Love Inspired August 2014 – Bundle 1 of 2 (18 page)

“Her grandmother.”

“Ah.” The toe resumed tapping, but not as slow and threatening as it had been before.
This tap was a little more rhythmic and snappy. “So you took the word of a somewhat
rattled septuagenarian and wrote Liv off without talking to her, asking her questions
or approaching her in any way, shape or form. Is that how Western guys do it? Because
no wonder it takes you guys forever to find a wife.”

“Hey, I—” Jack stopped, replayed the conversation in his head, then angled his chin
down. “Do you mean she didn’t get the job offer?”

“Of course she did, you big dork, they’d have been crazy not to offer her a position
with a résumé like hers.”

“Then, I don’t—”

Robin refused to give him a chance to finish. “They offered. Liv turned it down.”

“She... Say what?”

“She refused their offer. She apologized for wasting their time and said she needed
to stay in Jasper Gulch for a while. That she had unfinished business here. Namely,
you, I think, but she didn’t say that to the department head. At least not outright.”

“She refused the job.” The thought of Liv turning down a good job like that spurred
a mix of emotions, but in the end, joy won out. “She’s staying here? Really?”

“A fact you’d know if you got your head out of the pasture and talked to her. Are
all cowboys this addled and dense?” she wondered aloud, but a growing smile took some
bite out of her words. “Because if this is the norm—” she pointed to him and her voice
said it wasn’t exactly a compliment “—I’m steering clear of cowboys once and for all.”

“Where is she now?” he asked. He glanced at his watch and frowned. “She’s at my place,
isn’t she?”

“Very Shakespearean, star-crossed lovers, complete with the melodrama we all know
and love,” Robin told him. “Yes, she’s there taking care of your animals and probably
fit to be tied because you’ve been ignoring her for days.”

“Well, that’s over,” Jack promised. He reached out and hugged a very surprised Robin,
then turned and hurried out the door. “I’m heading home.”

* * *

He pulled into the yard abutting the near barn just as Liv approached her car. She
looked up. Saw him. And the look on her face, the expression of angst and sadness,
rolled into one, made him want to beat himself up. He came to a stop just shy of her
car and bounded out of the truck. He closed the distance between them in record speed
and grabbed two very surprised hands in his. “You’re staying.”

Liv stared up at him, pulled her hands free and rounded the side of the car. “Actually,
I’m going home to make supper for Grandma and Grandpa.” She started to climb into
the driver’s seat, but Jack stepped between her and the car.

“I mean here. You’re staying in Jasper Gulch.”

Liv looked up again, and her expression said this wasn’t news. “That’s been the intent
right along, hasn’t it?”

“Wait, stop, Liv. Talk to me. Didn’t you go to Bozeman on Monday for a job interview?”

She nodded and shrugged. “For a job I decided I didn’t want and shouldn’t have applied
for.”

“You turned down their offer.”

A slow look of awareness deepened the light blue of her eyes to a stormy gray. “You
thought I was leaving.”

“Your grandmother said you were leaving, taking a job in Bozeman.”

Liv’s gaze cut through him. “You thought I was leaving and so you ignored me for three
long days. Three very long days.”

“Liv, I—” He jumped in, ready to explain about the bad check and his lack of faith,
but she cut him off right sharp.

“Don’t.” She put up a hand, palm out, fingers splayed, a clear stop sign. “You didn’t
trust me enough to ask, or care enough to consider a long-distance relationship. You
took it upon yourself to pout and get angry all over again, and Jack?” She turned
her attention toward the ranch, the horses, the distant trees, hills and mountains
and shook her head. “I can’t do this. I can’t deal with your lack of trust. I get
that life hands out disappointments, but I thought you grew up. I thought
we
grew up. Looks like I was wrong.” She pointed left, giving him no choice but to move
out of the way, because she was right.

He’d reacted without giving her a chance to explain herself and all because he’d taken
a financial blow. He’d jumped to conclusions, wishing she’d stay, then deciding he
had nothing of import to offer a smart, educated woman like her because he was mad
at himself again.

She got into the car, shaking her head, her features rigid.

