A Cardinal Christmas blurb:
Blythe loves her job and doesn't need personal relationships, especially of the "love life" variety. Steeling herself from a recent heartbreak, Blythe focuses on furthering her successful career, but when her father needs surgery, Blythe returns home to help with the family auto shop. There, she comes face-to-face with the dreams of her past.
Werner has been content to let life pass him by. Following the death of his parents and the loss of his job, he returns to the only place he’s ever called home. He finds Blythe more breathtaking than he remembered. But her presence is only temporary and she refuses to let him in.
Can Blythe leave her career behind for a whole new life? Though her heart cries to remain with Werner, can she risk being hurt again?
A CARDINAL CHRISTMAS
LoRee Peery
Chapter one
Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. ~Psalm 31:24
Werner rode his trail bike at a good clip
in the crisp December air. In many ways the trail was similar to the railroad
tracks he’d hiked as a kid. The difference was a much less treacherous rock
covered grade. He slowed as the rhythmic sway of a jogging woman’s ponytail
mesmerized him. Something about her tugged at his heart.
Just as the woman ahead ran out of sight,
he neared the spot where he first met Blythe Travis. The field remained an open
pasture gone to natural prairie. Surprisingly, green grass peeked through the
dormancy of December.
He geared down and rolled to a stop, his
mind going back in time. For a short while as a kid, his folks had rented a
farmstead beyond the copse of trees in the distance. He’d ventured across the
field to walk the railroad tracks, only to find a girl with hair blacker than
ebony watching him approach. Blythe.
He now balanced, one foot on the ground,
and imagined her waiting for him on those long-ago lazy summer afternoons.
They’d shared many adventures, and even followed the creek to a beaver dam one
day. Agreeing to savor that memory, they never returned to seek out the
beavers.
Soon, they’d meet again. At this very
moment, he tried to picture her wasting time at a busy airport lay-over.
The trail snaked ahead, where he’d heard a
train whistle blow near Edgewood long ago, but never had they seen a train
during their excursions. Like many tracks across the country, the rails were
long gone and repurposed as an exercise trail.
He stared off into the distance as though
he had the ability to make Blythe appear. His heart quickened at the prospect
of seeing her all grown up.
His mouth went dry. Blythe’s beauty often
stole his breath as a kid. Her parents said she used this path whenever she
came home to visit as an adult. What was she like now? He’d seen pictures.
Though her job took her to exotic places across the globe, her skin glowed like
porcelain in the photos displayed. Had she ever thought of him?
Eager to meet her again, would she remember
him? Her flight was due in past midnight, surely her parents had told her that
he’d been hired as a temporary mechanic.
A rustle in the bush ten feet ahead pulled
him from of his thoughts. A flash of red, a rustle of brown and orange. A pair
of cardinals swooped in. The female flitted to the naked branches of a
honeysuckle bush and the male dropped to the ground next to something that
glinted in the early morning sun.
He’d heard a few male cardinals sing since
he’d returned to Nebraska, and caught the familiar crimson streak on occasion.
But these birds were the first pair he’d seen since his grandfather’s graveside
service in Illinois. A teenager at the time, a pair of northern cardinals had
settled in a nearby juniper bush. The sight of the birds distracted him and
occupied his mind, freed him from giving in to tears while the pastor droned
on.
He sucked in a breath to handle the hurt. The
thought of funerals stabbed him anew. No cardinals or any other creature showed
up in Seattle on that most recent day. The loss of his parents remained fresh.
The sun sparked on whatever lay amidst the
crushed rock on the top of the graded bank. Werner swung his foot to engage the
kickstand. The cardinal pair flew off.
Crossing to the larger rocks along the path
to where the male cardinal had been, he spied a necklace. The ring-clasp opened
where the silver chain had parted, but the pendant remained intact. Pretty. He
swiped off his glove with his teeth and reached for his phone. He snapped a
picture, lifted the necklace, and let the chain dangle as he studied two large
seed pearls set in fancy swirls. Mounted inside a heart, the jewelry no doubt
meant something special to the owner.
The necklace was a nice piece of jewelry.
Whoever it belonged to would surely miss it. He slipped the necklace into his
jacket pocket and zipped it in tight. Maybe he could catch the raven-haired
jogger to see if she’d lost it.
****
Blythe’s feet pounded the well-worn trail.
