Michelle and Tyler: Christian Romance (Cathedral Hills Book 2) Page 9

Chapter 19

  The night of the Harvest Party arrived, and Michelle still hadn’t been able to talk to Tyler for more than a few minutes on the phone. One of the horses had come up lame, and with Peter gone looking for Brooke, he had needed to stick around the ranch and change the bandages on the horse every two hours.

  The good news had come earlier that afternoon when he’d called to say the horse was doing much better and he would love to see her at the party. He realized she wasn’t up to dancing, but they could sit together and enjoy the live music just as well.

  Jenna and she had spent hours brainstorming ways to incorporate both of their dreams into the ranch and camp scenario. Jenna had even contacted her favorite counselor and friend, Teresa Martinez, and she had given them some great information on the paperwork they would need to get State grants and she also advised them they were going to need a resident social worker with a doctorate on staff to even be considered for a residential facility.

  Michelle, not having even met the woman but loving everything she’d had to say, had jokingly told her she should move to Cathedral Hills to fill that position. She’d realized when it grew strangely quiet that she might have just said something profound.

  Jenna hadn’t let any grass grow under the suggestion and seconded her opinion that Teresa should at least consider their offer.

  Teresa had acknowledged that she hated her new job and hated living in Missouri. There weren’t any mountains, and everyone seemed to talk with an accent. She’d actually been thinking about moving back to Colorado, but hadn’t even finished her first month at the new job and didn’t want to be hasty.

  “Pray about it,” had been both Michelle and Jenna’s suggestion, spoken at the same time, which had caused all three women to start laughing. After assurances that she would indeed pray about her future, they had disconnected the call and Jenna and Michelle had simply looked at each other.

  “We’re really going to do this, aren’t we?” Michelle asked, still having trouble believing how fast things were coming together.

  “I think we are. With the money I have left over from my parents’ life insurance policies, we can have the renovations on the bunkhouse started immediately. Stephanie’s dad said he could start them next week if we wanted.

  “And Trey already spoke to his board of directors about coming alongside our efforts and they loved the idea. The national bank office has been encouraging the smaller branch offices to get involved in their communities. This project fits the bill perfectly.”

  “So what does that mean for us?” Michelle had asked, always amazed that her brother actually liked working with numbers all day. She didn’t even like balancing her checkbook and only did it when absolutely necessary.

  “It means that the bank is going to start accepting charitable donations that will go directly to the facility. We do have to come up with a name for it. And pretty quick. I checked into the paperwork for next year’s grant funds, and the forms are due next Friday.”

  “That soon? I hope we can get everything finished by then.”

  “We will. Have faith.” Jenna didn’t mention to Michelle how bizarre it was to hear those words come out of her. Less than two weeks prior she’d thought her faith long ago buried and dead. Coming back to Cathedral Hills had been a miracle, and now it was time to pass that miracle on to others in need.

  Michelle grabbed her sweater and then made her way down the stairs. She had figured out how to use only one crutch, a decision her other arm was immensely grateful for.

  Trey and Jenna were going to the party and had agreed to take her with them so that Tyler could have plenty of time to finish his chores.

  As Michelle reached the landing, she thought Jenna looked beautiful in a borrowed dress from Michelle’s closet. Trey was all spiffed up in black jeans, a button down western shirt with pearl buttons, and his hair combed neatly.

  Jenna was busy applying a coat of lip gloss in the hallway mirror, so she didn’t see the small jeweler’s box that Trey tucked into his pocket. But Michelle did. She smiled at him and then winked when he caught her eye. The look of confusion on his face had her laughing softly, only increasing his scowl.

  “Ready to go?” she asked cheerfully.

  “Sure.” Jenna turned and then took the arm that Trey extended to her. When he bent his head and whispered in her ear, her blush was intense and immediate, causing Michelle to laugh again.

  Tonight is going to be so much fun! She figured by the time they returned home tonight, she’d have a new sister-in-law in the making and she was thrilled with the idea.

  *****

  Trey and Jenna disappeared as soon as they arrived at the high school gymnasium. Michelle had assured them she was going to join the girls over by the punch bowl until Tyler showed up and didn’t mind at all.

  The women were chatting away, the topic of conversation going back and forth between how cute Trey and Jenna looked together on the dance floor, and wondering if Peter had found Brooke yet. He’d been gone for three days now, but no one had heard a word from him. Tyler had left him a few messages, but each time he’d called, his phone had gone straight to voicemail.

  “I bet he forgot to take it off airplane mode,” offered Stephanie by way of excuse.

  “That sounds about right,” Taylor offered.

  “Well, let’s just hope he decides to use his phone soon and calls to let someone know what’s happening. Tyler is just about sick with worry,” Missy offered.

  “How do you know that?” Michelle asked, no jealousy in her voice, just curiosity.

  “He came by the diner to talk to dad yesterday for a few minutes and I asked.”

  “There you go. Why didn’t we think to do that?” Stephanie said with a laugh.

  “He’s been dealing with a sick horse for the last few days. I wish my ankle had been better and I could have helped him out.”

  “Yeah, I just bet you wanted to help him out. So what’s up between you two, anyways?”

