Family Wanted (Willow's Haven Book 1) (5 page)

He saw her falter and wrapped an arm around her again. “Here, let me help you to the deck. You spook kinda easily, don’t ya?”

“I guess so.” How would she ever get a grip on her heart around him? Isabella couldn’t help but compare the way he treated her to the way Richard had. Richard would have seen her stumble as a sign of weakness, of something that she should work on and gain control of, but Titus saw it as an opportunity to offer her support.

She could get used to being treated like this.

He’d started leading her to one of the deck chairs, but then Isabella noticed the wood that had once been a neat stack beside a fire pit and now looked like someone had vandalized the place.

“I need to clean that up before Savvy gets here,” she said. “And I should back the car up to the right spot.” She hadn’t even thought to put the thing in Reverse and get it away from the deck. Isabella was embarrassed that she’d been so preoccupied and certainly didn’t want to explain what had held her attention at the time.

“I’ll pick it up,” he said, stepping toward the wayward wood. “I’m dressed for it. You’re not.” He indicated her skirt and heels.

But she wasn’t about to let Titus clean this up on his own. “I can work in this.” To prove it, she lifted a log and placed it where the stack had been.

He picked up two of them and put them beside her single one, then continued stacking them up two or three at a time, while Isabella focused on helping...instead of noticing how easily he handled the heavy logs. “I haven’t seen this side of you yet,” he said, putting three more logs on the pile.

“What side?” she asked, adding another one.

“The stubborn side.”

She glanced up to see him smiling. “I’m not stubborn,” she clarified. “I just don’t expect someone else to clean up my mess.”

They’d both ended up at the stack at the same time, and he resituated the logs to keep them steady, then paused. “There’s a reason for that, right? Something to do with your ex?”

She showed him her palms, covered with wood bark that flaked away each time she picked up a log. “He wouldn’t have been willing to get his hands dirty.”

One eyebrow lifted, and Titus smirked. “Some guys are like that,” he said. “Typically, it’s the ones with a lot of money in the bank.”

“Money isn’t everything.” Richard’s money had never been important to her. She’d simply wanted him to love her the way she was, without feeling the need to change her into what he wanted her to be.

“It isn’t everything,” he agreed, “but it does help.” Titus grabbed the last of the logs. “When Nan left, the construction industry had hit an all-time low. And I’d spent what cash we had on the truck because I had actually thought that business would be picking up when it headed south.” He put the logs on the top of the stack. “I didn’t know how we were going to make it through the year financially, and I’d told her that the week before.”

Isabella didn’t know why Nan left, but she couldn’t believe it had anything to do with money. “You think that’s why she left?” she asked.

He dusted the wood shavings from his hands and shrugged. “I’ll never know now.”

Her heart ached for him, the sensitive man who still cared about why his wife had left him and his little girl. And recalling his sensitivity reminded her of what he’d said earlier. She also dusted the wood from her hands, then smoothed her palms over the top of her skirt and asked, “Why did you need to tell me you’re sorry?”

He glanced toward the wooded area surrounding the trailer. “Basically, because I was a first-class jerk yesterday,” he said. “I asked your advice, and you gave it. But when it wasn’t what I wanted to hear, I cut you off. And that was wrong.” Then he brought his gaze back to her, and once more she was caught off guard by the sincerity in his eyes. Richard had never been so honest with Isabella. Or cared whether he hurt her feelings.

“It’s okay,” she said.

He shook his head. “No, Isabella, it isn’t. I shouldn’t have talked to you that way, and I’m sorry.”

Still shocked at a man apologizing, she simply stared.

“Now’s the time where you tell me you forgive me,” he said, and his mouth slid into a grin.

“Oh, my. I’m sorry,” she said.

* * *

Titus didn’t know why she found it so hard to admit that he’d treated her wrong, but he wasn’t about to let himself off the hook. He’d acted like a jerk, and he was sorry. But somehow,
she’d
ended up apologizing.

He wouldn’t have any part of that. “No, that’s what
I
said.
I’m
sorry. Your line is, ‘Titus, I forgive you.’”

She laughed, the response he’d hoped for, because he truly loved hearing Isabella laugh. She finally said, “Titus, I forgive you.”

He smiled. “Thanks.” He probably should’ve accepted her apology and moved away from her, because they’d ended up very close, both of them leaning against the deck near the firewood as they spoke. But he didn’t want to.

