Operation: Married by Christmas (10 page)

 

Will slammed his thumb with the hammer, held in a yelp of pain as he dropped the nail and tried to shake off the sting.

“Hey, buddy, if we're ever going to get this prop finished, you're going to have to stop watching Haley.”

Will glared at Clint Matlock, who was also nailing a two-by-four onto the back of the prop. He was grinning. “That had to hurt.”

“I wasn't—”

Clint shook his head, totally enjoying Will's discomfort. “No use denying it, Will. I've got eyes, too, you know. Me and everyone else on this crew back here. And believe me, I'm not the only one noticing that you can't keep your eyes off that stage. And since I know you're not watching my wife, and she's the only other female up there—” he shrugged “—that makes it pretty obvious who you're staring at.”

Will snatched another nail from the bag but refused to admit or deny that he'd been watching Haley. Instead he bashed the nail into the support bar. “Look,” he snapped when he was done. “It's not what you're thinking.”

“And what exactly would I be thinking?”

Will halted his hammer midswing and shot Clint a look of exasperation. “I'm not going to answer that.”

Clint chuckled and leaned closer so that no one else could overhear him. “Will, ask her out.”

“What?”

“Hey, don't look at me like that. You know you want to. So do it. Ask her out. You guys never have talked about what happened, have you?”

Will slammed the nail in with two strikes. “Not really. Well, some. She did say that I was mean and inconsiderate. Not those exact words, but you get my drift. The woman walks out on our wedding and then tells me it was my fault. That I was a jerk.”

“You gotta admit, there were all those jokes.”

“Jokes?”

“Yeah, you know, the Haley Bell stories.”

Will let the hammer rest on the plywood and stared blankly at Clint. “I told those stories because she was so cute. I told her that.”

“I know that. Look, Will, we were young and stupid. But I've got to tell you. I'm married to about the most impulsive woman God ever created. That Lacy can get into more scrapes. The woman is a walking funny bone. But here's what I know now that I might not have known then—I don't go around telling things on her that I think others will take to the extreme and never let her live down. She trusts me.”

She trusts me.
Will stared at Clint as his words sank in like hot tar melting into hard pavement. Had Haley trusted him, and he'd unknowingly let her down?

He turned and stared at her. She was laughing at something Bob or Lacy had said. Her head was tilted back, and her shoulders were shaking she was laughing so hard.

He wondered what was so funny and felt a pang of regret that he wasn't in on the joke.

“Clint, I'm a jerk. But that doesn't change all the facts. There's too much old news between us.”

Nate Talbert looked up from where he was painting a tree, at least that's what it was supposed to be, although it resembled more of a bush. “Will, the woman dumped you at the altar. Think before you act. Could you ever trust
her
again?”

Nate was one of the cowboys who hadn't been active in the “Bring Women to Mule Hollow Campaign.” But he was a widower and it struck Will as odd that he was talking about not trusting women. Still, Will did not feel comfortable asking him why he thought that way. Will had actually been surprised when he'd offered to help with the production, but thought it was a good sign that the man might be coming around. Then again, maybe not.

Maybe the good Lord had just sent him here tonight to talk sense back into Will's ailing brain.

T
hanksgiving was a big day in Mule Hollow. The church fellowship hall was packed, and Haley watched with mixed emotions as everyone filed in with serving dishes full of food. Obviously, Lacy hadn't heard that Haley had a reputation when it came to handling glass bowls of food because she'd recruited Haley to help get the food organized and set out at the church's Thanksgiving dinner.

It was dangerous work, and Haley was a bit nervous each time she took a bowl from someone.

“Haley Bell, how ya doin today?” Stanley boomed, which suggested his hearing aid was turned down low. He handed her a bowl of green beans but hesitated before he let go of it, giving Haley a look of warning. “You ain't gonna drop it, are you?”

Haley actually laughed. “Don't worry, Stanley, I've got it,” she reassured him. Nonetheless, she was extra careful as she took the bowl and braced herself for what she knew was coming.

Stanley looked skeptical watching her hold the dish. Then he glanced at Esther Mae, who was setting another corn casserole beside the other five already on the table. “Esther Mae, you remember the egg-salad fiasco?”

Esther Mae smiled but Stanley kept on talking, not giving her a chance to get a word in.

“You know, when Haley Bell was a little girl and she was helping with the dinner and she dropped the bowl of black-eyed peas?”

Haley knew that practically everyone standing within earshot remembered that little escapade. As all eyes focused on her, she watched Esther Mae's face light with the laugh that was tumbling out of her. “Who could forget that? Haley Bell was so cute trying to catch the bowl of beets. It was beets, Stanley, not black-eyed peas.”

“No, it was black-eyed peas that she was trying to catch,” Stanley boomed louder, shaking his head.

