Love Inspired September 2014 - Bundle 1 of 2: Her Montana Twins\Small-Town Billionaire\Stranded with the Rancher (55 page)

“Thanks.”

“Look, Dan, it's going to all work out.”

“How come you're so sure?”

“Because I've gone behind your back, and started praying for you.”

“Thanks. I guess you're not such a lousy brother, after all.”

“Don't start going all mushy on me.”

Dan only laughed.

Right now he'd agree to take care of Joe's cows for a month if it meant a second chance with Beth. The fact was, he didn't have a clue what his next step was going to be, which generally meant he'd better start praying. Hard.

* * *

Beth parked the rental car at the far end of Main Street and attached Patches's leash to his collar before she got out. When her pant legs accidently rubbed against the blisters, shooting pain straight up her calves, she winced.

She could see the crisp awning of the café from her car. After plugging the meter with quarters, she and Patches started down the street.

What a difference in the downtown area now that spring had come to the valley. Planters dotted the sidewalks. The newly flowering plants and dark potting soil indicated that they had been recently planted.

An almost giddy excitement bubbled up inside her as she approached Patti Jo's Café and Bakery. This was where she'd realized she was in love with Daniel Gallagher. No matter what had happened since, this was one memory she would cling to for the rest of her life.

She stared through the window at the shop and shook her head. What had she been thinking?
Patches.
Some dog owner she was. Her dog couldn't go in and she wasn't going to leave him outside.

The door opened and a tall woman with a white bun anchored on top of her head nearly mowed Beth down. She backed up in surprise and straightened her pink slacks and crisp white blouse.

“You can't stand there or you'll be run over.” She put her hands on her hips.

“I'm sorry,” Beth murmured.

“Are you coming or going?”

“I wanted to get some cookies, but I don't want to leave my dog outside.”

“Hand me the leash.”

Beth turned it over to her at the command.

“Don't I know you?” The woman peered down at Beth.

“I don't think so.”

“Dr. Elizabeth Rogers. You were snowed in at Elsie's place.” She nodded knowingly. “Bitsy Harmony. I don't think we've officially met.” Bitsy struck out her hand and took Beth's in a hearty handshake.

“Oh, yes. The Paradise Ladies Auxiliary,” Beth said.

“Correct.” Once again she looked Beth up and down, her sharp blue eyes missing nothing. “Does Elsie know you're in town?”

Beth's own eyes widened. She opened her mouth, then closed it, finally finding words. “Will you excuse me just a minute? I'll grab those cookies.”

She pulled open the door to the café and moved quickly to the counter.

“Two oatmeal cinnamon raisin cookies, please. Oh, and maybe a couple carrot cake muffins. To go.” Beth pulled out a bill and handed it to the cashier. “Thanks. Keep the change.”

When she opened the door to the sidewalk, she found Bitsy kneeling beside Patches, stroking the pup behind the ears.

“Nice dog.”

“Thank you, and thank you for watching him.”

Bitsy stood.

“I'll be calling Elsie today,” Beth said, “so I hope you'll keep my secret. I'd like to surprise her.”

“Does Dan know you're here?” Bitsy narrowed her gaze.

“Dan?” Beth's eyes rounded.

“Well, sure enough, everyone knows what a donkey he was to let you go.” Bitsy shook her head. “Men.”

“I...” Beth was speechless.

“Oh, no worries,” she said with a quick wink. “It'll be our little secret. You take care now.”

Beth stared as Bitsy strode down the street. The woman was a locomotive.

“Come on, Patches. Let's put these goodies in the car.”

Beth sat in the car, thinking, as Patches stared out the passenger window. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. There was no telling who else she'd run into. She'd hoped to ease into her new life.

When a car door slammed, she looked up. Down the street the glass door of the Paradise Pharmacy opened and Dan Gallagher stepped out to the curb. He glanced at his watch and looked down the street.

