The men waited until Chip and his dog had disappeared, then grinned at each other. Cal shook his head. 'That boy is spooky. Six going on thirty.'
Ethan smiled. 'I just hope the three new ones turn out half as terrific as those two.'
Gabe glanced through the back window. Shadow, a collie mix he'd adopted a few months ago, lay patiently on the ground and let Rosie climb on him. Chip approached his parents. His Grandpa Bonner felt his bicep, while his grandmother reached over and ruffled his hair.
He was glad to have his parents back from South America, not only for his own sake, but for Chip's. The Bonner family had taken his son right to its collective heart, along with his mother. Chip also had friends now, and he'd done well in kindergarten. Gabe was so proud of him.
Jane, looking healthy, if a little green, came back through the living room. Tasha, an older cat Gabe had rescued from the shelter, waddled after her. Jane was nearing the end of her second month of pregnancy and was delirious with happiness when she wasn't throwing up.
Cal started to rise, but she waved him back down. 'I'm fine. Visit with your brothers.'
They exchanged smiles, and Cal patted her rear.
Gabe thought about how much he loved doing that. Not patting Jane's rear, of course, but Rachel's. Being able to pat a woman's rear whenever you wanted was one of the best things about being married, although nobody ever told you that.
'I spoke with Carol Dennis yesterday,' Ethan said.
Gabe and Cal exchanged grim looks. The memory of the day Bobby Dennis had jeopardized their children's lives was something they'd never forget. Nor would Ethan and Kristy. They were still beating themselves up for having left the children alone in the car, even though nobody blamed them for it.
It had taken six months for Bobby to recover from his injuries, but the car accident had turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the kid. He'd been clean and sober for the past year, and he and Carol had gotten the counseling they so desperately needed.
Gabe suspected their relationship would always be difficult, but, according to Ethan, they were finally communicating. Bobby had also stopped blaming Rachel for his problems, which was a good thing, because if Gabe had still believed the kid was a threat to her, he'd have run him out of town, counseling or not.
'Carol said Bobby's planning on starting college in August. He actually finished high school with some decent grades.'
Cal shook his head. 'I still can't believe the way Rachel kept visiting him in the hospital. That woman's got more heart than sense. You know what people are saying about that, don't you? That if Rachel hadn't visited him, he wouldn't-'
Gabe groaned. 'Don't say it.'
'That reminds me.' Ethan glanced out the window at Kristy, who was holding Rosie's hand against her belly so she could feel the baby move. He smiled, then returned his attention to the discussion at hand. 'I'm going to need some help from you with Rachel. Brenda Meers is taking a long time recovering from her pneumonia, and I want Rachel to visit her.'
'Here we go again.' Cal stretched out his legs and looked amused.
Gabe thought he and Ethan had an understanding about this, and he regarded his brother with exasperation. 'Eth, I told you last time that I'm not getting in the middle of this. You're Rachel's pastor, and you'll have to talk to her yourself.'
The men sipped their beer and thought about how tough that might be.
'How long do you think she's going to keep fighting this thing?' Cal finally asked.
'I'd give her another forty years,' Gabe replied.
Ethan held up his hand. 'I'm not the bad guy here. I don't know whether she heals people or not, but the fact is, a lot of them seem to get better after she sits with them for a while.'
The injured animals got better, too. Gabe was always making excuses to get her to handle the ones under his care. He didn't understand how it happened. He only knew that they seemed to heal faster after she'd touched them.
'A faith healer in denial.' Since Cal wasn't the one who had to deal with Rachel, he continued to look amused. 'Nobody in this town has a bad word to say against her since Emily's miracle. And when Bobby Dennis recovered from that spinal injury after the doctors said he'd be paralyzed…'
'People love her,' Ethan observed. 'It's ironic. G. Dwayne told everybody he could heal, but he couldn't. Rachel insists she can't, and she can.'
'We don't know that for a fact,' Gabe pointed out. 'It could all be coincidence. Just do what you've done before, Eth. Tell Rachel that Brenda's sick and could use some cheering up. As long as you don't mention healing, you know she won't turn you down.'
'Isn't she getting suspicious about all these sick calls I keep sending her out on?'
'She's so wrapped up in Chip, and the renovations on the cottage, and the new baby, and her classes, and making plans for the money she got from selling G. Dwayne's diamond stash that I don't think she has time to get suspicious.' She was wrapped up in him, too, but Gabe didn't mention that because he didn't want to brag in front of his brothers. Not that Cal and Ethan didn't have plenty of room to brag themselves.
Rachel loved the finance courses she was taking at the local community college, although she pretended she was doing it only because he was so hopeless about money. If she left it up to him, she said, they'd end up in the poorhouse.
Just to give her a hard time, he'd pointed out that she'd never have to worry about the poorhouse if she'd hung on to some of G. Dwayne's fortune instead of using it for her pet charity after she'd paid his debts, but she paid no attention. She and Ethan were working together to establish a statewide foundation that would help single mothers get on their feet by providing decent child care while they took classes and started new jobs. Rachel had backed into the perfect career for herself.
She's also helped the community by setting up a group to run the Pride of Carolina on a nonprofit basis. The drive-in had become the most popular spot in town on summer weekends.
'It's hard to believe… Just over a year ago, everybody in Salvation hated her guts. Now she's a local heroine.' Cal spoke with a great deal of pride for a man who'd been one of her chief persecutors.
Rachel had Snoozer in her arms as she stuck her head up to the screen. 'Everybody's getting hungry, Gabe. How about starting the grill?'
The men ambled out to the backyard where their parents sat together on an old quilt with Rosie perched between them and the dogs reclining nearby. Ethan moved over to Kristy, and she cuddled up to him. Cal wrapped his arm around Jane, then reached over to pat her uneasy stomach.
Gabe simply stood there, taking in the sight of these people he loved so much. Rachel set a stack of paper plates on the picnic table and looked up at him. He smiled at her, and she smiled back, their thoughts perfectly matched.
Chip charged forward. Gabe knew what he wanted, and he reached out his arms.
A moment later, Chip was settled on his shoulders, his hands clasped across his father's forehead, legs dangling over his chest.
Rachel started to cry.
She did this sometimes at family gatherings when her happiness got to be too much for her. They were all used to it. They liked to tease her about it. They'd tease her about it today. Soon… Maybe after lunch…
But for now, Cal needed to clear his throat. Jane sniffed. Ethan had a little cough. Kristy wiped her eyes. His mother handed a tissue to his father.
Gabe's heart swelled. Life was good on Heartache Mountain.
He threw back his head and laughed.
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
