by Judy Baer
The idea made her so uncomfortable that she squirmed miserably in her seat until Bryan turned to stare at her. Guiltily, she turned her eyes to the stage, even though what was transpiring there was barely registering. Even the Phantom himself couldn’t distract her.
It was all because Angela was getting married that she was panicked at the idea of being the only single woman in her group. She hardly knew the man! She didn’t even know Jake’s favorite color—unless it was red. So many things in his home were red. She had no idea about his favorite food…but it was avocado. He’d told her the night of the party. And of course she didn’t know his jacket size or how he drank his coffee. What had she been thinking?
But she did know those things, she realized suddenly. Size forty-two long. She’d seen his jacket hanging over the back of a kitchen chair. And he preferred his coffee black.
How had that happened? She hadn’t even known her last boyfriend’s favorite color or jacket size, and they’d dated for several months.
She drooped deeper into the velvety theater seat. She was sunk, truly sunk. She’d fallen for Jake.
There was really only one thing she could do, Marlo realized. She would hide her feelings away until they withered and died.
It was the only logical thing to do. But when had she ever been logical?
At intermission, Bryan wanted to go to the lobby. “This is the best production I’ve ever seen. And the voices! I want to buy a CD and a T-shirt to send to Kelly. That way she won’t feel so left out.”
“You go ahead. I’ll wait here.” She didn’t want to risk running into Jake and Sabrina again.
“I’d like you to come with me.” Bryan frowned. “Who are you trying to avoid out there?”
“What makes you think I’m trying to avoid anyone? Can’t I just sit here and people-watch?”
“I saw it in your expression. There was someone in the lobby you didn’t want to see. Is that why you’re refusing to go with me now?”
She wasn’t quick enough to come up with an answer. She hadn’t expected Bryan’s words to hit so close to home.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
She sank low in her seat. “Just a flame that hasn’t completely died down yet, that’s all. The woman he’s with told me they’re getting married.” She didn’t mention the pathetic, old-maid complex she’d developed after Angela announced her upcoming marriage. That would be too pitiable, even for sweet, understanding Bryan.
“So? That’s no reason to hide, unless… He’s hurt you somehow, hasn’t he? Was he leading you on while engaged to her?”
He checked the accuracy of his guess on Marlo’s responsive features. “That’s it, isn’t it?”
“That’s pretty much it, in a nutshell.”
“Come with me, Marlo,” Bryan pleaded. “Don’t let a guy hurt you like that. Hold your head up. You may not be with him, but you’re with me!”
She looked at his handsome, boyish features and sweet smile. Laughing finally, she relented. “Okay. Lead on.”
They’d inched their way through the crowd, including a string of ladies lined up for the restroom, and managed to purchase the gifts for Kelly, before Marlo caught sight of Jake. He was standing outside the front door, cell phone to his ear. Sabrina was waiting just inside, looking impatient.
Feeling her stiffen, Bryan glanced up to see where Marlo’s gaze was fixed, and whistled softly through his teeth.
Even he was not immune to Sabrina’s beauty. “Quick, let’s get back to our seats,” Marlo pleaded. She didn’t want to be seen by Jake and Sabrina, not if she could help it.
“Not quite yet,” Bryan said cheerfully. “I’d like to meet your friends.”
“Bryan!”
It was too late. Jake was no longer on the phone. He’d reentered the building, spotted them and was towing a reluctant Sabrina in their direction.
“Hey, Marlo! I didn’t know you’d be here. How do you like the production?” As he spoke, Jake looked Bryan over as if he were appraising a piece of horseflesh. Bryan did the same, only studying Jake as if he were an unpleasant bug under a microscope.
“Jake, Sabrina, I’d like you to meet my friend Bryan. He’s my—” She was about to say “cousin’s fiancé” when Bryan smoothly interrupted.
“Nice to meet you.” He thrust out his hand to Jake and gave Sabrina an engaging, high-wattage smile that made her blink. Then he shocked Marlo by putting a warm, protective arm around her shoulders. “Any friends of Marlo’s are friends of mine.”
