Love Inspired June 2021--Box Set 1 of 2

by Patricia Johns

  He couldn’t do it. Will gritted his teeth. More than that, he wouldn’t do it. Not to Kara. Not to Maddox. Not ever again.

  She’d been such a gift to him and Maddox. It had been a privilege to know her. And because he lov—no, not that.

  He didn’t do love. But because he’d felt something for her that he’d not felt for anyone before, he had a responsibility to make sure he didn’t ruin her.

  Before he could change his mind, he yanked open the door. The bell jangled. Kara popped her head around the swinging door.

  “Hey, you.” Dimples bracketed her cheeks. “Couldn’t wait until tonight to see me again, huh?” She smiled.

  And suddenly, he was so angry. So angry at Liz, at God, at the council, at himself.

  He scowled. “I’ve told you a hundred times not to leave that door unlocked when you’re here all alone.”

  Kara’s smile fell. “What’s wrong?” She bridged the distance between them. “What’s happened?”

  “The Truelove Fire Department is closing. Effective June first.”

  She gasped. “Oh, Will. I’m so sorry.” She took hold of his arm. “I’m—”

  He jerked away. She put her hand to her throat.

  If she touched him, he was done for. He’d be lost. Unable to do what he came to do. Walk away from her and everything he’d been foolish enough to believe was possible for him.

  “Maddox and I will have to relocate.”

  “Okay.” She lifted her chin. “We can work with that. We’ll find a way to work around that.” His brave, spunky Kara.

  If he only possessed an ounce of the courage she had in spades...

  “You’re not listening to me.” He scrubbed his face. “It’s no good. You and me. There’s no use in prolonging the inevitable.”

  “You don’t mean that.” Tears pooled in those lovely blueberry eyes of hers. “You’re just upset. You’re not thinking clearly. I love you, Will.”

  “Don’t say that to me,” he growled. “I don’t do love, Kara.” He scoured his mouth with his hand.

  She flinched.

  “One day you’ll thank me.”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks. The pain in her eyes—pain he was inflicting—stabbed him in his heart.

  “That’s not true,” she whispered. “What we’ve felt for each other... Please don’t do this.” Desperation flickered across her face.

  He was so weary. So tired. And sad.

  “You deserve so much more than someone like me.” He dropped his gaze, unable to bear the anguish on her face. “It’s over, Kara.” He turned toward the door.

  “Don’t say that. Will. Please. Look at me.”

  But if he looked at her again, he’d never be able to leave her. “It’s better this ends right now.” He beheld his reflection and behind him, hers, too, in the glass-fronted door. And he hated himself for hurting her.

  “If you could just manage to hang on a little while longer to your faith in us, in our future—”

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you.” Not turning around, he squared his shoulders. “I don’t see a future for us. Not for you and me and Maddox.”

  She staggered and caught hold of the register.

  He felt so hollowed out, empty. “Goodbye, Kara.”

  Will thrust open the door. And then he walked away.

  To be the bearer of further bad tidings. Breaking the news to his men that they were all out of work.

  CHAPTER TEN

  At 3:00 a.m., lightning struck a barn at a farm just outside Truelove. And Will got the call to respond.

  He hadn’t been asleep. After walking away from Kara, sleep had proven impossible. But back at the house Friday morning, he was operating on fumes.

  Bleary eyed, he hunched over a mug of freshly brewed coffee. He grimaced. Freshly brewed, boring, plain ole American coffee.

  And he felt miserable. But once burned, twice shy. So why did he feel like he’d just made the biggest mistake of his life? He’d done the right thing. Hadn’t he?

  “Quite the storm.” Pops shuffled into the kitchen. “I heard you pacing half the night before you got called out.”

  “Sorry,” he grunted. “A lot on my mind.”

  When Will arrived home from the diner last night, his father had seen how distraught he was and forced him to come clean about what happened between him and Kara. Pops hadn’t held back his views on what he thought about that.

