No Place Like Home (17 page)

“S
he called me a goober.”

“A goober!” Sam hooted with laughter and set a piece of pie in front of Brady. “I'd say she was pert near on the money with that assessment. I ain't one to stick my nose where it ain't got a right to be…but Brady, even an old coot like me can see you have deep feelings for Dottie.”

Brady stuck a fork in the cherry pie, not finding anything about this to laugh about. “I could say the same thing to you. Everyone can see you have feelings for Adela.”

That stopped Sam's laughter. It dried up like the water of the Red Sea. He looked as if he'd swallowed barbed wire.

It was closing time and the diner was empty. Brady had just made it there as Sam was locking up, and the old man had taken one look at him and offered pie and coffee. Now they were alone.

After a second, he nodded somberly at Brady's assessment. “Yep, ya might say I'm a goober myself.”

Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he took a stool beside Brady, suddenly looking older than his sixty-something years.

It was the first time Brady had ever seen Sam sitting. They both stared into their coffee, dazed. Took a sip, then set their cups down with echoing thuds. The clock ticked as they contemplated their goober situation.

Sam glanced at him. “I fell in love with Adela the first time I saw her. Been in love with her ever since.”

“When was that?” Brady couldn't help it. He was curious.

“I was ten and she was about seven. My dad had just moved us to Mule Hollow to take ownership of the dry-goods store. Adela came into the store that first day with her mother to purchase supplies for their boardinghouse. Adela looked like a princess in her frilly pink dress. The most beautiful creature God has ever made. Inside and out.”

He stopped talking, but he'd hooked Brady. “So what happened?”

“Theo Ledbetter. That's what happened. He was just as in love with her as I was. Only difference, she loved him back. Theo was the luckiest man on God's green earth.” Sam took a swig of coffee and stared hard at Brady. “I know Adela has feelings for me, but I know it ain't the same. The look in her eyes when she speaks his name is enough to make a man jealous of a dead man.”

Brady thought about that. “Mr. Theo's been dead, what, fifteen years?”

“Sixteen years, two months.”

“So what's keeping you from asking Adela to marry you? I mean, you've been in love with her all these years and it's obvious she has feelings for you.”

Sam laughed. It was a harsh laugh. “That right there, son. She has feelings for me. And I ain't got the gumption to see if those feelings are strong enough to say yes if I go and pop the question. She still loves Theo, always will. I can't fill his shoes.”

Brady drained his coffee cup with a long gulp and couldn't help thinking about the kind of regret Sam was feeling. He'd spent his life loving a woman, but too afraid to risk rejection by putting words to his feelings. It was a sad state of affairs.

“I'm a goober for sure, son,” Sam snapped, gathering up the empty cups and heading to the sink. “You want to tell me why Dottie thinks you're one?”

Brady sighed in exasperation. “Do you ever regret that you never married anyone else?”

“'At thar ain't a real easy question to answer. God didn't never see fit to send me anyone else to love. Only one woman for me.”

Yeah, he understood that. Brady stood up. “Thanks for everything, Sam. One goober to another goober, you ought to give Adela a chance. Tell her how you feel.”

“You gonna take yer own advice?”

“Sam, I'm going to do something I should have done a long time ago. I'm going to pray about it.”

 

“Giraffe!” Esther Mae squealed.

“Esther,” Norma Sue snapped. “Do you see any spots on that drawing? It's a horse, I tell you!”

The small group of women gathered around the drawing board were doubled over laughing at Esther Mae and Norma Sue. On the floor at their feet the toddlers played with an array of toys. Rose, who was responsible for the bad art, stood beside the drawing chuckling and shaking her head, denying that either rambunctious guess was correct. She looked relaxed and happy. Even Stacy was laughing, softly.

“A horse! Norma Sue, have you lost your ever-lovin' mind? You ever seen a horse with a neck like that?” Esther Mae scowled at Norma, daring her friend to defy her. Suddenly her eyes grew big and she bolted from the couch like a red-topped cannonball. “I got it! It's a, ah—hang on—” She fiercely waved her hands in front of her face like she was combating the attack of the invisible bees. “I know it. It's one of those funny-looking, hairy-horse, half-lama things. An alpacker!” She whooped the word out like she'd just made a slam dunk. “That's it, isn't it, Rose? It's an alpacker.”

