“I need some more oregano, Hannah. Can you get it for me?” Kathleen asked as she stirred the pot of spaghetti sauce on her stove. When the phone rang, Kathleen finished with, “Measure out half a teaspoon and add it to the sauce,” then hurried to answer the call.
“We’re leaving the church. I’ll pick up Terry and we’ll be over. What are you two fixing for dinner?”
Jared’s deep voice quickened her pulse. “Spaghetti.” She stared out the window at the darkness that descended so much earlier now that it was the end of September.
“One of my favorites.”
“You’ve said that about everything I’ve fixed.” The compliment sent a warm glow through her.
“I’m finding I have a lot of favorites. See you in a little while.”
“Was that Dad?” Hannah carefully filled the measuring spoon with the spice, then dumped it into the large pot.
“He and Mark are going to pick up Terry. They’ll be here soon.”
A loud rumble of thunder shook the house. Hannah gasped and flinched, dropping the wooden spoon. “I wish it would stop raining.”
“Surely these storms won’t last much longer.”
A flash of lightning followed immediately by a crash of thunder caused the lights to flicker. The frightened look on Hannah’s face prompted Kathleen to say, “I have lots of candles if we lose our electricity. Why don’t you get some out just in case? They’re in that cabinet over there.” She gestured toward the last one.
“What about dinner?”
“It’s almost done. It might be nice to eat our meal by candlelight. Then after dinner we could tell stories.”
“Scary ones?”
“I was thinking more along the line of funny things that have happened to us.”
The tension in Hannah’s face smoothed away. She withdrew several big, fat candles from the cabinet as well as a box of matches. “I like that idea. I’m not big on scary stories.”
“Tell you a secret. Neither am I.”
“The guys will probably want to tell scary ones.”
Kathleen put the loaf of French bread into the oven, hoping the electricity stayed on long enough to bake it. “We won’t give them a choice.”
Thunder sounded again. Kathleen saw the fear take hold of Hannah, her eyes wide, her body stiff. “Tell me about what’s happening at school. It won’t be long before the first nine weeks is over. This year is flying by.”
Hannah returned to setting the table. “Jeremy asked me to the fall dance next month.”
“Did you say yes?”
Hannah nodded, folding the napkins and placing them by the plates. “I haven’t said anything to Dad yet. I’m waiting for the right time.”
“Don’t wait too long.”
“Will you talk to him for me?”
“I could say something to him, but I think you should ask him. He likes Jeremy.”
“He told you that?”
“Yes, last week at church when you were talking to Jeremy after the service, he mentioned what a nice boy he was. What happened to the new kid at school?”
A frown darkened Hannah’s features. “I found out he was calling a lot of girls. He asked Mary Lou to the dance.”
“Does that bother you?”
Hannah shrugged. “At first. Not now. I like Jeremy. He’s nicer.”
Kathleen heard the front door opening as lightning struck close by. Hannah’s face went white. She moved closer to Kathleen. Thunder boomed, rattling the house. The young girl stepped even closer to Kathleen.
“I think we arrived just in time,” Jared said, coming into the kitchen with Mark and Terry following close behind him.
Water dripped off all three of them, their hair wet. Kathleen went into the laundry room and retrieved some towels. She handed one to each of the guys. “Have you all heard of rain gear or umbrellas?”
“I don’t know if it would have helped. The wind is really picking up out there.” Jared took one look at Hannah and added, “But we’ll be fine in here.” He inhaled a deep breath. “It sure smells wonderful. I’m starved.” He headed to the stove to peep into the pot.
“Me, too,” Terry said, drying his hair with a towel.
Mark didn’t say anything, but he shrugged out of his windbreaker and hung it up on the hook by the back door.
“Go wash up. Dinner should be about ready when you get back.” Kathleen filled three glasses with milk and two with iced tea.
While Hannah set the glasses on the table, Kathleen checked the bread, a blast of heat hitting her face when she opened the oven door. The wonderful aroma of food intensified with the scent of baking bread permeating the room. As the guys filed back into the kitchen, Kathleen drained the spaghetti into the colander in the sink.
“Get your plates and dish up what you want,” Kathleen selected a ladle from the drawer for the sauce. “You know the drill. Dinner at my house is informal.”
After everyone had served themselves and taken their seats, they joined hands at the kitchen table and Jared said, “Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for all You’ve given us. Guide us to do what is right and be there for us in our time of need. Amen.”
Kathleen murmured, “Amen,” thinking about Jared’s prayer which was very similar to the one she said each morning before starting her day. Each time she said it she felt stronger, more able to face the problems thrown at her during the course of her day. She had Jared to thank for leading her back to the Lord. Even with Mark’s troubles, she felt at peace for the first time since John’s death. Her life was falling into place.
