Rancher's Refuge (Whisper Falls) (13 page)

And he had loved every minute of the crazy, spinning ride with Annalisa in his arms. Him, a hardnosed cowboy who didn’t even like people, had a blast at a small-town carnival with a big-time lady.

“Let’s find a seat,” he said after Cassie and Mayor Opie moved away.

“Where?”

Annalisa was right. The three rows of bleachers were already packed. A number of spectators had carried in lawn chairs. Austin wished he’d done the same.

“Good question.”

“I don’t mind standing.”

She wouldn’t. Annalisa didn’t complain. He liked that about her. She took what came her way and made the best of the situation. Take the job at the Iron Horse, for instance. Not exactly a fancy place to work. Lousy pay. But not once had she complained that hawking snacks and train tickets was beneath her.

“We’ll find a place.”

The first blast of raining color had ripped the inky sky before they settled for a grassy spot next to a tree, the rough bark at their backs.

Faces lifted upward to enjoy the display, they didn’t speak for a while. When they did, it was only to comment on the spectacular bursts of color. Whisper Falls made up for the puny carnival and homespun parade with a terrific pyrotechnic event.

As yet another rocket sounded, Austin angled in Annalisa’s direction. Her chin was tilted upward, face illuminated by the overhead explosion of red and white. He couldn’t help staring at the smooth arch of her throat and the curve of her jaw. She was a beautiful woman. Inside and out. The unnamed yearning returned, the one that had gnawed at him over and over again for days.

A snapping shower of sparks floated to the ground, crackling into silence.

Annalisa, eyes wide with enjoyment, turned and caught him staring.

Against the backdrop of a radiant exploding sky, amid the ocean of humanity, everything faded except them.

Shadows moved across her face, framing her in dark and light. Like everyone on the planet, she was not all good and not all bad. Just a woman, a woman who made mistakes and strove to correct them. A woman who made his heart sing and yearn for better than he’d ever known. Who made him long to erase the past mistakes and start his life anew.

“Austin?” she whispered when he went on staring.

“Hmm?” His hat dipped low. His pulse hummed, hot inside his veins.

“What are you thinking?”

He considered the question a long, long time. Would she bolt if he told her the truth? Maybe. But what if...

Blame the romantic fireworks or brain fever from too many carnival rides, but he needed to know. “I’m wondering what you’d think if you knew how much I want to kiss you.”

Her lips, shiny in the sparse lighting, parted. “Really?”

“What do you think? Will you slap me?”

She touched his cheek. “Only if you don’t kiss me.”

A Roman candle exploded. Oohs and aahs rose from the crowd. Heart pumping louder than carnival music, Austin tenderly touched his lips to hers. She tasted sweet as cotton candy, warm as summer. And the best fireworks of the night occurred behind Austin’s eyelids and inside his heart.

Chapter Thirteen

A
ustin went to church Sunday morning. He’d risen early to care for the animals and by the time Annalisa rose, he was showered and dressed, his black hair slicked and damp, his jaw smooth and handsome.

Cassie hadn’t said a word about the unexpected turn of events, so Annalisa took her cue from the sister who knew her brother best. He drove them in his pickup, a truck he’d washed and cleaned at some point since last night, even though they’d arrived home from the fireworks after midnight.

After the kiss that had rocked her world.

“What did you think of Pumpkin Fest?” Cassie asked.

She sat against the passenger door, black hair sleek and curving on the shoulders of a multicolored blouse, red lipstick vivid against white skin. Annalisa sat sandwiched in the middle, her knee bumping Austin’s thigh, as they wound the curvy dirt roads leading into Whisper Falls.

“Loved it,” Annalisa answered. The day had been as perfect as any she’d spent, even with the dread of seeing James again. And the ending had been even better.

“What about you, Austin?”

“Good times.”

He seemed especially quiet this morning, and Annalisa understood. Or at least she thought she did. Last night’s kiss lingered between them, the ignored elephant in the room. Selfishly, she wished Cassie had driven her own car so that she and Austin could talk. If he would. So far, he seemed inclined to ignore what had happened. Did he regret the impulsive act? Was he worried she’d read more into a simple kiss than he’d intended?

Somehow she didn’t think so.

She’d fallen asleep last night thinking of that moment of pure bliss. The gruff, tough cowboy had been achingly tender as he’d wrapped her in a protective cocoon of sweet, sweet affection.

Her heart had leaped and danced as she’d returned the kiss. She’d burrowed close, reveling in his strength and touch.

Perhaps he’d been carried away, a result of standing beneath the glow of romantic fireworks on a perfect fall evening. Perhaps the kiss had meant nothing at all. But one thing she knew, Austin had stirred emotions that both thrilled and frightened, emotions that could leave her vulnerable yet again.

After a woman had been a fool, how did she ever get past the fear of making another poor choice?

Upon arrival at church, Annalisa shelved thoughts of last night as she greeted new acquaintances. There was a welcome here that drew her in like Sunday supper at Grandma Sims’s.

Austin, too, was immediately approached by people he knew, including Davis, who was fast becoming a friend. For a man who held himself apart, a friend like Davis was a good thing.

