Rancher For The Holidays (Love Inspired) (12 page)

Chapter Twelve

W
as it Tuesday already? Marley could hardly believe their brief time in Candelaria was almost at an end. Though she was bone-tired, nothing else in her life gave her such deep-down satisfaction. Even more beautiful was observing the changes in every group of volunteers the Spirit Outreach committee brought here, and these students from Texas Tech were no exception. The women had worked as hard as the men, painting and sprucing up in the mornings, then gathering the children for devotions and Christmas crafts in the afternoons. Marley had a feeling the Tech women had made lifelong friends with the children they’d mentored during this trip.

She observed equally touching responses in the men and would never forget how the biggest and brawniest Texas Tech guy turned blubbery when a stooped, gray-haired grandmother wrapped her arms around his neck to thank him for patching and painting her weathered front door.

Marley only wished she had a better sense of what was happening inside Ben’s head and heart. He’d worked as hard as any of them, but since yesterday he’d grown disturbingly distant. Had she hurt his feelings so badly about the catering idea? Or was it her negative response to seeing her picture plastered across the page of a major Texas newspaper?

Probably both. In fact, looking back over the past few weeks, Marley figured she’d given off enough mixed signals to permanently shut down any interest Ben might have had in deepening their relationship.

She shouldn’t care so much. When January rolled around, Ben would probably find himself overrun with job offers. Then he’d skedaddle faster than a scared horned toad.

So why, every time he glanced her way, did her heart do a hopeful little dance in her chest?

“Marley?” Pastor Chris’s sneakers edged into her line of vision.

Straightening, she dropped a roll of masking tape into the supply crate she’d been packing. “What’s up?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing. You looked like you were a million miles away.”

“Just thinking about...everything.” Her lips eased into a smile. “It’s been another good trip.”

“That it has.” The pastor picked up a folded drop cloth and laid it in the crate.

Marley looked across the road, where Ben and two of the college guys applied the finishing touches on the house trim they’d been painting. Dribbles of dark green paint covered Ben’s T-shirt, jeans and ball cap. A long sigh escaped from Marley’s lips. Ben couldn’t look more endearing if he tried.

Pastor Chris chuckled softly. “Admit it. You’re smitten.”

Her chin jerked backward. “What? No! I—I was just thinking I’ll need another crate for the guys’ supplies when they finish.”

“You should give Ben a chance. He’s a good man.” The pastor shook his head. “Can’t figure out why you two insist on fighting your feelings so hard.”

Marley’s stomach pinched. “Have you been talking to Ben about me?”

“Only enough to conclude there’s something between you worth exploring.” Brows slanted with concern, Pastor Chris glanced across the road, then back at Marley. “How long have you been in Alpine now—ten years? In all that time I’ve never known you to let a guy get close.”

Arms crossed over her abdomen, Marley snorted a laugh. “How could I, when you and all my other friends at Spirit Fellowship insist on giving your seal of approval to anyone I show even the remotest interest in?”

“So sue us for looking out for you till the right guy comes along.” The pastor’s wink belied his serious tone.

“And you think the ‘right guy’ is Ben Fisher?”

“Can’t say for sure, but I have a strong sense that God’s at work here, and I wouldn’t be surprised if His plan directly involves you and Ben.”

His words sent a shiver down Marley’s spine. “You know Ben doesn’t intend to stay in Alpine. And I don’t intend to leave.”

“Even if God has other ideas?” When Marley had no argument, he went on, “I don’t pretend to know what God has in mind. But I do know this—it’s time to stop keeping people at arm’s length. Eventually you have to let someone in.”

Before Marley could respond, the pastor touched two fingers to his forehead in a mock salute and jogged across the road. His words lingered long after she finished packing up supplies and went inside the women’s RV to freshen up.

That evening, the Candelarians had arranged a fiesta to thank the outreach team and to celebrate the homecoming of many who had grown up in this town and gone on to make their lives elsewhere. Isabella had been a bundle of excitement all day as she looked forward to her uncle Lucas’s arrival. When Marley and the Tech women finished getting ready and made their way to the big party tent set up on the schoolyard, Isabella ran to greet them, dragging Lucas Montero along with her.

“Miss Marley, Miss Marley! He’s here!” Isabella beamed up at the handsome, dark-haired man.

