Of course he’d had to make supper. At least Jodie had washed Ella up, fed her and put her to bed.
“You need to talk to her,” Jodie continued, hugging her knees against her chest.
“And say what? Come away with me and be my beloved and live in a broken-down trailer while I’m gone for fourteen hours a day driving a gravel truck?” Denny snapped as he rinsed off the dishes. “Oh, yeah, and take care of my kid from another woman? Be a part of my disaster of a life?” Denny clenched his fists on the counter, stopping the flow of angry words.
“You might have given her the chance to think about it,” Jodie retorted.
Denny had entertained that thought a number of times. But he didn’t know if Evangeline’s feelings for him were strong enough to withstand the scrimping and scraping type of life he could offer her. And he couldn’t put himself through that again. Because seeing Evangeline leave would devastate him in a way that Lila’s leaving never had.
No. It was better this way.
Not much better, but at least he hadn’t made a fool of himself by declaring undying love to her before she’d said goodbye to him. This way he could leave with some measure of pride.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Denny said, growing quiet as he started setting the dishes in the dishwasher. “I have Ella to think about now. I can’t complicate my life any further. And you heard her. You heard her tell me it’s over.”
He hadn’t wanted to dwell on Evangeline’s angry words. On one level it made leaving easier.
But on a deeper one they’d rent his soul and heart in two.
Jodie didn’t reply and Denny hoped the subject was closed. Thankfully, Trista had kept quiet about the matter. She seemed to understand, better than Jodie, what Denny had to deal with.
“And you don’t mind leaving Ella with Lila’s parents?”
“They’re good people. I know they’ll take care of her.”
“But they’re not her father.”
“You think I want to leave Ella with Lila’s parents?” Denny asked, grabbing the box of dishwashing soap and dumping some into the dispenser. “You think it isn’t killing me to think of leaving that little ragamuffin with someone else while I head out for days at a time?” Never mind thinking of Evangeline, who was now out of his life.
“But there has to be another way,” Jodie said.
Denny was quiet a moment. “You could help.”
She released a tight laugh. “Sorry. I can’t.”
“Of course you can’t.” As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted his harsh tone. He had always been there for his sisters. For once he wished they could be there for him.
“I’m not in any position to do anything for anyone else,” was her enigmatic reply. “Maybe later.”
“I don’t need later. I need now.” Denny shut the dishwasher and started it up.
“Trista has that job she’s heading for in a week. Adrianna is still gone. And who knows where Nate is,” Jodie replied.
“Whichever cutting horse competition is going right now,” Denny said. “Not that I could count on that loner to stick his neck out for a kid.”
Denny sighed then as he heard Ella rustling around in the crib, and his heart contracted. He had come to love that little girl with a love so deep it scared him. He had promised himself he wouldn’t let anyone close, but she had ingrained herself in his heart.
Her and Evangeline.
The thought of Evangeline created a twist of sorrow so strong, he almost groaned.
Evangeline. The woman who filled a space in his heart that no woman had. He had lost her, but he had to try to find some way to keep Ella.
“So what are you going to do? You can’t stay here,” Jodie said.
“That much is obvious.” Denny took in a long, slow breath. “I don’t want to talk about this now. I have a hundred phone calls to make.”
“I’m going for a walk,” Jodie said.
“I need you to stay with Ella.”
“I spent the whole day with her,” Jodie returned. “I need a few moments to myself.”
Then, without a backward glance, she walked out the door.
Denny blew out his breath and shoved his hands through his hair. Just once he wished things would go his way, he thought, feeling a stab of self-pity.
As soon as the thought formulated he pushed it back. He had problems to deal with, and dwelling on his bad luck wouldn’t help. And he had to keep himself busy.
It was the only way he could keep thoughts of Evangeline safely tucked away in the furthest reaches of his mind.
Chapter Fourteen
“‘The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him...’” Evangeline ran her fingers over the words of Lamentations, letting their truth soak into her soul. She had been reading her Bible more regularly of late and somehow Lamentations seemed to speak to her, especially that passage.
“Please forgive me,” she prayed, closing her eyes. “Forgive me for not putting my hope in You. For thinking I can find happiness in other places than in Your presence. Forgive me for not putting You first in my life.”
As they had for the past three pain-filled and empty days, her thoughts skipped back to Denny and that horrible moment at the ranch.
Any number of times she had reached for the phone to call him, but stopped herself. He was the one at fault. He was the one who didn’t think she needed to be consulted. He was the one who made all the decisions. He was the one who was leaving.
She wasn’t giving him any more power than he already had. It was the right thing to do, she had reasoned.
Then why did it hurt so much?
She covered her face with her hands, stifling a sob. She had been brokenhearted when she’d first met Denny. She should be used to it.
But this was far worse. Because while she and Tyler had been dating for years, in some corner of her mind she’d intrinsically known their relationship wasn’t built on anything lasting.
