Lone Star Hero
“Daddy, they’re not that bad, and I’m taking care of it.”
Crossing the small room, Jackson Walker Lawson, the fourth, called J.W. by everyone but his daughter and grandchildren, shook Jake’s hand.
“Crazy, stubborn girl. I should have come over earlier to make sure it was livable.”
“It’s livable, Daddy. It just needs a little work.” She waved a hand toward Jake without looking at him. There was no way she could make eye contact with him now and not fall apart. “Jake has offered to teach Seth and me to build steps.” She turned to Seth. “Doesn’t that sound fun, building something with our own hands?”
He shrugged again. “I guess.”
Jake stood. “Hey, Seth, are you ready to play some football?”
Seth shoved his hands in his pockets and dropped his head. “I don’t know. I’m not very good. The whole throwing or catching the ball thing seems to be too hard for me.”
Jake stood. “Hey, me, too.”
Seth shot him a classic teenager skeptical glare. “Really?”
“Yeah, that’s why I like chasing down the guys with the football.”
Confusion shadowed his eyes. “If you don’t have the ball, why bother playing?”
Vickie bit her lip. That sounded every bit like Tommy’s glorious words of self-righteous wisdom.
Jake’s jaw went hard. “Football is a team sport, Seth. You don’t have a real game without protectors and defenders.”
J.W. walked over to Seth and patted his back. “Don’t worry about what your dad said, son. You’re almost twelve and growing fast. At your age I could barely walk without tripping.” He gave Vickie and Ashley a hug. “I’m heading out. Call me if you need anything. Love you.”
She kissed him on the cheek. “Love you, too, Daddy.”
“See you later, Jake.”
“Sir.” Jake gave him a nod. After the door closed, her childhood friend stood with his hands in his pockets, keeping his gaze on Seth. “Well, I guess we’ll head out. I should have him back between four and four-thirty.”
“I’ll come pick him up, no need for you to drive all the way out here. What time is it over?”
“We’re usually done before four, but it’s pretty informal, so he can leave whenever you get there.”
“Okay, sounds good.”
They stood there like idiots not wanting to leave but not having any reason to stay.
“Are we going or not?” Insolence laced Seth’s voice.
“Seth!” Embarrassed at his attitude, Vickie sent an apologetic glance to Jake.
“It’s okay.” Jake patted the sullen teen on the back. “I’m ready for some football.” With a wink to Vickie, he followed Seth out the door.
That wink made her feel things she needed to pack away with her homecoming mums. She wanted to be independent. She needed to be independent. Instead, he made her consider giving it all up to hide in his arms. Coming home, she would have never guessed Jake Torres would be the biggest threat to her sanity and heart.
Chapter Six
Vickie pulled into the gravel parking lot of the unfinished youth building. Her daughter leaped out of the car before she shut off the engine. Racing across the field, Ashley stopped at the sideline and started jumping up and down, cheering for her brother. Vickie chuckled at the look of horror on Seth’s face.
With a smile, she grabbed the extra cookies she and Ashley had made after Jake had left with Seth. Making her way across the dry field, Vickie kept her gaze on Jake. She stopped next to her daughter.
A mix of men and boys ranging in age from twelve to fifty made up the teams; her son looked to be the youngest. Seth crouched down next to Jake, his fingers in the dusty ground as they made up the line. His stare fixed on her boss, Rhody Buchannan. The Mercantile owner played quarterback for the other team. The ball snapped, and Vickie held her breath. Seth looked so small out there with the men and high school boys.
Rhody handed the ball off to Derrick De La Soto, a teenager in the youth band. Jake cut him off, forcing him toward Seth. Her heart froze, and she shot a quick prayer for her son. Seth pounced and gripped the bright yellow flag from Derrick’s hip. He jumped up with the flag high in the air. Ashley yelled his name and clapped.
With a huge sigh of relief, Vickie released the death grip on the container of cookies. Pastor John blew a whistle and called the game. The teams started mingling and shaking hands. Seth ran toward her, his hair sweaty and plastered to his skin.
“Mom, did you see what I did?”
His blue eyes sparkled in a way she had not seen in the last two years.
“Yes, I’m so proud of you.” I will not cry.
Pastor John walked over and patted Seth on the back. “Great job today, Seth. I’m glad you joined us.”
“Thank you for letting me play. Mom, I got five flags.” He bounced on the balls of his feet.
“I think we might have created a defensive monster,” the pastor said.
“Yeah, they couldn’t get through us. We built a solid wall. I love football, Mom. Dad just had me in the wrong positions.” He glanced at the box in her hand. “Can I have a cookie?”
“Oh, yes. Here, Pastor. I brought your favorite, chocolate chip pecan.” She held out the container, allowing each to take one.
“Can I take them to the teams?”
“That’s why I brought them.”
Seth ran off with the cookies, and Ashley followed. Jake had worked wonders in one afternoon.
The pastor pulled her out of her own thoughts. “Seth and Jake seem to be getting along well. Seth’s coming out of his shell.”
She nodded. “I’m so sorry for the problems he caused with Rachel and well...” She had to say the words no matter how humiliating. “Pastor John...”
“Vickie, it’s okay. Seth apologized, too.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “I did tell Rachel if she ever left the house without permission again, she would be grounded until she turned thirty. Raising children is a rough job, and doing it as a single parent is even harder. Remember, you don’t have to do it alone. The church is here for you.”
She swallowed the burning knot lodged in her throat. “Thank you, but it’s more than Seth’s behavior. I had no excuse for the way I treated Lorrie Ann.”
