Betting on Hope (12 page)

But she’d been unable to stop herself in the end. Maggie Hope, in the blue Volkswagen Bug, had picked her up on the side of the road, with her perfect blonde hair and smile and cool red high heels. Maggie had shown her kindness when Jenna had needed it most.

When her baby’s life had depended on it.

Because Jenna had been in a really bad way that afternoon. She’d needed someone, and she’d actually prayed that God would send her someone. She never prayed, never thought it did much good. But that afternoon, she’d prayed like she’d never prayed before, because this was about her baby. She knew that even if God didn’t care about her that maybe he’d care about her little baby. When that blue car sped her way, hope had sprung up in Jenna. And when it had passed her by, she’d crumbled, but then, it had whipped around and beautiful blonde Maggie had come to her rescue.

It was as if God had sent her baby its very own angel.

Jenna would never be able to forget what Maggie had done. Maggie had given her hope when she thought she had lost it all.

Without even realizing it that day, her baby had become little Hope.

Named for the beautiful woman who’d taken time out of her day to rescue them.

Where had Maggie gone?

Jenna took a bite of the toast and forced herself to swallow it. It made its way into her stomach and some of the queasiness stilled. Food, the sight of it, could make her want to upchuck and then once a little made its way in, she felt better.

She took another bite and a breath. Lana smiled.

“Better?”

She nodded and voiced the question knotting in her chest. “Lana, do you think we’re going to find my Hope a wonderful family?”

It was a question she’d asked that first day a little over a week ago. Lana had assured her that she would.

“Honey, I promise, you keep poring through those files and praying about it and you’ll come up with just the right family for Hope.”

Jenna sighed. Her heart squeezed tight like it was going to explode.

She had to find them. She had to be strong and go through with her plan. Her baby needed more than she’d had.

More than she could offer her.

More than Jenna knew how to give her.

After all, Jenna hadn’t been raised up with love and kindness; she didn’t want to take the chance of doing it wrong.

And she was just a kid. No home . . . no job . . . no money.

What good would that do her baby?

Little Hope needed a chance to grow up and be . . . be like Maggie. The kind of person who radiated beauty and goodness and kindness.

All the things Jenna wasn’t. She was a tough scrapper. Exactly what she didn’t want little Hope to have to be. It would be better if she had the opportunity to be a lady.

Like Maggie, in her classy red heels, her funky blue car and that pretty dress that fluttered around her knees when she walked. Jenna wore sweats and oversize T-shirts.

No, her Hope needed a shot.

And it didn’t matter that since arriving here Jenna kept having pangs of . . . regret. She was finding her baby a happy home. It was one thing she could do for Hope.

It didn’t matter that it was killing Jenna to think about it. She was doing it and that was final.

Maggie had shown Jenna real kindness, and this was the kindness she could do for her baby girl.

And it didn’t matter if thinking about it every second of the day made her sick to her stomach. It was happening.

It was done . . . if there was one thing Jenna was, she was tough, so she could do this. She could do this for her baby.

“It’s creepy, Amanda. You should hear the coyotes out there howling.” Maggie had made it back from the grocery store just before dusk set in. “And at dusk when I got back from the grocery store, there were shadows everywhere, looming out from the woods around this cabin.”

Amanda laughed on the other end of the line.

“Stop that,” Maggie demanded. “You’d have to be here to understand.”

“I’m from Weatherford, right up the road from Wishing Springs, Mags. Remember, I’m a country girl gone city. You’re a city girl gone country.”

“Ha, I beg your pardon, I have
not
gone country. I’m only here under extreme duress.”

“This is so unlike you. Where is the woman with the heart and spirit of a mother tiger? There is something going on here that really has you stirred up, and I suspect it has more to do with that hunky cowboy than those spooky woods. Woods are not spooky, Mags. They are peaceful and calming to the soul. All things you could use right now. Tru really gets to you, doesn’t he?”

“No . . .” Maggie had hurried back to the cabin from the grocery store as fast as possible, not certain she could find it in the dark. The last thing she’d wanted was to get lost in the dark and need to have Tru come rescue her again.

“You say that with such conviction.” Delight rang in Amanda’s chuckle. “You can deny all you want, but I know. I remember your words the first time I told you I was doing an interview with him. You said, and I quote: ‘He is the best looking man in the world’ ”

“I
knew
it. You set me up.”

“Well, believe me, I did not get the flu on purpose. But yes, I may have remembered that statement when I suggested a replacement. But you set yourself up for this bet gig. And I, for one, am enjoying it immensely. I can’t wait to see what you do with this opportunity.”

Truth was, Maggie was tied in knots thinking about the things she was still to face. “I still can’t believe that one crazy slip of the mouth puts me in this all-or-nothing position. You and I both know that this is all about Tru. I’m interchangeable with any other female silly enough to open her mouth and put her foot in it like I did. But, like Ms. Davenport said, the clock was ticking on my column’s life.”

“Your blunder is actually a gift. This at least gives you a shot at redeeming your standings. And increasing your readership by giving you visibility you’ve never had. And you said yourself, this could be your shot at syndication.”

Maggie had been dreaming of being the next Dear Abby, and Amanda knew this. But it was a far-fetched dream. Until now. “Which is another reason why I would never come here to make goo-goo eyes with Tru. Not only am I interchangeable with any other female as far as your television audience is concerned, I’m also interchangeable for Tru. The man’s wandering eye has been well documented. So this is all about the health of my column.”

