Falling for the Hometown Hero

by Mindy Obenhaus

  But what if he couldn’t find her? No, she’d tell her mother where she was.

  He raked a frustrated hand through his hair. Grace had mentioned something about a change of plans with the cruise line. He thought it was just an excuse. But what if they wanted her to come early? Was she headed there now? If so, where was there?

  Groaning, he stopped. Hands on his hips, he looked to the sky. Though still dark for the most part, to the east light was trying to make itself known.

  Lord, I need Your help here. Show me what I’m supposed to do.

  When he finally made it to Roger’s, he noticed there were lights on inside. Good. They were up.

  Grabbing hold of the handrail, he made his way onto the wooden porch. Suddenly he found himself hesitating. He’d better knock quietly in case Donna was still asleep.

  He rapped on the door, noting the scabs on his knuckles. It had taken him hours yesterday to sort through his tools and put them back into their rightful places inside the tool chest. Served him right for reacting the way he did. Though it had seemed like a good idea at the time.

  “Come on.” He raised his fist to knock again when the door opened.

  “Kaleb?” Roger pushed open the screen door. “What are you doing here? And so early?”

  He let go a sigh. “I could really use a friend.”

  Concern morphed into a smile as Roger stepped out of the way and said, “How about a cup of coffee?”

  “How about an entire pot?” Kaleb shoved the door closed behind him, then followed his friend into the mostly white kitchen.

  While Roger poured the coffee, Kaleb slumped into one of the four wooden chairs around the kitchen table. “Donna still asleep?”

  “Yeah. Since coming home from the hospital, she’s taken to sleeping a bit longer.” The man handed him a large, steaming mug.

  Kaleb inhaled the aroma and took a sip.

  Roger settled in the chair across from him. “You look terrible, by the way.”

  He hadn’t looked in the mirror, but— “No doubt.”

  “So what’s going on?”

  Kaleb rested his forearms on the table. “I didn’t tell you, but Grace quit yesterday. Though, seeing as how she’s left town, I’m sure you know that by now.”

  Roger leaned back in his chair. “Any idea why?”

  “She said something about the cruise line having a change of plans, but that may have been just fluff. Because, ultimately, she admitted it was because she couldn’t have kids and that I deserved them.”

  “I see.” Roger eyed him over the rim of his cup.

  “I told her it didn’t matter, that we could adopt.”

  “And?”

  Kaleb’s heart twisted. “She said her ex told her the same thing.”

  Roger leaned forward now. “I understand what you’re feeling, Kaleb. I mean, while there wasn’t a third party involved, Camille often expressed her regret that she couldn’t give me a child.” He clasped his hands. “Society tells them that’s what they’re supposed to do. So when they aren’t able to live up to those expectations, they feel as though they’ve let us down.”

  “Yeah, well, Grace’s ex didn’t do me any favors.” He took another drink. “Why can’t they just believe that they’re enough? I didn’t say, ‘I love you if we have kids.’ I told her I loved her.”

  “Do you?”

  “Are you kidding? Everything within me is crying out for her. I gotta find her, Roger. Please tell me you know where she’s gone.”

  Something sparked in his friend’s gaze and he slowly grinned. “I don’t think you’ll have to go far.”

  “What?”

  Roger nodded toward the door.

  Kaleb whirled around to see Grace standing behind him. He was in such a hurry to stand, he almost toppled his chair. “Grace.” He simply stared at her, his breathing ragged.

  Grabbing his coffee cup, Roger pushed to his sock feet. “I think I’ll leave you two alone.”

  Still staring, Kaleb wasn’t sure whether to hug Grace, kiss her or simply ask her to sit down. Finally, he held out his hand.

  Hope flooded through him when she took hold.

  He pulled out the chair beside him and she sat down. Without ever letting go of her, he sat, too. “How long were you standing there?”

  She smiled then. “Long enough.”

  He raked his free hand through his hair. A move he’d done so often, it was probably standing on end like Roger’s. But he didn’t care. Grace was all that mattered. “How come you’re still here?”

  “Mama wanted me to wait until the rain passed.” She shrugged. “And I needed a little more time with her.”

  He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to his next question, but he’d ask it anyway. “Are you still planning to leave?”

  Her beautiful hazel eyes bored into him. “I don’t know. Is there a reason for me to stay?”

  He brushed his thumb over her knuckles. “I didn’t know what my life was missing until you walked into it. And now I don’t want to live without you.” Scooting to the edge of his seat, he eased down onto his good knee. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, I want to marry you, Grace. And spend forever with you.” Looking up at her, he took hold of her other hand, clasping them between both of his. “Grace McAllen, will you marry me?”

