Heart of Texas Vol. 3

  “Well, according to her, there are plenty of women without a questionable past. Wade could be dating them.”

  Dovie rolled her eyes rather than dignify such a statement with a response.

  Frank grinned. “What’s fun is watching Louise try to turn folks against Amy. People refuse to listen. They change the subject or make comments like how nice it is to see Wade so happy.”

  Dovie was proud of their townsfolk, too. “I’m having a baby shower for Amy next week.” Everyone she’d called had been eager to participate. “It’s a surprise, Frank Hennessey, so don’t you let the cat out of the bag, understand?”

  “My lips are sealed.”

  Dovie stood, and her husband grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his lap.

  Dovie put up a token protest, which he ignored.

  “Is Amy going to ask us to be the baby’s godparents, Dovie?”

  “That’s up to her.” But Dovie strongly suspected she would. Twice now Amy had asked Dovie about the responsibilities entailed and hinted that Dovie and Frank would make wonderful godparents.

  Dovie loved Amy’s unborn baby as if Sarah or Joseph were her own grandchild. The closer Amy’s due date drew, the more excited Dovie became. Already she’d knitted two blankets and one cap-and-bootie set. Her fingers weren’t as nimble as they’d once been, but that didn’t stop her.

  “Sometimes I think…” Dovie paused.

  “What?”

  She wasn’t sure she should say it aloud, but she’d ventured this far. “Sometimes it feels as if Amy is our child. She needs a family, and we have all this love to share.”

  Frank’s arms tightened around her waist. “I’m beginning to believe the same thing.”

  WADE HAD NEVER BEEN GOOD at carpentry. He still recalled his school shop project—a birdhouse. It had been a disaster. Give him a textbook and a room full of students any day of the week. He could teach them the principles of architecture, but he couldn’t tell a screwdriver from a wrench.

  He didn’t know what had made him think he could refinish a crib, but he’d taken on the task with enthusiasm. Amy only worked part-time at the feed store, so once she’d paid her utility bills and bought groceries, she didn’t have a lot of money left. The crib was his contribution. His own personal “welcome to the world” gift.

  While the refinishing job might not win any awards for skill, he figured he should get an A for effort. He’d originally intended to give the crib to Amy at the surprise baby shower Dovie was throwing that afternoon. But it didn’t make sense to haul the crib over to Dovie’s and then back to Amy’s place.

  So he did the logical thing. He pretended to know nothing about the shower and dropped it off at her house directly.

  Fortunately the contraption folded and fit in the back of his Blazer. Amy was busy washing dishes when he arrived. She wore the same shorts outfit she’d worn the Fourth of July, which produced a rush of warm memories.

  “Hi.” He kissed her lightly, then followed her inside. “I’ve got something for you.”

  “You do?” She smiled with anticipation.

  “Sit down and close your eyes.” He nudged her into a living-room chair.

  Amy sat there quietly, eyes closed as he requested, and while she waited, he returned to the Blazer and carried the crib into the house.

  “Okay, you can look now,” he said, standing proudly by his work.

  Amy stared up at him and then at the crib. Her eyes grew huge. “Oh, Wade.” Her hands flew to her mouth.

  “I refinished it myself.” He realized he sounded like a Cub Scout boasting about his latest achievement badge, but he couldn’t help it.

  “Now all I need is a screwdriver to, uh, finish tightening the rails.” Did that make any sense? He wasn’t sure.

  “I…don’t know if I have one,” she said.

  Wade let her go through the motions of searching. He’d made darn sure she didn’t have one before he’d brought the crib over. It was all part of the elaborate plan to get Amy to Dovie’s place for the shower.

  “Frank must have a screwdriver,” he said, reaching for the phone. He went through a little performance at his end—quite convincing if he did say so himself—then hung up. “He wants us to come over.”

  “When?” Amy asked.

  “Now.”

  She sighed, and he was afraid she might decline with some excuse. “Come on,” he urged. “It’ll do you good to get out of the house.”