The conversation was mostly about the successful festival, and spirits ran high. The church was far noisier than usual.

The worship leader, a guitarist, strummed the opening chords to “Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord,” and the chatter died down as people took their seats.

Austin settled in between Cassie and Annalisa, his thigh touching hers. He’d worn new jeans and a sport coat with well-polished boots, leaving his hat behind for once. His hair, now dry, was short and tidy except for the intentional muss in the front. Annalisa thought him the handsomest man in the building.

While Pastor Ed preached, Annalisa struggled to keep her mind off the cowboy and on the sermon. She should be thanking God that Austin had come to church, not thinking about kissing him.

She chanced a peek in his direction. From his focused attention on Pastor Ed, she and their kiss was the furthest thing from his mind. As it should be.

She clenched her hands together in her lap and squeezed her eyes shut to pray. Austin’s face and voice and kiss intruded.

When the service ended, guilt struck. She couldn’t remember much of anything the preacher had said.

* * *

As slow and powerful as an awakening giant the Whisper Falls touring train
chug-chugged
out of the little depot and into the afternoon sunshine. In his familiar striped overalls, suspenders and blue conductor’s cap, Uncle Digger manned Betsy the engine. Miss Evelyn stood at his side talking a mile a minute while she waved at anyone and everyone they passed. Betsy clattered through the intersection at First and Easy before starting the uphill climb out of town.

The streets were a mess, but volunteer cleanup crews manned the job this Sunday afternoon, gathering trash left from the festival. Austin felt a little guilty at the work his sister and others were doing while he was merrily riding a train. Guilty, yes, but not enough to back out.

Balancing with his feet wide, even though the rocking train wasn’t all that hard to walk in, he made his way toward the passenger car where Annalisa stood with her face pressed to the windows. Having an entire train to themselves felt odd even if there were only three cars, an engine and a caboose. Not that he was complaining. He’d probably never have ridden the train at all with the cars crowded with tourist types and nosy neighbors.

He stepped up beside Annalisa, and she turned her head slightly to smile and acknowledge his presence. His heart beat faster, a steady hum in his blood. Yesterday stayed in his head, a sweet, lively memory. Kissing her had sealed his fate. He was terrified of falling in love, especially with her, knew he couldn’t allow it, had kicked himself a dozen times for kissing her. And yet, if given the chance, he’d kiss her again in a heartbeat. Not just kiss her, but hold her and look into her eyes and cherish her laugh and her goodness. For regardless of her arguments to the contrary, Annalisa Keller was a special woman.

Her breath fogged against the window pane. Miles of red-and-gold forest passed like slides on a slide show. Comfortable in her company, he said nothing, just breathed in nature’s glory and Annalisa’s perfume.

“Stunning, isn’t it?” she said at last. “My eyes want to drink in all that beauty and hold it inside.”

“God does good work.” His words surprised him, an echo of something Annalisa had said weeks ago on their impromptu trail ride. He hadn’t given God credit for anything good in a long time.

“He does.” She turned sideways, her slender body taking up half the space his did. “Uncle Digger says we can walk out on the back of the caboose if we hold on for dear life. Want to try it?”

In the blue sweater she’d worn the first time he’d seen her, she was every bit as lovely the foliage outside the window—a bluebird amid the golds and reds. “I’m game if you are.”

They made their way out on the small deck extending from the back of the little red caboose. Wind, chilled by the speed, sucked at their balance. Austin held tight to Annalisa with one hand and to the rail with the other. Her pale hair flew out in all directions. One heavy strand slapped his face. Annalisa laughed and grabbed the railing with both hands. The roar of the train filled his ears. Talking was difficult although they managed a few well-shouted comments.

“The trestle,” she said, pointing at a curve ahead where a trestle spanned an enormous gulch.

Butterflies fluttered in Austin’s stomach.

“Maybe we should go back inside.”

“Are you kidding me?” she yelled, face aglow from wind and enjoyment. “And miss this?”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Out of my mind. That’s the fun of it.”

The train rounded the curve and Austin braced for the trestle, a skinny twelve-story-high track with nothing to hold the train in place but the wheels themselves. “Are you sure about this?”

Her laugh turned to a squeal as she white-knuckled the railing in front of her. Austin didn’t mind heights, but twelve stories in open air was way out of his comfort zone. Heart in his mouth, he braced behind Annalisa, clasping the railing on either side as he blocked her in with his whole body. Beyond the trestle was a sheer plunge into nothingness. The chill wind whipped, the train rocked and the world clattered past in a dazzling array of color and dizzying height.

As the train gained the trestle’s end and rumbled onto level ground, Annalisa loosened her death grip and turned in Austin’s arms. Her hair spun around her head like gold cotton candy. “That was awesome!”

No, she was awesome, and if she didn’t stop smiling up at him with her expression alive and excited, he’d be sorely tempted to kiss her again, something he shouldn’t do. Keeping an eye out for her was one thing. Kissing her had jacked things to a whole different level—the danger zone.

