Sixteen Steps to Fall in Love

by Liz Isaacson

  “I know.”

  “Hey.” Boone reached for one of her hands and slipped his fingers between hers. “Can you look at me? Talk to me about this.”

  She shook her head, her mouth a tight line, and lifted her eyes to meet his.

  Helplessness filled him at the pain that swam in her green depths. “I didn’t know,” he said. “I—” He didn’t know what to say.

  He’d come to Three Rivers for a couple of reasons, only one of which was the animal hospital. He hadn’t told her about the other one quite yet, and he wondered what she’d think of him then.

  Before they started dating, he would’ve taken the knowledge of the misdiagnosis to the grave. But now…now he trusted her and wanted her to know everything about him. The good, the bad, and the painful.

  “You just seemed to soar into town on your white horse,” she said. “And save the hospital. Everyone talked about you like you were God himself.” Nicole’s eyes stormed and her bottom lip shook the teensiest bit. “It was easier to dislike you,” she admitted. “Until….”

  “Until what?”

  “I had myself convinced you were a monster until that day in the dog park.”

  Boone remembered the first time he’d looked at Nicole with the thought that he’d like to get to know her better. “That was a great day, wasn’t it?”

  She finally allowed a smile to cross her face. “It was a pretty great day. Today doesn’t feel like a great day, though.” She turned toward him, a muscle in her jaw jumping. “I don’t want you to go to Amarillo.”

  “Well, I’m going,” he said. “There’s a marathon in February I’ve been training for.” He tossed her a grin and took a huge bite of pizza while she shook her head and laughed under her breath.

  “You’re impossible,” she said.

  “Now, the veterinary job is up in the air,” he said. “I mean, I have this great house. A job I love. A gorgeous girlfriend….” He glanced at her to judge her reaction.

  A smile brightened her face, and Boone tucked her into his side. “I think I should just stay right here for a while. What do you think?”

  “I like you right here, yes,” she said, and Boone spiraled a little further down the pipeline toward being all the way in love with Nicole Hymas.

  The opportunity to be a partner at an animal hospital in a bigger city rolled around in his head as a celebrity chef made a double chocolate cake on the screen in front of him.

  He’d have to tell Cash Drew something, but a flat-out no didn’t feel quite right. He pulled Nicole closer, the thought of leaving her absolutely wrong too.

  A week later, Boone arrived at Nicole’s a full two hours before the wedding was supposed to begin, but there was already a pile of cars taking up the street. So he parked down the block a ways and flung his garment bag holding his tuxedo over his shoulder. He wasn’t planning on getting dressed for a while, but when he stepped into Nicole’s house and found her bustling around the kitchen in a bright pink party dress, he wondered if he’d gotten the time wrong.

  “Hey,” he said, stepping into the narrow space and pulling her into him. “Mm.” He kissed her, tipping her back until she giggled and swatted at his shoulder.

  “That is not proper behavior for a wedding,” she said as he brought her back to standing.

  “I think it’s exactly what people do at weddings,” he said. “They dance, they kiss, they go home happy.” He lifted the garment bag. “Should I change now? I thought we were finishing the decorations and then fading into the background.”

  “We are, but then the bride called and asked if she could use my oven to keep some appetizers warm.” She arranged tiny little meatballs on a sheet tray, her fingers working double time.

  “Why are you doing this in such a sexy dress?” He slid behind her in the tiny kitchen and put his arms around her waist, bending to touch his mouth to the nape of her neck.

  She laughed and squirmed away. “Stop it. I’m busy here.”

  “I can see that.” He chuckled, moved back into the living room, and draped his bag over the back of her couch. “I’ll go check the backyard.”

  “The lights need to be strung in the orchard,” she said as he passed her again. “I ran the extension cord already. The lights are on the patio table.”

  “Lights on the patio table,” he repeated and stepped into the backyard. The scene beyond her fence showed one of the most beautiful evening skies he’d ever seen, deep with blue and purple and pink. He took a deep breath and sent a prayer of gratitude for this life he had now.

  He thought he’d been happy before, but he’d never known as much joy as he’d experienced in the few months he’d been dating Nicole.

  He strung the lights, humming the song she’d sung for him a few weeks ago. He started singing the lyrics, his bass voice nowhere near the right octave. “I feel pretty….”

  “You are pretty.” Nicole burst into laughter as she joined him in the orchard.

  “Almost done,” he said. “What’s the song for today?”

  She slanted a wary look at him. “Want to guess?”

  “Sure. Give me a few lines.”

  She sang the rock lyrics in a rough voice, a slight accent in there he couldn’t place.

  “Livin’ on a prayer. Classic.” He burst into laughter. “Eighties hair band,” he said. “How do you know that song?”

  “Remember how all my siblings are ages older than me? That’s how.”

  He brought her close for a kiss and started to sway with her, joining his voice to hers in a slower, softer version of the song. She practically yelled the last line. She trilled out a laugh, and Boone spun her through the grass.

  He brought her close again and held her against his body. “I think you’re amazing, Nicole.”

  She froze, her eyes lit by the tiny fairy lights and making her seem softer and more beautiful than ever. He leaned down and kissed her until the fear in her touch evaporated.

