Her mountain refuge, p.21
Her Mountain Refuge, page 21
Granna’s smile faded as she looked into Rachel’s eyes. “That was quite a performance in the café. Lance had no intention of including me when he showed off his kitchen. Why was I the one to notice that instead of you?”
Because she wasn’t interested in any man. But she knew better than to mention such thoughts to anyone in her family again. Mom and Dad hadn’t understood her when she’d told them she was through with men after her second bad relationship. Her matchmaking grandmother for sure wouldn’t understand.
“He’s friendly, but I’m here to see you. Plus, I’ll be going back to Dallas in a few weeks.”
Granna nodded, giving Rachel some hope that her grandmother would remember she wouldn’t be here very long.
“Maybe you can find a way to show me your kitchen after you find your next job.”
“I don’t know...”
She couldn’t finish the rest of her sentence when she had no idea what her next job might be. No idea how to make the hurt go away every time she thought about her uncertain future or her painful past. What she knew for certain was she wouldn’t repeat the mistakes she’d made.
“What don’t you know, sugar?”
Granna’s sympathetic tone caused Rachel’s eyes to well up. She blinked away the moisture. The crying jags during the first two weeks after she’d lost both her dream job and fiancé, had been more than enough time for tears. She was past that.
“Pretty much everything.” She sighed. “Maybe going to culinary school was a mistake.”
“What? No. How can you say that?” Granna patted Rachel’s arm.
“Everything’s turned out so wrong.”
“Oh, sugar.” Granna wrapped her up in a hug. “Dillon’s the one who did everything wrong. Not you.”
Rachel pulled away enough to see her grandmother’s face. “How could I have been so blind? So gullible? Why couldn’t I see through him?”
“Loving someone means trusting them, not looking to find fault with them. Dillon betrayed your trust. He betrayed you.”
Closing her eyes, she swallowed away the threatening tears. “Every word you said is true. But it still hurts so bad.”
“The Lord sent you here so we could help each other, sugar.” Granna patted her cheek.
Rachel took a deep breath as she looked into her grandmother’s eyes, filled with love. “Maybe.”
Granna released Rachel to look straight at her. “Not all men are like that one. God has someone much better just for you. You’ll see.”
“I was so wrong about what I thought I saw in him. What if I make a mistake like that with someone else?”
“Have you listened to how many times you used the word I?”
Rachel shook her head.
“Never get so busy you don’t ask God to show you what He wants you to do or who He wants for you. Understand, sugar?”
“I do.”
She really did. But being sure she truly understood God’s direction was so much harder than talking about it. Which was why loving another man, risking misjudging his true motives, was out of the question.
* * *
Mac hurried toward the foyer at the back of the worship center with barely any time left before Bible study began. Since ranching was such a solitary job, he liked to talk to people on Sundays. Especially with his parents temporarily in Fort Worth while his mother recuperated from a badly broken leg. But Gabe hadn’t been in any kind of rush this morning. Some days speeding up his five-year-old son could be like trying to make a turtle move as fast as a runaway bull.
Stepping inside, he paused to see who was here. The sanctuary held about forty to fifty people. It was a small church, where everybody knew everybody. Aunt Sharon stood in the foyer not far from the table with the coffee and doughnuts, talking with a small group that included Miss Connie and her granddaughter. He could grab something quick and go talk to his best friend, Les Tucker.
After his quick run-in with Rachel a couple of days ago, he hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind. He kept remembering her honey-colored hair, her pleasant smile and her kind words in spite of how he’d almost knocked her to the sidewalk.
Even if he was in the market for a relationship with a woman again—which he wasn’t—he’d never pick one from Dallas. She’d be here in town a little while, then go back where she belonged. Which was nowhere near where he wanted to be.
“Mac, you have to meet Rachel.” Aunt Sharon looked straight at him before he could snag a doughnut and escape.
He forced one boot in front of the other. If his aunt wanted to introduce him to Rachel, the woman must not have mentioned their quick encounter from Friday. Point for Rachel. Maybe he’d so unimpressed her that she’d forgotten him.
“Mac, this is my granddaughter, Rachel Landry. Rachel, Mac Greer.” Miss Connie grinned up at him from her chair.
“Nice to meet you, Rachel.”
The green eyes he shouldn’t remember sparkled in his direction. So she did remember him. “Nice to meet you, too.”
“I haven’t got my coffee yet. Anyone else want another cup?” He bit into his doughnut while waiting for a response.
“Thanks but I’m good.” Harry McIntire, the town’s CPA, spoke up. The others shook their heads.
Mac walked the three feet to the coffeepot, glad for a good excuse to put some space between himself and Rachel. She looked too good in her light green skirt and flowered top. The last time a woman had caught his eye so quickly had turned out so badly. His ex, Alicia, had tired of ranching, then deserted him and their infant son. No one would ever abandon him or Gabe again.
Miss Connie was finishing off her chocolate-iced doughnut when he rejoined his aunt’s circle of friends. “I did tell you Rachel is a chef, didn’t I? These doughnuts don’t compare to the chocolate cream pie Rachel fixed last night.”
