Small-Town Moms

by Tronstad, Janet

  “What’s Mother’s Day?” Wes asked on Wednesday afternoon. Gabe had come home early to let them ride, and Wes was sitting behind Trudy as she rode Pony Boy in a wide circle around Gabe. At his question, Trudy glanced at Olivia.

  “It’s next Sunday, isn’t it, Mom?”

  “It sure is.”

  “We made a card about it in Sunday School. But we’re not ’sposed to tell y’all.”

  Gabe was standing in the center of the pen holding the lead rope as the horse walked about him in a circle. As Wes spoke, Gabe turned so that his gaze met hers.

  They were like magnets that were drawn to each other but couldn’t be. They’d been catching each other staring over the last few days. Each time, her heart stumbled and knotted. Oh, how she… Stop. She knew she was on dangerous ground. Crazy ground.

  She’d only known him for two weeks. Two weeks.

  “You give your mother a card to show her you love her,” Trudy said. She enjoyed making homemade cards, and Olivia cherished each one. “Who did you make a card for?” There was an edge to her voice that caught Olivia’s attention.

  “I made a card for Grandma, but I want to make a card for Olivia.”

  “But—” Trudy stiffened in front of him.

  Olivia’s heart cried out at the sweet, frank way he said the words. She would have to tell Trudy not to be upset with him.

  “We can make cards. That would be fun. Wouldn’t it, Trudy?”

  Her daughter cut stubborn, slightly jealous eyes toward her. Olivia gave her an imploring look, asking her to give the child some slack.

  “It would be fun,” she said at last. Wes’s squeal of delight would have made any other horse but Pony Boy kick up and run, but the good old horse just kept right on plodding along. Duke, however, jumped to his feet from where he’d been napping. The big puppy looked up at his little buddy with expectant, bright eyes.

  Olivia bent and petted him. “It’s okay, boy. He’s all right.”

  But was she?

  The very idea of Wes wanting to make her a Mother’s Day card had her heart pounding. How, oh, how was she going to leave behind the child she’d come to love so instantly?

  When she looked up, her gaze locked on Gabe. She saw that he’d turned as the horse moved around, and his profile was exposed to her. Was it her imagination or did he look pale beneath his tan?

  Goodness, the web that was woven about them.

  If she would let herself—and she wasn’t going to—but if she let herself, she knew she could love him.

  She knew she could stay here with Trudy and make this a family…if she let her heart go and have free will.

  But she couldn’t do that. She had to hold tight to her heart, to her emotions. She had to.

  Chapter Ten

  Olivia’s heart was sad at the thought that she and Trudy would be leaving on Mother’s Day. When she’d come to visit, she hadn’t even thought about it. But now it seemed like such an inappropriate day to leave.

  “You like it?” Wes asked, proudly holding up the heart card he’d so carefully cut out. She’d helped him with the scissors, and Trudy had quietly helped him with the glue and with placing white cutout hearts on the larger heart.

  Olivia ran her hand lovingly down Trudy’s hair, patting her shoulder. “You did a great job helping Wes,” she said, smiling at both children.

  “Do you like my card?” Trudy asked.

  “I love it. Thank you.” The card Trudy made was beautiful with cutout flowers and hearts and colored words telling her she was the best mom ever. “You are the best daughter a mother could ask for, honey.”

  “Am I the best son?”

  Wes’s question reached inside and broke all Olivia’s defenses down. “Yes, you are,” she said, unable to say anything but what she felt. Oh, how she wanted to be his mother. How she wanted to fill that role left vacant by her sister.

  What a mess she was in!

  “Are you all right?”

  Olivia stiffened at Gabe’s question but continued to stare out into the night. She hadn’t been able to sleep, and so she’d dressed and come outside. The sky was beautiful and clear with sparkling stars so bright they looked like diamonds on black velvet. If only her heart was as clear as the dark sky, she would be doing fine. “No. I’m not,” she admitted truthfully.

  Gabe came up behind her, and though he didn’t touch her she could feel him. Every fiber of her being was alert to him.

