by Kat Brookes
Chapter Seven
“Back to hiding away in your room all day?”
Jake’s finger went to the power button on his tablet, shutting off the screen. “If you’re looking for a sibling to annoy,” he said, glaring at his brother from where he sat by the window, “I think Violet’s over at the market with Momma.”
Mason chuckled. “Actually, it’s you I came to annoy.” He crossed the room and sank down on the edge of Jake’s bed. “What are you doing?” he asked earnestly.
Jake lowered his tablet to his lap facedown. “Just skimming the internet,” he replied with a frown, grateful for his brother’s untimely intervention. “Nothing better to do.” The last thing he needed to be doing was searching for cookbooks. Especially when he was trying his best to avoid thinking about Addy. Yet, there he’d been, perusing an online bookstore’s cookbook section, thinking about how someday Addy’s might be on there, too. He wouldn’t even be able to congratulate her on her accomplishment because he’d shut her out of his life. Of his heart.
“Well, put that thing away,” Mason told him. “We’re taking a ride.”
Jake looked at Mason questioningly.
Mason stepped forward to remove the tablet from Jake’s lap and set it on the nearby nightstand. Only he placed it face up and froze, his gaze fixed on the screen.
“Like I said,” Jake muttered, using his good arm to move his wheelchair, “nothing better to do.”
His brother merely nodded in response, yet there were unspoken words in the stare Mason turned on him.
“Where are we taking a ride to?” Jake asked, trying to defuse the momentary discomfort of the situation.
“The house,” his brother replied. “We just finished framing it in and Lila is, well, to say excited is putting it mildly. She wanted me to come get you and bring you over there to see it, so here I am.”
“I was just out there.”
“The house is changing every day.”
“How about I wait until it’s all done?” Jake suggested, not wanting to subject his soon-to-be sister-in-law to the dismal attitude he couldn’t seem to shake. “I’m not really in the mood for an outing.”
Mason pulled his cell phone from his jeans pocket and held it out to Jake. “Okay. Then how about you call and tell Lila you won’t be coming?”
“Me?”
“In case you’ve forgotten, I’ve pledged my love to that woman,” Mason explained. “That means I will do everything in my power to make her happy and to never let her down. And so here I stand.” He gave the phone a shake. “You can do the letting down, not me. Oh, and just so you know, Finn is waiting to show you his new house’s progress, too.”
“As if the Lila thing wasn’t guilt-inducing enough,” Jake said with a sigh. “You have to go and toss the nephew card out onto the table.”
Mason grinned. “Did it work?”
Ten minutes later, they were pulling up to the build site for his brother and Lila’s new home. Jake took it all in, which he really hadn’t done on his previous trips there. Mason had worked hard to create the perfect setting for the house he was building. He’d cleared away a few trees and leveled out the land around it, giving the home site a much cleaner line and appearance. In the center of the recently upturned and smoothed-out land arose a two-story structure. The plywood and wrap had been put on the outside, sealing up the framing that had been done when he’d last seen it, making it easy to visualize what the house would someday look like. A large cutout had been made in the front living room wall, where an oversize picture window would go. Lila had wanted it to be big, calling it her Christmas tree window.
Jake found his thoughts drifting to Addy. Did her dream house feature a grand window for displaying a Christmas tree, too? A large front porch with railing to wrap garland around? And lots of windows to hang wreaths on? Children? Because it was the kind of future he could see himself living—with her.
“Let’s go check it out,” Mason said, drawing Jake from his mind’s wanderings.
Jake opened the passenger door and waited as Mason brought his wheelchair around to him. “I’ve got it,” he said when Mason offered to help him down. He could do this. Needed to do it himself if he were ever going to get his life back to the way it had once been.
“I’ve put plywood down atop the walkway to the house until it’s ready to be poured,” Mason told him as he pushed Jake toward the section of earth that had been carved out for their front sidewalk. “Lila thought it would make it easier for you to get to the house in your wheelchair or on crutches than pushing you through the gravel or dirt like we did last trip.”
