Love Inspired January 2014 - Bundle 2 of 2: Bayou SweetheartThe Firefighter's New FamilySeason of Redemption

by Lenora Worth

  Alma shot Callie a quirky glance. “Our little girl has grown up.”

  “I’ve fallen in love,” Brenna corrected. “And if we don’t get out into the narthex, I’m going to miss my own wedding.”

  “I think Nick will come looking for you if you don’t show up,” Callie said, deliberately pushing away Brenna’s telling comments. “Let’s take one last look in the mirror and then...it’s showtime.”

  The three sisters turned toward the wide, full-length mirror in the bride’s room just off the main hallway.

  “We sure clean up nice,” Alma said, smiling over at Brenna. “You look beautiful.”

  Brenna regarded herself in the mirror. “So do both of you. I can’t believe I’m getting married!”

  She shot Callie a hopeful look.

  Callie looked through the mirror at her sisters. “He said he might start attending church. Tomas, I mean.”

  “Well, that’s a start,” Brenna said, smiling back at her with joyous eyes. “And tonight counts toward that, technically.”

  “It does, yes,” Alma agreed. “If he’s here, that’s a brownie point in the right direction.”

  Callie prayed Tomas would gain that brownie point. “His wife was addicted to prescription drugs. I think it was an overdose. I think that’s why he took her away and...she never came back.”

  “He told you that?” Brenna asked.

  “Yes. He told me the part about the prescription drugs. He also told me that he’d stayed. He’d stayed with her. He said I need to remember that.”

  “He’s in love with you,” Brenna said on a sigh.

  Callie ignored the lifting of her heart. “And why would you think that?”

  Brenna turned to look at her sister without the benefit of the mirror. “He’s telling you he’d never leave you the way Dewayne did. He’s telling you that he cares, Callie.”

  Callie pulled away and started gathering their lilies-and-baby’s-breath bouquets. “Or he could be telling me he’s afraid to care.”

  Alma fluffed skirts and tidied curls. “I’m thinking he’ll dance with you tonight.”

  “Of course he will,” Brenna said, grinning. “He’ll dance with you and you’ll feel it. You’ll see it in his eyes.”

  They heard a soft knock, then a booming voice. “Is dis wedding gonna start sometime today?”

  “Papa,” Brenna said, her expression near panic. “How do I look?”

  Callie smiled at her sister. “Like a beautiful, happy bride.”

  “I am that,” Brenna replied. Then she kissed Callie and turned to kiss Alma. “I love you both so much.”

  “We love you, too, sweetheart,” Callie said. “Ready?”

  Brenna nodded, her eyes misty. “I wish—”

  “Mama is right here,” Callie finished for her sister. “Right here with us.”

  “Always,” Alma added. She shot a look at Callie, understanding in her eyes.

  Because she’d gone with Callie to the doctor two days ago and they were waiting to hear the report on Callie’s latest checkup and mammogram.

  * * *

  Tomas found a seat near Nick’s family. He’d rather sit in the back of the church, but Nick had asked him to join the large entourage of Santiagos who’d made the trip from San Antonio to attend the wedding, including Nick’s aunt Serena. She’d helped decorate Fleur House, so it would have been an insult to say no.

  After shaking hands and waving to Nick’s aunts, uncles and cousins, Tomas adjusted his tie and settled back to look at the aged church. The altar was covered in a burst of flowers in shades of pale, creamy whites and yellows mixed in with rich, lush pinks, purples and blues. He smelled the scent of lilies and thought of Callie.

  She always smelled like fresh flowers.

  He should have stayed away, but he wanted to see Callie in that blue dress he’d heard so much about. Even if he’d tried to scare her way, even if he’d tried to tell her the brutal truth, he knew that sooner or later, he wanted her with him. But he had to keep that revelation to himself because he had to measure it and accept what that might mean in his life. Callie might not want the same thing. She might reject him.

