Love Inspired Historical March 2014 Bundle: Winning Over the Wrangler\Wolf Creek Homecoming\A Bride for the Baron\The Guardian's Promise (32 page)

* * *

Rachel exited the mercantile, the image of Gabe's contrition, anger and frustration branded into her mind. Ellie was just flipping around the sign to announce she was open for business. Rachel thought about getting a cup of coffee to settle her nerves, but instead turned the other way, heading toward the house, her trembling hands clenched inside her coat pockets, faced with a new reality and an old guilt she could no longer deny.

Until the moment Gabe had brutally reminded her that what happened between them was as much her choice as his, it had been easy to cast herself in the role of the victim, place all the blame on him and take refuge in her anger. That was no longer possible. It was a hard pill to swallow, but he was right. They were both to blame. It was a notion she would have to get used to, just as she would have to get accustomed to the fact that he was not leaving Wolf Creek. She'd pinned all her hopes on his wanderlust, certain that when he was healed, he would take off again.

Since that wasn't to be, either, her immediate problem was what to do about Danny. His welfare was the most important thing in her life, and she was so afraid he was asking for heartbreak if he grew too close to the man who'd fathered him. If only he weren't so infatuated with Gabe!

She recalled the day Danny had come home with a wide smile on his face.

“He's staying, Mama!” he'd crowed, literally jumping up and down.

“Who's staying, Danny?” she'd asked, though she feared she already knew the answer.

“Gabe.”

There was no missing the gleam of excitement in her son's eyes or the little leap of her own heart. Both irritated her to no end. How was she expected to keep her treacherous feelings for him from growing if she had to deal with him on a regular basis for the rest of her life?

Up until now, avoiding him had been fairly easy. A polite nod, a perfunctory hello, a pleasant expression when he was around so that no one would suspect what was really in her heart had not been too much of a strain. But there was no way she could ignore him now. She had to have medical supplies and household necessities, and there was nowhere else to get them.

To give Gabe his due, he had become a Christian, and it had not escaped her that he was faithful in his church attendance. For the most part, people around town seemed fine with his attempts to reestablish himself in the community. While both signs were encouraging, she told herself that a few months of good living could not wipe out a lifetime of debauchery.

Except in God's eyes.

The errant thought made her feel ashamed all over again, and she vowed to pray for His forgiveness more vigorously.

“Where did you get that idea?” she'd asked Danny as she locked the glass-front cabinet that held her medical supplies. “I told you he never stays in one place for very long.”

“When I went to the mercantile to spend the penny Pops gave me, there was a Sold sign in the window,” he'd told her. “I asked Mr. Emerson who bought the store, and he said Gabe. He's going to live upstairs.”

Rachel had found herself speechless.

Now, with her early-morning talk with Gabe sitting like curdled milk in her stomach, there was another truth to face. With the recent changes in his life, it was entirely possible that she was borrowing trouble. Maybe Gabe would not hurt Danny at all.

One thing was certain, though. There was no putting off telling Danny about Gabe. It would have to be done. Soon.

At the house, she found her son and father in the kitchen making breakfast. Edward was buttering toast, while Danny stood on a small stool, stirring scrambled eggs with a wooden spoon.

“Good morning,” Rachel said, bending to press a kiss to the top of her father's head. Doing the same to Danny's cheek, she warned, “Be careful.”

He cast a surprisingly accurate imitation of her famous “look” over his shoulder. “I am.”

“How is Meg?” Edward asked.

Meg Thomerson was a young wife whose husband's main source of pleasure when he was liquored up seemed to be beating her to within an inch of her life. “She's not nearly as bad as the last time, but that isn't saying much.”

“Do you think she'll ever leave him?”

“Only in a casket, I'm afraid.” Rachel poured herself a cup of coffee. “Elton has her convinced it's her fault he loses control.”

“Luther was just like him,” Edward said, thoughtfully. “It's a self-perpetuating evil.” He shot a severe look at his grandson. “Are you listening, Danny? It's never okay to hit girls.”

“I know,” he said over his shoulder. “Boys are supposed to take care of girls and keep bad things from happening to them, like I do for Bethany.”

Rachel smiled. Bethany was Ellie's eleven-year-old daughter, a Mongoloid who was often the brunt of teasing and practical jokes. “Exactly.”

“Is the mercantile opening up today?” Edward asked, peering over the tops of his glasses.

