Heart of Texas Vol. 3

by Debbie Macomber

  They sang along with the radio on the ride back into Promise. The drive out had been spent in silence, and while they’d done little real talking that evening, Amy felt they’d reached a tacit understanding. She felt they’d achieved an appreciation and acceptance of each other that had been missing previously.

  Wade parked under the large weeping willow in front of the house. Moonlight filtered through the branches and cast a silvery glow about them.

  Amy reflected on her unexpectedly wonderful evening. Her magical evening with Wade McMillen. Dancing with him, being held by him, was everything she’d known it would be. And she knew with certainty that this was the kind of man she wanted as a father to her child, the kind of man she wanted to marry one day. She’d given up thinking men like him still existed.

  “I can’t thank you enough,” she said, leaning back against the seat and closing her eyes. “Oh, Wade, I had such a lovely time.”

  “I enjoyed myself, too.”

  She sighed, her heart full of joy and, yes, gratitude.

  “The Fourth of July will be here before we know it,” he said.

  Amy had heard about the annual Willie Nelson Fourth of July picnic. The community faithfully invited Willie every year, but he’d never managed to come—and then he’d shocked everyone by showing up last spring for the annual rodeo and chili cook-off.

  “Do you have any plans?” Wade asked.

  “For the Fourth? None.” Her hopes soared; surely he’d mentioned the holiday as a preamble to inviting her to join him. It was crazy to think this way, for a lot of reasons. She suspected he was reluctant to become romantically involved because of his work. But she couldn’t keep her heart from hoping…And for her, the timing was difficult, to say the least.

  “I understand the community has a big picnic every year in the park,” she added, encouraging him to continue.

  “I’ve never been.”

  “You haven’t?” Amy couldn’t imagine what had kept him away.

  “My family has a big get-together every year. It’s quite a shindig.”

  Amy envied him his family.

  “I was just thinking,” he said, “that maybe you’d like to come this year.”

  “With you?”

  “Unless, of course, you’d rather attend the community festivities.”

  Amy was afraid to reveal how eager she was to go with him. “No, I’d rather…I—thank you.” She smiled tentatively. “I’d enjoy meeting your family.” The baby stirred and Amy bit her lip. In retrospect, perhaps now wouldn’t be the best time to meet Wade’s parents. She could only imagine what they’d think when their preacher son arrived with a pregnant woman. That gave new meaning to the words family outing.

  As a child Amy used to wonder what it would be like to be part of a traditional family. A real family, where people cared about each other, where they shared things and celebrated together. A mother and father, brother and sister, grandparents. She’d experienced none of that, and she longed for it.

  “Are you sure you want me to meet your parents…like this?” she felt obliged to ask.

  “I wouldn’t have asked you otherwise,” Wade told her with a sincerity that couldn’t be questioned.

  They sat side by side, talking quietly for another five minutes before Amy yawned. She didn’t want this incredible evening ever to end, but her eyes were closing despite her resolve.

  “Let’s get you inside,” Wade suggested. He had his car door open before she could protest.

  Reluctantly Amy straightened and let him help her out of the car. At the beginning of the night she’d felt young and full of energy. Six hours later, her feet hurt, her legs were weak and shaky, and she was more exhausted than she could remember being in her entire life. Exhausted…but happy.

  Wade placed his arm around her as they walked up the sidewalk toward the small house. Until they reached the front porch, Amy hadn’t given the matter of a good-night kiss a single thought. Now she turned to Wade, wondering what he’d do. He seemed as uncertain as she was.

  “Well,” he said, taking a step back. “I had a great time.”

  So he’d decided against it. That was fine; she understood. Perhaps next time, even if she felt a little disappointed now.

  “Thank you for taking me to the dance,” Amy said formally, opening her handbag to search for the key.

  “Amy?”

  She glanced up, and when she did, she realized that he intended to kiss her. And she intended to let him.

