Mercy's Rescue - Will he be the anchor this angel of mercy needs to bring her feet to the ground? (Bling! Romance)

by Debra Holt

  Mercy was caught totally off guard. She wished she could have moved swiftly enough to break the contact, but that was not the case. When his lips touched hers, all thought of what she should do went right out of her head, and visions of what she would like to do flooded her brain. An electric shockwave radiated from his lips and through her entire body in a nanosecond of time.

  Loud laughter seeped into her consciousness, and she broke the contact. She stepped back hastily, almost knocking over the stool next to her. Smooth move, she told herself, grabbing for the stool and trying to keep herself from following it to the ground. Indignant sparks shot from her eyes as she challenged him. A warm blush crept over her cheeks as she became aware of the blatantly curious looks coming their way. Their encounter would be the talk of the small town in nothing flat. Didn’t he care about how his fiancée would feel about this behavior? Obviously not.

  His mouth curved in an irrepressible grin—no remorse at all—but his eyes held a darker, more serious look—difficult to fathom—as they feathered across her face, rested briefly on her lips, and then returned to meet her gaze. “That was definitely worth it. See you later, angel.” He moved away, whistling a light tune that only brought more smiles from the people he passed.

  She was thankful he hadn’t insisted on getting his money’s worth for the other thirty-nine kisses she apparently now owed him.

  The roast smelled delicious as Jan withdrew the pan from the oven and set it on top of the stove. She removed the cover of the pan, and more aromatic smells filled the air. Mercy smiled as she placed the last of the yeast rolls onto the baking sheet. The smell of roast on the weekend in this house brought back many memories of her childhood. Along with it came the memory of feeling safe and happy as a child.

  If only those days had lasted longer.

  “You can pop the rolls into the oven when the doorbell sounds,” her mother directed as she ladled the juice from the roast into a saucepan for the gravy. “I think we’ve got everything under control. I hope we haven’t forgotten anything.”

  “Calm down, Mom,” Mercy threw over her shoulder. “You’ve been going nonstop since we got home from the square, and you have enough food cooked for a small army. What’s so special about this meal? Exactly who is coming over? You’ve managed to sidestep that question more than once.”

  Jan would have had to be deaf not to hear the irritation in her daughter’s last words. “Don’t worry. I haven’t invited any young men over just to meet you—they’re a very good friend of mine and his stepson. In fact, Larry lives a couple of blocks from here, in the country club estates. His stepson lives outside of town on the family ranch. Do you think I should change?”

  Mercy looked to where her mom stood with hot pads in one hand and a ladle in the other. Something was up, but she had no clue as to what.

  “You’ve changed twice since we got back. That shade of coral looks great on you. If anything, it’s a tad bit dressy for a home-cooked meal. Should I change?”

  “You look lovely as always. I’m glad you chose to wear your royal blue sundress this evening. You’ll be cool and comfortable for the dance and fireworks later on. I just want this to be a special dinner for all of us.”

  Mercy stuck her head into the dining room and took one last glance at the table with its gleaming stoneware and crystal goblets. Mom had even put out one of her finest tablecloths. She turned back into the kitchen as Jan passed by with a serving bowl of potatoes and carrots. The sound of the doorbell brought her mother’s head up from where she bent over the table. Her hands quickly removed the apron from her waist, and she flung it at Mercy.

  “That’s them! Put the rolls in the oven and please keep an eye on them. I’ll greet our guests.”

  Mercy turned to follow the instructions, a grin on her face. She had never seen her mom in such a tizzy over dinner guests. She opened the oven door and placed the tray of rolls inside, adjusting the temperature as she closed the door. Muted voices floated through to the kitchen, but Mercy paid them little mind. She kept her attention on the rolls, as she had a feeling her head would be on the chopping block if they didn’t come out perfect for this special meal. A few minutes later, she placed the hot rolls in the bread basket and made a quick check of the kitchen for anything they might have forgotten.

