The Reluctant Bride (14 page)

Micah watched him get into his car and drive away. What had she expected would happen? Nothing had changed. Nothing would change that could make a difference until one of them stopped loving. And, maybe, Rob already had. She held her arms to her stomach, rubbing them to fight off the chill of another parting.

She sat down on the top step leading from the porch and prayed for Rob. “He's angry, he will probably drive too fast and the sky looks so stormy. Please let him make it home safely, Lord. He shouldn't have come up here. If Carole would only mind her own business and keep her nose out of mine….” Dusk was settling in with darkness not far behind, and the storm clouds created an eerie, lonely atmosphere…as if anything could make her feel lonelier than she always felt when she was no longer with Rob. After losing track of time, she finally stood up and went back inside the cabin. Her painting of the country church seemed to demand her attention. The sign she'd added to the lawn needed
the name ‘Pinewood’ painted on it, but she had decided not to do so until everything else was completed. That could be the finishing touch to the piece of art that had easily become her favorite.

So, pushing other thoughts aside, she concentrated for a short time on the steeple and the various shades of gray she was experimenting with. Gray. An appropriate choice, she thought, considering her mood.

She stretched out on the couch later and switched off the lamp. Nestling down into the warmth of the soft afghan, she slept peacefully until a sharp noise awakened her. Thunder. Loud and rumbling. And flashes of lightning.

“Rain,” Micah mumbled, thinking, of her car windows. She wondered if she'd shut them. And if she'd left any of her paintings on the seat. Micah bolted from the couch and ran to the front door and out into the torrential downpour that hit at the same moment her hand yanked open the driver's door of the station wagon. She closed the only window she'd left open and turned to run back through the rain to the cabin when another crack of lightning startled her. She lost her footing on the wood steps leading to the porch and went down, hitting her head against the stairs. Pain shot through her, and then…nothing. Nothing but darkness.

M
icah opened her eyes. Shades of green surrounded her. Bedspread, carpeting, drapes. Pulling the covers up close to her neck, she tried to remember, but a pounding headache dulled her thinking. The hospital…she'd been there but it hadn't looked like this. Micah recalled the warm water of a shower. She blinked and remained still, trying to piece together her memories of last night. Then, rolling over onto her side, she saw him. Rob sat, sleeping, in a chair in the corner of the room. He stirred from his uncomfortable position. His clothes rumpled and hair disheveled, she watched him slowly awaken.

“‘Morning,” he offered quietly as his eyes met hers, and, slowly, he stood up.

“Hi,” she responded in a soft voice. “Where are
we?” The pain in the side of her face startled her. She raised a hand to her temple.

“My apartment. I didn't want you at your place alone.”

“But you shouldn't have slept in that uncomfortable chair—”

“My bed was already taken.” One corner of his mouth turned up in a wry smile. “And you weren't so willing to let me leave the room last night,” he explained in a gentle tone.

“I'm sorry.”

“Don't be. There was no way I would have let you out of my sight anyway.”

Micah tried to smile, but the pain was too sharp.

“It probably feels worse than it looks,” he said and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Remember what happened?”

“I slipped and fell. I think the step was slick.”

“It was pouring, Micah. What were you doing outside in the rain?”

“I went out to close my car windows…I think. I must have hit my head against the porch floor when I fell, but I don't know what happened right after that. The next thing I can recall is being at the hospital.” She touched Rob's arm. “And you were there… but… how? Why?”

“I found you lying outside in the rain.”

“But you'd left. You said you didn't care anymore.”

Rob covered her hand with his own. “I had driven
about halfway home when I made a U-turn and headed back to the cabin. I do care, Micah. Telling you that I didn't was a lie. And I didn't want that to be the last thing said between us. Not after all we've had together.”

“Oh, Rob, I love you so,” she offered slowly and buried her face in his shoulder as he gathered her into his arms.

“I know you do,” he said quietly, his mouth moving warmly against her hair as he held her close. “I love you, too. More than I can say.”

Micah nodded her head, rubbing her aching temple against his cotton shirt. She moaned softly in response to the pain in her head.

“Your stitches,” he remarked, pulling slightly away from her. “Don't lean into me like that or your forehead will hurt even more than it already does.”

“How many stitches?” She hadn't even thought to look at her face yet. But, just then, she glanced up at the reflection in the large mirror above a dresser and saw the bluish-purplish mark across her forehead, temple and down the corner of one eye. “Oh…Rob. I look awful.”

“You look awfully good to me. Cuts heal—bruises fade.” He leaned near to tease her ear with a light kiss. “You have four stitches there at the top of your forehead. They took X rays at the hospital, and everything looked all right so you'll be fine in a few days. And you're staying here until I'm sure you're okay.”

“I can go home and take care of myself.”

