Love Without End: A Kings Meadow Romance Read online

  Tara hurried toward the barn.

  Kimberly drew a quick breath. “I guess I’ll see to a few things in the office.”

  Before Kimberly could head for the guesthouse, Anna asked, “Did you and Chet have a quarrel?”

  “No.” It was the truth—they hadn’t quarreled—but still it seemed a lie.

  “Something happened.” Anna’s eyes narrowed as she studied Kimberly. “He’s been in a strange mood ever since yesterday, and you look like you’ve been dragged through a knothole.”

  Kimberly would have loved to bare her soul, but it didn’t feel right to talk about her feelings with anyone before she talked about them with Chet. Only, what if he didn’t feel the same way? What if he never meant to propose as she’d begun to believe he might? Maybe she’d been wrong about him. Maybe he’d wanted a girlfriend and not a wife. Once burned, twice shy. And if he didn’t love her, if he couldn’t love her, wouldn’t it be better if she relocated to Seattle, far from the memories of another broken heart?

  “My dear,” Anna said. “Would you do me a favor while you’re in the office?”

  “Of course. What is it?”

  “Pray about whatever is troubling you.”

  Sudden emotion overcame her. Before she could burst into tears, Kimberly nodded and hurried away.

  “Pray about whatever is troubling you.”

  She hadn’t prayed about her feelings for Chet, had she? She hadn’t asked for God’s will to be done when it came to where she should live or what work she should do. She rarely prayed much beyond those arrow prayers of “Help me, Lord!” or “Please, God.” That wasn’t the kind of praying Anna meant, and Kimberly knew it.

  In the office, she closed the door behind her. Instead of going to the desk, she went to the single bed that stood in one corner of the former bedroom. She knelt on the rug and folded her hands atop the bedspread. The position felt awkward. But it shouldn’t, and it shamed her. Kneeling in prayer should be the most natural of positions for someone who professed to be a Christian.

  She closed her eyes and tried to think of the right words to say. But eventually she realized she didn’t need to censor her words. She didn’t need to sound intelligent or righteous. She needed to be honest, to pour out her heart. And so that was what she did. Talked things over with the Father who loved her. No pretense. No shaving of the truth. Frank. Honest. And more than a little broken.

  CHET DIDN’T HAVE ANY CHOICE BUT TO BE AT THE house to welcome their guests. If he could have avoided it, he would have. He wasn’t ready to face Kimberly again. Not yet. There was an ache in his gut that wouldn’t go away, and he knew seeing her would only make it worse. As it was, he managed not to run into Kimberly until after the Wainrights came up the drive in their rental minivan, a big dust cloud trailing behind them.

  Anna, Tara, and the boys joined Chet, and they walked as a group toward the vehicle that had parked in a recently designated parking area. “Where’s Kimberly?” he asked Anna in a low voice.

  “In the office.”

  He glanced back at the cottage, wondering if she’d heard the sounds in the barnyard. She must be eager to see her friends.

  The front doors of the vehicle swung open at the same time the side doors slid toward the back. Their guests’ feet had barely touched the ground before Tara raced over to one of the girls, and the two of them embraced. They laughed and hugged and laughed again. They talked rapidly at the same time. Chet hadn’t a clue what either of them said, but they understood each other.

  Once Jeffrey Wainright joined his wife on the passenger side of the van, Chet stepped forward, offering his hand. “Welcome to the Leonard ranch.”

  “Thank you. We’re glad to be here.” They shook hands. “Beautiful country.”

  Chet heard Kimberly’s approach a moment before Irena Wainright smiled and called out her name. The women didn’t embrace as their daughters had, but they clasped hands and greeted each other with warmth.

  Irena took one step back and gave Kimberly a thorough study. “Look at you. You’ve gone native.”

  Chet hadn’t noticed what Kimberly wore. He’d just been glad to see her and wondered why he’d been so desperate to avoid her. But now he noticed. From the top of her white hat to the tip of her boots, she looked one hundred percent Idaho cowgirl.

  And it broke his heart that it might not be true.

