Love Inspired January 2016, Box Set 1 of 2 (44 page)

“Ma'am?”

She slid a business card across the table and closed her laptop. “Call and schedule an appointment. The counselor will send me a report and we'll be done.”

“That's all?”

“I can find more, if you like, but I'm confident that if Anne says you're a good parent, you are.”

Matt, Anne and Stanley followed Bess to the front door.

“I wish you and your daughter the best, Mr. Clark. And if I were you, I'd be thanking the good Lord that Anne Matson is your friend.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

He stood for a moment staring at Bess Williams until she got in her car and disappeared. Then he turned to Anne.

“That was terrifying. It made me really realize how much I want to be a good father to Claire. How much I really love her.”

“Oh, Matt.”

“Would it be okay to hug you? I feel like I've been given a gift and you made it possible. You and the Lord.”

Anne nodded and he wrapped his arms around her, content simply to hold her for a moment. She fit perfectly in his arms, her head tucked beneath his chin. Exactly as he remembered.

Then the moment shifted. She moved away from him, shyly, using one hand to shove her bangs out of her face.

Matt laughed. “You missed some.” He reached out to push a wayward strand away from her eyes. His hand lingered, outlining the curve of her ear and then cupping the back of her head as he bent his head to touch his lips to hers.

Her lashes fluttered and finally closed as their lips met.

She tasted like coming home. He would have liked nothing more than to deepen the kiss. But he didn't. Matt judiciously stepped away, his hands returning to his sides.

“I'm sorry, Anne. I guess I got carried away with the moment.”

She nodded.

“Thank you. Did I say that already?” he murmured.

She, too, had stepped back, into a safe space, where she took a deep breath, composing herself. The self-sufficient walls were back up again. “You don't have to thank me. We're friends. I care for you and Claire, and I believe in both of you.”

“I know,” he said. “That's the amazing part of all this.”

They glanced at each other.

“We should probably pretend that kiss didn't happen,” Matt said.

She jerked back at the words. “Should we?”

“Yeah. Probably so.”

Though he'd said the words, he didn't sound very convincing, even to his own ears. Why was it every time he was around her he became confused about what he wanted and where he was going?

She looked at her watch. “I've got to run. The hardware store closes soon.”

“Another big hammer project?”

“Sort of.” Anne paused and narrowed her eyes. “I'm ignoring the fact that you insulted my hammer collection for the moment.”

Matt smiled. “So what are you working on?”

“One of the second-floor windows is broken. I've got cardboard over it now, but if it rains, I'll be in trouble.”

“I do that stuff for a living, you know. Let me fix your window for you.”

She shook her head. “That's not necessary.”

“Anne, you've done so much for my little family. Let me do what I do well, for you and your aunt. It's not much, but it would make me feel like I'm helping a friend in return.”

For a moment she simply stared at him, her big brown eyes conflicted.

“This isn't a commitment. It's a broken window. I'll be by on Saturday. That work for you?”

“Saturday?”

“Yeah. It's sort of becoming our day, isn't it? You and me and Claire.” He looked at her. “Friends just hanging out.”

“Sure,” she agreed, suddenly quiet.

“So, see you then?”

“Okay. I'll have the glass ready.”

“Great. But no need to get supplies. I have everything we'll need,” he said.

“You have a ladder that reaches the second floor?”

“I do.”

“I was going to rent one.” Anne pulled her keys from her scrub pants' pocket. “Thank you.”

“Are you kidding? This doesn't come close to thanking you for all you've done.”

“I could have fixed the window myself. You know that, right?” Her chin was high as she said the words.

“I never doubted it,” he said. “You probably have a complete set of socket wrenches, too.”

Anne's face lit up. “I do.”

Matt only laughed. “You're the only princess I know who fixes her own castle.”

She smiled and got into her truck.

As Matt headed to his truck to pick up Claire, the irony of the situation didn't escape him. “I'm helping to repair the house that I am supposed to tear down,” he muttered. “And I'm trying desperately not to fall in love with a woman who walked away from me the last time I offered her my heart.”