“No. It was green-pea salad,” Norma Sue chimed in.

“Y' all,” Esther Mae huffed, “it was beets that she was trying to catch when she fell into the table. She was so cute when she hit the table and sent all the food flying. Poor Haley Bell was trying so hard to stop the catastrophe from happening and ended up sitting in the middle of all that mess of food with egg salad on her head.”

Haley stood holding the bowl of green beans as all eyes turned toward her. Of course they remembered the day. Who would have forgotten it?

She remembered it very well. She'd been ten and trying so hard to do everything right…and then the dish had slipped and, like a house of cards everything had fallen apart. Once again she'd been the cute little Haley Bell, so klutzy—but cute. She was always cute. While everyone had a good laugh, she'd smiled along with them, Haley had been so mortified that she hadn't helped set out the food ever again. And it was beets, by the way, beets that had permanently stained her new dress.

But that was years ago, and if everyone even thought that they'd hurt her feelings it would devastate them.

“I can assure you that will not happen today,” Haley laughed, carefully setting the dish on the table. She then took a dramatic step away from the table, drawing more laughter from everyone. It certainly felt good to joke about it now.

“It'd be okay if it did,” Norma Sue said, coming up and putting an arm around Haley's waist, squeezing affectionately. “We love our little Haley Bell, always have. Thanksgiving dinners haven't been the same without you here. We've missed you.”

Haley placed an arm around Norma's plump shoulders and hugged her back. “And I've missed all of you, too, but I'm still not going to drop egg salad on my head.”

Everyone laughed again and Haley did, too. It was funny thinking about it now. Maybe she'd over-reacted all those years ago. Enjoying the feeling of being home, she took it all in and caught Will watching her. He met her gaze briefly then turned away, his expression troubled. Haley watched him setting chairs around the extra tables that he and the other men were setting up. She wondered what he was thinking about.

She didn't have time to wonder long as more food came in and Lacy asked her to fill glasses with ice. It was a monotonous job but well out of the way of possible catastrophes so she was happy to help. She'd come a long way from the klutzy little girl, but with all the stories resurfacing, they tended to make her nervous. Growing up she'd been like a gangly colt, all legs and arms. She'd been happy when her body and her motor skills finally caught up with each other. Still, there were times she thought she'd become that girl again. Nerves didn't help. Nerves were dangerous.

Lacy set a pitcher of tea on the table beside the glasses of ice. “I wanted to tell you how much I appreciated you standing in for Lilly the last couple of nights of rehearsal. You've been a real lifesaver—a real cool ladybug,” Lacy said, grinning. “But don't worry, Lilly's here today and said she'll be at practice tomorrow night so you're off the hook.”

“Whew, you just made my day. Not that I've minded reading for her, but that's just not my talent. As you could tell.”

Lacy grinned. “You might be right about that, but you've really been a great sport about pitching in. I told Will that you'll be able to help him out again with the props, and he seemed glad. I think Applegate might be driving him crazy.”

Haley had to slam the brakes on the way her heart sped up at the mention of Will being glad she'd be helping him again. “Applegate has a tendency to do that. I keep telling him he needs to turn his hearing aid up and leave it up. You know how he forgets that he's turned it off.”

Lacy's eyes widened in acknowledgment but she opted not to voice her agreement as she filled a glass with tea and set it to the side. For a few minutes they worked silently, Haley filling glasses with ice and Lacy filling them with tea.

“Do you ever think about moving back here, Haley? I mean, your grandfather would really like it. So would the entire town. And—ah—well, others.”

Haley let the empty glass she was holding hover above the ice chest as she decided to ignore the “others” comment. “Honestly, I've considered it. But please don't say anything. I wouldn't want to get Applegate's hopes up. Because, Lacy, really, I'm not sure I could do it.”

“Any particular reason? Would you like to talk about it?”

Haley shrugged. “You know that saying, ‘You can never go home again'?”

Lacy nodded.

“Well, I think in my case it might be true.”

“No way!” Lacy set the glass of tea down and laid a hand on Haley's arm. “They
really
love you. And they want what's best for you. I have to tell you that Applegate hasn't had this much spring in his step since the day he marched down Main Street with Sam as he went to ask Adela to marry him. You bring a light into his life that he needs. Goodness, Haley, you bring a light into all of their lives. I've only been a part of everyone's life for a little over a year now, but I've felt like I belonged from the first moment I stepped into town. I'm an outsider, and they've adopted me like I was born and raised here…. But you, you're one of them, you're flesh and bone to these wonderful people. They are so proud of you. Home is only a place you can't go home to if you make it that way.”

Proud of her? Haley wasn't so sure about that. “It's not just that, Lacy. I, well, I have a different life in Beverly Hills.” How could she tell her that Mule Hollow made her insecure even as it drew her?

