Their Small-Town Love

“You okay?” His hazel eyes peering intently into her darker ones. Blinking, Ivy said nothing for several seconds before he went on. “I can’t help wondering if all is well or if some problem has brought you back just in time for the reunion?”

“Problem?” she echoed.

“Is your father all right?” he asked, wondering what troubled this beautiful woman whom he remembered only as a teen.

Ivy swung her gaze back to him, her mouth opened to blurt that she wouldn’t know, but then Rose jumped in, the stylish cut of her nut-brown hair swinging jauntily above her shoulders as she nodded. “Dad is fine,” she supplied.

“Looking forward to another grandchild,” Daniel added, smoothing a hand over his wife’s distended belly.

Ryan chuckled, and Ivy felt his hand relax atop hers just before he took it away. “Home to greet the new baby, then?”

“Not exactly,” Ivy hedged.

“That is,” Rose interjected uncertainly, “the baby is still two months or better away.”

Ivy frowned, her gaze going at once to Rose’s greatly expanded waistline. Although shorter and sturdier than her, Rose looked much too large to be eight or more weeks away from giving birth.

“Are you sure you’re not having twins?” Ryan joked, apparently agreeing with Ivy’s assessment.

Rose crinkled her pert nose. “It’s awful, isn’t it? I’m big as an elephant.”

“You are not,” Daniel insisted. As near to full-blood Choctaw as could be found, Daniel surprised Ivy by flushing hotly. Even the scalp beneath his ink-black hair seemed to glow a dark, dusky red. “It’s what they call a high-pressure pregnancy, lots of fluid.”

“All the more cushion for our little girl,” Rose said, smiling down at her stomach.

Little girl.

Ivy’s heart cracked open inside her chest, and the grief she’d kept bottled up for all these years poured out. Memories stormed her, yet she managed, just barely, to maintain a rigid calm.

“It’s a girl,” she heard the nurse say, cold metal gliding over her skin as the fuzzy, black-and-white image coalesced on the screen beside the examination table.

“It’s a girl,” the doctor announced months later, whisking the baby away.

A little girl, whom Ivy had never held or even seen, except at a distance.

A little girl who called someone else “Mommy.”

Chapter Two

“My sister-in-law, Cara,” Ryan said, standing in front of his chair. He’d stayed longer at Ivy’s table than he’d intended, so long that his family had finally wandered over in search of him, necessitating a spate of introductions.

Ivy clapped her long slender hands to her cheeks, gaping at Cara. “I’m so sorry! I had no idea you were part of the Jefford family.”

Ryan glanced from one to the other, surprised that they had evidently already met.

Cara laughed. “No reason why you should have known. I understand you haven’t been around for a while, and the wedding was just three weeks ago. I should have made my identity clear when we met at the motel.”

“I just never dreamed that Holt had married,” Ivy said, exclaiming, “And you, too, Charlotte! It’s been a season of weddings for the Jeffords.”

Charlotte laughed. “So it has.”

Ryan said, “I was telling Ivy about the house you and Ty are building.”

“Yes, the old Moffat place, just east of here,” Charlotte said, smiling that utterly content smile of hers.

“What a beautiful spot,” Ivy murmured. “I’ve always loved that place.”

“Listen, Cara’s been on her feet all day,” Holt interrupted, his arm curling around Cara’s shoulders as he addressed his brother. “We’re going to find our seats now.”

Ryan nodded saying, “You go on. I’ll be along shortly.”

“I could use a chair myself,” Ty announced, urging Charlotte to follow Holt.

“Nice to see you again, Ivy,” Charlotte said, falling in line.

“You, too. And congratulations! Both of you. I mean, all of you!”

The family moved away with smiles and little waves. Ryan intended to say a quick goodbye and take his leave as well, but then Rose began to push up from the table, muttering that she should visit the ladies’ room before dinner. Daniel stood to help her to her feet, and then trailed along behind her protectively, leaving Ryan alone with Ivy. Not only did it seem rude to walk away at that point, he found that he did not want to. Ivy had always intrigued him, and that appeared not to have changed. He glanced at his wristwatch and saw that he had about a quarter-hour before he must report to the head table, so he sat down again.

“You don’t have to keep me company,” Ivy said with a gentle smile.