“Dad, I was telling Kathleen about the school dance coming up in October. Jeremy asked me to go with him.” Hannah took a bite of her spaghetti, her gaze glued to her father.
His eyes round, Jared gulped down a large swallow of iced tea. “A date? At twelve?”
“I’ll be thirteen in two months and it isn’t really a date. His mom will be driving us to the dance and you can come pick us up.”
Jared opened his mouth to say something, but closed it immediately, his eyes still round with disbelief.
“Dad, it’s the big fall get-together.”
Kathleen, sitting next to Jared, heard him mumble, “That’s what I’m afraid of,” but she didn’t think anyone else heard.
“All the seventh-and eighth-graders are going,” Hannah continued.
“All?” Jared tore off a piece of his French bread with more force than was needed.
“Well, everyone who counts. Jeremy is just a good friend. Like you and Kathleen.”
Jared’s eyes widened even more. His mouth curved down in a frown while his brow was creased with deep lines. He ripped another piece off his bread even though he hadn’t eaten the first one. “When is this dance?”
“Two weeks.”
“Fine. I’ll call Jeremy’s mother and arrange the transportation.”
Kathleen knew that it had been hard for Jared to accept because she saw the death grip he had on the arm of the chair next to her. She hid her grin by dropping her head and staring down at her plate.
Silence fell over the diners at the table. Kathleen allowed it to continue for five minutes while everyone ate before she asked, “Terry, how’s school going for you?”
“Okay. I have Mr. Morrow for a teacher. He’s pretty cool. He’s the only man teaching at my school.”
“I wish there were more men teachers in the elementary schools.” Kathleen ate a forkful of spaghetti. “One of Mark’s best teachers was a man. Remember your third-grade teacher?”
“Yeah, he was okay.”
A clap of thunder rocked the house. Hannah shifted in her chair, staring out the window at the darkness beyond. Branches of a Bradford pear tree scratched the panes as though they were fingernails raking across the glass. Another bright flash of light, then a boom of thunder sounded. The lull in the rain was over, Kathleen thought as she noted the panic-stricken look on the young girl’s face.
Wanting to reassuring the child, Kathleen touched Hannah’s arm. “When Mark had Mr. Horn, he used to come home every day with a new story to tell about something neat they had done at school that day. Did you ever have a man teacher, Hannah?”
Jared’s daughter tore her gaze from the window and stared wide-eyed at Kathleen. “Huh?”
Kathleen repeated the question, hoping to take the child’s mind off the storm beginning to rage outside.
Hannah shook her head and returned her gaze to the window. Sounds of hail struck the glass with more lightning and thunder vibrating the air. “Daddy, we need to turn on the radio.”
Jared glanced at Kathleen who rose and switched on the radio on the kitchen counter. A song finished playing then the announcer came on.
“This just in from the national weather bureau. There has been a tornado sighted near Henderson, Arkansas, heading southeast.”
Lightning hit close by. The house shook as the thunder rumbled immediately afterward. The lights flickered several times, then went out. Pitch dark cloaked Kathleen.
Hannah screamed, then began crying. “Dad.”
“I’m here, Hannah.”
Kathleen heard Jared scrape his chair back. She hurriedly rose and went to the counter where the candles were. She fumbled for the matches and struck one, then lit a large, thick candle. It gave off a soft glow that allowed Kathleen to ignite the others more easily. She took two to the table, leaving the other two spaced out on the counter.
“What about the tornado?” Hannah asked, hugging Jared and burying her face against his forest-green shirt.
“Does the radio have batteries?” he asked, finding Kathleen in the dimness.
She shook her head, wishing she had remembered to buy some at the store a few days ago.
Jared stroked Hannah’s back. “We’ll be all right. It’s only a thunderstorm with hail.”
“But the man said something about a tornado,” Terry interrupted, his voice high-pitched as the glasses in the cabinet rattled with another round of thunder.
“Daddy,” Hannah sobbed.
“Terry, Hannah, we will be fine.”
“Come on, everyone. Let’s finish our dinner. I’ve got dessert.” Kathleen filled her fork with some spaghetti and put it into her mouth.
No one else did. All eyes watched her while she took a sip of her tea and another bite. Jared started to move back to his chair, but Hannah wouldn’t let go.
“What if we skip right to dessert?” Jared asked, settling into Hannah’s chair while holding her.
“That’s a good idea. I made a double fudge chocolate cake this morning, and I don’t want any left. I’ll end up eating it and I don’t need it.”
