Splashdown: A Christian Contemporary Romance with Suspense (Dangerous Series Book 3) (22 page)

And I saw him.”

“You saw Gerund. My nephew.”

“Your nephew?” Something caught in her throat. “Sure, like I’m supposed to believe that.”

“Why wouldn’t you? It’s the truth.”

“When Lisa Thornton’s baby was kidnapped, you told Sharee and John you had a child his age.”

“There is no way I said that. I…” He gave an angry spurt. “Gerund was the same age as the kid that was kidnapped. If I said anything at all, it was about him. My sister was living with me back then. She’d just been through a divorce.” His blue eyes locked onto hers, and he caught her arm again. “Come on. I’ll take you to meet them.”

“No, I…it’s okay. I…”

He dragged her to his car. “You want proof? I’ve got it.” He opened the car door and shoved her inside.

She gasped. “Watch that arm.”

His face changed. “Sorry. I forgot.”

“Rich, please. I…”

He slammed the door and walked around to the other side. The cruiser pulled up next to him. The deputy looked an inquiry. Rich nodded, took a deep breath and gave a thumb’s up. The deputy nodded, too, but his eyes went past Rich to Lynn. The inquiry showed in his face again. Rich opened his door and glanced at Lynn.

“Will you let one of the County’s finest know you’re okay?”

“Am I?”

“Of course, you are! If I weren't so crazy in love with you, I wouldn’t be going to all this trouble to haul you out to my sister’s to prove a point.”

She sat back in her seat and stared and said nothing.

“Well, nod to him or something, will you?”

Lynn looked past Rich and nodded to the deputy, smiled and gave him a thumb’s up, also. The deputy’s gaze searched hers. She nodded again. “I’m fine.”

The cruiser edged away.

“He only pulled you over because he owes me.”

Lynn slid a glance his way. “You do skate on the edge sometimes, don’t you?”

He shot her a frown and shrugged. “I guess I do. Another thing I need to work on.”

“I didn’t say that. Maybe your conscience did.”

“Hmm. All this talk about God has got me reading my Bible again. I guess He’s working on me.”

Lynn turned her head to study him. The man seemed serious.

Less than two hours later, she sat in the car outside his sister’s home, watching as he said goodbye to Tammy, handing Gerund back to her. The boy hadn’t left his uncle’s arms since they got there. As Rich turned her way, she laid her head back and closed her eyes. Tears formed behind her lids. She heard the car door open, felt the swirl of cool air, and Rich climbed in next to her. The sound of the key slipping into the ignition came next and then nothing. In another moment, she opened her eyes.

His look combined anger and something else she couldn’t read. She stared at him, blinking back tears.

“Well?” he asked, voice belligerent.

She sat up. “You are by far the most stubborn man I’ve ever known. Dragging me over here, embarrassing me in front of your sister.”

His mouth dropped open. “Embarrassing
you
?”

She almost laughed at his look. “I believed you when you told me, hardhead. At least, well, it took a moment or two, but then I believed you.”

“You what?”

“Believed you.” She leaned forward and brushed his mouth with hers.

He stared at her for a moment, mumbled something, and then his arms slipped around her. He pulled her against him and returned her kiss with an intensity that took her breath away.

“Rich.” She leaned back. “I’m sorry I…”

His mouth interrupted her, but a short time later, he said, “You should be. You could have asked instead of hiding and not answering your phone.”

“I know I…”

“Apologize later.” His lips traced a line down her neck.

She pushed away. “Your sister…”

“I’m sure Gerund is staring out the window.” Her head swiveled around, and he laughed. “Joking, sweetheart.”

“I hope.” She ran her fingers along his jaw.

His hold tightened once more. “This abstinence thing…”

“Is going to be hard…” She turned her head and snuggled closer. “Unless you want to get married?”

“Married?” A pause followed. He drew back. “Married?”

Her heart skipped a beat. “You hadn’t thought about it?”

“Of course, I’ve thought about it. For the last two weeks, I’ve thought about it. Is that why good Christian people get married these days? To have sex?”

“Well, it’s definitely one of the plusses.” She smiled at him, letting a hesitant amusement show in her eyes. “Another reason is if you’re crazy in love with someone.” She waited, heart stopped, uncertain.

His eyes searched hers. “I thought I’d go nuts this past week. When I saw you tied in that chair, I wanted to take the man’s head off that did it—literally. Is that the kind of crazy we’re talking about?”

“Maybe. You’re the one that said it.” She started to climb back into her seat. Her arm had started to ache.

He pulled her against him. “Don’t go anywhere. I did say it, didn’t I.? It’s the truth.”

She bit her lip, but the pain in her arm meant nothing compared to this.

“Married? Ummm…I guess if you made this purity vow to God, then it’s something we’ll need to do.”

“Need to do?” Her voice rose. She straightened her shoulders and pushed away. “I don’t
need
anyone to marry me.”

He laughed. “Soon, I meant. Need to do soon. I’m not known as a patient man.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“Watch the sarcasm.” One side of his mouth lifted. “We need to get to know each other, don’t you think?”

“How long does it take?”

“Six months?”

She studied his face. “Okay.”  

He pulled his head back. The smile disappeared. “This marriage thing. You need to think about it. I’m not into trying this. If I make a commitment, it’s a commitment. You can’t run out just because we hit some bumps in the road.”

“Okay.”

“Marriage should be for keeps.” The challenge in his eyes matched the gruffness of his voice. “Do you know what I’m saying?”

