by Lisa Prysock
He nodded. “Yes, that’s true. These have been good years for us.”
“They have, and for your deep friendship and companionship, I’m eternally thankful. You helped me escape from Lane and build a whole new life. It means a lot to me. But there are a number of issues I can’t resolve in our relationship, reasons why I can’t marry you. The first one doesn’t have anything to do with you. It’s my problem, not yours. It has to do with my marriage to Lane Richards. As you know, I went through a miserable marriage to him, and I don’t want to make another mistake which might end in grief. I’ve got cold feet.”
“Go on.” Drew listened attentively.
“I know you’re not Lane, but I know you constantly have to entertain female actresses. Your whole line of work really bothers me. Do you have any idea of how often you’re photographed in the company of other female actresses?”
“I guess I hadn’t really thought about that much.” He drummed his fingers on the table, looking sheepish and annoyed with her answers.
“For the rest of my life, I’d be looking over my shoulder because women in Hollywood will do anything to get the parts they want and a chance to land a big break. You have the power to make or break those women, and it’s a huge problem for me.” She paused and sipped more of her coffee.
“I guess it goes with the territory.” He didn’t offer to make any changes. He sounded as though he expected her to adapt, another reason why she didn’t think they’d make a good marriage.
“Secondly, I know you made me the darling of Fairchild Studios, and you’ve helped me to become an A-list actress, but I’ve spent weeks deliberating over this decision, living in silent fear you’ll destroy my career if I turn your proposal down. Don’t say you wouldn’t, Drew. I’ve seen you wreak havoc on other careers when you perceive you’ve been crossed.” Nicole figured he’d think about denying her observations.
Drew shifted uncomfortably in his seat and drank some of his coffee. “I suppose I have, but I’d never ruin your career. Now that you’re among the top darlings of the movie industry—not just Fairchild Studios—it would only come back on us if I did anything. You’ve got to stop underestimating your own power, you know? I may have helped put you there, but I’m not that kind of person. The people who have crossed me deserved what they got. You’ve never given me a problem.”
“Well, I appreciate hearing this, but it has troubled me.” She continued, stirring her coffee idly. “Then there’s your marriage history and your friendship with your first wife, Melinda.”
“I warned you Melinda and I would always be close,” he reminded her. That stubborn look formed on his face again, the same one appearing whenever she questioned him about his first wife. Melinda Cressing was never going to go away.
“Well, that may be, but I have it direct from Kelsey Parker that Melinda is the main reason your second marriage failed.” She paused to drink more of her coffee, but she hardly enjoyed it given the nature of their discussion. “Believe me, Melinda is a concern because she’s always there, lingering in the background. The paparazzi are constantly photographing the two of you together. Kelsey couldn’t handle it, and to be honest, because of Lane’s steady stream of indiscretions, I don’t think I can, either.”
Drew remained quiet, but the expression on his face softened.
Nicole sighed. “Trust me, none of this is easy to explain, but I’m trying to be honest with you because I’d expect the same from you.”
“All right, fair enough. Go on.” Drew drank more of his coffee and leaned back in his chair, glancing at the snow falling outside as the sun sank into the horizon.
“Then there’s Amy, and she’s the biggest reason why I can’t marry you. In the five years we’ve been dating, she has tiptoed around you, your home, and your life. You hardly ever address her when we’re eating out at restaurants and the two of you have barely been able to carry on a conversation. It’s obvious the two of you haven’t been able to connect on very many levels. I had hoped this would diminish in time, but it really hasn’t. Although I’ve seen some progress in the short time since you’ve asked me to marry you, it’s as though it’s too little, too late. That’s very troubling for me, Drew. I mean, she doesn’t even remember you. That scares me.”
“I know,” he said softly. “It bothers me, too. She’s the only kid I’m ever around except at the studio on rare occasion, and the closest I’ve ever come to being a parent. I do care about her, deeply. I’ll be honest; I’m not very good with kids.”
