by JoAnn Durgin
Marc sighed. He wasn’t eager to reveal everything on their first night at the ranch, even though he trusted Sam. “Suffice it to say something . . . more like someone . . . from my past resurfaced the other day. Now we’re both fighting a ghost.”
Sam stirred his coffee before taking a sip. “Ghosts are dangerous, but they can be banished instead of sticking around to haunt.”
“What are you, some kind of modern-day prophet?” Marc kept his tone light, teasing.
Sam snorted. “Hardly. Don’t put that label on me or I’ll sorely disappoint you. Are you tempted by this ghost?”
It was uncanny how this man could read his mind even though he spoke metaphorically. Sam was no fool. The TeamWork leader was with him every step of the way. “The only ghost I’m tempted by is the ghost who looks me in the eye with absolutely no idea who I am, what we had, what we were and where we need to be again.”
Sam waved his hand. “Enough with this ghost talk. Does this woman from your past have a name?”
“Ashley.”
Sam lowered his coffee mug. “Is Ashley a threat to your marriage, Marc?”
His head snapped up. “No. It was over about a year before I met Natalie.”
“I’m listening, if you feel like talking about it. Your choice.” Sam sat back in his chair, hands behind his head.
“It happened a few days ago. On one of the worst days possible.”
“That’s usually the way it works.”
True enough. “We’d been to our first ultrasound, saw the baby and heard her heartbeat. It was incredible. We were on top of the world.”
“So, you’re having a girl.” A grin creased Sam’s lips. “Congratulations.”
“We don’t know for sure. It’s just a strong . . . intuition or whatever . . . but Natalie and I both feel the same way. Of course, we’ll be thrilled with a boy, too. After her accident, I’m just thankful she didn’t lose the baby, and everything seems to be progressing normally.”
Sam nodded. “Good to hear it. I didn’t mean to interrupt. Please go on.”
Marc fiddled with the handle of his mug, avoiding Sam’s gaze. “It all came crashing down around us in one of Boston’s finest restaurants. I’d taken Natalie there to celebrate. But what should have been a happy occasion . . . well, it turned into something entirely different.”
“So, I take it you had a close personal relationship with Ashley?”
“Yes.” Marc met Sam’s eyes. Might as well spill it since this man already suspected the nature of his past liaison. “In every sense of the word.” He paused, grateful Sam showed no condemnation. It would be hard to really open up if this godly man seemed judgmental. “Seeing Ashley only made me wish I could relive certain periods of my life. Maybe I wouldn’t be so stupid, wouldn’t make the same mistakes.”
Sam shifted his position and sipped his coffee. “What periods of your life?”
“When I played minor league ball for three years, for one.”
“You did? Where?” Sam sat up straighter and looked intrigued.
“Pawtucket.”
Those blue eyes widened. “You played on the farm team for the Sox?”
Marc nodded, smiling. “Yep.”
Sam whistled under his breath. “I’m impressed. Ever get called up to the majors?”
“Nope.”
“Still, that must have been an awesome experience. Something for a lifetime, really. Every kid’s dream.” Sam grinned a little. “If it weren’t so blasted cold here, I’d form a softball team and sign you up as captain.”
Marc allowed a small smile. “I have some great memories, yes, and it was an incredible experience in a lot of ways, but it was the memories on the field and in the clubhouse that were sweet. Off the field, I wasn’t such a nice guy. I met Ashley my sophomore year on the team. Suffice it to say she liked ballplayers. Liked them a lot. I was a player, and I’m not just talking about on the baseball diamond.”
“How long have you known the Lord?”
“My closest associate at the agency, Trevor, got saved a few years ago. He led me to Christ about a year before I started dating Natalie.”
“So, about the same time you stopped seeing Ashley.”
Marc took a sip of his coffee. “Right. A couple of weeks after, as a matter of fact.”
“And was it your decision to break it off with her?”
