by Mae Nunn
“Here, give him to me.”
“I’ll get his bag from the truck,” Guy offered.
Casey handed Dillon over carefully so as not to disturb his diaper. Abby slung him over her hip without concern and headed toward the far side of the tent.
“I’ll take him into the ladies’ room in the church narthex. There’s a changing table just inside the door.”
“Sure thing. I’ll knock and hand the bag through to you.” He watched the mother and child that he wanted to claim for his own disappear from his sight, then turned to his errand.
“Man, you are tore up from the floor up, bro.”
He didn’t have to look at her face to know Casey wore a big smile. Neither did he need to ask what she meant.
Simply put, he was in a world of trouble.
Saturday morning dawned as different from the rest of the week as Texas is from the polar ice cap. The springtime sun shot into the crystal-blue skies over Austin, pulling steamy rays of heat from the pavement, mirages shimmering through wavy lines.
Abby had accepted weeks ago that Guy was a man who wouldn’t take no for an answer. It wasn’t that he was pushy or controlling, just determined when it came to doing something he knew would make life easier for another person. So when he’d insisted on accompanying the family to the rehab center to start the day’s outing, Abby had agreed without argument. He was actually an answer to prayer. She’d struggled with the logistics of how she’d manage her son and both parents at the same time. Having them together under their own roof after her mom was released was going to be difficult enough. Taking them all on a picnic outing for the first time was probably more than she could handle by herself without some practice.
Her folks would be mortified at her true feelings but the childhood home where she’d once been nurtured and comforted had become a place filled with anxiety and unexpected stressors. She was on her own, the caregiver for a demanding three where she’d once been the mother to a precious one. She’d heard about the sandwich generation, but weren’t they supposed to be the fifty-something baby boomers? Those decades-older people who found themselves taking care of aging parents as they prepared for retirement. At this rate she’d never make it that far; she’d collapse under the weight of responsibility before she ever made it to thirty, much less her golden years.
“He’s here!” her dad shouted from the sentry position he’d taken by the front window. “Let’s go!”
He’d been giddy as a groom since Guy had hatched his plan. The idea of breaking their patient out of the center for the day had her dad more revved up than a Formula One pace car.
“Are you sure we’re not putting your mother’s final release from rehab at risk?”
Abby opened the front door and waited for Guy, her belly swarming with nervous jitters at his approach.
“Dad, if there was any chance of that, we wouldn’t be doing this. Dr. Cabot assured me this would be a well-deserved reward for Mom after all her physical therapy as well as good training for us on how we’ll need to help her when she comes home.”
“Everybody ready?” The man who’d unknowingly won her heart took the front steps in one leap and reached for the screen-door handle.
“Been ready since first light. What took you so long, Roy Rogers?” Shorty groused.
But her dad’s voice was charged with a new energy. She half expected him to get up out of his chair and make the trip out to the van under his own steam. The excitement over an entire day with the woman he treasured above all else was an aura surrounding him, a glow that pulsed with the very beat of his heart.
Oh, Father, will there ever again be a man in my life who feels that way about me?
“Good morning to you, too, Shorty,” Guy laughed, picking up on the fact that the still-grouchy tone was for show only. “Let’s get everybody loaded up and then I thought we’d take the scenic route, maybe drive around the campus a few times and see if we can’t find a traffic jam or some roadwork.”
Her dad made a fist, squinted and tried his best to look menacing. “You delay picking up my Sarah by as much as five minutes and I’ll put a knot in the middle of that bald spot on your noggin.”
Guy’s eyes grew round with exaggerated fear. “Abby, I sure hope you and Dillon are ready. I’m prepared for any eventuality with the Admiral and the Warden being in the same place at the same time but I hadn’t factored Evander Holyfield into the mix. Let’s not risk it, okay?”
The quick wink and his confident smile telegraphed so much: conspiracy, fun, understanding and something else she was almost afraid to name. It was as if he’d asked to carry the heavy load today, to take on some of her responsibility.
To be trusted with her precious burdens.
She loved Guy Hardy. And in the wink of that charming blue eye, she made a decision. The man could never return her feelings, didn’t want to. But just for today she would pretend, if only for a short while, that he was the rock she’d never known, might never have. She’d let him be her savior today, accepting that he’d been sent as a blessing by her heavenly Savior, if only for the short term.
“How on earth did you manage to pull this off?”
Abby strolled the covered section of the Expo Center grounds with Guy and hundreds of others as they meandered through acres of games, crafts and activities designed to offer a challenging distraction at every age and ability level. Dillon had been eager to go to Casey when she’d met them at the handicapped parking area and immediately insisted on seeing to Sarah and Shorty’s barbecue lunch.
“I won’t discount the fact that having money to invest in the community buys a lot of cooperation from local officials who struggle with dwindling budgets and legal handcuffs.” He reluctantly admitted this, the furrows between his brows further telegraphing what must have been a significant figure to produce the results his employees were enjoying. “But we’ve been working on this event since our initial groundbreaking.”
“This has been in the works all those months?” Abby sipped refreshing pink lemonade and marveled at the wisdom of Hearth and Home for including employee recognition in their long-range planning.
