Twenty minutes after leaving the gas station, Reggie gripped the door handle and stared at tree tops in the valley below. After crossing the Potomac River into West Virginia, they’d driven through Berkeley Springs and then up this mountain. Curve after curve, they’d climbed higher and higher.
“What kind of place are you taking me to?”
“It’s a bit remote. Billy Clyde doesn’t like to be around people. He’s a loner.”
“You don’t say. Do you actually know where you’re going?”
“Sure, I’ve been here a few times. This is the main road.”
“The main road.” She looked over the edge and tightened her grip. “Do any of your other friends live in a normal place on a normal road?”
“I am sure the people of Paw Paw would think this is a normal road.”
“Sorry.” She muttered and dug her nails deeper into the armrest.
“No problem. This is Cacapon Mountain. It’s an amazing sight. Look over there.”
Instead of gazing at the trees, she closed her eyes. Her foot pressed into the floor, but without a brake; it didn’t help. Hearing a click of his turn signal, she opened an eye to find them pulling off the road. The truck slowed to a stop.
“You can breathe now. We’ve stopped for a moment. Look at that.” Dylan pointed at the valley below them.
Reggie looked. It was truly magnificent. Browns, oranges, reds, and golds blended into a beautiful montage of color below them. The sun peeked over the trees coloring the sky in pinkish purple and blue.
“There’s a verse in the Bible that says God clearly shows His power by the things He has made. We aren’t just looking at some pretty trees. We’re looking at God’s power.”
The wonder in his tone caused her to glance at him. His face was serene as he gazed out at the multitude of fall colors. How could he look so calm when her stomach was churning from stress? He turned and saw she was watching him and not the view.
“What? Do you want to ask me something?”
“How can you be so calm when you’re sitting beside someone who is being stalked to be killed?”
“That’s easy. I trust God. He’ll take care of us one way or the other.”
“Meaning?”
“He’ll either keep me safe, or take me home.” He shrugged. “Either way, it’s a win-win situation.”
It sounded so simple when Dylan said it, but where had God been all those nights she’d cried herself to sleep, alone and afraid? Reggie shook her head. “I just don’t understand you or your faith. If God is real, why do so many bad things happen?”
“Another easy one. You need to come up with some harder questions, Reggie. God doesn’t do evil, people do. When He created us, He gave us free will. We make our choices. Unfortunately, a lot of the bad choices of other people affect all of us.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
“Reggie. Look out there. You can’t tell me you can’t see God’s magnificence.” He touched her shoulder.
She scanned the valley below them. “I suppose not.” She spoke quietly but her next words were tinged with bitterness. “But what’s God ever done for me?”
“Aside from the fact He sent His Son down here so you could spend forever with Him in heaven, He also sent me to you.” He grinned. “Think about it. You needed someone who would know to look for hidden microphone bugs and who knew how to defuse a bomb. There are no coincidences in God’s plan, Reggie. You were blessed the day you crashed into me.”
“I don’t think so. We both know you’re the one—” She gave him a mock punch on his arm.
“That’s not the way the officer saw it.” He said, and then laughed. He snapped his seatbelt back in place and waited. After she’d done the same, he pulled back on the road.
They descended slowly down the mountain. He offered her a stick of gum, but she refused. He shrugged, unwrapped it, and popped it in his own mouth.
“Great. Now, we’re going back down the mountain.”
“That’s the way it usually works.” He started singing. “What goes up must—”
“Very funny.” She laughed. “I can’t believe you actually know a song that wasn’t written in Nashville. You stop singing and keep your eyes on the road, Mister.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
A town was nestled in the side of the mountain. A sign welcomed them to Great Cacapon, population 1379. Not much of a town, a gas station, a school and a small restaurant were the highlights. They passed through it.
When they arrived at the bottom of the mountain, Reggie unclenched her fingers from around the door handle. A large red, white, and blue sign welcomed her to Paw Paw, West Virginia. The town appeared even smaller than Great Cacapon.
“You must feel right at home here.” She teased with a smile.
“Is that a wisecrack about my hometown?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Not very nice. That’s all I’ve got to say. Not very nice.”
Amazed at herself, she laughed. Someone was trying to kill her and yet, she felt safe and almost lighthearted, as if the two of them were just on a weekend trip.
If Dylan and his family were examples of what happened when God was a part of one’s life, she might just need to spend some time examining her own relationship with God…if she lived through this ordeal.
Dylan laid his hand on hers. It felt right. She tried to tell herself it was ridiculous. She wasn’t cut out to be a farmer’s wife. Just the idea made her smile.
“A penny for your thoughts.”
Her face grew warm. No way did she want him to know what she was thinking. “I’m thinking it’s time for another apple and some cheese.”
His raised eyebrow told her he didn’t believe she’d been thinking about food. “If you want, but we’ll be at Billy Clyde’s in a minute. He might be persuaded to fix a real breakfast for us.”
As he said the words, he turned off on a dirt road in the middle of trees. After a hundred yards, the dirt road turned to nothing more than a grass path. They bumped along the path at a snail’s pace. “I guess you made a wrong turn.”
“Oh, ye, of little faith.”
She looked around. All she saw were trees and bushes. Certainly, nobody lived there unless they lived in a tree house. “Just admit it, Dylan. You made a wrong turn.”
“City girl.” He grinned. “Stick with me, you’ll see all kinds of country things.”
A part of her said no way, but the other part melted at his words, until the lawyer in her took over. Stop being a silly romantic. You’ve got real problems. Someone wants you dead. This is not the time, nor the place, to be acting like a love-struck teen-ager.
They came to an abrupt stop. Bushes blocked their way. She smirked at Dylan. “I told—”
Dylan held up a hand and jumped out of his truck. He walked to the bushes. She gaped as he pushed his way through, revealing a hidden gate and fencing. Dylan hit a button on a silver box sitting atop the fence gate. It felt as if she were in a James Bond movie. She rolled down her window to listen.
“Billy Clyde. It’s Dylan Monroe.”
“So, I see.” A voice came through the box. “Who’s the beautiful woman? Don’t tell me you went and found someone who would marry your ugly self?”
How did he see her? Must be a camera somewhere. She looked around, but couldn’t find it. What person hid his house behind bushes and trees, and had surveillance cameras? Someone who had something to hide. Worry seeped in for a moment, but then she relaxed. Dylan wouldn’t bring her some place dangerous.
“I’ll explain after you let us in.”
“Sure, come on in, buddy. Park your truck in the open bay.”
As Dylan walked back to the truck the gate slid open, with the bushes still attached. When Dylan got in the truck, Reggie looked at him. “Are those bushes real?”
“They are. Didn’t I tell you that Billy Clyde is a genius? And as with all geniuses, they have a variety of talents and interests. He’s not just a computer nerd. You’ll like him.”
They bumped along for several hundred more yards before it opened up to a green grassy area. She’d expected to see a shanty of some sort, since Billy Clyde lived out in the middle of nowhere. Instead, a huge log cabin sat in the middle of the hidden oasis.
She only hoped it had running water and indoor plumbing.
Attached to the log cabin was a long garage. One of the garage doors stood open waiting for them. They pulled in and the door immediately closed. At least, the place had electricity.