A New Life

by Mildred Colvin

  Kimberly looked up the street on the opposite side. She recognized Travis’s truck. He leaned against the driver’s side. She couldn’t see him clearly, but it was him. A woman stood a couple of feet from him. A beautiful woman in heels and a soft blue dress as if she’d just come from church. She laughed, and Kimberly’s heart sank. Travis stepped forward to enfold the woman in a quick hug. He kissed her cheek. She patted his cheek and then kissed where her hand had been. Kimberly’s chest felt as if a boulder pressed against it. Her eyes burned, so she turned away.

  “Gran’s waiting, Jamie. Don’t tell her we saw Travis, okay?”

  “But Momma.” Jamie protested. “He kissed that lady.”

  “Maybe they’re friends.” Confusion and pain swirled in Kimberly’s heart. She tugged Jamie toward Gran. If Jamie bought her explanation, he’d be the only one.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Travis grinned at his cousin. “I’m glad I ran into you, Shelia. I don’t see nearly enough of you and John.”

  “I know.” Shelia laughed. “Living in this little burg, you’d think we’d be running across each other all the time. I talked to my little brother last night. He’s worried about you.”

  “Brent?” Travis scoffed. “What’s he got to worry about? He hear about our rustling problem or something?”

  “I don’t know. But I did. According to the paper, you caught the guy red-handed.”

  “Yeah, we did.” Travis didn’t want to talk about Jack McMilin. “So what’d Brent tell you?”

  “He says he sent you a housekeeper with a son.” Shelia’s eyebrows rose. “What’s that all about? Sounds intriguing.”

  Travis grinned. “Something tells me you know the whole story already.”

  She laughed. “Not the ending. Maybe you can fill me in on that part.”

  “Ha.” Travis gave a short laugh. “Maybe when I know.” He frowned. “What am I supposed to do, Shelia? I even went to church this morning, hoping that would clear my mind. They’ve been here almost three months, and I just found out Jamie’s my son.”

  Shelia looked into his eyes. “Do you love her?”

  “What’s that got to do with anything?” Travis shook his head. “Why do women always think of romance?”

  He folded his arms across his chest. “He’s my son, but so was Steven. I failed Steven and I failed Rosalyn. She wanted to go home, and I kept her here. Look where that got me. Both of them gone. What would I do with another son? I don’t deserve him. I don’t deserve Kim.”

  “That’s true. You don’t.” Shelia’s gaze didn’t waver although her words were like a slap in Travis’s face. Her voice softened. “None of us deserve God’s best, but He continually offers it. He gave us His only son so we could live now and for all eternity. He offers forgiveness no matter how horrible our crime. No one else blames you for what happened. You have to forgive yourself and accept God’s love. And Kim’s. And Jamie’s. It’s already yours.”

  Travis shoved away from the truck. “I need to go, Shelia. I’m glad I got to see you.”

  “Are you heading to Granby?” Shelia’s expression was as soft as her smile. He wasn’t fooling her. She had to know her words had stung worse than an insect’s bite. Maybe she’d meant for them to.

  He shook his head. “Why would I go there?”

  “I heard this morning that Beth Reynolds went to the hospital. I figured you’d go see her and her baby.”

  “Yeah, I will. Thanks for telling me. I hadn’t heard.” Travis grinned at the thought. So today Beth would become a mother. Going to see her would be a nice diversion from wrestling with his conscience.

  ~*~

  The first thing Travis saw in the maternity waiting room was Tom McMilin’s wheelchair. The second was Tom with a serious expression on his face. He motioned Travis over. Tom’s wife, Ella, sat beside him holding his hands. Her eyelashes were damp as if she’d been crying.

  Travis’s heart lurched. “What’s going on? Where’s Lee?”

  “With Beth.” Tom patted a chair beside him. “Sit down, Travis. We’ll tell you what we know.”

  Travis sat on the edge of the seat leaning forward.

  Tom began talking. “She’s been in labor longer than we knew. There are complications. Some sort of distress for the baby. He’s not coming like he should. They decided to operate several minutes ago. Lee asked us to pray. He’s concerned about the baby, but Beth is also a concern.”