“Mac would agree with you, since that’s his favorite dessert.” Aunt Sharon grinned in his direction.
Glad he still had coffee to polish off so he didn’t have to talk, Mac ignored her. He didn’t want to know why his aunt was so quick to mention how much he liked chocolate cream pie. Unless she was hoping to draw attention to him? Lately she’d gone from hinting to outright insisting Mac should try dating again.
A few people moved toward the worship center. Rachel looked down to check her watch. Good. Only a few more seconds he’d have to keep reminding himself not to look at her.
“Granna, do you have a favorite pew for Bible study?”
“If I didn’t sit on the second pew on the piano side, the whole church would think I’d lost my mind.”
“Want to start that way?”
Miss Connie dabbed her mouth with her napkin. “I guess we should.”
Aunt Sharon and Harry looked toward the worship center.
“We should go in, too.” Harry refocused his attention on Aunt Sharon.
We? When had this happened?
“Are you about through with your coffee?” His aunt glanced at the paper cup in Mac’s hand.
“Almost, but go on. I won’t get lost.”
The pair walked off side by side. Apparently Harry had had more in mind than good client service when he’d started bringing every financial paper to the ranch instead of emailing or faxing things the last few weeks. Aunt Sharon had been doing other things since coming for a visit in June and staying to help Mac with Gabe while his parents were gone.
He took his time finishing his coffee. Enough time that he was one of the last people to walk into the worship center. The back pew was still empty. Good. He didn’t want to sit anywhere near Miss Connie and Rachel. Or his aunt and Harry, who had seated themselves in the pew behind the Landry ladies.
The Bible study teacher, Ken Mills, welcomed everyone. “Miss Connie, looks like your special visitor came. Would you like to introduce her?”
“My granddaughter, Rachel, is here to help me for a while.”
“Welcome to Sunrise, Rachel. We’re glad you’re here.” Ken then asked for prayer requests.
“Please keep praying for my mom. The surgery to repair her broken leg went well, but she can’t start rehab for a few more weeks.” Mac spoke loud enough so that his voice carried to the front.
Ken wrote the name Caroline Greer on the dry-erase board perched on an easel. “Tell her we’re all praying for her.”
“I will.”
A few minutes later, Ken started the lesson. His personal faith shone through his observations on Psalm 23. Maybe one day Mac could be half the man of faith Ken was.
When the service began, the pastor’s sermon about resting in the Lord spoke to him, too. Running the ranch without Dad’s help gave him precious little rest. That wouldn’t change anytime soon. His parents had to stay in Fort Worth to get the specialized rehab Mom needed after tripping over a tree root and badly breaking her leg. But as Pastor Leon said, resting in God didn’t depend on our circumstances. God was still here, regardless.
When the service ended, Mac slipped out to get Gabe from the children’s building. Maybe Les would still be around after he picked up his son. But his friend was nowhere in sight when Mac returned to the foyer. His aunt and Harry stood by the worship center doors with Miss Connie and Rachel.
“There you are. We’ve all decided to go the Morning Glory for lunch.” Aunt Sharon’s brown eyes looked to have an extra shine as she stood beside Harry.
Good for her. Good for Harry. They’d known each since they were kids. But Aunt Sharon’s announcement was as welcome as hearing that cattle prices had plummeted. He didn’t want to be anywhere near Rachel Landry—or any other woman his aunt wanted to fix him up with.
Gabe’s face lit up. “Can I have chicken strips?”
Mac didn’t have the heart to disappoint his son. “Sure thing.”
Too soon, he parked his truck in the lot behind the Morning Glory Café. His aunt had ridden with Harry. Maybe that’s why she’d been trying to push him to look for a girlfriend, in spite of how often he said he wasn’t interested. He might as well have told his horse. Boots would have listened better.
“Table for six, Misty.” Miss Connie made her announcement to the hostess the second everyone entered.
The happy tone of the elderly lady’s voice wasn’t Mac’s imagination. His aunt and Harry looked just as cheerful. Rachel’s thin smile appeared too stiff to be real. That improved his opinion of her. Fighting off matchmakers might be the only thing they had in common.
When their table was ready, Harry, Aunt Sharon and Miss Connie left three empty chairs next to each other at the round table. Mac seated Gabe in the middle one. He chose the spot to his son’s left. Rachel took the chair to Gabe’s right. One small way to thwart the well-meaning trio paying too close attention to him and Rachel.
Gabe grabbed the little package of crayons sitting on his children’s menu. “Open these, Daddy?”
“What do you say?”
“Please.”
Mac handed the crayons to his son. With only one café in town, he knew everything they offered here without looking. So did the others.
Rachel kept her head down as she studied her menu. Only a chef would read every word the way she looked to be doing. Or someone just as irritated with the current situation as Mac was. How he hoped the latter was true.
“Want to play tic-tac-toe, Daddy?” Gabe slid his menu closer to Mac.
“Yeah.”
Mac picked up a crayon. Let everyone else talk about the weather or the latest happenings in Sunrise. Rachel didn’t look up from her menu. She’d had time to read it more than once. The current situation must not make her any happier than it did him.