“Alpaca,” Stacy offered timidly from her position deeply ensconced in an armchair by the window.

“Yes!” Rose agreed. “You got it, Stacy.”

“Hey, that's what I said,” Esther Mae's whine quickly
turned into laughter as she looked at Stacy. “But it's the one who pronounces it right that wins. So, that means it's your turn to draw us a picture.”

Stacy looked as if she wanted to sink into the cushions and disappear, but Esther Mae wouldn't have it. “There you go, sweetie, don't be afraid.” She reached a hand down and pulled Stacy up. “Remember, you're among friends.”

From where she stood leaning against the door frame Dottie's heart swelled as Stacy moved pensively toward the drawing board. Rose handed her the marker and patted her shoulder.

“It's fun, Stacy. And you can draw far better than me.”

Though Dottie didn't feel like joining in the fun, she was enjoying watching the bonding between her friends. She was reminded of that first morning in Mule Hollow when she realized what a utopia the little town was and how healing it could be for hurting souls. God had known all of this.

Tonight was a practice run for Stacy and the others. Adela, Molly Popp and the other boarders were hosting a welcome party at Adela's in three days for the new Mule Hollow residents. It had been decided that a gathering with Lacy, Esther Mae and Norma Sue would help prepare them for a larger crowd. That group would prepare them for anything! Dottie smiled, realizing the wisdom in the decision. It was another slow step toward healing their wounded spirits.

The buzzer sounded and Dottie went to retrieve her hot chocolate from the microwave. As much as she was thrilled about everything transpiring in the next room, her heart was heavy with thoughts of Brady. It was still hard to believe what she'd done. She'd kissed him! On purpose!

A lot of good it had done her.

She was settling into a chair at the table when Lacy swept into the room, a vibrant swirl of color.

“Hey, what's up, Dottie? I just got baby Bryce to sleep. He's so sweet.” She grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and nodded toward the living room when a burst of laughter exploded. “Sounds like they're having a blast in the next room. Just what the doctor ordered.”

“Oh, yeah, they're bonding like bees and honey.”

Lacy pulled out a chair, swung her leg over the top of it and sat down with a thud. “How about you? You've been very quiet since y'all arrived. What's going on? Or do you not want to talk about it?”

Dottie took a deep breath, she really did need to talk to someone. “Have you ever done something and then wanted to whack yourself?”

Lacy choked on her water. “You're asking
me
that question!” she exclaimed after overcoming her coughing fit. “Me, who always needs at least a couple of good whacks before breakfast. Haven't you heard? I'm the queen of sticking my foot in my mouth. Or acting before I think about what I'm doing. Just ask poor Clint. That man has to love me bunches and bunches to put up with my shenanigans. This is about Brady, isn't it?”

Dottie nodded.

“Does he know you love him?”

It was Dottie's turn to choke. Lacy started slapping her on the back as she wheezed and tried to gain her breath back. “How—”

“Did I know?” Lacy almost fell out of her chair she laughed so hard. “Dottie, everyone knows. We've just been waiting to see when the two of you would figure it out. For a few days there we weren't certain what the Lord was doing when we thought you were leaving town and all. Norma Sue was ready to hog-tie the both of you in the same room until you came to your senses. But then you told us the shelter needed to relocate and we were all ashamed because we had doubted the Lord. Imagine that, God has things under control without the matchmakers of Mule Hollow's input!”

Dottie drew a slow circle on the table with her finger and tried to grasp a firmer understanding of what Lacy was saying. How did everyone know something that even she hadn't known until recently? She blinked. She loved Brady, but it was yet to be seen if he loved her.

“Don't tell me you didn't know?” Lacy gasped, snapping her orange fingernails on the table. “Girl, that man hasn't looked at anyone the way he looks at you. Believe me, we've been on the lookout for sparks.”

