Wings of Deception (4 page)

“Oh, for sure,” She indulged him. “He kept it quiet until everything was settled before he wanted anyone to know. I am going to miss him terribly and will have to look for another position.”

She smiled sweetly at him, ignoring the look he was trying to give her and that was the moment Morgan Belk determined in his heart to have her.

She never stood a chance.

As Jacks made plans to relocate to the state of his birth, he failed to see the changes coming over his secretary. She became withdrawn and her feisty personality subdued. Jacks figured she was worried about finding a new job with him leaving, which was normal. She already had two offers for a prime position so Jacks knew she would not suffer. He had no idea that she was seeing Morgan Belk socially or he would have been very concerned.

The weeks went by in a blur and within a month of the infamous dinner, they were both changing their lives forever. Jack
s
moved to Mississippi to start his new life and Sheila moved into Morgan’s mansion to begin hers, as Mrs. Morgan Belk.

                                                                   TWO

    The couple stood with arms around each other
,
watching as the contents of the moving van were unloaded and taken into their new home. The three burly looking men were eager to be done with their part of the move and call it a day. The last piece of furniture and the last box deposited into the wood frame house brought smiles to their faces. Their job was done and the rest was no concern to them. Almost gleefully they took their leave, while
Dwight
and Kimberly stood in the door looking at the stacks of boxes and furniture in dismay. Not so sure his wife would not start crying at any moment,
Dwight
pulled her close and whispered in her ear, “Sweetheart, I know it looks bad but everything will be just fine. You will see.”

He pulled her to him tenderly, feeling the soft swell of her belly against his body. “I love you.”

“I know. I love you too but...” He silenced her by kissing her
quivering
lips but instantly jumping
back startled
, as someone called out his name. There were two women coming down the walk towards them with their arms full. He recognized the one who spoke as Mildred. She and her husband Tom were part of the group who invited him to become pastor of their church.

    Kim quickly stood back, straightening her top and smoothing hair that was pulled back into a ponytail
.
It would not do for a preacher’s wife to appear so untidy!
Oh, dear! S
he smiled at the two women as they stopped in front of them.

“Good evening, Pastor
Dwight
and Kim, isn’t it?”
Dwight
smiled as she went on without a pause. “We have more people coming and we intend on having you all settled in by nightfall. I am Mildred and this is Jean.” Jean gave a little wave without speaking.

Dwight
offered, taking the largest of the dishes. “Here, let me help you with that. It really is good to see you again Mildred and to meet you Jean.
And yes, this is Kim, my sweet wife.
Come into the house.”

He lost the tense look his face had and traded it for a big lopsided grin. “You say there are others coming? It sure is good of you all to help with this moving in. Not much fun, that is for sure, especially with Kim…uh…well, you know…” He stammered with his face a brighter red than his pregnant wife’s was.

Mildred was a short stout middle-aged woman and Jean was younger with a taller thinner frame and a much too serious face hiding behind glasses
that were
too large. She fastened her eyes on Kim’s still growing belly and blushed too. Mildred guffawed and said, “The word is pregnant. I had five babies myself. Nothing to be ashamed of and there will be no heavy lifting for you my dear. Pastor, if you will direct the men with placing the furniture, I will organize the women with the rest. You,” She looked at Kim, “Young lady, you can find a seat and direct from it.”

   The stern face gave way to
the
compassion she felt for the younger woman. Pastor
Dwight
had suggested to them that his wife was in a high-risk pregnancy when they met before, so she said her words with a firmness, which Kim could not ignore
,
nor wanted too. She looked around at all the boxes and furniture that the movers had left in the modest parsonage belong
ing
to Faith Chapel
,
which was just next door. 

“I know it looks impossible now, but I guarantee you sweetie, you will sleep in your own bed tonight!”

“That would be great. We can’t thank you enough!”
Dwight
heard the doorbell ring and since the door was standing open, he yelled a hearty, “Come on in! We are back here in the kitchen…with all the food!”

    Half a dozen men, young and old filed in laughing at
Dwight
’s remark. Introductions were made and then the men began  working together, putting the furniture in place, beds together and distributing boxes to the rooms they were marked for, while just as many women swarmed all over, unpacking the contents of the boxes. Kim, as Mildred had ordered, directed from a chair. Less than three hours they had the house looking almost lived in. The kitchen was so full of food that Kim thought she would not have to cook for at least a month!

The people left as quickly as they came
, leaving
Dwight
and Kim alone.  A wonderful feeling of contentment filled
Dwight
as he climbed into the freshly made up bed. He prayed long after his wife made her nest by his side and went sound asleep.

Kim was feeling a little better about being uprooted. She did not want to move from where she had friends and family. Not that she minded being a preacher’s wife. She did not. It was just that they had been trying so hard to have a baby and she was afraid something would happen. There had already been three miscarriages in the ten years they were married. This was the first time she actually made it past the fourth month, for which she was so grateful. She was desperate to be a mom like so many of her friends were. She prayed that God would let them settle here.  She wanted her child to have a normal life.

