Love Inspired September 2014 - Bundle 1 of 2: Her Montana Twins\Small-Town Billionaire\Stranded with the Rancher (52 page)

“GG, I want crushed Oreos on mine.”

“Of course. You're the star. You can have whatever you want,” Elsie said.

“Can't make a sundae without maraschino cherries,” Dan said from where he leaned against the counter.

“Don't just stand there,” Elsie called out. “They're in the refrigerator.”

They took turns filling their sundae dishes with ice cream and toppings.

“Amy, careful with that whipped cream,” Elsie said.

“Let me help you,” Dan offered. He stood behind his daughter and placed his finger over hers as she sprayed the whipped cream. Glancing at Joe, Dan moved Amy's finger slightly to the right, until the can was positioned exactly to the perfect trajectory to douse his brother's hand with whipped cream.

Joe jumped back. “Hey, cut it out, Amy,” he laughed.

Dan shot a wink to Beth and she smiled.

“Daddy did it,” Amy said, unable to stop giggling.

“Uh-huh.” Joe washed the cream off his hand. “Blame it on Daddy.”

Amy kept giggling.

“What do you have there, Beth? Only vanilla with chocolate sauce?” Dan asked.

“I'm a woman of simple tastes,” she said with a smile.

“Yeah, clearly you are. And to think I once thought you were high-maintenance,” he said.

“I'm not that girl.”

“One might mistake you for a country girl if one didn't know better,” Dan said, his lips twitching.

“Fortunately, you know better,” she returned, without revealing anything. Beth had an excellent poker face.

“Daddy, my certificate from the music program is gone.” Amy lifted the tablecloth and looked underneath, then began to search the kitchen counters.

“Maybe you put it in your room,” Elsie said.

“No, I didn't.” Amy sniffed.

“No crying, Pumpkin. Take a deep breath,” Dan said. “Let's have a plan here.”

Amy did as he said and then looked up with watery eyes.

“Where did you see it last?” he asked.

“In the truck.”

“Then I'll go look in the truck.”

Beth placed her spoon in her empty dish. “You haven't finished your ice cream. I'm done. I'll go.”

“We can both go,” Dan said. He turned to Amy. “Put mine in the freezer for me, please?”

She nodded. “Thank you, Daddy.”

“No problem. We have to have that certificate. I understand.”

Beth and Dan donned their coats and walked across the yard to the garage. The snow had melted from the path and their steps were nearly silent. Tonight was much was warmer than it had been, and above them a full moon lit their way.

Beth paused for a moment to look at the sky. “My last night in Paradise,” she mused.

“I'll grab a flashlight from the glove box and check the front seat,” Dan said, “if you want to check the back.”

“Sure.”

The car made a familiar
ding-ding-ding
sound when he opened the door and turned on the dome light. Dan flipped back the mats and slid his hand beneath the seats. “Nothing.”

“Look, here it is. Under the passenger seat. I can see the corner of the paper.” Beth gave a ladylike grunt. “I think I can get my hand under there.”

He came around to the passenger door and shone the light on the area. She slowly inched her hand into the small space. “Careful, don't hurt yourself,” he said.

“I'm more concerned about that certificate,” Beth said. “Oh, I can feel it now.”

The only sound was the rustle of the crisp paper.

“Yes.” She held it in the air and turned around, smack into him, her shoulder hitting his chest.

Straightening, he reached out to steady her with his hands. The certificate floated to the floor of the truck.

Beth licked her lips. “Um, I...”

Without thinking, Dan lowered his head until his mouth covered hers.

Her hands drifted and gripped his shoulders as he gently tunneled his fingers through her hair, cupping the back of her head in his hand.

Lost. Lost in the sweetness of Beth.

Moments passed and Dan finally moved enough to release her lips. Her head rested against his shoulder, the palm of her right hand beneath his coat, over his heart. With Beth tucked under his chin, he inhaled the flowery scent of her shampoo, mixed with a slight hint of chocolate and vanilla.

Why can't I hold her like this forever?

Finally, he stepped away, avoiding her gaze. “I, uh, I guess we'd better get that back to Amy.” His voice was husky with emotion.

“Yes.”

