Chet worked his baseball cap between his hands. “Darn it, Mercedes. Why do you have to be so amazing?”
Mercedes blinked. “I’m … what?”
“You’re amazing.” Chet ran his hand through his hair, and Mercedes’s heart skittered. “I told myself staying away from you was the honorable thing to do.” Chet moved his hand on her waist sending her pulse into overdrive. Maybe she needed protection from his touch—it spiked her pulse.
“Before you say anything you’ll regret, you’d better know the whole story,” he said reluctantly. “I’ve got nothing. Within a few weeks the bank will own the land, the herd, and everything else. I’m nothing.” He reached out and took both her hands. “Except, when I’m with you, I feel like I’m something. I already told you about my parents retiring and buying the place from my dad. I didn’t tell you that I’m in way over my head. It’s not the ranch work that’s drowning me, it’s the loan. I was barely making payments, even with my job at the elementary school.” Chet looked down as if he were embarrassed.
It was as bad as Mercedes feared. She put her hands on his chest. “I can’t imagine what that must feel like. Losing your family home, land, the herd. Chet, I’m so sorry.”
“That’s not the worst of it.” Chet turned his head to the side. “The worst part is, I’m in love with a beautiful woman who I can’t pursue. I have no money, I’m about to lose my livelihood, I don’t have a college degree, and pretty soon I won’t have a place to live.”
Mercedes’s heart warmed. He loved her! She pressed her palm to his smooth cheek. “Chet, I don’t care if you own a ranch, work as a janitor, or sleep in a tent on my front lawn—which you can totally do—I think we even have a tent here somewhere ...” Mercedes waved her hand and shook her head. “Never mind. What I mean to say is, I didn’t fall in love with your ranch or your money. I fell in love with you.”
“That’s unbelievable.” Chet stared hard at her. “Let me get this straight.”
“Okay.”
“You’re in love with me?”
Mercedes grinned. “Yes.”
Chet slowly pulled Mercedes close. He cupped her cheek with his hand and brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. Mercedes melted into him as Chet touched his warm lips to hers.
It was the best of kisses. Not too fast, not too slow, and so full of love it stole Mercedes’s breath away. Chet’s arms were strong and possessive. She wanted to stay there forever. Who needed food or drink when Chet filled her with longing and adoration?
An engine revved—a diesel engine, loud and obnoxious, followed by truck doors slamming and several people talking at once. “Someone’s here,” whispered Chet, not taking his eyes off Mercedes.
“Tell them to go away.” Mercedes brushed her lips against Chet’s, and he tightened his grip around her waist.
“If we ignore them, they’ll leave.” Chet kissed her again and Mercedes floated.
“Hello!” yelled Aiden from across the yard.
Mercedes giggled, and Chet pulled back. Sliding his fingers down her arm, he took her hand. With his other hand, he waved Aiden over.
To Mercedes’s embarrassment, right after Aiden came Travis, then David, Whitney, and Sawyer, who had his hands over his eyes.
“Is it safe to look yet?” he asked.
Whitney winked at Mercedes. “You just keep those hands where they are. I’ll let you know.”
Sawyer nodded seriously.
“What are you guys doing here?” Chet asked. He made little circles on Mercedes’s palm, and she grabbed his arm for support. He was quickly making her want to paint the forge picture, complete with all the passion pulsing through her veins.
“Dad’s been trying to call you. When you didn’t answer, he called us. I guess we figured out what’s keeping you so busy.” David’s comment earned him a nudge from Whitney.
“Can I borrow your phone?” Chet asked Mercedes.
Cat came out of the front door. “It’s right here.”
Mercedes widened her eyes, silently asking Cat if she’d been spying on them.
Cat gave her a thumbs-up, and Mercedes wanted to fall through the floorboards.
Chet dialed and held the phone up to his ear.
“Who wants brownies?” asked Cat.
“Sweet.” Sawyer dropped his hands and ran to the door.
