“Very few people know about this, so you’re one of the first.” Callie paused. “Lane and I are expecting a baby.”
Cheyenne squealed. “Callie! Congratulations! When is the little bundle of joy due?”
“In April.” Callie gave a happy sigh. “Do you realize that I met Lane just a year ago? And now we’re married and we’re going to have a child. Time goes by so fast.”
“It does.” Cheyenne brushed a tear from her eye. That’s exactly what I want! “I’m so happy for you, Callie. That is just wonderful.”
“God has been so good to us.” A moment passed before Callie spoke again. “But I’m worried about you, Chey. Why are you so discouraged?”
She let a sigh escape her lips. “I don’t know. It just seems that life is passing me by. Everything is working out for other people, but nothing is working out for me. I’m praying for the knowledge of God’s will for my life, but I’m just not sure of anything.”
“How are things with you and Rex? I thought you guys were really hitting it off.”
“Oh, everything’s fine with Rex, although …” Cheyenne rolled on her side. “Maybe I’m looking for the wrong things, but I don’t think my feelings for him are as deep as they should be.” She sighed. “And then this little boy I was supposed to be watching broke his leg… . It’s a long story.”
Callie paused. “That’s too bad. I’ll pray for the little boy. What’s his name?”
“Arthur. He’s five and so cute! A little roly-poly.”
“Arthur,” she repeated. “And listen, about Rex—the Lord won’t let you make a mistake. He might even be the one. I’ll keep praying for you two.”
Cheyenne sighed. “Thanks.” I think.
Chapter 18
Derek rounded the corner in the Greenbrier Hospital corridor on Monday afternoon, looking for Room 116. His heart beat a little faster as he approached the door and pushed it open. Maybe he should have told the Lindleys he was coming instead of arriving unannounced.
Stepping into the room, he stopped short. Arthur lay on the hospital bed, hooked up to some machines, and sitting by his bedside was …
“Cheyenne?” Derek walked to the bed. “I didn’t realize you were coming over here today.”
A hint of surprise flitted across her face before she smiled. “Since I’m off work today, I thought I’d pay Arthur a visit.”
He gazed at her pretty face. “We could have come together and saved some gas.”
“Thanks, but my new Cavalier is working great.” She turned to the little boy in the bed. “And you’re doing great, aren’t you, Arthur?”
“Yeah.” Arthur’s round face was pale, but he grinned. “I’m glad you came, Miss Anne.”
Derek’s lips twitched. “I hope you’re not feeling too shy, Anne.”
Cheyenne laughed. “I’m getting used to my new name, Mr. Derek.” She nodded her head sideways toward Arthur. “But I don’t think we can convince a certain someone that my name is actually C-h-e-y-e-n-n-e.” Standing, she pulled another chair next to hers. “Have a seat.”
“Thanks.” Derek walked around the bed and sat down beside her.
“Look what Miss Anne brought me.” Arthur held up a pack of crayons with a long, thin coloring book. A cartoon character grinned from the cover.
“Cool.” Derek smiled at him. “How are you feeling, Arthur?”
“Okay.” Arthur thumbed through the book.
“He’s on a lot of pain medicine.” Cheyenne lowered her voice. “The concussion is gone, so the doctor wants to do surgery tomorrow morning.”
Derek leaned toward her, relishing their closeness. “I’m surprised the Lindleys aren’t here.”
“Mrs. Lindley stayed by Arthur’s bedside all night.” Cheyenne tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I told her to go home and get some rest. I’m staying with Arthur until she gets back.”
Derek raised his eyebrows. Talk about a servant’s heart. “Want some company, Cheyenne? I’ll stay with you until Mrs. Lindley returns.”
“That would be … nice. Thanks, Derek.” Cheyenne turned back to Arthur, who was leaning on his pillows, a listless look on his face. She walked to his side and smoothed his blond hair back from his forehead. “You need to sleep, honey. Mr. Derek and I will be right here if you need us. Okay?”
Arthur nodded before closing his eyes.
Cheyenne looked at Derek. “Let’s sit over there.” She pointed to some vinyl-covered chairs by the wall. “We can talk, and we won’t bother him.”
