What do you think about that?”
Shelly looked thoughtful as she let Bethany’s words sink in. “I know you’d be a wonderful mother.
Waiting is frustrating, to say the least. It was so hard for me. But, why give up on a husband so soon?”
“So soon? Shelly I’m twenty-nine, with no prospects in sight.”
Shelly chuckled. “That’s not old. And believe me, you have prospects. A major one is on this hike with us.”
“No, Nate is not a prospect.”
She knew by the way Shelly’s eyes widened that she heard the frustration in her voice.
“You sound so positive about that, when all of us can tell there is still something going on between the two of you.”
Bethany couldn’t take it any more. “I once loved Nate with all my heart. We planned to marry after high school, but he broke up with me right after graduation, telling me he didn’t love me. This thing you see between us is tension. He broke my heart without any explanation, and so I moved away.” She stopped, wondering if she sounded like a whiner. “I… I’ve been busy with my career, but I’ve also never been able to move on.” There—she’d admitted it to someone.
“So now I get it.” Shelly exclaimed softly. “There is truly unfinished business here, just as Lisa and I thought. Really, Bethany, you need to just relax and give this time. God will work it out for you.”
Bethany hid her frustration at this. God hadn’t worked it out yet. “I’m tired of waiting.”
Shelly placed a hand on her wrist. “I’ve been there. Really I have. I was thirty-three and not married myself. I, too, had given up on finding a husband who would marry me, knowing I could never have children. And believe me when I tell you that I was more than a bit angry at God about the entire situation. Angry and resentful and getting bitter. And then, out of the blue, Robert walked into my life and we were married within the year.
“We’ve only been married four years. We’ve been foster parents for three of those years, seeing children come through our home who really needed a stable environment and love. We were blessed even before Cody came into our life last year. God’s timing amazes me when I look back over it. I mean, think about it. If I’d married someone earlier, I wouldn’t have met Robert—and he is my life.
“If I’d been able to have children of my own, I might not have been open to foster care or adoption…and then I wouldn’t have been there when Cody needed me. And he needed me and Robert so badly. He’s a drug baby, which is part of his attention problem. And he was basically just thrown away by his parents. Just tossed out like he was nothing…he was three and living in an abandoned house by himself, starving when the police found him and put him in foster care.
“When he came to us last year, he’d been in six different foster homes. He was troubled and needed me. And I knew my life, and every bit of waiting I’d done, had been worth it so that I could be there to love Cody.
“Bethany, don’t blame God. Instead, be patient and pray for Him to lead you in the decision you make. Adopting on your own might be what He has in mind for you. But maybe He has something else in store for you.”
Cody turned and waved at Shelly. “Mom, come play,” he called. Shelly hugged her tightly. “God has a plan for you and it’s wonderful. I know it. So hang in there.”
Bethany watched Shelly jog to Cody and swing him around in her arms before placing him on the ground and letting him toss her the ball.
What an amazing story. It made her feel ungrateful in many ways. Bowing her head, she prayed an earnest prayer that God would lead her to the future He had planned for her.
Police chief Reed Truscott and Gage Parker arrived just after lunch to take charge of the body. Because of the turn of events, the delay finding the body caused the tour to be late getting the horses back to the pickup stop and meeting the van. They’d had to ride harder than Nate liked, but they needed to beat the darkness.
Ely and Lisa had opted to catch a ride with the search-and-rescue helicopter. Ely had been pretty shaken up after discovering the body, and Nate could understand why. Robert and Shelly had decided to finish out the last leg of the tour and help them get the horses to the pickup spot, where a truck and trailer waited to carry them all back to civilization.
Nate was more than glad when the van pulled up in front of the tour company office.
“Thanks for a great time,” Robert said, as he shook Nate’s hand and prepared to climb into the SUV and drive his family to the airport. “Could you let us know who the body is? It wasn’t exactly the end of the tour that we’d planned, but the rest of the tour was great.”
Nate held out his hand and they shook. “You were a great help in this difficult situation. Extraction is never a pleasant thing to do. Thank you. Not everyone would have offered to help us transport the body.”
“I’m just glad I could help. Thanks for spending time with Cody. He thinks you hung the moon.”
“He’s a good kid.”
And he was. Nate watched Cody talking to Shelly and Bethany. His expression was animated as they discussed the different things they’d seen on the tour. The bear, to be exact.
“We should head out and let them finish up here,” Robert said to Shelly.
She hugged Bethany. “You hang in there and don’t give up on God.”
“I will. And thank you for everything. I’ll keep in touch.”
Nate didn’t know what they’d talked about, but he could tell by the look in Bethany’s eyes that it had been important. Bethany had been unusually quiet on the trip back to town. He watched as she bent down and hugged Cody, and he didn’t miss the tears that glistened in her eyes. It twisted his insides. She’d gotten attached to the little boy quickly. For someone he thought would have at least one child by now, he wondered how she felt about that.
As they finished loading up, Bethany stepped back to stand beside him, waving as the Taylors’ taillights disappeared into the night.