  Fear gripped Travis’s heart. He couldn’t lose Beth. She was his friend, his cousin, but more like the little sister he never had. He couldn’t handle losing another person he loved.

  Ella spoke then. “The baby started to come naturally, only something happened. They said the cord was tied in a knot. Then Beth’s blood pressure shot up. We’ve been praying for both of them, but we should know something soon.”

  Travis hurt for Beth. She was the tomboy who ran as fast as he did and rode horses better. She’d been his friend since he was six years old. She couldn’t die. He looked at Tom confined to a chair. He’d been just as active as Beth, and he’d never walk again.

  His eyes burned and he blinked. “I’m sorry, Tom.”

  “For what?” Tom’s voice was soft.

  Travis slapped his palm on the arm of Tom’s chair. “For this. For putting you in that thing.”

  “This wheelchair?” Tom gave a quick laugh. “You didn’t put me here, Travis. I did that all on my own.”

  “No, it was my son you were trying to save. Don’t you think I know? If I hadn’t married Rosalyn, you’d still be walking. She’d still be alive.”

  “Maybe she would, but you couldn’t have kept me out of this wheelchair.” Tom smiled. “I put myself here, Travis. When I got hurt, I was running from God’s call on my life. He wanted me in the ministry, and I didn’t want to go. My disobedience took me outside God’s protection. If that horse hadn’t kicked me, something else would have. This was all made clear to me while I was in the hospital. While I was there, I witnessed to a young man, and he accepted the Lord. That’s when everything fell into place, and I stopped running.”

  Tom patted the chair arm Travis had stuck. “Yep, I’m exactly where I belong. You can stop feeling sorry for me anytime now.”

  Tom’s words sank deep into Travis’s mind and created even more questions. “What about Steven? Why’d he die?”

  “A pure and simple accident? His own disobedience?” Tom shrugged. “I don’t have the answers, Travis. Maybe Rosalyn didn’t watch him or maybe she did. Little boys have a way of slipping around when they want something bad enough. Whatever the reasons, and whoever’s at fault doesn’t really matter now, does it? We all know no one meant for Steven to be hurt. Harsh as this may sound, Rosalyn chose her fate by not accepting her lot in life. When she married you, she knew you intended to live in Nebraska. She chose to come here with you. She stayed of her own free will.”

  Tom’s words made sense. He hadn’t kept her from visiting her folks in California. “She wanted to move back. She wouldn’t go for visits without me.” He whispered the words, but Tom heard.

  “I know. You’ve got to let go of the past. Forgive yourself and accept God’s forgiveness. Face what’s ahead with a clear conscience.” Tom spoke in soft tones. “Would you like to pray?”

  Travis nodded. “For Beth.”

  “All right.” Tom bowed his head and led them in prayer. As he finished, the doors leading further into the hospital opened and Lee came through.

  Travis stood. “Lee?”

  The tall sheriff wiped an arm across his eyes before the hint of a smile lifted his lips. “She’s in recovery. She’ll be okay. I want you to know, your prayers pulled her through.”

  Ella hugged Lee first. He shook hands with Tom. As he shook Travis’s hand, he pulled him into a tight embrace. After that Lee was surrounded by his parents and Beth’s family.

  Travis heard a step behind him and turned to see Gran’s smile. “I assume the baby is here now?”

 
“Yeah, Beth’s in recovery. Lee’s spreading the word.” Travis lifted his gaze to Kim and Jamie, standing together a few feet away. He wanted to go to them, but something held him back. He still carried a lot of baggage. Had a lot of thinking to do. A lot of praying.

  ~*~

  Kimberly loaded the dishwasher, but her mind drifted to Travis as it usually did. He’d been brooding for two weeks. Right after supper he’d gone upstairs to his room. Getting ready to go out, no doubt, just as he’d been doing every evening. If she’d known telling him about Jamie would drive him into another woman’s arms, would she have told? Of course, she would have. She’d had no choice. Telling him was the right thing to do. And now her purpose in coming to Travis’s ranch was done. Gran didn’t need her. Her conscience was clear. She needed to figure out where to go. Maybe back to Omaha. She still hadn’t talked to Grandfather. Maybe she should.

