Leap of Faith (5 page)

“But good,” Zoe agreed around a mouthful of tender, spicy chicken, pinto beans, and thin tortilla strips. They ate in companionable silence for a long while. Zoe pushed her bowl away. Her slice of corn bread still untouched.

Zack noted her half-full bowl but said nothing, and Zoe was thankful. She needed to think, to…what?

Her thoughts drifted.

After a while, Zack pushed his own bowl away and cleared his throat. “I was kind of hoping dinner would give you the time to talk to me about whatever’s bothering you.”

“If I was going to talk to anyone, it would be you, Zack. Your friendship has come to mean a lot to me.”

He frowned slightly. “If you feel that way, then tell me. It’s obvious something is bothering you.”

She remained silent for a long while. At last she said, “I guess the movie upset me a little.”

“Because your dad wasn’t the ‘Spencer Tracy’ kind of dad?”

She nodded. “I guess the movie conjured up some odd feelings. I have a half-sister I’ve never met.”

“And that bothers you?”

“Not the fact that I have a sister,” she was quick to say.

“Then what’s eating at you?”

“I’m not sure.” She looked out through the large-paned glass window of the eatery to the growing darkness outside. Cars on Main Street had thinned. People hurried home to family dinners and warm hearths. The thought made her feel sad and a little lonely. “I guess I’m just sorry for all that I missed, not having sisters and brothers, a real house, softball practice, and prom night. But most of all, I’m sorry for the pain my dad’s choices caused.”

“So you’re feeling all the old resentment for him?”

“No.” She gave a firm shake of her head. “Not resentment. Sadness. My dad missed out on a lot, too, Zack.” She looked out the window to a parked car where a couple loaded an infant from a stroller into a car seat. The baby did something that made both his parents laugh, and Zoe had to turn away from the poignant scene.

“My dad had so much charm. He could light up the day just walking into a room. People were drawn to him. If he could have just accepted God’s love and plan for his life, he would have been so rich, and he would have enriched the people around him. Instead, he hurt so many people. My mother. My half-sister…wherever she is. Me. I never want to see people I care about hurt that way. I pray every day for the Lord to keep me on the right path.”

Zack fiddled with the knife beside his plate.

“You’re pretty convinced about these plans you think God makes for us.”

“How can you doubt it? Did I make up all the things I’ve said to you? Aren’t you learning to trust your instincts?”

He ducked his head and Zoe realized her tone was a little harsh.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so nasty.”

“Not nasty, impatient.” Zack reached across the space to touch her hand. “You see things so clearly and so quickly. You can’t help but be impatient with the rest of us slower folk.”

He lifted her hand to kiss the tops of her fingers. She tried to pull her hand away. But this time, Zack gripped her fingers and wouldn’t release them.

“Why do you do that?” he asked. “Why do you always try to hide your hands?”

She lifted one shoulder. “They aren’t very pretty.”

“Of course they are.” Reaching across, he grasped her other one and held them over the table, palms down over his. “You have delicate, slender fingers and creamy skin.”

She giggled. She couldn’t help herself and it felt good after the last few moments of seriousness. “You’re crazy. They have scars all over them.”

“Those aren’t scars.” He examined them very carefully. “Those are experiences. Life experiences. I’ll bet every one of them marks an important event in your life.”

“Or maybe they just prove how clumsy I am.”

“No. They’re important events. I’m sure of it.” He pointed to the inside of her right hand finger. “Like that one. Tell me how you got that.”

“My clumsiness almost cost me a finger that day. I was working on the Crucifixion piece and a long piece of glass slipped and almost sliced through the muscle.”

“See? A landmark in your life. The Crucifixion piece is a beautiful testament of your faith, and it did not happen without pain.”

Zoe giggled again. Zack lifted the finger and gently kissed the long jagged scar.

“What about this one?” He pointed to a burn on the outside of her left thumb.

“The Garden of Eden piece is extremely heavy. I was balancing it, holding the soldering iron.” She paused. “Let’s just say it was a few minutes before I could set it down and lift the iron off.”

“Sacrifices for your art. The mark of a true artist.”