He looked at her for a moment while he gathered the right words and was momentarily captured by the image of the woman before him. She wore a turquoise blouse and long floral skirt that emphasized her femininity, as did the way she had her auburn waves pulled back in some kind of loose twist that he was certain Savannah would want her to try with her hair. A couple of long curls had escaped when they’d restacked the wood, and that only added to her appeal. And as usual, she wore minimal makeup, a hint of gloss on her lips, a shimmery shadow that highlighted the deep green of her eyes and a little mascara. But he also noticed something he hadn’t seen before, a faint spray of freckles on her nose and cheeks.

“Was there something else?” she asked, her voice trembling a little.

Titus had probably made her uncomfortable by blatantly staring—again. It really had been too long since he’d spent this much time with a female. He cleared his throat. “Yes,” he said. “I wanted to explain what happened yesterday, when you suggested I pray. The truth is, a few weeks ago I wouldn’t have had a problem praying for guidance with how to help Savannah, or whether to go through Nan’s things, or anything else. But ever since that phone call from the hospital, and after three years of constantly praying for a different ending to all of this, I guess I didn’t see the need.” The honesty of his statement, and the fact that he’d shared it with Isabella, surprised him, even if it was exactly how he felt. Nan had abandoned him, and then God followed suit.

Not knowing what she’d think of his statement, he looked away from Isabella and toward the cleared area, the sites for the first two cabins. He thought about what he planned to do today with regard to the next wooded area and about the men he needed to call to begin setting up the subcontractors he’d hire once he was ready to break ground. Anything to keep his mind off the woman to whom he’d just confessed that he was losing his faith.

The touch of warm fingers on his hand forced him to turn back to her, and the compassion in her eyes said she didn’t judge him. “It’s easier to let Him help than to blame Him. Trust me, I know.”

Each time she spoke, Titus realized how very much he didn’t know about Isabella Gray and how much he’d like to know more. “Are you talking about your marriage?”

“No, though God did get me through those years, too,” she said. “But I’m talking about the years before my marriage.” She took a deep breath and glanced at the trailer. “See, there’s a reason I’m so happy being here, helping with the start-up of Willow’s Haven.”

Her hand still touched his, and he felt a slight tremble in it as she spoke. “What reason?”

She looked back to Titus, and he saw her eyes were moist. “Growing up, I prayed for a place like this.” She blinked a couple of times, and those tears fell free. She moved her hand from Titus’s and swiped at her cheeks. “I was trying not to cry,” she whispered.

Titus didn’t know what to say or do. But he had the strongest urge to take her in his arms and hold her, make her understand that he’d protect her, because he had that desire, too, to protect Isabella Gray from whatever caused her to cry. But that wasn’t the right thing. He’d just lost his wife, and he was nowhere near the point where he could hold another woman in his arms, even to provide comfort. So he stood his ground and waited for her to continue.

“My mother abandoned me when I was born,” she said softly.

Her statement hit him like a punch to the gut. Isabella had been abandoned? “I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head. “No, that wasn’t the bad part. I can’t remember anything about her letting me go, of course,” she said, attempting a watery smile. “But the years after...” She paused, looked up for a moment. “I spent eighteen years in orphanages and a few foster homes, but never anything permanent. And never anything that felt like a real home. Nothing that felt safe.” She shivered. “Or even clean. I often went to bed hungry and never felt I could do anything right.”

His chest tugged, throat closing in at the thought of Isabella, abandoned and mistreated. Again, that urge to protect her burned through him and he repeated, “I’m so sorry.”

She took a quick breath of air. “I’m okay.”

Titus instantly recalled how often she made similar statements. “It’s okay... I’m okay...” He wondered if that was her way of dealing with the pain, by telling herself that it was all right. But it wasn’t all right. No one should be raised like that. No child should feel unloved.

“But during those years, God got me through,” she said. “I didn’t know all that much about Him, because not many of the places I stayed went to church on a regular basis, or even had Bibles. So when I did get a glimpse of Him, I’d grab on for dear life. And I’d pray.”

Her advice telling him to pray took on an entirely new meaning, and Titus felt even more like a heel for being abrupt. “Isabella, I’m sorry for being so rude yesterday afternoon. I had no idea what you’d been through, and I shouldn’t have dismissed your advice.” He felt terrible for being so crude. “Please, forgive me.”

Her mouth lifted, and he was glad to see her eyes light up as she answered, “I already did, remember?”

“Hey, Miss Isabella’s here!”

Titus turned toward Savannah’s voice and saw that she, Rose and Daisy had started down the hill from Brodie and Savvy’s cabin. He could hear her excitement at seeing the lady she’d grown so close to already, and it warmed his heart even more, because Isabella had touched his heart thoroughly.

“I wondered if they were in the trailer,” Isabella said.

