Operation: Married by Christmas

by Debra Clopton

  A plan she’d discussed with Lacy after praying about it. A plan that Lacy assured her was no accident. Lacy looked straight at her and told her that she felt confident that God had prepared her for this very moment all of her life…Haley still wasn’t as convinced of that as Lacy, but she drew strength from Lacy’s conviction.

  That conviction meant nothing to Sugar.

  “You’re going to do what?” Sugar had screeched. Haley had expected nothing less from her assistant and friend.

  “I’m going to open a real-estate office here. And I think I’m going to try my hand at flipping a couple of houses. There’s really a need for someone to rehab some of the places on the market here.”

  “Haley, you have a job. You have a big fish waiting on you right this very moment to come back here and sell him a property. May I remind you that Marcus Sims has almost driven me crazy trying to find out where you are?”

  “Sugar, I have to do this. I have to find something that matters to me on a level separate from ambition, money or even love. I have to find something in my life that surpasses all of that. And I think despite everything that’s happened, it’s here. Mule Hollow is where my roots are…and this is where I feel alive.”

  Sugar heaved a sigh. “I have to admit, you do sound, well, I can’t really say you sound happy, but you sound different. I just hope this isn’t some spur-of-the-moment thing and you wake up after you’ve made the break and regret what you’re giving up.”

  Regret. Haley had chuckled over that six-letter word. If Sugar only knew.

  Of course, as Haley stood outside the community center and prepared to enter it, she understood that for now she was running on adrenaline. She just prayed that tomorrow she didn’t wake up and agree with Sugar. After all, she had a life in Beverly Hills. It wasn’t making her happy; it wasn’t fulfilling her the way she’d always thought it would. And though her head hadn’t acknowledged it, she’d known in her heart for a while that she was heading down a long road that led nowhere emotionally. She’d been growing depressed and almost desperate for months now that she looked back on it. Maybe that was why she’d turned her car in the direction of Mule Hollow when she’d left Linc. She’d felt as if her world were crashing in around her and she couldn’t scramble fast enough to keep her head up any longer.

  Now she was getting the chance to find answers and at least make Applegate happy. Why, in just the hours since telling him her plan, he’d been beaming like the sun itself. And that made Haley very happy.

  Feeling excited and edgy at the same time, Haley had decided to get a head start on some of the final painting that needed to be done on the props. Time was running out. With just six days left until dress rehearsal, everything needed to be finished.

  She slipped inside the community center, smiling because, like Applegate and his front door, no one saw any need to lock the doors of the center. Mule Hollow—there just was no other place quite like it.

  Walking toward the paint, she searched out the can of green, grabbed a brush from the drain in the kitchen, then went to work. It was just small stuff that needed attention, like rescuing three more trees that looked like Popsicles, so Haley set to work ruffling them up a bit. Overall, everything was looking great. Haley had a good feeling about the entire production. The room was quiet as she popped the top off two different types of green paint and set to work making the blocks into willowy trees.

  Soon, if they didn’t already, everyone would know that she was moving home to Mule Hollow. Word traveled like a grass fire in the small town. Of course, she knew that she was thinking about Will. She wondered what he would say when he found out that she’d made such a dramatic decision. The work would help settle her nerves.

  She felt sure he hadn’t expected so much when he’d promised to stay out of her way if she stayed until Christmas.

  Just how well would he keep that promise now that she was staying indefinitely?

  More important and worrisome—how well did she want him to? She might have made a huge life change, but she wasn’t quite to the point where she could think about Will.

  She knew there would be occasions when they’d have to be around each other. Like she’d thought earlier, just as long as they didn’t have to be alone together.

  That meant absolutely no more wild berry chases or gator hunts. Or pig traps.

  Had she really experienced all of that in the few weeks since she’d been here? And all with Will.

  Shaking her head at the irony of it, she studied the tree that was starting to actually look like a tree and made an adjustment to a fresh leafy ruffle, took a deep breath and continued painting. She enjoyed painting and had a natural talent for it, though she’d never kidded herself that it would be a talent that would have ever made her a living. But it was good for times like this, and she figured that if she ever did actually marry and have children, it would come in handy when it came to school projects. She hadn’t thought about children in a long time. That was another of those regrets.

  She hadn’t had time to think about children. She’d been so busy making something of herself…. But she wanted children—at least she had before she’d started obsessing about succeeding at something other than being cute. She’d been thinking about kids a lot over the last year. She knew deep down that was part of the reason she’d agreed to marry Lincoln. Her biological clock was ticking. But before it was too late, she’d realized that it was also one of the many wrong reasons for marrying a man she didn’t love. Of course, when she’d agreed to marry Darin that had been a mistake from the get-go. Her head and heart had been so messed up then, that children hadn’t been a thought…. That had been Will’s fault.

  He’d doomed all of her relationships and yet, in her heart of hearts despite all the anger and the hurt and the confusion, when she thought about kids, she thought about Will.

  The man made her nuts. Here she was thinking about him again. For a minute, she panicked. She was making a mistake coming back here. She couldn’t face these ricocheting feelings. Stop it, Haley.

