. How he longed to touch her soft lips to his.
He had to find his friends before he found her, because once he found Addy, he wouldn’t leave her side. He’d confess his feelings for her, and she would admit she still cared for him. At least he hoped she would.
He believed she did. He thought of her tight grip against his arm and chest on the Ferris wheel. He remembered the faraway look that glazed her eyes when he almost kissed her. She had parted her lips. She would have allowed his kiss. She has to still have feelings for me. She just has to.
“Lord, no more foolishness. No more pride. I’m giving myself over to You. Wholly and completely. Thank You for bringing Addy back to River Run.”
Nick strode back toward the fairgrounds a new man. He’d find his friends and Addy, and he’d start a new life. Everything was just perfect.
Ten
Fury welled up inside Addy as she listened to Val. It took a lot, a whole lot, to make her mad. And she was mad. Really mad.
Val shook her head as she continued. “I heard it myself, Addy. I knew you were heading over to congratulate Nick, and I know I’d said I’d wait for you at the table, but I thought I might congratulate him as well.”
Addy squinted. “Tell me again. What did he say?”
“He and Drew were having a fight about some bet. Drew was accusing Nick of trying to get me and Drew together so that Nick could get you and still win some bet.” Val shrugged. “I didn’t quite understand it.”
“Oh I understand it.” Addy clutched the strap of her purse so tight she feared she would rip the thing in half. “Those two have been making bets against each other since before Nick was old enough to go to kindergarten and Drew was barely out of diapers. They must have some foolish bet about who’d get all wet behind the ears for a girl first, and Nick’s been trying to make sure it’s Drew.”
Addy clenched her jaw and looked up to the sky. “It all makes sense now.”
“What makes sense?”
“The way both of them were acting last night when we were all together. I couldn’t figure out why Nick was pushing Drew at you, and why Drew looked so mad at Nick.” In frustration, she smacked her hip. “At least my brother was defending me.”
Gracie walked up to them smiling. “Ugh. One of the roughest things about this pregnancy is having to go to the bathroom every five seconds.” She looked at Addy and frowned. “What’s the matter? What did I miss?”
“Apparently my brother and Nick have a bet about women going.”
Gracie rolled her eyes. “I thought they dropped that stupid bet when Wyatt and I got married.”
Addy gawked at her friend. “What?”
“Yeah. It was all four of them. Wyatt, Nick, Drew, and Mike. They’d made some silly wager when they were like nineteen or something that whoever was the last of them to get married, since none of them had any intention of getting hitched, that the other three would have to pay for the wedding. They gave Wyatt all kinds of grief when he and I said our vows.”
Addy’s blood boiled beneath her skin. She’d been so sure Nick cared about her in the way a man should care for his wife. They hadn’t officially dated, but they’d spent a lifetime, all but the last five years, at each other’s doorsteps for one reason or another. If she hadn’t been so immature and vocal about her crush on him as a teenager, he might have even begun to notice her on his own as she grew into adulthood. Apparently I’m not the immature one now.
Still, she couldn’t deny her feelings for him. She loved that he grew so excited about the church redesign and came up with and paid for new playground equipment for the kids. She loved that he spent every Sunday with his parents and played Wii with his dad. She loved that when he was only eighteen he’d bought land from his parents and had been so frugal with his finances that in only nine years he’d paid them back completely. And she knew he loved the Lord.
But those ridiculous bets.
She looked at her friends. “You know what? I’m not playing games with Nick Martin. I’m going to find him and tell him exactly how I feel.”
She turned on her heel and headed toward the parking lot. Her brother had started to load up his second-place Angus, and she assumed Nick was doing the same. She searched several places, but she couldn’t find him. Spying her brother, she walked up to him. “Have you seen Nick?”
“No.” Drew growled the single syllable, and it took every ounce of strength within her not to put her brother in a headlock as she’d done when they were little, even if he always did weasel his way around and end up scrubbing her head with his knuckles.
Trying to control herself, Addy widened her stance and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I heard about your bet.”
Drew looked over his shoulder at her.
“I wish I could have been the one to tell you.” Nick’s voice sounded from behind her, and Addy twirled around to face him.
“Really?” Addy uncrossed her arms and waved her hands out in front of her. “Well, I would have rather you’d just dropped the bet completely.”
His expression seemed devoid of all emotion, which sent Addy’s emotions into a spiraling gyro. She’d tucked her wounds deep down in her heart the last time he’d hurt her, but this time she had grown up. She was a woman. A woman who didn’t mince words or play games or pretend things that weren’t true.
“Addy—”
“Don’t you talk.” She walked toward him, pointing her finger until she jabbed it into his chest. “I don’t play games.”
