Small-Town Moms (15 page)

I
n a cloud of dust and gravel, Gabe slid to a stop and was out of his truck almost before he had it in Park. His mother had been able to reach him on the phone, a miracle in itself since mobile phone coverage was so spotty around Mule Hollow. A price one paid for living in this part of the country, but still, a bad deal when an emergency arose. Thankfully, today his phone rang despite the fact that he was in an area notorious for no service. God and only God was responsible for that phone call going through.

Obviously her calls had made it through to others because there were several cowboys arriving behind him and some who had just gotten there. Sheriff Brady and Deputy Cantrell's vehicles were there, but the men were nowhere in sight, so he hoped they were already on the search. Georgetta hurried to meet him. It had been almost twenty minutes since she'd called him.

“He's still missing. Some of the men are already out looking—Brady and Zane are out there. And—” She blinked back tears, glancing around at all the others gathering around. “And all of these wonderful folks
are here, too. Olivia and Trudy are out there also. I'm worried that they might get lost in the woods. They don't know this area.”

Gabe looked around the group, an assortment of Mule Hollow folks, young and old. “We'll find them,” he assured his mother just as App and Stanley drove up.

“Where was he last seen?” he asked as the two older men climbed from their truck. Even Sam hopped from the truck with them. They hurried up asking questions as they came looking for all the world, like men on a mission. It reminded him that these three men were veterans, and it made him prouder than ever to know them.

“What kin we do?” App boomed, moving through the small crowd with Stanley and Sam close behind.

“It's gonna be dark in an hour,” Sam said, throwing his chest out and his shoulders back. As small as he was, he looked far more agile than his age implied and ready to take on the world to find Wes.

“Yeah,” Stanley agreed, looking at Georgetta and then at Gabe. “Time's a wastin'—let's get this show on the road. What do ya need us ta do?”

Georgetta nodded. “Thanks for coming, guys,” she said. “I was just telling Gabe that we last saw Wes here in the yard. He and Trudy came outside and he—” Her words broke. “He ran off.”

Something in the way she said the words had Gabe questioning the information. “What are you not telling me?”

“Well, poor Trudy. She's just a little girl and she was hurting. He told her he wanted Olivia to be his mother
and Trudy got jealous. She's still dealing with separation issues after losing her daddy. She's so sorry now, but well, she told him to get lost. That Olivia was her mother.” She glanced at everyone. “She's only ten and her mother is all she has. She's dealing with very heavy issues and hurts. The death of a loved one cuts deep, especially to a little girl. She's so sorry she hurt Wes. Y'all have to find my baby and bring him home safe. For his sake and our sake and that little girl's sake.”

“We'll find him. Which way has everyone gone?”

After Georgetta told him the direction Olivia went, he coordinated which way everyone else should go. Many of the men had their horses with them, and some had their ATVs. He took his truck and a load of men and drove cross country to the woods where Olivia and Trudy were searching. This section of woods led farther back to rough country. Wes was only four; that area was way too far off for a little boy to get to. Wasn't it?

Wes had been told to never wander off. This stand of trees was as far as he'd ever been allowed to go. He was a little kid and scared to go off too far. No, Wes had his little hideouts, but they were within range. Surely, somewhere nearby, they would find him.

Surely. Gabe stalked into the woods flanked by rows of friends and fought feeling helpless. He prayed as he went, needing the strength that he knew God would give him.

He called Wes's name, and he could hear echoes coming through the woods as others did the same.

“Gabe!”

“Olivia, where are you?” Olivia's cry from up ahead relieved and scared him at the same time.

“Here,” she called, coming into view through the shadows of the trees. Trudy raced toward him and threw herself into his arms. Tears streaked down her face.

“We c-can't find him,” she cried. “He's not answering us and it's all m-my fault.”

Olivia looked pale and shaken as she reached him. “We've been going in circles,” she said in disgust. “I'm useless out here. Thank goodness all of you have arrived.”