“No, you’re not, but I don’t blame you entirely. Knowing your background, I’ve been patient and willing to give this time, but a skateboard? She has a severe concussion, Drew, and she was in a coma because she fell off a sled and hit her head really hard. I mean, we didn’t know if she’d ever wake up again.” She was shaking as she began discussing the skateboard, though she knew years of frustration about his almost non-existent relationship with her child might be causing some overreaction to the gift.
“I’m terrible with kids, seriously,” he admitted. “I don’t think I even know how to change that.”
“I know, Drew. I’ve tried to be patient about this. It’s like you have this perfect world and you’re afraid Amy will mess it up. Believe me, kids mess up everything. Look around you. I’ve got all kinds of boxes filled with Christmas gifts filling my living room, most of them for her. I’ve got a trail of her socks between the sofa and her bedroom, and I can guarantee she’ll forget to put the cap back on the toothpaste for a few more years until I explode about it. We’ve got books and papers all over the place for homeschool, and picking up her toys isn’t her favorite task. I find them in every room no matter where we are.”
Drew chuckled. “I go stir crazy just looking at an open cupboard door. I don’t know how you do it.”
“I have managed to get her to understand she can’t touch the papers on my desk, my purse, my cell, the mail pile, or my laptop. Those things took a lot of reinforcement and discipline. And Amy is better than most kids. She gets up every day and dresses herself. She makes her bed, each and every morning. She understands I wake up slowly. She can fix herself a bowl of cereal or toast if needed, but it wasn’t always like that. It’s all part of being a parent, but at least I get to be the one to teach her responsibility and enjoy this journey with her.”
She took a deep breath and continued. “I’m just trying to be honest and practical. I firmly believe every parent knows what’s best for their child and has the ability to consider the whole child. A skateboard is simply out of the question right now, and even maybe next spring. I mean, you live in that Hollywood museum of a mansion where she can’t touch a single thing, and now you give her a gift that could turn out to be a fatal mistake. And if I take it from her, I’m the bad guy here. What if she hit her head in the same place and...? I mean, you didn’t think that through very well, ya know? That’s the last thing I’d want her to have at this time, but maybe I will be able to help her find a way to use it without actually riding it. That’s about the only choice I have in this situation, so there you have it. And then, there’s Jack...”
“I figured there was more to this than these reasons, and I’m sorry about the skateboard. You’re absolutely right. I wasn’t thinking.” Drew looked down at his coffee cup. Though he’d apologized about Amy and the gift, and admitted he was inept where children were concerned, he had no intention of withdrawing from his deep friendship with the beautiful actress who seemed to haunt their relationship from his first marriage.
“Well, I haven’t known him very long, but the truth is, I think I’d like to get to know Jack. He’s been really amazing through this crisis and he’s great with kids. He’s not afraid Amy will mess up his life. And that brings me to your beliefs and faith. We’re light-years apart on the issue of faith, though I haven’t exactly been a model Christian, but after God spared my daughter’s life, I feel like the least I can do is become faithful and turn my life back to Him.”
C
hapter 22
“Everyone says you are a nice chap, and between ourselves, you agree with them. You are quite likely to believe that all this niceness is your own doing, and you may easily not feel the need for any better kind of goodness. Often people who have all these natural kinds of goodness cannot be brought to recognize their need for Christ at all until one day, the natural goodness lets them down, and their self-satisfaction is shattered. In other words, it is hard for those who are rich in this sense to enter the kingdom.”
—C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Drew Fairchild departed from The Sweetwater on Friday morning after an early breakfast with Nicole, Amy, Mallory, and her parents at the ranch coffee house and bakery on Bridge Haven Road. She saw him texting his pilot, asking him to meet him at the airport and realized he’d flown his private jet from California to Wyoming.
“I’m not giving up, you know,” he’d said, dropping a kiss on her forehead. “But I’m going to go home and do my best to make some changes.”
“Oh, Drew,” she shook her head, not knowing what else to say.