  Tears welled in her eyes. “Yes.” Pulling her hands free, she cupped his cheeks. “You have shown me the true meaning of love, Kaleb Palmer. You taught me to trust again. In God, in love. In you. I love you and I would be proud to be your wife.”

  Standing, he took her into his arms and kissed her. Best of all, she kissed him back. Without fear or reservation.

  When they finally parted, he couldn’t stop smiling. Until he remembered— “What about the cruise line? Your contract?”

  She laid a hand against his chest. “As I said yesterday, there’s been a change in plans.”

  “I thought you were just saying that.”

  She shook her head. “No. I got an email Sunday. They said that, due to unforeseeable circumstances, they were going to have to push our sail date into November. Making my contract null and void, unless I signed an amendment.”

  “Did you?”

  “Not yet.”

  He nearly choked. “You mean you’re still considering it?”

  “Not really. Because now I’m thinking that November might be a good time for a wedding.”

  “Sweetheart, if you’re talking about you and me, I’m ready whenever you are.”

  Epilogue

  Grace could hardly believe her ears. Sure, she hadn’t felt good since shortly after she and Kaleb returned from their honeymoon in Cancún in November, but she figured it was because she drank the water. Throw in the hubbub of the holidays and anyone would feel a little off-kilter. But this...

  “Say that again, Doctor.”

  He looked at her with a quirky grin. “Mrs. Palmer, not only are you pregnant, the sonogram showed two heartbeats. You’re having twins.”

  “Trent, you need to do me a favor and keep this to yourself, while I figure out a creative way to deliver this news to my husband.”

  Dr. Lockridge, husband of Kaleb’s friend Blakely, laughed. “No worries, Grace. However, I expect to see him with you during your next visit.”

  Grace practically fell into her new SUV, disbelief still swirling around her. She laid a hand against her belly. She was actually pregnant. With twins!

  Kaleb was going to be beside himself. But this wasn’t the kind of news she could blurt out in a single statement. This was the kind of thing that needed to be savored a little bit at a time.

  And if it involved a little fun on her part, at her husband’s expense, so be it.

  Okay, first she’d need to make a c
ouple of stops on the way home. Then project baby bomb was under way.

  First stop, the market, where she picked up a few items. Then it was on to the hardware store.

  Kaleb was so perceptive, though. She was going to be hard-pressed to keep this from him. Not that she planned on waiting forever. After all, a girl could only keep a secret from her husband for so long.

  She pulled into the drive, excitement and anticipation vying for center stage. Drawing in a deep breath, she grabbed her bags and headed inside.

  “Hey, sweetheart.” Kaleb met her at the door and gave her a quick kiss. “What did the doctor have to say?”

  “Um, he said I’ve been drinking too much water.”

  “Too much water? I didn’t think that was possible.”

  “Apparently it is.” She turned to hide her smile. “So what are you working on?”

  “Same thing I was when you left. Stripping the wallpaper in the dining room.” He slinked out of the kitchen, still not thrilled about giving up his home gym. Fortunately, a gift certificate from his parents to the gym at the hot springs seemed to help soften the blow.

  She grabbed her bag from the market, pulled out two pears and gave them a quick rinse. “Hey.”

  He turned back around.

  “How ’bout a snack.” She tossed one his way before taking a bite of her own.

  He glanced at it. “What’s this?”

  “A pear, silly. We should start thinking in pairs.”

  Confusion marred his handsome features. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Couldn’t be better.”

  A while later, she called him back into the bedroom that still contained all those boxes of memorabilia. “What do you think about one of these colors for this room?” She fanned out several pastel paint chips.

  “Grace, I thought we were going to hold off on this room until we finished the others?”

  She shrugged. “I know. I just wondered what colors you might like.”

  To his credit, he studied them. “They don’t really go with what we have planned for the rest of the house.”

  “I know, but I thought we could have a little fun with this space.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “If you say so.”

  Grace wanted so badly to spill the beans, but forced herself to wait a little longer.

  In the spirit of celebration, she prepared seared steak for dinner.

  “Kaleb, honey, would you check the oven for me, please?” She really did appreciate the fact that he insisted on helping with meals.

  “What’s this?”

  He held up a hamburger bun.

  She had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. “Looks like somebody put a bun in our oven.”

  “A bun with steak? That’s the most—”

  She could almost see the lightbulb flicker to life.

  His mouth fell open. “Grace? Did you? Do we?”