  Jamie burst through the café doors. “Hey, Momma, I’m gonna go out and play with Trixie. Okay?”

  “Whoa.” She stopped him at the back door. “That’s fine, but don’t roughhouse with her. She may look good as new, but she’s probably still sore from her injuries. Just take it easy, all right?”

  “Sure.” His promise was no sooner out than the door slammed behind him.

  She shook her head and closed the dishwasher then turned it on.

  A step behind her alerted her she wasn’t alone. “Will you go with me, Kim?”

  She swung toward Travis’s voice. He stood in the middle of the kitchen floor, an uncertain look on his face.

  “Go where?” She couldn’t meet his eyes. “I was just thinking about talking to Gran. It’s time I made plans. Decide where to go.”

  He shook his head. “No, don’t do that. Please? Come with me out to the island. You haven’t been on Gran’s island yet, have you?”

  “No.”

  “You’ll like it. We’ll take the pedal boat. One person can drive it, but it’s more fun with two. The island is pretty now with the flowers in bloom.” He held his hand out, his expression pleading. “Okay?”

  Kimberly stared at him a moment, wishing she could walk away. Would she ever be able to? She sighed. “All right.”

  Travis was right. The pedal boat was fun to use. They worked together as a team and stopped close to the lower end of the dock attached to the island. Travis jumped out and tied the boat then helped Kimberly step onto the dock. As soon as her feet were solid, she released his hand and walked away. He followed her as she stepped from the dock onto the grassy island.

  The gazebo stood as a romantic reminder of past loves. Had Travis brought Rosalyn here? Of course he had. She felt like an intruder. She crossed the floor to sit on the bench that surrounded the round twelve-foot room. Kimberly rested her arm on the railing, secured to the top of the open waist-high wall, and looked into the distance. Beyond the island and the water surrounding it, waving grass stretched as far as she could see. She watched a herd of cattle grazing on the tall grass. Closer, scattered about the island, were groupings of flowers in full bloom, their colors blending into a beauty like no other.

  She sensed Travis sit beside her but didn’t turn toward him. “You’re right. It is beautiful here.”

  “Gran had a table and chairs sitting in the middle of the floor for picnics. Gramps brought electricity out so they could have light at night. We had swimming parties and cooked out here sometimes in the summers when I was a kid. We had a lot of fun back then.”

  His voice held so much sadness Kimberly couldn’t resist looking at him. He met her gaze. “The table’s in storage now. If you want, we can have it brought back.”

  Her eyes widened. “I certainly have no say what goes on here, Travis.”

  “You could.” He met her gaze. “If you’ll marry me.”

  “Marry you?” Kimberly jumped to her feet. “Marry you? You must be out of your mind. You don’t want me. And what about Jamie? He comes with me, you know.”

  “Of course, I know that.” Travis frowned at her. “What do you take me for? Kids belong with their mothers. And I do want you.”

  Kimberly turned away, so he wouldn’t see her roll her eyes in disbelief. She mumbled. “Yeah, me and who knows how many more.”

  His hearing was better than she thought. He stood. “What’s that supposed to mean? You are the only woman I want, Kim.”

  She turned to face him, her eyes burning with unshed tears. “You haven’t been acting like it. And you certainly haven’t been acting like you want to be a father. I understand you’ve got a ranch to run. That explains why you aren’t around during the day, but you’ve been ignoring Jamie ever since I told you who he is.”

  “And he’s been ignoring me ever since the campout. Avoiding me, in fact. Does he blame me for Trixie getting hurt? I know kids get funny notions, but that doesn’t make sense.”

  Kimberly almost buckled under the hurt in Travis’s eyes. Then she remembered him kissing that woman. He’d been so enthralled with her, he hadn’t noticed them across the street. She straightened her spine.

  “Jamie saw you with a woman. Kissing her.”

  Travis stared at her then let out a bark of a laugh. “Kissing? See, that proves it. Jamie’s got a good imagination. I haven’t kissed any woman but you since Rosalyn left. You can ask anyone around here.”

