Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
A fter last night, Belle enjoyed the late breakfast Aaron had insisted on paying for. Her children relaxed into the restaurant’s booth, which eased the tension in Belle’s chest.
It was almost noon, and the restaurant was quiet—one that she remembered from when she and her parents spent summers at their cabin—and not like the ones in Los Angeles where her husband, Chad, insisted they dine. Those were the places for people who wanted to be seen. Gladhanding people energized her husband.
Belle sighed. She wouldn’t think about her husband. He was part of her past. She and her children were her future.
As they left the restaurant, Belle spied the thrift store across the street.
“Do you mind if we stop in there?” Belle lifted her gaze to Aaron’s.
“Good idea,” he said. “I have shampoo and other items at my place if you want to use those.”
“Thank you.” Belle’s heart melted.
There was no end to this man’s kindness. He was like that during those summers she’d spent in Sweet Mountain—always knowing who to help.
Inside the store, she grabbed a few items and had her children try on a few more. In the back were shelves filled with new undergarments. She paid for them with the app on her phone.
The clerk packaged the clothes for Belle and her children separately. Lyle and Kelsey slipped their packages from the counter. Lyle picked up Belle’s package, which made her grateful and pleased. He and Kelsey had grown up a lot these past few months.
Would they look back on their childhoods and remember the good times? By the grace of God, more would come.
When they reached Aaron’s truck, he showed the children where to store their packages. Soon they were driving through the mountains to Aaron’s cabin. Her children were quiet, but their moods were more relaxed. Belle relaxed, too.
Aaron guided his truck around the last bend in the grated driveway. Air rushed from Belle’s lungs. She expected Little House on the Prairie, not this two-story chalet with its floor-to-ceiling windows, gabled roofs and stone chimneys.
“This is where you live?” Belle’s question brought Aaron’s head around. Her mouth flattened. She shouldn’t have been surprised.
“I wish,” he said dryly. “I stay here when I can, which lately hasn’t been much. It takes too long to drive to town, especially when I’m on call. I had planned to stay here the next couple of days, providing the crew doesn’t get a call.”
He waited for the garage door to open, then guided the truck inside. He climbed from the cab.
Belle slid from the truck. She shifted her glance to the garage, which was clean and orderly.
She was used to extravagance. All her parents’ homes were luxurious. The cabin that was now a pile of ash had been big and comfortable and something she would miss. Everyone who saw it had been amazed. To her, it was the cabin.
Aaron’s cabin was more beautiful than her parents’. The attention to detail had been added painstakingly.
One of her friends from town had mentioned Aaron and his brothers had built the place. She didn’t know the McSweeney men had contractor expertise, but thinking back to her summers in Sweet Mountain, Aaron and his brothers knew how to do everything. Because they’d grown up on the ranch?
Chad had bought a home in a neighborhood that made people lift their brows. It was more than they could afford, but Chad had been confident his salary would compensate for the extravagance.
“This place is exquisite,” she whispered on a soft exhalation.
“Thanks.” His voice was husky. He looked away.
“Sorry.” A twinge of guilt heated her cheeks. “I don’t mean to insult you.”
“You didn’t.” The soft look in his eyes said he understood her surprise.
Her children rounded the truck, their packages in hand. Lyle held Belle’s package. They glanced around the garage to the tool table, then to cabinets lining one wall. Shelving on another wall held camping gear and cross-country ski equipment.
“Let’s go inside. The door’s unlocked.” Aaron nodded to the short stairs leading to the door to the house.
Belle smiled to herself. The safety of the small town was something else she missed. Her house in Los Angeles had double locks, an alarm system and security cameras.
Lyle and Kelsey walked up the stairs. Belle followed. They stepped into a spacious kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances. The alcove held the breakfast room with views of the valley. An archway framed a dining room with a set that accommodated numerous guests.
For Thanksgiving? Christmas?
The McSweeney’s were all about family. Belle’s friends mentioned Aaron’s brother, Levi, was married and a father.
“This place is nice.” Lyle glanced at Aaron.
“It’s very nice.” Kelsey tipped her gaze to the living room’s vaulted ceiling.
“Thanks,” Aaron answered in his usual, humble way. “How about we go upstairs so you can see which room you want?”
Lyle, then Kelsey, moved out of the kitchen and through the dining room, their gazes taking in everything.
Her children led the way up the stairs. Aaron stayed at Belle’s side as they followed them.
This man’s strong presence made her swallow. How could God be so good as to bring him into her life at this moment? Aaron provided a place for them to stay. He’d driven her and her children to his cabin.
Thank you, Lord.
That simple thought of gratitude didn’t seem enough.
She watched her children peer through a doorway, then move down the hall, but her mind ticked off the things she had to do—rent a car, call the insurance company about the cabin, return to LA and sell the house.
She’d called her parents and told them the news. They said they’d call back when they decided what to do. She ached knowing the pain they felt. Their little jewel in the mountain was an ash heap. Her mother’s broken tone echoed in her mind. Belle would take care of as much as possible. She didn’t want her parents to fly out to assess the damage. It would break their hearts to see the charred remains of the cabin they’d loved so much.