The three brothers scrambled up the steps. Aiden stopped to offer Chet a fist bump. Chet scowled and turned away, the phone still to his ear. Aiden, Whitney, and David laughed when Mercedes leaned over to bump her knuckles with Aiden’s.
“Keep an eye on them, will you?” Whitney asked Travis.
“I will, if you guys keep an eye on them.” Travis nodded toward Mercedes and Chet.
Mercedes felt her face grow warm. She hoped that once this phone call was finished she and Chet could pick up where they left off. No sense letting the whole Bauer family know that, though. Chet still held her hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze and winked. So much for playing it cool.
“Dad?” Chet’s attention was drawn to the phone conversation. David and Whitney watched him close.
Mercedes leaned into his side to let him know she was there to support him. This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation, and she wished she could soften the blow.
“Yeah, I read the papers.” Chet worried his lip as he listened. “Why didn’t you? … Really?” Chet’s head snapped up. He pulled Mercedes close, kissed her, and let her go just as fast.
Mercedes grinned at him, and he returned the smile, his eyes full of joy.
“Dad, I have to go. There’s someone here I need to spend some time kissing. … Here’s David.” Chet tossed David the phone. David caught it and went around the side of the house so he could be heard over Chet’s whooping as he spun Mercedes around.
“Chet, what is going on?” Mercedes asked between giggles.
“I’m putting up a cell tower.” Chet set her down and threw his arms in the air.
“You’re what?” Whitney exclaimed.
Chet looked at her like he’d forgotten she was there. “I’m signing the papers for the cell tower.”
“I thought you didn’t want the tower.” Mercedes’s head spun, and she didn’t think it had to do with the way Chet twirled her about the room.
“Dad didn’t want to sign a contract that would tie him here for another ten years, so he wouldn’t sign. He said everything else checked out and that it would be a smart move. And it will save me from having to sell the ranch.” He tipped Mercedes’s chin up so he could look in her eyes. “Will you still love me if I don’t work as a janitor or live in a tent in your front yard?”
Mercedes pretended to consider it. “It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”
Whitney threw her hands up. “You two are the strangest couple I’ve ever seen. I’m going to go check on the boys.” She pointed at them. “Don’t get too comfortable together; we could come back in at any time.”
Chet looked deep into Mercedes’s eyes. Mercedes blushed. The door closed with a soft whoosh.
“I’m so sorry about this morning. I thought I was doing the right thing.” Chet leaned his forehead against Mercedes’s.
“I know,” Mercedes whispered. “But you have to promise not to try to save me from, well, from you ever again. We’ll take the shadows and the light together.”
“Hmmm.” Chet whispered, his voice low and raspy and his warm breath brushing against Mercedes’s neck. “… You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout … ‘Do your worst, for I will do mine.’”
Mercedes sighed. “Edmond, from the Count of Monte Cristo.”
“Edmond was a man worthy of his Mercedes, and I plan to be a man worthy of mine.”
Chet kissed her then. A kiss to fill her full of the love that burned hotter than his forge. Mercedes returned his love one passionate kiss at a time.
Roman
cing Her Husband
A Snow Valley Romance
Natalie Lawson is at a crossroads. Her husband is down on his luck and some days he's just plain down while Natalie is moving forward, gaining promotions and starting new adventures. In some ways, they've grown apart and Natalie can't help but wonder if her path through life will always include Eli. When tragedy throws them together, Natalie learns a profound lesson that may save her marriage and provide the key to romancing a husband.
Chapter 1
Eli Lawson dashed from the shower to the phone, thankful no one was home as he was barely hanging on to the towel around his waist. He silently prayed the caller wasn’t the J.C. Welding Company canceling his interview. “Hello?” he said, noting that his voice was normal even though his insides cramped with nerves.
“Hello, is Eli there?”
