by Tanya Hanson
“Oh, sweetheart.” Her mother ran her warm fingers down Christy’s hair. “I wanted to get here to meet the wagons, but couldn’t find an airline schedule to cooperate.” She chuckled and hugged Christy even closer.
“Well, you’re here now. And Mom, I am so happy. Come on. There’s somebody I want you to meet.” Christy pointed to the old bench, her heart tumbling in a new excitement as she caught sight of Kenn. With a tip of an imaginary hat, he got up to walk toward them. His mother waved madly.
“That must be Elaine Martin,” Mrs. Forrest said instantly. “We had such a good talk on the phone.”
Before Christy could get a word in edgewise about Kenn, her mom squeezed her again and rushed to explain.
“Christy, after you left, I had a good opportunity for some honest reflection and prayer. I realized not only had I let you down, I’d let down Daddy, too. When I woke up this morning, I knew I had to be here. With you. Elaine assured me they have plenty of room for the weekend, too.”
“It’s going to be wonderful, Mom. That is Mrs. Martin. And her son.” Hands swinging between them, Christy headed her mother toward Kenn.
Her mom nodded. “I think she has five.”
“That she does,” Christy said as Kenn reached them, holding out his arms. “But this one, Mom, this one’s mine.”
Her mom’s forehead crumpled. “Yours? What’s that about?”
Kenn grinned as he pulled her into a gentle welcoming hug. “It means I’m about to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage, Mrs. Forrest. If you’ll have me, that is.” He smiled the slow charming smile that had weakened Christy’s knees for days.
Christy held her breath. Mom might think things had moved too fast, but after all, it wasn’t like Christy was a silly teenager or had a history of bad decisions. Although obviously taken in surprise, her mom smiled back and hugged Kenn close.
“As I see it,” she said, “it’s Christy that’s doing the having. And it’s all right by me. If it’s all right by her.”
Christy watched Kenn’s feelings for her glow in his eyes along with starlight, and her heart surged with a love she’d never thought possible. He held out his hand to her.
“Mom, it’s all right by me.” She took Kenn’s outstretched hand and placed her mom’s in it. “It’s definitely all right by me.”
Epilogue
Four months later
In the double-wide trailer that masqueraded as Tranquility Group’s office, Christy shivered beneath her ivory velvet bridal gown. Late October was just about the hottest month in Calabasas, but here in northern Colorado, autumn had roared in and winter wasn’t long off.
Sighing mistily, Kelley fastened her mother’s wedding pearls around Christy’s neck. Mrs. Martin, busy with a crochet hook, attached the tiny covered buttons up Christy’s back.
“Daddy would have wanted Kenn to have this,” Her mom said in a breathless whisper. She handed Christy the slim gold wedding band Daddy had worn.
Christy’s heart thumped with the grief felt by all brides whose fathers have predeceased their wedding day. It was the same twist of regret she’d felt when Kenn asked her mom for her hand in marriage because she knew well Daddy would have loved to bestow his blessing. The significance of the gift warmed her through.
“Mom, it’s beyond special,” she said, meaning it. “But Kenn and I talked. With all his duties on the ranch, he can’t wear a ring. It might get caught and cost him a finger.”
“Nonsense. He teaches school much of the time.” Mrs. Forrest sniffed. “He can surely wear it the classroom.”
“And he needs one for the ceremony,” Elaine Martin boomed. Her friendship with Christy’s mom had blossomed since taking root that day on the phone last summer, particularly with Mom living in the big ranch house until her new condo was finished. She’d shared a room with Christy who would be moving into a small bungalow on the ranch with Kenn after their quick honeymoon to Lake Tahoe.
Kelley’s long brown velvet dress sleeked softly around her fit frame, and she grabbed her spray of orange and yellow gladioli.
“You’re so beautiful, Christy.” Kelley sniffed. “I knew from the moment I saw you. You were The One. For Kenn, I mean.”
“Thankfully so did your brother,” Christy replied, basking in love and joy. She embraced her maid of honor.
“All buttoned up,” Mrs. Martin announced.