  Anna

  1984

  HIS NAME WAS WALTER CUNNINGHAM, A SUCCESSFUL real estate developer. He was six feet four inches tall, blond-haired and blue-eyed, and was about the prettiest man Anna had ever laid eyes on. She’d met him for the first time when snow still blanketed the ground on the Leonard ranch. She’d fallen in love with Walter by the time the first wildflowers appeared. He’d asked her to marry him on a warm August night as falling stars glittered across the heavens.

  And today, the first day of autumn, was her wedding day.

  Fifty-four years old and a bride at last. Who would have thought it? Not her. She’d long ago given up on falling in love again or ever getting married. She hadn’t minded. Not really. She’d had sweet memories of Miles. She’d had the joy of watching Richard grow up and then again the joy of watching Chet grow up. She’d had work she loved in a place she loved. She had many good friends. Her life had been full. So very full. And it was about to get more so.

  It surprised her that she’d had the courage to say yes to Walter. Not only to marriage but to leaving the Leonard ranch, leaving Kings Meadow, leaving Idaho. A new adventure.

  She smiled at her reflection in the mirror.

  Life itself was an adventure. With God lighting the way ahead, she could walk bravely into the future, wherever it took her. The Lord had sustained and blessed her through the last fifty-four years. He would sustain and bless her through however many years were yet to come.

  Thirty-four

  THE FIRST DAY OF THE LEONARDS’ NEW GLAMPING enterprise passed in a blur of activity. There’d scarcely been a moment to breathe, let alone think. But now their guests had been fed and were settling in at Cabin #1. Chet heard Irena invite Kimberly to stay and talk awhile. More about the job, he assumed. So he rode back with Sam, leaving his truck for Kimberly and Tara.

  Restless and feeling the need to be alone, he saddled his horse and rode up the mountainside, headed to the plateau where he’d intended to propose to Kimberly.

  Too late now.

  Not everybody was cut out to live in a place like Kings Meadow. Not everybody was meant to be a rancher, either. Or a rancher’s wife. He’d always known that. And yet, he’d hoped. Maybe he’d been wrong to hope.

  At the plateau, he didn’t dismount. He stayed in the saddle, staring across the valley. The evening shadows were growing long, but he could still make out the location of Cabin #1 in the distance. The pale canvas tent made it easier to find.

  Was Kimberly still there with her friends? Were they telling stories and making her long for Seattle and the life she’d once had? Maybe she’d never stopped longing for that life. Maybe he’d fooled himself into thinking she had or ever could.

  When his marriage had come apart, he’d tried for a long time to hold onto the wife who didn’t love him, the woman who didn’t want him or the life he could give her. Marsha had hated the ranch, hated him, in the end. He couldn’t allow himself to make that same mistake with Kimberly. He wouldn’t try to make her want to be here, to be with him. She had to want it on her own.

  God, You’re going to have to get me through this. Right now, it doesn’t feel like I’ll know how.

  Sounds from the forest intruded. He twisted in the saddle in time to see Kimberly ride her mare out of the trees. She was gripping the saddle horn hard, nervous but determined. He could see that from where he was.

  “Kimberly?”

  She gave him a weak smile.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  Did he want to hear what she had to say? Not likely. All the same, he felt pro
ud of her for riding her horse all this way. She’d never ridden this far before.

  “How did you find me?” He dismounted and stepped toward her.

  “Sam came with me most of the way. He said this is where you come to sort things out when you don’t know what to do.”

  “He said that, did he?” Chet took hold of the mare’s reins near the bit and waited for Kimberly to slip down from the saddle. “He knows his dad.”

  “I’ve come to know you rather well myself.”

  Why was she here? To torture him?

  “Chet, you’ve done your best to avoid or ignore me all day.”

  “No, I—” he started, then closed his mouth on the lie.

  She took his hand and led him toward the edge of the plateau, her gaze taking in the stunning view of the valley below. “I can see why you come up here to think. It’s beautiful.”

  You’re beautiful.

  She turned and faced him, her nearness forcing her to look up and him to look down. “Do you know what I was doing before the Wainrights got here? I was praying. Really praying. About everything. But especially about you.”

