by Liz Isaacson
Navy giggled and tucked her skirt under her legs. “How did that happen?”
“I adopted him from the pet shelter, and the first day I brought him home, he dipped himself in some blue paint I was using for a sign.”
“Cute.”
He closed the door and walked around the front of the truck. As he went, his lips moved, like he was muttering instructions to himself. Navy couldn’t help laughing, couldn’t help the rush of warmth that poured through her, couldn’t help but think that maybe she had come to Bride to find a groom.
Forty-five minutes later, she’d changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top the color of lemons. He’d put on a pair of basketball shorts and a T-shirt with a bull on the front and the words “Eight second loser.” He’d left the cowboy boots somewhere in his house and traded them for a pair of flip flops.
He’d disappeared around the side of the house and three dogs had preceded him back to the front yard, where she waited in the truck. She grinned at the happy look on the yellow Lab’s face.
A giant black dog followed him, and a shorter, blonde pug after that. Gavin pointed to the truck and barked a command she couldn’t hear. All three dogs obeyed, and the truck vibrated and rumbled as they jumped in the bed.
“What kind is that black one?” she asked when he got in.
“A Newfoundland. My granddad loves them.”
“He’s huge.”
“He’ll last about five minutes at the bark park,” Gavin said, setting a backpack between them on the bench seat. “But I brought treats and water, and he’ll just lay in the shade until Blue wears himself out.”
Navy had never been to a dog park, and she worried the amethyst on her middle fingers.
“You wear a lot of rings,” he said.
She glanced at her hands, where she wore a ring on every finger on her left hand and three on her right hand. “I suppose I do.”
“Do they mean something?”
“This one does,” she said, admiring the amethyst. “I bought it for myself after my boyfriend proposed to my sister.”
The beat of silence that followed screamed through the cab. “Wow,” Gavin said. “I think that’s—well, you’ve got me beat.”
Navy laughed, though the sound did still carry a few notes of disappointment. Maybe hurt. Maybe embarrassment. She wasn’t sure.
“I thought he was going to propose to me. He took me to this fancy restaurant downtown.” She did a half an eye roll. “Okay, semi-fancy. I thought that was it. We’d been dating for just over a year. Instead of breaking out a ring, he broke up with me. Told me he was in love with my little sister, Lexie.” She exhaled, realizing her chest hadn’t collapsed once. She hadn’t felt like crying while speaking. “They were married six months later, and they have a baby now.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Most days I think I’m over it.” The first clip of uncertainty cut through her. “Then sometimes I feel like the whole situation is so unfair. So I don’t know.”
“Life is unfair,” he murmured. “Just like Pastor Adams was saying today. It’s not fair, but through Jesus Christ, we can be assured that we will get our reward.”
Navy nodded and gave him a close-mouthed smile, as she hadn’t actually heard the pastor say that.
“I want to buy my own ranch,” Gavin said. “That’s one of my unfulfilled dreams.”
“So you’re not a carpenter?”
“I am, I guess.” He pulled into the parking lot but didn’t kill the engine. “It’s what I do right now to get by. But I’m a cowboy, through and through. I worked at Sterling Ranch before they converted to a wedding venue. I was the foreman at the B&B before they nearly went bankrupt. I have a degree in ranch management. I want a ranch.”
“Cattle ranch?”
“Yeah. Acres and acres of land. And cows. And chickens.” His expression grew distant, and Navy envisioned him on a ranch, running it, riding a horse with the wind trying to steal his hat. It was a beautiful picture and fit him like a glove.
“You’ll get your ranch,” she said with confidence. She lifted her chin and smiled. “Now, let’s go see these dogs in action.” She got out of the truck and met Gavin at the tailgate. All three dogs sat, waiting for him to give them the command to get out.
“There’s one ball,” he said, pulling it from the backpack. Blue’s tail went whap! whap! whap! against the metal. “Blue, let Misfit get it sometimes, okay?”
“Misfit?” Navy laughed. “Which one of you is Misfit?”
