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Scott still couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t believe she was actually here. Couldn’t believe that in an hour when the conference hall closed, he was actually going to take her out to dinner before that night’s general session. Their initial meeting was so painfully awkward he couldn’t think about it without a sense of embarrassed regret.
Once they both got over the shock of running into each other, they had gone for a walk around the university campus. Scott had a whole hour and a half before he was due back at the Kingdom Builders booth in the conference hall, but it wasn’t anywhere near enough time for him to catch up with Susannah and hear everything she’d gone through since they last talked.
Life had been hard on her. She tried to sugarcoat it, had presented it in the best light possible, but he knew her so well he could tell how burdened she was from taking care of Kitty, how heavy her spirit was from mourning her mother’s death. Scott wanted to take her in his arms right then, comfort her, tell her that she’d never have to be lonely again. Just say the word, and they could spend the rest of their lives together. But her sense of duty to her family had ripped her out of his life, and he wasn’t about to scare her away again.
That’s why he hadn’t asked her to come back to the conference hall with him. If he had his choice, she’d stand by his side for the rest of the afternoon. He didn’t want to take his eyes off her, didn’t want to risk losing her. Not again. Now that he’d seen her, now that they’d spent an hour and a half not just talking but actually in the same location, the same time zone, having a face-to-face conversation for the very first time, he realized more than ever how empty the past four months had been without her.
How bleak the future looked if she wasn’t in it.
It would take time. That’s what he kept telling himself over and over. Time to earn her trust. Susannah was timid. He could tell just from her body language, the way she hugged her arms against herself as they walked through the crowded building, how out of place she felt here. Had she ever seen a crowd this large before? She was scared. Overwhelmed, and if she felt anything like he did, she was terrified that their walk together this afternoon had been some sort of dream.
A delusion.
Patience. That’s what he needed. But all he wanted to do was hold her close against his chest and tell her how much he loved her. How he had loved her before he’d even met her in person. How he wanted nothing more than for them to spend the rest of their lives together.
He was already working out his plans. How he could transfer his work to Washington and telecommute from Orchard Grove. He’d tell his missions director that he could only travel abroad once a year. Twice at most. Any fears he’d previously entertained about feeling trapped in the States paled next to the thought of losing Susannah again.
He would love Kitty. He would be the most devoted brother-in-law the world had known.
No, he was getting ahead of himself. That was the kind of impulsive thinking that would scare Susannah away. He would wait. Wait for God’s timing. And until then praise the Lord for bringing such a godly woman back into his life.