Derek stood and waited for Cheyenne to sit down before he took a seat beside her. He looked forward to being with her for a while.
His cell rang, and he glanced at the number. “Sorry, Cheyenne. I’ll be right back.” He stood and headed for the door. “Hello, Kandi.”
“Hi, Derek. How are you?” She sounded a little breathless.
“Good.” He pulled the door closed behind him and walked down to the end of the hospital corridor. “I heard that Bruce is recovering now, and your family left this morning for Salt Lake City. You made it back okay?”
“Yes.”
He waited a beat, knowing she wouldn’t expand that one word into an explanation. But he wasn’t about to carry the conversation. “Why did you call?”
“Well … I haven’t heard from you, and … I just thought I’d call. To talk.”
He smirked. Kandi talking in a phone conversation? “Okay. What do you want to talk about?”
“I—I want to keep our … relationship going, you know? We need to call each other every day or e-mail.”
With a sigh, he looked out the window at the end of the hallway, viewing the hospital parking lot. Lord, help me here! He didn’t want to hurt her feelings. “Um … a long-distance relationship usually doesn’t work out, Kandi.”
“We can make it work. I have Skype on my laptop. We could see each other every evening and get to know one another.”
He shook his head. “I’ve been praying a lot about my future, trying to discern God’s will for my life, and I feel—”
“There’s another girl.”
Derek’s lips parted as Cheyenne’s pretty face popped into his mind. “Uh, yeah.” It was true, wasn’t it? “There is another girl I’m interested in.”
“I knew it.” Kandi sounded grim. “I knew you were involved with someone else. You were so mean to me at Yellowstone, and I went just because of you!”
He raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t ask you to go.”
“Well, I thought you wanted to spend time with me. I was enjoying our relationship, and all of a sudden you changed. Now you like Cheyenne.”
His eyebrows shot up. Was it that obvious? “We’re good friends—”
“I saw the way you looked at her. Why were you leading me on?”
“I wasn’t leading you on.”
“Were you just using me to make her jealous? Obviously you’re in love with her.”
In love? “No, Kandi—”
“I don’t want to talk to you again.”
He breathed out a relieved sigh. “Okay, if that’s the way you feel.”
A faint click followed.
“Kandi? Are you still there?” When she didn’t answer, Derek closed his phone. Strange conversation! But he was glad Kandi had ended their “relationship.” Glancing out the window at the blue sky, he spent a few moments in prayer. Was he in love with Cheyenne? Slowly he walked back down the hallway.
Pushing open the door to Arthur’s room, he heard a soft feminine voice as he stepped inside. Mrs. Lindley sat beside Cheyenne on the vinyl chairs. Both women’s heads were bowed, their hands clasped together, as the older woman prayed.
“… and we not only pray for Arthur, Father, but for Cheyenne here as well.”
Derek stayed near the door, bowing his head as he listened.
“She has expressed an interest in adopting Arthur someday, Lord, and we would love to see her become his mother. But she needs a husband. I pray that You might provide, as
You have promised.”
Derek’s eyes opened. Should I be standing here?
“She has someone in mind, Father, but she’s not sure if he would welcome Arthur into their home.” Mrs. Lindley hesitated. “You know who he is, Father. Speak to his heart… .”
Derek stepped back into the corridor. “She has someone in mind.” Rex Pierson, of course.
He frowned. I would welcome Arthur into our home. If he were married to Cheyenne, Derek would be more than happy to adopt Arthur and raise him as the next generation for the Lord. But it looked like Cheyenne wanted Rex for that job.
Derek clenched his jaw. He was going to end up as an old bachelor.
The next Sunday after the first hymn, Cheyenne started to replace the hymnbook in the pew rack in front of her, but Rex’s knobby fingers reached out.
“Allow me,” he whispered as he grabbed the book.
“Thanks.” She smiled at him.
He returned her smile with a wink before placing his arm on the pew behind her. Cheyenne leaned toward him. If only she loved him! She had a sinking feeling that she never would.
