A Family's Hope: A Sweet Romance (Love in Millars Crossing Book 3)

by Carolyne Aarsen

  Through the doorway ahead of her, she saw what she presumed was the kitchen. A horizontal stripe of bright yellow paint halfway up the wall showed where the kitchen cabinets had once been. Chunks of drywall were scattered over the floor here as well. One wall had been reduced to studs with the wiring showing.

  The hammering stopped and she heard Cooper’s deep-chested bellow resonating from upstairs, announcing her arrival.

  This was followed by the sound of paws thumping down the stairs. Cooper came skittering around the corner, raising dust and heading straight toward her.

  “Sit, you big beast,” she commanded in her firmest voice, bracing herself for the canine onslaught.

  To her surprise, Cooper stopped dead in his tracks, dust surrounding him like a cloud, looking at her with a quizzical glance, his tail wagging slowly.

  “Sit,” she commanded again.

  And he dropped onto his haunches, still watching her as if awaiting further instructions.

  “Who’s there?” Luke called out.

  “It’s uh, Janie from next door.”

  She heard the jangling chimes of a cell phone, then Luke was coming down the stairs. He was scowling as he spoke into the phone. His frown combined with the dark slash of his eyebrows and the stubble on his cheeks gave him a menacing look.

  But when he saw her a smile transformed his face.

  Janie wished she didn’t feel that tremble in her heart, that faint fluttering.

  Luke covered the phone. “I’ll just be a minute,” he said, then turned away, his features set in unexpected hard lines that created an air of tension and discomfort. Janie felt suddenly awkward and wished she hadn’t come.

  “No, Lillian, I don’t have time to visit you,” he was saying. “I’m too busy.”

  Lillian. And he was too busy to see her. Why did that thought give her a moment of cheer?

  “No. Please don’t call again.” Luke waited a moment and glanced over at Janie as if making sure she was still there. He gave her a wan smile, then turned his attention back to his phone. “Sorry. I have to go. I have someone here. Bye.” Then he closed the phone and shoved it in his pocket. He gave Janie an apologetic look. “Sorry about that. My mother.”

  And he called her Lillian.

  “I’m sorry,” Janie said. “I shouldn’t have just stopped in. I hope you didn’t cut the call off on my account.”

  Luke waved off her comment. “I didn’t have much to say to her.”

  Janie knew she shouldn’t pry, but she couldn’t help herself. “I thought you were raised by a foster father.”

  “I was. I moved in with Al when I was twelve.”

  “So it wasn’t because you didn’t have parents.”

  “Well, technically I had a father and a mother,” Luke corrected, unbuckling his tool belt. “Apparently my father died when I was three, and he never knew I existed. And though I lived with her until I was twelve, my mom often seemed to feel the same.”

  Though he tossed the words out as if they meant nothing, Janie sensed an underlying hurt tinged with bitterness. She tried to imagine him a young boy alone and felt a stab of pity. She wanted to ask more but hesitated. Finding out about Luke’s past would create a connection. And the last thing she needed right now was one more thread woven into her chaotic life.

  “Enough about that,” he said, his gaze shifting to her. “What brings you here?”

  Janie thought of the money in her pocket and remembered Luke’s reaction the last time she tried to pay him. “Um, I uh just…need to pay you.” She looked past him to the rest of the house, curious now. She had always wondered what the inside of the house looked like.

  “No. You don’t. But, tell you what, you look like you’re interested in the house. I can show you around the place if you want,” Luke said.

  Janie removed her hand from her pocket. “I don’t want to interrupt your work,” she replied, though her heart wasn’t in it. She did want to see the house. And, though she didn’t want to examine her motives too hard, she wanted Luke to show her.

  “It was time to quit anyhow.”

  Janie glanced around the house again. “I’ve always wondered what this house looked like on the inside,” she said. “When we first moved to this neighborhood, this place was for sale, but it was out of our price range.”

  “We, being you and your husband?” Luke asked.