Not understanding how that mattered, he nodded. “Choosing to quit baseball was the first step toward finding my new career and starting the agency. That’s when I said good-bye to the relationship. I needed a new start, a different life. Finding the Lord was the most important step in connecting with Natalie. But marrying her is the best thing I’ve ever done.” He faltered, a lump lodging itself in his throat. “Natalie’s everything I hoped for in a wife.” Marc shook his head, the smile fading. “Enter amnesia.” He fixed his gaze on Sam. “And now she’s expecting our child, and to tell you the truth, I’m scared to death.”
“Of what, exactly?”
Marc sat back in his chair and blew out a long sigh. “Of losing her forever. But like we talked about in Houston, this is about more than fear of failure. She makes me better, softens my rough edges, like you said about Lexa. She gives me great ideas and unique insights for some of my ad campaigns, even though Natalie inherently despises the idea of advertising. His shoulders slumped and he ran a hand across his brow. “Things were finally going great in reconnecting with her, but running into Ashley stirred up trouble.”
“Define ‘running into.’”
Marc sighed. “I should have forgotten about manners for once and walked away, and it’s to my detriment that I didn’t.” He looked up, meeting Sam’s eyes. “Ashley kissed me, Sam, but I assure you it was one-sided. I need you to believe me on that point.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Sam held his gaze steady.
He nodded. “Thanks. I appreciate that. To complicate matters, Natalie found a note from Ashley in the pocket of my jacket while we waited at the airport. A very to-the-point note that left no doubt about the nature of my relationship with her. I hadn’t worn that jacket in a few years and forgot all about that stupid note.” Marc shook his head. “I can’t figure out why God would bring us close together again, and then allow something like this to happen. I’d like to hear your theory on that one.”
Sam leaned closer. “Fair enough. The Lord has a way of taking care of us even though we don’t ask. In your case, He knew the truth needed to come out. It was no accident or coincidence that you ran into Ashley, Marc. If you weren’t going to tell Natalie of your own volition, He made sure it happened. She probably needs a little space, as much as anything, to adjust.”
“Yeah, well, Montana’s the place for that.” He couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of his tone. “But it’s not why I brought her here.” Sam was probably right although he hadn’t looked at it that way. Still, it was only the first night at the ranch. Enough confessions for one night. The rest could wait. “Thanks for not judging me.”
“It’s not my place. You’re my brother in Christ. Sometimes it’s hard to forget the past, but you have to remember your slate was wiped clean. Before you go back to your cabin, let’s pray together—for you, for Natalie, for the Lord’s guidance in bringing the two of you back to one another. Like I said, we’ve got ourselves a mission of a different type here in Montana.”
Bowing his head, Marc’s eyes stung with unexpected tears. Sam would stand right beside him on this daunting venture to reconnect with his wife. That kind of unconditional love was humbling. As he hurried to the men’s cabin a few minutes later, he wondered what lessons the Lord might have in store for him at Milestone Ranch.
Chapter 23
Marc’s spirits were a bit higher as he awoke the first full morning at the ranch until he heard Sam’s rousing voice welcoming everyone to their two-week mission. Sounding altogether too cheery and annoying, the TeamWork leader smiled and gave him a friendly pat on the back as they took their seats at the
breakfast table. He hadn’t slept well, and although he’d never admit it, he missed Elwood. He’d made sure Natalie had the dog to keep her warm. Score one for being magnanimous even though nobility didn’t keep him warm at night, especially in Montana. In the winter. He ran a tired hand over his eyes, stifling a yawn.
Sam smiled and called out to the others as they made their way into the room. Seeing that most of his volunteers and a few of the ranch hands had arrived, he removed his Stetson to ask the blessing on the food and their day ahead. Like the TeamWork crew, the regular ranch hands lowered their hats and bowed their heads. Taking the plate Lexa offered, Sam helped himself to a few strips of bacon and a healthy portion of everything else. The man could pack away the food, but he obviously worked it off somewhere. Marc watched as he dished up a heaping spoonful of peaches. Catching his grin, Sam laughed. “The peach is God’s greatest fruit, you know.”
