Everlasting Love (11 page)

By the time she and James had made their pur
chases at the feed store and driven home, however, her adrenaline had plummeted and she was more than ready to rest.

She thanked James for unloading the fresh sack of dog food and the new metal can in which to store it.

“You're welcome.” He stifled a yawn. “I hate to say this, but if I'm going to help you later I've got to get some shut-eye. Otherwise, my mental processes won't be as good as your squirrel's.”

“Rocky's a hard act to follow. He's very smart.”

“For a critter with a brain the size of a grape, maybe,” James said. “I have high hopes my brain's bigger.”

“Undoubtedly. Rocky's little head would never be able to hold all your gray matter.”

“Guess I should be thankful for that. I'd hate to hear he was after my job.”

Megan chuckled softly. “I wouldn't worry too much. Speaking of your job, don't let me keep you. I know you need to go check on the kids.”

“There's no hurry. I called in some extra help so Aaron could give Bobby Joe his undivided attention.” He covered another yawn. “Guess I had better go, though. Will you be okay?”

“Sure. I'm fine. Go on home.”

“Promise me you'll kick back?”

“With all that noise and confusion down there?” Megan gestured at the group of vehicles still parked around the main buildings, then smiled slightly. “Truthfully, I'll probably doze off the minute I sit down. Tell the boys I'll bring Wiggles by for a visit as soon as I've rested.”

“They'll like that. Just make sure everybody stays together if you take them outside without me.”

Subdued, Megan nodded. “I know you trusted me to look after Zac as well as the younger boys. I never should have divided my attention.”

“Don't blame yourself. I'm the one who's ultimately responsible for everything that goes on at Camp Refuge. I should have known better.”

“You mean because you let three boys visit me at once?”

“No,” James said.

“Then what? Tell me?”

“Sure you want me to spell it out for you?”

“Of course.”

He nodded. “Okay. My first mistake was bowing to the board and agreeing to let you come here. My second was letting you stay when I saw you'd brought your adolescent sister. I knew she'd be trouble the minute I set eyes on her. I should have sent you two packing then and there.”

Megan couldn't help rising to Roxy's defense. Though she tried to tone down her rebuttal, it still came out sounding stronger than she'd wanted. “That's pure prejudice talking and you know it. Roxy's a lonely, sad little girl in a growing body. She's confused about life. Lots of teenagers go through that kind of struggle—and they don't come from homes where they're told nobody wants them around anymore.”

“I did.”

“I know. That's why I can't understand your attitude. All the poor kid wants is to be loved. She didn't get affection at home so she's looking elsewhere. I was hoping that working with me would show her she has value as a person. How was I to know there would be nothing but boys living here? There were girls listed on the roster when I researched this place and applied for my grant.”

His eyes widened, then narrowed with the furrowing of his brow. “So, you'd intended to slip Roxy into your project all along.”

“No! Nothing of the kind. I told you exactly why I included her at the last minute.” Waiting for a sign he'd accepted her denial, she watched his face, hoping he'd at least give her the benefit of the doubt.

“Look, this conversation is getting us nowhere,”
James finally said. “We're both tired and edgy. If we keep it up we're liable to say things we're sorry for.” He started to back away. “Get some rest. I'll see you later.”

Liable to say things we're sorry for?
Megan swallowed the accusation perched on the tip of her tongue. As far as she was concerned, too much had already been said, especially by James Harris.

She'd actually started to believe he'd accepted her, even liked her enough to steal a brief kiss. Well, the joke was on her. Nothing had changed. He still distrusted her theories as well as questioned her methods. And now he'd dragged her sister into the argument, blaming Roxy for being emotionally unsettled. Of course she was. The poor kid had been going through terrible trials at home.

Okay, Megan concluded, the man was entitled to his opinion, even if he was dead wrong. She couldn't do anything about his ideology. But that didn't mean she'd trust him to be unprejudiced in the future.

What she would do was continue to work with him in order to complete her project. And if she had no other choice, she'd join him again to search for the missing youngsters. But that was all. He'd made his position crystal clear. No way would she
be fool enough to lower her guard and confide in him ever again. No sirree. His unfair criticism had hurt far too much.

