Nowhere to Run (17 page)

As the weeks passed, however, and no court case seemed to be pending, she began to wonder if she was being bamboozled.

Becky and Logan Malloy, and the congregation of Serenity Chapel, had found her a temporary place to live, helped her repair her car and given her a job working in the preschool. The more time Marie spent in the friendly Ozark town, the more she felt as if she truly belonged.

The hardest thing for her to deal with was the sense of loss she felt whenever she drove past the Serenity Repair garage. She hadn't seen Seth since that night in the woods, and the longer he was gone, the more worried she became in spite of Brother Logan's assurances that all was well and that Seth was planning to return.

She was at the church, straightening up the classroom, when suddenly the hair on the back of her neck prickled. She spun around. Her eyes widened. Her jaw gaped. There he was. Seth was back!

Her feet were temporarily rooted to the spot where she stood. It was the expectant, hopeful expression on Seth's handsome face that gave her enough incentive to move.

And move she did. By the time she'd crossed the room and reached him, she was running. Without hesitation she wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on for sheer joy.

Seth absorbed her momentum by swinging her in a circle, her feet off the ground. When he finally set her back down and stepped away, he was grinning broadly. “I think you're glad to see me.”

Marie playfully punched him in the shoulder. “Glad? I'll say I'm glad. But I'm mad, too. Why didn't you phone? You could have at least called me once or twice, you know.”

“I thought Brother Logan was keeping you posted.”

“Oh, sure.” Marie pulled a face. “He kept assuring me you were fine, but that wasn't the same as hearing your voice for myself.”

“You wanted to hear my voice?”

“Of course I did.”

“Why?”

That stopped her. “Well, I…”

As Seth gently took her hands and held them, Marie saw only him, heard only him, in spite of the other adults and children who were watching.

“I wanted to phone you,” he said. “But until I was free to tell you how I felt, I didn't think it was fair.”

“How you felt?”

“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “I realize we haven't known each other very long, but I think you and I have potential, Marie.”

“You do?” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she knew her hands would soon begin to tremble within his warm grasp because the butterflies in her stomach were already in full flight.

“Yes. I do. I don't expect you to feel the same way. Not so soon. But I would like you to consider the possibility.”

“The possibility of what, exactly, Seth?”

“Of us, as a couple. I can wait. Just as long as you don't leave town I figure I have a good chance to convince you that we belong together.”

She began to puzzle over his statement. Her brow knit. Her eyes narrowed while she studied him, looking for answers. “Wait a minute. Was I asked to stay in Serenity because I'm needed for a witness, or are you behind it all?”

“I may have asked Harlan to use his influence to encourage you to hang around Serenity a bit longer. Is that so bad? It wasn't malicious.”

“Oh? Then what was it?” The look on his handsome face was so appealing that Marie could hardly hold on to even a smidgen of her righteous anger.

“It was hopeful,” Seth said.

“Hopeful? How?” Whatever he was trying to say, she was losing patience. If he didn't quit beating around the bush soon, she was going to scream.

He shrugged and reached for her hand. “I was hoping, if you got used to us, you might decide that this was a great place to live. You know it's good for Patty. We have very little crime, good churches, great schools.” His grip on her fingers tightened to a gentle squeeze. “And
very
friendly mechanics. Next year, I'll even take you to the reunion the way I promised.”

“Next year? That's an awfully long time.”
Just say it. If you love me, say so, so I can tell you I love you in return.
“And I don't need a friendly mechanic anymore,” she added, growing more and more frustrated. “My car is fine.”

“Ah, but how's your heart?” Seth asked softly. “Personally, mine is a mess. It has been ever since you showed up here that first day, all frazzled and needy.”

“I'm not needy.”

“No, you're not. Not now. And that's a good thing, because now you're better able to make serious decisions. That's why I haven't called you or tried to hurry you, Marie. I want you to get to know me as a friend so you'll feel totally free to decide.”

“Decide
what?
” She wondered if he could feel her racing pulse through her fingertips.

“If you'll marry me,” Seth finally said.

Marie held her breath as his smile faded and his eyes began to glisten. There he stood, sweet and gentle as ever, asking her to be his wife and leaving her speechless.

This was not the romantic proposal she had always dreamed of. Seth was not the kind of husband she had envisioned, either. Still, she knew without a doubt that she did love him, both as a friend and more. Was that enough? Or had she been right in the past when she'd totally rejected the idea of Seth as a husband?

“I don't know what to say,” Marie whispered.

“At least you didn't turn me down flat.”

She had to blink to clear her own vision because tears of thankfulness and love were filling her eyes.

Slowly, deliberately, she cupped his cheek with her free hand and smiled. “Patty is going to never let me live this down.”

“Patty? Why?”

“Because she's been telling me for weeks that she's been praying we were going to stay in Serenity forever.”

“And?”

Marie's smile widened. “And that you were going to be her new daddy.”

“Am I?”

Marie slipped her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe to give him a quick, tender kiss before she said, “Yes. You certainly are. I love you, Seth. I always will.”

Amid applause and cheers from the others at the preschool, Marie gave Seth the best kiss of her life—and of his. So far.

T
he streets around the town square were festooned with colorful streamers, balloons and dozens of American flags. There was a small combo playing in the gazebo at the east end of the courthouse, while vendors in temporary booths hawked their wares to the happy reunion crowd milling around in the roped-off streets.