“Thanks. Thanks for everything,” Christy said, eyes filling with happy tears. Plans for Posy’s Grove as well as her new job with Tranquility Group had taken so much of her time last summer she’d been relieved to leave the bulk of wedding coordination in the two mothers’ capable hands. In addition to landscaping Hearts Crossing Ranch’s new planned community, Woodside Meadow, she also managed to tend things at Forrest for the Trees with the Internet and weekend trips.
Although Christy’s heart pittered when she recalled Posy’s lovely grove, Kenn, true to his word, had wanted a church wedding. Woodside Community Chapel was only just framed, but it would work just fine for its very first wedding. When Pastor Hale had broken ground, the site had become consecrated soil. Pike had wound the rough beams with strings of white twinkle lights and garlands of spruce and fir. Rachel had spent the morning attaching clumps of fall flowers and herbs.
And Kelley, of course, had created a masterwork of a cake: triple stacks of chocolate stuck all over with maple sugar leaves and two tiny covered wagons on top.
“Come on. I hear the string quartet,” Mrs. Martin ordered.
“‘Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus.’ Mrs. Forrest said. “So fitting. Five generations of my family’s brides had that song at our weddings.”
“I know, Mom. It’s so special.” Christy drew her mother close. “I love you so much. And I feel Dad’s love with us today. That hymn’s your cue, Mother Martin.”
“Oh, goodness. Mother Martin makes me sound like an old hen.” She dumped a quick kiss on Christy’s cheek. “Elaine will do.”
Christy’s heart did a freefall in her chest as she picked up her nosegay of yellow roses and oak leaves, stems bound with copper-colored satin ribbon. It was time.
Then the group moved toward the door to exit. Cautious, she peeked, not wanting Kenn to catch one single glimpse of her before she started up the aisle. The short train of her simple, elegant gown glided behind her. Fortunately, “Elaine” could sew like a dream. She’d made the dresses in just a few days while her surgery healed. The brothers all wore their Sunday best, with bolo ties and the crucifixes given by their father, and gerbera daisy boutonnières. Bragg, of course, was best man for his brother.
As Christy’s mother offered her arm, tears flowed. They’d walk up the aisle together. Among the congregation seated on folding chairs around her, she watched as Jennie Blake dabbed her eyes, surrounded by Paul and their handsome sons.
But it was Kenn at the altar, standing proud with Pastor Hale, that held Christy’s gaze as she began her slow processional to Bach’s lovely Air on the G String. Her husband, friend. Her future, her strength. The Lord’s wonders could hardly be contained on this most glorious day.
This is a day the Lord has made. Let is rejoice and be glad.
As she gazed deep into Kenn’s dark eyes, Christy’s breath caught as she took his hand. With a broad smile, he squeezed tight, and Christy Forrest came home to Hearts Crossing Ranch for good.
Redeeming Daisy
1
Mountain Cove, Colorado
The big black dog burst through the exam room door with such joy that Pike Martin’s stomach churned. Elway should have several more years of life left instead of…
“Hey, boy.” With both affection and dread, he knelt to ruffle the ten-year-old Labrador’s head. Karen Densmore’s feet rustled nervously nearby. Bad news always devastated a pet’s owner, but she wasn’t somebody he wanted to talk to in the best of times.
After all, her daughter had humiliated Pike’s brother and broken his heart. No matter that Kenn had since found the love of his lif
e. Mountain Cove was a small town, and gossip lived on for years. Pike stood, nearly knocked off his feet by Mrs. Densmore’s resemblance to her beautiful black-haired, black-hearted daughter. Always something there to remind you. He frowned, hoping she took it as concern for Elway.
“Hi, Doc. How’s it going, waiting on dogs and cats instead of horses and cattle?” Mrs. Densmore’s voice shook, and right away, Pike shoved away thoughts of Kenn and Daisy. This lady was about to lose her sweet dog, and her heart was likely breaking.
“Oh, I still make plenty of house calls,” he told her lightly. “Make that ranch calls.” They both half-smiled at his attempt at humor. The only large animal vet for twenty miles, he had a lively practice going in addition to tending the livestock at Hearts Crossing, the family ranch eight miles from town. “Just helping out Doc Fahmy for two weeks while he and his wife are on vacation.”
“Lucky gal, that Miranda. A Mediterranean cruise.” Then Mrs. Densmore stopped the small talk with a deep breath and loaded question. “So, what’s the verdict?”
