Second Chance Ranch Chapter 18

Chapter EIGHTEEN:

Squire sure seemed to admire the man in the light gray suit that didn’t quite right around his bulging muscles. Still, he had a good air about him, and when he turned toward her, she got a full view of his dazzling smile and bright green eyes.

“You must be Kelly,” he said, extending his hand past Squire for her to shake.

“Kel, this is my First Lieutenant, Pete Marshall. He just got here from his treatments in North Carolina, and he’s starting out at the ranch tomorrow.”

Surprise shot through Kelly, though at least Pete’s physique could be explained. “Nice to meet you.” The hand she shook was puckered and pink, clearly the victim of a fierce fire.

“And you,” he said. “You know Tammy Olson.”

“I sure do,” Kelly said, nodding and smiling to her. “This is my son, Finn.” She drew the boy to her side, and Pete smiled at him. With the pleasantries done, Squire stepped over to the door and opened it for her to walk through first.

She did, suddenly second-guessing every decision she’d ever made in her life. Not just the one where she’d agreed to let Squire sit by her at church. Honestly, what had she been thinking?

She usually drove to church with her folks, but today, she’d come in her own car. She wasn’t sure why, other than she might need it if she wanted to stay longer at the picnic or…go back to the ranch with Squire?

Her thoughts scattered as Squire stepped to her side, the scent of his cologne nearly making her knees turn into wet noodles. He put one hand lightly on her lower back, and an electric pulse zipped through Kelly’s body.

This was ridiculous. She’d kissed him already. Why was she so nervous?

Maybe because of the kiss, she thought. She pasted a smile to her face and moved toward the doors that led into the chapel. It took up most of the back of the church, though a hallway went down one side of it, with a handful of classrooms on that side of the church.

On the east side, stained glass windows let in the sunlight in hues of red, orange, gold, yellow, green, violet, and blue. Happiness filled Kelly, and she started to relax slightly. 

“You sit in the front usually,” Squire murmured in her ear. “Do you want to go up there? Your momma and daddy are already seated.”

She couldn’t seem to speak, so she simply nodded and kept walking. Finn skipped ahead of her down the aisle, further drawing eyes toward her. 

He reached the pew where her parents sat and raced down it to tell them something. Who knew what.

Kelly arrived a few seconds later to her mother’s bright smile and warm persona. “Hello, Squire,” she said, not even bothering to keep her voice down. She took his right hand in her left, a strange handshake that Kelly stood in the middle of.

“Ma’am.” At least he had the good sense to whisper.

That done, Kelly checked to make sure there was enough room for Squire, Pete, and Tammy, which put her almost against her mother.

Kelly fiddled relentlessly with Finn’s tie after they’d all sat in the fifth pew. Her stomach had become a hangar for airplanes, their propellers roaring at full speed. Why had she agreed to sit by Squire at church? Everyone had seen them.

“Hey.” Squire’s voice interrupted the unrest slicing through Kelly. He sat next to her, but not too close. Close enough to stretch his long arm across her shoulders, sure. A shiver wound down her spine at the thought of cuddling into him during the sermon. She set her jaw. She wouldn’t. She’d set personal boundaries for him, and she intended to keep them.

She sat back, very aware of Squire subtly shifting closer to her. He leaned down. “I should’ve called you, but I didn’t have time. I can’t come to lunch now. I have to go to Amarillo with my parents this afternoon.”

Kelly’s spirits fell. She’d helped her mother bake their famous cheddar biscuits that morning in anticipation of hosting Squire for lunch. “Oh, that’s okay,” she said, making her voice carefree. “Another time.”

The organist began playing, meaning it was almost time to start the service. Kelly focused her attention on the pulpit, determined to remember that sitting by a man at church meant nothing. Absolutely nothing.

You know where liars go, she thought, her shoulders sinking as she admitted defeat. Already she could hear the whispers behind her on the right, where Glenda sat with her other widowed friends. Kelly might as well snuggle up to Squire while she could. They would assume she was anyway.

“Maybe you can come out to the ranch for a little bit before I have to go,” Squire whispered, slipping even closer to her. If he thought this was behaving himself, he was sorely mistaken.

“Bring Finn,” he said. “He can see the new foal.”

“Maybe,” Kelly said, keeping her face forward. “I’ll talk to my parents.” As soon as she said the words, she wanted to take them back. One glance to her right, where her mother sat, only irritated her further. Glenda had leaned forward from her pew and was whispering to her mom.

She groaned, not bothering to keep her voice down. Crystal turned around, and Kelly nodded toward the gossip circle. In church! Didn’t they even have the decency to wait until the picnic?

Crystal reached back and patted her knee. As soon as her cousin’s hand vacated the spot, Squire’s took its place. Kelly sucked back a gasp, working hard to keep her composure.

“You’re twenty-eight years old, darlin’,” Squire teased, his breath falling softly against her earlobe. She couldn’t move even if she wanted to. “You don’t have to ask their permission.”

She angled her head toward his, and he removed his hand from her knee. Another few inches, and she could kiss him. Her heart rate sped, sending adrenaline all the way to her pinky toes.

Glenda might die of a heart attack if Kelly kissed Squire in church. But apparently, gossip was the Lord’s work.

“They’re expecting you for lunch,” she said, trying to ignore his sugary smirk and so-delicious-she-could-eat-them dimples. “I have to talk to them first.”

He leaned in and smelled her hair. “Please come,” he whispered just as Scott started his sermon. “I won’t have much time, but I’d love it if you came.”

True to his word, Squire didn’t try to hold her hand, or put his arm around her, or touch her at all. Kelly had a hard time focusing on Scott’s voice, though she got the general gist of his message: Trust God’s will.

