Ann moved closer. “That’s me. I’m the one they call, Runt.”
As they moved farther down the hall, Jacob noticed in every picture of Ann, she was either with an animal or working around the farm.
“I can’t help but notice a pattern with your pictures. You always seem to be with an animal.”
“Yes, much to my mother’s dismay. She could never get me to sit still for a photo unless I could hold something soft and cuddly.” As though picturing the past, she added in a far-away voice, “I always felt more at home here.”
Jacob hoped for a particular answer. “Why is that?”
“I grew up in the suburbs. And though it has its charms, I suppose, I always thought I should have been born in the country. Here at my uncle’s I had the freedom to explore, help with the farm life, and basically run wild.”
Her answer satisfied him. He didn’t need to worry about the life he could offer her. Ann was genuine. No wonder his dad had nicknamed her, Sunshine, that’s exactly what she brought to his heart.
Ann tilted her head at Jacob. “What are you thinking about?”
“You…and the effect you have on me.”
Her mouth made an “O” shape Jacob couldn’t resist. He took her in his arms and pressed his lips to hers. Would it always be like this? The tremble of her lips reflected his heart. Though inside he was already saying, “I love you,” Jacob continued to keep his secret. He took a reluctant step back. “I’d better head home.”
***
That evening, Ann sat outside her uncle’s porch and listened to the nightly serenade. The rain had brought with it an awakening. Since the passing of the storm, all that could be heard in the evenings were the songs of numerous spring peepers, each one trying to out-croak its neighbor. Though sometimes deafening, it also brought with it a peaceful reassurance of the continuation of life.
Jacob had explained that every spring was introduced by these tiny little frogs, soon to be followed by the sight of bluebirds and fawns. He made everything sound so lovely, it left a longing in Ann to want to belong here as well. To be familiar with all the changes the seasons offered in this little touch of Eden.
Ann stretched and opened her eyes. Friday morning, only two more days before she saw Jacob again. Jacob. She even enjoyed saying his name. Another thought hit her. She woke up peaceful. The last time she awakened here, it was from the nightmare that haunted her sleep for months. She hadn’t experienced any of them since she’d met Jacob.
“Wow! Love’s a powerful thing.” Ann jumped out of bed and joyfully went about her morning with a heart full of praise.
It amazed her how much she not only missed Jacob, but also everything tied to him. His amazing children. His father’s loving smile. The warmth of his home. She couldn’t wait until Sunday. She concentrated on doing as much as would keep her busy. When the phone rang she almost dropped the dish in her hand.
“Hello?”
“Ann, it’s your mother.” Her voice sailed across the wire as if there was no distance between them at all. “I’m not calling to talk but to inform.” She paused as though to give her daughter time to prepare herself. “Janice has gone into premature labor and we’re at the hospital now. I thought you might want to be here.”
Ann’s chest tightened with fear for her brother’s wife. “I’ll leave as soon as I can throw a bag together.”
Chapter Eighteen
Ann hung the phone up after talking to her mother and realized she would need to get hold of Jacob. Her hometown was five or six hours away, depending on traffic, and driving to his house would be out of the question if she wanted to make it before nightfall. But since he lacked a phone, what choice did she have? Or, she could call the Stevenson’s and ask them to relay a message to Jacob since she was certain he’d be stopping by to check on them. Ann slumped in a kitchen chair. Decisions like this shouldn’t be so hard. She sat up straighter as a new idea came to mind. To keep the message from getting misquoted, she would leave a note for Jacob on the door. The Stevenson’s could let him know to stop by and get it.
Relieved with her decision, Ann wrote the letter and called Jacob’s neighbors.
“Hello,” came a youthful voice.
“Hi, this is Ann…”
“Hi, Ann! How are you? You wouldn’t believe how good Joseph is doing.” The excitement came across the line in a loud whirl.
Ann smiled and listened as one of the little brothers told her everything he could think to say until someone finally took the phone from him. “Hello, this is Tommy Stevenson. May I help you?”
