A Path Less Traveled (33 page)

“Bo?” His voice
echoed off the boulders in front of him. Biscuit spooked and pranced a bit,
sending a spray of gravel over the sharp drop-off.

“I’m down here,
Andy. Help me.”

He bolted from
the horse, wrapped the reins around a gnarled mesquite tree, and crawled to the
edge of the bluff, peering carefully over the side. Bo huddled on a narrow
ledge about fifteen feet down, clutching a scrawny oak growing out of the rock
with both hands. “Hey, buddy, are you okay? Can you move your arms and legs?”

“I think I’m just
scratched from sliding down here.”

“Good. I’m gonna
get a rope to throw down to you, okay?”

“’kay.” His
hoarse voice trembled.

While Andy
scrambled for a rope and knotted it into a loop, he attempted to ease Bo’s
fears. “You sure are being brave. Wanna tell me what happened?”

Bo sniffled.
“Domino slipped on the rocks and I fell off.”

“That crazy old
horse sure loves you a lot. He came to the house to let us know to look for
you.”

“He did?” Bo’s
voice strengthened.

“Yep.” Andy tied
the other end of the rope around the mesquite tree, then moved back to the
cliff. “I’m gonna lower this rope down to you, and I want you to be very
careful. Put the noose over your shoulders and under your arms. Then tighten
it. Can you do that?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good boy.” He
sent a quick prayer heavenward and dropped the rope down gently, landing it
right beside Bo.

Bo grabbed the
rope a little too quickly, sending loose stones tumbling down the steep
mountainside.

“Don’t move so
fast, Bo. Slow down.”

The boy did as he
said, securing the rope under his arms, but each second that ticked by felt
like an eternity. At last he tugged on the rope. “’kay, I’m ready.”

Andy’s pulse
roared in his ears. He breathed a prayer for God’s help. “I’m gonna pull you up
real slow. When you get close to the top, use your hands and feet to pull
yourself over the ledge.”

Perspiration
trickled down his face as he hoisted Bo up the mountain. One wrong move would .
. .
no!
He couldn’t think that way. Instead he breathed deeply and
focused on drawing the rope with no jerky movements.

But with no
warning, the ground beneath his feet began to crumble. His foot slipped against
the loose rocks, sending him perilously close to the edge. Bo screamed at the
lurch, and started to cry.

Andy fell to the
ground and scooted backwards, digging his dress shoes into the rocky soil. “I
gotcha, buddy.”

After several
tense moments, Little Bo’s fingers appeared at the edge of the cliff and dug
into the gravelly dirt. Andy gave one final tug and pulled Little Bo into his
arms. The scent of sweaty little boy was the sweetest smell he’d ever breathed.
For a moment, they clung to each other, then Andy’s shoulders began to shake.
He managed to hold back his cries, but not his tears.

Bo, his face
streaked with dirt, wiggled out of the embrace. “You crying?”

Andy laughed.
“Yeah, I guess I am. You had me a little scared.”

“I was scared,
too, but I only cried a little bit.” Bo’s eyebrows crinkled. “But don’t tell.
‘Specially don’t tell Mary Simpson.”

Andy chuckled.
“Your secret’s safe with me. Guess we’d better get you back home.”

“Yeah, I miss
Mom.”

The boy needed to
know that what he’d done was wrong. “She’s very worried about you.”

Bo hung his head.
“I know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run away, but . . .”

“But what?”

“I did it ‘cause
I didn’t want to move to Austin.”

Andy knelt in
front of him. “Listen to me, Bo. Your mama’s just trying to do what she thinks
is right for you. You may not like it, but she wouldn’t do it if she thought it
was wrong.”

“I know. Can we
go now, so I can tell her I’m sorry?” His eyes, though fatigued, held a hint of
a sparkle. “And something else.”

“’What?” Andy
tousled his hair.

“I’m really,
really hungry.”

Andy laughed and
scooped him up in both arms, then hauled them both up onto Biscuit’s back.
“You’re always hungry.”

Bo let out a
hoarse laugh. “Yeah, I know.”

They made their
way together through the woods, now completely dark. Once they reached the
clearing, Andy spotted several flashlights. He gave a loud whistle, and was
instantly surrounded by several men on horseback, including Steve and Bo
Miller.