“Keep the ring, whatever you decide,” he added, picking up his suitcase. She watched him turn and walk out the door, and a piece of her heart went with him; although she knew they’d never be able to be together. The man had a huge heart where she was concerned, but she had to be honest with herself and not let his power and billion dollar bank account steer her in the wrong direction.
Nicole Maribella Beaumont’s boyfriend, Drew Fairchild—the sole heir of Fairchild Studios and a Hollywood Legacy—and her skyrocketing acting career, and acquiring more material possessions to go with her Santa Monica beach house, were all that glittered in her world until she’d arrived in Wyoming, but Jack Colten had helped her be honest with herself enough to see some things glitter like a mirage leading to a dry and thirsty desert for the soul. They dazzle and sparkle with a false sense of security. She had this feeling deep down that she needed to pray for Drew to believe in Jesus. With his billions, he didn’t see his need for God. He couldn’t find any reason to believe in a God He couldn’t see. She wished she’d worked harder to show him, but she’d been drowning herself. Only the grace of God had spared her and shown her the nakedness of her soul without a Savior.
Amy still couldn’t remember who Drew was at breakfast. She only knew he’d given her a pink skateboard the day before. This continued to glare at her with a nagging she couldn’t shake away.
When they were finally alone at the bakery, her daughter yawned and wavered, nearly falling asleep over her plate of banana bread. Nicole pulled Amy into her arms. “Whaddya say we go back to the cabin and fall back asleep, kiddo?”
Her little eyelashes fluttered and she nodded sleepily. “Yes, please.” They’d been through a lot in the past week. Hanging out at the cozy cabin for the next few days were the only things she planned besides reading the package from her agent and having a talk with Amy about not telling Jack about her break up with Drew right away. It wouldn’t be good for Amy to think she could bounce from one relationship right into another. She had to find a way to slow things down with Jack and concentrate on getting to know him as a friend. Then again, if Amy didn’t seem to have any memory of Drew other than the connection between him and the daily delivery of roses, maybe it wasn’t as huge a concern as she thought. In any case, she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her vacation getting to know Jack.
THE FOLLOWING WEEK was restful and everything she and Amy needed. On Wednesday, Casey, Makayla, and Emilio stopped by with a stuffed teddy bear and a get well card signed by all of the band members. Jill and Logan sent a floral arrangement with another card, also signed by all of their kids, on behalf of the ranch. The ladies from her quilting group sent another card telling them how much they were missed and mentioning the prayers going up for a full recovery. The doctor consoled Nicole over the phone about Amy’s long term memory when he said it was most likely a temporary condition.
Each day, Drew continued to send more beautiful roses, and Jack faithfully delivered them along with a few other packages she’d ordered. Online shopping relaxed her and kept her mind off of her day-to-day worries and concerns for the future of her career, but she had started ordering fewer items since Amy’s accident. She wasn’t feeling the need to surround herself with stuff like she had before the sledding incident. Instead, she wanted to spend a few minutes each evening reading her Bible and praying.
Jack didn’t ask about the packages or Drew’s visit, but Nicole had a feeling he knew about the brief encounter. Instead, he seemed like a patient rock of strength with his calm, steady, warm friendship and demeanor. Something had changed in the way he approached the deliveries. In fact, he’d started bringing bouquets of evergreen and wildflowers he found still growing here and there through the patches of snow, all of them tied with a silk ribbon.
On Thursday morning, he showed up with a Christmas tree he dragged into the foyer. He gave Amy the flowers from Drew and stood smiling proudly by the door.
“Cowboy Jack brought us a tree, Mommy!” Amy clasped her hands together as she gazed at the enormous tree. She’d taken to answering the door again and was moving about the house as if she were back to normal. Nicole knew it wouldn’t be long before they’d be able to get out and about, but one more day of rest wouldn’t hurt. Besides, she was nearly done reading everything her agent had sent.
