Haley didn’t miss the fear in the little boy’s eyes, obviously scared he would do something wrong. Her heart tugged again, but this time it was with the realization that all these kids were there because something had gone wrong in their world.
And she wanted, more than anything, to use this program to make their world a little brighter.
“I’ll help you, Ben,” Gavin said, his voice filled with so much compassion that Haley bit back a sudden urge to cry. Undoubtedly, Gavin knew Ben’s story—knew all the stories of the boys in his care—and he knew what to say to help. Like now, encouraging the fearful little boy as he held a puppy.
He would make a great father.
Another wave of sadness washed over her. Gavin had been a father, but then he’d lost his wife and son.
And that thought was quickly followed with the question...how had he gone through that—been dealt that heavy blow—and not become angry with God?
“Haley?” Gavin, still huddled around Ben to help him hold Buddy, caught her attention.
She realized she’d zoned out for a minute, hadn’t even heard what he’d said. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She swallowed. “I missed that.”
Gavin looked slightly concerned but murmured, “Ask her again, Ben.”
She felt terrible for missing the little boy’s question. “Yes, Ben? I’m listening.”
“I forgot the question you told me.” He looked pitifully at Gavin.
Gavin smiled at him, leaned close to his ear and whispered.
Ben nodded and asked, “Do dogs sweat?”
Gavin’s brow lifted, eyes widening as though he, too, wanted the answer. And Haley now understood that he’d been feeding the questions to the boys.
No wonder they’d all been so good.
She gave him a grin, thankful the kids had a man like Gavin Thomason around. They may not have a father, but they had an amazing guy who cared. And he may not have his son, but he had many boys to love.
Her heart warmed and she was grateful that she was here today, seeing Gavin in his element, and being a part of something so meaningful.
“Growing up, I always heard that dogs didn’t sweat,” she said. “People told me that’s the reason they panted.”
“Like this?” Eli asked, sticking out his tongue and puffing out air. Which caused all the other boys, even Ben, to give it a try, of course.
Haley laughed, especially when Gavin joined in on the panting. She nodded. “Yes, like that. But a dog’s nose can also be wet because he’s sweating. And his feet can be wet with sweat, too.”
“Okay, guys,” Gavin said a few minutes later, easing the puppy from Ryan’s arms. “Buddy has been here an hour now, and it looks like he might be getting tired. Everyone got a chance to hold him and ask a question, right?”
They all nodded and a stream of “Yes, sirs” filled the room, followed by several asking when they’d get to see Buddy and Miss Haley again.
Haley smiled at the group. “You’ll see me tomorrow. We’re going to the Cutter farm in the morning to visit some animals there. How does that sound?”
Clapping hands, smiling faces and cheers met her question.
“Okay, then.” Gavin grinned at their excitement. “What do y’all tell Miss Haley for bringing Buddy here for us today?”
“Thank you, Miss Haley,” they yelled in unison.
Then Ben asked, “Miss Haley?”
“Yes, Ben?”
“Um, can we—” he pushed his glasses up on his nose “—can we hug you?”
* * *
Gavin watched the play of emotions on Haley’s face. She blinked, then her mouth rolled in slightly and she nodded.
“Yes, Ben, that would be great.”
The boy scrambled to his feet and wrapped his arms around her.
He was quickly followed by each of the other fifteen kids. All were visibly grateful for the pretty vet who had taken time from her busy day to bring a little joy into theirs in the form of a squirming puppy that, merely a few days ago, had been abandoned and left on his own to try to survive.
Much like many of these boys.
Gavin’s chest constricted at the image before him: Haley surrounded by a herd of little boys who couldn’t seem to hug her tightly enough or to thank her enough.
The vision sparked thoughts of what might have been.
He’d wanted kids of his own. Several, truth be told. He and Selah had talked often about buying a big farmhouse and filling it up with kids. He’d looked forward to images like that, except, in his plans, the woman had been his wife.
The children had been his children.
Haley laughed as Eli and Ryan, fighting over who would get the last hug, knocked her backward in their excitement.
Her laugh rippled over him, sent a longing of lost dreams straight to his heart.
And then her eyes connected with his. Her laughter subsiding and head tilting slightly, she mouthed, You okay?
They’d only known each other a few days, but she could already read him. Maybe because he’d divulged his past. Or maybe because that’s just the way she was, so in tune to the needs of others. In any case, he nodded.
Even though he most certainly wasn’t okay.
* * *
Haley watched Gavin speaking to the other counselors, discussing how much the kids liked the animals. She listened and took part in the discussion when appropriate, but her mind kept replaying the way he’d looked at her when the boys had hugged her in the cabin.
There had been so much sadness in his eyes, something near anguish on that beautiful, strong face.
But now he’d traded the sadness for a smile. Chatted with the group as though everything was fine.
How often did he have to hide his emotions like that? And did anyone else notice when he was hurting? No doubt he didn’t share his pains often. In fact, he surely hadn’t wanted to open up about his past with Haley, hadn’t planned to, but she hadn’t really given him a choice.
