Читать книгу Montana Love Letter - Charlotte Carter - Страница 12

Chapter Four

It seemed perfectly natural for Janelle and Rae to go to church Sunday morning with Adam and his daughter. Check-in time at the motel where Janelle had made a reservation for the night wasn’t until 3:00 p.m. She’d have plenty of time to pack after lunch. She’d unpacked only a few items of clothing anyway.

Bear Lake Community Church was about a half mile west of town. Built on a cleared acre of land, the one-story, whitewashed building boasted a steeple topped by a wooden cross. Dozens of vehicles, mostly SUVs and pickups, filled the gravel parking lot.

When they arrived several parishioners milled around the entrance, talking in small groups. Men greeted Adam warmly with a handshake and a friendly slap on the back. Hailey hung close to her dad, giving everyone a friendly greeting, as well.

A woman Janelle recognized from the hot-dog stand at the festival approached her.

“Hello there,” she said, with a quick glance in Adam’s direction. “I saw you and your daughter at the festival. I didn’t realize you’re a friend of Adam’s.”

“I’m not exactly,” Janelle admitted. “I had an accident and my car was towed to his garage. Since there weren’t any rooms available in town, he was kind enough to let us stay in his cottage for a couple of nights.”

“Well, I’m so glad you’ve come to church. We’re a small but friendly group. I’m Adrienne Walker, the pastor’s wife.”

Janelle introduced herself and Raeanne.

“Pleased to meet you. And you, young lady.” She smiled at Raeanne, who was holding Janelle’s hand so hard it almost hurt. “Raeanne, would you like to go into our Sunday school class with the other children?”

Rae shook her head and hid her face in the folds of Janelle’s skirt.

“Rae will be fine with me,” Janelle said. “Perhaps another time.”

“Of course, dear. Do go on in. The service is about to begin and I must join our choir.” Leaving her with a friendly smile, Adrienne hurried off.

A moment later, Janelle felt the press of Adam’s hand on the small of her back, warmly possessive, as he ushered them into the sanctuary. Her breath caught, startled by how natural his gesture felt and how much she enjoyed the touch of his hand.

Like most of the men, he wore fresh jeans and a sport shirt. Hailey decided to forego Sunday school to sit with Raeanne. They found a pew near the front. Janelle entered first, followed by the girls and Adam on the aisle, the seating arrangement much like that of other families in the congregation. Except, she reminded herself, they were not one family but two small, unrelated families. Their acquaintance had been so brief, she couldn’t even think of them as friends yet. Although she thought they could be, particularly since Raeanne enjoyed Hailey’s company so much. Despite the five-year age difference, they got along quite well. Hailey apparently had a strong nurturing instinct.

The pastor stepped out onto the stage, and the congregation stood for the opening hymn. Like his wife, Pastor Robert Walker was in his fifties and a bit stout. Fluffy white sideburns contrasted with his shiny bald head. If he’d had a beard and red cap, he could have passed for Santa Claus’s twin, his deep voice and jovial manner a match for the fictional character, as well.

Settling back in the pew, Janelle admired the stained-glass window behind the altar where the small choir sat. The scene depicted Jesus kneeling in prayer in Gethsemane.

Knowing Raeanne might get restless, she’d brought along an activity book to keep her occupied. Before long, Rae and Hailey were playing silent games of tic-tac-toe and “find the object.”

By the time the service ended, Janelle felt refreshed by her communion with the Lord. This was the first church service she’d attended since Raymond’s funeral, and it felt good to be back in the fold.

As they left the sanctuary and stepped out into the warm summer day, Adrienne Walker stopped her.

“I do believe that was you I heard singing, my dear. You have such a lovely soprano voice.”

Janelle flushed. “Thank you.”

“If you decide to stay in Bear Lake long, I do hope you’ll consider joining our choir. So many of our members are getting older now and their voices are deepening. We’re out of balance with too many altos and basses.”