Tyler was romantic. Attractive. He’d had a good job and done all the right things. Brought her flowers and expensive gifts, taken her to the best restaurants.
And yet, it wasn’t until she’d started spending time with Denny, sitting in a broken-down kitchen, eating warmed up casseroles that she’d realized what had been missing with Tyler.
Sincerity. Humanity. Selfless giving. And a simple faith in God.
So why had Denny done this to her?
Evangeline pushed herself up from her chair and, restless, walked down the stairs to the store. It was late evening and the security lamp at the back of the store shed a weak, pale light over the wooden floors, casting shadows across the bookshelves that mingled with the shadows from the streetlights outside. Evangeline had spent these past few nights here, taking inventory, rearranging books and creating new displays, trying to keep busy.
For so much of her life the store had been her everything. But now it was simply a building that held a booming emptiness left by Denny and Ella’s departure.
She knew he hadn’t left yet. Renee and Mia kept her updated even though she didn’t ask. Thankfully they’d sensed she didn’t want to talk about Denny though she had seen a question in Renee’s eyes more than once.
She stopped at the children’s section, thinking of the plans she had been so excited about a couple of months ago. The plans she would implement when her father signed the store over to her. That idea had consumed her life at one time. Now it didn’t seem so important.
She looked around the store once more. There was nothing to do here unless she wanted to rearrange the sections one more time in a useless bid to keep her mind occupied. She was about to go back up the stairs when the sound of footsteps reverberated in the hallway.
Who could be here? Who had a key to that door?
Her heart leaped in her throat. Denny.
Her feet barely touched the floor as she ran through the back room. A sliver of light shone out from under the door leading to the
hallway.
She yanked it open in time to see a man inserting a key into the door of the apartment. Not much taller than her, he wore blue jeans, a wool sweater and a straw fedora.
Not Denny.
And as she caught the faintest whiff of cherry tobacco she realized who it was.
Her father.
He looked up as Evangeline’s heart quieted in her chest and she found her breath.
“Hey, sweetie. Didn’t think you would be in the store,” Andy said, straightening and walking toward her.
Evangeline’s heart twisted as she rearranged her expectations and reactions.
“Daddy,” was all she could say.
Then, in spite of his absences and the accumulation of disappointments of the past few years, she ran to him and let him enfold her in the shelter of his arms. She pressed her face against the rough wool of his sweater, inhaling the smell of his pipe tobacco, letting her thoughts slip back to happier times.
For a moment she felt her sorrow overtake her and a sob crawl up her throat. Her dad was here. He would make everything better.
But then reality intruded and Evangeline pulled away from her father’s embrace. Her dad had probably come because he needed something.
“So, what brings you back here?” she asked, disappointed at the faint trembling of her words.
“You, of course.” His voice held a note of hurt. “I told you I would come.”
Evangeline only nodded, still trying to adjust her emotions. “Do you want some tea or coffee?”
“Coffee would be great. I’ve been driving all day.”
She gave him a quick smile then walked back into the bookstore, flicking on a few lights as she went.
“Wow. Looks good in here,” he said, pausing by the back of the store to look around. “I like the new displays.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“So where were you putting that kid’s corner you were talking about?”
“Over there, beside the cash register.” Evangeline pressed her lips together, a painful yearning gripping her at the memory of Ella toddling around that corner of the store, waving a rattle and laughing at the sound, sitting on the floor stacking cardboard boxes on top of each other.
When Denny had decided to leave, he’d broken her heart twice. Once for him and once for Ella.
“It’s a great idea, poppet,” Andy said approvingly. “What were you planning to do here?”
“Why don’t we talk about that over a cup of coffee?”
Her father shot her a puzzled look that Evangeline ignored. She fought down her resentment at her father’s blithe attitude. He didn’t know what had just happened, she reminded herself. The last time they had talked she was full of plans for the store he was to sign over to her.
She had been so excited at that time.
Those expectations seemed like years ago instead of mere weeks. So much had happened to shift her expectations of life and love in that time.
She banished the thoughts and strode up the stairs, her father slowly following her.
A few minutes later she had a plate of cookies set out for him and a cup of coffee.
“Did you make these yourself?” he asked as he dunked one in his steaming mug.
Evangeline nodded. One of the many things she had kept herself busy with the past few days.
“I used Mom’s recipe,” she said as she pulled a chair up across the table from him.
She didn’t imagine the flicker of pain that crossed his face when she’d said that and she repressed a momentary frustration. All these years and the mention of her mother still created this reaction?
“So, how long are you back for?” she asked, wrapping her hands around the warm mug of coffee she had poured for herself.
“Couple of weeks. I’ve got some work to do.” He gave her a bright smile. “Tomorrow you and I are going to see Tate Truscott. I made an appointment to sign the store over.”
