by JoAnn Durgin
Pushing open the swinging door from the kitchen, Winnie emerged, looking pretty as ever in jeans and a dark pink, long-sleeved tee. With her blonde hair swinging behind her in its customary ponytail, she could be mistaken for a teenager. “About time you got here!”
Dropping her purse on the floor, Amy ran to the welcoming comfort of her friend’s arms. “Am I ever glad to see you. You don’t know how much.” Biting back a sob, she tightened her hold around her friend’s slender shoulders. Winnie patted her on the back, and Amy noticed Josh’s concerned expression where he watched from a few feet away. A slight tug on the bottom of her jacket caused her to pull away.
“Aunt Amy, why are you crying?”
“Oh, Buttercup, these are happy tears.” Brushing moisture from her cheeks, Amy scooped Chloe into her arms. “I’m just so”—she swallowed more tears and forced a brightness into her voice—“happy to see you and your mommy and daddy. I have to store up a whole bunch of hugs to keep me warm through the rest of the winter in New York. It can get pretty cold.” Planting a kiss on the child’s rosy cheek, she smoothed back an unruly curl. Chloe was a miniature embodiment of both her parents: the mass of glorious blonde hair, cute button nose and mouth were Winnie’s, but the green eyes were all Josh, as was her ready smile and charm.
“Come on, monkey,” Josh said, holding out one hand. “Let’s go pick out a book for you to read to Joe when he wakes up from his nap.”
Amy gave him a grateful smile as she lowered Chloe to the floor. Josh nodded as he led his chattering daughter toward the stairs.
“And you, come with me,” Winnie said, leading the way through the swinging door and into the kitchen. She motioned to the counter stools by the butcher block table in the middle of the kitchen. “Have a seat and tell me what’s going on since I can tell you’re about to implode. Want a cup of coffee?”
“Sure, thanks, for both offers. I rarely turn down coffee, and a listening ear sounds even better.” She lowered her voice. “Am I still keeping your secret about impending motherhood?”
“Yes, you are,” Winnie said with a small giggle, “but I’m sure it won’t be long before everyone knows. We don’t want to say anything yet until I’m a little further along, although I’m sure Lexa already suspects.”
“Understood. You look great, though. Feeling okay?”
“Yes, but just tired from all the catering stuff and keeping up with Chloe. And Josh,” she said with that sweet, telltale newlywed blush invading her cheeks. “How about something to eat or nibble on? There’s leftover salad, quiche and muffins from a lunch we catered yesterday.”
“Matter of fact, I could eat a little something. Didn’t cross my mind, to be honest. Maybe a muffin to go with my coffee might be nice. Thanks.”
“Banana nut okay? I’ll heat it up for you.”
“Perfect. My mouth’s already watering.” She watched as her friend moved around the kitchen, as comfortable as though in her own house. “I’ll admit, I’m jealous you get to spend so much time here with Sam and Lexa. I have friends in New York, but they’re not like my TeamWork friends.” Finished measuring coffee into the machine, Winnie put a carton of creamer on the table as well as a coffee mug, napkin, spoon and sweetener packets. “It’s nice to be among friends, especially ones who take care of me, love and accept me for who and what I am to the point of knowing how I take my coffee.”
“You’ve done the same for me many times,” Winnie said. “Someone sounds philosophical today.” Opening the lid of a plastic container on the counter, she pulled out an enormous muffin. She put it on a napkin and pushed a button on the microwave before leaning against the counter, facing her. “How about the TeamWork projects in New York and in your church? I’m sure you’ve met some wonderful people.”
“Yes, but like I said, it’s not the same. For one thing, my church is probably seventy percent over the age of sixty. I love those senior saints, but congregations in the city don’t attract the younger couples. Most of them are in Connecticut and other bedroom communities. The last few times I’ve worked in the nursery, I’ve only had five or six babies, and it’s a decent-sized congregation. I have friends at work, but the environment’s so competitive, and I prefer to keep it separate from my personal life. And yes, there’s some wonderful people on the TeamWork projects, but like I said, it’s different.” She paused, appreciating the aroma of the muffin as it filled the kitchen. Combined with the brewing coffee, it filled her with a sense of home. “You know what I think it is? We went through a lot together in the San Antonio work camp and then in Montana with Natalie and Marc. Those times bonded us together in a way that’s unique and really special, you know?”
