Twenty-Four

M

icah lightly strummed his fingers across the mandolin strings. Some melody he’d maybe heard once long ago played at the edge of his memory, never fully revealing itself in its entirety. The elusive tune only added to his frustration. He struck a hard chord then remembered the little girl who’d just fallen asleep.

He froze, listening for a rustle of covers or the squeak of the bedsprings. Off in the distance he could hear Alethea speaking, but nothing more. She was probably on the phone with Dani getting caught up on the family gossip. The news of Sunday’s events had sure spread fast enough.

All became quiet for a moment, then footsteps too heavy to be Alethea’s made their way up the stairs. The only beef he had with this apartment was the lack of privacy. No peeking out the door to see who it was before deciding whether or not you wanted to let that person in. No way to pretend you’re not at home if you weren’t in the mood for company. And right now, he definitely wasn’t in the mood. He was even less inclined for company when he saw it was Wade.

“Is it all right for me to come in?”

“Sure, just keep it quiet. I just put Lala down and she’s been crabby all day.”

This was the first free day the two of them had together after his three-day week. Lala had been cranky all week, but it was worse today. It was like she’d picked up on his own cantankerous mood despite his efforts to keep it as normal as possible.

Wade sat on the other end of the couch and leaned forward with his arms propped on his knees. He nodded toward the mandolin. “What ya playing?”

“Nothing in particular.” Micah laid the instrument back inside its case. Normally the small talk didn’t bother him but tonight it got under his skin. He wanted Wade to say what he came to say and then move on.

“Look, I know you’re hurt. Probably angry too.”

Yep, just what he’d expected. Wade came to talk to him about Jo.

“I was.” He cleared his throat. “I guess I still am, but I’m not sure it stems from what you think it’s about. Have you talked to Jo?”

“I talked to her right after you left Sunday. She said her relationship with that scumbag started right after she began working at the hospital. She’d lived a sheltered life up until then. She didn’t know he was married until after—”

Micah’s hand shot out, slicing the air between them. “No offense, but I really don’t want to know all the gritty details.” He squeezed his eyes closed and tried to regulate his breathing along with his tone. “I’m already fighting the urge to hunt the guy down and beat the tar out of him.”

He heard Wade move and then felt a squeeze on his forearm. “I understand and trust me, I have the same desire. The only thing that stops me is knowing Jo is just as guilty. Despite how it started out, she’d known he was married for years and only recently ended it.”

Micah looked at Wade. “She wasn’t saved then.”

“No, but even so, she was raised better.”

Micah shook his head. “None of that matters. God would forgive her either way and so can I.”

Wade sat back on the couch, a half-grin on his face. “Somehow this whole conversation got turned around on me. I came here to plead her case and to ask you to give her another chance, but it sounds like you’ve already come to that conclusion.”

“I still plan to pursue your sister. Trouble is, she’s decided not to have anything to do with me.”

Wade leaned forward again. “She said that?”

“Yep. Said it was over and that she was blocking my number.”

“Of all the idiotic…” Wade stood and paced the small space. “Has she lost her cotton-picking mind? You didn’t do this. She’s the guilty one.”

“I think the guilt is what’s gotten to her. She said I deserved better, and she refused to let me settle for someone like her.”

If only he could agree and let her go, but he couldn’t. A lot of tear-filled prayers had gone up over the past few days. Prayers that had revealed things to him that couldn’t be stuffed back into that hidden part of his heart. What had been only a hope and an inclination was now crystal clear.

He was in love with Jo.

Not only that, he had God’s blessing. More like God’s urging. Micah believed with all his heart that Jo was the woman he was meant to be with, and he had no intention of letting her get away.

Wade studied him like an ant under a magnifier. “Any possibility she’s right? That you can do better?”

“Ain’t nobody better suited for me than Jo.”

Wade’s smile was full for the first time since he got there. “So you’re definitely hanging in there?”

“Like that unwanted hair in a biscuit.”

Wade laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “Good to hear. You can count on me to help out any way I can.”

Wade waited for the last of his siblings to take a seat around the table with an almost giddy anticipation for the conversation ahead of them—which made absolutely no sense. It was close to the feeling he got when planning football strategy when the extended family got together for a game.

Except this time his biggest competitor wasn’t here.

Jo had been skipping church and avoiding family gatherings. Hopefully it was only Micah she was trying to avoid. And hopefully, with the family’s help, her avoidance could be eliminated altogether. Then again, the woman was as stubborn as a mule. Wade had talked to her after his visit to Micah and that had gotten him nowhere.

Zane drummed the table with his fingers, pulling Wade out of his thoughts. “Before we get to whatever Wade called us here for, I have an announcement to make. My band got invited to play at the Bowen Rodeo’s Fourth of July celebration and I want all of you to be there.”

Everyone perked up as congratulations and promises to attend sounded around the table. Wade slapped Zane’s shoulder. “This is a big deal, little brother. I’m proud of you.”

“So you’ll be there?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Good.” He waved his hand across the table like a gameshow host showing off prizes. “You have the floor now. And could you hurry it up? I’ve got a rehearsal to get to.”

Wade looked around the room and noticed he had everyone’s attention. It was late and they were all probably ready to get back to their own homes. Time to jump in with both feet. “Jo needs our help. She’s making a big mistake by not having anything to do with Micah. Plus, she hasn’t been in church all week. I don’t want to see her slipping away from God and back to that… imbecile.”

Anger nearly choked Wade every time he thought about that guy and there wasn’t a strong enough name to call the idiot that would convey how he felt about him. Not one a Christian ought to be using, anyway.

Zane stood. “That’s what you called this meeting for? I say leave her alone. She’s the only one who knows what’ll make her happy.”

Wade glared at his brother. “Even if it means going back to the homewrecker?”

Zane’s chin came up. “You don’t know the circumstances. Maybe his marriage was already in trouble.”

“You know better than to think that’s a valid excuse. And you obviously haven’t talked to Jo about it either.”

“No, because it’s none of my business. Go ahead and meddle, but I’m out of here.”

Well that’s a fine how do you do. He wants the support of his family but when Jo needs it, he walks away?

Wade didn’t say anything to stop Zane from leaving. One thing came from this talk so far. He now knew he had another sibling to worry about.

Chase stood too. “I’m going to go check on the kids.”

What’s happening to this family? Ma’s only been gone for a little over a month and everything’s already falling apart.

He had a responsibility to help Jo out when he could plainly see she was headed the wrong way, right? Surely Ma would’ve done the same. Only Ma would’ve conspired with them individually. She could be sneaky about it too. Maybe that’s where he’d gone wrong.

Rachel spoke softly on behalf of her husband. “Don’t worry about Chase. He loves Jo and wants what’s best for her but he’s touchy when it comes to cheating.”

A look passed between Belva and Gray. Apparently, they were all too aware of Chase’s views on the subject.

“Am I out of line here?”

Dani squeezed his hand. “None of us wants to see Jo slip. I think we should keep an eye on her and especially encourage her to follow God’s lead. And if the opportunity comes up to get her and Micah together, it couldn’t hurt to help the situation along.”

“I agree.” Belva opened the drawer on the buffet behind her and pulled out the pen and note pad they usually used for keeping score on game nights. “So, let’s come up with a few ideas to pull out when needed and we’ll play the rest by ear.”

Wade sat back in his seat. The meeting hadn’t gone exactly as planned but he at least had four out of the six on his side. With those odds, surely they could herd Jo in the right direction.