First Street Church Romances_Love's Bittersweet Gift Read online

  A loud knock at the door had Samuel flying into action. He dropped the jar into the soapy water she had prepared in the small basin and jumped down off the chair he’d been standing on in order to reach the table. He ran towards the door, yelling “ducks” repeatedly. Rebecca moved into action, grabbing him by the arm and quickly stopping him in his tracks.

  “Young man, we don’t open the door unless Mama tells you it’s okay,” she said sternly. His blue eyes welled up instantly with tears. She had no idea if he was playing her or if he was genuinely worried about not seeing the ducks. Instantly, she felt herself melt at the sight. “We’ll see the ducks, my lil’ man. I promise.”

  “With Andrew?” he asked quickly, blinking back the tears. She instantly knew it had been an act. There was such a sly, triumphant look in his little, innocent eyes that she was struck by how much he looked like James just at that very moment. Hearing a second knock, she met Samuel’s eager gaze and sighed. Now, she was resigned to the fact that she was apparently going to spend the afternoon with the ranger, feeding the darned ducks.

  “Yes, Samuel. We’ll go with Mr. Page.” Nodding, she released him and he ran excitedly to the door, yanking it open. The ranger was even more good-looking than she remembered. Today, he simply wore a black vest showing a beaten, worn badge and he had thrown his jacket over his shoulder, tucked on the crook of his finger.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I thought it’d be easier to ride with a buggy. I borrowed one from the livery in town,” he said quickly before Samuel tackled him. Rebecca just gaped at the open reaction. Her son ran right up to him, hugging his legs. Andrew bent down and easily picked him up like he was nothing, smiling at her. “Ready to go?”

  “Not really,” she bit out, feeling jealous at how easily Samuel had taken to the man. She heard Samuel sniff, indicating that he was getting ready to start a scene, but didn’t look away from Mr. Page’s eyes.

  He then grinned and had the nerve to wink at her, causing her eyes to shoot wide open in shock. “Samuel, stop that. Your mama just needs to finish gussying up. Ladies do that and we men…” he said making his voice extremely deep, causing her to shiver. “We men, have to wait until they are done.” She watched as Andrew whispered something to Samuel, making him grin at her. The two were ganging up on her!

  “Mama, go get prettied up and hurry, please,” Samuel crowed eagerly. “Ducks and picnic time, Mama!”

  “You win,” she acquiesced, untying her apron. “But tonight, young man? Tonight, you are going to have to take a bath and let me trim your hair.”

  “Aww, Mama…” she heard him say before he suddenly got quiet. Glancing over, she saw that Mr. Page was talking with him softly and he was listening earnestly, nodding quickly. If only she could get Samuel to pay attention to her like that!

  “Should I bring anything for this so-called picnic?” she asked, trying to keep the resentful tone out of her voice. She was more frustrated that she was going to spend the afternoon, a perfectly good afternoon, lounging around doing nothing with a stranger in order to pacify her son who’d been lured into behaving. This bothered her tremendously. Mr. Page would be gone within the blink of an eye and she’d be left with a crying young boy that didn’t understand. She’d be sure to tell him what he’d done wrong the moment Samuel was out of earshot!

  “Nope,” Andrew told her simply. “My idea, my treat.” He lightly swung around, making Samuel giggle as he held the boy. Rebecca found herself staring at the duo, feeling a sad longing that James didn’t get a chance to do that with his son. This brought tears to her eyes that she quickly dashed away. Darn this, Mr. Page! she thought wretchedly. Blinking rapidly, she smoothed her hair back and pulled a large-brimmed bonnet on her head. This would protect her fair skin if they were at the pond too long or if the shade was gone due to the position of the sun. She’d been sunburned before out there fishing and didn’t relish the thought of it again.

  “Samuel, get your hat,” she said quickly and ignored the groan that came from him. As quickly as he started, he stopped. She saw that Andrew had tipped his hat towards him, but Samuel noticed he didn’t have one on. Immediately, he moved quickly to rectify this, running across the room. He grinned at the tall man and tipped his own hat in acknowledgement. Mr. Page then grinned at her, and she just looked away.

