Meant to Be (Christian Romance) (Stanton Falls Book 4) Read online

  MEANT TO BE

  By Kaci Hart

  Copyright © 2016 by Kaci Hart.

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names and character are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter One

  “It looks like she’s pregnant.”

  The man looked back at her, surprised.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I would hope so otherwise these tests are pointless.”

  Sarah stood up and stared at her friend, Dale. The look on his face said it before he did.

  “I just don’t really know how this happened. How could this happen?”

  “That’s a rhetorical question right? If not, then I have a perfectly valid answer that I give the kids when they come in here with this same problem but I’m sure you really know about the birds and bees already right?”

  “Of course. It’s just that. . . I tried to be so careful with her. The last time she was in heat, I made sure to keep her inside.”

  “Apparently not long enough. Don’t be so glum Dale.” She reached over and tapped him on the shoulder.

  “This is not a bad thing. The birth of a litter is a wonderful thing and you have time to get used to it. She’s only about twenty-five days in so you still have over a month left before you can expect the pitter patter of little paws running around the farm in a few more weeks. Sasha is a nice breed and depending on who the father is, the puppies could be worth a decent amount. Who knows? Maybe you’ll stop growing strawberries and become a full time puppy breeder.”

  Dale looked at her and a wry smile turned the corners of his lips up slightly.

  “Not funny.”

  “I know Dale. I’m sure you’ll make the best of it. In fact, I am going to lighten the load by promising to take one of the litter off of your hands. Since Princess died, I hadn’t gotten a new dog but I think it’s time for a new puppy around my place.”

  “Take as many as you want.”

  “One will be enough, thank you. After she gives birth, if you don’t want her to have more, we can talk about getting her spayed. In the mean time you make sure she gets plenty of rest, keep her on light exercise with some walking but nothing too strenuous and I have a couple of brochures to give you.”

  Sarah smiled back at Dale before reaching down and rubbing the dog behind her ear.

  “And you make sure you eat well because you are gonna be a momma.”

  For the next few minutes Sarah gave Dale a basic run down of the things he would need to do to make sure that his dog had a healthy litter of pups.

  “Thanks Sarah.” Dale reached down to his dog. “Come on girl, let’s go home.”

  The tired dog got up and followed him out the door. Sarah accompanied them into the lobby and looked around. It was empty for the first time that day.

  “Thank goodness we made it Penny.”

  She smiled at her best friend who had joined on as her assistant earlier in the year when she came back to town and opened the shop up. It was good for the both of them. Penny had just had her third child with her husband at the time and hadn’t worked in years. For Sarah, she could be a vet with ease. It was doing everything else in the office that she hated. The two of them complimented each other well in the clinic.

  “What do you mean by that? In case you don’t realize how things run around here, I still need to feed your overnight patient and handle some paperwork so off I go to the back. Work doesn’t stop for me just because the lobby is empty.”

  Sarah followed behind Penny as she made her way to the back.

  “Fine, I’ll help. All you had to do was ask you know.”

  “Thanks but that’s never as fun as good ol’ fashion guilt. You are right though. Today was pretty strange to say the least.”

  “Yeah. It’s like every female animal in town decided to let their owner know they were pregnant and needed to see us today.”

  “You know what that means right? Pretty soon you’ll be the only female in town who doesn’t have a kid or two.”

  Sarah sighed and shook her head.

  “Penny, I’ll get married and have kids when it’s time. Gosh. Sometimes I think that you’re worse than my mom with that.”

  “Hey, can you blame me for wanting my best friend to be happy.”

  “It’s not that easy. Every couple doesn’t end up like you and Brett. You guys are like the model of the American dream. High school sweethearts that choose to stay in a small town and fall in love. I’m sure that I’ve seen the movie once or twice. I mean you literally have a white house with a picket fence, two kids, and a dog so could you please just stop rubbing it in the face of your perpetually single best friend.”

  “Now that you mention it my life does seem kind of textbook definition but like I say, it’s your fault that you don’t have the same thing. I can’t count how many times I have tried to introduce you to guys. Nice guys too.”

  It was true. Over the years that they’d known each other, Penny had suggested quite a few men for Sarah to talk to. For one reason or another, things never panned out.

  “I know, and I really do appreciate it but if there’s no spark then there’s just no spark. You know what I mean?”

  “I do. You might just have to change what you’re looking for, unless you plan on marrying one of these mutts that you love so much”

  Sarah looked down at the dog that was healing from a surgery she’d given him the day before. He’d be healthy again soon enough and could go back to his family.

  “If only that were possible. If I could just take this little guy here and turn him into prince charming, he’d be the best guy in the world. After Brett, of course. It’d be way easier than dealing with regular guys.”