  She didn’t seem to believe him, but finally she nodded and got her purse from the bedroom. At almost eight months pregnant, Amy didn’t move around as quickly or comfortably these days.

  He helped her into the Blazer and closed the passenger door. He wanted to suggest that she run a comb through her hair or add a touch of lipstick, but didn’t dare for fear she’d guess something was up.

  “What are all the cars doing at Dovie’s house?” she asked.

  “I think one of her neighbors is having a Tupperware party,” Wade said. Okay, so he was known to stretch the truth now and then. Hey, he wasn’t perfect.

  He rang the doorbell and stepped aside so Amy would enter the house first.

  The instant she did, a loud chorus of “SURPRISE!” greeted her.

  She gasped and stumbled back, crashing into him. “You knew?” she asked, twisting around to look at him. Shock and delight flashed from her eyes.

  She shook her head. “No one’s ever done anything like this for me before,” she said, and burst into tears.

  CHAPTER 7

  FOUR WEEKS. ONE MONTH. And then, this tiny being in Amy’s womb would be in her arms. It didn’t seem possible.

  Dressing for her appointment with Dr. Jane, Amy rubbed body lotion over her extended belly. It seemed to stretch halfway across the room. Studying her reflection in the mirror, Amy felt grotesque and misshapen, barely able to believe that this would soon be over. That soon, she’d be holding her baby.

  She’d just finished pulling on a dress and slipping into her shoes—she’d long since lost sight of her feet—when the doorbell rang. Wade had wanted to take her to the doctor’s appointment. He was even more attentive now, more solicitous. Increasingly Amy had come to rely on him. He was so gentle with her. Lately when they kissed, he restrained himself with two or three chaste kisses. If it wasn’t for the yearning she read in his eyes, she might have assumed he no longer found her attractive. His gaze told her otherwise.

  “You ready?” he asked and walked into the living room.

  “I’ll only be a moment,” she promised. “I want to put on some lipstick.”

  “You’re perfect just the way you are.”

  Amy found his words touching. “You must be at the age where you need glasses, Wade McMillen.”

  “My eyesight is twenty-twenty,” he countered. “I happen to recognize a beautiful woman when I see one.”

  Amy didn’t know what she’d done to deserve someone like Wade in her life. She knew she’d fallen deeply in love with him, and it had become more and more difficult to hide the depth of her feelings. They hadn’t spoken of love. Not once. And seeing that she was about to give birth to another man’s child, Amy didn’t feel she was in any position to discuss her feelings.

  “Mom phoned last night,” Wade told her. “She wanted to see how you’re feeling. She asked me to give you her love.”

  “I hope you gave her mine,” she said on her way into the bathroom.

  “I did,” Wade called after her.

  Amy stood in front of the mirror and applied a pale rose shade of lipstick. It never ceased to amaze her that a woman who was little more than a stranger would send her love, while her own mother had abandoned her. At no time in the past three months had Alicia Thornton made any attempt to contact Amy. Her mail continued to be forwarded and other than a couple of cards from people at her old job, there’d been nothing. No one had tried to reach her. Not her mother. Not Alex.

  Which was just as well. She’d left Dallas wanting to escape their inf
luence and make a new life for herself and her child. She liked the people of Promise and they had welcomed her with kindness and generosity. In only a few months Promise felt more like home than any place she’d ever lived.

  DR. JANE PATTERSON’S OFFICE had grown steadily busier over the past two months; today the reception room was almost full. Jenny asked Amy to have a seat and Wade sat with her, holding her hand. Her free hand rested on her stomach.

  “Would you like to go for lunch later?” he asked.

  As often as they saw each other, they rarely went out on what would be considered a date. “I’d like that,” Amy said.

  “Any cravings?” he murmured. “Pickles? Ice cream?”

  “Cheese enchiladas.”

  “Done. The Mexican Lindo has some of the best.”

