by Jillian Hart
The ratchet of what sounded like a round being chambered in a rifle echoed in the heavenly stillness. Larks silenced. The wind stilled. Then she heard the telltale metallic clunk of a gate latch falling shut. She turned toward the stable and there he was, William, astride an impressive, midnight-black Thoroughbred. Why did that suddenly make her nervous?
He halted his horse and leaned slightly forward, resting his fists on the saddle’s pommel. He looked rugged and masculine in a black T-shirt and jeans. High astride the tall, impressive horse he seemed, somehow, as distant as the shadows. The dappled shade from the tall grove of trees shifted over him, hiding all but the hard, lean lines of his disapproving face. “Seeing you again, Aubrey, is a surprise.”
“A good surprise or bad surprise?”
The hint of a smile strained against the line of his mouth. “Depends.”
“I brought cake.” She lifted the bakery bag as proof.
“Chocolate?”
“Is there any other kind?”
“Nope.” At the subtle brilliance of her smile, William felt the protective walls around his heart buckle a tiny bit right when he needed them the most. She was like a refreshing summer morning, radiating innocence and light, and he couldn’t pinpoint why. There was simply something innately good about her beyond the image of the golden hair framing her face and ruffling in the mild mountain breeze and more than the sweetness of her smile.
Drawn to her, he pressed Jet into a walk to close the distance between them. “Why did you bring me chocolate cake?”
“It’s not from me. I’m just the delivery person.” She held the bag so he could read it. There was a smiling cartoon sun on the side of the bag with the bold script, Every Kind of Heaven Bakery. “I’m on a delivery for my sister. Danielle ordered this for you. As a thank-you.”
Realization sucker punched him. “What for?”
“Do you really want me to make a list? There’s the lawn mowing and the picture delivery. I guess she also found the book you’d autographed for her. You stopped by the hospital to offer to donate to his medical fund. Your photograph gave her hope when she’d hit rock bottom. Isn’t that enough?”
“No.” He didn’t need anything from anyone—how did he explain that to her? That he might not be happy alone on his mountain, but he wasn’t unhappy, either. “I hate to ask how Jonas is doing.”
“You know how serious this is.”
“My wife’s coma continued to degenerate. That’s a very distant way to say it, right? Like a line descending on a graph somewhere, as if it isn’t about the slow, painful loss of human life. Is that what’s happening with Jonas?”
The brightness seemed to fade from her. Aubrey shrugged and concentrated on setting the bag on the top of the low stone fence that separated them. “Actually, he’s holding his own. He’s responding to deep pain stimulus, or something. Some of his signs have improved. I have no idea what that means or what they are, but Danielle is convinced his vitals change when she’s in the room with him. So, maybe between a miracle and her love, it’ll make a difference.”
In his experience, love hadn’t been enough but that didn’t mean Jonas would suffer the same fate. “I’ve been keeping him in prayer.”
“I know it helps. Thank you.” She gulped in air, as if willing away the sadness. “So, change of subject because it’s too hard to deal with.”
“I understand. It’s why I live all the way out here.”
Her gaze met his, full of heart, and he felt the connection zing through his spirit. She did understand. He didn’t feel as sorely alone. It was a nice change.
Unaware he’d nudged Jet forward on the lawn, suddenly they were closer to her. The distance between them was no longer yards but less than two feet with only the decorative stone fence between them.
“Hello there.” Aubrey lowered her gaze to the gelding. She held out her hand, palm up, for Jet to sniff. “You are one handsome guy.”
William’s throat tightened, and he dismounted, hardly aware of the horse’s low welcoming nicker as he snuffled at Aubrey’s slender hand. He didn’t need to ask if she liked horses; he figured Aubrey liked everything. William’s every sense, every brain cell was captivated by her. Unable to look away, he watched Aubrey smile when Jet offered his nose for a pat.
“How did you know I’m a softy for a good-looking guy like you?”
