“Hand me a couple more logs.” Gabe pointed to the wooden box with a chunk of wood. He tossed the piece into the pit as he kneeled beside the low stone wall. “Can’t have the fish-fry-and-marshmallow-roast fire die too quickly.”
“I love marshmallows.” Jason bent over the edge of the box and came up with a cut log in each hand. “You sure about this fish fry?”
Inquisitive to a fault, Jason hounded him over the logistics of a concept that seemed as simple as the dawn of time. Gabe shook his head. What did they teach these kids in school? “Not a Boy Scout, huh?”
“No.” Jason wrinkled his nose. “Were you?”
“All the way to Eagle Scout.” Gabe arranged the chunks of wood in the pit. “Figured if I was going to live in the mountains, I better know how to take care of things.”
Jason tossed in a couple of branches and grabbed a longer stick. He jabbed at a log. “Sounds cool. Did you have badges?”
“Yep. Had to wear my uniform to school once a month.” A sea of blue shirts and yellow scarves had filled the elementary school. “I had this red vest as a cub scout. As I earned my patches, my mom sewed them on. But the first time I wore the vest to school, I hadn’t earned any yet. All the older kids had tons of patches. That was the day I decided I was going to earn every one.”
Jason’s mouth dropped open and he stared with blue eyes every bit the color of columbines in full bloom. Eyes just like his mother’s. Gabe took an extra moment before looking away. Everywhere he looked, he saw Melanie—a woman he’d met only a few days earlier.
And who would be gone just as quick.
“Did you?”
Jason’s persistence brought him back to the topic at hand. Now he appreciated the effort he’d put into earning the honor. Back when he’d worked on his projects, he’d wondered at his ambition. “It took years, but I did. So did my brothers. We’re all Eagle Scouts.”
“What does that mean?”
It means you understand your responsibilities and stick around until they’re finished. Immediately, Gabe felt petty and unjust. Nick and Zac had their own lives to deal with. If he really thought about it, he’d gotten the best end of the stick, since he’d stayed on the ranch. Still, it wouldn’t hurt for his brothers to check in on their folks once in a while.
Gabe stood and swiped his palm down his thigh. He caught Jason’s earnest gaze and felt even smaller than he thought possible. Attaining the rank of Eagle Scout had meant work and dedication, and unselfish service to others. A trait Gabe fell short of time and again.
He knew Jason didn’t want to hear about the honor others read into the title. Maybe someday, but not now. “It means I know how to start a fire and grill a few fish over the flames.”
Jason poked the woodpile with the stick. “Prove it.”
“Oh really? Do I hear a dare?” On the last word, Gabe lunged at Jason and caught the boy off guard. Giggles erupted as Gabe lifted Jason into his arms. The boy curled up like a bug and wiggled just as much. Gabe stood his ground, tickling wherever his fingers landed. Jason tried to squirm out of his grasp, but Gabe tossed hay bales heavier than Jason. Eagle Scout skills weren’t required at the moment. “Give?”
“Uncle!” Jason hollered the age-old surrender.
“Enough?”
“For now.” A large shadow passed over them. Jason looked up. “What’s that?”
“A bald eagle.” Gabe pointed past the open meadow to the mountain range. “They have a nest in the crags of that ridge over there.”
Jason shaded his eyes and stared. “Wow.”
Gabe lowered his line of sight to his house. There on the porch, Melanie sat in his swing, her head propped against the cushion, her eyes closed. His stomach did a flip and he lost track of their conversation.
The old swing never looked better.
Melanie, Grace and Martin sat in camp chairs around the pit. Jason loaded his hundredth marshmallow on the stick. Gabe stood by the fire with Jason feeding the flames and showing her son how to keep the treat at a distance from the flames to toast it, not incinerate it.
Melanie held her own stick, the white puff on the end consumed by flames. She blew out the fire, pulled the blackened skin off the marshmallow and popped it into her mouth. Nothing better than charred marshmallows.
She leaned back and fiddled with the pop-top of the soda can in the cup holder. Crickets chirped around her and cicadas buzzed in the dark. A slight breeze rustled the branches of the surrounding trees, the sweet scent of sage kissing the air. She closed her eyes and drank in the night. Peace and serenity. It had been so long, she hardly recognized it.
