Love Inspired August 2014 – Bundle 1 of 2 (4 page)

* * *

A start. That’s what he’d wanted, right? A new beginning, a chance to mend old wrongs,
set things right. She got up and walked him to the truck, and when he opened the door,
the scent of wildflowers escaped in a rush of late-summer sweetness. Liv sniffed the
air and spotted the bouquet. Realization brightened her face as she tipped her head
back to look up at him. “You brought me flowers.”

“Yes. And then chickened out when your father approached with his nail gun.”

A tiny grin lit her face like a morning sunrise. “So. What now?”

He frowned, not understanding.

She directed her look to the flowers. “Do I get them now?”

“I— Um...they’re kind of sad looking now, aren’t they?”

She shook her head as he reached across the seat to grasp the slightly wilted bouquet.
“A good drink of water and they’ll spruce up fine.”

“You think?”

“Yup.” She reached out and he set the somewhat woebegone flowers in her hand. “Water’s
an amazing thing.”

“‘With joy you shall draw water,’” Jack began, and when Liv finished the sweet words
of Isaiah, his heart opened just a little bit more.

“‘From the streams of salvation.’”

“You remembered.”

“Your mother has that painted on the little sign above your barn doors. Is it still
there?”

It was, kind of like most everything else his mother had done or placed. He and Dad
hadn’t moved much of anything. At first that was fine. Now it seemed like neither
one knew how to start the process of change. “It is. I think of her every time I walk
into that section of the barn.”

“She was a wonderful person, Jack. And she wanted you to be happy.”

He frowned, glanced down and shrugged. “I kind of blew that, didn’t I?”

“Then? Yes. Now?” She gazed up at him once more, and the look she offered him said
he wasn’t doing all that badly and that made him feel good inside. Really good. “I
think you are happy now. Happy to be here, to be part of the ranch, the town. As long
as you break the hermit habit, I expect you’ll do just fine, Jack McGuire.”

Funny how words could make things seem real. Hearing her assessment, he felt better.
As if he was taking big leaps instead of small steps. Was that because he was moving
with more force or because Livvie showed faith in him?

Maybe both. He smiled down at her and raised his hand, gently grazing her left cheek
with one work-roughened finger. “Thanks, Liv. For everything.”

“And thank you.” She stepped back, creating a distance, but raised the bouquet slightly.
“I love the flowers.”

He climbed into the truck feeling better than he had in a long while, and as he backed
down the driveway, the sight of her standing there, holding a bouquet of native-grown
flowers in her hand, made him wonder what she’d look like as a bride.

Would she consider getting married again? Ever?

Would she consider you trustworthy enough to take a chance on, you mean? Probably
not. You broke her heart once. Why would she trust you to treasure it again?

Because he was older. More mature. Stronger. More faithful.

Actions speak louder than words,
his conscience reminded him, and it sounded slightly doubtful.
Give it your best shot, but you heard her father. Think hard. Real hard.

He would, Jack decided. But he wouldn’t just think hard this time. He’d pray. Something
as important as Liv’s happiness deserved God on their side.

He’d been a churchgoer for a long time. But the past few years he’d felt as if he
was just going through the motions. As if maybe he didn’t really belong.

He’d wondered if others felt like that, but it wasn’t something he talked about. But
the other night, when Ethan talked about redeeming love and God’s sacrificial nature,
the young pastor’s words hit home.

Jack wanted redeeming love. He didn’t know if he could fix things with Livvie, but
he knew that just making things better would benefit both of them. Heal them. And
Jesus was a healer, so the mathematics of the situation should work.

Redeeming love, simple yet powerful. He longed for that. Needed it. And he wanted
to be the kind of gentle, loving person that deserved it. Starting now.

* * *

“Nice flowers, honey.”

Liv heard the amusement in her mother’s voice and faced her as she gave the arrangement
a much-needed drink. “Thanks. They’ve been through a troubling experience tonight,
but I think they’ll perk up by morning.”

