by Cindy Kirk
The door to the labor and delivery area flew open. Kyle stood in blue scrubs, wearing the expression of someone who’d been hit in the chest with a two-by-four.
Katie Ruth hung back as the others rushed forward.
“How’s my sister?” Ethan demanded.
Lindsay clutched Kyle’s arm as tears slipped down her cheeks. “Are they going to transfer Eliza to Milwaukee?”
“There’s no need.” Kyle collapsed in a nearby chair. “Our little girl is like her mother. She decided today was the day, and by God, no one was going to stop her.”
Ethan expelled a ragged breath. “And Eliza?”
Kyle grinned. “Happy. So very happy.”
“Ava is here?” Jeremy dropped down next to his brother. “Already?”
Ava.
Katie Ruth smiled. She hadn’t known the couple had settled on a name.
“Both Eliza and the baby are doing well. I could tell she was feeling better when she started ordering around the nurses. Our daughter is perfect.” Kyle’s grin held a mixture of relief and elation. “Eighteen inches long and five pounds six ounces. Breathing on her own. Screaming on her own is more accurate.”
“Congratulations.” Dan extended a hand.
Kyle took Dan’s hand, and their gazes locked. “I heard the end of the prayer. Thank you for that.”
Reassured that everything was under control, Katie Ruth and Dan said their good-byes.
On the drive home, Katie Ruth leaned her head against the back of the seat.
“Tired?” Dan asked.
“Exhausted.” Katie Ruth opened her eyes. “I was worried about Eliza and the baby.”
“I’m happy it all worked out.”
“Me, too.”
“I’m glad you were with me tonight.”
Katie Ruth understood. Though Sturgeon wasn’t far from Good Hope, the drive could be a boring one, especially at night. “I’m happy I could keep you company on the drive.”
“That isn’t what I meant.” With his eyes on the road, Dan reached over and took her hand. “We worked together like a team tonight. It felt good.”
“I didn’t do anything.” Katie Ruth wanted to wave her hand, but she liked the feel of his around hers too much. “I just asked a couple questions.”
“You have a soothing way about you. It’s calming to others.” He smiled. “And to me.”
“Well, if I was of any help, I’m glad.” She gazed into the darkness. “Most of all, I’m glad there was a happy ending. I envy Eliza.”
Dan remained silent, obviously concentrating on the road. The earlier rain had ended, but fog now settled over the highway, dropping visibility to several car lengths.
Katie Ruth didn’t mind the silence. With Dan, the silence wasn’t awkward or tense, but comfortable. The slight chill in the outside air was dispelled by the car’s heated seats.
“What is it about her life that you envy?”
Lost in her thoughts, Katie Ruth blinked. “Pardon?”
“You said you envy Eliza. What is it about her life that you envy?”
“She found someone who’s her perfect match in every way.” Katie Ruth sighed, remembering the drama when Eliza and Kyle had first met. Thankfully, like tonight, there was a happy ending. “Now they’re married and have a daughter.”
When Dan didn’t immediately respond, Katie Ruth felt her cheeks grow hot.
“It isn’t like I’m on a search for Prince Charming or anything.” Katie Ruth spoke quickly, not wanting him to think she was a hopeless romantic.
She was thirty, not sixteen. There were no stars in her eyes.
“If by Prince Charming you mean someone who loves and respects you, someone who will support you in achieving your goals, I say why not search for that person?”
Katie Ruth gave a noncommittal shrug, though she wasn’t sure Dan could see the movement in the dim light.
“Sometimes, that person doesn’t ride up on a white horse, or have a million dollars in the bank.” Dan’s tone remained easy and conversational. “Sometimes, the man could be, say, a minister.”
Katie Ruth froze for a second, wondering if she’d heard correctly. The air of watchful waiting permeating the interior told her she had.
She shifted in her seat toward him as much as the safety belt would allow. Her heart had butterfly wings brushing against her throat. It took several swallows to find her voice. “What are you saying, Dan?”
