Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
A aron helped his father sit at the dining room table.
“Do you want some juice, Dad?” He lifted a glass and arched a brow at his father.
“Coffee.” His father grinned at him.
“That I should have known.” Aaron gave a dry laugh and lifted his father’s cup from the saucer. “I’ll be right back.”
In the kitchen, his mother collected a few things from the cupboard.
“Belle left rather quickly.” Aaron stepped to the coffee maker and slipped a pod into the machine.
“That was my fault.” His mother looked at him with apology in her eyes.
He arched a brow and waited.
“As a mother, there’s nothing I want more than to protect my children,” she said.
“And you’re protecting me from Belle?” he asked, bemused.
“From yourself,” she said sadly.
He waited to let her explain. Still, he may not comment.
“I remember how infatuated you were with Belle that first summer her family spent at their cabin,” she said on an exhaled breath. “When she left, I’d never seen such pain in your eyes.”
He released a slow breath. He remembered that summer. He’d never met anyone like Belle. She was pretty, but exciting and outgoing and turned heads not because of her looks but because she stood out in a crowd. He had forgotten all the teachings his parents had carefully shared with him and his brothers because he’d let this fascinating woman turn his head.
“Mom, what happened that summer was my fault, not Belle’s,” he said flatly.
“I know, which was why watching you recover from her leaving hurt all the more.” Sympathy shone in his mother’s eyes.
“You remember what happened way back then?” Aaron asked, the strain in his mother’s voice making him wonder why she would want to.
“I shouldn’t,” she said on a heavy exhale. “I know enough to let go and let God, but that doesn’t make me stop wanting to be a mother and wanting to protect my children. You’re an adult. I realize that. I can’t run interference for you for all the obstacles you’ll face, but as a mother, that doesn’t lessen my desire to do so.”
Her words took him back to the time he spent with Belle and her children at his cabin. He saw in her eyes her need to protect her children—an inherent trait of mothers he hadn’t realized. Though he didn’t know the whole story, he understood part of what she feared had to do with her marriage, which was falling apart.
He wouldn’t wish divorce on anyone, though he wondered if the end of her marriage would make her leave Sweet Mountain.
Belle Stedham York with her prep school education and worldly travels was too sophisticated for this town—too sophisticated for him. That didn’t curb his desire to be with her—something he had to control.
She was still married.
God’s plan was to heal marriages.
If that were His will, Aaron would step back and watch God’s miraculous way save a crumbling marriage and marvel at His astonishing touch.
“I guess it won’t do any good to tell you not to worry.” Aaron tipped his mouth ruefully.
“It will.” His mother’s smile was soft. “I know to trust God, and that’s what I’ll do.”
Belle peeked her head into the kitchen. “I just wanted to see if you needed help with anything.”
“We’ve got it handled.” Aaron smiled at her—so did his mother—but the shift in Belle’s gaze revealed she knew she’d been the topic of conversation.
“Is everything all right?” She looked apprehensive.
“Everything’s fine.” Aaron hoped his smile released the tension around her eyes. “We’ll be right in.”
A wariness filled Belle’s face.
“We’ll be right there.” Aaron’s smile slight, he looked into her eyes.
“I didn’t mean—” Color drained from her cheeks.
“I know you didn’t.” He looked at her but made an effort to hide his feelings.
The delicate way her mouth curved, her large eyes in her oval face, the flutter of her long lashes. He took it all in. These would be memories he’d press into his mind and recall in moments when he thought about her.
“Thank you.” Her voice but a whisper, she turned back to the dining room.
His mother followed Belle. Aaron lifted his father’s coffee cup and followed her.
The cinnamon rolls were a hit and were gone by the end of breakfast. After the meal, Belle had wanted to clean the kitchen, but Naomi said she’d done her part.
“Take the kids to the barn.” Aaron gathered the platters from the table. “Get to know the animals. If you like, we can take the kids for a ride—maybe ride to the lily ponds. It’s a short ride. That should be good for the first time in the saddle.”
“They’d like that.” In her eyes was a faraway look as if she were remembering the rides they had taken.
“Go get ready.” Aaron liked the joy in her face. He’d often thought of the rides they’d taken. “We’ll have the kitchen cleaned by the time you’re ready. We can walk to the barn together, and I’ll teach them how to saddle a horse.”
“You will?” Her eyes went wide.
“Why not? I’ve been saddling horses since I was their age.” Her surprise amused him. “I taught you, remember?”
“Of course, I remember, but I was older.” Her tone filled with doubt. “And it was still a struggle for me to lift the saddle.”
“I’ll help them.” He wanted to reassure her. “If you and the kids plan to stay for the summer, learning to saddle will come in handy.”
The flicker in her eyes made him wonder if they would stay until school started. If she were staying at the cabin, she would have, but they no longer had the cabin.
“I’ll get the kids ready.” Her smile held warmth. “We’ll be right back.”
By the time Aaron and his brothers had cleaned the kitchen, Belle returned with her children. Aaron had packed a picnic and carried the satchel filled with sandwiches, fruit and drinks as they made their way to the barn. The children’s eyes filled with excitement, and they asked a thousand questions as they strode to the barn.
Titan stood next to Belle and watched as Aaron helped Lyle and Kelsey pick out horses and taught them how to throw on the saddles. They were fascinated with the stirrups, the hackamores and everything else to do with horses.
They wanted Titan to join the ride, but Aaron said the dog was too old to follow.
Lyle and Kelsey talked excitedly as Aaron led them down the trail. When they exited the forest that opened into the meadow filled with the lily ponds, they were awestruck.
“It’s beautiful here.” Lyle slid from his horse. “Can I go look at the frogs?”
“We can all go.” Belle climbed down from her saddle. “Let’s eat lunch first.”
After lunch, they walked quietly to the shores of the largest pond, but the frogs stilled as they waited to see what the newcomers would do. Soon they resumed their croaking.
The interruption of Belle’s phone made them quiet again.
“I didn’t think we’d have cell service out here.” She slipped her phone from her pocket.
“Nowadays, it’s hard to get away from it,” Aaron said with a laugh.
She laughed, too, until she stared at her phone. The joy she’d shown during the ride vanished. Her face paled and a swallow slid down her throat.
“Belle?” he said and tried to still the unease stirring within him.
“It’s nothing.” She silenced her phone.
It rang again before she could slip it into her pocket. She turned it off.
His first thought was that the call was from her husband. He tightened his jaw. Though they had been friends as teenagers, the years in between had faded their friendship. They’d made lives for themselves—she with her husband and children. She’d shared some of the breakup of her marriage with him, which explained why she hadn’t received a call from her husband. Reluctantly, Aaron accepted that, though if he were married to Belle, he’d want to hear her voice every day.
For the rest of the afternoon, she remained quiet, except when her children asked her questions. Her children were too fascinated with the ponds to notice the change in her mood.
Aaron’s heart beat heavily. He noticed.
When they returned to the ranch, she remained upbeat as she helped Aaron and the children unsaddle the horses, groom them, then fill their troughs. The children laughed at the horses’ excitement for the special treats they found in the hay and oat mixture.
In the house, Belle told Naomi she’d be down soon to help her with dinner, even though his mother told her she was nearly finished.
Her mood still light, Belle ushered her children upstairs to bathe before dinner. Aaron would give her a few minutes before he followed.
She still hadn’t turned on her phone. He hated that the impending conversation was something she had to face alone. He wanted to be there for her.
He needed to step back. For now, he’d wait and pray for God to give her peace and strength.