She dropped her hands to her sides, making fists so tight she could feel her fingernails biting into her skin. “I care about you, Nick. I’ve always cared about you. In fact, I’m absolutely crazy about you. Always have been.”
Something seemed to snap within her brain, and she found herself wrapping her arms around him, gripping the back of his neck in her palms until her fingertips touched the base of his hair. She pressed her lips against his, sending sparks through her veins until she thought fireworks would pop from her fingers and toes.
He seemed surprised at first, then he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. For a moment, Addy forgot that she was angry, forgot that he had
acted like such a jerk. Then she remembered.
She opened her eyes and pushed away from him. “Like I said, I don’t play games, Nick. I love you, but you’re not the man I thought you were.”
Nick started to open his mouth to say something, but Addy didn’t want to hear it. She couldn’t hear anything he said right now. Her emotions were raw and coarse, and she was absolutely infuriated with herself for having been so gullible.
Once she found Val and Gracie, the anger had simmered to a gut-wrenching sadness. Tears welled in her eyes, and though she tried to swipe them away, they fell too fast. Gracie pulled a tissue out of her purse. “Come on, Addy. Let’s go.”
Addy nodded and followed her friends to the parking lot.
Val touched Addy’s arm. “Why don’t you stay with me tonight? Jessica is gone visiting her family this weekend.”
Gracie nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. Get a change of scenery, at least for tonight.”
“Okay.” Addy wiped her nose with the tissue Gracie had given her. “I don’t think I can face Drew tonight either.”
They drove in silence to Addy’s house. Thankfully her mom and dad still hadn’t gotten home from the fair. She grabbed a few belongings and wrote a note to her parents, telling them she was spending the night with Val. She spied her design bag and several samples of fabrics and color swatches she’d been working with for the hotel spread across the dining room table. She shoved her favorite paisley patterns for the furniture and wood samples and design layouts into her bag then walked out the door. They had to drive back to the fairgrounds to take Gracie to her car. Gracie turned to Addy. “Call me if you need anything.”
Addy nodded. “I will.”
Gracie slipped out and shut the door. Addy watched as she got into her car and drove off. She looked at Val, who seemed to be chewing the inside of her lip.
Addy sighed. She knew that look. “Go ahead. Tell me what you have to say.”
“I think he loves you.”
Addy stared out the windshield at a long row of cars. “I think he does, too, but he didn’t want to lose that bet.” She looked back at Val and squinted. “What does that say?”
“That says he made a foolish choice.”
“Definitely foolish.” Addy leaned back in the seat. “It also says he doesn’t have his priorities straight. God’s worked on my heart so much since I’ve moved back to River Run. I can’t get wrapped up with a man who lets a bet come before a God-honoring relationship.” She blew out a long breath. “And I was so sure God was bringing us together.”
“He may be.”
Addy shook her head. “Not if the bet is more important.”
❧
Nick looked at Drew. “I messed things up.”
Drew scowled and turned toward his trailer. “Yes you did.”
Nick grabbed hold of the metal lock on Drew’s trailer and pulled on it, helping Drew inspect that the Angus was properly locked inside. “I was coming over here to apologize. I wanted to find you and Mike first, then I was gonna go find Addy.”
Drew didn’t respond.
“Look, I give up. I lose. I’m in love with Addy.”
Nick waited for Drew to say something. Instead his friend kept his focus on the metal bars. He took a handkerchief out of his back pocket and wiped the sweat from his brow then turned and looked at Nick. “All those years we teased and picked on her. I knew you loved her every bit as much as I did.” He shoved the fabric back in his pocket. “I guess once we grew up that love switched a little bit for you.”
Nick grinned. Drew wasn’t mad at him anymore. He pinched his finger and thumb together. “Just a little bit.”
Drew walked to the front of the truck, and Nick followed him. “She’s madder than those bees were when we knocked down their hive.”
Nick remembered the time when he was about nine that he, Drew, Mike, and Wyatt had knocked down a beehive from the side of Mike’s folks’ old barn, hoping to get a taste of fresh honey. Of course, Mike and Wyatt, being the same age as Addy, had begged him and Drew not to do it. But he and Drew were young bucks, determined to prove their power over the insects. They’d armed themselves with flyswatters to ward off the swarm, but when the bees got the better of the four of them, they were stung all over with no less than ten bee stings apiece. Wyatt’s places blew up so big his mom had to take him to the hospital to get a shot. That was the last time they talked Wyatt into anything. “I suppose you’re right, but I’m going to talk to her.”
Mike walked up from several trucks over. “Did I just see what I think I saw?”
Drew jabbed his thumb toward Nick. “You mean my sister kissing on this guy?”
