Love Inspired August 2014 – Bundle 1 of 2 (49 page)

“No.” Caleb’s knuckles went white. “No women from Goose Harbor. Not anymore. That’s
my rule. It’s not negotiable. You know that.”

His rule? Who was he to make a statement like that? Unless he was on the board, it
didn’t matter what he thought or said. Wait—was Caleb a board member?

She held her breath to keep from saying something she shouldn’t.

First her father, then with Bryan—why did men think they could lay down some law that
all the women in their lives had to follow? No one was going to control her again.
No way. Not anymore. Forget watching her words.

Paige turned in her chair to face Caleb. “Well, great. I’m not from Goose Harbor so
that works out just fine.”

Caleb worked his jaw back and forth. “Same difference.”

Timmons leaned forward in his chair. “Unfortunately, that’s not the way Sarah set
things up, and you of all people know that. The board holds power for all decisions.
Especially when it comes to accepting volunteers.”

“I get a say. Sarah’s Home wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for
my
wife.” Caleb popped to his feet.

Wife?
Paige tried to keep up with their conversation. Caleb was married? She glanced at
his hand. No ring. But not all guys wore one.

Timmons lifted his hands and made a motion for Caleb to take his seat again. “Settle
down, son. That’s why I called you both in. I didn’t want to spring anything on you.
We need to talk about this.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” Caleb shook his head. His eyes fixed on Timmons.
Clearly, Paige wasn’t a part of the conversation any longer. “Can’t you see how dangerous
that would be? You were there at the meeting with the police chief. Crime against
women like Paige has gone up in Brookside. Even more in the last two years. The gangs
are looking for people like her. And I’m taking a guess that she’s not certified in
self-defense. It’s not safe. End of discussion.” He crossed the room and yanked the
door open.

“Caleb,” Timmons called after him.

But Caleb walked out the door. It slammed against the frame.

Paige ran the tips of her fingers back and forth over the cheap, woven fabric on the
armrest. Her heart pounded, clattering against her rib cage like a runaway train.
She tried to control her breathing. Settle down.

Now what?
She ran her fingers over the hair ties on her wrist.

Sarah’s Home held a special place in her heart. A place no one—not even grumpy Caleb
Beck—could take away.

Timmons sighed, bringing Paige back into the present conversation. “Don’t worry. Caleb
will come around.”

“I hope so.” Paige reached for her bags. “He...he can’t keep me out, can he?”

“No. Like I said, the board holds the power.”

She relaxed a bit. “What was it about Sarah’s Home you wanted to see me about?”

“I was going to share that in the past month we’ve experienced an influx of teen girls
coming to Sarah’s Home. Caleb already knows that, but I planned to build a case so
he would understand how important it is for you to join the team. This was all. I
wanted Caleb and you to meet before you showed up at Sarah’s Home. Offer him a chance
to process. It just wouldn’t have been fair to spring this on him in front of other
people. You saw how he reacted. Unfortunately, we’ve let him have more control over
decisions at Sarah’s Home than we should have. After Sarah died, I guess the board
didn’t have the heart to say no to Caleb.”

Paige looked down at the ground, studying the purple-specked carpeting. “So he was
married to Sarah—the founder?” She’d read about Sarah’s death in the newsletter a
few years ago. But the section had been brief. No details. Just that the brave young
woman had been killed while doing the thing she loved. A picture. A date for the funeral.
No more information was ever released.

“Yes.”

“And she died?”

Timmons frowned. “I’m afraid so. The whole town of Goose Harbor loved Sarah. A woman
like her is impossible to replace.”

Paige’s stomach corkscrewed. “That’s so sad.”

Now Caleb’s sudden gloom made sense. He seemed too young to be a widower. She’d never
lost anyone close—well, not to death at least—so she couldn’t identify with him, but
her heart ached for him all the same. Behind his deep mocha eyes, Caleb hid pain—the
loss of an irreplaceable woman. She’d remember that next time they talked.

