by Leann Harris
Now she stood beside Joel, looking out at the field.
“There’s nothing better than seeing an hours-old foal in the stall with its dam.”
Her heart swelled hearing him voice the feelings that so agreed with hers. After several moments of silence, April smiled. “I hope you don’t feel trapped into going to church with us.”
A chuckle escaped his mouth. “I don’t. If the traveling preacher would’ve been here tomorrow, I’d have invited the boys to the cowboy church service Charlie Newman holds. I know your kids would love it. I think you might enjoy it, too. Charlie plans to be this way next week. Maybe your family might like to experience the cowboy service.”
“I’d like that.”
“Good, we could plan that. But I’m okay going with you tomorrow.” He leaned back against the fence. “Todd did surprise me, but you’ve got two boys there that you should be proud of.”
“That’s one thing I can say—parenting is never dull. Just when you think you get a handle on it, bam, it all changes.” Since she didn’t have any siblings, she wished Ross or his cousin Chad were here for her to talk to about how to deal with the boys’ needs, but then, Ross probably wouldn’t have wanted to talk at all about the boys. Her mother-in-law had helped before she got sick, but afterward, April couldn’t bring herself to burden Grace with her questions. And when cousin Chad moved to Montana after Ross’s death to get married, she missed talking to him.
“Life’s that way. You think you’ve got it covered, then something happens and turns it all around.”
Those were words of experience April heard coming out of Joel’s mouth. She wanted to ask him about it but remembered he would be gone in a couple of days. She didn’t want to get any more involved with a man who wasn’t going to stick around.
“Tomorrow I’ll ride out and finish checking your fields and cattle. The boys told me about the storm a couple of weeks ago, and I noticed more fence posts that need to be checked. I should’ve done that earlier, but your boys kept me busy.”
“Sounds good.” She wanted to stand out here longer and talk, review the day, the overall plans for the ranch, but she knew it wasn’t appropriate to share such intimate details of her life with him. “I’ll make sure to fix you a lunch you can take with you.”
His smile nearly brought her to her knees. “Thanks.”
She nodded and headed inside before she said something stupid.
* * *
The boys were disappointed they couldn’t ride out with Joel the next morning.
“Maybe you could practice throwing your lariats,” Joel suggested.
Before any complaining could be registered, the telephone rang.
“Help,” Kelly said when April answered. “My kids are driving me crazy. Can you bring yours over so they can play?”
April turned to the boys. “Do you want to go to the Bakers’ and play this morning?”
“Tell them Greg has the newest game with drag racers. Thunder Alley.”
April relayed the message. They nodded. “I’ll drive them to your house if you’ll drive them back.”
“Thank you.” Kelly hung up.
“Let me make Joel’s lunch and then we’ll go over to the Bakers’.”
Everyone exited the kitchen, leaving April to pack a lunch for Joel. It felt much too personal, but she shook off the silliness. She’d packed lunches before. It was simply making a ham sandwich with all the vegetables. When she finished, she walked outside and handed Joel the brown bag and thermos.
“Hope you packed coffee.”
His teasing broke down the wall she’d been building. “You wouldn’t choke if it was just water.”
“No, but I’d have to turn in my true-blue cowboy card.”
“Don’t let Todd hear you say that.”
They shared a smile.
“Do you have saddlebags?” April asked. “Vernon’s are just inside the barn doors if you need some.”
Joel shook his head and grinned. “I don’t use those too much when competing.”
The screen slammed. “Whatcha doing out there, Mom?” Todd asked.
“Giving Mr. Joel his lunch.”
“We’re ready, except Cora. She put her shoes on the wrong feet,” Todd explained.
April turned. “Why didn’t you help?”
Todd’s eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. “You want me to do that?”
“I’ve got to go.”
Joel and April traded smiles and went different directions.
* * *
All the other fence posts around the Landerses’ ranch turned out okay. He could tell that place had been well cared for by April’s father-in-law. He also found cattle near a stock pond on the property, and all of the animals looked to be in good shape.
Joel stopped by one of the stock ponds and allowed Spice to drink, then rode her to a spot under a cluster of trees. He dismounted and ground tied Spice, allowing her to graze.
“Now, I’m going to trust you, girl. You’re good in the arena, but we haven’t tried out in the field. If you decide to bolt, I’ll be walking back to the barn.”
Spice nodded her head.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He pulled the lunch bag and thermos from the saddlebags and settled under a tree.
He didn’t want to admit to himself that working this week brought back a lot of good memories of growing up. He saw in April’s boys part of himself. He’d never been patient and had always wanted to learn more. He missed his family and needed to call home soon. Maybe what he needed was a family of his own.
The thought startled him.
The work this week had been satisfying, from plowing the fields to riding these fences, making him nostalgic. His dad would’ve laughed himself silly to know how Joel had enjoyed the work after all the complaining he did as a teen. Who would’ve thought? But there it was. He enjoyed the ranch work. But the most satisfying part of the week had been sharing meals with April and her children. This situation, he reminded himself, was only temporary. Nothing more. But later, he could see himself with a family very similar to this one. He could just envision a child that would look like April, but with his eyes and her determination.