“I figured you two wanted one, and the Christmas tree guy is almost sold out.” Jack had a wide grin on his face. The sheer cold outside had turned his face red in the short time it took to haul the tree from the back of his truck into the foyer. “Today’s his last day with us, so I hope you don’t mind. I picked one out for you.”
“No, we don’t mind and that’s a beauty for sure. I’m glad you thought of us, Jack. I ordered a few ornaments and lights, but I forgot a Christmas tree stand.” Nicole stood back to admire the tree while he held it up. It looked about a foot taller than her handsome cowboy, and he was tall. It had a nice span and the smell of fresh evergreen began to permeate the cabin.
“There’s something about having a real Christmas tree, don’t you think?” he asked, looking in her direction and then Amy’s for their reaction.
“Oh yes,” Nicole agreed, nodding. She hoped her smile told him she approved. “My father used to take us out on our farm every year and we’d pick one out. We haven’t had a real tree in years.”
“Can we decorate it today?” Amy asked.
Looking at Jack, Nicole raised an eyebrow. “Not without Jack’s help. Can you come back this evening?”
“Sure thing, right after work, if you’re sure Amy’s rested up enough. I’ll pick up a tree stand. Need anything else?” He leaned the tree in a corner in the living room.
“No, and we’ve used up most of the food in the house. Since we haven’t gone to the grocery store, is room service all right for dinner?” She didn’t want to take Amy to the main house yet for a meal in the dining hall. “I understand they’re having Corky’s BBQ ribs, Mrs. Wright’s famous potato salad, cole slaw, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese.”
“Sounds good to me. About six-thirty or seven, then?” Jack tipped his hat.
“See you then,” she smiled. Glancing at the boxes piled up in the living room corner, she wondered how she’d find the decorations she’d ordered amongst all of the boxes. Was it her imagination, or had the pile grown considerably in the past three weeks? She was glad she’d begun minimizing spending so much time in the evenings doing online shopping after Amy fell asleep. As soon as the front door to the cabin closed, she began rummaging through the boxes to find the ornaments and lights.
“You look like you’re bursting with energy today,” Nicole said a little while later when she’d rooted out about ten boxes of Christmas decorations. “Would you like to open these and put hooks on everything to make this evening’s decorating go a little smoother?”
“I’d love to, Mommy.”
“Remember what I s
aid, don’t tell Jack I’ve broken up with Drew. Just let things take their natural course. I don’t want to jump into another relationship too quickly, understand?”
“I’ll do my best, but I’m not very good at keeping secrets.” Her daughter giggled as she struggled to open one of the boxes. At least she was honest.
“I guess that’s all I can ask,” Nicole said, shaking her head and giving her a stern look. “Just try. Really try. I need to enjoy being single for a while.”
“All right, but don’t you want to be with Cowboy Jack? Isn’t he the nicest man we’ve ever met? Next to Grandpa Beaumont, that is.” Amy appeared to have it all figured out. To an eight-year-old, love was not complicated.
“Let me find a way to open these boxes. I think I saw something in the kitchen that might work for a box cutter.” Nicole opened the boxes efficiently, ignoring the comment, and returned to the kitchen to fix a cup of hot tea to accompany her reading plans. They found the ornament hooks right away, and soon, Amy busied herself with attaching a hook to each decoration.
“Wow, I like that everything is pink, purple, or gold. We’re going to have the prettiest tree, Mom.” Her daughter appeared content to continue her task and then placed each ornament back in the box so they’d be easy to store until Jack returned with a Christmas tree stand.
“And in these three boxes, all of the lights are white,” Nicole explained. “Now, I’m going to sit down and finish reading the last chapter of my book and then the script, so I need you to do this quietly, all right?”
“Sure,” Amy nodded. “What’s in this box, Mommy?”
“Oh, that’s the nativity scene I ordered with baby Jesus. There’s a Mary, a Joseph, and three wise men, and all of the stable animals, too. I thought we could put it on the coffee table.”
