A Heart Healed

by Jennifer Johnson

  Too long. It had been much too long since he’d felt her lips against his. Too long, and he had to pull away. He released her and grabbed her hand in his. “We need to watch the fireworks.”

  She giggled as she nestled closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. “I love you, Kirk.”

  “I love you, too, Cals.”

  Chapter 12

  According to Mike and Tammie, Jacobs Family Farm had more customers during the month of July than they’d ever had in the history of their family business. And Callie felt every moment of it. She’d cleaned bedrooms and bathrooms, sold crafts and snacks, baked desserts and made lunches, played on the play area and fed animals. Not to mention the work in the yard, the garden, the orchard, and trying to keep her little cabin clean.

  “So, you and Kirk have a hot date tonight, huh?” said Ben as he walked into the kitchen of the B and B, opened the refrigerator and grabbed a soft drink.

  “Just dinner and a movie, but the temperature is definitely warm enough to say it will be a hot date.” She winked, and Ben shook his head.

  “I’m glad the two of you are back together.”

  “So am I.”

  Emmy held up a bottle of lime-green nail polish. “We’re going to paint her toenails.”

  Ben lifted his brows, and Callie held up the pink bottle. “This color.”

  “But you’re going to do mine in purple, right?” said Emma.

  “Absolutely.”

  Ben sat at the table across from Callie. “Where is Pamela, anyway?”

  “She went to campus to pick up a school book she couldn’t order online.”

  “I can’t believe her classes start a whole week before mine.”

  “When is Kirk taking you to the university?

  “Next Wednesday.”

  Emma wrapped her arms around Ben’s waist. “I don’t want you to leave. Who’s going to help me with my math?”

  Ben rubbed her head with his knuckles. “I’m sure someone will be able to help you.”

  “Second grade math is hard.”

  Callie bit back a chuckle. “But your mommy’s good at math. She’ll be able to help you.”

  Emmy twisted the polish bottle then pulled out the brush. “Can I paint your toes, Uncle Ben?”

  “No, pumpkin, you can’t.” Ben hopped out of the chair. “On that note, I’m out of here.”

  Callie giggled as Ben exited the house with a swiftness she’d rarely seen from him. She looked at Emmy. “Guess he doesn’t like toenail polish.”

  Emma cackled. “Well, he is a boy, silly.”

  “That he is.” Callie took the bottle from Emmy. “Hand me your foot, and I’ll paint those tootsies.”

  Emmy smiled as she lifted her foot onto Callie’s lap. Callie painted the lime-green color on the girl’s toes then added small pink dots. Emmy squealed with delight and ran into the living room to show her grandpa before Callie could remind her to be careful. She painted Emma’s toes purple with pink dots, and the child followed her sister racing into the living room to show off her polish.

  She heard the music from the girls’ favorite cartoon coming from the living area. They must have convinced their grandfather to switch stations. She looked down at her bare toenails. “Guess I’m on my own.”

  Filing the nails, her mind wandered to her date with Kirk that night. It had been so long since she’d been on a real date. Kirk, as excited as she, said he would pick her up in his truck at six o’clock sharp. They could have easily met here at the house, but he wouldn’t hear any of it. He’d grumbled when she’d suggested as much. “It’s our first real date since you’ve been back. We’re doing it right.”

  She folded her leg until her knee met her chest and her foot rested on the chair. With careful strokes, she applied the pink polish then switched legs and repeated the process.

  Glancing at the clock, she realized painting the girls’ nails and her own had taken longer than she expected. She needed to get ready. Walking on the balls of her feet, she made her way back to the cabin. She opened the screen then pushed open the door. Still balancing on her heels, she stepped on a small rock and lost her balance.

  Trying to keep her toes from getting ruined, she stepped back on her foot and reached for the screen door with both hands. Her right hand caught air, but her left hand caught the door. She yanked forward and crashed into the side of the door.

  She touched the side of her chest then worked down to her hip. “Ouch. That really hurt.”

  Still on the balls of her feet, she carefully made her way into the house. Her left side throbbed. She walked into the bedroom and took off her shirt. The door left an angry red imprint all the way down. With cautious fingers, she pressed along the line. Her abdomen seemed fine, probably just a bruise, but the side of her chest seemed a little swollen.

  Was the swelling due to hitting the door, or was there a lump there? A wave of panic laced through her as she thought of her mom battling breast cancer. Blinking several times, she sighed at her inner dramatics. “When a person falls and bruises a part of her body, the area often swells a bit.”

  She threw the shirt in the hamper then walked to her closet to take down the bright pink sundress she’d chosen to wear on the date.

  Fear niggled the back of her mind, and she took another deep breath, as the urge to feel the spot again welled inside her. “Callie Dawson, you are a nurse. You know that chances are the swelling is nothing but the injury,” she scolded herself aloud.

  But chances sometimes go the other way. She felt the side of her chest again. Definitely not normal. She tried lifting her hands above her head to see if she could detect anything obvious. Lowering her arms, she fumed at herself. Just because my mother had breast cancer does not mean I will get breast cancer.

