Sunrise (10 page)

Everything about the night was filled with joy and laughter and anticipation, and even as the kids and their families said good night, and as Erin and Sam and the girls headed up to the guest rooms and Dayne found his place in the far room at the end of the house, John had the sense that this would be a beautiful season for the Baxter family.

Beautiful and memorable.

Kari pulled John aside as she left. “Ashley’s fine. She talked to me.” She reached up and hugged his neck. “She’s just missing Mom.”

John thanked her for the update. It was what he’d secretly hoped—that Ashley’s sadness halfway through the night had less to do with Elaine’s presence and more to do with her mother’s absence.

Elaine was the last to leave, and when she had her coat on, she stood before him and smiled. Her eyes held a gratitude John hadn’t expected. “Thank you.”

“For what?” He reached out and took her hands, though the feeling was different from before, when they’d been in the prayer circle. This time it was two friends saying good-bye, nothing more.

“For including me tonight.” Her voice was soft. “It meant a lot.”

John stopped himself from saying that she was his friend and the kids needed to get used to that fact.
Friend
seemed to be a word Elaine bristled at. Instead he gave her a look that held more depth than before. “I liked having you here. We all did.”

“Ashley?” Elaine wasn’t angry or hurt. Just perceptive. A sad smile played on her lips. “She was struggling.”

“She was missing Elizabeth.”

Elaine’s expression told him that she understood. “Ashley’s a special young woman. It can’t be easy talking about weddings and knowing that her mother won’t be here to celebrate with all of you.”

“Nothing about loss is easy.” He tightened his hold on her hands. “You should know. You’ve dealt with it longer than any of us.”

“Long enough to know that even after the darkest night, God’s mercies are new every morning.”

They were the words she left him with. She hugged him, not too long or too close, and then she bid him good night. After she was gone, when he heard her car heading down the driveway, he felt the hint of sorrow, of loneliness that had been coming more often lately whenever she left for the evening.

John went to the kitchen and finished putting the last coffee cups into the dishwasher. He liked Elaine, liked the way he felt when he was with her and the way she added bits of wisdom to the conversations between his kids. He liked her tender laugh and her strong faith. There was no denying it.

And as he turned in for the night, he realized that he’d gotten through an entire family get-together without aching for the loss of Elizabeth. Because Elaine had been lending her quiet strength and support all evening.

Before John fell asleep he read chapter 3 of Lamentations, where Jeremiah was crying out in agony for the ways he was hurting.

There was the verse Elaine had alluded to, the idea that God’s mercies were new every morning. He was great in His faithfulness, because night—no matter how dark and dreadfully long—never lasted forever.

As John closed his Bible and set it on his nightstand next to the photograph of Elizabeth, as he lay down and closed his eyes, across the horizon of his heart he glimpsed something he hadn’t experienced in years of sadness and nightfall.

A beautiful, breathtaking, hope-filled sunrise.

Dayne had been dreading this moment.

Since he’d arrived in Bloomington before Thanksgiving, he hadn’t looked at a single tabloid, hadn’t wanted to or needed to know what the rags were saying. His hours were full, sharing the joy of what his family and their friends and the CKT kids had done to renovate the lake house. After that, there’d been Thanksgiving and Laughter and Leftovers with the Baxters.

Real life—the one he lived in the public eye—felt a million miles away.

Now it was Monday, and he and Katy were on their way to the meeting with Wilma Waters in Indianapolis. Dayne wanted to know if the press had found out that he was engaged. He had to be prepared, especially since he hadn’t told anyone outside his family that he wasn’t planning to return to Hollywood until the filming of his next movie.

Since leaving Los Angeles, Dayne hadn’t even talked with his agent. The guy knew he was with Katy and his family, and he was probably trying to keep things quiet for him. Especially since Dayne had only recently been out of physical therapy.

Now he was driving Katy’s car, and for the first time in a week he felt conscious of his fame, his familiarity. He wasn’t the oldest Baxter son enjoying time with his family. He was Hollywood’s heartthrob, facing whatever was waiting for him outside the safe confines of Bloomington. The realization left him moody and quiet, the way he hadn’t been since midway through his physical therapy.