  “I’m ready. Let’s go,” she said flatly.

  She was surprised that Samuel didn’t climb into the buggy right away as she walked forward. Glancing back, she saw that he politely waited behind her and was nodding at Mr. Page. Samuel’s happy face turned back towards her. “Mama, ladies are first,” he announced excitedly. “Hurry, Mama!”

  “Yes, sir!” She laughed at the boiling excitement in his voice. He would be uncontrollable at the pond once he saw the ducks and she fully expected to have him sleeping good tonight. Once she settled herself in the buggy, Samuel climbed in, taking the rest of the seat.

  “Scoot over, buddy,” Mr. Page told him lightly with a chuckle, taking the other half of the bench seat. It was very intimate, close quarters inside the small buggy and the overhead canopy made it feel like they were almost alone except for the squirming child that was now perched in her lap.

  “Can I hold the reins?” Samuel cried, clapping his hands. This time, she was surprised that the handsome Mr. Page actually looked at her for her approval.

  “I think perhaps Mr. Page should handle the horses for our outing today,” she murmured.

  “Please, call me Andrew. Maybe when you are older, Samuel,” he replied, looking away from her and clicking the reins. The horses lurched forward and they began rolling away from her home. They rode silently for the short trip through town. The white steeple on the church was brilliant against the blue sky. As they rode past, she saw several people wave in acknowledgement and she smiled politely. Oh, the gossip would run rampant at this excursion, she was sure of it. It was never malicious, but she was sure that someone would ask her on Sunday about their afternoon jaunt.

  Finally, they came to the pond just on the far side of town. Thankfully, they circled to the far side so that way they had the trees to their backs and it would supply them with quite a bit of shade for the afternoon. Pulling to a stop, she was surprised that Mr. Page offered his hand to help her out of the buggy. As a courtesy, of course! she thought nervously and cursed the fact that her fingers trembled. She wished she had worn gloves out but, instead, her hands were bare and felt rough instead of ladylike. His warm hand held hers as she stepped down. Samuel was beside himself, already calling to the ducks and mimicking their quacks, as if they understood him.

  “Why don’t you take him to a spot and I will get the basket,” Andrew offered. Nodding, she gathered Samuel’s hand and allowed herself to be dragged to a spot closest to where the ducks were resting on the edge of the water. Stepping back into the shade, she smiled as he tried to pet several of the nervous animals. She saw that her escort for the day must have planned quite the excursion because his arms were laden with a blanket as well as a large basket for them.

  “Would you like some help, Mr. Page?” she offered politely.

  “Only if you call me Andrew,” he countered, and then quickly accepted. “I will be right back. I need to tether the horses or it’s going to be a long walk back to your property.” She watched as he set down the basket and blanket quickly and trotted off back to where the buggy sat. He led the horses towards the shade and tethered them to a tree, giving the ropes plenty of slack.

  Andrew walked back to where she was spreading the blanket and she couldn’t help but notice that she admired the way he strode towards her. It was the oddest thing to notice, but it made her feel like he was pursuing her. Rebecca shook her head at the thought and tucked her face down so he couldn’t see the blush on her cheeks.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” he said lightly.

  “I hope you brought some sort of cracker or stale bread. Samuel will become quite irate if he doesn’t get to feed the ducks,” she said
lightly as she stared at her son in the distance. His little body showed signs of frustration. His little hands were balled up and nose was scrunched up. It was just a matter of time before he blew up.

  “I’ve got plenty tucked in the basket,” Andrew assured her. He called out, “Samuel! Come get something to feed them or you’ll scare them off.” Rebecca watched as he opened the large basket and pulled forth a loaf of bread, as well as a few peaches and some sandwiches wrapped in dark brown wax paper.

  “You’ve been busy,” she breathed, surprised by the extravagance. At home, she would have something small to eat and make sure Samuel had plenty. Sometimes, money or food was scarce depending on how much work she put in. This was a reminder that she should be canning all those figs. “We can’t stay out too late in the day.”

  “I wanted to make a good impression,” he admitted quietly and then smiled as Samuel ran up to where they had sat down. Rebecca stared at him, surprised by the admission. Andrew handed a small piece of bread to her son, coaching him to only throw small pieces so it lasted longer. He happily ran off towards the pond, leaving them alone again.