“Very sad indeed, but the board still shouldn’t have let him have his way in everything.
I’m warning you from the beginning, he may have a very rough time with this transition.
Having you at Sarah’s Home will be hard on him. Don’t hear me wrong. Caleb’s a good
man, and he does what he thinks is best—safest—for everyone.” The principal straightened
a pile on his desk. “Now here’s a valid question. Are you afraid to be in Brookside
after what he said?”

“No disrespect to Caleb, but I taught gang members in my classes in Chicago.” Paige
shrugged. “It’s something you get used to. As weird as that sounds. We evacuated the
school at least once a month for a bomb threat or something along those lines. It
wasn’t so fun when you had to rush out of the school in the middle of winter, but
we managed.”

“I figured as much. Between you and me, the place could use the infusion of some new
blood. Now, there is one other thing I want to discuss with you if you have another
moment.” Timmons opened a manila file on his desk. “You played volleyball in college,
right?”

“All four years.” Paige tried to smile, but her mind was still on Sarah’s Home. With
Caleb against the idea, hopefully he wouldn’t make her time there uncomfortable.

“Would you be willing to sit in on tryouts this year? We had some troubles last year...accusations
of unfair selections. I’d like the decision to be made by more than just the coach.”

Who Bree had told her happened to be Amy. Great. But after what Bree said about teachers
needing to be involved, she couldn’t say no to her first chance. And it was only tryouts,
not a commitment to coaching all season.

Paige chose her words carefully. “I guess I wouldn’t mind helping, but I don’t want
to step on any more toes than I feel like I already have. Are you sure my help would
be well received?”

“Show up at the gym tomorrow afternoon, and leave the coach to me. It’ll all be fine.”

Famous last words.

Her bags felt heavier than before as she left the office. She came to Goose Harbor
to get away from drama, yet it seemed like she’d just found more. Paige shuffled out
of the office, suddenly not looking forward to lugging all her bags home anymore.

Caleb leaned on the lockers across from the main office, his hands jammed in his pockets.
Paige kept her head down and walked in the opposite direction from him.

“Wait up.” He caught up to her in two strides. “Look, I’m sorry for how I sounded
in there. I shouldn’t have gotten worked up. Can we talk about this a little more?”

The canvas bag bit into her shoulder, and she switched it to the other arm. “Not if
you’re just going to tell me no again.”

“Let me drive you back to Maggie’s.”

“What?”

“A ride. To the inn. You have a lot of bags.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

She glanced out the front doors. Wind still tickled the trees. Even still, the temperature
outside had climbed all day. She’d already considered digging out her bathing suit
and heading to the beach later. A ride might not be such a bad idea.

And she and Caleb worked together—she’d have to talk to him again at some point. Might
as well get over the awkwardness now while she had the chance.

“Know what? It’s hot. I’ll take you up on the offer.”

He eased both bags from her hands. “I’m parked at the far end of the lot. How about
I bring these out to my truck while you wait here? I’ll pull up to the front circle.”
He turned to leave before Paige had a chance to reconsider.

She stood in the lobby and watched him make his way to a large green pickup parked
at the back of the lot. Almost everyone had left for the day. The empty school smelled
like a mixture of musty old books and industrial strength pine cleaner. Paige pinched
the bridge of her nose, fighting the headaches that always plagued her from allergies
this time of year.

The woman Bree had pointed out as Amy clipped down the hall toward her on three-inch
heels. Her lips were a glossy just-bit-into-a-pomegranate red. A stylish belt with
a bejeweled buckle accentuated the woman’s trim midsection, and with her blouse unbuttoned
at least one button too many, her knotted string of black pearls laid in just the
right place to draw even more male attention—as if a woman that stunning needed it.

“You won’t last.” Amy stopped a few feet away. She crossed her arms over her chest.

“Excuse me?” Paige straightened her spine.

Now probably wasn’t the best time to tell Amy she’d be at the volleyball tryouts.

“They haven’t been able to keep anyone in that position for years.” Amy took a step
closer as she eyed Paige from head to toe and found her lacking. The woman towered
over her.