“They were great,” he said, feeling awkward. The tour was over, so now they would have no reason to have to face each other. “Thanks for all your help. Amy was correct that you were the right person for the tour. You were great with Cody, and I’m sorry I was so hard on you. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
She blinked in the light from the street lamp, and startled him with a chuckle. “Thank you. I know that had to be hard for you to admit.”
He nodded, not smiling, feeling too shredded inside. She had no idea how being near her was tearing him up. He needed to head to his truck and get out of town and as far away from her as possible.
With the Taylors gone they were alone. Nate needed to burn rubber getting out of the parking lot and away from Bethany. He needed to—
“Do you want to go get some supper at Lizbet’s?”
That he didn’t need to do!
She took a deep breath, glancing down the street to the bright lights of the diner. It was getting late, and the place was more than likely getting ready to shut down within the hour. “I’m tired and grungy. I’m really ready to go back to my room.”
“Me, too. But we have to eat.” Why was he pushing this?
She shook her head and her shoulders slumped. “I don’t think so. Not tonight.”
“You sure?” Disappointment curled inside of him when she nodded. It dawned on him then that she didn’t have a car. “Then I’ll just give you a ride to the hotel.”
“That I’ll take. Thank you. I’m going to have to buy a car, now that I’ll be getting settled. The one I had in San Francisco wouldn’t have been practical here, so I sold it.”
“I’ll be glad to take you wherever you need to go.” Nate grabbed both backpacks and tossed them into the bed of his truck, then opened the passenger door and waited while Bethany scooted into the seat. In the interior light, he could see the dark circles under her eyes that he hadn’t noticed earlier. She hadn’t been sleeping.
“Thank you,” she said, as he closed the door.
> He nodded, then jogged around to his side and slid behind the wheel. “Where to?”
“Treasure Creek Hotel. I’m staying there until my things arrive for my apartment.”
Nate headed that way, wishing it was farther away than two blocks.
“I actually need to go by my shop and pick up my suitcase. I checked out of the hotel for the week that we were on the trail, and I just made new reservations to start up again tonight.”
“That was a good idea.” He made the right-hand turn and pulled the truck to a stop in front of her shop.
“It was actually the manager’s idea. He had someone who desperately needed a room for a couple of nights and asked me if he could store my things and rent the room while I was gone. I decided that was a great idea, and I brought my cases over here so they would be out of their way.”
The streetlight illuminated the white exterior and big window. Nate checked out the length of the street, deserted this time of night. Treasure Creek was a safe little town generally speaking, but it never hurt to be cautious. He followed her to the door. “I’ll get that bag for you.”
She got the door opened then clicked the light switch. Bright light filled the space.
“This is a nice space.” He tipped his hat back and studied the room.
“Thanks. I think it will work perfectly. And I’m moving into the apartment upstairs when my things arrive. Hopefully, that will be tomorrow. They promised me for certain it would be here by then. This is the one I want,” she said, pointing at a medium-size suitcase sitting beside a larger one. He grabbed it while she picked up an overnight bag.
He wasn’t ready to go, and wished he could draw out the conversation for as long as possible. But he couldn’t. She was tired and already heading outside. It was apparent that she didn’t want to spend any more time with him than necessary.
They were quiet as he drove the short distance to the hotel. “I’ll carry your bags in if you want to go ahead and get checked in.”
“Thanks.” She was gone in a flash. His feet were dragging as he grabbed the two bags and followed her. He entered the old, historic hotel a few minutes later, and met her coming toward him with a tight expression of bewilderment.
“They got my reservation mixed up and have me down for tomorrow. No rooms available tonight. With all the fancy women in town, he’s booked up. I have nowhere to stay!”
Nate smiled inside and knew he was in trouble feeling that way. It didn’t stop him from opening his big mouth, “Sure you do. You can stay at my place.”
Chapter Twelve
“I can’t stay at your place,” Bethany was quick to point out. “Thanks, but that just isn’t acceptable.”
“You can stay at the guest house is what I meant. There’s no one there, and Sue keeps it ready for unexpected guests. And you wanted to see her anyway.”
Bethany didn’t look convinced. “Nate, this isn’t a good idea.”
“You need a place to stay. It’s late and we’re tired. What’s the problem?”
She didn’t want to, but at last she nodded. “Okay. I’m just too tired to go hunting for another room, and from the looks of it, everything is booked anyway. But that will mean you’ll have to give me a ride back into town in the morning.”
“I can do that.” He was treading on dangerous ground once again and he knew it, as they headed toward his ranch. It couldn’t be helped. It was nine-thirty and Bethany needed a place to stay. He had a guest house just sitting there. Tomorrow, after he took her back to town, he’d keep his distance.
The last place Bethany wanted to be was at Nate’s ranch, but it had been the easiest solution to her problem. She didn’t want to have to stay on the floor at her new place.
She remembered when his mother had fixed up the guest house years ago. She really liked his parents, his mom especially. They’d gotten along very well. Bethany asked about her, and she and Nate spent the twenty-minute drive talking about his parents and catching her up on what was happening in their lives. Finding out they spent most of their time in Florida these days, enjoying the sunshine, was a bit of a shock to her. Jared McMann taking it easy in Florida? No way! She couldn’t imagine Nate’s dad taking it easy—the man was a workaholic.