“Sure. We won’t turn a shovel of dirt in Galveston for three more months but I’ve already got Casey looking into sites for our first appreciation event.”
Guy’s mention of Galveston turned the sweet drink as bitter as bile in her mouth. Once again the rush of reality swept her thinking, making it nearly impossible to imagine for even a day that anything lasting could happen between them. The man who was the rock of her daydream would soon shift and disappear, no different than sand beneath the constant tide.
She had to think of something else or risk pouting like a preteen the rest of the day. With Guy close behind, she left the stream of foot traffic in search of some quiet. At the periphery of the fairgrounds they stopped at a private spot and leaned comfortably against a whitewashed corral-style fence.
“You said Casey is doing that event planning. I thought you coordinated everything until the store was ready to turn over to her?”
“That’s always been true in the past, but little sister has too much time on her hands right now so I’m loading her up with some agreement negotiations and construction licenses. That’s a little outside of her area of responsibility but the girl’s never known a boundary in her life. Challenging her to stretch a bit is like asking Lance Armstrong if he minds cycling an extra mile.”
“Is everybody in your family as competitive as you two?” She was glad for the shift in conversation, needed time to push past the thought of Guy’s imminent departure from Austin.
From her life.
Guy paused for a moment, then answered.
“All the girls are extremely goal-oriented but that’s part of our family culture. Casey is another matter altogether.” He smiled at the understatement. “She came out of the gate looking for a challenge. Since the day she won her first spelling bee she has refused to let the eight-year difference between us be an
excuse not to best me. When I got my MBA she was still in high school, but she was already warning me she’d go me one better so Dad would know there was nothing magical about being a man that uniquely qualified me to step into the CEO role. She got her master black belt in Six Sigma while she was still in college, believing that would be her springboard into an executive position.”
“And was she right?”
“Of course! Now she’s got some wild ideas about revolutionizing our corporate security system. Why else do you think she keeps sneaking into our new stores trying to trip me up? It drives me nuts!”
“Even so, it’s obvious how much you love your sister.”
“Oh, it goes beyond family ties. I think I respect her as much as I love her.”
“I guess Casey’s brand of steamroller drive and talent are what you find most attractive in a woman, right?”
He took the sweating cup of melting ice cubes from her hand and balanced it atop a fence post. Then he reached for her hand, turned her to face him and leaned down so she would hear his quiet voice over the noise level of the open-sided tents in the distance.
“There was a time when that might have been an accurate statement. But as my faith walk has grown, I’ve prayed for the wisdom to look past outward signs, outward efforts and instead see the good deep inside people. That’s why the geodes mean so much to me. They are a tangible symbol of God’s buried treasure in each of us. They remind me that I’m blessed to be a blessing to others.”
“And ‘others’ just happens to be women more often than not?”
“Ouch!” He clutched his chest, pulled an imaginary dagger from his heart. “I see Casey’s been talking while she works.”
“Oh, as if Daddy hasn’t given you color commentary on every major event in my life.”
Guy chuckled. “I admit I’ve probably heard more about your school years that I have a right to know. But Shorty is so proud of you, he can’t help bragging a little.”
“If I didn’t know better I’d think my dad and your sister have conspired against us. They both seem to be working overtime, turning up the heat with stories designed to make each of us hightail it the other way.”
Guy watched with fascination, mesmerized as Abby shoved curls back from her forehead and swiped either cheek where rosy, warm skin was responding to the sultry day. She puffed breath upward, reached behind her head, twisted her hair into a knot and held it off her neck.
“Speaking of heat…” He dipped his hand into the cup of melting ice, withdrew a chilly chunk and held it up between thumb and forefinger. “I have just the thing to cool you off.” He knew his grin gave away his intentions.
Her gaze flicked left to right, presumably for an avenue of escape. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.” She held her palms out.
“Oh, but I think it will be,” he threatened, inching closer.
“You wouldn’t dare.” She sounded tough, but took a step away just in case, not so sure he wouldn’t follow through.
He lowered his voice, growled from his throat.
“Don’t tempt me, pretty lady. Back home I’m known as the Snowman for good reason. No sister ever escaped a winter assault or a summer meltdown!”
She crept backward, a glint of playful trepidation in her brown eyes. “Don’t do it, Guy Hardy,” she warned.
He matched her motions, easing forward as she eased back. He fixed her with a beguiling smile. “We can do this the hard way and make a lot of fuss that the people way over there will notice, or you can stand still and take it like the cowgirl you claim to be.”
She stood her ground, didn’t move. Her eyes narrowed. The muscles in her jaw flexed with determination and Sarah Reagan’s daughter stood before him as stubborn as a borrowed mule. At that moment it was not difficult to envision Abby as a champion barrel racer.
Ahhhh, he was seeing a new dimension. He’d never issued a challenge to her before, assuming that was not her style. Why, she’d even baited him moments earlier with her question about Casey’s steamrolling. Seemed Abby had the force of some heavy equipment in her makeup after all.
“Tell you what.” He decided to test her a bit. “You let me see just how tough you are and you can call payback anytime it suits you.”