“Hi, Tommy, this is Ann. I have to leave town for a few days, and I wonder if you could let Jacob know to come by and get a note I plan to leave for him.”
“For you, Ann, I’ll do better than that. I’ll come by right now and pick it up so he won’t have to drive out.” Without waiting for her response, Tommy said good bye and hung up.
“Okay,” Ann said aloud to herself. “He must really need a break from his siblings.”
Twenty minutes later, Tommy’s voice sounded from the kitchen. Ann froze on the stairs, her shoulders tensed. Why was he in the house? Did she not hear him knock? She continued to drag her suitcase down the steps behind her, intent on meeting him where he was.
Too late. He appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
Ann stiffened on the bottom step, her skin prickled. He stood too close.
Tommy winked and leaned closer. “This works much better for us. I don’t have nearly as far to bend down if I were to—”
Ann pushed him away and stomped toward the kitchen. “Haven’t you heard of a door bell?”
He clicked his tongue. “Your aunt is a much better hostess.”
Ann stopped and looked over her shoulder. “How would you know that?”
“She makes the best lemon tarts in the world. I let her know every time I’m home and she whips up a batch. Sorry if that bothers you. Forgive me?” Again, he not only invaded her space but blocked her exit.
Ann assumed her relatives knew Tommy from their annual community picnic. She chose to play it cool. “Of course. And I’m sure you won’t mind being a gentleman and carry this to my car, would you?” She smiled and held the suitcase between them.
Tommy grazed his hand against hers before he accepted the luggage. “You don’t honestly think you can get rid of me so easily, do you?” He stepped to the side and positioned his hand on the small of her back as they made their way to the kitchen. Ann struggled to hold onto her anger, as fear threatened to gain control.
Before they reached the door, Tommy stopped and turned her to face him. “Tell me the truth, are you running from the Neanderthal?”
Ann laughed in his face. “No. Actually, I’m about to be an aunt for the first time. I’m on my way home to where my sister-in-law is having the baby.”
She picked the sealed envelope off the counter and handed it to Tommy. “Your reason for stopping by.”
Tommy stared at her for a moment. “Yeah, about that…” He brought her hand to his lips and lightly kissed it.
Ann jerked back as though she’d been bit. She stepped backward and bumped into the cooking island centered in the kitchen.
Tommy narrowed his eyes. “It was just a kiss on the hand, Ann. Don’t tell me you prefer a poor farmer’s kisses?”
“You’re jealous.”
“Of, Jacob? Ha. I can have any woman I want.”
“Except me.”
Tommy stepped closer. “I’ll be a millionaire in no time. I could give you anything you want.”
Ann tried to step around him but his arms stopped her. “Tommy, let me go.”
“We have the house to ourselves, no kids to interrupt, and you’re telling me to let you go?”
Ann scowled. “Have you never been turned down before?” His arms dropped to his sides as though he finally caught on. “I’m not that kind of girl, Tommy. I’m not after your title, your wealth, or your body.”
“Then what does a gir
l like you want?”
Ann sighed and thought of Jacob. “All the things you’re not ready to offer or either can’t.”
“Such as?”
“Love. Security. Contentment…peace. That’s just to name a few.”
She turned and made it to the door. Before it could close, Tommy was beside her with the suitcase. She locked the house, thankful they were outside, and continued to her car.
Tommy’s steps slowed behind her. “You’re in search of peace, too?”
It was more than a question.
“I have peace that comes from Jesus. But what I meant is, it’s important the person I choose to be with have that peace as well. You’re lost, Tommy. Living to please yourself isn’t attractive to someone like me.”
“Hmm.” Tommy shoved his hands in his pockets and stepped back as Ann got behind the wheel of her car. She rolled down the window before she shut the door.
“Thanks for taking my note to Jacob.”