There was something very wrong with the picture. Very wrong and he couldn't shake the sense of foreboding that those thoughts brought with them.

CHAPTER TEN

“A
re you sure you're going to be okay with me coming in late, Marta?” Anne asked into her cell phone.

“Anne, really, we're good. I'm sort of excited that you're coming in late.”

“Now you sound like Juanita,” Anne muttered.

“Ha! No worries. And remember, we've got those nursing students today, so we have extra staff if we need them.”

“I don't know, sometimes having too many untrained hands can be worse than being short-staffed.”

“Juanita loves putting them to work. It will be fine.”

“Okay, I'm going to leave them to you.” She paused. “Thank you. Please say a prayer that I can get in to see the mayor. This is my last shot until the meeting tonight.”

“I thought you had an appointment at his office.”

“Not exactly. I've tried twice, but his secretary keeps stalling, telling me he'll talk to me before the town hall meeting, which is a terrible idea. He'll be distracted then.”

“So, where are you?”

Anne glanced across the street at the town hall building. “I'm sitting in my car right now waiting for someone to show up at his office.”

“So your plan is to bluster your way in?”

She shrugged, though she knew Marta couldn't see her frustration. “Basically.”

“He lives down the street from me. Goodness, if I had known, we could have stopped by his house. He mows his lawn on Saturday mornings. We could have casually walked by with a big glass of chilled lemonade and some of Patti Jo's cookies. That would have done the trick.”

“Casually bribe the mayor?” A laugh burst from her lips. “Is that what you're suggesting?”

“Your aunt would call it being a savvy businesswoman.”

Anne laughed again. “I agree. Which is why I already picked up a bag of cookies.”

“Smart move, though you know that none of this would be necessary if you'd simply ask Matt about the house. He's building the road, after all, so he must have some insight into why they chose to build it right in the middle of your house.”

“I can handle this myself.”

“Of course you can. You take care of everything yourself, but it couldn't hurt to ask him.”

“We don't have that kind of relationship.”

“You see him often enough, thanks to Claire. It seems to me that you don't have to have a relationship to ask him a question.”

Anne took a deep breath. “What I'm saying is that he's only the contractor. The town made the decision. I'm only going to see the mayor to see why, and to possibly persuade them to build their road elsewhere.” She paused. “Besides, I don't want to get Matt involved in my personal problems. Boundaries are very important.”

“I think he's already involved.”

Marta's words made her pause. It was as though she could read her mind or at least her intentions.

As though she, too, had heard Matt's words on Saturday.
Sometimes God uses His people to help each other
, he'd said.

“And I believe in boundaries as long as they aren't really fences created by fear,” Marta continued.

“Marta.”

“Fine, but you know I'm absolutely an I-told-you-so person and eventually I will tell you that I told you so.”

“I'm willing to take the risk,” Anne said.

“What's going on with the National Registry?”

“I spent hours filling out the forms online. My eyeballs were rotating independently by the time I was done. But that whole process still isn't a given, either.”

“I don't understand. Why not?”

“Technically, the house may qualify due to the architectural significance. The first step was to nominate the property and submit all the forms. Which of course, I did. The second step is the Review Board. Their meeting is at the Colorado History Center in Denver in three months. Three months from now is not going to help my problem. And historic registration approval doesn't guarantee the house won't be torn down if the Town of Paradise eminent domain overrules.”

“You certainly have done your research.”

“Trust me. If there was a possible way to save the house, I've researched it in the past two weeks.”

“Oh, my goodness. I'm so sorry. This must be extremely difficult for you. Not knowing if you have to move out of your house by the deadline.” Marta sighed. “Have you thought about taking some time off to sort this all out?”

“No. Work is the only normal thing in my life.”

“Anne, that's a sad commentary. You work in an emergency department.”

“It is what it is.”

“What does your aunt say?”

