“Yeah, it’s pretty sad,” Brent agreed, forcing himself to look away. “But it’ll recover. Clearing the tall trees from overhead opens up the plant life below to lots of sunlight. There won’t be many trees in this area next summer, but the pine grass, currants and forbs will soon cover the ground with lots of vegetation. It’ll take decades for the trees to come back, unless we help it out by replanting.”
Evie stepped a short ways away, drawing a picture on her erase board.
“What do you estimate the dollar price of the theft is at?” Jill asked.
He pursed his lips, making some mental calculations. Grateful to have his attention drawn away from Jill’s creamy complexion and the warm feelings coursing through his chest. “At least two hundred thousand dollars, possibly more.”
Jill nodded. “I concur.”
He wasn’t surprised. She’d grown up in the timber business and knew the value of trees as well as he did.
Just then, she turned and stumbled over a low tree stump. He reached forward and caught her. She fell against him, one hand latching on to his biceps, the other sliding against his chest. She looked up and their eyes locked. He stared at her, mesmerized. For several pounding moments, they stood frozen in time. The world spun away and nothing existed but them. He felt her warmth and breathed in her fragrant scent. Her lips parted in surprise and he felt the overpowering urge to pull her in and kiss her.
Then he came to his senses. He must be losing his mind. He had to break this off right now. “You okay?”
She snapped back and blinked, not meeting his eyes. She brushed at her shirt, as though it was wrinkled. “Yes, I’m fine.”
Think. What should he say? Something to appear normal and unaffected. To regain his composure.
“I...I’ve already started a replanting program to repair the damage to the forest,” he said. “The crew should finish the work in another week or so, before the heat of summer comes in.”
There. That was good. Right back to business.
She took a steadying breath. “I’d like to help.”
He glanced at her, his eyes widening with wonder. “Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She blinked, as though his blunt question had taken her off guard. And quite frankly, he was feeling a bit off balance himself. He didn’t understand how a woman could smell so delectable.
“Do I need a reason?” she asked.
“No, it’s just that I didn’t expect you to help with the project. Under the circumstances, I think you can understand my surprise.”
“Yes, you’re right,” she conceded. “It doesn’t make sense to me either. But I’d really like to help. It’s for a great cause. I want to ensure our forests stay forested and there are trees to harvest in the future. Mankind has done enough damage to our earth already. So, when do you need me?”
He looked away, thinking. “Um, I’ve got a work crew planning to come out again next Monday morning. They’ll be finished with their work by noon. So you’ve got a few days. If you come to the Forest Service office, you can ride up with them and know exactly where they’ll be working.”
“Okay, what time?” He told her the necessary information and she nodded her acceptance. “I’ll be there, so don’t let them leave without me. I want to work with the Forest Service in any way I can to clear my brother’s name. He insists he didn’t have any part in this theft, and I believe him. So we’re eager to help catch whoever did this and clear our name.”
Our name. He couldn’t help noticing that she included herself with her brother. And although he was positive she was completely innocent of any wrongdoing in the situation, her loyalty to her family was just one more reason he liked her.
“I’m glad to hear that. But like I said, we haven’t made any accusations yet.” He shifted his weight, again wishing he could confide in her. Wishing he didn’t have to keep the truth a secret. It was a good thing Alan hadn’t betrayed his instructions from the US Attorney’s office.
She showed a skeptical smile. The silence lengthened and he knew what she was thinking. Soon enough, the LEI would want to prowl around her family’s sawmill as they performed an investigation. It was inevitable. Having Jill’s cooperation would help a great deal with the ugly chore.
A tug on his arm brought his head down to Evie. She held up her erase board and he saw that she’d written the word danc. She’d drawn a little stick figure at the side, wearing what appeared to be a ballerina tutu. She then pointed at Jill.
He crinkled his brow. “Do you mean dance?”
Evie nodded and jabbed her finger more forcefully toward Jill.
“You want to invite Jill to your dance recital?” he asked.