“No one needs chocolate.”
Kathleen exaggerated a shocked expression. “No one needs chocolate! Speak for yourself. Chocolate is what takes people’s worries away. Right, Hannah?”
The young girl twisted about so she could look at Kathleen. “Yes,” she squeaked out.
“Can you help me with the dessert?”
“I don’t—” Hannah swallowed hard. “I guess so.” She slid off her father’s lap and followed Kathleen to the counter where a cake server sat.
Kathleen reached into the cabinet for the dessert plates. A tornado siren blared, cutting through the sounds of the storm raging outside. In spite of the need to remain calm, Kathleen couldn’t keep her heart from racing.
Hannah whirled and dashed back to her father who stood, his face pale in the dim light. She flung herself at him while Terry and Mark came to their feet.
“We have a place under the staircase that probably is the best place to go in case of a tornado.” Kathleen started for the door with a flashlight from the drawer lighting the way.
Mark took a candle and grabbed the matches. Jared brought up the rear as they hurried out of the kitchen. Hail spattered the windowpanes. Wind roared. Lightning illuminated the room.
Kathleen opened the door, motioning everyone to go into the small storage room below the staircase. She closed them into the cramped space as another streak of lightning flashed. She scanned the faces staring at her, fear on the children’s while Jared’s held a fierce determination. His calm composure reinforced hers.
“Sorry about the boxes.” Kathleen settled herself on the hardwood floor, leaning against the door. “Mark, push those to the back so you and Terry can sit on the floor. Hannah, there are some blankets in that box. Pull some out and let’s make ourselves comfortable.”
Trembling, Hannah wrapped herself in a plaid blanket. “How long do we stay in here?”
Over the sounds of the siren and storm, Jared said, “When the siren goes off, we’ll stay in here for a while. Then I’ll go out and check to make sure it’s safe.”
Hannah gripped his arm. “Daddy, you can’t go out there. What if the tornado hits while you’re out there?” Panic laced each word, her eyes as round as saucers.
He pulled her against his side. “Honey, I won’t go until I think it’s safe. I promise.”
“You know I think there’s a deck of cards in that game box back there, Mark. Why don’t you get it and we can play a game of Go Fish to pass the time while we wait.” Kathleen pointed to a container near her son.
Mark rummaged in the box and produced a deck with a flourish. Kathleen positioned the powerful flashlight so there was enough light to see the cards while Jared shuffled then dealt.
“Daddy, can we say a prayer?” Hannah asked as she scooped up her cards and tried to fan them out. Her hands shook so badly that several fell to the floor.
“That’s a great idea. Let’s join hands.” Jared reached for Hannah’s then Kathleen’s.
The strong feel of his fingers about hers strengthened Kathleen’s ragged nerves. “May I?”
His gaze captured hers and held it. “Please do.”
“Lord, we need Your strength now and Your protection. Let no harm come to the town or its people. We offer our thanks in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.”
Hannah took several deep breaths, her watery gaze on Kathleen. “Do you think He heard us?”
“He hears all our prayers. We will get through this.”
Jared squeezed Kathleen’s hand, conveying his support.
One tear slipped down Hannah’s cheek. “I don’t like storms. Why does it have to rain so hard?”
“Honey, I don’t like storms, either.” Jared brushed away his daughter’s tear.
Hannah shuddered when another loud clap of thunder pierced their haven, reminding them of the storm that raged outside.
“Come on. I’ve got a great hand, and I bet I’ll win this game,” Kathleen said. “Terry, why don’t you go first?”
As the young boy began to play, Kathleen offered up another silent prayer that everything would be all right. Not five minutes later the tornado siren stopped. For a long moment no one said anything as though they all waited to see if the siren would start again.
“Do you think it’s safe now?” Mark asked, laying his cards down in front of him, the game forgotten.
“I’m sure it is. You all stay here while I go out and check.” Jared moved to the door.
“Dad!” Hannah’s high-pitched voice cut into the silence. “Don’t.”
“We can’t stay in here.” Jared cracked the door open. “I don’t hear anything. Even the rain has abated some.”
He started out when Hannah added, “Be careful.”
Jared closed them in the storage room. Again no one spoke. Hannah chewed on her bottom lip, her gaze riveted to the door. Two minutes later her father reappeared, throwing open the door.
“I think everything is fine. I looked outside in front and no houses had any damage except some tree branches down in the yards.”
As they exited the small room under the staircase, the lights flickered on then off then on again. The warm glow emanating from the kitchen drew Kathleen toward it. In spite of the storm, she was amazed at how well the evening had gone. They had felt like a blended family, having an adventure, making the best of a difficult situation. Dare she dream of more?