“I’ll stay the night and help you get settled.” Aaron turned to her. “I recently shopped, so you should have enough food for a while.”
“Thanks.” She lifted her gaze to his. She had said she’d stay one night, but knowing this place was the panacea that would calm her children, she’d have to make an adjustment. She shouldn’t question that God was using Aaron to give her support she needed.
Aaron had always been caring and intuitive. Such a dichotomy for this rough and tumble cowboy, and so different than Chad, who was suspicious of everything.
“I’ll call the car agency at the airport and ask them to deliver an SUV in the morning.” Her casual tone hid the numbness.
“If you want to use one of our ranch Jeeps, you’re welcome to it.” His tender voice stirred a longing she shouldn’t feel. “They’re not luxurious, but they’ll get you from point A to point B.”
“You’ve done enough.” She shook her head.
“There isn’t a limit on helping a friend.” His gaze was steady but kind.
“I know, and I appreciate that, but I think it’s better to call the rental agency,” she said.
He nodded as if understanding. Did he think her husband wouldn’t approve? She held back a dry laugh. Chad wouldn’t care.
She had called her soon-to-be ex-husband to tell him about the fire—that it was important. She didn’t want him to learn about it through their children.
He hadn’t answered, but later sent her a text.
The memories of Belle’s Sweet Mountain summers flooded her with warm tingles. Her heart grew heavy. What had she left in this haven? Friends? Love? A life she’d never know?
She shoved the emptiness from her mind. She was in Sweet Mountain now.
Then what? She and her children would fly back to Los Angeles—back to the real world.
That was what she liked about Sweet Mountain. It was the place where she could forget all her cares. That was why she and her children had planned to spend the summer at her parents’ cabin.
Her parents wanted her and the children to move to Florida. If she did, her parents would be the source of her strength—not a good example to set for her children.
She knew what she should do—trust God. He would lead her in the way she should go. She would walk in it.
What she hadn’t expected was this gift from God in the form of Aaron.
“Where will you live?” She looked around. Though the cabin didn’t look lived in, it was a beautiful place—the perfect getaway.
“There’s plenty of room at my parents’ ranch,” he said.
“We’re kicking you out of your home so you can stay with your parents? You have six brothers.” Guilt loomed into a deep, relentless hopelessness.
She was homeless. Aaron was giving up his home for her sake.
“Not all of them live at home.” He looked amused. “Don’t worry about me.”
“I do worry.” She gave him a straight look. “This is your beautiful home.”
“I’ll be fine, Belle.” Despite his reassurance, she still felt guilt. “Let’s look at the rooms. Ready, kids?”
“Sure.” Despite Lyle’s quiet tone, he looked eagerly down the hallway.
Kelsey nodded.
Aaron led the way. Belle fell into step next to him with the children behind. Her gaze flicked to the wall—to paintings and drawings by the old west masters that covered the walls.
Her mouth tightened. Why shouldn’t Aaron know about the artists who depicted frontier tales with a paintbrush or a charcoal pencil? Sweet Mountain was his home. He would know more than erudite scholars tucked into ivory towers.
Lyle and Kelsey peered through each doorway, then turned to Belle and Aaron.
“Go on in, guys.” Aaron’s tone was so melodious.
They moved into the room. Aaron stepped back, giving Belle room to enter.
On the far wall stood a tall dresser, the knotty handles bowed like branches. A platform bed with a headboard of natural wood grain patterns sat on the opposite side.
“What do you think?” Lyle looked at his sister.
“I like it, but can we see others before we decide?” Kelsey looked through her lashes at Aaron, then at Belle.
“By all means.” Aaron grinned. His eyes were filled with tenderness, bringing back the memories of a kind young cowboy ready to lend a hand when needed.
Belle’s throat tightened with a surprising sensation that stirred within her overwhelming affection. Why had she been so blind to this gift of a man standing before her?
She knew why. She’d been focused on her dreams. She’d mapped her life. She couldn’t wait to begin the journey. A boyfriend didn’t fit into her plans.
Memories of the summers she’d spent in Sweet Mountain poured through her mind. Flashing before her were the images of a powerfully built man roping a steer and riding a bull. When Aaron spoke, his kind tone revealed another side to the rugged cowboy.
The ache in her chest filled her throat with tears. What had she left behind? Had God tried to tell her then?
Her mind was so busy planning her life, she never heard His voice.
Now, she was faced with the new challenges—her divorce, her parents’ cabin gone. Her stomach gripped. These trials didn’t just affect her. Her children were involved.
Since she and Chad had shared the divorce with them, her children remained strong. They had endured more than their share of heartbreak.
They rarely mentioned their father anymore, though she’d bring his name into the conversations and call him Daddy. Despite the anguish of the divorce, she didn’t want his children to hate their father. At night, they prayed for him.
God was faithful. After each crisis, He sent a miracle. Never more than now was that evident in the broad-shouldered man who helped her and her children select bedrooms.
Oh, God, thank You for Your mercy and grace. Please bless Aaron.
The peace that surpassed all understanding cocooned her in warmth and love. Aaron was the friend she was grateful to have.