Hometown Proposal (3 page)

Olivia shrugged her little shoulders. “'Kay.”

Seth recognized her uncertainty and tried to reassure her. “You'll have a good time.”

Barbara smiled at Olivia. “Do you like pancakes?”

Olivia nodded.

“Good. You and I can make pancakes for breakfast. Would you like that?”

Olivia nodded again.

Barbara turned her attention to Seth. “You can bring her out here in the morning before you go to the breakfast.”

“The breakfast starts at eight o'clock at my cousin's café. Do you remember the one on Main Street where we had lunch with Nathan?” Ray asked. “I do.”

“Then we'll see you there. I know you'll enjoy meeting the other men.”

Barbara motioned toward the little girl. “When you come in the morning, you can leave Olivia's car seat with me, and I'll bring her when I come to church. They have an excellent class for two- and three-year-olds, if you think she'll go.”

“We can wait and see on that one,” Seth replied.

Olivia clamored into Seth's lap and laid her little head on his chest. He glanced down. Seth's heart warmed as his daughter snuggled close. He hoped this move would prove to be a good choice for his little girl.

“I think someone's sleepy.” Barbara patted the top of Olivia's head.

“I think you're right. If I'm going to get up early for the prayer breakfast, I should head back to the hotel.” Seth smiled down at Olivia, then glanced at Barbara as he stood. “Thanks so much for the wonderful meal. I enjoyed the evening.”

Everyone joined Seth near the front door as he helped Olivia get into her little jacket.

“See you in the morning.” Ray waved as he stood on the front porch with his arm around Barbara's waist.

Seth waved in return, then buckled Olivia into her car seat. As he backed his car out of the driveway, the Kellers waved again, even Elise. She appeared to be smiling. Had he made a little progress, or was she glad he was leaving?

He had to quit second-guessing himself. He hoped tomorrow's appearance at church would help Elise see him as a changed man. He should remember to pray for patience where she was concerned.

Talk about an emotional roller-coaster ride—tonight had been one!

 

“What do you know about Seth's little girl?” Barbara started clearing the dessert plates from the table as soon as they came inside.

Elise had expected her mother to ask these questions sooner or later, but she'd hoped they would come later—maybe after she knew more herself. “You should've asked Seth.”

Barbara frowned. “I couldn't ask him.”

“Why not? He has the answers.”

“I couldn't put him on the spot or embarrass him. He was our guest.”

Knowing more questions would follow, Elise decided to put the truth out there for the whole family to hear. “The last I knew, he wasn't willing to marry Olivia's mother or even
acknowledge that the child was his. I don't know what happened since then or why he has Olivia now.”

“Oh.” Averting her eyes, Barbara lowered her head.

Elise surmised that her mother's loss for words meant she was both shocked and curious at the same time. An uncomfortable silence filled the kitchen.

Ray cleared his throat. “I'll make sure to ask Seth at the prayer breakfast.”

Elise turned to her father. “Dad, please don't ask any embarrassing questions.”

“Baby girl, don't you know I'm only kidding?” Ray chuckled.

Sighing, Elise tried not to let her dad's teasing annoy her. “This isn't a joking matter.”

Ray nodded. “I know, but I had to break the morbid silence somehow. Besides, I've learned that stating the truth is always the best solution. Letting people know about my alcohol problem has been very freeing.”

“That's true, but you did that in your own time. Seth will do the same when it comes to Olivia.” Elise sighed heavily. “This whole business with Seth has been upsetting.”

Ray placed some plates in the dishwasher. “I knew you might not be happy that he was moving here, but I think it'll do you good to deal with the past so you can finally put it behind you.”

“You discussed this with Juliane, didn't you? I'm not happy that you all have been talking about me behind my back.” Elise shot a pointed glance at her dad and her sister, then grabbed a dishrag and started wiping the counters. She wished she could wipe away all this mess with Seth, too.

“Honey.” Her dad put a hand on her shoulder. “If I'd thought it was a bad thing, I never would've agreed with the committee to hire Seth. In fact, the reason I discussed it with your sister was to get her advice.”

Elise stopped scrubbing and glared at Juliane. “And you told him to go ahead?”

“I explained that to you. I thought you needed to get over the past.” Juliane put the last glass in the dishwasher.

“I have, and I've moved on with my life.” Elise resumed washing the counter.

Juliane put soap in the dispenser, then turned to Elise. “I mean, you need to
face
the past, not bury it.”

Pressing her lips together, Elise shook her head. “One thing's for certain. Nothing stays buried with you around.”

Juliane frowned. “Elise, please don't be angry with me.”

Trying to gain control over her emotions, Elise wrung out the dishrag. “I'm not angry, just… I don't even know how to describe my feelings.”