He’d hurt her. He’d made assumptions and acted on them, and that wasn’t husband material.
That was lack of faith talking. In himself and in God’s timing. And that lack of faith
might have just cost him the most precious thing in the world, again.

Olivia Franklin.

* * *

Heat lightning sparked along the distant mountains. Jagged flashes crimped the federal-blue
sky, the light casting shades of gray in its wake.

Jack thought she was going. He’d assumed the worst and instead of talking to her,
facing her, he’d tucked tail and crawled into his hermit-rancher cave, much as he’d
done before.

Liv’s heart broke all over again. She’d felt so good being here. Whole. Alive. And
she’d blossomed in the light of a growing faith, a hope that sprang from within. God’s
hope.

She didn’t feel very hopeful now. Angry?

Yes.

Disappointed?

Check!

Miserable?

She stuck her lower lip out, much like little Chrissy had done in church, then drew
it back in when the resemblance seemed too obvious.

She’d done a lot of growing lately, but not enough, it seemed. Because right now she
wanted to throw one of those little-kid hissy fits, stomp her feet, fold her arms
across her chest and scowl.

She didn’t.

Instead, she turned the car left, headed for the wood-and-stone church, parked, climbed
out and tried the door, fully expecting it to be locked at suppertime on a Thursday.

The church door swung open easily. The scent of old wood and new oil teased her senses.
She crept in, found the pew she’d shared with Jack, sank down and prayed. She prayed
for understanding. For faith. For wisdom, because she hadn’t felt all that smart of
late. And when she was done praying, she sat quietly, seeping in the silence, letting
peace flow through her.

She was a child of God, a princess of the Most High King. No matter what happened
with her and Jack, she’d done the right thing turning down the teaching position.
Being here, working in the museum she helped raise money for, felt right. She could
assist with Grandpa. Give Grandma some much-needed free time. And she could get to
know her grandparents all over again. This time, she’d accept God’s time and use it
wisely.

She stood to leave as a handful of choir members came in the back entrance. They smiled
at her. One of the older fellows removed his cap, the old-style dignity a sweet pleasure.
“Good day, Miss Livvie.”

“And to you.” She eased out the door, into the light of an oblique sun, the days growing
shorter as August wound down. She breathed deep, squared her shoulders and headed
home, ready to begin this new stage of her life, letting God’s light brighten her
way.

She’d turned down a good-paying job, committed herself to being in Jasper Gulch and
lost the man she loved, but with God’s help, she’d turn it all around.

Although the thought of being a town spinster didn’t sit well, so she pushed that
image aside and went home. She had work to do tomorrow, and then the big game on Saturday.

A game with Jack, surrounded by baseball. Fun.

Liv ignored the droll tone of her conscience and decided she would have fun. If nothing
else, she was helping the town she loved, and for that reason alone, she’d plant a
smile on her face and work the game she’d planned at his side.

Only, she’d work it without acknowledging Jack McGuire’s presence on the planet, very
Austen friendly. That realization meant she might need a little more faith formation
in the forgiveness area. And she’d be happy to work on that, after Saturday’s game.

* * *

You blew it. Again.

The harsh scolding from Jack’s conscience was nothing he didn’t already know.

What was wrong with him? What was he thinking, going off half-cocked over something
as simple as money?

In your defense, it wasn’t exactly pocket change.

Jack shrugged off the lame excuse. Twenty grand was significant funding, but the money
wasn’t the problem.

He was the problem.

He strode across the gravel drive, fingers twitching, longing for forgiveness—and
a fight.

Blue yipped from the kennel on the back porch. Jack tried to ignore the pup’s whine,
but the little fellow fussed again, scraping the front of his cage with tiny paws,
needing to have a run around the yard.

Jack changed direction, moved to the porch and released the little heeler from the
dog-training crate. “Come on out here, boy.”

The pup didn’t need encouragement. He bounded down the steps after Jack, scurrying
about, spinning here and there, sniffing possible target areas, anxious until he’d
taken care of the necessities of puppy life. Then he came and sat at Jack’s feet,
his mottled face upturned, tongue out, panting happy emotion, his tiny tail thumping
a beat of pure love.

