Jessie (28 page)

Seth was nearly out of energy, but he had one thing to take care of before he turned in on Saturday night. Rylan had delivered his satchel to him, and Seth dug into the bottom of it until he'd found something wrapped in the sleeve of an old shirt.

Moving carefully, not wanting to break it after all this time, Seth unwrapped it and studied it in the lamp light. It was just as he remembered. Moving before he could change his mind, he went back to the living room. Jessie was still on the sofa and looked up in surprise when he returned.

“This is for you,” Seth said, handing Jessie the item.

Jessie reached without thought and took an exquisite perfume bottle from his hand. Her mouth opened a little. She stared at it and then at him.

“Where did you?” she began and then stopped.

“I was in a small town in Texas and spotted it.”

“When?”

“A while ago—maybe five years.”

Jessie looked at the bottle again, studying the lovely design. The top was crystal and screwed snugly into place. The glass bottle was surrounded by ornate gold filigree and filled in here and there with precious stones. The sight of it nearly took her breath away.

As she looked at it, the memories came pouring back. They had been married just a few weeks and talking in the bedroom. Jessie had gotten up to close the window and accidentally bumped into the shelf. Her grandmother's perfume bottle had tumbled to the floor and broken. Seth had told her they would replace it, but neither one of them had ever seen another one like it. Until now.

“Thank you,” Jessie whispered.

“You're welcome. I'm sorry it took so long.”

Seth didn't linger but went back to the bedroom. Jessie watched him, feeling things she did not understand. He wasn't supposed to be thinking of her that long ago. It wasn't what she'd imagined at all. It made staying upset with him and keeping her distance very hard. And on this night it made sleep hard. Jessie sat alone in the living room for much longer than she had planned.

“How do you think they're doing?” Bri asked Rylan as they settled in for the evening, Danny getting sleepy in her lap.

“I was wondering the same thing. Seth said that before he left Jessie to go to Texas, all they did was fight. Seth is not the same person, but if I had to hazard a guess, I would say that unless the things they fought over have changed, they're going to fight again.”

“And in front of the girls this time.”

Rylan sat quietly for a moment, thinking about what he'd just said. Had he underestimated God and His saving ability by assuming that Seth would still fight with Jessie?

“I didn't mean that quite the way it came out,” he decided to add. “I don't automatically think that Seth and Jessie will fight, but in the past they argued, and those topics are going to come up again and cause some type of tension.”

“That makes sense. I mean, eight years is a long time. Jessie would have done some growing up over that time, but upsetting situations typically don't go away on their own.”

“What will you pray for?” Rylan asked.

“That Seth will be such an example that Jessie will want Christ.”

“Maybe the girls will start down the path first.”

“Maybe,” Bri said with a smile, thinking that God could do the most amazing things in the heart of a child or someone with childlike faith.

“Where are you going?” Hannah asked Seth when he came from the bedroom with his jacket on Sunday morning. He had just helped Jessie with the dishes, his one area of expertise in a house, and then noticed the time was getting late.

“To church,” Seth said, his Bible in hand.

“Can I come?”

This question, so artlessly put, stopped Seth in his tracks. He hadn't expected the girls to be the least bit interested and didn't know what to do with this. He stared down at Hannah and then looked to Jessie, who was sitting at the kitchen table with coffee and the newspaper.

“It's up to you,” she said, having overheard.

Seth studied his wife a moment and could see she was sincere. As he watched she went back to her paper and coffee.

“Yes, you can,” Seth said. “Are you ready to leave right now?”

“Let me brush your hair, Hannah,” Jessie got in before the little girl could answer.

Hannah ran for the brush and stood still while her mother worked. Not until she was done did Jessie notice Hannah's dress was not a new one.

“Will that dress be all right?”

“It's fine,” Seth said, not having noticed one way or the other, his mind still trying to take in what was happening.

“Off you go,” Jessie said, going back to the paper as soon as they disappeared out the door. Not two minutes passed before Clancy came from the bedroom and learned she'd been left out. It was some time before Jessie was able to get back to her paper.

“I'm glad you came with me, Hannah.” Seth had finally found words about halfway to the church.

“Me too. Will we sing?” Hannah said, all but skipping along and even going so far as to take his hand.

“We will sing. You might not know all the songs, so just do your best.”

“Will you read your Bible?”

“Yes. Pastor Rylan will teach a lesson today that's he's learned from the Bible.”

Hannah didn't answer or reply to this, and that gave Seth a moment alone with his thoughts.
Oh, God,
his heart prayed.
You have done this. You have given her interest and curiosity. Her questions might lead to You, Lord. Thank You for this wonderful little girl, this child of mine I don't deserve. Thank You that she wanted to come. Help me with her. Help me to have answers to her questions.

“Oh, there's Heidi!” Hannah cut into these petitions. “I forgot I would see her.”

“Who is Heidi?”

“Heidi Vick. We sometimes go to her house.”

“What do you do?” Seth asked, making the connection to Chas Vick, whom he'd met his first week back.

“We play with her dog. His name is Buster. We don't have a dog.”

Seth was saved from replying because they were at the building. With Hannah's hand still tucked into his, the two went inside and sat down.

Heather had done it. She had looked at Nate and waited for him to look her way. When he did, she smiled. Now the service was over, and he was headed her way. Heather thought her heart might pound out of her chest.

Nate moved across the church, hoping to just strike up a conversation with Heather, but one look at her face told him this would not work. She looked strained and a little pale as she watched him approach. Thinking fast, he pulled his Bible out as soon as he got to her.

“Heather, may I ask you a question?”

“Yes,” she said, realizing it came out in a whisper. She cleared her throat and said, “Certainly.”

“Did you get that last reference Rylan gave? I think it was in Romans.”

“I did get it,” Heather said, opening her Bible as well to check her notes. “It was chapter 13, verses 1 and 2.”

“Thank you,” Nate said, using a pencil to make note of it.

Heather watched him write, close his Bible, and look up at her.

“Busy week coming up?” he asked.

“I don't think so. We're not overrun with orders right now.”

“Does the time ever drag?”

“If it gets too quiet, one of us leaves, and there's always plenty for one to do.”

This said, a short silence stretched between them, but Heather was starting to relax.

“How about you, Nate? Busy week?”

“Not that I know of, but you never can tell.”

“Are you ever afraid?” Heather asked, swiftly becoming herself and in the process completely forgetting that this man was interested in her.

“At times, yes. Some fear is good. It keeps me on my guard.”

“How about when you were shot? Were you afraid then?”

“Things happened too fast for me to feel anything, but when Rylan said I wasn't ready to die, I got scared.”

“That would be the good kind,” Heather said gently.

“Because I wasn't ready, it was the best kind. Had I died, I would have been lost to God forever.”

“I'm glad He had other ideas,” Heather said with feeling. She hated the thought of anyone dying outside of Christ.

“So am I.”

A silence did fall between them then, Heather suddenly remembering what she knew and becoming tongue-tied.

“Maybe I'll see you around this week,” Nate said, thinking another rescue was in order.

“Maybe,” Heather agreed and then bid Nate goodbye.

Nate didn't move beyond turning to watch her walk away to join Jeanette and Becky. He was still standing in the same place when Rylan reached him.

“Progress?” the pastor asked, having witnessed the exchange.

Nate smiled just a little before saying, “Maybe.”

“Why did you stand when we singed?” Hannah asked, having been told during the service that her questions would have to wait.

“Sang,” Seth corrected automatically. “It's just what we sometimes do.”