“Hi, Lucas. It’s great to see you again.” Offering a welcoming smile, Marley moved her camera strap to the opposite shoulder and extended her hand.

Lucas returned her firm grip. With his free hand he tugged on his niece’s braid. “Izzy sure is happy to have you visit again. Ever since I got here this afternoon, it’s been ‘Marley this’ and ‘Marley that.’”

“I think Isabella’s pretty special, too. Hey, let me get a picture of you two.” She popped the lens cap of her camera and dropped to one knee in front of Lucas and his niece to snap a photo. Rising, she glanced over her shoulder and noticed the interested looks brightening the faces of the college coeds. They couldn’t seem to tear their gazes away from the hunky Latino. Suppressing a knowing smile, she made the introductions. Then, leaving Lucas to deal with his admirers, she excused herself to capture a few candid photos before everyone sat down to eat.

As she made her way through the party tent, she glimpsed Ben surrounded by several laughing women. He spooned something from a dish Conchita Montero handed him, then howled and fanned his mouth with his ball cap. “Whoa, that’s hot!”

Marley couldn’t resist joining the laughter as she stepped closer and snapped several pictures. “Never underestimate Conchita’s habaneros. Guaranteed to blister your taste buds faster than a blowtorch.”

“Now you tell me.” Ben’s eyes watered like faucets. He crammed a folded tortilla into his mouth and collapsed onto the nearest picnic bench.

Conchita shook her head. “I warned this gringo who thinks he knows chili peppers.”

While Ben frantically chewed and swallowed, Marley fetched a cup of ice water. She suppressed another chuckle as she handed him the cup and eased onto the bench beside him. “Better yet?”

“Some.” His voice came out in a pained rasp. He sipped more water. “I suppose you think I deserved this.”

“I’ve heard you brag more than once about liking your Tex-Mex as hot as you can get it.”

“I take it all back. Conchita’s habaneros are the undisputed winner.”

Marley reviewed the last few photos she’d taken, pausing at the one of Ben seconds after he’d sampled Conchita’s salsa. “This one is definitely enlargement-worthy. I need to find a special place for it in my studio.”

Leaning over for a look, Ben groaned. “I’ll pay you good money to delete that right now. If my friends back in Houston ever see it, my reputation is history.”

“Mmm, now I definitely have something to blackmail you with.”

“You wouldn’t—”

Marley grinned as she shut off the camera and moved it out of Ben’s reach. At least things seemed more relaxed between them again.

Then his hand grazed hers, and electricity zinged through her. He cradled her fingers in his palm with such tenderness that she couldn’t draw a breath. “Marley,” he whispered as she gazed at their entwined hands. “I know I’ve done a lot of stuff wrong since we got here. But I’ve learned a lot, too. I wouldn’t have missed this for anything. Especially...”

Slowly, she lifted her eyes to meet his. “Especially what?”

“Especially sharing it with you.”

Marley blinked and looked away. Beyond the party tent, the pathways were lit with the golden glow of luminarias, votive candles nestled in sand inside brown paper bags. A similar glow spread through her chest, an uncanny mixture of fear and expectancy, and she sent up a prayer that if Ben fit into God’s plan for her future, He’d open all the right doors to make it happen.

* * *

Ben awoke Wednesday morning to the usual symphony of snores from his RV mates. Today was different, though. He hadn’t expected the rush of bittersweet nostalgia over his last sunrise in Candelaria. Last night’s fiesta had been a fitting close to the trip, with good food, festive music and lots of presents for the children.

And Marley
.

He squeezed his eyes shut, remembering how beautiful she looked in the candlelight.

As he crawled from the bunk, he dressed quickly and quietly so as not to disturb the others, then slipped out the door and into the pale pink blush of morning. Maybe he only imagined it, but somehow God seemed nearer in Candelaria. Nearer and more...compassionate. Forgiving. Real.

Ben ambled down the road toward the far end of town, the sun at his back and his long, thin shadow stretching out before him. As dawn painted the desert in hues of gold and peach against a sky growing bluer by the minute, Ben tilted his head and searched the heavens. “God, I’m sorry,” he began, his throat aching. “I don’t want to be a cynic any longer. I want to know You again, to trust You like I—”

The words clotted on his tongue.
Like I used to. Like when Mom was alive and my world wasn’t collapsing around my feet.