“I agree,” Winnie said, her voice quiet. “Kind of like men in the trenches of war say they’ll never forget their comrades. Not the same thing, I realize, but we’re fighting spiritual warfare around us all the time, and that’s very much a war, too.”
“Or the war within ourselves,” Amy said as Winnie put the muffin on the table and sat on a counter stool opposite her with a glass of water. After saying a brief prayer, she sampled the muffin. “Ah, this is delicious, not to mention big enough to feed half the state of Texas. Thanks.”
“You seem awfully sentimental and reflective today, too.” Winnie sipped her water. “Time to tell me your story because I can tell you’ve got a good one to share.”
With a small half-laugh, half-sob, Amy leaned her elbow on the counter and rested a palm against her forehead. “I’m so ridiculously obvious, Winnie.” She opened her eyes. “I was right about Cooper. He’s Landon. One and the same.”
Winnie’s blue eyes widened but she didn’t appear surprised or shocked. “Sweetie, I’m so sorry if I misled you before and after the wedding. I obviously heard his name wrong, and Lexa set me straight when we got back home. I felt bad when I realized I made you doubt him, but I guess I didn’t expect a successful New York publisher to be at the same wedding in Baton Rouge with a Texas accent and—”
“It’s okay. I understand why you felt that way, and I love you for your concern, but I should have trusted my first instincts.”
Winnie’s brows rose. “I’ve thought a lot about you since coming back home to Houston, and I’ve prayed for you and Landon.” She took another quick sip of her water. “So, did you have a fun time together in Austin?”
What a loaded question. For the next twenty minutes, Winnie listened as she told her story. Nodding a few times, wide-eyed, compassion shone in her friend’s expression when Amy told her about Landon’s dad and the horrible confrontation on The Driskill balcony.
“So,” Amy said as she finished, “if I’d simply asked the man flat out somewhere along the way if he was actually Landon, it would have saved a whole lot of time. He dropped some pretty broad hints, but I just chalked them up to coincidence—even though I hate to use that word—because I didn’t know what else to call it. Any words of wisdom after hearing all that?”
“First of all, it sounds like you need some time to digest it all, sweetie,” Winnie said. “Everything’s happened so fast and you need to catch your breath and get back to your normal life. That’ll help put the events of the last few days in perspective.”
“I hope you’re right,” Amy said, knowing how wistful she sounded as she sipped her coffee.
“I want you to think about something.” Winnie’s eyes were warm, but her voice was firm.
“Ooo—kay.” She’d heard that tone in her friend’s voice before. Here it comes.
“You grew up around strong men, men of God who treated the women in their lives like royalty. In some ways, you could say they were . . . well, more or less perfect.”
Amy frowned. “That’s a bad thing?”
“Of course not.” Winnie traced a circle in the sweat on her glass of water. “Most people never have that advantage. But, as a result, their expectations aren’t quite so high either.”
“Wait a minute. Are you saying I should lower my expectations?”
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“No, I’m not saying that at all.” Winnie frowned and her lips thinned. Classic signs of a pondering Winnie, and she found it so endearing. “What Landon did was wrong, but he explained his reasoning and came clean. It’s difficult for a guy to admit when he’s done something wrong, and an even stronger one who can humble himself and ask for forgiveness.” Retrieving the coffee pot, she brought it over and filled Amy’s mug before taking her seat again. “I also know a little something about keeping the truth from someone far too long. I should have come clean with Josh and told him about Chloe from the start. It was wrong, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
“But that was completely different, Winnie. You didn’t purposely misrepresent yourself.”
“By telling Josh the truth about Chloe, I knew I’d be giving up the one thing in my life that was mine alone. From what you said, Landon’s never had a woman love him for himself. They’re always after his name, or his money or what he could offer them. Tell me this: until Mitch’s phone call, you were having a great time with him on the road trip, weren’t you?”
