Monday morning, AnnaBeth offered to take Hunter to school. “I need to pick up a few things while I’m in town.”
Jonas threaded his fingers through her hand. “Like what?”
“It’s Christmas.” She kissed his cheek. “This time of year, cowboys should know better than to ask too many questions.”
While he worked to repair the porch handrail, his mother also left for town and then returned with Aunt IdaLee.
Holding on to his great-aunt’s arm, his mother made sure IdaLee didn’t lose her footing coming up the walk.
IdaLee stopped to talk to him. “Ran into your runaway bride while we were in town.”
His mother smiled. “She sure looked happy. Nearly as happy as you when Dwight brought me back to the ranch yesterday.”
Jonas didn’t say anything. He had it on good authority cowboys didn’t kiss and tell.
“For the love of sweet tea, Jonas.” His aunt wagged a bony finger at him. “I hope you’re not going to do something stupid and lose that girl. Besides your son, she’s the best thing that ever happened to you.”
“Yep.” He nodded. “She’s a keeper.”
“And what’s more—” IdaLee peered at him. “What did you say?”
He cocked his head. “I agree with you. AnnaBeth is a keeper. And that’s exactly what I intend to do—keep her.”
IdaLee’s head reared back a fraction. “Well,” she harrumphed. “Glad to see you’ve finally come to your senses.”
His mother bit off a smile. “Let’s get you in the house, Aunt IdaLee, and see about some of that applesauce cake I promised.”
Jonas returned to his repairs. With the help of a buddy, Zach had delivered AnnaBeth’s car to the ranch Sunday afternoon. But after all that had happened between them, she looked in no hurry to leave the FieldStone.
They’d discussed attending the tree lighting on the town square together later that week. And the parent/student Christmas party at Hunter’s school.
He wasn’t clear on the details yet, but he felt sure somehow he could convince her to put off her departure indefinitely.
Jonas was putting the final screw in the handrail when a sleek, blue BMW rolled through the gateposts and parked in front of the lodge.
A woman in her late forties jumped out of the car. Small, rail-thin with delicate pixie features, she had big brown eyes and sleek short, brown hair. Her jewelry looked expensive.
He reckoned her brown high-heeled boots alone probably cost more than a month of groceries. An ominous feeling roiled his gut.
“Where’s my daughter?” Heels clattering on the sidewalk, she rushed over to him. “What have you done with her?”
Sudden fear assailed him. The repercussions of this woman’s arrival had the potential to shake AnnaBeth to her core. And he felt helpless to do anything to stop it from happening.
“I have the county sheriff on speed-dial.” The petite woman brandished her cell phone in his face. “I demand to see AnnaBeth immediately.”
After finishing her shopping, AnnaBeth drove back toward the ranch. She and Hunter sang Christmas carols all the way up the mountain.
He gave the sports car an admiring pat. “I wike your caw.”
She steered carefully around the winding road. “I’m thinking of trading it in for something more practical. Like an SUV.” A smile spread across her face. “Better for ranch living.”
Truth was, she’d been so giddy last night she’d barely gotten five hours of sleep. And when she did sleep, her dreams were full of a certain hunky cowboy...and a little cowboy, too.
Pulling through the gateposts at the FieldStone, she reflected she’d never imagined she could be this happy.
May your heart always find its way home.
For the first time in her life, she believed she finally had. Her life was here on the FieldStone.
And though nothing had yet been said between them, in his eyes she saw the words he wasn’t yet able to say.
Not yet, but soon. She knew it in her heart. Soon, together they’d establish the family they’d each always dreamed of.
At the lodge, as she pulled alongside a familiar BMW, foreboding needled her chest.
Gentleman in the making, Hunter helped her tote her Christmas purchases. But reluctance dogged her steps.
Jonas met them at the door. “There’s someone here to see you, AnnaBeth.”
Sinking dread gripped her belly.
Ushering them inside, he squeezed her hand before they entered the living room. In a red cardigan twinset and wool skirt, IdaLee sat on one end of the sofa as prim as the teacher she’d once been. On the other end of the couch, Deirdre lifted a troubled face to AnnaBeth.
