Love Inspired January 2016, Box Set 1 of 2

by Carolyne Aarsen

  “Will you be coming back to the house later on?” Chloe asked.

  “For lunch, maybe.” Grady knew she referred to the therapy she wanted to do. But he didn’t want to spend more time with her than he had to. Didn’t want to be reminded even more clearly of his shortcomings.

  * * *

  “Do you mind if I go out to the barns?” Chloe stood in the doorway of a small room just off the master bedroom where Mamie slept. The older woman was bent over a sewing machine sitting to one side of the room. She was making quilt squares from what Chloe could tell.

  The older woman looked up and pushed her glasses back down on her nose. “No. That’s not a problem.”

  “Cody is down for his afternoon nap. He’ll be good for at least two and a half hours.”

  “Are you going to try to talk to Grady?”

  “Try being the operative word,” Chloe said with a wry smile.

  Mamie sat back in her chair and folded her arms over her chest. “I think you’ll be able to charm him,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

  “I was hoping to set up downstairs in the recreation room, if that was okay? I noticed some exercise equipment in there that I might be able to use.”

  “That’s fine. Do you need any other equipment for him?”

  “Some mats and foam rollers once I do my own assessment. I’ve already spoken with Salma, the physical therapist at the hospital. She said she would be willing to rent some of what I need, if that’s okay with you.”

  “Whatever you need,” Mamie said with a wave of her hand. “You just let me know.”

  “Thanks.” Chloe was about to leave when Mamie spoke up again.

  “He’s a good man,” Mamie said, her voice almost pleading. “I know the war has changed him. I know he feels less of a man than he was. He’s pulled into himself, but deep down I know he’s still the same honorable and loving man he was when he left. And you know that he and your stepsister were never...”

  “I know and I understand,” Chloe said, holding up one hand to stop the dear woman’s defense of her grandson. It was hard to listen to because she spoke Chloe’s own thoughts aloud.

  Last night, after she and Grady had shared that moment in the nursery, she had lain awake for too long, one hand resting on her stomach where her baby grew, the other on her chest to ease the sorrow in her heart.

  “I want to ask another question,” Mamie said. “And you can say no if you’re uncomfortable, but we’ll be attending church tomorrow—”

  “I’d love to come,” Chloe said.

  “Wonderful.” Mamie gave her a bright smile, then turned back to her sewing.

  Chloe grabbed a jacket and headed out the door. As she left the shelter of the porch, a chill wind snatched her breath away and tossed her hair around her face. She shivered and hurried down the path toward what she guessed was the horse barn.

  Muted voices echoed down the long alleyway, her footfalls softened by the wooden floor. Chloe inhaled the scent of the barn, so familiar it created an ache. While her father had never been able to afford a facility such as this, the old barn they’d used for the horses had held the same smells—oil, leather, old wood and horses.

  A horse nickered at her as she passed, poking its head over the top of a stall.

  Chloe smiled at the mare, took a moment to pet her, then reluctantly left, following the voices to the end of the barn. She turned a corner to a large area that was roofed in but open to the weather.

  Grady held the halter of a palomino, stroking its neck while a heavyset man with a shock of white hair was bent over one of the hooves he had tucked between his legs. Chloe recognized Saul Bateman, the local farrier and one-time friend of her father. The sight of him hurt. Though Saul and her father had been friends, Saul hadn’t attended her father’s funeral and she hadn’t seen him until now.

  A young girl—Maddy Coles, Chloe guessed—stood beside Saul, her head tilted to watch him work. She was small, slender with a darker complexion and black hair. A pair of earbuds dangled from a cord hanging out of the chest pocket of her worn denim jacket.

  “You might want to put that fancy new iPod away before you drop it on the ground,” Grady was saying.

  “Sorry, Mr. Stillwater,” she said with a shrug and a grin. “I don’t want to lose it.”

  “I still find it interesting that iPod and all that other stuff just showed up at your place,” Grady said. “Did you ever find out who brought it?”