A bright smile lit up Evie’s face and she pumped her head up and down. Brent tried not to stare, but it’d been so long since he’d been able to communicate effectively with her. And seeing her smile again knocked the breath right out of him.
His gaze swung back to Jill. “Um, Evie would like to invite you to her dance recital tomorrow night. It’s at seven, in the civic center.”
Okay, he’d made the invitation. From the withdrawn expression on Jill’s face, he could tell she felt uncomfortable about it, too. It didn’t help that she’d tripped and he’d held her in his arms like a giant leech.
Jill bent at the waist and smiled at Evie. “I’d love to come, sweetheart, but I’ve already got a commitment with my own family. I’ll try to make it if I can. Okay?”
The woman was trying to be so careful. So considerate. Trying not to injure Evie’s feelings. And Brent appreciated her efforts more than he could say.
Evie nodded, but didn’t hide her disappointment. She sidled over to Brent and took his hand as she stared at the ground in dejection.
“Ah, we’re still friends, aren’t we?” Jill asked, her voice filled with invitation.
Evie glanced at her, then gave a timid smile indicating they were.
“Good.” Jill stepped back. “Well, I’ve got to get back to work. Nice to see you both again.”
“Yeah. You, too,” Brent said.
He breathed an audible sigh of relief when she got into her car, turned on the engine and headed down the dirt road.
Watching her go, he missed her already. And he shouldn’t miss this woman. She was nothing to him. Just a permittee whose sawmill cut logs on national forest lands. And yet, he couldn’t fight the bevy of mixed emotions in his mind. How he wished they’d met under different circumstances. How he regretted that the timber-theft issue stood between them like a huge dangerous giant.
Maybe it was best if Jill didn’t attend Evie’s dance program tomorrow evening. Because his heart and mind couldn’t take the emotional assault.
Chapter Four
Brent awoke slowly. The sounds of voices drifted in and out of his mind. He was dreaming. Yet, it seemed so real.
No, it wasn’t a dream.
He blinked his eyes. The sounds filtered around him. Voices sifting through the house in hushed tones. Subtle but persistent.
He sprang into a sitting position and stared into the dark. A quick glance at the electronic clock resting on the bedside table told him it was one thirty-eight in the morning. He’d been asleep for less than an hour.
Everything looked normal. Night shadows clung to the large dresser hugging the far wall. The basket of clean laundry sat right where he’d abandoned it earlier, still waiting to be folded and put away. He’d been too tired to deal with it before morning.
For a few moments, the voices faded. He heard nothing. Just the hum of crickets outside his bedroom window and the persistent whoosh of the furnace blowing warm air throughout the house. Maybe the neighbors were getting in late. Maybe they were watching a late-night show and had the TV volume turned up too high. Maybe he’d imagined th
e noise.
He shifted his weight against the mattress, prepared to lie down and go back to sleep.
There it was again! The unmistakable sounds of people talking. It wasn’t the neighbors. It was here in his house. And in a rush, he realized what must be happening.
Evie couldn’t sleep. Again.
Tossing aside the blanket, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. Padding barefoot across the thick Berber carpet, he paused in the hallway and cocked his head to one side, listening.
Yes, definitely the TV set in his living room.
Treading down the hall, he peeked around the corner. All the lights were off; an eerie red glow emanated from the TV screen. Evie lay curled on the couch, snuggled beneath her monkey blankie. Lina had made the blanket when Evie was a newborn baby. Evie had later named it after the myriad of little blue monkeys covering the soft flannel. It was one of her most prized possessions. A memory of her mother. The girl never went to bed without it and her stuffed bunny rabbit. Both the bunny and the blanket were now so threadbare that Brent didn’t dare wash them anymore. They might fall apart, and he feared he wouldn’t be able to console Evie over their loss.
She wasn’t asleep. She stared into the dark room, her eyes wide open and trained on the TV. The shopping channel, thank goodness. The variety of late-night shows were for adults, not an innocent little girl who couldn’t sleep. TV was a Band-Aid for a much bigger problem he didn’t know how to fix.