The tightness in William’s throat expanded until it felt as if not even one atom of oxygen could squeeze past. Emotions he couldn’t name, and didn’t want to if he could, seemed to sit there right behind his Adam’s apple. He couldn’t talk or breathe. He could only watch as the big black gelding lowered his head and began to lip at Aubrey’s jeans pocket. She must have candy.
Jet stomped and huffed, clearly demanding.
“William, your horse is spoiled.”
“Guilty.”
“You don’t sound one bit sorry about that.”
“Nope. He’s my best buddy.”
“I’m sure he’s a good one. And a charming guy.” Aubrey could feel the weight of William’s focus.
The line of his mouth crooked a little higher in the corners. “Jet seems charmed by you.”
“I think it’s the roll of butterscotch candy.” She slipped it out of her pocket and Jet nodded his head as he was agreeing.
“It’s his favorite.”
“I can tell.”
Aubrey noticed the kind twinkle in William’s eyes. It was hard to notice anything else as she kept the roll out of the horse’s reach and unwrapped the candy. If she kept watching William like this, he was going to leap to the wrong conclusion.
She turned her attention to the beautiful gelding. “I’ll have you know that my girl’s an Arabian and butterscotch is her favorite, too.”
She held the buttery candy on her palm for the gelding to lip up. Jet’s mouth was velvety warm and his whiskers tickled her skin as he took the offering and crunched away contentedly.
“An Arabian? For pleasure riding or show?” William asked.
“We used to compete when I was in high school, but now we jump for fun. She’s one of my best buds, too.” Aubrey knew William understood. “My Annie and I have been through a lot together. This is probably the only time in my life when I’ve been too busy to see her much.”
“You miss her.”
“I do. Life can’t get much better than when you’re galloping with your horse.”
“I know that feeling.”
Caring snapped in the vicinity of her heart. It would be really easy to like William, to truly like him, in a way that could only be one-sided. Whatever she did, she’d have to be careful, very careful, not to let that happen.
Perhaps she’d better concentrate on the horse. He’d finished his candy and had started to nudge her hand, wanting more.
As if she could say no. She was all marshmallow fluff inside, so of course she unwrapped another candy to feed him. She waited until he was munching away before she offered William the roll. “Would you like one?”
“Sure.” He moved a step closer and took a candy from the top of the roll. “You’ve been riding most of your life?”
“Of course. My gran taught me when I was little.” Aubrey took a candy for herself and slipped Jet one more butterscotch before pocketing the roll. “She owns a ranch east of the city. She had a serious love for horses. I got that from her.”
“Sounds nice to have shared that with her.”
“Her and Grandpop. They used to take all of us kids for wonderful long trail rides. It was some of our best times together as a family. Our mom left when I was seven, and that helped get us through. I was the one who spent even more time at the stables.”
“Do you still trail ride?”
“Not with my family anymore. Everything changes, doesn’t it? Grandpop passed away a few years ago, and Gran hasn’t ridden since. But I’ll always have a lot of good memories I wouldn’t trade for anything.”
William leaned closer, and the empathy on
his face showed that he understood. “You know, there’s a lot of good backcountry riding around here. Trail riding. Hiking. Canoeing.”
Okay, that was too much of a coincidence. “You like canoeing, too?”
“It’s one of my very favorite things.”
That shouldn’t have surprised her, but it did. They had so much in common. She could just picture him paddling through a serene mountain lake, alone, of course. That’s how she essentially saw him. She took a step back on the path. “I’ve intruded on you long enough. Before I go, I’ve got news on what Danielle’s decided to do.”
“You mean the medical fund?”
“She doesn’t want to take people’s money. So many people have offered. It was the first thing the church started to do. But Jonas seems to have great insurance and they aren’t hurting at this point. She’d rather donate the money, in Jonas’s name, to the widows and orphans fund for the state’s lawmen.”
