Charity hadn’t known she believed it until she’d said it. And now that she did, she began to weep. No sound came with the hot tears than ran down her cheeks. Just pain. Years and years and years of pain.
Her sister’s arms enveloped her. “You foolish, foolish girl. No wonder you can’t accept Buck’s love. You haven’t been able to accept God’s love either. That’s where we’ve got to start.” Terri stroked Charity’s hair. “It’s going to be all right, Pipsqueak. You’ll see. You’ll see.”
All Charity could do was cling to her sister and pray it was true.
B
UCK HAD JUST HUNG UP THE PHONE AFTER LEAVING
another message for Charity when the doorbell rang. He walked out of the kitchen, then froze in place when he saw who was on the other side of the screen door.
“Charity.”
“Hi, Buck.” Her eyes were puffy. Her voice sounded scratchy.
His heart ached in response.
“May I come in?”
“Sure.” He stepped forward and pushed open the screen. “Come in.”
“I . . . uh . . . I’m sorry I haven’t returned any of your calls.”
“It’s all right. You’re here now.” He studied her expression, the fragile look in her eye. “What made you come back to Kings Meadow?”
“Terri.”
He’d hoped he was the reason, but he was thankful, no matter the cause. He reached to take her lightly by the arm and draw her to the sofa. After she sat, he joined her but was prudent enough not to sit too close. She drew in a shuddery breath, and he could see that she was steeling herself to say words that were hard. Hard for her or for him?
“You said you . . . care for me,” she began.
He wanted to correct her, to remind her the word he’d used was
love
.
“But you only know what I’ve let you know about me. I’ve kept secrets from everybody for a long, long time. From friends. From family.” Her voice fell to a whisper. “I tried to keep my secrets from God too. But I learned that doesn’t work.” A humorless smile tweaked the corners of her mouth.
He nodded to show he listened. Nothing more.
“I’m going to tell you my secrets, Buck, because you deserve to know them. But I don’t want you to say anything. I especially don’t want you to try to tell me none of it matters to
you or makes a difference. Because it might. I want to tell you and then I’m going to go home. Not to Boise but next door. I want you to think about everything I’ve said and to figure out what you want. I’ll understand if it isn’t me. Really I will.”
“It can’t be as bad as all that.”
She offered a slight shrug.
“Okay. I’m listening.”
He did listen. And his heart didn’t just ache as she told him her story. It broke for her—and perhaps for them.
T
RUE TO HIS WORD
, B
UCK DIDN
’
T SPEAK
. W
HEN
Charity was done, she rose from the sofa, careful not to look at him—afraid she would weaken in her resolve—and left his house. The distance from his front door to the front door of her girlhood home had never seemed so far.
Terri and Rick looked up expectantly when Charity entered. She shook her head and kept moving. Across the living room, up the stairs, down the short hall, and into the bedroom. After closing the door behind her, she went to the bed and lay on it, staring at the ceiling. Time passed in a blur. Her mind was blank.
But there finally came a moment when she realized the absence of fear. It hadn’t gone into a corner, waiting to appear again. It was gone. Whatever happened in the future, the fear was gone.
A rap sounded at the door, then Terri poked her head into the room. “Ready for company?”
Charity nodded.
Terri entered and sat on the other bed. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she answered softly. “At least, I will be.”
Just as softly, Terri said, “I can see that.”
They sat in silence for a long while. A comforting silence between sisters who loved each other. Terri was the one to break it.
“I’ve got something for you. Stay put.” She rose and left the room.
Charity waited, curious.
In a short while her sister returned, a plastic bag hanging over one arm, two large boxes clutched against her side with the other.
“What’s this?” Charity asked.
“For the dance tonight. You’ve been so busy writing, I was afraid you wouldn’t have anything to wear.”
She could have protested. She had a walk-in closet full of great clothes at home. But she hadn’t thought about the dance when she’d returned to Kings Meadow with Terri this afternoon. It had been the very last thought on her mind.