“I love you, little sis.” Juliane gave Elise a hug.

Elise smiled and hugged her back. “Me, too.”

Ray chuckled. “I'm glad you girls have grown up. This would not be the way you would've handled this situation when you were in high school.”

“So true. We might have had a little hair pulling.” Barbara laughed out loud. “But, no matter the circumstances, that little Olivia is the cutest thing, and she looks so much like Seth. He seems to be trying to do the right thing now. Give him a chance.”

“Okay. You've all made your points, but there's a big knot of pain right here.” Elise tapped a fist over her heart. “Seeing Seth again made it worse.”

Ray put an arm around Elise's shoulders. “I just want you to be happy, baby girl.”

Leaning into her father, Elise closed her eyes for a moment, then glanced up at him. “I know, Dad. But please don't try to fix the situation. I can work through this on my own.”

“I didn't mean to bring you any trouble.” Her dad held her close. “I certainly didn't want to hurt you.”

“I understand that, but I want
you
to understand my mind-set.” Elise took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Seth is a tireless worker, a real charmer and a people person, so I can see why you hired him. I'm sure he's a perfect choice for this job. But that doesn't mean I have to be involved. So it would be a lot easier in the future if you left me off the guest list for any function where he'll be in attendance, okay?”

Ray shook his head. “I'll do my best, but this is a small town. You can't expect to avoid him.”

Elise laughed halfheartedly. “I'm aware of that, but I'd rather keep my distance, if possible.”

“Is Olivia the reason you ended your relationship with Seth?” Concern knit Barbara's brow.

“Partly, but I really don't want to discuss it. I don't want my thoughts about Seth to color yours.” Elise searched their faces. “He deserves a fresh start here, so let's drop the subject, okay?”

Juliane folded a dish towel and hung it on the nearby rack. “Does this mean you're not going to be on the softball team if Seth joins?”

Elise laughed, feeling her tension fade. She hadn't realized how wired she'd been while Seth was there until now. “Your only concern is the church softball team?”

“Well, you
are
the best pitcher we have. You were our ace last year.”

“Surely you won't miss me if I don't play this year.”

“Lukas is counting on you.”

“Well, maybe if he's super, super nice to me.” Elise's only thought was finding a way to keep Lukas from asking Seth to join the team. She had little hope of that. She had to face facts. As long as Seth lived in Kellerville, she would have to get used to being around him. She'd better start praying now for strength to deal with him.

A
fter saying good-night to her folks, Elise rushed to Juliane's car. Elise had little doubt that her sister would ply her with all kinds of questions on the way home. Despite her plea not to talk about Seth, Elise knew Juliane wouldn't quit asking until she got some answers.

Juliane hurried to keep up with Elise. “I was curious about you and Seth before, but after this evening, you have to explain everything.”

“I'm surprised you waited this long to ask. I thought you'd corner me in the pantry and twist my arm.”

“Not possible.” Juliane chuckled. “You're bigger than I am. So what gives?”

“I'm not sure I can explain anything. I'm just as confused as you are about Olivia.”

As Juliane opened the driver's-side door, she looked over the top of the car at Elise. “What's confusing about Olivia?”

“Everything. I don't know why he has the child he rejected. My explanation isn't going to help you understand it. So what's the point?”

Juliane gave her a stern look as she got into the car. “While
I drive home, you're
going
to tell me what happened between you and Seth. I won't take no for an answer. No excuses.”

Elise plopped onto the bucket seat and yanked the door closed. While Juliane drove down the lane to the main road, Elise tried to gather her thoughts. Where did she start? Maybe with the sordid truth. “Well, here it is in a nutshell. Seth Finley is a womanizer. He had a woman in every port. And the fact that he has a child tells you he wasn't just talking with them.”

“If he was so terrible, why were you dating him?”

“Because he had me fooled—probably like all the other women in his life. Like Olivia's mother.”

“You knew Olivia's mother?”

“I didn't know her personally. I saw her once—the day she showed up with Olivia.”

“And you were there?”

Nodding, Elise sighed heavily.

“How did that happen?”

Elise stared straight ahead into the darkness and let the painful memory float through her mind.

She glanced at Juliane. “Okay. Here's what I know. We were docked in Key West and had some free time, so we had lunch on the patio of one of our favorite restaurants.”

“So what happened?”

“If you'd quit interrupting, I'd tell you.”

“Okay, I'll be quiet.”

“Anyway, while we were talking, this pretty woman with long black hair and the darkest brown eyes I've ever seen walked up to us. She was pushing a stroller containing a child who looked to be about a year old.” Elise swallowed a lump in her throat.

“Was this Olivia's mother?” Juliane asked.

