Hometown Courtship (Love Inspired)

by Diann Hunt

  Was he digging for information? “No. No real plans.” Too bad she had to admit that. “I think I might take you up on that bike ride. I’ve been out of the habit lately, and I can feel it.”

  “Are you hungry?” he asked.

  “Not really. I’d rather eat later.”

  “Sounds good to me, too. We can grab something to eat after we’re finished with the ride.” His eyes searched her face again in a way that caused her tongue to stick to the roof of her mouth for a moment.

  She hadn’t exactly meant she would eat with him, though the idea appealed to her. She’d be careful, though. They’d been down this road before, with unpleasant results.

  “I’ve got bottled water in the fridge at home. You can grab those while I pump up the tires.”

  Seeing the genuine pleasure in his eyes made Callie a little giddy. This would be fun. No entanglements, just enjoying the evening together as friends. This was actually a great idea.

  Once they got to his house, Callie went to the kitchen to retrieve the bottled water while Brad worked in the garage on the bikes. A couple of food wrappers and spilt cola littered the counter. Tossing the papers into the trash, she grabbed the dishcloth and thoroughly cleaned the countertop. His home definitely needed a woman’s touch.

  She imagined herself standing over the stove, stirring his favorite ingredients together in a large skillet, a yummy scent permeating the kitchen. Brad would wrap his arms around her waist, turn her to him and…“Stop it,” she told herself, throwing the cloth back into the sink and heading out to the garage.

  “They look pretty good,” Brad said, squeezing a tire. He saw her studying the bike.

  It was hot pink. So typical of Nicole to get a hot-pink bike, Callie thought with a smile.

  “Looks like something she would buy, doesn’t it?” There was something very endearing in his voice when he talked about his sister. It was easy to see that Brad and Nicole had been very close.

  “Yeah, it does.”

  “I still can’t believe she’s gone.”

  Callie was nervous about discussing Nicole. She held her tongue.

  “Ride it around in the driveway and see what you think,” he said.

  “Okay.” Callie slipped onto the bike and took a few trips around the driveway, feeling a tad self-conscious as Brad watched her. “Feels great,” she said, coming to a stop near him.

  “Good.” He closed the door to the garage and climbed onto his bike. “This is a perfect area for riding,” he said, leading the way. “Not many cars out here. We can pretty much ride side-by-side until a car comes along.”

  Callie nodded and pulled up beside him. The evening breeze fluttered through her hair, rejuvenating her senses. The air was sweet with the scent of honeysuckle.

  “This is nice, Brad. Really nice,” Callie said, taking a long, deep drink of the evening air. She turned to see him studying her. “What?”

  “Nothing.” Though he turned his focus toward the road, the look on his face told her he was having a good time, too.

  “So, how is your mom doing?”

  “Every day gets a little easier, I think. I have to keep after her, though,” he said, his legs churning the pedals at a steady pace.

  “How do you do that?” It impressed her that a man would take time for his mom that way.

  “Oh, you know, just stop by and check on her, make sure she’s eating, getting out into the fresh air. That type of thing.”

  “That’s cool that you do that, Brad. Says a lot about you.”

  “Yeah?”

  The grin on his face made her heart leap—again. “Yeah.”

  “So I’m not as bad as you thought I was before?”

  “Well, let’s just say, you’re a better friend than boss,” she teased.

  “Hey, what do you mean by that?” He held his hand over his heart as though he were crushed.

  “No coffee or muffin before work—any of this ringing a bell?”

  “Come on, you can’t blame me for that one. You were late, after all.”

  “That’s true,” she acquiesced with a laugh. “But those donuts you brought to the site. Where did you get those things?” She scrunched her nose.

  “Were they that bad?”

  “Only if you mind grinding mortar between your teeth first thing in the morning,” she teased.

  “As opposed to grinding mortar between your teeth later in the day?”

  She laughed again.

  “You have a nice laugh,” he said.

  The expression on his face made her uncomfortable. She waved her hand. “Oh, go on. I’ll bet you say that to all the girls.”

  This time he laughed, and they trudged forward, to who knew where. The funny thing was Callie didn’t care where. She didn’t want to analyze anything. She just wanted to enjoy it.

  As twilight crept over the countryside, she realized she was doing that very thing. Enjoying herself.

  With Brad Sharp.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Hey, want to pull over?” Brad asked, pointing to a large tree by the edge of the road.

  “What’s the matter, can’t keep up?” Callie teased.

  “Hmm, do I hear a challenge in those words?”

  She held up her hand. “No, no. I’m teasing—and very ready for a break.”

  They pedaled to the tree and settled beneath the canopy of the thick maple branches.

  Callie leaned her head back against the trunk. “Oh, this is nice. I don’t know when I’ve taken the time to do something so relaxing.”

  “I was just thinking the same thing.” He looked at her. “This may surprise you, but some people actually say I tend to be a workaholic.”

  Her eyebrow arched. “Really? I hadn’t noticed that about you.”

  “Are you making fun of me?”

  She held her lips firmly together, eyes smiling.

  “You’re a hard worker, too, you know.”

  “I’ve been told that a few times.”