“Go on,” Terri urged. “Open them.”
Charity opened the lid of the first box. Inside was a pink straw hat with a sparkly band around the crown. She cocked a brow in her sister’s direction.
“Pink’s your favorite color,” Terri said, excitement in her eyes. “Now the other box.”
Charity obeyed, and a soft gasp escaped her lips when she saw what was inside—the prettiest pair of cowgirl boots she’d ever seen. They were pink with pale-brown accents. Dancing boots, if ever she’d seen any.
Terri pulled the box off her lap and pointed at the plastic bag.
The dress inside the bag was the same shade of pink as the hat and boots. It had spaghetti straps and an empire waist with a free, flowing skirt. Like the boots, it had been made for dancing.
“Let’s get ready,” Terri said. “The dance starts in an hour.”
Charity looked toward the clock on the nightstand. Had she been up here alone for that long? “Maybe I shouldn’t go. I don’t have any makeup on and—”
“You’re going, sis. This is the first night of a better life. You’ll see.”
Another protest rose in her throat, but she swallowed it back. She didn’t have to hide away. Not from the people of Kings Meadow. Not from anyone in her past or her future.
She wasn’t afraid anymore.
W
HEN
B
UCK ENTERED THE HIGH SCHOOL GYMNA
SIUM
—sparkling and glimmering decorations everywhere—a live band was playing soft instrumental music from the stage on the far side of the room. His gaze swept over the crowd, looking for one particular person. He didn’t see her.
He’d kept his promise. He’d spent the hours since she walked out of his house making sure he knew exactly how he felt and what he wanted. And when it came right down to it, nothing she’d said had changed how he felt. He loved her. End of story.
All
I
have
to do
is
make
her believe it
.
Several people greeted him as he moved deeper into the gym. Folks who hadn’t seen each other for years, even decades, talked to one another, many wearing animated expressions.
Buck nodded, said quick hellos, but didn’t allow himself to be waylaid. He wanted—needed—to find Charity. He searched for her first along the east side of the gym before crossing the floor near the stage and starting down the west side. He was halfway back to the doors when Charity stepped into view, followed by her sister and brother-in-law.
She looked amazing. Bright. Fully alive. She should wear that color all the time if it did that for her.
He set off in her direction. She didn’t see him right away as she talked to Edna Franklin, a history teacher at Kings Meadow High. But then she glanced up and grew still, her gaze never wavering as he closed the last distance between them.
“Hey, Charity.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Terri and Rick move away. He sensed it was a kindness and not because they didn’t want to speak to him.
“Hey, Buck.”
He touched his hat brim as he looked at the teacher. “Evenin’, Mrs. Franklin.”
The older woman smiled. “Good evening, Buck.” After a quick glance back and forth between her two former students, she excused herself.
Buck hardly noticed the teacher’s departure. His attention was back on the vision in pink. “You came. I wasn’t sure you would.”
“No more hiding. I’m done with that.”
It wasn’t the pretty color she wore that had made the difference. He saw that now. Something was different on the inside of her.
The band started playing a Lady Antebellum song. A country waltz. A love song.
“Care to dance, Miss Anderson?”
She looked up at him for the longest while without answering. Would she refuse? Had he hoped for too much? But at last, she offered him her hand. He took it and led her to the dance floor.
T
HE MELODY COULD BARELY BE HEARD ABOVE THE
beating of Charity’s heart as Buck placed his hand on the small of her back. Before he could clasp her right hand in his left, she whipped off her hat and let it dangle from her fingertips against his back. Then they began to turn and flow and slide.
For a long while, she rested her forehead near his collarbone. But then she looked up and found him watching her, and it seemed her heart stopped beating for several seconds. She stumbled, but he didn’t let her lose her balance.
It would be like that, always, if she let him love her. He wouldn’t let her lose her balance. That’s the kind of man he was. He would make certain they kept time to the same music.
So this is
what
it
feels
like
.
To be loved.
To be cherished.
And to love and cherish in return.