  Jan met her at the doorway with a bright sparkle in her eyes and a glow in her cheeks. Mercy blinked twice when she took in the transformation. What is going on? But she didn’t have time to think about it. Her mother placed a hand on her elbow and turned her to face their guests, moving to make introductions.

  “Larry, this is my daughter, Mercy. Mercy, this is Larry Sanderson.”

  A tall man with a shock of salt and pepper hair stepped forward, a twinkle of merriment in his gray eyes. He held out his hand, and Mercy automatically responded with one of her own. At the same time, her mother took the basket of rolls and moved around the table to set them next to the platter of meat.

  “I’ve certainly heard a lot about you, young lady. Your mother sings your praises at every opportunity, as does my stepson.”

  Mercy’s brow knitted in a silent question at his last words. Did she know his stepson? The name Sanderson didn’t register, but the next voice brought sudden clarity—and then some.

  “You’ll make her blush.” Sheriff Joshua Wellman stood in the entryway from the living room, the amusement on his face as obvious as the shock she felt crossing her own.

  “Imagine my surprise when Larry told me how you and Josh met. It’s a small world sometimes … or a sign.” Her mother’s voice jarred Mercy back to the present. “We had no idea you were the one who came to his rescue that awful day. I thought you’d said you were in a training session that week.”

  “I was supposed to be conducting training, but we had to switch schedules at the last minute. I had no idea—” Mercy didn’t know where to proceed.

  “I suggest we sit down and not let this wonderful dinner grow cold. Then we can hear more about this interesting turn of events,” Larry inserted smoothly. Moving around the table, he pulled out her mother’s chair for her. Mercy moved more slowly to her own chair, and she ended up directly opposite from the stepson. The sheriff. The stepson sheriff.

  At her mother’s request, Larry offered up a prayer of thanks. They spent the next few minutes passing food and filling plates high, and Mercy kept her attention on each plate and bowl that passed—and away from the blue eyes she felt watching her. What had begun as a dinner to look forward to had suddenly become an ordeal to try her patience.

  “Joshua told me about the day you came to his rescue. I want to tell you how grateful I am that you arrived in time. To do your job takes a special person.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Sanderson,” she began.

  “Please, call me Larry,” he spoke up, genuine warmth in his eyes as he smiled at her. She couldn’t help but respond in kind.

  “Larry,” she amended. “What we do, we do as a team. I work with some very dedicated people. We give our best to each patient, and sometimes we beat the odds for those we transport. Sometimes we don’t. However, the team never gives up.”

  “Well, every good team must have a leader to set the example. I’m just thankful that Josh had your team and your leadership on his side.”

  “I thank God for that fact every day, too,” Josh added.

  His voice reached across to her and made her feel warm inside, right up to the regrettable blush she felt creep across her cheeks. She hated how he could so easily do that to her. Mercy kept her eyes on her plate. She couldn’t trust herself to meet his gaze.

  “There seems to be a lot to be thankful for today,” her mother interjected into the lull. Mercy looked over and realized her mother had barely touched the food on her plate. She noted the heightened color in her cheeks as well. Before she could speak, Larry beat her to it.

  “Mercy, you’re the only member of Jan’s family that I’ve been able to meet.” He paused to clear his throat. Did she
sense a hint of nervousness now from the older man? “I’m a bit old-fashioned in many regards. It’s my upbringing. I was raised to do things in a certain way and as properly as possible. That being the case—”

  He laid his napkin beside his plate, pushed his chair back, and stood. Mercy watched in silence as he moved to stand beside her mother’s chair. He reached for Jan’s hand, and hers went into his quite naturally. The smile passing between them caused Mercy to catch her breath. Oh, no. Oh, please no. Why hadn’t she seen this coming? Her eyes darted to the man who sat across from her, watchful and silent. Did he know? His eyes were unreadable. She folded her hands in her lap and waited.