Dan felt chilled without her touch. He gently took her hand and held it as they walked up to the house.

“I'm not going to apologize, Beth, because that would be dishonest.”

“You don't have to apologize.”

“Do you ever wonder about...” He glanced at her and then focused on the house.

“What?”

“If things were different. If our lives had taken different paths?”

“No. I try not to think about what-ifs.”

Beth was as guileless a person as he'd ever met. He looked at her chin, her heart-shaped face and her straight little nose. His gaze met hers. Those soft blue eyes. This was all he had to remember her. He'd remember every single thing about how she looked in this moment, beneath the pale yellow glow of the porch light, her lips swollen from his kisses.

Realization poleaxed him and he took a deep breath, unable to deny that he had fallen in love.

Dan reached out and slowly tucked a strand of Beth's shimmering hair back in place. Then he glanced away.

What did he have to offer her? Nothing. There was no way he could ask her to stay.

Chapter Thirteen

“I
'll be back soon,” Beth said. The words, like déjà vu, echoed in her ears. Hadn't she said nearly the exact same words one week ago? At the time, they'd been a thin platitude meant to placate her cousin. How things had changed. Now she couldn't be more sincere as she sat with Ben at Elsie's kitchen table on Saturday morning.

“Even though it's a small town?” he asked with a chuckle.

“Yes,” she murmured. “Even though it's a small town.”

Ben smiled.

“Crazy, huh?”

Her cousin shook his head. “No. Not crazy.”

“I used to think you didn't get me,” she said.

“Oh, Beth. I do. I remember what you were like when you came to live with us.”

“Yes. I was mad at the world in those days.”

“I think you were mad for a lot longer than that. Maybe even until recently. Not that you didn't have a good reason.”

“No, Ben. I wasn't mad. I was ashamed.”

“Ashamed?”

“Of my past, of not having someone who loved me.”

“Oh, Beth. I'm so sorry.”

“It's okay. I've figured out a lot while I was here in Paradise. I'm a different person than when I came. The truth is, I'm much nicer to myself because of this little detour. I've also discovered that my five-year plan was a five-year prison.”

“Wow, it has been quite a week,” he exclaimed.

“More than you can imagine.”

He nodded. “You know Sara and I would like nothing better than to have you come and be a regular part of our lives. After all, you
are
family.”

Family.
For the first time in her life Beth was embracing the word. She was learning to understand that the emotions stirring inside her, while foreign, were normal. She had simply never experienced normal yearnings for hearth and home before.

“That position is still open at the hospital,” Ben said. “Any chance...?”

Beth smiled at him. “I don't know what to tell you. My stuff has already been shipped to New York. I've given them my word. That's enough reason to go.” She gave a wry smile. “I have to admit that I'm excited to see what's ahead.”

“Okay, just remember that you managed fine for, what, eight days without your stuff.”

She paused. “You know you're right. That's pretty amazing all by itself.”

“The truth is, the job will still be here in a month,” Ben said. “It will probably be here six weeks from now. In case you change your mind after you've finished your six-week-long commitment.” He grinned. “Sara and I have a running joke about trying to get doctors willing to work in rural areas. We can't figure out why they don't jump at the chance for a job with a noncompetitive salary, no perks, and a location smack-dab in the middle of Paradise.”

Beth laughed. “I certainly gave you a hard time about the job when I arrived, didn't I?”

“No. Not much different than when I arrived in Paradise,” Ben said. “I was here for a reason. I was running from God.”

“What changed for you, Ben?” Beth asked.

“I stopped fighting the Lord. I gave it all up. Simple as that.”

She shook her head. “Dan kept trying to tell me how simple it is. I don't mind letting God into my heart, but giving up control of my life? Not sure I can wrap my head around that.”

“Surrender is the most difficult thing there is. Yet it's the only way. Control is a thankless god, Beth.”

“I know you're right, and I'm working on it.” She picked up her coffee cup.

“Good, because you deserve to be happy.”

“Are you happy?” Beth asked.

“I am. Happier than I've been in my entire life. My wonderful wife and babies aside, I'm happy because I'm right where I'm supposed to be.”

“The funny thing is that I think I could be happy here, too.”