Mick pulled in just then. He rolled to a stop, saw Jack and the pup, and smiled. “I
was thinking he’d need a spell around the yard about now and didn’t know you were
here. Hey, Blue.”

The pup dashed toward Mick, thrilled to have both men on board. Mick picked up the
puppy, cradled him and eyed Jack. “You’ve looked better.”

Jack grimaced because he knew it was true.

“And I passed Livvie’s car on my way here, so I’m guessing you’re in the doghouse
for something.”

“I think it’s beyond the doghouse,” Jack admitted. “She pretty much wants to be done
with me.”

“Well, we men aren’t the brightest creatures in the world,” Mick acknowledged as he
smoothed one hand across the pup’s head and back. “And we mess up continually. Somehow
we manage to put other things first, in front of our women. Your mother wasn’t afraid
to call me on it. Fairly often.”

Jack cringed. “So it’s a family trait? Great.”

Mick laughed. “Some of us learn faster than others. What did you do?”

“Acted stupid. She had a chance at a big job in Bozeman and I thought staying here
with a guy like me would be unfair, so I backed off.”

“You wanted the best for her.” Mick shrugged one shoulder, considering Jack’s words.
“Nothing wrong with that, Jack. But when we try to make decisions for women, deciding
what’s in their best interests? That’s when we stir up a pot of trouble.” He set Blue
down, gave a whistle and moved toward the back barn. “I’m going to let him run around
out back a bit. I’m having supper at Carrie’s tonight with the kids, so you’re on
your own.”

On his own. Alone, again. Because he’d done exactly what his father said, he’d made
decisions for Liv while mad at himself.

When would he grow up, for real? Learn to trust God, trust Livvie, trust that life
would work itself out?

Dilly padded across the corral, a light breeze sifting the horse’s mane as he moved.
He tossed his head, showing off, a sure sign of improved health and humor. The neglected
steed had come back to life under Livvie’s gentle, skilled hands, her patient nature.
Her proficiency on the ranch was right before him, in plain sight. Why hadn’t he weighed
the importance of that, how she loved being here? Working here? Getting dirty right
alongside him?

Love is patient, love is kind...

The popular verse from Corinthians made Jack rethink his actions.

He’d been so proud of his baseball career, his successes. When his injury stopped
them cold, he reacted badly. When his mother passed away, he kept himself to the ranch,
running herd and working off his grief in silence. And when he realized he’d made
a bad risk on a twenty-thousand-dollar debt, he’d tucked tail again, not wanting Liv
tied to a failure.

Love is patient, love is kind...

He hadn’t been patient or kind. He’d been quietly foul-tempered, ready to pack his
toys and go home like a spoiled kid, refusing to look at the big picture. His mother
used to look at the good and bad in life, shrug and say, “And this, too, will pass.”

He needed to do that more often. Accept the bad times, enjoy the good and deal with
life like a responsible adult. Like Livvie, he realized, and that deepened his regret.

He moved to the house, determined to make it up to her, someway, somehow. If he needed
to grovel, he’d grovel. If he needed to beg, well...

He scrubbed a hand to the back of his neck, growled and sighed, then decided, yes.
If he needed to beg, he’d beg, because letting Livvie go a second time would make
him the stupidest guy in Big Sky country and he’d already done that once.

He really didn’t want to do it again.

Chapter Fourteen

“Y
ou’re bound to see him today.” Jane Franklin noted Saturday morning as she double-checked
for sunscreen and Grandpa’s hat. Halfway through the big game he might decide one
or the other wasn’t working. Getting his scalp sunburned wouldn’t be in anyone’s best
interests.

“Then I’ll see him from a distance,” Liv declared. She thumped around the kitchen,
agitated at the thought of being elbow-to-elbow with Jack throughout this day. She
gathered supplies into her bag to help ensure a great time would be had by all, when
she was about to have the worst day of her life.

She and Jack, working together, pretending things were all right in front of a thousand
or so onlookers, half of whom would talk up the events of the day nonstop for the
coming week.

