Slowly, tentatively his fingers traced her lips, though his hands ached to travel on.
Her gaze locked on his as her smile brightened.
A cheery wren sang in an overhead tree serenading them with the music of lovers. He needed Joella. Wanted to kiss her. Touch her. He rolled toward her and nuzzled her neck. Her scent filled his nostrils and drove every coherent thought away. Whispering in her ear came naturally. "I … I want you to know…"
How could he tell her how he felt or even the truth about himself? He slid his thumb down her cheek. His other hand inched along her smooth arm. This wasn't the time for talk. He sank closer until no room remained between them.
Joella's arms slipped around his neck. Her fingers ran through his hair. Electricity zinged down his spine. He'd never been with a woman like this—so close. But his desire for Joella dissolved his clumsy advances.
What was he doing? As if possessing a mind of its own, one hand slid toward her soft curves, and he became lost in her embrace.
"JD?"
A gentle push to his shoulder started an alarm in his head. He sat up and turned away from her. "Forgive me, Joella." He shook his head. "No excuse for this. I respect you too much to compromise your values." She'd hinted about having a relationship in college, but her life had changed now. He couldn't cause her to violate her new resolve.
He'd come close to the unacceptable. How could he forget his home and a lifetime of church training? He twisted a blade of grass through his fingers.
A furrow lined Joella's smooth forehead. She lifted up and tossed a strand of hair out of her face. "No, I'm sorry, too. I encouraged you." She traced a circle in the grass. "I'm responsible to God for what I do."
He shifted and caught her gaze. "This isn't a good reason for getting carried away, but I have strong feelings for you. They're more than just being attracted to you or seeking your friendship." JD wiped away a stray tear on her cheek. He hadn't planned to tell her, but he couldn't take the words back now. "If we ever come up here again, it'll be to have a bike race. No more stopping in secluded meadows."
*****
Joella sat up and rubbed her eyes, tired of tossing this way and that. She threw the sheet back and dangled her legs off the side of the bed. Stretching her arms out in front, she stood and wigged her toes into her house shoes. Sleep eluded her though the sun barely peeped in through the window. She could've stayed in bed a little longer. Church wasn't for two more hours yet. The warbler's song in the willow tree outside did nothing to cheer her troubled emotions.
The trip to Upper Ormond had been incredible … the weather perfect. She'd sailed away on her bike and abandoned her problems, deserted them and the city, only to go back at the end of the day with another concern.
Thoughts of she and JD in the remote grassy knoll replayed in her mind. Their affection for each other had gone too far. What would've happened if they weren't Christians?
JD valued her enough to stop when she resisted him. He hadn't pressured her for more, thank goodness.
She held a lot of responsibility in yesterday's happening, returning his advances with passion. Encouraging every move he made. Worse, she didn't want to stop. If she hadn't pushed back from his embrace when she did.
Her knees touched the soft carpet. "Lord, you are more important to me than anything. Your word is clear about our actions before marriage. I'm sorry for my part. Please help me be obedient to Your will."
Joella rose from her bedside and paced to the dresser. Her brush caught in her tousled hair, and she pulled it through the tangle harder than she intended. The memory of reckless college days nagged again. Thank God for His forgiveness.
Was she still so immature she'd fall back into that trap? No. She'd learned from those drinking days. After she rededicated herself to Christ, He'd provided a way for her to go on.
The bristles caressed her hair more gently this time. Why had it taken her so long to listen when her old college buddy, Dave Reyes, tried to convince her of God's will? Only then did her life turn around. She smiled. He'd always wanted to be a pastor. He'd make a good one, too. Now he'd snagged the job working with the youth.
The minty taste of toothpaste freshened her mouth. Once again thoughts of JD filled her mind. She'd finally found someone who shared her convictions of right and wrong. Any other guy would've persisted or become. angry.
Had she fallen in love with JD? He said he cared for her, more than a friend. Did he love her? As questions tumbled into her thoughts, the important point surfaced. If he did love her, would he propose? Did she want him to?
JD held high moral values. He prayed and attended church, the qualities she wanted in a Christian husband.
