A Husband To Hold

Quickly they had headed back to their cars and just now had arrived at Freckles and Julian’s house.

“It’s about time you showed up!” Julian stood near the barn of the ranch where they had just parked, a chain saw in his hand, cut wood littering the ground around him. “I’m clearing out some chores,” he continued, and after laying the saw aside, he strolled over to where they stood.

“Hello, Dr. McCade,” Leah said formally.

Julian chuckled and shook his head. “Call me Hawk or Julian, but please, there are too many doctors with that last name in this house.”

Julian squeezed her fingers warmly and then stuck his hand out to Mark. “I was wondering if you were going to make it to dinner after all.”

“I don’t live here,” Mark replied good-naturedly.

Julian flipped a hand toward the barn and restored bunkhouse. “Close enough that Freckles worries over you. She’s certain you aren’t getting enough good meals.”

“She’s probably right. Café food grows old after a while.”

“Mark!” Freckles’s words drew their attention to the front porch where she pushed through the door, stepping out onto the wooden terrace. Along the long front planks, rockers sat, waiting to be filled for nighttime stargazing. The rails around the wraparound porch reminded Leah of the old-time hitching posts she’d read about in books. Made like many of the ranches out here, they were wooden, stripped of the bark and waterproofed. These posts were newer as Julian and Freckles had been doing renovations on the old ranch house.

“Leah and I made it, chérie. Don’t you start on me.”

Freckles chuckled and came down the path toward the cars, her long curly red hair bouncing as she came. Her stomach protruded with child, and behind her came a herd of kids. Leah heard them all chattering like geese and saw the way they piled out the door, tripping over one another in their haste.

“They’re excited to have company,” Freckles admitted as she stopped beside Julian and smiled at Leah. Julian rested a hand on his wife’s tummy before leaning down to kiss her cheek.

“Hello there, Jimmy,” Leah said grinning at the first and youngest child to arrive at their sides. “I suppose it’s not every day you have a teacher out here to dinner, is it?”

“Ms. Thomas,” Jimmy said excitedly. Grabbing Leah around the legs, he gave her a hug only a ten-year-old could give. “I told you I had sisters. That’s Sherri and Cathi. Rebecca and MaMaw are inside. You can meet her but she’ll probably go to bed early ’cause she had a big day today.”

“I’ll have a word with you, Mark,” Freckles said and moved toward him.

“Is that so?” Leah smiled down at the young boy and then glanced to the sisters who had come out with Freckles.

“You are going to waste away if you keep missing meals,” Freckles said, waving a finger at Mark, taking him to task for being late and not being home enough. The children didn’t seem the least bothered that their big sister was shaking her finger at Mark. Julian stood there and smiled bemusedly.

Freckles’s sisters were used to this, obviously. Cathi was a small child for her fifteen years, birdlike in her bones and movements. A long dark ponytail hung down her back and light-brown freckles dotted her nose. Were it not for the budding shape, Leah would have guessed her to be younger than her brother. Cathi stood next to her younger brother and rubbed a hand over his hair. He shoved her hand away. Typical interaction for a brother and sister, and both ignored Freckles.

Sherri looked much older than her seventeen years. Her hair was dark auburn, unlike Freckles’s own bright-red hair. She was shapely and beautiful and, Leah noticed, seeing where her gaze was, obviously interested in Mark. Still, Sherri didn’t interrupt her sister directly though her gaze begged to be noticed as she danced up and grabbed at Mark’s sleeve. “I got the results of my SATs today and I’m going to probably have a scholarship. I thought about going to Louisiana. Could you tell me about the universities there?”

Freckles broke off with her diatribe and turned toward her sister. “Let’s get our company inside first, Sherri, then maybe later Mark can talk to you about that.”

“You come with me, Ms. Thomas. I want you to meet MaMaw,” Jimmy said, tugging at Leah’s hand.

As if she had never met Phyllis before, Leah thought grinning at the young boy at her side. Smiling at Mark she shrugged and grasped the little boy’s hand.

“Jimmy, were you going to spend the night with Tad tonight?” Freckles asked.

“But I want her to meet MaMaw.”

“She will in a bit. You should get your things together and let Sherri drive you there.”

“Okay,” Jimmy said and raced off toward the house, forgetting company in the light of spending the night away from home.

“Can I drive?” Cathi asked excitedly.

“No, you cannot,” Julian said, his attention finally diverted from his wife to the girl who looked so expectantly toward him. “No, you may not. You’re only fifteen and you don’t have a driver’s license yet.”