By now, everyone in town knew of the Emersons' sale to Gabe the day before. Unfortunately, Rachel seemed to be the only person who'd felt the necessity to confront him about his reasons. “He's already open.”

Danny glanced up from his stirring, eager to hear news about the man he'd taken to so easily.

“I told you,” he said.

“So you did. Are those eggs done?” she asked, deftly changing the subject.

“Think so. They aren't runny anymore.”

“Good.” She scooped the eggs from the skillet and added two sausage patties to each plate before setting them in front of Danny and her father.

They gave thanks for the food and the two guys dug in while Rachel nibbled at her sausage and pushed the eggs around on her plate.

“Anything wrong?” Edward asked.

“Only what you might imagine,” she said, offering him a false, sweet smile.

Edward lifted his eyebrows in understanding. “Ah.”

* * *

That night, Rachel knew she had put off the inevitable as long as possible. She knocked and let herself into Danny's room. He was propped up in bed reading, something he did almost every night before she made him blow out the lamp.

Dreading the next few moments, she sat down on the side of the bed and rested her hand against his soft cheek. “Danny, I have something to tell you.” The unsteadiness she heard in her voice confirmed her anxiety.

“Yes, Mama?” The blue eyes so much like Gabe's regarded her solemnly.

Drawing a breath, she plunged. “Do you remember when you asked me about your father, and I told you that he'd gone away before you were born?”

Danny's dark head moved up and down against the pillow. “You said he was young and wasn't ready for the responsibility of a family.”

Her mouth lifted in a sad smile. That much was true. But she'd omitted so much more in an effort to keep from telling him an out-and-out lie. “Well, he's come back.”

Danny bolted upright. “He has? Can I see him?”

The joy in his eyes was almost her undoing. Tears burned beneath her eyelids and her heart seemed to stop for a beat. “You have seen him,” she whispered.

“I have?” he asked with a puzzled frown.

“Danny, Gabe Gentry is your father.”

For long moments, he didn't speak, only looked at her while his eight-year-old mind struggled to understand. Finally, he said, “Does he know about me?”

His previous enthusiasm was tempered somewhat by something she couldn't put her finger on. A touch of anxiety? She shook her head. “No. I never told him about you.”

“Why not?”

Dear Lord, help me find the words...
“There were reasons, Danny, reasons you're too young to understand. Your father and I...we made a mistake. We were a mistake.”

“Because he wasn't ready for the responsibility of a family,” he said, repeating by rote what she'd told him before.

“Yes.”

“What about now?” he asked. “Will you tell him about me now? I'm eight, so he's older, too, and he's probably ready for a family now, don't you think?”

Rachel's heart turned to ice. How could she have forgotten the second half of the equation? Sooner or later Gabe would have to be told the truth.

“Preferably later,” she muttered.

“What?”

“Later, Danny,” she told him, forcing a smile. “Be patient for just a little longer. The time to tell someone something like this has to be just right.”

And Lord help me, I have to find the courage.

“Do you think he'll be happy, Mama?” Danny asked, his face wreathed in a wide smile. “Do you think he'll be glad I'm his son?”

Rachel pressed her lips together to hold back her tears. How to answer? With Gabe, who could predict? “Oh, Danny!”

She reached out and pulled him into her arms, hugging him close.
Dear God, why does this have to be so hard?
She smoothed his dark hair away from his forehead.

“I know he will,” she told him fervently, praying it would be so. “But I still think we should wait to say anything a bit longer.”

“Why?” Danny demanded. “Because I'm a mistake?”

A little cry of distress escaped her. How quickly little minds were able to get to the crux of a matter. Regardless of how it had happened or whose fault it was, she did not regret him. Not for a second.

“Oh, no, Danny! Never believe that. I never thought
you
were a mistake. You're a blessing. The mistake was mine. The mistake was my loving Gabe more than he loved me and for not loving God more than I did Gabe.”

“How could Gabe not love you, Mama?” Danny asked. “You're so pretty and so nice.”

She smiled a watery smile at his gallant defense. “Thank you. It's sweet of you to say so. But that's the way it was.” She paused. “As for telling Gabe about you, I believe it's best if this is our secret, at least for a while. Can you do that?”

Danny's face fell. He nodded. Uncertain if she could take any more of his disappointment, she stood to leave.

“Mama?”

“Yes, Danny?”

“Do you think if he gets to know me, he'd learn to love me enough to take on some responsibility?”

