Small-Town Moms

by Tronstad, Janet

  “I just like looking at them.” Trudy looked uncomfortable.

  “And that’s just fine.” Georgetta patted Trudy’s arm. “I’m not much on riding them, either. So tell us what kind of things you two do back home where you live.”

  Trudy toyed with her food, shrugged and remained quiet. Olivia felt the need to fill the silence. “We home-school the first part of each day during the year. And then we keep busy.”

  “What do you do?” Wes asked, munching on his steak.

  Olivia told about all the different organizations she worked with.

  “If anyone needs a volunteer, my mom’s the one to call,” Trudy added drily.

  Olivia gave her a smile. “You name it, I’m on it. No isn’t in my vocabulary. Is it, Trudy?”

  “Nope. When Dad was alive you didn’t do so much.”

  “True.” What did she say to that? When Justin was alive she wasn’t lonely. There was a void in her life that was no longer filled. And truth of the matter was, it would never be filled again. It didn’t matter if she volunteered for every committee twice and then some. But at least she wasn’t sitting home in a dark room crying…no, not anymore anyway.

  For some reason her gaze was drawn to Gabe’s in that instant. He was watching her—though the moment their eyes met, he let his slide nonchalantly to his plate. But not before she felt a flutter of her pulse at the intensity of his gaze.

  The feeling happened so suddenly she dropped her fork…and lost her mind at the same time!

  Chapter Five

  “Thanks for your help,” Gabe called and waved as the four cowboys who’d helped him work cows drove away. The sun was beating down on him as he rode his horse across the pasture. Though the cattle he was taking to auction were now in the pen, ready to head out in the morning, he wanted to check on a weak spot in the fence he’d noticed earlier.

  His mind, like it had done all day, immediately went back to the events of the day before. After dinner Gabe had excused himself and gone to his office to work. He’d stayed there until the house was quiet, and then he’d gone in to check on his sleeping son before he’d sneaked to his room like a thief in his own home.

  How was he supposed to handle this? Not only the issues with Olivia, but there was Trudy. It was clear the girl had some issues of her own. Anyone with eyes could tell that Trudy was having trouble, and he thought it stemmed from her dad’s death. He could be totally wrong, but since he’d walked in her shoes, it was almost like looking in a mirror. He knew his mom had caught on early. There was no way she wouldn’t have, as keen as she was in observing what bothered people. And there was Olivia. She was struggling, too—with all that going and joining she was doing there had to be a reason. Or maybe not. What was he doing thinking about it anyway? How many times over the last twenty-four hours had that question come up?

  He was still asking himself the same thing later that evening after dinner. The woman was funny and bubbly, and his mother had been right…Wes was crazy about her.

  After dinner he pretty much ran to the barn—he needed to feed Pony Boy, but he also needed some fresh air.

  There was no way that he could be interested in the woman.

  The idea hit him over dinner, and he couldn’t shake it. This was the sister of Dawn. The woman he most needed to be leery of. The woman who very well could take the only thing in life that mattered from him. He was not interested in her.

  Snatching the bucket from the nail in the feed room, he stormed out to the pens and scooped up a bucket full of sweet feed. Pony Boy nickered with enthusiasm. The horse was as old as Methuselah and that being the case he had to have extra feed just to keep weight on him. But the dear old horse was perfect for Wes to learn to ride because he was so gentle. One day when Wes was older he’d bring a younger horse around, but not before Wes was old enough to know exactly what he was doing. Horses were dangerous, and Trudy had every reason to be wary of them if she didn’t know anything about them. He knew from experience that even the most knowledgeable could make mistakes. Caution was not something to take lightly where horses were concerned. His own dad had made a mistake and startled an injured mare when Gabe was ten. She’d kicked him with both feet and knocked him into the gate. He’d been dead before the ambulance had arrived. The memory and pain still affected him. He’d loved his dad like Wes loved him… Gabe’s throat tightened at the thought.