  Chloe stopped where she was, remembering the buzz about how Maddy’s foster parents, Judd and Ann Derring, had received some cattle, farm equipment and some clothes for the children, as well as the iPod Maddy now tucked back into her pocket. Maybe Maddy would say something Chloe could pass on to Lucy.

  “Not a clue,” Maddy said. “Though it was exciting. Timmy hasn’t had his nose out of those books since he got them.”

  “I think it’s weird,” Saul commented as he dug into the hoof of the horse. “Weird and wrong to steal from people. Then to give other people gifts. Can’t figure out why Lucy hasn’t found whoever is doing it.”

  “It can’t be easy. It seems to be so random,” Grady added. He turned back to Saul. “So why don’t you tell Maddy what you’re doing, Saul?” Clearly Grady was done talking about the thefts and wanted to move on.

  “Of course.” Saul shifted his weight to accommodate the sudden movement of the horse. “You need to make sure you get all the dirt and snow out of the hoof before we trim the hooves and then shoe them,” he said to Maddy. “We use this hoof pick for cleaning.”

  The horse Grady held looked up and whickered at Chloe. Grady glanced back, frowning when he saw her. “Hey, you,” he said with a nod. “Cody sleeping?”

  “Which is why I’m here,” she said, wishing his frown and dismissive attitude didn’t bother her as much as they did. “I thought we’d get started on your exercises today.”

  “I’m kind of busy right now,” he muttered, turning back to the horse.

  Saul looked up and gave Chloe a half smile. “Hey, girl. How you doing?”

  “I’m good.”

  “I heard Vanessa is gone.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry about the funeral.”

  Chloe only nodded her acknowledgment of Saul’s comment. It had hurt that her father’s old friend hadn’t attended, but she suspected it had much to do with the falling out the two of them had had over his marrying Etta and the consequences thereof.

  Saul had warned her father not to get involved with Etta Vane. But her father, lonely and grieving, had jumped too quickly into another relationship and cut Saul out of his life. “And I’m sorry,” he said, holding her gaze, his expression full of regret. “Sorry about your father. He didn’t deserve what happened to him. That Etta woman was pure poison.”

  “Well, Vanessa is gone and I doubt she’ll be back,” Chloe said. “But for now I have work to do. Grady, are you able to come?” She didn’t want to talk about her father and the circumstances of his life. He hadn’t been all that happy in this life; she knew he was much happier now.

  “I can hold Charger and watch Mr. Bateman work so you can go,” Maddy offered, her voice eager.

  “It’s okay. I’m fine,” Grady said. “Just keep going.”

  Chloe tried hard not to sigh, but his reluctance to let her help him was annoying.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Chloe said.

  “Great. You hold Charger still while I get the next horse.”

  “Okay.” She took the halter rope and almost laughed at the surprise on his face. She wasn’t leaving him alone until he agreed to start therapy.

  “Fine. Then I’ll get the next horse.”

  “Sure. You do that.”

  He frowned at her as if wondering if she was poking fun of him, which she
was. He grabbed his crutch and headed out into the paddock.

  “You taking care of Cody now?” Maddy asked, carefully digging at the hoof with the pick under Saul’s tutelage. “I thought you worked at the hospital.”

  “The job was only temporary and so Mrs. Stillwater offered me a job here.”

  Maddy bent over and the earbuds of her iPod fell out of her pocket again. “Whoops,” she said, tucking them back in.

  Chloe thought of Lucy’s request to keep an eye on things at the ranch. “Have you received any other anonymous gifts?” she asked, hoping she sounded more casual than she felt.

  “No. Just this stuff.” Maddy shrugged and buttoned the pocket this time. “Makes me feel kind of special and creeped out at the same time.”

  “Have any of your friends at school gotten anything?”

  “No.” Maddy grunted and dug at the hoof with her pick.

  Saul shot her a puzzled look and Chloe decided to stop her questioning. No need to draw attention to herself.