Paige focused on the plaque fixed to the wall behind Amy’s head. Her father had told
her once that fondness might not be within her control, but kindness always was.
Be kind.

“Thanks for the heads-up.” She forced a smile.

“Tell me you’ve at least taught before.”

Paige forced her shoulders and hands to relax, a trick she’d learned over the years
from her lawyer father—a master of hiding emotions.
Don’t let anyone know they’ve ruffled your feathers
. “Yes. Three years in Chicago.”

Amy laughed and splayed her hand across her ample bosom. “Goose Harbor is completely
different than a big city. You won’t last. Not with the people in this town and not
with that attitude.”

Attitude?

Caleb honked the horn of his pickup from the circle drive.

Paige jumped. “I have to go.”

Amy trailed her down the front steps. “
You’re
with Caleb?”

Whatever that meant.

“Yes.” Paige sidestepped Amy to get to the passenger door.

“But—”

She yanked the handle. “Sorry, I really have to leave.”

Paige climbed into the cab and buckled her seat belt. She pulled down the visor on
the mirror and pretended to check for something in her eye to avoid Caleb’s gaze.

Making Amy think she and Caleb were an item probably wasn’t her best idea. Besides,
why would a guy as handsome as Caleb want to be with someone like Paige? She blinked
at her reflection in the mirror: small nose, a dash of brown-sugar freckles on pale
cheeks, scrawny arms and drab blond hair—nothing to write home about. Especially not
for a guy who looked like he could be one of those rugged hosts on a home-improvement
television show.

Not that she cared what Caleb or Amy thought of her. She didn’t. Just let her volunteer
at Sarah’s Home—that’s all she wanted from him.

* * *

Amy sauntered around the front of Caleb’s truck.
Not now
.

He sent Paige a look he hoped told her he was sorry for the delay Amy would, no doubt,
cause.

Amy motioned for him to roll down his window. When he did, she leaned on his door
and then reached into the car to smooth her hand over an imaginary wrinkle on the
sleeve of his shirt. “Running away so quick? Silly man. I didn’t get to talk to you
today.”

Caleb curled his hands around the leather wheel. “You know how it is. The first day
is always a whirlwind.”

She rested her chin in the palm of her hand and lowered her eyelids halfway when she
talked. “We’ll have to find some time this week to catch up. Maybe lunch. Or dinner.
Or both could be arranged. I could cook for you at my apartment.” She played with
her necklace.

“We’ll see. Have a nice night.” Caleb popped the gear out of Park.

Amy crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes when Caleb started to pull away. She shot
a mean look at the woman in his passenger seat. Maybe Paige didn’t notice.

Amy had to have at least five years on him, not that age mattered that much. She hinted
and tried to flirt, and as forward and attractive as she was, most guys would call
him insane not to get involved. But he wasn’t interested. How did a guy tell a girl
that without hurting her feelings? Besides, it wasn’t just her. He wasn’t interested
in dating anyone. Well, even if he had been open to dating, Amy wouldn’t be someone
he’d pursue. Too aggressive for his liking, and as far as he knew, she wasn’t a Christian.

Caleb puffed out a long stream of air as he pulled out of the parking lot. The local
country station blared a sad song over his speakers. Something about a lost dog and
a state fair.

Paige crossed her arms and leaned against the passenger door. “I didn’t know you were
involved with Sarah’s Home.”

More like stuck with it.

“I am.”

He feigned fiddling with the volume control as he stole a glance at Paige. His gut
tightened. She was too pretty for her own good. He had to convince her not to go to
Sarah’s Home. But how?

The truth
.

It was time to open up again about Sarah’s death. No matter how much he didn’t want
to. This was his punishment. For the rest of his life he’d relive his failure over
and over. He neglected his chance to step in that night to keep Sarah safe, but it
was within his power to save Paige.

Chapter Four

P
aige glanced across the cab as Caleb pulled onto a road and turned away from the downtown
portion of Goose Harbor.