“There’s an analogy for you.”

“Me and the flowers?” Liv made a face but couldn’t refute her mother’s logic. “True
enough. What time are you guys pulling out on Saturday?”

“Around five. I’ll try not to wake you.”

“Well, I told Jack I’d ride to Three Forks for the horse auction, so I’ll be up early
anyway. Thanks for the obvious nudge, by the way.”

“You’re welcome.” Her mother shrugged and grinned. “You’re helping him with the game—”

“And he’s giving me info about the old-time baseball history of Jasper Gulch,” Liv
inserted. “All business, Mom.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Jane flicked the flowers a glance. “A private evening planning session,
flowers and a date. Is that the way business is done these days, dear?”

“Small-town business, yes. If we met in town, every tongue would be wagging. Half
the town has us married already, because how on earth can two single people not end
up together when fate and time thrust them into the same hometown?”

“Memories go back a ways. And folks liked seeing you as a couple. But you’re right,
that was a long time ago and a lot has changed. And you tried a long-distance relationship
with Jack once and it didn’t work. If you get a job in one of the cities, that would
be rough on both of you. Of course, you could stay here,” her mother added as she
hugged Liv good-night. “I won’t deny that I love having you home. But I also know
that jobs are scarce and you need to make a living, so I won’t pester you about it.”

“Any more than you already have.” Liv lifted the vase and turned to carry it up the
stairs. “Me and my flowers are going to bed. I’m going to practice getting up early
the next couple of days so I don’t mess up Saturday morning. It would be just like
me to hit the snooze alarm and wake up to Jack pounding on the door, ready to hit
the trail.”

Jane’s expression said she approved of the practice mornings. While she’d said nothing
the past week, Liv had noted the concern on her mother’s face the longer Liv stayed
in bed each day. Seeing that worry made her want more jump in her step, but coming
back to Jasper Gulch held up a dulled mirror image. No job, no marriage, no family.

In baseball talk, three strikes was an out. But seeing Jack after all this time? Working
with him?

That made her feel as if she was back at home plate, bat in hand, a new opportunity
waiting. Silly, yes. But it didn’t feel silly, it felt real and good and wholesome.

One bouquet of wildflowers and you’re jumping into the batter’s box again? Have you
learned nothing from your past experiences?

Liv cringed as she set the flowers onto a small plate, protecting the oil finish on
the antique dresser. Maybe she should exercise more caution.

Maybe?

She hauled in a deep breath. She would use more caution and maintain a distance from
Jack. Too much too soon, and she had no desire to make herself the talk of the town
or mess up her life again. Therefore, she resolved to keep things to “friends only”
status with Jack McGuire. She’d been taught a tough lesson by her baseball-loving
ex-boyfriend years back. It was time for her to smarten up. Read the pitches. An easy
walk to first base was way better than adding to her current strike list. She’d put
Jack into the “Danger Zone” as she drove into town... Now she needed to keep him there.

Sitting an hour in the front seat of his pickup, back and forth to Three Forks?

She made a face into the mirror, because she was having trouble keeping her distance
with wide-open space around them. How much trickier would it be in close proximity?

A part of her toyed with the idea of texting Jack to back out.

The other part?

She studied the face in the mirror and faced facts. The other part was wishing time
away, anxious to see Jack again. The rueful expression looking back at her said she
was in trouble...big trouble... Knowing that trouble concerned Jack McGuire made her
heart beat faster, and that was a feeling she’d been missing for a long time.

Chapter Four

T
he cheerful whistling trill caught Jack off guard on Friday morning. He straightened
as the sound approached the barn, then realized he’d been hearing it in the background
for a while, an old sound, normal and nice.

Except it hadn’t been normal since his mother passed away, which made the sound of
his father’s easy tune an even better surprise. He turned as Mick strode through the
wide doors at the far end. The older McGuire spotted Jack and moved his way. “That
part came in.” He held out an oblong box, open along one side.

