Love by the Reins: Christian Contemporary Romantic novella (Love's Sporting Chance)

by Cate Nolan

  Willa kicked at the sand as she waited. She couldn’t help feeling a little lost, a little lonely. This was what happened to people who opened their hearts. She should have known better.

  “Here.” David was suddenly beside her wrapping the jacket around her shoulders. “Thank you for finding her. I’m sorry she’s been so mean to you. I can’t imagine what caused this.”

  “Neither can I,” Willa responded. “When we left her this afternoon she gave you a kiss and me a big hug. Something happened between then and now. Go. Find out what it was.”

  “Will do.” David leaned down and kissed her gently. “Please text me when you make it back safely. I’ll call as soon as I know what’s going on.”

  “I will.” She blew him a kiss, then turned to walk Wildfire to where she'd left Colonel waiting. She found a large rock she could use to mount. She sat in the saddle, watching as David and Hailey drove away. Tears froze on her cheeks as she considered what could possibly have happened. Did Hailey resent Willa and David reuniting? She’d seemed so happy to see them together. Willa had even overheard her whispering to the horse that maybe they could be a real family. Something had changed that.

  “Lord, help us. Please guide Hailey. Help her with whatever is wrong. And please guide David. Give him the words to help her to heal.”

  *

  The minute the car stopped in the driveway, Hailey bolted, slammed the door behind her, and ran for the house. David realized he’d accidentally left the door unlocked when he’d run after her before, so there was nothing to stop her. She pulled it open, ran into the house and straight to her room. His heart sank as he heard the lock turn.

  He closed the front door and hurried after her. “Hailey, please open the door. Let me in. Talk to me.”

  “Go away.”

  The sobs that choked her voice hurt him far more than her words.

  “Hails, please. Talk to me.”

  She didn’t respond that time. David walked over to the stairs and sank down on the top step. He buried his face in his hands, fighting the despair that began to settle over him. Times like these, a girl needed her mother. What was he supposed to do?

  Maybe a grandmother could help. He could call Susan’s mother. He walked back over to the door. “What if I call Grandma Lynch, Hailey? Will you talk to her?”

  “No!” Her voice was crystal clear. “If you bring her into this house I will never speak to you again.”

  If he’d been confused before, David was totally befuddled now. She wouldn't talk to Willa or him, but Grandma got the strongest reaction. “Lord, send me the words, help me to help my daughter. Thank you for keeping her safe, but please show me what to do. Guide my words.”

  He knocked on the door. “Are you hungry?”

  Silence.

  “Does anything hurt?”

  Silence.

  As the minutes stretched into an hour, anger began to replace fear. Hailey was resorting to the selfish manipulative kind of behavior he'd thought had changed. “Hailey, I'm losing patience with you. If you're not sick, and you're not hurt, what's wrong? Did you do something to one of the horses?”

  “I would never hurt one of the horses.”

  Ah, finally an answer. Progress.

  “Then why are you locked in your room?”

  Silence. No, not really. He could hear muffled sobs, as though she were covering her face with the pillow. So not really bratty behavior. Something was definitely wrong. “Hailey, I can't help if you won't tell me what's wrong.”

  “You can't help. No one can.”

  David rolled his eyes at the dramatic pronouncement.

  “We could pray about it.”

  A different kind of silence. “Since when do you pray about things?”

  Ouch.

  He went for honesty. “Since Willa reminded me how important it is.”

  “Prayer won't help this.”

  He wanted to say that there was nothing prayer couldn't help, but the words felt hypocritical coming from his mouth. He'd failed to pray far too often to preach it at his daughter now. “I'll ask Willa to pray for you then.”

  That only seemed to bring more tears.

  David was about ready to tear his hair out, when he saw Willa's message on his phone. I couldn’t wait to for you to call. I'm outside. What’s going on?

  David wanted to text back HELP, but he went down and opened the door instead, waving her in. “I'm at my wit's end. She won't talk to me at all. All she'll do is cry.”

  Willa wrapped her arms around him and David felt some of her calmness seep into him. If only she could do that for Hailey.

  “Did you think of calling Susan's mother?”

  “Hailey vowed never to speak to me again if I did.”

  “This is so bizarre, David. Let me go try to talk to her.”