“The pug.”
“Oh, you’re not a misfit.” She spoke in a cooing voice she usually reserved for newborns and scratched the dog’s ears.
“There’s a Great Dane here,” Gavin continued. “Miles, no…funny business. I will leash you.” He backed up a step but put his hand up, palm toward the dogs. “Ready? All right. Go.”
The dogs leapt from the truck as a unit and tore past a few cars to the green space. Blue barked once and sprinted like he’d been caged for days.
“Jeez, Gavin. Do you ever let them out?”
“They roam the yard,” he said. “They just act like they never get any exercise.” He joined the dogs on the grass and threw the ball. Blue and Misfit tore after it, but Miles didn’t seem to notice or care. He sniffed another dog half his size, his tail wagging wagging wagging.
Navy watched Gavin throw the ball over and over for Blue. Misfit never did get it, and eventually she gave up. Miles had flopped within five minutes, as Gavin had predicted. But Navy enjoyed the sun on her bare arms and legs. Loved the country breeze against her face. Admitted that she really liked the company she was with.
Gavin asked, “Hey, you wanna go to Waco this weekend? They have a pretty great Hodgepodge Market my grandmother likes to visit.”
Navy had noticed Gavin always called his grandma “grandmother.” She wondered about that as well, wondered when Gavin would open up to her beyond that he’d been hurt by a blonde woman in the past.
“What’s a hodgepodge market?”
“It’s row after row of booths. Homemade items. Antiques. Refurbished stuff. They have it twice a year, and it’s fun.”
“You like to go?”
“I like that Grandmother buys lunch and entertains me with stories on the way.” He shrugged with a smile. “I figured you might like it too.”
Navy would. But she also wanted to know what this was. A date? A Saturday outing with his grandmother? Was she a tagalong? Or had he invited her purposefully?
She wasn’t brave enough to ask. But she did like spending time with Gavin, so it wasn’t too terribly hard to say, “Sure. Waco this weekend.”
8
Though Gavin wanted to rush the several blocks south and then east to Navy’s cottage at first light on Monday morning, he didn’t. He puttered around the house with a cup of coffee in one hand and a pen jotting notes for her home improvement in the other.
Then he went next door to see what Grandmother had prepared for breakfast. She didn’t cook a full breakfast every morning, but on Mondays she usually did because she always had leftovers from Sunday dinner. And they’d had steak last night.
So Gavin was hoping for some steak and eggs that morning. He wasn’t disappointed, and he pressed a kiss to his grandmother’s forehead when she looked up from the pan where the delicious smell of meat and cheese and eggs emanated. “Morning, Grandmother.”
“Hey, sweetheart. Will you go check on your granddad? He’s not up yet, and that’s a little strange.”
“Sure thing.” Gavin moved through the kitchen and down the hall. Granddad hadn’t been getting up as early as he used to for about a year. The strength in his dominant hand had worsened considerably, and he’d confided in Gavin that most of his fingers usually tingled as his carpel tunnel syndrome affected him.
Granddad had been a master cabinet maker. Gavin had learned all his woodworking skills from him, something for which he felt a wash of gratitude.
“Granddad?” Gavin eased o
pen the door with two fingers and peeked inside. The bed was empty, but Gavin couldn’t see anyone anywhere. He went back down the hall, even sticking his head into the bathroom to make sure his granddad wasn’t in there.
“He’s not there,” Gavin said, his concern starting to rise.
“What?” Grandmother didn’t look up from the eggs.
“Granddad’s not in bed,” Gavin said slowly, warning in every syllable.
That got Grandmother’s attention. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, he’s not in bed. He’s not in the bathroom either.” He glanced over his shoulder, past the table and chairs to the vacant living room. “I don’t know where he is.”
Grandmother put down her wooden spoon. “He must be outside with the dogs.” But the tone of her voice suggested her own worry.
“I’ll find him.” Gavin pushed down his hat and exited the house from the same door where he’d entered. He scanned the road in front of the house. No traffic. No people. Nothing.