She hadn’t run off as much negativity as she needed to this morning. Despite
her early morning arrival in Edgewood, she’d hurried out of the house as her
mother headed to the hospital to be with her father. Sprinting, then jogging,
hadn’t helped her mind calm. It seemed odd to run so close to Christmas with
green grass on either side of the graded path rather than the landscape covered
in snow.
Often out of the States this time of year,
she usually ran barefoot on white sandy beaches, welcoming sunrise at an exotic
resort. Not this year. Home for the holidays due to her father’s knee
replacement. Even before that scheduled surgery, Blythe had not received an
assignment to oversee the management of any Eiseley International Resort. Last year at this time, her recent
engagement had her all aglow. While at home then, she’d turned ecstatic over
watching her best friend Hayley fall in love with the preacher’s house-sitter.
One thing that never changed in life,
people could count on change.
At least Dad’s business hadn’t changed.
Travis Auto remained constant as usual, despite her father’s surgery and
upcoming rehab. She needed to cut her run short and get ready to open up the
office for her mother.
Forty minutes later, Blythe jounced though
the door of Auntie’s Antiquities in their hometown village.
Hayley squealed. “You’re here.”
Blythe hustled to hug her friend. “I’m so
glad to see you.”
Hayley appeared bright and beautiful, her
amber eyes as gold as the big ribbon tied to greenery on the breakfront
counter. “I’m sorry to hear about your dad. But he should be in a lot less
pain.”
“Yeah. That knee plagued him. He had a hard
time getting around the garage vehicles for a long time before he admitted pain
to Mom.”
“I’m glad he has good help now. In fact,
the new mechanic was just in for coffee.”
“You’re one up on me.” Blythe loosened her
hold. “I haven’t met whoever Dad hired
yet.”
Hayley gave Blythe another quick squeeze
and turned to slip behind the counter. “The new guy who’s filling in is staying
at the parsonage with us, at Pastor Gregg’s insistence. Kameron says the
mechanic is all right.”
“Good to know. Your handsome husband’s
approval must ease your mind over having a stranger in the house. I couldn’t
believe it when Mom told me he’d been staying at our place.”
“Not a good idea to be alone with a
stranger while Bette Jean is at the hospital for another day and a half at
least.”
“Right. Awkward. Mom did say he wasn’t from
around here.”
“Really? I got the impression from Kam that
the guy used to live nearby. Sorry. I heard his name, but don’t remember it.”
“You must still be blinded by love.” Blythe
pointed at the coffeemaker. “Smells brewtiful,
as usual.”
“My coffee used to make you smile.”
Kameron’s eye for detail must have rubbed off on Hayley, the way she seemed to
look into Blythe’s soul.
“What’s your choice this morning, flavored
or black?”
Blythe turned her head. “Black. That way I
can savor your fudge.”
“I’m sorry again about your break-up. I
know we talked on the phone, but wish I could have been there to take your mind
off how the jerk treated you.”
“A year later, see how things have changed.
My engagement is off. Hope he’s miserable with his precious someone new.” Blythe
inhaled and made a half-hearted attempt to lift the corners of her lips. “He sure
pulled a fast one on me. Pretty much hurt his testimony for the Lord with all
the people around both of us. At work, and at church.”
“I don’t know a better place to heal a
broken heart than coming home. Our warm spell is keeping the trail busy, as
well as creating good business for me and the auto shop. You’ll be here for
Christmas. Pastor Gregg is doing a series of messages on joy—”
Blythe interrupted. “Is Kameron upstairs
writing already?”
“Not yet. He’s walking the dogs.”
“They must have gone out after my run. I’d
better get going. Mom will miss your fudge this morning, but lay on me today’s
flavor.”
“Peppermint.” Hayley used parchment paper
to lift a chocolate square and slid it into the white paper bag.
Blythe passed her gaze over the chalkboard
on the wall behind the breakfront at the same time she slapped her neck. “Oh,
no. My necklace.”
“Ouch.” Hayley swung her way, finger in her
mouth. “Paper cut. What necklace?”
Blythe searched beneath her collar. “How
could I have showered without noticing it missing?”
“You think that’s yours?” Hayley pointed to
the notice on her board. “The guy came in this morning and had me snap a
picture of the picture off his phone. I’ll get it.” She capped a go-cup and set
it on the counter. “Do you like my caption?”
Blythe chuffed. “Only you would call it
‘Trinket found on the trail.’ I’m glad he left his number.”
