By His Hand: Truly Yours Digital Edition (16 page)

“Yeah.”

“I’m so glad you came by today.”

Victoria smiled as her whole being filled with a true sense of belonging.
Thank You, Lord. You never fail to guide me, even when it comes to how to spend the last bit of my earnings
.

A flash of thrill filled Chris as he pulled up to the house and saw Victoria’s Suburban in the drive. It had been a productive day at the shop; he’d even squeezed in an hour to work on Mary Ann between his afternoon appointments. But it had been a long one, as well, and seeing Victoria’s beautiful smile and sparkling eyes would be the perfect reprieve from his work. He turned off the truck and hopped out.

Whistling, he bounded up the steps and opened the door. “Hello, Vic and Abby,” he called as he kicked off his boots in the mudroom. The only greeting was laughter sounding from the living area. Turning the corner, he walked into the kitchen and found steaks marinating in some kind of good-smelling sauce. Toothpicks stuck out from every angle of the steaks, he assumed to hold in place the bacon that wrapped around each of them.

A squeal of laughter sounded again from the living room. He smiled as he walked toward them. “Sounds like we’re having a good …”

He stopped when he reached the room. No less than ten partially eaten cartons of ice cream sat on the coffee table, the end tables, and the cushions of the couch. Abby sat on the floor with her legs crossed and three cartons sitting around her. Victoria sat on the couch with her knees under her chin and her arms wrapped around her calves. He couldn’t tell if she was comfortable or possibly willing away a stomachache.

Once again, Victoria sported an old pair of his sweats and sweatshirt while Abby wore an old pair of pajamas. Both of them had their hair pulled up in a knot with strands sticking out from every angle. Chris wondered if the plan had backfired and Abby had taken the lady out of Victoria.

A noise sounded from the television, and both Abby and Victoria broke out into new peals of laughter. Chris glanced at the screen then back at the girls. Victoria stuck her spoon in a carton of chocolate-looking ice cream then licked the spoon. She glanced toward Chris. Her eyes bulged and her cheeks flushed crimson, as he knew she’d just realized he’d gotten home.

He lifted his eyebrows. “Having fun?”

She uncurled her legs and hopped off the couch. “I didn’t know you were here.” She gawked at her watch. “Wow, it’s later than I thought.”

Abby looked up at him and waved. “Hey, Chris. We’re in mourning.”

“What?” Chris furrowed his eyebrows.

Victoria grabbed his hand and guided him into the kitchen. A stirring whipped through him as he followed the ruffled woman wearing his clothes. Maybe it was the softness of her skin or the light tickling of her fingernails when she touched him. Or maybe it was the wisps of hair that clung to the back of her neck from beneath her knot.

Whatever it was, he wanted to twirl Victoria around and grab her in his arms. He wanted to pull the knot from her hair and let the length fall down her back. He shook his head to clear his mind.

The time was coming when he planned to tell Victoria exactly how he felt, but it wouldn’t be tonight in front of his little sister. Victoria stopped and whirled around. She rested her finger over her lips, telling him to be quiet. Leaning closer to him, her soft perfume filled the air. “Austin broke off their dinner date.”

“What?”

“She’s been really upset because he broke off their date, so we spent the …”

Chris walked away, opened the counter, and grabbed the church directory. “I’ll take care of this. No boy is going to treat my little sister with such disrespect. He knows better than to do a girl like that.” He flipped open the book.

Victoria put her hand on top of it. “Chris, don’t. It will only make things harder for Abby.”

Chris shook his head. “Austin knows better.”

Victoria nodded. “Yes, he does, but if you call and his parents make him take her, Abby will be miserable. She’ll resent you all over again.” Victoria nudged him with her shoulder and grinned like a Cheshire cat. “I heard you took her shopping for her dress. I’m so impressed.”

Chris bit his lip. Victoria’s playfulness was about to undo him. If she wasn’t careful, he’d be wrapping his arms around her and planting a firm kiss on her inviting lips. He looked into her eyes and shrugged. “It wasn’t
too
bad.”

Victoria stood on tiptoes and kissed his lips. “I’m really proud of you.”

She didn’t know what had come over her. Chris just seemed so rugged, so manly with the blots of grease on his forehead and cheek. When his work-worn hands grabbed the directory with an urgency to right the wrong that had been done to his sister, Victoria nearly came unglued. She wanted him to care for her in such a protective way.

Actually, she wanted to talk to Chris about her feelings for him. They hadn’t spoken of their kiss in the truck, and Victoria wondered if Chris had felt as much a connection as she had. She opened the refrigerator door and grabbed the ingredients for the salad. Shutting the door with her hip, she looked around the kitchen. Was she willing to live in this small country home?

The thought struck her hard as she placed the lettuce in the sink to wash it off. When Victoria insisted that Abby watch the rest of the movie, Chris had offered to help her cook dinner as soon as he cleaned up. The shower turned off, and Victoria knew it would be a matter of moments before he returned.

Her heart pounded as she considered a life of cooking every day. Sure, she had loved her time at the ranch. She had enjoyed collecting eggs, feeding chickens, cooking, and doing chores, but was she ready for the permanence of it? Maybe she had to be. Daddy had taken the only life she’d ever known. She knew when he and Mother ran off her life would be different forever, so why did she suddenly feel burdened standing in Chris’s kitchen?

“It smells wonderful in here.” Chris walked up beside her. “What are you cooking?”