John rested his hand on her shoulder. “It’s behind us.” He nodded and smiled. “Asking for forgiveness is difficult, but sometimes accepting it is even more so.”
Vickie wrapped her arms around her middle. “Thank you so much for everything.” Pulling her gaze from her son and Jake, she looked at Pastor John. “So now I’m making the dresses for your wedding. How are the rest of the plans coming along?”
He groaned. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m so happy Lorrie Ann has been able to reconnect with her mother and wants to involve Sonia while also respecting Maggie as the mother that raised her, but convoluted would not be an exaggeration. Throw in her cousin Yolanda and my two girls and you have total chaos. Lorrie Ann reassures me it is controlled chaos, but I’m not sure I’m buying it.”
He popped a green Jolly Rancher in his mouth. “We’re trying to keep it small, but everyone in town seems to think they also have a say. Lorrie Ann is excited about the ideas she has for you.”
A little bit of shock still stumbled through her at the thought of making the dresses for Lorrie Ann’s wedding. For a while she had thought dating Pastor Levi would be a perfect way to get over Tommy. He had made it clear he wasn’t interested.
The minute Lorrie Ann stepped back into town, Vickie could tell John reconsidered his stance on dating. That had stung her pride.
Then Jake defended Lorrie Ann, and Vickie had gone right back to high school and picked up the role of the mean girl again. The list of things for which she needed to ask forgiveness seemed to be getting longer instead of shorter.
She could do this. “Maybe Lorrie Ann needs to find someone else. I know a woman in Uvalde that...”
“Lorrie Ann wants you, and Maggie is determined that you make her and Sonia’s dresses, too. Lorrie Ann was amazed with your work on the costumes at the Christmas pageant. Don’t let past mistakes or fear stop you from using your gifts.”
A flash of guilt caused her to bite the inside of her cheek. She had almost ruined the Christmas pageant because she had been jealous of Lorrie Ann. “Thank you. I do love sewing.”
Embarrassment had her wanting to hide, but she had already agreed and she owed Lorrie Ann so much. “Well, the thought of designing dresses for the whole party is exciting.” She looked over the brown football field. Jake had two cookies in his hand. He saluted her and mouthed his thanks, winking before turning back to the huddle of males.
“Pastor John, I have a question,” she said as she focused on the hills surrounding the little valley.
“What can I help you with?” The steadiness and concern in his voice calmed her.
“How do we know God’s plan for us? I mean, how can we tell the difference between what we want and what God wants for us?”
“That’s always a tough question. If it’s driven by doubt, guilt, fear or a long list of other negative emotions, it’s not God. God is love without fear.”
He touched her shoulder to bring her gaze back to him.
“Vickie, find some scriptures that mean something to you and pray on them. Sometimes we are so afraid of change, we tune God out.” He gave her one of his lopsided smiles. “I’ve been guilty of that and almost lost my chance with Lorrie Ann.”
Vickie sighed and looked back over the field at all the male bonding. Jake turned and grinned. Saying a few words, he left the group and started walking toward them.
“Vickie, God doesn’t guilt you or manipulate you into a relationship with him. People will, but God wants you to be there of your own free will. Everything else will fall into place.”
She had done her best to manipulate everyone around her because of her own misery. In the end, Pastor John and Lorrie Ann’s love had won the day. Now she needed to grow up and focus on loving her children.
Pastor John’s voice pulled her back to him. “Jake’s a good man.”
“Yes, he is, but we both know I’ve never been known for being a good or kind woman.”
“Vickie, you were made in the image of God. Sometimes all the other voices confuse us and take us off the path God intended. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get back on, sometimes with even a greater understanding of our purpose.”
Pastor John had always believed in her even when she didn’t deserve it.
Jake joined them and slapped John on the shoulder. “Good game today, John.” He turned to her. “Vickie, thanks for the cookies.” He pushed his hair back and smiled. “Seth did great today.”
“Thank you so much for bringing him. I haven’t seen him this excited about anything in a while.”
“I’ll see y’all later.” Pastor John jogged across the field and talked to the players as they started to leave.
Seth ran over to her, followed by Ashley, his voice high with excitement. “Mom, can we go to the drugstore? Some of the guys are going to get a soda. They invited me. Can I go?”
Jake’s knees popped as he sat on his heels next to Ashley. “You want to go? I’ll treat you and your mom to a Coke float.”
Now her daughter was jumping around. It had been a while since they had gone out. “Mommy, please?”
Jake stood and gave her his best smile. “How about it?”
She had promised herself to keep her distance from Jake, but she looked at the kids, their faces glowing. “Okay.”
Seth whooped and ran back to the small group of teenage boys.
“I’m so glad to see him making friends.” She was doing this for Seth. “Since moving back, Rachel seemed to be the only friend he had, and I don’t think Pastor John was too happy about it.”
Jake laughed and tossed the football to Ashley. “I can’t imagine any father being happy about boys hanging around his daughter.”
* * *
Jake found himself smiling. He buried the urge to take Vickie’s hand as they walked toward the cars. Seth had taken the ball from his sister and tossed it in the air, talking nonstop. All the while, Ashley walked next to Vickie, teasing her brother. Vickie laughed at one of his replies, and it was all Jake could do to not pull her into his arms. This felt so right.
He dreamed of having this family when he allowed his dreams to go there.
Seth bounded into his truck, and they followed Vickie’s Ford to the Main Street Drugstore. He noticed the tires were new.
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