Forever Blessed (Women of Prayer) (42 page)

She waited. She heard voices in the background.

Rachel rolled her eyes, reverting to her days at Junior High. This is why she usually had Ryan deal with any confrontational issues. She didn’t have the patience that he had.

Again, she listened to the voice on the other end. “Ma’am. We’re sorry, there must be some sort of mistake. When we looked up who registered the room, it was under the name of a Terri Schmidt. When we looked at the credit card bill, a Ryan Bradley signed for it. Ma’am, if I am not mistaken, that would be the same pastor Ryan Bradley that is your husband. Have you asked him about this charge?”

Rachel hung up the phone, sure she was correct. She would have to wait for Ryan to get home. He had a staff meeting at four then he was leaving. She would ask him about it then and he could call and take care of it.

*  *  *  *

Rachel pulled the meatloaf out of the oven precisely at six o’clock. The table was set, the potatoes were mashed and the broccoli was steamed. She looked at her watch. Ryan should be home by now. She heard the garage door and smiled.

She called up the stairs, “Shelly, come wash up for supper.”

She listened for the familiar patter of her teenage daughter’s feet on the hard wood floors above her. They had pulled all the carpet out years ago when they found out their eldest daughter had bad allergies.

She turned back to the kitchen and to her husband, who had just walked through the door leading from the garage.

She leaned in to kiss him. “Good day?”

“Not bad, you?”

“Oh, it was pretty good. I got a lot done.” She turned to the potatoes and turned them into a bowl then added a dollop of butter to the top.

Shelly washed her hands at the kitchen sink. “Mom, what can I do to help?”

Rachel motioned to the microwave. “You can put the broccoli on the table.”

The three of them joined hands to pray. Once upon a time it had been five of them huddled around their table, enjoying the family meal. Now, her two oldest daughters were off to college. Rachel snuck a peek at Shelly, their youngest, while her husband prayed. She was fifteen. It wouldn’t be long before she would be out of the house as well. Then it would be the two of them. What would she do? Her whole life had been centered on taking care of her family.

She closed her eyes and finished out the prayer.

*  *  *  *

Later, when she and Ryan were alone in their room, Rachel brought up the hotel charges. “Can you take a look at this? I called them to tell them it was a mistake but they insist you signed for the room.” She handed him the credit card bill then continued brushing her hair. She had no idea why she still counted the number of times she ran the brush through her straight black hair. Old habits are hard to break.

She heard her husband shuffling around behind her and turned. “Do you recognize the charge? I told them there had to be a mistake.” She started brushing again when she remembered the name of the person checking in. “They said someone by the name of Terri checked in.”

If she didn’t know her husband as well as she did, she might not have seen him stiffen. It was slight, over as fast as it happened, but she caught it. Rachel rose and walked to him. “Do you know this Terri person?”

He smiled, “Yes, now I remember where I heard the name. The church rented a room for this guy for one night. He was in a tough place.”

Rachel cocked her head. “Why did you use our personal account?”

“I must have grabbed the wrong one by accident. You know how it goes. I was in a hurry. Probably trying to get home to you.” He bent down to kiss her cheek. “I’ll talk to the board about getting a reimbursement.”

Rachel took off her pink robe and crawled between the sheets and turned to Ryan who was already closing his eyes. “Hey, remember me? Your wife?” She propped her head up on one elbow. “Not even a good night kiss?”

“Sheesh, I’m sorry. I’m just beat.” Ryan reached over and pulled his wife close for a tender kiss. He brushed her black bangs off her pale forehead. “You are beautiful. I’m sorry I don’t say that enough.” He lay on his side facing her.

Rachel took her husband’s hand. She loved this man. Her spirit was troubled. He knew something was wrong, but she loved him. Over the years, they had endured a lot and come through every trial with their marriage intact. Their faith had seen them through. Something was telling her the hardest was yet to come. He felt him squeeze her hand. They would make it. They had to. She loved him too much to let him go.

*  *  *  *

Three days later Rachel sat on the front pew, listening to the words her husband was preaching. After all these years, he still moved her to examine her heart. About halfway through the message, she heard the door open. The church was fairly small, a hundred or so attended on any given Sunday. It was hard to mask any noise. She turned and watched a relatively young man, maybe thirty or so, sit down in the last row. She turned back to her husband who suddenly looked as if he was going to be ill. He stammered and fumbled with his notes before resuming the message.

Rachel turned again and looked at the gentleman sitting in the back row. He turned his eyes toward her and locked glances. She turned away, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

Her husband was acting strangely out of character. He ended his message rather abruptly and excused himself to the back office. The gentleman in the back row didn’t move. Several of the regular members greeted him with a smile and a handshake.

It was a few minutes before Ryan came out of his office and when he did, Rachel watched him act as if nothing had happened. She made her way to her husband’s side as he shook hands with the parishioners. Finally, the young man was standing before them. She was surprised when her husband introduced her. “Rachel, this is Terry Schmidt. Terry, this is my wife, Rachel.”

Rachel recognized the name but couldn’t remember why. She extended her hand. “Hi Terry, I’m glad you came. It was good to have you.”

“It was good to be here.” He smiled, gave her husband a look she couldn’t interpret then turned and left.

Later on, after the noon meal dishes were cleared away, she was thinking about the man at church, about the haunting look he offered her husband. She sat quietly on their back porch enjoying the summer breeze with a tall glass of fresh squeezed lemonade and a book that was just begging to be read when she remembered where she’d heard the name Terry. For some reason she had thought the Terri from the hotel was a woman. Instead, Terry was a he. She should feel relieved. Somehow that wasn’t the case.

Rachel looked out across her lawn. She put so much time into the yard, into her flowers. Had she been neglecting her husband? Had she set him on the back burner to tend to everything else? She prayed that hadn’t been the case. She tried to remember the last time he reached for her in the quiet of the night and could not. What happened? They used to be close. They cherished that time together and dreamed about the day it would just be the two of them, living out the rest of their days enjoying one another’s company.

She stepped off her back porch and walked among the roses. Rachel loved her roses. She spent a lot of time in her greenhouse, cross breeding flowers. She bent down to smell her latest creation. She had named it
Forever Loved.
It was an unusual cross between two very different roses. It kind of reminded her of her own union with Ryan. They were so different, yet they fit together perfectly, like this flower. She bent and deeply inhaled the fragrant scent. She broke off a flower and carried it with her back to the porch.

She looked into the brilliant blue sky.
Lord, will you help me with my marriage? Will you bind us together with unbreakable chords, like this flower that was created from two and is now one?

Her heart still hurt yet she clung to a peace that passes all understanding.
God, grant me the strength to make it through this trial. I need you more now than ever. I know this from the bottom of my heart. Give me wisdom. Show me mercy and grace as I accomplish your will in my life.
Rachel waited quietly for a moment, for the settling of her soul
.
She knew it would come. He was with her. He would never leave nor forsake her. He would be her rock. She felt him stronger than ever. He was there. He would see her through this thing. She stood.
Okay Lord, I’m ready.
She walked in her house and headed straight for her husband.

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