Gabe’s gentle voice drifted from the edge of the fire pit. Jason asked countless questions and Gabe fielded them all with patient attention. His heart for children warmed her soul.
Thank you, Lord.
Hank came out of the kitchen with mugs and a tin coffeepot in his hand. “Best coffee you’ll ever taste. This pot’s been through campouts, hunting camps and more than its share of evening marshmallow roasts. Here.” He handed out mugs. “Now you tell me if this isn’t the best.”
“Thanks.” Melanie accepted her mug and held it out for the evening brew. “You do it all, don’t you, Hank?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He held up the sugar. “Got to know how to survive in the wild, and if you don’t make good coffee you’re a dead man, no matter how you look at it.”
She reached for the cream. “Glad to hear you plan to stick around awhile.”
The conversation turned to coffee and tea, leading eventually to how good the brew depended solely on the quality of the water. The well water on the ranch was the best around. She had to admit, the water did taste crisp and fresh.
“I know what we need.” Gabe turned back to the fire. “We need some music.”
“That we do.” Hank set the coffeepot down. “The night wouldn’t be complete without campfire songs.”
The two men headed toward the house as Melanie relaxed in her seat. The breeze shifted and a puff of smoke blew past her. She sniffed and sneezed.
“You okay?” Grace handed her an extra napkin.
Melanie wrinkled her nose. “Just the smell of nature.” She blew her nose as delicately as possible. “I’ve been to church, ridden a horse, caught fish, gathered firewood, and finished the best meal I’ve ever had. How much better can a day get?”
“Well, how’s your singing?” Martin leaned forward and tossed another log on the fire. Sparks flew all around them.
Melanie sneezed again.
“Bless you,” Grace offered. “What you’re saying is you’ve had too much fun for one day?”
“I can’t remember when I’ve done so much in one day.” She glanced at the log where Jason sat, poking the tip of a stick in the fire. So much family time.
Gabe and Hank returned, guitars in hand. The two strummed a few chords and tuned up. Then Gabe began playing in earnest. “Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam…”
“And the deer and the antelope play.” Melanie joined in as all their voices rose to the words. Hank played harmony to Gabe’s melody. The guitars sounded great. She couldn’t say the same for the portion she contributed. When they ran out of familiar verses, Gabe chorded to a close.
Melanie giggled. “Funny how you don’t forget the words to some songs.”
“Classics, my dear, classics,” Gabe answered in singsong as he changed tunes. His long fingers glided over the neck of the guitar, graceful in their motion. The firelight danced in reflection off of the polished wood as the pick he held between his fingers worked over the strings. The tempo picked up.
“I come from Alabama with a banjo on my knee.”
“I’m gone to Louisiana where my true love waits for me,” Hank picked up while Gabe held his note. The two offered a duet that sounded suspiciously rehearsed. Melanie tapped her foot in rhythm. Best show she’d ever seen.
Jason laid his stick on the stones beside the pit. She motioned for him to step around and join her. Displaying none of the energy he’d had all day, he skirted the crowd and slid up on her lap. She gave him a squeeze and hummed along with the tune.
“Gabe and Hank play pretty good, don’t they?” She rubbed her face in his hair.
“Um-hmm.” Jason wiggled around until he found just the right spot then began swinging his foot to the tune. “Wonder if he knows any Garth Brooks?”
“Did I hear a request?” In true performer spirit, Hank scanned the crowd. “Did I hear Garth Brooks?”
“Uh-huh. Know any?”
Gabe said something to Hank over his shoulder. Hank picked a couple cords. Fingers began playing the strings as the opening bars to “Rodeo” filled the air. He grinned and winked at Jason as he began describing the bucking bull in the low voice made famous by the country singer.
Jason bounced on her knees, fully awake now. He joined in as the men came to the chorus, shouting a rather off-key “Rodeo-o-o” of his own. Martin sat up and added his own flat harmony. Grace clapped her hands.
Animation colored Gabe’s pitch, and the entire song became a free-for-all.
Laughing so hard, Melanie thought she’d cry.
