“Knowing Arlene, I seriously doubt that, but okay.” Emily turned to tug disposable cups out of the dispenser. “I’ve been getting to know Natalie. She’s agreed to help out here for a few weeks. Isn’t that great?”
“Bailey mentioned something about that.” He kept his eyes focused on Natalie, who was fussing with Ethan’s blanket.
“I thought she might have.” A laugh lurked somewhere behind Emily’s innocent words. Jacob ignored her.
“Natalie, could I speak to you for a minute?”
Natalie glanced up quickly. Before she could respond, Emily reached over and scooped the baby out of his mother’s arms.
“You go ahead and talk to Jacob, Natalie. I’ll be glad to watch Ethan for a few minutes.” Emily smiled as she looked down at the baby’s face. “Good practice for me. It’s been a while, and I’ll be pulling double duty again in about seven months.” She looked back at Jacob, her grin widening. “I was just telling Natalie. The doctor says it’s twins again. Abel and I found out at the ultrasound Friday afternoon.”
“Congratulations!” His mind flashed back to the pictures on his computer. That longing slammed into him again, this time squarely in the pit of his stomach. “How’s Abel handling the news?”
“Just about like you’d expect.” Emily’s smile deepened and gentled, as it always did when her husband’s name was mentioned. “He’s been following me around like a shadow, and he won’t let me pick up so much as a spoon without trying to help. Paul and Phoebe are arguing over names, and Nana Lois has already broken out her knitting needles. I’ve got my hands full with the lot of them, believe me. So prayers are much appreciated. Now, go on, have your talk so I can snuggle this baby.”
For a second Natalie didn’t seem to know what to say. Then her eyes connected with Jacob’s, and her doubtful expression firmed up. “Thanks, Emily.” She came around the counter and headed toward a corner table. She slid into a chair, clasped her hands on the tabletop and waited until he was seated.
“Mike told me that you paid for the repairs to my car.”
It was something about the way she said it. Her voice sounded brittle. Was that what she was upset about? Because he’d settled the mechanic’s bill without talking to her about it first?
“I did. I hope that didn’t bother you. I know how you feel about me paying for things, Natalie. You can consider it a loan, if you want. I think I have the receipt back at the office.”
“Mike already gave me a copy, but thanks. And I’ll pay you back, for that and for these clothes, as soon as I can.”
“There’s no rush.”
“I appreciate that.” She paused. She seemed to be having a little trouble with what she wanted to say next. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you for one more of those famous favors of yours.”
His heart, which had been feeling chilled ever since yesterday, warmed as if some secret switch had been tripped. Natalie, who never asked anybody for anything, was asking him for a favor.
That was a good sign. Wasn’t it?
“Sure. Anything. What do you need?”
“I need you to find Adam.”
The warm feeling evaporated. “What?”
“I’m sorry to bother you, especially after all you’ve already done for me. But you have so many connections, and you know just about everybody. I know it’s a long shot, but I thought you could put out some feelers and see if you can pin down Adam’s location.” She straightened her shoulders slightly and set her jaw. “He’s still not answering my texts or calls, and I honestly don’t know what else to do at this point.”
Ask me for anything else, he wanted to tell her. Instead he cleared his throat. “Why now?” He stopped himself. “Sorry. That’s none of my business.”
Something flickered in her expression, but it was gone before he could put a name to it. “You have the right to know. After all, I’m asking you for help. I want to find out once and for all if he wants to be a part of Ethan’s life. If he does...well, I’ll do whatever it takes to make that possible.”
Whatever it takes. He wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that.
“But I need to know. I can’t live in this...limbo anymore. I have to make some decisions.”
“What kind of decisions?”
“Where I’m going to live for one thing. I can’t stay at Lark Hill if Adam and I aren’t getting married. The farm belongs to his family.”
“I’m sure I can find you another place in town,” he began, but she cut him off.
“I probably won’t be staying in Pine Valley. So, do you think you could help me out?”