She didn’t want or need to be a spectacle. Not now. Not ever.

“Liv?”

The sound of Jack’s voice at the kitchen door hard-stopped her heart.

“May I come in?”

“Sure.” Jane sent Liv a scolding frown Jack couldn’t see, leaned over and pushed the
wooden screen door his way. “I’m going to go check on Grandma and Grandpa. They’re
very excited about the game today, Jack.”

“Good. I’m glad.” His words sounded perfunctory, and that was probably because the
look he settled on Liv was steadfast and unhappy, a tough mix. “I came to apologize.”
He’d taken off his baseball cap and fiddled with the brim while he spoke. “I made
a fool of myself and I’ve got no one but myself to blame for it. I jumped to conclusions—”

“And pouted.”

He sucked in a breath, then agreed, his gaze troubled. “Like a five-year-old. Yes.
But it wasn’t about you leaving, at least not just that.” He paused as his phone buzzed,
then frowned, clearly unhappy about taking the call, but it was game day, after all,
and Jack would be a busy man. “Wilbur. Can I call you back?”

Whatever Wilbur said on the other end lightened Jack’s features considerably. In fact,
by the time he ended the call, he wore a broad smile, which meant he might not bow
and scrape as much as he should after being a complete dork for days. Liv wasn’t sure
how to feel about that. Provoked and incensed seemed just about right.

Jack held the phone up. “That phone call solved the first part of my problem, one
that was caused by a banking error someplace in Nebraska, a simple mistake that misplaced
a twenty-thousand-dollar deposit last week, but that’s no excuse for me being out-and-out
dumb, Liv. And bullheaded.”

She kept her expression flat and motioned with her hand that he should continue the
list because dumb and bullheaded were a “barely-scratched-the-surface” beginning.

“Wilbur called me Monday to say a check had bounced. A big one. I’d pushed my father
to take the check and when it bounced, I was pretty sure I was the biggest loser in
Montana. And then your grandma said you were taking a job in Bozeman and all I could
see was the opportunity they were handing you. A chance to be someone special, to
use all that education, to climb that ladder of success the way we all knew you should.
That sounded so much better than being bound up in Jasper Gulch with a loser like
me.”

“So you ignored me and wouldn’t talk to me because you were pouting and being self-sacrificial?”
Liv crossed her arms over her chest and made sure Jack read the glare she shot him.
“Not to mention boneheaded?”

“All three?” He said the words cautiously, as if unsure of the right answer, and he
was wise to do so because there was no right answer.

Liv moved forward. “Your communication skills are appalling, cowboy.”

His face said he knew that.

“And that’s not acceptable in life, in love. In marriage.”

His eyes widened, but there might have been the tiniest ray of hope behind the surprise
she saw there.

“But this isn’t the time or the place to talk about any of this.” She picked up a
tote and shoved it at him, then gathered the bag she’d packed to keep things straight
all day. “We’ve got a game to play.”

“We’ll talk later?”

She studied him, then the bright August day outside, then nodded. “Later.”

“Then let’s play ball, Liv.”

She followed him to his truck, tempted to take a stand and insist on driving herself,
but the truth was, she wanted to be with Jack in the big 4X4 pickup. Did that make
her pathetic?

It makes you a woman in love. Just make sure you’re on the same page this time, okay?

She mentally agreed with the sage advice, knowing she’d come a long way in eight years
and determined that this time, with the grace of God, she’d land on her feet. And
that decision felt more than good. It felt great.

* * *

“Jack, we’ve got a problem.” Coach Randolph moved toward them as Jack pulled into
a parking spot behind the small grandstand. “Someone got into the storeroom last night.
We’ve got equipment missing.”

“How’d they get in?” Jack spotted the cut padlock and whistled tightly between his
teeth. “They nipped the padlock?”

“Yes. And we’re missing the catcher’s equipment, the extra bats, the anchored bases
and the microphone set-up.”

“Who would do such a thing?” Liv wondered as she approached from the other side of
the truck. “And why?”

“That’s the question right there,” Coach agreed. He raised his cell phone, indicating
the time. “I can get to my place and grab some backup catcher equipment, but it will
take a while.”

