[Desert Roses 03] - Beneath A Harvest Sky (32 page)
B
ut you said nothing about this,” Rainy’s mother argued as Rainy tried to explain her mission with Gunther.
Rainy had purposefully waited until her father and Sonny had both gone before springing the news on her mother. “Gunther just needs my help in arranging matters with the Hopi. He has a couple of dig sites that he wants to research to see if the finds will confirm other findings or offer new evidence.”
“I understand the purpose of the trip, but I don’t like the idea of my daughter going off across the desert without proper help. If you broke down, Gun-ther would never be able to make repairs to the car or even change a tire.”
“Mother, I know that very well. I can change a tire if need be,” Rainy protested. “Look, I promised him I’d help. He’ll be here any minute and he’s already purchased train tickets.”
“So you’ll go by train most of the way?”
Rainy shoved another blouse into her bag. “Yes.
We’ll take the train to Winslow.”
“Well, I suppose there’s nothing I can say to change your mind. I don’t like the idea, however.” Her mother pushed back an unruly strand of graying red hair and sighed. “Why can’t you wait until Sonny has time to go with you?”
“Because Gunther, knowing that we planned to leave on the first of September, wanted to work through this now. He may not even be able to accomplish it all before we leave, but at least I can help him have a good start.” Rainy stopped what she was doing and took her mother’s hands in her own. “I promise to be careful. We’ll take extra food and water when we go into the desert, and I’ll make sure that everyone knows our route.”
Her mother nodded. “All right. Look, I’ve made a batch of cinnamon cookies. I’ll wrap some up for you.”
Rainy grinned. “Thanks, Mom. I know Gunther and I will enjoy them.”
Rainy finished her packing and had just brought down her bag when Gunther arrived. “Come on in.” She shoved her thick braid up under a wide-brimmed straw hat.
He shook his head. “There’s no time. I’m afraid I was delayed this morning. We’ll have to hurry if we’re to make our train.”
Rainy turned to her mother and kissed her on the cheek. “I should be back in a few days. Don’t worry about me.”
“You take good care of her, Gunther. I don’t like the idea of you two setting off on your own. She’s just a young woman and you are not capable of running marathons anymore.”
Gunther laughed awkwardly. “I don’t intend to run any marathons, my dear woman.” He kissed her hand, then reached for Rainy’s bag. “We’ll take it slow and easy. You’ll see. Everything will work out just fine.”
Rainy’s mother thrust the cookies into her daughter’s hands, then kissed her soundly. “You send word if you have any trouble at all.”
“I will, Mom.”
————
Sonny didn’t know how to deal with Phillip Vance. The man was used to people adoring him and falling at his feet. How would he respond to Sonny’s words? People generally didn’t like hearing that they were living in a manner that was less than acceptable to God. How could Sonny approach the situation, tell Phillip about Jesus, and not offend him?
He found Phillip sitting alone, much to Sonny’s surprise. He looked haggard and rumpled. He’d obviously slept in his linen suit, as the wrinkles bore evidence. It made Sonny less self-conscious about his own casual attire.
“Hello,” Sonny said, coming into the waiting room.
“Oh, hello.” Phillip started to get up but Sonny waved him off.
“Please don’t get up. You look like you’ve had a bad time of it. How’s your sister?”
Phillip sighed. “It looks like she’s going to make it through, but she had to have surgery. The doctor said she’ll never be able to have children.”
“I’m glad she’s going to make it . . . but sorry for the situation,” Sonny offered.
“I don’t know why she did it. I would have helped her in any way I could.”
“Sometimes people do things that make no sense to us. They’re desperate and needy and they just don’t give it much thought.”
Phillip stared off into space as though the answer to all his questions might materialize before him. Sonny wished he could ease his pain, but there was nothing he could do but pray. Pray. The thought struck him.
“You know, I took the train to Albuquerque yesterday and I told my family, including Rainy, what had happened. They’re all praying for you and for Jen-netta. They started last night.”