She wasn’t staying. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you.” She stood and pushed her chair neatly back into place.
She was about to leave. He had to say something. “Rufus,” he blurted out. “I...uh...have some new ideas about how to fix his pen. I could drive out later this afternoon and work on it, if that would be all right.” She was shaking her head. “Or tomorrow, if that would be more convenient for you.”
“Please don’t worry about it. I’m going to be kind of busy now, with the new jobs and everything. Besides, Rufus and Ethan and I have already taken up way too much of your time. I’m sure you have some other...Good Samaritan projects you need to be focusing on.”
He frowned. That was an odd choice of words. What was going on? “Natalie—” he started, but she cut him off.
“Would you call me, though? As soon as you have any news about Adam, I mean?”
She didn’t say and not before, but he heard it as plainly as if she had. This was more than just him paying for those repairs. Natalie was shutting him out of her life and slipping away. He desperately didn’t want that to happen, but he wasn’t sure how to stop it.
“Sure,” he said miserably.
“Thanks.” She gave him a quick nod, then stole her baby from Emily’s arms and said her goodbyes.
He sat at the table for another second or two, listening to the coffee shop bell chiming as the door shut behind her and thinking hard.
That remark she’d just made about charity projects, and the odd way she’d scampered off from church like a spooked deer, calling him Pastor Stone. The puzzle pieces slowly clicked into place, and he didn’t much like the picture they made.
Somebody at church must have said something to her. He felt a surge of annoyance so strong it bordered on fury, but guilt followed close on its heels. This was his fault. He was the one who’d talked Natalie into going, even insisting that she sit at the very front of the church, in the pew where the members of the pastor’s family traditionally sat.
He’d gotten a little carried away. It was just that never once in all the years he’d preached at Pine Valley, had he ever had anybody to put in that pew.
No wonder tongues had started to wag. He might as well have painted a bull’s-eye on Natalie’s back. She’d already been pretty doubtful about attending services. Now she probably never wanted to darken the door of a church again.
He was an idiot.
He’d have to find out what had happened and see if he could do some damage control. As soon as he got back to the office, he needed to have a little sit-down with Arlene. If anybody could find out what had been said to Natalie, it would be his secretary.
Maybe he should put Arlene on Adam’s trail while he was at it. It would serve him right. She’d drag the guy back to Pine Valley by the ear.
Not that it would do much good if she did. It was obvious to Jacob that if Adam really cared about Natalie or Ethan, he’d have never left in the first place. Jacob drummed his fingers on the table, thinking.
Natalie was right. It was time to end this limbo she’d been living in.
The little bell jangled again. He glanced up to see Bailey Quinn sauntering in for her midmorning coffee break. Bailey might be just the woman he neede
d to talk to right now. He stood up so fast that his chair clattered to the floor. Emily and Bailey halted in midgreeting to turn and stare at him.
He crossed the space between them in two long strides, his eyes fixed on Bailey’s startled face. Before she could speak, he cut right to the chase.
“Don’t you have a friend who’s a park ranger?”
Bailey blinked. “Yes. Why?”
“I’m going to need his number.”
* * *
A few days later, Natalie sat in the quiet farmhouse kitchen, a cup of herbal tea and the baby monitor at her elbow, totaling up numbers on a legal pad while Ethan napped in his nursery. When she finished, she leaned back in the wobbly kitchen chair and sighed.
Her plan was doable. Barely. It wasn’t going to be easy, considering how tired she was these days. Getting up twice a night to feed Ethan, then caring for a baby all day long, was even more exhausting than working double shifts as a waitress.
Especially now that Jacob wasn’t coming by anymore. She hadn’t fully realized how much she’d come to depend on him until she’d told him to stay away. And it wasn’t just his help that she missed; she missed his companionship.
She missed his smile.
Of course, he still came by the church coffee shop every morning, but Natalie always found something to do in the kitchen when he showed up. Emily had shot her a few concerned glances, but she hadn’t said anything about it.