  Michelle was stopped from answering when Tyler snuck up behind her and leaned over her shoulder to kiss her on the cheek, “What are you women gossiping about now?”

  “We do not gossip!” Missy informed him with her hands on her hips. “We were just wondering when Peter was going to call with an update.”

  “Soon enough I suppose. He must not have anything to report, or he would have called by now. I secured us a table up by the stage. You ready to join me, or you still getting your fill of local news?” Tyler asked, tongue-in-cheek, knowing his comments would get Missy’s hackles up.

  “Calm down, Missy. He’s just pushing your buttons. And to answer your question, I could actually use a breath of fresh air. I forgot how hot and stuffy this gym gets.”

  “Your wish is my command. Hold on,” he advised her before he swung her up into his arms and headed for the nearest exit. He carried her across the grass until they reached the practice football field where he set her down on the bleachers.

  “We didn’t need to come all the way out here,” she told him laughingly as he sat down beside her.

  “Sure we did. I didn’t want anyone to disturb us.”

  Michelle looked at him in the moonlight and dim lightning that spilled over from the parking lot, “Did we need privacy for something?”

  “I missed you these last few days.”

  “I missed you too,” she told him, meaning it.

  Tyler fussed with his pocket for a moment and then he lowered himself to one knee in front of her, ignoring her gasp of surprise as he took her hand in his free one.

  “Michelle, I don’t want to miss you anymore. I want you to be there when I come in from a long night in the barn. I want to be there to wipe away your tears when one of your clients breaks your heart. I want to have children with you, and laugh and cry with you.

  “Would you do me the honor of saying you’ll marry me? I love you more than words can say.”

  Michelle could feel the tears running down her cheeks as she watched
him open the small jewelry box and display a gorgeous diamond ring. It wasn’t huge, nor was it one of the fancier cuts, but she knew without asking it had been purchased with her in mind.

  “Michelle, darlin’ I’m dying here. I’m used to the excitement being over in eight-seconds or less, and by my count, it’s been at least fifteen seconds and you still haven’t answered me.”

  “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you…and have your children…and tell you about my fears and my failures…and laugh with you…”

  The rest of her words were drowned out when he rose up and covered her lips with his own .He held her neck in the palm of his hand as he showered her lips, her cheeks, and her eyelids with kisses. “I love you so much! Tell me we don’t have to have a long engagement.”

  Michelle smiled through her tears and nodded, “We don’t have to have a long engagement. But you do have to go talk to my father.”

  Tyler grinned at her, “Already been there, and done that. You didn’t really think it would take me three hours to get cleaned up, did you?”

  Michelle started laughing in joy as her heart overflowed with happiness. “I didn’t even think about it. Tyler, I love you and I’m so sorry about the past…”

  “Hey, we agreed to live in the present and the future. Remember? No more apologizing for past mistakes. We’ve both made them. We both forgave each other, so they don’t matter anymore.”

  Tyler pulled Michelle into his side, smiling in contentment when she laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. He was amazed at what a difference a few weeks could make in his life. A week ago he’d been unsure of what lie ahead for his future, but hopeful it would include Michelle in some fashion.

  Now, he was looking forward to a future filled with lots of challenges, but he knew that having Michelle by his side would make the rewards all that more precious. Adam and Lorelei were heading towards Cathedral Hills, and while Adam didn’t have the feeling back in his legs, the doctors were much more positive after his last neurological tests. While he would most likely never walk again without some sort of mechanical assistance, he still had full use of his arms and feeling from the waist up.

  As he sat on the bleachers with his future wife in his arms, he closed his eyes and lifted up a silent prayer of thanksgiving for the many blessings in his life. Michelle’s father had insisted on praying with him for their future, and for the first time in over a year, he felt like they were headed in God’s direction. It was a wonderful feeling that he never wanted to lose.

  Chapter 20

  “Trey, why is everyone watching us?” Jenna asked during a break in the dancing.

  Trey glanced around and realized that indeed, everyone in town was watching them and not even bothering to hide the fact. “I…well, I haven’t exactly been a regular attending at these types of events.”

  “Really? Why? They’re a lot of fun.”

  Yeah, but not if you’re a single eligible bachelor. Then they seem to be more like a meat market. Only very stupid or brave men come here without a date on their arms. “Well, it’s not the same as coming here with a date. I’ve just never seen the value in attending before now.”

  Jenna smiled up at him and then hugged him, “Well, I feel very privileged to have enticed you out of your cave then.”

  “Cave?”

  “Sorry,” she chuckled, “just a euphemism. Don’t all men have a cave they like to hide out from us women in?”

  Trey chuckled and then took her arm and led her toward the exit. “Let’s take a walk.”

  Jenna let him lead her outside, looking up and smiling as she saw a full moon high in the sky. “It’s a beautiful night after the storm earlier in the week.”

  Trey nodded his head, leading her towards the football practice field and then coming to an abrupt stop. It seemed someone else had the same idea. Another couple was sitting on the bleachers, cuddled up together. He looked around and then led her towards the baseball diamond. It was a little further away from the gymnasium, but not so far that they couldn’t easily walk there.