  But he’d definitely need to figure out what it took to get her to believe that he liked her, because he was already several steps down a path that led to love when it came to Nicole Hymas.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Nicole had never done drugs or taken a sip of alcohol. But she felt absolutely drunk on the taste, the feel, the scent of Boone Carver.

  The man had soared into town on his white horse…but was it to save her? She hadn’t even known how lost she was, or how close to the edge of the cliff.

  But he’d pulled her back to the land of the living. Shown her what it felt like to actually live—and possibly love.

  He broke their kiss first, and Nicole tucked herself right against his chest, imagining this to be their wedding day, and their first dance in her garden though there weren’t any guests there yet.

  His simple, strong words reverberated through her whole body. I think you’re amazing, Nicole.

  Amazing.

  She’d been waiting for so long to feel this strongly about a man. So long for someone to see her, to belong to and with.

  He chuckled and swung her in a circle, lifting her off her feet. She squealed and held onto his broad shoulders, wondering if her brothers and sisters would return to Three Rivers for her wedding.

  She disliked that they were so present, poisoning her happy moment. She’d called them about Mama’s brief hospital stay, but there wasn’t anything they could do. Mama had come home the next day anyway.

  Boone set her back on her feet and gazed down at her with absolute adoration and joy. She didn’t feel worthy of his attention, but she was trying. Since he’d told her she didn’t really have stage fright, she’d been spending more time in the scriptures, more time on her knees, but it was hard to undo forty years of mental training.

  Every time she went to Boone’s place she was reminded of how much more he possessed. Then she’d remind herself that he never seemed to care about her cracker box house, and he’d been working to make sure his paperwork was absolutely right every night before he left, a
nd he’d forgiven her for a year’s worth of nastiness.

  She really didn’t deserve him. But help me to become the woman who does, she prayed as she gazed up into the lights in the tree limbs.

  “How did Cash take the news that you weren’t coming to Amarillo?” she asked.

  “Just fine. Said the invitation is always open.” Boone inhaled her hair, a gesture of his that made her feel cherished and strong.

  “Pastor Scott called and asked me to meet him before church tomorrow,” she said.

  He stilled, leaned back, his dark eyes staring right through her. “When did that happen?”

  “Just this morning.”

  His eyes widened. “Your self-restraint is amazing. I can’t believe you waited until now to tell me.”

  “I…don’t know. What do you think he wants?”

  “He’s going—”

  Behind them, someone called, “Hello?” and Nicole stepped out of his arms. “That must be Heidi with the food.”

  “The bakery is delivering the food?”

  “Your aunt can do everything, Boone,” Nicole called over her shoulder as she gained the patio. She swung back to him. “Oh, the arch needs to go up, remember?”

  He waved to her and she entered the house to find not only Heidi, but Kelly Ackerman and Chelsea Marshall. In front of them, they had boxes and trays of pastries, and while Nicole knew these women from church, they were several years older than her, with husbands and children and a life on the ranch where Boone worked that she knew nothing about.

  Heidi smiled at her and asked, “Where would you like this stuff?”

  “Out here.” She stepped back to the patio, where she’d set up the refreshment line.

  Everyone followed her, their shoes making quite the racket on her deck. Kelly whistled and swiveled her head back and forth. “Wow, Nicole, this is fantastic. Maybe I should’ve gotten married here.”

  Nicole turned back to her and smiled. “Please. Like your husband would’ve driven all this way just to get married.”

  Kelly laughed and shrugged. “The ranch wedding was nice, but this is like a tropical wonderland.”

  “Not quite.” But Nicole appreciated the sentiment.

  “Is that Boone setting up that arch?” Kelly didn’t miss much, Nicole would give her that.

  “Of course,” Heidi said. “I told you they were dating.” She beamed at Nicole like she’d tamed a wild lion singlehandedly. “Y’all getting along okay?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Nicole said, her Texas manners making a sudden appearance.

  “Look at him on that ladder,” Chelsea said, adding a giggle. “I mean, I’ve seen Boone do just about everything at the ranch, but settin’ up a weddin’?” She looked at Nicole with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “That man must really like you.”

  I think you’re amazing, Nicole.

  Heidi set down her tray of what looked like apricot squares. “Oh, go on, you two. Leave her alone. Kelly, go get the warmers out of the truck, would you? Chelsea, I need the dishes we brought.”

  Nicole left them to take care of the food, as she certainly wasn’t getting paid to do that and she didn’t really want to discuss her relationship with Boone with his family. With only a half an hour until the wedding would officially start, she made her final checks on the yard.

  “Everything is perfect,” she said once she’d gone around and checked lighting, power, and seating.

  The bride had arrived and taken over Nicole’s spare bedroom, as agreed. The groom was using her bedroom, but he was much quicker, so when Boone returned from taking Taz and Valcor to his place for the evening, she shooed him in there to change also.

  He emerged from the bedroom several minutes later, taller and more handsome than when he went in. “You should be illegal,” she said as she drank in the tuxedo that had obviously been tailored just for his frame.