“Nonsense,” he told her. “We have lots to catch up on. So what have you been doing with yourself? Why haven’t I seen you in all these years?”

Ivy’s smile wilted around the edges and shadows darkened her warm brown eyes. “I’ve been on the move pretty much the whole time. That’s how it is in my business. You go from one radio market to another, hoping to catch on in enough places to build a national following so you can squeeze a few more dollars out of the next contract.”

To Ryan, that seemed a singularly unappealing way to live. He couldn’t imagine pulling up roots every few months. “Where are you working now?”

“If all goes as planned, Oklahoma City.”

“Ah, so that’s what finally brings you our way.”

She shrugged delicately. “It just all sort of worked out.”

“Must be difficult to make friends and build relationships, moving around so much,” he surmised. “I assume you’re not married since I notice that you’re unescorted and not wearing a ring.” He reached for her left hand and turned it over atop the table as if to prove his point.

“I’m not married,” she confirmed before looking pointedly at his own hand. “Neither, apparently, are you.”

He laughed. “Never married. Never even been close.”

“And here you’ve stayed all this time?”

“And here I’ve stayed all this time. Maybe that’s the problem. There aren’t many single women here in Eden.”

“Oh, but there are many ways to meet people, surely. I mean, stranger things have happened.”

“You’re telling me! Just look at Holt and Charlotte.”

“So why not you?” Ivy asked, her eyes locking with his.

“To tell you the truth, I think I’m just too busy. I don’t have time to date, let alone fall in love and get married.” He spread his hands, and smiled. “So what’s your excuse?”

Ivy looked down, saying, “I drove a nail in that coffin a long time ago.”

The forced lightness of her tone hinted at sadness, and Ryan suddenly felt ill at ease. Shifting in his seat, he strove to bring back a casual, chatty air. “Career girl, huh?”

“Something like that.”

“I understand devotion to one’s career, believe me,” he said, sounding a little too hearty even to his own ears yet somehow unable to stop himself. “Education is my calling, and let me tell you, it’s more than a full-time job. Much as I love it, though, it gets in the way of normal life. Take your dad, for instance,” he blundered on. “I’m ashamed to say I haven’t seen him or even thought of him in a long time. Until I saw you here tonight, I didn’t realize how long it’s been.”

“Really?” she asked, looking slightly stricken. “You haven’t seen him at all?”

Ryan wanted to bite his tongue. Now she sounded worried.

“No, I’m sorry, not in…well, months, at least.”

“Not even at church?”

“Not even at church,” he confirmed.

“I’m assuming you still attend First Church,” she said anxiously.

“Yes, I do, but—” He gulped. Where was a hole when he needed one? And why didn’t she already know this? “Olie doesn’t.”

“He doesn’t?”

“According to Holt, he goes with Rose and Daniel and their boys to our new sister church, Magnolia Christian.”

Ivy seemed to ponder that. Gazing off into the distance, she murmured, “I see. Yes, I suppose that makes sense.” She glanced back at Ryan, straightened, put on a smile again and said brightly, “I’m sure his grandsons decided that for him. Rose says he dotes on her two boys.”

Disturbed, Ryan studied that smile and found that it did not quite reach her eyes. The Ivy that he glimpsed there in those cinnamon brown depths seemed once more sad, a little lost, uncertain. He had the urge to take her hand again, but didn’t.

“I guess you’ll all be attending Easter services at the Magnolia church together,” he ventured cautiously.

Her chin lifted as if she would nod, but then she looked away again. After a moment, she haltingly told him, “I can’t quite see myself attending Easter services anywhere but at First Church.”

Ryan nodded, pleased and troubled at the same time. “That’s good to hear. We’d love to have your family join us.”

He caught the sharp edge of agony in her eyes and wondered what he’d said before her gaze skittered around the room. Suddenly, he understood that if Ivy attended First Church tomorrow, she would do so alone. Before he even knew what he intended, he heard himself saying, “N-naturally, Rose’s family will want to be at their home church, so maybe you’d like to go with us. I mean, you’re at the motel already, and—”

She stopped his flow of ill-considered words by grasping his sleeve lightly with her fingertips. “That’s very sweet of you, Ryan, but not necessary.”

The touch of her fingers cemented his resolve to keep her from attending Easter services alone.