She rinsed her mouth and glanced at the woman in her bathroom mirror. She hungered for his kiss and tender embrace. If the day ever came, she'd be proud to call him her husband. She wanted the passion he undoubtedly longed to share with her … but saved for marriage.
*****
The line to shake Dave's hand would probably never get any shorter. Patience, Joella. She grabbed a cookie from the serving table and sat down at one of the long tables in the fellowship hall closest to the new youth pastor.
Finally, the last of the adults left and headed for the refreshment table. A group of teens crowded around. Did they know how blessed they were to have someone like Dave shepherd them?
He stepped to one side away from the kids. "Joella, how ya doing?"
She lifted up from the bench. "Fine. I wanted to tell you how much your message meant to me today." They stood eye to eye, her height the same as his.
He winked. "Thank you, my friend. And I'd appreciate your prayers. God's given me a huge job here." A trace of Hispanic accent added to his personality.
"You've got it. Say, Dave. A few years after we graduated, we lost touch. Did you leave El Camino? I've been meaning to ask you."
"Yeah. I moved back to Los Angeles and worked with my dad in his produce business. Then I felt the Lord calling me to be a pastor. I finished seminary last year and here I am." He raised his palms.
"Well, if you need chaperones or volunteers, I'd be happy to help out." Maybe she could prevent someone else from walking away from the Lord as she had.
"I appreciate that." His face brightened. "I've got an event coming up. How do I reach you?"
The front compartment of her purse contained her business information. "Here you go."
"Great." Dave lifted a card out of his pocket with New Life Fellowship printed on one side.
Joella smiled and slipped it in her purse. "It's so good to see you again. I wish you well with your teenagers."
He gave her a friendly smile. "Take care, Joella. We'll get together soon."
Dave's young flock descended on him again after she waved good-bye.
As she trekked down the hall to the foyer, regret sliced through her heart. Maybe if she'd paid attention to her youth pastor in her last year of high school …
Chapter Thirteen
The smoky aroma of charcoaled wieners emanating from Crazy Dog's stand in front of the library floated past Joella's nose and her stomach growled. Sitting for two hours in her nine o'clock class hurled hunger pangs to her stomach. One more month and she wouldn't have to wake up early on Saturday mornings and head to campus.
The multicolored umbrella attached to a three-wheeled cart shaded the young college man behind the counter. Bottles of mustard, relish, and catsup sat on the shelf. A pan of steaming water on a hotplate powered by propane heated wieners and sausages.
"One dog with mustard, please."
"Here you go." He handed her a wiener in a bun on a napkin. "Want a drink or candy bar with that?"
"Sure, a small coke."
"That'll be four bucks."
As Joella handed the hotdog guy four one-dollar bills, he widened his eyes and grinned. What was he smiling about?
A soft stream of air tickled her neck.
She whirled around.
With his l
ips in a pucker, JD peered up to the sky whistling some tune. As if surprised, he dropped his gaze to her. "Oh, hello there, Joella. How ya doing?"
"Well, hello to you, too."
JD, in jeans and a light blue tee shirt that complimented his eyes, set her pulse spinning. A suit gave him a professional appearance, but this casual look took her breath away.
With a lopsided grin and a teasing glint, he winked at her. "Where's my hotdog?"
She lifted the sandwich toward him. "Have some."
He chomped off half in one bite.
"Whoa. You must be starved." Joella laughed.
JD chewed and swallowed the bite he'd taken. "Yeah, my business seminar requires a lot of brain power. Makes a guy hungry."
Hotdog man waved at a girl in the crosswalk heading their way.
"Why are you torturing yourself with a Saturday class, anyway?"
"I need it so I can renew my CPA license. Otherwise I wouldn't get up early on my only day off."
His only day off? That's right, he probably meant church would take up the whole day on Sundays. "Hey, you ate most of my hotdog."
"So I did." He gave her an easy tap on her shoulder. "I'll get you another one." He stepped up to the cart.
