Prelude: Prequel to The Lewis Legacy Series (32 page)

The conversation she’d heard from Gina and her friend came to mind again. “Go away. Not now,” she muttered under her breath. Something was niggling at her brain, but what? Snippets swirled in her mind, refusing to let go of their hold on her. Why now? Time to concentrate.

Sam decided to wait because he wanted to spend the money on Sarah instead.

That’s either love or suicide.

Why is he risking losing her by paying her way to leave town?

Shaking her head, Sarah stood her ground, aware Sam and everyone else watched.

“I’m aging up here, Miss Sarah. Come on! Hand over that pie and call it a day already.”

Suddenly, the truth hit her with sudden clarity. Of course! Sarah’s eyes widened and she stared at him. “It was
you
!” Stumbling back a couple of steps, she nearly dropped the ball. Putting a hand to her head, feeling dizzy, she was vaguely aware when Sam started to scramble down from his perch.

“Baby, are you okay?”

“Baby, baby,” a couple of the little girls chanted, giggling. Soon enough, the boys chimed in as Sarah held up one hand to stop Sam.

“No! Climb back up there, Captain Lewis.
Now
.” Her hand trembled, her voice shook. Inhaling a deep breath, she blew it out and bore holes into those blue eyes. “This time, you’re definitely going to get wet.”

Appearing skeptical, Sam obeyed as he climbed back onto the bench. Surprisingly, he didn’t taunt, didn’t tease. Matter of fact, he looked confused. Good. The man deserved to be confused.

Winding up, saying a prayer under her breath, Sarah drew upon every ounce of her skill and strength and hoped this one would do the job.

“It was you!” The ball flew out of her hand as if in slow motion. She watched, and everyone around her grew quiet. The bell dinged as the ball made contact with the bulls-eye. The bench separated and Sam tumbled into the water. The kids went wild, jumping up and down, laughing and high-fiving each other.

“You did it!” Miranda and Johnny said at the same time, hugging her in turn.

“Thank you,” Sarah said to the young mother holding her pie. She had half a mind to leave it, but she’d won it fair and square—at least she thought she had—but that was another thing to ponder later on.

Hearing Sam call to her, Sarah began to walk away, head held high and shoulders straight.

“Sarah, you forgot your prize!” he called from behind her.

She ignored him and kept on walking.

♥

Tess came into the bedroom and gestured to where Sarah sat on the bed. “May I?” When she nodded, Tess she sat down beside her. “Want to talk about it?”

Sarah drew up her knees and clasped her hands around them. “Not sure. I just need some time to absorb what happened.” Other than the creek, the bedroom was the one place where she could be alone. Tempted to cry, the tears wouldn’t come. She didn’t know what to feel.

Sam gave me the money for nursing school. It was him, Lord. I know it was.

“You scared Sam the way you yelled whatever it was and then stomped off. I’ve never seen a man scramble so fast.” Tess’s lips upturned. “In an odd way, it was rather comical considering the man was in a dunking booth at the time. I mean, there he was, dripping wet and calling for you to wait. It was the best drama we’ve had in Rockbridge in a while.”

Sarah blew out a breath and guilt overwhelmed her. “Glad I could oblige. I hope I didn’t scare any of the kids. I should have handled the situation in a more mature way.”

“Sweetie, relationships are tough. That’s not to say your feelings aren’t valid, or wrong in any way, but I hope you and Sam can talk about whatever it is that’s bothering you. Give it to the Lord. I’ll be around if you need me.” Tess rose to her feet and started across the room.

“Tess, wait.”

Jumping off the bed, Sarah ran and threw her arms around her sister, resting her head on her shoulder. “I love him, Tess, but Sam was the one who gave me the cashier’s check.”

Tess stopped patting her back. “Really? Oh, my.”

“I know.”

Tess disengaged herself long enough to pluck a tissue from the nearby box. She handed it to her, probably assuming she’d burst into tears at any moment.

“Don’t ask me how I know, but I was winding up to throw the final ball to try and dunk Sam, and it just hit me”—she slapped her forehead—“bam! Sam was the one with the biggest motivation to help me, and also the means.” Balling the tissue in one hand, Sarah crossed her arms over her middle and started to pace.

“If it’s any consolation, you dunked the man and got him soaking wet. Have you done anything with the cashier’s check yet?”

“No. I’ve been praying about it,” Sarah said. “I have a little more time, but not much, to reapply for the fall semester or I’ll lose the scholarship money I’ve been offered. Wait a minute.” She stopped her pacing. “Only a handful of people knew about that letter, and one of them is standing in this room with me right now.”

Tess reared back, and Sarah instantly regretted the accusation. “You think I told Sam?”