“Are you stopping?” Katy seemed unnerved, anxious about his attitude. They had talked last night about making the stop, but it hadn’t come up since he’d picked her up at the Flanigan house.

“We have to.” Dayne adjusted his sunglasses. The day was bright and blue, but frost hung on the grass and plants as they headed north. He wore a baseball cap and the familiar hooded sweatshirt, the kind he always kept on hand in case he needed an escape, a way to hide. He pulled the car into the lot of a convenience store and parked in the middle, in a spot with no cars on either side. “I’ll wait here.”

“Be right back.”

Dayne watched Katy walk across the lot and into the store, and he admired the way she wasn’t conditioned to look over her shoulder for paparazzi. She was a normal person still, a regular person. Someone who could walk into a store and buy a few magazines without causing a ruckus. It was one of the conveniences people took for granted, one that Katy would be giving up when she married him.

After a few minutes she came out and smiled at him. It was a tentative smile, and he reminded himself that whatever news the tabloids held, Katy deserved his best attitude, his happiness and kindness. Especially on a day when they were driving to Indianapolis to meet with the wedding coordinator.

He clenched his jaw and then relaxed it.
God, help me handle the press. You know my feelings for them. Since the accident it’s more of a . . . a hatred. I know it isn’t good for me, but I don’t know how else to feel.

Forgive, My son. . . . Forgive as the Lord forgave you. . . .

The words filled Dayne’s soul and mind, words he’d read in the Bible just this morning. A verse he had no idea how he was going to live out—not when it came to the paparazzi. The photogs had almost killed him. Forgiving them would take an act of God.

Katy opened the door and climbed in. “You’re not on the cover of any of them!”

A slight breeze of relief blew across his conscience. “Good.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Sorry.”

“Why?” Her eyes had a dreaminess that hadn’t been there before. She touched her lips to his again, then pulled back, waiting for his answer.

“I’ve been in a lousy mood.” Dayne nodded to the bag on her lap. “Not looking forward to whatever’s in there.” A slow smile filled his face. “But that isn’t fair to you, Katy. I can’t wait to start planning our wedding.” He kissed her one more time. “You know that, right?”

“I do.”

“Exactly.” He felt his eyes light up for the first time today. “Those are the words I can’t wait to hear.”

Katy giggled and clicked her seat belt into place. “Should I look?” Her hands settled on the bag of magazines.

“Yes.” He pulled back onto the street. “No sense hiding from it.”

“‘Dayne Matthews and His Brother Make Up,’” Katy read the headline out loud. She gave Dayne a nervous smile. “So far, so good.”

“Yeah.” He raised an eyebrow. “Keep reading.”

Katy found her place. “‘Sources say the feud between Dayne Matthews and his brother, Luke Baxter, may finally be over.’” She shook her head and mumbled under her breath, “Finally over? The two of you just met, for goodness’ sake.”

“That’s not sensational enough.” Dayne smiled, but inside he felt his anger rise again. What right did they have to print one word about him after driving an oncoming truck into his path? He kept his attention on the road. “Go on.”

“‘According to a source, Luke Baxter is no longer employed at a Manhattan law firm but has been transferred to Indianapolis, closer to his family. A clerk at the firm in Indianapolis, a member of the Meritas network, said that Baxter will be working exclusively on Dayne Matthews’ legal affairs when he starts his new position in December.’”

“Nice. We’ve got a leak, and Luke hasn’t even had his first day.” Dayne chuckled. “There’s no getting around them.”

The story explained that Dayne had wrapped up his romance movie with Randi Wells and that the film was expected in theaters in early spring. “‘Dayne’s next movie doesn’t start shooting until May or later. Sources say the director for
But Then Again No
hasn’t cast the female lead opposite Dayne as of yet. Some sources say he will marry former mystery woman Katy Hart before filming begins.’”

“There it is.” He tightened his hold on the steering wheel.

Katy gave him a blank look. She let the magazine fall to her lap. “I’m not surprised really.”

Dayne sighed. He needed to let go of his anger, of the tensions the tabloids had caused him since his accident. He’d taken them in stride before. He reached out and took Katy’s hand. “You’re right. The surprising thing is that we’re not on the cover.”

“At least not this week.” She smiled at him, and her eyes were full of understanding.