“I took Savannah to the house so you and I could talk,” he explained, “and Savvy was baking cinnamon rolls for the girls to share.”

Isabella nodded, then quickly asked, “Can you tell I’ve been crying?”

He looked at her face, the freckles a little more copper due to her emotion and her eyes still glistening from her tears. A hint of mascara showed beneath each eye, and he took his thumb and tenderly wiped the smudges away. “Not now,” he said.

“Thank you.”

Savannah reached the porch first, and Titus was pleased to see the contrast in his little girl. Two weeks ago, she’d rarely walked with her head up, much less run ahead of the twins in her eagerness to get anywhere. But she’d run now, not to see Titus but to be near Isabella.

“Miss Isabella, did you bring it?” she asked excitedly.

Isabella gave his daughter a full smile, all hints of sadness disappearing in her desire to care for his daughter. She opened her purse and withdrew three bottles of fingernail polish. “I brought a few colors, so you all can choose what you like the best.”

Savannah, Rose and Daisy clapped their enthusiasm, while Titus heard his mother’s words from earlier.

It sounds as though this Miss Isabella person is filling a void in Savannah’s life.

And then...

Maybe this Isabella could fill a void in your life, too.

Chapter Six

And I didn’t want to lie.

S
parkly pink nail polish.
That’s
what finally got Savannah to ease onto the top step in the pool.

Titus watched as Isabella, sitting beside Savannah, placed her hand back in the water. “See if yours looks like this, too,” she said to Savannah.

Savannah peered at her mentor’s hand and then placed her own fingers next to Isabella’s beneath the water’s surface. “It does sparkle more in the water.” She lifted her foot to see her toes shimmering, too, thanks to Isabella painting all toes and fingers this morning. Smiling brighter than Titus had seen her smile in weeks, maybe even years, she turned to him. “Daddy, come look at it sparkle!”

Titus moved toward the pair in the pool and decided he wasn’t sure who was smiling brighter, Savannah or Isabella.

Savannah put both hands in the water and tilted them back and forth to allow the glittery polish to catch the sunlight. “See? Isn’t it pretty?”

“Beautiful,” he said, but he wasn’t merely talking about the sparkling nails. The image of Savannah happy, combined with the undeniable compassion glowing on Isabella’s face, warmed his heart in places that, until the past couple of days, had been iced over for three years.

“So what do you think? Would you want to go out a little way from the step, if you were holding on to me?” Isabella asked, her voice filled with tenderness.

Savannah’s smile slipped a little. “I don’t know. Can I touch the bottom there?”

“We would stay in the shallow part, where you can touch,” Isabella promised. “But we don’t have to move from the step today if you don’t want to. We can wait.”

Savannah glanced toward Titus. “I want to, but I want Daddy to come in the water, too.”

Titus should’ve considered that, but he honestly hadn’t anticipated her getting in the pool today. “Oh, honey, I didn’t bring a swimsuit.” He’d changed out of his long-sleeved work shirt into a T-shirt, but still wore old jeans and boots. Not exactly swimming attire.

“You could sit on the side and watch me. And maybe put your feet in,” Savannah said. “It isn’t too scary.”

Until today, she’d seen everything about this pool as scary, but thanks to Isabella—and a bottle of sparkly fingernail polish—that fear was slowly but surely evaporating. “That’s a good idea.” He sat on the concrete near the girls, removed one boot and then the other while they watched, and then followed suit with his socks. He stuffed the socks in the boots and rolled up his jeans to his calves, while Savannah clapped her approval and Isabella smiled hers.

Sliding his feet into the water, he made a show of hissing as if it were too cold. Savannah giggled and Isabella winked at him. Titus laughed, the surprising gesture from Isabella making him feel as happy as the unrestrained giggle from his little girl.

Isabella eased away from the step. She dipped to her shoulders, then stood and moved her hands around in the water. “See,” she said to Savannah. “It isn’t deep at all here.”

Savannah nodded but made no effort to move off of the step. Titus could tell Isabella was intent on taking this slow, encouraging Savannah without pushing her. He nodded his approval, and she gave him another of those easy smiles.

While Savannah garnered her courage and Isabella continued gently circling her hands along the top of the water, Titus found himself appreciating Isabella’s beauty even more. Her auburn waves appeared more chestnut than red when wet, giving her an almost exotic appearance as she stood in the water. She wore a modest green one-piece, similar to the suits she’d worn every other day. There wasn’t anything too revealing about it, but even so, any male would have a difficult time not noticing how fit she looked, her petite features accentuating the femininity of the woman who’d drifted through his thoughts ever since she arrived in town. And stayed there continually since their conversation yesterday.