A slow tingle flowed through Zoe as Zack lifted her hand and kissed it again.

“What about this fresh burn on your ring finger?”

She shook her head with a little laugh. “I’m not saying.”

“Because you know it’ll prove my point?”

“It’s just a little burn from working on the beach scene for Viv’s friends.”

“A mark on the ring finger for a marriage. Don’t even try to tell me the girl who believes in God’s plans so firmly doesn’t see the symbolism in that. What about this one on the inside of your wrist?”

“Now there you’re wrong. No landmarks. When I was little, they were tearing down a house next to our cooperative. My parents forbid me to go over there, but I disobeyed. I slipped and cut myself on a piece of glass. I was so afraid of getting in trouble, I hid it from my mother for days.”

“A disobedient Zoe? I think that qualifies as a landmark.”

“OK. You win. That landmark was one of the few times I remember my parents punishing me. The glass barely missed a major artery. They were so upset my father put me on restriction, and my mother cried.”

He studied the scar for a moment. “I can understand them being upset. A world without you seems like a pretty dismal place.” With that, he gave her hand another kiss.

His lips grazed over the tender inside skin of her wrist. Then he cupped both hands with his and pressed her palms to his face.

She felt the firm line of his jaw, his warm, smooth skin and the slight rasp of his beard. He turned his face to one side and his mouth was hot against her sensitive palms. The feel of it bathed her in sensation.

But something more than sensual pleasure struck her. She had the distinct feeling that he was giving her more, trusting her with something important, as if he was placing his whole life in the palm of her hands.

That this vital, strong, intelligent man had so much faith in her, so much respect and attraction for her, rendered Zoe speechless. She didn’t know what to think or do.

He turned and kissed her other palm before he raised his head. If he spoke now, she wouldn’t be able to answer him. Thankfully, he simply looked at her.

His silky hair had fallen over his brow and she longed to reach up and sweep it back. As she clamped down on her hand, refusing to let it move, his brown-eyed gaze traced over her eyes and her mouth.

He might as well have touched her.

Her breath caught and her heart began to pound in her temples. Then one side of his lips quirked into that tilted smile she adored, the one he had just for her and the grandmother he loved so much.

The pounding in her temples stopped. All the breath left. Her thoughts floated in a vacuum, suspended.

Love. Was it possible? Was Zack Manning falling in love with her?

The flutter of wings lifted her hair, and she knew it was true. He was falling in love with her.

But it wasn’t right.

He smiled at her, but Zoe couldn’t respond to it. She loosened her hands abruptly and rose. Zack followed her. As they paid the bill and moved to the door, her thoughts zinged back and forth. All she could think about was the word love.

Thankfully, Heart’s Haven was only a short distance from downtown. Zack pulled into his parking place and turned off the motor. “Zoe, did I do something wrong?”

She shook her head. “No, no. It’s not your fault.”

“What’s not my fault? What’s happened?”

“I’m sorry, Zack. I can’t talk about it right now.”

“OK.” But a distinct tone assured her it wasn’t really. “I guess we’ll talk when you’re ready. How about dessert at my place?”

“No. I have to do something. I have to take care of it right now.”

Sighing, he unbuckled his seat belt. “All right.”

He opened the door and slid out. Zoe did the same. He walked around the front of the car, his stride purposeful and his jaw set.

He was going to kiss her. She could sense it. But she couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t risk it. When he was only a foot away, she pushed against his chest, and held him an arm’s length away.

“I’m sorry, Zack, I have to go. I just have to.”

Without another word, she skirted around him and ran for her front door. She fumbled with her keys, her hands shaking, trying to pick the right one. She grasped it and slid it into the lock. With a quick turn of the knob, she slipped inside her cottage and remembered to breathe. After a moment, she threw her purse to the table and peeked out the nearest window. Zack entered his own place and shut the door.

Immediately she flung open her door and dashed across the open courtyard to the main house. Knocking on the huge wooden door hurt her knuckles, so she pounded again with the side of her fist.

Mr. Hart opened it, a paper in his hands, his glasses perched on the end of his nose, and a frown on his face.

“Well.” He peered at her with narrowed eyes. “I’m here. Now where’s the fire?”