Unable to move, unable to think, Beth took in every bit of his profile, savoring the image. The real Dan was much better than her daydreams. And she had dreamed of him long enough to know. As if he sensed that she was watching him, he narrowed his eyes and scanned up and down the street, a puzzled expression on his face. Then he turned around.

Beth turned in her seat. Emily Robbs crossed at the intersection and called out Dan's name. He responded with a smile and a wave.

A wave of despair slammed into Beth. She was too late.

Deep breath.

Coming to Paradise wasn't about the man. It was about walking the path God had prepared for her. Of course, she'd have to repeat that a couple hundred more times to convince her heart.

Beth encouraged Patches into the kennel, put the key in the ignition and headed home.

* * *

“This is a shoe and this is a chew toy. We'll work on recognizing the difference.”

Dan laughed through the screen door.

Beth whirled around and her cheeks heated. Their gazes locked. She tried for nonchalance as she dropped the props in her hands. “I was talking to the dog,” she finally said.

He kept laughing. “Yeah, I figured. But you should see how funny it looks from this side of the screen.”

“What are you doing here?” She glanced at the wall clock. Nearly six. Had his date with Emily ended early?

And why was she so annoyed? He'd caught her off guard. That was why. Without a chance to mentally prepare for this moment. Besides, she was wearing her oldest capris and a faded pink T-shirt. And she was barefoot, with her hair in a messy ponytail.

“Hey, Beth,” he murmured, his voice gliding over her like velvet. “Good to see you.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“Information on your script.” He held up a white bag.

She glanced at him quickly through the screen. “Isn't that a violation of HIPAA or something?”

“I'm a pharmacist. Technically, you're my patient.”

“Ben ratted me out.”

Dan only shrugged.

Beth slid her feet into her sandals and inched closer to the screen. “Do you smell something?”

“Your dog?” he offered.

“My dog doesn't smell like pepperoni pizza.”

He cleared his throat. “Think I could come in?”

“Fine.” She opened the screen.

Undeterred by her attitude, Dan turned around and backed through the doorway.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Balancing act.”

When he turned around, she saw the two pizza boxes in his arms.

“It
is
pizza.” She looked at him. “You know, of course, that you can't make everything in life right by bringing a couple boxes of pizza, right?”

Dan's clear gray eyes sparkled. “This is the pre-apology warm-up.”

Leave it to Dan to skip straight to the elephant in the room.

“Did you bring enough for all three of us?” she asked.

“Yeah, unless your dog eats more than his share. But I could always go for more.”

“That won't be necessary.” She stooped down to rub Patches on the head, but he eluded her fingers and immediately raced over to Dan.

“Nice dog,” he said.

“He is. Be careful, the shelter told me he can be a little iffy around men.”

Dan crouched down and held out his hand. Patches sniffed and then nuzzled his head into Dan's palm, begging to be petted.

“Or not,” Beth said.

“We have a lot in common, me and...”

“Patches,” she said. She went to the cupboard and pulled out dishes. “You both snore?”

Dan laughed. “You've changed, Beth.”

“You mean because I made a funny?”

“No. But I like that. It suits you.”

Her lips twitched as she pulled glasses from the cupboard and a pitcher of tea from the refrigerator.

“So what is it that Patches and you have in common?” she asked.

“You have our hearts.”

“Dan.”
She met his gaze and sighed. “Pizza and the full-court press Gallagher charm. You must be desperate.”

“Trust me. I am. Six weeks' worth of desperate.”

“Have a seat,” she finally said, offering him a stool at the granite island.

He settled himself across from her.

“Mind if we pray?” Beth asked.

“See? You have changed.”

“I have you to thank for that.” She hesitated for a moment and then took his hand. It was warm and strong in hers. It required all her concentration to focus on the prayer. “Lord, thank You for all You have given me. Bless this food to our bodies. Amen.”

“Amen.”

Beth quickly slid her hand from Dan's and reached for the pizza box at the same time he did. Their fingers collided and heat rushed into her face.