Rachel's heart broke just a little bit more as the uncertainty of the situation settled over her. It terrified her to imagine where the next few weeks might take them. She only hoped that Danny would survive with his happiness and his hope intact. She cradled his freckled face between her palms. “Everyone who knows you loves you.”

He thought about that for a moment and asked, “Would you ever leave me?”

“Never! Not for any reason.”

The words seemed to reassure him. Then he smiled and she saw a hint of mischief enter his eyes. “Except to go to heaven.”

“Well, yes,” she said, forcing a reciprocal smile. “Except that. And that would be okay, because one day you'd be right up there beside me.”

Once again, she started to go; once again, he stopped her.

“Mama, does Pops know about Gabe?”

“You must call him ‘Mr. Gentry,' Danny, not ‘Gabe.' And yes, Pops knows.”

“Is it okay if I talk to him about it?”

Rachel hesitated and then nodded her approval. She wondered what kinds of questions Danny might come up with for her father and knew that Edward Stone could handle whatever came his way.

Chapter Six

B
y the time the Emersons left, Gabe was physically back to normal. He worked from daylight until long after dark doing everything possible to improve the store and its contents. Keeping busy was a far better way to spend his time than thinking about Rachel, but even working, his thoughts turned to her as often as not.

He wished there was someone he could talk to about his past and his feelings for her, but no one in town knew about their past, so to say anything would be unthinkable. He couldn't even confide to Caleb, though they were making strides in their efforts at becoming closer.

Spending more time with Caleb showed just how much he had changed. His eyes held happiness based not only on his love for Abby, but on his love of the Lord. It was humbling to see his brother setting the example for his family.

As uplifting as it was to see the changes in Caleb, it was also a bit disheartening, since Gabe wasn't sure he would ever reach that point of commitment to God, and he despaired of ever finding happiness with Rachel. When he realized there was nothing he could do to change her mind and there was no one to talk to, he resorted to something he'd never done much of before—prayer. He didn't think he was very good at it, but sharing his thoughts and feelings felt so good that he unburdened himself completely, pouring out his sorrow and feelings and frustrations. After all, it wasn't as if God didn't already know what was on his heart. Now there was nothing to do but keep praying and wait for the answer. Yes. No. Or wait awhile.

He was stacking new bolts of fabric onto the table in the dry-goods section, while watching for a glimpse of Rachel through the front window, which now read Gentry Mercantile in bold red and black letters. Earlier, he'd been putting a dress of sunshine-yellow dotted Swiss on one of the dress forms there, hoping it might catch the eye of some lady who needed a new summer frock, when he just happened to catch a glimpse of Rachel and Abby heading toward Ellie's. Abby held Eli, and Rachel had Betsy on her hip, while Laura clung to her mother's skirts. The older boys were nowhere to be seen, since school was in session until the end of the month.

He had watched the two women enter the café, smiling and chatting, caught up in whatever things women talked about when they were together, not, Gabe supposed, unlike the way the old men who played checkers every day talked about their interests when they congregated. All too soon, the ladies had disappeared inside, and he was left staring at the restaurant's facade and wondering how long it might be before they emerged again. Shaking his head in disgust, he'd started putting out the remainder of the shipment.

Gabe saw Danny often. It seemed that no matter where he went, if school wasn't in session, the child appeared sooner or later. Gabe often caught Danny staring at him in a contemplative way, but whenever he asked what he was thinking about, he'd just smile and say “My father,” which set Gabe off on another round of mental torture that left him miserable.

“What a lovely fabric, Gabriel.”

The comment came from Sarah VanSickle, who had been back in the shoe section, trying to cram her size eight into a size seven. Now he looked down at the bolt of sea-green seersucker in his hands.

“It is, isn't it?” He picked up a spool of delicate ivory lace. “I thought this might go well with it,” he said, trying to make conversation, though everything the woman did grated on his nerves. “What do you think?”

Sarah gave him an arch look, and a smirk intended to pass for a smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “You know women and what they might like
very
well, is what I think.”

There was no mistaking the meaning behind the words. Though Sarah had gone through all the outward motions of happiness the day Gabe became a Christian, there had been a disdainful gleam in her eyes that shouted of her insincerity.

Before he could stop himself, he said, “Perhaps all that riotous living wasn't entirely in vain, right, Mrs. VanSickle?”