“Blue!” Gavin called, adding a hearty whistle to his call. The dog barked, the sound distant and behind the house. Gavin turned that way, hoping Blue would lead the pack and Granddad would bring up the rear.
His stomach growled as all three dogs came into view. “Let’s go!” he called, waiting until little Misfit arrived, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. “Where’s Granddad?” He looked across the green expanse. Couldn’t see anyone.
He lifted his right fist. “Blue. Sit.” He gave the dog a few seconds to settle and listen. “Find Granddad.” He kept his fist up and Blue trembled, waiting in anticipation. “Find Granddad.” He popped his fingers open and Blue took off.
Gavin followed, almost jogging after the Labrador retriever. The other two dogs yipped and wove across the lawn also, and Blue rounded the smokehouse in the back. He barked. Barked again. Finally Gavin got there, and Blue took off across the street toward the Old Main Hill Bed & Breakfast that sat defunct and took up several blocks. The For Sale sign swung in the breeze, and Gavin’s boots hit the asphalt at the same time Blue started barking like he’d been set on fast-forward.
Relief cascaded through Gavin, because the barking meant Blue had found Granddad. Around the broken down well and toward a cabin, he finally spotted his granddad sitting on a ratty-looking bench on the front porch.
Blue shuffled forward and back, left and right, barking his fool head off. Gavin approached and said, “Blue. Got him,” and the dog quieted and settled onto his haunches. Gavin examined his granddad, who wore his usual baggy blue jeans and a collared plaid shirt. This one was red and the sleeves looked well worn near his elbows. “You okay, Granddad?”
“Just fine.” The older man looked up at Gavin, kindness in his blue eyes.
“What are you doin’ out here?”
“I went for a walk.”
Gavin sat on the bench next to his granddad, hoping the structure would support his weight. It creaked and groaned and Gavin prepared himself to hit the dirt. He hoped he could catch Granddad before a hip fracture. When the seat shifted, Gavin shot to his feet.
“Did you get lost, Granddad?” Gavin asked in the gentlest voice he could conjure.
“No, no.” He shook his head and stroked Blue’s head. The panting of three dogs mixed with the shallow breeze. “I just got tired. Decided to rest.”
“What hurts?”
“Nothing.” Granddad stood on somewhat rickety legs, but Gavin didn’t reach for him. He didn’t want his granddad to feel weak, or old, or like he needed help. Still, his muscles tensed, ready to assist if necessary. “I just got tired.”
“How long were you walking?” Gavin stepped when Granddad did, and it took an excruciatingly long time for a few feet to be covered.
“An hour or so.”
“You didn’t tell Grandmother? She was worried about you.”
“She wasn’t awake yet.”
How she’d thought Granddad was still in the bed when she’d gotten up, Gavin wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure who he should be worried about: her or his eighty-five-year-old grandfather. Probably both.
“Well, she has breakfast ready.” They made it across the property and stepped onto the road. Grandmother came out of her matchmaking door, her hand fluttering around her throat. Gavin increased his pace and intercepted her. “He just went for a walk and got tired. He’s fine.” He moved out of the way and let his grandparents have their conversation. Gavin watched them for a moment, watched the way Grandmother’s hands lilted on Granddad’s arms and shoulders, just to be sure he really was fine. Watched as he kissed her cheek and reassured her he was fine. Watched as their love became evident for all to see.
He turned away, his throat thick. He wanted that kind of love in his life. And not with a yellow Labrador retriever, though Blue licked his fingers and a surge of affection for the dog dove through him.
An hour later, properly fed and with a gallon of ice water in a cooler at his feet, he raised his hand to knock on Navy’s front door. He hit it twice.
It fell into the cottage with a deafening bang!
Navy screamed and when the dust cleared, Gavin got an eyeful of her standing there with a chimney poker in her hand.
“It’s me,” he said, stepping over the door and into the cottage. “Don’t start stabbing.”