Janelle had noticed the soprano section was particularly thin. “It’s kind of you to invite me. I enjoy singing but I don’t have a trained voice, and I haven’t sung in a choir since high school.” Although she had had the lead in the student musical her senior year. “If I do stay in Bear Lake, I’ll certainly consider it. Of course, I’d need a babysitter for Raeanne.”

“I’m sure something could be worked out. We rehearse on Thursday evenings.”

“I really don’t know yet what my plans will be.” Nor did she know when she’d feel comfortable again leaving Rae with a sitter.

“Keep us in mind, dear, if things work out.” With that, Adrienne scooted off to speak with another member of the congregation.

“Come on, Rae,” Hailey said. “I’ll race you to the truck.” The two of them dashed off as though they’d just escaped from solitary confinement.

“Watch out for cars!” Janelle called after them, but they were already on their way, galloping across the parking lot.

“They’ll be fine.” With his hand at her back, Adam nudged her toward his truck. “I’d say the pastor’s wife intends to hog-tie you and drag you into the choir whether you want to go or not.”

“I think a pastor’s wife must be required to take a class in recruiting volunteers for church functions.”

“In that case, I’d guess she got an A plus.”

Janelle laughed. “The truth is, assuming I stay here in Bear Lake, I would like to sing in the choir. But I haven’t left Raeanne alone since—”

“Since your husband died?”

She nodded.

“I understand. It’s hard to adjust after you lose someone you love.”

Even harder when it turned out the one you loved didn’t love you in return. Certainly not exclusively.

* * *

After a quick lunch, Adam went into the garage and sat down at his desk. He had to figure out this tax business before things got any worse. And they would get worse. He’d finally deciphered the letter from the IRS. He was expected to appear at a hearing just weeks away.

Chances were good that if he didn’t have some answers by then the lien on the bank account would be the least of his worries. He’d be behind bars.

He got out the paperwork and turned on his computer, pulling up his tax return. For a moment he stared at the monitor. The numbers swam across the screen like minnows fleeing a largemouth bass.

He blinked and knuckled his eyes. When he looked again, the image of Janelle appeared superimposed over the tax return. Smiling at him. Her lips slightly parted. A hint of laughter in her eyes.

An ache tightened in his chest, and a rush of wanting caught him by surprise.

Shaking off the sensation, he chided himself for even thinking about Janelle. He had the IRS to worry about. The fact that she and her daughter seemed to fit so perfectly with him and Hailey wasn’t worth considering. He barely knew the woman. She had her own issues to work out, needed to make a home for her daughter. Needed to start over clean.

No way would she want to get tangled up in his life.

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to drag out the stack of invoices from last year and his bank records. He’d start over, too. If he concentrated hard enough, he’d get it right this time. He picked up a pencil and found a lined notepad.

He wasn’t a stupid guy. He could do this.

Immediately his palms began to sweat. His fingers cramped around the pencil. Pain crept up the back of his neck. Just like it always had when he’d taken tests in school.

But this time he couldn’t fake the answers.

There was no question. He needed help.

He could take this pile of gibberish to one of the

Rotary guys who was a CPA, but then he’d have to explain why he couldn’t handle his own record-keeping.

There were probably lots of accountants in Missoula or even Kalispell who could do the job for a fee. But in many ways, western Montana was one small community. Word would get back to Bear Lake.

The heat of shame rose up his neck. He’d worked so hard, so many years, to keep his secret.

Somehow he’d have to do it himself.

He didn’t know how long he’d struggled trying to make sense of his records when he heard a light rapping on his open office door. He looked up to find Janelle smiling at him.

“I’ve packed up our things and put them in your loaner car, so we’re about to leave. It’s almost three. We can check into the motel now.”

“Oh, yeah.” He spun his chair around and stood. He tossed his pencil on the pile of invoices. Janelle was leaving and suddenly he didn’t want her to go. “I guess you’ll need the key, won’t you.”