  “Of course, but that would take all the fun out of it.”

  Sarah shook her head. Penny said she understood but she didn’t. She’d met the perfect guy for her in high school and they were inseparable since day one. It wasn’t that easy if he didn’t fall into your lap like that. Her faith didn’t make it any easier. She’d had her own values and there were so many guys out there who didn’t. The ones who did share her values were either already taken or she wasn’t interested in them.

  “Penny, you know it’s not that I don’t want it. I do. And you are right. You’ve tried to set me up enough times. Even outside of all your help, I’ve had enough guys approach me. It wasn’t that they weren’t good guys. Most of them were pretty great. Take Drew for example. We dated for two months but I feel absolutely nothing for him beyond friendship. The worst part about it is that he still tries so hard. I don’t want to be mean to him but I might have to if he keeps it up.”

  Sarah stared at the wall for a few seconds before talking again.

  “It may be silly but if I’m going to fall in love, I want fairy tale, head over heels, I knew you were the one kind of love. With Drew and all those other guys, I just didn’t feel it. Sure he’s smart, attractive, and nice but never once have I felt butterflies when I think about him. Never once could I not wait to see him again. That’s why I broke i
t off with him in the first place. It was never really fair to him. He deserves to get back what he gives.”

  “That’s it. I am cutting off your cable and taking away your book club card because you are either watching too many romantic movies or reading too many books. That is not realistic love.”

  “Well then I guess I’m stuck trying to find a way to change this dog into a prince like you suggested.”

  “Whatever. Just promise me that I really will get to return the favor and be your maid of honor one day before I turn thirty. I know that it looks like I don’t age, but this beauty won’t last forever.”

  “I promise.”

  Even though she really did hope she would keep her promise, deep down inside she felt like it just wasn’t going to happen for her. It wasn’t easy being a Christian woman these days.

  You heard her God. It’s all on you.

  ***

  Caleb pulled the SUV through the gates on the edge of his family’s land and pulled up to the house. He shook his head. It was already hard enough driving with a boot on his left foot. Driving a rental car that he wasn’t used to only compounded the foolishness of his decision. In the time it took him to unbuckle his seatbelt, she was already standing beside the door and opening it for him.

  “Ma. You don’t have to get my door for me.”

  “I know that. I’m doing it because I want to. Now get on out that car and give your mother a hug and a kiss.”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  Caleb swung his booted left foot over the bottom of the open SUV door and his mother quickly came around the door to give him support.

  “Ma really? I’m not crippled. The boot is just there to keep the toe from moving. I hardly feel any pain at all.”

  “Caleb Dylan Emerson if you do not stop it and let me help you there is going to be a problem. You look hurt to me and that’s all that matters. This is when mothers are at our best.”

  Caleb knew how tenacious his mother was and he didn’t feel like wrestling with her so he gave in and put his other arm around the little woman who’d come to support him. As soon as he was on his feet and the door was shut, he felt his mother hug him with a strength that belied her size and stature.

  “Mom . . . how can you be so small and squeeze me so tight? Opposing defensive players don’t grab me that hard. Maybe you should get a contract with the team.”

  He looked down at her smiling face.

  “I can’t help it baby. It has been too long since you’ve been back home. I’m just glad you’re home safe and sound. And I do not appreciate what you did. Stubborn as a mule, just like your daddy. I would have driven to Dallas myself and pick you up but you didn’t tell me until you were already on the road.”

  “Come on ma. I didn’t want to inconvenience you. I’m already invading the house.”

  “Inconvenience and invading. What other insulting words that start with ‘I’ ‘N’ did they teach you out there?”

  “Ma, it’s not an insult.”

  “I don’t know what you would call it when your baby boy tells you he didn’t want to invade your house but around these parts that’s an insult. As if you don’t think you are welcome here. This is your home Caleb.”

  “Yes ma’am, I know. I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “Hmph.”

  “Oh lay off the boy Bridgette. You babied him his whole life. The man is grown now.”

  Caleb looked over his mother’s shoulder to see his father coming up behind her. He reached out to shake his father’s hand.

  “Pa. To the rescue as always.”

  “From what I see there son, you’re in enough pain already. She means well but I know she was about to smother you.”

  “Hello Frank? You talk about me like I’m not even here.”

  Caleb watched as his mother and father talked. Anyone who didn’t know the two of them might have thought that they were annoyed with each other but he knew. They were as in love now as they had been thirty-one years ago when they’d gotten married. He looked around the ranch. He hadn’t come home in months since the season had started, but the place looked the same as it had for the past umpteen years. He took a step when his mother grabbed him again.

  “And where do you think you’re going?”