Undeterred, Sarah asked, “Wasn't that your sister-in-law and Rachel Stone going into the restaurant a bit ago?”

“I believe it was.”

“An interesting situation, that,” Sarah said, pretending to sort through a box holding cards of buttons.

“What situation is that?”

“Why, your brother marrying Mrs. Carter, who was a virtual stranger when she moved in with him.”

The implication was clear, and the obnoxious woman had left out the important fact that Abby hadn't just
moved in.
She had been hired as Betsy's wet nurse. Caleb had explained how Sarah's vicious gossip had left him and Abby with no recourse but to marry. Control or not, Gabe refused to stand there and have the reputation of one of the most wonderful women he'd ever had the privilege of knowing undermined by the likes of this tacky person. Bestowing his most charming smile on her, he said, “I understand we can thank you for that.”

Sarah gasped, and her dark eyes snapped in annoyance. “Whatever do you mean?”

He lifted his shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. “I understand from several people in town that you were the one to play matchmaker to Caleb and Abby.”

The portly woman's face turned an unbecoming red, and for once she had no ready comeback.

Mollified, Gabe decided to soften the blow somewhat. His smile grew wider. “They're so ridiculously happy, I'm sure they'll be forever grateful for the little push you gave them.”

Knowing she'd met her match, Sarah turned away and pretended to give her attention to the rack of dime novels, while he finished arranging the cloth and sneaked another look out the window. Several children were wandering from the east end of town, which meant that school must have let out for the day. He watched Danny and Ben enter the restaurant.

He was placing canned peaches on the shelf when he saw Danny bound through the open portal, a wide smile on his face. “Hey, Gabe!” he said, running toward the counter.

Before Gabe could reply, Sarah shrilled, “Master Daniel Stone! That is no way to behave in a place of business!”

Danny skidded to a stop and stared at her with wide, frightened eyes.

Gabe set the crate of canned peaches on the counter. He knew what it was like to be full of life and excitement and to have that joy squelched with a few well-chosen words. “Danny.”

Danny turned to look at him. “Sir?”

“It's all right. Come get one of the molasses cookies Abby made.”

“Mr. Gentry!” Sarah barked as Danny moved to stand next to Gabe. “You do the boy no favors by encouraging him to act like a...a hooligan and then rewarding him for his behavior!”

“Have no fear, Mrs. VanSickle. I hardly think Danny committed any grave social faux pas by running in the store, and I doubt seriously if my...influence will turn him into a hooligan.”

Expecting another retort, Gabe was surprised to see a thoughtful expression creep into Sarah's eyes as she stared at him and Danny. He was sure it wouldn't be long before she regrouped and came at him in another verbal assault. She must be a miserable human being.

Gabe gave Danny a cookie and opened a bottle of sarsaparilla for him. If he was going to reward the boy for his bad behavior, he might as well do it up right. “Here you go,” he said, lifting Danny onto the counter.

Danny's broad smile was all the thanks Gabe needed. “Wow! Thanks, Gabe.”

Gabe gave a sideways glance at Sarah, who looked as if she wanted to say something about Danny's lack of respect by calling Gabe by his given name. Instead, she clenched her jaw and smiled a smile that could only be described as cunning.

While Gabe worked at placing the rest of the peaches on the shelf, he asked Danny if he wanted to go fishing one evening after the store closed. The invitation sparked a smile of such brilliance it was staggering.

“That would be great, thanks. How about Friday?”

“Sounds fine.”

Smiling, Danny took another swig from the bottle of sarsaparilla. “Oh! I almost forgot. Mama wanted me to pick up that box of medicine and stuff she ordered.”

“Sure thing. It's in the back,” Gabe told him. “You finish up here, and I'll get it.”

He gathered Rachel's items into a crate and was on his way back to the front of the store when he heard Danny call a greeting to his mother.

Rachel. Gabe paused and took a deep breath before pushing through the curtain that separated the store from the supply room. He hadn't spoken to her face-to-face in more than a week.

“Why, hello there, Rachel, my dear,” he heard Sarah say in a sickeningly sweet tone that sent a chill of apprehension down Gabe's spine.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. VanSickle,” Rachel said politely.

“I suppose you're aware that Mr. Gentry is spoiling your boy, but I guess that's to be expected...under the circumstances.”

“And what circumstances would that be?”

Gabe decided it was time to get in there and explain to Rachel about the cookie and carbonated drink. He didn't want Danny getting into trouble. He shouldered the curtain aside and met Sarah's spiteful gaze.

