And in that hope, she’d found faith. The two were intertwined, keeping her steadfast in the darkest hours of her life.
Jesse reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers for a brief moment that seemed like forever. Intertwined. She drew in a deep, shaky breath and closed her eyes. Because this wasn’t real. Love wasn’t real. She’d grasped at it over the years, trying to hold it, to keep it. It had always evaporated like mist in the summer sunshine.
When church ended, she stood and looked for an escape route to go get Abigail. Jesse’s phone rang and he looked at it and headed for the door.
Surrounded, Laura couldn’t follow. She greeted people whose names she wouldn’t remember but whose smiles welcomed her into their community. Eventually she broke away, walking through the door that led back to the fellowship hall.
She closed the door behind her and leaned on the wall for a minute to get her bearings after the overwhelming surge of people. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
“Too much?”
She opened her eyes and smiled at Jesse. He still held his phone and she nodded. “A little.”
“I’m sure Mom is going to invite you for lunch.” He walked with her when she turned toward the room where it sounded as if kids were still in the middle of a lesson.
“I thought I’d go check on your grandmother.”
“She’s at the ranch with my mom.”
“She’s okay?” Laura’s heart squeezed at the thought of losing Myrna.
“I think so. We’re going to do more tests but thanks to you we’ve hopefully saved her from having a major stroke.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“What you did last night made all of the difference. If you hadn’t told me, Laura, the outcome could have been completely different.”
“I hope she’s forgiven me.”
“She’s forgiven you and then some. And this morning she had a visitor. Seems my grandmother has a beau. Winston James from down the road. I never suspected he was the one.”
Laura smiled but didn’t say anything. She’d known exactly what Myrna was up to and who she was seeing. She glanced toward the room where her daughter had just peeked out to look for her. Laura raised one finger and Abigail slipped back into the room with the other children.
“I need to get her.”
“Okay, and then head out to the ranch for lunch with the family. You’ll both enjoy it.”
“Jesse, they aren’t my family. It would feel strange without...” Heat flooded her cheeks. Without him. Why should he be her anchor with the Coopers?
From the end of the hall came a “pssst.”
Laura glanced that way and saw Abigail peek around the corner. “Mom, we’re not going to miss lunch at Cooper Creek.”
Next to her, Jesse chuckled. “I think you’re not getting out of lunch.”
When they had reached the fellowship hall, Abigail exploded with information and stories about the fun she’d had and what they’d done. Laura listened and looked at the pages her daughter had colored. When she turned to say something to Jesse, he was already gone.
* * *
Jesse hadn’t managed to get out of church as quickly as he planned. On his way out a side door he had gotten caught by Jason Bradshaw. The two of them were planning a canoe trip for the church youth and Jason had a question. When he finally walked out the front doors of the church, the parking lot was nearly empty. He saw their pastor, Wyatt Johnson, talking to a small crowd a short distance away. Jesse’s family had all left.
One car caught his attention. An old hatchback was parked next to Laura’s little blue sedan. The same hatchback he’d seen last night. A man got out and stood next to the car. Jesse walked down the sidewalk, keeping an eye on the man who leaned casually against the car.
The guy, in his early twenties, grinned and waved as Jesse got closer.
“Can I help you?” Jesse stopped in front of Laura’s car and aimed for a casual smile. He turned back toward the church and saw no sign of Laura. She must still be talking to one of the children’s ministry workers.
“I’m waiting for my sister.”
So this was Ryan. Jesse inhaled deeply to clear the anger that boiled up inside of him at the thought of what this man had done to Laura. There he stood, smiling as though it was any spring day and he just wanted a family reunion, but he was the guy who had put Laura behind bars and caused her to lose her daughter.
There was one thing to do with a man like Ryan, and Jesse knew what it was. Fortunately for Ryan, Jesse had never been the Cooper brother itching to fight. He’d always been the peacemaker.
But today the peacemaker in him seemed to be missing.
“I tell you what, Ryan, why don’t you get in that car and head on down the road?”
“Or what?”
“Well, I think I’d start by calling the police.”
Ryan eased back a step, his smile fading. “I’m just here to see my sister.”
“I don’t think you’re interested in a visit. What do you want from her?”
Ryan shrugged one thin shoulder. Jesse didn’t like the guy. He didn’t like his sallow face, his greasy hair or his baggy clothes. He looked like a guy who hadn’t quite come down from his last high.
“I need some money to leave the state,” Ryan admitted, his eyes darting to the road and then back to Jesse.
“Are you in trouble?”
“Listen, I just want to talk to Laura.”
“Laura isn’t going to talk to you. You aren’t going to call her again. You aren’t going to come near her.”
Ryan smirked and his eyes lit up. “What’s she to you?”
“A friend. And she works for me.”
“Yeah, right.” Ryan smirked a little more. “I’m sure that’s what she...”
Jesse took a fast step forward. “Don’t—not if you know what’s good for you.”
“I know what’s good for me. And I know what it takes to get Laura thrown back in jail and that cute kid of hers put back in foster care.”