  *

  Her suggestion was punctuated by a crash from above. David was a wreck so Willa took charge. “Why don't you go make us some coffee. I'm going to try again.”

  He headed off to the kitchen and she mounted the stairs and rapped on the door. “Hailey, it’s Willa. Please let me in.”

  “No, go away.”

  “I’m not going away. I’m just going to stay out here until you decide to talk to me.”

  That brought a fresh spate of tears that had Willa questioning herself. What did she know about child rearing? What did she know about how to handle a hysterical child? She had some experience. She'd calmed nervous horses and she had comforted scared and anxious riders. She'd held more than one crying little girl, kissed more than one scraped knee or bumped head. But this was so much bigger than a scraped knee and she was so very out of her element.

  After several minutes the tears subsided, but there was another crash.

  Willa sank down against the door. “I’ll just be sitting here until you decide to stop trashing your room and talk to me like a mature girl.”

  Silence reigned for a long time. David brought her coffee and she sat there sipping it while she while she wracked her brains for an idea of what was going on. Finally the crying subsided a bit and she heard movement. She realized Hailey had come to the opposite side of the door.

  “Don’t the horses need you?

  The soft question gave Willa hope. There was something in Hailey's voice. Willa wasn't sure what it was, but she went with her instincts. “Billy can take care of them. You need me more.”

  There was another long silence. Willa sipped her lukewarm coffee waiting. Finally she slid a finger under the door, hoping contact would help. “I'm still here, Pumpkin. I'm not going anywhere.”

  “I know you're not.” Hailey murmured in what could only be called a resigned voice. “You love my daddy.”

  The soft words rocked Willa. Out of the mouths of babes.

  “You don't have to say anything. I saw you kissing.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” Willa held her breath waiting on the answer. She was on such shaky ground. She and David had so much history, so many problems to work through. They were trusting that love and God would help them through. She'd barely considered Hailey in the equation. Well, that was not exactly true. She'd thought a lot about Hailey, about how she'd been drawn to her from that very first meeting. How much she'd come to love her. How much she wanted to be a mother to her. She had never considered that Hailey could be a roadblock. The thought stole her breath. As the silence yawned, Willa's stomach knots twisted.

  “It is if you take my daddy away from me.”

  Willa's eyes filled with tears. How had she not considered this? How had she not realized Hailey would feel threatened?

  Because she'd been so consumed with her own thoughts and fears and regrets. Some mother she'd make.

  “Hailey, honey I would never steal your daddy away from you.” The pain in her chest threatened to overwhelm her. She knew what it felt like to lose your father. She'd walk away from David, walk away from a future with him rather than ever cause such pain to a child. But how could she get Hailey to
see that?

  “I'm so sorry, Hailey,” she whispered. “I would never take your daddy away from you. I wanted the three of us to be a family together. I would never take your daddy away and leave you.”

  “But you don't want me. You only want him. You can never love me.”

  “I do love you Hailey. I love you like a daughter.”

  “Don't lie to me.” The grief in the child's voice was palpable. Another crash echoed the angry words.

  “Why would you think I was lying?”

  “You can't love me because of who I am. I know. I know about my mother. I know why you hate me.”

  Willa raised stricken eyes to where David stood in the doorway. Had he heard the whole thing? Her eyes asked the silent question. Who would have told her that? Had she overheard them talking?

  He shrugged his confusion.

  “I know what my mother did to you. I heard people talking.” Her voice was so tiny now, Willa could barely hear. She looked up at David, pure horror in her expression.

  “Hailey, please let me in. I need to talk to you, to understand what you’re saying.”

  “I can’t. I don’t want you to ever have to look at me again.”

  Now she was scaring them. “Hailey, Please don’t say that.” Willa swallowed hard. “I love you. It would break my heart if I never got to see you again.”

  “How can you say that? How can you even bear to look at me after what she did?”

  The question brought a moment of revelation to Willa too. “Oh Hailey, baby. Your mother made some mistakes, but she was my best friend. I don't hate her and I could never hate you. Please open the door. I want to give you the biggest hug.”

  There was a long silence and Willa held her breath. Finally the latch turned. She heard footsteps retreating. The door didn't open, and Willa realized Hailey had done all she could. She'd taken a chance.

  Willa opened the door. Tears were streaming down her face as she saw the child huddled in her bed. She walked across the room and sat down beside her. She wanted nothing more than to wrap Hailey in a hug, but there was something she needed to do first.