  CHAPTER 5

  WADE HAD OFFICIATED AT A FEW hurried weddings, but none in which the bride had less than forty-eight hours to prepare. The bride and the entire community. The first Wade had heard of Nell and Travis’s wedding was Sunday, after services. Travis announced they’d be applying for the license Monday morning and would greatly appreciate it if Wade could marry them that same evening.

  Sure enough, Monday evening the couple stood before him, surrounded by family and friends. In his years as a minister, he’d performed dozens of marriages. Most engaged couples attended several weeks of counseling first. Generally he hesitated to marry people who were in too much of a rush. Nell and Travis hadn’t taken his counseling sessions, but he’d talked extensively with them both when they became engaged. They showed all the signs of making their marriage strong and lasting. They were committed to each other and to their relationship. While deeply in love, neither was ruled by passion. Both were mature adults who were accepting and encouraging of each other.

  Outwardly their differences seemed overwhelming. Travis lived in New York City and Nell single-handedly managed a ranch near Promise. Travis was a well-known author and Nell a struggling businesswoman. But Wade soon realized their differences were superficial; what they had in common was far more important. They shared not only a deep love but a goal, a vision for the future. A vision that had to do with creating a supportive and loving home for each other and for Nell’s family. Wade didn’t have one qualm about this rushed wedding.

  Nell might have had only forty-eight hours to prepare for her wedding, but the church was as lovely as he’d ever seen it. The sanctuary had been decorated with roses and candles whose flickering light cast an enchanted glow over those who’d gathered to share the moment with Travis and Nell. Savannah Smith had supplied armloads of red roses, arranging them in glittering crystal vases. Wade couldn’t recall seeing any roses lovelier than the ones from Savannah’s lush garden, certainly none with a more glorious scent.

  Wade smiled at the couple. Given that the wedding was being held with little prior notice, no invitations had been mailed. But word had been passed on the street. It surprised Wade that so many people had come tonight to share in Nell’s joy. Then again, it didn’t. The folks in Promise admired Nell, so they wanted to stand with her as she pledged her heart to Travis. Grateful for the role he’d played in resolving the mystery of Bitter End, the town had accepted Travis as one of their own. People were happy for the couple and looked to show their support.

  After a few introductory words Wade opened his Bible. When he’d finished, he glanced up, prepared to ask Nell and Travis to repeat their vows. As he did, he noticed Amy sitting next to Dovie and Frank.

  He’d seen her briefly following the Sunday service, but she’d slipped away before he was able to seek her out. The night of the dance had been a revelation to him; he’d finally acknowledged how he felt about her. Finally acknowledged that he felt an attraction to Amy—that he wanted to pursue a relationship with her, even if it threw his whole life into chaos. Which it would.

  When they danced, he’d felt her baby move against him and an unfamiliar emotion had stirred deep inside him. Later, he’d placed his palm over her extended stomach and it was as though her child had leaped to greet him. Then, he’d brought her home and kissed her good-night. The moment had been fleeting, but her kiss had stayed with him for hours afterward. Was with him still. In the two days since, he’d thought of little except Amy and her child. He wondered if she’d bee
n thinking of him, too. And hoped she had. Even now, in the middle of a wedding, it was all he could do not to stare at her.

  He hadn’t expected Amy to be here tonight, but he was glad she’d come—if for no other reason than he could see her again.

  “Travis, do you take…” Wade continued speaking, the words as much a part of him as the scripture passage he routinely read in the marriage ceremony. Yet, again and again, his attention wandered back to Amy, as if drawn to her by an invisible force.

  After the ceremony the congregation applauded loudly. Travis kissed Nell, and when they broke apart, Nell’s face was flushed with happiness. She hugged her children as Ruth, her mother-in-law, dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.

  Beaming, Travis pumped Wade’s hand, then hugged Jeremy and Emma, Nell’s son and daughter. Wade laughed outright when Travis kissed a flustered Ruth on the cheek.

  Dovie had baked a wedding cake and that, along with coffee, was being served in the church hall immediately afterward.