  “Olivia,” he said, his voice gruff and questioning.

  She crossed her arms tighter and held on. If she didn’t, she knew she would turn and reach for him. But he wasn’t hers to reach for. She had no one to reach for. Not any longer.

  Closing her eyes, she reminded herself to breathe, trying to calm the quaking of her spirit.

  “Olivia,” he said again, and her heart stilled as he gently laid his hands on her shoulders and turned her toward him. Time was standing still as her gaze met his. “I haven’t been able to think about anything but you lately.”

  Gabe’s eyes were fierce as he stepped close and wrapped his arms around her. Olivia’s breath caught, and she couldn’t move. She’d longed for this in her heart of hearts—the knowledge whispered through her as Gabe lowered his lips to hers.

  She hadn’t untwined her arms, as if holding them crossed could keep her heart from completely opening. But as he held her and kissed her, she found them open and wrapped around his waist of their own accord. Her arms had been empty since losing Justin. Until Gabe, she’d only longed to have him back, filling the void he’d left in her world. But now, Gabe was here and it was right. She kissed him with all of her emotion. And it hit her that only love could make this so right.

  Only love could have her letting go of longing for Justin and opening her heart for a new future.

  A future?

  She pulled back abruptly as it hit her full force that she had no idea if a future was out there for her and Gabe.

  “I—think we need to move apart.” Her words were breathless, shaken. As shaken as her world. He moved back, raking both hands through his hair.

  “I’m not sure how this happened,” he said. “I can’t seem to concentrate on anything except that you’re leaving in a few days.”

  “Yes. I am.”

  His eyes darkened with emotion, his handsome face distraught. “I don’t want you to go.”

  Such simple words. Such complicated words.

  “I don’t want to go.” I love you. She wasn’t even shocked knowing this. She loved him. But she didn’t really know him…did she?

  How could she love someone she’d only met two weeks ago? She’d fallen for Justin quickly, but they’d dated for a year before actually marrying. But she’d known within a few weeks that he was the man she wanted to spend her life with.

  So why was she in such shock that she could love Gabe?

  Moving away from him, she walked out into the yard. Fireflies hovered in the field, and she walked toward the fence that separated the yard from where they were twinkling in the dark.

  “I haven’t seen these much lately,” she said when Gabe walked to stand beside her.

  “There are more of them this year than I’ve seen in a long time.”

  She looked at him, and her stomach felt unsettled by all that was going through her head and heart. “You’re a good man, Gabe. I haven’t told you that, but I’ve watched you over the last two weeks, and though I wasn’t sure what you were doing when I first arrived, I do now. You really were protecting Wes. I hope you see now that I’m not going to harm him.”

  “I know you would never harm him. You are nothing like his— Like your sister.”

  “You know you are going to have to forgive her like I said before.”

  He didn’t answer that. Instead he reached and traced his finger along her jaw. “I’ve been praying about it. I’m not sure I can. But Olivia, I know there’s a reason you came into my life. I told you I didn’t know if I could ever remarry.”

 
“I think your words were more along the lines of you would never be a fool again. Which saddens me to see that bitterness getting to you.”

  He stepped close again. “I could move forward with you. You are good for Wes. You could be the mother he’ll never know. You can be that connection to her that is so important to you.”

  Not worded exactly as she would have liked it to be, but still, he was asking her to stay. “I couldn’t stay unless there was more reason than being good for Wes. As crazy as it sounds, I’ve fallen in love with you in a couple of weeks. That scares me. But it’s true.” There—she’d said it. But her heart ached, and there was nothing about the sound of the words that was romantic. It sounded stiff and short. Layered over by his bitterness and what he’d just said. No. As much as she loved Wes, she couldn’t stay just because of that. It wouldn’t be fair to any of them.

  “I need to go inside, now.” She started to go, then turned back and gently kissed him on the lips. “I believe you are strong enough and faithful enough to let Dawn’s memory rest in peace so that you may have peace in your heart. It’s the only way—if you believe there is a future for us—that we could have one. It would have to be on the right foundation. You need to be free of this bitterness.”