Pike closed his eyes tight for a second. Sure, he was a professional, but he swallowed hard. The news was bad. Really bad. “The ultrasound results aren’t good,” he said softly, laying his hand on the dog’s head. Elway looked up at him adoringly, and Pike’s heart crunched. Professional or not, times like this were never easy.
“I guess I’m not surprised.” She dug in her purse for a tissue and dabbed her nose. “Doc Fahmy was concerned enough about the X-rays to order more tests. So?” Her voice slowed to a dull whisper.
“It’s a malignant tumor between the kidneys called hemangiosarcoma.”
She flinched when he said tumor. “But you can cut it out, right?”
Pike shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s inoperable. It has metastasized. We can give you the name of a canine oncologist in Denver if you’re so inclined.”
“Denver? Chemo?” The choking sounds she emitted almost shredded his composure. She sank into the lone chair next to the aluminum examination table. “No. Chemo almost killed Uncle Luther.” She grabbed Elway and held him close, his long pink tongue lolling in ecstasy. “I couldn’t put my sweetheart through that.”
Pike’s heart panged, and he reached to give her hand a squeeze. Despite everything, she and his ma had managed to avoid animosity. He could do the same. “Would you like to pray together? Jesus loves animals, too.”
As if she hadn’t heard, Karen Densmore stood and smiled over a sparkle of tears. “Joel gave Elway to me when Daisy left for college. So I wouldn’t feel alone. But she loved him just as much. That first year she came home from school almost every weekend to see the pup. I don’t know how I’m going to tell her…”
Her body tensed and her cheeks reddened; he reckoned she regretted mentioning her daughter’s name. Daisy.
His fingers curled into tight balls. “Well, I’ll talk to her if you want,” he said slowly. Even though he meant it, the possibility terrified him. Just last week, Daisy had passed out in his arms, and he hadn’t liked the spark he’d felt at her vulnerability—at the dark lashes fringing her cheeks; at the rose petal scent that seemed to linger still in his senses. Pike clenched his teeth. No, he didn’t like it—then, or now.
“I’ll do it.” Suddenly, she lowered her head to stare at her toes. “She and I…aren’t getting along that good anyway. Doc?” She looked back up at him. “I’m so sorry. About that scene she made at Hearts Crossing last week, during the hoedown. I can only blame her drinking on that wretched husband of hers. Ex-husband, I mean. If she’d only stayed with your brother, a true Christian man.”
“It’s OK, Mrs. Densmore. Calm down.” He flushed at the awkward topic. “Kenn’s engaged to someone else now and super happy with Christy. None of us knows what kind of misery Tony O’Neal laid on your daughter.”
“But now this? She’ll come unglued.” She waved her hands over Elway’s head then bleakly looked Pike straight in the eyes. “Again, I apologize, Doc. We were in Parachute that night.” She sighed deeply. “Joel’s mother is doing poorly, but she won’t welcome Daisy into her home. All because Daisy eloped with Tony. Mother reckons my daughter’s getting just what she deserves. So we went without her…”
Her words tore at him. Family always came first with the Martins—now, for generations past and generations yet to come. Grim-Gram had equally adored Pike and every one of his seven siblings before she was called Home to the Heavenly Father. Rejection by a grandmother, desertion by a husband, slinking back to a town where nobody wanted her, had to canker Daisy’s soul. Taking comfort from the bottle rather than God’s grace was a terrible wrong, but something more than pity roiled in his gut.
He recalled her curled in his arms after she’d collapsed in a barn full of neighbors and former classmates and colleagues. How small she’d seemed in the guest bunkhouse bed when his sister tucked her in to sleep it off. Who could possibly know what demons lurked inside her? A protective urge rose in him, and he smacked it down right away.
Because Daisy Densmore was off limits. She’d caused Kenn years of pain and turmoil, and his brother’s misery wasn’t something Pike could forget.
Or forgive.
“But his eyes are so bright,” Mrs. Densmore inserted hopefully into Pike’s gloomy thoughts. “And he’s gotten his appetite back.”
“Well, Doc Fahmy gave him Famotidine, a medication to calm his stomach. Please remember, when you get him home, he’s a very sick boy. Be careful. Hemangiosarcoma can rupture and cause hemorrhage.”