Her stepmother rose from AnnaBeth’s favorite chair. In less time than it took to blink, they surveyed each other.
Victoria had tucked her winter white jeans into her favorite Italian boots. The big, clunky gold necklace glistened at the neck of her oversized Aran sweater, a garment that emphasized her stepmother’s tiny frame.
When AnnaBeth found the courage to lift her gaze to Victoria’s face, what she beheld there took her breath. She saw regret and a pain so deep AnnaBeth had to look away.
Hand outstretched, Victoria took a step toward her. “Bethy...”
AnnaBeth scowled. “How did you find me?”
“MaryDru.” Dropping her hand, she pinched her lips together. “Please, don’t be angry with her. I begged her to tell me.”
Then AnnaBeth recalled letting the name of the ranch slip during one of her conversations with MaryDru.
Jonas rested his hand on the small of her back. Comforting. Protective.
The gesture did not go unnoticed by her stepmother.
Deirdre cleared her throat. “Aunt IdaLee has been telling Mrs. Cummings about the Double Name Club.”
The silence grew uncomfortable between the adults, but, aware of none of it, Hunter sidestepped his father and AnnaBeth.
Arms laden with shopping bags, he peered from under the brim of his hat at Victoria. “Is dis your mommy, AnnaBef?”
“Victoria is my stepmother.” Using him not unlike a human shield, she placed her hands on his shoulders. “Not my mother.”
Her stepmother flinched.
Deirdre got off the couch. “AnnaBeth, don’t.”
“Hunter?” IdaLee inched her way upright. “Why don’t you put the shopping bags in AnnaBeth’s room?”
Sharp, blue eyes missing nothing, the old woman looked from Victoria to AnnaBeth. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but Hunter and I are ready for lunch.”
By mutual agreement, they tabled anything other than polite conversation for later.
Hunter and Jonas disappeared upstairs, and the unlikely quartet of women headed into the kitchen to make lunch.
For the last nine days, AnnaBeth had been given the run of the kitchen. She and Deirdre had become a well-oiled team at putting food on the table.
When she took out a paring knife to slice a tomato, Victoria rushed to her side. “Let me help you with that, Bethy.” She gave AnnaBeth a wobbly smile. “Like old times.”
“No, thanks. Deirdre and I have everything under control.”
“Oh.” Victoria’s eyes darted between them. “Of course. I see. I’ll just sit down over there out of your way, then.”
Lips tightening, Deirdre threw AnnaBeth a hard look.
IdaLee cleared her throat. “My parents were the first to open the ranch to guests. They offered meals to the young men working on the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway during Roosevelt’s New Deal.”
“Hospitality and heritage are important.” Biting her lip, Victoria looked through the bay window to the snow-covered ridge. “This is a special place. I’m so happy Bethy found her way here.”
Not trusting herself to speak, AnnaBeth concentrated on not slicing off a finger.
Lunch wasn’t as awkward as she’d feared. Victoria was a master at the niceties of polite conversation and putting others at ease. From time to time, Jonas touched AnnaBeth’s hand under the table. Yet, surprisingly, Hunter took to her stepmother right away.
After lunch, he insisted on taking Victoria onto the terrace to show her the correct way to rope a steer. She appeared genuinely delighted to spend time with the little cowboy. Like AnnaBeth, Victoria had always been good with children.
Finally, though, AnnaBeth could put off the hard conversation with her stepmother no longer.
She wanted Victoria to leave. She wanted only to be surrounded by people who loved her. Here at the FieldStone, where she felt herself on the brink of becoming the AnnaBeth that God always intended for her to be.
“You should probably go soon, Victoria. It’s best to get off the mountain before dark.”
Her stepmother fingered her keys. “Would you walk me to the car?”
AnnaBeth nodded.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Deirdre.” Victoria’s dark eyes gleamed. “And for listening.”
Deirdre hugged her. “You’re always welcome at the FieldStone, Victoria.”
IdaLee patted Victoria’s arm. “You did well, dear heart. AnnaBeth does you credit. She’s such a jewel.”