  Janie nodded, slipping her hands in her pockets, her one hand sliding past the bills she had tucked inside—her real reason for being here. But she kept talking. It was nice. No kids. No responsibility. Conversation with an adult who looked at her like she was a fellow adult.

  Though warning bells tingled in the back of her mind, she pushed them aside. She was just being a good neighbor she told herself.

  “We didn’t even look inside,” she continued. “But I loved the style. And the huge backyard of course. I envied the backyard.”

  “The house has tons of potential,” Luke agreed. “And thanks to the previous owners, it needs tons of work.”

  “I’ve always wondered how one would go about doing a ton of work.”

  “Lots of heavy lifting,” Luke replied, a twinkle kindling in his eyes.

  “I’m glad to see that it’s getting fixed up. The previous owners were a bit rowdy and, well—”

  “Weren’t friends of Jesus, I understand.”

  Janie frowned.

  “Todd told me. Last Sunday. He said the people who lived here drank and that you told him they weren’t friends of Jesus.”

  Her frown switched to a laugh. “I forgot about that. They certainly liked their parties.”

  “Yeah. Not hard to tell the way they treated this house.” Luke ran his hand over the pitted railing of the stairs, as if soothing away the abuse. “Shame really.”

  “But you’re going to restore it to its former glory,” Janie said.

  “Hopefully I can get it done by the time my partner wants the open house.”

  “I understand you’ve done this before,” Janie said, as she slid open the wooden doors to the living room. The space opened up in front of her. To her left, a bay window overlooked the front lawn, and directly ahead of her, two windows flanked the large brick fireplace.

  “I’ve done this six times before.”

  Janie heard it again. The same touch of melancholy. “Don’t you get tired of it? Fixing up places, making them into homes, only to sell them again?” she asked as she walked over to the bay window, Cooper padding along beside her. The cushion of the window seat was torn and covered with drywall dust, but Janie sat down anyway. The familiar street looked different from this angle. It made her feel a little disoriented.

  She realized Luke hadn’t answered her question. She glanced over at him only to see him leaning in the doorway, watching her.

  Their gazes caught. Held.

  For a moment something indefinable, yet appealing, flickered between them. She swallowed as her heart quickened ever so slightly. His dark hair, dark eyebrows and the stubble creating interesting shadows on his high cheekbones and strong chin had morphed from menacing to appealing.

  No. Don’t even venture into that territory, focusing her attention back to her children. Reminding herself that no one would want to take on all she had in her life.

  Beisde, when Clydestarted staying away longer and longer, she had vowed her relationship with her Lord and her children would always be her first priorities. Above Owen. Above any man.

  Janie turned her attention to Cooper, petting him.

  “You don’t seem to mind my dog so much now,” Luke said, coming to sit beside her in the window.

  Janie swallowed at his nearness, but moving now would look like she was running away from him. Like she was scared of the feelings he was rousing in her.

  “I’m glad that Autumn was willing to see him,” Luke continued.

  I should go, Janie thought. I should give him the money and get back to my house as fast as I can.

  Since Clydeleft, sh
e had never spent time by herself in the company of a single, attractive man. She didn’t have time to date and, truth be told, the lessons she learned from Clydewere ones she didn’t want to repeat.

  But with Luke she felt different. She felt the whisper-like touch of hope. He seemed genuinely interested in her. And his care for Autumn touched her mother heart.

  “I want to thank you again,” she said quietly. “Like you said, it will take time for her to get over her fear completely.”

  “What happened to make her so frightened?”

  Janie rubbed her arms as the memories slipped back.

  “Unless you don’t want to tell me,” he said.

  She shook her head. “No. I don’t mind. It would explain a few things about Autumn for your little campaign.” She wrapped her arms around her midsection, her mind casting back to that horrible day.

  “Owen, my husband, had brought a dog home. I’ve never been fond of dogs. Been a bit afraid of them myself, if I were to be honest. But I thought it would be good for the kids. The dog was a bit hyper—”

  “Like Cooper,” Luke interjected.