“Where are you taking me?” She tried to keep her voice calm, but she needed to get
back to the inn to work on her lesson plan for tomorrow. And do something about this
pounding ache in her head. She crossed her arms.

Caleb leaned his elbow on the door frame. “I’m just taking the long way home—that
is, if that’s okay with you. Like I said back at school, I want to talk.”

Okay. She had a lot to get done tonight, but she also needed to smooth things over
with Caleb if she was going to be working with him at Sarah’s Home.

She nodded once.

Besides, in order to make Goose Harbor her home, she should start getting to know
the people here. Of course, she needed to keep her guard up around Caleb. He was a
man after all, but she could at least be comfortable enough to be neighborly. Paige
didn’t know much about him and perhaps now was her chance. Might as well. Between
him fixing things at Maggie’s, being a teacher in the same hallway as her and now
sharing a stake in Sarah’s Home, it looked like it would be best to befriend him on
some level.

Paige slipped on her sunglasses in order to peek at Caleb without him knowing.

Jane Austen would have described him as dashing, and Paige’s favorite author would
have been dead right. As the evening sunlight skipped over Caleb’s head, the color
of his hair seemed to shift from black to brown, brown to black, black to brown. His
jaw was all man. Firm and defined, with the slightest bit of cocoa hair lining it.
What would he look like clean shaven?

She shifted in her seat.

The man had lost his wife—an irreplaceable woman. Besides that, he had Amy flirting
with him, and what man would deny a woman who looked like her? And here Paige was
fighting a confusing attraction to him.

Put the brakes on, girl
. To stick to her plan she needed to view him like Bryan. Like Dad. Men who cheat
and control.

Paige rubbed her temples. Fresh air would help her headache. She rolled down the window.
The wind rustled the pages of a small paperback resting on the dash. Paige rescued
the book from its precarious place, not wanting the truck to hit a bump and cause
it to fall out the window. She glanced at it, thinking the book would be some handyman
instructional booklet, but she recognized this cover.

“You’re reading
White Fang?
” Somehow the idea of Caleb tucked in an overstuffed chair reading a book didn’t fit
the image she’d already constructed of him.

“Yeah.” He sneaked a glance at her. “It was a favorite when I was younger. I found
it the other day in my library and figured it was time for a reread.”

“The town library?” She couldn’t imagine a town this small having a good selection,
but if the building was well stocked, she needed to check it out.

“No, at my house.”

Paige cradled the book on her lap. “You have a library?”

He scratched his brow. “A bedroom full of floor-to-ceiling books—does that count?”

“Sorry. It shouldn’t surprise me, but you like to read?”

“A lot. I used to stay up late every night as a kid with a flashlight reading in bed.
Although, this book’s a bit sadder than I remember—more like real life than I was
hoping for when I picked it up.”

She fanned her hand over the cover. “True, but after a lot of pain, White Fang does
get a happy ending.”

It took only a few minutes for the homes to grow farther and farther apart—signaling
that they had traveled out of Goose Harbor town boundaries. Caleb turned after a sign
that read Dunes State Park and slowly maneuvered the truck as the road snaked around
trees. Enough foliage grew in the dunes here to allow for a paved road. Small, different-colored
signs marked hiking paths ranging from beginner to expert level. Caleb pulled around
the last bend and Paige had to shield her eyes from the sun. They cleared the wooded
area and were at the top of a huge dune. Caleb rolled the truck to the edge of the
pavement and turned it off.

The view out the windshield made Paige catch her breath. Lake Michigan spilled out
before them far into the horizon, its water breaking in a thousand white crests as
the water rolled back and forth. A coastline of beaches made up of a mixture of butter-colored
sand and patches of long, waving grasses stretched for miles. A small red lighthouse
in the distance winked at her. The clouds made a quilt in the sky, woven together
with shades of orange, pink and purple as the sun started to sink into the lake.

The knotted feeling in her stomach loosened a bit. She could get used to sights like
this. She’d have to remember to come here for her jogs.