A half hour later
they arrived home, every window in the house aglow with light. Trish met them
as they sauntered up on their horses, ran toward them and snatched Bo into her
arms, sobbing. Andy turned his head to keep from bursting into tears himself.

Dani hurried over
as he dismounted. “Andy, thank you so much for finding him.”

Andy could only
nod, emotion still squeezing his throat. He made his way to Trish and Bo. She
stood, her tear-streaked face lit by moonlight and her tawny eyes full of
unspoken words.

“Thank you,” she
whispered, her lips trembling.

“You’re welcome.”
Andy brushed away a tear that trickled down her soft cheek then patted Bo’s
head. He glanced around. The area was swarming with people. Now wasn’t a good
time. He turned back to Trish. “I know we need to talk, but we’re all pretty
worn out right now. I’ll see you at church in the morning. Maybe we can eat lunch
together and talk about it then.”

A brief wrinkle
appeared between her eyebrows, then disappeared as she nodded and lowered her
gaze.

Chapter 30

A
ndy jerked awake and
bolted to a sitting position, raking a hand over his opened mouth as he sucked
in air.
Something was wrong!
He puzzled over the emotions flooding his
system. Maybe he’d just had a bad dream. But if that was true why couldn’t he
remember it?

He flopped back
onto the bed and tried to relax into the cool, soft sheets, but the longer he
lay there, the more unsettled he became.
God, I don’t know exactly what I’m
experiencing here, but all I know to do is pray. I don’t even know who to pray
for.

Trish and
Bo.

His heart pounded
faster. He rolled over to his side to check the digital alarm clock. It wasn’t
even five o-clock in the morning. They were probably both still asleep, and
after yesterday’s ordeal, he wasn’t about to call and wake them up.

Lord, keep
them safe. You know how much I love them. Help them feel Your presence. Make
their paths straight, Lord, and help Trish trust You completely.

Familiar peace
drifted over him, but sleep still wouldn’t come. He lugged himself to his feet
and padded to the kitchen to make coffee, the fragrant aroma teasing his senses
as the machine gurgled and dripped. When it finished, he headed outside to the
deck, a steaming cup of coffee in one hand. The outdoor space had been Trish’s
suggestion, and he was glad he’d agreed to it. How many hours had he already
spent out here praising God for His night sky handiwork and praying—most of the
time for Trish and Bo?

He sipped coffee
and stared at the stars. The birds stirred in the trees and shrubbery
surrounding him and began to twitter, the only sound except for an approaching
car. It slowed a moment, then drove straight past and headed out of town, the
tail lights oddly familiar.

Trish!
He
jumped to his feet drizzling hot coffee down his t-shirt and pajama bottoms.
Surely he’d been mistaken, but what if it
was
her? Panic sent a cold
chill down his spine. What if she and Bo were leaving? He paced to the kitchen
and deposited his coffee cup in the sink. There was no way he could rest until
he knew for sure.

He unplugged his
cell phone from its charger and called Trish. It went directly to her voice
mail.

“Hey, it’s me. I
know it’s early, but I thought I saw your car go by. I was worried something
might be wrong. I want you to know that I . . . well, I . . .” No, he couldn’t
say it for the first time over the phone. “Call me back.”

Next he punched
in Steve’s number. No answer.

Now what? There
wasn’t a second to waste. He laid the phone on the counter and trotted to the
bedroom to change clothes. Just as he reached the closet door, his cell phone
rang out. As he turned to retrace his steps, he caught his toe on the nightstand.
Pain throbbed in his big toe, and the bedside lamp toppled to the floor with a
crash. He didn’t bother to pick it up, but hurdled over it and half-ran,
half-hopped, to the kitchen counter. The phone’s song was replaced by silence
just as he reached for it.

A missed call
from Steve. He quickly redialed the number.

“It’s Andy.”

“Hey, Andy. Sorry
I missed your call.” His voice sounded groggy.

“I think I just
saw Trish’s car drive by, and she didn’t answer her phone. Is something going
on?”

“I thought you
probably already knew.”

“Knew what?”

“She’s moving to Austin.”

The same ache
he’d known as a child pierced through him. Yet another woman had chosen a
career over him.

