He didn’t know what to think. He liked to pay his way. At least he wouldn’t feel so obligated to others then. The people of Dry Creek were chipping away at his resentment toward them. He was beginning to think that maybe they had done the best they could in his mother’s trial. Maybe they didn’t look down on his family as much as he had thought, either. They certainly seemed to be welcoming him home now.
Amy stood in the doorway then, her blond hair braided in some kind of a coronet on top of her head. Dainty pink flowers were worked into her hair in some mysterious way. She was wearing jeans and a cotton blouse, but her face was already starting to glow.
“You’re going to be a beautiful bride,” he told her as she flashed him her bandage. “I hope your dress has long sleeves.”
“Nope,” she said and grinned as she held her wrist high again. “But I wear the badge proudly.”
“I have a crystal olive tray for you,” he said to her then. “It’s not wrapped yet, but I’ll get it to you later.”
She nodded, still in the doorway. “I love olives.”
“So does Wade,” he said. “So I predict a happy life together.”
“Thanks,” she said and rushed into the room to give him a tight hug.
“Don’t cry,” he whispered in her ear. “It’s your wedding day. And all will be well.”
She nodded at that and released him. A tear streaked down her cheek; then she turned and left.
Jake surprised himself by how sincere he had been when he told her that she’d have a good life with his brother. Maybe his mother was right about God giving a man another chance to be a better person. Wade was certainly doing better than Jake would have thought. If God could do that for his brother, maybe—
He heard a sound then and looked down at Cat. She turned slightly and blinked.
Her hair was matted against her head and she had dark circles under her eyes, but he could picture her as a bride as readily as he saw Amy in his mind.
Cat yawned and looked at him. He stroked her hand to help her wake up.
“Time?” she asked in a groggy voice.
He could see the clock if he looked through the door and over to the nurse’s station, so he craned his neck to find it. “Five minutes to twelve.”
Then he saw two figures step into the doorway. Mrs. Hargrove and Lara were here.
“Pumpkin.” Cat smiled and held out her arms.
Mrs. Hargrove let Lara go. The girl went running toward Cat and threw herself onto her bed.
“Hush, now,” Cat said, putting her hand on Lara’s little back. She could feel the sobs go clear through her daughter. Cat rubbed the girl’s back for a minute or two. She could not afford tears of her own right now, but she had to soothe Lara.
“It’s going to be all right,” Cat whispered when her daughter’s tears had slowed. “The doctor is coming to fix my heart so I can be with you for a long, long time.”
Lara looked up at that, her tear-streaked face red from where she’d pressed it against Cat’s chest.
“I have something important to tell you before I have surgery,” Cat continued. She wasn’t sure how long she could keep talking. “I’m sorry I haven’t told you about your father sooner.”
“I don’t have a father,” Lara said, her voice flat. “That’s what the kids at preschool say.”
“Well,” Cat murmured. She hadn’t known about that. “They only said that because they don’t know. You do have a father.”
She glanced over at Jake. His face was motionless. If she didn’t know better, she would think he was scared. But nothing intimidated him. He bore the burdens of the world, but he wasn’t worried about anything being more than he could handle.
Lara was listening intently.
“Is he a prince?” she asked hopefully. “I told the kids at school my father was a prince and he would take me to Disneyland because then I’d be his little princess.”
“No, he’s just a regular man,” Cat said, even though there was probably nothing average about Jake. She suddenly wished she had written herself a script. How did one introduce a girl to her father? “But he—he’s going to let you live with him if you can’t live with Mommy for any reason.”
Lara’s eyes got big at that. She didn’t say anything, but Cat believed she was beginning to understand.
“Are you going away?” her daughter whispered.
“Not because I want to.” Cat forced her voice to stay strong. “And if I do, I want you to remember that I will love you always.”
Lara nodded, but she wasn’t moving.
Cat found she needed to stop talking for a moment. It was getting harder to breathe. She looked at Jake. “I can’t tell her.”
He nodded and cleared his throat. “What your mother wants you to know is that I’m your father.”
Lara’s mouth dropped open and she just stared at him.
Cat knew she should say something to reassure them both that they would come to love each other, that things would not be as difficult as they were both thinking at the moment, but the blackness was crowding close again. She closed her eyes to stop herself from passing out. She knew then more clearly than ever that her heart was in trouble. She could feel her body starting to gasp for life.
And then there was a bright flash of lightning that she could see even with her eyes closed. And moments later a clap to match.
“A thunderstorm,” one of the nurses called out from the hallway.
She felt Jake’s arm jerk as he stood up.
“Dear God, no,” he prayed without realizing it.
She opened her eyes and saw him just standing there in the room. He glanced down at her and she understood his plans were not going well.
“It’s all right.” She moved her lips soundlessly.
He looked at her, stricken, but she could not focus any longer.