“No, really. Since the weather’s nice, we’ll probably all just walk over from the motel together. Won’t have to fight for a parking space that way. Why don’t you come with me, er, with us?”

“Does First Church still do a sunrise Easter service in the park?” she asked.

Ryan nodded. “Granddad can’t quite manage it anymore. Too much walking and standing.”

“But they still do it?”

“Absolutely.”

She sat back with a look of anticipation on her face. “Well, then, that’s where I’ll be.”

“Maybe you wouldn’t mind a little company,” he suggested, surprising himself.

Ivy sat forward again, looking as surprised as he felt. After a moment, her warm, brown eyes began to glow. “Really?”

“It’s a beautiful service, and I’d like to go. No reason we can’t walk over together.”

“That sounds lovely, Ryan.”

Ryan was relieved to see that she meant it. The shadows he glimpsed behind her smile seemed to have fled.

He spied the Halseys returning then, Daniel following as Rose maneuvered her belly through the tables and chairs. He saw, too, that most people had taken their seats, and he knew the moment of his departure had come. Oddly reluctant to go, Ryan nevertheless got to his feet squeezing Ivy’s hand once more as he said, “Shall I knock on your door, say half past six?”

“That sounds about right. It’s number four, by the way.”

“Number four. See you in the morning, then.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” Ivy smiled warmly. He flipped a wave at the Halseys and turned toward the dais, smoothing his tie with one hand.

What had he just done? Ryan wondered as he made his way to the front of the room. Escorting a single woman to a sunrise church service was one thing, but dealing with his family’s questions about it would be something else. Then again, they didn’t really have to know, did they? It would mean attending regular services later with the family, but two church services in one morning never did a fellow harm. That way, everyone would be happy. Ivy wouldn’t have to go alone, he’d get to take part again in a service he truly enjoyed, the family would be together as usual, and that would be that. Satisfied with his plans, he turned his attention to enjoying the festivities.

The committee chairwoman beckoned to him, her smile looking a tad strained, and he put Ivy Villard out of his mind as best he could, focusing instead on his duties. That, after all, was what Ryan Jefford did best. Some might even have said that it defined him as a person, and he wouldn’t have argued with them. It would not even have occurred to him to do so.

Ivy remained at her sister’s side throughout the banquet. They’d had little time to talk as yet, but Ivy did not doubt that Rose was glad to see her, and for now that was enough. Ivy laughed at Ryan’s witty welcome and sat patiently through the less entertaining speeches that followed, accompanied by a plate of unremarkable food served by girls in short-skirted, green-and-yellow uniforms emblazoned with the white Eden lightning bolt. Ivy remembered well doing the same thing, serving tables for tips on reunion night to raise funds for the cheer squad, and she had come prepared with a generous donation.

All in all her plan had thus far been even more successful than Ivy had hoped. Meeting Rose in a public place had been both more difficult and easier than Ivy had imagined. Rose had been shocked to see her, yes, but no more so than Ivy had been upon realizing that her sister was already the mother of two and expecting another child.

Rose’s welcome had been all that Ivy could have asked for, warm, exuberant, even tearful, but the time and place of their reunion had relegated all but the simplest of exchanges to the future. Ivy sensed that Daniel might not be best pleased with her at the moment, but Ivy couldn’t blame him. Had she realized Rose’s physical condition beforehand, she would not have risked stressing her sister emotionally. That, too, however, was a subject for the future.

While her attention and intent centered on Rose, many of Ivy’s old classmates had wandered by for a greeting and quick conversation. She’d been hugged and patted and smiled on. No one had surprised her as much as Ryan, though, and she silently thanked him for providing her with an easy out when Rose tentatively suggested that she join the family for Easter services the next day.

Rose interrupted her musings with the whispered invitation, “Daniel and I wonder if you’d like to join us for Easter tomorrow?”

“Oh sweetie, I’m sorry,” Ivy replied softly, “but I’ve already promised to go to the services at First Church with Ryan Jefford. Besides, I don’t think Dad would be very pleased.”

Rather than press Ivy to reconsider, Rose’s tawny brown eyes were suddenly alight with speculation. She leaned close to whisper, “With Ryan? Really? He’s considered quite the catch around here, you know.”