“Yes,” Amy said. Winnie was right, so why deny it? “It ranked right up there as one of the best times of my life.”
“Tell me why.”
She nibbled another bite of her muffin and sipped her coffee before answering. “Landon sheltered me, he protected me, he fed me, he made me laugh and he made me feel more like a woman than I ever have before.”
“And he’s a gorgeous man.” Catching her raised brow, Winnie smiled. “Doesn’t hurt.”
“I love his compassion and his kindness most of all,” Amy said. “He was right beside me when I helped Tam and chased after Anson. Sure, he joked around a little, but he didn’t question. He made sure I had a new jacket when I gave mine to Tam, a place to lay my head after the car broke down and then again for the next night in Austin, and he made sure I got here to Houston safe and sound like he promised.”
“Sounds like a pretty decent guy to me,” Winnie said.
Amy frowned. “He is, but now I need to somehow resolve the reasons why he lied and decide whether I can ever trust him again.”
“Sounds to me like you trusted him before the big reveal, or whatever you want to call it.”
“I did.” Her brow furrowed and she gave her friend a helpless shrug.
“Honey, I know Landon’s intense, but so are you.”
Amy sputtered. “I am?”
She nodded. “It’s all that creativity flowing through your veins. You look at people and situations differently than most of us, but you also see the inherent good.” Her eyes misted. “As much as anyone I’ve ever met, you pour yourself into everything you do with your entire heart and soul. You feel things deeply, both good and bad. And, for what it’s worth, you’re also one of the most forgiving people I know.”
“To be honest, Winnie, I don’t want to tell Sam and Lexa, or Josh—or anyone else in TeamWork—about this whole thing. It’s too embarrassing, for one thing, and rehashing it probably won’t do me any good.” She put her hand over Winnie’s, squeezing her fingers. “Talking with you is all I needed. I’ll pray and somehow figure all this out, but I think for my peace of mind, I need to avoid Landon for a while—no contact whatsoever. Nothing.”
Her heart sank as she said the words. Glancing up at Winnie, she knew she wasn’t fooling her for one millisecond.
~~**~~
Sharing dinner around Sam and Lexa’s table kept Amy laughing while she devoured the delicious meal prepared by none other than Sam and Josh.
“We switch duties once a month for our weekly dinners with Winnie and Josh,” Lexa told Amy as they cleaned up afterwards in the kitchen. “The guys cook and we do the dishes. Works out great and everybody’s happy. Of course, sometimes we say ‘forget it’ and just go out to eat.”
“Well, Sam’s grilled chicken was the best I’ve ever had,” Amy said, “and Josh’s homemade macaroni and cheese was great. Next thing I know, Sam will be penning a cookbook for men.”
Lexa and Winnie shared a smile.
“Please don’t suggest it,” Lexa said, shaking her head as she handed her another dish to dry.
Winnie finished putting everything away and excused herself to go check on the kids and Lexa gave her one of the knowing looks she’d perfected. Of course, living with Sam might have something to do with it.
“What’s on your mind?” Amy asked.
“You fell in love with Landon these last few days, didn’t you?”
She paused while drying the dish. Lexa always was a straight-shooter. “You got all that from a dance at the wedding?” When Lexa remained silent, focusing on scrubbing a pan, she blew out a breath. “Like I told Winnie, I’m way too obvious.”
“I know what happened.”
Amy’s eyes widened. Setting the dried pan on the sink, she leaned against the counter, crossing her arms. Did Winnie tell everyone after she specifically asked her not to say anything? “I told Winnie—”
“Winnie didn’t tell me. Sam did.”
“Sam? How did he—” Why should she be surprised?
“Landon called while we were in our meeting downtown earlier today. I knew it was important when Sam excused himself and took the call.”
Amy watched in silence as Lexa rinsed and laid the pan on the counter. After wiping her hands on a dish towel, she took her by the hand and led her to the breakfast nook. Sinking into a chair, Amy waited.
