Ten

A horrible thought struck her, and seeds of doubt crept in, snatching away her joy.

What if Beemer was only saying these things because he knew she’d vowed to never again have any kind of relationship with a man who didn’t share her faith?

Had he actually felt God’s tug on his heart, or was this all some kind of playacting? Something he could laugh about later with his groupies?

Was he only pretending to be a Christian? To have accepted the Lord? But why would he do such a thing? She was going back to St. Louis. They wouldn’t be spending any time together once she was gone.

“What? Why are you looking at me that way?”

She’d been so caught up with her negative thoughts that she hadn’t realized she’d been staring at him.

“Ginny, what is it? You were always talking to me about God. I thought you’d be happy I’ve made a decision for Christ, but your face looks anything but happy. Have I offended you in some way? If I have, I’m sorry.”

Though her mind was in a quandary, she forced a big smile. “My thoughts wandered, that’s all.”

She didn’t want to risk saying something she shouldn’t and upsetting Beemer, perhaps even taking away his joy. So she prattled on about Natasha and her family and some of the lighter things the two of them had discussed after Beemer had gone to his apartment.

“I’m hungry, and I think my decision to live for God deserves a celebration. Why don’t we go to that Chinese restaurant you like for dinner?” Beemer asked as he pulled into Aunt Margaret’s driveway. “I’ll go to my apartment, take a shower, and pick you up about seven. Dress up. Let’s make it a fancy night.”

Ginny’s eyes widened. “Good idea. Dressing up will be fun.”

Beemer threw back his head with a boisterous laugh. “Let’s make it a real date. I’ll even bring flowers.”

“Umm, the last of the big spenders, huh?”

His smile narrowed. “Thanks to Aunt Margaret’s generosity, I could buy you a whole carload of flowers.”

She gave his hand a gentle pat. “I know. It’s going to be weird having all that money. I’m used to cutting corners. With that coming my way and getting the money back my ex-fiancé stole from me, I guess I’ll finally be able to get the larger apartment I’ve been wanting.”

“And a van that runs better than that junk heap you drive.”

Ginny pointed at him. “You think you have girlfriends now—wait’ll they find out how much you’re worth. You’ll have your pick of the litter.”

He grabbed her hand and linked his fingers through hers. “My pick of the litter, huh? What if I chose Ding Dong?”

“I’m talking about women, not cats.”

“Would you believe me if I told you I don’t want any of those women?”

“You’d rather settle for a mischievous kitten?”

Leaning over the console, he kissed her cheek. “No, I’d rather have you. There’s nothing to keep us apart now, Ginny. I’ve accepted your Lord.”

Ginny felt as if two dogs were battling in her heart. One saying, “Yes, he’s a Christian now. Go for it!” The other one, mean and ugly and looking for a fight, saying, “Huh! Don’t believe him. He’d say anything to get you where he wants you. Make you vulnerable.”

Pulling her hand away, she reached for the door handle, gave it a quick turn, and slipped out of the seat. “I’ll see you at seven.”

Inside Aunt Margaret’s house Ginny closed the door then leaned against it. “Beemer Douglas, you drive me crazy! I’m so in love with you it hurts. Yet I’m afraid to trust you!”

She barely recognized him when he appeared at the door at exactly seven. With his black suit and starched white shirt, his short hair slicked back with gel, a lovely bouquet of freshly cut flowers in his hand, he looked like an Adonis. “You’re positively handsome,” she told him, meaning every word. He looked great!

His gaze running from head to toe, he handed her the flowers then stepped back, letting out a low whistle. “And you are gorgeous! Is that what women call their little black dress? Whatever you call it, I like it.” He touched her upswept hair with the tips of his fingers. “Wow! Is this beautiful creature really my date for the evening?”

She let a girlish giggle escape her lips. “You flatterer. No wonder women love you.”