* * *

Halfway through the twenty-mile trip, the train chugged slower and slower. Annalisa and Austin made their way through the caboose and three vintage passenger cars to the engine where Uncle Digger guided the train to a stop. The old engine coughed and hissed and let out a long sigh as the conductor shut it down.

“Perfect picnic spot,” Miss Evelyn declared. “Isn’t it, Digger, honey?”

“Perfect like you.” He blew the train whistle once for good measure. Annalisa clapped her hands over her ears.

Miss Evelyn gave him a coy smile and a peck on the cheek, her affections obvious. Annalisa watched the older couple with a hitch beneath her ribs. She wanted a love like theirs, long and steady and comforting. A love to depend on, a love that appreciated instead of tearing down.

But Miss Evelyn and Uncle Digger were old-school, from a different era. Was their kind of relationship even possible in this modern age?

As the four of them set out the picnic lunch, Annalisa chewed on her thoughts. Occasionally, she shot a glance at Austin, wondering what he was thinking. So much had transpired between them in the short time she’d been in Whisper Falls, but she had baggage and so did Austin. He had a wife. A late wife he refused to discuss.

How terrible his grief must be.

And where did that leave her? Was she foolish to think something other than Austin’s innate kindness and protectiveness blossomed between them?

“Fried chicken, tater salad, cookies and some other good things. Help yourself.” Miss Evelyn opened a Tupperware container and released the smell of cold fried chicken.

With appreciative comments, they filled their plates and settled on an old quilt to eat. The meadow spreading out from the train tracks to a stand of woods wasn’t large, but the glade was beautiful. Fallen leaves cluttered the fading grass in a tapestry of burgundy, orange and brown. Tiny white flowers with yellow centers surrounded the quilt. She plucked one and stuck it behind her ear.

“Pretty,” Miss Evelyn said. “Don’t you think so, Digger, honey?”

He plucked one of the flowers and handed it to his wife, whose ever-rosy cheeks deepened in color. “A flower for a fair maiden.”

“Silly man,” she blustered, but Annalisa could tell she was pleased. “I think I’ll take a walk in the woods. Work off some of this dinner and take a few photos. Anyone care to join me?”

Uncle Digger moved with more than his usual turtle speed. “Let me get my varmit gun.”

Annalisa exchanged amused glances with Austin. Uncle Digger insisted on carrying a vintage rifle of some sort on the train in case of snakes, bears, cougars or other “varmits” as he called them. According to Miss Evelyn, he’d never fired a shot.

“You two go ahead,” Austin said. “We’ll clean up the leftovers.”

As the older couple moved off into the woods, Annalisa replaced lids and rewrapped aluminum foil. Austin jammed paper plates and napkins into a plastic bag.

“I think they wanted to be alone.”

“Yeah,” Austin said. “Lovebirds at their ages. Who knew?”

“I think it’s sweet and...kind of affirming.”

He cocked his head. “What do you mean?”

“That love can ripen and grow with the years instead of dying out.”

“Hmm” was all he said as he stared down at a bag of cookies, thoughtful.

A quiet broken only by birdsong and soft wind through the leaves stretched across the meadow. Annalisa thought of the way the older couple held hands as they’d sauntered into the trees.

Last night’s kiss and now the romantic atmosphere of a picnic in the woods had her thinking things she probably shouldn’t.

“Church was good,” she ventured, opting for safer ground. “I’m glad you were there.”

“Yeah.”

“Will you go again?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.” He crushed a pop can in one hand. “Too many questions never get answered.”

“I felt the same way until coming here. Your sister and Uncle Digger have changed my mind. God loves us, Austin, no matter what.” Even if she struggled with guilt, she was learning the truth of God’s grace and mercy. “I think God allowed me to go through some difficult times to bring me to this point.”

“Are you saying God caused James to break your arm and hit you? To threaten you?” His face was a thundercloud. “What kind of God does that?”

If Austin knew the things she’d done out of loneliness and a heart devoid of direction, would he despise her? The question ate a hole in her wounded conscience. So many regrets.

“God didn’t do those things, Austin. I stayed with James even though I knew he wasn’t good for me. I can’t blame God for my choices.”

Austin’s arms stiffened at his sides. His hands clenched into fists. She’d made him angry.

A memory flashed in her head, of fists and a livid face. Of James’s temper.

Heart rattling, she pushed up from the quilt and walked quickly away and down the train tracks. She shouldn’t be afraid, not of Austin. But James had programmed her to fear, had controlled her with his icy anger until she would do anything to avoid setting him off.

She hated living like this. Even though she’d moved far away, James still gripped her life.

Something gleamed in the gravel next to the iron railroad tracks. She stooped to discover an angled piece of flint sharp on one end and notched on the other.

“An arrowhead.” Austin’s voice came from over her shoulder. She turned to find him there, watching her with a solemn expression. “Natives hunted here, on this very spot, a long time ago. Long before there was a town or a railroad.”

She rotated the stone in her fingers, a gray shiny remnant of the past.

“Are you okay?” The question he always asked, the one that melted her anxiety.

“I’m fine. Why?” But she knew, of course.