She looked from him to Rachel. “There's Mr. Gentry with your order now,” she said with artificial pleasantry.

Rachel turned to Gabe, who smiled from the pleasure of just seeing her.

“Hello there. I just went to fetch your supplies.”

“Thank you,” she said, almost looking nervous. “I started thinking the box might be too heavy for Danny to carry to the wagon.”

“It could be,” Gabe said, setting the small wooden box on the counter. He gestured toward Danny, who was finishing his drink. “I hope you don't mind that I gave him a little something. I used to be starving when I got out of school.”

Rachel shook her head. “That's fine.” Her gaze clung to his.

“Danny is such a handsome young man,” Sarah commented, her loud voice shattering the sweetness of the moment. “That dark, dark hair, those beautiful blue eyes and that cute little dimple in his chin.”

“Thank you,” Rachel said, turning to the older woman with a genuine smile. “I think so, too.”

Sarah tapped her lips with her finger and let her gaze move from Danny to Gabe and back again. “You know,” she said with a little trill of laughter, “it's quite amazing, really.”

“What's that?”

“How much Danny and Gabe resemble each other,” Sarah said. Speaking over Rachel's gasp of surprise, she added, “Why, they look enough alike to be father and son.”

From where Gabe stood, several things seemed to happen at once, and at first none of it made any sense. Danny's horrified gaze flew to Gabe's. Rachel's face drained of color and her panic-stricken look found his for just a moment. Then, with a strangled sound of torment, she snatched Danny from the countertop and set him on the floor. Grabbing his arm, she rushed for the door. Danny cast Gabe a worried look over his shoulder, and the truth exploded inside his mind.

Danny was his.

Rachel's expression and subsequent actions gave the claim all the validity Gabe needed. He suspected that Danny had known and had been afraid of his reaction. If he needed any further proof—which he didn't—it was there on the gossipy woman's triumphant face. She gave him a smug smile, and looking like the cat who'd just come upon a saucer of spilled cream, she turned and began to look through the fabric again.

Gabe turned away from her, his mind racing through a dozen facts and questions. First, the husband he had been so concerned about, the man he thought she'd loved, did not exist and never had. No wonder no one knew anything about him. The notion pleased him more than he could say.

Why hadn't Rachel told him she was expecting his child? Why had she told Danny and not him? And why hadn't
he
suspected the truth long before now? He felt worse than dim-witted. He possessed above-average intelligence and could add and subtract. In his defense, he had no way of knowing exactly how old Danny was. He was certainly no expert on children, but he did know they could be the result of what he and Rachel had done. His supreme arrogance and unending quest for pleasure had blinded him to the possibility that it could happen to him.

His stomach churned with a sick feeling that rose from his very soul. What a fool he'd been! So many things made perfect sense now—Rachel's anger and bitterness toward him, her unwillingness to forgive. He didn't blame her.

More questions surfaced. Where would the three of them go from here? Would God give him a chance to set things right, or would he be punished for his past? Gabe knew that Abby would tell him that he had been cleansed of his past sins, yet as much as he wanted to believe that and told himself he did, it was a hard concept to comprehend. Nevertheless, he hoped with all his heart that she was right.

First things first. He had to talk to Rachel and make sure she and Danny were okay. He shook his head in disbelief. That was ridiculous. Of course they weren't okay. Still, he had to go and see what, if anything, he could do to make things easier.

* * *

Rachel nearly ran to her buggy that was hitched to the rail in front of the restaurant where just moments ago she'd been enjoying the company of her best friends. Clutching Danny's hand, she pulled him along behind her, unaware that he had to run to keep up.

She fought the urge to bawl. No doubt about it, in a few hours her life would be in shambles...again. By dinnertime Sarah would have told half the town Rachel's revealing reaction to the casual comment about Gabe and Danny. She wanted to scream at the unfairness of it, and she wanted to throttle Sarah.

She was afraid to look at Danny to gauge his reaction, and even more afraid of Gabe's, whatever it might be...whenever it might come. But come it would, and there was no longer any hope of escaping or delaying a reckoning.

“Get into the buggy, Danny,” she snapped, untying the reins.

“It'll be okay, Mama,” Danny said with supreme confidence as he clambered up into the seat. “Gabe likes me. I know he does. He asked me to go fishing with him on Friday.”