“Yeah? I’ll bet the St. Louis men flock around you, and you’re just too bashful and shy to tell me.” He held out his hand. “Come on, Miss Universe. Let’s go to dinner.”

Still not convinced Beemer’s profession of faith was sincere, Ginny guarded her heart as best she could. But then Beemer, without any prodding on her part, bowed his head. And in the words of a newly born Christian he asked God to bless their food and their time together and thanked Him for their aunt’s exemplary life and for leading them to Natasha. Ginny felt sure he had been born again. God had answered her prayer, and she hadn’t been discerning enough to recognize the change in him and his attitude toward God.

They laughed their way through dinner, each talking about their childhood and their high school crushes. She felt like a queen as they walked across the parking lot to his truck, her hand tucked into his arm and Beemer smiling down at her.

“This has been a night to remember,” Beemer told her as he walked her up the steps to their aunt’s house. “I can imagine Aunt Margaret smiling down from heaven, happy to see the two of us getting along so well.”

“I can just imagine she is. I really miss her. . .and always will.”

He opened the door then handed her the keys. “You must be beat. Try to get a good night’s rest, okay?”

She nodded. “You, too. You’ve done as much as I have.”

His hand rested on the doorframe above her. He looked at her for a moment then lowered his face to hers. Ginny could feel his warm breath on her cheek as her heart filled with anticipation. Finally his lips sought hers, and she melted into his arms. When he released her, she felt dizzy and giddy with happiness.

“I’ll stop by in the morning,” he whispered softly into her hair. “Be sure to lock the door. I don’t want anything happening to you.”

As she gazed into his face in the moonlight, she let out a sigh of contentment. “And you be careful driving home.”

He kissed her once more then backed away. “You make a great date.”

She grinned. “So do you.”

Ginny had a hard time falling asleep. She had to go back to St. Louis. There were no two ways about it. With what her aunt had left her she’d have enough money so she wouldn’t have to work for a number of years, but money had nothing to do with it. Her job and her accomplishments at Larsen Investments meant everything to her. They were like milestones in her life. And hadn’t she been promoted? To a job she had thought would be years away in the future?

She couldn’t let that much-sought-after opportunity slip through her fingers. Just because Beemer had gotten right with God and they had an attraction to each other didn’t mean the two of them would end up together, as Aunt Margaret wanted them to. If they decided they wanted to spend time together, they could do it. There was no rush. It wasn’t that far from St. Louis to Hendersonville. She could still drive down once a month, and Beemer could drive up there. There was so much to do in St. Louis.

Yes, her mission in Hendersonville was over. There was no need for her to stay any longer.

Tomorrow she would go home.

She watched the hours tick by on the clock, finally falling asleep about four. By six she was wide-eyed and ready to get out of bed.

“Are you and those kitties of yours ready to go home?” she asked Tinkerbelle as the cat strode from the bathroom into her bedroom with two little kittens trying to nuzzle up to their mother’s belly. “We’ll have to find a nice box for the three of you to ride in.”

After rummaging through the garage she found the perfect box and lined it with several old towels she located in the back of the linen closet. “There that should do it. Now keep those babies out of my way. I have packing to do.”

By the time Beemer rapped on the door at ten, Ginny was packed and had loaded everything into her van, including the sentimental items she wanted to keep from her aunt.

“What’s all that stuff in your van?” He stepped inside the house. “You’re not leaving yet, are you? I figured you’d at least stay a day or two. I—I don’t want you to go.”

She closed the door then entered the living room. “I have to. I promised my boss I’d be back as soon as possible. I’ve already overstayed my time.”

“But I thought—”

“You knew I had to go back, Beemer. There’s nothing to keep me here now, with Aunt Margaret gone. We’ve already sorted through her things and given most of them away to her friends. We can’t do anything about the furniture and the other things in the house for a year. You know that. My mission here is finished.”

“But I was going to take you to a concert. I’ve heard you talk about Michael W. Smith. He’s going to be in town next weekend.”