“It’s my old cook’s version of filet mignon. It’s a little different than what you’d get in a restaurant. She used a light marinating sauce that softens the meat.”

Chris rubbed his stomach. “Sounds good to me. I’ve never tried it, so I wouldn’t know the difference anyway.”

Never had filet mignon? Hadn’t everyone had filet mignon? In Victoria’s opinion, it was the best cut of steak. Additional proof their lives had been so different.

“What can I do?” Chris interrupted her thoughts.

“You can chop up the cucumber for the salad.” She placed the knife and washed vegetable into his work-worn palm. She loved the strength in his hands. Surely she’d never resent their roughness, or that they were permanently darkened from his work.

She gazed up at him. He towered over her even when he slumped to cut the vegetable that seemed so small in his grip. She loved his height, the mass of his shoulders and arms. His blond, reddish hair curled slightly at the nape of his neck. She wanted to touch the curl.

“All done. What now? The pepper?” He pushed the cucumbers to the side of the cutting board and grabbed the bell pepper beside the sink.

“Sure.” She watched as he focused on his new task. No man who had ever been in her daddy’s acquaintance would have stood beside her at the kitchen counter cutting vegetables for a salad.

She opened the oven to take out the potatoes. As she reached for the oven mitt, Chris grabbed it first. She contemplated him, and he smiled. “I’ll get that for you.” She watched as he lifted them out of the oven.

Remembering him standing before the church with his guitar in hand, flutters filled her heart. His love for the Lord proved undeniable. His kindness for her and his sister also attracted her in ways that every woman wanted. An inner excitement filled her as she admitted if she got to spend every day for the rest of her life in this kitchen with this man, she’d savor every one of them.

Chris lifted his guitar from its case and stood before the church to lead the congregation in praise songs. Looking out into the crowd, he saw Victoria seated in the second row beside Abby and one of her friends. He had already experienced enough pain in life to know how to praise God in the valleys. A smile tugged at his lips. Now he was learning to praise God on the mountaintops.

He raised his hands. “Stand up and praise the Lord with me.” The people stood, and he started to pluck his guitar and lead them in worship.

His heart filled with awe for the Lord as words of love and adoration spilled from the lips of his brothers and sisters in Christ. He looked out and saw Grace and Eric Nickols who had married less than a year before and were now taking care of Lizzie and Jake. Unknown to their congregation for several years, Eric had struggled with his past, but God had overcome all their trials.

He glanced at Sondra and Dylan, holding hands as they sang. God had given Sondra a second chance at love and Dylan a wonderful wife. He almost chuckled aloud at the thought of the many Wards he presumed he’d see running around the church building in a few years’ time. He saw Mr. and Mrs. Neilson who still attended church every Sunday despite Mr. Neilson’s battle with cancer and Mrs. Neilson’s arthritis. Even when they had to prematurely turn the furniture business they loved over to their young son, the couple still remained faithful to the Lord.

His gaze traveled to Victoria. With her eyes closed and her face uplifted, he could tell she sang the praises from the depths of her spirit. His heart tightened. A few months ago, he had begged God to rid him of women.
I praise You, Lord, for answering that prayer with a NO
.

“Victoria.”

Victoria turned at the sound of Zack’s call from behind her. He motioned for her to wait, so she moved away from the exiting congregation and toward a wall. Once he reached her, she smiled. “Hey, Zack.”

“Hi. How have you been?”

“Good. And you?”

“Good. We’re still missing you at the bank.”

Victoria stared at her feet. “Yeah, I miss it, too. I hope my dad’s case is settled soon. I’d really like to come back.”

“Do you think it will be much longer?”

Victoria shrugged. “As far as I know, no one has even heard from my parents. I don’t even know where they are.”

“I’m sorry about that.” Zack shoved one hand in his pants pocket and adjusted his tie with the other. “Victoria, we are friends, right?”

Victoria gazed at him. “Yes. I think so. What’s wrong?”

“Well, I have a favor to ask you.” He pulled at his collar. Victoria noticed a spot of perspiration on his forehead.

“Zack, what is it?”

He leaned closer to her. “I really don’t want anyone to know.”

Her curiosity piqued and a giggle formed in her throat at the secretive expression on his face. “Okay.”

“I’m trying out for Lawton’s community play.”

“I didn’t know you liked to act.” Victoria studied Zack, feeling perplexed at the crush she’d had on him when she’d really known nothing about him.

“Well, it’s kind of a closet passion. I’ve always been interested, but too shy to try out.”

“Why now?”

Zack stared past her, and Victoria turned to see what he was looking at. A young redhead came out of the ladies restroom. Her short, springy curls bounced when she walked. She gazed at Zack with ice-blue eyes and then smiled for the briefest of moments.

Victoria chuckled. “Rosa?”

“Shh.” Zack put his fingers to her lips. “She’s trying out, as well. Look, I’ve got the script, and I just don’t want to fall on my face. I hoped you might rehearse with me.”

“You know it’s a musical.”

“Yes. It’s a production of
Oklahoma
.”

“That means singing.”

“I know.”

Victoria lightly punched his arm. “Zack, I didn’t know you sang.”

“Well, I can’t sing as well as Chris, if that’s what you’re getting at, but hopefully, I’ll be able to carry a tune well enough. So will you help me or not?”

Victoria covered her mouth to squelch her laughter. “Of course I will. I’m so happy for you.” She gave Zack a quick hug. “So when do you want to meet?”