“Are you kidding? I'm not telling Aunt Lily until moving day, if it comes to that.”

A car door slammed and Anne swiveled around in her seat. “Oh, I've got to go. He beat his secretary into work today. Now's my chance.”

She slipped the phone into her purse and pulled the strap over her shoulder. Careful not to close her truck door too loudly, Anne crossed Main Street and followed the mayor.

As his key slid into the building's door lock, Anne cleared her throat.

J. D. Rutherford whirled around, his eyes wide. “Anne, you scared me.”

“Sorry, J.D.”

He eyed her navy scrubs as he pushed open the big, glass doors. “On your way to work?”

“Yes, sir. But I was hoping for a minute of your time first.”

He swallowed. Did she imagine the nervous twitch of his left eye? “Most folks schedule with my secretary. She can get you on my calendar.”

“I tried that, but I keep getting the runaround and I'm nearly out of time. The town hall meeting is tonight.”

Anne looked around the small office. “Where is your secretary anyhow?”

“Vacation day. But she'll be at the meeting later.”

J.D. adjusted the collar of his starched, white dress shirt and ran a hand over his abdomen where the buttons barely contained his girth. He glanced at his watch. “I have about five minutes before my first meeting of the day.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Coffee? The pot was set to auto brew. Should be done.” He nodded toward a counter in the waiting area.

“I've had my quota, thank you.” She handed him a white pastry bag.

“What's this?” he asked, brows raised.

“Cinnamon raisin oatmeal. Your favorite, as I recall.”

He faltered for a moment and then smiled. “Why, thank you. You always were a favorite of mine, Anne.”

She smiled.

“Come on in to the office and have a seat,” he said.

She eased down onto the worn, caramel-colored leather sofa across from his oak desk and glanced around. “It still looks the same as it did when I was little.”

“Your aunt was in and out of here more times than I can count back then. Now, there was a steamroller.” He chuckled.

She pinned him with her gaze. “I'm not here to steamroll you, J.D., but I would like some answers.”

“Anne, I'll do my best, but you may not want to hear what I have to say.” His leather chair creaked as he settled into it.

She released a breath of air and nodded, knowing all too well he was probably right.

“Frankly, I'm a bit surprised you didn't contact me when the first letter came out. What took you so long?”

“I didn't get the first or second letter.” She clasped her hands. “My aunt may have hidden them. Lately her mental status has been deteriorating.”

He shook his head slowly. “I'm sorry to hear that. You know how much I respect and admire Lily.”

“Thank you.” Anne bit her lip. “Why my house, J.D.?”

“I admit that when I saw the plans, at first I was alarmed on a personal level. I've been friends with your family since I was a boy.” He picked up a silver pen from his desk and frowned before he met her gaze. “But the good citizens of Paradise pay me to put their needs as a whole before my personal feelings. It's my fiduciary duty.”

“I understand that, but surely there's another way to route traffic to the lake.”

“We've got mountains in the way. This is the most cost-effective plan and it's a mighty good one. Why it even allows for future widening of the road if the town grows enough to warrant that.”

“I'm not convinced that the road couldn't come up from behind the lake.”

“That routes traffic nearly two miles out of the way. Besides, the spring run-off is on that side of the mountain. You know yourself how many times that road is closed due to landslides.”

“I think a clever developer could have come up with a solution.”

“Then probably you should be talking to the developers.”

“Who's that?”

“Matthew Clark and Manuel Seville. First Construction. I thought you knew that.”

Matt. Her heart began to race. Had she known deep down inside that this would all come full circle back to Matt?

“Anne, are you all right?”

She stood and turned toward the door. “Thank you for your time.”

“You know you have the right to make your appeal at the town hall meeting tonight. Present an option that the board can approve. We'd like nothing better.”

“You said yourself there is no other option.”

This time it was the mayor who released a frustrated breath in response. “You never know.”

No, you never did know. Anne pushed open the door and stood outside on the sidewalk, the cool morning air wrapping itself around her.