Elise nodded. “Seth tried to ignore her at first, but she wouldn't let him. She insisted he come out and talk to her.”

“So did he?”

“Yeah, because she wasn't going away until he did. Besides, she was attracting the attention of nearby diners. He was clearly upset when he got up and went to meet her. He guided her halfway down the block. Although I couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, I could tell by their expressions and raised voices that they were arguing.”

“What happened then?”

“Seth reached into his pocket and pulled out some money and gave it to her, then turned and walked away. When she followed him and grabbed his arm, he shook her off and told her to get lost.”

“So what did you do?”

“I was dying inside while I watched them. I felt so sorry for that woman and wondered whether he would treat me that way someday. I couldn't believe how he was acting.” Elise pressed a hand to her chest.

“Did you ask him what was going on?”

“Of course. He told me he didn't want to discuss it—that it wasn't any of my business.” Telling this story brought back the pain. Even though Olivia had obviously been conceived before Elise and Seth had made the move from flirtation to relationship, Elise had still felt betrayed. Seth had clearly known about the baby, and yet he had never even mentioned the child to her before. The man she'd thought of as generous and caring had quite literally turned his back on his daughter, and on the woman who had been his lover, and instead of offering any explanation for his behavior to Elise, he'd pushed her away.

“What did you do then?”

“I got up and left.”

“Did he come after you?”

“He did, and he tried to convince me the woman wasn't anyone I needed to concern myself about, that the baby wasn't his, anyway.”

“Did you believe him?”

“I loved him, Juliane. I'd given him my heart and soul. And more.” Pausing, Elise swallowed hard as she twisted her hands in her lap. “Please don't think I'm terrible. We were sleeping together. I wanted to believe our relationship was important to him, but how could I when he refused to tell me what was going on, why he'd behaved so horribly? The more I asked, the angrier he got, until finally, he stormed out.”

As Juliane stopped the car at a traffic light, she reached across the console and patted Elise's arm. “We've all done things in our lives we wish we hadn't.”

“Do you understand now why I didn't want to see him again? The relationship I thought we had was proven false. He wasn't the man I thought he was, and it still hurts to look at him and remember that.”

“Do you still love him?”

Elise didn't want to answer. Her mind buzzed with conflicting thoughts. No. No. No. Surely she didn't still love him. She couldn't love a man who treated women the way he'd treated her and Olivia's mother. “How could I?”

“You obviously have some kind of feelings for him.”

“Conflicting ones. I don't want him to mess up my life again.”

“He can't if you don't let him.”

“Well, I plan to steer clear of him as much as possible.”

Juliane pulled her car into the garage of the little century-old house that she and Elise shared near the heart of town. “Thanks for telling me. Now I understand some of what you're feeling.”

“Please don't mention this to Mom and Dad.” Elise followed Juliane into the house.

Juliane flipped on the light in the kitchen. “Okay, but don't you wonder why he has Olivia?”

“Yeah, but I'm not going there. That's his business, not mine or yours.”

“But don't you wish you knew?”

Elise eyed her sister. “Juliane, you'd better let it go, or I won't help you address your wedding invitations.”

“Okay, you win.”

“Nothing about this feels like winning.” Elise hung her jacket on the hook by the kitchen door. As she walked into the living room, the doorbell rang.

“That's Lukas. He said he'd stop by after his meeting.” Juliane rushed past Elise.

Elise reached out and grabbed Juliane's arm. “Please don't say anything about Seth to Lukas, either.”

“My lips are sealed.” Juliane pretended to turn a key on her lips like they'd done when they were kids.

“Thanks, sis.” Elise headed for the stairs. “I've got some studying to do, so I'll leave you lovebirds alone.”

As Juliane answered the door, Elise raced up the stairs. She didn't want to take the chance that Lukas would ask about the evening, because the conversation might involve Seth.

 

Standing in the choir room before the beginning of the worship service the following morning, Elise dreaded the thought of seeing Seth again. He'd be sitting out there in the pews somewhere. Could she avoid looking at him while she stood at the front of the sanctuary with the praise team during the song service?

She wasn't sure why he was doing the church routine. He certainly hadn't been a churchgoer when they'd worked together. Maybe his church attendance now was more about impressing her dad than anything else.

While those thoughts buzzed in Elise's mind, Juliane approached. “Have you seen Lukas? I can't find him anywhere.
He's scheduled to sing with the praise team this morning. We talked about it last night.”

Elise glanced around the room. “Did he go to the prayer breakfast this morning?”

Juliane shrugged. “He'd planned to go, but even if he did, they always finish in plenty of time for the men to get to church.”

“I haven't seen Dad, either.”
Or Seth.
Elise didn't want to voice that thought aloud.