She threaded both hands through her blond hair, pressed it high atop her head, exposing the fair skin of her neck. “Bring it on, Alexander Theodore Guy,” she whispered, then closed her eyes and angled her head in coy submission.
The offering of her lovely throat stirred his senses, shook his resolve not to initiate another kiss. Maybe he could risk a small one on that neck so artfully etched with character and strength by the Creator’s own hand.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” she interrupted his thought. The question and the mirth in her voice were meant to tease, to find out if he’d started something he had no intention of finishing.
This time he was the one glancing around to ensure the moment was a private one. With nobody in sight, he stepped close, reached out with the melting chunk of ice, held it several inches above the skin where he was so tempted to press his lips and let cold droplets fall.
She shivered at the contact, tensed and then relaxed. Gooseflesh prickled on either side of her spine as the moisture drizzled downward to disappear beneath the collar of her pale blue oxford-cloth cotton shirt.
He closed his fingers around the ice, the warmth of his hand turning the drips to a steady trickle.
“Mmmmmmm, that’s actually very nice,” Abby admitted. She pressed her shoulders back, permitting entry of the rivulet that traced her spine, a darkening streak of dampness.
“That’s not supposed to be your response.”
“I know. Not what you expected, huh?”
“Not even close,” he admitted. “Where are the screams, the struggles, the threats of payback?”
“You’re about eight years too late for that. The stables where I worked in high school were pretty spartan. In the summer a cup of ice was the only way to cool off unless you wanted to take a dip in the horse trough.” She raised her head, light flashing in her cocoa-brown eyes. “Sorry to disappoint you on the screams and struggles, but I’ll definitely take you up on the payback when you least expect it.”
“Then I might as well get my money’s worth.” He dropped the chunk of ice down the neck of her shirt, pressed his hand over the lump it made where it settled at the waistband of her jeans and ground the chill into the small of her back.
He was rewarded with a whoop of laughter and an effort to squirm away. He caught her around the middle, wrapped her tight and pulled her against him.
“Oh no you don’t,” he laughed, enjoying the horseplay.
At the precise moment he’d intended to release her so she could fish the ice cube from beneath her shirt, Abby tipped her head back. She looked up into his face, then closed her eyes as if giving him control. Giving him permission.
He stared down. As motionless and dense as the fence post they’d been leaning against. Without a thought for propriety or permission, he dipped his face and covered her sweet mouth with his.
Chapter Fifteen
With her eyes tightly closed to ease the wild reality that was Guy’s kiss, Abby’s mind was a whirlwind of senses. The prickle of a half day’s whiskers where his mouth met hers, the uncontrollable thumping of hearts pressed close, the small sighs they exchanged.
And the physical sensations were accompanied by a blur of questions. Will Guy see this as another mistake? Am I a fool to care for a man who has no intention of returning my love? And the most important question nagged the loudest. Why is God giving me this glimpse of healing and love when He’s only going to take it away again?
Her confusion over God’s role in her pain deepened along with the kiss. How could there be so much pleasure mingled with fears of hurting? And why would the loving heavenly Father allow it in the same way He’d allowed Phillip to be taken from her?
Phillip.
She pulled awa
y, stared into unforgettable azure-blue eyes that held no inkling of remorse, no signs of regret for the kiss.
Guy leaned down, pressed his forehead to hers and uttered a single word. “What?”
There were a thousand possible answers. Which response was she bold enough to give?
“Do you think it’s wrong—”
“No,” he interrupted, cutting her off with another brief kiss. “This is not wrong, Abby and it’s not a mistake. As a matter of fact, it may be the most right thing I’ve ever done. God seems to be leading me someplace I never meant to go. I’ve spent the last twenty years of my life wanting women to move on as soon as they made an effort to sink roots with me. And now I understand how they felt.” He gave her lips yet another whisper-soft kiss. “Is that the answer you wanted to hear?”
She couldn’t hold back a small smile at the unexpected confession.
“Actually, that wasn’t going to be my question at all.” She noted the quick intake of his breath as he realized his mistake. Was he sorry he’d tipped his hand?
“But thanks for sharing,” she continued. “Actually, I was wondering if it’s wrong to care for a man when you promised your heart to another forever.”
Guy’s forehead still touched hers, but he turned his face slightly, averted his eyes.
They were pressed so closely that she felt the change in Guy right away. It was as if the wind had abandoned his sails. She heard him exhale, felt the warm rush of breath against her cheek.
Forever. She’d given her heart away forever.
He was falling deeper and deeper in love with Abby Cramer and it was a foolish waste of time. Why on earth and under heaven had God led him to a love that was unattainable?
“I realize I should be able to give you an older and wiser perspective, Abby.” The statement was meant to sound ironic, instead it was just sad to his ears. “The fact is I haven’t experienced what you have, so I don’t think I’m the one to give you counsel on that particular subject. But after thirty-eight years on this planet what I do know for sure is that loss is part of life and life still manages to go on. Hearts heal, we get blessed with second chances and if we’re living in God’s will we sometimes find the next love is sweeter.”