  Annoyed, she pressed her palms against the dresser top and read the verse she’d printed and taped on the mirror several months ago. “‘The Lord is good.’” She spoke the words aloud, forcing them to sink into her anxious mind. “‘A refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust Him.’”

  She spoke to her reflection. “He’s good. He cares for me. No matter what.”

  Her mind shifted to her mother and how much she loved the Lord, to Greta and how Greta loved and served Him. God being good, and God caring for her, had nothing to do with Him allowing bad things to come into her life. She knew that. The swelling could mean bad news. It could be more than a bruise.

  However, I did just ram my whole body into the side of a door, so most likely, it’s simply a bruise.

  Callie laughed out loud. She was excited about the date, but she was obviously anxious, as well, because she was making a great big disease out of a little bitty bruise.

  Making her way into the bathroom, she brushed her teeth then plugged in the flat iron. She freshened her makeup then fixed her hair. After applying hairspray and then perfume, she put on the sundress. She slipped on the rhinestone sandals she’d bought on the birthday mall trip with Pamela. She fastened the straps then stood to her full height and looked at herself in the mirror.

  She hadn’t dressed up for a date in years. It felt good. She looked pretty. For a moment, she wished her mom was in the other room, waiting for her to come out of the bathroom. Mom would gush over how beautiful her girl was.

  God, I suppose I’ll always miss her. She put on the small diamond heart necklace her mother always wore. Smiling at her reflection, she touched the charm. But I have a memory of her right here.

  * * *

  Kirk placed his hand on the small of Callie’s back and guided her into the Italian restaurant. The menu was definitely not his favorite, but he wanted tonight to be perfect. He pulled out her chair then sat across from her.

  She leaned forward. “We didn’t have to come here.”

 
“Why? Do you not like it anymore? It used to be your favorite.”

  “It is my favorite, but I know it’s not yours.”

  He grinned. “I guess we both remember a lot about each other.”

  She cocked her head and narrowed her gaze. “Bet I remember more.”

  Before he could respond, the waiter arrived at their table. The teenage redhead placed a drink napkin in front of each of them. “What can I get you two to drink?”

  Kirk lifted his eyebrows. “She’ll have a raspberry Italian soda.”

  Callie dipped her chin in affirmation. She pointed toward him and said, “And he will have a diet Coke with no ice.”

  The waiter nodded then walked away, promising to take their orders when he returned.

  “Good job.” Kirk clasped his hands on top of the table. “Do you remember my favorite color?”

  “Green. Mine?”

  He lifted his finger. “Lime-green. Food?”

  “Steak and baked potato, extra butter, no sour cream.”

  “Spaghetti with tomato sauce.”

  “Marinara.”

  “Same thing.”

  “True.” She placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her fists. “Season?”

  “Fall, when the leaves change.”

  “Spring, because you can get your hands in the dirt again.”

  Kirk grinned. “Sports?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “None. Unless farming is a sport.”

  “None for you, either.”

  “Kids?”

  He lifted two fingers.

  She raised both hands. “As many as you have fingers, which the thought of always made me cringe a little. I mean somebody’s gotta give birth to that brood.”

  He leaned back in his seat and laughed. The waiter showed up with their drinks and took their orders. True to their preferences, he ordered the only steak on the menu, while Callie ordered spaghetti and meatballs with marinara sauce.

  Callie wrapped the straw between her thumb and finger and took a drink. “So, what movie are we going to see?”

  Kirk dropped his hands beneath the table and wrung them together. What to tell her? He didn’t want to ruin the surprise, but he couldn’t lie to her, either. “I think we’ll skip a movie. I have something else planned.”

  She leaned forward. “Bowling?”

  He shook his head as he envisioned falling on his face because he tried to release the ball but his fingers were stuck in those little holes.

  “Skating?”

  He stared at her, and she exploded in laughter. He cleared his throat. “Are you laughing because you believe I can’t skate? I’ll have you know...”

  She gripped the side of the table. “Since when can you skate?”

  “Since never.”

  “So, where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  Her eyes lit up. “I love surprises, and I love to try to figure them out.”

  “I know.” He wiped his hands on the sides of his pants. “I know you quite well, remember?”

  The food arrived, saving him from the third degree he knew she was about to give him. He offered a prayer over their food then lifted a silent prayer for God to help him make the night perfect.

  She was quiet through dinner, and Kirk knew she contemplated what he had planned for the date. He wished the woman would sit back and enjoy their time together. But she wouldn’t. She wanted to know everything, and he loved her, anyway.

  “Are we going to the high-school football game?”

  He scrunched his face. “What?”

  “I didn’t think so. It’s too late to go hiking, and I...”

  “Would you just enjoy eating your dinner?”

  She bantered back and forth with him through the rest of dinner. The waiter arrived with the check just before he blurted out the plans simply to get her to stop guessing.

  He opened the passenger’s door to the cab of the truck and helped her climb inside then ran around and hopped into his seat. He headed back toward the farm.