  His heart seemed to stop.

  “Especially about us.”

  It started up again.

  “Chet, I’ve been a fool not to say this to you before. I have to say it now, before it’s too late.” She inhaled deeply, then met his gaze again. “I love you. Surely you must know that.”

  “But that job in Seattle. It’s the life you wanted to go back to.”

  “I’m not interested in a job that would take me away from you.” Her smile warmed him. “Did you hear me say I love you?”

  “I heard.” He took hold of her upper arms, staring hard into her eyes. “But are you sure you want to stay?”

  WAS SHE SURE? WHAT A QUESTION. KIMBERLY HAD never been more certain of anything in her life. Couldn’t he see that?

  She grinned at him. “I rode all the way up here. On a horse, for pity’s sake. Of course I’m sure.” Then she rose up on tiptoe while drawing his head toward her and let her kiss tell him what words could not.

  When the kiss ended, Chet didn’t let her pull away. Instead, he drew her close, her cheek resting against his chest, his chin pressing lightly on the top of her head. She listened to the beating of his heart, in perfect time with her own, and suddenly she felt like crying for joy. This was almost more happiness than one person could stand.

  “I love you, Kimberly. Marry me.”

  Okay, now it was more happiness than one person could stand.

  “Will you?” he whispered.

  “Yes,” she whispered in return. “Yes, yes, yes.”

  He kissed her again, long and sweet and tender, and she let the happy tears fall. The end of the kiss was made salty by them.

  “I love you.” He cradled her head between his hands. “It’s a love without end, Kimberly.” His eyes were full of the promise.

  She smiled, hearing the melody of the song that had suddenly become theirs, and whispered, “Amen.”

  Reading Group Guide

  1. Kimberly sometimes feels angry at her deceased husband for keeping her in the dark about their finances. Is she justified? Does she deserve some of the blame?

  2. Violet tells Anna that God doesn’t need her to pretend how she feels about losing her parents. Do you sometimes pretend when you go to God in prayer? How can you be more open and honest before Him?

  3. Janet Dunn opens her home to her childhood friend and daughter. How have you exercised the gift of hospitality lately to friends and/or strangers?

  4. Do you think the unexpected death of a spouse or the desertion by a spouse would be more difficult to overcome? Why?

  5. Both Chet and Kimberly have trusted friends/mentors who speak truth into their lives. Do you have someone who speaks the truth in love to you? How do you cultivate and protect those special relationships?

  6. Kimberly believes God could have found an easier way to bring her to Kings Meadow. Janet responds that “easy” may not have been what Kimberly needed. Has God used difficult circumstances to bring you to a new place of understanding? Are you able to be grateful for it?

  An Excerpt from

  Whenever You Come Around

  chapter 1

  CHARITY ANDERSON PULLED INTO THE DRIVEWAY of her parents’ home early on a Friday morning. The wood shutters were closed over all the main floor windows. Her parents might as well have put up a sign: Owners Away! Help yourselves! Then again, this was Kings Meadow. Neighbors looked out for neighbors and their property. It wasn’t like in the city where you could live next door to people for a decade and not even know their names.

  The lawn had been allowed to go wild. Her dad had said he wasn’t going to pay for anybody to mow the lawn when he wasn’t there to see it. But Charity, admittedly a bit of a neat freak, would either hire someone to mow or buy a couple of goats to graze on it. She couldn’t bear to leave it the way it was now.

  She exited her automobile. Cocoa, her brindle-colored dog—a Heinz 57 mixed breed with a stocky body and short coat—jumped out right behind her. Cocoa immediately began to sniff around.

  “Your nose must think it’s in heaven, Cocoa.” Charity headed for the front door. “Come on, girl. Let’s check things out.”

  The calendar said June, but the cold, dreary interior of the darkened house felt more like February. The first thing Charity did was to turn up the thermostat to get some heat pumping into the rooms. The next was to open all the shutters to let in the light. That helped. Not quite so desolate.