  Wade waited until the church was empty, blew out the candles and followed the crowd to the reception. He found himself standing next to Amy, who was eating a thin slice of cake.

  “That was a beautiful ceremony,” she said.

  “Weddings and baptisms are my specialties.”

  She patted her stomach. “Sarah’s pleased to hear that.”

  “Has she been marching around much today?”

  “Like a drum majorette.”

  Wade chuckled. He finished his cake and set the paper plate aside. “I wanted you to know how much I enjoyed the dance on Saturday night.”

  “I did, too.” Her cheeks went pink. “I’m looking forward to spending the Fourth of July with you and your family.”

  There was no further time to talk; Travis approached them, thanking Wade jubilantly. He also thanked Amy for coming to share in their happiness.

  Forty minutes after the ceremony Nell and Travis were gone and the hall had emptied. Dovie and a couple of other women from the church had stayed behind to clean up. Amy was with them, ready to pitch in and do what she could.

  Wade made his way back to the sanctuary to turn out the lights and lock up the church for the night. The peaceful silence was a distinct contrast to the noise and merrymaking of the reception. He slipped into a pew; he liked to check in with the “Boss” now and then when something was weighing on his mind.

  Wade leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “Okay, okay, so I’ll admit it, I’m attracted to her. There, I said it, are you happy? If you were sending me a wake-up call, then I received it loud and clear. I like her—and I liked kissing her. You’ve got my attention.” He raised his head. “Now what?”

  Why a scene from the church dinner nearly a year ago would flash into his mind just then, Wade couldn’t say. It was one of the biggest social functions held by the church, and he remembered how difficult it’d been to find a place to sit. His friends were all busy with their wives or lady friends. It was one of the only times Wade could remember feeling alone. Shortly afterward he’d given some thought to seeking a romantic relationship. He’d gone so far as to make up a list. He’d completely forgotten that or where he’d placed it.

  His Bible.

  He reached for the leather-bound volume at his side and found the tattered slip of paper tucked under the fly leaf. What he read was:

  A woman who loves God as much as she does me.

  A woman as interested in a family as I am.

  Long legs.

  He laughed out loud at the last request. His smile slowly faded and it seemed as if the voice in his heart wasn’t as still or as small as it had been in the past.

  “Amy?” he said aloud. God had sent Amy for him?

  Sighing deeply, Wade leaned back against the wooden pew. An argument rose fast and furious within him, then died just as quickly. The strength of the attraction he felt for her had overwhelmed him the night of the dance. Afterward, too.

  Questions crowded his heart. “I don’t mean to complain, Lord, but are you sure you sent me the right woman?”

  Silence.

  “All right, all right, I get the message. I asked. You sent. I shouldn’t complain. It’s not that I object to Amy, mind you,” he whispered, “it’s just that…” What? “Just that…” he began again, and realized he was afraid. Not of falling in love. He was ready for that; he’d come to terms with the prospect of upheaval in his life—had even begun to look forward to it. But he was afraid of what he didn’t know. He didn’t want to demand answers or pry into her life, but it wasn’t as if he could ignore the pregnancy, either.

  He was afraid of making an emotional commitment to her and her baby, and then watching her walk out on him. Afraid of loving her and risking his heart.

  Amy Thornton had come into his life, looking for a few miracles. What he hadn’t understood at the time was that she might accomplish a few miracles of her own.

  GRADY WESTON’S LONG HARD DAY had been spent driving his herd of stubborn cattle from one range to another. The sun beat down on him with an intensity that was a prelude of what would come later in the summer.

  He felt good. About life. About love. About his family. In about three months he and Caroline would be parents for the second time. Maggie was his daughter in every way that mattered. The father’s name had been left blank on the birth certificate, so he’d been able to adopt her shortly after he married Caroline. But this pregnancy would be the first time he’d experienced all the emotion and joy that came before the actual birth.