Elise's mother rushed into the room. “Something terrible has happened.”

“What?” Elise stared at her mother's stricken face.

Pressing her fingers to her lips, Barbara didn't speak for a moment in what appeared to be an attempt to control her emotions. “Your dad called—”

“Did something happen to Dad?” Elise took hold of her mother's arm.

Barbara shook her head. “It's Seth.”

Elise's heart plummeted, and her pulse began to pound. “What about Seth?”

“He was in a terrible car accident.”

“Is he…is he okay?” Elise could hardly breath.

“I don't know.” Barbara shook her head again. “Your dad said they rushed him to the hospital. He's in emergency surgery right now. That's all I know.”

“Where did it happen?” Elise asked.

“About a mile from our house. You know the spot where there's a small rise in the road?” Barbara touched a hand to her forehead as if trying to make sense of everything.

Elise nodded. “I know the place. Was Olivia with him?”

Shaking her head, Barbara clasped her hands. “Praise God, Seth had already dropped her off with me. He was on his way back into town when it happened.”

As Elise took in the information, her heart ached. She'd
been upset that Seth was back in her life, but she'd never wanted anything like this to happen to him. “Do you know how it happened?”

“Your dad wasn't sure, but from what they could tell, Seth's car skidded off the road, probably because of the rain. The car crashed into a tree, and he was trapped inside. They had to use the Jaws of Life to get him out. It took over an hour.” Barbara turned to Juliane. “Lukas is waiting for news at the hospital.”

“Where's Olivia?” Elise asked.

Barbara turned back to Elise. “I dropped Olivia off in the class for her age as soon as I got here. Your father called right after that, so she knows nothing about her dad.”

“That poor little girl…in a strange place with people she barely knows.” Elise wrinkled her brow as she realized the child wouldn't understand what was happening. “How will we explain everything to her?”

Barbara took a deep breath. “We need to leave that to her grandmother.”

“But she isn't here, is she?” Elise glanced toward the door.

“No, but while Seth was trapped in the car, he was still coherent enough to give your dad his mom's phone number.” Barbara paused to catch her breath. “Your dad called her, and she was able to book a flight that gets into Cincinnati around one o'clock. Your dad's going to the airport to pick her up.”

Mind whirling, Elise digested all that her mother was saying. Now she would have to face Seth's mother, as well as Seth. Elise remembered her from the times Seth's parents had taken a cruise on the ship where Seth and she had been working. “How did Dad know about the accident?”

“After Seth didn't show up for the prayer breakfast, your dad called me to find out whether he'd dropped off Olivia as
he'd planned. When I told him Seth had already dropped her off, he and Lukas suspected something must be wrong.”

“How did they know where to look for him?” Elise asked.

“They figured maybe Seth had car trouble. A flat tire or something like that, but not a horrific accident.” Barbara released a harsh breath. “They drove along the route that Seth would've taken from our house to the café. That's when they came upon the accident.”

“Thank the Lord they were smart enough to go looking. Otherwise, no telling how long it would have been before someone came along.” Elise shoved away the thought of what might have happened if her dad hadn't gone to search for Seth.

“If they hadn't found him, I may have been the first person to come upon the accident on my way to church.” Barbara laid a hand on her chest. “I don't know whether I could've handled that. And worse yet, Olivia would've been with me.”

“We don't have to think about that.” Elise hugged her mom. “Should we go to the hospital?”

“I'm going to call Lukas and see whether he knows anything.” Juliane fished her cell phone out of her purse.

Barbara touched Juliane's arm. “There's no point in calling Lukas. Your dad told me they expected Seth to be in surgery for several hours.”

Elise glanced from Juliane to her mother. “Then what can we do?”

At that moment, the music minister, Tom Porter, came over to the group. “Did I hear you say something about someone in the hospital?”

After Barbara gave a condensed version of Seth's situation, Tom asked for other prayer requests. Then he had the group join hands as he led them in prayer.

Elise managed to get through the song service, but she
couldn't concentrate on the sermon. Her mind kept imagining Seth clinging to life as he lay in the hospital. She'd spent too many days wishing never to set eyes on Seth again. Now she could hardly wait until the church service ended so she could go to the hospital and see him.

 

The heels of Elise's shoes clicked on the tile floor and echoed through the lobby of the hospital. Without waiting for Juliane, she turned down the hallway leading to the surgery wing.

“Hey, there's no sense in being in such a hurry. Lukas said Seth still isn't out of surgery.” Juliane raced to keep up with Elise.

“I know, but nerves are making me hyper.” Elise turned the corner. “There's Lukas.”

Lukas stood as soon as he saw them. He met them halfway as they approached the surgery waiting room. “No word yet.”