The Cowboy's Belated Discovery

by Valerie Comer

  Garret took a deep breath. “It’s confusing.”

  His friend’s eyebrows disappeared under the brim of his cowboy hat. “You think?”

  “I’m in love with your sister. I tried not to be, but it happened anyway.”

  “Hallelujah,” James muttered.

  That didn’t sound much like praise. “I’m sorry. Maybe it’s best she’s gone. I’ll back off.”

  “Are you always this dense, or is this a special occasion?”

  “P-Pardon me?”

  “She’s been in love with you for years. Does she even know you feel the same, or is that one more thing you’ve been bottling up and refusing to acknowledge? Honestly, man. You’re like Aiden. My nephew refuses to let his peas touch his meat, and neither can touch his potatoes. Serve that kid stew? Not on your life. He compartmentalizes everything.” James glared at Garret. “As do you.”

  “I didn’t want to drag her down with my issues.”

  “The issues we’ve already agreed God’s dealt with so that you can step into His abundant life. Those issues, like actually forgiving Chantelle?”

  Garret nodded, looking down at his hands clenching Trudy’s reins.

  “Okay, so last night. What happened last night? You only came to our party because you thought Tori was away. Right?”

  “Yes. The last time we’d seen each other she’d dropped off food for the meal train. She, uh, kissed me.”

  James rolled his eyes.

  Garret narrowed his. “She did.”

  “Not disputing that. And I gather you pushed her away like you did at the wedding.”

  Everyone in town had likely noticed that and speculated on it.

  “So. Last night.”

  “Not my finest hour.” Although, there for a bit, it definitely had been. “We talked. I told her about my birth mom and about Jenna. We... kissed.”

  “As in, it was mutual this time.” James wasn’t exactly asking.

  Garret nodded. Talk about an awkward discussion. “And then I heard Chantelle’s voice.”

  “And panicked.”

  “Yeah. So now Tori’s not talking to me again.”

  “Did you try, man? Seriously. Because what I remember is her hanging out with the twins and you talking to me and Adam. And then you leaving.”

  “That about covers it.”

  “Dude. Would you two talk to each other? Can you just, you know, open up a little? It’s not going to kill you.”

  It felt like it might. “She didn’t even look at me again.”

  James reached across the gap and thwacked Garret’s arm. “You’re blind, deaf, and stupid. I’m not sure I even want you for a brother-in-law. You’ve got to treat my sister better than this, Morrison.”

  “She probably doesn’t want anything to do with me after Chantelle.”

  “This is the only time I’m going to say this, so listen up. Do you love my sister? Because, if you do, go find her. Talk to her. Make sure she knows. And once you’re communicating? Stop overthinking things and ask her what she’s thinking! Then listen and respond. Jeepers.”

  “Go find her?”

  “Yeah. Go find her. You know what she’s driving. You know there’s only one highway between Saddle Springs and Rockstead.”

  Garret stared at James. “That wouldn’t be... creepy?” But in his mind’s eye, he could see her RAV4 ahead of him on the highway. He could see himself passing her and waving frantically for her to pull over. Then he’d wrench open her door, pull her out, and kiss her until they both gasped for air. He’d talk after that. Kissing first, talking second.

  James angled a glare at him. “Creepy? What kind of word is creepy? I feel like I’m babysitting here.”

  “I’ll do it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Tori pulled to a stop in front of the Cavanaghs’ massive log-and-rock ranch house. “We’re here.” Not that the twins couldn’t see that for themselves.

  “I wanted to stay at the Flying Horseshoe longer,” Alexia grumbled. “I never even got to talk to that cute guy.”

  Tori, on the other hand, was kind of done. The girls had both absolutely refused to tote their belongings to the SUV. They’d sat and watched her haul every single piece of their luggage down the log stairs and out to the car, and she’d had to grab a few grocery bags to stuff the last few items into since they’d packed so haphazardly.