Watching James make his way down the hill, she noticed a momentous sense of loss warring with her animosity…and winning. It didn't take much soul-searching to reveal the reason. Like it or not, Megan not only cared what he thought of her work, she wanted him to like her. To look up to her with mutual respect. To value her companionship the way she valued his. To yearn to be near her the way…

She bit her lower lip and clenched her fists to keep from giving in to the urge to call to him. There was no denying the truth she'd just found hidden in her heart. Somehow, in the midst of all the negative things that had occurred, she'd let herself fall in love.

Megan made a wry face and turned away so she couldn't see James anymore. “What a mess,” she muttered in disgust. “I could have picked a dozen other camps instead of this one, and I had to come
here.
”

She spread her hands, palms up, and tilted her face to heaven. “Why did You let me do it? Huh? You know I don't want to ever get married.”

The irony of her statement struck her so funny
she almost laughed. “Right. The chances of James Harris ever deciding he likes me, let alone loves me and wants to marry me, are less than zero. So there's no real problem, is there?”

Somehow, coming to that sensible conclusion didn't make her feel one smidgen better.

B
y noon, Megan had managed to nap a bit then catch up on most of her chores, leaving the grooming of the animals as a treat for the children.

She'd been rehearsing what she was going to say to James when he showed up to help. Unfortunately, she didn't get to use her “Thanks, but no thanks. I can handle this by myself” speech, because he didn't return.

Calling Wiggles to keep her company, she headed for the main building to see what had delayed her promised temporary assistant. She couldn't very well banish him if he never showed up, now could she?

Struck by the absurdity of her self-defeating attitude she chuckled softly. The panting dog at her side looked up and wagged his rear half.

“You understand me, don't you, Wiggles? Sure you do. Love is real simple as far as you're concerned. As long as I feed you, pet you and scratch your back, you're happy as a kid in a candy store. I wish men were that easy to please.”

The Australian shepherd nudged her hand with his nose.

Megan paused to ruffle his ears and talk to him. “I don't even want to
like
James Harris, so what am I doing dreaming of a future with him, huh? Answer me that.”

Wiggles licked her hand.

“Yeah, I know. You have all the answers. Well, old buddy, I hate to tell you this but you can't solve every problem by pouring on the affection. Humans aren't that easy to influence. Besides me, I mean.”

Grinning at her canine companion she gave his head one last pat and straightened. “I know what you're thinking. I'm not about to start licking James's hand in order to make him like me, so you can just forget it.”

She giggled. “Boy, am I glad you can't talk like that dog in the TV commercial. I'd hate to have you telling my secrets. Then again, as smart as you are, maybe you could come up with a solution to this predicament. What do you think?”

“I think you're crazy,” a deep male voice said.

For a split second, Megan's imagination attributed the comment to her dog. Then, she spotted James approaching and began to blush.
Oh, boy.
How much of her idiotic jabbering had he overheard? And what had she said that would need refuting? She wished she knew.

Joining her, he merely smiled and said, “Hi. I was just on my way to your cabin to see what was keeping you. The kids are waiting. You said you'd bring Wiggles to visit us, remember?”

Had she? Was her mind in such a chaotic state she'd forgotten a simple promise like that? Vague recollections stirred.

“I guess I did,” Megan admitted. “I was so bushed, I don't remember half the stuff we talked about this morning.”

“Hey, that's good.”

The boyish look on his face prompted her to recall his tales of boarding school. “Don't get your hopes up, mister. I remember everything you said about horses.”

“I was afraid of that.”

I also remember your opinion of my sister,
she thought. Having had time to calmly consider his comments, however, she'd mellowed. A lot of what he'd said made sense. Introducing Roxy into
an already-unstable population of young people had been a stupid thing to do. Pure motives were not enough to mitigate a poor decision. Too bad she couldn't go back and change it.

Seated at Megan's side, the dog leaned against her leg, quietly begging for attention. She smiled down at him. “I know Wiggles will be glad to see the boys again. He's lonesome. His raccoon friends haven't been back. At least not yet.”

“Good. They're usually nocturnal. If you see one out in the daylight, give it a wide berth. A change of habits can mean an animal is sick. Same goes for skunks.”

“Thanks. I'll remember that.” She gave the dog a hand signal releasing it to run ahead as she started down the hill.

James fell into step beside her. “You look much better. Did you get some sleep?”

“A little. How about you?”

“Enough. Aaron woke me to tell me the sheriff's team was about to pull out. They just left.”