Holding Trudy close, he felt his heart crack open for the girl's pain. It hit him that Wes had lost his mother before he knew her, and though he longed for a mother, he hadn't known the loss that Trudy had experienced. He'd felt it losing his dad, but time had helped heal the wound. Trudy had loved and lost, and the scars of that loss were still fresh and etched in her life forever. He'd been there and lived it. From the start he'd felt connected to her pain, and he'd wanted to help. “We're going to find him, Trudy. We've got the whole town practically combing the ranch. You hang in there, little girl—we're going to find him. Even App and Stanley gave up checkers to come find him. And Sam—see them through the trees?” App's voice boomed like a sonic blast as he yelled for Wes, and the sound of it caused her to hiccup a small laugh through her tears.

Olivia looked as if she was about to fall apart, too. Holding open his free arm, she came to him and buried her face against his neck.

“We're going to find him,” she said.

Her breath was warm against his skin, and Trudy's tears were hot against his shoulder. Two weeks earlier he'd tried to send these two away, and now all he
wanted to do was calm their fears and find his son. All he wanted to do was bring them all together…and his world would be complete.

The thought echoed through him like the sound of so many calling Wes's name.

“Let's go find our boy.”

Olivia took his hand, and Trudy jumped out of his arms and ran ahead calling Wes's name at the top of her lungs. The sun was setting and the shadows were growing.

“Soon it will be dark. What are we going to do?” Olivia asked when Trudy was out of hearing range.

“We'll keep on looking. As they hear about this, every man and woman will be here. If they can bring their horses or ATVs, they'll bring them.”

“Okay,” she said, relieved. “You live in a wonderful place.”

“Yes, I've loved it from the start when we moved here.” They were walking fast, and his heart was heavy. Yet he felt peace. “You could be a part of this. Olivia.” He tightened his grip on her hand. “You could marry me.”

Olivia stumbled, and he jumped in front of her to catch her. “Hang on, I've gotcha,” he said, steadying her.

“Thanks,” she gasped, looking up at him.

“Now's not the time to talk about this, but just so you know, that's how I feel. And I know that's how Wes feels.”

She touched his face. “This is so complicated. We'll need to talk.”

“We will.” He glanced toward the trees down the
incline where they were standing. “What is that?” he asked, seeing a shadow in the bushes.

“What?” Olivia asked, but he was already moving.

“Wes,” he called. “Son.” He made it to the bushes and pushed them aside and there, curled into a tight ball, was Wes, fast asleep. Tears stained his little cheeks and Gabe's heart broke, but relief and thanksgiving flooded in as he sank to his knees and scooped his son into his arms.

 

“I was scart,” Wes said, from where he was snuggled up in his daddy's lap. The living room was crowded with everyone who'd helped look for him, though many of them had already gone home to be with their families. Olivia and Georgetta had been rushing around serving coffee and tea and cake. Leave it to Georgetta to whip up two cakes while she held her position at the house in case Wes had showed up there. Now they stood beside each other at the kitchen's edge and took in the scene before them. Gabe held Wes, and Trudy sat on the foot-stool beside them. Already, Olivia knew her daughter was better, but she knew she was going to send her back to counseling for a while. She was just going to have to find a good Christian counselor who could help Trudy understand the worries and fears that she'd been trying to cope with since Justin's death. Hopefully, this time she would be receptive to it. Olivia felt like she would be.

“I just was sittin' in the bushes b'cause I was afraid of them ole coyotes. But then I went to sleep and my daddy came and found me. Jesus told me he would.”

Everyone laughed, but Wes looked at them like they
were crazy for laughing. “He did,” he said again. “He came and sat down beside me and told me it was going to be all right.”

Olivia's eyes welled with tears as she met Georgetta's red-rimmed ones. God had been there for Wes, there was no doubt. When she looked back toward Wes, she found Gabe watching her. Her heart stumbled like her foot had on the vine that had just happened to be sticking up out of the ground in exactly the spot where Gabe would see his sleeping child. Like she was certain God had been in charge of them finding Wes, she was certain as she smiled at Gabe that God was in charge of what was happening between them. He smiled back and her heart was a total ball of mush.