Pastor Reilly began making the announcements. “Don’t forget about our Sweet Memories banquet this Friday night. We’ll have a potluck dinner, so you ladies need to bring your favorite dish.”
Cheyenne tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Now was not the time to dwell on her problems. What should she make for the banquet? Maybe she could debut the new enchilada recipe she had invented, inspired by an assortment of damaged cans and boxes from her dad’s store. She had volunteered to help serve coffee and punch at the banquet and help with the cleanup afterward.
“After the dinner,” Pastor Reilly continued, “we’ll have a PowerPoint presentation from the past forty years. Forty years of ministry in this church for the wife and me.” He smiled. “And I expect to be your pastor for the next forty.”
Everyone chuckled. In forty years, Pastor Reilly would be more than a hundred years old.
Cheyenne looked at Rex and grinned. “He just might make it,” she whispered.
On Monday Cheyenne parked her Cavalier in front of the orphanage in Casper. She patted the dashboard before she got out. Thank You, Lord, for this car. It was great not to worry about an old car breaking down. She should have replaced the Dart months ago when it started falling apart.
It had been a week since she’d seen Arthur in the hospital—too long for her. If only it wasn’t such a long drive to Casper. Now he was recovering at the children’s home, and his leg was in a cast. She thought of Mrs. Lindley’s prayer from last week. Would she ever be Arthur’s mom?
As she walked up the front steps, the door opened and Mr. Lindley stepped outside.
“Cheyenne! I suppose you’re here to visit Arthur?”
She nodded. “Is that okay?”
“More than okay—it’s great!” His dark eyes twinkled. “I think Arthur views you as his surrogate mother already.”
“Really?” She dropped her voice. “Have you told him I want to adopt him?”
“No, of course not. My wife and I are keeping that secret to ourselves—and praying about it, too.” He grinned. “The Lord has a plan.”
“I’ve been wondering about Arthur’s background. I was going to ask your wife about it last week, but I didn’t have the chance. Has he been living here a long time?”
Mr. Lindley shook his head. “His mom just died four months ago from a blood clot. She was a single mother—never married as far as I know. But she was a Christian and attended our church.”
Cheyenne raised her eyebrows. “So you knew Arthur? When his mom died, I suppose you offered to take him in.”
“Actually, she had listed the children’s home in her will.” He folded his arms. “If anything happened to her, she wanted the home to take care of her son, with the request to find a Christian couple to adopt him.”
Cheyenne’s heart picked up its beat. “That was in her will?” She shook her head. “Unbelievable.”
“The Lord is working in that boy’s life.” Mr. Lindley smiled. “We’ll take good care of Arthur for you, Cheyenne.” He walked down the steps. “Maybe someday, when you marry …”
She sighed. Yeah, maybe someday.
On Thursday Cheyenne relaxed on a chair at the Beauty Spot as Tonya cut her hair. She would be glad when her hair was back to shoulder length with the split ends cut off.
“Bruce is finally getting out of the hospital tomorrow.” With a broom, Aggie swept some hair into a dustpan from another customer. “His son’s wife calls us every day. I really like them, and of course Kandi is so cute. She’s just the sweetest thing.”
Closing her eyes, Cheyenne let a small sigh escape. Kandi again. She remembered Derek getting a phone call from Kandi at the hospital. Since that day, Cheyenne had not seen much of him.
Tonya sectioned off a strand of hair and pinned it to the top of Cheyenne’s head. “You won’t be working tomorrow, will you, Aggie?”
“Nope.” Aggie put the broom in the closet. “I’m driving Bruce home from the hospital in the morning, and I’m going to pamper him all day.”
“Is your famous fried chicken on the menu for supper?”
“Are you joking?” Aggie sat down on the other beautician chair. “The doc gave me a list of foods Bruce can’t eat, and fried chicken is right at the top. It’s going to be spinach and fish for the next few months.” She gave a little laugh. “But it will be the most delicious spinach and fish he’s ever had.” Aggie touched the yellow butterfly barrette in her hair. “I’m not working for the rest of the week, but Connie will be here to help you out, Tonya. And don’t call me. I’ll be taking care of my man—cooking and cleaning.”