“I think so, and I…”

“I’m not the easiest person to live with, and I’m in law enforcement. I have crazy hours. I might be gone all Christmas day or your birthday. I’m no model Christian as you know, but I’m willing to work on that. So, you gotta take the bad with the good. Still want to marry me?”

Her eyes didn’t leave his. “More than ever.”

He tilted his head, smiling then, and brought his hand up to her cheek.

She leaned against him. “By the way, I love you, too.”

“I figured, but it’s nice to hear.” He slid his hand through the hair falling down her back, gave it a quick twirl and a yank and laughed as she narrowed her eyes.

Bob came back from the ticket counter and sat beside them. The airport’s quiet and emptiness contrasted with Sharee’s excitement. The early flight would put them in Jakarta around 5:00 A.M. the next morning. 

“What did they say?”

“An hour delay.”

She groaned. Beside her, John chuckled. She frowned at him, and his hand tightened around hers.

“Enjoy the air conditioning a little longer, babe. You won’t have much of this in Indonesia.”

“If we ever get there.”

“She’ll be crying other tears once she’s been there a week, don’t you think?” Bob asked.

“Oh, wait until she can’t wash her hair. That’ll do it.”

“And bathing in the river,” Bob said, “with someone watching over her with a rifle.”

“Why would they do that?” Sharee looked from one to the other. “You mean crocodiles?” She threw a look at John. “You never said anything about that when you were there.”

“Well…” he made a long note of it as if looking for something to say. “Well, it’s not always the case.”

“I knew there were things you didn’t tell me.”

He winked at her. “If I told you everything, you might stay home.”

“Yeah, just try to keep me home again.”

Bob got to his feet. “I’m going to walk some. It will be a long flight.” They watched as he strolled down the corridor.

John slipped his arm around her shoulders, and she scooted close to him. She had a special announcement to make, and he might be angry that she hadn’t told him earlier; but then he might have tried to talk her into staying in the States. He said he’d given her to God again, but his nature was to protect and preserve. A nature like God’s—even if it did get out of balance once in a while.

She touched her abdomen. This pregnancy was different. God’s assurance about the baby overwhelmed her. Peace and joy flooded her. Perhaps it would be born in Indonesia. A smile tugged at her mouth.

“John.”

“Hmmm?”

No, she’d better wait until they were halfway across the ocean. No turning back then. “Can you believe the way that God has led us?”

“You mean with the human trafficking group that’s over there?”

“Yes.”

“Well, He’s led us a different way than I thought he would.”

“You aren’t disappointed, are you?”

He tilted his head at her. “Disappointed? You know better than that. If I can be a part of rescuing anyone, keeping them out of modern-day slavery, I will. And I’ll be flying part-time still, helping Bob.” He grinned. “I want you to come on the first flight we take to the villages. You’ll love it.”

“I know. It’s humbling, isn’t it? That God would allow us to be part of what he’s doing.”

“Humbling and exciting.”

“With everything that’s happened, it really shows that what Satan meant for evil, God has used for good. Think about Lynn.”

He chuckled. “Now that was amazing.”

“Selling all her designer handbags and shoes?”

“Yep. A garage sale to end all garage sales—and so many others contributed. The news media did an incredible job of playing it up.”

“Rich’s idea was wonderful. Making that wooden jailhouse and charging people to be locked up in it, then charging their friends to get them out. The kids loved it.”

He entwined his fingers with hers. “God does good work.”

Sharee grinned. “They make a great couple. And dividing the money they made between our missions work and the homeless? I still can’t believe it.”

He pulled on one of her errant curls. “Here, I have something for you.”

“You do? What?”

He reached inside his carry-on and pulled out a plastic bag of soft peppermints. “You probably won’t find these in too many places in Indonesia.”

Sharee took the bag from her hand and bit her lip. He was too good to her. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

She snuggled against him. “What were you and Pedro talking about before we left?”

“All that he’s responsible for while we’re gone. Alan is going to have to depend on him.”

“He’s been sober a long time now.”

John gave a deep sigh. “I think he’s going to make it. Alan’s going to let him have the trailer that we lived in while our house was built.”

“Really?”

“As long as he stays sober and does the work at the church, he’ll have a free place to live and a paycheck. Then later, if he and Maria marry…”

“Wouldn’t that be good?”

“Yes. Marriage is great.” His eyes moved sideways to look at her. “If you can find a wife to obey you.”

She slugged his arm. “You mean if you can find a man who will love you as Christ loved the church and
gave
himself for it.”

“How about if he
gives
all the money in his savings?”

“Will you stop? It wasn’t all the money.”

“Almost.” But he grinned at her, no animosity in the words.

“Besides, didn’t I do what you said about the hitchhiking? I went right past Pedro that time and didn’t pick him up. That was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”

“I told him you might do that.”

She straightened. “You what?”

“I told him that I asked you not to pick up hitchhikers, including him. So he’d be ready.”

“You did?” Her voice rose. “And I pretended not to see him.”

John laughed then sobered. “Thank you for doing that.”

“I didn’t have any other choice.”

“Oh?”

“I’d given you my word.”

“But now you have bus tokens and the bags and even a bike in your car—for when we return.”

“I know.”

Her smile spread contentment throughout him. He settled back in the chair, pulled the fedora lower on his head, and put his head down. He felt relaxed enough to sleep. With the early hour, her curled warmth next to him, and the contentment—sleep was a viable option. It would be a luxury during their first few weeks. But they were on their way
together.

“You look like that guy from Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Sharee said.

He smiled but didn’t lift his head. Her whispered prayers were the last thing he heard before he drifted off to sleep.