“We’re just old friends, Rose,” Ivy pointed out softly. “Mere acquaintances, really, but he invited me, and I said I would go.”

Fortunately, before more could be said on the subject, the master of ceremonies, a retired former superintendent of Eden schools, announced that the highlight of the evening would commence. Each of the alumni present would stand and be recognized, in alphabetical order, while moderators read a list of his or her accomplishments. In this way, it was explained, they could all “catch up” with each other.

Ivy cringed at the idea and even considered pleading exhaustion or headache in order to slip out before her turn came. In the end, however, she did neither, reminding herself that turning over a new leaf meant putting away cowardly and dishonest habits once and for all. Besides, how much could anyone in Eden, other than her family, really know about her life? When the moderator at last called her name, Ivy stood and inwardly gulped as a paragraph taken directly from her personal promotional Web site was read.

“Ivy Villard has enjoyed a successful career in the highly competitive field of commercial radio. As half of the popular FireBrand Phillips and Ivy duo, she has logged thousands of on-air hours as an announcer, commentator and DJ, bringing her own special brand of humor, wit and organization to the new rock/talk format. As producer of the show, she has been instrumental in achieving the ratings that propelled it to the top of the heap. With the changing tastes of today’s marketplace, however, the time has come to break up the act and branch out in different directions. Look for Ivy, a graduate of Southeastern Oklahoma State University with a degree in communications, at the helm of her own show in a market near you very soon.”

The moderator went on to list awards that the show had won. Fan Favorite, Industry Pick, Top Market, Best New Format…Ivy closed her ears and barely heard the applause that followed. She couldn’t help thinking that if the whole truth about Ivy Villard had been read, her reception would have been far less cordial. Clutching her sister’s hand, Ivy dropped back into her chair and waited for the evening to be over.

Applauding for the umpteenth time, Ryan watched Ivy sit back down, one hand smoothing the seat of her chic black dress. He’d sensed her unease even before her name was called; then he’d caught the gossip being bandied about the head table.

“Have you ever listened to that show?” one of the women muttered.

“They say it’s raunchy,” another whispered, shaking her head.

“Disgraceful, I’ve heard,” put in another.

Ryan squelched a spurt of disappointment. He disdained gossip of any kind, and he would not make judgments based on it, but in this case, if the rumors should be true, he would be very sad to hear it. Ivy could be considered little more than an acquaintance, really, even if he would be escorting her to sunrise service tomorrow, but he still hated to think that she might be involved in a show with a reputation for raunch.

He still wondered why he had offered to accompany her. If the service meant as much to her as it had seemed to earlier, he had nothing to worry about on her behalf. Except…Something was definitely going on behind those brown eyes. A blind man could have seen it. That troubled him as did his unexpected protective impulses where she seemed to be concerned.

Another name was read, and another alumni rose. Ryan shifted his attention to Garth White, class of 1970, owner of the largest independent insurance agency in Lawton. Garth hammed it up for the crowd, passing out business cards to those around him while the moderator cataloged his accomplishments, including record-breaking revenues, four sons and a number of grandsons. Ryan tried to pay attention, but his gaze kept straying back to Ivy. She looked poised and lovely, but he still could sense sorrow in her, a deep well of pain. He found himself wanting to walk over to her table again.

As he watched her, Ryan noticed a tall, painfully thin blonde in a short-sleeved, lilac print dress winding her way through the tables in a half crouch. When she reached Ivy’s side, the two embraced warmly. Ivy pulled the blonde down onto the chair that Ryan had occupied earlier.

Ryan couldn’t help wondering who the woman might be and what connection she had to Ivy. That the two were fond of each other was obvious. They clasped hands, whispering back and forth and exchanged grins. Ivy beamed, and for the first time since he’d laid eyes on her that evening, she seemed relaxed and happy. He watched as she whispered apparent introductions to her sister and brother-in-law while Cotton Carlson, the retired superintendent of schools, announced from the dais that door prizes would now be awarded.

The blonde stayed to chat with Ivy throughout the dispensing of such donated items as flower arrangements, a free alignment from Froggy’s Gas &Tire, bottle openers that played a tune every time a top popped and a fifty-dollar gift certificate from Booker’s Grocery Emporium. When the program finally ended, Ryan rose to shake a few more hands and greet a few more familiar faces, while Ivy and her companions melted into the crush.