She was glad, though. Because instead of thinking he was shutting himself off, being gruff and grizzly, she now understood that he was a man dealing with his heartache the best way he knew how.
She wanted to help him with that, because Gavin Thomason deserved to be happy. Very happy. And the more she learned about him, the more she liked.
“I guess we can load the animals up and take them home now,” he said, bringing her back to the present conversation.
“Sounds good,” she replied, saying her goodbyes to the rest of the Willow’s Haven group before she and Gavin prepared to load the animals into the truck.
Ten minutes later he showed no signs at all of whatever had transpired in the cabin and smiled as he slid the big gray crate filled with sleeping bunnies into the back of the truck. “I think the kids wore the rabbits out.”
“The puppies, too,” she said, referring to Bagel, sleeping in her arms, and Buddy, already dozing on the passenger seat.
“It was great to see the kids having so much fun with them, wasn’t it?” He shut the tailgate and started for the passenger’s side.
“Yes, it was, and it reaffirmed my belief that these kids need some animals here full-time to care for, and to love.”
He opened the passenger door. “Hopefully, Brodie and Savvy will find a way to get that approved.”
“Maybe I could write a letter to the social worker about the benefits of pets in children’s lives, how it teaches them to care for others and gives them purpose.”
“It certainly wouldn’t hurt. And with Willow’s Haven being a Christian children’s home, you could also include the fact that caring for pets would help the children follow Christ’s example of serving.”
Haley wondered how he could be so close to God after the hand he’d been dealt. She certainly hadn’t felt that close to Him since her father had abandoned shi
p. “How do you—” she started, but a neighing horse caused her to stop midsentence.
“What is that?” Gavin peered into the cab, where the sound grew louder.
“Oh, I left my phone in the truck while we were with the kids. I need to get it. It might be my mom.” She hurried to the cab, reached over Bagel and grabbed the phone.
Which had stopped neighing.
She stared disbelievingly at the screen while Bagel squirmed into her arms. “It was her, and I missed it!”
* * *
Gavin got another glimpse into Haley’s world.
A call from her mom took priority.
“Here, I can hold Bagel while you call her back.” He reached for the sleepy puppy.
“Yes, please.” She gently transferred Bagel to his arms. “Actually, if you wouldn’t mind driving, I’ll call her while we’re on our way back. I’m hoping we get to talk awhile.”
“Don’t mind at all.” He moved to the driver’s side, while she darted around the truck and tapped the screen on her phone.
Gavin waited for her to climb in and then situated Bagel the way she’d done on the drive over, his head in Gavin’s lap and his body stretched out across the center of the seat. Then he said a quick prayer that he wouldn’t be dealing with the effects of a carsick beagle on this trip.
Haley seemed unconcerned with anything but the telephone. She scooped up Buddy, tenderly placed him in her lap and frowned at the phone against her ear. “Come on, Mom. You just called. Pick up.”
Bagel stretched out and rolled his head to the side as if he were the happiest beagle on the planet. Gavin grinned, rather enjoying having the pup along for the ride. “He knows what he likes, doesn’t he?”
Haley didn’t answer. She had the phone pressed against her ear, her free hand pinching the bridge of her nose and her eyes squeezed shut. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she might be praying. But given what he did know about her current spiritual status, he suspected that wasn’t the case.
“Mom, it’s me,” she said, presumably receiving her mother’s voice mail. “I missed your call, but I’m wanting to talk to you. I’ve been wanting to talk to you. Call me back. It’s been two days and I’m worried. Let me know that you’re okay. Please.”
She disconnected, plopped the phone into the console and let her head fall back on the seat. “We talk every day. Every morning. But I haven’t been able to get in touch with her for the past two days.” Then, before Gavin could ask anything else, she jolted and reached for the phone again. “She doesn’t like texting, but since I can’t get her to answer, I might as well try, right?”
Gavin nodded. “Right.” But he wasn’t sure why she seemed so bothered. He did well to talk to his parents every other week, and then it was because he called to check in. They were typically too busy to call and that was fine with him. They knew that if he needed them, he’d call, and vice versa.
But Haley was obviously concerned about missing a daily call from her mom. Or, in this case, two daily calls.
He listened to her tap out a message and then, frustrated, drop the phone back into the console. “Is something wrong with your mom?”
She moved both hands to her face, spread her fingers over her closed eyes and then dragged them down her cheeks before finally answering. “I honestly don’t know if anything is wrong or not. If I don’t hear from her by tomorrow, I’m going down there and making sure she’s okay.”
“To Florida?” What had her so worried about a missed call? “Is she sick?”
“I don’t know. Maybe? Or maybe not.” She shook her head. “I have no way of knowing, since she won’t answer the phone and she hasn’t called. And my grandfather hasn’t called, of course, because he won’t do that.”
Gavin was usually pretty good at putting two and two together, but in this case, he felt like he was only getting half of the equation. “Your grandfather wouldn’t call because...?”