Emily had been so kind to her. When Natalie had explained her situation, the coffee shop manager had given her hand a friendly squeeze. “I was a single mom, too, and I know how hard it can be. Bring your baby to work with you. We’ll manage.”
She’d worked two half days already, and so far Emily was right. Which was good, because Natalie needed the small salary from the coffee shop and every cent she could get from the blueberries if she was going to make ends meet.
Natalie stood, clipping the baby monitor to the waistband of her leggings. While Ethan was sleeping, she’d go check up on the berries. She closed the creaky back door and headed across the backyard.
She walked out into the brambly field, squinting at the bushes stretching out in all directions. Most of the berries on the sagging branches were still a pinkish red, but some of them were beginning to turn a dusky blue. She’d have to start picking them soon, and she honestly didn’t know where she’d find the energy.
She should be thankful, she reminded herself. She’d prayed for a way to make some money, and God had provided. Not only had Bailey Quinn promised to buy every berry Natalie could deliver, the shop owner had instantly agreed to the price Natalie had set.
And that wasn’t all. Natalie hadn’t expected Cora to allow her to sell the blueberries, especially since Adam’s grandmother had never even responded to the text Natalie sent her announcing Ethan’s birth.
But when Natalie had called to ask permission, Cora had immediately agreed.
“I don’t see why not. That’s honest work, and they’ll just go to waste otherwise.” The older woman, who’d sounded hoarse and weak, confessed that she’d been ill with the flu. “It’s been going around the retirement villa like wildfire. We’ve had three deaths, and I spent two nights in the hospital myself. I won’t be up to seeing my great-grandson any time soon, I’m afraid.”
That was just fine with Natalie. The very last thing she needed right now was to catch the flu, and she certainly didn’t want Ethan exposed to it.
After she’d hung up, she realized she’d forgotten to ask Cora if she’d heard from Adam. But surely if she had, she’d have let Natalie know.
It was a little strange. Adam’s finances had to be getting low. No doubt he’d discovered Natalie’s small stash of bills, but even that should have run out by now.
“Blaaah.” Natalie jumped at the noise and turned to find Rufus behind her. A branch studded with half-ripened berries hung out of his mouth.
“Bad goat!” She snatched the twig away. Great. She had no idea that goats liked blueberries, but they obviously did. Making Rufus stay in his pen had just been bumped up on her priority list. “Come on, you ornery old rascal. Let’s get you back where you belong.” She looped her fingers under the goat’s faded collar.
As she turned toward the barn, she saw sunlight glinting off a car that was pulling into her driveway. She didn’t recognize the car, but she did recognize the tall figure who unfolded herself from the driver’s seat. Maybe Rufus did, too, because the animal took one good look, wrenched away from her grip and skittered nervously back in the direction of his pen all by himself.
Arlene.
Natalie fought a desire to crouch behind the berry bushes and hide until Jacob’s secretary left. But Ethan was in the house, and he’d be waking up in a few minutes.
She started across the yard, her heart pounding harder with each step. Arlene saw her coming and stopped just shy of the porch, a gift clutched in her hand and a boxy purse swinging from one elbow. She had a determined expression on her face.
“Hello.” Natalie offered the greeting as soon as she was within earshot. “Are you looking for me?”
“Yes.” The woman’s gray curls bobbed as she nodded. “We haven’t officially met. I’m Arlene Marvin, the secretary at Pine Valley Community Church. I’d like a word with you.” She thrust out the present, neatly wrapped in a glossy blue paper printed with little yellow ducks. “Here. I brought you a baby nail care kit. Most young mothers don’t take good care of their newborn’s fingernails. You need to keep them clipped good and short. Babies scratch themselves otherwise.”
“Thank you.” Natalie had no idea what to say next, and she was grateful when the monitor at her hip crackled. “I’m so sorry, but my son is waking up, Mrs. Marvin. I’m going to have to go in.”