“Good.” Jack set the box aside and nodded west. “I should have enough time to get
those hydraulics working again before the rain comes. Then we can bring that hay alongside.”

“Need help?”

“I don’t, but I appreciate the offer. And you don’t look like you’re dressed for dirt
diving beneath a John Deere in any case.”

“I said I’d help tear off some bad porch planking for a friend,” his father explained,
but the way he said it, as if helping a friend was slightly uncomfortable, surprised
Jack. Mick McGuire might be a quiet guy, but he was always willing to help whoever
needed an extra hand. Although he looked mighty nice to be leveraging old wood and
rusty nails. “Figured with rain coming, today was as good as any.”

“Ripping up boards?” Jack cast his father’s clean shirt and jeans a doubtful look.
“You got cleaned up to get dirty?”

His father shrugged, but the look on his face, as if he’d just been caught with a
hand in the cookie jar, made Jack think hard and quick. His father wasn’t just going
to help a friend.

He was going to help a
woman
friend.

That explained the cologne and the clean-shaven face.

“Call if you need me.” Mick gave a short wave and aimed for the truck.

“Right.” Reality made Jack straighten and watch his father leave. “See ya’.”

Mick strolled out of the barn, his gait easy, the roll of his shoulders a dead giveaway.
He settled a couple of toolboxes into the bed of his signature red Double M pickup
truck. Then he climbed into the driver’s seat with the window open, the radio cranking
Easton Corbin sounding like a young George Strait. As the truck rounded the curved
driveway, Jack saw his father’s head bob in time with the music...and heard him start
to whistle along as the truck headed for the road.

His father. Cleaned up, whistling and headed out for the day.

The irony of how he planned to do the same thing the following morning wasn’t lost
on Jack. He’d huffed about all the centennial nonsense. He’d done his best to ignore
it until the rodeo rumbled into town last month and Julie Shaw cornered him.

But maybe Jasper Gulch needed something new to shake things up. A town mired in the
past, arguing over moving forward, tussling about fixing a long-broken bridge. A place
with little crime, beset with strange stuff lately. The time capsule disappearance.
Problems at the rodeo. The shed there being set on fire. Troubling things in a town
that boasted no crime other than errant dogs and cows now and again traipsing over
flower beds they didn’t own.

On the plus side, Liv had come back, at least for a little while. Shop owners had
spruced up their storefronts on Main Street and the access roads. Bright banners welcomed
folks to town and the whole thing looked more inviting than normal.

The changing light reminded him of the storm front headed their way, but the nice
thing about hauling fresh-rolled hay up to the barnyard was that he had plenty of
time to think. And since seeing Livvie earlier in the week, he didn’t mind thinking
nearly as much as he used to.

* * *

Blue jeans and a shirt. What could be difficult about that?

Everything.

And her hair. Ponytail? Down?

Ponytail, Liv decided as she bent over, smoothed the front with the brush and gathered
her hair into a band.

She frowned in the mirror, added a lace cami, then refastened the jeweled snaps on
the short-sleeved fitted shirt and nodded at the new image.

Cowgirl, with emphasis on “girl.” She grabbed her Stetson and had her boots on before
Jack pulled up to the curb with the four-horse trailer attached. Jack strolled to
the porch as she stepped outside, and the look on his face said he’d been looking
forward to this morning, just like her. Which meant she’d be the one to put the brakes
on. “Hey, cowboy.”

“Hey, yourself.” He gave the brim of his hat the slightest of tweaks and watched her
smile. “You still remember how it’s done.”

“You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the
girl.”

“And who’d want to?” Jack’s expression said that was about the stupidest thing he’d
ever heard. The look on his face made Liv revisit her years away. Her expression must
have changed, because Jack leaned forward and ducked a little to see her face. “Didn’t
mean to insult. And in the city, they wear what they want, but if the look suits,
and in your case, I think you were born to ride and wear Western—”

His compliment made her smile because she did feel at home in these clothes. Natural.
And maybe younger than she’d felt the last few years.