Older longings and yearnings made her heart quicken at the thought. But only for a moment. She would have the bookstore.
But not Denny.
She would end up like her aunt, alone and a spinster, living above a bookstore.
She shook the morbid thought off, trying to realize that what her father was giving her was an opportunity. An answer to older prayers.
“That’s great,” she said, trying to inject the necessary enthusiasm into her voice. “Really great. I’m glad.”
Her father’s frown told her that her feigned attempt at excitement had fallen flat.
And the award for poorest reaction goes to me, she thought.
“You don’t sound glad,” he said.
“I am. I really am.” That was a touch more realistic, but still not the reaction he would have gotten a few months ago.
“I’ve got a few irons in the fire that will make it easier to hand the store over now,” he said, sounding heartier than she felt.
She didn’t really want to know about another of his schemes, but not asking would smack of ingratitude. And she was grateful. Truly she was.
As a single girl she would have to find a way to make a living in this world. The bookstore would give her a good one if she was able to implement her plans.
“So what are you working on now?” she asked.
He leaned forward, his eyes shining. “It’s a great opportunity, poppet. A chance to get a decent stake together,” he said, using words so familiar to Evangeline that she smiled.
“What’s the opportunity?” she asked, going through the motions of being interested. Just as she always did when her father started on yet another scheme.
“Real estate. Down in Arizona. Stuff is going dirt-cheap compared to here and me and my buddy are looking at a couple of fantastic deals. The economy is picking up. And then, boom, I’ll be in the money, honey.” He slapped the table with an open palm for emphasis, almost making Evangeline jump.
“That’s good,” she said slowly.
“It’s solid, poppet. Rock solid.”
“And how are you getting the money you need for this?”
“I’m selling the ranch.”
She tried not to wince at his words. At his easy disposal of the one place that had been a refuge to her in her life.
“I know that, but you won’t have that money for about five years.”
Her father took a quick sip of his coffee then shook his head. “Nope. I’m getting it sooner than that. I put the ranch up for sale now. I’ve got a couple of buyers who are interested. They’re coming up in the next few days. That’s why I’m here.”
Evangeline stared at her father as confusing phrases spun through her brain. “Buyers? Coming up? But I thought Denny...” She shook her head as if to rearrange the words he had thrown at her. “I thought Denny was buying it?”
“Can’t afford it. He said he had a five-year plan and though a few things had changed, he couldn’t do it. So now I’ve got a few other people interested and he’s packing up and leaving. Which is funny. Last time I talked to him he told me that he’d met someone. Was looking at settling down.”
Met someone? Settling down?
Had Denny been talking about Ella?
Or her?
Her thoughts circled around each other, trying to settle as her father, all fired up on caffeine and sugar, kept talking.
“Now he’s telling me to find someone else to buy the place. He can’t afford to buy the ranch right now. Doesn’t want to go that deep into debt. He said he wanted to make a good life for this woman he was seeing but can’t if he buys the ranch now. So I made a few calls to other people I knew were interested in land in the area and they’re coming out. Shame about Denny, though. I figured he’d like the place enough to take a few chances on it, but he said he couldn’t.”
Her heart danced against her rib cage as the events of the past week coalesced, the words her father had so casually thrown out. Though she was still upset with Denny for not involving her in the process, she now had more information as
to why.
“So you wanted your money right away from the ranch? What about the lease you had with Denny?”
Her father looked down at his coffee, looking shamefaced. “It was just a handshake agreement. Nothing was written down.”
She felt a flush of momentary shame at her father’s cavalier dismissal of something Denny had counted on. “That doesn’t sound very gentlemanly,” she said with a note of reprimand. “What did Denny say to that?”
“He was great about it. Told me it was ultimately my place and that he knew he didn’t have any right to make demands.”
Evangeline sat back in her chair, still trying to absorb what her father had told her.
“Said he was leaving a couple of his trucks behind to finish the contract and was selling his cows,” her father continued, his words rushing out of him. “Poor guy. I feel bad for him. He was so glad he could buy back some of the cows from his old ranch, which he had to sell when he got divorced. Told me it was like he could keep his parents’ legacy. And he’s got that kid and all, and he said that he had to think of her...”
He sighed, quiet a moment as if acknowledging Denny’s dilemma with a few moments of silence. But it was merely a pittance of time because seconds later he looked up, bright-eyed and excited again. “But, hey, this is such a great chance for me. A super chance. I’ll do great, and even better, I can sign the bookstore over to you.”
“And when you get the money?” Evangeline said, ignoring his repetition of his big plans for her life.
“I got my plans, got my dreams,” he said. “I’m out of here.”
“Why?”
Her quiet question stopped the flow of words. He cut his gaze away, looking out the window overlooking the town. The streetlights cast golden cones over the darkened street. A few cars drove by, their headlights flashing.
Ever After Page 17