  “You don’t need to make a good impression on me, Mr. Page,” she declined. “I haven’t seen anyone in the area, nor do I need your help with my son.” Taking a deep breath, she tried to keep from imagining what kind of sandwiches they were wrapped in the paper. Cold beef sandwiches? Succulent ham?

  “When you are going around me or teaching him that he can be bribed into acting like he should, that undermines me. You’ll be gone soon enough once you pick up the trail of whoever you are chasing. And I will be left comforting a young boy that has befriended you,” she said firmly, crossing her hands on her lap. “I appreciate your kindness, but there are repercussions.”

  “He reminds me of my kid brother and what he looked like,” Andrew admitted quietly, staring at Samuel. “Joshua died of measles a few years ago. He had that same spirit, that same excitement for life. I’m sorry if I undermined you. That wasn’t my intent.”

  Rebecca was instantly contrite. “I am so sorry for your loss.”

  Nodding, Andrew cleared his throat. “My intent was to get to know you, honestly. I’ve been all over the area, searching for clues or talking with people while on the hunt, but I came over the hill and there you were.” He glanced sideways at her with a shy smile and a slight flush to his face. “You looked like an angel and, for a moment, I thought I was seeing my brother again and his guardian angel, almost like a bittersweet gift. It’s silly, isn’t it?”

  Andrew’s face, on all accounts, looked hard… almost fierce. He was a fighter, through and through. His job was a tough one that involved hunting down people that had done wrong. Yet, that look he gave her? That admission? It was as if he were showing her the inner workings of his heart and soul. She stared as his throat worked and he cleared it. He thought she looked like an angel?

  “It’s not silly,” she whispered, feeling slightly overwhelmed at the admission. She glanced at Samuel where he was happily tossing bread up in the air over his head and giggling when it landed near a duck, resulting in the bird gobbling it up quickly. “It’s very sweet and a bit unexpected.”

  “What? That I find a beautiful woman enchanting?”

  “Oh gosh! Beautiful?” she laughed softly. Her nervous hands flew to her face to cover it, embarrassed by the attention. “I don’t think you have to go that far, Mr. Page. You’ve got our company right now, let’s just enjoy the moment.”

  “It’s Andrew, remember? May I call you Rebecca? Or do you go by Becky?” he asked with a halfhearted grin. Leaning back, he propped himself on his elbows and stared at the water. “This really is a pretty nice area. Hey, Samuel,” he called out quickly. “Get out of the mud or there is no dessert!” Instantly, he looked contrite and glanced at her. “That was your line, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes, but we are of the same mindset,” she said in approval. “Here he comes. I’m sure he is ravenous.” Sure enough, Samuel sat down with a thud on the blanket and panted with effort. His little cheeks were pinkened and sweat was on his brow from when he’d been chasing the ducks around. Without a word from her, Andrew handed him a canteen and instructed him to sip on it while they opened up the prepared lunch. She met his eyes over Samuel’s fair head with a tender smile.

  “It’s Rebecca,” she admitted and handed the wrapped sandwich to Andrew. His smile revealed that he had creases at the corners of his green eyes, as well as a small dimple in his cheek. She could only imagine if the shadow of beard was gone, what it would be like to kiss him. James had a full beard and it used to tickle her. But this? The idea of it nearly knocked the wind out of her. The thought of kissing him completely blindsided her. Yet now that it had blossomed, it was surely tempting.

  “Aren’t you going to eat, Rebecca?” he asked, smiling as he said her name. She watched, fascinated, as his smile came alive at simply saying her name aloud.

  “Oh, you go ahead. I want to make sure there is plenty for you both.”

  “I assure you, there is. I brought enough to have dinner as well. Maybe I was just as excited to see the ducks as Samuel was,” he admitted, with a pointed look at her that revealed it wasn’t the ducks he had wanted to see, but her.

  “Ducks, huh?” She grinned, grabbing a cold sandwich out of the basket. Sure enough, there were several more sandwiches inside. There was enough to feed a small army!