“So you say.” He listened but didn’t participate in the all-too-cheery bantering at the table as they ate. More than a few times, Marc’s gaze strayed Natalie’s way. She was quiet, but at least she was eating as she listened to the other ladies. He trained his eyes on her, willing her to look his way, but she avoided looking at him. No small surprise there.
“Give her time. You can try talking with her tomorrow,” Sam said. Even though he knew the man was right, it was difficult. Confronting Natalie now would be premature. After a day or two at the ranch, her defenses might soften a bit and give him an advantage.
Finished with his breakfast a few minutes later, Marc wiped his mouth and put his napkin and silverware on top of the empty plate. “So, what wonderful work do you have planned for us today, boss?”
“Marc, buddy,” Sam said, “just be thankful I didn’t wake you up at four to milk the cows.” Both Sam and Lexa laughed at how fast he snapped up his head. “No, my friend, you get that task tomorrow morning.” Sam laughed even harder at his scowl.
What in the world have I gotten myself into here?
~~**~~
“Everyone connected with TeamWork is so wonderful, Natalie said as she worked alongside Lexa as they cleaned up in the dining hall. Everyone else had scattered to their various posts. Knowing she wanted a little time alone with Lexa, Winnie whispered on her way out the door she’d start the kids on a project until she could join them.
The other girls had been so considerate in respecting her space and not plying her with questions. “I’m sure it’s hard for them, not knowing what to say because they don’t know if I’ll remember things . . . or even remember them.”
Lexa handed her a clean cloth to wipe one of the long tables. “We all love you, and want to help you and Marc in whatever way we can. We can tell you our memories from the past TeamWork camps, if that helps. Or, like I told you at the airport, we can start fresh and create new memories.” She smiled. “When the Lord first led me to sign up for TeamWork, I felt lost, too. Even though it’s not the same thing, I still wasn’t sure who I was or what I wanted in life. But the Lord knew, and He led me exactly where I needed to be.”
Natalie bit her lip, her eyes filling as she stopped wiping the table. Lexa was so nice, and she felt drawn to her.
Noticing her tears, Lexa was at her side in a second, one hand on her arm, the other lightly touching her back. “Talk to me if it helps.”
“Trust me, I’ve had a few meltdowns over all this. I start feeling sorry for myself, but then I realize how blessed I am. I’ve met people who had to start over again as though they’re babies, relearning how to walk, talk, feed themselves . . . everything.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “It’s just so hard.” Collapsing into one of the wooden chairs at the table, Natalie found it difficult to focus through her tears. “I’m married to a gorgeous man whom I truly want to love, but I don’t remember him and what we shared together before I fell down those basement steps.” She started to rise. “I shouldn’t be telling you this.”
Lexa pushed her back down with a gentle, but firm, hand. “Yes, you should. I think you need to tell me, at least while you’re here in Montana. You’re obviously burdened. Have you had someone back in Boston to share all this with?”
“My mom and sister came to help. They’re great, but no one really knows what it’s like. My psychologist gives me suggestions, but he’s not a close, personal friend. I have friends at the school where I teach, but I don’t really remember them. My roommates listen, but even though they pray for me, they can’t understand, either.” She shot a helpless look as Lexa dropped into the chair beside her. “Like you said, the Lord knows what we need for our heart, and maybe that’s why He led us here to Montana with you, Sam and the Teamwork crew.” She laughed a little and dabbed at her eyes with the tissue Lexa pulled from her pocket and handed over. “Maybe I should ask the doctor if there’s a support group for people like me. Amnesiacs ‘R’ Us, or something like that.” She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I guess it’s pointless to talk about a life we can’t even remember.”
Lexa hugged her tight. “Let us be your support group. Winnie, Rebekah, Amy and Cassie, and all the TeamWork men. Natalie, you will work through this.”
She mustered a wan smile. “I hope you’re right.”
Lexa smiled. “Of course, I am. Ask Sam. He says it all the time.” Those blue-green eyes looked so wise, but she couldn’t be any older than thirty. She possessed a rare serenity and calm, no doubt derived from her strong faith. “That smile looks much more like the Natalie I know. She’s coming back, you know.”