“Gavin.” Her chest heaved as she breathed in and out several times. “What are you doing?”
“I knocked. That door needs to be replaced.” He gave it the evil eye. “Obviously.”
“You don’t know your own strength.” She put the poker back in the basket next to the fireplace and gave him a flirty smile.
Gavin examined the hinges while his face heated. “These are rusted through.” He sighed. “I guess I need to get to the hardware store first. You’ll need a door to hold in the air conditioning.”
“I’ll come with you.”
He scanned her, taking his sweet time as he drank in her cutoffs, strappy sandals, chilled iced tea on the end table, and a shirt the color of poppies. Her blonde hair looked almost white against the red, and her blue eyes completed the patriotic look. He’d always been extremely devoted to his country, and he licked his lips as his eyes traveled back to hers.
She wore a knowing glint in her expression. “What? You think I can’t handle the hardware store?”
“Your shoes are lacking,” he said.
She laughed, a girly little sound he liked. “My shoes are fine. Let’s go.” Navy marched right over the fallen door and onto the patch of grass that grew right up to the house. Gavin didn’t have much choice but to follow. She gathered her waves of golden hair as she neared his truck and wrapped an elastic around her ponytail. She slid all the way over on the bench seat so that by the time Gavin climbed into the cab, her thigh was flush against his.
“So I looked up a few more festivals here in Hill Country,” she said. “And I found this one called Women Gone Wild.”
“Oh, boy,” Gavin said, a chuckle immediately following his words.
“It’s a really great thing. Really.” She shoved his arm when he kept laughing. “Listen to this. ‘Just for women. Just for fun.’” She read from her phone. “Kayaking, archery, fly fishing, team events, arts and crafts, and more.” She looked up at him. “I totally want to do that.”
“You like kayaking and archery?” Gavin would have to rethink everything he’d assumed about her if she said yes.
“I’ve never done either.”
As he’d suspected. “Where is it?”
“Junction. Where’s that?”
“Oh, let’s see.” He blew out his breath. “At least a three-hour drive.” He cut her a glance out of the side of his eye. “And you don’t have a car.”
“We could maybe go together.”
“Just for women,” he teased. “Just for fun. I’m not getting anywhere near that.”
“Stop it.” But she joined in his laughter and leaned her head against his arm until they arrived at the hardware store.
“Tons,” she said. “Music stuff, and art shows, and there’s so much to do in Hill Country.”
“It’s a pretty great place.”
“Will you buy a ranch here?”
Gavin’s breath hitched. “I’d like to, yes.”
“Have you found anything?”
“Nothing I can afford,” he said. “And honestly, I haven’t looked in a while.”
She danced in front of him. “Why not?”
“I’ve been busy.” He focused on the shelves above her head, though he didn’t need anything automotive to fix up Navy’s cottage. “Let’s go look at paint, all right?” Maybe with her absorbed in the trillions of shades of gray, she wouldn’t ask him any more questions about the dreams he had but had neglected.
9
Navy woke on Saturday morning, a feeling of euphoria coursing through her she didn’t recognize. In fact, she hardly recognized her life at all. She’d spent the week with Gavin in her house, and things were coming along just fine. He had all the ceilings painted and the walls prepped. He’d fixed that curtain rod the very first day, and the hot water heater had been installed on the second, so Navy’s life had improved dramatically already.
She’d been sleeping better than ever. Waking with a smile on her face. She had not read a book a day or soaked up the sun, because she’d been spending her time perched on a narrow piece of furniture while she watched Gavin work. They’d talked about his childhood and hers. She’d told him about her time in nursing school and about every story she could think of about the newborns she cared for. He’d detailed a little bit more about the kind of ranch he wanted, and he’d spoken about his grandparents in a loving voice.
He’d told her about most of the people in town, but what she really wanted to know—his romantic past—he had remained tight-lipped about. Extremely tight-lipped.
And she didn’t want to ask. She looked at herself in the mirror. “Do not ask him. He’ll tell you when he’s ready.”
