by Mia Ross
That got him a delighted little girl’s smile. “You think I’m spunky?”
“Sure do. I’m guessing you don’t see yourself that way.”
She considered that for a moment and shrugged. “Before I came here, the face in my mirror mostly looked exhausted, terrified or a depressing combination of the two.”
He picked up on her reference to the past and seized on the thread of hope he heard in her voice. “And now?”
“Still tired.” A shy smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “But not so terrified anymore.”
The confession was so personal, he felt as if she’d just shared her biggest secret with him. Knowing she trusted him with such an intimate detail about herself made his chest swell with pride, and he didn’t bother hiding his delight. “That’s great, Bekah. You’ve come a long way.”
“But I still have so far to go,” she informed him with a sigh. Her eyes flicked to the church again, then came back to him. “Do you think God will be happy to see me?”
“Definitely. He likes girls with spunk, too.”
A quick laugh chased the worry from her delicate features, and he offered her his hand to step down to the pavement. As they made their way up the steps and into the entryway, he stayed close but was careful to give her some space. She’d made it plain that she wanted to make her own way from now on, and the last thing he wanted to do was cause her to feel crowded.
Some of the people milling around the sanctuary had met her during their visits to the rescue center, and they all greeted her as if she’d been attending services with them for years. Since she couldn’t see him behind her, Drew nodded to each person in turn, silently thanking them for going out of their way to make this lost sheep feel welcome.
“Hi, Uncle Drew!” Abby hung over the back of the Kinleys’ customary pew, excitedly waving to them as if she hadn’t seen them in months. When they stopped at the end of the row, she added, “Mommy told me about the fire. How are all the animals doing?”
“Just fine, thanks to everyone who came to help out.”
“That’s good. Parker and me thought you’d be tired, so we saved seats for you.”
Beside her, the foster child she called her cousin looked up from his bulletin with a faint smile so fleeting, Drew almost missed it. Undeterred, he reached over and ruffled the boy’s light brown mop of hair. “How’s it goin’, dude?”
“Okay,” he murmured, glancing up at Erin.
She gave him an overly bright smile and nudged his shoulder. “You should tell Drew about your science award.”
“You build a rocket in that shed out back of your house?” Drew asked, hoping to coax a smile from him. To say the kid had been through a lot was an understatement, and the whole family was determined to do whatever they could for him.
“I can’t build a rocket,” Parker informed him with a slightly more confident grin. “I’m just a kid.”
Bingo, Drew thought with a mental fist pump. Pulling a serious face, he pretended to mull that over. “I don’t know. Kids are pretty smart these days, with computers and all. I mean, your phone does more than the first laptop I had.”
“Really?” he asked, clearly stunned that Drew had managed to survive. “That’s weird.”
“Tell me about it,” Drew muttered, taking his seat beside Bekah as the organist started the first hymn.
“I just want to remind you,” she whispered while he opened the hymnal to the right page, “I’m a terrible singer. If you want me to sit in the back where you can’t hear me, I won’t be offended.”
“Back at ya.”
They traded quiet chuckles and then did their best to hit some of the same notes the choir was singing. When Bekah smiled up at him midverse, Drew felt his heart roll over in his chest like one of the shelter puppies who did cute tricks to get her attention. Startled by the unfamiliar sensation, he tried to remember another time when a woman had caused that kind of reaction in him.
Hard as he tried, he came up blank. Even Kelly, much as he’d loved her, hadn’t reached this deeply into the heart of who he was. That Bekah had a unique effect on him meant something, he was certain. Something important that neither of them was ready for. The trouble was, he didn’t know how to stop feeling whatever it was he was feeling. He’d better figure it out fast, though, so he could come up with a way to put an end to it.
Because with his own plans so up in the air, this was no time to get attached.
* * *
In all her travels, Bekah had never felt more at peace anywhere than she did in this quaint country chapel.
Although the morning was chilly, the clear sky was a brilliant blue without a hint of clouds to mar it. She wasn’t sure if it was the weather or the fact that she was sitting with Drew, but it was almost as if the day’s sunny optimism was contagious, and she’d caught it in spite of the exhaustion her long, harrowing night had left behind.
Then again, she thought while the choir finished singing a pleasant hymn, maybe it had something to do with the fact that for the first time since her childhood, she was in church. Her earlier nervousness had evaporated in the face of the congregation’s welcoming attitude toward her. Right after asking about her, most of them had inquired about how the animals had come through their middle-of-the-night ordeal.
In truth, their concern for the center’s residents hadn’t surprised her all that much. People around the area were familiar with the clinic and the good work it was doing, so it wasn’t unusual for them to show an interest in what was going on there. But their questions about her own well-being touched her very much. Since she’d been on her own for so long, she’d grown accustomed to drifting in and out of people’s lives without leaving much of a mark.
Apparently, she mused with a little smile, Oaks Crossing was an entirely different sort of place. While she wouldn’t be able to quietly slide out of town when her instincts told her it was time to go, she was starting to believe that forfeiting her usual anonymity for a sense of community—even for a little while—would be a worthwhile trade.