Tommy cleared his throat. Gone was the man and his search. Back was the suave, charmer Ann knew him by. He lowered himself to her window and in one fluid moment, his lips sealed over hers. Ann’s breath stilled in her throat. She tried to jerk away but his hand pinned her head so she couldn’t turn. He slowly peeled back and allowed his fingers to trail her cheek. “Think of me while you’re gone.”
Fury and shame colored Ann’s cheeks. She shoved the transmission into drive and stomped the gas pedal. Gravel pinged as it hit the BMW. Whether it made contact with its owner was of little concern.
She’d only driven a mile when the dam broke. Tears slid down her face in rapid repetition. She blinked in an effort to see the road. Why hadn’t she given him a piece of her mind? Why didn’t she step from the car and slap his face? Had she lured him on, or given him the wrong idea?
An hour of driving passed before she accepted the truth. He had been in the wrong. There was no need to take back the burden of guilt.
Ann met her parents in the waiting room. They came together in a rush to exchange hugs and kisses. Concern etched the corners of Ann’s eyes. “How’s Janice and the baby?”
“They’re taking the baby now, so say a prayer everyone will be all right. Bradley’s staying with her, but he’ll let us know something as soon as he can,” her mother told her.
“I’m not surprised my brother’s in there. He’s been so excited to finally be a dad. I prayed for them nearly the whole way here.” The other part of the trip she’d worried over Jacob.
Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to let Tommy take the note. She didn’t want to put false ideas into Jacob’s mind that Tommy had a chance with her. And, there was still the possibility he hadn’t given the note to Jacob at all.
Would Jacob be thinking of her as much as she was of him? Did he miss her? Was he experiencing doubts or regrets? She never knew love could be such a whirlwind of emotions.
Ann’s mother informed her of the latest information about her cousins while her father sat across from her silently watching, as if he knew something was different with his daughter.
He got up and stretched and waited for his wife to pause before he interrupted. “Okay, you’ve had your turn, now it’s mine. How about it, Pumpkin, want to take a walk?”
“Sure, Dad.” She smiled as she bent to kiss her mom’s cheek. “We’ll be back soon, Mom.”
As they walked down the hall, Ann sensed her dad watching her again. His voice proved her right. “Are you going to tell me or do I have to play the guessing game?”
Ann sighed, “Dad, that was when I was little.”
“Pumpkin, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you’re still little.” He smiled at her playful frown and put his arm around her shoulders for a light squeeze.
“Don’t remind me, I’m the runt of the McHaven’s.”
Her dad put a finger under her chin and raised her eyes to meet his. “But a runt with a stolen heart, would be my guess.”
Ann stumbled at the truthfulness of her father’s words. He guided her to a set of nearby chairs where she slumped into a seat. He then coaxed the entire story from her.
“And, now that I’m here I can’t stop wondering. I feel so…well, like my feelings are out of my control. When I’m with him, I’m on cloud nine, but when he steps out the door my heart feels heavy with doubt wondering what he’s feeling from one moment to the next.”
She took another breath but still didn’t straighten her shoulders.“And then sometimes, we can be within a foot of one another and just by one little thing he said or didn’t say, I’m troubled all over again.”
Having fully exerted herself, Ann collapsed against the chair and released a deep pent up sigh. With growing agitation at her father’s silence, she opened her eyes and found him smiling.
“What on earth could you possibly find so humorous right now?”
“I was just wondering…when do I get to meet my future son-in-law?”
“Oh, Dad, this is serious!”
“Finally, there you are.” Her mother rounded the corner a bit breathless. “Janice had a baby girl and they’re both doing great. Come on, Bradley’s waiting for us.”
Ann’s troubles flew to the back of her mind as the excitement of new life took center stage.
The weekend flew by in a flurry of family gatherings, all anxious to look at pictures of their new family member between visits to the hospital. Ann was thankful for such a close and supportive family. She caught herself wondering if Jacob’s father was all he had to lean on during his personal trials.
