The Fiery Ring (36 page)

“And I don’t know any of them. Why did Dad separate himself from all of you? Do you know, Mr. Winslow?”

“Just Tom’s fine. He got into a little trouble when he was a young man. It was just foolishness, and most of it wasn’t his fault, but he always felt like an outcast, so he left. We all tried to talk him out of leaving, but he was hurt by what he had done to the family and couldn’t face us. I think it was a mistake. I always loved your father. We all did.”

“I wish we could have been closer.”

Tom Winslow answered, “That’s one reason why I came to meet you, Joy. We’re having a family reunion at my house right here in Springfield in two days. The circus will still be here. Could you come and meet your family?”

Joy smiled, and her heart seemed to grow warm. “If all the family’s like you, I would like it very much.”

“Then you’ll come?”

“Yes, I will.”

“Good, and I’ll make sure that the whole bunch comes to the circus to see the star of our family under the big top!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Two Women

As Chase pulled up in front of the large house set well back in an emerald yard shaded by huge oak trees, he said, “Well, looks like you’ve got some rich relatives.”

“I guess they must be,” Joy said nervously. “I really don’t know whether we should have come or not.”

Chase turned to stare at her. “Of course you should’ve come. They’re your family. Come on, let’s go on in.”

Heartened by Chase’s encouragement, Joy got out of the car, and the two of them walked up to the porch of the big house. It was a colonial-style brick house with dormers, white shutters, and four white columns in the front. When Chase rang the bell the door opened at once, and the tall redheaded man said, “Well, if it’s not my niece. Come in, Joy.”

Joy stepped inside and said, “This is Chase Hardin.”

“Oh yes, I know that!” Tom took Chase’s hand and shook it firmly. “We’re so glad you could come. Come on in. Your family is anxious to meet you.”

The next hour was almost like a kaleidoscope for Joy. She met Lanie Winslow Smith and her husband, Lobo, and was fascinated by both of them. Lobo wore a patch over one eye, but the other was a bright indigo. She discovered that he had been very close to being an outlaw in Oklahoma Territory but had turned honest and become a federal marshal after he married Lanie. Betsy Winslow Stone and her husband, Wesley, were there, along with their son, Heck. Joy was surprised to see Phil Winslow, a tall, fine-looking man with his beautiful
wife, Cara, and their three children, Brian, Kevin, and Paige. Phil said to Joy, “I’d love to paint you in your circus costume sometime—maybe in action with your big cats.”

“You should take him up on his offer, Joy,” Tom said. “He’s selling so many paintings, you’d be known everywhere!”

“I would love for you to pose for me, Joy,” Phil said.

“Well, I don’t know, Phil. The circus moves around constantly.”

“Well, so do we, but I’m sure we can work something out.”

Joy met many other Winslows there, including Barney and Andrew with their wives, all missionaries in Africa and home on leave for a month, and so many others that finally Tom said, “Your head must be swimming, Joy. Come on, we all want to hear about you.”

Joy found herself telling her story, leaving out much of it. They were all fascinated with the fact that she was a wild-cat tamer, and she was quick to say, “It’s Chase who’s the real tamer. I’m just a beginner.”

“Don’t believe a word of it,” Chase said. “She’s come further in a year than I came in five. She’s going to be the most famous of the Winslows.”

Later they gathered in the big dining room for dinner, and Tom Winslow asked the blessing. They enjoyed a fine meal, and when they were finished, Tom said, “We have a presentation for you, Joy.” He held up a finely bound leather book and said, “This is the journal of Gilbert Winslow, our family ancestor who first settled in America.” He ran his hands over the cover and shook his head. “We’ve had good Winslows and bad, but I’m hoping and believing that Gilbert sees from heaven that some of his family loved God almost as much as he did.” He walked over and gave the book to Joy and said, “God bless you. Welcome to the family.”

Joy took the book and felt her eyes grow misty. She murmured her thanks but could say little. Other members of the family then began to talk about their ancestors, and Joy was amazed at the variety of Winslows who had served God
and man. Some of them were judges, some were governors, three were senators, and several were college professors. All of them who spoke, however, stressed the fact that they all loved and served Jesus Christ.

****

“I’d like to talk to you alone for a moment, Tom,” Joy said after dinner.