  She reached up and ran her fingers along the shaved part of his head and into his longer hair, glad she was able to do such things whenever she wanted. The crowds started arriving then, and Nicole faded into the background the way she always did.

  Except tonight, with Boone at her side, person after person approached her and said the yard looked wonderful.

  “Simply beautiful,” Trina said, gripping Nicole’s elbow. “Isn’t it great?” she asked Cal and her step-daughter Sabrina, who both nodded.

  She basked in the compliments and Boone actually led her through the crowd while they ate to make small talk, something she’d never done at a wedding before. If she wasn’t hovering on the cusp of the backyard, she was sitting alone at a table against the wall of the church, wishing she were with her sick mama.

  At least that was how the last several weddings she’d attended had gone. Tonight, she felt like a monarch butterfly, finally spreading her great, orange wings and preparing to fly.

  Tonight, everything was perfect.

  Nicole arrived at the church the following morning a half an hour earlier than normal. Boone had already texted her—Call me as soon as you’re done—which had only added fuel to her fiery nerves.

  She felt like she might combust at any moment, and then she’d burn the church right to the ground.

  Drawing in a deep breath, she brushed imaginary dust from her skirt and started up the sidewalk. This little building near the park in Three Rivers had brought her more comfort over the years than almost anything else.

  The only thing she’d been more invested in was Puppy Pawz, which was why Boone’s purchase of it had burned so badly. Perhaps she should’ve told him that.

  She remembered the agony in his eyes when she’d confessed why she’d disliked him so much. Her feelings didn’t make sense, she knew that. At least Boone had been forgiving and sensitive, even going so far as to ask her for advice a time or two since their talk last weekend.

  He was trying, and Nicole could see that. It was something no one else in her life seemed to do. Daddy had let Nicole take over the care of Mama. Her siblings had left town despite their mother’s diagnosis.

  She pushed Boone out of her mind as her heels clicked through the foyer and down the hall to Pastor Scott’s office. She needed a clear head for this conversation, and Boone didn’t exactly help her see rationally.

  “Good morning,” she said, pausing on the threshold of his office and knocking lightly on the doorframe.

  He glanced up from the book he had open on the desk in front of him. A moment passed while he looked at her, and then a smile burst onto his face and he leapt to his feet. “Nicole, come in.” He came around the desk and shook her hand. “Come in.”

  She stepped past him, her nerves almost turning to panic. She perched on one of the chairs in front of his desk and put her purse on her lap like it was a shield.

  “The wedding last night was wonderful,” he said in that voice made of power and honey. “Your yard is beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured, hoping the small talk would end so she could finally know why he’d called her in here.

  He relaxed back into his chair, the joviality still present in his blue eyes. He watched her, clearly not uncomfortable, for several long moments.

  She nodded at him to go on, get this over with.

  “So I asked you here specifically to invite you to sing in the choir for our Christmas program.”

  All the air left Nicole’s lungs, though she’d suspected it would be something to do with the choir.

  “You’re coming to practices anyway, and Brother Myron wants you to do the solo part. His wife has written the program, and it’s beautiful.” Pastor Scott opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a folder. “It’s all here. You can look at it and decide.”

  Nicole couldn’t move, so she just nodded again.

  Pastor Scott chuckled, but it wasn’t a judgmental laugh or a cruel one either. Everything about him was soft yet strong, exactly how Nicole wanted to be.

  “I know you’re scared,” he said. “But I really think the people of Three
Rivers would love to hear you sing.”

  She nodded again, wondering if that was all she could do anymore. Thankfully, she was able to reach out and take the folder from his desk. “I’ll look it over,” she managed to push out of her dry throat.

  “I supposed that’s all I can ask.” Pastor Scott leaned back again. “But really, Nicole, you have a beautiful voice, and you shouldn’t be hiding your talents from the world.”

  “I’m not hiding,” she said. But was she? Or had she simply been overlooked…again?

  “You come to choir practice and don’t sing,” the pastor said. “What do you call that?”

  “Stage fright,” Nicole answered, her grip on the folder a little too tight. “I don’t think you understand how debilitating it can be.”

  Pastor Scott at least had the decency to acknowledge what she’d said. He thought for a moment and said, “You’re right, I don’t. But the Lord does. Ask Him about this and see what He says.”

  She nodded, stood, and shook the pastor’s hand. He wouldn’t let go, adding, “There’s plenty of time to prepare. Really think and pray about it, okay?”

  “Okay,” she said and got the heck out of there. Her fingers trembled as she walked back outside and to her car. Though fall had arrived on the calendar, Mother Nature had not gotten the memo.

  The heat in the car actually felt good, thawing the icy places inside Nicole that had formed the instant Pastor Scott had said the choir director wanted her to sing the solos.

  Solos? She shook her head, a measure of disgust rolling through her. She couldn’t even get up and join her voice to thirty others. How did anyone expect her to open her mouth and sing all by herself?

  How can I do that? she prayed. I don’t think it’s possible. But if it is, show me how.

  No heavenly vision appeared in front of her. She started the car so she wouldn’t bake in the next few minutes before she could go back inside.

  She wondered how she could be strong enough to sing in front of everyone, and as the list of reasons why grew, someone knocked on her passenger window.