  Amy didn’t realize how hungry she was until he’d mentioned food, and then it was all she could think about.

  Jenny appeared a minute later. “Amy, Dr. Jane will see you now.”

  Amy stood. “I’m sure this won’t take long,” she told Wade.

  Jenny took her blood pressure and pulse and entered the numbers on her chart. Amy sat on the end of the examination table and waited.

  Dr. Jane came into the cubicle and read the chart. “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  “Ambitious,” Amy said. She’d gotten the bedroom ready for the baby in the week since her last visit. The gifts from the baby shower had spurred her into activity. Everyone had been so generous.

  “Ambitious,” Jane repeated. “That’s a promising sign. Are you experiencing any problems?”

  “You mean other than rolling over in the middle of the night? I feel like a turtle who’s been flipped onto its back and can’t get up.”

  Jane grinned. “Other pregnant women have told me the same thing.” She checked the swelling in Amy’s ankles and after a brief physical exam asked her to make an appointment for the following week.

  “Everything okay?” Wade asked Amy once they were outside.

  “Perfect,” she assured him. Other than feeling ungainly, she’d rarely been in better shape. This could be attributed to the care she’d taken with diet and the number of hours of sleep she seemed to require every night. In addition, Wade and Dovie had pampered her at every turn. Their emotional support and friendship had made a world of difference to Amy, and to the pregnancy.

  “You’ve got my mouth watering for Mexican food,” he said, holding her hand firmly in his.

  “Mine, too.”

  They entered the restaurant in a festive mood, and the proprietor himself escorted them to a table. Amy barely had time to open her menu when the waiter appeared with chips, salsa and glasses of water.

  “I don’t know why I’m bothering to read this,” she said. “I already know what I want.”

  For a moment Amy didn’t think Wade had heard her. His attention was focused on the booth directly across from them. Amy’s gaze followed his to two middle-aged women, both of whom were more than a little overdressed for the restaurant. One wore a shiny silver running outfit with high heels and star-shaped sunglasses. The other seemed decked out for the beach, in a halter top, panama hat and short shorts. She recognized the woman in silver by sight. Louise Somebody. Dovie had pointed her out; she’d said little, but Amy could tell from her tight-lipped expression that this Louise was not a person she liked or respected.

  The waiter returned, ready to take their order and it seemed no time at all before he was back with their meals. Amy forked up a mouthful, for her first taste. The enchilada was full of spicy refried beans and melted cheese. Mmm. She took a bite, expecting to be transported to culinary heaven. But as soon as her mouth closed around the fork, those expectations were shattered by the conversation at the booth across the aisle.

  “It doesn’t seem fitting, does it, Tammy Lee, to have our pastor—a man who’s supposed to be above reproach—dating an unwed mother.”

  “Yes, I would’ve thought Reverend McMillen would show a bit more discretion,” the other woman said.

  Amy saw Wade stiffen.

  “This food is wonderful,” Amy said, hoping to distract him and at the same time hide how much those cruel words hurt.

  Wade’s attention returned to her. “Ignore those two.”

  “I will if you will,” she whispered back.

  He nodded.

  “She looks like she’s about to pop any minute,” the one in the beachwear said, just loudly enough to be heard.

  “Personally I think Wade’s involvement reflects poorly on the entire church.” The woman in the running suit didn’t bother to hide the fact that she was staring in their direction.

  “I’m sure more than one person has questioned his priorities lately.”

  “Just who is she, anyway?”

  Amy set her fork aside, certain she wouldn’t be able to swallow another bite. The food that had been so appealing had little flavor now. What the woman said was true—and something Amy had chosen to overlook all these many weeks. Wade was a minister, a man of God; he had a reputation to consider, and his affiliation with her was hurting him in the eyes of his community.

  “It’s just not what you’d expect from a pastor.”

  “It makes you wonder…”

  Wade slammed his fork down on the table. “I’ve had enough,” he told Amy.

  “No, please!” She was embarrassed enough. Anything he said or did would only add to her humiliation. And his own.