  Unable to contain her secret anymore, she nodded, her grin from ear to ear. “You are going to be a daddy, my love.” She threw her arms around his neck as he lifted her off the floor.

  “So that’s what these weird things you’ve been saying were all about.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  He spun her around the kitchen. “We’re going to have a baby. We’re going to have a baby!”

  She couldn’t resist just one more opportunity to mess with him. “Sort of.”

  He set her on the floor. “What do you mean, sort of? We’re not going to have, like, puppies or something, are we?”

  “Not that I’m aware of. However, I was wondering—how many car seats do you think we can fit in the back of the Jeep?”

  The countless reactions that crossed his face were absolutely priceless. “Grace?” That deep voice meant it was time for her to come clean.

  “According to the doctor, I am pregnant. With twins.”

  Those same reactions she’d seen just a moment ago returned with a vengeance. His hand fell to her belly. “Twins?”

  “Yep.” She slipped out of his embrace and snagged her purse from the counter. Then she pulled out the picture of the sonogram and handed it to Kaleb. “Baby A and baby B.” She pointed.

  He ran a hand through his hair as he exited the kitchen, still staring at the picture, and headed toward the living room. “Two babies?” He dropped onto their new, slipcovered sofa. “This is amazing.”

  Grace curled up beside him. “Trust me, I was every bit as stunned as you are.”

  He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to him. “So when are you—”

  “August. Which means we’ll need to make plans for the shop. Perhaps we could get Mama and Roger to fill in for a while.”

  “I have a feeling that won’t be a problem.” He pulled her into his lap. “I love you, Grace. And just when I think I can’t love you any more, you blow me out of the water.”

  Her hand caressed his cheek. “I guess God had something bigger in store for us.”

  “Even if he hadn’t, I’d still love you with everything I have. These babies are just an extension of that love.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes as she remembered what Roger had told her about Camille that night in his garage. Camille was a blessed woman. And so was Grace.

  God had a plan for her. All she had to do was entrust Him with that plan. And even if children hadn’t been a part of it, He had brought her into a new life. One filled with happiness and love and the hope of brighter tomorrows.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from SMALL-TOWN NANNY by Lee Tobin McClain.

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  Dear Reader,

  Some books are easier to write than others. Kaleb and Grace’s story was not one of them. During the course of their story, I faced many struggles, both as a writer and as a person. God is good, though, and I am so pleased with the way this story ultimately turned out.

  God did not promise us a life free of problems. However, He has promised to walk with us, even carry us, through the strife that is so prevalent in this world. And whether our wounds are physical, as Kaleb’s were, or the unseen scars that Grace bore, God is able to bring healing in ways we might never have imagined if we simply put our trust in Him.

  I hope you enjoyed Falling for the Hometown Hero and, if you’ve read any of my other stories, returning to Ouray. It’s still one of my most favorite places on earth and one that will forever hold a very special place in my heart. Let’s journey there together again very soon.

  Until then, I would love to hear from you. You can contact me via my website, www.mindyobenhaus.com, or you can snail-mail me c/o Love Inspired Books, 195 Broadway, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10007.

  See you next time,

  Mindy

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  Small-Town Nanny

  by Lee Tobin McClain

  Chapter One

  Sam Hinton was about to conclude one of the biggest business deals of his career. And get home in time to read his five-year-old daughter her bedtime story.

  He’d finally gotten the hang of being a single dad who happened to run a multimillion-dollar business.

  Feeling almost relaxed for the first time since his wife’s death two years ago, Sam surveyed the only upscale restaurant in his small hometown of Rescue River, Ohio, with satisfaction. He’d helped finance this place just to have an appropriate spot to bring important clients, and it was bustling. He recognized his former high school science teacher coming through the door. There was town matriarch Miss Minnie Falcon calling for her check in her stern, Sunday-school-teacher voice. At a table by the window, one of the local farmers laughed with his teenage kids at what looked to be a graduation dinner.

  And who was that new, petite, dark-haired waitress? Was it his sister’s friend Susan Hayashi?

  Sam tore his eyes away from the pretty server and checked his watch, wondering how long a visit to the men’s room could take his client. The guy must be either checking with his board of directors or playing some kind of game with Sam—seeming to back off, hoping to drag down the price of the agricultural property he was buying just a little bit more before he signed on the dotted line. Fine. Sam would give a little if it made his client’s inner tightwad happy.

  Crash!

  “Leave her alone! Hands off!” The waitress he’d noticed, his sister’s friend Susan, left the tray and food where she’d dropped them and stormed across the dining room toward his client.