  He didn’t say anything as she headed toward the house. She’d fallen in love, but there was no joy in it. Opening the door, she slipped inside the quiet house and felt as if she were closing the door on any hope that they could have a life together.

  What had she been thinking anyway?

  The best thing for her was to leave as planned. She and Trudy had a life in Houston. Houston was where they belonged. Not here, in Mule Hollow. Not here with Wes and Gabe.

  “Mom, I can’t find Wes.” Trudy came into the kitchen where Olivia and Georgetta were talking. Olivia had been trying to keep her emotions hidden from Georgetta, but it was hard. She was very observant. And hopeful.

  “What do you mean?” Olivia asked, standing up.

  “Where did he go?” Georgetta asked at the same time. They were all walking to the porch as they spoke.

  Trudy looked upset. “We—we went outside to play and I—” She stopped talking. “He went to hide in one of his secret places, and I can’t find him in any of them.”

  Olivia tried to hold down the worry that filled her and remain calm. “He’s got to be around here somewhere. Come on, let’s hurry up and go check his hiding places once more. Maybe he was hiding from you when you looked for him.”

  Trudy looked pensive. “Maybe.”

  Twenty minutes later they’d looked at all the places where he’d taken them. The trees behind the barn where he had a makeshift fort built. The hayloft. The bushes near the pump house and the mesquite trees out in the center of the pasture. They called his name and spread out, but he was nowhere to be found.

  “We have to call Gabe,” she and Georgetta said almost in unison when they didn’t find him in the mesquite trees. “This is too far away from the house. If he’s gone farther than this he could be lost.”

  “He knows better than to go off,” Georgetta said, worry filling her voice. “Come on, let’s go call.”

  “No, you go call. I’m going to keep looking.” Olivia couldn’t stand the thought of Wes being lost. Her heart was pounding, and her hands were shaking as she turned to go. Trudy didn’t move.

  “Mom,” she said, drawing Olivia back. “I—I told him to get lost.”

  “What?” She turned to her daughter. “Honey, why did you do that?”

  Trudy looked grief-stricken. “Because he was talking about you and how he wanted you to be his momma. I—” she looked down at the ground “—I told him you were my momma.” The last word came on a whisper and then a wail. “I didn’t mean it. I mean I didn’t—”

  “Oh, Trudy.” Olivia wrapped her arms around Trudy and met Georgetta’s alarmed but sympathetic eyes. “I’ll always be your mother. I’m always going to be here for you.” Oh, how she prayed that God would allow her daughter to get over this fear that gripped her. She knew it came from losing her dad, but how could Olivia help Trudy?

  Trudy nodded against her shoulder. “We have to find Wes,” she whimpered. “He’s just a little kid.”

  “Okay then.” Olivia leaned back and gripped Trudy by the shoulders. “You come with me. Georgetta, you go call Gabe—as late as it is, you probably need to call in some help.”

  Georgetta nodded. “I’ll call in the troops. Don’t you worry. This place will be crawling with help within just a few minutes. More Mule Hollow folks than you can shake a stick at will come. We’ll find Wes, don’t you worry, Trudy honey.”

  Olivia could have kissed Georgetta for her gracious handling of her child. She only prayed that Wes would be found safe and sound.

  “Come on, Momma. Let’s go find Wes.”

  “First, let’s take the time to pray. God knows where He is, and we need to pray that He’ll keep him safe and lead us to him.”

  Her face solemn, Trudy blinked big blue eyes at her. “But will He really hear us? Sometimes…I wonder. Daddy—” Her words broke off.

  “Oh, Trudy, God always hears us. Sometimes we don’t understand the things that happen, but you must know that He cares for you. He is with you even in the bad times. He always hears you, but He knows the big picture. I know you prayed for your daddy. But it was his time to go be with the Lord. We won’t ever understand it, but we have to accept it. That doesn’t mean it isn’t going to hurt.”