“This is beautiful.” Paige unbuckled her seat belt and braced her hands on the front
of the dash.

Caleb looped his hands over the steering wheel. “It’s my favorite spot.”

A little girl wearing a bright yellow swimsuit down on the beach ran into the waves
laughing. With a bucket in her hand, she scooped up the wet sand and teetered with
the effort of hauling it back to where she had been sitting. A man Paige hadn’t noticed
a moment ago got up and lifted the girl and her bucket into his arms and spun her
in a circle. Her giggles echoed up to where Paige and Caleb sat in the truck.

Paige’s throat tightened. Why was she being so emotional lately? Something about the
pair made her wish for a childhood she never had.
Dad’s too busy. He’s on another trip. He’s working late in the city tonight. He won’t
be able to give a kiss good-night—maybe tomorrow.

What would it be like to know joy like that child? To trust that someone would come
and not just lighten her load, but lift her up in the process?

Stop dreaming.
No more wishing for a life that wouldn’t happen. She blinked back the moisture in
her eyes.

If the breakup with Bryan had taught her one thing, it was that she was strong. Life
had to be what she made it. No more waiting for some white knight that didn’t exist.

Her terms. Her control. She didn’t need someone to giggle with or to carry her.

Even if it looked like fun.

* * *

All right, enough stalling.

Caleb switched his keys from one hand to the other. “I don’t know what Principal Timmons
said, but you don’t have to volunteer at Sarah’s Home.” He cringed. That came out
wrong.

Paige’s gaze—which a moment ago had been fixed out the front window—snapped in his
direction. She narrowed her eyes. “What’s your problem? Let me guess, you’re the type
of guy who believes women can’t make a difference. We’re here just to bat our eyes
at you. Is that it?”

“That’s not it at all. Listen. The city where Sarah’s Home is located—Brookside—it’s
plagued with home foreclosures and active gangs. Is that really what you want to be
dealing with? Some of the students we mentor are gang members. Why mess with danger
when there are so many other things you could spend your time doing? Good things,
right here in Goose Harbor.” Caleb spoke slow and even—it was vital that she understood
the level of danger. She needed to back out and never go to Sarah’s Home. She should
stay locked away. Safe in Goose Harbor. Like Shelby and Maggie.

“Timmons already told me.” She pulled a hair tie from her wrist and tucked her hair
into a messy bun. “I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t think you get it.”

“Actually, I do. And
I think
you’re forgetting that not only did I grow up twenty minutes from one of the biggest
cities in the country, but I also taught inner-city students. I promise you, Chicago’s
got more issues than Brookside.” She straightened her shoulders, but she was so petite
she could never look big and intimidating. No matter how hard she tried. “I’m not
afraid.”

“You should be.” He clenched his jaw.

She tossed her hands in the air. “What’s that even supposed to mean? I can’t live
my life controlled by fear. I won’t.”

Mayday! The conversation was not going well. He needed to choose his words carefully.

“Did Timmons tell you about my wife?” He paused. “About Sarah?”

“He said she passed away and that she was an incredible woman.” Paige’s voice was
quiet. She studied the floorboard. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Sarah and I had been friends since grade school.” Caleb took a deep breath then continued.
“Everyone knew we’d get married.” He stared at the window visor and let his vision
go fuzzy. Why was he telling her this? Stick to the facts. Don’t lose it. But be honest.
“I guess you don’t need all the backstory.”

He looked over at Paige, which was a mistake. Her eyes had gone soft, and she leaned
a bit toward him, like she was listening. Like one wounded soldier talking to another,
he didn’t read pity in her expression. Just that she cared.

She tilted her head. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Caleb cleared his throat. “No. I do. See, Sarah had this heart to help others. She
wanted to make a difference and didn’t care if that put her in danger. I usually went
with her when she traveled into Brookside to tutor students. Something about her going
alone didn’t sit well with me. But then, this one night, we got into a fight. Just
yelling. I shouldn’t have yelled.”