Her head still rested against the seat, but she turned and released a laugh that radiated tension. “Because he doesn’t return calls.” She held a finger in the air and said in a deep voice, “‘If someone really wants to talk to you, they’ll...call...back.’” The last three words were emphasized with finger jabs into the air.
Gavin couldn’t help but laugh, as well. Even when she was mad, she was cute. “He sounds like a character.”
“Oh, he’s a character, all right. And one my mother graciously puts up with on a daily basis, bless her heart.”
“He lives with your folks?” Gavin appreciated the opportunity to gain a little insight into where Haley came from.
“With my mom,” she said. “Or, more accurately, in the apartment behind her house.”
Before he could ask the obvious question, she added, “My dad left my mom last year. They’re still married, because, bizarrely, she still loves him. But he’s living in Orlando now.” She closed her eyes. “He left her last year for a woman he met on one of his business trips. She’s thirty-two, just two years older than me. So, basically, she could be his daughter.” She paused, and Gavin wasn’t sure whether he should say something or wait, in case she would share more.
He waited.
After a moment she said, “Mom always went with him when he traveled. She loved to travel with him. But then my grandfather got sick and she started staying home to take care of him, because he said he wanted no part of assisted living. She was home taking care of him while dad was...” Her voice quivered. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this.”
Gavin tried to find something positive to say. “Well, I think it’s admirable that your mom takes care of her dad.”
She laughed, but again, there was no humor in it. “That’s the thing. He isn’t her dad. He’s my dad’s father, and he’s never even liked her, or been all that nice to her. Or anyone else for that matter. But that’s the way Mom is, always taking care of everyone else.” She rubbed her hands down her face again. “She needs...someone to care about her.”
And now he began to understand how her father had let her down. He’d hurt her mom. And in doing so, hurt Haley, too.
“You obviously care about her,” Gavin pointed out as he started down the driveway leading to Claremont Veterinary Services.
“But I’m here, nearly eight hours away.”
“She wants you to move back home?”
“No.” She shook her head. “The opposite. She’s repeatedly told me to stay, even when everything happened last year with my dad, because she said I have this amazing opportunity to have my own practice, to be the sole vet in town. There are tons of vets in Ocala, with all the horse farms around, and I’m the only one here.”
“That makes sense,” he noted.
“Plus, I bought the house, which is perfect for me. And I have all my animals here. But...” She took a deep breath, pushed it out. “I wouldn’t have moved away if I’d have known she’d be on her own.”
“She wants your dream to come true.”
She snorted. “That’s the thing. The veterinary practice wasn’t the biggest part of my dream. When I moved here, I had this vision, the same one that she had for me, that by the time I was thirty...” She stopped speaking, turned to him and he could see those green eyes looking...regretful. “Can you just forget I said anything?”
Gavin got another glimpse into the world of Haley Calhoun. “You’re fine with me opening up and sharing my past with you, but you want to pick and choose what you tell me?”
She gave him a tiny shrug and squinted. “Pretty much.”
“Not a lot to that kind of friendship, if you ask me,” he admonished softly. “Besides, you needed to talk and I needed to listen.”
“Why is that?”
“So I can learn more about you, Dr. Calhoun, and be a real friend, someone you can count on. And someone you can confide in.”
Som
eone who cares about you, he silently added. She’d said that’s what she wanted for her mom, but whether she realized it or not, that’s what she also needed for herself. He rather liked the idea of being that for her, as long as there wasn’t the risk of anything more. And they’d both agreed neither wanted anything beyond friendship. So why couldn’t he let himself care about Haley Calhoun?
As a friend. Nothing more, nothing less.
Her phone neighed loudly and she grabbed it from the console.
“Your mom?”
“Yeah, but it’s just a text.”
“What did she say?”
“‘Sorry I didn’t catch you. We are traveling and do not have a good signal. Everything is fine. Don’t worry about us. Granddad says hello. I will call you Sunday. Love you.’”
“That’s good, isn’t it? Everything is fine. They’re just traveling.”
But Haley looked more perplexed than relieved. “Traveling? That makes no sense. She didn’t mention plans to go anywhere when we talked earlier this week. And why would she be traveling with my grandfather? He barely leaves the apartment. In fact, he refuses to leave.”
“But she said they are fine.”
“Yeah, she did.” Though Haley didn’t sound comforted by her mom’s reassurance.
“So...if they’re traveling, there probably isn’t any reason for you to head to Florida tomorrow, is there?”
Her head still shook, as though she couldn’t reconcile the text with the woman who’d sent it. “No, I guess there isn’t.”
“Good,” he said as the beagle in his lap realized they’d stopped moving and raised his head to peer at Gavin.
“Why is that good?” she asked, reaching out to rub Buddy’s belly. Unlike Bagel, he didn’t care that the truck had stopped moving and merely rolled over and continued sleeping, his tiny mouth open and his pink tongue hanging out to one side.
“It’s good because Eli asked if he could come spend some time with you and Buddy tomorrow, after the kids finish their visit to the Cutter farm. I think he was wanting to make sure he got his one-on-one time with Buddy for the day.”
Finally a Bride Page 10