He shook his head. Wow, was the sun getting to him? That had to be it.
* * *
Later that night, after April put the kids to bed, she found Joel outside, sitting on her porch swing. The air still held a nip in it. She shivered. “Are you still okay with coming to church?” She sat next to him on the swing.
“I am.”
She shivered again and thought about going inside for a sweater—or she could scoot closer to Joel’s warmth. She stiffened her spine. She’d only be out here for a couple of minutes. “Sunday school is at nine-thirty, but I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow morning.”
“I don’t have any sort of suit. Is that okay?”
“You got a nice shirt and jeans?”
He nodded.
“That will do. But clean boots are a must.” She felt stupid warning him, but she’d seen more than one man being noticed for dirt and other stuff on his boots.
“My mom would’ve grabbed me by the scruff of my neck if I had dirty boots when we went to church. And Grandma would’ve found her yardstick and educated me.”
A cold breeze kicked up, making her grit her teeth. She glanced at him.
“What?”
“Aren’t you a little cold?” She shivered.
“No.” He patted the place next to him. “Scoot over. I promise to behave myself.”
She didn’t question it, but slid across the slats to sit beside him. He didn’t try to put his arm around her, but left it resting on the back of the swing.
His warmth and closeness drove away the cold and most of her thoughts. “The boys will introduce you around, so no one will criticize your dress. You’ll probably get handshakes and back slaps and lots of questions.”
“Then I’m up for it.”
She wanted to talk to him about mor
e, about other things, but she needed to back off. He’d only be here another day or so. “As long as you’re okay with church, that’s what I wanted to know.”
He went still, as if waiting for her to say something more.
“Good night.”
Later, as she snuggled into her bed, April found herself thinking about Joel and going to church with him and her kids. Just like a real family.
Chapter Eight
The moment April parked her truck in the church parking lot, the boys scrambled out of the backseat. “Be careful. Lots of people are arriving.” In the next ten minutes, the parking lot would be two-thirds full.
“Out, Mommy,” Cora demanded.
Joel felt funny about having April drive, but she had the car seats in her truck and it only made sense for them to use her vehicle.
After April released Cora from her car seat, the little girl made a beeline for him and he scooped her up.
Putting down the tailgate, April picked up the padded carry tote that held her cake and rolls inside. She also had a second tote with ham, hot dogs and potato salad. Joel took the strap and slipped it over his free shoulder.
“Lead the way.”
After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded and walked into the church. The boys sauntered beside them, waving and smiling at everyone as if they were stars in a parade.
Once inside the church, a boy the same height and age as Wes pulled him aside. “Who is that?” His whisper qualified as a shout as he pointed at Joel.
“He’s with the rodeo, but Todd and me hired him to help at the ranch.”
The boy’s jaw dropped. It was just the beginning of many questions.
* * *
When April dropped the boys off at their Sunday school classes, they let her know they wanted to go to the big people’s service today instead of children’s church.
Walking away from the first-graders’ room, April turned to Joel. “I’ve volunteered to help with Cora’s class for the first service, but I’ll walk you down to my class and introduce you.”
He stopped. “I’ll be happy to help here.”
April wasn’t sure she heard correctly. “In the two-year-old class?”
“Yes.”
“Uh, I don’t know if Martha will let you help since they don’t know you.”
Martha overheard their exchange. “I’m several helpers down, so if Joel would stand at the window and check in the children, that would help.” She explained the check-in system.
“Sounds great.”
Joel didn’t miss a beat and managed to greet each parent who dropped off a child. By the time they made it to the second service, Joel had been introduced to almost everyone in the church. The pastor’s wife came by where April, Joel and the children sat waiting for the service to begin and introduced herself.
“You plan to stay for our lunch on the ground?” Leslie Martin asked.
“He’s going to be here. Wes and I invited him,” Todd explained.
“Good. I’d love to talk with you, and I know my husband will, too, at the lunch.”
April panicked. She didn’t need the pastor and his wife vetting Joel as if he was a potential suitor. She opened her mouth to protest when someone called out to Leslie.
“Coming.” She smiled at Joel, but something in Leslie’s smile warned they were watching him. “Nice meeting you, and I look forward to our chat.” She hurried off.
April studied her hands.
“It’s okay. I’m not offended.”
Her head jerked up. She wanted to argue with his assumption, but the twinkle in his eye let her know he knew the truth. “They just want me to find someone. They knew the family. This congregation has been there for the kids and me with each death.”
“Good.”
She blushed.
“It’s good to know that your church has been there for you. That’s what church is all about.”
She wanted to ask how he knew, but the singers stepped onto the platform and started a praise chorus. Everyone stood and began to sing. Joel didn’t look at the words on the screen at the front of the auditorium but knew the chorus and encouraged the children to sing, too. Her view of him as just a cowboy blowing with the wind took another hit.
