Unexpected Father

by Carolyne Aarsen

  “I’m glad about that. I don’t think she’s going anywhere. And now that Olivia is around maybe you and I will have some time to figure out—” He stopped there. He looked down at their joined hands, his brows lowered as if concerned.

  “To figure out what?” she gently prodded.

  Denny waited a moment, as if sorting out what he was going to say. “To figure out our relationship.”

  “In terms of...?” Evangeline coaxed.

  He released a gentle sigh. “I’ve made mistakes before and—” He bit his lip as if hesitant to speak his next words and she felt a barb hook into her heart.

  “You don’t want to make a mistake with me?” She tried to keep her voice light, as if speaking those words didn’t cost her everything.

  “I have to be careful,” Denny said, but he still held her hands, which gave her hope. “But at the same time I’m sure you and I...that we can—”

  “Evangeline. How nice to see you again.”

  That voice. The timing.

  Evangeline gritted her teeth then forced a smile as she faced her old boyfriend.

  Tyler wore his usual well-tailored suit; navy with a narrow white pinstripe. His white shirt set off his tanned skin and the indigo silk tie brought out the blue of his eyes. But the tan, she knew, came from a salon.

  At one time that hadn’t mattered, but as she looked from Tyler—perfectly groomed, perfectly put together—to Denny, who looked far more casual, she wondered what she’d seen in a man who, she knew, spent so much time on himself.

  Tyler suddenly seemed fake.

  Denny, real.

  “Good afternoon, Tyler. Good to see you.” It wasn’t. His timing was atrocious and his presence unwelcome.

  Tyler fingered the lapel of his suit jacket with a manicured hand, lifting one eyebrow in question.

  Evangeline’s manners returned. “Tyler, this is Denny Norquest. He rents my father’s ranch. Denny, this is Tyler Wright. A...a friend.”

  Tyler gave her a slow smile. “Only friend? I thought we were more than that.” Tyler turned to Denny. “Evangeline and I dated for many years.”

  It was growing harder to keep her smile intact. Tyler’s smooth, deep voice suddenly struck her as obsequious and his comment to Denny possessive.

  “Thankfully we’ve both moved on,” Evangeline returned, looking pointedly at Denny.

  “I see that.” But the edge in Tyler’s voice made her wonder what had happened to the girl he had dumped her for. But she wasn’t asking, because she wasn’t interested.

  “Thanks for stopping by,” she said to Tyler, her smile suddenly genuine and relieved.

  What had she seen in this man? Compared to Denny he seemed fussy and shallow.

  Denny, with his so-called messy life, was the genuine article. A diamond in the rough, maybe. But more precious than Tyler ever was.

  “I saw you come into the restaurant,” he said, “and wanted to say hello. Maybe I’ll see you around?”

  “Hartley Creek isn’t that big” was all she would say, wishing he would leave. She knew her time with Denny, time snatched away from his many obligations, was precious. She didn’t want to waste it on a man who no longer held her interest.

  Tyler’s smile grew tight, as if he knew she had brushed him off. Then with a nod in Denny’s direction he said goodbye and walked away.

  “So. Old boyfriend.” Denny’s comment held a note of asperity, which made Evangeline smile even more. “Your dad mentioned him once or twice.”

  “I’m sure he did,” Evangeline said. “My dad liked Tyler.”

  Denny released a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snort.

  Was he jealous?

  “We dated for two years,” she said.

  “That’s a long time to be with someone.”

  “That’s three years less than you were married,” she put in, reminding him she wasn’t the only one with past relationships.

  “Touché,” Denny said.

  “He’s not important, if that’s what you’re wondering,” she said.

  “I was and I’m glad to hear that. Really glad.”

  “Why?” she asked, fishing for an answer she was fairly sure she already knew.

  “Because I was hoping you could tell me that I’m more important.”

  Evangeline laughed, then leaned closer, caught his neck and pressed a kiss to his lips. “There. Does that help?”

  “It’s a beginning,” he said, his smile growing. Then he kissed her back.

  As his lips touched hers she felt a completeness in her soul. Tyler had dealt her a blow that had resonated through her life.

  And now?

  Now she was with a man she admired. Whom she cared more deeply for than she had ever cared for any man.

  The realization hit her like a blow. She pulled back and tightened her hand on his, feeling vulnerable and afraid.

  Dear Lord, she prayed silently, let me have chosen right.

  Because she felt, now more than at any other time in her life, she was putting her heart in the hands of someone who had the potential to hurt her more than anyone else ever had.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Denny watched Evangeline pull out onto the highway leading back to Hartley Creek, thankful for the warm afternoon sun after the cool dimness of the restaurant.

  He had enjoyed his afternoon with Evangeline. Being with her felt right and good. She was the kind of person he had always dreamed of being with. The kind of woman he had hoped to marry first time around.

  “Hey, Norquest.”

  Denny turned to see Tyler striding toward him across the parking lot, his smile showing perfectly straight teeth. “How was your lunch with Evangeline?” Tyler asked as he came near.

  “It was good,” Denny returned, fidgeting with his truck keys.