“Why not embrace it at least as long as you’re here?” He held the truck door open
and Liv couldn’t remember the last time Billy had held the door open for her. If ever.
She pushed the comparison aside as Jack climbed into the driver’s seat. He shoved
the truck into gear and headed for Route 287. He made the turn onto the two-lane and
pushed his hat back. “So here’s my plan.” He indicated her notebook and iPad. “We
can talk baseball and history all you want. I invited Coach over tomorrow, so I was
hoping you could come by the ranch for supper and we can pick Coach’s brain, too.”

“Except he didn’t live around here until twenty years ago and has no family here,”
Liv pointed out. “I’d love to see him, but can’t we get together in town?”

“On a Sunday evening?” Jack’s look said she needed to remember where she was, and
he was right. Jasper Gulch embraced limited business hours on Sunday, something she
hadn’t seen much in the city. Out of respect for family time and the Lord’s Day, nothing
was open in Jasper Gulch on Sunday evenings. “Besides, I owe Coach a dinner, and we
might as well grill a few steaks and throw some potatoes in the fire, don’t you think?
No biggie.”

It was a biggie, and he knew it. She read him like an open book on a sunlit afternoon,
but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t want to have supper at the ranch, and she’d
made a promise to herself on the way back to Jasper Gulch nearly two weeks before.
No more pretense. Face life, get a grip and be honest with herself. So she squared
her shoulders and nodded as she began making notes. “It does sound good, and with
Mom and Dad away I’m not prone to cooking for one, so you’ve saved me from starvation.”

“Good.”

She ignored the quick grin he cast her way as she waited for her screen to refresh.
“And that way I can check on how our new friends are doing. If we find any today,
that is. How’s Dillinger?” Dillinger had been her horse of choice at the Double M
through the years they dated. Jack would mount Roy-O, the large bay, and she’d saddle
Dillinger, the strong-willed buckskin that reminded her of Denny in
The Man from Snowy River.
A good horse, brave and true.

Jack sucked in a breath. His hesitation said more than words.

“He’s gone?”

“Back in February. Winters are hard on old animals.”

“Like Tank.” She breathed deep and stared out the window, the rise of mountains curving
this way and that, rugged land stretching in every direction. “I forgot that being
away for so many years really changes things. People gone. Animals gone. Except for
the beginnings of the new museum, the town has stayed the same on the surface.” She
bit back a sigh from somewhere deep inside as reality bit deep. “But the real things?
The important ones, like losing people and things you love? I’m realizing how much
I’ve missed by being gone.”

“Time goes on.” Jack paused at a fork in the road, bore right and then added, “And
just the idea of that museum caused a ruckus with folks.”

“Why?” She turned to face him and had to steel herself not to get lost in his profile.
Seeing him...hearing him...simple proximity
to
him brought back all kinds of memories. She’d held hard to the last memories, her
broken heart, weeks of tears, years of living in the same Midwestern city while avoiding
him at all costs, but now? Here in Jasper Gulch? The good memories were starting to
edge out the bad ones, and she couldn’t let that happen.

“Jackson Shaw likes things the way they are. Always has, always will. His son Adam
and the other kids are more easygoing, and Cord’s actually been fighting his father
on the whole bridge issue—”

“Cord wants the bridge fixed?” Livvie sat back, surprised. “Good for him. Just because
Jackson is the mayor doesn’t make him the law.”

Jack shot her a look that said “get real” and Liv sighed. “Okay, I get it. But just
because it
is
that way doesn’t mean it should be. Three cheers for Cord standing up on his own.
And I heard Julie’s raising sheep on a farm section, so clearly Jackson’s kids are
trying to find their own paths.”

“Nadine’s influence on top of Jackson’s stubbornness.”

“Mothers can be a formidable force, even the gentle ones.” Liv laughed, thinking of
her mother’s strength and wisdom. “Good for Nadine.”

A sign for Three Forks came into view as Jack rounded a curve. He eased up on the
gas. “I was thinking we could get ribs at Willow Creek for dinner.”