AnnaBeth kept her thoughts on that one to herself.
Victoria hugged Hunter. She extended her hand to Jonas. “Thank you for taking such good care of my daughter.”
He dipped his head. “It’s been our pleasure, Mrs. Cummings.”
Walking out of the lodge, AnnaBeth and her stepmother were silent. The snow crunched under their feet. They stopped beside the BMW.
“You’re not ever coming home, are you?” Victoria rasped.
AnnaBeth shook her head.
Victoria hugged her arms around her sweater. “I think MaryDru and Scott are going to work things out between them.”
“All I ever wanted was for MaryDru to have her chance for happiness.”
Victoria swallowed. “I know you won’t believe me, but that’s all I ever wanted for both my girls.”
AnnaBeth clamped her lips together to keep them from trembling.
“I never would’ve pushed you and Scott to marry if I’d known you truly didn’t love him.” Victoria’s thin shoulders rose and fell. A helpless, hopeless gesture. “I knew he would treat you the way you deserved. He’s a good guy.”
“Scott is a wonderful guy.”
Had Victoria always looked so fragile? Or was AnnaBeth only now noticing?
“But more importantly, Bethy, I knew Scott would love you for who you are.”
“Only as a friend, though.” AnnaBeth sniffed. “And that kind of love isn’t enough, Victoria.”
“No.” She turned away, her gaze roaming over the snowy landscape. “You’re right. It isn’t.”
An uncomfortable suspicion gripped AnnaBeth. Had Victoria been trying just as desperately to “earn” Hayes Cummings’s love as his daughter?
Perhaps she and Victoria had more in common than she’d known.
AnnaBeth crossed her arms. “Why did you come here, Victoria?”
“Just like before. The first time.” Her stepmother bit her lip. “I had to make sure my Bethy was all right.”
“I’m not your...” AnnaBeth took a breath. “I’ve left messages on Daddy’s phone, but I haven’t heard from him. Do you think he’ll ever forgive me? Is he still so very, very angry with me?”
“Your father—” Lips parting, she appeared about to say something, and then changed her mind. “I met your father only a month after his divorce.”
Wait. After the divorce? She’d always assumed—
“I’m making some changes in my life, AnnaBeth. Necessary changes, a long time coming. But I want you to know that no matter what happens, wherever I am, my home will always be your home.”
“What do you mean ‘wherever you are’?” AnnaBeth’s voice rose. “Where are you going?”
Resignation clouded Victoria’s flawless features. AnnaBeth realized that her eyes were almost the exact shade of brown as Jonas’s eyes.
“I’m sorry for pushing you so hard. For failing you. For never being enough.” Victoria winced. “For not being the mother you wanted.”
What was going on here? It sounded as if Victoria was saying goodbye. Forever.
She touched AnnaBeth’s face. Not the first time she’d tried to do that. But the first time that AnnaBeth let her.
“MaryDru might’ve grown under my heart.” Her palm cradled AnnaBeth’s cheek. “But from the moment I laid eyes on you, Bethy, you grew in it.”
Before she could think of how to respond, Victoria got into the car. Annabeth stood there until the red taillights of her stepmother’s vehicle disappeared over the incline in the drive.
Jonas, Hunter and IdaLee came out of the house.
“Hunt and I are taking Aunt IdaLee home.” His forehead creased. “Are you okay?”
She tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’m fine.”
He gave her a meaningful look. “You sure?”
She managed a weak smile. “No, really. I mean it. I’m fine.” With her finger, she smoothed the line on his forehead. “No need to scowl, cowboy. Just hurry back, okay?”
He adjusted the angle of his hat. “Will do.”
Seeing Victoria had left her feeling oddly unsettled. And difficult conversations appeared to be on the menu today.
Inside the house, feet flat on the floor, Deirdre’s fingers tapped the armrest of the couch. She didn’t look happy. “Victoria told me about your father. And his drinking problem.”
Sinking into the armchair, AnnaBeth made a face. “She shouldn’t have told you about him. That’s never mattered to me.”