By the time their food came, the three conspirators had mentioned the upcoming fund-raiser for the library and the score of Friday night’s football game, plus how hot it was today for September. Mac and Rachel chimed in here and there while he and Gabe colored.
“Are you having fun in kindergarten?” Rachel turned to Gabe while Mac cut up the chicken strips for his son.
“I don’t go yet.”
“He turned five after Labor Day, so next year.” Mac grinned at his son.
Gabe nodded. “Uh-huh. Next year.”
Rachel soon knew about Gabe’s recent birthday party and every toy he’d been given. If she didn’t like kids, she was an excellent actress. The way she gave Gabe her full attention as he talked signaled her interest might be genuine. But she’d be gone in a few weeks. Unlike his ex, at least she was honest about not staying in town.
Lance Gardner walked over to their table. “How is everyone doing?”
“We’re all fine. The food’s great as usual, Lance.” Harry stabbed a bite of his pork chop with his fork.
“That’s what I like to hear.” Lance’s smile looked to be aimed more at Rachel than anyone else. “Rachel, thanks for coming back. We don’t get a Dallas chef here often.”
She set her tea glass next to her plate. “You’ve got a nice place.”
“You’re welcome to come by and talk shop anytime.”
“Thanks, but right now I’m focusing on helping Granna.”
“Whenever you can would be great.”
Rachel shrugged. “We’ll see.”
Lance nodded and walked off to talk to other guests.
To keep anyone from guessing how pleased he was that Rachel acted so unimpressed with Lance, Mac looked down to butter another roll. He was much happier than he should be to see the man walk away so soon. He had to not let this woman get to him. His reaction was too much. Why she snagged his attention at all made no sense at all. But she’d practically done the same thing on Friday.
As they ate, Rachel kept talking to Gabe and asking him questions. Mac supplied explanations when needed. By the time they’d finished eating, they had had a better conversation than he’d intended.
“Miss Rachel, will you sit by me if we come back another time?” Gabe skipped beside her when they all headed to their vehicles.
Since Mac had to keep hold of Gabe’s hand, he had no choice but to walk with Rachel, too. The other three kept their distance, keeping several steps ahead of them. He really needed to figure out how to convince them that their obvious matchmaking wouldn’t work.
“I’d be happy to sit by you again.”
Gabe’s face shone. “Me, too.” He reached for Rachel’s hand with his free one. “Walk with me and Daddy to our truck?”
She glanced over to her grandmother, still talking to Aunt Sharon and Harry. “Looks like I’ve got time for that.”
Mac would be finding excuses to head straight home after church for however long Rachel stayed here. As uninterested as she’d been acting, she might do the same. But her instant willingness to talk about a next time to sit by Gabe spooked him. So did the fact his son still held her hand. He couldn’t let his son get attached to a Dallas woman who would soon be gone.
They walked in silence the rest of the way to Mac’s truck. Rachel looked toward her grandmother again while he made sure Gabe was buckled into his car seat.
“Um, in case you don’t know, my grandmother is an unapologetic matchmaker.” She kept her voice low.
Straightening to look at her, he swallowed the sarcastic words that came to mind. Everyone around here knew about Miss Connie’s love for meddling. She’d tried more than once to “help” him with his love life.
Rachel took a deep breath. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t want to date you—or anyone—right now.”
With a comment like that, the perceptive woman had all but roped the moon. “Agreed. Friendship is all I want, no matter what my aunt might be hinting. We won’t be in church next Sunday, so you’ll get a rest.”
“Good—I mean, okay.” She laughed. “Then again, I don’t want to be the reason why you’re avoiding church.”
He chuckled. “Not at all. We have a small bed-and-breakfast set up at our ranch. Aunt Sharon and I take turns on Sunday with the couple who handles the weekend guests for us, so they can come to church, too.”
“How nice.”
“Oh, Mac.” Aunt Sharon waved at him from a few cars over. “Harry will bring me home later.”
After such an honest conversation with Rachel, the grin he tossed his aunt’s direction was genuine. “If we’re lucky, they’ll start concentrating on each other so much that they’ll leave us alone.”
She looked toward Miss Connie’s car. “I’d better get Granna home.”
“’Bye, Miss Rachel.” Gabe waved at her.
“’Bye, Gabe. Have fun with your dog this afternoon.” She paused to wave back.
Mac glanced over her shoulder to see all three conspirators looking as if they’d won the lottery. He and Rachel would have to be careful or the whole town would have them paired off, thanks to the well-meaning trio smiling their way.
He’d made a colossal mistake talking to Rachel Landry alone.
Copyright © 2022 by Betty Woods
Fall in love with Love Inspired—inspirational and uplifting stories of faith and hope. Find strength and comfort in the bonds of friendship and community. Revel in the warmth of possibility and the promise of new beginnings.
Sign up for the Love Inspired newsletter at LoveInspired.com to be the first to find out about upcoming titles, special promotions and exclusive content.
CONNECT WITH US AT:
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
ISBN-13: 9780369715722
Her Mountain Refuge
Copyright © 2022 by Laurel Blount
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