  “Inside ma.”

  “Not without me.”

  He looked at his father who was laughing softly.

  “I tried son. Once her baby, always her baby.”

  She spoke up loudly.

  “And don’t you forget it!”

  They made their way into the house and Caleb grabbed a seat at the dining table while his mother flitted about the kitchen with the usual questions about his health, and love life. Those always seemed to be the two most important things in the world to her. Finally, she put her hand on his face.

  “You look skinny. Are you eating enough? Are you hungry?”

  “Of course I eat enough mom. I have to in order to do my job well. As far as being hungry right now, I’m not really. I grabbed a bagel at the airport.”

  “Blasphemy son. That is not a meal. That’s just part of a sandwich. You sit here and talk to your pa while I whip you two up a real lunch.”

  Caleb couldn’t argue with that. It had been too long since he’d been spoiled with some of her home cooking.

  “So son, you say it’s a toe injury that’s got you sidelined? That seems like something pretty small to stop a football player as good as you.”

  Caleb sighed at his father’s statement.

  “Yeah pa, you would think so but there have been hall of fame players who have had their career ended by this same exact injury.”

  “Well I’m surprised they let you come home. Don’t they want to do most of that at team headquarters?”

  “Normally they do but I couldn’t stand being there and not being able to do anything. They are seriously not letting me do any kind of activity that requires bending my foot except when I do therapy and that’s only twice a week. The rest of the time I just sat there and watched my teammates practicing and the whole time feeling like I should be out there with them. It’s torture knowing that you could make a difference if only your body would allow you to.”

  “I imagine so.”

  “That was why I asked coach to let me take the time away from the team. It wasn’t helping for me to be there and they have affiliated facilities over in Dallas where I can get my physical therapy done twice a week. They figure it will be five to six more weeks for a good, careful healing but at least I won’t need surgery. Just a lot of RICE.”

  “Rice? For your injury?”

  Caleb had forgotten who he was talking to for a second. His dad was anything but a medical guy.”

  “Sorry, it’s an acronym. It stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. If I do it, most of the pain should be gone in about a week and then I can ditch the boot. At least that’s what the doctors tell me but you know I’ve never met one that I liked. Regardless after that, a few more weeks of physical therapy and then I should be back with the team by December. Then just a few more weeks of rehab and I’ll return to the field for the first playoff game. Assuming we make it, which was a lock before I got hurt.”

  “I was wondering about that myself. You were on a roll there but things change so quickly. Leave it up to the papers and your career was done.”

  His dad showed him the front page of the Stanton Daily newspaper and there was the picture of him on the ground, his face contorted as the result of the very real pain he was feeling at the time. He shuddered as he thought back to when he was lying on the turf. That was a horrible time for him but reading the caption now felt just as difficult.

  “Hometown hero--superstar no more? Wow. That’s a bit depressing.”

  “You’ll show them son. You’re the best athlete to ever come out of this city. You’ll get back there.”

  “I know dad. Thanks.”

  His father wasn’t a big talker so silence filled the room, interrupted only by
his mother’s humming while she chopped, stirred, and fried. That left him with nothing to stop him from staring at the photo of himself. No matter what he told his dad, he wasn’t so sure anymore. He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that things were not ever going to get back to the way they were.

  Chapter Two

  Sarah got out of her car and walked into the barn. There was no need to go inside and announce herself. The Emersons had already told her that she could come on the property any time she needed to for the purpose of checking things out and that was exactly what she had to do that day. She had completely forgotten this morning before Penny reminded her that today was on her calendar to check in on one of the horses that was pregnant at Emerson Ranch.

  The ranch provided full service riding lessons as well as training horses for competitive events outside of racing. They didn’t breed horses as a source of income directly but were not against putting a couple of mares in foal when they allowed someone to purchase a horse or other horses were retired from being ridden. Recently they’d just retired a few riding horses and were looking to add a few more to their stables.

  Sarah didn’t mind the work. It was actually a pretty significant source of income for her when she had to come out so often. Between shots, ultrasounds, check up for the three mare currently in foal at the ranch, she was there regularly. Good for her that she liked getting out and doing these types of house calls. Except when she had to do an ultrasound on one of the animals. She didn’t know if the invasive procedure was worse for her or the horse but she was glad that all three of the mares were past that point. Today was just a checkup, so she should be able to finish it up quickly.

  A short while after walking into the mare’s housing, she was done. She was about to head off when she heard a horse whinny in the field a stone’s throw away. She smiled at the horse, Bliss, who was looking in her direction. Some people didn’t think that horses could distinguish people that well--but she always felt like she’d had a connection with Bliss and she was pretty certain the horse was trying to get her attention.