The men strummed their final chord.
“That was great.” Jason clamped his hands down on her thighs like vices. “Sing another one.”
That half smile Melanie had come to search for on Gabe accompanied his humble bow. “Thank you, folks, for your appreciation of the music made by a pair of lowly cowboys. Now for something a little slower.”
His fingers danced along the neck of the guitar as graceful as the hawks she’d seen the other day soaring through the air. Gabe hummed and picked at his guitar. His eyes closed, he appeared in complete worship. The tune became familiar and Melanie grew still. The words popped into her mind even before Gabe began to sing.
“Praise the name of Jesus,” Gabe and Hank sang in harmony.
“Praise the name of Jesus,” Grace joined in.
Martin hummed. Jason swayed.
She’d once belted out the words of the familiar song, swayed to the music. Right beside Paul, within the singles group. They’d sung the truth from the very bottom of their souls. He’d hug her afterward and they’d all go out to lunch at a café around the corner from the church. She’d clasped on to the joy, not wanting to ever let it go.
Not thinking there was a reason.
Ahhh, how times change in the blink of an eye.
Her stomach knotted so tight her meal protested. Pain and anger rose; she tamped them down. They couldn’t hurt her now. Not anymore.
Sucking in a deep breath, Melanie heard Gabe’s words ring thick with praise: “He’s my rock, He’s my fortress…”
“In Him will I trust.” The words came out of her mouth as natural as breathing. Her mouth snapped closed. She’d trusted God and fell in love with Paul. All the girls drooled over him. She’d beamed when he’d shown interest in her. They’d worshipped together, attended the singles events together, went on dates with other church couples. God had answered her prayers by bringing Paul into her life.
Jason swayed on her knees, his boyish voice singing the refrain, his shoulder movements familiar in a bizarre, déjà vu fashion. Melanie closed her eyes and saw Paul standing beside her in church singing the final hymn of the morning, his arm around her, his hand clutching the waistband of her skirt tighter than was proper.
Lies no longer tempted her. But the deceit lived on.
Her eyes snapped open, and the final chorus around the campfire wound to a close. She’d never allow herself to get hurt like that again. She kept her eyes open now.
Melanie gave Jason a squeeze and cleared her throat. “Do we have entertainment for the picnic?”
Gabe pulled the strap over his head and swung his guitar down to his side. “I think our local boys will provide the music. Hank and I will have our hands full penning cattle.”
“Too bad.” She collected her thoughts as Jason raved over the music.
“Well now.” Grace angled and stood up. “We’ve a got a few nights ahead of us yet. I’m sure we’ll have a chance to sing some more.”
“You were great.” Jason slid off Melanie’s knees, allowing the blood to circulate through her legs.
“Yes, you were.” Melanie stared at Gabe, her emotions raw.
Gabe tossed a chunk of bark into the glowing pit; his long lashes made even longer by firelight. His crooked smile warmed her clear down to her toes. “Thanks.”
Martin stood up a bit slower than the rest of them. He rubbed circulation back into his left arm. “Time to call it a night. Work tomorrow.”
Melanie stood and stretched. She lifted her chin to the black night sky dusted with crystal chips. “I have a meeting with Mrs. Wells tomorrow.”
“Bright and early.” Grace nodded. “You’ve got a party to plan and you don’t have much time to do it.”
“Amen,” Melanie whispered under her breath. Good thing—not too much time to plan. She needed to finish her obligation fast. She rolled her head from side to side and then stole a look at Gabe, meeting his curious gaze across the low-burning fire.
Looks like that had gotten her in trouble before. Hadn’t she just relived the moment? She turned away and reached for Jason, almost pulling him toward the path leading back to their cabin.
The next morning, Melanie trudged toward the ranch house. The connection with Gabe she experienced the night before unsettled her. Thankfully, she’d be spending the day with Grace and the ladies making menu plans. Jason had left a few minutes earlier, intent on finding leftovers from breakfast.
The pickup stood in front of the house. Embarrassment rose as she remembered the muddy mess she’d made of herself and Gabe the day she’d met him. She rounded the truck bed and found RJ leaning against the door.