“Then why are you leaving?” Ben asked.

“I'm waiting for a better reason to stay.”

“I hope you find that reason, because I have this gut instinct that Paradise is where you're supposed to be.”

“I'll let you know what happens,” she said with a solemn smile.

“Please do. Keep in touch. You have phones in the big city. No excuses.”

Beth shook her head.

“I'd better get going.” Ben stood. “I've got patients to see.”

Standing, she embraced her cousin. “Thanks, Ben, and give Sara my best. Oh, and kiss those babies for me, will you?”

“Will do, and you think about what I said.”

“Promise.”

She waved to Ben as she watched him go, and then she headed back inside. The house was quiet. Joe had driven Elsie to her Saturday morning doctor appointment and they'd taken Amy with them. Dan would be by soon to drive Beth to the airport.

Amy had cried when she'd said goodbye. The hardest thing Beth had done in a long time was say goodbye to Amy Gallagher without crying herself. She'd fallen in love with the six-year-old long before she had fallen in love with the little girl's daddy.

Beth folded the last of her clothes that were in the dryer, and added them to the suitcase. This was probably the first trip she'd ever taken where she hadn't picked up a souvenir—well, except for the recipes Elsie had given her.

As she carefully checked the room to be certain she hadn't left anything, her glance landed on the Bible Elsie had offered her. Beth picked up the leather book and tucked it in the pocket of her suitcase.

After zipping up the sides, she rolled the case into the hall to the front door, propping her tote bag on top, careful not to smash the sandwiches and cookies Elsie had given her earlier this morning.

“You never know when you might be stranded,” Elsie had said with a laugh.

Before this week, Beth would have laughed as well. Instead, she'd gratefully taken the brown bag.

She walked through the house one last time, memorizing everything. She stopped in the hallway and examined the photos of Dan, his sisters and Joe. They were the usual school portraits taken from elementary school through awkward adolescence.

Usual to most people, but not to Beth. She had nothing like this to record her life. No photos, no mementos. The only thing she had was a mother who'd labeled her daughter a mistake.

Another reason why staying the course had been so important. Careful planning protected Beth from the pain of facing what was absent in her life. She had created a detailed road map for her life, but one stop in Paradise had changed everything. Now it was time to step away and reevaluate.

If only she could take Paradise with her in a blue Mason jar, like the one that held the game tiles Dan had offered her. There were so many things she'd bring with her if she could: the smell of the hay in the barn, the sound of the cows lowing and the exultation of seeing the birth of a calf. Moonlight over the ranch, highlighting a field full of snow angels. Elsie's cooking, and the warm smiles that welcomed her each day at the Gallagher kitchen table. Amy's joy as she learned the piano, and the mental snapshot Beth took of Amy in those silly red glasses, playing teacher.

The whisper-soft touch of Dan's lips on hers.

If only...

Beth sat down at the piano and lifted the fallboard. Her fingers drifted gently over the keys. She began to play the first little melody she had taught Amy, repeating the song over and over again until her vision was blurry with moisture. Then, hands in her lap, she closed her eyes, bent her head and prayed.

“It's me again, Lord. Beth Rogers. You must be getting tired of me. I think Dan was right. I am lost. I don't want to be lost anymore. Please, show me what's next. I know that if I ask You enough times, eventually I'll hear Your voice.”

* * *

“Sand dunes in the mountains?” Beth asked as Dan's truck passed yet another sign for the turnoff to the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

“Yeah. You've never heard of it? Home of the largest sand dune in North America. Star Dune is 750 feet tall.”

“I'm embarrassed to say that I have not.”

“I'll put that on the list of things to do when you come out for a visit.”

She paused at his words, unsure if she should be encouraged or not. “What's the lure of sand dunes?” she finally asked.

“Tourists come from all over to ride the dunes. Walk up and slide down on sleds and boards.”

“Okay,” she answered, with another curious peek at him.

She'd never heard Dan so chatty. He'd barely allowed her to get a word in edgewise since they left the house thirty-eight minutes ago. Now, as the signs for the airport became more and more frequent, suddenly he was quiet.

They rode in silence and Beth struggled for the words she needed to say before she left him.

They finally burst out. “Dan, what if I didn't go?”