Megan took a deep breath and released it as a noisy sigh. “Can't say that's a surprise after I told them about losing my jacket. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. What if I was mistaken?”

“Were you?”

She pulled a face. “No. It's gone, and nobody
would have taken it but Roxy. So, what do we do now?”

“Rely on volunteers. Some of the ones who were here all along need to get back to their jobs but others will come. Inez is going to speak to the brotherhood group at her church and get them involved. We'll have plenty more help before nightfall.”

“How will we feed them all?”

“No problem. Word's gotten out that we're hosting rescuers. You should see the stacks of donated food in the kitchen. Inez won't have to cook a thing for weeks.”

“My college church group used to do good deeds like that. We joked that we ought to hand out covered casserole dishes to new members because they were going to need them if they planned to fit in.”

“Sounds like Inez and her friends. They're always baking something for somebody in need. Most of the extra food probably did come from church groups. It figures. Folks around here are pretty religious.”

Megan grinned. “Yeah, well… Just because a person acts pious or calls himself a Christian, doesn't mean he is, as you well know. Lots of folks warm a pew on Sundays without a spiritual
connection to Jesus Christ. It doesn't make them bad people. It's just sad that they're missing so much of the joy they could have if they were really a part of Him.”

“I suppose you're alluding to my parents.”

“Hey, if the pew fits…” Megan giggled.

“Okay, okay.” He led the way onto the porch of the dining hall and held the door for her.

Pausing, Megan glanced at her dog. “Can Wiggles come in, too?”

“Not if he's still shedding,” James said. “Why don't I bring the boys out here and let them brush him?”

“Good idea. I'll go get my grooming tools.”

“No need. We'll find something you can use. Wait here. I'll be right back.”

“Okay. Fine.” She plunked down on the top porch step, her feet on the next one down. Wiggles joined her and laid his chin on her lap while she absently stroked his thick fur. Every pass of her hand swept off more loose hair, piling it up in a nest of mottled gray fuzz at the base of his spine.

“You? Shedding? Naw,” she said, shaking her fingers and watching the accumulation drift away on the breeze. James might not realize it but keeping the dog outside wasn't going to help much. The more the boys brushed him, the more dog hair
was going to stick to them—and to anything they touched—not to mention becoming airborne and drifting into who knows where. Living with an animal the size of an Australian shepherd during shedding season and trying to keep a clean house, was like trying to pile up loose feathers with a snowblower!

The screen door banged. Mark and Kyle were the first ones out. Each jockeyed for available space next to Wiggles, shoving and shouting until the dog sought safety on the opposite side of Megan.

“Whoa. One at a time,” she ordered, standing. “You're going to have to be more polite if you want to pet Wiggles. You're scaring him.”

“Me first,” Mark hollered.

“No! Me, me,” Kyle countered.

“Neither one of you deserves to be first when you act like that,” Megan said. “Now simmer down, okay? Mr. Harris has gone to find a brush we can use. Until he gets back, you can both pet the dog if you do it quietly and gently.”

The boys muttered a reply in unison. Megan chose to interpret their mumbling as “Yes, ma'am.”

“All right. And as soon as Bobby Joe and the others get here, they get a turn. Understand?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

Although she was keeping a close eye on the boys, she nevertheless sensed James's return. Aaron, Bobby Joe, Robbie and John were with him. The two littlest campers looked happy but Bobby Joe wore an expression of impending doom that made her heart hurt.

Forcing a smile of greeting, she addressed James. “Did you find a brush we can use?”

“Not yet. Why don't you stay here with Aaron and the guys? I'll run up to your place and get your dog-grooming stuff. Just tell me where to look.”

“Okay. You'll find two red-handled brushes in a footlocker next to the horse pen.” Her grin brightened. “Think you can stand getting that close?”

“I'll manage.”

Megan was watching James's determined pace, and laughing to herself, when she noticed that Bobby Joe had stepped forward and begun to slowly brush Wiggles. It occurred to her that he might be using his own hairbrush, but so what? It was far more important to let him express himself by caring for the dog than it was to correct him for using the wrong tool.

Soap and water would fix the brush.

Only unconditional love and acceptance could mend the child.

 

The roar James let out when he returned with the dog's slicker brush and saw what had happened in his absence would have been frightening…if it hadn't been so funny. Megan no longer had to wonder whose personal hairbrush had been pressed into service. Everyone knew.