Ann thought back to the support of not only her parents, but of her relatives after her latest job as a nanny. Everyone opened their doors to her with offers to stay. While they weren’t all Christians, they were very close to one another and were always quick to help out. It was something Ann was so accustomed to she often took it for granted. However, after meeting the Stevenson’s and her talk with Tommy, she remembered just how good she had it.
While everyone congregated around the buffet of food she and her mother had prepared, Ann’s cousin, Natalie, grabbed her arm and whisked her to the hallway. “Spill it, Ann. Because I know you’re keeping something from me.”
Natalie was the closest thing to a best friend Ann ever had. Since they were the same age, they naturally spent their time together at every family event. Today was like any other as they stopped in the hallway to release secretive giggles.
Ann faked a serious sigh. “I should’ve known I wouldn’t be able to keep anything from you.”
“Ha, like you would even want to. You were just being typical sweet Ann by letting Janice have all the attention. But, now it’s your turn.”
An unexpected relief washed over Ann as she told Natalie about everything that had happened. Admitting her love for Jacob lifted an enormous burden and brought a wide smile to her face.
Natalie threw her arms around Ann’s neck. “I’m so happy for you. And, from the sounds of it, it’s definitely the real thing. So don’t worry, because I bet Jacob’s counting the hours until you get back. Now, can I give you a bit of marital advice?”
“Natalie, I’m not even engaged. Have you listened at all to what I’ve said?”
“I know, I know. But, I read this in a book before I married Jimmy and it was the best advice I could ever receive.”
“Okay, tell me.”
“If it’s not worth a fight, leave it alone.”
Ann frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s simple, if something bothers you that the other person did or does, think about it before you say anything. If it’s not worth an argument, then just let it go. I know this works because Jimmy and I have been married for five years and we have yet to have our first fight.”
“That’s impressive. Thanks, Natalie. If it could give me half the happiness you two have, it’s worth it.” Ann gave her cousin a grateful hug. “I haven’t told my mom, yet. So don’t mention it around her. I want her to fully enjoy being a new grandma this
weekend without any added distractions.”
Natalie laughed. “You mean you don’t want her planning your wedding already?”
Ann nodded in agreement. Her mother would mean well, but as her cousin stated, her enthusiasm would have her making plans before Ann even had a ring on her finger.
They returned to the buffet and as Ann was about to enjoy her plate of food, her mother called from the kitchen.
“Ann, someone’s on the phone for you.”
She raised her eyebrows at Natalie and rose to take it. Jacob didn’t have her number, but still, Ann hoped in her heart it was him.
“Hello?”
“Ann, it’s me, Tommy.” After a slight pause, he continued. “Our conversation has been on my mind since you left and I wondered if you had time to talk.”
“Okay…but, how did you get this number?”
“I have a MBA, Ann. I’ve been trained how to think and get things done.”
She wasn’t satisfied with his answer, but curiosity drove her past it. And, if he was still upset, she didn’t need to worry since she could talk to him by phone. “What did you want to know?”
“If you’ll open the door, I’d be more than happy to tell you.”
Chapter Nineteen
The telephone gave a dial tone as the doorbell rang in the front hall. Ann’s hand went limp and the phone dropped to the floor. Was Tommy really here? At her parent’s home?
A cyclone of commotion followed, all brought about by one visitor. The first to answer was her Aunt Sophie, who announced him as Ann’s boyfriend. Ann’s jaw slackened as she stumbled toward the foyer to quickly correct her aunt’s error.
Her Uncle Pete saw her look of anguish and muttered something about Tommy being her ex-employer and he’d teach him a lesson the Navy way. When he was about to defend Ann with his fists her father came to the rescue and shooed everyone back to the buffet.
Ann stared at Tommy with narrowed eyes and shook her head. A thousand questions assaulted her mind.
“Are you okay, Ann?’ her father asked.
Abandoned Hearts (The Ozark Durham Series) Page 14