“Nope,” he answered flatly. “I'll be here all day, and when I go into the office in the morning, Mom is coming over.”

“That's not necessary—”

“I'm the one who spoke with your doctor last night,” he interrupted in a gentle, but firm tone. “He agreed it's necessary, and also said you should just follow orders for a change.”

“That doesn't come naturally to me, you know,” she responded and watched his smile widen.

“Tell me about it,” he remarked with a laugh and squeezed her shoulder gently. “Your doctor said you should be checked on frequently for the next couple of days. So I am going to see to it that you are cared for properly—so don't argue about it. Want something to drink? Coffee? Juice?”

“Orange juice would be great.”

“Okay. I'll be back in a minute.”

Rob disappeared through the doorway as Micah inspected her injuries more closely in the nearby mirror. She raised a hand to touch the bruised area and winced at a new stab of pain.

“Feels pretty bad?” Rob asked when he returned with her drink.

She took the glass he offered. “Just the worst headache I've ever had in my life.”

“Take it easy today. I'll make some scrambled eggs if you want them.”

“No, thanks, I'm not hungry. Just tired.”

“Then rest. And don't worry about your paintings. Liz and Dan went up to the cabin after I called them from the hospital last night. They packed up your belongings, turned in the key and brought your car home.” Rob smiled. “Sometimes Dan's not such a bad brother-in-law after all.”

“But what an inconvenience for them, Rob. Driving all the way up there—”

“Liz owes me. I'm the best spur-of-the-moment baby-sitter she's ever found.” He looked toward her suitcase which was across the room. “They brought your things here, and Liz helped you shower and change clothes.”

Micah raised a hand to her throat. “My locket—”

“It's here,” Rob responded as he pulled the piece of jewelry from his pocket. He reached forward to put the delicate chain around her neck and fasten the clasp. “It came off in the emergency room, and one of the nurses gave it to me. She thought I was your husband,” he added. A silent sadness darkened his gaze when Micah glanced up at him, and he didn't give her a chance to respond. “Can you remember much about the hospital? We were there for hours.”

“I remember most of it now,” she said. “Thank you for taking care of everything….” she touched his hand “…for taking care of me.” Micah smiled when the warmth she had missed returned to his eyes.

He nodded. “You're welcome. You're also very stubborn, you know. You could have agreed to come
back home with me earlier and avoided all of this.” His fingers brushed the cheek on the uninjured side of her face in a reassuring touch. “And someone, other than you, needs to know how to reach your parents. What if your injuries would have been worse? I had no idea how to contact anyone in your family.”

Her dad. Micah sighed. That was the person from her past she longed for at times like this. And at more and more times, it seemed, as the days went by. But she shook her head. “The only call to make would be to Carole.”

The straight glance he gave her indicated his displeasure at her answer, but he gave no reply.

“Don't be angry.” The words rushed out before Micah was certain she wanted to say them. “Let's not lose any more time arguing over things we can't change.”

Rob studied the green gaze that viewed him with tenderness, and he leaned forward to kiss the crown of her head. “Okay,” he offered. “Now, you need some rest.”

“I am really tired, and I'm teaching tomorrow.”

“No, you're not. Liz has already talked to your supervisor, and they've arranged for a substitute for the next few days,” he explained as he walked toward the doorway.

“A sub needed to fill in for a sub. I'll bet they loved that dilemma.”

“It's not unheard of, you know. Sometimes subs
get sick, too…or, in your case, injured. Now, get some rest. I'll check on you later.”

Micah sank back into the pillow and closed her eyes as Rob shut the door. Sleep sounded good, and that's how she spent most of her day, off and on, except for joining Rob in the living room to eat dinner. Then, unbelievably exhausted, she returned to the bedroom and slept the night away, too.

It felt strange that next morning, being in Rob's apartment and not going to school. It was Monday, and Rob drank some coffee before leaving for the office. Micah poured a second cup and sat down in front of the television to watch the news. The school had given her several days off to recuperate, and she was sore enough to be grateful to sink into the couch and rest. Soon, Grace let herself into the apartment with a spare key Rob had provided. And she wasn't alone. Ashley, her kitten, had come along, too.

“Hi, dear. How are you feeling?” Grace called after letting herself and her pet in. “Sorry I didn't get here earlier, but that traffic was terrible.”

“Hi. You brought Ashley?” Micah leaned over to pick up the kitten when she winced as pain shot through her temple.

“Are you all right? Here, don't move around so quickly. You'll hurt yourself more.” Grace squeezed Micah's hand affectionately before handing the fluffy visitor to her. “I thought Ashley could stay here for a couple of days to keep you company. I brought everything she needs.”

“You don't think Rob will mind?” Micah asked with uncertainty.