Jesse stepped back from Ryan because it was the only sane thing to do.
Ryan stood for a long minute like a man weighing his odds and then he got back into the hatchback. After a few rattling attempts, the car started and then pulled away.
Jesse heard a child’s voice, light with laughter. He turned and smiled at Laura and Abigail. Laura’s smile faded and he knew that she’d seen the car leaving and she knew who was in it. She leaned to listen to her daughter’s story, pasting on a smile to let her little girl think that everything was okay.
He waited for them while Laura helped her daughter into the back seat of the car, making sure she was strapped in her booster seat. When she joined him on the sidewalk, her face had regained some of the color it lost when she saw her brother.
“I guess you know that was your brother.”
She nodded, her back to the car and Abigail. “He followed me to a convenience store last night.”
“He wants money.”
“I don’t have money. I’m not sure what more he can take from me.”
Jesse stepped close. “He isn’t taking anything else. We’ll make sure of that.”
“But what if he does something? I’m so close to having Abigail back.”
“He won’t take that from you.” He opened the car door for her. “Don’t worry.”
She nodded but he knew she would worry. Until he could figure this out, he would worry, too.
Once she was behind the wheel of her car, he closed the door. He waited for her to back out and get on the road before he climbed in his truck and followed.
When he pulled up in front of the house at Cooper Creek, Laura stood on the porch waiting for him. He got out of his truck and she walked down to meet him.
“You can go on in.”
“I can’t, Jesse.” She glanced over her shoulder at the big house. “You have the sweetest family in the world but they aren’t my family. For
now they are Abigail’s.”
“My grandmother would be real hard-pressed not to argue with you on that. She considers you her honorary granddaughter. She’ll want you to visit with her at some point today. Might as well get it over with.”
“Get it over with? That sounds like a visit I could do without.”
“She does get some funny ideas.” Like a sapphire ring.
She looked down at the ground and then back up. “What do I do about my brother?”
“Several things. On my way here I called the police, so they can be looking for his car. I have a new phone ordered for you. It should be here tomorrow. Meanwhile, if he calls, you don’t answer. If you see him, you stay clear and call the police.”
“I’d love a simple life without drama, without worrying what will happen next.”
“Give it time.” He glanced at his watch. “I have to be at a meeting in an hour but let’s go inside and get lunch. I’ll be your buffer.”
“Thank you.” She looked from him to the house. “It’s going to be hard leaving her after being with her all weekend.”
“It won’t be long and you won’t have to leave her at all.”
Jesse led her into the house and through the living room to the dining room, where the tables had been set for Sunday lunch. His sister Sophie smiled at them as they walked through the room. She’d recently gotten married and they were already expecting a baby to add to the little girl that her husband, Keeton, had from a previous marriage.
The Cooper family was growing.
Laura paused at the door to the kitchen. He saw what she saw—Abigail surrounded by his family, smiling and telling stories. It didn’t take a child long to become part of the Coopers.
“Mommy, did you know that Jackson has a new baby? They adopted him.”
“I did know that.” Laura leaned to hug her daughter.
Abigail shot him a look and Jesse waved. The little girl grinned quickly but then gave her mom a serious look.
“You’re going to have lunch with us, aren’t you?” Abigail studied her mom’s face and then she gave him another look. “And Jesse, too?”
“Of course we’re staying,” Jesse answered for them both.
He turned to hug his mom and bumped into Jade. She grinned that grin of hers that, if he hadn’t known better, he would say she got from Jackson. Maybe she got it from being around him so much.
“What are you grinning at?” he asked as he reached for a glass.
“Abigail had a great prayer request today.” Jade smirked a little.
“A prayer request?” He wanted to be clueless, but he had a feeling he knew what a six-year-old girl prayed for.
“Yeah, so if God answers, congratulations. I think Laura and Abigail are great.”
“I think you’re great.” Jesse hugged her. “And I think you are your father’s daughter.”
She looked at Jackson, who stood across the room talking to their father. “Yeah, I am just like him.”
Jesse looked around the room for Laura. She and his mother had disappeared. Probably to go check on his grandmother. That gave him a few minutes to step outside and make a couple of phone calls and say a few prayers of his own.
Chapter Sixteen
Laura made good use of the next two weeks when Abigail would remain at Cooper Creek, visiting her only on weekends. She spent time with her aunt Sally and she helped keep an eye on Myrna. Both kept her from thinking about Abigail not living with her and dwelling on Jesse’s imminent departure. The first trip he had to take would only be for ten days. It was the second trip, to Honduras, that made her heart ache.
It was her own fault, she lectured herself every chance she got. She should have kept her distance from him. She had known better.
Now he would be leaving, possibly for a year, and she and Abigail would both miss him. They would both suffer slightly broken hearts. But a year would give them time to heal. A year would give her time to get her life back on track.
The day before he left, Jesse knocked on her door. She opened it and motioned him inside.
“I thought I’d stop by. I’m not sure how much time I’ll have before I leave tomorrow.”
“I have the list you left, of everything that needs to be done. Don’t worry, you’ll have a home to come back to.” She kept her tone light and it wasn’t easy.
