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John had advised prayer and patience. As much as Hunter wanted to grow in his new faith and to become a steadier man like John, he also wanted to let the world know that Janie’s flirting with Grady made him crazy, and he wasn’t going to pretend otherwise.
Man, he’d had a little-boy fit about it all.
Standing there alone, Hunter laughed inwardly at himself. He’d call John and apologize and tell him that he’d been right. Hunter should have just trusted that Janie would come around again. God had it all in hand.
“Hey, God, I’m still new at this.” Hunter set his mug down on the overturned cut log next to his campfire ring. The contact of the hot ceramic against the half inch of snow made an instant ring of wet wood. “Thanks for working it out—I’m sorry I didn’t trust that You would.”
Good thing Hazel lived a solid quarter mile away on the other side of the ridge. She’d think he’d lost it, standing outside in the fresh snow talking toward the sky like Someone was up there listening. Then again, if she witnessed him talking to God like this, maybe he’d know better how to tell her about his newfound faith in Jesus. That would be a good thing, because Hazel needed Jesus as much as Hunter needed Jesus, and Hunter was pretty sure everyone around them would agree.
“Show me how to tell her, will You?”
Hunter chuckled as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket and retrieved his coffee cup. He’d go in and grab the Bible John had mailed him and reread all of Proverbs 3, spend some time thanking God for the new day and fresh hope, and pray for Hazel. Then he’d split some wood before he made his way down to Luna.
Everything was going to be like this blanket of snow. Clean and beautiful. He just needed to trust God.
Janie gathered the four plates left on the counter and piled them into her dirty-dish bin. The morning had been the usual—busy, and that was a good thing. She’d heard more than one disapproving groan, however, when she’d told her usuals that she’d be closed for the afternoon.
“But it snowed,” old man Jasper argued. “Snow means chili, don’t it?”
“Usually.” Janie employed her sweet smile. “Today, though, I have a prior engagement.”
“With who?”
“Who said anything about a who?”
“Engagements involve two people, little missy.” Jasper’s eyes lit with a smug knowing. “Going up to Elk Lake to see a returned navy man, ain’t ya?”
“No, sir, as a matter of fact, I’m not.” Janie refilled his coffee mug and set his bill on the table. “Enjoy your coffee now. I’ll have chili for you next week.”
“Huh.” Jasper pressed his elbows against the table and leaned forward. “If it ain’t that mountain boy, then he’s gonna be real upset to find out who it is you’re closing up early for anengagementwith, seeing as he left the navy and came home for you.”
With her back turned to the old busybody, Janie drew in a quiet, controlled breath. Sour heat rolled in her gut, but she glanced over her shoulder with a stern glare. “Hunter is busy with his own life. And he certainly didnotcome back to Luna for me.”
“That’s not how things look to me.”
Says the old man who can’t see straight enough to match his shirt buttons correctly.Janie smirked and then turned away, nearly laughing at the ongoing cockeyed apparel that Jasper was famous for. If he ever showed up with a correct button-down, everyone would suspect he’d had a woman involved, because the man hadn’t been able to match up those things in ten years.
Rather than lipping off to her elder, as she had the impulse, Janie shrugged and scurried to the kitchen. The amusement that had tickled her about her old patron’s clothing mishap died as that sour sensation crawled from her gut up to her throat.
Hunter . . .he’s gonna be real upset . . .
Janie didn’t doubt it, even if she believed he’d only be upset because of some feral, doglike possessive streak that plagued all men.Mine!
She had no interest in being a man’s dog bone.
Did she really think that lowly of Hunter? That he saw her only as a prize to claim, that he was a selfish, possessive man driven by ego and a need for gratification?
Those were some pretty severe accusations. By the knotting of her stomach and the hard lump in her throat, Janie knew they were neither accurate nor fair. Especially when only yesterday she’d settled that she did want to establish afriendshipwith him.
Bitterness can make you blind.
Mama’s admonition seeped into Janie’s thoughts, and with them a strong conviction.
Lord, I’m still angry with Hunter, but I don’t think that I am being entirely fair to him.
A measure of relief eased her upset stomach as she confessed that truth. Janie sighed into it. She closed her eyes and whispered the rest of her prayer. “Help me to be fair—to see him without bitterness fogging my vision.”
The ringing of the front bell let Janie know that Jasper had finished his coffee and exited her café. With a hard breath meant to expel what remained of her twisted emotions, Janie dipped her dishcloth in the bucket of warm, sanitizing water, wrung it out, and returned to the dining room to clean up. She wiped the counter down, collecting crumbs as she did, and then moved to start on the tables in the far corner.