  “Where are we going?” Jenna asked, noticing that Trey seemed to have become strangely quiet since they’d stepped outside.

  “Just over there. I wanted to talk to you, and there was too much noise inside the gym.” And too many eyes watching our every move!

  Jenna hid her smile and quietly walked beside him. At one point during the dancing, he had pulled her in close and she had felt a very strange square-shaped box in his front pocket. She’d thought about asking him about it, but then the band had begun playing a faster number and she had become lost in the joy of dancing. Now she was wondering about it again, and she hoped that Trey was going to finally abandon his stance of taking things slowly.

  Jenna was in love with Trey and given the last seven years of her life, she wasn’t willing to waste a bunch of time following some rules about how long two people needed to date before becoming engaged, or how long that engagement had to last. She knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Trey and she never wanted to leave Cathedral Hills again.

  Trey walked with her hand held in his own, shortening his stride so she didn’t have to run to keep up. “You really do look beautiful tonight,” he told her as he opened the gate leading to the bleachers.

  “Thanks. You dressed down nicely as well.” Jenna giggled at her joke, referring to the black jeans Trey was currently wearing in exchange for the business suits he normally wore during the week.

  “Why thank you, ma’am. I’ll take that as a compliment.” He waited until she was seated before he shuffled his feet and tried to figure out how to begin what he wanted to say. If her father had still been alive, he would have gained his permission for what he was about to do, but Jenna had no one. Except him. And your parents. And her friends.

  “Jenna…,” Trey took a seat on the bleacher row below her and took both of her hands in his own, “I know I said I wanted to take things slowly. But this last week, hearing you plan your future with Michelle, and seeing you blossom…I don’t think I can go slowly anymore.

  “See, I’m in love with you. Having you living in the spare bedroom of my house…well, it’s not where I want you to be living. I want you to be my wife. I want you to share your dreams with me, your triumphs, and everything that comes in between.”

  “Trey…”

  “No. Please let me finish.” He stood up and pulled the box she’d felt earlier from his pocket, handing it to her, “I’ve been carrying that ring around with me for over a week.”

  “A week?” Jenna queried.

  “Yes. A week. A torturous week while I tried to find the right time to tell you how much you’ve come to mean to me. I know it’s not normal to fall in love this fast, but we’re not teenagers and I know my own mind.”

  Jenna reached out and took the box from him, opening it up to reveal a gorgeous ring. It was a mixture of the three different colors of gold, intertwined to form a continuous band, and in the center was a beautiful diamond solitaire.

  “That ring was my grandmother’s. She gave it to me before she died. Her and my grandfather were married for over forty-eight years before she died of cancer. My grandfather died several months later. My mom always said he was only holding on until she was ready to go home. After he made sure she was cared for, there was no longer a reason for him to remain on this earth.”

  “It sounds like they had a wonderful marriage and set a great example for you and your parents.”

  “They did. They were. I want a lasting love like that. I know you’re still struggling to deal with everything that happened to you, but I want to be there to hold your hand when you wake up crying in the night. I want to be there to see our first child born. I want to be there to hold your hand each night as we watch the sun go down, and I want your face to be the first thing I see each morning when the sun rises again.

  “Jenna Baxter, would you please do me the honor of agreeing to become my wife, my helpmate, my better half?”

  Jenna hande
d the box back to Trey and then extended her hand, “Would you put it on me?”

  Trey tried to keep his hands from shaking as he did as she requested. The ring was a perfect fit, which was just another example of how right Jenna was for him. Thank you God for bringing this miraculous woman back into my life.

  Jenna looked at the ring and then sprung up to her feet, launching herself into Trey’s arms, “I would love to become Mrs. Cottrell!”

  Trey pulled her into his arms, stepping off the bleachers and swinging her around in his arms. When he finally stopped, he let her down until her feet touched the ground and then he kissed her like he hadn’t kissed before. He put all of his feelings into the act, and when she responded and wrapped her arms around his neck, he felt ten feet tall.

  As their kiss ended, he tipped his head back and gave a whoop of joy.

  “Hey! Quiet over there,” came the reply back and he looked to see Tyler and Michelle coming towards them. Tyler had Michelle in his arms once again and Trey had to smile at the content look upon her face. “What are you two celebrating over here?”

  Jenna was beaming and stuck her hand up so that the moonlight glinted off her ring, “We’re getting married!”

  “Get out! Tyler just asked me to marry him as well!”

  Jenna and Michelle hugged each other as they celebrated the changes that were about to take place in both of their lives. Tyler and Trey traded awkward guy hugs and handshakes and then they groaned.

  “We should have a double wedding!”

  “Oh, that would be perfect! We could get married out at the ranch…”

  “Wait a minute!”

  “Whoa! Enough for now, ladies.” Tyler looked at Trey and they traded looks. When Trey nodded at him, he scooped Michelle up in his arms and headed back inside the gym, “You two can discuss wedding plans and all that stuff later.”

  “But…”

  Jenna laughed as she heard her friend continue to try and convince Tyler to bring her back. When Trey scooped her up in his arms and headed towards the parking lot, she grinned up at him, “And just where are you taking me?”