“You have to tell them to help me,” Zoe demanded.

“Excuse me,” He raised one eyebrow and glared. If she’d been thinking clearly, his action might have given her pause.

“The angels,” she said. “You have to tell them to help.”

Mr. Hart’s look tightened into a steely gaze. “Young woman, I’m not in the habit of telling God’s messengers what to do.”

His tone finally pierced through Zoe’s panicked state. “No, no, of course you’re not. But Mr. Hart, you have to talk to them. Please. I know they’re watching us, protecting us. I’ve felt their wings, fluttering around us. I think they’re the only ones who can stop this now.”

Mr. Hart reached up and pulled off his glasses. “Settle down, gal, and tell me the problem.”

“It’s Zack. I think he’s falling in love with me, and we can never be together. The Lord has plans for me, Mr. Hart, and they don’t include marriage. So you have to ask God to intervene. Ask them to change Zack’s feelings before it’s too late.”

“Why would they intervene?”

“I’m sure the Lord doesn’t want Zack hurt. It says in the Psalms that ‘He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They need to guard Zack’s heart before it’s too late.”

If possible, Hart’s gaze narrowed until it seemed his gray/blue eyes flashed like steel. “If God gives us free will, do you think His obedient servants would do something to take it away?”

Zoe swallowed hard. “Oh,” she said in a quiet voice. “Are you sure they won’t try to give him a nudge in the right direction, away from me?”

He shook his head. “They won’t interfere…unless you’re suggestin’ that Zack’s not being truthful.”

“No. Zack would never do something like that. He’s honest, and kind-hearted. He’s so smart and thoughtful. He’d never purposely mislead me.”

Mr. Hart peered at her. “Sounds to me like Zack isn’t the only one falling in love.”

Zoe swallowed again. “You’re right. Maybe I’m the one I need to be worried about.”

After a moment, she nodded and stepped back. “Then it’s all the more reason to end it now. There’s no future for us. It will have to stop here.”

With that she turned and walked away.

9

Zack stepped out of his office building just as fat drops of rain fell from the sky. In his windowless office, he hadn’t known this morning’s blustery overcast sky had turned into a whopper of a storm.

Perfect. Just perfect. A great way to end an even greater day.

First, Zoe had refused to answer his calls. Then a project he thought he had weeks to complete shifted dates. It was due tomorrow, and he’d had another e-mail from Advance Multimedia Corporation. They wanted him to make a decision about the job.

Yesterday, he could have answered. Yesterday, there was no doubt in his mind; no way he’d leave Angel Falls. At least not until he reached an understanding with Zoe.. But just like that, it seemed they did have an understanding. One Zack didn’t like.

Today he wished he was anyplace but here in Angel Falls.

The raindrops fell in a deluge. The streets filled with water and traffic slowed to a standstill. Zack mumbled under his breath as red taillights flashed in front of him. A drive that normally took fifteen minutes was going to take thirty.

He finally pulled into his parking space at Heart’s Haven, damp, thirsty, and irritable. The rain pounded on his car roof at full force, and Zack waited for the raging storm to subside.

He gathered the papers he’d tossed in the front seat into a stack and slid them into his briefcase to stay dry. When he looked up, he jolted. Zoe stood on his front porch, her bright yellow umbrella like a beacon in the dark day. He grabbed his jacket, jumped out of the car, and dashed up the sidewalk.

He began to speak even before he reached her, raising his voice about the slap of the rain. “Zoe, I’m sorry. I know I came on too strong. I just got carried away. We can back off. We need to slow down and do this right.”

She held up a hand. “Don’t, Zack. Please don’t say another word. I told you, you didn’t do anything. In fact, I think you’re wonderful.”

Her tone didn’t say something wonderful was about to happen. Zack’s shoulders sagged. Rain battered his head, dripped down his face and plastered his shirt to his skin. But he stood still, trying to see her face in the looming shadows.

“Then what’s wrong?”

She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I left the way I did yesterday, but I panicked. I wanted Mr. Hart to ask the angels to influence your feelings for me before this went too far.”

“You wanted the angels to play with my head?” His tone was laced with skepticism.