“I’m saying that I’d like for you to give me a chance to win your heart.” This time, it was his turn to clear his throat. “What do you say, Katie Ruth? Is there a chance I could be your Prince Charming?”
Katie Ruth shut her front door and collapsed against it, her heart hammering. Though Dan’s kisses had seemed extra sweet, it’d been the look in his eyes that had her swooning.
When she’d told him that yes, there was a good chance he could be her Prince Charming, his relieved grin had touched her heart. They’d continue to date…and see where it went from there.
The thing was, Katie Ruth didn’t need more dates or kisses to know Dan was the man for her. How could any woman not fall for such a man? Dan Marshall was good and kind and so sexy he sent her heart racing each time he looked in her direction.
Still smiling, Katie Ruth dropped onto the sofa and heaved a happy sigh. It had been such a wonderful day. Not only had she gotten so many ideas for the youth concert, but Eliza and her baby girl were healthy, and she and Dan were growing closer by the second.
Though it was late, Katie Ruth was too wired to sleep. After jotting a couple of items on her to-do list for tomorrow, she scrolled through her Facebook and Instagram accounts before moving on to her texts.
There was one from a number she didn’t recognize.
Katie Ruth, I have to speak with you asap. Call me. Judd
He had her phone number.
Gooseflesh dotted her arms. How could Judd have gotten her cell number? Katie Ruth wrapped her arms around herself to stop the chill, but they had no effect.
Why was he reaching out to her after all these years?
The problem was, Katie Ruth wasn’t still friends with any of the women she’d known back then. After that weekend, she’d put her partying life behind her.
She’d been out of control during that trip, her recklessness fueled by an invitation from a guy she’d dated casually before she left for Vegas to “swing” with him.
That conversation had been her first indication that her parents’ unorthodox behavior had somehow become public knowledge among her eclectic circle of college friends. She’d thought she’d shrugged off the question, but her behavior once she reached Vegas said differently.
Katie Ruth stared down at her phone. Should she text Judd and tell him to leave her alone? Remind him they had nothing to say to each other?
If this was a spam message, she wouldn’t respond. A return text would let the person know this was a working number, a number connected to someone who would respond.
Just as she would with any other spammer, Katie Ruth blocked his number.
She had a good life in Good Hope. The girl she’d been when she ran into Judd on that dance floor in Vegas no longer existed. The last thing Katie Ruth wanted was for her past—especially an episode of such short duration—to interfere with the present.
Which meant she was keeping Judd Stevens firmly in the past.
“She’s a gorgeous baby.” Katie Ruth gave one last glance at the dark-haired baby wrapped in a pink blanket festooned with frolicking lambs.
“Ava is definitely a keeper.” Eliza gently stroked the fine hair of her daughter. “Kyle and I argue constantly over whose turn it is to hold her.”
“You should have seen when my parents and Lolo were here.” Kyle shook his head. “Everyone wanted a turn.”
“Ed and Cheryl are coming tomorrow,” Eliza said, referring to Kyle’s biological father and his wife. “I’m sure it’ll be the same thing all over again.”
“A baby can’t h
ave too much love.” Dan’s gaze dropped from Kyle and Eliza to the baby. “You’re blessed.”
“We are.” Kyle looked at Dan. “Thanks again for coming to the hospital. And for the prayers.”
“Yes,” Eliza added. “Thank you.”
Katie Ruth noticed as they finished saying their good-byes that no one had mentioned Eliza’s parents. Eliza had mentioned that her brother had been over several times to see his new niece, but she hadn’t said anything about her parents.
“I wonder if Eliza’s parents are planning to come by.” Katie Ruth took Dan’s arm as they strolled down the sidewalk toward the business district and her cottage.
Instead of driving the short distance to Eliza and Kyle’s large Victorian home, Dan had left his car at her place and they’d walked there hand in hand.
Dan’s brows pulled together. “I wonder what’s going on there.”
Katie Ruth didn’t have to wonder. “In Eliza’s family, it’s all about Ethan. Though Eliza rarely speaks of it, everyone in town knew when we were younger that there was only one child in their family, and it wasn’t her.”