Over the past two weeks, he’d learned a few things about Isabella Gray. She’d had a husband who didn’t appreciate her, and she’d been raised without being loved. Now, as he watched her ease her fingertips toward his little girl and then saw Savannah slide her fingers to intertwine with Isabella’s, Titus was overwhelmed with gratitude. And though he did know a few things about her, he wanted very much to know more. It wasn’t as if he wanted anything romantic. He knew he wasn’t ready for that, not after what had happened with Nan. But he was very interested in her because of how she affected Savannah. That was it. Really.

“Look at me, Daddy!” Savannah had left the step and was letting Isabella guide her around the water. They weren’t actually doing anything like swimming, but she was in the water, and he saw no sign of fear, because Isabella wasn’t leaving her side.

His throat tightened. “Yes, look at you.” Titus didn’t miss the similarity in what was going on in the pool and what had happened in Savannah’s life. Nan had left Savannah, and his little girl had probably felt as if she’d been tossed into the deep with no way out, no mother to help, certain to drown. But Isabella, understanding that feeling from her own experience, had taken her time with Savannah, staying there and encouraging her as she worked through the fear.

He saw Isabella catch his gaze, concern covering her features as though she knew what he was thinking. And maybe she did. Then he saw her gather Savannah in her arms and whisper something in her ear that made Savannah look at him and smile.

Titus, not knowing what else to do, returned the gesture.

And then he saw the flash of mischievousness on Isabella’s face as she slowly brought Savannah closer to her father...and they began splashing him mercilessly.

Titus was so stunned that it took him a moment to react, but within seconds, he began kicking playful waves in his own wet attack—nothing too big as to frighten Savannah but enough that he could join in the fun.

The squeals of laughter from the woman and the child were infectious, and pretty soon, he was laughing nearly as hard and was almost as wet as the two in the pool.

“Okay, okay,” he finally said, holding up his hands in defense. “Mercy.”

Isabella and Savannah stopped their assault and, still laughing, made a few more turns around the shallow end of the pool before they decided to call it a successful day.

Within minutes, they’d dried off and put T-shirts and shorts over their suits. Savannah couldn’t seem to stop grinning, and Titus couldn’t either.

“Daddy, can we go get ice cream?” Savannah saw a trip to the Sweet Stop, the candy and ice-cream store on the town square, as the ultimate form of celebration. Titus agreed that this afternoon’s accomplishment in the pool was definitely worth celebrating.

“Sure,” he said, and her smile got even bigger, pushing into her cheeks.

“Can I go ask Abi if she wants to come?”

He glanced toward the barn to see Abi with her parents, Landon and Georgiana Cutter. “Of course,” he said.

Savannah didn’t miss a beat. “And Miss Isabella can come, too?”

Isabella shook her head. “Oh, no, you don’t have to...”

But Titus didn’t waver. “Of course,” he repeated to Savannah. To Isabella, he added, “Please. Savannah wants you to come.” When she opened her mouth to apparently protest again, he added, “And so do I.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

Savannah rushed toward him and hugged him. “Thank you, Daddy.” Then she moved to Isabella and wrapped both arms around her in a hug, making no effort to let go.

“Thank you, Miss Isabella.”

Isabella ran her hand down Savannah’s hair and visibly swallowed. “You’re welcome, sweetie. We’ll do it again tomorrow, okay?”

Savannah nodded. “Okay.”

Titus waited for her to release Isabella from the hug, but she continued holding on, and for a moment he thought his little girl might be crying. His heart couldn’t take seeing her cry, for any reason, happy or sad. Then he realized what had her so absorbed in the hug.

“Miss Isabella,” she whispered, “I love you.”

Emotion fisted around Titus’s heart and held tight as he watched Isabella’s tears slip free. She tried to casually brush them away and Savannah, with her face still pushed against Isabella’s side, didn’t seem to notice. But Titus did. And he also noticed the undeniable honesty delivered in her response.

“Oh, Savannah, I love you, too.”

* * *

Isabella hadn’t been able to say anything to Titus after Savannah left to get Abi. The little girl’s sweet confession had overwhelmed her to the point that she simply couldn’t speak, and she could barely look at him as she gathered her things at the pool. Thankfully, she’d driven her car to the Cutter ranch and was now following them to the square. She needed this time alone to work through the surplus of emotions that the afternoon had stirred in her soul.