  Pops pulled out a chair and sat down. “Figured out yet how you’re going to break the news to your son that you’ve cost him the best thing to ever come into your lives?”

  He winced. “That’s not fair. I’m trying to protect my son.”

  “From Kara?” Pops snorted. “Sure it’s Maddox you’re determined to protect and not yourself?”

  He scraped his hand over his head. “I really don’t need this from you.”

  Pops grunted. “Seems to me you don’t think you need anything or anyone.”

  “I’ve lost my job. I’ve lost everyone’s jobs.”

  Pops made a face. “The town council is responsible for closing the firehouse, Will, not you.”

  “Maybe if I’d fought harder. Said or done something different...”

  “I don’t think there was anything you could have said or done that would’ve changed the outcome of the council’s vote.” Pops grimaced. “Shortsighted is what it is. And I’m afraid someone is going to pay the price for their lack of vision. Probably won’t be their house burning down, though.”

  Will scrubbed the back of his neck. “Bottom line remains I’ve gotta find work. And unfortunately, I’m going to have to relocate to do that.”

  “Still don’t see what this has to do with Kara.”

  “How could there be a future for us?” Will threw out his hands. “Maddox and I could end up who knows where, but because of the Mason Jar, she’s tied to Truelove.”

  Pops pursed his lips. “Kara is a real smart little gal. Did you even bother asking for her opinion?”

  He frowned. “There’s no point in asking.”

  Pops shook his head. “So as far as Kara is concerned, you just up and dumped her. Walked away. Like Liz walked away from you.”

  “I didn’t...” Will clenched his jaw. “She’s better off without me. I would’ve only held her back. I’m no good at relationships.” He scrubbed his face. “I’ve failed at everything. As fire chief. With Liz—”

  “You hold on right there, mister.” Pops wagged his finger. “You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and see sense. You did not fail this town. This town failed you. And as for Liz...”

  His father’s eyes glinted. Pops was the most mild-mannered of men. But he had no use for Will’s ex-wife.

  “Liz failed you and your son. That’s on her. Not you. And what about Maddox? What about how he feels for Kara?”

  Will swallowed. “He’s young. He’ll get over it. He’ll move on.”

  “Like you’ve gotten over Liz? Like you’ve moved on from the divorce?” Pops jutted his jaw. “How has that worked out for you, son? Not so well. And here you are wishing a lifetime of that same kind of unhappiness on Maddox?”

  “I got over Liz a long time ago, Pops.” He gritted his teeth. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Perhaps so. Maybe the real issue is not about forgiving Liz, but about forgiving yourself.” His father’s gaze bored into his. “And forgiving God for allowing the hurt into your life.”

  Will sucked in a breath.

  “Letting go of your anger at Him over Liz. The trauma over Maddox’s birth. Your mom’s passing.” His dad’s eyes never left his. “My cancer.”

  “I’m not...” He bit back the words. He was angry. He’d been angry for a long time. Truth was, the anger was far better than the hollowness he too often felt inside.


  “Until you make peace with yourself and God, son—” his father’s gaze grew sad “—the emptiness will follow you wherever you go. And you’ll never find the happiness you so desperately want.”

  “I—I can’t.” He turned his face. “I’m not ready.” He might never be.

  “Stubborn is what you are.”

  Just then, his phone started beeping. So much for being off duty on Good Friday.

  “Aren’t you and Tom Arledge going fishing today?” Will rose. “I was supposed to take Maddox to the Easter egg hunt this afternoon. Would you call Miss ErmaJean and see if she could take him instead?”

  Pops folded his arms. “I’ll do that, but tonight we need to finish talking through this, son.”

  “I’m finished in Truelove, Pops.” He squared his shoulders. “Maddox and I will be relocating. We’d love to have you join us. But you have a life in Truelove, and if you’d prefer to remain here, I understand.”

  His father’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

  “I’m done talking, Pops.” He pushed back his chair. “If you choose to come with us, I don’t want to ever have this conversation again. Are we clear?”