  Charity had never stayed in her girlhood home when no one else was there. It would feel strange without either her parents or her sister, Terri, for company. Charity’s parents were on a three-month tour of Europe and the Mediterranean. The trip of a lifetime, they called it. One they’d scrimped and saved for the last thirty-five years. As for Terri, she lived with her husband and daughter near Sun Valley, close to a three-hour drive from Kings Meadow. Too far for frequent visits.

  But solitude was the reason Charity had come to Kings Meadow. She needed a respite from all distractions in her everyday life, and this was the perfect place to escape the hubbub. There was only a small area of this valley in the high country where a person could get cellular service—kids up here didn’t spend their lives texting their friends—and while there was Internet service available through the cable provider, it was far from the high speed she was used to.

  The second-floor bedroom Charity had shared with her sister up until Terri got married hadn’t changed much. It still bore many of the traces of teenage girls. There were some possessions Terri and Charity hadn’t wanted to take with them when they moved out, things their mother had been unable to get rid of. Even after giving the room a fresh coat of paint, some of the pop star posters had gone back on the walls. The memories those posters stirred to life made Charity smile as she unpacked her suitcases, placing clothes in the old chest of drawers and hanging other items in the closet. A closet that had been too small for two clothes-conscious girls.

  As she stowed her now empty suitcases under the bed, she looked out the window and saw Buck Malone exit the house next door and stride to his battered, old pickup truck. Her heart did a crazy—and unexpected—flutter at the sight of him. A remnant from when she was fifteen and suffering unrequited love for the drop-dead gorgeous high school senior who didn’t even know she was alive.

  The truck engine started, and in moments, he was gone from view.

  Buck Malone. She hadn’t seen him in years—surprising given the small population of Kings Meadow, but somehow they’d managed to miss each other when she came to visit her folks. Or maybe it wasn’t surprising. Most of her trips home happened during the summer when he was guiding people on trail rides and camping trips.

  She gave her head a shake. Her teenage crush for Buck Malone was ancient history. It didn’t much matter now.

  Turning from the window, she saw Cocoa seated in the bedroom doorway, watching her wi
th a patient gaze. “Guess we’d better think about stocking the refrigerator so we don’t go hungry. Let’s go to the store.”

  Her dog knew what “Let’s go” meant. She raced down the stairs and danced around impatiently until Charity caught up with her, purse slung over her shoulder. When Charity opened the door, the dog dashed outside and sniffed around the yard a bit before meeting her mistress at the car.

  Charity loved Cocoa. She’d rescued her from the shelter when the dog was an awkward-looking pup of about eight months old. Charity had been told the puppy was to be destroyed in three more days if no one adopted her first. Maybe the girl at the shelter had seen Charity coming or maybe she’d spoken the truth. Whatever. Charity had left the shelter with Cocoa on a leash. She’d never been sorry for it either. The dog might not be beautiful in dog show terms—she was definitely not a purebred anything, and part of her right ear had been torn off in a fight at the shelter—but she was smart as a whip and loved Charity as much as she loved her.

  Charity opened the car door and Cocoa jumped into the driver’s seat, hopped over the console, and sat on the passenger seat. The dog didn’t care where they were going. She just liked to go. Charity laughed as she got in and started the engine.

  The drive to the grocery store in Kings Meadow didn’t take more than ten minutes, even with a couple of Stop signs between the Anderson home and the market. There was plenty of parking available in the small lot at this time of day. She chose a spot farthest from the store entrance.

  “You stay, Cocoa.”

  The dog looked at her as if to say Okay, and then poked her head out the open passenger side window.

  Charity was glad she didn’t have to worry about Cocoa jumping out of the car to chase after a cat or another dog. Or for that matter, a horse or a coyote or a deer, any of which could also wander down the main drag at any hour. Cocoa would stay where she’d told her to stay. She was that kind of a dog.

  Inside the market, Charity was greeted by name by the lady at the checkout stand. Not unexpected. Most residents had been in Kings Meadow for decades, some families for several generations, and everybody knew everybody. While many young folk left this small mountain community right after high school, a surprising number—surprising to Charity anyway—never left, or they returned after a few years away.