  “Are you angry about me still being here?” He swung around at the sound of the soft voice behind him. Olivia stood just inside the barn. The evening sun was setting behind her, and it made her look like she was illuminated in brilliant gold. Small dust particles played about her in the golden light. She made a beautiful image there, and he had to catch his breath. When had he been so affected by a woman? Not in a long, long time. He didn’t like that it was this one getting to him after all this time.

  “I guess you have a right to know your nephew.”

  She gave a small smile. “Thank you for realizing that.”

  Moving to the stall, he dumped the bucket of feed into the trough. His skin prickled with awareness when Olivia moved closer.

  “He’s fairly old, isn’t he?”

  “Yes. You know horses?”

  She gave a small laugh. “Not that much. I just sensed he was an old soul when I was watching him yesterday.”

  Coming out of the stall, he closed the gate. Pony Boy stuck his nose over the gate, wanting attention. “He’s a good horse.” Gabe rubbed him between the eyes. “I wouldn’t have him around if he was dangerous. If Trudy wants to ride, this would be the one.”

  Olivia moved to stand beside him, then placed her hand just below his and rubbed the old horse’s nose. He thought she was going to say something but remained silent instead.

  She stood near enough for him to smell a light floral scent that drew him. He pulled back just before he leaned her direction and inhaled.

  What are you doing?

  “Your other sister—where is she?” He asked, saying the first thing that came to his mind. It had been four years since he’d been attracted to Dawn—and deceived by the power of that attraction. Looking at Olivia, his gut twisted, thinking how fickle he was. After all that Dawn had done to him, he couldn’t fathom why looking at her sister, who resembled Dawn so closely, would draw him. It was as if he was a glutton for punishment.

  Olivia pulled her hand away, turning toward him, her amber eyes troubled. “She went to find Dawn’s other child, Lilly, and now she and Lilly’s uncle are getting married. I still can’t believe it. I mean, Maegan seemed so level-headed, and yet she meets this man—and before I can get my car gassed for the drive out here, she’s engaged. I’m still a little troubled by that.”

  And with reason. Gabe frowned as red flags started waving on that one. His mother had said that just because they were sisters didn’t mean they would be the same. He sidestepped, putting more space between him and Olivia. This revelation gave validity to his fear about bad family traits. “I’m glad to hear Lilly is doing good. I’ve worried about her.”

  “They’re extremely happy, though, and Maegan called and can’t wait for me to come visit. Of course, she has plans to come here and meet Wes, too.”

  “I’m sure my mother has already issued the invitation.”

  She crossed her arms and smiled. “Not that I’m aware of. I can understand some anger toward Dawn, but why do you dislike us so much? We’ve done nothing to you. We simply want to get to know our nephew and be a part of his life.”

  “And I’m seeing that I’ll have to let that happen, to an extent. I already had located Lilly and planned for him to meet her.”

  “I’m glad for that,” she said. “He enjoyed today. There was nothing wrong about today, except your behavior.”

  “That’s your opinion.”

  Her brows dipped. “Gabe, I don’t get you.”

  “Don’t have to. If you’ll excuse me, I need to finish my chores.”

  She stared hard, then, with a slight shak
e of her head, she walked away. He watched her round the corner and disappear. Only then did he breathe.

  Two days down and nineteen more to go. It was going to be a long three weeks.

  Olivia enjoyed the next three days. They were full of fun—when Gabe wasn’t around. Georgetta took them into town and they ate lunch at Sam’s, a quaint diner. They met several of the residents of Mule Hollow. The town was painted colorfully, and the people seemed just as colorful. There was Sam, the spunky owner, and the two hard-of-hearing checker players sitting at the front table of the diner. There was also a group of women around her age who were having fun eating lunch together when they arrived. She felt like they were women she would enjoy getting to know.

  Still, tension filled the air when Gabe was around. At dinner each evening, she tried to ignore the fact that he was simply tolerating them. She refused to have his attitude ruin their visit, and so she kept her spirits up and made the time around the table together as fun and lively as possible.