Mike’s eyebrows rose. “So, I wasn’t just seeing things.”
Nick shook his head. “No. You weren’t seeing things, but she heard about our bet. And she’s pretty riled up at me.”
“So, she gives you a big ol’ kiss?”
Drew scratched his jaw. “I know. My sister’s crazy.”
“No.” Nick pulled his truck keys out of his front pocket and gripped them in his hand. “No. Your sister is trustworthy and honest and right.” He faced Mike. “I just got through telling Drew that I came over here to apologize. I’m sorry for the way I acted, and the bet’s off for me. I lose. Hopefully Addy will forgive me, and I’ll be hitched long before either one of you. I’ll pay for one of your weddings myself if that woman will just give me a chance.”
Drew patted Nick’s shoulder. “Now that’s the kind of guy I’m willing to let date my sister.”
Mike motioned Nick to head toward his truck. “What are you waiting for? Go find her.”
“Don’t worry about your Angus.” Drew adjusted the flap of his cap. “Mike and I will take him back to the farm.”
“No—” Nick started to protest.
“Go find my sister.”
Nick didn’t need any more encouragement. He practically raced to his truck, hopped into the cab, and headed toward Gracie and Wyatt’s house. If Nick’s guess was right, she’d be hanging out with her for a while.
When he pulled into the driveway, his heart sank. Val’s car wasn’t there, and he knew they’d driven her car. Thinking Gracie would know where Addy was, he got out of the truck and walked up to her door and knocked. Gracie opened it and scowled at him. “Nick Martin, what are you doing here?”
Nick felt like a scolded schoolboy as he ducked his head. “Looking for Addy.”
“Well, Addy’s left with Val. She’s going to spend the night with her. I’d say you better leave her alone for a while. Until she has time to cool down. I can’t believe y’all were still doing that silly bet.”
“I know. I know.” Nick nodded then waved as he turned to head back toward the truck. “Okay. Thanks, Gracie.”
He hopped inside the cab and headed toward his house. What do I do, God? Do I give her time to cool down, or do I try to get in touch with her?
“Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” The verse from Ephesians pricked at his heart. He couldn’t control if she chose to stay angry, but he did need to attempt to reconcile with her. He needed to apologize.
Waiting until he pulled into his driveway, he took out his cell phone and selected her name in the phone’s memory. It rang several times before her voice mail picked up. He waited for the greeting and then the beep. “Addy. It’s Nick. I’m sorry. I was wrong. I was actually going to apologize to you, your brother, and Mike. I was on my way to do just that. I—”
His voice faltered. He cared so much for her. He loved her. He knew he did, but he didn’t want the first time he said those words to be in a voice mail message. He wanted to say them in person, to be able to take her cheeks in the palms of his hands and whisper them to her then kiss her soft mouth.
Just the thought of the kiss she’d given him sent his insides into a frenzy. He didn’t have a lot of experience with girls. He’d always been so determined to get his farm set up and stable, and he’d enjoyed being on h
is own. But her kiss—it made him realize how much he was missing out on. It made him long for what he saw in Wyatt and Gracie, even in his mom and dad.
He swallowed. “Addy, I care about you. So much. I want to talk with you in person. Please call me back.”
Nick closed his phone and stuck it in his pocket. He walked into his house. Addy was supposed to clean the next day. If he didn’t hear from her tonight, he should be able to talk with her in the morning.
He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator. He leaned against the cabinet and stared at the kitchen table. He could see Addy sitting there, cutting her steak, dropping butter into her potato. He’d told her things had changed, and they had. More than he could have ever imagined when she came back to River Run only seven weeks before.
Seven weeks ago he was content to sit at that table by himself and eat a steak warmed on the grill and a baked potato cooked in the microwave. He’d never be content to do that alone again. He needed Addy. He wanted to see her sitting at that table every day for the rest of his life.
With a long sigh, he pushed away from the cabinet and walked into the living room. He plopped into his recliner, leaned back, and closed his eyes. Things have definitely changed.
Eleven
Nick woke up especially early the next morning. Addy never called him back, but he knew she would show up at his house in a few hours to clean. She might be angry with him, but she always proved true to her commitments. If she wasn’t going to come, she would have called.
He needed to do something nice to break the ice. He needed something she would see right when she walked through the door to let her know he was sorry. He snapped his fingers. He knew just what to do.
Grabbing a pair of scissors from the catchall drawer, he headed out the back door and toward the flower garden his mom had started years before when the whole family lived in the house. He didn’t tend the garden as his mom had. It wasn’t that he didn’t like flowers. He liked them just fine. They just weren’t a priority; therefore, they were always surrounded by various weeds. To Nick’s eye, some of them were just as pretty as the flowers.
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