She would have to make a few tweaks to the book that was nearly finished. The words she’d written hadn’t captured this emotion that welled inside of her. How could she have described how it felt when she’d never experienced it until now?
Buck smiled, and a slow burn began inside of her chest. He mouthed the words of the lyrics, and she tingled all the way down to her toes.
No, she definitely hadn’t known about this. About the way a crowd could fade entirely away, leaving only this man and the melody. About the desire to laugh and cry at the same time. About—
The music didn’t stop, but Buck did. He released her from his embrace. But it wasn’t long until his hands gently cupped the sides of her face. And there, in front of a gymnasium full of friends and strangers, Buck kissed her. A kiss that made her weak in the knees, completely breathless, and every other cliché she’d ever read or written.
When he ended the kiss, he didn’t draw away. He pressed his forehead against hers and said, “In case you’re wondering, Charity, I plan on kissing you a lot. For the rest of my life if you’ll let me. Because I can’t imagine living even a single minute without you.”
Perhaps she had been a little afraid when she’d come here tonight. Not of who she might see or of what she might remember. No, she’d been afraid of never hearing him say those words.
“I love you, Charity.”
And those words
.
They were writing a brand-new story now, she and Buck, starting tonight. And like every good romance novel, the happily-ever-after ending was guaranteed.
1. Charity kept a painful secret all to herself for many years. In what ways was she adversely affected because of her silence?
2. Buck gave up his own dreams to care for his parents and to help his older brother finish college and get his Master’s Degree. Now it is hard for Buck to accept help in return. Is it easier for you to give help than receive it? If so, why?
3. Charity finds a sense of healing with her dog and Buck’s horses. Have animals ever been a source of comfort for you?
4. Charity realizes that sin, even when forgiven, has consequences that can linger. Has that been true in your life? How did you move forward in victory in those situations?
5. Charity and Buck both tried to protect themselves from future hurt by keeping others at arm’s length. Have you ever done the same? Did it work?
6. Charity came to believe—without realizing it at first—that God wouldn’t want her to be happy because of her sinful actions/feelings. Have you ever viewed God that way? How do you avoid misunderstanding the invisible God?
7. Charity and Buck have older siblings who speak wisdom into their lives. Do you have a family member or friend who does the same for you?
8. Do you have a favorite character from
Whenever You Come Around
? Who is it and why?
9. There comes a moment when Charity realizes that Buck sees the “real” Charity. Everyone wants to be seen, to know their lives matter to someone. Have you experienced the love of Elroi, the God who sees (Gen 16:13)? If not, I encourage you to look to Him today. He sees you, and you matter to Him.
D
EAR
F
RIENDS
:
I hope you enjoyed returning once again to Kings Meadow in
Whenever You Come Around
. I have had so much fun spending time in this very special community. With each story, I treasure my “friendship” with these characters more and more.
When the idea for
Whenever You Come Around
first starting rolling around in my head, it was a very different story from the novel you are holding in your hands. It’s one of the things I love so much about being a novelist. As I write, I get to see both the characters and plot change and mature until I finally type “The End”.
Next up is my novella in the Year of Weddings novella series,
I Hope You Dance
. It will release as an e-book in July 2015 and will be in print with the two other summer novellas at a later date.
I Hope You Dance
is set in Kings Meadow in the weeks leading up to a big wedding (not telling whose, but I
bet you can guess). Readers briefly met the hero and heroine in
Whenever You Come Around
. Skye Foster, dance instructor, and Grant Nichols, a man with two left feet, have to be all wrong for each other. Right?
As I write this note to readers, two new characters with hurts and hang-ups of their own are braving a cold and snowy December in Kings Meadow. Maybe love can warm their hearts. Look for
Keeper of the Stars
in early 2016.
I look forward to hearing from my readers on Facebook (
http://facebook.com/robinleehatcher
) and on my website and blog (
http://www.robinleehatcher.com
), so I hope you’ll drop by. Until next time . . .