When Pastor Wheaton stepped up to the podium to begin his sermon, she dragged her mind back from its wandering, reminding herself that it was rude to daydream when a preacher was speaking. Fortunately for her, once he started talking, the modest-looking man in the gray suit had her complete attention.
“Good morning,” he said, winging a fatherly smile around the congregation. Once they’d responded, he picked up a set of notes and frowned down at the pages in his hand. Showing a remarkable flair for the dramatic, he flung them over his shoulder and rested his arms across the lectern, hands folded while he gazed out into the hushed crowd.
With a very un-pastorly grin, he confided, “Not really what I wanted to say this morning. In light of recent events, I think something else would be better. As many of you know, the Oaks Crossing Rescue Center suffered a fire earlier today. No animals or people were harmed, and I want to thank our volunteer firefighters and everyone else who drove over to help the Kinleys keep the damage to a minimum. My wife and I will be heading out there after lunch to assist in the cleanup. The more hands, the lighter the work, so if you can spare an hour or two, I hope you’ll join us.”
He went on to mention the fine work the staff members were doing and how their ongoing efforts were making the world a better place for so many of God’s creatures. His gaze roamed over the crowd, but at one point, Bekah felt it land squarely on her. “Often, when we feel lost, we wonder if anyone knows. Or cares.”
There was a general ripple of movement and murmured comments, and Bekah realized she wasn’t the only one who felt as if the pastor was speaking to her directly. With an understanding smile, he continued, “Our Heavenly Father does see us when we struggle, but sometimes He chooses to let us find our own way out. Hard as it is, loving parents have to do that sometimes so their children wil
l learn the lessons they need to have a good life.”
Bekah’s heart was pounding so loud, she was convinced that everyone around her must have been able to hear it. In those simple, straightforward words, she found the answer she’d been searching for since leaving her parents’ home after finishing high school. Crazy as it seemed, in her heart she knew this was the explanation for why she’d landed in Oaks Crossing. It didn’t escape her that Drew had been the one to suggest it, long before Pastor Wheaton decided to put aside his planned sermon to teach Bekah something that she didn’t even realize she needed to know.
It was all about love, she realized with a smile. While she hadn’t experienced much of it recently, here she was surrounded by it every day, from people who honestly cared about others and what was happening in their lives. And it wasn’t just the Kinley family, she’d noticed. Whether things were going well or badly, the residents of this small Kentucky town lifted each other up, confident that if a time came when they needed the same, their neighbors would be there for them.
For someone who’d been crawling along weighed down by a bruised spirit, that approach to life was beyond generous. It was a blessing.
When the service was over, everyone stood but didn’t rush to the doors the way she’d expected. Instead, they lingered near their seats and in the aisles, taking a few minutes to chat with their friends. She heard snippets of a few different conversations about today’s football game and saw phones and photos of grandkids being passed around. There was plenty of laughter, and while they must all have other things to do, no one seemed in a hurry to leave.
Then, to her surprise, someone tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned, a white-haired woman with rosy cheeks beamed at her. “You don’t know me, but I adopted my Bessie from the rescue center last year. She’s the sweetest little dog in the world, and I can’t tell you how much she means to me.”
“I—”
“Those animals might have all died if you hadn’t been there last night to save them,” the woman continued. “God bless you.”
Totally at a loss for how to respond, Bekah sent a help-me look up at Drew, who smoothly stepped in. “Our Bekah’s something else, that’s for sure.”
Our Bekah. She liked the way that sounded, and the fondness twinkling in his eyes bolstered her confidence enough for her to thank the woman.
“You’re very welcome, dear. I’m going home now to start cooking.”
Bekah was confused about why she’d share that detail but asked, “That sounds nice. What are you making?”
“Vera’s specialty is fried chicken,” Drew informed her with a grin of anticipation. “Be sure to make a little extra for me,” he added with a wink.
The woman clucked her tongue but smiled at Bekah. “Drew and his leftovers. If it weren’t for Maggie and her friends, I think this poor boy would starve.”
He chuckled. “It’s a good thing for me that there’re so many great chefs in town. Like Bekah, for instance. Just ask the family—she makes a mean Western omelet.”
Vera’s eyes lit with interest, and she said, “Well, I should be going. I’ll see you at the center later on.”
Once she was gone, Bekah turned to Drew, more than a little aggravated. “What were you thinking, mentioning that we had breakfast together? Now she’s going to tell everyone we’re seeing each other.”
“Trust me, darlin’,” he assured her as he nudged her out into the aisle, “as efficient as the Oaks Crossing gossip mill is, they already think we are.”
“But you just made it sound like it’s the truth.”
“Is that a problem?”
Was it? she wondered as they followed the line of people going down the steps. The answer should have been easy: yes or no. But Bekah found herself in the unfamiliar position of not knowing what she thought. Up to now, her life had been dominated by extremely simple decisions. Go or stay. Fix her car’s radiator or pay her rent. Replace her threadbare coat or save the money for the inevitable rainy day.
