Raining Fools (Madison Creek Bed & Breakfast Book 2)

by Jackie Castle

  “That I do. Now be useful and dry the pan for me while I finish filling this washer.”

  Instead, he slipped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. “Sorry, I was such a bear this morning.”

  “Peeshaw.” She shook her head in exasperation. “How can I stay mad at my husband after he cooked such a yummy dinner? I’ll definitely keep you around if you’ll keep that up.”

  His eyes widened as he took a step backward. “Say that again.”

  “What? Am I mumbling?”

  “No.” Ethan’s hands went around her waist. “Repeat what you just called me.”

  She had to think a moment. “You mean, my husband? Or goober?”

  His smile widened as he blinked a few times. “I don’t think I’ve heard you actually call me your husband yet. It’s been what, a month now?”

  “Six weeks. And I can’t say that. You don’t want nobody knowing, remember?”

  He pulled her closer. “I’m so sorry, beautiful. I was going to tell Bekka the other day. She didn’t want to talk at the time. Had something she needed to go do. Then we had all the craziness with Stephen. And—”

  “Shhh,” she silenced his explanations with a light kiss.

  Ethan’s grin widened like Wile E Coyote’s when he had a grand idea. “I bet I can give you more reasons to keep me around.” His brow arched as he hugged her tighter against him.

  “Hush you. Don’t start that now.” She pushed away and returned to the dishes. “I don’t suppose while you were watching Bekka’s video earlier with Stephen you thought to mention our little secret?”

  He cringed and pushed her away from the sink. “Why don’t you let me take care of the dishes, beautiful? You should go rest your feet. After all the hard work you put in today making up those desserts—”

  “You stinkin’ polecat!” Haley’s hands went to her hips in indignation. “Think you’ll pull one over on me? Tell me why you still haven’t told them. You’ve had plenty of opportunities.”

  “I… I… don’t know.” His shoulders sagged as he washed off the last of the cups and stacked them into the top rack. “I came over here this morning intent on warning her to not get too friendly with Stephen. The moment I mentioned yesterday, she turned the tables on me. Asked me where my nice clothes were. She’d seen my room at the barn.”

  He shrugged, his arms flapping like the wings of a flustered rooster. “Instead of admitting the truth, I went on the defensive. A really bad habit Bek and I seem to have with each other. You know, deny, deny, deny until proven guilty.” He dared to try giving her that innocent smile that came off more like a painful cringe. She narrowed her gaze back at him.

  He shrugged. “No? Well, that’s my story. Anyway, she started telling me about her real feelings for Stephen and then I got a call from an old musician buddy and—”

  “HOLD up there, fiddle-man.” Haley’s threw her hands in his face. “She admitted what?”

  “That she cares for Stephen… still.”

  “Didn’t I tell you that weeks ago?” Haley stomped her foot. “Didn’t I? And what did you say? Oh no, Stephen knows better than to cross that line. He’s been mooning over her like a love-struck coyote. I’ve been telling and telling you. Did you listen?”

  Ethan slammed the dishwasher door closed. “I know. I get it.” He jerked the stopper from the sink. “I really want to be happy for them, but… if only he was more…I don’t know.” He brushed his bangs from his face. “He wants to partner with me on the recording studio. I know he can be a big help, and I need him. Because of his one trip yesterday, I’m already getting calls from artists that want to record. But I swear, if he hurts Bekka, I… don’t know what I’ll do. Actually, I’m afraid of what I’ll do, truth be told.”

  Haley threaded her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. “Bet he won’t hurt her again. Bet he’s been a tomcat because he’d always loved your sissy. I’m even willing to bet that your blessing will inspire him to try even harder to do right by her. He loves you, too. Very much.” She propped her chin on his sternum so she could look up at him. “He’s sincere, babe. Give him a chance.”

  He nodded and pecked her forehead with a soft kiss. His hands moved upward until he cupped her face, his mouth brushing one eyelid, then the other, the tip of her nose, and finally her lips.

  He moved to whisper in her ear. “Haley Belle, can you tell me something?”