“I sincerely hope that isn’t the case.” Concern filled Dan’s voice. “My sister feels that way, but I know my parents love her dearly.”
Katie Ruth wasn’t about to get into the relationship with Oaklee and her parents. But she’d grown up in Good Hope and remembered how the Shaws doted on their son.
“You can’t have forgotten how Eliza’s dad sold the house right out from under her. The house that her grandmother wanted her to inherit?”
“I had forgotten.” Dan hesitated. “Speaking of parents, I’m going to be driving to Chicago tomorrow to visit mine.”
“Really?” Katie Ruth had spent the afternoon with Oaklee, and the girl hadn’t said anything about taking a trip. “How long will you and Oaklee be gone?”
“Actually, my sister isn’t going with me.”
“Why not?”
“My parents, well, my dad is still insisting that until she goes back to school, she’s not welcome in his house.”
“I hoped he’d softened by now. Did he ask you not to bring her?”
Dan expelled a heavy breath, then gave a slow nod. “I’m going to try to talk to him about her while I’m there.”
“How did she take the news?”
“She doesn’t know I’m going.”
Katie Ruth’s feelings must have shown on her face, because he hurriedly added, “I’m telling her tonight.”
“She’ll be crushed.” Katie Ruth thought of her own parents. Say what you wanted about their unusual lifestyle, but they would never do something like this. Not to her. Nor to Nick. “Are you going to tell her that her father still doesn’t want her there?”
“Give me some credit.” As if realizing he’d spoken more harshly than he’d intended, Dan softened his tone. “I’m going to be honest. I’m going for a job interview and stopping by to see our parents.”
“Job interview?”
“It was one of the reasons I wanted to see you tonight.” He blew out a breath. “The call to interview came this morning. With Easter on the horizon, there weren’t many times open, but tomorrow afternoon worked for both me and the search committee members.”
“You’re speaking of the associate pastor position at the church in Lincolnshire.” Katie Ruth spoke slowly, trying to corral her thoughts. “The large congregation you brought up before.”
“Yes.” Dan tried to contain his excitement, but Katie Ruth knew him too well to be fooled. “I’m not sure how many they plan to interview, but I know they’re hoping whoever they hire will move up when the senior pastor retires in five years.”
“Sounds like you’re interested.” Katie Ruth kept her voice and expression neutral.
“I’m interested in speaking with them.” Dan took her arm, spun her to face him. “Come with me. See the facility, talk with the ministers and the staff.”
“I can’t go with you.” Katie Ruth gave a little laugh. “What would they think?”
“They’d think you were important to me.” His voice grew husky. “You are important to me.”
“I appreciate the offer, more than you know.” Katie Ruth softened the upcoming refusal with a smile. “But we’re not yet at the stage where you need to consult me. This decision is between you and God.”
For a second, she thought he might argue, but then he nodded and pulled her to him. They fit perfectly together. Katie Ruth wished she could hold on to this moment, and this feeling, forever.
Chapter Fourteen
On Friday, Katie Ruth took an extended lunch hour and met Oaklee at Marigold’s. From the distressed-wood sign hanging from an ornate iron holder to the vintage Capodimonte porcelain chandelier with hand-painted flowers, the interior of the shop on Main Street was on par with any high-end salon in a large city.
Oaklee’s eyes widened as they stepped inside the front door. Her gaze shifted from the tin ceiling original to the building to the exposed brick wall, then finally to the gleaming hardwood floor. “This place is amazeballs.”
“Wait until you see what Marigold can do with hair,” Katie Ruth told the girl. “Her talent is what’s amazing.”
“Thanks for the compliment.” Marigold stepped from the back room, her tumble of blond curls pulled up in a bun, the hair tie covered with a scarf that had a brightly colored Wonder Woman pattern. Her pants, shirt and smock were all black.
“I’m still not sure what color I should try.” Oaklee reached up and touched her own hair.
Marigold’s gaze shifted to Katie Ruth.
“Oaklee asked me to come.”
