This Time(32)

"He's got his surrogate son back. He happy as a pig in slop," Belle explained. "When I brought Daddy home, the two of them talked for a couple of hours, Burke telling Daddy about how he and the boys fixed the porch, and how the new bull is fitting in with the cows."

"He's being a real friend."

Her heart fluttered at Meg's words, and she realized that the Lord's amazing grace was forming something beautiful out of the ashes of her past, just as Duke predicted.

"Six weeks ago I never wanted to hear his name. Yesterday we worked the ranch side by side and had a picnic with Dad by the pond."

"I'm gonna cry," Mary Beth said, waving one hand in front of her face, towel drying Belle's hair with the other.

Mary Beth raked a comb through her wet hair, as Meg talked about the baby, but Belle's thoughts eventually wondered away from the small shoptalk and down a path toward Burke.

She found comfort in the safety of just being friends. All the talk about Burke unveiled hidden feelings of love that demanded recognition. But the idea of falling in love with him again rattled her. She yielded to the idea of becoming friends, but romantic love still drifted away from the shore of her heart.

Besides, Burke's intentions toward her were purely platonic. He reveled in her friendship but seemed content to leave the love they once shared as a relic of the past.

***

Dean handed Burke the last of the stereo wire and hopped off the ladder.

"Thanks," Burke said, grateful to finally have his brother's help in rewiring the house for his new speakers. The movers had finally arrived with his belongings from Colorado, and the house felt more and more like his own.

"No problem, little brother. You have the best stereo system in the whole county, maybe the whole state."

Burke tossed the wire in his toolbox. "Just the way I like it. Powerful, crisp, beautiful sound."

Dean plopped onto the couch and looked at Burke's pile of football playbooks. "You ready for the season?" he asked, motioning to the large stack of thin black notebooks.

Burke hunted for a CD to pop into the player so he could test the speakers and the new wiring. "Getting there. I like Coach Anderson's approach, so I'm sticking with most of his plays this season. But, I've been spending my evenings working on a new offensive strategy. I want to move to a wide-open offense. Mrs. Tapper volunteered to make copies of the new playbooks."

"Mrs. Tapper," Dean said, remembering. "She's been the school secretary since the Indians roamed the Oklahoma territory."

"I'm glad to have her on my team," Burke said, finding the CD he wanted and slipping it into the player. He grabbed the remote and activated the stereo. Deep, distinct sounds charged the room.

"You think we'll have a good season?" Dean asked.

Burke flashed his brother a sideways smile. "Is there another choice?"

Dean shook his dark curly head. "I guess not."

"Close your eyes," Burke urged. "You can't tell what speaker the sound is coming from. It sounds like a live performance."

Dean closed his eyes, nodding, agreeing with him about the stereo's quality sound. Eyes still closed, he asked, "How are things with you and Belle? Is your relationship moving along."

Burke frowned at the question. "Dean, for crying out loud, you were the one telling me to take it slow. 'Don't expect too much.' 'What'd you think? She'd welcome you with open arms?'"

"That was weeks ago," Dean said, opening his eyes and tossing up his hands, a comedic reverb in his words.

Burke laughed. "We're friends."

"Nothing more?"

"We're good friends, and I love her company, but right now, we're nothing more," Burke reiterated, kicking back on the sofa next to Dean, savoring the stringed music. "I still need to work things out with Grace. I've been praying a lot about our relationship, but I'm not ready to share what I think the Lord is saying yet."

Dean nodded his understanding. "Thanks for the polite way of telling me it's none of my business."

Burke chuckled and slapped his brother on the knee. "As soon as I figure this all out, I'll let you know."

"I can live with that."

"Don't forget, you're taking me to the airport day after tomorrow."

"I won't."

Burke handed Dean the stereo remote. "My agent's been hounding me to get this commercial shoot done and do a guest spot on the David Dubois show. And I need to tie up some loose ends in Denver."

"Then you're home for good?" Dean asked, studying the remote's buttons.

"Home for good."

"And Belle?"

Burke looked over at Dean. "What about Belle?"

Dean chuckled. "Nothing, I guess. I'll be anxious to see how this one plays out."

Burke sighed, a smile spreading across his face. "Me, too, me, too."





Chapter Fifteen





The first week of August, Belle and Burke drank cold sodas on the tailgate of her recently mended truck and watched the setting sun paint brilliant burnished hues across the Oklahoma sky. All around them the Brangus herd grazed in the newly fenced-in field.