“The doctor said she’d lost so much blood that she probably should have died. She was very weak by the time he operated, but she made a turn for the better early this morning.” Phillip rubbed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. “Is Rainy here?”
“No,” Sonny said softly. “You said you didn’t want her here, so she stayed home. She did send her wishes and prayers that Jennetta would recover and that you would be strengthened.”
“It’s for the best.” Disappointment rang clear in his voice. “I thought she might have married me,” Phillip said, again staring off into space. “I thought being with her—having her for my wife—would make everything better . . . different.”
Sonny sat down beside Phillip. “How so?”
Phillip shook his head. “I don’t know.” He seemed so out of place in the sterile confines of the waiting room. He looked to where a crucifix was nailed to the wall opposite them. Sonny’s gaze followed suit as Phillip continued. “She trusts God and she couldn’t be with me because I don’t.”
“Why don’t you trust God?” Sonny asked.
“I don’t know. I suppose because it never seemed necessary to me. Then, too, I’ve heard the uproar from the religious masses about how movies are sinful and people are going to hell because of what I provide them. I make my living as an actor, and I’m condemned because of it.” He seemed so lost and hopeless. “Rainy was the first woman to really make me feel alive. She didn’t care about my status as an actor and didn’t care about my money.” He sighed. “She didn’t care about me, period.”
“That’s not true. I probably shouldn’t say this, but Rainy was pretty taken with you at first.”
Phillip looked up. “She was?”
Sonny didn’t know how much he should say. He didn’t want the conversation to be about Rainy, but rather about God’s love. “Rainy thought you were very charming. She’s taken with men who show manners and consideration for other people. You were like that and so she thought highly of you.”
“Then why . . .”
“You know the reason, Phillip. Rainy has given her life to God. She trusts Him for direction and she desires to serve Him as best she can. If that’s through her work for the Detours or through archaeology, then so be it. If it’s as a wife and mother, then she’s just as glad to do that too. But God must come first, and Rainy knew you’d never play second fiddle to anyone.”
Phillip leaned back and stared at the cross on the wall. “She’s a wise woman. I wouldn’t have liked being second to anyone, not even God. Religion has so many rules and regulations, and I’m sure I’d never have been able to stand up to that kind of perfection. I’m a disciplined man, but not in that way. I like my fun.”
“So do I, but I also like the peace that comes from holding myself accountable to God.”
Sonny watched as Phillip got up and walked to the cross, then reached out and traced the wooden image of Christ. “How can peace come out of something so violent as this?”
“The peace doesn’t come from the act of killing Jesus. It comes from His willingness to take the blame and burden of sin in our place. My peace comes daily in knowing that He rose from the dead and that He’s interceding for me with the Father. It comes because I know that even if death takes this body, my soul has eternal life in heaven, where all things old will pass away. All things here will fade to dust. Nothing here will matter. Not what I do as a geologist—not what you do as an actor. What will matter then is what we did for God.”
“If that’s true,” Phillip said, turning to face Sonny, “then I’ve nothing to show for my life.”
“But you can change all of that. See the error of your way and repent of it. Turn to God and seek His will for your life. He wants to welcome you into His care—He wants to be there for you.”
“How can you be so sure of that? How can you trust that He listens and truly cares?”
Sonny got up and went to where Phillip stood. He reached out and touched Phillip. “You said yourself that the doctor figured your sister would die. But she didn’t. I believe our prayers to God were heard and answered.”
“But would God demand that I give up my acting?
Would He take from me the very things I love?”
“If you loved them more than Him, He might well ask you to give them up.”
Phillip shook his head. “I just don’t know that I could ever do that.”
Sonny felt a deep sadness for the man. It reminded him of the story of the rich young ruler. The man had come to Jesus proclaiming to do everything taught by scriptural law. Jesus told him then to sell everything he had and follow Him. The man couldn’t do it because too much was at stake. He was very wealthy—how could he give it all up? Now Phillip was up against the same thing. Sonny had no idea if God would call him to give up acting, but he did know that God required one hundred percent of your heart. Phillip clearly couldn’t or wouldn’t give that up just yet.