Out of habit she plumped the pillows on the sofa. “The concert sounds wonderful, but I can’t wait here all week for it. No, I have to go back. I’ve already phoned Mr. Larsen and told him I’d report for work in the morning. I’m driving back today.”

Beemer slammed his fist into his palm. “Well, terrific. Now that all the crises are over, you’re out of here.”

The tone of his voice irritated her. Didn’t he realize the importance of her job? “Beemer, I came here to care for Aunt Margaret. Now she’s gone. I stayed so we could find Natasha. We found her, and she’s been here and gone. There’s nothing else to keep me here.”

“I’m here.”

“So? I like being around you. We have a great time together, but I can’t stay here just because you’re here. I have a life to live, too. Your life is here. Mine is in St. Louis. Everything I’ve worked for is there.”

He grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him. “I can’t let you go, Ginny. You can’t leave me. I—I—”

Ginny stared at him. “You what?”

“I—I—” Still clinging to her, he gulped. “This is so hard to say. I’ve never said it to another woman, except the one who let me down. “I—I love you!”

She gasped. The words he’d said were the ones she had longed to hear.

“Did you hear me, Ginny? I said I love you! I don’t want you to go. I want you here with me. Aunt Margaret was right. We belong together.”

“I—I love you, too, but are you sure? I mean, do you really love me, or is it that you loved our aunt and you want to do what she wanted you to do?”

He gathered her up in his arms. “No, that’s not it at all. I thought about this long and hard last night. In fact, I barely slept a wink. I can’t let you go. You’re the most important thing in my life. If you don’t stay, I’ll follow you to St. Louis. Please say you’ll stay.”

Ginny pushed away from him and threw her hands in the air. “Stay and do what, Beemer? Stay in Aunt Margaret’s house, find a menial job somewhere, and share you with Mitzy, Dora, Rosie, and who knows how many others? That’s not my style. With me it’s all or nothing. I’ll never compromise again.”

He grasped her wrist and held on when she tried to pull away. “Don’t you get it, Ginny? Do I have to spell it out for you? I’m asking you to marry me! I want us to spend the rest of our lives together!”

Ginny’s mouth fell open as the full significance of his words penetrated the fuzziness of her brain. Did Beemer say what she thought he said? “Marry you? Are you serious? Don’t kid around, Beemer. In God’s eyes, marriage is a lifetime commitment.”

Beemer stepped forward, his gaze locked with hers, and pulled her into his arms, drawing her close. “Say you’ll be mine, Ginny. Say you’ll marry me, become my wife, and share my life with me. I’m offering you the love I’ve been saving for the right woman. You, my darling Ginny, are that woman. I want to love you, provide for you, protect you. I want us to live together as one, attend church together, raise a family together. Come on, Ginny—say yes. I love you.”

Suddenly her job, her apartment, the promotion, all the things she’d worked for, paled into insignificance, losing their luster, their appeal that had beckoned her back to St. Louis. Beemer’s change of heart was what she’d been praying for. And, praise the Lord, that change had included her. “You’re sure about this? You’re really sure? If you’re not, please, for both our sakes, tell me now. There’s still time to back away because, if I commit to you, it will be forever.”

Beemer gently brushed his lips across hers. “Ginny, with God as my witness, I love you and want to marry you. I want you to be my wife. Sweetheart, the house we both love, the house filled with wonderful memories, is waiting for us. Please say you’ll share it with me until we part in death.”

Reeling from his nearness, Ginny leaned into him, relishing his scent, his strength and, yes, his gentleness. She wanted so much to say yes.

Haven’t I answered your prayers? a still small voice from deep inside her asked. Hasn’t Beemer turned his life over to Me? He now shares your faith. Can’t you trust him? Trust Me?

“I’m waiting, Ginny.”

Ginny looked up into his gaze of love. A gaze that told her she could trust Beemer with her life, her heart, anything. Suddenly all the fear and anxiety she felt disappeared. God had answered her prayers. Everything she’d prayed for had happened. Was she so blinded by fear she couldn’t see it?