Kathleen stood next to Jared in the church parking lot and surveyed the storm damage. There was a nip in the air from a cool front that had pushed through with the rain. The night before their church hadn’t fared as well as she and her neighbors. The yard and gardens surrounding it were littered with tree branches and leaves. Some plants were uprooted and debris cluttered the area. One small oak had split and fallen on a swing set. A white pine had crashed into a window in one of the classrooms and rainwater covered the floor.
“There’s a lot of work to be done,” Kathleen murmured as other parishioners arrived to help clean up the mess.
“It could have been worse.” Jared reached into his car and began to unload some of his tools he’d brought.
Kathleen took a rake and a shovel from him. “Some of the towns around here weren’t as lucky as Crystal Springs.”
“Thankfully the damage is to property and no one was hurt from the two tornadoes.”
“How’s Hannah doing today?” Kathleen noticed the young girl with some other children taking trash bags to pick up the litter.
“Since the sky is cloudless, much better. She’s been scared of thunderstorms all her life. When she was five, we had a bad storm with several tornadoes that came through this area. A couple of people were hurt. One was our neighbor. She never got over it.”
“To tell you the truth if it hadn’t been for the children you would have seen my panic, too.”
“Believe it or not, Hannah was better last night than she usually is. As I’ve said before, you’re a good influence on her.” Jared watched Mark take a garbage bag and begin to tidy up his area of the churchyard. “How’s Mark’s therapy?”
“The doctor is pleased with his progress. We caught his illness early, which is good. Mark even told me this morning that he’ll play for the children at the hospital. He’s starting to practice on his guitar again.”
Jared began walking toward the children’s playground. “The volunteer program is really picking up. In the morning you have the ladies of the church volunteering and in the afternoon the teenagers. Not bad for only doing it six weeks.”
“It seems everyone wanted to volunteer, but no one wanted to volunteer to coordinate it. I like organizing things.” A flush of pride took hold of Kathleen. She enjoyed her volunteer job because she was good at it and she still had time to be there for Mark when he needed her.
“You have quite a knack for it.”
“Well, thank you, kind sir. It’s nice to use my talent for a worthy cause.”
For the next few hours Kathleen worked alongside Jared cleaning up the playground before moving to the garden where Mark and Terry were. The young boy held the leaf bag open as Mark scooped up the debris and put it inside. Kathleen was glad to see that Terry wasn’t afraid of Mark anymore.
“Do you really mean it? You’ll show me how to play the guitar?” Terry asked Mark, following him to another pile of leaves and branches.
“Sure. Why not? Next time you’re over I’ll give you your first lesson.”
Terry caught sight of his father. “Can we visit Mark and Kathleen today after we finish here?”
“Son, you shouldn’t invite yourself over to other people’s houses.”
Terry’s face fell. “But, Dad, Mark says he’ll teach me to play the guitar.”
“Terry, you can come over anytime it’s okay with your father.” Kathleen leaned close to Jared and lowered her voice, “I have a pot of chili on and you and your family are welcome to share it with us this evening.”
With his blue eyes gleaming, Jared angled his head so he could look straight into her face. “Mrs. Davis has been complaining we aren’t home enough to eat her cooking. But I won’t turn down a pot of homemade chili even for the sake of keeping my housekeeper happy.”
“Good. Then it’s settled. After we finish here, give me an hour to clean up and then come on over.”
Jared’s gaze skimmed down her length, the gleam brightening. “You look fine just the way you are.”
She was aware of Mark and Terry listening now to their conversation. The heat of a blush flamed her cheeks. She twisted about so her back was to the boys. “It may be cooler since the storm yesterday, but I promise you I have worked up a sweat.”
Jared started to reply when Terry cut in. “Dad, does this mean we’re going to eat at their house tonight?”
Without taking his gaze off her, Jared said, “Yes.”
A loud yippee punctuated the air followed by Terry racing toward the parking lot, yelling back, “I’m gonna tell Hannah.”
“I think you’ve made my family happy.” He bent toward her until only inches separated them. “And you’ve made me happy.”
Her stomach did a flip-flop. His nearness produced a quickening pace of her heartbeat. She realized in that moment that next to her son, Jared and his children were the most important people in her life. She wanted to be the cause of their joy. Jared had struggled for years, giving of himself to others and his children. He deserved some happiness in his life. Maybe she was the one to bring him that.
In the past few months she had discovered what she wanted most in life was to be a wife and mother. For a time she had lost her identity after John’s death, but that was only because she was trying to be someone different—to put some distance between her old life and her new one. Denying what made her happy, though, caused her situation to be worse. She wasn’t going to do that anymore.