  Tyler ran his hand over the lapels of a suit Denny figured had been tailored specifically for him. The guy looked like an ad for expensive men’s cologne.

  “You and Evangeline seemed kind of cozy,” Tyler said. “Are you serious about her?”

  “I don’t see that’s any of your business,” Denny returned.

  “She was a part of my life,” Tyler said.

  “Was. For two years. And then you dumped her. Big mistake.”

  “You’re right. It was a mistake. I miss her. She’s such a perfect person.” Then he released a harsh laugh that held no humor. “You don’t seem like Evangeline’s type. She always told me she didn’t like the rough and rugged sort. Reminded her too much of her father. Come to think of it, you do kind of remind me of Andy.”

  Denny didn’t think the comment required a response, yet Tyler’s words struck a chord. He knew he was more like Evangeline’s father than Tyler was. Denny fell short in many ways of Evangeline’s ideal.

  “I had better be going,” Denny said. “Got to get back to the ranch.” He knew he was being curt with Evangeline’s old boyfriend. The guy gave him the willies with his cologne and perfect skin and clothes. He reminded him too much of one of the lawyers Lila had hired.

  “Have a good day,” Tyler said with a forced smile. Without another word, Tyler turned and walked away, leaving Denny to wonder what the guy had really wanted.

  He didn’t have time to wonder too much. His cell phone was buzzing at him. He glanced at the number and felt his heart slow. Andy. Evangeline’s father.

  “Hey, Denny. How’s it going? You working right now?” Andy asked him

  “I’m out and about.” He wasn’t about to tell Andy that he had taken his daughter out to lunch. Somehow he didn’t think Andy would approve. Andy had mentioned Tyler once in a while and Denny had the idea that Evangeline’s father would have preferred it if she was still dating him.

  “Got a few minute
s?” Andy asked. “I need to run something by you.”

  “Go ahead,” Denny said as he got into his truck, rolled down the window and propped his elbow on the edge. From here he could see the river that flowed through town, could hear it splashing over the rocks, moving relentlessly onward.

  Andy was quiet a moment, which generated a slow beat of concern.

  “It’s about the ranch. We need to talk about the terms,” Andy said.

  The beat quickened, filling his chest.

  “What about the terms?”

  “Well, I did tell you I’d give you five-year lease. I need to change that.”

  Denny closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, concern morphing into dread. “How do you want to change it?” Denny guessed Andy didn’t want to lengthen it.

  “I was thinking you could buy me out in the next month.”

  The dread turned into ice curling through his veins. “Buy you out now?”

  “This guy told me about a real-estate deal he wants to put together. I can double my money in less than a year. Which means I could sign over the store to Evangeline. I could come back to Hartley Creek and give her everything I’ve wanted.”

  Which is what Evangeline had been waiting for all these years. While Denny was happy for her, thrilled for her, in fact, he couldn’t say he felt the same way about his own situation.

  “I can’t come up with that kind of money right now,” Denny said. “The lease agreement gave me just enough room to save up a down payment.”

  “What about your trucks? What if you sold them?”

  “I need the income from them to get my stake together.” There was no way he was buying a ranch, diving deep into debt and scrabbling his way out of that black hole for the rest of his life. Especially not if his life was moving in the direction he had hoped.

  Together with Evangeline.

  He had no intention of subjecting her to that kind of subsistence living. He had scrambled enough when he and Lila were married and look where that had got him.

  “You sure you couldn’t shorten the lease to three years?” Denny countered. That would give him some breathing room. Not as much as he’d like, but enough.

  “I need the money now, Denny. It’s a great opportunity.”

  “And if I don’t buy you out?”

  “I have to sell the ranch one way or the other. Sorry.”

  He didn’t sound sorry and Denny finally, truly, realized what Evangeline had had to deal with most of her life. Andy didn’t have the guts to tell him this to his face. He had to do it over the phone.

  “Give me a day or so to think about this,” Denny said. “I need to make some plans.”

  “Sure. But I’m under the gun. I need to get some kind of assurance by the end of the week. I can borrow the money but only if I know I’ll be able to pay it back when you get financing for the ranch.”

  “Even if I do get financing, it won’t happen for a while. I can’t just waltz into the bank and get them to hand over that kind of money.”

  “I’m okay with that. I don’t mind carrying the loan if I know money’s coming. I trust you, Denny.”

  Which was more than Denny could say for Andy.

  “Like I said, give me a couple of days. I need to figure a few things out.”

  “Say hi to my girl, will you?”

  Denny clenched his teeth, his frustration and anger with Andy spilling over.

  “Why don’t you come up for a visit and say hi to her yourself?” he asked.

  A moment of silence followed his outburst and Denny figured he had overstepped an invisible boundary.

  “I know. I should.”

  “She misses you,” Denny said, surprised at the chastened tone he heard in Andy’s voice.

  “I’ll come up when I can sign the store over to her. When this deal is through.”

  “Does transferring ownership of the store to her depend on this deal?”

  “I won’t need the income from the store once I get this deal together.”