Lovingly touching her fingertips to his cheeks, she stood on tiptoe and gazed into his eyes. “I love you, Beemer Douglas. You’re everything I’ve ever prayed for. I know God has brought us together, and with His help I’ll be the wife you deserve. Yes, I’ll marry you. Whenever and wherever you say. Nothing would make me happier than becoming Mrs. Beemer Douglas and sharing this house on River Road.”

His lips sought and found hers as he kissed her. “I can’t tell you how happy this—”

A horrible meowing sound followed by several loud barks drove the pair outside. There, up in the same tall tree, through the covering of dense leaves, was a small cat that looked very much like Ding Dong, mewing a mournful meow, with Mortimer staring up at her, his front paws braced against the tree trunk, barking his most ferocious bark.

After reprimanding Mortimer and assessing the situation, Beemer backed away, holding his hands up defensively, his palms spread wide between himself and Ginny. “No, don’t even ask. I am not going to climb that tree one more time. I refuse to rescue that stupid cat. I broke my fingers rescuing her mother. I’m not going to take a chance rescuing her. Ding Dong can just stay up there.”

Ginny touched his arm and gazed up at him, tears welling in her eyes. “Please, Beemer. She’s just a baby.”

Beemer rolled his eyes then headed for the tree and, grabbing onto one of the lower branches, began to shinny up its trunk, holding on tightly to each branch. “If this doesn’t prove my love for you, Ginny Markham, I don’t know what will.”

Within minutes, his arms scratched by the tree’s unyielding branches, he reached the cat. “This isn’t Ding Dong. It’s some mangy stray!”

Shielding her eyes, Ginny called out, “It’s not Ding Dong? Are you sure?”

“Ginny, of course I’m sure. Aren’t I the one who took care of her while you were gone? Take it from me—this cat is not Ding Dong.”

“But you are going to bring it down, aren’t you? The poor thing’s probably terrified. And it was your dog who chased it up there.”

Beemer parted the leaves and peered down at her. “You’re not serious, are you? This cat doesn’t know me. She might claw me.”

“Could you try?”

“Okay, for you, but if she claws me you’re going to have to nurse me back to health.”

She watched as he moved slowly toward the errant cat, finally taking off his shirt and throwing it over its head, wrapping the cat in its folds, rendering it helpless.

“Be careful, Beemer, please,” Ginny cautioned, wishing she hadn’t asked him to go up after the cat. She should have realized Ding Dong was much too small even to think about climbing a tree that size. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Parting the branches again, he smiled down at her. “Now you tell me.”

A few seconds later he reached the ground, safe and sound, sporting only the few scratches from the tree’s branches. Unwrapping his shirt from around the cat, he turned it loose. They stood and watched as it scampered away and disappeared into a neighbor’s yard.

Beemer brushed his hands against his pant legs. “Hope that mangy cat appreciated my efforts. I should have realized it wasn’t Ding Dong. Tinkerbelle would never let her baby out of her sight.”

Wrapping her arms around Beemer’s waist, Ginny pressed her head against his broad chest and gave him a big hug. “My hero!”

He gazed down at her. “Hero? I like that.”

Reaching up and linking her fingers behind his neck, Ginny kissed him. “You’ll always be my hero, Beemer. Whether you’re rescuing a cat from the top of a tree or lovingly cradling one of our children in your arms.”

Together they walked back into the house on River Road, the house they would live in when they became husband and wife.

“I love you, Ginny. I hope you’ll always remember that.”

Ginny smiled up at him. “I love you, too.”

“Do you think we’d ever have gotten together if it hadn’t been for Aunt Margaret and her conniving?”

Ginny nestled her cheek against his. “I’m sure of it. I think God created us for one another. Aunt Margaret’s part was to bring us together.”

“I’m sure glad she listened to Him.”

“Me, too.”