Natalie leaned closer as Lexa supported her chin with one hand and dabbed beneath her eyes with another tissue. “You think she’s really in here somewhere?”
“I know she is.”
She sniffled, wishing she felt as confident as Lexa sounded, wanting to cling to those words. “Besides, it’s not like we can expect God to work miracles in two weeks.”
Lexa’s smile was mysterious. “Then again, why not?”
~~**~~
At the end of the first full day working the ranch, Marc ached everywhere, all the way down to his bones. He could say one thing with certainty—working himself to exhaustion was one way to keep his thoughts trained on something other than his situation with Natalie. He wasn’t sure whether she was more mad or sad. Maybe it was a combination of both. After avoiding him at breakfast, by the time he arrived for lunch, she’d already departed with the other women, except for Lexa and Cassie.
The TeamWork leader did his part to keep him busy. As he worked, Marc got to know the other men—Kevin Moore, Dean Costas and Eliot Marchand. They worked together with the foreman, Clifford Mason, and the ranch hands, getting to know them and following their direction to repair broken fences, feed and herd the cattle and sheep, and exercise the horses. It was good, solid work and therapeutic for the soul.
He hadn’t done so much physical labor since training for the Sox. Could it be the Lord prepared him for life on the ranch with his recent spurt of exercise at his Boston fitness center? While he definitely wasn’t as fit, he could more than handle his weight around the ranch. It also increased his appetite. He embarrassed himself by how much he ate at dinner until Eliot told him how many pieces of chicken he’d consumed.
Natalie was tired, and didn’t show up for dinner. He asked Lexa to fill a plate and intended to take it to her himself until Winnie told him she’d do it. He didn’t like it, but reluctantly agreed. Maybe it was best he didn’t talk with Natalie when he wasn’t in top form, anyway. Barely keeping his eyes open during Sam’s thankfully brief devotional in the dining hall, he trudged back to the cabin with the other guys.
“I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been so tired.” Marc stifled another yawn as he and Kevin collapsed on adjacent bunks in the men’s cabin. He craved sleep, especially since he was expected to rise at the unearthly hour of four the next morning—as Sam reminded him no less than three times during the course of the day. God Himself probably still rested at that hour. From wha
t the other guys told him, Sam’s tenacity was legendary. That and his devotion to his wife.
“Are you married, Kevin?” Marc crawled under the covers and pulled the heavy woolen blanket over his chest. He hadn’t noticed a wedding ring, but hadn’t really looked.
“No. I’m hoping, though.” Kevin gave him a rather sly grin.
Propping himself on one elbow, Marc surveyed the other man who looked to be a few years younger. “Maybe I should be asking if you have a girlfriend.”
“No. I’m hoping, though,” Kevin repeated, laughing, pulling his thermal sleeping shirt over his head and crawling under the covers.
“Anyone I know?” Somehow, Marc suspected something was going on—or about to be going on—between Kevin and the lovely Rebekah Grant.
Kevin turned his head to look at him. “You noticed?”
Marc laughed aloud. “How could I not notice? Your tongue was practically hanging out.”
Kevin winced and scratched his head. “Was I that obvious? I’m going to have to watch myself.”
Maybe he shouldn’t have phrased it that way. “Tell me about it, if you want.” Reclining, Marc crossed his arms behind his head and released a sigh, settling on the pillow. “I’m a good listener.” Kevin was private, quiet. Total opposite from his own temperament. He’d seen how much Sam depended on him and trusted his judgment. This guy seemed about as solid, straight-arrow, true-to-the-Lord as you could get.
“I’m sure you’ve noticed how gorgeous Rebekah is, but doesn’t even know it,” Kevin said.
All true. The woman could be a fashion model, based on looks alone, but in a prettier, softer way. Marc nodded.
“I’ve watched her for a few years now, at the various work camps, and gotten to know her. There’s something between us, but I’m too shy for my own good.”
“Only way to get to know her is if you stick your neck out and give it a shot. Beautiful women are often lonely on Saturday nights.” Marc shot him a tired grin. “Don’t you live near her? You’re both from Louisiana, right?”