  Brad readjusted his position against the tree, inching away from her ever so slightly, and turned to her. “So, tell me about Callie Easton.”

  She smiled. “What do you want to know?”

  His gaze searched the skies as he thought. “Well, for starters, you say your aunt and uncle raised you. Where are your parents—or should I not ask that?”

  “No, it’s all right.” Callie told him about her mother’s death, and how her dad had left. He heard the longing in her voice, the hole left by their absences, the faint shred of hope that her father would one day return.

  “Wow, that’s tough. I’m sorry, Callie.”

  They sat quietly for a moment. He turned to say something but noticed Callie’s eyes were closed. A slight breeze stirred, rearranging the hair across her forehead.

  She was beautiful, no denying that. Callie Easton possessed a natural beauty that no doubt few men could resist. He took in the long lashes, the shine of her hair, the shape of her face, the softness of her lips. What would it be like to feel them against his own? The last time he’d tried that, he’d been out of his mind on painkillers. For a moment he imagined it, longed for it.

  Her eyes popped open. “Oh.”

  He blinked. Realizing he was too close to her face, he leaned back. “Sorry, I saw—there was something—I—”

  Her mouth lifted at the corners, her eyes twinkling with amusement. She cocked her head to one side. “Yes?”

  “You’re gonna just sit there and let me dig myself into a hole, aren’t you?”

  She gave a shrug. “Something like that.”

  We’re friends. We’re friends. We’re friends.

  “So, why aren’t you taken?” The look on her face made him wish he hadn’t asked. “I’m sorry if I’m getting too personal.”

  “No, it’s fine. I was in a relationship a couple of years ago.” Her fingers worked through the grass around her, and she yanked a few pieces loose. “We were engaged and he called it off—after the invitations went out.”


  “Ouch.”

  “Exactly. It was a mess to clean up, and he left me to do it—alone.” She threw the grass down and looked up at him. “End of story.”

  “So did he steal your heart forever? Make you lock it far, far away from anyone else?” Better tread easily, Brad, ol’ boy.

  She blinked and looked at him with surprise.

  We’re friends. We’re friends.

  She gave a slight grin but ignored his comment. “What about you? Anyone special?”

  “Not really. I date occasionally but haven’t met anyone I couldn’t live without.” The way she looked at him made him suddenly feel self-conscious. “I don’t mean that to sound egotistical.”

  She laughed.

  “Truth is, I’ve been so busy with life, I haven’t had time to think about a relationship.” But now…

  Their gazes locked. For the life of him, he couldn’t bring himself to turn away. The vulnerability in her eyes, the soft curve of her neck—she was…utterly irresistible. He leaned toward her, closer, closer….

  We’re friends.

  His lips founds hers. He was lost in the softness of her skin, and his arms reached around her and pulled her closer. He tried to stop himself, but something about her made him hungry for more. His mouth pressed harder, searching, asking a million questions and not waiting for answers. The moment belonged to them. Callie Easton kissed him back in a way that told him maybe, just maybe, her heart was free from the man who had broken it two years ago. What that meant to him exactly, he didn’t know. But he did know that this moment had changed him. Changed him in a way he couldn’t describe. In a way that scared him. He wasn’t sure what to do about it. But for now, it didn’t matter.

  For now, he was lost in her kiss.

  He would deal with the questions…later.

  When Callie pulled away from Brad, her hands were trembling. In an effort to still them, she folded them in her lap.

  “I—” they said in unison. She smiled. “You first.”

  “No, ladies first.”

  Now she didn’t know what to say. Wasn’t even sure what she was going to say before. “Never mind.”

  “That was nice.” That was all he said, but it was enough to send a warm flutter clear through her. That was not the response she had expected from him at all. Regret, shock, disappointment—those she’d expected. But “nice”? No.

  So much for their friendship truce.

  “Listen, Callie—”

  Uh-oh, here it comes. The I’m-sorry-it-happened-and-it-won’t-happen-again speech. “You know, it’s getting late. We’d better be heading back,” she said, standing. The last thing she wanted was for him to ruin the wonderful evening they had shared. Not now. Not tonight. Let her dream.

  She went over to Nicole’s bike, feeling Brad’s eyes on her.

  “You remind me of her, you know,” Brad said.

  “Who?”

  “Nicole.”

  Okay, this was not how the scene had played out in her mind. In fact, the last thing she wanted to hear was that she reminded him of his sister.

  “Sorry. It’s just that she and I used to ride together and—oh, never mind.”

  “Is that why you want to leave?”

  Confusion lined his face.

  “To get away from the memories here?” To her way of thinking that was perfectly understandable, but the expression on his face said he didn’t appreciate her remark.

  “No,” he said firmly. “I want to work in South America because I feel like I’m doing something worthwhile. Do you stick around Burrow because you hope that your dad will come back?”

  The comment cut deeply. “No. I stick around because I don’t believe we should abandon the people we love.” Her eyes nailed him in place.

  “Come on, Callie. You can’t live your life for other people.”

  “I’m not living my life for other people. I happen to love my aunt and uncle. I don’t want to leave them. See, that’s how it works. When you love someone, you stick around. You don’t abandon them.”