“Is there a problem?” Hutch Garrison ambled up to the group, and Jack fully expected
to experience the normal crawl of envy up his spine. As a Colorado Rockies center
fielder, Hutch was living the dream Jack had worked so hard for back in the day, but
as Hutch approached, looking concerned, Jack felt none of the old angst.

Coach started to explain, but Sonny Munoz trotted in and motioned to the family’s
patched-up car. “Coach, I’ve got Brad’s catcher equipment in the trunk. He had to
go straight to work after the last game and he needed someone to stow it. My trunk
was handy. Will that help?”

“It sure would, and it would save me an hour round trip,” the coach declared. “I’ve
got the portable bases in my van. They’ll do fine for today.”

“Extra bats won’t be a problem.” Jack pulled a sack of his personal bats out of the
back of the truck. “Figured these should finally see the light of day again.” He caught
the look of approval on Liv’s face, and the tiny ray of hope from earlier grew into
a faint beam. Not that he was taking anything for granted, no sir, not after acting
like a first-class jerk for days. “But a microphone. Where can we get a microphone
set-up?”

Cord Shaw had come up from the parking lot in time to hear the last sentence. He nodded
to Coach and pulled out his cell phone. “We have a set-up we used for the rodeo gig
last month. If my brother Austin hasn’t left the house yet, I’ll have him bring it
along. Adam’s already on his way with some special order you had him pick up?” He
aimed the question at Jack.

“Then we’re okay,” Jack announced. Adam would be here with the game shirts, and Cord
would get the sound system up and running. They had bases, bats and enough players
to man two teams. There were no replacements, but for a fun, one-time-deal kind of
game, they really didn’t need any. He took a breath and offered the group a nod of
confidence. “Let’s do this.”

As the players dispersed, Jack stopped Hutch Garrison with a hand to his arm. “Hutch.
It’s truly nice to meet you and thanks so much for taking the time to be with us this
morning.”

“My pleasure.” Hutch shook Jack’s hand and skimmed the field a glance. “I chased a
lot of your records on this field.”

“And caught one.”

“Yeah.” Hutch shrugged that off. “I’m sorry you got hurt, man. You’d have been great.”

His words made Jack pause, the thoughts of what could have been a former constant
in his head. Now?

Not so much. “Stuff happens. And I’m here now, with my father. A ranch I love. Riding
herd, mending fence. Things worked out.”

Sonny Munoz trotted back from the parking lot with the sack of catcher’s equipment.
Jack took the moment to introduce the rising star to Jasper Gulch’s current baseball
hero. “Sonny, this is Hutch Garrison.”

The kid gulped, grinned and stuck out his hand. He managed to bump Jack with the awkward
bag of equipment, then stopped, embarrassed. “Boss, I—”

“It’s fine, kid. Why don’t you get Hutch set up in his area, make sure he’s got coffee,
water, pens and programs to sign. Let’s make some money for the future of Jasper Gulch,
okay?”

“Yes, sir. I will.” Sonny led Hutch to the shaded booth on the perimeter of the field,
not far from where the Sports Boosters were firing up the grill for hamburgers and
hot dogs. To his left, the ladies’ auxiliary baked-food sale was being arranged. Just
beyond the rows of spice cakes and peach pies, Jack saw Liv making sure the baseball-memorabilia
vendors each had space for their goods. Having them come on board for a nominal “booth
fee” had been Liv’s idea, and from the growing enthusiasm around them, folks had come
from all over to see some baseball and spend some money. And that meant revenue raised
for the bridge and the museum.

“Jack, I just wanna thank you for stepping up to the plate like you did.” Wes Middleton
approached him from the near side of the bleachers. “I don’t know what we’d’ve done
if you hadn’t taken the reins when I got sick. Rosemary and I are real appreciative.”

“I couldn’t have done it this well without Liv’s help.” Jack made sure she heard his
compliment, even though she was a dozen feet away, checking on the Sports Boosters.
“She and Rusty kept me on track.”