  Gabe might be counting the days until she and Trudy climbed into their truck and headed back home. But Olivia couldn’t worry about that too long. She had a little boy she’d fallen in love with, and she was having a wonderful time teasing, talking and playing with him.

  Chapter Six

  “So what do you think?” Norma Sue Jenkins asked with a robust smile.

  Georgetta was joining her three friends for coffee because she needed their advice on how to help Gabe get past the anger he felt toward his ex-wife and move forward. She wasn’t sure why she felt so strongly about it, but she had a good feeling about Olivia.

  “I think she’s wonderful. She’s been raising her daughter ever since her young husband died, and though she hasn’t said so, I can tell she is desperately lonely. She’s involved with every kind of function and committee a person can get on. To me that means she’s staving off loneliness. Filling her days with busywork.”

  “I agree,” Esther Mae said. Her green eyes sparkled with possibility as she patted her freshly dyed red hair. “So how about sparks? Do you see any?”

  Georgetta nodded. “Oh, there are those, but I’m not sure any of them come from a romantic idea. Although I’ve seen Gabe watching her even when he doesn’t realize it. At least I don’t think he does. He’s so upset about her being here that I just can’t tell. But wouldn’t it be wonderful if they did fall in love—then Wes’s aunt would get to help raise him, and Trudy would have my Gabe as a step-daddy. I think romantically, it fits wonderfully.” She was wishing for too much, but it could work…couldn’t it? “Gabe deserves so much more than he’s had.”

  “Yes,” Adela interjected. “But it has to be about the heart and God being in it. I’ve been praying ever since you told us Olivia was coming. I have a good feeling about this, too. If not for a romantic matchup, at least, I believe God is going to work in the situation for everyone’s good. Especially the children.”

  Georgetta loved Adela. She was such a strong lady despite her very fragile look, with her porcelain skin and fine bones. “I believe so, too. So what do you ladies suggest I do?”

  Norma Sue grinned. “Simple. They need as much time alone as possible. Your job is to figure out how to get it for them.”

  Georgetta prayed all the way home that she wasn’t making a mistake pushing for Gabe and Olivia to get to know each other. She was worried, but really, she continued to tell herself, if it didn’t work out, what could it hurt? It was better for her to try to help than to sit back and do nothing.

  Wasn’t it?

  Trudy was sitting on a hay bale watching Pony Boy when Gabe walked into the barn. He felt for the kid. He wondered if Pony Boy saw the kid he saw. The one missing her dad so much it was written all over her for anyone to see. Olivia saw it; he was certain. He’d seen it in her eyes several times.

  “I’d love it if you decided to let me teach you to ride him. He needs more exercise than Wes can give him, as young as Wes is.”

  She looked at him, not as startled by his approach as he’d thought she might be. Obviously her headphones weren’t turned on, though the earpieces were planted in her ears. Slowly she pulled them out and let them drop around her shoulders. “I don’t want to.”

  He shrugged. “That’s fine.” Walking over, he picked up a brush and opened the stall gate. “You want to help me brush him down?”

  It was her turn to shrug. But she followed him inside and watched as he began brushing the horse’s coat. “You know, I lost my dad when I was ten.” He said the words carefully. Remembering as the feelings of loss beat heavy in his heart. “It hurts.”

  She walked closer. Her head bobbed. “Yeah, it does.”

  “Are you doing okay?” He wanted to hug her.

  She looked at the ground and nodded.

  His heart twisted tighter. “You want to brush?”

  She pushed her long hair behind her ears and thought about it. She looked like her mother in a slight way but he was pretty positive, by the lighter color of her hair and the square, stubborn set to her jaw, that she looked more like her dad.

  “Sure,” she said at last.

  He handed over the brush. “Have you ever groomed a horse before?”

  “A few times at my friend’s house. But it’s been a while.”

  “Don’t be nervous. Do just what I was doing, using long strokes. It will get all the dirt off his coat and make him shine.”