“That was kind of her,” Jake said with a grateful nod. Then he noticed the ramp that had been constructed along the front of the porch at an angle. “You put in a ramp?” he said, a slight hitch to his voice as he took in all that his brother and Lila had done to enable him to see the progress they were making on their new home firsthand.
“Can’t have you sitting outside looking in anymore when all the good stuff to see is inside,” Mason told him as he maneuvered Jake’s chair around to face the sidewalk’s entrance. With a slight nudge, his brother had them moving up the makeshift walkway.
Lila stepped outside, a smile lighting her face. “Jake!” she called out with a welcoming wave.
“Uncle Jake!” Finn cried out as he shot out around his mother and down the ramp.
No matter how gloomy his day might seem, just the sight of his nephew always put a smile on Jake’s face. “Looks like you’ve been working hard today,” he told Finn as he walked alongside Jake’s chair as Mason pushed him up to the porch.
“Uncle Braden’s been helping, too,” Finn explained as he raced up the ramp ahead of Mason and Jake.
Jake glanced off to the side where Braden’s SUV was parked. He hadn’t noticed it when they’d pulled up, but then, his focus had been on the setting for Mason’s newly framed house. It didn’t surprise him in the least that his best friend was there lending a hand. Braden had always been like a brother to them both. Even Finn thought of him as family now, which had led to him calling him Uncle Braden without the least bit of prompting.
Mason had just pushed Jake up the temporary ramp and onto the porch when Braden emerged from the house through the framed but doorless front entry. The second his gaze landed on Jake, a wide grin spread across his face. “Well, I’ll be.” He looked to Mason. “How did you manage to get this stubborn mule out here?”
“He made it about Lila and Finn,” Jake answered for his brother. “There was no way I could let them down. They wanted me here to see the progress they’ve made on their house. So here I am.” And it felt good to be there, seeing his brother’s excitement, Lila’s, and especially his nephew’s, over the building of their family’s soon-to-be home.
Lila smiled. “And we’re so glad you are.” She looked to Mason. “Bring him in so he can see the rooms.”
“Mine’s in the back of the house,” Finn said, bouncing around the porch like a human pogo stick. “I’ll be able to see deer from my window when they come out of the woods.”
“The perks of being the firstborn,” Jake teased. “All I can see from my bedroom is the family market.”
“I’ll be out of the house soon,” Mason reminded him. “My room’s all yours if you want it.” He eased the chair into the house, careful not to bump Jake’s extended leg.
“Maybe after my leg heals, I’ll consider switching,” he replied. “My room’s closer to the front door and kitchen. Less pushing for whoever gets stuck with wheelchair duty.”
“It’s not a duty,” Mason said, all jesting leaving his voice. “You were injured while serving the Lord in my place. I would push you around for the rest of your life if you had required it. Even if you’d been injured in some other way, for that matter.”
Jake knew his brother’s words to be true. “I know you wo
uld. I would do the same for you.” Wanting to lighten up the moment, he added, “Guess I should feel blessed to have a brother who has a little bit of upper-body strength.”
“Little bit?” Mason grumbled behind him.
“Don’t go fishing for compliments from me,” Jake said, biting back a grin. “That’s Lila’s job.”
Braden snorted behind him. “Oh, the joys I missed being an only child.”
“You and me both,” Lila said with an exaggerated shake of her head.
They moved through the framed ranch-style house, Finn leading the tour. Jake found himself grateful that Mason had gotten him out of the house. It was a welcome distraction.
“This is my window,” Finn announced when they entered what would be his new bedroom. Then he gasped, racing over to the hole where the window would soon go. “A deer!” he cried out, pointing outside.
Mason gave a chuckle as he moved to stand behind his son and peer out. “There sure is.”
Lila stepped over to join them. “Oh, how adorable!”