“Think about it, Phillip. Just think on it. Let God speak to your heart and tell you what’s true and necessary and what isn’t. You might be surprised at the outcome.”
“I will think about it,” Phillip replied. “After all, it gives you and Rainy a great deal of peace and confidence. It must not be all bad.” He smiled weakly.
“I need to go,” Sonny said, noting the time. “But
I’ll come back this afternoon before I leave for Albuquerque.”
Phillip nodded and reached out his hand. “Thank you for coming and give Rainy my . . . my best.”
Sonny shook Phillip’s hand. “I will.”
That afternoon, Sonny concluded his business as quickly as possible. He turned in his resignation, packed his things, and made arrangements to head home. He was just about to head to the hospital again when Duncan Hartford caught up with him.
“Sonny, I’d hoped to run into you. Well, actually I was hoping to run into Rainy. I’ve looked all over for her, but they told me she’d resigned and moved out of the boardinghouse. Is that true?”
It seemed the day for desperate men. Duncan looked almost frantic in his search. “She’s in Albuquerque. She did resign early and now she’s helping Mom pack for the trip to Scotland.”
“So she really plans to leave America?”
“I suppose so,” Sonny said rather thoughtfully. “I know her heart isn’t in it, but there aren’t a whole lot of options for her.”
“I desperately need to talk to her. I don’t want her to leave. . . .” He paused and looked away. “At least not without explaining the truth.”
“Did you two have another falling-out?”
Duncan pushed back his hat. “You could say that.”
“Why don’t you walk over to the hospital with me and tell me about it? I wanted to check in on Jennetta Blythe.”
“Sure, I’ll walk with you. It’d probably do me good to explain the situation, but I hope you’ll hear me out before you judge me.”
Sonny raised a brow. “Sounds really serious.”
“It is.”
————
Three hours later, Duncan sat beside Sonny on the train to Albuquerque. Sonny had listened to Duncan and, instead of reacting in the emotional way Rainy had, had understood and accepted Duncan’s explanation. He’d also believed Duncan when he spoke of how much he loved Rainy.
“You need to tell her yourself,” Sonny had said.
“Come back with me to Albuquerque and spend the night with us. With you under the same roof, she’ll have to listen. Besides, Dad would never allow her to go on pouting and refusing to hear you out.”
To Duncan it seemed the reprieve he’d prayed for.
He only hoped that Rainy saw it the same way.
“I tried to lay a trap for Jennetta Blythe and her brother,” Duncan admitted. “I promised Mr. Richland I’d try to bait them with museum pieces and see if they were willing to buy them.”
Sonny seemed interested. “What happened?”
“Jennetta told me she’d be in touch after the trip,” Duncan replied. “But now I suppose we’ll never know if she was the one who was arranging to steal the missing pieces.”
Sonny grew thoughtful. “Given everything you’ve said, I just can’t help but wonder if Rainy wasn’t right.
Maybe it is Chester Driscoll. He’s had plenty of opportunity, and even if Jennetta had one of the missing
Hopi flutes, she just might have gotten it from Dris-coll.”
“It’s worth considering,” Duncan agreed. “I just don’t know how we go about proving it one way or another. Chester’s no fool.”
“Let’s talk to Rainy about it. She may have an idea since she’s thought him guilty—or at least involved— from the very start.”
“All right,” Duncan said. “I just hope she doesn’t slam the door in my face.”
Sonny laughed. “Well, just in case, maybe I’d better go in first.”
R
ainy and Gunther planned to spend the night at La Posada, the magnificent Harvey hotel in Winslow, Arizona. Rainy always enjoyed coming to La Posada. The gardens were refreshing and beautifully set against orchards and fountains. No expense had been spared on the marvelous creation.