  Her legs grew rubbery, and she had to grasp tighter to his shirt to keep her knees from buckling under his soft kisses. “Umm, hum?”

  “What is a polecat?”

  * * * *

  Ethan’s arms tightened around Haley as she nearly fell right out of his grasp from laughing. How was he to know she was talking about a skunk? Why couldn’t she just have called him a skunk if that’s what she was talking about?

  Even still, her laughter and sweet kisses took away the sting of being called a smelly animal.

  “Is there a time when I won’t walk in on the two of you making out?” Stephen said from behind them.

  “Don’t count on it, bub. She’s too kissable to not take advantage of it every chance I get.” Ethan sent Haley a wink. She pushed him away, her cheeks reddening in that delightful way he adored.

  Stephen shook his head. “Well, I’m heading back to the barn and wanted to see if you needed a ride?” He smirked in the suggestive way Ethan hated.

  Haley was right, he needed to come clean but not with Stephen. No, he needed to talk to his sister first. “Where’s Beks?”

  “Said she was going to her room to put a few more final touches on the video. Thinks she can have it finished tomorrow. We’ll need to get in the recording studio and cut a clean version of your song. It’s a little choppy right now.”

  “We can do that, I suppose.” He gave his wife a questioning look, and she nodded, but with a bit of a pout. He hated leaving her every evening. Hated the sneaking around.

  Stephen waved his arm, motioning for him to come on. “I’m beat, but if you want to get it done, let’s go do it.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be along in a minute. Meet you out there.”

  With an exaggerated eye roll, Stephen headed toward the back door. “Five minutes, Winters. Then you’ll have to walk.”

  The door clicked and he turned to Haley. “Anything you need me to do before I leave, beautiful?” And she was. He couldn’t tell her enough.

  Her enticing smile made him want to stay and never leave. But there were things to do. He needed this video done before the end of the week when he’d meet with those interested in investing in his idea. The equipment was new to him and would take some time to figure out. Better to get started on it tonight than to put it off until the last minute.

  She slid her arms back around him and buried her face against his neck. “I want to beg you to stay here, but I know you need to go.” Her warm breath sent shivers across his chest. “Everything that needs to be done has been taken care of. I’ll see you in the morning.” And she kissed him again in such a way he wasn’t so sure he’d be able to leave.

  When she pulled back and started to walk away, he caught her by the arm. For a moment they just stared at each other, smiling. “Don’t be surprised if I show up sometime in a few hours.”

  Her grin widened. “Never am. Love you.” She blew him a kiss then left him alone in the kitchen.

  He could stay. Tell Stephen he had things to do. That they’d do the recording in the morning. Stephen wouldn’t question him. He probably already had his own ideas formed.

  Ugh, no, that wouldn’t do. Haley would be horrified if she thought anyone believed they were simply… shacking up. With that thought in mind, he pushed away from the counter he was leaning against and forced his feet to walk to Stephen’s car.

  The Mustang’s engine was running, and he was typing something on his phone. “Thought for sure you were going to make some excuse about why you needed to stay.” Stephen chuckled when he climbed into the passenger sea
t. “Wish I could tell you it gets easier to leave, but it doesn’t.”

  Ethan buckled himself in. “I know.”

  Stephen maneuvered out of the drive. He turned on the radio and switched it to a country station.

  “Country wins the toss today?” Ethan smirked. “Good, I need to learn a couple of country tunes, anyway. Any suggestions?”

  Stephen tucked his sunglasses over the visor. “You going hillbilly on me, Winters?”

  “Hardly. But I want to surprise Haley Belle one of these Saturdays.”

  “Man, you’ve got it bad.” Stephen slapped his shoulder.

  “I know. I know.” When they pulled to a stop at the barn, he got out and met his friend at the front of the car. “Seems you do, too, Gaines.”

  His friend’s eyes widened in horror. “For that Texas Tornado, you don’t mean that, do you?” Stephen chuckled

  “What?” Ethan shoved him. “Not unless you’re seriously looking to get hurt. Can’t believe you said that.”