Jake was on the edge and felt as if he would fall. Then Mrs. Hargrove stepped into the room and grabbed his arm, anchoring him. “You don’t know that the plane can’t land yet. God is in control. He hears the prayers—”
“—of a righteous man,” Jake finished for her. That had been another of the verses in his birthday cards.
“He also hears the prayers of a desperate man,” she added.
Jake looked back at Cat. She was breathing; he could see her body strain to do so. He had never had to gamble on something so important before. Without her, his life would be nothing. But he was helpless. He had done everything he could to save her and it might not be enough. More money wasn’t going to fix her heart. Sheer willpower wasn’t the answer. He was out of tricks and maneuvers.
Cat opened her eyes again and smiled at him.
Then he followed her gaze over to where Lara sat on the edge of the bed. He needed to do something for all of them. He might not be the prince Lara wanted, but he was all she had. He walked around the bed and picked her up in his arms. He did not know how they were going to manage, but he was going to be her father.
He put his hand on her back to steady her as he stood there.
Cat’s eyes fluttered as she looked at the two of them together and the alarms on the machines started to go off again. Jake stepped back this time and let Lara press her face into his chest for comfort.
The nurses came in and this time it did not take long to get Cat stabilized.
The doctor entered the room just as they were leaving.
“I got a call that the plane landed early. The surgeon’s almost here.” He turned to the nurses. “Let’s get her prepped and to the operating room.”
Jake watched them wheel Cat out of the room. It felt as though they were taking his heart with them.
He looked around and saw Mrs. Hargrove just outside the door. She was standing again
st the wall opposite Cat’s room and she had her head bent in prayer. She seemed to know that he needed her, though, because she raised her head and came into the room.
“I need to go with Cat,” he said as he looked down at his daughter.
Mrs. Hargrove nodded. “I’ll take Lara to the waiting room.”
“Thanks. I’ll be along there soon. They won’t let me stay for the surgery, but I want to be there as long as I can.”
He looked at Lara then and tried to smile.
“I’m glad you’re my daughter,” he whispered to her as he set her down so she could walk over to Mrs. Hargrove.
“Pray for me,” he told Mrs. Hargrove as she held out her hand to Lara.
The woman looked up and nodded as though she had expected him to say something like that.
“God has had you in His sights for some time now,” she said. “You just need to trust Him with everything you have.”
Those words pounded through Jake’s mind as he ran down the hallway after the team taking Cat to the operating room. Everything he had was her. He caught her before they wheeled her into the room.
He needed to trust God for her and their future.
“I love you, Cat Barker,” he leaned down and said. Her eyes were closed, but he saw the smile on her face. “And I’m going to turn my life around. No more gambling. If God can make a new man out of my brother, he can make a new man out of me.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered and opened her eyes.
The wheels of the gurney had started up again, but he walked alongside her.
“You’re going to have to marry me,” he said.
“We’ll have a lilac wedding,” she agreed.
The gurney came to a doorway and stopped.
Jake bent down and brushed his lips across hers. “I’m going to move home to Dry Creek and build a house for us there—you, me and Lara. Wade wants me to be his partner on the ranch. If that’s what you want. If not, we can live anywhere, do anything. As long as we’re together.”
“Dry Creek is our home,” she whispered. “That’s where we belong.”
Just then one of the nurses cleared her throat and turned to Jake. “I’m afraid you’ll have to go to the waiting room.”
Jake nodded. “I’ll be there with Lara.”
“Love her for me,” Cat said, her voice so weak he could barely hear.
“Always,” he vowed as the nurses pushed the gurney into the operating room and the door closed behind them.
Jake stood there for a moment before he forced himself to walk back to the waiting room. The hall was longer than he remembered, but he still hadn’t figured out what to say to Lara by the time he was at the doorway.
Someone had partially closed the curtains and the light in the room was subdued. Mrs. Hargrove was sitting on a chair and Lara was curled up on the older woman’s lap.
“I—” Jake began.
Lara turned to look up at him and he saw from the worry on her face that there was no need for words. His daughter slid down to the floor and ran to him. He bent down and picked her up, holding her close.
“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered as he carried her back into the room.
Mrs. Hargrove patted a chair next to her and he sat down, with Lara cuddled in his arms.
Jake realized his daughter was crying and he panicked for a moment, wondering if he’d know what to do, but then he started rubbing her back and he felt her breathing even out. They sat there together, like that, until Lara finally fell asleep.
Even then, Jake did not move. Mrs. Hargrove left to make some telephone calls and, when she returned, she had a piece of paper with her.
“I called the prayer chain at church to let them know the surgery was happening now,” the older woman whispered as she sat back down. “Some of the folks wanted me to pass on their greetings to you. I wrote them down so I wouldn’t forget what everyone said.”
“Me?” He was surprised. “I’ve been gone from Dry Creek for so long.”
“You’re still one of us,” Mrs. Hargrove said as she put the paper in his left hand. His right arm was supporting Lara. “You can read everything later. They just want you to know they’re praying.”