Dottie didn't know how much she could tell Lacy, but she really needed someone to talk to. The laughter coming from the living room told her that the fun was still keeping everyone else busy. So she took a deep
breath and lifted her eyes to meet Lacy's. “I do love him, Lacy. And I didn't want to stay here because I didn't think I could live every day seeing him and knowing that I couldn't have him.”

“Why can't you have him? I don't get that at all. Go for it.”

Dottie didn't feel she had the right to discuss Brady's reasons for his choices. “It's not that easy. Let's just say that he has reasons that are strong enough to make him have convictions that I might not be able to overcome. And in a way I understand. But when I tried to talk to him earlier, I couldn't help preaching. And then I kissed him.”

“You kissed him! Now,
that's
what I'm talking about.”

Dottie grimaced, still not comfortable with it. “I don't know. I called him a goober when he asked me what the kiss was for.”

Lacy slapped the table, chuckling. “Yep, call it like you see it. He is acting like a nut.”

Dottie shook her head. “He really has strong reasons for why he won't marry. He thinks he's protecting the family he'll never have because of his convictions.”

She'd said it. She'd given away part of his confidence. “I…I shouldn't have told you that. I'm sorry, Lacy, he hasn't shared that with anyone except me.”

“It's okay. My lips are sealed. But the fact that he shared it with you speaks volumes. Don't you agree? So, are you going to sit back and do nothing? Brady needs you. He really does.”

Dottie couldn't answer. She'd tried the kiss and had
gotten shot down. The man hadn't even understood what it was meant for!

How could that be?

“Dottie, listen to me…after all you've been through I look at you and see a woman who walks with God. You inspire me. Like me you came to Mule Hollow with a mission and you're committed to seeing it through. Don't—
do not
—let this get you down. I know that's easier to say than to do, but have faith. Girl, just look back over what God has done in your life—you
cannot
do that and not believe that it's all taking you somewhere.”

Dottie stared at the plucky woman whose white-blond hair heightened the blue of her eyes. They glowed like topaz, encouraging Dottie with earnest sincerity.

As Dottie nodded, Lacy reached for her hand. “Can I pray with you?”

Dottie's spirits lifted. “Yes. I would like that.” Closing her eyes, a feeling of peace flowed around her and she realized in that moment that God hadn't just sent her on a mission for Him. He'd sent her to a community of wonderful women who could minister to her needs also. She thought of Adela, and her wise words; she thought of the way Norma Sue and Esther Mae ministered to her in their unique way, and she thought of Lacy. Bold in her love of God, forward in her expressions of God's love and undaunted in her passion to share Him with all who she encountered. As she prayed, Dottie felt better. She'd needed a reminder that she wasn't alone.

 

After dropping her passengers off at the house, Dottie drove through the woods to Brady's house only to find that he wasn't there. She had planned to tell him she shouldn't have kissed him. That she'd stepped out of line during their talk. True, she loved him. True, she wanted to find some way of making him see reason. To make him understand that she would rather spend one day as his wife than to never have loved him at all.

But throwing herself at him wasn't the way to do it.

During Lacy's prayer she'd realized she hadn't behaved in a manner she was proud of. She'd acted on impulse. And while impulse was a great thing for having fun and…and keeping life interesting, looking back, it wasn't the way she should have approached this situation. Obviously!

But, Brady had bolted. What must he think of her?

She'd pretty much humiliated herself. And she couldn't apologize. She couldn't take it back. It had been three days and he was still gone.

Take a deep breath, Dottie.

To top it off she was talking to herself again.

A breath was a good idea. She inhaled slowly. When he hadn't been home, she'd first assumed he'd been called out on a late call. That some emergency had occurred and he was needed. Mule Hollow's hero. Always on the go. That's why he needed someone to show him how special he was. Someone to be there for him.

By morning, when he still hadn't come home she'd
started worrying. She hadn't slept at all. First she'd sat on the porch waiting. When he hadn't come in by 2:00 a.m., she'd gone inside to her room and lain on the bed listening for the growl of his truck as it passed by. But it had never come. At six, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt, shoved her feet into tennis shoes and jogged to his house. Just in case she'd dozed without realizing it and missed him passing by. But he wasn't there.