Chapter 24
Kate slept more peacefully that night than she had in years, awakening refreshed and filled with a sense of anticipation. Even Jason had commented on how happy she seemed.
“Why do you say that?” she had asked him.
“Because you keep humming. And smiling, too. Makes you look kinda silly.”
Kate had laughed and sent him over to Mrs. Johnson’s, where he was to spend the day while she and Mark went back up to the lake to retrieve her SUV. Although Jason had wanted to come along, Mark had made a point of asking Kate if it would be possible for the two of them to go alone. It was the first time he had ever asked her to go anywhere without Jason, and her stomach filled with butterflies every time she thought of it. By the time Mark arrived to pick her up, it was mid-morning and Kate had spent almost an hour fussing over her clothes and hair and make-up. When she opened the front door and saw the approving look on his face, she knew the time spent had been well worth it.
“Pretty dress,” Mark said, stepping inside. “You look great in pink.”
“Thanks,” Kate answered, feeling her cheeks flush until she was sure they were the same color as her sundress. She was surprised and more than slightly disappointed when Mark didn’t kiss her.
“Well, are you ready?” he asked.
“Just let me grab my purse,” she answered.
“Oh, and be sure you have the keys to your SUV,” he called after her as she went to her room for her purse.
Kate had been so sure they would have a million things to say to each other, that the conversation would flow easily and naturally. Yet the drive up to the lake was strained, their conversation polite, even somewhat stilted, as if the closeness they had shared a couple of nights earlier had never existed. The silence that soon settled over them was not the comfortable silence of two friends who have learned to communicate without words, but rather a pregnant silence, begging to be interrupted.
“Well,” Mark said finally, his voice much too bright, “has your phone stopped ringing off the wall yet? Or have you still got it off the line?”
“Actually, I had put it back on yesterday afternoon, but took it off again when the evening paper came out,” she explained. “As soon as the story hit, the calls started back up, so I left it off the hook during the night so we could get some sleep.”
“And did you? Get some sleep, I mean?”
Kate nodded. “Yes. In fact, I didn’t wake up once all night. I feel so much better today than I did yesterday.”
“I’m glad.” Mark glanced down at her and smiled. His voice softened. “I was worried. Yesterday must have been a terrible day for you.”
“Not really,” Kate answered, relieved to sense their changing moods, as if they were slowly working their way back toward each other in spite of the unspoken words that had been hanging so heavily between them. “To tell you the truth, it was a wonderful day, Mark. Maybe the most wonderful day of my life.”
Mark’s eyebrows shot up questioningly, but he kept his eyes on the twisting road ahead. “I don’t think I understand,” he said.
Hesitantly, Kate reached out and laid her hand on Mark’s arm. It was warm and hard beneath her touch, and she could feel the tendons twitch as she watched his face for a smile. She didn’t have long to wait.
“I spent some time with my Father yesterday,” Kate said softly.
Mark’s eyes opened wide. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” he asked.
“Yes,” she answered. “My heavenly Father.”
The smile was back, not only on his lips but shining and sparkling in his deep blue eyes as he turned to look at her once again. “Oh, Kate,” he whispered. He opened his mouth as if to say more, then turned his face back to the road in front of them. But not before Kate saw tears beginning to form in his still-smiling eyes.
“I cried, too,” she said, squeezing his arm. “Buckets. But I can’t remember when I’ve been so happy, so...at peace. You know what I mean?”
Mark nodded and swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up, then down again quickly as Kate brushed a tear from his cheek. She knew they had bridged the gap that had been between them, and at that very moment she felt closer to Mark Thomas than she had ever felt to anyone—even Tony.
How can that be? she wondered. Tony was my husband. Mark isn’t, but...
And then she knew. It wasn’t simply that she and Mark loved each other—and she was certain they did, even though they had never actually said the words—but they also knew and loved the same God. They shared the same heavenly Father. It was a bond unlike any other she had ever known or imagined.
