Emily started to cry from her bedroom just as Chris’s cell phone began to vibrate in his coveralls pocket. Dylan picked up the drenched paper towels and carried them to the trash. The smell must have overwhelmed him because once he reached the can he was sick. Ignoring his phone, Chris turned toward Sondra who had already stripped Peewee down to his birthday suit. “You want me to check on Emily?”
Hacking sounded from the baby’s bedroom, and Sondra looked at Chris, her eyes big as the headlights of his car. “No. You better run. We must have the stomach virus that’s going around.” Sondra exhaled and grabbed a two-liter of lemon-lime soda from the cabinet.
Chris’s cell phone began to vibrate once more. “You sure? I can stay and help. What do I do?” His stomach clenched at the idea of cleaning vomit, but he’d do it to help.
Dylan tore a clean paper towel off the roll and wiped his mouth. “Sondra’s right. You get on out of here so you don’t get sick, as well.”
Chris grabbed his cell phone from his pocket as he walked toward the front door. He looked back at Dylan. “If it gets to be too much, you call me.”
“Vic.” Sondra turned from washing her hands at the kitchen sink. “Can you pick up Vic? Wouldn’t you know the poor woman gets her Suburban back, and my van breaks down! I dropped her off at work.”
“Not a problem. I’ll get her. Do you need me to look at your van?”
“I think it’s something I can fix.” Dylan smiled as Peewee streaked buck-naked across the floor yelling for his mom to help his sissy. “You run on out of here. Your day’s a’coming.”
“I don’t know about that.” Chris laughed as he opened and then shut the front door behind him. He flipped open his still vibrating phone. “Hello.”
“Mr. Ratliff?”
“Yes.”
“This is Vern from the pawnshop.”
“Yes?”
The man cleared his throat. “Well, it’s been well over a month since that gal brought that pretty little ring to my shop. I tried giving her a bit of extra time, but I’m planning on putting that little beauty on my shelf today. I promised you I ‘d call first.”
Chris’s mind churned with a sudden idea. The more he thought about it, the more he liked it. “Yes, I’d like to purchase it. How much do you want?”
The man quoted the price he had told Victoria she’d have to pay to get it back. Chris’s heart sank. It would take every penny he’d tried to save to get the right bumper for Mary Ann. A slow smile formed on his lips. Vic’s worth every penny. “I’ll be there in half an hour.”
“Victoria, I’m going to be honest with you. I’m in a bit of a quandary.”
She looked at the man standing behind his desk. Once again the light streaming from the window behind him wrapped his frame giving him an almost angelic appearance. This time his expression held anything but pleasure.
Zack gripped the back of his oversized leather chair. “I’ve spent the entire morning on the phone with my boss as well as several presidents from our sister banks.”
Victoria leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Overwhelming anger and frustration filled her to her core. She’d had nothing to do with her father’s embezzlement; she’d barely even been to his office. Sadness washed over her with urgency. People would always associate her with “the embezzler.” She choked back her yearning to scream, to cry at the unfairness of it all. God, give me the patience and self-control to make it through this meeting with Zack without outbursts of any kind.
She looked around the room. How many times had she dreamed of being back in this office with Zack gently touching her hand and asking her to accompany him on a romantic evening of a candlelit dinner and a quiet walk in the park? Or maybe he would ask her to a movie and an ice cream afterward.
She gazed at the man who fit her every dream for the perfect mate. Not this. Never in her daydreams of Zack Bradshaw had she imagined this.
“I want you to know I believe in you, Victoria.” He moved from behind his desk until he stood just inches from her. “You and your father are not the same person.”
Victoria glanced at her shoes. Her perfect, pointy-toed, name brand, crème-colored shoes. “No. No, we’re not.”
“My hands are tied though.” Zack squeezed her shoulder as if to reassure her. “I have to put you on suspension until your father’s investigation is over.”