For a moment, she had a taste of what it would be like to be the normal family that she always dreamed about with a mother and father and children.
It hurt.
* * *
Kelly caught April at the dessert table. “He cleans up well for church,” she whispered.
“What?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
April watched as Joel talked to the pastor and David Baker, Kelly’s husband. “I guess he’s okay.”
Kelly studied her friend as if she didn’t understand the words coming out of her mouth. “You’re either blind or kidding yourself. Why, every woman who has a child in Cora’s class gushed about the dreamy cowboy who was checking in the two-year-olds. I would’ve known sooner, but I don’t have any two-year-olds. Just three-, four-and six-year-olds and a soon-to-be newborn.”
“Did you finally tell Dave?”
“I did, but you’re not going to divert me. As I said, your ranch help cleans up well.”
“He’ll do.”
“Oh, you have that denial thing bad.” Kelly looked over April’s shoulder at said cowboy.
“Okay, he’s nice looking,” April admitted.
“And he worked in the Sunday school class.” Shaking her head, Kelly hooked arms with April and started toward Joel. “Why don’t we join the conversation instead of hiding behind Wilma Olsen’s potato salad?”
April knew she wouldn’t hear the last of this for a long time.
* * *
Joel recognized an interrogation when he was at the wrong end of it. Pastor Terry Martin and Dave Baker sat across from him. The boys and Cora were at the other end of the long table, laughing and teasing with other children.
“So, what did you do before you were on the rodeo circuit?” the pastor asked.
“I ranched most of my life. My folks owned a ranch west of Fort Worth.”
“And what made you leave it and travel with the rodeo?” Dave asked as he took a bite of the cake April had brought.
He explained about his sister and her husband. “Once they married, they gave me the opportunity to follow my dream. It was a good excuse for me to leave the newlyweds alone. Gramps is still there, but I wanted to leave them alone while they worked out things the first year of married life.”
The light seemed to go on in both men’s heads.
“So you didn’t have an itch to be away from your ranch?” the pastor asked.
He thought about it. “I probably wouldn’t have tried my hand at the championship belt buckle again, but the doors all opened for me.”
“And now?” Dave asked.
“Well, I’m in good shape to compete for that prize, but when the boys hired me for the week, I was glad to help April plant her fields.”
The two men studied him.
Cora walked over to Joel. She raised her arms and he picked her up. Looking across the table, Joel said, “Miss Cora has me trained.”
A silent message passed between the two men.
“Women are like that,” Dave said. “No matter what our plans are, the ladies manage to change our direction.”
Dave’s comment lodged in Joel’s heart like a cocklebur no matter how much he wanted to ignore it. As he looked down into Cora’s precious face, the idea of having his own family—wife and babies—tugged at his heart again. And oddly enough, that family resembled the one he’d spent this past week with.
* * *
April grabbed an apple out of the bowl on her kitchen table and walked out to the fence. Spice stood there as if waiting for someone to notice her.
“Hello, pretty lady.” April offered the horse an apple. “Have you enjoyed your time here on the ranch as much as my boys enjoyed having you and Joel here?”
Spice poked her he
ad over the fence and took several bites of the apple. April stroked the horse’s neck while Spice finished her treat. “I know Wes and Todd have loved these last few days, learning how to take care of the ranch and basking in the attention they’ve received.” But what would they do when Joel left?
That dilemma had kept her up last night. Joel had been so good to the boys. Listened to them, taught them how to care for the ranch and showed them how to keep up the equipment.
He hadn’t ignored them or made the boys feel as if they were imposing on him.
And Cora adored Joel.
April didn’t want to examine her feelings for the man. Spice nudged her with her muzzle. “I don’t have anything else, girl.” April stroked the horse’s neck. Spice reveled in the attention. “And I’m sure he takes good care of you, too, doesn’t he?”
Today had taken on a dreamlike quality. Her boys had showed Joel around like a new toy they’d brought for show-and-tell. And when they got home this afternoon after the lunch, Joel had gone to the barn and fixed a couple of bridles that needed repair. She hadn’t said anything to him, but the man observed things that needed to be done and did them without anyone asking or prompting him to do so. She still couldn’t overcome her awe of the man. He didn’t need to be prodded or directed. He saw a need and worked until it was fixed.
Spice stuck her head beside her.
“So tell me, girl, what do you think of him? It certainly would be helpful if you could voice an opinion.”
Without Spice’s input, she’d just have to make her own judgment. But at this point, she didn’t know what that was.
“So, does Joel take as good care of you as he has the things around here?”
“I hope I do.” Joel’s deep voice came from the gathering darkness.
April’s heart jumped into her throat. How a man his size moved so quietly, she didn’t know. “I’m sure you do, but I thought I’d go straight to the horse’s mouth.”
He laughed and she realized what she’d just said. “And has Spice spilled the beans?”
“She just looks content.” She refused to look at him. “I hope you didn’t mind the grilling you got this afternoon.”