  Applegate really needed her; family meant something. If she ran this time, she would never be able to face herself…or God. She had to stop running. She had to.

  She was going to do this. She was committed to it. It was the first real commitment she’d made in years.

  Peace came over her with the commitment. She was ready for a slower pace. She needed a slower pace. Maybe that was what had brought her back here in the first place. Maybe God knew all along that she needed to slow down, but she didn’t know how to get off the merry-go-round.

  In the silence of the room, Haley bowed her head. Right there in the middle of the Mule Hollow community center—all three thousand square feet of it—she thanked the Lord for leading her home. For not giving up on her.

  Deciding the tree limb needed a bit of help, too, she hopped up and went in search for some brown paint. She had just picked the can up when she heard the door open.

  “Haley.”

  Holding the can of paint like a shield, she swung around to find Will standing just inside the door. He didn’t look happy to see her. And she knew she wasn’t happy to see him, despite the ruckus her insides kicked up the instant he said her name.

  Despite the peace she’d just felt, she wasn’t ready to face him.

  “Will,” she managed to say, trying to hide her shock. “What are you doing here?”

  He looked uncomfortable, too. “I needed to make some adjustments to the tracks. I didn’t see your car.”

  Haley wiped a strand of hair out of her face with the back of her hand. “I rode with Applegate. He’s down at the manger scene.”

  “Oh, yeah, I saw him down there.”

  Haley could tell he was uneasy. He’d come to avoid her and she’d messed up his plans.

  “Look, this is silly. Don’t let me stop you. I’m just doing a little last-minute work on the trees.” She waved the can of paint—as if the man couldn’t see the massive can already.

&
nbsp; Will hooked the thumb of his left hand through a belt loop. “Nate struck again. Those definitely needed some help.”

  “That’s what they’re getting,” she quipped, shooting him a tight smile. Uncomfortable was not even close to expressing the vibe passing between them. “So, I guess you heard?”

  He rocked on his boot heel. “Yeah. Got a call a few hours ago.”

  “It made Applegate really happy.”

  “I’m sure it did. Look, I hope you’re making the right decision. I hope I didn’t influence you to do something you’re going to regret.”

  Regret. “Will, believe it or not, we may have our differences, but you helped me make the right choice.”

  They stared at each other for a moment. “Look, I’m going to come back later to do this.”

  He turned to go, and Haley realized he was leaving. “Will, this is ridiculous. I’m not going to be bothered by you working over there.”

  He hesitated before striding to the stage. Haley’s fingers tightened around the can as she spun away to stare unseeingly at the painting. She would get used to this.

  Eventually, she and Will would be able to be around each other and not feel totally and utterly at odds. They would.

  But it would take time. Time to forget the kiss—okay, so she hadn’t meant to think about that kiss. But after all, it had only been roughly twenty-four hours since it had happened.

  Twenty-four hours—was that all? Haley hesitated, caught up in the thought of the kiss. Oh yes, no way around it. It would positively take more than a mere twenty-four hours to forget Will’s kiss.

  But she could do it.

  Would do it.

  All she had to do was refocus on her plan. Which she had, and that was a good thing. She’d focus on moving, picking the property she wanted to purchase for renovating and selling, and on spending plenty of time with Applegate while adjusting to a better quality of life. Everything else would fall into place. She was certain that with plenty of prayer to keep her focused, she could handle being around Will. Just as long as they had limited alone time and no more wild berry chases or gator hunts.

  Kisses were most assuredly out of the question.

  But she knew the truth now. She paused with her brush hanging on the edge of the paint can and glanced at Will as he worked with his back to her. The truth was that no matter how many times her thoughts went back to the feel of Will’s arms around her and the touch of his lips on hers, no matter how much she’d longed for him to love her despite the effect he had on her, she couldn’t shake his betrayal and the grudge that remained because of it. The knowledge shook her and made her incredibly sad.

  They’d been young and both made mistakes. She knew it was the truth. Still, she was having trouble accepting this. Prayer was a starting place. She had to trust that God would work everything out. She also had to take a long hard look at herself. Was she to blame? Had she been young and selfish? Remembering things like she’d wanted to remember them?

  Chapter Twenty

  Will stayed away for the three days after running into Haley in the community center. He hadn’t meant for that to happen.

  Three long days where he woke at daybreak and fell into bed well after it grew dark. The work was the only thing that kept him from going into town and making a fool of himself, but thankfully he had a deadline to meet and that was his saving grace.

  When he’d gone to Applegate’s to talk to Haley, he hadn’t told her all of it. He’d almost told her that he still loved her. But he’d realized it wasn’t time. That she wasn’t ready to hear it from him.

  But he knew it.

  He loved her. He’d never stopped loving her.

  He wanted her to be his. He’d always wanted it, and though he’d been angry at her for years, despite everything, he still loved her. Even before realizing he’d been to blame for driving her away.

  Now he’d been given the time he needed to convince her she loved him, too.

  He just had to go about it patiently.