“Mostly her.” Rusty approached them with a grin, and hooked a thumb in Liv’s direction.
“I was pretty sure the whole thing was dead in the water, then she come to town and
it’s amazin’ how quick Jack perked up with a purty girl around.”

Liv’s smile said she approved Rusty’s words, but Jack wasn’t taking anything for granted.
He’d messed up, and no matter what effort it took on his part, he was going to make
things up to Liv. If he got his way, she’d never spend another day wondering about
his love and devotion. That’s if he could get her to start talking to him again. Without
the narrow-eyed glare and scolding tone she’d used on Thursday, a combination he deserved
then.

Now?

He wanted another chance at the gold ring he’d missed the first time around.

* * *

The baked-food sale was open for business with a growing array of cookies, pies, cake
slices and every kind of Midwestern “bar” Liv could imagine. A nut-topped peach pie
called to Liv, but a plate full of chocolate-chip cookies won out as her first purchase
of the day. If Jack didn’t shape up in quick form, then drowning her sorrows in a
dozen homemade cookies couldn’t be considered a
bad
thing.

The hamburger stand was up and running, tempting everyone with the scent of fresh,
hot burgers and hot dogs. The smell of shoestring fries mixed with the grilling meat,
a total baseball sensation. The Jasper Gulch Hose Company had their chicken-barbecue
pit filled with slow-burning wood. Soon the air would be tinged with the scent of
barbecuing chicken, a summer smell for sure. And the soda booth was already doing
a bang-up business with the morning-coffee crowd. Chauncey Hardman had had the good
sense to bring along her coffee system, and from the looks on folks’ faces, she’d
made a big hit. Coffee, hot and strong, helped form the backbone of Montana ranchers.
Chauncey did well to remember that.

“Liv, we’re here!”

Grandma Mason’s voice hailed her from the far side of the bleachers. She waved and
Grandma waved back, but when she tried to point Liv out to Grandpa, confusion clouded
her grandfather’s face. At home he was doing okay. Out here, surrounded by people
he didn’t know in a place he’d never seen, the old gentleman seemed out of his element.
Until he turned and saw Sonny Munoz attaching bases to the field.

Grandpa’s shoulders straightened. His chin came up. A broad smile split his face,
and he raised both hands to his mouth and hollered, “Batter up!”

Not one person minded that it wasn’t quite time to start the day’s festivities. Most
looked as if they appreciated the old man’s enthusiasm, because in Jasper Gulch, Montana,
the heart of football country, everyone loved baseball.

The stands filled over the next twenty minutes. Cars streamed in from the single road
leading to the interstate, and locals walked, biked and drove in from the other directions.

The popcorn booth added its come-and-get-me aroma to the game day delights, and as
Liv watched the players begin to gather in the dugouts, a sense of awareness swept
her. She’d been to many a game on this field, watching Jack play, and she and Mary
Beth had gone to games in various towns a dozen years back. Since then? So much had
changed, hearts torn and broken. Lives rebuilt.

It seemed like so long ago until they gathered here today, players from multiple generations,
looking to have fun and give back to the town they were raised in.

The Middletons grabbed seats on the low side of the bleachers, while the Shaw family
filled a quarter-section on the opposite side. The Shoemaker girls stood at the field’s
edge, talking deliberately. Sporting notice-me-first fan attire, the girls made it
a point to be in full view of any available single male on the premises, and with
a baseball game about to get under way, there were plenty.

Robin passed them with a quick smile, drew up to Liv’s side and gave her a quick half
hug. “Doing all right?”

“I think we’re going to do well,” Liv admitted, eyeing the growing crowd, “and that’s
huge. Seeing the town succeed with these events makes me even more nostalgic about
staying here.”

“Have you forgiven him yet?” Robin aimed a glance in Jack’s direction and burst out
laughing at the telltale expression on Liv’s face. “You have it bad, Livvie Franklin.
I think the only good part of that is that he’s as besotted as you are, and while
that’s cute as can be, us single girls might get a little green-eyed. Although after
hearing about all that ranching stuff in detail...?” Robin made a face that said a
life filled with birthing cattle didn’t make her shortlist. “I’m okay being a townie.”