  Willa leaned toward Hailey and placed a fingertip under the girl's chin. She lifted her face so that she could gaze directly into Hailey's eyes. “I love you Hailey Marlow. I love absolutely every little inch of you.” She leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, and then she did wrap her in her arms. “Please don't ever scare me like that again, Hailey. I love you so, so, so, so much.”

  “But—”

  “Nope. No buts. Your mama was my friend, and I loved her with all my heart. She made a bad mistake. We all make mistakes. But the people who love us forgive us and then it's over and only love remains.”

  Willa knew it was a simplistic answer, but in her heart she also knew it was the truth. She had to forgive Susan or she could never begin a new life.

  Hailey smiled through her tears. “I love you, Willa.”

  A cough from the hallway made Hailey and Willa look up.

  “Is there room in that hug for a lonely daddy?”

  Willa gazed at Hailey who giggled and opened her arms. Willa opened hers too and drew David into their circle – a circle of love and forgiveness and family.

  And finally her heart was full.

  Epilogue

  Fireworks shot through the night sky as David and Willa huddled inside a blanket beside the bonfire on the beach.

  “I remember the first time you built me a bonfire here,” Willa whispered. “It was the day my father disappeared. You followed me down here to make sure I was okay.”

  “I remember. You were crying and I was terrified. I didn’t know how to make it better.”

  “You tried. I appreciated it then and I appreciate it now.” She turned to face him, lifting a hand to touch his precious face. “I’m sorry I pushed you away after he left. I didn’t consciously realize I was doing it. It wasn’t until my mother explained what happened that it all made sense to me.”

  David held her closer. “I could wish on all the stars in the heavens that it hadn’t happened, but… what was that phrase you used? It’s water under the bridge.” He smiled down at her. “I have you now, and I am never letting you go.”

  Willa nestled deeper into his arms. “Sounds perfect to me.”

  They sat there for a long time kissing and watching the fireworks. When the last of them died away, David shifted and tried to get up.

  “I thought you were never letting me go?”

  He laughed, but his expression turned serious as he turned to kneel before her. Firelight danced across her face, illuminating her surprise.

  “I know it’s only been a month since we reconnected, but I don’t want to be apart from you for even a night, Willa. I want to start the new year with you by my side. Since you love me, say you’ll marry me. Please, Willa. I’ve loved you since I was ten years old. Like a fool, I let you get away the last time. I won’t make that mistake again.”

  She lifted her hands to cup his face and bring him closer. “I adore you, David. Yes, I’ll marry you. Tomorrow if you want.” She clasped his hands close to her heart. “I want nothing more than to be a family with you and Hailey.”

  “Nothing?” he teased. “What about the horses?”

  Willa gave him a pained look. “I would hope you love me enough not to ask it, but yes, I’d even give up my horses for you.”

  David threw back his head, and gave a cheer. Then he slipped a ring on her finger. “I would never ask you to give up your horses. I love every bit of you, Willa, even the horse crazy part.”

  He leaned down and kissed her. “Happy New Year, my love.The End

  Check out the other books in the Love’s Sporting Chance series:

  Love Over Par

  The Reversal

  Lured by Love

  The Skiing Suitor

  On Thin Ice

  Tobogganning for Two

  Cate Nolan lives in New York City, but she escapes to the ocean any chance she gets. A devoted mom, wife and teacher, Cate loves to leave her real life behind and play with the characters in her imagination. She’s got that writer gene that sees a story in everyday occurrences. Cate particularly loves to write stories of faith enabling ordinary people to overcome extraordinary circumstances.

  Her debut, Christmas in Hiding was released from Love Inspired Suspense in October 2015. You can purchase it at any of the following links:

  Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Hiding-Love-Inspired-Suspense-ebook/dp/B00TXBAUGQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438207512&sr=8-1&keywords=Cate+Nolan

  Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/christmas-in-hiding-cate-nolan/1121257617?ean=9780373447015

  Harlequin: http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=60557&cid=359

  For more information or to contact Cate, visit her at her website: http://www.catenolanauthor.com/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010179603545

  Table of Contents

  Copyright 2015

  Dedication:

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Epilogue

  Check out the other books in the Love’s Sporting Chance series:Love Over ParThe Reversal

 

 

 
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