“It was a shock to me, too,” Nate said. “But my mom always waited in the background, putting off things she wanted to do and see, while my dad worked here on the ranch. Dad said he realized when he woke up in the emergency room and looked at Mom that he owed her—that he’d been selfish all these years. So he stepped back and, believe it or not, he is enjoying himself. They travel some and come here a few times a year to see me. But Mom has really taken to the warmer weather and golf.”
Wonders never ceased. She truly believed that Nate’s dad would have died out there on a horse while working one day, and he would have been happy to go that way. He’d always been a nice man, but preoccupied with his work. Honestly, she wasn’t sure whether he loved the ranch or loved the work. Nate loved the ranch. That had always been apparent.
“I’m glad your dad is enjoying life a little—and realizing that your mom deserved more of his time.”
“Yeah, you’re right. A woman shouldn’t have to give up everything for a man.”
He didn’t look at her when he said it, but Bethany wondered again if he might have believed this and told her he didn’t love her so she could leave Treasure Creek in search of her career. It disturbed her again. She was lost in thought when he pulled the truck to a halt in front of the guest cabin.
“I always thought your mom liked the ranch. She and your dad always seemed to be happy.”
Nate looked grave. “She did, but still—” he stopped midsentence. “Here we are. Let me carry your things in and then I’ll get out of your hair. Make yourself at home,” he said gruffly. “Sue is excited to know you’re staying here tonight. She cooks breakfast at the big house about seven, if you want to come over.”
He was ready to get away from her. That was apparent. “That sounds great,” she said. She was happy he wasn’t going to stick around. “I’ll be ready, and then you can get me back to town if you don’t mind. I’m anxious to start arranging the shop.”
He seemed preoccupied, and barely looked at her as he carried her bags inside and then left. This was fine with her. She didn’t want to spend any more time around him than she needed to. Especially tonight. There were so many unanswered questions crowding her brain, that all she wanted to do was take a long, hot shower, fall into bed and get a good night’s sleep. Sleep would help her be able to focus. Time would help her figure out what questions she wanted or really needed answers to.
There was no forgetting watching the northern lights the night before. A lot had happened between then and now. It was hard to realize that that had been last night. But it had been. She needed sleep desperately because she hadn’t gotten any then. She pushed the questions away, but they kept coming back—especially after the statement about his mom and dad. Would Nate have told her he didn’t love her so that she could go to San Francisco in pursuit of her dream? Knowing what she’d just learned about his mom and dad, she wondered even more. She still didn’t have an answer to how she felt about that, if it were true.
Bethany rose the next morning, dressed quickly and walked out onto the front porch of the small guest house. The sun was just peeking over the horizon as she leaned against the post to watch it. This was a beautiful place. The rolling pastures stretched wide and green with oats and rye. She’d ridden horseback many times with Nate to check on the cattle that roamed between the homestead and the mountains in the background. She’d dreamed of one day seeing her children riding horses here. Bethany stretched, leaning her head back to let the tension the thought brought her ease. She shouldn’t have come here. The best thing to do was get the morning over with and head back to town.
“Bethany!” Sue Fowler exclaimed, throwing open the door and engulfing her in a tight hug as soon as Bethany knocked on it. “You are a sight for sore
eyes.”
“You are, too.” Bethany returned the bear hug with one of her own. “You look wonderful.”
“If you like plump and happy, that’s me. Come, sit, sit,” she said, ushering Bethany into the large kitchen. “Nate and Royce had to run off on ranch business. Nate asked me if I’d run you to town when we get through. I hope you don’t mind.”
She felt a mixture of relief and disappointment at the news. “Of course not. That would be great.”
Sue had the omelets she was cooking on plates and in front of them within seconds. “So tell me about what’s been going on with you and why you’ve decided to finally come home.”
“The article brought me home.”
Sue looked skeptical. “That is not the only reason. Tell me that you have finally realized what you’ve left behind.”
“Actually, I have.”
Sue’s eyes widened. “I’m so happy. You and Nate were always so perfect together. That boy needs you so much that I am just thankful that one of you has come to your senses.”
Bethany’s mouth fell open. “No. I mean I realized how much I missed Treasure Creek and all the people who live here. Like you and Royce. I didn’t come back because of Nate.”
Sue set her fork down. “And just why not?”
The question was so indignant that Bethany laughed. “Sue, I’m here to help other women plan their weddings.”
“Well, I just don’t know what to think about this,” Sue said, huffing. “I just knew when I heard you were coming back that my prayers were answered. And then when you went on the tour with Nate, I thought everything was going to be like the old days. And then Royce said y’all were doing great when he brought the horses out.”
Bethany was surprised by this information. “Why would you think such a thing, Sue? You’ve been praying about this?” She was baffled.
“And why shouldn’t I pray for Nate to find a good woman and settle down? The man needs to do that, and soon. He’s not getting any younger. It’s been ten years since you left.”
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