Maybe halfway through the sermon, Finn bumped past her legs to show Squire something he’d drawn. She wanted to keep him between her and her mother, so Squire wouldn’t be bothered. But he leaned forward to look at it, and he whispered something to Finn that was so quiet, Kelly couldn’t hear it.

Her son climbed into Squire’s lap, and she wasn’t sure who beamed brighter—Finn or Squire. Kelly blinked a couple of times at how perfect they looked together, and then she had to look away before she got blinded from the light they both exuded.

Finn only stayed for a minute, maybe two, and then he wiggled back to the ground. Squire let him go, but Kelly leaned forward as her son passed her. “You need to sit down, buddy. Find somewhere to be, please.”

Crystal likewise wrangled her boys, getting her youngest settled with a snack so he’d be quiet while his daddy continued to talk about building an inner reserve of faith to use during times of trial.

Finn collected a snack from his grandmother, then moved past Kelly again to sit with Squire.

“Finn,” she said.

“It’s fine,” Squire murmured as he picked up the boy. His eyes met Kelly’s, and she heard his words from the park. He needed time with Finn to act as his father figure. Kelly shouldn’t be embarrassed of her son’s behavior during church. He was actually being really good today, if not a little restless.

She felt the same way inside. Her anxiety over sitting so close to Squire had her cells barking at her to get out! Flee. Run. 

To where, she didn’t know. And she couldn’t run away anyway. She wouldn’t even know where to go.

With Squire so close and smelling like pine and fresh air, even Finn going back and forth two more times couldn’t distract her. Squire received him gladly each time, whispering to him about the book he’d gotten and looking through the sticker book Kelly had bought him of Bible stories. 

Finally, the lecture ended, right when Kelly felt like she could stand up, scream, and then run out. Some of the worshippers stood, but Kelly leaned over to get closer to her mother. “Mom, Squire can’t come for lunch. He has to go to Amarillo with his parents.”

Her mom’s face fell, but she recovered quickly as she started picking up the crayons and coloring books Finn had gotten out of her bag. “That’s fine, dear. We can take our biscuits to the picnic instead.”

“He invited Finn and me out to the ranch.” Kelly glanced at her son, who’d come to stand at her knee. “He said you could see their new baby horse. You want to do that?”

“Yeah!” Finn jumped up and down a time or two and then stumbled around Kelly’s legs once again. “How many horses you got?” He didn’t keep his voice down anymore, and his excitement matched the glowing smile on Squire’s face.

“A lot,” Squire assured him. “You can ride whichever one you want.” He ruffled Finn’s hair. “But you have to bring Benson back. He’s the only dog who knows how to make the horses behave.”

Finn turned back to Kelly. “Can we go, Mom?”

She cast a quick glance at her momma, who nodded. “Sure, buddy. We have to go home and get changed, though. Can’t ride a horse in loafers.” She looked at Squire when she spoke. “Trust me, boots are required gear for a ranch.”

He laughed, and she wished they were alone so she could kiss him again. The depth of her feelings startled her, and she got to her feet to put distance between her and Squire. She examined the stained glass window depicting Jesus with his Apostles, wondering how she could even be considering pursuing this relationship. She hadn’t even finished paying for her divorce, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to start dating.

Take the first step, she thought, echoing something Scott had just said. And let God guide you.

You have more faith than you know.

“Come help me with the papers, Finny,” her mom said. “They’re under the bench, and I can’t get them.”

Finn went to do that, and Kelly stepped into Squire’s side as he stood, causing him to slide his arm around her waist if he didn’t want to fall back. Their eyes locked, and though she couldn’t stretch up and kiss him right here in front of everyone, she felt confident he’d gotten the message: She wanted to.

His smile took its sweet Sunday time spreading across his face, which made him absolutely adorable. He had to know the effect that smile had on her, but it seemed like he didn’t, because he ducked his head too.

Another adorable move. 

“You’re not behaving very well, darlin’,” he drawled.

“I’m not behaving?” She pushed against his chest, but his hand on her back tightened. “I can’t believe you.”

“Major,” Pete said, and Squire turned toward him. Around them, people streamed, and it sure looked like Pete might be sick at any moment.

Squire moved away from Kelly and into Pete. He put his arm around his friend now, and Kelly liked watching him care for his Army pal. He started up the aisle with him, but after only two steps, he paused. 

“Text me about coming out to the ranch, okay? I think we’re leaving for Amarillo about four.” 

Kelly waved and nodded so he could go, and then he ushered Pete up the aisle and outside, Tammy following helplessly in their wake.

“Is he okay?” her mom asked, and Kelly shook her head.

“I don’t know, Momma.” She turned back to help get Finn’s things cleaned up, but everything was done already. “They served together overseas, and…I don’t know.”

Her mom wore a sad expression. “It’s amazing what some men and women have done for our country. I hope they’re okay. You can take some biscuits out to the ranch too.”

“Can we take some of that pretzel Jello too?” Finn asked, breaking the tension inside Kelly’s stomach.

She grinned at her son and reached for his hand. “You bet, Finny. We can take some of the pretzel Jello too, and see if Squire likes it.”

“He’s gonna like it,” Finn said with confidence. “He told me he likes pickles.”

Kelly laughed, because she had no idea what liking pickles had to do with eating a somewhat strange concoction of pretzels, cream cheese filling, and raspberry Jello. 

But to Finn, it made perfect sense. Kind of like how her and Squire together were starting to make more and more sense inside her own mind. 

She suddenly couldn’t wait to get home, get changes and loaded up with food, and get out to the ranch to see him again.