“But are you making a difference there? Haley, look at Mule Hollow and what you have to offer.”

“I don't know—”

“Then let me put it this way—are you happy in Beverly Hills? Wait, don't answer that, at least not right now. Just think about it.”

Haley nodded. “Okay,” she said. But she already knew the answer. She wasn't happy in Beverly Hills. She had been coming to that realization for some time now. She knew in her heart she wasn't happy and she hadn't been for a good while.

But what did she do about it? She had serious doubts, even though she loved the people of Mule Hollow, that she could move home. In Beverly Hills she was a respected adult. How could she go from that to being looked at by everyone around her as the child she'd once been?

It was impossible. As much as she loved everyone, she couldn't go back to being that child.

 

Will found Haley sitting in the children's swing out behind the church. She had her back to him and was gently rocking the swing using the toe of her foot. Her blond hair draped across the side of her face as she held the chain, her cheek resting against her knuckles.

He hadn't liked the conversation he'd heard earlier about the “Haley Bell egg-salad fiasco.” It had actually angered him. More at himself than anyone else because it had him questioning his own actions all those years ago.

Had he held Haley back?

“Want a push?” he asked walking up behind her. When she glanced over her shoulder at him, his heart stumbled in his chest.

“Hey, why aren't you eating?” she asked, a smile in her voice. It was the first time they'd been alone since their argument at his house at the first of the week, and he was glad she wasn't still angry.

He grabbed the chain and tugged the swing back. “I felt like I needed some fresh air,” he said. Letting the swing go, he watched her hair flutter as she swung forward. He'd always loved her hair.

They remained silent for a few moments as she swung back and forth. Tension coiled inside and after a while Will pulled the swing to a stop. Moving to stand in front of her he was filled with shame.

“I never meant to hurt you.”

Haley's eyes turned liquid, then she inhaled, blinked and whatever he'd thought he saw was replaced with a teasing light. “Oh, that—I shouldn't have brought all of that up that day at your home. It was old news. I knew you didn't mean to hurt me. I'm a big girl. I was just mad when I made that silly statement. I never meant—”

Will dropped to one knee. “Haley, I was an idiot. A number-one jerk. How could I have not seen it?”

She sat very still, her eyes liquid pools showing her pain as she blinked hard against threatening tears. “Okay, so it's true. At times, you were,” she said softly.

He lifted his hand and traced her jaw, unsure whether she would let him touch her, uncertain if he could handle the feel of her. “I'm beginning to think I was an idiot in more ways than one.”

“Will, we were young—”

He shot up and rammed his hands into his pockets to keep from pulling her close. He didn't deserve to touch her. “I wasn't that young. It wouldn't have been an excuse anyway. What kind of a man does that? I loved you, and I was too blind to realize that I was hurting you, disrespecting you every time I told a story about you. I should have been out there taking up for you, and what was I doing? I was leader of the pack when it came to telling stories about you.”

Haley rose from the swing and laid her hand on his chest. Her touch felt like it was burning a hole through the fabric of his shirt. “Will, I said all of that in the heat of the moment. It's not like I've been mad all these years about everyone saying those things. They didn't mean anything.”

Will didn't believe her. Probably because after he'd heard the egg-salad conversation with wiser ears he felt like such a loser. As endearing as everyone thought it was, looking at it from the point of view of a child growing up with it…Will could only marvel at the sweetness with which Haley had always handled it.

“No, they didn't mean anything by their comments, except that they loved you and thought everything you did was cute and worthy of repeating. But enough is enough.”

Haley's expression tensed. “I wouldn't ruin their fun for the world. If I truly thought they were saying things out of meanness I might, but I know different now. That's part of what made this so confusing.”

Will sobered. “Then accept my apologies, anyway. There is no excuse, other than stupidity, for my using you to get a laugh from my buddies.”

Haley turned and walked to the edge of the playground. She stood silently for a minute then turned toward him. “Okay, truthfully, I did expect you to stand up for me. But I realize you were blinded by the fact that you, too, thought everything I did was adorable.” She rolled her eyes, making a face. “It's my own fault for being so cute. So there, blame my parents. How does that sound?”

Charmed, he laughed and moved to stand in front of her. “You're right about me and everyone thinking you were adorable.”

She suddenly grew serious, her eyes shadowed as she studied him. “And that was why I left you at the altar.”

What?
“I don't understand.”

“I know. You didn't then when I tried to explain it, and I don't think you do now. Your lack of realizing that I could be more is what made me understand I couldn't go through with our wedding. Or continue to live in Mule Hollow.”

“I never said I didn't think you could be more.”

Haley's eyes softened. “You didn't have to say it. No one did. As long as I remained in this town I was handicapped by my cute factor. I didn't stand a chance at becoming who I am today.”