“Katie Ruth is the sister I always wanted,” Oaklee told Marigold. “My brother is great, but it’s not the same.”
“I can’t speak to brothers, because I’ve never had one.” Marigold gestured for Oaklee to take a seat in the chair, then swept a cape around her. “I have three sisters. While they can be infuriating at times, I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”
“Katie Ruth and my brother are dating.”
Appearing to fight a smile, Marigold slanted a glance at Katie Ruth. “Is that right?”
“I’m hoping it gets even more serious,” Oaklee confided. “Then she’d be my sister for real.”
“Time will tell,” Marigold murmured, studying a lock of Oaklee’s pink hair. “Instead of stripping, we’d be better going over the pink with a warm caramel brown. The permanent color will pull out the pink before depositing its own color.”
“I bleached my hair before putting on the pink,” Oaklee told her.
Marigold nodded. “We may need to adjust the brown if it fades, but that would be from the bleached hair not holding the permanent color, rather than from the pink.”
“Sounds complicated,” Katie Ruth said.
“Not at all.” Marigold eyed Oaklee’s shoulder-length hair. “Your hair is damaged. With your round face, your current style isn’t the most flattering.”
“If you’re talking radical change, I’m up for it.” Oaklee smiled. “Mohawk? Shave it all off?”
Marigold appeared to carefully consider those options until Oaklee laughed and said, “My brother would have a heart attack. Let’s take those off the table, for now anyway.”
Katie Ruth could easily see Oaklee with the half-shaved, half-long style that was so popular in certain circles.
“I was thinking you’d look amazing with a short bob with side-swept bangs.” Marigold lifted a strand of pink hair and let it drop as she circled the chair. “The straight short bob will add length to your face, while the side bangs will add angles that counteract the roundness.”
“Sure.” Oaklee shrugged. “Chop it off.”
Marigold glanced at Katie Ruth.
Katie Ruth lifted her hands. “I’m merely an observer.”
By the time Marigold whipped off the cape, Katie Ruth had to blink twice.
“What do you think?” Marigold gave Oaklee a hand mirror so she could check t
he back.
“I love it.” Oaklee reached up with a trembling hand. “But I don’t look like me.”
Marigold studied her. “I’ve always believed our hair should reflect our personality, who we are inside. Is it the color or the cut? We can make changes. I want you happy.”
When Marigold took a step forward, Oaklee made a cross with her fingers. “Don’t touch it. I love it.”
“If it doesn’t reflect who—” Katie Ruth began.
“It’s different. That doesn’t mean I want to change it.” Oaklee fluffed the strands with her fingers. “I just need time to get used to this new—even more amazing—me.”
Marigold exchanged a glance with Katie Ruth.
“If you decide you want something different, I’m happy to make changes,” Marigold assured her. “Just give me a call.”
Katie Ruth didn’t know who was more startled when Oaklee flung her arms around Marigold. “You are a hair genius. Thank you.”
The three turned when the bells over the front door sounded.
Ethan strolled into the salon, smiling at the scene. “That’s what I like to see. A satisfied customer.”
“Hi, Ethan.” Marigold gestured toward the floor. “Give me a sec to sweep up, and I’ll be with you.”
“What about the quilt patterns I was going to show you?” Oaklee asked.
“We’ll schedule a time.” Marigold reached into her pocket and handed the girl a card. “This has my cell number. Text me some times when you’re free, and we’ll make it happen.”
Oaklee slipped the card into the pocket of her jeans and shifted her attention to Ethan.
Eliza’s brother was a handsome man, with the same lean build, dark hair and gray eyes as Eliza. Katie Ruth had never understood how he’d managed to reach his late twenties without any serious entanglements.
“You should shave one side,” Oaklee told him. “You know, that low-fade, comb-over look that’s so popular.”
Ethan studied her for a long moment. A slow smile lifted his lips. “Thanks for the suggestion. Have we been introduced?”
“This is Oaklee Marshall, Pastor Dan’s sister.” Katie Ruth stepped forward. “Oaklee, this is Ethan Shaw, Eliza Kendrick’s brother.”