“Guess we’d better go check out all the cuteness to be had in your brother’s backyard,” Braden said as he and Jake exchanged grins. Then he stepped around Jake’s wheelchair and pushed him over to where Lila and Mason stood with Finn.
They were so absorbed in watching the deer, none of them heard anyone pull up to the house. It wasn’t until a “Hello?” carried back to the room they were gathered in that they knew someone had just come up onto the front porch.
“Lila?” another voice joined in.
Jake’s thoughts froze and then went into a twisting jumble at the far-too-familiar sound of Addy’s soft, lilting voice. His heart leapt with the anticipation of seeing her again, yet he felt woefully unprepared for it. He’d only just discovered the depth of his feelings for her. Was still trying to sort things out. He didn’t know what to say. He glanced up at his brother accusingly.
Mason shrugged. “This wasn’t planned. I swear,” he said, keeping his voice low.
“We’re back here,” Lila called out. “In Finn’s room.”
Even with his back turned to them, Jake could hear his sister and Addy moving toward them through the house. It had been four days since what had started out as a surprisingly great day had ended up going all wrong. He’d sent her away but hadn’t been able to push her from his thoughts, no matter how hard he’d tried. And now here she was. And here he was. If he weren’t confined to a wheelchair, he might have actually considered making a quick exit through the open window hole.
“Well, hello,” Lila greeted. “Did you come to see the progress we’ve made so far?”
“Momma sent us over with a picnic lunch,” his sister said cheerily. “We left the basket out on the porch. But the house looks gr—Jake?” she half squeaked behind him. No doubt just realizing he was there across the room. The wheelchair alone was an immediate giveaway.
“Hey, Vi,” he replied without glancing back. If he did, he knew his gaze would search Addy out no matter how many times he’d told himself he never wanted to see her again.
His plan to implement the out of sight, out of mind tactic went by the wayside as Braden turned Jake’s chair around so that he was facing the group gathered in the room around him. Sure enough, he looked past his sister to where Addy stood. Apparently, she was as surprised to see him there as he was to see her. He sat, drinking in the sight of her even as he was telling himself to look away.
“What are you doing here?” Violet asked, thankfully forcing his gaze away from Addy and back to her. “Not that I’m not beyond thrilled to see you out and about,” she promptly added.
“Daddy brought him,” Finn answered for him. “I’m showing Uncle Jake my room.”
“I wish I’d known you were over here,” his sister said with a frown. “We’re short a sandwich.” Then she brightened. “But we have plenty of cookies. You could just fill up on those.”
“Cookies!” Finn exclaimed and raced from the room.
“Save some for the rest of us!” Lila called after him.
“Jake can have my sandwich,” Braden offered. “I’ve got to get going, anyway. I promised to look in on Granny this afternoon. I will, however, grab myself a cookie on the way out.”
“But you’ve been here working all morning,” Violet said with a troubled frown.
“You know Granny,” Braden told her. “I won’t be there five whole minutes before she’ll be trying to stuff me like a Thanksgiving turkey with her cooking.”
“Thanks for all your help today,” Mason said.
“Yes,” Lila agreed. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
“Give your granny my regards,” Violet called after him.
“I will,” he replied. “Oh, and I start my shift at the station tomorrow, or I’d offer to come by and help you at the flower shop.”
“I’ll be fine,” she assured him.
“No doubt,” he replied with a smile, and then, after saying his goodbyes, strode from the room.
Lila turned to Addy. “I’m so glad you came with Violet. What do you think? The house is really coming along, isn’t it?”
“I think it’s going to be wonderful,” Addy replied, her gaze drifting back to Jake.
The regret he saw in those blue-gray eyes prodded at his heart. Jake looked away, struggling to keep that emotional wall up between them.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you at home tonight,” Addy said to Lila, her words sounding a little tight. “Would you mind bringing Mama Tully’s picnic basket home with you when you come?”
“You’re leaving already?” Lila said with a frown. “But you and Violet just got here.”