  “Yep,” he said, taking a big bite and winking at her. “I couldn’t wait to see those beautiful ducks.”

  “Me, too!” Samuel chimed in eagerly, with a piece of tomato sticking out of the corner of his mouth.

  “Samuel! Don’t talk with your mouth full!” she scolded, and laughed, blushing fiercely at the obvious endearment. It had been such a long time since anyone had even looked at her like a woman, not a mother. She yanked the hot straw hat off of his head. “Eat and cool off, my little love,” she said tenderly, kissing the top of Samuel’s blond head. “Looks like we might be spending the day out here with Andrew after all.”

  Chapter Three

  They spent a fantastic afternoon under the sycamore branches, just talking and getting to know each other. Samuel would dart in, here and there, so proud of himself. An afternoon at the pond had been just the thing his inquisitive mind needed. He had found different colored grasshoppers and crickets, marveling at the long legs. The ducks held his fascination for quite some time. But in the heat of the day, he decided to return back to the blanket where they sat and rested.

  Rebecca really admired how Andrew seemed to connect with Samuel. At church, he would fidget in the pew until he was released. He tried to behave, but it was a struggle at times. Yet, Andrew knew how to reach him. “Tell me about your brother. Where are you from?” she asked suddenly.

  His handsome face took on a sad smile. “I really miss him sometimes. I wonder what he would be like now, you know? Joshua was, well, he was insatiable. He needed to know everything and what it did. I remember one time, he was intent of seeing how water boiled.”

  “You’re kidding,” she laughed.

  “No,” he said with a grin. “It was the funniest thing. He stood there in the kitchen and demanded that my mother put several pots to boil at different times so he could see the process. He said he wanted to see the bubbles.” Andrew stopped and let out a heavy sigh. “He really loved learning and I think he would have been brilliant.”

  “It sounds like it,” she said gently, watching Samuel’s eyes get heavy. The slow blink was an indicator that he would be fast asleep soon. It was getting late and she needed to return back home to get started on the preserves. “I think we need to be getting back before he falls asleep. I’m sorry about your brother, again.”

  “Don’t be,” he countered, getting to his feet and extending a hand towards her politely. “Today is the first time it didn’t hurt so much to talk about it. I’m glad I could share him with you.”

  “I am, too” she admitted, placing her hand in his, gr
ateful for the help. Getting to her feet, she shook out her skirts primly so they would settle into place around her. She’d been sitting so long that they were certain to be creased awfully. Gathering up the basket, she saw that Andrew had picked up the blanket and folded it. Before she could say anything, Andrew then picked up her exhausted son, his blond head resting on Andrew’s dark shoulder. He walked the resting child quietly over to the buggy. Rebecca just stared at him, touched beyond words at the care he took with her boy.

  Andrew glanced back at her, prompting her to hurry over towards the buggy and join the duo. Climbing in, she accepted Samuel’s sleepy form. “Hang on lil’ man, we’ll be home soon,” she crooned, holding him. Andrew climbed in the buggy and took up the reins. She had caught his eyes watching her a few times as they drove down the road. “Are you in town long or passing through?”

  “I haven’t decided yet. If I get a lead or dispatched out then I have to go,” he answered politely. “If I have a reason to come back, I’d like to do so, Rebecca.”

  “Maybe you could join us this Sunday for services? We usually head into town and spend a fair amount of time in town that day.”

  “I’d like that.” Andrew nodded and then smiled. “I think he is sound asleep.”

  “I hope not, he’ll be up all evening if that’s the case. Samuel? Wake up, sweetie.” His groggy visage was quickly slipping back into sleep. The little blue eyes framed with long blond lashes rolled back as she watched his sweet face resting against her bosom. He would always be her sweet boy.

  “Samuel, think you can help me drive the team?” Andrew asked him, garnering a sharp glance from Rebecca. “I could use a bit of help.” Samuel perked right up and rubbed his eyes. He climbed down from her lap and went to stand between where they each sat on the buggy’s bench. Andrew gave one rein to Rebecca and held one himself. “Okay, Samuel. Take it easy and don’t snap the reins, just hold them softly and we’ll be at your house in a no time. Rebecca, keep your hand on the rein.”