  Her comments left no room for rebuttal. Seemed they couldn’t get along for five minutes without arguing about something.

  They rode back to his house in silence. It was just better that way.

  Who did he think he was, telling her she was staying around in hopes that her dad would come back? Callie pulled on her nightclothes angrily.

  It had nothing to do with her father. Sure, she hoped one day to see him again, but that wasn’t what kept her here. It was the love of family. Other people applauded her loyalty to family and Burrow. Why couldn’t Brad—or Jeremy—see that?

  She didn’t think ill of others when they left town. To each her own. But for her, she knew this was the right thing. She could never leave her aunt and uncle. She couldn’t leave her beloved town of Burrow. It was everything familiar and everything she loved. Why did people have to change and leave? Why couldn’t anyone appreciate the simple things in life?

  Pulling down the thick comforter, she eased between the cool bedsheets. She supposed that’s what went wrong between her and Jeremy. He had great ambition and didn’t want to settle down in a “hick town,” he had said. It had been a passing comment, a slight issue, but she hadn’t realized it was weighing so heavily on his mind. She hadn’t known he was planning to move right after they were married. When she found out, she thought that they could work it out—translation: that she could change his mind. She was wrong. Jeremy said it was a contract breaker—his words. She should have expected that from an attorney. Contracts and briefs were all he thought about. After he took a new position with a law firm in Boston, he’d met someone else and they married.

  She tried to utter a prayer, but her heart wasn’t in it. She was too upset. Besides, God seemed distant. Maybe He had moved, too.

  She reached over and started the Itzhak Perlman CD. The one thing she had left of her mother, who had instilled in her a love for violin music. It was such a part of Callie now that she couldn’t go to sleep without it.

  She plumped the pillows behind her and tried to settle in. It was just as well that Jeremy had left. They were better off apart. She would find love again. But if she didn’t, that was okay, too. Burrow was a wonderful place to live, and she couldn’t be happier with her life.

  If she had to live and die in Burrow as an old maid, so be it. She would not leave her family.

  Period.

  Brad jerked the cover down on his bed. “Running away from memories. That is ridiculous.” Hammer whined as he watched Brad climb into bed and shove the pillows behind him.

  “I want to do something with my life. Not stay in this town and rot. There’s work to be done.” Hammer barked at him. “See there, even you get that.”

  Brad wasn’t running from anything. Callie hadn’t shown him a psychology degree. What gave her the right to analyze him?

  Truth seeped into the closed spaces of his heart, prying dark corners open. He did miss Nicole. There was no denying that. Tears filled his eyes. He had never cried over her.

  He thought of Ryan and how his need to control drove him nuts. Had Nicole felt that way about Brad? He was trying to help her, but did he control her too much? Maybe he drove her to that jerk who broke her heart and changed the course of her life.

  He was glad no one could see him. Only Hammer knew the truth. The pain scarred him. Guilt plagued him. He failed her. He failed his dad. How could he stay in Burrow? No one would dare say to his face that he had let her down, but he knew what they thought. No one would expect him to stay in town and face that day after day.

  So maybe there was some truth to what Callie said, but it was none of her business. Yes, he cared about her more than he wanted to admit—he couldn’t deny that—but a different path awaited him. Different dreams, different ambitions. Different lives.

  After the house dedication on Monday, Callie headed for the nursing home to style Gram Sharp’s hair. She thought about how the Sauders family had cried when
Brad had presented them with their key to the house. The prayer over the family was highly emotional for all who knew them and knew what a blessing the house would be to them. Callie counted it a true privilege to have worked on the project.

  “There’s my girl,” Gram said when Callie walked into the room.

  Callie grinned. “Have you been behaving yourself?”

  “Now why would I want to do that?” The old woman let out an ornery laugh. The more that Callie had gotten to know Brad’s Gram, the more she grew to love her. In the brief time she’d known her, though, Callie could see Gram was growing more frail. She wondered if the older woman’s health was failing but didn’t feel it was her place to ask. Brad had been busy working on another house, and things had been strained between them since their bike ride, so she couldn’t ask him. They were finally starting on Micah’s playhouse tonight—maybe she’d bring it up, depending on how things went.

  “So, what would you like me to do with your hair today?” Callie asked Gram.

  The old woman shook her head and said with labored breath, “Not today, dear. I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t call to cancel, but I had hoped to at least visit with you. I could use the company.”

  The seriousness on Gram’s face worried Callie. She pulled a chair up to the hospital bed and rested her hand on Gram’s arm. “You all right?”

  “Oh, you know, this old bag of bones just doesn’t want to do what it used to.”

  “I’m sorry.” She stroked Gram’s thin, spotted skin.

  Gram shrugged. “Just part of growing old. But I’ve got a better place to go, anyway.”

  Callie didn’t know what to say.

  “You know about it, don’t you, sweetie?” Gram’s milky gray eyes searched Callie’s.

  “Yes, Gram, I know,” Callie said softly.

  Gram brightened. “I knew it. Somehow when you walked in that door the first time, I knew it would be you.”