“I was in the middle of edits on my cookbook when Violet called and asked if she could borrow Mama Tully’s picnic basket,” Addy explained.
“I asked Addy if she’d like to ride over here with me to drop off the sandwiches and cookies Momma made for you all and see how things were coming along with the house,” Violet said. “I did promise her we wouldn’t be gone long.”
“I know how much that cookbook means to you,” Lila said to Addy. “You go do what you need to do. You can come out another time when you can stay longer.”
“Thank you for understanding,” Addy replied with a grateful smile. “I really do want to have this cookbook up for sale by the time the holiday shopping madness begins.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Lila told her. “I need to make sure my son doesn’t eat more than his share of the cookies.”
“I’ll be right out,” Violet told the two women. As soon as they had gone, his sister swung around, hands on her hips as she glared at Jake. “See what you did!”
“What did I do?” Jake asked in confusion.
“You made Addy feel unwelcome here.”
Jake felt the remorse deep in his gut. “I didn’t even say anything.” Because he’d been so focused on not letting his feelings for Addy show, he’d unintentionally hurt hers.
“Exactly!” his sister snapped with a disapproving glare. Then she turned in a huff and left the room.
Jake watched her go through the open framing that made up the house’s interior. He looked to Mason to see if he could make sense of their sister’s accusation, only to find his brother scowling, too.
Jake groaned. “Not you, too.”
“Would it have killed you to at least say hello to Addy?” his brother grumbled.
“I would have, but the girls were talking and then Violet and Braden started chattering on about his granny and the flower shop.”
“Tell me something, little brother,” Mason said. “How is it you can so easily forgive Lila for what she did, but not Addy?”
“Lila wasn’t in constant contact with our family nearly every single week for years,” Jake ground out, not appreciating being made to feel like he had done something wro
ng. “Addy had so many opportunities to reveal the truth to us, but she chose not to. How do I get past that?”
“You find a way. And keep in mind she’d given her word to Lila,” Mason reminded him. “Her foster sister and best friend.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
“Life is never simple,” his brother replied. “Nor is it perfect. Addy was wrong in what she did. Just as Lila was wrong. There’s no denying our lives would have been far different if Lila hadn’t run off and if Addy hadn’t kept the truth from us. But it is what it is. I love Lila and was willing to forgive her for the hurt she caused me. Because that’s the kind of man Daddy raised me to be.”
Had raised them both to be, Jake acknowledged in silent pondering. Releasing a sigh of frustration, he said, “I don’t know how to get there.” He met Mason’s gaze. “But I want to.”
A slight smile pulled at his brother’s lips. “Glad to hear it. I’d say the first step is finding a way to set your anger aside. Just like you did with Lila.”
Jake nodded in agreement.
“I know you haven’t felt up to going to church since coming home from your mission trip, but that doesn’t mean you can’t turn to the Lord for guidance,” Mason said. “Ask Him to help you find the inner fortitude to forgive Addy. Be the kind of Christian our momma and daddy raised us to be.”
Jake looked up at him. “I think you missed your calling, big brother. You’ve got so much of Daddy’s goodness in you. You really would have made a fine preacher.” If only he could get back to the man he’d been before his last mission trip. The tragedy he’d survived in the Congo had left him doubting his faith.
“You have that same goodness in you,” Mason countered with a smile. “But neither of us had the same calling in our heart that Daddy had. He was born to preach the word of God to others. You and I were born to work the orchards.”
Jake nodded in agreement.
“Not that I mind helping to spread the Lord’s word on mission trips. But it’s living the life I have here in Sweet Springs that makes me truly happiest. Speaking of happy,” Mason said, “I know I’ve said this before, but I saw the way you and Addy were interacting that morning I came in when the two of you were having breakfast together. Nothing was different then. She’d still done what she had done, yet you were still able to enjoy her company. The way you used to whenever she’d come back to Sweet Springs to visit Mrs. Tully.”