  The horse she held nickered and she glanced back to see Grady trying to lead the other horse with one hand and handle his crutch with the other. The horse he was leading balked, his crutch clattered to the floor and he stumbled, grabbing the horse by the mane to right himself.

  Chloe took a step toward him to help, then heard Saul clear his throat as if warning her.

  She caught his look then turned away, pretending she hadn’t seen what had happened, though it bothered her deeply to see this proud man so helpless.

  Maddy, intent on getting every last bit of dirt out of the horse’s hoof, thankfully didn’t know what was going on.

  A few moments later Grady joined them, his crutch under his arm again, leading the horse. “I’ll tie him up here,” he said, breathing heavily.

  Chloe fought down a beat of frustration. Why couldn’t this man see he needed her help?

  But until he agreed, she could do nothing.

  “I think we’re done with Charger here,” Saul said to Maddy. “I need to trim the hooves, but I’ll have to do that on my own.”

  Just then a noise behind them drew Chloe’s attention. Mamie walked toward them holding Cody.

  “I’m sorry,” Chloe said, feeling suddenly guilty for spending time out here. She held up Charger’s halter rope. “Can someone take him? I need to get Cody.”

  “I’ll hold the rope. You can go,” Maddy said.

  “I just came out to tell you that I got a call from the hospital,” Mamie said as Chloe took Cody from her. “Ben’s temperature is up. I know we talked about going tomorrow after church, but I’d like to go today.”

  “I’ll take you,” Grady said.

  “I have a few things to get ready yet,” Mamie said, her hands worrying each other. “If that’s okay?”

  “No problem.”

  Mamie hurried back, leaving Chloe and Grady behind.

  Cody gurgled at Chloe as if he recognized her, and suddenly lurched away from her, his chubby hands flailing.

  Chloe almost lost her balance, laughing as she realized Cody wanted to touch the horse. “Ah-dah. Ah-dah,” he squealed in excitement.

  Charger nickered, then leaned toward Cody. Chloe brought him closer and he reached out, his plump fingers batting at the horse’s nose. Charger didn’t so much as blink.

  “I think he likes the horse,” Maddy said.

  “Son of his father,” Saul said.

  Chloe caught Grady’s frown, wondering if he was thinking of Ben, Cody’s father.

  Grady touched the little boy’s cheek with a large forefinger, the simple gesture warming Chloe’s heart. Then he pulled away. “We better get going.”

  He walked back down the wooden alleyway. Chloe easily caught up to him and slowed her pace to match his.

  Chloe glanced at the empty horse stalls. “Why don’t you keep the horses in here?”

  “We only use the stalls for the mares that are in foal. Sometimes we’ll put a couple of the stallions in here. They cause nothing but trouble when they’re out,” Grady said, stopping at the stall that held the horse that had watched Chloe’s progress earlier. “Hey, Sweetpea. You going to give us a nice little baby in a while?”

  “She’s in foal?”

  “Due in a few months, as are Babe and Shiloh. Ben had them all bred to a cutting horse. He had plans to...” His voice faltered and Chloe gave into the impulse and put her hand on his shoulder in comfort. The news from the hospital must have been weighing on his mind.

  To her surprise, he covered it with his own hand. Large. Warm. Welcoming.

  He looked over at her and once again Chloe felt the emotions that had risen up between them that night in Cody’s nursery.

  Cody’s squeal inserted itself into the moment, returning Chloe to reality.

  “He sure seems to like horses,” Chloe said, disliking how breathless she sounded.

  “Like Saul said, son of his father.” He looked over at her again. “I’m glad you’re here to help take care of him. I know it’s a job to you, but with what is going on with Ben and all, it just makes that part of our lives easier.”

  He gave her a careful smile and her breath quickened.

  Another wave of nausea washed over her, her own reality making itself known.

  “Are you okay?” Grady asked. “You look a little pale.”