“I'll wash it for you later,” she said, giggling. “I didn't know. Honest.”

“Never mind. I'd rather use my comb than have to pick ticks out of my hair.”

“That's probably wise. Did you say hello to Buckets while you were up the hill?”

James's scowl deepened. “Don't push it, lady.”

“Sorry. I know it's not polite to laugh but I couldn't help myself. You should have seen the look on your face when you got back.”

“At least you had the courtesy to act surprised.”

“I was. Believe me. Bobby Joe brought that brush outside with him. By the time I realized he wasn't just petting the dog, it was already too late.”

“We agree there.” He glared at Aaron. “I suppose you don't know a thing about this.”

The young man shrugged. “Nope.”

“Didn't think so. Okay. Everybody can take a turn brushing the dog as long as you're done by
six. When you wash up for supper, make sure you get all the loose hair off you.”

Even later, after she'd joined the group for their evening meal, Megan had to fight to keep from bursting into giggles. Nearly every time she glanced at James he was frowning and picking or brushing some unseen object off one of the kids or himself.

She didn't need a microscope to tell her he thought he saw dog hair and probably one or two seed ticks, too. Chances were very good he wasn't imagining a thing.

 

Several truckloads of volunteer rescuers arrived and trooped into the dining hall just as Inez was serving dessert.

The men were mostly well seasoned, Megan noted, with a few gangly teens bringing up the rear, apparently in deference to their elders. Everyone wore camouflage clothing of one type or another, hiking boots and a bright orange baseball cap, which they failed to remove, even indoors. The “uniform” was a familiar sight, especially during official Arkansas hunting seasons.

Megan listened carefully, determined to remember who was who, as James introduced each
man in turn. It soon became clear how impossible that goal was. Not only did some of them share the same last name, Inez kept butting in to explain their extended family connections, leaving Megan totally confused.

In self-defense, she finally resorted to simply smiling and offering a heartfelt “Thank you for coming.”

James paused and beamed as a late arrival entered. Instead of shaking hands, the men greeted each other with backslapping and a brief hug, much to Megan's surprise.

“This is my old friend Graydon Payne,” James told her. “His wife, Stacy, trains search-and-rescue dogs.”

“Oh, how wonderful!” Megan was filled with relief and thankfulness. “Is she outside?”

The tall man took her hand, held it and slowly shook his head. “No. She's on assignment in South America. There was a bad earthquake down there. Stacy took a team of dogs and handlers to help locate buried victims.” He gave James a sober look. “She'd be here if she could.”

“I know,” James answered. “That's why I called you. The sheriff swore there weren't any tracking dogs available. I figured contacting you in person was worth a try.”

He looked to Megan. “I didn't tell you what I was doing because I didn't want to get your hopes up for nothing.”

Sniffling, she stood tall and managed a smile. “Trying to help is never for nothing, even if it doesn't work out.” A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. She dashed it away. “Thank you for calling your friend. It means a lot to me.”

She turned to face Graydon and the others. “And thank you again for coming. All of you. I know you have jobs and families of your own to think about. I'll be ready to go in a few minutes. I just need to change.”

“Not tonight,” Graydon said. “I may not use my nose to sniff out missing people the way my wife's dogs do but I've been on enough searches to have learned some important lessons. Tired rescuers make mistakes. Miss things they'd see if they were rested. Sometimes they even become part of the problem by getting lost or hurt.”

“I had a nap today,” Megan said.

James gently took her hand. “That's not enough. Gray and I talked this over when I phoned him. You and I will stay here and sleep while the rest of them spend the night searching the woods. Tomorrow, they'll come in and we'll take their place.”

“I'm rested enough to go tonight,” she insisted. “I have to. It's my sister out there.”

“That's exactly why you should stay here,” James told her. “If…
when
we find Roxy, she'll need you to be at your best, not run-down. You can't take care of her if you're in worse shape than she is.”

“But…”

Graydon nodded sagely and stood his ground. “James is right. He went through the same kind of thing with me a few years ago. I had to learn the hard way. Almost killed myself packing an injured dog back to camp on my shoulders.” He gave an exaggerated shrug, then stretched. “It still hurts sometimes. Probably always will. If I'd used my head, I wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place.”