Amanda sighed. “Well, one thing about you, Maggie, is you have the ability to cut to the truth of an issue.”

“It comes from bad experiences—”

“I’ve admired you from the moment I met you. You’ve overcome things that would have broken most people. And that’s exactly why the people who read your column stick with you. You give good advice. You really do care about the problems of every person who writes you. All you need is some attention so more people find out how awesome you are.”

Maggie picked up the small bag of letters she’d brought with her. Amanda knew more about her than anyone and she understood so much about where Maggie wanted to go but . . . but there was so much Amanda didn’t know. And never would. No one would.

She pulled the bag closer and started trying to open it with one hand. So much of what Amanda had said was true. She was blunt sometimes and more focused on giving good advice than anyone knew. But it was as much about her as it was about the readers. For Maggie, there was redemption inside this bag.

Atonement . . .

“You’ll be okay, Mags.
And,
you’re going to have some very nice
scenery
helping you learn to ride that horse.”

Maggie paused opening the bag and focused on the conversation. “Amanda, I am not interested in the scenery.”

Amanda only laughed. “Sure, you’re not, and that’s completely fine. But you can still enjoy the view. Hey, I’m going to let you get on with your letters. And then get a good night’s sleep. You’ve got a busy day coming. Enjoy,” she teased and disconnected, but her chuckle echoed through the dead phone line.

Maggie tossed the phone onto the couch beside her. She rubbed her temple. Not only did she have to face her first lesson, but she also would begin to get to know the community that her paper was expecting her to feature over the next few weeks.

Odd as it was, this bet was a gift, and now she had to find a way to add this town, the television special, and that blundering bet all together to save her column.

But right now, she had letters to answer.

9

Maggie’s alarm didn’t go off.

Miraculously, at six-fifteen she rolled over, lifted thick lids, and groggily peeked at the glaring red lights of her alarm clock.
Six-fifteen.

What?

Heart thundering, she sprang to a sitting position. She was going to be late.

She couldn’t be late.

Maggie flew out of bed. Tangled in the covers, she stumbled and disengaged from them and finally made it into the bathroom. She grabbed her toothbrush and scrubbed her teeth while yanking clothes from her suitcase with her free hand.

Five minutes later she was speeding—bumping and jerking—down the dirt road toward the stables.

Skidding to a halt, she bolted from her car and didn’t stop running until she reached the double doors of the horse barn and spotted Tru.

Smokin’ tortillas!
What a cowboy sight to see first thing in the morning.

Surprise lit his expression as he saw her—a splash of cold water to her runaway imagination—because it was immediately clear that he hadn’t believed she’d show up on time.

“So,” she said, trying to sound more upbeat than she felt. “What bone am I going to break today?”

“You’re not going to break anything. I promise.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” she muttered, focusing on the horse she was expected to ride. She’d be lucky if she could hang on.

“Relax, I’m not putting you on Stardust today. You’re going to brush him and groom him and get to know him. I want you comfortable with him before I put you on his back for the first time.”

Her nerves eased a little looking at the brush he held out to her.

“Slip your hand in here like so,” he demonstrated the right way to hold the brush. Turning toward Stardust, he placed the brush on his side and stroked downward. “See, he’s used to this, so you don’t have to worry. I’d never put you with a skittish horse.”

She looked at him. There was sincerity in his eyes, but his proximity made her more aware of the heat coming off his skin.

“Do you trust me?”

“N-
no
. Why should I?” she blurted out. She barely knew him—sure he took her breath away—but that was certainly no reason to trust him or any man. Besides,
how many other females’ breath had he stolen?

“No?” he repeated.

“Don’t look so shocked. I don’t trust any man as far as I can toss a boulder.” Especially one who smelled of fresh soap and tangy aftershave that threatened to distract her. She frowned and held her hand out. “May I try?”

He pulled the brush from his hand and placed it in her extended palm. Their fingertips brushed and she jerked her hand away and almost fumbled the brush.

His eyes narrowed. “You’re right. This is about you building a relationship with Stardust.”

“Right.” Maggie stepped tentatively toward Stardust. “So, like this?”

Stardust looked over his shoulder at her with accusing eyes—as if the horse knew what she’d been thinking about. Hadn’t she heard horses were intuitive?

They had instinct. Maybe she could learn a thing or two from them.

She began brushing the horse and he just stood there. Like a good horse.

Doing exactly what Tru had shown her, she concentrated on each stroke, conscious that Tru was watching her.

“That’s good,” he said. “See, that’s not so bad, is it?”

A knot in Maggie’s chest that she hadn’t even realized was there eased a little.

“It’s okay. He likes it,” she said. “I’m brushing a horse.” With a giddy feeling, she smiled at Tru.

His dark brows dipped. “See, there, what’d I tell you? All you have to do is trust me and it’s all going to be just fine.”

Maggie stiffened. He tossed out the word
trust
as if it was the easiest, most natural undertaking in the world . . . like deciding to enjoy breathing.

But trust . . . it wasn’t something so easily decided.

She stilled her enthusiasm over having touched a horse. She had simply made the first step. She had a long way to go.

And Tru—wasn’t he being the hypocrite? After all, he thought she should trust him, but he’d made it clear he didn’t trust her. She needed to remember that.