Heart of Texas Vol. 3 (31 page)

“Me? You want me to get it?” Even as she spoke, she raised her racket. Her shoe must have slid in a damp spot on the grass because her foot went out from under her and she dropped to her knees. Nevertheless, she returned the birdie, but in her enthusiasm lost her balance and fell forward, landing on her chin. The shock was softened by the soft ground, but it jarred her for a moment.

“Amy!” Wade was at her side in an instant. “Are you all right?” He dropped his racket on the grass and helped her sit up.

Amy was shocked to see the fear and concern in his eyes. “I'm fine…really. There's nothing wrong.”

“What about your chin? The baby?”

“Everything's fine, Wade.” Using his shoulder for leverage, she got back to her feet and reached for her racket.

“I think we should call it quits,” Wade said.

His words were followed by a loud chorus of objecting voices, Amy's included.

“We're not going to quit,” she insisted. “Not when we're down by two measly points.”

“Yeah,” ten-year-old Peter said. “I'm not a quitter.”

“Me, either,” Paul added.

“We're actually ahead?” Larry asked as if this was news to him. “Maybe it isn't such a bad time to quit, after all.”

Janice and Larry's wife started swatting him with their badminton rackets, but it was all in fun. The game ended in a tie a few minutes later, and they all stopped when Karen called them back to the table for dessert.

“Who brought the apple pie?” Larry asked. Everyone turned to look at Amy in response to Larry's question. She wasn't sure what to say or do.

“It's the best apple pie I've ever tasted,” he said, saluting her with his fork. “The crust is fabulous.”

“You're eating my pie!” Wade accused him. “Amy baked that for me.”

“You aren't going to eat a whole pie,” his brother said confidently.

“Who says?”

“Boys, boys,” their mother chided.

“I'll bake another,” Amy offered.

That seemed to appease Wade. “All right,” he said and sat back down.

“For Larry,” Amy added, and the entire family burst out laughing.

All too soon the day was over. Because of the long drive back to Promise, Wade and Amy left before the big fireworks display.

Amy hugged both of Wade's parents on her way out the door. Neither one had asked her embarrassing questions. Instead, they'd opened their home and their hearts to her without making judgments, with acceptance and love.

“Well?” Wade asked, once they were on the road.

She knew what he was asking. “Your family's…wonderful.” No single word adequately described the experience of being with such warm gracious people.

“I told you so, didn't I?”

Amy rested her head against the back of the seat. “You're one of those, are you? An I-told-you-so guy.”

“Hey, when a man's right, he's right and he deserves to make sure everyone knows it.” He growled a he-man sound that made Amy laugh. She felt content and utterly relaxed.

An easy silence fell between them.

“I love it when you laugh,” he said after a few moments.

Amy smiled at his words. There'd been precious little laughter in her life. She wanted to tell him about her childhood, about the things she'd seen, the ugliness she'd experienced. The bare cupboards and drunken men…. But the day was too beautiful to ruin with talk of such memories.

“I like your sister,” Amy said, instead.

“Janice Marie…”

“She said that isn't her name.”

“Well, that's the name I'd picked out if Mom had a girl. When they decided against it, I was downright insulted. What kind of name is Janice Lynn, anyway?”

“It's lovely,” she said, thinking how pleased she'd be to have a friend like Janice. “Your dad's a hoot, too.”

“He takes after me,” Wade teased.

They chatted for the next hour, laughing frequently. The ride home was punctuated with plenty of washroom breaks—which Amy found she needed these days. They were stopped at a rest area when she first noticed a flash of color in the night sky.

“Look!” she cried, pointing.

“That's the fireworks from Brewster,” Wade commented. “Would you like to watch for a while?”

“Please.”

Wade helped her onto the hood of his Blazer and joined her. Before long the heavens were bright with bursts of color and exploding stars. Amy oohed and aahed at each one. Wade tucked his arm around her shoulders and she leaned against him. They stayed there watching the fireworks until the very end.

It was almost midnight by the time Wade pulled up in front of her house. She struggled to keep her eyes open, yawning as he escorted her to the door.

“That was the most marvelous day of my life,” she said. It was the plain and simple truth, although he had no way of knowing that. “Oh, Wade, I'm so glad you insisted I meet your family. They're wonderful.”

“Hey, what about me?”

“You're not so bad yourself.”

Moonlight dimly lit the small porch, and when Wade smiled down on her she realized how much she wanted him to kiss her. How much she needed his touch. It would be the perfect ending to a perfect day.

It seemed he was thinking the same thing, because he reached for her. Amy closed her eyes and sighed. His kisses were slow and leisurely, expressions of comfort and contentment rather than passion. When it was time for her to go inside, Wade unlocked the door and handed her back the key. Then he smiled at her in the moonlight.

“Thank you, Amy, for spending the day with me.”

“No, thank
you,
” she said. He'd given her so much.

D
OVIE LOVED ATTENDING THE
birthing classes with Amy. She'd learned to breathe right along with her younger friend, and they occasionally practiced together in the evenings or on a slow Sunday afternoon.

“You're getting mighty close to Amy and her baby, aren't you?” Frank said one night after dinner. He carried the dirty dishes to the kitchen counter, then poured them each a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

“Does that worry you?” Dovie asked, joining him at the table. She doubted she could hide the truth from her husband. He knew her far too well. Besides, he was right. If she'd had a child of her own, she would have wanted a daughter like Amy. As the weeks went on Amy had come to trust Dovie more and more. Slowly she'd revealed bits and pieces of her past life; this trust had been extended to others, as well. Wade McMillen had a lot to do with the transformation in the young woman, Dovie felt. They were falling in love and it was wonderful to behold.