The place with melt-in-your-mouth ribs that she and Jack had loved when they spent
college breaks in Jasper Gulch? A place they enjoyed thoroughly until the breakup
that rivaled the big bang with hometown repercussions? Um, no. Not about to happen.
“A sandwich is fine. We don’t need to go to any trouble or try to be fancy.”

“I’ve never heard ribs called fancy.” Jack’s voice stayed easy, but Liv knew he was
calling her out.

“Let’s keep it simple, Jack. You. Me. The horses. And a sandwich.”

“You’re warning me off.”

Yes and no. “I’m protecting both of us from repeating the mistakes of the past,” she
explained. She kept her voice even, but it was crazy difficult to manage with Jack
sitting inches away. But she did it because self-protection was a hard lesson learned.
“You’ve got your life. I’ve got mine. For the moment our paths have intersected while
we both work on a mutually beneficial project. Let’s keep it at that.”

He sent her a look that stammered her heart, and delivered a cockeyed smile, to boot.
“A sandwich it is, then. Although if we happen to be downwind of Willow Creek’s smoker
and you change your mind, I got us midafternoon reservations, and they weren’t easy
to come by, either.”

“But the horses...?”

“Bo Gravinger’s on hand. He said he’ll mind things for us to get a bite. But a sandwich
is fine, too, Liv. It’s not the food near as much as the nice company. That’s a pleasure
right there.”

Her off-rhythm heart swelled at his words. The tone of voice, the tilt of his chin,
the easy smile that worked his jaw just so.

Her resolve went south in a hurry because she’d like nothing better than to spend
long hours relaxing with Jack, eyeing horses, sharing food on a bright summer’s day.
He pointed to the left as he eased the truck and trailer into a parking area off to
the right. “Nice crowd and good potential. Let’s go find us some horses, little lady.”

Adorable, handsome and available.

She’d vowed to steel her heart and emotions against all three. The reality of trying
to do that while checking out beautiful mounts for the Double M rancher and his dad?

Virtually impossible.

* * *

“The two-year-old dark bay stallion.” Liv kept her voice low as they surveyed the
groups of horses surrounding the near paddock. Jack eyed the solid young potential
stud and agreed.

“I was thinking exactly the same.” The fact that they both selected the same young
horse with breeding potential wasn’t lost on Jack. They’d always been on the same
page, back in the day. But that was years ago, and a pile of mistakes since to work
through. “Good temperament, great look, and stands solid.”

“Stunning look, actually,” Liv corrected him. “Not too proud, ready for direction,
anxious to please. If those qualities pass down to offspring, you’ve got a gold-mine
stallion right there. And the contrast of the black mane and tail sweeten the effect.”

“Anyone else strike you today?”

She slanted her gaze up to him with an expression that said yes, something else did
strike her, but it was off-limits and out of reach. Then she settled her shoulders,
climbed the rail and waved to the outer edge. “You’ve got matching bay fillies over
there, a pretty pair and not a bit flighty. Wanna walk around and check them out?”

“It’s a four-horse trailer, so sure. Let’s go.” He reached out and grasped her waist
to swing her down, but when her feet touched the dusty ground, the last thing he wanted
to do was let go. In fact—

“This way, cowboy. And keep your mind on the horses.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned behind her, properly chastised but knowing she only half
meant it. As they rounded the far end of the west-facing corral, the pair of fillies
danced left, then settled as Liv moved closer, crooning. Another interested buyer
shot them a look and gave up his spot near the fence, and when Jack asked the owner
to bring the ladies by, he watched as Liv examined each one. “What’s the verdict?”

She faced him. “Sound. Fine. Pretty. Calm for their age.”

“Their lineage has breed-stock potential written all over it.”

“Is that a problem?”

Jack ran a hand across the nape of his neck, thoughtful. “Time is shorter without
Mom. And the ranch hands are good guys, but it takes a special touch to work with
broodmares.”