Marie took one of Seth's hands while Patty grasped the other. “Look, Daddy!” the child squealed, pointing. “Can I have a Sno-Kone?”

“After the turtle races,” Seth said.

Marie never ceased to be amazed at what a perfect family they had become. At times, she felt as if they had always been together, always loved one another, instead of having been strangers a scant year ago.

She followed her husband and child to a part of the street that had been designated for the famous races. The makeshift track was nothing more than a few boards nailed into a grid of parallel racing lanes. The whole contraption was barely eight feet from one end of each lane to the other.

Marie giggled. “That's it? That's all there is?”

Seth met her gaze with a wink. “Hey, that's a marathon for a tortoise. Just watch. You'll see.”

He maneuvered Patty into line, made sure she understood how to gently place the turtle in the proper lane when her turn came, then rejoined Marie. “Watch. And don't blink. It doesn't take long for each heat.”

“No wonder.” She was still laughing softly. “She's going to want to keep the turtle, you know.”

“I know. I've already explained that it needs to go back to its brothers and sisters in the woods after today.”

Blushing, Marie squeezed his hand. “That reminds me,” she whispered. “I've been meaning to mention something to you. I just never seemed to find the right time. This probably isn't it, either, but I can't keep this to myself one more minute.”

Seth slipped his arm around her shoulders and said. “What would the right time be to tell me Patty's going to have a little brother or sister?”

Marie startled. “You know? How? Surely, not by gossip. At least I hope not, or I'm never going to a local doctor again.”

He laughed and pulled her closer. “Nobody told me. I guessed. When you stopped eating a decent breakfast and kept nibbling on pretzels, I happened to ask Becky if she had noticed that you weren't acting right.”

“And she told you?”

“No. Actually, I'd looked up your symptoms on the computer and pretty much had it figured out already. She only confirmed my suspicions.”

“You and your computers. When are you going to learn that messing with those things just gets you into trouble?”

“Never,” Seth said. “I plan to keep doing anything I have to in order to take good care of my girls.” He nodded toward Patty. “Now watch, Mama. Our girl is about to have her turn.”

His dear, sincere words warmed Marie's heart so much she could hardly see through a mist of joy. There was no place she would rather be, no one with whom she would want to share her present and her future but the wonderful man standing beside her.

She was secretly glad she hadn't known ahead of time what she'd have to go through to bring her to this place in her life. The trials hadn't been easy. But she wouldn't change a thing. Not even if she could.

Dear Reader,

In this story, both Marie and Seth are hiding from their pasts. Neither is guilty of doing anything against the law, yet circumstances of their lives have brought them together for good—and for personal healing. Although there can be times when we don't see how any good can come from what is happening to us, we all need to remember that we're seeing only a small part of the whole picture. If we have turned our lives over to the Lord, He may be acting on our behalf even when we're positive everything is going wrong. It's nice to be able to look back and praise Him. I highly recommend it!

My prayer for all of you is that you will find happiness, fulfillment and contentment through a belief in Jesus Christ.

I love to hear from readers, by e-mail:

[email protected]

or at P.O. Box 13, Glencoe, AR, 72539.

I'll do my best to answer as soon as I can, and www.ValerieHansen.com will take you to my Web site.

Blessings,

1. When Marie found herself in an abusive relationship, she took her daughter and went to a women's shelter. Do you think she made the right decision? What would you have done in her place?
   
2. Marie made mistakes in her past, including not marrying the father of Patty, her daughter. Now that she is a Christian and has given her life to Jesus, should she be exempt from the consequences of her past mistakes? Why or why not?
   
3. Many people like to believe that there is good even in the worst villains. Do you think Roy finally understood right from wrong before he died? Was God giving him a second chance?
   
4. Though Seth lost his wife in a brutal crime, he seems willing to open his heart again to Marie. Do you think it's easy for him? Have you ever lost someone close to you and tried to start a new relationship? Discuss.
   
5. When Marie and Patty's car breaks down in Serenity, Patty notes that Marie does a lot of lying to Seth about who they are and where they're from. Was Marie justified in her lies? Are there exceptions in the Bible?
   
6. Seth is very close with his border collie, Babe. What do you think this says about his character? Is he trustworthy? Dependable? Stable? Discuss why these qualities would be very attractive to Marie after dealing with Roy.
   
7. Patty prays with the trust and certainty of a child. Have you ever wished you could be that sure that you're asking rightly? Have you ever prayed and then wanted to take it back?
   
8. When Marie learns that Seth has been keeping information from her, she doesn't trust him. Could her reaction be related to her turbulent past with her family and with Roy? Why or why not?
   
9. Both Marie and Seth are reluctant to trust law-enforcement officials. Wouldn't they have been better off to do so? Do their actions demonstrate that they also lack trust in God?
   
10. Like Marie, we are sometimes called on to defend ourselves. Do you think the Lord wanted Marie to remain in a place where her daughter could easily have been hurt—or worse?
    
11. The townspeople of Serenity open their hearts to Marie and her daughter, organizing a search when Patty goes missing. Have you ever been a part of a community like Serenity? Would you like to be? Why or why not?
    
12. At the end of the book, Marie must decide whether to stay and make a life in Serenity or move on. How does Serenity help her with that decision? How does Seth? Do you think she made the right decision?