  Emma shoved her door open, bending to greet the dog that trotted over. “We never get what we want, anyway. So what’s new?”

  Tori wished she could clunk their heads together to see the blessings in their life. Sure, their family might not be perfect, but they had big brothers who cared about them and nearly anything they wanted, so long as it was at Rockstead. She had a sinking feeling they were going to test that last bit quite a lot as they grew older.

  Across the yard, a man vaulted the corral fence and strode over, another pup at his heels. Declan. He was as fit as his sons, and the sight of it made Tori’s heart hurt. Why had her own father’s legs been mangled in that freak accident?

  Declan stopped a few feet away, piercing eyes taking them in from beneath the brim of his well-worn felt cowboy hat. His feet were braced, and his thumbs hooked through belt loops. “You’re back.”

  Emma’s back straightened almost imperceptibly, and Tori realized hers was doing the same. Across the vehicle, Alexia emerged. “Hi, Dad.”

  He nodded at her.

  Where was the running into their daddy’s arms, the big hugs and twirls that Tori’s dad had lavished on her when she was their age? Forget wishing Bill Carmichael had retained his mobility. He’d kept his faith and his gentle, loving spirit, something Declan Cavanagh didn’t seem to ever have had.

  Declan pointed to the house. “Your mother wants to see you.”

  The twins scampered off as though relieved to be released from their father’s domineering presence.

  “I’ll get one of the boys to come unload your car.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  He nodded, still watching her.

  Tori shifted from one foot to the other then took a deep breath and lifted her chin. “I’m not sure what you want from me now? I hired on for a month and...”

  “Exactly. That hasn’t changed.”

  So she was back at Rockstead for the next two weeks. Okay, then. “Thank you, sir.”

  He turned, stuck his fingers in his mouth, and gave a piercing whistle. The youngest Cavanagh brother jogged over from the barn. “Yes, sir?”

  “Take Miss Carmichael’s things to her room. And your sisters’ bags to theirs.”

  “You got it, sir.” Ryder saluted his father and grinned at Tori. “Good to see you again.”

  For all the world like she’d been gone for a month instead of a couple of days. “You, too.” He was a good kid.

  Tori reached into the RAV4 for her purse then heard another vehicle coming up the drive. She turned to look, not that it mattered to her which brother was arriving. Anyone driving in to the remote ranch was a novelty, though, as she’d discovered in her previous visit. Okay. Two more weeks. She could do this. Declan was paying her handsomely to chaperone his daughters.

  A red pickup rumbled around the final curve with a plume of dust, and Tori’s heart all but seized. She knew that truck. Garret. He couldn’t be here. But he was. Why? Her feet riveted to the gravel parking lot even as her fingers covered her mouth. Those kisses last night — was he having as much trouble brushing them aside as she was?

  Garret hit the brakes in a cloud of dust and leaped out of the cab before the engine cut out. He rounded the truck, gaze fixed on hers. “Tori.”

  Garret was here, and his face revealed an openness she hadn’t seen in a long time.

  “Who are you?” Declan stepped between them, chest out. “Didn’t you see the slow signs? See all that dust you stirred up? Have a little respect.”

  “I’m Garret Morrison. And you are?”

  “Declan Cavanagh, owner of Rockstead.” The bl
ustery man waved his hand to encompass the huge ranch.

  “Sorry about the dust.” Garret stepped around Declan, but the man blocked him.

  “What do you want here?”

  Garret looked past the big man’s shoulder. “I came to tell Tori I love her.”

  The ranch whirled around Tori as she stared into Garret’s eyes from several feet away. Had she heard him correctly? Could she trust him, when he’d backed off before after making his attraction clear? But the tortured look was gone.

  An elbow nudged Tori’s arm. “Is he a good guy? Because I’m pretty sure I could take him out if you want him gone.”

  Tori blinked and turned to Ryder. “He’s a good guy. I think... I think I might be in love with him, too.”