Why? Why did he have to press the issue that night? Caleb asked himself that question
every night as he lay in bed. If only he hadn’t brought up his desire to start a family—hadn’t
pushed the issue with Sarah yet again. She’d still be here. Then he could tell her
that she was enough for him. He didn’t need children. Even if he wanted that life.
He’d toss all of those desires in a drawer in order to have Sarah back again.

“We didn’t apologize to each other before she left that night.” The words tumbled
from his mouth like marbles off a table—fast and weighty. “I didn’t go with her. I
should have. Looking back, I don’t know why I didn’t just go. She should never have
been left on her own there.”

The admission felt like fire to his gut. His sister, Shelby, often called him a gentle
giant, but when he talked about how he’d failed Sarah, well, then he wanted to punch
something. No. Not just something, Caleb wanted to punch himself. After promising
to protect his wife for the rest of his life, so quickly he’d failed. Just like he’d
failed Mom and Shelby.

God should know better by now than to make him responsible for anyone. Evidently he
couldn’t handle it.

Paige tentatively laid her hand on his forearm. “You don’t have to go on.”

Caleb searched her crystal-blue eyes. Did she understand?

Just spit it out. “I got the call three hours later. Some coward attacked her as she
was locking up that night. They made off with her purse, her wedding ring and her
wallet.” He rubbed the butt of his hand against his chest as if the pain could be
massaged away. If only. “She died there on the street before the paramedics could
start CPR.”

Paige squeezed his forearm where her hand still rested. “It’s not your fault.”

He slipped his arm away from her touch and ran his hand through his hair. The spot
on his arm where her hand had been was still warm. “I should have been there.”

She shrank back into her side of the truck’s cab. “You can’t blame yourself.”

Enough. He told Paige about Sarah, and there was no reason to dive deeper into his
guilt.

Caleb jammed the keys into the ignition and the truck shook to life. “With the recession,
Brookside is even more dangerous than it was when that happened to Sarah. That’s why
I don’t think it’s safe for women who aren’t from Brookside to be there. The women
who live there deal with the danger every single day going about their normal lives,
but outsiders just don’t get it.” He glanced back at her, catching her gaze right
before she turned away. “Please reconsider serving at Sarah’s Home. That’s all I’m
asking. There are so many other places you can volunteer that are safer.”

Paige’s back faced him now as she looked out the window, her eyes locked on Lake Michigan
and a little girl and her father playing on the beach.

He glanced over his shoulder and started to back out of the small lot on top of the
dune. “Will you at least promise me you’ll think about what I said?”

“I promise—to think about it,” she whispered. “Thanks for trusting me with your story.”

Thankfully, Paige didn’t talk again on the way back to Maggie’s inn. After telling
about Sarah’s last day Caleb didn’t want to keep up small talk. He hoped Paige understood
that.

He turned into the driveway to the inn, and the truck bumped up the gravel road. Someday
he’d dig out the roots to some of those big trees so it would be a smoother drive.
That, or just pay to have Maggie’s driveway cemented.

The second he stopped the truck, Paige unbuckled her seat belt and shot out of the
cab like a horse breaking free of a fence. He could only hope her silence had meant
that Paige changed her mind about being a part of Sarah’s Home. That she was safe
now.

* * *

Maggie welcomed Paige home for the day with an unexpected hug. “And I have some homemade
sun tea waiting for you in the kitchen. Let me just run out to the truck and snag
Caleb for a second, and then I’ll join you. But feel free to help yourself to some.”

Paige pressed through the front door but turned to peek back at Caleb and Maggie as
they talked outside of Caleb’s truck. Maggie hugged him and swatted at his chest a
couple of times while they chatted.

Pulling out her keys, Paige unlocked the door that led to the private living quarters
of the inn. She dumped her bags on the desk in her small bedroom and then made her
way to the kitchen. Sun tea sounded good. She grabbed a glass and filled it to the
top before crossing to the living room. Paige sat in front of the television but didn’t
turn it on. She took a sip of the tea, then set down the glass and walked over to
the bookshelves lining the wall.