“That isn’t why I’m here, Laura. I wanted to say goodbye—not give you last-minute instructions. I think we need to talk.”
“About?” She walked away because it made it easier. In the kitchen she poured two glasses of tea. She took hers and walked out to the back deck. Jesse followed.
“Are you trying to make this difficult?”
“No, I’m trying to make it easier, but you won’t let me. You have to let me, Jesse.”
“Easy? This is going to be anything but easy. I’m planning a trip out of the States for a year. At the same time, a little girl is praying for a daddy and looking at me like I’m the answer to those prayers. Every time I touch you, I feel like you’re the answer to mine.”
“Jesse...”
He stopped her. “I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt Abigail. I don’t want to walk away feeling guilty because everyone thought this was a relationship.”
“The only two people who think we’re a couple would be my daughter and your grandmother.” She managed to smile but it hurt deep inside, where promises are made and broken. But he hadn’t made promises. From the beginning she had known his plans.
She leaned against the rail, wishing he would let this go. It would be easier if she didn’t have to think about him being gone. He stopped in front of her and she looked up, her gaze connecting with his.
“Laura, I don’t know what this is.” While she stood there waiting for him to break her heart, he brushed a rough and yet tender hand down her arm. “I’m a planner. I’ve always planned. This is the year I planned a mission trip. I’ll be thirty-four in a few months. I planned on meeting someone when I turned thirty-five. That’s when I thought I’d be ready for marriage and kids.”
Laura smiled at his honesty. She even laughed a little. “What you’re saying is that you didn’t plan on a woman and a child landing on your doorstep or in your life. You probably even had the type of woman you’d fall for planned.”
Beneath his dark skin she saw a hint of red climb into his cheeks. “Possibly.”
Before he could say more, his cell phone buzzed. It was the front gate. He listened and then buzzed in the visitor.
“Laura, it’s your probation officer.”
She shook her head. “Why would he be here?”
“I’m not sure.” With a hand on her back he guided her to the front of the house.
“Two days, Jesse. Abigail is moving in with me full-time in two days.” It hurt to breathe and her face felt hot and her hands felt cold. She shivered and Jesse kept her close. He opened the door and the probation officer stood on the front porch and a female officer stood behind him.
“Laura, I’m sorry to do this but we’ve had a report that you’re using.”
“Frank, you know that isn’t true.” Laura’s voice and hands shook. “It’s Ryan. He’s trying to get back at me for not giving him money.”
“Laura, we have to do the test.” He motioned the female officer forward. “If you could do this for me.”
“Of course I can. But, Frank, what about Abigail? I’m so close to getting her back.”
“Are you clean?”
“I’ve always been clean. I’ve never used drugs. You know that.”
“Do the test, Laura. We’ll clear this up.”
She stared at the bag the probation officer had handed her, made eye contact with the female officer, then turned to Jesse because he had plans and she was pretty sure this wasn’t in them.
“Go.” She shook her head when he tried to interrupt. “Please, Jesse. I don’t want you here. This is my life and you didn’t ask for it to be yours. I can’t do this with you
looking at me like that.”
Frank stood aside and motioned Jesse out the door. Laura watched him go and then she walked down the hall with the female officer behind her.
* * *
Jesse didn’t want to leave her alone, but he recognized that look on her face. She was holding on to her pride. She needed him gone. He got that. He got in his truck and headed down the drive, not even sure where he was headed.
His cell phone rang. He looked at the display on the dash of his truck and shook his head. If he ignored it, Jeremy would just call back. There was no getting away from him.
“What now?” he answered as he pulled out on the road.
“Could you sound any more excited?”
“Not really. It’s been a rough day. I’m on my way to the ranch to check on Abigail.”
“Could you stop by here? I wanted to show you what I’ve managed to do in three short weeks.” Jeremy cleared his throat. “I just want your thoughts on what I need to do next. I’ve talked to Doc Brannon and he’s interested in volunteering.”
“I see.” Jesse flipped his blinker and headed down a back road that led from Grove to Dawson and came out on Back Street. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Thanks.”
The line went dead. Jesse hit the stereo volume on the steering wheel and Brad Paisley filled the cab of the truck. He sang along, glad to be alone for just a few minutes. It gave him time to think and time to pray.
He needed the prayer time. He needed to get his head on straight and decide his next move.
When he pulled up in front of the metal building that now had a sign, Back Street Medical, he sighed. Jeremy knew how to make things happen. He stepped out of his truck and walked up to the building. Jeremy opened the door, smiling as he waved him inside.
There were three rooms in the clinic—a waiting room, office and exam room. A small bathroom was tucked between the office and exam room. He walked through each room and nodded at what his brother had accomplished.
“What do you need me to tell you, Jeremy?”
“First, tell me what’s going on with you. You look like a hundred dollars of old money.”
“Thanks. Laura’s probation officer showed up at the house to have her do a drug test. Seems someone called her in for using.”
The Cowboy's Healing Ways (Cooper Creek) Page 14