“But I have a permit.” She smiled brightly as if that would change Julian’s mind. It didn’t work, however.

“And Sherri is only seventeen. She is not old enough to supervise your driving. No.” He reached out and ruffled the top of her hair, messing up her ponytail.

Cathi screwed her face up as if she were about to argue.

“Maybe next week I’ll take you out driving, Cathi,” Mark said.

“Really?” Cathi grinned, her gaze riveting on Mark. When she saw he was serious, her excitement eased and she replied, “Okay.”

“Go see if the spaghetti is ready, Cathi.” Freckles shooed her off.

“Do I have to drive Jimmy?” Sherri asked, casting a glance toward Mark.

Julian frowned though Leah doubted Sherri noticed it as she was so busy trying to look as if she wasn’t staring at Mark.

Freckles stepped forward and slipped an arm through Julian’s arm drawing his attention. “Yes, you do,” she said to her sister. “And I appreciate all the help you give us out here, Sherri.”

Sherri glanced at her sister then Julian, and with a sigh, she walked off toward the area where the family cars were parked. “I’ll be in the car,” she muttered.

“It’s almost like being in the classroom,” Leah said half-jokingly when all the children were gone.

“Except they’re all different ages?” Julian quipped.

Leah chuckled. “Something like that.”

Mark touched Leah on her back between the shoulder blades and motioned toward the door. “Shall we?”

That gentle touch warmed her, reminding her of just why she was out here and whose invitation she had accepted. “If Freckles and Julian are ready,” Leah mouthed softly, glancing pointedly at the two who had their heads together talking low.

As if sensing the attention Freckles glanced around and then promptly blushed. “I’m sure dinner’s almost done. Let’s go eat.”

Julian chuckled low, a satisfied smile on his face. “You’ll have to forgive Freckles. She has her mind on other things.”

“Hawk!” Freckles warned, her cheeks turning a shade darker.

With interest Leah’s gaze went from one to the other. The byplay was something that she had long forgotten. It seemed like another lifetime, another person, when she and her husband had done such things. The small touches, wicked grins, secretive smiles. How would her husband have acted if he’d been alive and she hadn’t lost her child?

Leah warmed thinking about it, and at the same time felt a distinct emptiness within her at the hollowness those secret smiles caused.

“It’s your announcement. I won’t ruin it.”

“Announcement?” Mark asked.

“After dinner,” Freckles admonished and hurried toward the front door.

“Shall we go?” Julian asked and without waiting for an answer headed off after his wife.

Mark grinned. “I haven’t quite figured them out. It seems they are always like this. Involved, that is.”

A slight sorrow touching her heart, Leah replied, “It’s called love.”

Without another word she followed Julian and Freckles, leaving Mark to follow behind.

The screen door creaked as Julian pulled it open, causing Freckles to wrinkle her nose in disgust. “That has got to be oiled, Hawk.”

“I will, honey,” Julian replied.

Mark rolled his eyes.

Leah grinned.

“Mom, you know Leah. She hired Mark and is joining us for dinner tonight. And this is Rebecca,” Freckles said, “as you well know.”

Leah, of course, knew Phyllis, otherwise known as MaMaw. Short in size, her mainly dark-brown pageboy hair was gray with age, curled slightly under as it framed her face. She had a tired smile as if she’d seen many hard years, though her eyes shone with an inner peace. Leah knew immediately that inner glow bespoke of her relationship with Jesus Christ. They’d had talks before when Phyllis had stopped by the school for one thing or another.

Then there was Rebecca, Phyllis’s middle child. She was a precious child at her age of twelve. Severely handicapped, she was strapped into a wheelchair a lot of the time, but Leah had seen Rebecca make her way around the room, often in her own world as she laughed and played. She was a blessing to all of them, hard to manage occasionally but special in her own way.

“Hi, sweetheart,” Leah said squatting down in front of Rebecca now.

Rebecca gurgled and waved a hand, then bounced in her chair.

“I thought Jimmy said she was tired?” Leah asked.

“She’s on her last legs,” Mark replied. “She always has a spurt of energy as she tries to fight sleep.”

Surprised, Leah glanced around at Mark.

“He’s right,” Phyllis said and stood, leaning down to lift her daughter into her arms. “He’s been a big help with Rebecca here. And she just loves him, don’t you, sweetie,” Phyllis cooed to her daughter, smiling tiredly.