It was Jake’s turn to look surprised. “I didn’t realize you were seeing any—”
Sabrina tugged on Jake’s sleeve. “The lights are flickering, darling. They’re calling us back into the theater.”
Bryan gave Marlo a little hug. “Come on, pookie, we’d better get in, too.” And before she could say anything, Bryan propelled her toward their entrance, leaving Jake and Sabrina to watch them go.
When they got to their seats, Marlo turned to him and hissed, “Pookie? Where did that come from?”
“That’s what Kelly calls me. It was all I could think of. Sorry. But I saw the look on your face. Listen, Marlo, I’m marrying your cousin, and she’s more like you than you might think. I can read a situation. That guy needs to see that you’re a desirable woman, not the Gloomy Gertrude you were a few minutes ago.” Bryan grinned naughtily. “Now you’re interesting. Compelling. Taken.”
She had to give him credit. It might not have been the smoothest way out of the awkward situation, but it wasn’t bad. Marlo put her hand on Bryan’s elbow. “Thanks for being so perceptive. My cousin is one lucky woman.”
“You’re welcome, pookie.”
Chapter Fifteen
Marlo had been in a funk that she hadn’t been able to shake since she’d seen Jake and Sabrina at the theater. Even work didn’t seem to help, though every time the phone rang, she hoped it was Jake. Finally, her prayers were answered.
“Ms. Mayfield. My name is Julie Frank. I’m Mr. Jake Hammond’s secretary. He asked me to give you the schedule for the hippotherapy events at Hammond Stables this week, in case you’re free and would like to volunteer.” She rattled off a series of days and times so quickly that Marlo barely was able to scratch them down on the unwaxed side of a scrap of freezer paper. “If you have questions you may call me any time between the hours of eight and five at this number.”
After she hung up, Marlo stared at the scribbled notes she’d taken. Only last week, Jake would have picked up the phone and called her himself. Now his secretary was their go-between. She felt twinges of both sadness and relief. Jake, too, after meeting Bryan, must have recognized the need for boundaries between them. The relief stemmed from knowing this was the right thing to do. The sadness came from the sense of loss she felt. “Sometimes, Marlo, doing the right thing means doing the hard thing,” Aunt Tildy used to say.
Can take a hint. Check.
“What was that about?” Lucy asked. “You look like you are about to burst into tears.”
“Nothing much. Jake’s secretary just gave me the schedule for the hippotherapy sessions. I’ll run out there after work and see what I can do to make myself useful.” She thought about what might have been if Sabrina hadn’t been in the picture.
Lucy responded as if she’d been reading Marlo’s thoughts. “It’s Jake and Sabrina, isn’t it? You’re staying clear of him because of her. Not every woman is as upstanding as you. If they were, the words the other woman wouldn’t exist.”
“You don’t have to remind me—of all people—of that. It’s reprehensible to step into the lives of a couple and to try to break them apart.” It was the wound on her heart left by Jeremiah and company.
“You’re special, Marlo, a person others can trust. It’s an old-fashioned word, but you are honorable.” Lucy’s expression grew soft. “I’m grateful that you are my friend.”
Marlo threw her arms around Lucy and hugged her as hard as she could. Honorable
wasn’t the word she would use to describe herself. Obedient, perhaps—obedient to God’s word whether she liked it or not. She didn’t have to enjoy what was required of her. She only had to have the faith to know that His will would work out best in the end.
Marlo felt some of her old vitality returning. “At least I can still help with the children and the horses. In the scheme of things, that’s what really matters.”
“Speaking of children, how’s Brady?”
“Overprotected, sheltered, wrapped in cotton batting and, of course, the sweetest boy on the planet. I stopped there this morning. Brady and his dad were playing ball on the front lawn. Brady hasn’t mastered catching yet and Jenny stood on the steps worrying that he’d get hit in the head. She doesn’t even trust Brady’s own father to toss him a ball.”