  So he waited, his heart trembling as memories of his own ill-fated wedding burst forth with the same intensity as the flowers on the altar. He watched, nervous and on edge, when Nick and his best man and two other groomsmen got into place at the altar. Nick spotted Tomas and gave him a big, happy smile.

  Tomas smiled back. And then he turned as a cute little girl and boy came up the aisle, the girl tossing flowers while the boy looked uncomfortable and rebellious as he carried the rings on a satin pillow.

  Tomas laughed along with everyone else and then went still.

  He smelled her perfume but he didn’t dare turn until she walked right by him.

  Callie, her hair caught against the nape of her neck in some kind of twist that was covered in the tiniest of white flower blossoms, her dress such a light, sweet blue, it looked like a distant sky.

  She walked with a straight-backed regal step, the dress wrapped around her shoulders in soft pleats that seemed to open and flow like cascading water in a sash down her back. Tomas inhaled, his breath stolen, his mind swirling through that mist of sweet, flowery perfume.

  He forgot to notice Alma or even the bride. He only had eyes for Callie. He didn’t understand how one woman could make him feel so young and vulnerable and filled with anticipation, could make him so scared. He didn’t understand why watching Brenna and Nick say their vows could make him hurt and hope at the same time.

  But he sat still and watched and listened and he heard the gentle echo of God’s voice covering this beautiful, old building in a soft, strong promise. “I am here. I am here.”

  I am here, Tomas.

  Had he only imagined that? Or had the music sounded like a voice? He couldn’t be sure. But he felt a sense of peace, all the same. In spite of his doubts regarding his newfound feelings for Callie, Nick had to wonder if it wasn’t time for him to come home to his faith.

  And when it was over and the bride and groom had pledged their love and promised to honor God in all things, he couldn’t understand the tears that seemed to mist in his eyes as Callie walked by.

  But he did understand the tearstained brightness that shone right back at him from her sky-blue eyes.

  Callie was scared, too.

  * * *

  “He’s coming toward us.”

  Alma’s elbow poke caused Callie to jump and gasp. “Well, don’t act like we know that.”

  “I was warning you,” Alma replied. “Smile. Act as if you’re having a ball.”

  “I am having a ball,” Callie retorted. “The flowers held up, the food is wonderful and our sister is smiling. All in all, a very good day.”

  “We did it,” Alma said, grinning. “And I didn’t throw up, not once.”

  Callie forgot all about Tomas and her sharp-edged need to avoid him. “I’m so excited. I can’t wait. We’ll put together a nursery. But which room? The cottage is tiny.”

  “We’ll be okay,” Alma said, looking past Callie. “And we’ll discuss this later. You’ve got a bigger fish to fry right now.”

  “Don’t...leave me.”

  But Alma was already heading in the other direction. Which left Callie standing there like an awkward schoolgirl.

  She smelled his expensive aftershave before she knew Tomas was there beside her. Turning, she managed a smile. But the sight of him in a lightweight wool suit and intriguing striped tie held that smile too tightly.

  “Hello,” he said, his eyes doing a dance over her face. “You look beautiful.”

  “I bet you say that to all the bridesmaids.”

  “No, only you. I’ve been waiting to speak to you all night.”

>   “Oh, something wrong with my work so far?”

  “You’re off work tonight, but everything is good there.” He took her by the elbow. “I think you promised me a dance.”

  “I don’t recall—”

  “Or maybe your sisters promised me you’d dance with me.”

  “My sisters are always messing where they shouldn’t.”

  “Forget that,” he said, tugging her along. “Callie, may I have this dance?”

  Callie knew she should say no, knew she should run in the other direction. This nice, polite Tomas with a smile was even more disconcerting than brooding, distant Tomas with a frown. But the music was inviting and his smile was enticing, so she couldn’t refuse.

  Just for tonight, she told herself. Just for this one lovely, happy night, I can pretend that I’m okay. That I’m happy and healthy and...in love.

  “Yes,” she replied. “I’d...like that.”

  Tomas took her in his arms and held her in such a gentle, respectful way, she felt delicate and precious and secure.