The little girl laughed and wrapped her arms around her mama’s neck. As awkward as it was, the child managed to hold on.

Mark grinned. “She’s my darlin’,” he replied.

“Sorry to run just as you get here, Leah, but I have to put her to bed. Maybe I’ll be down later.”

“That’s fine, Phyllis. We can talk then.”

“Say bye-bye,” she told her daughter as she started through the house. “Bye-bye,” she repeated, talking to her child with all the love a mother had for her baby—even if the baby was twelve years old.

“It was a blessing that she managed to come out here,” Mark said.

She turned her gaze to Mark. “Oh?”

He nodded. “You know she was working herself to exhaustion back East. They lived in a tiny apartment and were on constant watch for gangs and trouble. Rebecca has flourished since they’ve moved here. Even Phyllis is finally looking better, not so exhausted. Julian said Freckles was really worried about her mom.”

“I didn’t realize you spent much time with them,” Leah voiced quietly.

Slipping the toothpick from his mouth he dropped it in a nearby trash can. “I help around the house some. It’s the least I can do since Julian has given me some space to live. But don’t forget, Julian, being Zach’s brother, is indirectly related to me so I’m around them more than just out here.”

His grin melted Leah’s reserves, making her want to stand there and stare at him all night. He looked so mischievous grinning down at her as he leaned there against the doorjamb leading into the dining room. She couldn’t help but smile back. “You’re brothers-in-law,” she agreed.

“Dinner’s ready!”

Drawn out of the feelings that had kept the two of them isolated from the others in the area, Leah turned to see Cathi just finishing her chore of setting the dining room table.

“Oh, dear. I didn’t even offer to help.” Leah clasped her hands together, worry creasing her brow.

Mark reached out and caught her fingers. She jumped, almost pulling back before catching herself. Staring down to where he’d grabbed her hands, his darker ones covering her pale skin, she realized how long it’d been since a man had actually held her hands.

“No reason to be nervous,” he said mildly. “That’s a bad habit of yours, clasping your hands whenever you’re worried.”

She swallowed, reminding herself that Mark worked for Mitch—the sheriff. As handsome and attractive as Mark was, she had to get a grip on herself. She couldn’t let down her guard so easily. He shouldn’t have been able to notice her anxiety. Had she actually fallen so much out of practice since living here in Hill Creek?

Forcing herself to relax, she smiled up at Mark. “I’ll remember that.”

He cocked his head curiously.

She turned and headed toward the table, where Julian and Freckles were just coming through the swinging door that led to the kitchen. Both had their hands filled with old-fashioned stoneware dishes filled with steaming entrées. Relief touched her as she was finally able to divert her attention elsewhere. However, Leah couldn’t help wondering just what Mark might be thinking right now, as quiet as he was behind her.

Mark watched her, wondering if she’d felt anything at all when he’d touched her a moment ago. He hadn’t been thinking when he’d reached out. He’d simply acted, and immediately reacted, noting how soft her skin was, how nervous she was around him, how much he’d startled her.

The look in her eyes, the surprise and shock, made him think that people didn’t touch her often. She was certainly a mystery, this woman. The more he was around her the more mysterious she became.

And the more attractive. As her eyes had opened so wide and watched him, he’d seen dark-blue flecks within the light blue of her eyes. He couldn’t remember seeing eyes quite that color before.

They were beautiful.

They fit her fragile beauty, as well.

He had to get a grip, and fast. He’d been hired to do a job, not suddenly go into some stage of puppy love. He was too old for this! He didn’t want to settle down but liked being a loner. That was why he rarely dated. Dating was for people who wanted to find a mate and marry, not for someone who enjoyed being alone and living their lives as they wanted.

Yet being near Leah made him want to spend more time with her, take her to a movie or out to dinner, somewhere private where he could probe her thoughts, find out her desires and just what and who she was.

Shaking his head, Mark followed Leah to the table, thinking if he didn’t keep his gaze off her it was going to be a long night indeed, not to mention a long six weeks helping her.

Chapter Five

Leah bowed her head as Julian blessed the food and company. When the prayer ended Freckles started the dishes around the table. Sherri returned to eat, saying, “A ride came for little brother.” She scooted into a chair.

Freckles nodded, smiling.

“So, Julian, Leah here asked me earlier just how Wil had saved my life.”

“You were very lucky.” Freckles tsked and snagged a piece of bread before passing it on.

“You want me to tell you what happened?” Mark asked Leah.

Leah nodded before dipping the utensils into the spaghetti. “I am curious.”

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