After a quick but furious knock, the door flew open so hard it smacked against a cabinet. Glass rattled. “What’s going on, Mom?” Daisy Densmore hurtled inside, the veterinary tech Luanne clutching at her arm.
“Dr. Martin,” Luanne said, apology written all over her face. “I couldn’t hold her back.”
“What’s going on?” Daisy repeated, shrill. “Pops just told me you were here! That something’s wrong with Elway.”
Pike nodded into her dark imploring gaze as she knelt on the floor to grapple Elway close. Her childish gesture and panicked eyes stoked emotions he’d just buried.
While he waited for her to get to her feet, Pike grabbed hold of every professional mannerism he could. Somewhat stiffly, Mrs. Densmore reached out to comfort her daughter, but Daisy shoved away the embrace.
Pike took a deep breath. Well, he had offered to tell Daisy himself. “Daisy, between his kidneys, Elway’s got an inoperable malignant tumor. It’s called hemangiosarcoma.”
Wild-eyed, she grabbed Pike’s hand, and the touch scorched him. “What?”
He repeated the unhappy news.
“Inoperable? Why can’t you operate?”
The question stunned him. Did she really think he had some other choice? “It’s positioned too dangerously between the kidneys. And worse.” He sighed. “Worse, it’s metastasized. Spread. Trust me on this.”
She bristled. “You think he’s going to die?”
Pike knew the odds and told Daisy what he hadn’t been able to tell her mother.
“I’m sorry. Yes.”
Her squeal of pain sliced into his brain like an earache. And he understood. The last innocent, uncomplicated part of her life would be gone too soon. He didn’t think he wanted it, but when she flung herself toward him, he gathered her in his arms, close enough to feel her pounding heart and smell her garden of long black hair.
****
Elway. Her Elway. The only living creature left who loved her unconditionally. Who never pointed fingers.
Who never yammered What have you done now?
Almost past control, Daisy sobbed against Pike Martin’s strong, sculpted shoulders, drinking in his warm, manly aura. Ever the rancher, he wore the outdoors like a second skin even here in the sterile confines of the animal hospital, clad in white lab coat over Wranglers. It rang in her ears again, his soft, nonjudgmental voice last week when he helped her escape from herself.
That was something. Something he hadn’t had
to do. But what did he know? He didn’t know Elway was all she had left. No way could she bear losing this precious creature. She’d already lost her self-respect, her job, her faith. Her half-baked marriage. Oh, she’d married for love, but in such haste she’d regretted it every day since. But divorce was cruel, too. And everybody in Mountain Cove knew everything because she had no place else to go.
She wasn’t about to lose her best friend.
Before her mom could nag her yet again, Daisy pushed herself from Pike’s embrace. She’d liked it, but she didn’t want to, didn’t need it, didn’t need him or any man. Not after Tony. All she needed now was an experienced vet.
Still, part of her wanted to stay in Pike’s arms, and she didn’t like her reaction at all. It was a dangerous place to be. Martins stuck together. She’d hurt Kenn unbearably by running off with his greatest enemy. Last week she’d made everything worse by almost destroying his reputation in a drunken gripe. Likely Pike resented big-time having to help a Densmore dog. It was back to the business at hand.
“Elway’s mine. And whatever’s going on, I want to hear it from Doc Fahmy. He’s been Elway’s vet since he was a puppy.” Her voice was amazingly strong and weep-free, and her mother stiffened, for the dog really belonged to her. But she stayed silent.
Pike’s strong, warm fingers had been resting gently on Daisy’s shoulders, but he dropped his hands to his side like she’d burned him. Surprise glazed his eyes. “Well, just so you know. Doc Fahmy and I discussed Elway’s condition before he left. We are in agreement.”
“Then I want another opinion. A female vet maybe.”
Pike shrugged. “All right. But I don’t think you’ll learn anything different.”
“What do you mean?”
Thick manly eyebrows rose above eyes she reckoned were the color of hazelnuts. Not as dark as Kenn’s, and with a bit of russet. His blond hair wasn’t as dark as Kenn’s either, and although both men were tall, Pike was lean as a whip. Not as burly as his brother. Nonetheless, both were magazine-handsome.