Tom suggested they go to his study. “You’ve made a hit with the family, Joy. Everybody loves you.”

“It’s . . . it’s good to know I have a family. I’ve missed out on so much.”

“Yes, you have, but now that we know how to find you, it’ll be easier to keep in touch.” Being a good lawyer, Tom knew when to be silent, and now he waited for Joy to tell him what was on her mind.

“I haven’t told you everything about what happened to my parents. My uncle Albert—that’s my mother’s sister Opal’s husband—he cheated us out of everything. . . .”

Tom Winslow stood silently, his quick mind registering everything she said. When she finally finished, he asked, “So you believe he was dishonest about the sale of your dad’s place?”

“I know he was. As soon as the place was sold, he suddenly had a lot of money, and he bought a big new car. I know he robbed us of our inheritance. And they took all the furniture, and all of Mom and Dad’s and Dawn’s personal things are up in their attic, and they wouldn’t even let us have those things.”

“And you want me to help you with this?”

“Could you please, Uncle Tom?”

“Of course. I’ll see what I can do. I’ll have one of my assistants look into it, and then maybe I’ll make a little trip myself and see what can be done toward recovering your property.”

****

“. . . so Uncle Tom said he would look into it, and I think he’ll be able to get back what Albert stole from us.”

Chase listened as Joy spoke passionately. He could feel the bitterness in her spirit, and he knew she had never shaken off her unforgiving spirit toward Albert Tatum. “Well, I hope you can get your things back. I know it’s been bothering you for years.”

Finally they pulled up in front of the trailer that Joy now had to herself since Ella had married. She sat there a moment and continued to speak of the Winslows. “It’s so good to have a family, Chase. I used to feel that I didn’t have anybody.”

“Well, you have somebody now. Those Winslows—they’re wonderful people.”

As they sat there talking, Joy remembered what Dan had said to her months earlier about showing Chase how much she cared for him. Joy was actually more experienced in fighting men off than in enticing them, but she turned and touched Chase’s arm, saying, “Thank you, Chase, for going with me tonight.”

Chase was silent for a moment. Her touch and her soft voice were a sudden switch from her coldness toward him the last few months. She surprised him even more when she reached up and touched his cheek, whispering, “I’ll never forget all the help you’ve been to me.”

Chase saw the faint color staining Joy’s cheeks. Her signal was coming through clearly, like a melody on a calm day. He pulled her toward him, as a man reaches for something he might lose. She smiled up at him, and he felt desire for this woman flow through him. But it was not like his desire for Stella House—that was simply a strong physical attraction, and he did not feel right about it. He wondered now if what he felt for Joy was love. Maybe she did love him after all. That seemed to be the message coming through in her eyes. Yet she seemed hesitant to fully surrender to those feelings, and he did not want to push her.

As for Joy, she sat near him, wanting him in a way she had
wanted no other man. She longed to throw caution to the wind and tell him she loved him. Timidly at first, then with more courage, she reached up, put her arms around his neck, and whispered, “There’s nobody like you, Chase.”

Chase knew it was not easy for her to say those words, and it touched him deeply. Holding her in his arms, he kissed her, and over the lengthening moment he felt her surrender to him. Finally when she pulled away, she was silently crying, and he held her tightly with her head resting on his shoulder. He knew then that no other woman would ever stir him quite like this one. She was rich in a way a woman should be, and she was so much more complex than Stella. Stella was very attractive physically, but this girl was beautiful like a symphony that makes a man feel strong enough to whip the world.

“Joy,” he whispered, “you’re so sweet. You’re like a drink of water to a thirsty man.” He kissed her again and drew her closer, forgetful of his own strength. He held her so tightly it almost hurt her, but she did not draw back.

Joy did not understand all she was feeling at that moment, but she now admitted to herself that she was in love with Chase Hardin and she believed he was with her. She felt confident now that Stella was no longer a threat. She rested quietly in his arms and waited for him to say something, but he was silent. Finally she drew back and looked at him. His expression seemed troubled. “What is it, Chase?”

Clearing his throat, he said, “I . . . I think you’d better go inside.”

“Why? What’s the matter?” Joy’s heart started beating faster. She was afraid that maybe she’d read him wrong after all.
Did I just make an utter fool of myself?