“Running away will never solve your problems, honeybun. Unless you face the broken relationships in your past, how can you hope to create a new life for yourself?”
“It isn’t Daddy’s fault. It’s Victoria. She never—”
“Victoria might not have been the mother you wanted, AnnaBeth.” Deirdre raised her chin. “But Victoria was the mother you got. The mother God knew you needed. God doesn’t make mistakes.”
AnnaBeth shook her head.
“Her mothering may have sometimes been misguided over the years, but Victoria loves you, AnnaBeth. Yes, she made mistakes. But she did the best for you that she knew how.” Deirdre’s eyes flashed. “As do most mothers for their children. As one day, you’ll discover for yourself. You’re very like her. Did you know that?”
AnnaBeth recoiled. “I’m nothing like her.”
“You have her elegance. Her incredible sense of style and grace.” Deirdre gestured. “You view the world through the same lens. Like it or not, for better or worse, good and bad, we are more like our mothers than perhaps we care to admit.”
AnnaBeth blinked rapidly.
“But most of all, what I see of her in you, AnnaBeth, is the overwhelming sweetness my son could no more resist than a bee to honey.”
AnnaBeth squeezed her eyes shut. “I—I don’t want to talk about this anymore, Deirdre.”
Getting off the sofa, Deirdre wrapped her arms around AnnaBeth. “I don’t say these things because I want to hurt you. I love you, honeybun.”
AnnaBeth’s throat clogged with unshed tears.
“But no ranch, no child, no spouse, no human being will ever be able to fill the hole that’s inside you. Only God can fill that kind of emptiness. And He will, if you ask Him to.”
There was truth in her words that resonated deep within AnnaBeth.
She hugged this dear woman of God. “It’s not only Hunter and Jonas that I thank God for bringing into my life.”
AnnaBeth didn’t sleep much that night. When she finally did fall asleep, she dreamed she was a little girl again. At her mother’s funeral.
Lost and alone, she seemed to be chasing something or someone, always just out of her reach.
She awoke crying, confused and unsure about what had been real memories and what hadn’t been.
A nagging uncertainty plagued her—the sense that she’d overlooked a vital piece of information. Something Victoria said...
Yet, unable to puzzle it out, she spent the morning wrapping her Christmas presents for the family. Deirdre was busy in the kitchen. With Hunter at preschool, Jonas was out and about somewhere on the ranch.
She was arranging the gifts under the tree when she realized she’d misplaced her phone.
AnnaBeth wandered into the kitchen. “By any chance, did I leave my phone in here?”
Perched on an island stool, Deirdre pored over her grocery list. “’Fraid I haven’t seen it, honeybun.”
“Huh...” Chewing the inside of her cheek, she cast her mind about for the last place she’d set it down.
“Maybe you left it in Jonas’s truck earlier. When you two carried Hunt to preschool?”
AnnaBeth snapped her fingers. “That’s it. You’re a genius.”
Deirdre laughed.
AnnaBeth tied a scarf around her neck and ventured outside. But there she discovered Jonas standing by the open door of his truck. Her cell phone sat in his hand.
She hurried over. “You found it.”
When he looked up, he wasn’t smiling. “I heard ringing. When I picked it up, I couldn’t help but see the name of the caller.”
AnnaBeth held out her hand. “No problem. I’ll ring them back. I hope it wasn’t something important.”
Eyes narrowed, he handed her the phone. “You tell me.”
She frowned. “What’s wrong, Jonas?”
He looked away. “I wasn’t aware you and your ex-fiancé were still in contact.”
“Oh, that.”
His gaze returned to hers. “Yeah, that.” His face shadowed. “Do you still have feelings for him, AnnaBeth?”
“No, Jonas.” Without meaning to, she’d hurt him. “It’s not that at all.”
“Then what?”
She was shaken by the raw vulnerability in his eyes. Loving someone was a privilege. A sacred responsibility.
In that moment, she realized she loved Jonas. Deeply. With all her heart.
But secrets didn’t make for happily-ever-afters.
AnnaBeth moistened her lips. “There are still issues Scott and I need to resolve, Jonas.”
Setting his jaw, he stuck his hands in his pockets.