  Stephen’s grin grew serious. “I was messing with you, afraid of what you might be leading to.” He clasped Ethan’s shoulders. “I don’t want us to fight anymore. And I don’t want anything to come between us. But I can’t help what I feel for Rebekka.”

  He tried not to flinch over how his friend lovingly spoke his sister’s given name. “Haley insists I need to give you a chance. There’s a lot of things I want to see happen in the next few weeks and months. Her getting hurt again isn’t one of them.”

  “I know. You’ve always been protective of those you care about. It’s one of the things I respect about you.”

  “So?” He pressed, needing some kind of assurance, but knowing there were no guarantees. Not in this life.

  “So,” Stephen motioned toward the barn. “Let’s go record a song. Then tomorrow, let’s get that video finished. Then you can try for the financial backing you need. If that doesn’t work, let’s sit and figure out the next step. In the meantime, do what your girl says. Give me a chance to show you I’m not the dog you think I am.”

  Ethan had no words. Instead, he sent up a silent prayer that God would help his friend. That He’d give him the right words when they were needed. Ethan asked for the patience and faith to trust that the Lord had Bekka. He knew the Lord cared about Stephen even more than he ever could. “Should I call young Prater to come over and give us a hand, or do you think we can figure the sound system out on our own?”

  Stephen jerked his head toward the studio. “Let’s see what kind of damage we can do between the two of us. We can always call in reinforcements if needed.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Later that night, Stephen tossed in bed unable to sleep. Ray’s story played out over and over in his mind. The strange emotions stirred up during Sunday’s worship service, and that scripture Bekka talked about all tumbled around, disturbing him more than the morning after having a few too many shots.

  He checked his phone for any new emails, then browsed through his social media sites. Eventually he got up and grabbed the pack of gum. Stuffing a stick in his mouth, he started to pace and eventually ended up outside on the balcony.

  He could go downstairs and play a few tunes on the cello, but that might wake Ethan. What he wanted was to ask Bekka how the video was going. Actually, he simply wanted to hear her sweet voice. The cold chilly night air only woke him more. Great.

  Glancing toward the Victorian, he noticed a dim light in the upstairs corner room. She wouldn’t still be up, would she?

  The problem was, his mind was swirling with all kinds of thoughts. Thoughts about staying. Thoughts about his past. Thoughts about his future. Would Bekka be a central part of it? He shivered and ducked back inside. Unfortunately, the little room felt like a box closing in on him.

  He decided to not think as he began typing a text. Just do what your heart’s begging for, man.

  Hey, Ur not still up, r U? That was a dumb question on so many levels.

  Her answer came quickly. LOL! If I wasn’t then I would b now. Why r u up?

  Might as well follow a dumb question with an equally obvious answer. Can’t sleep. Duh.

  Then he sent a second one. Hows the video? Still working on it?

  She didn’t respond for a while. He lay back on the bed, the phone resting on his stomach. He expanded and sucked in his gut watching the device wobble on his belly button, trying to pass the time.

  Maybe she’d fallen asleep. Or maybe she didn’t want to talk to him. About the time he decided maybe he should give up and try to get some sleep again, his phone beeped.

  Yes, and no. It's done. But I keep tweaking. I go to bed and think of something else cool to do. Get up and tweak more. Hopeless. Why u up, really?

  He smiled. She seemed chatty tonight. Thinking. Mind won’t settle.

  It didn’t take her as long to respond. Is E up?

  No. Was exhausted. Been long day 4 him.

  For a while, she didn’t respond. Then finally, Call me

  Did she mean it? He sat up and looked around. The barn was so quiet. He slipped into a pair of sweats and a sweater. Then grabbing a blanket off the bed, he went outside to the balcony and sat in one of the folding chairs E-man had set outside for him back when he liked to have a late night smoke. Stephen sat and propped his feet on the railing.

  A crescent moon hung low in a sky full of thousands of stars. He dialed her number, and she answered on the second ring.

  “So tell me what’s on your mind.”

  He chuckled. “Really? You’ll laugh.”

  “Good.”