Hayley swiped her phone and showed the
picture to Blythe.
“That’s my necklace. Thank You, Lord. I
didn’t even know it was gone. I’m doubly thankful someone found it right away.
It’s my last anniversary gift from Eiseley Resorts.” She set down the bag and
put the phone number from the posted notice in her cell.
“I recognized the necklace as quality, just
by the photo on his phone. I know you got in late, your mom called me yesterday
with your flight schedule. When you’re ready for a good catch-up gab session,
let me know.”
“You always were a good listener. Now I
need to open up shop. Listen for the phone, and try to answer calls about all
those car and truck things I don’t get. Words like carburetor flushes and
timing chains always make me yawn.” Blythe shut the door on Hayley’s tinkling
laughter. Her own heart wasn’t much into finding humor these days.
She checked for traffic before crossing the
road, surprised to see garage lights on behind the overhead doors.
Blythe unlocked the office door, placed her
sack and go-cup on the counter, and then took off her coat. She grabbed her
phone and swiped, only to hear a ring tone coming from the garage.
****
Werner set aside the power lug nut tool and
reached for his cell. Unknown, but the local area code. “This is Werner.”
“Werner Wright?” Echoed from his phone, and
the doorway to the office.
He whipped his head around. His fingers
almost lost their grip. “Blythe Travis.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Why are you calling me?”
They spoke at the same time, all the while
walking toward one another, and met behind the rusty back fender of a pickup
truck in the center bay. Each shut off their phones without looking.
He swallowed, nothing but dryness, and
reached for her arm. “Be careful.”
She stepped aside to avoid bumping into the
trailer hitch.
He rested his elbow on the tailgate, and
grinned while shaking his head in slow motion. “You turned out mighty gorgeous.
Prettier than your pictures, little Blythe.”
She frowned. “Where’d you ever see pictures
of me?”
His chin jutted backward as if she’d
insulted him. “Your folks have pictures of you plastered in every room of the
house. Figured you knew I’ve been staying there for a week so your pa could
orient me around the garage. Before your dad’s surgery, your mom fixed enough
food for me to last another week.”
She frowned at him as though she considered
him nuts. She spread her arms, wonderment on her blush-tinted face. “So you’re
the mechanic who’s been staying at my parents’ house?”
“They haven’t told you that?”
Speaking at the same time again, he dropped
his hand and shut up to avoid talking over her. His bottom lip twitched against
the smile that wanted to spread.
Werner raised his hand and stroked his
short beard. “I believe in ladies first, but I don’t have a lot of time. I
promised a lube job and tire rotation on that sedan by late morning.”
“Our time has been spent talking about Dad
and his surgery. As for you being here,” she arced her arm out in front. “That
much is beginning to make sense. Since you’re here, you must be Dad’s temporary
mechanic.”
“And you’re manning the office. If you
didn’t know who I was, why’d you call me?”
Her hand flew to the base of her neck. “Oh.
How could I forget my necklace? You must be the one who found it.”
“How do I know it belongs to you?” He
pulled the rag from his pocket and swiped his hand where it had touched the
truck. “Describe it for me.”
She calmed. He could tell the instant it
sank in that he teased. “Why else would I be calling you? I got your number
about my necklace across the street at Hayley’s.”
“Describe it for me,” he repeated.
She did, with more detail than he could
have.
“Your necklace is safe. Zipped in my jacket
pocket, hanging in my room at the parsonage.” He longed to tell her she’d grown
up to be the beauty he always predicted she’d be. “Your face still tells me
what you’re feeling. You’re as frustrated as all get out.”
“Probably. My parents didn’t tell me much
of what’s going on, just that they could really use my help. It’s a shock to
see you here out of the blue. On top of that, I lost a piece of jewelry that
means a lot to me.”
“Got it. Plus your dad’s situation. My
gramps went through a knee replacement. There will be a lot of icing and pain
and physical therapy. None of you have to worry about Travis Auto. I’ll cover
my end of the work, and I’m sure you will too.”
Her face smoothed and her sea-green eyes
brightened. “Right now you have more confidence than I do in me handling the
office.”
“Can’t wait to hear what you’ve been doing
with your life. I’ll fix the loose clasp on your necklace, and return it after
lunch, if that’s agreeable. I really need to get back to work.”
His last word ended with the ringing of the
telephone in the office.
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