“Mornin’, ma’am. Fine day for a drive to church.”
Handsome in his own right, this lanky cowboy brought to life all that was country, from his worn boots to his crumpled hat. He made her smile with his own brand of laid-backness, but that was as far as attraction went.
She had her hands full with the tingle she experienced whenever Gabe walked up. “Good morning, RJ. Have you seen Jason? I don’t want to make Grace wait.”
“Just a second ago.” He pointed toward the kitchen.
Heads bobbed beyond the kitchen window. “Hey, Jason. Let’s go.”
Jason ran out of the house. “Miss Grace had biscuits left for me.” He ran past her to the truck.
“Is Grace coming?”
“She’ll be by to pick us up.” Jason wiped his hands on his jeans. “Hey, RJ.”
Melanie cringed at the thought of facing the planning committee by herself. A butterfly flitted around the wildflowers edging Grace’s yard, their tiny blue blossoms stretching in the sunlight. So how unruly could a group of church ladies get?
“Emma Jean, the tomatoes aren’t anywhere near ripe yet. No one will want to eat that salad.” Frannie Pollard shook her head.
“I will, and so will my boys.”
“Only because you tell them they have to.”
“Do not!” Emma Jean Cisco glared at Frannie. “Everyone expects my tomato salad on the menu. This year I’m making a double batch.”
“Ladies, please.” Mary Wells clapped her hands together. “There will be room on the tables for all your delicious dishes.”
Feeling more like a parent aid in one of the elementary school classes rather than an event coordinator, Melanie stood up. “I haven’t checked yet, but I’m certain to find enough tables to hold all the wonderful dishes you plan on preparing.”
Mrs. Wells spread her arms to continue the pacification. “Of course we’ll be able to offer all the tasty dishes everyone brings.”
“If everyone don’t come down sick after eating green tomatoes,” Frannie Pollard mumbled just loud enough.
Before pencils starting flying across the table, Melanie turned to Emma Jean. “If you’d like, I’d be happy to create place cards with your name and the name of your dish. It will follow a firecracker theme.”
“Say, that does sound nice.” Emma Jean sat back in her chair and grinned. “You’re doing a fine job of bringing this picnic together, Melanie.”
Melanie gave her thanks and sat down while Mrs. Wells went on with the plans for decorating, seating and everything else associated with the event. Melanie wanted to kiss her. She had no idea so much went into a simple barbecue.
A menu of slow-roasted barbecue beef, salads, rolls and desserts came together.
“How about pork ribs?” Melanie glanced around the room. “I have my uncle’s secret recipe for the best pork rib you’ve ever tasted.”
Mrs. Wells dropped her pencil on the table. “We live in cattle country. We’ll eat what the land provides us.”
“Mrs. Wells, beef is always our number one choice,” Jennifer O’Reilly piped up. “Traditions don’t disappear with new ideas. If folks like it, we’ll say you thought of it. If they hate it, we’ll say it was all Melanie’s idea.”
Melanie snapped around and glared at the woman she thought was her friend.
Jennifer winked at her. “You’ll be long gone by then. Easy to dump blame that way.”
“Jennifer O’Reilly, no one will be blamed. We will discuss the merits of the idea and decide next meeting.”
Confused by the democratic process adapted by the good folks of Hawk Ridge, Colorado, Melanie’s thoughts continued to jumble together as everyone gathered their papers and the chatter of excitement over the upcoming picnic drifted out the back door. She fingered her pad of paper and cleared her throat. “Three weeks sounds like a short time to pull this event together.”
Jennifer rolled her eyes. “They never make anything easy. But wait until you see the end results. Small wonder Gabe delegated his assignment to innocent bystanders.”
“It’s more like indentured servitude, but hey, I’ll be able to drive back home as a direct result.” Melanie couldn’t help but like Jennifer. “Thanks for the support.”
“Someone has to bring this town into the twenty-first century. Having you here just helps my cause.” Green eyes brightened. “So, Gabe mentioned you’re looking for a job?”
Melanie nodded. “In research and field work. I want a job that lets me spend more time with Jason.”
“Good for you. I went to school for nursing and then came back to help in Dad’s clinic.” Jennifer paused a moment. “Sometimes it’s depressing to think that’s all there is.”