“I’m sorry, Tess. I know you didn’t, but even if you did, it’s okay.” Shaking her head, she couldn’t stem the tears that flowed down her cheeks. So fast she found it difficult to keep up as she dabbed the tissue over her cheek, absorbing the moisture. “I need to think about what all this means.”

“Are you going to see Sam? He hasn’t shown up here yet, but I have a strong suspicion he might after he changes out of his wet clothes. I know Charlie was with him.”

Sarah met her sister’s gaze. “Thanks for coming after me, sis.” That did it. She couldn’t hold back any longer, and she burst into tears, giving into the release.

“Shh. It’s okay, honey.” Drawing her into another hug, Tess held her for several minutes as she cried.

“You know how much I want to go to nursing school, but I can’t have Sam paying my way.” She sniffled some more and dabbed the tissue beneath her eyes. “Why didn’t he tell me?”

Tess grabbed another tissue and shoved it into her hand. “I can’t presume to understand how a man’s mind works. Look at Charlie and me. He didn’t tell me he liked me for years, apparently, because he didn’t think I’d consider going out with him.”

Sarah lifted her head and attempted a small smile. “Are you and Charlie dating now?”

Tess ducked her head. Was she actually blushing? “I think we just might be, but it’s still new. We’re taking it slow, but so far, so good. You’re right about him, you know. He’s a very good man. Like Sam. Solid and dependable. He wants to volunteer for some community projects with me.”

“That’s great. I’m so happy for you, and I hope it works out.” Sarah straightened her shoulders. She’d had her time to cry and now she needed to act like a grownup.

“You’re young and can’t be expected to have all the answers.”

Sarah stared at her sister. “If it’s possible, I believe you read my mind.”

“No, but I’ve been in your shoes before. Trust me, Sarah, no one has all the answers. We fumble along in life, we make mistakes—some big, some not so big—but then we dust ourselves off and get on with the process of living. But the difference is that we look to the Lord to help us. We know we can’t do it on our own any more than we can expect God to hand everything to us just because it’s what
we
think we want or need.”

“When did you get to be so wise?”

“I’m older, remember.” They shared a smile. “Was that one of Sam’s mom’s peach pies on the kitchen counter?”

Sarah nodded. “I won it at the cakewalk, although there was something odd about that, too.”

Tess quirked a brow. “What do you mean?”

The ponytail holder in her hair felt too tight. Sarah tugged on it, shaking her head as her hair fell around her shoulders. “I can’t explain it to say except it was like the ladies were playing matchmaker. At a school carnival cakewalk, of all places. Several of them kept giving each other winks and nudges. If I had chosen anything other than that peach pie, I think they would have physically barred my way from leaving the gymnasium until I exchanged it. A few of them even followed me to the door.” Sarah shook her head. “It was very strange, but in a wonderful way, which I realize makes no sense.”

“They hardly need to play matchmaker since you and Sam are already an item. That’s still true, isn’t it?” The genuine concern in Tess’s expression was sweet, and Sarah’s heart swelled.

“Yes, of course. I just need a little time. If I were to give up on this relationship at the first hint of trouble, it would only prove I’m not old enough to handle one.” She raised her hands in the air. “Let’s face it. I should probably call it a day, crawl under the sheet, and not get up until tomorrow.”

“Ah, honey. It’ll work out, and everything will be okay.”

“I can’t keep Sam’s money.” Moisture filled Sarah’s eyes again.

“I know, but I want you to remember something.” Tess put both hands on Sarah’s shoulders. “Look at me.” She waited until Sarah did as she asked.

“Try to put yourself in Sam’s shoes, as hard as that might be to do. As I recall, you weren’t dating him when you received that cashier’s check. Maybe you were close, but you hadn’t yet crossed over that line from friendship into something more. Right? Sam could have chosen another girl—a girl who wants to stay in Rockbridge her entire life—and it would have made his life a whole lot easier.” When Sarah opened her mouth to speak, Tess stopped her by placing two fingers over her lips, stilling them.

“Sam waited on the Lord, and
you
are the girl he knows the Almighty wants for him. Here’s the most important thing as I see it, Sarah: when you love someone, you want them to be happy. If that means sacrificing your own happiness for the good of the other person, then that’s what you do.”

Tess lifted Sarah’s head with her hand anchored beneath her chin. “Sam Lewis is an honorable man. I’m sure he wants to give the woman he loves the opportunity to fulfill her dreams. Whether or not you accept his gift is up to you. But pray about it, and ask the Lord for
His
answer.”

Giving her one more quick hug, Tess kissed her cheek. Opening the bedroom door, she departed, closing the door quietly behind her.

Until Tess came into the room, Sarah had wished Dad was home. She’d always connected more with him than with Mom, and she’d always been very much her father’s daughter. The past few years, she’d dismissed Tess as someone who cared for herself more than others. But now, a new respect for her older sister had been planted in her heart.