  Declan snorted. “All that kind of mush makes a man weak.”

  “On the contrary.” Garret squared his shoulders as he faced the big man. “It takes a strong man to admit he needs love. That he’s been stuck in the past far too long and it’s time to leave it behind and reach for the abundant life God has planned for him.”

  “And now you’re bringing God into it.” Declan rolled his eyes. “Look, you can talk to her for half an hour, but she’s my employee, and that’s all I give you. And only if she wants to talk to you.” He turned and raised his eyebrows at Tori.

  “Yes, please.”

  He checked his watch and turned to Ryder. “Quit gawking, boy. Get the Toyota unloaded.”

  “Yes, sir.” Ryder winked at Tori then popped open the hatch.

  Tori took two steps toward Garret as he moved toward her. “Do you mean that?” she breathed.

  “I absolutely do.” He clasped both her hands in his, searching her face. “I love you.”

  She’d spent five years waiting for this moment. Waiting to hear this profession. Waiting to see tenderness shine from his eyes as he looked at her. “I love you, too.”

  “Can you ever forgive me for being such a dunce?”

  She tried to pull her hands free so she could wrap her arms around him, but his grip was ironclad. So she stretched to her tiptoes and brushed a kiss across his lips, igniting an exploding fire that blasted through her whole body. “Forgiven. Just don’t do it again.”

  Declan cleared his throat sharply.

  Tori’s face flamed from more than the kiss. She pulled Garret beside her and started walking toward Kathryn’s gardens. A little privacy for what remained of their half hour would not go amiss.

  Garret pushed aside the niggling doubt that this wasn’t real. But the fragrance of riotous flowers filled the heated summer air. A horse whinnied, blocking the buzz of honeybees for a brief instant. Most of all, Tori’s fingers twined with his as she led him toward a bench beside a little waterfall cascading into a pond. Bushes and taller trees cocooned the bench from the vast back deck of the ranch house.

  “Tori.” He turned toward her, and his free hand brushed the side of her cheek. “Are you sure? Because I’ve been an idiot.” Or, as James had put it, blind, deaf, and stupid.

  “Tell me what happened?” Those hazel eyes with glints of green and brown and gold looked into his.

  “I told you a bit the other night.” Had it only been yesterday? “I’ve been afraid, as though denying I had feelings would mean nothing could hurt me.” He closed his eyes for a second. “I was a captive to my fears instead of trusting God to lead me. It’s all so obvious now, but it seemed to make sense at the time.”

  He placed his palms around her face, reveling in the smooth skin beneath his thumbs, the way his fingers tangled in her short hair. “You’re so beautiful.”

  Tori’s hands slid around his hips then shifted to his shoulder blades. “You’re amazing.”

  “I’m not. You know I’m not. You know I’m—”

  “Garret.” Her whisper brushed against his chin.

  He didn’t deserve this. And, one day, she’d see he wasn’t worth the trouble. Having faced his fears once didn’t mean they were vanquished forever.

  “Garret, I know you’re not perfect, but that doesn’t keep you from being amazing. It doesn’t keep you from being the man I love. We’re human. We make mistakes, but God...”

  But God. Wasn’t that the truth? “‘But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.’”

  At her raised eyebrows, he added, “Ephesians 4:5-6.”

  “I think there’s more to that section.”

  “There is. My dad had me memorize it when I was a kid. Verse seven goes on to say, ‘so that in the coming ages he might show us the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.’”

  “Do you think that only means in the distant future?”

  Garret winced but held his gaze steady on her trusting eyes. “I lived like it was, but I’ve been reminded several times lately of John 10:10: ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.’ I’ve been listening to the thief of joy, but I’m done with that, Tori. I am stepping into the abundant life God has promised.”

  Did she know what that meant to him? More than spiritual, though definitely that, too. He traced her cheekbones with his thumbs, marveling at the acceptance and love shining on her face. “I want to be worthy of your love, Tori.”