  “Fine.” He tilted his head back until he stared up at the brilliant expanse directly above him. “There’s a song that keeps running through my mind. But I can’t remember the title. It’s one of the songs we played Sunday. It won’t go away.”

  She remained quiet for a long moment before saying, “Sounds like God’s trying to get your attention. Which one? Do you remember the words?”

  “I do. It was the one you said came from some scripture. About how there is nowhere we can go from God. How he knows everything about us and that there is nowhere we can go to get away from Him. Which should sound kind of creepy, but actually, it doesn’t.”

  “Psalm 139. Read the whole chapter sometime. It’s one of my faves.”

  “Why?” He shivered under the blanket, not so much because of the cold, but rather from the strange excitement bubbling up in his chest.

  “Because, no matter where we go, or what we do, He’s right there with us. So long as we don’t completely reject Him, we’ll not be rid of Him. You know one of my favorite stories from the Bible is when Jesus talked about how as a shepherd he’ll leave the whole flock to go after one lost lamb. The whole flock. For one. That’s…someone who sincerely cares for his people. That’s what the whole gospel is about.” she sighed “I’m sorry. There I go on my soapbox. I don’t mean to preach to you.”

  He moved his feet off the rail and sat up straighter. “Preach sister.” He laughed, then grew serious. “I’m trying to understand this churchy philosophy of letting go and letting God. Seriously? What does that really mean? Stop living? Stop fighting? Stop…”

  “No.” Her answer held a ton of earnestness. “It means you don’t fight alone. You keep going, but you’re not alone.”

  “Isn’t that what friends are for? Or family.”

  “Stephen, who in your family do you have to depend on?” On her side of the line, he heard a scraping noise, as if she’d moved out of her chair. Then the creaking of mattress springs. “I mean, you do have us. My family loves you very much, but we can’t always be there twenty-four-seven. There’s times you’re left alone, right? Even still, God does use His children to help His other children, there’s no doubt about that. But He wants us to live in partnership with Him.”

  He scooted a dead leaf off the balcony with his big toe. It was caught up in the wind as it tumbled down toward the ground. “Sounds like a marriage.”

  “The L
ord often refers to the church as His bride. And the relationship is similar. You know, like a husband is the protector and provider for his wife. That’s what God is to all of us. A man also needs to have someone protecting and providing for him, don’t you think? That’s God’s role.”

  “Why haven’t we talked like this before?”

  “Right, like you’ve ever wanted to talk religion. Actually, I’m almost wondering if I’m not dreaming this while I’m asleep at the computer.”

  He grinned. “Are you saying you dream about me, Rebekka Marie?”

  “If I am awake, I should probably try to get some sleep.” She responded with evasiveness. “And so should you. I’ll be wanting to show you both the changes I’ve made to the video soon as everyone is up. I can’t wait.”

  He almost wanted to ask if he could come over right then and see it but stopped himself. That was a bad idea. She was much safer with him remaining right here. “Wish I had a Bible. Aren’t there apps you can get on the phone? What are they called?”

  “Such a bonehead,” she sighed, and he could picture her smacking her forehead. “Look up Bible app. Duh. But I remember seeing Ethan’s on his nightstand. Sneak in there and get it. He won’t care.”

  “Maybe I will. I should let you get some rest, hon.” He didn’t mean it, didn’t want to stop talking to her. “I can’t wait to see what you’ve done.”

  “I can’t wait to see it with the music all in place. I’m really….” Her words died out. She’d always hated bragging on herself.

  “Go ahead and say it. You did an amazing job, Rebekka.”

  “We’ll see if the investors think so. Good night.”

  “Sweet dreams, honey. Thanks for letting me call. What you said… it was a big help.”

  “I’m praying for you, Stephen.”

  His chest tightened up, causing his throat to burn with a desire to be the one saying that, like Ethan was always saying that to Haley. Suddenly it was so very important he understood this. He almost asked her again to be patient with him but decided against it. No, he needed to do whatever needed to be done to be the kind of guy she deserved. “Thank you.” He clicked end and pressed the phone to his forehead.