But this time, the question made her pause and reflect on what she truly wanted. Living under Richie’s thumb had made her value her independence above everything else. But spending so much of her time with Drew had shown her possibilities she hadn’t even considered before meeting the outgoing man who’d thought nothing of taking in a complete stranger and making her feel safe.
At the bottom of the steps, he gently took her arm and guided her beneath a large oak that had shed most of its leaves into a crunchy pile on the grass. Gazing down at her, he frowned. “I assumed you wouldn’t mind folks knowing we’re friends. Was I wrong?”
For some reason, her heart drooped a bit, and she bit back a sigh. He thought they were just friends, and she couldn’t blame him for that. She’d resolutely kept him at arm’s length ever since they met, giving him no reason to think of her otherwise.
“No, it’s fine,” she finally said, searching for a way to justify her odd behavior. She was more than a little relieved when she hit on one she thought he’d accept. “I’m just not used to small-town gossip, I guess. Where I’m from, even next-door neighbors don’t really know each other.”
“I can’t imagine that,” he commented with a chuckle. “Around here, sometimes folks know what’s going on with me before I do. And then they tell Mom.”
“Awkward.” Grinning, she couldn’t help thinking it was kind of cute how this tall, capable man was still intimidated by his petite mother.
“Tell me about it. I’ve only proposed once, but according to the hens, she’s had about a dozen prospective daughters-in-law.”
The revelation absolutely floored her, and she didn’t bother trying to hide her shock. “Who on earth would turn you down?”
He shrugged. “Someone who was looking for something different than I was.”
Even though it was absolutely none of her business, she couldn’t help asking, “And what are you looking for?”
“I’m not sure. I figure I’ll know it when I see it.”
Something she couldn’t begin to define warmed the gold in his eyes, pulling her closer even though he hadn’t moved. Completely mesmerized, she couldn’t have looked away if she’d tried. Searching her paralyzed brain for words, she finally came up with “Okay.”
The corner of his mouth quirked with a grin, and the moment passed by like a gust of wind that nearly knocks you over and then vanishes.
“We’d best get to the center,” he said, stepping back for her to go ahead of him. “From what you said earlier, we’ve got a lotta work to do before we can move the animals back in.”
His quick switch from intensely personal to all-business nearly gave her whiplash, and she had no idea how to respond. Unable to come up with anything better, she nodded and followed him to his truck.
All the way out to the farm, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something very important had just happened between them. But because she’d never experienced it before, she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.
Chapter Seven
After dropping Bekah at the clinic, Drew swung by the farm. When he walked into the kitchen, he let out a low whistle of appreciation. “Mom, you’ve outdone yourself. Again.”
“Do you think it’s enough food?” she asked, surveying the loaded-down table and counters with an anxious expression.
“For an army.”
She beamed at him, then nudged him with an elbow. “Don’t you worry. I made plenty of extra for you this week. There’s a stack of plastic containers in the fridge on the back porch.”
“Awesome. You know I’d die of hunger without you, right?”
“That’s not what I heard from my friends after church this morning,” she teased with a knowing smile. “Speaking of which, how’s Bekah today?”
Drew wasn’t quite sure how to answer that. He didn�
��t want to get her hopes up about him finally finding someone to be serious about, but he couldn’t deny that of all the women he’d dated, Bekah Holloway was by far the most intriguing of the bunch. Because he wasn’t ready to share that with anyone, he kept it simple. “Fine.”
“Fine,” she mimicked, adding a long-suffering sigh. “I wish your father was here, God rest him. You’d tell him everything that’s rattling around in that head of yours, and then he’d tell me, and I could quit wondering what in the world is going on with you.”
“Whattya mean?” he asked, popping a grape into his mouth. “If there was anything to tell, I would. It’s not like I live to torture you the way Mike does.”
“Our darling Lily has softened a lot of that out of him,” she said, affection bringing out the Irish lilt that still crept into her voice now and then. “I’m hoping someday you’ll find the one to help you do the same.”
“Well, when I do you’ll be the first to know. I promise.”
She rewarded him with a proud mother’s smile. “That’s my boy. You know you’re my favorite, don’t you?”
Drew grinned. It was an old family joke among the Kinleys, because all of them had been her favorite—and the bane of her existence—at one time or another. Standing, he kissed her cheek before picking up a huge camping jug full of ice water. “Yeah, I know. See you over there?”
“As soon as I make a few more peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches for the kids.”
Nodding, he lugged the water out to his truck and lifted it into the bed before returning for more of the food and drinks Mom had been preparing. Once he had it all, he closed the tailgate to keep everything from sliding out onto the rough field road that led to the rescue center. When he drove over the small hill, he couldn’t keep back a smile.
There were at least a dozen cars and trucks parked in the grass near the road, and some genius had thought to drop a Dumpster next to the ruined barn. Some of the same firefighters who’d answered the early-morning call were there, dressed in protective gear while they poked through the rubble, searching for hot spots. Behind them, volunteers armed with pitchforks had started dumping waterlogged hay and straw into wheelbarrows that other people wheeled up the Dumpster’s ramp before heading back for more.