  “Jan and I have known each other for the better part of eight months now. I don’t make rash decisions, and neither does your mother. Sometimes the heart leads, and we must follow. Your mother and I met at Wednesday evening fellowship at the church. I took one look into her beautiful eyes, and I knew I had lost my heart for the last time in my life. I asked your mother to marry me last week, and she has graciously agreed to accept this old man. We’d like to ask for your blessing on behalf of your family.”

  Mercy simply sat in her chair, still as a statue. She wasn’t sure what expression was on her face. At first, she remained speechless, her mind a blank. As she watched the pair, saw their smiles at each other, and the way they looked at her now with such expectation, she realized she needed to speak. She needed to attempt to make some sense out of the jumble of emotion and thoughts in her head. She needed to make some appropriate remark, but she had no idea what to say. One thing she did realize, in the part of her brain that still functioned, was that this news would not go over well with her brothers. However, they weren’t here; she was. All eyes bore down on her. No pressure.

  She took a deep breath. “I-I have to say that I’m shocked by this very surprising … and totally unexpected news.” Mercy chose her words carefully, very aware of the almost pleading look in her mother’s eyes. “Umm … This is such a surprise, right out of the blue like this. I didn’t even know you existed, Larry, until a few minutes ago. Marriage … wow.” Her eyes rested on Larry at that point.

  “Well, I tried to get us all together quite a few times.” Her mother intercepted her gaze, bringing it back to herself. “Between your schedule, Josh’s emergency, and then your trip to Arizona, there just wasn’t the time. We didn’t want to deliver the news over the phone or in an e-mail.”

  “I think it’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time.” The comment came from Josh. He stood and reached a hand to his stepfather, who met it with one of his own before they stepped into a hug. Josh bent down and placed a light kiss on her mother’s cheek. “Welcome to the family, Jan. I hope you’ll be very happy.”

  The three turned and looked at Mercy, perched on the hot seat in the room. She read the silent look in her mother’s eyes and knew what she had to do. Hoping her smile looked more sincere than she felt, Mercy stood and moved to her mother, who sprang to her feet in an instant. They shared a long hug. The older woman held Mercy a lot tighter in her grasp, and Mercy noticed a glisten of moisture in her eyes when she pulled back and looked at her daughter.

  “I don’t know what else to say, Mom, except … congratulations to you both.” Mercy kept her voice light and even, although she felt the threat of tears coming on. The world as she had known it had shifted under her feet without warning. Things would never be the same again.

  Chapter Six

  “Did you know about this … this engagement?”

  Mercy whirled around to face the tall man standing beside her at the kitchen sink. Her emotions rioted and surely flickered across her face— easy for even a blind man to see. Josh put the last of the empty glasses on the cabinet before he replied.

  “I had an idea it was coming. I could see how Larry had grown to feel about your mother over the last few months, and she him on the few times I was around the two of them together. You don’t seem to be as onboard with this as you appeared to be in the dining room.” He leaned one hip against the cabinet and folded his arms, watching her solemnly.

  Mercy tried to keep her voice even, and the tone low, so their conversation couldn’t be heard in the living room where Larry and her mother remained while she and Josh handled kitchen duty. Mercy stood with her mom’s apron around her waist, yellow rubber gloves dipped in the sudsy dishwater, and a flash of exasperation in her brown eyes. Her mother preferred to have her best dishes washed by hand and not placed in the dishwasher, so Mercy could take out her frustration via the scrubbing.

  “My mother has been on her own since my dad died twenty years ago. Never once did she ever express interest in any other man. She raised my brothers and me and kept us all together until we were ready to be on our own. Now all of a sudden, it’s pass the peas please, and oh, by the way … I’m getting married. It’s a little hard to take it all in. And when my brothers hear about this—well, let’s just say, I don’t want to be the one to tell them.”

  “You’re overlooking one important element in all of this. Your mother and my stepfather happen to be in love.”

  “Please. They should know better.”

  He took the plate that she had scrubbed for the last few minutes out of her hands. “I think that plate is as clean as it’s going to get. Try another one.” Josh picked up a towel and dried the plate. “You don’t think they can be in love? Why? Because they’re too old to feel that way?”