  They danced a slow and easy waltz, his hand on her back, his gaze on her. The way he looked at her, his eyes searching and secretive, caused the wall she’d tried so hard to build up between them to crumble like dry clay. Callie didn’t want this dance to end.

  She didn’t understand why this particular man—a man who was brooding and difficult and way too much of a challenge—made her feel so many things in so many ways. She didn’t understand why Tomas made her want things she’d decided not to want, ever again. She couldn’t reason why she just knew that somehow, someway, they’d wind up together.

  Don’t make predictions that won’t come true, she reminded herself.

  But when she looked up and into his eyes and saw that same hope reflected there, she had to wonder if Tomas wanted the same. But maybe he wasn’t brooding and surly because he was miserable. Maybe he was afraid, just like her.

  Chapter Nine

  Callie stood back to admire her handiwork.

  “I think we’re just about done.”

  Pretty Mollie grinned from ear to ear and glanced up at Pierre. “We have a lot of talent, maybe even two green thumbs. Hey, Callie, we should plant an even bigger community garden on that vacant lot behind the church.”

  Callie tugged at her ponytail. “Now that’s an idea. Better than that small plot we’ve been using at the back of the nursery lot, but having it there by the church would show it off more and encourage people to help. The youth group could help maintain it through the summer, and you two could be in charge of that, maybe.”

  Pierre groaned. “More work out in the heat?”

  Mollie gave him a playful shove. “You’re not even in the youth group anymore, but you love being out in the heat. You’d get to be the boss—a supervisor of sorts. And Callie did pay us for helping her this week, so we could return the favor.”

  “I do like getting paid and I don’t mind the heat,” Pierre, all dark, curly hair and big brown eyes, admitted. “I’d be willing to help in my spare time—with no pay.”

  “I’d have to rely on volunteers if it’s a bigger garden,” Callie replied. “But I think we’d get a lot of takers.” She remembered Margie’s husband, Bob, offering to help.

  “I wonder who owns that lot,” Mollie said as they began to pick up their tools.

  “Not sure, but I can find out,” Callie replied. “The church has to mow it and keep it clean, just to keep the varmints away.” She took one last long look around, wondering if Tomas would approve. He’d sure kept to himself since the wedding last weekend. Had he decided he didn’t want to dance with her ever again? “Let’s load up,” she called, ready to get home and take a long shower.

  Pierre motioned for the half-dozen teenagers who’d been helping and then corralled them toward the nursery van. Callie watched, smiling. Julien’s rebellious little brother really had changed over the past few months. She figured Mollie had a lot to do with that. The young man was obviously in love. They planned to get married in a couple of years, after they’d saved up some money and Mollie was finished with her nursing studies at the community college a few miles north.

  “Maybe they’d donate the land,” Pierre said on a parting note.

  “Papa might know the owner, or maybe Reverend Guidry. We try to keep it mowed and clean, since the owner doesn’t seem to care all that much about it.” After telling Mollie to make sure they’d loaded all their tools and buckets, she smiled over at the girl. “Great idea to expand the garden. And it should be fun to get everyone involved. Alma loves cooking with fresh vegetables, so I’m sure she’ll approve.”

  “And maybe buy some for the café,” Mollie replied. “She used a lot of our vegetables last year.”

  A noise inside the house caught Callie’s attention. She wiped at her brow and glanced around. She knew he was up there, probably watching her. That didn’t bother her as much as it should have because Callie knew Tomas wasn’t a sinister sort of man. He’d taken over the shipyard, true. But he had yet to make a move toward laying anyone off. The whole town was still buzzing about which way the hammer would fall, however. And that worried her.

  So far, so good. Or as her mama used to say, “No news is good news.”

  But for the past few days, Tomas had been avoiding her. They’d danced and laughed and talked at the wedding, but maybe that had been his way of being polite. Maybe he wanted to put on a good front for Nick and Brenna. After all, the man had given them a trip to Paris for their honeymoon.