Gazing into his eyes, Victoria could see it pained Zack to do this. He had fought for her. He didn’t have to say it. She could see the truth in his eyes. “I understand.”
And she did. How could she blame a company, a bank to be exact, for feeling uncomfortable letting the daughter of a multimillion-dollar embezzler work there until she had been cleared of any wrongdoing? “It’s okay, Zack.”
She turned to leave his office. Her mind swirled with problems. She had planned to buy back her grandma’s ring. Now she couldn’t. She had insurance to cover her Suburban for a few months, but now she wouldn’t have gas money to drive it around. And Chris. How would she ever pay him to fix his Corvette?
“Victoria.” Zack grabbed her hand. She turned and looked at him. His gaze held a yearning she had longed for weeks to see. “I really care about you. I’ve been praying and pondering how to ask you…. I mean, it’s a little awkward because you’re an employee…. I mean, there aren’t any rules or anything, I just haven’t been sure how to approach you….”
Victoria watched as Zack fumbled with his words. Words she had waited for. Words she had played and replayed in many different ways in her mind. His beautiful, blond hair lay in a perfect style crowning his head. His eyes glimmered with a mixture of regret and want. His clothes had been pressed to perfection and hung perfectly on his formed frame. His hand, soft as her own, covered hers.
And she felt nothing.
How could she feel nothing? Zack Bradshaw was the epitome of the man she wanted, the man she needed. But she didn’t want him. She didn’t need him. The truth of it hit her with such a force she couldn’t deny it. “Zack, you’re my friend.”
He tightened his hold on her hand. “Please, Victoria. If it’s about your job, believe me, I know you’re an honest person. I trust you with every account in this bank.”
She shook her head. “I believe you, Zack. And I believe you’re my friend, as well.” She smiled when the words left her lips.
He let go of her hand and nodded. Exhaling, he said, “I’m glad we’re friends.”
“I’ll see you at church on Sunday,” she said as she walked out the office door.
“Yes, Sunday.”
Walking out the front door of the bank, Victoria saw Chris’s truck parked across the street. “Hey.” She recognized the voice and the large figure that loomed beside her.
Glancing up at Chris, her heart flipped, and she was surprised at how glad she felt to see him. “Let me guess. You’re here to pick me up.”
Chris laughed. “Seems the kids start puking their guts out when I come around.”
“You do have that effect on people.”
“Thanks.”
“Seriously, are they okay?”
“Yeah, Dylan and Sondra have it under control.” Chris shoved his hands in his pockets. “But I’d like to talk to you if you wouldn’t mind.”
“About the paper?”
He nodded.
“Sure, why not? It’s not like I haven’t talked about it enough today.” Victoria smacked her hand to her thigh and then gazed up at Chris and realized he was exactly who she wanted to talk to.
thirteen
“Do you mind if we run by my shop a sec?” Chris jingled the keys in his hand. “I’m supposed to deliver eggs tomorrow, and the truck I use for my By His Hand ministry is in desperate need of some new plugs.”
Victoria watched as a slight breeze danced through his hair. His need of another trim belied subtle hints of the wavy thickness that rested upon Chris’s head. Being late in the day, stubble covered his jaw and chin, and Victoria wanted to feel the contrast betwe
en the two. “Without a ride, I’m at your mercy.”
Chris frowned. “My truck can wait. I wanted to talk to you, too.”
“I was just kidding. I didn’t mean to sound snippy.”
“Been a long day at work, huh?”
“You could say that.” She lifted her purse higher on her shoulder and started toward Chris’s truck. “But it’s the last one, for a while anyway.”
“What do you mean by that?” Chris came up beside her.
“It seems I’m on suspension until my dad’s case is decided.” She turned and looked at him. “I’m assuming you’ve read the paper.”
He nodded. “That’s why I want to talk, remember?”
“Yeah.”
“But I don’t understand why Zack would suspend you. It’s hardly your fault.”