  That put another angle on the situation. Added another complication. Denny knew what that store meant to Evangeline.

  “I’ll talk to you by Wednesday,” Denny said. “That’s all I can give you now.”

  Denny tossed his cell phone onto the seat beside him and turned on his truck, struggling to slow his spinning thoughts and the dread hovering at the center of them.

  For a brief and blessed moment his life had had a solid and stable focus. For a moment he had dared to envision a future with Evangeline and Ella.

  Once again his life was dumped upside down. Once again he had to plan on the fly.

  Only this time he felt as if more was at stake.

  He drove home in a daze, trying to think. Trying to plan.

  He didn’t even mind that as soon as he got home Olivia and Trista gave him a quick progress report on Ella, who was napping, and then took off. He didn’t want to talk to anyone.

  He dropped onto the worn recliner and looked around the room that held some wonderful moments. Was it only last week he had sat in that love seat with Evangeline, pretending to watch a movie when all he could think about was her? He had dared to make plans the past few days, feeling fairly confident she felt the same way about him. He was thinking marriage.

  But now?

  What could he possibly offer her? Debt and struggling and a life of wondering if they could make ends meet. He thought of the clothes she wore, the car she drove. The things she liked. Behind all that he saw Tyler and his perfect clothes and obvious wealth.

  He knew Evangeline wasn’t shallow or materialistic but at the same time, he couldn’t begin to provide for her on the level she was accustomed to.

  But what else could he do? Walk away?

  He massaged his temples, trying to think. To plan. Then finally he prayed.

  “Lord, help me to make the right decision. I have Ella to think of now, as well. I have to do what’s best for her, too.”

  He spent the rest of Ella’s nap time sitting at the kitchen table with his calculator and a pad of paper, scribbling figures, adding, subtracting and budgeting. If he sold the trucks he would have enough money to make a down payment, but it would mean a large debt load and a reduced income to pay it with. If he kept the trucks to help make the payments, he would have to work full-time, which meant the cows wouldn’t get proper care, which would reduce the ranch income. If he sold the cows, he would lose that income, as well.

  He could make it okay if he had five years to lease the ranch and build up his cow herd enough that he could sell the trucks and pay down whatever debt he would have to incur. It was a good plan, a solid plan, but it was a five-year plan that needed both the income from the ranch and the trucks to work.

  Two hours and reams of paper later, reality hit him like a punch in his stomach.

  There was no way he could buy out Andy right now. There was no way he could make this work.

  There was no way he could give Evangeline the kind of life he wanted to offer her.

  * * *

  Evangeline laid the handset in the cradle and drummed her fingers on the counter. Denny still wasn’t answering his phone nor had he replied to the two messages she had left this morning.

  She walked to the front door and locked it. Late-afternoon sun slanted into the store, illuminating dust motes dancing on its beams. She turned off the low-key music she often played in the store and a heavy quiet descended.

  Somehow, since Ella had moved to the ranch, the quiet seemed palpable and filled the store. A shiver tickled Evangeline’s neck as she looked around.

  Someday it would be hers. Someday.

  But now that didn’t matter. At one time the store had been all she had. Even when she was dating Tyler there had been an emptiness in
the relationship that the store had filled.

  But with Denny she felt as if her heart couldn’t get any fuller. Couldn’t hold any more happiness.

  And she missed him.

  Evangeline had stayed away Monday and Tuesday to give Denny a chance to catch up with his sisters. He hadn’t called her but she wasn’t surprised. Now that Olivia was here she knew he would be able to work a few more shifts on the gravel truck.

  But still, she had hoped to hear something from him. It was now Wednesday and she wasn’t sure what to do.

  She could go upstairs to her quiet apartment or she could go to the ranch.

  Her thoughts cast back to their date on Sunday and a smile curved her lips. Maybe he was waiting to hear from her?

  With this in mind she ran the rest of the way up the stairs and took her time to pick out precisely the right outfit. Did her makeup just so. Wore her hair the way he said he liked it, hanging loose and free around her face.

  Half an hour later she was pulling up to the ranch and parking beside Denny’s truck, which was next to the beat-up old car that belonged to Olivia and Trista.

  She stepped out of her vehicle, her heart lifting at the sight of the sun slanting down the hills and the cows grazing contentedly in the pasture. Her thoughts ticked back to a scene so similar it made her heart ache.

  Her father’s cows in the pasture. Her mother calling her to come in for supper.

  A sense of melancholy drifted over her but it was replaced by a happier thought.

  Someday she might be living here again.

  She took in a deep, cleansing breath, easing away the sadder memories. Then with a lift of her heart she walked over to the house.

  She knocked lightly on the door and stepped inside. She heard voices. Loud voices, which made her pause.

  “Does Evangeline know about this?” she heard Trista ask. “Are you going to tell her?”

  Evangeline pressed her hand to her suddenly erratic heart, moving to one side of the door, out of view. Tell her what?

  “Not yet,” he replied. “I can’t tell her yet.”

  “When will you?”

  She should leave, she thought as a sense of impending doom hung over her at the sound of Denny’s answering sigh.