AnnaBeth caught his arm. “I promise it’s not what you think.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I don’t know what to think.”
She needed to come clean with him about her wedding. But it was almost time to pick up Hunter.
“This afternoon, maybe you and I could go for a drive. Alone. Can you wait ’til then? I promise I’ll tell you everything, Jonas. Please?”
He probed her features. Trust was his biggest issue. She held her breath. She’d do anything not to lose his trust in her.
Jonas kissed her forehead. “’Til then.”
She let the breath she’d been holding trickle through her lips. “Thank you, Jonas.”
“You want to ride to town with me to pick up Hunter?” Jonas rubbed his chin. “He’d rather see your pretty face than this old cowboy mug of mine. Not that I blame him.”
She smiled. “Let me grab my coat.”
They walked into the house together. She was about to take her coat off the peg when her cell phone rang in her hand.
Without checking caller ID, she clicked on. “Hello?”
“AnnaBeth.”
“Daddy?” Her mouth went dry. “Is that you?”
Her father had finally called. She’d been so worried. She held up her finger for Jonas to give her a minute.
“We’ve got time,” he whispered as he detoured to pour himself a cup of coffee. Deirdre gave her a thumbs-up.
She turned back to the phone. “Daddy, it’s so good to hear your voice.”
“Hello, sweetheart. I’m so sorry I haven’t returned your calls sooner.”
Sweetheart... She gulped.
AnnaBeth could count the number of times he’d called her sweetheart and still not use all the fingers of her hand. She went limp with relief. Did this mean he’d forgiven her? That he wasn’t going to shut her out of his life forever?
In the background on the other end, she heard someone paging a doctor.
“Daddy?” She gripped the phone. “Where are you?”
Her eyes flitted toward Deirdre and Jonas. Jonas made a motion as if to leave and give her some privacy. But she gestured for him and his mother to stay. She had a feeling when she got off the phone, she might need their support.
“Daddy, what’s wrong?”
“I’ve done something I should’ve done a long time ago. I’ve checked into a treatment center, AnnaBeth.”
Victoria had been after him so long to make changes in his life. To get help. Counseling. But he’d always refused.
And when the stress of life got to be too much, he fell off the wagon. Time and time again.
She sank into a chair at the kitchen table. “Are you okay, Daddy?”
Her father took a shuddering breath. “Not yet, but I will be. I’ve made such a mess of everything. Now I’ve lost her. Lost my family. Lost you.”
Lost her who? Victoria?
“You haven’t lost me, Daddy,” she whispered into the phone. “I’m glad you’re getting help.”
“When Victoria got home yesterday, we had a long talk. A long-overdue conversation. She told me I had to get help or—” His voice hitched. “I’ve hurt all of you so m-much.”
Had Victoria left her father?
“I’m so ashamed. I let my anger toward your mother overshadow our relationship.”
She rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know what you mean, Daddy.”
“Victoria’s convinced she’ll never see you again. It’s breaking her heart, AnnaBeth.”
She closed her eyes. “Daddy—”
“That’s the reason I’m calling. You deserve the truth about that day. A truth that does me no credit, but its time for me to make amends before our family completely fractures.”
Her heart pounded. “What are you talking about, Daddy? What day?” She quivered.
Suddenly, she was afraid. Afraid to hear what he had to say. She had a bad feeling the next few minutes would irrevocably alter her life.
“Daddy, it’s okay. I love you. You don’t have to tell me any—”
“Sh-she wouldn’t l-leave you. I told her that l-life was a m-mistake. B-better left in the past.”
Wait. He was talking about her. Had AnnaBeth been the mistake he’d wanted to leave behind?
“Please f-forgive m-me, AnnaBeth. I’m so sorry for not being there when your mother died. I’m so sorry for not being there for you since,” he sobbed.
Tears flooded her eyes. She’d never heard her father cry before. Hearing the brokenness in him, she felt helpless.
And responsible.
Running away had set a chain of events in motion. With far-reaching consequences she’d never intended. Despite the picture-perfect image, theirs was a family only one slight breeze away from falling apart.