He leaned against the doorjamb. His movements must have caught Evie’s attention. In one movement, her gaze shifted to him, her chin went up, her eyes flared and she cringed.
Terrorized.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s just me,” he said soothingly.
Recognizing her daddy, she relaxed, her tiny fingers clutching folds of the monkey blankie up against her neck. In spite of the warm air, her slender shoulders shivered noticeably. He walked to her and sat down, pulling her onto his lap. She coiled against his chest, her cheek pressed against his heart. A huge sigh escaped her lips, as though she were relieved he was there.
He kissed her hair, catching the fruity scent of shampoo from her evening bath. “Can’t you sleep, honey?”
He felt her shake her head.
“Did you have another nightmare?” He rested his chin against her forehead.
Another shake no.
He took a deep inhale and let it go. “Are you afraid to go to sleep?”
A nod yes.
“Why, sweetheart? We’re here in our own home, safe and sound. No one is going to hurt you here. I won’t let them.”
He looked down at her face and caught her mournful expression. So lost. So afraid.
She didn’t answer, but he didn’t really expect her to. Sometimes he missed her sweet voice. Missed her bright laughter, too. It was so hard having a one-sided conversation with his own daughter. Trying to figure out what was wrong, or what she wanted, or how to help her. He thought about asking where she’d put the dry-erase board. But no. That would require turning on lights and searching the entire house. And right now, he wanted her to calm down and go to sleep.
“Are you afraid you might have a nightmare?” he asked.
A small shudder swept her body and she nodded yes. Brent’s heart gave a powerful squeeze. How he ached for her anguish.
He blinked his eyes, wondering what to do. When she had a nightmare, she usually woke up screaming. But tonight, she was too afraid to sleep. Fearful of closing her eyes for what might lurk behind her imagination.
“It’s okay. I’m here now. You can rest. I promise not to leave you.”
He hoped that one day she’d recover from her fears. That she’d start talking again and they’d live a normal, happy life.
He almost snorted. Happy? He didn’t know what that meant anymore. He’d been happy before Lina was killed. He’d had the world in the palm of his hands. A challenging career. A beautiful, loving wife. A sweet little daughter. What more could a man ask for? And in the blink of an eye, it was taken from him. He didn’t even get to tell Lina goodbye. Not until he’d seen her in the morgue. And then, he’d wept for hours afterward. Great wrenching sobs. Because he knew all that he’d lost. And he knew Evie would have to grow up without her mommy.
For now, he lay back against the couch, tucking her monkey blankie around her spindly legs. She didn’t sleep. Not for a very long time. She snuggled her arms against his chest, her hands clutching folds of his nightshirt as though that would hold him there like a lifeline. He could feel her body tensed against him, constricted with fear.
For several hours, Brent sat there and dozed. Ever conscious of his daughter, he’d awaken with a jerk and glanced down at her face. She blinked up at him, her chin tightening. Without saying so, he knew she feared he might tuck her back into her bed. Alone. With her nightmares.
But he wouldn’t. Not when it might traumatize her more. He hadn’t been there for her when Lina was killed and he wouldn’t abandon her now.
Around five o’clock, he caught the first rays of sunlight filtering through the window curtains. He felt Evie relax against him and heard her soft, even breathing. Her long lashes curved against her smooth cheeks, her mouth slightly open. In that moment, she looked so much like her mother that his throat constricted in a wave of grief. He knew one thing for sure. Until Evie recovered, she needed his full attention.
He thought about Jill Russell and her gentle way of handling his daughter.
He pushed such thoughts aside. It did no good to torture himself. This was reality and he had to deal with it. But he and Evie couldn’t continue like this. He’d tried everything he could think of, but nothing had worked. It was time to take action. He prayed silently, asking for help. Asking how to get Evie to accept that she was safe. That no harm would come to her.
Ask Jill Russell for help.