Poor Wade, Dovie mused. She almost felt sorry for him. He was so enthralled with Amy he could barely think straight. Amy was no different.

“How many classes do you have left?” Frank asked.

“Just a couple more.” Dovie knew he found it difficult that she was away every Monday night, but he'd been a good sport about it. She put dinner in the oven and he ate alone, but when she returned from class, she was eager to share her experiences. He listened patiently while she chatted on and on about what she'd learned.

“When's the baby due?”

“Middle of October,” Dovie told him. “And you know that as well as I do.”

“Everything's fine with the pregnancy, isn't it?”

“According to Jane, everything appears to be normal. Fortunately Amy's young and healthy.”

“Good.”

Dovie grinned. Frank had taken a liking to Amy, too, although he wasn't as prone to discuss his feelings as she was.

“It seems to me that Amy should start thinking about getting the nursery ready.”

“She's doing the best she can,” Dovie said, quick to come to her friend's defense. “Denise Parsons is lending her a bassinet.”

“What about a crib?”

“Wade's got that covered.”

“Wade's buying her a crib?” Frank sounded shocked.

“Not exactly. He found a used one at a garage sale a couple of weeks ago and he's refinishing it.”

“Our pastor?”

Dovie couldn't have disguised her delight to save her soul. “Although when it comes to Amy, I sincerely doubt Wade is thinking of her in terms of being her pastor.” Dovie finished her coffee. “And I, for one, am thrilled.”

“Uh, Dovie, not everyone appreciates Amy the way you and I do,” Frank said, not looking directly at her.

“You mean there's been talk about Amy and Wade?”

Frank gave a noncommittal shrug. “Some.”

Dovie was furious. “I can just imagine who's responsible for
that,
” she muttered. No one got her dander up faster than Louise Powell. Try as she might to maintain a Christian attitude toward the other woman, Dovie was confronted again and again by her vicious tongue. “What's Louise saying?”

“Well, according to her, there are plenty of women without a questionable past. Wade could be dating them.”

Dovie rolled her eyes rather than dignify such a statement with a response.

Frank grinned. “What's fun is watching Louise try to turn folks against Amy. People refuse to listen. They change the subject or make comments like how nice it is to see Wade so happy.”

Dovie was proud of their townsfolk, too. “I'm having a baby shower for Amy next week.” Everyone she'd called had been eager to participate. “It's a surprise, Frank Hennessey, so don't you let the cat out of the bag, understand?”

“My lips are sealed.”

Dovie stood, and her husband grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his lap.

Dovie put up a token protest, which he ignored.

“Is Amy going to ask us to be the baby's godparents, Dovie?”

“That's up to her.” But Dovie strongly suspected she would. Twice now Amy had asked Dovie about the responsibilities entailed and hinted that Dovie and Frank would make wonderful godparents.

Dovie loved Amy's unborn baby as if Sarah or Joseph were her own grandchild. The closer Amy's due date drew, the more excited Dovie became. Already she'd knitted two blankets and one cap-and-bootie set. Her fingers weren't as nimble as they'd once been, but that didn't stop her.

“Sometimes I think…” Dovie paused.

“What?”

She wasn't sure she should say it aloud, but she'd ventured this far. “Sometimes it feels as if Amy is
our
child. She needs a family, and we have all this love to share.”

Frank's arms tightened around her waist. “I'm beginning to believe the same thing.”

W
ADE HAD NEVER BEEN GOOD
at carpentry. He still recalled his school shop project—a birdhouse. It had been a disaster. Give him a textbook and a room full of students any day of the week. He could teach them the principles of architecture, but he couldn't tell a screwdriver from a wrench.

He didn't know what had made him think he could refinish a crib, but he'd taken on the task with enthusiasm. Amy only worked part-time at the feed store, so once she'd paid her utility bills and bought groceries, she didn't have a lot of money left. The crib was his contribution. His own personal “welcome to the world” gift.

While the refinishing job might not win any awards for skill, he figured he should get an A for effort. He'd originally intended to give the crib to Amy at the surprise baby shower Dovie was throwing that afternoon. But it didn't make sense to haul the crib over to Dovie's and then back to Amy's place.

So he did the logical thing. He pretended to know nothing about the shower and dropped it off at her house directly.

Fortunately the contraption folded and fit in the back of his Blazer. Amy was busy washing dishes when he arrived. She wore the same shorts outfit she'd worn the Fourth of July, which produced a rush of warm memories.

“Hi.” He kissed her lightly, then followed her inside. “I've got something for you.”

“You do?” She smiled with anticipation.

“Sit down and close your eyes.” He nudged her into a living-room chair.

Amy sat there quietly, eyes closed as he requested, and while she waited, he returned to the Blazer and carried the crib into the house.

“Okay, you can look now,” he said, standing proudly by his work.

Amy stared up at him and then at the crib. Her eyes grew huge. “Oh, Wade.” Her hands flew to her mouth.

“I refinished it myself.” He realized he sounded like a Cub Scout boasting about his latest achievement badge, but he couldn't help it.

“Now all I need is a screwdriver to, uh, finish tightening the rails.” Did that make any sense? He wasn't sure.