Out of nowhere, a verse from Scripture bloomed in Ben’s thoughts:
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

His chest constricted as he relived the moment he’d last heard those words, read by the pastor at his mother’s funeral. They’d sounded trite, a poor and unsatisfying explanation for everything wrong in the world.

But maybe everything wasn’t supposed to make sense, at least this side of heaven. More than ever, Ben needed to believe God really was in control, even when parents died, jobs disappeared and families struggled to subsist in a ghost town.

“Ben? Are you okay?” Marley’s gentle whisper sounded behind him.

Hauling in a deep breath, he composed himself, then slowly turned and smiled. “Just enjoying the sunrise.”

“Coffee’s on.” A shadow of concern darkened her eyes. She poked her hands into the pockets of her hoodie. “We’re having a quick breakfast of juice and cereal so we can finish loading and head home.”

“Great. Be there in a sec.”

With a lift of one brow, Marley glanced back over her shoulder. “Sure you’re okay?”

Ben started to nod, then clamped his jaws together and shrugged. “Like I said last night, this experience has taught me a lot, mostly about myself. Guess I’m still processing it all.”

“I felt the same the first time I came here.” Marley gazed into the distance as her lips curled in a wistful smile. “It’s like I tried to tell you. No one ever leaves Candelaria without being changed in some way.”

“I believe it. Never thought I could care so much about the lives of perfect strangers.”

“Except they aren’t strangers anymore, are they?” She sighed, her gaze sweeping the sleepy little town.

“Marley, I—” No, he wasn’t ready to peel away any more layers quite yet. He motioned toward the RVs. “Save me some breakfast, okay? I’ll be along soon.”

* * *

By nine o’clock, the team had the pickup and RVs packed and ready to go. Several families came out to say goodbye, including Conchita Montero, and Ben found himself wrapped in the woman’s ample arms.

“
Muchas gracias
, Ben. Be good to our Marley,
sí
?” Conchita tweaked his chin. “I think you will have many years of happiness together.”

Heat rose in Ben’s cheeks. He glanced around to make sure Marley hadn’t overheard. She was passing out hugs to several dark-haired children, saving the biggest and best for Isabella. With a sheepish grin, he faced Conchita. “So you don’t think I’m such a cynic anymore?”

“No.
Dios
has answered my prayers for you.”

Ben eyed her with a doubtful grimace. “How can you be so sure?”

“Mi corazón sabe lo que es cierto.”
She patted her chest just above her heart.

Ben’s Spanish might be rusty but he understood the gesture. Conchita’s truth came from a place deep inside. He took her hands and squeezed them. “Keep praying for me, will you?”

She nodded and blew him a kiss as she stepped away.

Before long, the caravan headed up the long stretch of highway, leaving Candelaria little more than a shimmering mirage behind them...and leaving Ben with memories he hoped would stay with him forever. He glanced over at Marley, behind the wheel of Ernie’s pickup and looking as relaxed and content as he’d ever seen her. Clearly, these few days in Candelaria would linger in her spirit for a long time to come.

He swallowed and shifted his gaze to the barren landscape speeding past his window. There was no more denying he could easily fall in love with the woman next to him. But why now, when he was one job offer away from packing his bags and hightailing it back to the city?

Is that what you really want?

A high-rise office overlooking crowded freeways? A posh but sterile condo that was little more than a place to crash at the end of a twelve-hour workday? Getting his exercise on treadmills in a mirrored room filled with dozens of other sweating bodies?

And leaving Marley behind?

* * *

For Marley, settling into quiet introspection on the long drive back to Alpine was all part of the Candelaria experience. She’d expected Ben wouldn’t talk as much as on the ride down, but his utter silence worried her. She still savored the closeness they’d regained at the fiesta last night. Then this morning when she’d found him before breakfast, he seemed on the verge of telling her something important.

Like maybe goodbye?

As they neared Marfa, Ben seemed to come out of his trance. With a breathy sigh, he shifted and pulled his cell phone from his pocket and stared briefly at the screen before tapping some buttons. Phone to his ear, he glanced toward Marley. “Just letting Uncle Steve know where we are.”