Her lips twitched. “I imagine it goes faster with the engine turned on.”

“You could always ask Rae to push while you steer.”

She laughed. “I’m sure she’d be willing to try, but I don’t think we’d get very far.” Her gaze skipped to his cluttered desk and the mess he’d made of things. “Looks like you’re having a bad bookkeeping day.”

“Yeah, I am.” He tucked his fingertips into the pockets of his jeans. He didn’t think he’d ever had a good bookkeeping day. “Numbers just aren’t my thing. They make me crazy.”

“Is there something I can help you with? We don’t have to be at the motel right at three o’clock.”

“No, that’s—” He mentally stepped on the brakes. He had a problem and needed help. Janelle needed a part-time job and a place to stay while she house hunted. Maybe, just maybe...

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Look, I just had an idea. I’m sort of in trouble with the IRS. I messed up my tax return, I guess.” Big-time! “Maybe we could help each other out. You stay in the cottage for as long as you need to while you’re house hunting, and in your spare time you can straighten out the mess I’ve made with my taxes. I could pay you whatever you think is right.”

Janelle’s jaw dropped. He was offering her a place to stay and a job?

“I...I don’t know.” Her gaze fell on his desk. A chaos of paperwork covered the top, and one drawer was so full it couldn’t be closed. On some level that much disorder offended her sensibilities, and her fingers itched to straighten out the mess. Fix it.

“You and Rae would be a lot more comfortable here than at the Pine Tree Inn,” he pointed out. “Not that it’s a bad motel. But here you have the run of the house. The lake’s right at your doorstep.” He shrugged as if it should be the easiest decision in the world.

It should be, except that staying in such close proximity to Adam was far too tempting. “Isn’t there an accountant here in town?”

“Sure there is.” He took a couple of steps toward her. His eyes looked tired, his hair mussed. “Except I don’t like everyone in town to know my business. You seem like someone who could keep stuff confidential.”

She sensed there was more to his story than he was telling. “Just how much trouble are you in with the IRS?”

He shifted his gaze to a couple of cars in the garage that were waiting for repair and cleared his throat. “They’ve put a lien on my bank accounts. There’s a hearing in a couple of weeks. If I don’t have my books in order by then...”

He left the thought hanging, but Janelle knew that it would mean big problems for him. With fines and penalties, the problems could be big enough to bankrupt him. She wondered how he’d gotten himself into such a deep hole.

“I only took one class in tax accounting in college, and that was years ago. Beyond that, I’ve done the family taxes and my husband’s business returns.” She eyed the paper maze on the desk again. Would she even be able to find the bottom of the pile? “I’m not all that experienced if you’ve got a complicated return.”

He brought his gaze back to hers. “There are a couple of schedules for the business. Not much else. It shouldn’t be that hard. I’ve got one of those computer programs that’s supposed to do all the adding and stuff.”

Then why couldn’t he do it himself? Because he’d established no sense of order? Or was he simply averse to dealing with the IRS?

She worried a loose button on her blouse, trying to think what she should do. Free rent for a month or two plus a little cash would help her stretch her funds. She already knew Rae didn’t want to leave Hailey; she’d become quite attached to the girl in just two days. So had Janelle, for that matter.

And she would enjoy the challenge of putting things right in Adam’s financial world.

But the real kicker, the thing that made Janelle want to agree to stay the most, was that Adam had an uncanny way of getting Raeanne to relax. To be herself. To speak, however haltingly. How could she walk away from that?

She took a deep breath. “All right, I’ll stay.”

“Great!” The strain around his eyes and the tightness of his shoulders visibly eased.

“Tomorrow you can show me what you’ve got. If it’s too complex a tax return for me to handle, I’ll tell you.” Or if it would be better to light the desk on fire and start over. “Then you’d have to find someone else. I have no desire to get you into more trouble with the IRS than you’re already in because of my inexperience.”