She was acting like a...

Like a woman in love.

“Go ahead,” she said, her eyes on the box.

“Ladies first.”

Beth served herself and then poured the tea. “Thank you for the pizza. I was debating whether I should open a can of soup or open a can of soup for dinner.”

He chuckled. “Some things don't change, I see. And you're welcome.” He glanced around. “Nice place.”

“I like it. It's good to finally put down roots.”

His brows rose and surprise flickered in his eyes. “You're staying?”

“Yes. Is that so hard to believe?”

“No. Makes my job a whole lot easier.”

Beth cocked her head. “Excuse me?”

“I'm here to beg you to stay.” His expression was sincere.

Flustered, Beth froze with the pizza halfway to her mouth. “I, uh, I took a position at the Paradise Clinic.”

“If you end up taking calls for the snowmobile team, you'll be my boss.”

“I hadn't considered that.” Appetite waning, she dropped the pizza and reached for her napkin while searching for a safer topic. “What about you? What have you been up to?” she asked.

Dan chewed a bite of pizza and swallowed. “Same old. Pharmacy forty hours a week, and rescue training once a month.”

“I talked to your mom a few weeks ago.”

His head jerked back. “My mom knew you were coming back here?”

Again, they were skirting around the real issue at hand. “No, Dan,” Beth murmured. “Only Ben and Sara knew.”

He nodded, digesting her information.

“May is beautiful in Paradise,” she said as she stared out the window.

“The big Founder's Day celebration is coming up,” Dan said.

“I guess you and Emily will be going.”

“No.” Dan sucked in a breath.
“
I would never encourage her when I...” He met Beth's gaze, pain and confusion in his eyes. “No.”

“I'm sorry. I assumed.” She shrugged. “Emily likes you and she's pretty much everything you need.”

Silence stretched.

Patches whined and Beth picked up his chew toy and tossed it across the room.

“Beth, what I need is you.”

She thought she'd imagined the husky, whispered words, but when her eyes locked with his there was nothing but honesty on his face.

“I have to know what's different, Dan.” She swallowed, willing the emotion back. “You practically tossed me on that plane in April.”

“I didn't trust you to love me, Beth. I was wrong.” He looked away and then met her eyes again. “I'm so sorry.”

Beth released the breath she'd been holding. He'd figured it out all by himself.

“You're right,” she said. “We were thrown together for a week, and that week snowballed with emotions neither of us were prepared for or knew how to handle.”

He nodded. “That's not an excuse for what I did,” he said.

“I know.” She paused. “My life began the day I met you, Dan. You showed me what I was missing, and how to laugh at myself.” She smiled. “And you shared your God with me.”

“That's the best thing I've heard since you left.”

“For me it only gets better. I've forgiven my past and I've stopped planning for my future. I'm going to live my life today.”

“Where does that leave us?” Dan reached across the counter and covered her hand with his.

“I love you, Dan.”

He sucked in a breath, and the look in his eyes matched what was in her heart.

“I love you,” she repeated with a smile. “That won't ever change. I'm here to stay, because Paradise is where I belong. It's what I
choose.
And I
choose
you, too. Forever.”

Dan sat very still. “Beth, I love you. I'm so grateful for a second chance.”

She moved around the island to stand in front of him, this time allowing herself the luxury of running a hand through his hair.

“This is isn't about second chances, Dan. It's about not allowing fear to steal any more of our life. Our lives. Together.”

He smiled and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

She shivered at his touch.

“Where do we go from here?” Beth asked.

“Maybe we can just take some time to enjoy each other and Paradise,” Dan said.

“I'd like that,” she answered.

“Me, too.”

His hand circled her waist and she could feel his warm breath moments before he touched his lips to hers. She loved this man so very much.

He released her and put his forehead against hers, as he stared into her eyes.

“God is so good,” Beth said with a smile.

“Amen,” Dan said.

She laughed softly. “I can't wait to see your family.”