“Despite everything, I do love you. I’m sorry I’ve done such a poor job showing you how much.”
Not a man to offer affection, he’d never told her he loved her before. Hearing the words was like a balm to a wound that had long festered, but never fully healed.
Yet the moment was bittersweet. She had to fix this. Fix everything.
“This is my fault, Daddy.” Her breath came in short, painful gasps. “I should’ve never walked away from Scott. If I’d stayed—”
“The blame lies with me. But I’ve realized only God can fix this. Fix me.”
She closed her eyes. “Daddy, you don’t need to say anything else.”
Please, please, don’t say anything else.
“I wouldn’t go to your mother’s funeral. But Victoria went. And afterward, she refused to release you to Social Services.”
The memories from that terrible, lonely day crystallized. Stabbing her heart like shards of glass. Her father hadn’t been there. He hadn’t come.
And her world, as she’d known it, rocked. Including everything she’d believed about herself.
“But I promise you, sweetheart, whatever it takes, I’m going to become the father you and MaryDru deserve. The man I should’ve been.” His voice became strangled. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But please don’t blame Victoria. None of this was ever her fault.”
Unable to continue, he broke the connection, leaving her stunned. Floundering. Grappling with something she’d never suspected.
She recalled Victoria’s words yesterday. About how she’d come looking for AnnaBeth before... The pieces of the puzzle fell into place as the day of her mother’s funeral took on a new clarity.
Like a lens shifting into focus, everything clicked into place. It wasn’t her father who’d brought her home to live with him. Dropping the cell onto the table, she slumped forward.
“AnnaBeth, what’s wrong?” Deirdre’s voice sharpened.
“The shoes... Why didn’t I realize?” Tears sprang into her eyes. “The shoes with the beautiful velvet bows.”
Deirdre wrapped her arms around AnnaBeth’s shaking shoulders. She’d been unwanted by her own father. Unloved.
“It wasn’t Daddy who insisted Victoria take me into their home and raise me.” She bit back a sob. “It was Victoria who refused to leave me in foster care.”
Deirdre sighed. “I’m so sorry you had to learn the truth this way, honeybun.”
“How could I have forgotten something so important?” She shook her head. “How did I so completely block my memories of that day at the cemetery?”
Unable to fully comprehend her mother’s death, had this been how her childish mind coped with unexplainable loss?
Deirdre hugged her. “It’s going to be all right. You’re not alone. You’re no longer that lost little girl.”
“How could I have been so blind?” Her eyelids stung. “It was Victoria who came for me. Victoria who loved me. Who held me when I cried for my mother.”
Victoria who’d always been there for her. Despite AnnaBeth’s determined efforts to push her away.
“All these years,” AnnaBeth choked, “I blamed her for the distance in my relationship with my father, but it was my dad who never wanted a relationship with me in the first place.”
Taking the blame, Victoria had covered for him so AnnaBeth wouldn’t be hurt.
“I need to call her,” she whispered. “Ask her to forgive me for how I treated her. Ask God to forgive me, too.”
“You’ll need time to come to terms with what you’ve discovered.” Deirdre smoothed AnnaBeth’s hair out of her face. “But there’s no better place to find comfort than at the feet of the One who loves you so much.” She glanced across the kitchen at her son. “Jonas?”
AnnaBeth lifted her gaze. He’d gone still, his face unreadable. She became aware, unlike his mother, he’d made no attempt to come to her. To soothe the blow she’d received.
Then what she’d said on the phone to her father registered. What Jonas had overheard. That it was AnnaBeth who walked out on Scott. Not the other way around.
Pushing back the chair, she shot to her feet. “Jonas.”
But his dark eyes had grown opaque. Anger licked the broad outline of his face.
Deirdre’s brow furrowed. “What’s going on?” She glanced from her son to AnnaBeth. “What is it?”
“Mom, I think it would be best if you picked up Hunter from school today.” Jonas’s mouth flattened. “AnnaBeth and I need to talk. Now.”
And she realized she’d made a terrible—perhaps unforgivable—mistake in not telling him the truth when she had the chance.