Melanie bent over and picked up a paper from the floor. “All there is to what?”
“Life.” Jen shrugged. “Grow up, go to school, go to work, get married, have babies, do the PTA duty and live the rest of your life wondering what you’ve missed.”
Melanie glanced at the page and tossed it into the waste-basket. “What do you think you’ve missed?”
“I don’t know. I love it here in Hawk Ridge, but I can’t help but think God has greater plans for me.”
Melanie didn’t want to get into the whole “God and His plans” thing. At one time, she thought she had that all figured out, too. “Is there something you’d like to do?”
“Lots of things.”
“Well, now is the time to make those dreams come true.” She dusted off her soapbox of tough choices. “I knew I needed something better than the job I had or I’d grow old and realize I’d missed Jason growing up. Change isn’t easy when you’re the sole breadwinner. Take your chances while you can. Plenty of time to rock on the porch when you’re old.”
A smile a mile wide brightened Jennifer’s face. “I’m glad you understand.”
Melanie understood more than Jennifer would ever realize. Taking chances with the help and support of a loving family created options when faced with hard decisions. A person grew up fast when faced with providing for themselves and an infant as their only course. She didn’t recommend that route to anyone. “I haven’t heard the boys in a while. Do you know where they went?”
Jen wiped her hands on a dishtowel and nodded toward the door. “Probably out back by the swing.”
The swing. Her heart beat faster. “That death trap?”
Jen angled her chin, puzzled. “The swing out back? No one’s ever gotten hurt on it.”
Marching around the side of the church, Melanie followed the back wall until she reached the tree. The boys hollered up a storm, a boy younger than Jason twirled around on the rope. Jen came up beside her and touched her arm. “Watch, I’ll show you. Hey boys, my turn!”
Jennifer walked up to the swing just as the rope came to a stop. She took a hair band from the pocket of her shorts and tied her hair into a ponytail. Helping the little boy off the plank, Jen sat down and grabbed hold of the ropes. “All right Toby, give me a shove!”
Toby and Jason pushed, sending her flying into the air. They ran back out of the way as she swooped back and forth, her ponytail swept the ground as momentum sent her in a high arc. When the swing crested over the ridge wall, she let go and sailed through the air.
Heart pounding in her throat, Melanie took off running, patting her back pocket for her phone to call 911. She fell to her knees at the edge of the drop-off and heard chatter below. Toby and Jason were on either side of Jen, all of them squealing on a huge green-tarp-covered pile of mattresses.
“It’s just like a trampoline, Mom.” Jason bounced until he tumbled into Toby. “Com’ere and try.”
There was no bottomless pit, no free fall of death. Once in the pit, the edges made a bowl out of the mountain shelf, the bottom and sides lined with foam.
Gabe was right. Remembering her tirade yesterday, she wanted the rock mountain to open up and swallow her whole. She’d formed her opinion of the situation without even checking out his explanation. Were all her decisions regarding Jason made with the same small-mindedness?
Digging her fingertips into the hard earth, she drew a breath and turned toward the swing. “All right, everyone. Move out of the way.”
Jen, Jason and Toby scrambled to the side as Melanie sat down on the seat and grabbed hold of the rope. She pushed off with her toe.
“Don’t worry, I’ll give you a push.” The little boy she’d seen before pushed against her back until he ran beneath her seat and let gravity swing her back. Air rushed past her ears and scent of warm pine air filled her senses. She pointed her face to the wind and closed her eyes, conscious of the creak in the trees beside her and the stout ropes clenched within her grip.
Voices ebbed and flowed around her. “Mom, let go.”
Melanie opened her eyes. A whirl of pine needles and blue sky rushed past. Swinging back toward the trees, she loosened her hold. As blue sky surrounded her again, she let go.
She sailed through the air, her arms and legs kicking at nothing.
After a lifetime suspended in a moment, she landed on the loose tarp, the mattresses beneath absorbing the fall.
Wow.
Jason stuck his head over the edge and looked down at her. “Are you all right?”
Sprawled out on the tarp, she grinned at him. “Let’s do that again.”