His head jerked around and the truck swerved.

“What?”

“What if I stayed in Paradise?”

For a brief moment his eyes lit up and then he blinked and shook his head firmly. “No. Beth, you have to go to New York.”

“Do I?”

“Yeah. You've got a great opportunity waiting for you.”

“But what if I want to stay?”

The truck slowed as Dan turned to look at her. From behind them a car honked. “Maybe I'd better pull over.”

He eased the car to the side of the highway and switched on his flashers. Still staring straight ahead, he swallowed, gathered his thoughts and then finally spoke. “Why? Why would you give up a job of a lifetime? Remember how many candidates you told me you beat out for this position? One hundred—wasn't that what you said? How long has it taken you to work your way up to this chance?”

“Years. And I know I said that, but sometimes people change. Sometimes their goals change,” she said softly.

He stared straight out the window, his expression firm. “Not you. You said so.”

“What else did I say?” she returned, irritation starting to lace her voice.

“I don't know, but I know you need to get on that plane. You need time and distance to reevaluate what you think you feel.”

“What I
think
I feel?” Beth longed for the courage to tell him how she really felt.

“Yeah. Things may look different when you get some distance between you and Paradise.”

“Dan, look at me,” Beth said.

When he turned, his face was like stone, and only for a moment did she see something flash in his eyes when they locked with hers.

“You know this is real, Dan. As much as I do.”

“It's only been a week, Beth. You have a life waiting for you.”

“Why did you kiss me last night?” she whispered.

This time the pain was clearly evident on his face. “I'm sorry. I really am.” He reached out to touch her fingers and she inched away. “Beth, I can't—”

She raised a hand. “No. Don't you dare.” She knew what he was going to say. Dan Gallagher was rejecting her.

The reason hardly mattered anymore, because it wouldn't change anything.

He took a deep breath and wrapped his hands around the steering wheel. “Maybe we should have talked about this before now, but I wanted to pretend everything was going to work out somehow. I didn't sleep last night once I realized that I was fooling myself. We both know that we'd be crazy to think that this could work. I can't fit into your world and your future isn't here.”

“People make adjustments all the time.”
Was she pleading with him? No. She wasn't going to beg.

“You shouldn't have to make adjustments,” Dan said.

“This isn't only about me,” Beth answered.

“You're right. It's about Amy, and Mom and even Joe. You can't come into their lives and then decide down the road that you don't like the fit.”

Her head snapped back as though he'd struck her. “I think you're mistaking me for someone else.”

His cell's alarm buzzed and he picked the phone up. “Your flight leaves soon. We need to go.”

Dan eased the car back onto the highway.

Ironic that she'd worked so hard and long to ensure that she'd never be rejected, and here she was again, back where she'd started.

Unseeing, she looked out the passenger window.

This was much more painful than she remembered.

Beth straightened her shoulders and swallowed the despair lodged in her throat. Yes, she was alone. But that was nothing new. She'd survived her mother leaving. She would survive this.

“Hey, look, we've got a curbside parking spot,” Dan said as casually as if they had been discussing the weather minutes ago. He pulled over to the curb and jumped out, grabbing her suitcase from the back.

“Good luck, Beth.”

She was well past stunned, and was already in regroup mode, putting on her “everything is fine” face. Beth smiled at him. “Thanks, Dan. For everything.”

“I didn't do anything. You blessed our lives over and over. Thank you.”

“Take care,” she whispered.

“Yeah, sure. You, too.”

“What was that verse you shared with me?”

He frowned, confused.

“Learn from your past. But don't live there.” Beth nodded. “Yes. That's it,” she murmured to herself. She took the handle of her suitcase and swiveled it around.
No looking back. No looking back.
If she repeated the words long enough, they might heal her broken heart.

* * *

Joe walked around the barn with a clipboard and a pen. “What time are you leaving to take Beth to the airport?” he asked Dan. “Think you can stop and pick up those vaccinations from the vet?”

Dan rested his arms over a stall fence. “I already took her to the airport.”

Joe's head jerked up. “That was quick. Did you open the car door and dump her at the curb or what?”

“I dropped her off in front of the terminal. What's wrong with that?”