First Construction had created and submitted the plans that would destroy her home. She should have realized it, but maybe she really didn't want to know the truth.

And she didn't want Matt to be the bad guy in all this.

Apparently she'd been fooling herself.

* * *

Marta knocked gently and stepped into Anne's office. “How'd it go with the mayor?”

“Don't ask.”

“That good, huh?”

Anne shook her head.

“Do you want me to go with you to the town hall meeting tonight?”

“I'll go, too,” Juanita commented, peeking her dark head into the room.

“Hmm?” Anne looked up from the book on her desk and blinked.

“Honey, are you okay?” Juanita said. She straightened and walked up to Anne's desk. “You've been awfully distracted the past few days.”

Distracted? Yes, maybe she was. The mental footage of Matt's kiss was enough to keep her distracted and add to her confusion.

Pretend it didn't happen
, he'd said. Right. Pretend it didn't happen while she was also pretending he wasn't responsible for the plans to destroy her home. Now she knew why he'd said that.

“Anne?” Marta repeated. “The meeting?”

“Sorry, I was reading the state laws on eminent domain.”

“Eminent domain?” Juanita asked. “Okay, I give up. What is that?”

“It basically means that the town can do whatever it wants for the good of the town.”

“What about the meeting?” Marta persisted.

Anne stood and began to clear her desk. “No need. I can—”

“We know,” Marta interrupted, her tone as droll as ever. “You can handle it yourself. That wasn't the question. Do you want us to go with you?”

Anne's shoulders sagged as she released the weight of taking on the burden alone. “Yes. Yes, I do. Thank you.” She sank back down into her desk chair. “What am I going to do if I lose the house?”

“We need to pray,” Juanita said. She hustled into the room and kicked the door shut with her foot.

“Not here,” Anne said.

“Yes. Here,” Juanita said sharply.

Marta closed the blinds on the window that faced the hallway, and they both took Anne's hands in theirs.

“Lord, we turn this situation over to You and ask You for wisdom as we go into the meeting. We pray Your will is done. Amen.”

“Thanks, Juanita,” Anne said.

“Honey, that's what friends are for. We hold each other's arms up when the other is burdened. We're Aaron to your Moses. We shall prevail.”

Anne could only smile at Juanita's enthusiasm. “I don't think I'm any Moses, but I appreciate the sentiment and both of you.”

“Now let's discuss coordinating our outfits for tonight,” Juanita said as she plopped onto the corner of Anne's desk.

Marta began to laugh. “We're wearing coordinating outfits?”

“Yes. That's what sisters do,” Juanita said. “And we're sisters in the Lord, aren't we?”

Marta doubled over, laughing.

“I don't know what you think is so funny. This is serious business,” Juanita said.

“I want to know what we're wearing,” Marta said. “The visual I'm getting of the three of us dressed like triplets in one of your crazy ensembles with matching hats isn't going away anytime soon.”

“I'll have you know I am considered a fashion diva where I come from,” Juanita countered.

Anne leaned back in her chair and grinned as the two continued their repartee. She was so grateful for these two women.

* * *

All eyes were on Anne as she walked into the meeting room at town hall.

“Ooh, ooh, we should have brought Patti Jo's cinnamon rolls. This group could use some sweetening up,” Juanita muttered as she followed Anne. “What a bunch of sour faces.” She shivered.

“They have coffee,” Marta said with a glance at the giant coffee urn at the back of the room. “Come on, Juanita, you can help me. We'll scout things out.”

Anne sat in a chair near the back of room. A moment later her closest neighbor, Mabel Hotchkins, sat down next to her.

“Hello, Mrs. Hotchkins.”

The woman nodded, though she didn't crack a smile on her pasty face. “I understand you're the only holdout.”

Anne jerked back in surprise. “Excuse me? I thought that information was confidential,” Anne said.

“This is Paradise.”

That was certainly true enough. And hadn't she said the same thing herself recently. Sometimes living in a small town was as big a curse as it was a blessing.