When a chirp sounded, he retrieved his phone from his jeans pocket and raised an index finger. "Hello. Yes, Mom." JD grabbed his forehead and blew out a stream of air in a whistle. "Yes. Yes. I understand." His eyes were as round as his open mouth. "Don't worry." He paced a few steps toward the library and back. "Mom, it's going to be okay. I'll head out now."
A deep groove creased his brow as he shoved his cell phone back in his jeans. "There's a problem with my brother. Come with me? I'll explain in the truck."
Joella clasped her hand over her heart. JD appeared as worried as the time he'd rescued his sister when her car broke down. "Of course."
The half-eaten hotdog and coke landed in a trashcan next to the stand. She couldn't eat now. Not with JD so upset.
He grabbed her hand and raced in the direction of the west parking lot near the stadium. "Mom said my little brother Tannon is lost up in the mountains."
Joella gasped. "Oh no. What was he doing there?"
"He went on a hike with his scout group. He's been missing for over an hour." JD firmed his lips in a tight line. Had she imagined his voice broke?
Joella jogged to stay up with his easy tug and long strides. Was his brother hurt?
JD's Ram sat three spaces down from the entrance to the lot. Joella ran to the passenger side as he hopped behind the wheel. She'd barely got the seatbelt buckled before he sped onto the main road leaving campus.
"Tannon's scout group is earning a hiking badge about twenty miles from here in the Sierra Nogales Mountains." He cleared his throat as he gripped the wheel. "The scoutmaster called Dad from the Summit Campground when he discovered Tannon missing. He and Mom took off and asked me to join the search party." JD squared his jaw. "I'm really worried, but I didn't want to tell Mom."
Joella took his free hand and squeezed it, and then bowed her head. "Dear Lord Jesus …" Her whispered pleas to the Lord in heaven always comforted her. Perhaps her prayer would calm him, too.
JD cast a quick look in her direction and glanced back to the road. "Would you help with the search?"
"You know I will." Joella's heart ached for this man. She could understand how he felt. Despite the differences with her sister, if anything ever happened to Tammy, Joella would be devastated.
JD released a heavy sigh. His tires squealed when he rounded a corner a little too fast. "I don't understand." He huffed. "What could've happened? How could Tannon just disappear?" JD scrubbed a hand over his mouth as he sailed through a yellow light.
The road northeast of El Camino past Ormond Park led to a state highway. After about fifteen miles, a sign pointed to Summit Campground. They wound around the dirt road for the last three miles.
JD's voice broke the silence. "Thank you for … praying back there. We'll find him. We've got to."
*****
Prayer. It didn't change anything, but if it made her feel better, why not? He had to admit. For some odd reason, it improved his state of mind.
JD pulled in a deep breath, filling his lungs with necessary air. If anyone could find Tannon, they stood a good chance. He'd trekked through these woods dozens of times in college.
Lofty evergreens bordered the narrow road to Summit Campground. He curved around to the pavilion and parking area. The paved lot held several other vehicles.
He turned off the ignition, pushed the door open, and raced toward the crowd that had gathered at the pavilion, unable to remain in his truck another second. When he heard Joella keeping pace behind him, he glanced back and caught her hand.
Next to a picnic table, a group of boys in tan shirts and olive green hiking shorts, a guy dressed in a similar uniform, and Mom and Dad huddled together. The group glanced up as he rushed toward them.
Dad wrinkled his brow and glared at Joella. "JD. I'm glad you came, son."
As if he'd received an electric shock, he dropped Joella's hand. Dad's critical stare knocked a dent in his gut. "Mom. Dad. This is Joella, a … friend from NCU." The words came out in a stutter, but not before a gulp threatened to obliterate them. If his parents believed she meant more than a friend, he'd be in big trouble.
Mom extended her hand to Joella. "Hello, dear. Thank you for coming." She brushed away a tear and sank down on the table's bench.
Joella shook Mom's hand and reached toward Dad. "Nice to meet you both. I'm sorry it's under these circumstances."
With a slight nod, Dad turned his back to Joella. "Get on with the story, Jake."
