Where She Belongs (18 page)

S
helby entered the brightly lit sanctuary and slid into the pew next to Cassie and Jason. The stained glass windows lining both sides of the wide space dated the building of the church to the early 1900s. But the furnishings had been replaced since she attended here with her grandparents. The cushioned seats, upholstered in a tasteful navy blue, were much more comfortable than the hard narrow pews of her childhood.

She stood to sing the opening song when someone tapped her shoulder. AJ, wearing khaki dress pants and a sage green Oxford shirt, stood beside her.

“Mind if I sit with you?” he whispered.

She scooted over to make room for him. “When did you get back?”

“Last night.”

“Is everything okay?”

A shadow crossed his face but was quickly dispelled by a smile. “We'll see.”

She returned his smile, and they both joined in the singing. Throughout the remainder of the service, she struggled to concentrate her thoughts on worship. But her mind strayed too often to the man beside her.

After Lila's veterinarian appointment yesterday morning, she'd left a message on AJ's cell phone, but he hadn't returned her call. She'd been annoyed when he answered Brett's phone call but regretted her sour feelings as soon as she heard about the hospitalized child.

But she couldn't figure out why it had been such a big secret—or why he'd asked her to pray for him instead of the boy.

At least he was home now. Perhaps he'd know what to do about Amy's obsession to take Misty Willow. She glanced at his hand. The skin was still broken in places, and she suddenly longed to entwine her fingers with his.

Could Brett possibly be right? Was she attracted to AJ? And did he have feelings for her? As they took their seats, her shoulder brushed his. She folded her hands primly on top of her Bible, but the tingling sensation lingered.

Brett had overwhelmed her with his too-good-to-be-true handsome charm. But it was AJ, with his casual good looks and direct demeanor, who haunted her dreams and tugged at her heart.

She impulsively scribbled
Lunch?
on her bulletin and poked him with her elbow. He took it, wrote something, and handed it back.

Rain check?

Swallowing her disappointment, she smiled and nodded. He squeezed her hand but too quickly let go.

Maybe Brett didn't know as much as he thought he did.

The minister gave the Scripture passage, and she opened her Bible to Psalm 18.

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me,” he read. “He drew me out of deep waters.”

Shelby closed her Bible as the next two verses were read. She didn't need to see the words to know what came next. Blue ink underlined verse 19, perhaps the first verse she had hidden in her heart, not because of a Sunday school assignment or for a Vacation Bible School contest but by her own choice.

A verse that meant something personal. She closed her eyes and inwardly recited the words with the minister.

“He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.”

AJ stirred beside her. “That was one of Gran's favorites,” he whispered.

I know
.

Flashing a smile at him, she hugged the memory close to her heart. Fourteen years ago, beneath the willow, her angel—AJ's grandmother—had given her Psalm 18:19 as a special promise. After quoting the verse, she'd said, “God delights in you, darling girl. He will take away your heartache and bring you into a spacious place where all will be well.”

Shelby had believed her. At first, she thought to find her spacious place on the mission field with her parents. But if God had tried to give his gift to her there, she'd been too angry to accept it. What she wanted—all she ever wanted—was the farm. Her legacy.

With maturity had come the realization that the verse probably didn't mean a literal place, but she couldn't give up her deep-rooted belief that God meant for her to return to Misty Willow. The spacious place of the verse and the fields of the farm intermingled in her dreams until it was impossible to separate them.

And yet . . .

She tried to squeeze her mind shut, not wanting to acknowledge any smudges on the dreams she'd nurtured for so long. But a speck slipped through.

The dream was no longer enough. Not without someone to share it.

Perhaps God meant much more by “a spacious place” than she ever wanted to accept.

AJ and Cassie stood, and after a moment's confusion Shelby stood too. Lost in thought, she hadn't realized the sermon had ended. AJ gave her a quizzical look, and she ached to lose herself in the depth of his eyes.

The first notes of the familiar invitation song resounded through the sanctuary. Shelby sang with the others, but her thoughts returned to Psalm 18:19.

Heaven, the ultimate spacious place, lay in her future.

But what about now? If Misty Willow wasn't her spacious place, where was it? Was she never to know the peace of fully living within God's promise?

She bowed her head for the closing prayer and wordlessly gave her questions to God. Only he knew the answers.

When the prayer ended, she whispered
amen
and slowly opened her eyes.

AJ brushed her arm with his fingers. “You okay?”

“Yeah.”

He leaned on the back of the pew in front of them. “How's Lila?”

“Fine. The bandage seems to keep her from playing too hard.”

“That's good. I'm sorry for all the trouble.”

“She's a delight. The girls love her.”

“What about you?”

“I'll miss her when she goes home. If you'd like, we can keep her a few more days.”

“I'm afraid if I don't take her now, I may never get her back.”

She tilted her head and gave him a teasing smile. “Possession is 99 percent and all that.”

He lowered his voice to an evil growl. “I know where you live.”

“But not all my hiding places. The farm used to be part of the Underground Railroad, you know.”

“I knew your ancestors were part of it, but you never said anything about hiding places.”

“There had to be hiding places. How else could they help the runaways escape detection?”

“Did it matter this far north?”

“Apparently.”

“And there are still hiding places on the farm?”

“There's a secret room in the house.”

“I want to see it.”