Chase hesitated. “I . . . I’m just not the man you think I am, Joy. Please go in now.”

Her fear turned to hurt, which turned to anger. She stared at him in disbelief. Had the embrace meant nothing to him? She had exposed her soul in a way she had never done with
any other man, and all he could say was that she should go inside?

Without another word she got out of the car, slammed the door shut, and ran into her trailer. She threw herself down on the couch and fought back the tears. “He doesn’t care! He’s in love with that awful woman. He doesn’t care that I love him!”

****

Chase had borrowed Stella’s car to take Joy to the reunion. He needed to return the keys, but he didn’t want to see Stella. When he knocked on the door of her trailer, she answered immediately and said, “You’re late.”

Chase handed her the keys. She took them, but she could tell something was different about him. He seemed agitated . . . and she suspected it had something to do with Joy. She put her hand on his chest and held it there firmly. “We were everything to each other once. Don’t you remember?”

Chase looked down, unable to meet her eyes. “Yes,” he said, “I haven’t forgotten.”

“Then why are you fighting it? We had something very few people have. We can have it again. We can get married if that’s what you want, but I want you under any circumstances.”

Chase felt as though a tornado were rushing through his mind. He felt again the power that she had over him physically, and he said, “I can’t do that, Stella. I’m a Christian now, and we can’t do the things we used to do.”

Then she threw her arms around him and kissed him firmly. “You’ll never get me out of your system, Chase. You know that as well as I do.” She whispered huskily, “We were meant for each other. You can’t get away from me, and I can’t get away from you.”

****

Chicago welcomed Chase and Joy. They played to a full house at every performance, but that was not the best of it
for Joy. Travis, who was enrolled at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, was there for every performance, and the two of them spent every available moment together. Now as they sat in Joy’s trailer, she told him all about the Winslow family, saying, “I wish you had been there, Travis. You would have loved them.”

“Maybe there’ll be another reunion sometime that I can go to. I know we’ve got some preachers in the family. Quite a few.”

After discussing the preachers that Joy had heard about, she finally said, “I’ve got something else to tell you. It’s about Albert and the way he robbed us.”

Quickly Travis looked up. “What is it? I’d hoped you had forgotten that.”

“I’ll never forget it,” Joy said bitterly, “and I don’t see how you can.”

“It doesn’t do any good to hate people, and refusing to forgive, as I’ve told you before, is a bitter pill. You’re hurting yourself more than you are Albert.”

“Well, you listen to this. I talked to Tom Winslow, and he’s a fine lawyer. He’s real smart, and he’s going to try to help us.” She went on to tell him how she had asked Tom to look into the settlement of their parents’ estate, and she had said with a triumphant gleam in her eyes, “I hope he finds out what he needs to know to put Albert in jail. I’d like to see him rot there!”

Travis bit his lip. “I hate to hear you talking like this, sis. It’s not going to help any.”

The next day Travis talked to Chase and told him what Joy had said about Albert Tatum. “I hate to see her this way. A woman should be gentle,” Travis said.

“She is in everything except that.”

Travis had become very good at reading people, and he sensed something was bothering Chase. “What’s wrong with you, Chase?” he asked. “Are you not getting along with Joy?”

“No, I’m not. I’ve got to tell somebody this. It’s Stella.
Travis, I thought when a man became a Christian, he’d have an easier time of it, but it’s been worse for me.”

“Stella giving you a hard time? I saw that a long time ago. Everybody knows what she wants.”

“She says we were made for each other, that we couldn’t be happy apart, but you and I both know that’s not true. I don’t know why I’m still drawn to her. I hate myself for even thinking about her, but I feel like I’m losing the fight, Travis. What am I going to do?”

“Well, you remember Joseph? When Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him, he just ran out.”

“But I can’t do that. I can’t just leave the circus. What would happen to Joy if I did?”

Travis was glad that Chase was concerned for Joy’s welfare, and he said, “I’m glad that you know this feeling you have for Stella is just a physical thing. It’s no secret that men have trouble with that, but you’re going to win. I’m going to pray for you, and you’re going to pray for yourself, and both of us are going to pray for Joy. This hatred she has for Albert Tatum is an evil thing too. She’ll have to beat it, or it will destroy her.”