  “This was my next guess.”

  “What?”

  “The pond.” Her words came out little over a whisper, and he wondered if she’d figured it out.

  Well, even if she had, he had a few other surprises for her. Things he hoped she wouldn’t have thought about. He pulled onto the old dirt road he and his dad and brother had worn out on their many trips to the pond. His heartbeat raced as he drew nearer to the destination. His hands started to sweat and he wiped them one at a time on his pants.

  Callie inched closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Courage swelled within him. He could do this. It was what he wanted, and no matter what she said, he had to ask.

  He saw the pond in the distance and drove toward the single light on the linen-covered table that he’d had his mom and dad bring out to the pond. Callie raised her head and pointed. “What is that?”

  “You’ll see.”

  He drove a little farther, then stopped the truck, got out and helped her out of the cab. Taking her hand in his, he walked her toward the table. His parents had turned on a small battery-operated lamp, as he’d asked. Beside it was the dozen long-stemmed red roses he’d ordered. On the ground was a small cooler.

  He offered Callie a chair. She hadn’t said a word, but kept her fingers pressed against her lips. Opening the cooler, he lifted out two soft drinks and two pieces of cake. He placed one of each in front of Callie. “Dark chocolate cake with milk chocolate icing is still your favorite?”

  Callie nodded.

  He bent down and lifted out a plastic container of raspberries. He placed three on the top of her cake. “Raspberries are still your fruit of choice?”

  She nodded.

  “And the number three is your favorite?”

  She nodded again.

  He took her hand in his and allowed his thumb to trace its softness while he begged God to still his pounding heart. “For as long as I live, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget a thing about you.”

  With his free hand, he pointed to his temple. “You’re ingrained in my head.” Then he tapped his chest. “And my heart. I love you with all that is in me.”

  He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the black box. He popped open the lid and turned it to face her. “Do you remember this ring?”

  Callie gasped and touched the tip of the diamond with her fingertip. She nodded. “It’s the one I picked out years ago.”

  “I bought it. Before I asked for the break, I bought it. I think it’s what scared me. I loved you with everything in me, but the thought of getting married seemed impossible to my young mind. When you left, I looked at it every day for months. Furious with myself that I let someone else have you.”

  “Oh, Kirk.”

  “I kept it because I knew I’d always love you.” He got out of his chair and knelt in front of her. “Cals, I’m never going to let you go again. Please say you’ll be my wife.”

  Callie wrapped her arms around his neck, and he pulled her close. She grimaced, and he let her go.

  Tears streamed down her cheeks and she shook her hands. “Don’t mind that. I ran into the door and bruised my side, but I want a hug. Just be easy.”

  He tried again and pressed his lips to hers. “You never answered me.”

  “My answer is yes. A thousand times yes.”

  “And let me guess. A fall wedding?”

  “How’d you know?”

  He kissed her nose, then her eyes, then her cheeks, then her lips. “Because Callie Dawson, I know you.”

  Chapter 13

  Kirk walked up the concrete steps leading to the three arches in front of the Health Science Center at the University
of Tennessee. He and Ben had walked all over the campus, checking out each building where Ben had, or believed he would have, a class.

  He was happy for his brother, to be doing what he wanted to do, but Kirk didn’t understand Ben’s desire to leave the farm and come to a place of constant activity and noise. Sure, the farm had its fair share of customers, and Kirk fell asleep from sheer exhaustion the moment he closed his eyes at night. But he woke up to the sound of a rooster crowing and birds calling, not car horns blowing and machines chattering.

  The University of Tennessee was pretty and all, had a lot of terrific design and landscaping, but there were no mountains, not even any rolling hills. It was as if they’d left Tennessee all together. Kirk wouldn’t be able to breathe without nature around him, his animals, the orchard, the farm.

  Pamela had started classes a week ago, and Kirk had been as thrilled for her as anyone. She’d been especially somber the past few months. Maybe getting her degree would be good for her. Make her feel as if she had a purpose, even though a piece of paper wouldn’t give her value. She’d already been deemed special by the Lord. But maybe it was something she felt she had to do.

  Besides, he wasn’t against college. He’d gone to the community college Pamela now attended. Got his associate’s degree in business and took a few agriculture classes, as well. He wanted to have the knowledge to use and care for the resources God had given him. But a

  degree in engineering, which was what Ben wanted, or accounting as Pamela desired. He wrinkled his nose. Nah. Those types of sit-in-the-office-all-day jobs weren’t for him.

  Kirk patted his brother’s shoulder. “So, what do you think?

  “I think I can’t believe I didn’t come here right out of high school.”

  Ben’s gaze followed a group of girls that walked past them. One girl with long red hair turned around and smiled at Ben. Kirk nudged his little brother. “Remember, you’re here to learn.”

  He meant it in jest, but Ben scowled. “I know why I’m here, but I plan to go on a few dates and have a little fun, as well.”

  Kirk crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I was only teasing you.”