“My goodness, no. He won't mind at all. My dear girl, I'm so sorry you were hurt,” she said suddenly and touched Micah's face. “Thank the good Lord for sending Rob back up there that night.” She gave Micah a gentle hug. “Of course, Rob won't admit that God had anything to do with it.”

Micah laughed softly. “That doesn't surprise you, does it?”

“Not at all. But I am hoping that he'll see God bringing something good out of something bad that happened. Your head will heal up nicely, I'm sure…and it has brought you and Rob back together.”

A bittersweet smile curved one corner of Micah's lips. “For a while,” she replied.

Grace sat down next to Micah on the couch. “I know I'm not supposed to meddle in the affairs of my children, but Rob mentioned your dislike for his work—”

“It's more than that. Honestly, it's more than you want to hear.”

“I doubt that, Micah. I'd listen to whatever you wanted to tell me, and I'll accept it if you don't want to tell me anything. But if his work is the biggest stumbling block, you should know that there are other possibilities—”

“No,” she interrupted as gently as she could. “Wanting me shouldn't cause him to give up something
he's worked very hard to have. I don't want him to become something different than he is because he fell in love with me.”

Grace's smile was warm. “People who touch our lives often change us.” She paused. “How could he not be different after loving you?”

Micah bit her lower lip so hard it throbbed. How could she ever find the words to let this woman know how much her kindness meant? “I love your son more than I've ever loved anyone. I don't want to hurt him, not in any way.”

Grace nodded her head with certainty and leaned forward to give Micah a hug just as Ashley started meowing. Loudly. And they both laughed at the squeaky noise.

“What's wrong, Ashley? Not getting enough attention?” Micah asked while rubbing the kitten under its chin.

“You two seem to have a mutual fondness for each other, so I thought she might brighten your days.” Grace stood up and headed for the kitchen. “I've brought sandwiches for lunch. I see you already have the coffee on.”

“Rob made it, actually. It's still hot.”

“Okay, I think I'll put these in the refrigerator.” She opened the door of the appliance. “I don't know why that son of mine doesn't starve to death. There's almost nothing in here. Milk, juice, butter, eggs….”

“He eats out a lot. But I know he cooks occasionally.
He made French toast one morning for Angela's kids, and he made supper for us last night.”

“And what did you have?” Grace asked.

“Scrambled eggs and toast.”

“Good. Sounds like he's taking pretty good care of you.”

Micah smiled. “I wasn't really hungry, anyway. Anything he made would have been fine with me.”

Grace shook her head. “You're much too agreeable. Now, let's see what I can start with,” Grace said as she searched through the sack of items she'd brought with her. “I'll make chili. I have everything I need with me, and it will give me something to do today while we're talking.”

And that's how the day went. They talked, laughed, cooked and baked since Grace had included the ingredients for oatmeal cookies in her bag of goodies. Micah's head still hurt although the pain was lessening, and by late afternoon she felt tired and returned to the bedroom for a nap. When she awakened some time later, Rob was home from the office and Grace had left, leaving Ashley behind.

“A cat,” Rob said quietly. “I guess I'd better buy a litter box tonight”

“We already have one. Your mom brought it and some cat food, too.”

“Accessories included, huh?” he remarked. “Mom is very thorough.”

“She cooked dinner for us. Homemade chili and
fresh oatmeal cookies, your favorite dessert according to her.”

“She's mistaken about that. She must have forgotten to include you in that category.” Rob clasped the soft hand Micah extended to him.

“Hmmm…apparently so,” she said with a light laugh. “I don't remember being mentioned in her list of possibilities.”

“That's because you're not part of any list. You
are
the list. Now and always.” A flash of regret clouded his expression as his mouth thinned into a grim line. Always would never be, and they shared that thought without words.

Micah's head ached more than it had all day, and it was nothing compared to the ache in her heart. But she nodded and attempted a smile. “Let's have dinner before it gets cold.”

Rob squeezed her hand gently and nodded. Together they walked hand in hand to the small table in the kitchen. “Looks good,” he commented while pulling out a chair for Micah.

“It is good. I've already tasted it. Your mother is a great cook.”

He nodded again but didn't respond. So Micah prayed for their meal and then reached for the iced tea. “How was your day?”

“Not good. I spent nearly two hours working out a separation agreement with a young couple who want out of their marriage.”

Micah studied the frown settling over his expression.
“You've handled lots of domestic cases. Why does this one bother you?”

“They've been married for only one year. One year, Micah, and they're calling it quits. Doesn't anybody try anymore?”

“Not everyone goes into marriage with the idea of permanence like Christians. And not all Christian marriages last, either.”

“But these two don't need to separate. All they need is some marriage counseling, some forgiveness, and, I don't know, maybe a church life.”