  He watched as she worked. She seemed to relax. He wanted to ask if she needed to talk about anything. But he didn’t. He’d told her they had common ground—sad but true—and he knew, like he had when he was her age, that she’d open up if she needed to.

  “Does it always hurt?”

  Her soft words touched him. “Yes. But the pain eases up after a bit.”

  She didn’t look convinced but kept on working. “I like this horse.”

  “Good. Do you want to ride him?”

  Trudy was riding Pony Boy! Olivia rounded the corner of the barn and almost tripped. Standing in the center of the riding pen, Gabe held the halter rope as Trudy rode the horse. Not wanting to disturb them but not wanting to miss out on her daughter on a horse, Olivia chose to watch from the shadows. Twenty minutes later Trudy climbed from the horse—and gave Gabe a hug.

  It hit Olivia’s heart hard and kicked her feet from beneath her. Weak in the knees, she hurried to the house, sank into the swing on the front porch and waited for Trudy to head inside. Her daughter needed a daddy.

  The idea hurt. She’d had a daddy, and to consider replacing Justin was unthinkable. And yet—did God have someone out there to fill this void left inside of her and her child?

  That remained to be seen, but Olivia knew it was a possibility she needed to open her heart to.

  “Thank you.”

  Gabe’s pulse hummed at the sound of Olivia’s voice behind him. He’d been thinking about her a lot, and it bothered him that he found her so attractive. “For what?”

  He tensed as she came to stand a few feet away from him. At supper she’d laughed and told stories of the older people she enjoyed working with at the senior citizens’ home. She seemed to enjoy spending time there, and it didn’t even have to be said that her being there was good for them. Just her smile alone lit up a room, but when she laughed…it bubbled out of her and made everything seem lighter. Even Trudy, as sullen as she could be, couldn’t help but laugh at her mother talking about racing Mr. Blossom around the nurse’s station in a wheelchair.

  He’d been even more surprised when Trudy told him, while she was riding, that her mother had had twenty proposals of marriage last year alone from the men in the nursing home.

  It was obvious that he may have made a mistake believing that she could be like her sister. Still, he couldn’t be too careful. What if she knew that Wes wasn’t actually his son? He knew rationally that the courts would look at him as Wes’s dad. He was. But still, the idea bothered him.

  “Thank you for doing what you did for Trudy. She told me she rod
e Pony Boy, but I have to admit that I stood in the shadows and watched her for a few minutes.”

  “She’s a good kid. She did well.”

  “She said your dad died when you were her age.”

  He nodded. “It’s a difficult time.” They stared at each other for a long moment. He felt a pull between them, as if there was an elastic cord attaching them, drawing them closer.

  “You are a curious man, Mr. McKennon. Very rude sometimes, but you have a big heart.”

  He didn’t say anything but pulled the lid off the feed bin.

  She came closer. “It’s not going to work.”

  He gave her a sideways glance, wishing she’d go away. “What’s not going to work?”

  “You aren’t running me off. And I no longer believe you are a curmudgeon.”

  “Maybe you should.”

  She shook her head. “I believe we need to learn to be friends. Or maybe friends is too strong a word for you to be comfortable with. Maybe we just need to learn to tolerate each other for Wes and Trudy’s sake. They’re first cousins, and it should be important to you that Wes have family. You love him, and I do believe that if you look past yourself, you’ll see that. He is such a wonderful little boy.”

  “Yes, he is.” He was trying to protect Wes—right? From what, though? This woman seemed to be truly good, by all appearances. But Dawn had deceived him, and so could her sister. Yet she was right. Trudy and Wes were cousins, and despite everything, he knew that he was wrong on this issue. Wes did need family. Looking at her, he wondered was it himself he was trying to protect from Olivia?

  He offered her the feed bucket. “One bucketful of that,” he said, watching as she took it from him. Her fingers touched his as he handed the bucket over, and her eyes widened ever so slightly at the contact. So she’d felt it, too. Why he’d done it, he wasn’t sure, but he was drawn to her.

  Despite not wanting to be.