  Travis’s denial hurt Kimberly more than she wanted to admit even to herself. Colin had done the same thing those first years when he didn’t want her to know. She couldn’t go through that again. She just couldn’t. She’d stay until after the church auction, but no longer.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Travis shut off the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He wiped fog from the mirror and grinned at his reflection. He had plans today that went beyond helping with the church’s auction.

  Beth’s near brush with death had scared him more than he let anyone know. Since that day in the hospital, after his talk with Tom, he’d done a lot of thinking and praying. In fact, for several weeks now, he’d spent nearly every evening after supper at Tom’s house talking and going over scripture. They’d prayed together and cried while healing had taken place in his soul. He felt complete now in a way he’d never been before.

  He filled the sink with hot water, lathered his face, and picked up his razor. He wanted to look his best, because today could be a turning point in his life. If Kim would have him. If Jamie would accept him. He’d never been more ready to become a husband and a father.

  Travis finished shaving and went to his room to dress. A few minutes later, he ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, stopping just inside with a hand on each café door. Kim stood at the counter, placing pies in a low cardboard box. She turned to face him. Her eyes flared to life, but the fire died as she turned away.

  She had combed her long, blond hair up into a ponytail that swished from side to side when she moved. She was beautiful. Love for Kim swelled in his heart.

  “Looks like you’re about ready.” He let the doors close as he stepped further into the room.

  “Yes, I am.” She didn’t look at him. “If you’re wanting a job, this box of pies is ready to go. Just put them in the back of my van.”

  He stepped close to her and took her shoulders, turning her to face him. “Don’t pull away from me, Kim.”

  Her voice came out in a whisper. “I’m not.”

  “Good.” He smiled and moved closer. She lifted her face and looked at his lips. That was all he needed to know. His smile widened just before he lowered his head for a kiss much too short. “I love you, Kim.”

  She stared up at him with her lips parted, but she didn’t speak. He waited in vain for her declaration of love. Maybe later after the auction when he showed her the ring he planned to buy. Shelia was supposed to meet him at the jewelry store to help him pick out a ring for Kim. He’d mess up for sure if he tried to do it on his own, and he didn’t want Gran to know. She’d tell Kim and ruin his surprise.

  Kim loved him. He knew she did. Sh
e was hurt right now because he hadn’t jumped with joy as soon as she told him about Jamie. He understood that. He should’ve let her know how he felt about Jamie long before now. But he’d been so stunned with her confirmation of what he’d been suspecting and fearing, he’d taken the coward’s way out and ran. He didn’t plan to run any more though.

  He lifted the box and took it out to the van. Trixie ran along beside him, her tongue hanging out and a wide smile on her canine face. He set the box inside and lowered the hatch before taking Trixie’s neck between his hands and rubbing the long fur. “I’d say it’s past time for you to go back to work, girl.”

  Trixie barked as if she agreed. Travis laughed. Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he turned to see Jamie walking back to the cabin he shared with his mom. His son sat on the porch and propped his head up with his elbows on his knees. He’d have run to join them a few short weeks ago. Something was certainly wrong.

  Travis shook his head. Jamie shouldn’t be paying for his mistakes. Feeling more than a little guilt, he headed that way. Jamie stood up and started across the porch toward the door.

  “Wait, son.” Travis called to him. “Trixie and I’d like to say hi.”

  Jamie stopped and slowly turned to face them. He didn’t speak. Trixie ran up on the porch and stood close to the little boy. Jamie buried his fingers in the dog’s hair.

  “I think we’re all about ready to head into town. Should be a lot of fun today, don’t you think?”

  Jamie stared at him and nodded. Something had happened to the boy, and Travis didn’t have a clue what it might be. Guess he’d have to ask.

  “I sure enjoyed that campout we went on with your mom and Gran. We had a good time there, didn’t we?”

  Again Jamie nodded.

  Travis reached down and patted Trixie’s head. “Of course, Trixie here had a pretty bad time. But she’s back to normal now. I’m thinking of putting her to work again Monday.”

  Jamie frowned, but didn’t speak.

  “Did that upset you? Trixie getting hurt? Is there anything about it you want to talk about? I don’t mind. You can say anything you want to me, and I won’t get mad.” Travis watched Jamie closely but saw no change of expression. He’d reached into the dark and come up empty handed.