But the fifteen-minute drive to the square wasn’t long enough. In fact, the only thing she managed to do during its duration was continue to remember how it felt to be there, with Titus and Savannah, playing in the pool and laughing, seeing him look at her with such thankfulness for helping his little girl and then hearing Savannah say the sweetest words she’d ever heard.

By the time they pulled into the parking spaces at the back of the Sweet Stop, Isabella had shed so many tears that her neck was damp. She dropped her visor and glanced at her reflection in the mirror to check the damage. As she feared, she was a mess. Her hair, naturally wavy, went a little on the troll doll side after a visit to the pool. Normally, she’d pull it into a ponytail, but she’d forgotten to bring a hairband. And she certainly hadn’t expected an invitation to go out for ice cream with Titus, Savannah and Abi.

Makeup was nonexistent, as it always was after she went swimming, except for a blur of smudged mascara beneath each eye. And a hint of it on her cheeks from where it must have slid south at some point in her crying spell.

Thankful that there hadn’t been two parking spaces side by side, she patted her cheeks and attempted to smooth her hair while Titus parked a short distance away. She was still trying to make herself look a little more presentable when he opened her door.

“Hey, it’s easier to eat the ice cream if we go inside the shop,” he said, giving her a smile that warmed her heart.

Then he apparently noticed her eyes, or her makeup, or maybe her hair, because his features warmed and he asked, “Are you going to be okay?”

He crouched down beside her, and Isabella focused on regaining control, sniffing, taking a deep breath...and then remembering that the girls were with him. She peered around him. “Where are Savannah and Abi?”

“Abi’s uncle John and aunt Dana were entering the Sweet Stop when we drove up, so the girls went on in with them,” he said.

Grateful they hadn’t seen her upset, she reached for her purse and withdrew a tissue, then used the mirror to attempt a better job of cleaning away the smudges. “I’m better now,” she said, wadding up the tissue. “Sorry for the tears. Let’s go get that ice cream.”

His arm propped on the edge of the car, and he was close enough that she could smell his woodsy cologne. Or maybe that was simply the way he smelled. Either way, she liked it, and she found herself inhaling deeply just to appreciate it, while she waited for him to ease back and let her get out of the car.

But he didn’t budge and, instead, continued filling the space from the open door. “Isabella, I can tell you’re used to apologizing for things, even things you can’t control. You don’t need to feel badly for being upset. But I do want you to tell me what’s wrong. Maybe I can help.”

She could tell he wasn’t moving until she answered, and again memories of the past ten years with Richard resurfaced. With her ex-husband, if she apologized, he’d merely accept the apology and they’d move along. He didn’t care what was wrong—he simply wanted her to dry it up and get over it. But Titus cared. She could hear it in his tone, sense it in the way he looked at her now. “It’s just that I’ve never had that happen before, and I guess it really hit me how wonderful it feels.”

He eased back from the car a little and studied her. “You helped children who were afraid of the water in Atlanta, too. How was helping Savannah different?” But even as he asked her, she could tell that he suspected how very different it was. Everything about Savannah was different, because she reminded Isabella of herself and because she was the daughter Nan had never mentioned...and because she belonged to Titus.

But none of those things were what Isabella referred to now. “That isn’t what I’m talking about.”

“Then what is?” he asked.

“I’ve never had a child...tell me that she loved me.”

He hesitated, and she noticed his jaw flex before he spoke. She wondered if she’d told him too much. She didn’t want him feeling sorry for her, but he’d said he wanted to know why she was upset, and Isabella didn’t want to lie to Titus. Ever.

Then she remembered the reason she had come to Claremont and that she had essentially lied, or at least withheld the truth, when she didn’t tell him about Nan.

Isabella swallowed, thought about the misconception and decided she needed to tell him everything. Right here, right now. “Titus, I’m sorry...”

“No,” he said. “I won’t let you apologize for earning a place in Savannah’s heart. I’ll admit that it surprised me when she told you that she loved you, but not in a bad way. Not at all. It means the world to me that she has found someone to trust again, someone to love. I know that she loves me, trusts me, but Nan leaving her really seemed to put a hold on her ability to have those types of emotions with anyone else. But ever since you came...” He took a deep breath, let it out. “Well, I want you to know that when Savannah says something, especially something like that, she means it. And I also want to thank you for giving her the confidence to love again.”

Isabella couldn’t ruin this moment by telling him about Nan. He was as touched by Savannah’s words as she’d been, and that realization nearly pushed her tears free again.

“Oh no, you don’t,” he said. “No more tears, or the girls will think I made you cry.” Then he stood and held out a hand. “Come on. You need ice cream. The Sweet Stop makes an amazing mint chocolate chip. What do you say?”