  “Don’t be silly. It’s just, well, okay, yes!” she stammered. “They’re older and should know better. She’s never even dated anyone since my father died.”

  “They did meet in church—” Josh didn’t get very far with that argument.

  “Oh, that certainly makes it all right then. If anything, that means they both should know better.”

  “Is it love you don’t believe in or just the fact that your mom didn’t ask your permission before she said yes?”

  Mercy returned a pan to the sudsy water in a frustrated movement that caused the water to slosh over the sink’s edge to the floor.

  “Now look what you made me do.” Grabbing a couple of paper towels, she bent to clean the slippery mess and then tossed the crumpled towels into the trash.

  “You dry,” Josh spoke up. He placed the towel in her hands, scooted her out of the way with his hip, and rolled his long sleeves to each elbow as he stepped up to the sink.

  “I can wash the dishes,” she countered.

  “I’m sure you can. However, I think your mom would appreciate having some of her good dishes left in one piece. In the mood you’re in, they might be in danger.”

  With limited conversation, Mercy concentrated for the next few minutes on drying the remaining dishes and placing them in the appropriate cabinets. Then she took the damp towel and placed it on the drying rack on the side of the counter. Josh turned to stand with his back against the cabinet, his eyes carefully studying the shirtsleeves he unrolled.

  “Look, I’m sure that Larry is a good person. Mom wouldn’t give him the time of day if he weren’t.” She could concede on that one fact. She turned and leaned against the same counter, just a few inches from Josh’s side, her arms crossed over her chest. “It’s just so sudden. It never crossed my mind that my mother would ever remarry. After Dad died, Mom seemed to turn to God and spent all her free time volunteering at the church. That’s been her life for the last twenty years. My brothers didn’t know what to make of it and worried she had gone off the deep end or something. They pretty much left it up to me, since I was the one living closest to her, to keep an eye on things. I suppose I should have done a better job of it.”

  “You make it sound like you think you could have stopped her. It’s quite normal for people to need to gain a closer understanding of their faith after such a loss. Was she not as spiritual before your father’s death?”

  “If you’re asking did she attend church, then yes, she did. We all did until we grew up and left home. It’s just … she seemed to become r
eally immersed in it after we left home.”

  “I think you and your brothers should be grateful she found such a fulfilling place for her needs. We all need that place in our lives … wherever it might turn out to be.”

  Mercy bit back the remark she might have made. The sheriff was obviously on much closer terms with God than she was. In a way, she could envy him that, but he hadn’t lost what she had. Each to his own. She stayed silent.

  “Well, I think it’s great. Life is meant to be lived and shared. Two people who’ve spent too much of their lives alone—they’re lucky enough to find each other now. However many years they still have ahead of them, at least they’ll be happy ones. I envy them that. Besides, the bottom line is that it’s their life and their choice, not ours,” he concluded.

  Part of Mercy knew what he said made sense. However, she still wasn’t sure this was the best thing for her mom. She’d learned not to overlook caution in most situations. Rose-colored glasses were often misleading, if not totally blinding.

  “Should we make some noise before we go in and join them?” Josh smiled at her, and the hint of devilment in his eyes caused that crazy feeling of a roller coaster about to drop over the edge to hit her again. This evening had to end soon.

  “Very funny,” she responded. But then she hesitated. He read the look on her face.

  “I hope I still have passion for the woman I love when I’m that age.” His tone lightened. “I think you’re cute when you blush, too.”

  The words struck a chord inside her. For a brief moment, Mercy wondered if his fiancée knew how lucky she was. She banished that thought quickly. “Look, Sheriff—”

  “Josh. Say my name.”

  “What?”

  “Say my name,” he repeated. “I asked you to call me Josh back in the hospital, and I’ve been waiting ever since to hear you say it. And since we are going to be related, I think you should start using it.” His stance told her that he wasn’t moving from in front of the doorway until she did it; his eyes challenged her.