  Trudy nodded. “I feel bad. Because I was mean to Wes and he lost his momma and I lost my daddy. I shouldn’t have been mean.”

  Olivia hugged her again. “You are ten years old. That’s not old enough to always do the right thing. I’m thirty-three and I don’t often do the right thing. God understands.”

  They needed to go look for Wes. “Let’s pray,” she said, and then said a quick heartfelt prayer that God would keep Wes safe and lead them to him. And then, hand in hand, they went to look for him.

  Chapter Eleven

  In a cloud of dust and gravel, Gabe slid to a stop and was out of his truck almost before he had it in Park. His mother had been able to reach him on the phone, a miracle in itself since mobile phone coverage was so spotty around Mule Hollow. A price one paid for living in this part of the country, but still, a bad deal when an emergency arose. Thankfully, today his phone rang despite the fact that he was in an area notorious for no service. God and only God was responsible for that phone call going through.

  Obviously her calls had made it through to others because there were several cowboys arriving behind him and some who had just gotten there. Sheriff Brady and Deputy Cantrell’s vehicles were there, but the men were nowhere in sight, so he hoped they were already on the search. Georgetta hurried to meet him. It had been almost twenty minutes since she’d called him.

  “He’s still missing. Some of the men are already out looking—Brady and Zane are out there. And—” She blinked back tears, glancing around at all the others gathering around. “And all of these wonderful folks are here, too. Olivia and Trudy are out there also. I’m worried that they might get lost in the woods. They don’t know this area.”

  Gabe looked around the group, an assortment of Mule Hollow folks, young and old. “We’ll find them,” he assured his mother just as App and Stanley drove up.

  “Where was he last seen?” he asked as the two older men climbed from their truck. Even Sam hopped from the truck with them. They hurried up asking questions as they came looking for all the world, like men on a mission. It reminded him that these three men were veterans, and it made him prouder than ever to know them.

  “What kin we do?” App boomed, moving through the small crowd with Stanley and Sam close behind.

  “It’s gonna be dark in an hour,” Sam said, throwing his chest out and his shoulders back. As small as he was, he looked far more agile than his age implied and ready to take on the world to find Wes.

  “Yeah,” Stanley agreed, looking at Georgetta
and then at Gabe. “Time’s a wastin’—let’s get this show on the road. What do ya need us ta do?”

  Georgetta nodded. “Thanks for coming, guys,” she said. “I was just telling Gabe that we last saw Wes here in the yard. He and Trudy came outside and he—” Her words broke. “He ran off.”

  Something in the way she said the words had Gabe questioning the information. “What are you not telling me?”

  “Well, poor Trudy. She’s just a little girl and she was hurting. He told her he wanted Olivia to be his mother and Trudy got jealous. She’s still dealing with separation issues after losing her daddy. She’s so sorry now, but well, she told him to get lost. That Olivia was her mother.” She glanced at everyone. “She’s only ten and her mother is all she has. She’s dealing with very heavy issues and hurts. The death of a loved one cuts deep, especially to a little girl. She’s so sorry she hurt Wes. Y’all have to find my baby and bring him home safe. For his sake and our sake and that little girl’s sake.”

  “We’ll find him. Which way has everyone gone?”

  After Georgetta told him the direction Olivia went, he coordinated which way everyone else should go. Many of the men had their horses with them, and some had their ATVs. He took his truck and a load of men and drove cross country to the woods where Olivia and Trudy were searching. This section of woods led farther back to rough country. Wes was only four; that area was way too far off for a little boy to get to. Wasn’t it?

  Wes had been told to never wander off. This stand of trees was as far as he’d ever been allowed to go. He was a little kid and scared to go off too far. No, Wes had his little hideouts, but they were within range. Surely, somewhere nearby, they would find him.

  Surely. Gabe stalked into the woods flanked by rows of friends and fought feeling helpless. He prayed as he went, needing the strength that he knew God would give him.

  He called Wes’s name, and he could hear echoes coming through the woods as others did the same.