  “I’m fine. Just tired, I think.” When she’d seen the doctor before leaving Fort Worth, he hadn’t seemed too concerned about the nausea. She knew she would have to make another appointment to see him soon. She could mention it then.

  She walked ahead of him, her lips pressed together, holding Cody close as if to protect him.

  She wondered if she was wise to encourage him to work with her and how she could maintain her distance while she did.

  He was far too appealing and growing more so every day.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  He had forgotten about the stairs in the church.

  It was Sunday morning and Grady and his grandmother had been making their way across the foyer to the sanctuary, chatting with fellow members, catching up.

  And now he had to navigate these carpeted stairs.

  “We can take the elevator if you want,” his grandmother said with a bright note in her voice.

  He knew Grandma Mamie was only being helpful. But he didn’t know which would be worse—riding the elevator with dear, eighty-year-old Iva Donovan and her walker or running the risk of stumbling on the stairs.

  “I can manage at home. I’m sure I can manage here.”

  Though as he took the first stair, he wished once again he hadn’t given in to his grandmother’s pleas this morning to come to church with her and Chloe. He was far too aware of the crutch he needed for support and the sympathetic glances he got from people who stopped to say hello. And he was fairly sure church would be a waste of time. He’d seen too much of the darkness of life to believe that God even cared what happened on earth.

  “Are you okay?” Mamie asked, resting her hand on his arm.

  He just nodded and was about to take the next step when he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Hey there,” a deep voice said.

  Turning, he faced Tyler Grainger, an old school friend now married to his cousin Eva.

  “So glad to see you here, buddy,” Tyler continued, giving him a rough, one-armed hug.

  Tyler pulled back, looking into his friend’s eyes as if trying to see what Grady had witnessed during his time overseas.

  You’d never understand, Grady wanted to say.

  “So how are you finding married life?” Mamie asked Tyler, rescuing Grady from replying to Tyler’s unspoken question. Grady was thankful. He didn’t want to discuss his lack of spiritual fervor in the foyer of the church. Especially not with a man who at one time
had wielded strong influence in Grady’s faith life.

  “It’s wonderful,” Tyler said. “But Eva does miss working with Cody. Though I heard you have a new nanny.”

  Tyler gave him a knowing look at the same time Chloe joined them. If his injury made him self-conscious, Chloe’s presence only increased that emotion.

  As did Tyler’s discreet poke of his elbow.

  “Don’t you need to find Eva?” Grady asked.

  “Right. I should go,” Tyler said. But he gave Grady a wink and jogged up the stairs ahead of him, a vivid reminder of the physical differences between them. It was hard not to feel frustrated or less of a man.

  Grady took a breath and worked his way up the stairs, Chloe right beside him, looking everywhere but at him. It seemed every moment they spent together alone only increased either his awareness of her or her retreat from him. Yesterday, when they’d stood by Ben’s horse, he’d thought they had shared a small connection. Then she’d pulled back. She’d stayed home when he and his grandmother had gone to the hospital, claiming Cody was fussy. This flimsy excuse had netted him some direct questions from his grandma as to what he had done to her.

  As far as he knew, he had done nothing more than cover her hand with his. Clearly a mistake, because she hadn’t so much as made eye contact since then.

  “Do you think Cody will be okay in the nursery?” Mamie was asking Chloe as they reached the top of the stairs and the entrance to the sanctuary.

  She nodded, her gaze meeting his, then skittering away. If she was this jumpy around him after spending a few days together, why should she be surprised that he wasn’t about to start physical therapy with her?

  “He’s settled in nicely. Of course, it’s familiar to him,” Chloe said, brushing at the skirt of her dress and fussing with the belt she had put on. She looked uncomfortable, as if she wished she were wearing something else.

  “Well, well, look at my friend. Looking all pretty and pert in her cute dress.”

  Lucy Benson joined them, her bright eyes flicking from Chloe to Grady, as if he might be the reason Chloe had made this transformation.