Thank you again, Lord.

Miracles do happen.

♥

“Sarah’s not at her house and she’s not at the creek.” Hands on his hips, Sam chewed on his lower lip as he paced the floor at home. “Where could she have gone, Charlie?” He sounded this side of desperate, but he didn’t care. Finding Sarah and making sure she was all right—and didn’t hate him—was paramount.

“Think about it, buddy. What would be the other option if you’re young and confused about the well-intentioned but misguided guy who says he loves you but also gives you the money to leave town?”

Irritated by Charlie’s tone, Sam smirked. “Forget it. I never should have told you.” Other than his best friend, he hadn’t told anyone but his parents that he’d funded that check for Sarah. Neither was Charlie the type of guy to spill his or anyone else’s personal business on Main Street for the entire town’s consumption.

“I’m on your side, remember?”

“Yeah, I know. Sorry.” Sam stared at his friend. “Have I messed this up with Sarah? I thought I was doing the right thing at the time. She told me she doesn’t plan on staying in Texas after nursing school. She wants to go flying off into the wild blue yonder”—he paused, slammed with the irony of that statement—“and wants to marry some guy who’ll wear one of those stupid Nehru jackets, live in a foreign country, and do missionary work together. She’ll probably only come home to Rockbridge every furlough or whatever with her doctor husband and cute little kids in tow.”

“You could do missionary work.”

Sam jerked his gaze to Charlie’s. “Yes, I suppose I could. That’s not my point.”

“I know, buddy.” Charlie sounded sympathetic although he looked on the verge of laughing. “Maybe it’s a good thing Sarah dunked you in that tank today.”

“Thanks for the vote of support.”

“Hey, I’m only saying it might have forced a confrontation, or whatever you want to call it, that
should
have happened when Sarah first came to the bank and asked you about that big check. You ask me, it wasn’t so much professional ethics that stopped you from telling her so much as your own pride.”

Sam shook his head. “If she’d known the check came from me, Sarah never would have accepted it in the first place. You know how stubborn she is. At least by making it anonymous, I had half a fighting chance she’d take the money and run.”

“Is that what you wanted her to do? Run away from Rockbridge?”

“You know what I mean,” Sam snapped. “All I want now—all I’ve ever wanted—is for Sarah to be happy. To find her dreams.”

“You and your dream talk. Enough already.” Charlie raised his hands in the air. “Go find her, kiss her senseless, and then talk about your future. I don’t know why you can’t seem to get it through your thick skull that Sarah going to Austin isn’t a death sentence for your relationship. Make it work
for
you, not against you.”

Again, Sam faced off with his friend. “How do you propose I do that?”

A slow smile crept across Charlie’s face. “I think you hit upon a key word in that question.”

Sam opened his mouth but then closed it just as fast. Was Charlie actually suggesting he propose marriage to Sarah? Well, that’d be one way to stake his claim on her heart. Was it too soon?

You’ve known her for years.
Still, he’d need to think about it. The issue wasn’t a question of loving Sarah, wanting Sarah. More than anything, the increasing need to be with her was uppermost in his crowded thoughts.

“As far as where Sarah might be now, let me give you another little clue.” Crossing his arms over his chest, Charlie planted his feet apart as they faced one another in the living room. “Where’s the one place in Rockbridge where Sarah feels most comfortable and where she’s among friends? Other than home or church, that is.”

“Perry’s.” Sam didn’t even have to think about it. “Of course. How’d you get so smart? I’m suddenly feeling hunger pains. Let’s go.” He started for the front door.

Charlie followed him out the door. “Sorry, but you’re on your own. It’s Saturday night, and I’m escorting Tess to the movies over in Springhaven.”

Sam laughed under his breath. “Sounds about right, friend. Have a good time.”

“One of these days we’ll take the Jordan girls on a double date,” Charlie said.

“Let me make sure Sarah’s still speaking to me first, and then we’ll plan something.”

“I have a question.” Charlie climbed into his car. “Have you broken that vow yet?”

“I take it you mean the one about not kissing a Jordan girl? Yeah, you could say that.” A few times over.

“Good man. Proud of you. Do you want a lift over to Perry’s? You could put on that impressive Air Force uniform and sit on the back of the car. That’d make quite an entrance.”

After debating it for a moment, Sam shook his head. “No, thanks. I need to clear my head.” He inhaled the scent of his neighbor’s freshly mown lawn and the flowers in his mother’s garden. “It’s a nice night. Think I’ll walk.”

“It’ll work out, Sam. See you soon. Later!”

Waving to Charlie, hoping his friend was right, Sam headed in the opposite direction.