When
Dwight
told her that he felt called to preach, she was happy to become part of a pastoral team. Kim was proud of her husband’s stand on Bible standards and supported him. The last three churches he pastored demanded that he leave certain truths out of his sermons because it affected the size of their congregations. More members meant more money. He believed Faith Chapel was different. They had ties to no religious affiliation and they made it plain when interviewing
Dwight
, that their only request was that they study from the Bible, verse by verse and chapter by chapter. Though concern for her unborn child caused Kim to fear this move, she trusted the Lord completely. Now, with all the help from the wonderful people who had left them nice and cozy, she was beginning to think it may not be so bad to be in this small town in Mississippi. She fell asleep with a smile on her lips, her last thought was how blessed she was.

Sleeping soundly through the night, she was awakened early the next morning by timid kicks from her unborn child. It was the first time she felt more than a stirring and
knew
it must be a
good omen.
A wonderful husband she adored and now, finally, a baby too. What more could she possibly ask for? Answering her own question she said aloud, “Nothing dear Lord, not a thing!”

     Yawning big, and stretching she turned over knowing that
Dwight
was long up and letting her sleep in. Putting on a robe and sliding her feet into her slippers, she went looking for him, finding him in the room that was to be his office, bowed down on his knees in prayer. There was something incredible about seeing her six foot
tall
husband kneeling humbly in prayer. She watched him with tears brimming in her eyes, not
wanting to disturb him. Turning back to leave him to his other love, she went into the kitchen humming cheerfully as she set about making breakfast.

  
He was not long in joining her.
“My sleeping beauty woke at last! Did you sleep well? I did. Wasn’t it wonderful to get up to almost no boxes this morning? Not to mention these wonderful smelling biscuits.” He pinched a piece off a golden brown one and tasted it. “Yum, I wonder which one of the ladies made these?”

   Kim smiled and nodded her head, knowing he expected no verbal answer. She was savoring the news of the baby’s active kicking while
Dwight
talked about all the help they had from the new church
members
.

“Remember the last two moves? Makes you really appreciate these good people.”

She put the breakfast on the table as he got the dishes and poured two glasses of juice that someone had conveniently stored in their fridge. She agreed that everyone here had been more than considerate as she sat opposite her husband and casually remarked,

“
Dwight
, our baby kicked this morning, it was the most incredible thing!” She put her face in her hands looking at him dreamily. “We are really going to have this baby aren’t we?”

   
Dwight
looked at her in awe. There was a lot of movement lately but… “Are you sure it was real kick, not just one of those flutters? Kim, this is so exciting. Do you think he will do it for me?”

    Not waiting for an answer, he was on his knees with his hand on her belly as if he could command it. Kim laughed. It was a beautiful laugh and one that he loved to hear. It was her laugh and her eyes that attracted him to her, but it was her heart and humbleness that made him fall in love with her. He was so ordinary that it surprised him when she showed him any attention. She was perfect and beautiful, with hair the color of an old copper penny and eyes as blue as the sky, while he was tall and bigger than he would like to be. He knew he loved her the first time he saw her. She came with her family to church after moving to town and they sat right in front of him. He was more interested in the tresses of beautiful hair she had than what was being said by the pastor. It took him three months to finally ask her out and he was really surprised when she said yes. He was a senior and she a junior in high school and when she graduated a year after he
did they were married. They were in love and best friends. He could not remember even one argument or cross word that had passed between them in the ten years they were married.

Kim was enjoying the excitement on her husband’s face. “You will have to wait now until
she
is ready, I hope you are not going to be disappointed if it is a
she
.”

   She was certain he would care no more than she what sex it would be, not one whit. It was the first time she allowed herself to think of this baby in terms of being a girl or boy. She placed her hand over
Dwight
’s and pressed. After a minute they felt the thumps they were waiting for and
Dwight
looked up at Kim with wide eyes. “I love you so much…Kim…I love you
so
much it hurts. Right now has to be the perfect moment in time for me. I cannot thank God enough for this incredible joy.”

Touched by his passionate outburst, Kim said, “Ditto.”
It was a
favorite response of hers ever since watching the movie Ghost. It was enough. Their food grew cold as they basked in their joy at the life growing in Kim’s belly.

    It took a few weeks, but eventually every picture was hung and everything arranged to suit the soon to be parents. The next sonogram proved the baby was a girl and they were thrilled as the nursery took on a feminine look with
Dwight
doing all the work himself with very little help, determined that Kim not lift a finger. Once they knew it was a girl, gifts began to pour in from friends and family.

    Kim grew larger by the day, waddling everywhere she went. Laughing when
Dwight
had to pick things up for her because she could no longer bend over and she still had seven weeks to go.  It was a week later, in the middle of the night that she woke
Dwight
screaming in pain. He thought she was in labor but freaked when she went limp in his arms. Fear as he had never known before gripped his guts and though he got her to the hospital in record time, the doctors could not save
her
.

It was an aneurysm and she was just gone. No chance to say good-bye, just gone. He hardly understood what the doctors were saying after that, moving as if in a trance. All he could do was try to grasp what was happening. There was an emergency cesarean which brought a too small, too frail baby girl from her mother’s womb and into a waiting incubator.