  Boy or girl, as far as Grady was concerned he’d be happy with either. Even without knowing, he loved this child with a fierceness that was equaled only by his love for Maggie.

  He recalled the night his sister had given birth to Laura Rose. Laredo had been hopeless, barely able to function. Grady had found his brother-in-law’s actions somewhat amusing, but as Caroline’s time drew near, Grady suspected he wouldn’t be much better. Already he worried about her. He wished he could talk her into quitting her job at the post office early, but she was determined to work until the last minute. Whether or not she’d return to work after the baby was born was entirely up to her. She’d mentioned she might take a few years off and go back once their youngest had reached school age. He hoped she would; for her own sake more than his.

  Grady looked up and was surprised to see someone approach. He strained his eyes, not recognizing the rider until he came closer. It was Wade McMillen. He couldn’t imagine what the reverend might want, unless it was to announce some kind of trouble. Studying the rider, however, told him that wasn’t the case. Wade rode with an easy grace, instead of the urgency a crisis would demand.

  “Howdy,” Grady called out, touching a finger to the brim of his hat.

  “Howdy,” Wade returned. “Laredo said I’d find you out here. Hope you don’t mind that I borrowed one of your geldings.”

  “I don’t have the slightest objection.” Wade was a fine rider; if he hadn’t become a preacher, Grady figured he would’ve made one hell of a rancher.

  “Have you got a few minutes?” Wade asked.

  “Sure.”

  Wade regarded him seriously. “What I wanted to discuss is private. I’d prefer that it stayed between you and me.”

  Grady nodded. “If that’s the way you want it, then that’s how it’ll be.”

  “I appreciate it.” Wade met his eyes. “This is difficult to talk about,” he began. “I never asked Caroline about the father of her child.”

  Grady felt his anger rising. “For all intents and purposes, I’m Maggie’s father. That’s all anyone needs to know.”

  “I realize that, Grady, and I certainly don’t mean to imply anything by asking—but she has a birth father.”

  “Yes,” Grady admitted reluctantly. He couldn’t love his six-year-old daughter any more than he already did.

  He remembered his initial shock when he’d learned his no-good brother, Richard, was her biological father—when he’d lear
ned that Maggie was the result of a liaison Richard had apparently forgotten. But none of that mattered. Maggie truly was the child of Grady’s heart.

  There was a time when she wouldn’t even look at him, preferring to hide her face in her mother’s skirts. Having little experience with children, he’d been unintentionally gruff and impatient with her. But eventually Maggie had been won over—not without determined effort on his part and not without a crisis first. In retrospect he was pleased that winning Maggie’s heart had been so difficult. When they’d finally made their peace, he’d experienced a sense of exhilaration and triumph.

  “Why all these questions about Maggie?” Grady asked.

  Now it was Wade’s turn to grow silent for a long moment. “Did you meet Amy Thornton at the dance Saturday night?”

  “Amy Thornton,” Grady repeated. He frowned. “Isn’t she the gal taking the birthing class with Caroline and me?”

  “She’s the one,” Wade said, nodding.

  “Dovie’s her partner?”

  “Yes.”

  Grady eyed the reverend. “The pretty little gal.”

  Wade nodded again.

  Grady understood now why Wade had come to him. “Are you planning to ask her to marry you?” he asked bluntly.

  Wade eye’s widened at the directness of the question. “I can’t answer that…”

  “But you’re thinking about it?”

  “Not yet, but…well maybe,” he admitted.

  For a man contemplating marriage, Grady noticed that Wade didn’t seem too pleased. Time for a man-to-man discussion, as his father used to say. That being the case, they might as well sit down and let the horses rest. He headed Starlight in the direction of the creek.

  A silent and obviously troubled Wade followed him over the crest of the hill. Willow trees bordered the slow-moving water, their long supple branches dipping lazily in the cool water. Grady dismounted and led Starlight to the creek’s sloping bank. He sat on a large rock and waited until Wade was comfortable before he resumed the conversation. “Okay, let’s talk this out,” he suggested.