He sighed, and the sound filled the car with tension.

“Hey . . . we’ll get through this.”

“I know. Bob gave me some verses about forgiveness.” He felt himself relax. “I looked at a few of them this morning.”

“And . . .”

“I can’t stay angry. I know that.” Dayne took off the baseball cap and tossed it on the console between them. “But I can feel the pain in my leg with every step, Katy.” He kept his tone in check. “I don’t want photographers chasing us the rest of our lives.” He felt weary. “I’m not sure what to do.”

Katy was quiet for a few minutes. Then she took a long breath. “I think I might have an idea.”

“About the press?” Dayne was surprised. Katy was especially hesitant around the cameras. Whatever plan she had was probably not one they could actually pull off. Not as long as he was making movies.

Katy turned in the seat so she was facing him. “What if we take an entirely different approach?”

“You mean like every time we see a photographer, we stop and smile for him?” Dayne laughed. The idea was certainly not what Katy had in mind.

“Actually, yes. That’s just what I mean.” She didn’t wait for him to object. “Like I said, I’m more afraid of running.”

He had to clench his teeth to keep from interrupting her.

“Say we tell them what they want to know. We schedule an interview with one of the more reputable magazines.
Celebrity Life
maybe. We can announce our engagement, and you can explain that you’re moving to Bloomington to live a more private life.” She seemed to be holding her breath, as if she’d been considering this possibility for some time. “If they don’t have to guess about us, maybe it’ll take away some of the thrill. The love of the chase.”

Dayne wanted to blurt out that he could do nothing of the sort. He could never intentionally give the press details about his life. But even as he was about to say so, Katy’s idea gradually began to make sense. Even just a little. If the press wanted to know about their lives, they would hunt them down until they had the information. Accurate or not. But if they scheduled an interview and photos with one magazine, the others would find a few stock photos of the two of them and reword and run the same story.

Yes, they’d still want new photos, but so what? It was possible Katy was right. By making the information public, they would do away with the throngs of photographers chasing them through the streets of Malibu and Hollywood. He gave a slow nod. “Interesting.”

“Thank you.” Katy sounded like she was proud of herself. “I’m right there with you. I don’t want to be chased forever. So if we give them what they want . . .”

“And if I tell them I’m moving to Bloomington for privacy . . .”

“I mean, they aren’t going to send a photographer to Bloomington more than a few times a year. And when they do, we can stop and smile for the cameras.” Katy ran her thumb along the side of his finger. “That’s a small price to pay for sharing my life with you.”

Hope filled Dayne’s heart, and a love that knew no bounds filled him to the core. “How can I be marrying you, Katy Lynn Hart?”

She grinned. “I love when you use my whole name.”

“I’m practicing for the altar.” He felt the burdens from earlier lift. “All morning I’ve worried about the press. If they’re speculating about a wedding, then keeping it secret will be harder than we thought.”

“But if we give an interview announcing our engagement, and if we throw them off by telling them the wrong month . . .”

“It could work.” They were at the exit for downtown Indianapolis. Dayne eased Katy’s car off the freeway. He made a few turns until they were in the Hyatt parking lot. “I can’t believe you love me.”

Katy closed her eyes and kissed him. “I love you, Dayne.”

“I’m the luckiest guy in the world.” He returned her kiss. “We better go. Wilma’s waiting for us.”

She handed him the baseball cap. “Keep your head low.”

“Thanks.”

He put the cap on. They climbed out and held hands as they made their way quickly to the back door of the Hyatt. Wilma had arranged to meet them there, and as they walked, Dayne flipped open his cell phone and called her. “We’re heading in.”

“Okay. I’ll be just inside.”

Dayne closed his phone and dropped it back into his pocket. He looked around the parking lot, but he didn’t see anyone looking for him, no paparazzi lurking anywhere. He put his arm around Katy. “No press; it’s a good sign.”

“Everything’s going to be fine.” Katy smiled up at him.

He wanted to shout that yes, it was. The wedding they were about to plan and the future they would build together were going to be better than any movie script. Because of Katy, he’d found new life with God and with his birth family. And one day after they got married, they would find another kind of new life.

The family he would share with his forever love, Katy Lynn Hart.

His Katy.