  “Actually, worse. But Clydekept assuring me he would settle down. Then one day, Clydewas between jobs and he was supposed to be watching Autumn while I was shopping with Suzie and Todd for stuff for my cafe. He fell asleep, and the next thing he knew, Autumn was screaming. The dog had bitten her.”

  “How did that happen?”

  Janie looked away, hugging herself as if trying to hold the memory in. “I never did get a straight story from Owen, but I understood when Autumn went to pet the dog, he jumped on her and bit her on the leg. Right through her pants. Took fifteen stitches to sew up the gash. She had scratches on her face and defensive wounds on her arms.”

  Janie shuddered, remembering far too easily the frantic rush to the hospital. Her call to her mother. The blood pouring down Autumn’s leg and the hysterical crying that tore at Janie’s heart.

  “I had just started up the coffee shop, so of course I felt immediately deluged with guilt. Should never have let Clydewatch the kids. I felt like I didn’t deserve them. In fact, I was afraid Child Welfare would come and do an investigation. Maybe take them away.” Janie stopped, aware that she had maybe said too much. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m dumping all this on you. You barely know me or my kids.”

  “I know you and your kids well enough, and I’m glad you told me.” Luke gave her a crooked smile. “I don’t think you’d ever have to worry about Child Welfare knocking on your door. You’re a great mother, and you’ve got amazing kids.” Then, to her surprise, he reached over and placed his hand on her shoulder. It was just a light caress, a casual assurance that he understood. That he cared.

  But she felt a frisson of awareness as she felt the weight of his hand on her shoulder. A man’s touch.

  She gently drew back, and he removed his hand but his touch had created an imperceptible shift in the atmosphere. A heightening of awareness.

  “Anyhow,” she continued, trying to brush away the feelings, “Autumn seems to be much better. When I tucked her in tonight, she was asking about Cooper. She said she was glad he could run around the yard now that the new fence was up.”

  “I had to sneak some time away from the house to finish it, but I think it was worth it. I feel better for your kids, too. That other fence wasn’t safe at all.”

  Now would be a good time to ask about the cost, she reminded herself, but she pushed the thought away. Later she would bring it up. Later she would find out what she owed him.

  For now she could only afford to pay him for the flowers. But still she ignored the bills crinkling in her pocket and petted Cooper on the head, stroking his silky ears.

  “So who’s watching your kids now?” Luke asked.

  “Dodie. She comes by once in awhile to help me with the kids.”

  “And so does your mom?”

  “Not as often,” Janie said with a smile. “I love her dearly, but things go better if we set clear boundaries.”

  “She’s a good mother, though.”

  Janie caught the hint of melancholy as he asked about her mother. She shouldn’t pry. This was none of her business, but at the same time she felt sorry for him. He was alone in this house, with only his dog for company. He lived in a small trailer parked on the yard. As far as she knew, he didn’t know anyone in town other than the men who worked on his crew.

  “Yes. She is.” Janie scratched Cooper’s head while she tried to find the way to formulate her next sentence. “I take it you don’t feel the same way about your mother?”

  Luke gave a short laugh. “My mother and your mother don’t even compare.”

  “Why not?” She was fairly sure she knew the answer, but she couldn’t seem to stop her mild prying.

  Luke leaned forward, and Cooper turned to him, laying his head on the dusty knees of Luke’s jeans. “There was a reason I was in a foster home.”

  He sounded so hard. Even his expression grew more grim.

  Janie didn’t say anything, sensing she would hear more if she simply waited.

  “I don’t remember her ever being there when I got home from school. Lots of times she didn’t show up for a couple of days. And if she did, she was either drunk or high.”

  “How old were you when you ended up in foster care?”

  “I spent twelve years with my mom and then finally Child Services and the courts both realized she wasn’t going to change, and I was placed in Al’s home.”