The crowd had begun to thin by the time Ryan came across his old buddy Matthew Barston. An algebra and Spanish teacher, Matt had worked for years at the small school district in Hilltown, a neighboring community some dozen or so miles to the east.

“Matt! I didn’t know you were here. Why wasn’t your name called tonight?”

Matthew flushed as red as his copper hair and shoved the hand that Ryan had just gripped into the pocket of his tweedy brown jacket. He cleared his throat before saying, “I asked them not to read my name. Call me odd, but I prefer not to stand up and have it announced that I’m out of a job.”

Startled, Ryan seized his friend by the arm, demanding, “How could this happen? When did it happen?”

“As to when,” Matt said, snorting with disgust, “Monday morning, less than forty-eight hours after I got married.”

“Married!” Ryan exclaimed. There seemed to be a wedding epidemic going around.

“Why I’m out of a job is the real issue, though, isn’t it?” Matt went on, grumbling, “Sanctimonious snobs.”

Just then the skinny blonde Ryan had noticed at Ivy’s table came into view, halting at Matt’s side. Matt immediately straightened and slid an arm around her waist, his smile wiping all traces of anger from his face.

“Honey, this is my buddy Ryan Jefford, I’ve told you about him. Ryan, my wife, Devony.”

Devony Barston’s beautiful smile brightened her otherwise rather plain face, and her enormous green eyes regarded Ryan with warmth. “It’s so nice to meet you. Matt has told me what a good friend you are.”

Surprised, since he and Matt didn’t talk all that much anymore or see each other outside of work but a few times a year, Ryan just nodded and smiled.

Matt gave Devony a squeeze and said, “Honey, could you give us another minute? Won’t take long, I promise.”

“Sure.” Devony smiled again, nodded at Ryan and moved away.

Ryan realized that he should have told Devony congratulations on their marriage, but it was too late for that.

“Sorry,” he muttered to Matt. “I seem to be a step behind. Congratulations on your marriage. Please give my best wishes to your wife.”

“Thanks. I hope you’ll still feel that way after I ask you a favor.”

“Well, sure, Matt,” Ryan answered readily, “anything I can do.”

“I’m getting ready to look for another job. Will you write me a recommendation?”

Ryan opened his mouth, then shut it again before carefully saying, “My impulse is to give you a flat yes, but I make it a policy to pray over every decision.” That happened to be absolutely true, as far as it went, but said nothing to the fact that Ryan sensed more to Matt’s story than his friend had revealed.

Matt ducked his head. “Sure. I understand.”

“Give me a call in a few days,” Ryan went on with a smile. He didn’t have the faintest idea what had happened, whether Matt had been let go or why Matt should ask him for a recommendation; he only knew that he needed more information before he committed himself. On the one hand, Ryan could not imagine that Matt had done anything to get himself fired. On the other hand, this was not the time of year when normal budgetary constraints would dictate layoffs. A clash of personalities perhaps? He prayed that it wasn’t something worse. Educators, after all, held positions open to public censure. Christian educators, especially, should aim to be above reproach.

Ryan watched with a heavy heart as Matt walked away. What a rotten break, Ryan thought, just married and out of a job. He bowed his head to say a quick prayer for his friend. A moment later, he found himself scanning the room for Ivy. How, he wondered, did she know the new Mrs. Matthew Barston? And why had Ivy’s eyes been shadowed with pain?

Chapter Three

Night still blanketed the town when Ryan knocked on the door of Ivy’s room early the next morning. He hunched his shoulders beneath the nubbly, caramel-tan fabric of his sport coat. The jacket, worn with a pale yellow shirt, dark brown slacks and a patterned tie in rich tones of gold, provided little comfort from the early morning chill, but he trusted that the temperature would soon warm.

The door opened to reveal Ivy in a pale pink knit sheath with fitted, three-quarter-length sleeves and a straight neckline. Her dark, lustrous hair hung straight down her back.

“Hello,” she said, smiling broadly. The warmth of her welcome went a long way toward wiping out Ryan’s nebulous regret at having offered to escort her this morning. He was too busy to get involved with anyone, no matter how much he liked Ivy.