“This is he.” Eli closed his eyes, preparing for another rejection. Losing his job last summer when the company went under had been an experience he never wanted to repeat. However, searching for a position at a welding company in a market recently flooded with experienced welders was like pulling off his toenails—slow and extremely painful.
“Hi, this is Chet Bauer. I’m not sure you remember me …”
Eli ran through the faces he saw each week at church. There was a whole gaggle of Bauers, and he wasn’t sure which one was Chet. Natalie would know; she was the one who grew up in Snow Valley. He glanced at their wedding picture hanging on the bedroom wall and took a guess. “You’re Steve’s kid, right?”
There was a laugh and then Chet replied, “Yep. I took over his place a while back and he recommended you for a welding project I’ve got going on. Would you have time to come check it out?”
Eli dropped his head. “I’d sure like to help you out, but I don’t have the equipment.” And I can’t afford it either. He’d tried getting a loan for a welder. Right after the layoff, he’d marched over to the Snow Valley Western Security Union branch office and submitted the applications—and been flat-out denied. The loan officer didn’t believe that the ranching community would support another welder, as Tray Dalton had the market cornered for decades.
“Shoot. I was really hoping … Well, thanks for your time.”
Eli’s gaze darted to the alarm clock on the bedside table. The bright green numbers told him he’d better get a move on or he’d be late for his interview. Still ... “Do you have anything else you need done? I can work machinery.” How desperate do I sound? Probably not as desperate as I actually feel.
“Not right now, but I’ll keep ya in mind.” Chet sounded sincere, and Eli shook off the self-loathing that hung heavy whenever he begged for work.
“Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.” The minute he hung up, the phone rang again. Eli growled at the delay and answered with a curt hello.
“Sorry to bother you, honey. I forgot my lunch. Is there any way you can bring it to me?” Natalie’s voice was small, and Eli instantly felt repentant for his unfriendly greeting. His wife was a trooper, and she deserved much better than he gave. He couldn’t say or do anything right around Nat lately.
Stopping at the grocery store would definitely put him behind—a sacrifice worth making for his wife. Natalie was working herself weary to support them, and he’d be a darn fool to not take care of her. Feeling shame, once again, for the predicament he’d put his family in, Eli sank to the bed. “Yeah, I can leave here in five minutes.” I’d better be gone in five minutes.
“Thanks.”
The line clicked. No “love ya.” No “you’re the best.” No smile in her voice. Eli hated himself for turning his vibrant wife into a stressed-out shell. He had to get this job. Not only was the new company offering competitive wages; they also had health insurance. His family was one accident or illness away from losing their house and having to live in the church parking lot. Something was going to give or something was going to break, and Eli was bound and determined that the something would not be Natalie.
Dressing in less time than it takes to shake a stick, and running his fingers through his dishwater-blond hair, Eli slid behind the wheel of his beat-up Nissan and groaned at the buried needle. He’d never make the one-hour drive to Billings without gas. Deciding to stop on the way to Dove’s, he pulled the emergency money out of the glove box and hurried inside to pay. On the counter was a box of cream-filled Easter eggs—Natalie’s favorite. He glanced at the small bills in his hand, then back at the box.
“I’ll take one of these,” he said as he picked up the green-and-blue foil-wrapped treat, “and the rest in gas on number four.”
The clerk took the cash and gave him a nod.
Eli pumped the gas and jumped back into the driver’s seat. He stared at the egg in his hand. How stupid! Like a chocolate egg could make up for all he’d put Natalie through. He tossed the paltry peace offering in her lunch bag, disgusted with himself for making such a miserable effort.
“Focus on getting the job, man.”
Chapter 2
Natalie looked up from the scanner to see her husband stroll through the automatic doors, and her breath caught at the sight of his freshly shaven chin. His jaw line was the first thing that she’d noticed all those years ago, long before he put a ring on her finger, and she could feel his skin against her palm. She allowed her gaze to travel over his broad shoulders, trim waistline, and back up to his slightly shaggy blond hair. My, my, he was a fine-looking man in a pair of dress slacks and a button-up shirt, and Natalie caught herself staring.