“It’s Miss. I never married. That’s all right. I’ll come along with you, if you don’t mind.”
Natalie did mind, but there was nothing she could do about it, short of being rude. As she led the way through the shabby farmhouse, Arlene looked around with interest.
“You know, hardly anybody in Pine Valley has ever been inside this place. Ed Larkey wasn’t one for company. Some folks said he only bought this farm to get away from his wife. Not that I blame him. I knew Cora in school, and she always was the bossiest little thing.”
Natalie opened the nursery door and gathered Ethan out of his crib. Arlene halted in the doorway, scanning the room with lifted eyebrows. “Well, I must say.” She drew in a long breath. “Jacob’s certainly been busy.”
Natalie could feel her cheeks pinking up as she carried Ethan to the changing table. She kept her eyes down as she fussed with unfastening the snaps on Ethan’s onesie. “Pastor Stone has been really kind to us.”
“Don’t I wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard someone say that! I’d be a wealthy woman.” She wandered around the nursery, peering nearsightedly at various items. “Jacob’s always doing something for somebody. It’s a fine quality for a pastor to have, of course. Our church believes in helping folks. Always has. I want you to know that.”
The hairs on the back of Natalie’s neck prickled. She had a feeling Arlene was about to zero in on the reason for this little visit.
“I’m afraid you might have reason to think differently. And that’s why I’m here.” The old woman cleared her throat, and Natalie braced herself. “I came to apologize.”
Natalie froze, a pair of blue elastic pants halfway up Ethan’s plump legs. Well, that was unexpected. She fumbled for the right thing to say. “You don’t... I mean...that’s not necessary.”
“Jacob says it is, and this time I’m inclined to agree with him. I don’t know how much you overheard on Sunday, but I certainly never meant to hurt your feelings or make you feel unwelcome. I’ve felt real bad about it ever since, especially when Jacob told me how you’d been treated at that other church you went to. I hope y
ou can forgive me.”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” Natalie answered simply. “Like you said, you didn’t mean to hurt my feelings. You had no way of knowing I could hear you talking. That was an accident, by the way. I don’t usually listen at doors.” She finished pulling up the little pants and settled Ethan against her shoulder before turning to face the older woman. Arlene stood in the middle of Ethan’s airplane rug, two red spots burning brightly in her thin cheeks.
Natalie wasn’t the only person who was finding this conversation uncomfortable.
“Don’t worry about it. I completely understand. Voices carry right through that flimsy door. A person can overhear conversations without half trying. I’ve told Jacob so a dozen times. Anyway, I appreciate you being so nice about it.” Arlene shifted her weight from one orthopedic shoe to the other. “Like I told you before, I never married. Too cantankerous for the menfolk, I expect.” A very brief smile flickered over the older lady’s lips. “So I never had any children of my own. Over the past few years, I’ve fallen into the habit of fussing over Jacob like a squawky old hen with one chick. The truth is I’m very...fond of that young man, and I’m more than a little worried about him just now, what with Digby and this whole fellowship hall mess that’s going on. But then, I’m sure you know all about that.”
Hadn’t Arlene mentioned something about a fellowship hall when she was talking to Beth Pruitt? But that was the only time Natalie had heard anything about it.
She shook her head. “No, I’m afraid I don’t.”
She listened uneasily as Arlene explained the troubles Jacob had been dealing with at work. From what his secretary was saying, he was on the brink of losing his job because he wouldn’t kowtow to somebody named Digby.
“You know, I’m kind of surprised Jacob hasn’t already told you this,” Arlene said finally. “What with all the time you two have spent together lately, I’d have thought it would’ve come up.” There was a questioning glint in her steely blue eyes, and she tilted her head as she waited for Natalie’s answer.
Natalie lifted her chin and cuddled Ethan a little closer. “Jacob doesn’t share his personal problems with me, Miss Marvin. We don’t have that kind of relationship. Like you said back at the church, he was just decent enough to help me out when I had nobody else to turn to. That’s all.”
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