By the time they reached the cabin, Kate was leaning her head contentedly against Mark’s shoulder, the silence that surrounded them now a welcome comfort. Hand-in-hand, they made their way over to Kate’s SUV, Mark’s toolbox grasped tightly in his free hand.
“I’m afraid I’ll need both my hands to try and get this thing running,” Mark teased, looking down at her.
She was sure he would kiss her then, but instead he dropped her hand and turned toward the vehicle. In less than five minutes, the engine was humming once again.
“What was it?” Kate asked, wide-eyed. “How did you fix it so quickly?”
“Genius,” Mark replied, grinning. “Sheer genius.” Then he winked. “That and the fact that the only thing wrong with it was a loose coil wire. Pretty simple to fix, actually.”
Kate laughed. “For you, maybe. I wouldn’t know a loose coil wire if I tripped over one.” Her laugh died in her throat. “Mark, do you think he...?”
“Bob Phillips?” Mark nodded grimly, wiping his hands on an old rag, then replacing it in his toolbox. “I’m afraid so, Kate. He wanted to be sure you and Jason couldn’t get away.”
Kate shivered as the terrifying memories flooded her mind once again. What if Mark hadn’t arrived when he did? What if the gun had gone off while Mark and Bob Phillips were struggling? What if...?
Mark’s arm slipped around her shoulder and pulled her close. “Try not to think about it,” he whispered. “It’s over now. You and Jason are going to be all right. And as for Bob Phillips, all we can do at this point is pray for him. He needs to make his peace with God, too, you know.”
She nodded. Yes, she would pray for Bob Phillips. Safe and secure in her heavenly Father’s love, she could do that now. And Mark was right. It really was over—at last. The fear, the uncertainty, the lack of direction. She didn’t need to worry about those things anymore. God was in charge of her life now, and all she needed to do was relax and learn how to trust Him—one day at a time.
With Mark’s arm still around her shoulder, they walked toward the cabin and out onto the deck. The sun was directly overhead now, warming them as they gazed out over the pristine waters of Panquitch Lake where a few scattered fishing boats rocked gently in the soft midday breeze. Kate closed her eyes, breathing deeply of the cedar-scented mountain air, listening to the cheerful chirping of birds above her and the distant drone of a boat trolling on the lake below. Always, she had loved it here. Always, it had seemed breathtakingly beautiful. But never like this. It was as if the colors were brighter and sharper, the smells cleaner and fresher.
“I have something to ask you,” Mark whispered in her ear.
She jumped—not so much because he had startled her, but because she had felt her heart leap within her as he spoke. She hoped he couldn’t hear it pounding against her chest. She turned toward him.
“Kate,” he began, his face serious as he looked down into her eyes, “Stella just gave me her notice this week. I’m going to be needing someone to take her place. It’s just part-time, but I thought maybe you...”
His voice trailed off as Kate’s eyes opened wide and her face grew hot. A job! He was asking her if she wanted a job. How could she have been so stupid, to think that he was going to—
“You’re not interested?” he asked.
Her mouth opened
, but the words just wouldn’t come out. What if she tried to talk but ended up crying instead? She took a deep breath, then another and another. She knew she had to say something soon.
“I...I’ll have to think about it,” she said. “It’s...it’s rather sudden, and...”
“Kate.” He pulled her close until their lips were almost touching. “Kate, I’m sorry. That’s not really what I wanted to ask you. I mean, it is, but...” He took a deep breath. “What I really want to know is...well... I know we haven’t known each other very long, but…I believe God brought us together, and…well, will you...marry me?”
Even the sounds of the birds and the trolling fishing boats faded from her consciousness as Kate stared, transfixed, into Mark’s love-filled blue eyes. Neither of them spoke. Then, slowly, Kate reached up and pressed her lips against Mark’s. “Yes,” she whispered, as they kissed again and again. “Yes…yes…yes.”
“With great mercies I will gather you.”
Kate nestled her head against Mark’s chest, listening to his heartbeat as he buried his face in her hair.
“I love you, Kate,” he murmured.
She smiled. She was sure she could hear their heavenly Father whispering to her heart, “And so do I.”
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