  “What was he like?”

  “He was a good man. My life got better when I moved there. He made me feel like a son. He and his brother Chuck were a real family to me.” Luke’s expression softened, and Janie wondered what it had been like for him at his mother’s.

  “Was he single?”

  “Yes. Never married. He passed away a few years ago.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Well, you didn’t know him.” Luke angled her a gentle smile. “But thanks for that. Anyway, he was a good antidote to the times I spent alone, wondering if my mom was going to come back from the bar, from the party she had headed out to. Wondering if she was going to be around when I got up in the morning. If there would be food in the house.” He gave a short laugh, as if trying to diminish the memories with humor, but Janie caught the bitterness in his voice.

  “I can’t imagine what that must have been like.” She wished she could come up with the right words.

  And again their eyes met and Luke’s expression softened. “You don’t need to. It’s over. I just wish my mother would clue in.”

  “Do you think she might want to make things right?” she asked, thinking about the phone call she had overheard earlier.

  “I don’t know how she could. It wasn’t just my childhood. We’ve tried to reconcile a number of times and she kept standing me up. I’m tired of disappointment.”

  “Could she be looking for forgiveness?”

  Luke looked away, his jaw set in a tight line. Janie felt the clumsiness of her words, as if she had stumbled into a place she had no right to be.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I had no right to preach at you. I don’t know the circumstances.” And she knew she could never fully understand.

  Luke waved off her apology. “Doesn’t matter. Though I appreciate the concern.” He stroked Cooper’s head, Cooper barked and the moment was broken. “Do you want some tea or juice or something?” He waved his hand around the house. “I’m not exactly set up for entertaining, but I can get you something from the trailer.”

  “No, thanks. I should get back to the house and the kids.” It was time to finish this so she got up and pulled the money out of her pocket.

  Luke frowned. “Now what are you trying to pay me for?”

  “The flowers.”

  Luke pressed his hands on his knees, pushing himself to his feet as he shook his head. “Cooper wrecked those plants. I am the one who is obligated to pay.”

  “But yo
u bought more expensive plants.”

  “I bought what I thought was a suitable replacement according to your friend Katrina. So put your money back into your pocket. I’m not taking it it.” He softened the anger that had crept into his voice with a gentle smile.

  Janie felt a little foolish, standing across from him with her hand held out. How long should she wait?

  “Would you consider it a down payment on the fence?”

  “You’re not paying for the fence, Janie. So put those bills back in your pocket right now.”

  “But—”

  “To quote Robert Frost, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’” Luke laughed. “And don’t look so surprised that I can quote a poeet. I don’t just read blueprints and the instruction manuals that come with tools.”

  “I didn’t think that,” Janie protested.

  “Well, I like the poem. It fits.”

  “Why?” She knew the answer but was curious to hear what he would say.

  “Your inability to grasp the application requires that one delves into the full meaning of the poem. To understand that in our situation, a good fence is a prerequisite for harmonious relationships.” He grinned. “See? Not so dumb after all.”

  Janie caught a hint of mischief. “Not so dumb, but I think I can top that.”

  “Oh, do you read, too?” His question held a tone of challenge mixed with humor.

  Janie thought a moment then gave in to an impulse. “You do realize that in the poem, Robert Frost was mocking his stodgy neighbor and his propensity to create boundaries that delineate lives.” Janie let a teasing note enter her voice. “He mocks his neighbor’s desire for conformity and his repeated digression into proverbs handed down from father to son.”

  Luke looked impressed. “Wow. Got me beat. I’m guessing you took English lit in college.”

  “Immersed myself in one year of it.”

  “And then?”

  And then Suzie came. “I changed my mind and quit.”

  “And eventually opened a coffee shop?”

  “That was done out of necessity.” Janie stopped there. She had already told this man too much. Had talked to him too long. Had too much fun with him. If she stayed any longer, she’d be spilling all her dark thoughts, secrets and guilt.