  Amy had never seen him angry, not like this. His face was white, his fists clenched, as he got out of the booth and approached the two women.

  “Good afternoon, Louise. Tammy Lee.”

  Both women nodded coolly.

  “I couldn’t help overhearing you just now.”

  “You heard?” Louise murmured as though she felt shocked by that—although she’d obviously intended it all along. But why? Amy wondered. Why would she purposely set out to embarrass Wade?

  “You were talking about Amy Thornton and me. Have either of you met Amy?”

  Amy felt their eyes shift to her. She smiled weakly and nodded in their direction.

  “No…” one of them said.

  “I can’t say I’ve had the…pleasure,” the other said.

  “I already knew the answer before I asked,” Wade confessed wryly, “because if either one of you had made the effort to know Amy, you’d realize something very important.”

  Both women stared at him.

  “Amy is one of the kindest women I’ve ever known. She’d never go out of her way to embarrass someone—unlike certain others I could mention.”

  Louise pursed her lips at this.

  “Furthermore,” Wade continued, “I happen to be very much in love with Amy Thornton.”

  The shocked gasp, Amy realized, came from her.

  “It hurts me that two women who are part of my church family would be this thoughtless, this judgmental. I hope that, in time, you’ll both come to know and care about Amy, too.”

  Amy didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. Her thoughts whirled around in her head. Wade loved her. He’d admitted it to those two women. But it troubled her that his love for her was damaging his reputation.

  She folded her arms beneath her breasts, cradling her child, protecting him or her from the harsh judgments of the world. This matter of seeing Wade socially had worried her before, but they’d never discussed it. She’d been afraid to confront the issue, afraid that once she did, everything would change. Now she saw that her selfishness had hurt him. These women, gossipmongers or not, were members of his church, and it wouldn’t be long before word spread throughout the congregation, possibly the entire town.

  Reverend Wade McMillen was in love with an unwed mother.

  Her thoughts distracted her, and she didn’t even notice that Wade had returned to the booth.

  “I apologize, Amy,” he murmured. “I wish I could have spared you that.”

  She tried to reassure him with a smile but was unable to muste
r even a token effort.

  “I’m the one who should apologize.”

  “Nonsense.”

  She couldn’t stop looking at him, couldn’t stop hearing his words. “You love me?” she asked, her voice more breath than sound.

  He reached for her hand. “Funny I should admit how I feel about you to someone else first, isn’t it?”

  “No.” Her throat felt thick, clogged with tears, making it difficult to speak. She lowered her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

  “I didn’t intend to ask you to marry me like this.”

  Amy slowly raised her head. “Marry you? But…you don’t know anything about me, about my family—about my background.”

  “I know everything I need to know.”

  “What about…Sarah? You don’t know about her—about the man who fathered her.” Amy hadn’t mentioned a word about Alex, not to Wade, not to Dovie. Not to anyone. As much as possible, she tried to push every thought of her ex-lover from her mind and heart. One night just recently she’d found herself pretending Wade was Sarah’s father, but decided that was a dangerous game.

  “I love you, Amy.”

  “No.” She shook her head vigorously. “You don’t know what you’re saying. You…We’ve been seeing too much of each other,” she said, struggling to hide the panic rising inside her.

  “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”

  “Oh, Wade.” She took her napkin and crumpled it with both hands.

  “I want us to get married. Soon, too, so I can be Sarah’s daddy.”

  Amy gave up the effort. She covered her face, reminding herself that her hormones were all askew and not to worry if she was more emotional than usual.

  “Is that a yes or a no?” he asked with such gentle concern it made her want to weep.

  Fighting for composure, Amy swallowed back tears and inhaled deeply. “I don’t know what to say,” she managed once her throat muscles had loosened enough for her to speak.

  “Say you’ll marry me.”

  “I…need time.”

  “Darling, I hate to pressure you, but all we’ve got is a few weeks before we’re parents.”