Victoria noticed the anger that laced his words and realized that Chris had taken her side. Not that there really were sides to take, but it felt nice to know he didn’t believe her to be a thief. She touched Chris’s rough hand, so unlike any she had ever touched. It felt strong and stable, a blue-collar worker’s hand, and she liked it. “It wasn’t Zack’s fault either. His boss made him, and I’m really okay with it.” She released his hand and grabbed the handle to the truck door. “Except that I don’t know how I’ll pay you … or get back my grandma’s ring,” she mumbled as she hopped into the truck’s cab.
Chris pushed the door shut behind her. “Don’t you worry about paying me. I should be paying you for all the time you’ve spent putting up with Abby.”
Victoria peered down at her manicured fingernails, the very ones she’d spent hours scrubbing garden dirt out from under when Abby convinced her to feel the earth between her fingers. She thought of how humiliated Abby must be to know the woman who’s teaching her to be a lady has a criminal for a daddy. “I love your sister.”
“She loves you, too.”
“Has she read the paper?”
“Yes.”
“What does she think of me now?”
“She made me promise to make you stay in Lasso.”
Victoria looked into Chris’s eyes. “She did?”
The honesty in his gaze nearly took her breath away as he nodded. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed slowly. The yearning in his expression made her afraid to ask if he wanted her to stay, as well.
Her emotions consumed her. Maybe it was just plain exhaustion. Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks in such a race she had no chance to make them stop.
As she tried to swallow back her cries, Chris scooted over in the seat and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into the crook of his neck, inhaling the deep scent of him. Without realizing it, her senses had come to recognize the smell of Chris Ratliff—his smell, the one that made up the man. She loved the scent and found comfort in it. She nestled her face into his shoulder. He tightened his hold, and she’d never felt so safe, so secure.
“It’s all right, honey,” he crooned and gently raked his fingers through the length of her hair.
“I don’t want to be embarrassed anymore. Why doesn’t God rescue me? What purpose is there in torturing me?”
“Oh, Victoria.” Chris loosened his hold and lifted her chin toward him. “You listen to me. God loves you. He has a plan for every season of your life. He’ll take care of you during this time.” He caressed the side of her cheek. “Maybe He’ll use me to help.”
Victoria gazed at Chris’s lips. She felt his desire to kiss her. Closing her eyes, she admitted how much she wanted it, too. She leaned toward him and allowed their lips to meet. His stubble scratched around her mouth, but she didn’t care.
He tightened his embrace. “Promise you’ll stay.” He gazed into her eyes, and she knew he sought permission to kiss her again. Without reservation, she closed her eyes and found his lips once more. Without a doubt, God had sent her to Chris.
I love her, Lord. Chris peered out the windshield at the buildings lining Main Street. He flipped his turn signal on and turned toward his shop. Glancing at Victoria, he tried to read her silence. Was she angry with him? Maybe he should apologize for kissing her, and yet, not even a morsel of remorse filled him over those kisses. Everything in him longed to kiss her again.
He turned off the truck and opened the door. Before he could get to her side, she had already hopped out. He looked down at her, and she smiled and blushed. I don’t think she’s angry with me.
“I’ll try to fix it as quickly as I can.” Chris guided her inside. He showed her the refrigerator, the snacks, and the magazines, and then escaped to the back of the shop. He popped the hood of the truck and removed and replaced the old plugs as quickly as possible.
He stood to his full height, glanced at the clock on the wall, and realized Sondra and Dylan might be worried about Victoria’s whereabouts. Leaning over the truck, he made sure all the caps were tight. “You might want to call Sondra and tell her where you are,” he hollered so that she could hear him in the other room.
“I already called her.”
Chris bumped his head on the hood when her voice sounded from right behind him. “Ouch.” He rubbed the top of his head.
She placed her hand over her mouth and giggled. “Sorry about that.”
“How long have you been standing there?”
“Awhile.” She leaned against one of his tables. “Did you know you hum church hymns while you work?”
He felt the heat rush up his face. “Guess I hadn’t thought about it.”