It wasn’t until he drew closer that she noticed the scowl on his face. No matter how Eli made her insides quiver, she needed to keep her emotions in check. There was no use getting her motor running when Eli hadn’t gone for a drive in months.
“You look nice,” she ventured.
Eli thrust her insulated lunch bag into her hands. “I’m late for an interview.” He started backing away.
“You didn’t say you had an interview,” blurted Natalie, hating the sharpness in her voice. Since when did she become so accusatory?
Over the last few months, Eli had become the strong and silent type. Their late-night pillow talks had gone the way of the dodo, and Natalie missed them, craved them even. Craved him. His physical strength was all still there, every glorious muscle—she couldn’t help noticing. But his other kind of strength, the deep-down-in-his-gut kind, had taken a hard hit.
One of the blows had come from Natalie, and to this day she regretted her mini-tantrum. When she’d lamented their financial situation, Eli took her frustration personally, even though she wasn’t blaming him. She’d thought Eli had evolved beyond twisting his self-worth up with the number on his paycheck, so his injured look came as a surprise when he took her tears personally. Instead of rubbing salt in his wounds, she’d keep her worries, her aches, and her hopes close to her heart. As she’d withdrawn, so had he.
Eli turned his back on her and spoke over his shoulder. “Didn’t want you to get your hopes up.”
Not even a complete sentence. Aren’t I worth more than that?
Eli marched towards the door.
“Wait.” Natalie dodged around her checkstand and quick-stepped to catch up. “Did you tell Hailey? Is she riding out with you?”
“Why would she?”
“I thought you were taking her and Chloe to the mall; they wanted to look at Easter dresses.” Hailey loved singing with the church choir and was looking forward to her first solo on Easter Sunday. She’d been practicing for months. Natalie hadn’t promised her a new dress, but for the girls, looking was fun.
“I wish I could but I’m already late.” Eli checked his watch, clamped his mouth shut and strode out the door.
Natalie clutched her lunch sack in her fist as she made her way to the back of the store, where there was a small break room for employees. She landed in a red plastic seat and dropped her head into her arms on the Formica table. Couldn’t Eli see what he did to Hailey when he broke a promise like this? Did he even care?
>
The door opened with a mighty creak, and Natalie sat up straight and stared at her unopened lunch.
Tracie Brandenberg entered a second later, her red hair unmistakable in the fluorescent light—well, in any light, really. As a clerk, Tracie was pretty good: she was punctual and her drawer always balanced out. As a friend, Natalie knew Tracie had bigger dreams than Dove’s. Sewing was where she excelled. She took a seat across from Natalie and pulled out her phone. Tracie’s eyes lit up like they only did when she was talking about her latest sewing project. “You have to see this dress. I just finished the post last night.”
Natalie welcomed the opportunity to talk about mundane things like thread choice and fabric selection, especially since she was no slacker with a sewing machine herself. She looked down at her shirt. What had started out as ranch wear turned out to be country chic. Not bad for a thrift store makeover. Even with their limited funds, Natalie was able to keep the family looking well put together, if not fashionable, thanks to her sewing skills.
Tracie slid her phone across the table. “See the pleating? It took me hours, and my fingers were totally raw by the time I finished. It turned out pretty cool, don’t you think?” Tracie’s eyes were bright with youth and promise—two things Natalie missed when she looked in the mirror at her own dull blue eyes.
Focusing on the picture, Natalie coughed in shock at the sum listed below. “Twelve hundred dollars? Are you serious?”
Tracie grabbed the phone back. “You don’t think that’s enough? I wondered … I mean I kept track of my time and I—”
“Sorry. I— do you get that kind of money for a dress?”
Tracie nodded, her brow wrinkled.
“Then why are you working here?” demanded Natalie. “If I could make that kind of money sewing, I would.”
Lucy McConnell's Snow Valley Box Set Page 24