  “You already are. You’re a child of the one true King, remember?”

  “I had Matthew West on repeat on the trip over here. That song is like my testimony. Hello, my name is regret...” He took a deep breath, shaking his head.

  “Not anymore, Garret.” Her fingers slid into his hair at the back of his neck. “Your name isn’t defeat, either. You’ve been saved, you’ve been changed, and you’ve been set free.”

  He absorbed her words, the words of the song. The shackles on his heart released just a little more. “Adoption is a beautiful thing. What my parents did for me... it’s just a small picture of what God did for any of us who crave a new beginning.”

  “They rescued you, cared for you, loved you.”

  “They did. Not just Kellen and me — that’s my older brother — but countless foster kids who came through our home. They’d have adopted everyone if they could have. It crushed them when their kids were returned to situations where they weren’t loved or safe, but they kept on loving. Kept on opening their home.”

  How could he not have seen how opposite his own reactions to life had been? He’d been taught openness and loving without expectation of anything in return, but that’s not how he’d lived. It’s not how he’d treated Tori.

  “They’re wonderful people, Garret. I feel so bad. I ran into your mom at Shear Inspirations a few weeks ago. She wanted to go for coffee, but I brushed her off. I was too busy.”

  He caressed her lips. “She’d love to have you stop by. She’s been praying for you. For us.”

  “She’s a treasure. Is she... is she going to be okay?”

  The truth stabbed at him, and he reeled slightly.. “We’ve been praying for a miracle, of course, but it doesn’t look like God is providing one. The cancer — it’s everywhere. The doctors don’t expect her to make it to Christmas.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” His response surprised himself. “She’s ready to go. She’s lived for Jesus for many years, and she’s ready to meet Him face-to-face.”

  “Will you be okay?”

  That was a loaded question. “Not gonna lie, it’s going to be really tough. It already is. But Dad is a tower of strength for her and for me, and they’re still memorizing scripture together.”

  Tori swallowed hard, tears welling in her eyes. “That’s beautiful.”

  “It kind of is.” His voice choked up. “‘Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?’”

  “John fourteen,” she whispered.r />
  Garret nodded and cleared his throat to continue. “‘And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.’”

  “They’ve given you a precious heritage, Garret.”

  “They really have. I’ve been blind to that at times, but now, I want to savor every moment.” He kissed her to show her one of the things he was delighting in. “She only has one real regret.” Oh, no. This was far too early for this particular confession.

  “What’s that?” Tori leaned back and looked up at him innocently, her fingers toying with the lapels of his snap-front shirt.

  He took a deep breath and raised his eyebrows. “She wanted to see me married. Settled into my future.”

  “Is that right?” A grin twitched the corners of Tori’s mouth as she peeked up at him.

  What was it she’d said last night? More kissing. Less talking. Because that particular conversation needed a little more planning.

  “That’s right.” And he kissed her.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Tori set two cups of tea on the small table in Mrs. Morrison’s studio. The room was taking on the look and smell of a sickroom. “I’m so sorry I blew you off that day in Shear Inspirations. I was afraid to talk to you.” She gave the older woman an awkward smile. Other than all that time in the hospital after Dad’s accident, she hadn’t been around many sick people, and that had been totally different.

  “I understand, my dear.” Garret’s mom tugged her fleece throw tighter around her legs and reached for the peach tea. “And I’ll admit I was interfering, or trying to. I didn’t need to do that. God was looking after my sweet boy all along. I just needed to keep trusting Him.”

  “Trusting is hard,” Tori admitted. She curled her legs up under her in the other easy chair and took a sip of the tea. If Nancy Morrison was looking for a prim and proper lady for her son, she should have never moved her family to Saddle Springs.

  “Jesus never lets us down.”

  Tori searched her serene face. How could she have such faith even while facing end-stage cancer?