  Was he sincere or did he just like to throw his money around? Had he been nice to her for Brenna’s sake? The dance might have been obligatory instead of a mutual thing.

  She liked dancing with Tomas, though. And she was pretty sure he didn’t mind dancing with her. But that one dance had brought them into a deeper intimacy and had made Callie acutely aware of her growing feelings for him.

  That might have scared him away.

  Not her puzzle to solve. In spite of the way he’d held her and looked at her while they danced, she had other things to keep her mind occupied and off of Tomas Delacorte and his tragic eyes. She had a business to run and she had a follow-up appointment with her doctor tomorrow morning. She’d been a little tired and cranky lately, but she attributed that to dealing with such a hard-to-read client and dreading her doctor’s appointment. Praying she’d have a good report, Callie went about her work. But after Pierre had loaded her delivery van—Elvis included since he’d hopped in with the youths—and they’d all waved bye to her, Callie couldn’t help but stop and take one final look at the new landscape surrounding Fleur House.

  The big backyard was neat and tidy, with stone paths that wound through beds of colorful lilies and variegated azaleas and old now-pruned camellia bushes. Along the way, wild azaleas and crape myrtles, Japanese elms and magnolia trees lifted to the clouds. Benches, some stone and some teakwood or cedar, sat here and there along the paths. Down by the gurgling back bayou, an inviting wooden swing sat underneath a moss-draped live oak. A sturdy new dock out over the water displayed a wooden pier that was surrounded with built-in benches.

  As she rounded the house, she surveyed the front lawn. A cedar-and-stone gazebo stood off to the side, in a spot where the water spilled out toward the Big Fleur Bayou and the Gulf.

  She’d planted hibiscus and gardenias around the big, round open building to give it some color. This was her favorite spot, since it had built-in stone benches and an arched, beamed ceiling and offered a great view of both the house up on the hill and the cypress trees and water down below.

  “My work here is done,” she said, turning to her pickup.

  * * *

  Tomas hurried down the front steps.

  “Callie?”

  She whirled from putting away her supplies. “Yes?”

 
Did he see fear in her pretty eyes? Or dread, maybe?

  “I...uh...I wanted to thank you, for redoing the yard and gardens. You’ve done some amazing things with this old, overgrown place.”

  She beamed a smile but looked embarrassed at his praise. “It’s not overgrown anymore. And I found some real treasures hiding beneath all the brambles and bushes.” She lifted her right hand and pointed toward the side yard. “Those camellias are sturdy. They come from old roots and they’ve survived everything from drought to storms. I’ll make sure they’re taken care of.”

  Tomas saw the pride in her eyes. She truly loved her work.

  “So you’ll come back now and then, to maintain things.” He glanced around, looking for reasons to bring her back. “I might need some houseplants, too. Margie said something about dish gardens and urns.” He shrugged, trying to look helpless.

  “Of course.” She gave him an impish grin. “It’ll cost you, though.”

  “Add it to my bill.” Even if it cost him his heart, he decided. But then, he was pretty sure he’d already lost that to her. “We didn’t discuss who would do the upkeep. You shouldn’t have to mow this big yard all by yourself.”

  “Oh, I don’t do the mowing,” she corrected. “I have people who work for me doing that. They need the money.”

  Tomas didn’t miss the touch of censure in her eyes. “I’m trying to hold off on reorganizing the shipyard for now.”

  She gave him a measuring stare. “Noble of you. I’m glad to hear that.”

  She might believe him, but did she believe in him?

  He turned to leave and then whirled around. “I’ll double the pay—for your yard workers.”

  Callie finished straightening her work tools. “Tomas, you don’t have to offer more money every time someone comes out here to help you. We’re not the kind of people who need to be bought. We only ask for an honest wage for an honest day’s work.”

  He stepped back, the slap of her words stinging him. “I want to pay people for an honest day’s work. This isn’t about charity, Callie. I truly appreciate everything the people of Fleur have done for me.”