“It’s nice.”
Chris walked over to the sink and washed his hands with detergent to get the grease off. He turned and looked at Victoria. She was more than he’d ever dreamed of, in every way. After drying his hands, he walked to her and touched her cheek. “You’re beautiful, Victoria.”
She smiled and walked toward the door. “I’ll wait for you in your truck.”
Victoria laid her Bible and prayer journal on her bed and her cookies and milk on the nightstand. She flipped on the lamp and then nestled into her covers. She thought of Chris standing next to the truck in his shop, in his element. Grease stains covered his legs and hips, not to mention his hands and arms. He even had the cutest smudge across his forehead. And the kiss. Victoria had never felt such a connection in her life. Even now she tingled all the way to her toes with the memory of it.
God, guide my feelings for him. They’re so strong. Please tell me if they’re from You. She took a bite of a cookie and then opened her Bible to Ecclesiastes. Since she’d accepted the Lord into her life, she’d been reading a chapter of the Bible each day. God never ceased to amaze her at how He spoke to her through His Word no matter where in the Bible she was reading.
She started at chapter three, her heart open and ready to accept whatever God showed her, especially concerning Chris Ratliff. After taking a drink of milk, she almost choked when she read verse one. She read it again. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”
“God,”—she peered up at the ceiling—“what was it that Chris said to me today?” She thought about when she cried into Chris’s neck and shoulder. She’d asked him about why God would allow all this to happen to her. What had Chris said? It was something about You being in control of every season of my life.
She shut her Bible and closed her eyes. “God, what Daddy did has been so hard, but You are in charge of everything in my life. You can use anything for Your glory. Anything.”
She thought of Chris saying that maybe God would use him to help her. A shiver of excitement ran through her at the remembrance of his words. “God, I would have never asked this when I first came to Lasso, Oklahoma.” She bit her lip and grinned as she mentally looked up at the overgrown mechanic. “But if You want to use Chris to help me, I’m okay with that.”
fourteen
“Is that what it’s supposed to look like?” Chris cupped his jaw, willing himself not to cover his eyes at the exposure of his sister.
He had agre
ed to take her shopping for a dress for her advanced chorus concert. Mrs. Smith had given the girls two requirements for attire. The dress needed to be semiformal, and it had to be black.
“I think most of the girls will wear one like it.” She lifted one of the spaghetti straps higher onto her shoulder. The straps continued down her back in crisscross fashion, exposing skin to her waistline. Cut off in a flair at her knees, the length wasn’t too bad, and the front of the dress appeared modest enough. But the back … He shook his head. “I don’t know if I like this one, Abby.”
“Oh, come on, Chris.” Abby pouted.
God, Abby and I are having a good day, but I can’t let her wear that to the concert. Chris cleared his throat and sat back in the chair. “Hmm. Well, how do you feel about it? Does it feel a little more revealing than you’d have wanted?”
She twisted and touched her waistline as she gazed into the three-way mirror. “Maybe a little.” She spun around, allowing the bottom to twirl. “But I love the skirt part.”
The clerk tapped her index finger to her lips. “I think we have another one that’s similar but isn’t backless.”
Abby smiled and Chris exhaled. “Let’s see it,” they said in unison, and Abby giggled.
An hour later, they left the department store with a much more modest dress and matching heels. He watched as Abby hopped into the cab of the truck. Her eyes shone like a freshly polished grill on a new car. Thankfulness filled his spirit. He hopped into the driver’s seat. “I’m glad we found something you like.”
She clasped her hands. “Me, too. I had so much fun with you today.”
“I had a pretty good time myself.”
Abby half smiled. “You’re not so bad after all.”
Chris grunted. “Thanks.” He started the truck and then sneaked a peek at Abby. She opened the shoebox to look at her purchase once more. “How ’bout we go to that Mexican restaurant you love for dinner?”
By His Hand: Truly Yours Digital Edition Page 10