She and Jared had settled into a comfortable relationship since the beginning of school. She didn’t have to rely on him as she had done in the summer when she was at such a loss with Mark and his illness. Jared had given her the means to tackle her problems on her own and for that she would always be grateful. Now she wanted to help him as he had her—if he would allow her into his heart completely.
After placing a folder on her desk at the hospital, Kathleen turned to leave her office. The bright sunshine streaming through her window drew her. She looked out at the garden below, some of the trees bare, some with their leaves colored orange, red and yellow.
November would be here in a couple of days. In a few weeks she’d have been back in Crystal Springs for six months. So much had happened in such a short amount of time. She’d met Jared and her life had taken a turn for the better. Her son was recovering, getting some of his life back. There were days when he seemed almost as normal as before. She owed her new outlook on life to her renewed faith in the Lord and to Jared.
A male cardinal with his mate landed on a bare branch of a maple tree. His vivid red stood out against the brown landscape like a ray of hope. As she watched the pair fly off, she knew she would be all right, that the Lord was with her even through the rough times. She had abandoned him, but He hadn’t abandoned her. With Jared’s help, though, she’d re-discovered the power of His love.
A rap at her door, then Jared opening it and sticking his head into her office pulled her away from her musings. “I’m coming. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Kathleen hurried toward Jared.
“The kids have everything set up. The patients are in place.”
“Great. I hope everything goes all right with Mark’s performance.”
Jared grasped her hand, linking his fingers through hers. “It will. His medicine seems to be working. He’s doing well in his therapy. This will be good for him.”
Kathleen started down the hall toward the rec room on the pediatrics floor. “I hope so. It was his idea.”
In the room, children in wheelchairs, on crutches and even one in a portable bed waited for the first act to begin. The teenagers from the youth group had worked up a show for them. Mark was the third performer. Kathleen barely registered the first two teenagers at the front of the crowded rec room.
Then Mark came out and stood before the twenty people in the audience. He smiled tentatively and sat on a stool, positioning his guitar in his lap. Staring at his hands, he began to play “Eleanor Rigby” by the Beatles. Rigid in her chair, Kathleen held her breath through the first verse. By the second verse she forced herself to take deep breaths, clasping her hands tightly together. Toward the end of the song Mark missed a chord. He stopped. Fear pounded in her chest. She started to rise to go to him when he began to play again, picking up where he left off. She released a long sigh. When Mark finished the last note, she collapsed back against the chair, prying her fingers apart to clap.
“He did great,” Jared whispered as Mark took his bows midst the loud applause. One patient blew a piercing whistle. Mark reddened, then left the impromptu stage.
“Yes, he did,” she murmured, the tension siphoning out of her. She felt like a wet noodle.
While the rest of the teenagers continued to perform, she slipped out of the room to find Mark. He stood at the window at the end of the hallway, staring down at the street.
“Mark?”
Her son didn’t turn or say anything.
She stepped closer and asked, “Mark, are you all right?”
He flinched and whirled about. “I didn’t hear you.” His face screwed into a frown.
“What’s wrong?” Worry surged to the foreground.
Her son shook his head, his frown dissipating. “Nothing. I’m just tired. I’ve been practicing a lot lately. I didn’t want to mess up.”
“You were great. The patients loved you.”
He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Honey, there’s no guessing about it. Did you hear their applause?”
“Applause? Yes, their applause.” Mark clutched his old guitar to his chest. “Let’s go home. I’m hungry.”
“We could get something at the diner across the street. I bet they still have some of their doughnuts you like so much.”
“No, I want to go home.” Mark started down the hall toward the elevator.
Kathleen watched him shuffle, her concern increasing. Jared came out into the corridor and said something to Mark as he passed him. Her son stopped at the elevator and turned to wait for her.
She paused by Jared and said in a lowered voice, “He says he’s tired so I’m taking him home.”
“If you need me, all you have to do is call.”
“I know. Thanks.” Kathleen offered him a smile before heading toward her son who leaned against the wall, his gaze boring a hole into the floor by his feet.
Maybe Mark had done too much too fast. She had to remember it wasn’t quite four months ago that her son was diagnosed with schizophrenia and stress and tension could aggravate it.
At the elevator she glanced back at Jared, his warm gaze intent on her. He had been there for her and her son from the beginning. His unselfishness and compassion had touched the cold core about her heart and melted it. As she stepped onto the elevator and waited for the doors to swish closed, she realized she loved Dr. Jared Matthews, that she wanted to be his wife and mother to his children.