* *
* * *

Trish dropped the
phone to her lap, and brought a hand to her cheek. The car tires droned against
the pavement as she approached Morganville, the eastern sky now edged in pale
purple. Like murky floodwaters, questions boiled in her brain. What had Andy
left unsaid? In his message, he’d been about to say something and changed his mind.

What had he
wanted to tell her? That moving to Austin was a big mistake? That he was sorry
about Bo’s disappearance? That he cared about her?

She squeezed her
eyes shut for a brief moment before refocusing them on the road. Andy’s tired
and strained face from the previous night sent a cloak of guilt to enshroud her
heart. He’d been so good to her and Bo, but if he truly loved her, he’d had
plenty of opportunity to say it and hadn’t. And even if he’d said it, she
couldn’t go there. Not yet. Not until she figured out if God wanted her in Austin.

It had been dark
when she’d left town, eager to start this new adventure. But now that they’d
put a few miles between them and Miller’s Creek, doubts started to rise. This
was the right choice, wasn’t it? It was the only move that made sense. The only
one that allowed her to make a living for her and her son. Her chance to prove
she could make it without help from Dad or Steve or . . . or anyone else.

Lord, am I
making the right decision?

Trust in Me
with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding.

There it was
again—the same verse from Dani and Steve’s wedding and stitched on Dad’s old
bookmark. The one carved on the box of brushes Andy had given her. A verse
she’d known since childhood. What was God trying to tell her? That she wasn’t
trusting Him? She gave her head a shake.
Nonsense, Trish.
The move to Austin proved she trusted Him. It was a huge leap of faith.

In all your
ways acknowledge Me. I will direct your path.

Trish released a
sigh. That settled it. Didn’t her prayers acknowledge Him as God? He would
direct her path. This was nothing but nerves. Except for college, she’d never
lived away from Miller’s Creek. It was only natural to be a little
apprehensive.

Bo, still in his
pajamas, stirred in the backseat, then raised himself to a sitting position,
his eyes squinting. “Where are we?”

“Almost in
Morganville. Want some McDonald’s?”

He glanced at the
box of toys beside him and his face took on an immediate scowl. “We’re going to
Austin today?”

“Yes, sweetie. I
didn’t have a chance to tell you with everything that happened yesterday, but I
got the job. My new boss wants me to start tomorrow.”

A big tear rolled
off his cheek and plopped onto his chest. “But I didn’t get to tell anyone
goodbye.”

“We’ll be going
back to Miller’s Creek on the weekends until we can get everything mov—”

“Did you tell
Papaw and Uncle Steve we were leaving?” The words sounded more like an
accusation than a question. Bo’s lips turned down at the corners.

“Yes, I talked to
them last night after you went to bed.” They had taken the news much better
than expected, but she knew they were hurt. Dad hugged her, his eyes sad, and
told her she had his full support. Her throat knotted at the memory. Dad had
also been kind enough to agree to pay Otis, and she’d promised to pay him back
once she started bringing in a steady income. That was the last option she
wanted to take, but she didn’t have much choice.

“Did you call
Andy and tell him?”

“No, why would I
do that?” Trish kept her eyes on the road, but chewed the inside of her cheek.

“’Cause you
promised you’d see him at church this morning.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“You nodded, and
nodding is the same thing as saying yes.”

She searched for
words, but everything that came to mind sounded like a lame excuse.

“You lied to
Andy.”

Trish huffed out
her exasperation. “Good grief, Bo, I didn’t exactly lie to him. It’s
complicated, and you’re too young to understand.”

“I’m not too
young to understand that it’s wrong to lie.

His words stabbed
at her. Trish pulled into the drive-through line at McDonald’s. “Speaking of
lying, that’s exactly what you did when you tucked a pillow under the covers
and then took off on Domino.”

“Welcome to
McDonald’s! I’ll take your order when you’re ready!” The over-exuberant voice
blared through the crackling speaker, enough to make even non-coffee drinkers
beg for a cup.

She looked at Bo
in the rearview mirror. “Would you like a sausage biscuit?”

“And a hash
brown.” Resignation and disappointment resonated in his tone and expression.
Normally breakfast at McDonald’s would have him bouncing off the seats in
excitement. Not today.