Her sister was on a path that was going to make Brady into everything she’d feared he might be—timid, easily frightened, totally cognizant of his limits and unaware of his strengths. It was agony to watch what was happening between her sister and her nephew, but she was helpless to stop it.
“Have you been praying about it?” Lucy asked.
“Nonstop.”
“Have you been expecting an answer? Sometimes I pray and later realize that on some level I don’t expect God to answer,” Lucy admitted candidly. “I trust Him enough to pray, but not enough to expect results. Maybe it’s an issue I’ve prayed about so much that it becomes rote, a habit or repetitive mouth prayer, not a heart prayer.”
“Ask and expect,” Marlo murmured. Lucy was right. She’d prayed for Brady but never quite shrugged off the blanket of helplessness she felt about him. Expect God to answer. “Good reminder, Lucy. Thank you. You can read me like a book.”
“Yeah,” Lucy said cheerfully and stood to get on with her work. “It’s too bad that most of the book is written in Chinese.”
Hammond Stables was buzzing with activity when Marlo arrived. A trailer was being loaded with show horses and cars were parked willy-nilly near the building which now housed Jake’s program. There were mothers and children milling about.
Out of the corner of her eye, Marlo saw the flash of a black riding jacket. Then she was nearly knocked to the ground by Cammi flinging herself toward Marlo’s midsection.
“Hi, Marlo! I’ve been waiting for you to come.”
At least someone was eager to see her. The little girl was at the stables nearly every time Marlo was, and a remarkable comradeship had developed between them. Marlo remembered Jake’s comment about Cammi’s tumultuous home life and had made a special effort with the child. “Hello, Cammi. I love your enthusiasm, but one of these days, if you keep doing that, we’ll both bite the dust.”
Cammi bounced excitedly on the tips of her toes. Even though she looked like Sabrina, her disposition was quite the opposite of that of her aunt, who Marlo had rarely seen smile, except at Jake.
“Grandpa bought me a new horse. Her name is Feather. Today is the first day I get to ride her. I want you to watch me.”
“The very first day?”
Cammi wrinkled her nose. “I wanted to ride the day Feather came, but Mom said I couldn’t because I had a bad headache and was throwing up. Ugh.”
“How do you feel now?”
“Good.” Cammi grabbed her hand. “Come, let me show you.”
Marlo wasn’t quite sure how it had happened, but Cammi had decided to adopt Marlo into the fold in a way that her aunt Sabrina probably despised. When the little girl wasn’t imperious or being spoiled, but acting like the child that she was, she was quite delightful.
“What are all those children waiting around for? Surely they can’t all be scheduled to ride.”
Cammi flipped her sun-lit curls. “Nah. They’re just brothers and sisters hanging around till the rider gets done.” She tugged at Marlo’s hand. “Come on! You aren’t walking fast enough.”
Marlo allowed herself to be pulled to a quiet spot between two barns, where Cammi’s grandfather, Alfred, was saddling a beautiful black horse that stood patiently under his ministrations. Randall appeared to be supervising.
“Isn’t she bee-oo-ti-ful?” Cammi crowed. “I love her so much.”
Randall looked up and scowled at Marlo. “Can you do something about the congestion by the office? It’s upsetting the horses. Cars and kids everywhere. We can’t get a thing done.”
To Marlo, it looked like plenty was getting done, but who was she to judge. She squeezed Cammi’s hand. “I’ll be back in a minute, honey. You get to know Feather, and then I’ll watch you ride.”
Marlo hurried toward the gaggle of women and children to whom Randall was referring. It could have been a cluster of soccer moms waiting for a game to start, all chatting excitedly. When Marlo neared, they waved her into the group.
“Have you got a child here?” one mother asked Marlo.
“No. I’m a volunteer. Is everything going well for you so far?”
“We’re thrilled to be here, all of us. We’re having a hard time keeping our other children busy, that’s all. That man over there—” the young mother gestured toward Randall “—has been glaring at us all morning. It’s just that the kids are restless…and a little bit jealous because they don’t get to ride, too. Most of them don’t understand why they can’t. I suppose the best thing to do is leave them at home, but that’s not always possible.” The woman smiled at Marlo. “I’m Ellen, by the way.”