“You’ll be like a regular wife to him.” Tonya grinned.
“A wife?” Aggie grunted. “More like a housekeeper. I’ll just be the servant girl. Bruce will never see me as wife material.” She pursed her pink lips. “Don’t know why, but I just can’t please that man. I still don’t see anything wrong with that tangerine lipstick. Always liked the orange color myself, but Bruce is more comfortable with my makeup toned down.” She sighed.
Tonya picked up a comb from the counter. “I’m thankful Murray loves me the way I am. He’s so sweet.”
“But did ya’ll notice what happened?” Aggie frowned at Tonya. “You and Murray are the ones who got Bruce and me together in the first place, and then you two up and marry while we’re still floundering in friendship.” She turned her frown on Cheyenne. “Now isn’t that just the way it goes? Bruce will never propose to me. It’s like I told Murray that day he came in to get his hair cut—Bruce and I will be friends forever, and only friends, if someone don’t nudge that man toward me. And even after I asked Murray to put a bug in his ear—”
“Aggie!” Tonya cocked an eyebrow at her. “That was my idea, and Murray and I had to push you into it.”
“But it did no good! All those changes I made for Bruce, and we’re still only friends. It will be unrequited love for the rest of my days.”
Unrequited love. Derek’s face popped into Cheyenne’s mind. She had loved him for all those years. “I know how you feel.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted saying them.
Aggie leaned toward her, interest sparking in her dark eyes. “I’ve seen you with that handsome Rex Pierson. I bet you have a case on him!”
Cheyenne smiled. “We have a date tonight at the Four Seasons.”
“Ooh!” Tonya snipped at a section of hair with professional panache. “That’s exciting, Cheyenne. I hope you guys have a great time.”
“Thanks.” If only the Lord would answer her prayers. Something had to change tonight in their relationship.
Walking into the kitchen, Derek answered the phone on the fifth ring. “Derek here.”
“It’s about time you picked up the receiver, son.”
He grinned. “Hi, Mom! How are the RV travelers?”
“Oh I love traveling and seeing the beauty of God’s cre
ation. Right now we’re staying at the Lakes in Kentucky. This is a beautiful area. So many trees, so much water …”
“You sound like a travel brochure.”
She laughed. “I can’t believe we won’t be home for a couple of months. I’m taking notes on all the places we’re visiting, and we’ve met so many interesting people.” She paused. “Now Derek, you’re keeping the dishes washed up, aren’t you?”
“Uh, sure.” He eyed the stack of dirty plates and bowls in the sink. I need to buy some paper plates! “Don’t worry, Mom, you’ll come back to a clean house.”
“You need to keep up with it, Derek. Be sure to dust and vacuum every week.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, ma’am.”
“How is everything going on the ranch?”
He glanced out the kitchen window and caught sight of Hector’s overalls as he disappeared into the barn. “Good. Miguel and Hector are helping run everything, but we haven’t had any problems. No wolves. No coyotes.” He shrugged even though Mom couldn’t see him over the phone.
“That’s good. I know you’re taking good care of those sheep. Don’t forget to watch out for my favorite little lamb.”
“Snowflake?” He grinned, remembering how Mom had bottle-fed the tiny lamb, turning her into a pet. “She’s a happy camper, Mom. Just like you. I think Snowflake knows she’s not destined for the slaughterhouse this fall.”
Mom laughed. “None of the lambs know that, but Snowflake is going to be a big fluffy ewe someday.” The sound of static filled the phone. “I need to go, son. This cell phone needs to be recharged. We love you, Derek.”
“Love you, too, Mom.”
Hanging up the phone, he gazed out the kitchen window. He could barely see the flock of sheep resting on a hillside. I should go out there and see how Shep is doing.
As he opened the back door, a feeling of loneliness overwhelmed him. He missed Mom and Dad being here. There was no one to talk to in this big old house.
Maybe staying single was not such a good idea.
Chapter 19
That evening, Cheyenne folded her napkin next to her plate and looked across the table at Rex. He was dressed up for this date, wearing a dress shirt with a Western tie and black jeans. And he had actually shaved.
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