“Landon needed to tell someone and he and Sam have grown pretty close the last couple of years,” Lexa said, sitting beside her.
“Sam and Landon?”
“Sam will explain when you interview him in the morning. Suffice it to say, Landon’s been a part of TeamWork here in Texas the last few years, but he prefers to stay behind the scenes.”
A vision of the television news story about TeamWork she’d seen in Austin fluttered into her mind. “The man likes to keep secrets, I guess. He’s full of surprises, that’s for sure.”
“Not secrets, but he likes doing things anonymously. Apparently, he gets a lot of attention he doesn’t want in New York, and when he comes back home to Texas—and being able to help out with TeamWork—he says he’s able to relax and be himself.”
“Interesting,” Amy said, digesting this new bit of information.
Lexa nodded. “Sam and I both call him Landon, but Kevin and his friends from A&M always called him Cooper. At the wedding, none of us knew you’d met him as Landon in New York until we came back home and Winnie told me about the name confusion. Yes, Landon led you on, but I’ve gotten to know him well enough to know he didn’t do it to be cruel or to play with your mind. I think—in his own way, crazy as it might seem—he enjoyed the opportunity to be the cowboy he really is, beneath the exterior of his publisher persona. Sam told me Landon confessed it all and asked him to pray. So they did, Sam in the hallway outside the conference room and Landon in Austin. From what Sam told me, the man’s in love with you. Then again, I think I already knew.”
“Lexa, I barely know the man and yet I know him so well.”
“You’ve spent a lot of time with him and packed a lot of memories into only a few days. From what I know, you have a lot in common. Kindred spirits, I’d say.” Lexa’s aquamarine eyes were bright as she tossed her braid over one shoulder. “Oh,” she said, putting one hand on her stomach.
“Something wrong?” Amy’s pulse quickened and she inched closer to where Lexa sat facing her, inches away.
“No, no,” Lexa said, rubbing her hand in small circles over her stomach. “I think one of the babies is showing her sister who’s boss. A little rumble’s going on in there right now.”
Amy’s eyes moved to Lexa’s belly. “I can’t imagine how . . . wonderful and life-affirming that must be.”
Taking Amy’s hand, Lexa placed it on her stomach. “Wait a minute and you’ll feel it. I can’t wait to finally meet our girls, and I’m sure it won’t take long to figure out whether Leah or Hannah’s the bossy one.
Of course,” she said, laughing, “Joe will claim his right to boss them both.”
“I didn’t know you’d given them names yet,” Amy said. A giggle escaped when she felt a swift, hard kick beneath her hand. “I love them already.”
“I know how committed you are to the pro-life movement in Manhattan, and I admire your strong stance. You do more than stand on the sidelines. If only more people were willing to put their faith into action, it might save a few more precious souls.”
Tears filled Amy’s eyes and she nodded, removing her hand. “What I just felt is something every scared pregnant girl should experience before she makes a decision to end the life growing inside her.” In the next few minutes she shared how she’d met Angelina’s taxi driver father and how Angelina sent her the two stories the night before leaving for the wedding.
“I think that was a God thing,” Lexa said, still rubbing her belly. “No just maybe about it.” She winked. “Interesting her name is Angelina.” They shared a smile.
~~**~~
After she said her good-byes to Winnie and Chloe, promising to return to Houston for a weekend visit sometime in the spring, Josh pulled her aside. “Cut the guy some slack, Daydreamer. Landon’s a great guy. His heart’s in the right place.”
Her mouth gaped. “Did Winnie tell you what happened?”
“Nope. She didn’t have to. As soon as you got out of the car, I could tell something was up.”
She shook her head. “Wow. I must be even more transparent than I thought. Josh, tell me something. Why would a guy pretend to be someone he’s not?”
He frowned. “Only he can answer that, but maybe it’s because he’s not exactly sure who he wants to be. I have to get my girls home, but know we all love you and we’ll be praying. Give us a call anytime you need to talk or want to come for a visit, okay? We’re here for you.” With that, he tweaked her chin and departed.