  During the last three days, it hadn’t been hard to keep up with what she was doing. His normally quiet workshop, where usually he could work without much interruption, had suddenly become Grand Central Station. The first day, Norma Sue, Esther Mae and Adela had stopped in. They’d come to thank him for his help with the production and to make certain that he planned to attend. While they’d been inviting him, they’d just happened to mention that Haley was keeping busy and would be helping with the dress rehearsal on Thursday night…and that he was on the props committee and though they knew he was busy, everyone, absolutely everyone was needed on the night of dress rehearsal and the two performance nights.

  He thought they were very cute, and he was on to them one hundred percent. The little matchmakers were as busy as bees making honey trying to figure a way to get him and Haley together. He smiled thinking about it; he was happy to let them do their thing, as long as it was harmless. But he had to admit that so far they were right on target with all the couples they’d gotten together with their matchmaking.

  But none of the couples had the kind of history that he and Haley shared, so he still wanted to be cautious.

  The following day he had a visit from Applegate and Stanley. They came to tell him that whatever he’d done to keep Haley in town had worked. Applegate gave him one of his rare smiles that were starting to be seen more often than not, and it did Will’s heart good to see it. It also reinforced what he’d felt was true—that Haley needed to be here, in Mule Hollow near Applegate.

  Seeing App’s happiness once more strengthened Will’s resolve to keep his promise. If it took him staying out of Haley’s way in order for her to come home and make her granddad happy, he would.

  Even if it killed him.

  And one day, when the time was right, and God was smiling on him, Will would get the desire of his heart.

  Until then, he thought about her while he worked. Saw her smile up at him from the swing on Thanksgiving Day. Saw her looking up at him in bewilderment from behind the bars of the pig trap. Saw her madder than a hornet, covered in mud, glaring at him after he’d kissed her. And he saw her standing above him in the hayloft, pitchfork in hand, the sweet morning sun illuminating her from the open door. He saw it all, but what stood out to him was her spirit in all the situations. She was vulnerable, yet she was strong. She’d fought against the odds to become the woman she was today. And he admired her and loved her more because of it.

  He’d been such a fool, but now he knew there was no other woman for him. And if it took a lifetime, he’d prove to Haley that they were meant to be together. He may have let her down once, but he would find a way to prove to her that he would never do it again.

  On Thursday afternoon he watched the freight truck pull away with his shipment, and he had never been so happy to see an order go out as he was to see that one leave. He was bone-weary from all the late nights and early mornings, but there was something to be said for not being able to sleep. It got things accomplished. Tonight he had the dress rehearsal…and he had to be there.

  It was required. Glory, glory. Promise or no promise, he had a free pass for the next three nights.

  Turning toward his house he practically Texas two-stepped his way up the walk.

  It was time to see Haley.

  When Haley walked out of her bedroom ready to head to town for dinner at Sam’s, then on to the dress rehearsal, she’d expected her impatient grandfather to herd her out the door to the truck as he usually did. She wasn’t expecting to find him holding out a chair for her at the kitchen table.

  “What’s going on, Grandpa?” she asked as she sank into the chair and watched him start to pace. He looked so fierce and pensive at the same time.

  “Haley Bell, it’s time fer me to come clean. You know, with you and Will’s anniversary comin’ up and all, time is running out.”

  She looked at him sharply. “We don’t have an anniversary—”

  He frowned. “Yep, darlin’, you do. I
t ain’t the one you should be havin’ but the fact remains that you two share an anniversary whether ya want to admit it or not. And I gotta be straight, youngin, I still believe in my heart that when you ran off from y’ all’s wedding ten years ago come tomorrow, you made the mistake of yor life.”

  “Grandpa—”

  His lifted eyebrow halted her denial. “I said then that you run off from the man you was s’ posed to marry. And you been running ever since. Nope, don’t deny it. You’ve been running ever since. That’s what I said then and it bears repeating. Especially now after proving it by standin’ up these other two fellas. And I figure that it’s about time you stopped. That’s why I come up with this here plan, this covert operation…. Only I didn’t figure you to be so hard-headed.”

  “I’m hardheaded for reasons, Granddad,” she said, feeling defensive despite the fact that she’d started to have a change of heart.

  “Not none that make a bit a sense to me. Just because a man wanted to take care of you, cherish you, and try ta keep you safe like the good Lord instructs him to…it just ain’t right that ya hold that against him fer the rest of his life.”

  His lips drooped deeper, his eyes narrowing. Haley crossed her arms defensively, even though she’d been at war with herself over these very thoughts.

  “That boy ain’t never told you why he decided to live here, has he?”

  Not completely. Haley shook her head. She was getting a headache and she lifted her fingers to massage her temple. She’d never asked him and he’d never offered any explanation.

  Applegate hung his head in disgust. “I tell ya. For two smart people, a body lookin’ in who didn’t know any better would thank the two of you were a few pegs short of a book—”

  Haley stood and hushed him with an impulsive hug as much for him as for her. She knew he only wanted what was best for her. But he couldn’t help her on this. Couldn’t he see that? Still, the fact that he’d come up with a covert operation to get her and Will together again touched her. It was just so Applegate…at least the Applegate she’d started seeing for the first time since arriving home. The newly romantic-at-heart Applegate—the man her grandma Birdie must have always seen.