“She doesn’t believe she’s going to lose him.”
“If she can, she’ll will him well.”
He knew what that was like, too. “It’s a good cause. I’m still interested in donating. It’s the least I can do for Jonas. If there’s something else I can do to directly make things easier for Danielle, then you’ll tell me?”
“There’s more about that than you’re telling me, and that’s okay. I’m not prying.” There was only compassion and concern on her face as she took another step back. “Just ready to listen if you need it. I’ve put the information for the fund-raisers in the bakery bag.”
“I’ll take a look at it.”
“I’m keeping you and Jet from your ride. I’d better go.”
“We’re in no hurry.” He was at a loss as to why he didn’t want to let her go.
She retreated a few more steps into the shadows. “You might want to put the cake in the house first. I’m not sure about the frosting melting or whatever, but it’s still, what, in the high nineties?”
“Gotcha. I’ll take it in, first.” Somehow the words escaped, although the emotion remained lodged tight in his throat, a sharp stubborn tangle he couldn’t swallow down or dislodge. He told himself it was because of what he’d told her that day in the hospital, private information he’d kept intentionally buried. That’s what this had to be. It was the only thing that made sense. Those had been his truths, his past, times that hurt too much to remember.
He could feel the dark within him, and yet it was not all that he felt. He was aware of the brilliant sunshine, the vibrant summer’s heat, the whispering of the green leaves overhead and the warm life of Jet’s coat as he nickered after Aubrey. And Aubrey…she made him feel less alone. Every step she took away from him made that lonesomeness return.
She lifted her fingers in a little wave. “Take care, William. Jet, it was nice meeting you, handsome.”
The gelding nickered while William stood glued in place, once again unable to speak. Why was it that once again in her presence he longed for his camera? That suddenly he was able to see more of the world and feel his faith?
She moved with elegance and presence; flawlessly except for the limp in her left leg. He’d noticed it before, but he focused on it now. What had happened? He wanted to know more about her. He didn’t mean to call out to her. He didn’t know he was asking her until he heard his own voice. “Aubrey. Do you want to go riding with me sometime?”
She spun on her heels, one hand lifting to shade her eyes from the glare of the sun as she studied him. For a moment he feared she was going to turn him down, think him a fool for asking.
So, even more impulsively, he added, “Jet wanted me to ask you. He said he’d like the company.”
A beaming smile lit up her lovely face. “I’d like that. I’ll talk to Annie about it and see what she thinks.”
“Then I’ll be in touch.”
The sunlight seemed to follow her as she turned and picked her way across the rocky border between the mowed grass and the gravel driveway. Even the trees seems to quiet as she passed beneath their boughs, as if they, too, were charmed by her.
She kept her head down as she opened her door and slid behind the wheel. With the sunshine full strength on the windshield, William could see her clearly—every freckle, every curve of her soft petal complexion and her subtle frown of concentration as she buckled herself in and started the engine.
He would never love another woman again. Love had brought him nothing but pain. And it was a moot point anyway, considering that his heart was broken beyond repair. So, why couldn’t he turn away from her? She swiped the fringe of golden bangs out her eyes with slender artist’s fingers. Light caught on the tiny gold cross at her throat with a quick flash of brilliance that blinded him.
Unmoving, he listened to the crunch of gravel beneath the tires as her vehicle backed up and away. For one brief moment, their eyes met through the driver’s-side window. Across the bright sunlight and deepening shadows, William’s soul stirred. He watched the road until there was nothing more of her than a glint of sunlight reflecting on the vehicle’s rear window. Then only a plume of dust. Then nothing.
Nothing at all.
Chapter Seven
Jet wanted me to ask you. He said he’d like the company. William’s words stayed on her mind through the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, even when she was supposed to be concentrating on her Bible study class. Or rather, the lessons of her Bible study class, since it was now over.
Her sister was in the desk across the aisle from her, jamming books into her book bag. “Great class. Hey, so we haven’t had time to talk yet today. How did the delivery go?”