  “One way or the other, son, God will find a way to get your attention.” The older man let out a long, drawn-out breath. “No doubt about it.”

  The call turned out to be a multivehicle pileup on the interstate. Bridger and his officers were already on scene when Will pulled his SUV onto the side of the highway. His crew and the TFD engine rolled in seconds behind him. EMTs from all over the county were working the incident. Several occupants were trapped inside their cars and needed assistance.

  Quickly assessing the emergency, he deployed his troops to where they could do the most good. He kept in radio contact with Dispatch and monitored the situation. After a while Bridger joined him beside the engine.

  Zach used the Jaws of Life to cut through the steel to rescue a woman trapped behind the wheel of her red sedan. The grinding buzz set Will’s teeth on edge. Luke and Bradley extricated the woman. Paramedics transferred her to a gurney. His crew moved on to the next victim.

  “It started with a truck hydroplaning.” Rain dripped off the brim of Bridger’s regulation hat. “The driver crashed into the guardrail. Chain reaction after that.”

  The two men gazed the length of the highway. Traffic was backed up for miles in both directions. No one was going anywhere fast. And the rain continued to pour.

  It hadn’t been raining when he left Truelove. But that was the way it was in the Blue Ridge. Dry in the valley, but a storm on the mountain. Or vice versa.

  “Hope nobody needs fire or police in Truelove,” Bridger remarked, only half joking.

  Will made a face. “If they’re on fire, they better get used to calling the county station.”

  They headed in opposite directions to offer their assistance to ongoing rescue efforts. An hour later the TFD had done everything they could. The ambulances were off, en route to the small regional hospital.

  But Bridger and his officers would be on scene a while yet. To take statements and unsnarl traffic.

  Will was helping his guys load the last of their equipment when Zach frowned at something in the distance.

  “Uh, Chief?” Zach’s face paled. “We’ve got another, bigger problem, I think.”

  He closed the storage compartment on the rig with a bang. “What’s that?”

  Zach’s bony finger pointed and Will turned. For a split second, the crew stopped what they were doing to stare. Mouths ajar. Horror fixed on their features.

  On the horizon, a dark cloud had engulfed the top of the mountain range. Lightning crackled. Thunder roared. Out of the angry black sky, a whitish funnel appeared.

  The monster dipped and swayed. Racing over the ridge. Debris billowed in its wake. Destroying everything in its path.

  And on the other side of the mountain...

  “Truelove,” Luke whispered.

  Will’s temporary paralysis broke. “Get in the vehicles!” he shouted, running for the SUV. “Go! Go! Go!” he yelled over his shoulder.

  The firefighters scrambled into the rig. Inside the SUV, he sent out a warning for Dispatch to send out a distress call to the larger county station and for additional emergency personnel. But on a day like this, resources were stretched thin. Who knew if anyone else could respond?

  Barreling toward town, he prayed. For the safety of everyone in the path of the devouring beast. For the town that had fired him. For his family and friends.

  For Kara.

  But mostly that he wasn’t already too late to help them.

  * * *

  In the lull after lunch, Kara sat at her desk in the tiny office tallying the day’s receipts.

  The culinary opinion tide in Truelove was slowly turning her way. Her food was winning hearts and appetites. The café was holding its own. Her bottom line was looking up.

  Catering the Penry-Gibson wedding reception would put her numbers in the plus column next month. Expanding her operation to include a catering service opened up all kinds of intriguing and potentially lucrative possibilities.

  Kara might be slightly down, but she definitely wasn’t out. Despite GeorgeAnne’s interference, she had the strong support of the Mason Jar regulars. And her patronage was growing.

  She should’ve been ecstatic about the café, but losing Will and Maddox left her feeling hopeless, her victory hollow.

  Kara rubbed her throbbing temples. She fumbled through her desk drawer until she found the pain relief bottle she kept there. She’d battled the dull ache in her head since she got up this morning.