A blond man in his early twenties paced in front of them. "Yeah, as I was saying, I took the boys to the trailhead over there." He pointed to a break in the trees. "About a mile and a half down, there's a pool formed by glacial run-off. We hiked along the path and took pictures, but Burt Jamison had a stomach issue and started throwing up. Todd, my assistant leader, had to bring him back to the pavilion." Bending down, Jake grabbed his knees, took a deep breath, and straightened. "They left with our parent volunteer to get Burt to a doctor."
Jake clenched his teeth. "We started back and arrived at the halfway point where those large boulders line the trail. I looked around to check on the boys. There were fifteen instead of sixteen." He squeezed his eyes closed and opened them again. "Tannon wasn't there."
Dad lifted a shaking hand. "Did any of the boys see or hear anything?"
Jake swiped his cheek. "No. Tannon was last in line and seemed to vanish. My cell phone had no reception, so I couldn't call for help. I didn't know what to do next." Jake gulped. "I told the boys to sit down on the trail and asked James Renfrew, a fifteen-year-old, to take charge."
The scout leader blinked rapidly a couple of times. "I … I searched for an hour and found nothing." He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I decided to lead the boys back to the campground and call for help. Thankfully, my cell worked here at the Summit Headquarters. I called you, Mr. Neilson, as well as the scout office. The secretary is notifying the Fire Department Rescue Service." Jake rubbed his forehead, continuing to pace.
"Looks like we made it here before them," JD said. "Jake, can you give me the exact location where you turned around to check on the boys?"
"I'll do better than that, I'll show you." The scout master headed toward the trailhead.
"I'm going with you." Dad followed Jake tramping through the break in the trees.
Mom covered her face and cried. "I'll … I'll wait here."
JD had never seen his mother so emotional. But then, if he allowed himself, he could've cried along with her. If anything ever happened to his brother… He kissed Mom's cheek. "We'll be back soon. Try not to worry."
She looked up with glistening eyes and nodded.
Joella patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, ma'am. We're praying for him."
Pray. Is that all she did? Getting on the trai
l and finding Tannon was the answer. But Joella meant well. He dropped his chin gazing at the hard packed dirt.
"Thank … thank you." Mom grasped Joella's arm.
They were wasting time. "Come on, Joella." He grasped her hand, turned back to glance at Mom, and dropped it—his natural response out of place here.
They followed Jake along the path until it took a slight decline down a rocky section. The scout leader halted and wheeled around. "This is it. I was here, and the last person in line stood about thirty feet that way when I discovered Tannon missing." He pointed to a stand of hemlocks growing among various sized boulders.
Dad's voice boomed. "Okay, from here, I'll search the north side of the trail to the glacial pool. JD, take the other side." Always in charge, Dad barked his orders not once acknowledging Joella. "Try to cover an area about fifty feet off the side of the trail unless it's too steep. Keep your eyes open for any sign of him." He stomped off, Jake at his heels.
JD focused on the forest floor and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Equipped with his father's orders, he'd carry on. "Okay, Dad. We'll find him." He cleared his throat. "Come with me, Joella."
She had a chance now to see his dad in action. And she'd no doubt guessed JD's response—intimidation. He rubbed his neck.
Her light touch on his arm drew him back from his thoughts. "We can do this. God will help us."
He allowed his gaze to linger on her face. Though he doubted God had anything to do with finding Tannon, her encouragement unwound the tight coil in his stomach. Having her by his side comforted him.
Dad's voice rumbled somewhere in the woods to the north though JD couldn't see him or Jake. The trail got steeper, and the glacial lake became visible in the distance.
Joella tramped along next to him. "Tan-non!" Her voice echoed off a mountain range to the south.
Reality took a bite out of JD's gut. At that moment in time, no one knew his brother's whereabouts except Tannon himself, and he might be unconscious somewhere. Maybe he'd been injured and in danger from a wild animal. The thought sent an eerie chill down his spine.
Joella talked about praying. He'd do anything right now if it helped find Tannon. He grasped Joella's arm. Though it was foreign to him, he had a strange desire to pray to Joella's God. He could ask her to pray, but he needed to do this himself. Surely Exalted Father wouldn't mind. "I … I'd like to pray."