“Fine. Just like all the others.” She could see her sister coming from a mile away. She gathered up her Bible study materials and slid them neatly into her tote. What she should be doing was not thinking about William, right? Ava wasn’t helping. “Will you need help with deliveries tomorrow?”
As if she hadn’t heard the question, Ava kept right on talking as she hopped to her feet and wrestled her enormous tote onto her shoulder. “Was he glad to see you? Did you get a chance to talk with him? Did he like my cake?”
“I don’t know if he did, since I delivered the cake and left.”
“Ooh! You’re avoiding telling me stuff on purpose. I know it.”
Aubrey settled her book bag’s strap on her shoulder. The last thing she wanted to do was encourage this behavior. “You left the keys on the desk, Av.”
“I did?” Completely unaware, Ava pivoted in the aisle, spotted her keys, scooped them up and led the way to the classroom door.
Aubrey fell in beside her and they trailed the small crowd filing into the hall. It was fairly crowded for a July evening, and other classes were getting out, too. The hallway echoed with so much commotion. Was it her imagination or did it seem louder tonight than other nights? Louder because of the absolute stillness and peace she’d found on William’s mountain.
There she went again. Wasn’t she trying to stop thinking about the man?
Ava turned to her, eyes full of mischief. “Okay, I need the scoop.”
Uh-oh. It was a twin thing. She could tell exactly what her sister was thinking, and there was no way she wanted to talk about William. She wanted to avoid discussing William, and the reasons were ones she didn’t want to examine too closely. So she went on the offensive. “I hear Spence scared away another prospective girlfriend.”
“Sorry, but like that’s gonna work. I am the master of distraction. I was trying to get to the bottom of this William thing.”
As if she needed help thinking of William. “There is no William thing. Honestly.”
“Yes, but you want there to be.”
How was she going to deny that? “Have I said anything? No. Not one word. You’re reading too much into this.”
“Okay, you might not have said anything, but it’s there at the back of your mind. Admit it.”
“I’ll do no such thing. You have romance on the brain.”
; “I know. It comes from being deliriously happy. You should try it.”
“I think I’ll skip, thanks.” Really, a woman didn’t need a wedding ring to be happy. Wasn’t her life perfectly fine the way it was?
Yes. So that wasn’t the reason she kept thinking about William and his offer to ride together. He had looked good astride his midnight-black horse. Powerful. Essentially masculine. As if hewn of rock, like the mountains that had dominated the horizon behind him. Tender feelings rose through her, but they were only protective feelings. She thought of all she knew about William, of his losses and his remoteness. She wasn’t interested in him; she wasn’t the kind of girl who went around knowingly making mistakes. And how big of a mistake would it be to let herself care deeply for a man who wasn’t interested in her? It’d be huge. Enormous. Catastrophic.
“Change of subject,” she told Ava, and meant it. There was only one thing that was going to help her put aside every thought of William. Every sigh of admiration. Every ounce of sympathy. “I’m in the mood for chocolate. Want to stop by the ice creamery per usual and pig out on sundaes?”
“Have I ever said no to that?” Ava boldly led the way along the crowded hall, her mammoth bag weighing down her left shoulder. “Hey, I’m kinda tight right now. How about you buy the sundaes, and I’ll get ’em next week?”
“Deal.”
Poor Ava. Aubrey kept behind her in the hallway, because no one was better than plowing a path through a crowd than her twin. She wondered how on earth she could help her sister more. Business wasn’t exactly beating down her bakery shop’s front door, but in time Aubrey knew that would change. Jonas was at the forefront of her family’s energy, and that’s why the bakery had been operating on limited hours. She opened her mouth to offer to man the shop on her days off, but something held her back.
William’s invitation.
Wasn’t she going to stop thinking about him? Frustration rolled through her. Why was William sticking in her mind like glue?