How had this happened? She had never believed she could love someone other than her husband. Never believed that God would be so good as to give her love twice in one lifetime. But here she was, blessed beyond measure. She simply had to figure out what to do about it.

She'd said earlier, it was complicated, but she knew God was going to lead her…them. He would be faithful and true.

God would lead them right. She simply had to listen to what He had to say.

Gabe had asked her to marry him. Sure, it had been in the midst of crisis, but he'd asked. She knew that for him, that was an unbelievably huge step.

 

It was late when they got both kids in bed. Georgetta had gone to bed, too, and that left Gabe and Olivia in the living room alone. Taking her hand, he led her over
to the couch and sank down with her in the crook of his arm. Weary, she rested her head on his shoulder.

“What a day. I'm glad it's come to an end.” He rested his head against the top of hers and hugged her tighter. “I love you, Olivia.”

Her heart began strumming. Holding his hand in her lap, she smoothed her fingers over his. “I love you, too, Gabe. But we still have issues.”

“Nothing that can't be worked out. The kids will be great with us. Trudy is going to be fine. I know Wes is, too.”

“I believe so. But I'm talking about our own issues. I don't know what drove my sister to act the way she did, but in my heart of hearts I know that you have to forgive her. I've said that so much, but it's what I know is right— I can't marry you—if that is really truly what you want—unless you find it in your heart to forgive my sister.”

He'd stiffened against her, and she wanted to cry. Could he forgive Dawn? And if he couldn't, what was she going to do? Sitting up, she turned and looked into his dear eyes. There was such strength there. Such character. How had Dawn looked into these eyes and not fallen head over heels in love? How had she just walked away like that?

“I can't imagine how my sister could have treated you so badly. I can't fathom it myself. One look at you and I melt.” She dabbed at a tear that sneaked up on her. “I feel so amazed that God has brought us together like this. I never thought, after Justin's death, that I would find someone else to love…and then I find you. And it's
all happened so quickly. Too quickly. I'm almost afraid it's not true.”

“You said you fell for Justin quickly.”

“I did. I just can't believe it could happen like that again.”

“You know a good thing when you see it.” He grinned and she laughed.

“I didn't know you had a big head.”

He turned her so that she was looking at him. “No big head here. I'm as amazed as you that I've found you and that I'm blessed enough that you love me. Olivia, we have a lot of plans to make and things to work out. But we can do it. After everything we've been through today and everything both of us have been through before, I know that we can do this.”

“With God's help and blessing we can.”

“With God's help and blessing.” He repeated her words like a vow. “I love you and you're right, I have to let go of what Dawn did. I don't want any bitterness marring the life we can have together. I don't want Wes growing up and sensing that I feel anything negative about his mother. I've asked God to help me release the anger and to focus on what she gave me—Wes and also you and Trudy. How can I be angry at that?”

Olivia felt like she was in a dream. “I feel the same. Dawn led me to you, and I'll forever be blessed that she did.”

Taking her face between his hands, Gabe kissed her forehead and then her lips. “I have to tell you something,” he said, a few long moments later. His eyes shadowed. “You see, I didn't know it, but Dawn was pregnant with Wes when I married her.”

“What?” Shock spilled over Olivia.

“I never knew until after he was born, and she left me a letter telling me that he wasn't mine.”

Olivia couldn't believe it. “Wes isn't yours? Why would she do that?”

Gabe touched her lips with his fingertip. “Shh,” he said softly. “Wes may not be my blood. But he is mine. I've loved him from the moment I first felt him inside his mother's womb. I've loved him from the first moment that I believed him to be conceived. I was afraid at first that if you found this out, you might challenge me for custody of him. But I couldn't marry you before revealing this to you.”

She couldn't help herself. She threw herself at him and hugged him with all of her heart. “I knew I loved you for a reason.” She leaned back and looked deeply into his eyes. “You, Gabe McKennon, are the most wonderful man.”