  After Will’s rejection at the café yesterday, in a stupor she’d dragged herself home and cried until she had no tears left. Last night’s thunderstorm kept her awake for hours. Curling up against her side, Soufflé had proven a comforting presence.

  Once when she and her mom were homeless, they were caught out in a storm on the streets with nowhere to go for shelter. And she’d never quite overcome her deep-seated fear of storms.

  It didn’t have to be a big one, either. She understood the fear was irrational. But even a few rumbles in the middle of the night sent her burrowing under the covers, a cringing shell of her usually confident self.

  Leaving her computer, she went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. The kitchen put to rights, Leo had already left for the day. Standing at the sink, she downed the pain reliever capsules. In the front dining room, Shayla and Trudy were finishing up their cleaning protocols for closing.

  Trudy poked her bottle-blonde, heavily lacquered head through the cut-out window. “Good day for the till?”

  She forced a smile. “A good day.”

  The waitress pursed her lips. “Feels like we’ve turned a corner, don’t you think?”

  We’ve. Success, hard-won, felt great. Loyalty felt better.

  “Definitely a team effort.” Kara touched her arm. “I couldn’t have done it without you, Trudy.”

  Instead of elation, however, she felt barely able to function. She’d been on autopilot all day. Just going through the motions.

  And it seemed as if every major crisis of her life had to involve bystanders. GeorgeAnne’s ultimatum. The kiss. Losing Will.

  Waiting for Zach’s auto body shop to finish the inspection on her car, Trudy had been hanging out with Kara in the kitchen when Will had arrived yesterday afternoon.

  Trudy had overheard every word. And in her distress, Kara had discovered that there was far more to the hip-swinging waitress. It had been Trudy who rushed to her side when Will walked away. And she made sure Kara got home in one piece.

  “Come see, Miss Kara.” Shayla stood at the window overlooking the square. “Maddox is lined up on the steps of the gazebo with the other little boys for the bow tie contest.”

  Because she couldn’t resist
Will’s son, Kara hurried into the dining area.

  The sun shone in a blue sky, but it remained slightly blustery. Since it was Good Friday, school was out for spring break and most of the downtown businesses were closed. But a smallish crowd of doting grandmas and moms had convened under the oaks on the square to participate in the annual Truelove Easter Egg Hunt.

  Kara glanced across the green toward the fire station. The bay was empty. It had been an active twenty-four hours for the TFD. Will and his crew must have been called out again.

  She looked for Pops, but didn’t see him. And then she remembered his date with a fish. Her head throbbed. A combination of sorrow, and perhaps a change in barometric pressure. When she lost Will, she not only lost Maddox but Pops, too. Like a stone tossed in a pond, the ripple effects continued to widen.

  It made her sad to think of no longer being in his life. For a too-short, deliriously happy time she’d believed she was meant to be Maddox’s mother. And Rick MacKenzie had quickly become the father figure she’d longed for but barely recalled after the early death of her own dad.

  ErmaJean must’ve brought Maddox to the festivities. Tom’s twin grandsons, Austin and Logan, stood on either side of Maddox. Per her nature, GeorgeAnne was running the show. Mayor Watson handed out ribbons to the contest winners.

  Maddox must’ve been watching for her. Catching sight of Kara in the window, his entire countenance lifted. He waved enthusiastically. Will must not have told the little boy yet about leaving Truelove. Nor about their broken relationship. It gutted her to think of never again being a part of Maddox’s life.

  Shayla grinned. “Isn’t that Maddox MacKenzie just the cutest thing?”

  His tan cap at a jaunty angle—beret, thank you very much, Will MacKenzie—Maddox truly was. The judges must’ve thought so, too. Last week she and Miss ErmaJean had put together his wardrobe in anticipation of the contest. Khaki shorts, a button-down white shirt, tan suspenders and a red bow tie.

  Of course, the original plan was for her and Will to bring him to the egg hunt together. So many plans, so many dreams that would never come true. She blinked back the sudden moisture welling up in her eyes. She was so sick of tears. And there appeared to be no end to her waterworks.