“I can pop a movie into the DVD player, so the children will have something to do,” Marlo offered. “Then, let me think about it and talk to Jake Hammond himself. Perhaps we can come up with something.” She paused to smile at the woman. “Thanks for telling me. I know Jake wants this program to be good for everyone involved.”
“He must be a great man,” Ellen murmured. “This is hugely important to us.”
“Handsome, too,” another mother said. “He’s single, isn’t he? Quite a catch.”
“Yes, I suppose so,” Marlo said vaguely. Not her catch, however. She’d pulled her fishing pole out of the water.
After she’d corralled the kids in the office with a video, and made sure all the mothers knew where the coffeepot was, she returned to Cammi and Feather.
As she passed one of the sheds on the way back to Cammi, she heard Alfred and Randall deep in discussion.
“You can’t force Jake into anything, Randall, you never have,” Alfred was saying. “He’s laid-back, but he has a stubborn streak a mile wide when you push him.”
“Obstinate and pigheaded, that’s what he can be,” Randall growled. “Sabrina can’t wait forever….”
“He came by it naturally, Randall. He got it from you.”
Then they saw Marlo and stopped talking. The same old discussion was still raging, she deduced.
Randall eyed her as she approached. “What did you do with them? Lock them in a barn?”
“Just diverted them a little. I’m afraid that you’ll always have a group of children here while the others are riding. Parents can’t necessarily afford to hire babysitters and leave them at home.”
“Well, I’m certainly not going to be responsible for babysitting them!” Randall eyed Marlo. “Unless you have an idea. It seems like you are a creative thinker.”
A compliment from Randall Hammond? Marlo felt like checking her ears to see if something was wrong with them.
“I do have one that I could talk to Jake about.” It had come to her as she’d watched the children gaze enviously at their siblings astride the horses.
“Maybe you’d better tell me first,” Randall said. “My son would spend the moon and stars to make this thing work. In this case, I have to be the one with the good financial head.”
No, you just want to take back the control you think you’re losing, Marlo thought. Maybe this time it will work out in the program’s favor.
“I was thinking that something like a My Own Pony program might work.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m not completely
sure, because I just made it up,” Marlo admitted, “but if there were a couple ponies available for the siblings to groom and pet, they might not be so jealous. It would keep them out from under everyone else’s feet, too. I don’t know much about horses, but Jake did show me the basics of using a curry comb. If all those children tended to the young horses, you’d have the most well-groomed creatures on the planet.” Marlo bit her lip, hoping she hadn’t said too much or sounded too enthusiastic—particularly since she was making this up on the fly.
To her shock and amazement, Alfred said, “I like it, Randall! What better way to introduce kids to horses? Who knows? You might even sell a few riding horses if the kids go home and talk about it enough. I don’t think it could hurt your business.”
“It sounds like a lot of busy work,” Randall grumbled.
“Not so much,” Alfred cajoled. “Why, I’ll bet Marlo could handle it with one hand tied behind her back.”
“So you’d arrange and run it then?” Randall asked, studying Marlo through narrowed eyes.
How had this happened? Marlo’s mouth went dry. “I just suggested it. I didn’t say I knew what I was doing…”
“Well, you’ll do. I watched you handle the party we had here. You’re clever. Besides, you’re a volunteer. Will you volunteer to set up this My Own Pony thing? I’d appreciate it if you’d keep those kids occupied.”
How did one turn down Randall Hammond? Marlo was sure it didn’t happen often, and she wasn’t about to find out the consequences of doing so.
“Sure,” she responded. “You do realize that I don’t know what I’m doing, don’t you?”
Randall looked as if he were fully aware of Marlo’s inadequacies, but had decided to move forward nonetheless. “You might as well start today.”
Like a marionette with her strings under Randall’s control, she bobbed her head in agreement. Here she was again, backing into something she knew nothing about.