“I’m—” Jake began, but had to swallow “—grateful. Very, very grateful.”
He’d never needed people before, and he was humbled that his old neighbors would pray for the woman he loved. What was left of the bitterness in his heart crumbled. He had no defenses against that kind of care. The people in Dry Creek were going to be his friends again and he felt very fortunate to have them.
Jake sat with Lara in his arms for what seemed like hours. No one except Mrs. Hargrove came into the room. He wondered if the hospital had another waiting area or if there was just no one else who needed to be there.
When it seemed he couldn’t wait any longer, a man in green scrubs came through the doorway. Jake knew he was the surgeon even though this was his first glimpse of the man.
“She’s going to be fine,” the surgeon said and grinned widely. “Everything went perfectly. She should have a healthy, full life from now on.”
“When can I see her?” Jake asked. He started to stand, forgetting he held Lara. The movement caused her to stir in his arms and he sat back down.
“Mommy?” his daughter asked.
“She’s going to be fine,” he whispered.
“I’ll have someone come get you when Miss Barker is out of the recovery room,” the surgeon said as he turned and walked back to the door. “It won’t be long. One visitor at a time.”
Jake just sat there when the surgeon left. He hadn’t realized how stressed he had been until he felt the relief rush through him.
“She’s going to be okay.” He turned to Mrs. Hargrove and said the words for the pure pleasure of hearing them himself.
The older woman nodded, blinking back tears. “I’ll sit with Lara while you go see her and then I’ll call everyone and let them know the surgery is over and all is well. It’ll take Cat a while before she’s able to talk and I’m sure she’ll want Lara to see her when she’s more herself.”
Jake nodded and then it hit him. Now that Cat was going to live, she might not still want to marry him. It was one thing for a woman to agree to a man’s proposal when she was facing surgery. But now that she had her whole life ahead of her, she might have other plans.
By the time the nurse came to take him to Cat, Jake was not breathing easily. But the minute he entered the darkened room where Cat lay, he knew only one thing was important. His beloved Cat was alive.
“Don’t worry about anything,” he whispered as he bent down to kiss her cheek. He was talking to himself as much as Cat. Her eyes were still closed and her skin was cool where his lips touched it.
“It’ll be a few more minutes before she can answer,” the nurse said to him as she checked the machines attached to Cat.
“I’ll wait,” Jake said as he reached behind himself and pulled a chair close to the bed. Then he sat down and reached for Cat’s hand, threading his fingers through hers. “I’m just so happy.”
The nurse left then, and Jake sat there watching Cat breathe.
Finally, she turned her head toward him and opened her eyes. “Jake?”
She seemed surprised to see him and he wondered if she was. He had not been there when she needed him too many times already.
“I’m never going to leave you again,” he said softly. And then he wondered if he was presuming too much. “If you don’t want me to, that is…”
He looked down and her eyes were smiling at him. “I’ll always want you with me.”
Jake blinked back his tears. “Then I’ll be there.”
“Promise?” Cat whispered.
<
br /> He nodded. “With my whole heart.”
Then he bent to kiss her again.
Epilogue
Two months later
Cat took a deep breath, savoring the fragrance of the lilac bushes. Max had come up early from Las Vegas and had helped Jake build an arch yesterday where the old clothesline had stood so she would have something to walk under when Doris June played the wedding march on her keyboard today. The lilacs were in full bloom elsewhere around Dry Creek and people had been donating branches all morning so that huge lilac bouquets stood beside the folding chairs on the lawn in front of Gracie’s bushes.
Cat had her wedding dress on and had snuck out of the house to be sure everything was ready for the guests that would be arriving soon.
“Mommy.” Lara came running up to her from the back door of the Stone house. She was wearing a frilly, little white dress with lilac-colored trim. She was holding a square package wrapped in silver paper and a larger one in red. “I have presents and it’s not even my birthday!”
“I see that,” Cat said as she looked up to see Jake following their daughter out of the house, carrying yet another wrapped box, this one in ivory paper.
“More presents?” she asked when he came closer. She put her hand up to straighten his tie. He was wearing his wedding suit and was more handsome than any man had a right to be. He kept the box in his hands, though, instead of giving it to Lara.
He shrugged. “I’m only responsible for the small one. The big red box is from my mother and she won’t even tell me what’s in it.”
“It’s my princess gift,” Lara announced.
“Oh.” Cat frowned as she leaned down as much as she could in the full skirt. White lace nestled in with the green grass. “We talked about that, remember? You have a mommy and a daddy now—a real one. You don’t need to be a princess any longer.”
Lara stood there, mutiny in her eyes.
“Jake?” Cat looked up.
“I’m afraid my mother did call it her princess gift,” he admitted.
“Well, I guess it is a special day for all of us,” Cat conceded as she stood up. “So go ahead and open them.”
Lilac Wedding in Dry Creek Page 17