The thought popped into his mind with perfect clarity, but he shook his head. He couldn’t call on Jill. No doubt her entire family resented him. Yet what other options did he have left? He’d do anything for his daughter. Even ask Jill, if he thought she’d help. But she wouldn’t. He was almost certain of it.
Or would she? He’d never know unless he asked.
* * *
On Thursday night, Jill pulled her car into the parking lot at the civic center. Late again. Dinner with her mom and brother had kept her overlong. Ellen, her old friend from high school, had called to invite her to attend her daughter’s dance recital, or she wouldn’t have come here at all. Not when it meant running into Brent again.
The glow from the streetlights gleamed overhead as she found a parking place far away from the entrance and killed the engine. She snatched up her purse and threw open the door. Rushing up the front walkway, she stepped into the white brick building and hurried toward the cultural hall.
She must be crazy. What was she doing here? She had no idea. It wasn’t so she could see Evie and Brent again. No, she’d come to see Ellen, her best friend from high school. As teenagers, they’d been inseparable. Until Jill left for college and Ellen married her high school sweetheart and remained here in Bartlett to raise her three kids.
Ellen’s daughter, Chrissy, was Evie’s age. That’s why Jill was here. To be supportive of her friends. To watch Chrissy perform. Or at least that’s what Jill told herself.
She stepped inside the outer foyer. Over the loudspeaker, someone’s voice announced the first number. Great! She hadn’t missed anything. Just in time.
As she made her way into the dimly lit hall, she blinked to adjust her vision. She sidled her way down the narrow aisle, looking for a vacant seat. The place was jam-packed with gawking parents. She moved toward the front, thinking she might have to crouch at the foot of the stage to watch Evie dance.
Correction. To see Chrissy dance. But Jill didn’t mind being he
re for Evie, too. After all, it was important not to let the little girl down. Evie had invited Jill and she was happy to give the child some support. The girl had been through a lot. She deserved so much more. But a niggling doubt at the back of Jill’s mind asked her why she cared so much.
Spying an empty seat, she ducked her head and went for it, climbing over people to get there before the program began. Grace Harvey, one of her mother’s friends, glared with disapproval as she stepped past the woman’s feet.
“You’re late,” Grace whispered in a low hiss.
Tossing the woman an apologetic smile, Jill kept going.
Cal Winfield, a worker at the sawmill, waved as she hurdled his long legs, trying not to break her own ankle in the process. She gave him a lame smile.
As she sat down, Susan Winfield patted her arm and whispered. “It’s good to see you again. You in town for long?”
“Just a few weeks,” Jill claimed, hoping it was true. But after what she’d seen at the sawmill, she feared she’d be here all summer long.
The woman nodded and focused on the stage. Jill looked up and swallowed hard. Brent Knowles had turned in his seat and looked at her. She took in his angular face and the sparkle in his dazzling blue eyes. She remembered when she’d tripped and latched on to him to keep from falling flat on her face. For several long moments, she’d found herself spellbound by him. So handsome that she’d had to swallow hard.
He sat one row ahead and two seats to the left. So close that she could almost reach out and touch him. She’d hoped to avoid him tonight but realized that was impossible now.
She returned his half smile and looked away, feeling suddenly flustered and self-conscious. She didn’t understand this attraction between them. Hopefully, Brent would turn around and ignore her. Maybe she shouldn’t have come tonight. She’d felt compelled, as though her future happiness depended on it. A weird notion, if ever she’d had one.
Staring at the stage, she folded her arms and took a deep, settling breath. But it didn’t help much. She could almost feel Brent’s gaze resting on her like a load of bricks. And the worst part about it was that she longed to talk to him. About nothing and everything. To say hello and ask how Evie was doing. To discuss her concerns about the sawmill’s financial situation. To ask about the timber theft. And why she had the urge to confide in Brent Knowles, she had no idea. He was a stranger. An outsider. And she shouldn’t trust him one bit.
Love Inspired March 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: A Wife for JacobThe Forest Ranger's RescueAlaskan Homecoming Page 25