She laughed at his eager boyishness. “I'll show it to you sometime when the girls aren't around. I'd rather they not know about it till they're older. It could be dangerous.”

“It's a deal.” He checked his watch and retrieved his Bible from the pew. “About Lila. Today may be a little crazy. I have to drive up to Columbus, and I'm not sure when I'll get back.”

“Is the little boy going to be all right?”

“I'm praying he will be.” Wrinkles creased his forehead. “How did you know about Jonah?”

“Brett was at my house when he called you. I heard most of the conversation.”

His face darkened. “What was he doing there?”

“I think he came to apologize. He never quite did that, but he tilled the plot for Nanna's memorial garden.”

“You're kidding, right?”

“No, he really did. Of course, he saw Lila, and then he asked where you were. I told him I was worried about you, so he called.”

“That explains it.”

“Explains what?”

“Why he didn't give me a hard time about the favor I asked him.” He started to move into the side aisle, then stopped and faced her. “You were worried about me?”

“A little.” She stepped past him in the narrow space. “I need to pick up Tabby from her class. The teachers get annoyed when parents dawdle too much.”

“Do you mind if I pick up Lila later this evening?”

“As long as it's not too late, sure.”

“Maybe we could talk then.”

Her heart quickened. “I'd like that.”

“Great. I'll see you later.” He weaved through the crowd, stopping frequently to shake a hand or give a pat on the shoulder. When a group of teens surrounded him, his heartwarming laugh echoed back to her.

The scene reminded her of Grandpa after a church service. He was so well-liked and respected, it seemed everyone had something to tell him before he could leave the building. His car was often one of the last ones in the parking lot. Nanna never minded how much time he took discussing the mission budget or a crop yield. “Find you a man like that,” she had advised. “A man you don't mind waiting for. Just make sure he doesn't mind waiting for you either.”

Advice she should have heeded.

When AJ reached the sanctuary door, he turned and caught her watching him. A surprised smile brightened his features, and he lifted his hand in farewell. She returned the wave before he disappeared into the foyer.

Heading toward Tabby's classroom, she took a couple calming breaths. A long afternoon stretched ahead of her.

An afternoon waiting for a man worth waiting for.

Shortly after noon, AJ caught up with Meghan outside Jonah's room at the Central Ohio Children's Hospital.

“How was the ride?” AJ asked.

“Jonah would have loved it if he'd been awake,” Meghan said. “But it made my stomach queasy.”

“If there's a next time, I'll go with him.”

“Agreed.” Her smile faded, and she wrapped her arms around her chest. “I hope there won't be a next time, though.”

“I don't think there will be,” Dr. Nesmith said as he approached them. “My plan is to keep Jonah here until he can walk out the front door.”

“That sounds great, Doctor.” AJ offered his hand. “This is Meghan Jensen, Jonah's mom.” He waited for her to correct him, to say she was Meghan McCurry now. But she didn't. Perhaps she thought it would be easier to keep things straight since Jonah's last name was Jensen.

“Thank you so much for all you've done,” she said.

“Glad to do a favor for a friend. I don't see much of Brett now that I'm an old married man.” Dr. Nesmith grinned at his own joke.

“Brett?” Meghan shot a glare at AJ.

“My cousin. You met him at my grandparents' house.” Dated him a couple of times too. The old jealousy reared but quickly subsided. This ancient history wasn't interesting enough to dig up. Let it stay buried in the past where it belonged. “He connected me with Dr. Nesmith.”

“I remember him.” She sounded troubled. “I just didn't know he knew about all this.”

“He doesn't. I didn't give him any names. Just asked for a favor.”

She nodded, looked away, and rubbed her arms again.

“Why don't we go inside?” Dr. Nesmith gestured toward the open door of Jonah's room.

AJ followed Meghan, and they gathered around Jonah's bed. He lay silently beneath the blanket, his head pressed against the pillow. The monitors hummed softly.

“I'll be Jonah's pediatrician for the time he's here,” the doctor explained. “We've already assembled a team, and they're meeting this afternoon to go over everything and form a preliminary plan.” He picked up Jonah's hand and felt for his pulse. “The trip may have been a little stressful for him, so we'll prioritize what's needed today.”

“Is he going to be all right?” Meghan asked hesitantly.

“I wish I could give you a definite answer,” Dr. Nesmith said. “But it's too soon to say. We're going to do our best, though. I can promise you that.”

“Hopefully your best and our prayers will bring him out of this,” AJ said.

“Prayer can work wonders. I've seen it happen often enough.” The doctor tapped on his iPad for a few moments. “Any questions I can answer?”

AJ glanced at Meghan, and she shook her head.

“If you think of anything, just let me know. I'll be back later.”

After he left, AJ clasped his hands behind his neck and worked out the kinks between his shoulders.

“What do we do now?” Meghan asked.

“Did you have lunch?”

“A sandwich. I'm not very hungry.”

“He's going to be all right.”

“How can you be so sure?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “Because I haven't taken him to an OSU game yet.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Buckeyes. College football. The tuba player dotting the
i
in Ohio.”

“You want to take him to a game?”

“Sure I do. He's my son.”

She turned away from him and walked toward the window. “I'm glad you showed up when you did, AJ. But you're going a little fast for me.”

“I'm not trying to rush anything. But we'll have to work something out. Eventually.”

Still facing the window, she shrugged. “I suppose.”

“No supposing, Meghan. You can't take him away from me again.”