Everlasting Love (12 page)

Megan had run out of valid arguments. She got along with domestic animals just fine but she didn't possess much wilderness experience. If she chose to defy James and his friend and sneak out on her own, she might very well become another statistic, as they'd warned.

“All right. I'll wait here,” she said. “If I can't sleep, I'll spend the night praying you find Zac and my sister.”

“Now you're talking,” Graydon said with a
smile. “I knew you and I were on the same team the minute I met you.”

 

James didn't go to bed as early as usual that night. He had too much on his mind. Instead, he sank into the porch swing he and Megan had shared, gave it a push with his feet and closed his eyes so he could think without distraction.

Some of the things Megan had been saying about God were starting to make sense. He didn't like admitting that, even to himself. If he viewed his parents as clueless lost souls instead of saints with tarnished halos, who was there left to hate? Certainly not the brothers he'd tried so hard to best when they were all children.

Of course, he could always blame God for whatever had gone wrong, assuming He existed in the first place. His old buddy Graydon obviously thought so.

James pictured himself as a little boy. The only reason he'd accompanied his family to church was because his brothers were always getting praise for their participation. Still, a few random Bible verses stuck in his memory. So did the premise that there might actually be a heavenly Father who cared about him, although why God would bother with a guy like him made no sense.

As a child, he remembered weeping and praying for his parents to take his side for once. They never did. Yet, looking back, he wondered what his life would have been like if he'd remained in that family. Maybe Megan was right. Maybe they had done him a favor by kicking him out. If he'd stayed in such a destructive home the experience might well have broken his spirit.

His breath caught. Could his prayers actually have been answered? Was it possible that a loving Father had looked after the soul of a miserable little boy by
not
giving him the loving home and parental acceptance he'd begged for?

That train of thought gave James the shivers. Looking back on his life, he was starting to see a logical progression of events. But what about the future? If God was willing to help a confused kid like he'd been, why wasn't He doing something for Megan? She didn't deserve the ordeal her sister was putting her through.

James knew, if there was any way to ease her suffering, he'd act in a heartbeat. The best search teams in northern Arkansas had already tried and failed to find those kids. What could he, one man, possibly accomplish alone?

Beginning to pray wasn't a conscious decision. One moment James was merely worrying about
Megan and the next he was interceding with the Lord on her behalf.

“Well, God, I guess I'll take a chance You're really out there,” he said quietly.

Oh, nice one, Harris. Make Him mad right off the bat.

“I mean, thanks for taking care of me when I was a dumb kid. As You can see, I haven't gotten much smarter. But I know Megan needs help and I don't know who else to ask.”

That's better. Not good, but better. Don't stop now.

“I've done all I know to do. Everybody has. How about it? Where'd Roxy and Zac go?”

I don't know what else to say,
James thought, filled with disgust at his weak attempt to contact God. His eyes suddenly felt damp. He blinked, staring into the infinity of the starry night sky.

“I don't know what You want with the likes of me but here I am. Show me what to do and I'll do it. Anything. I mean it. Just please, please help Megan.”

James waited in silence, his breathing shallow, his pulse remarkably even, considering his heightened senses.

Every nerve in his body told him something momentous had occurred, yet he hadn't seen or
heard anything unusual. No heavenly trumpets had sounded. No moving finger wrote answers or warnings on the walls the way it had in Old Testament days. As a matter of fact, the longer he sat there, the more tranquil he felt.

Suddenly weary beyond belief, he got to his feet, walked slowly into the dorm and went to bed, hoping for the relief of sleep.

M
egan had lain down on top of her coverlet, intending to rest a few minutes before showering and getting ready for bed. The next thing she knew, night had fallen and thunder was rumbling in distance.

For an instant after she opened her eyes she didn't know where she was. Then lightning flashed, revealing details of the small cabin.

Her first conscious thought was
Roxy's out in this awful weather. Good thing she took my jacket.

Rapid pounding at her door brought her fully awake. Wiggles bristled and growled.

“Who is it?”

“Me. James. Open up.”

Megan's heart was in her throat. She jerked open the door. “Roxy! Have they found her?”

“No.”

Any comfort she might have drawn from the man's presence was counteracted by the unsettling sight that greeted her. James's dark hair was tousled, his clothing was rumpled and he bore a wild-eyed expression that seemed to intensify every time lightning flashed.

“What's the matter, then?” Megan stepped back to admit him. “You'd better come in. Looks like a bad storm.”

“I know. That makes it worse—I think.” Pacing across the cabin he quickly ran out of room and turned to retrace his steps.

“Makes what worse?”

“Everything. Nothing. I don't know.”

Megan grabbed his arm and stopped him as he passed. “If you don't stand still and tell me what's going on I'm going to have a hissy fit right here and now.”

“Okay, okay. It was a dream…I think. Only, I've never had one like it before. You know how things in dreams are all blurred and vague and confusing? This wasn't like that. Everything was crystal clear. I was drifting off to sleep when I suddenly remembered.”

“Remembered what?”

“A place I came across a long time ago, down by the river. I hadn't thought of it in years.”

“You woke me up and scared me silly to tell me that? Why? Did you dream Roxy and Zac were there?”

“No. I told you it was weird.”

“You're what's weird,” Megan said flatly.

“I know. And I'm not real crazy about the feeling. All I know is, I need to go there.”

She frowned and peered out the window. The first wind-driven, quarter-size drops of rain were smacking the panes, merging and starting to dribble down. “Now? In this weather? You must be out of your mind.”

“Probably,” James answered. “But I'm going anyway. I'll need four-wheel drive, so that means taking the ATV. The country I'm headed for is way too rough for a truck. Hiking in would take way too long.”

“What about the searchers? You're the one who told me we should stay in camp and let them do their job. Won't they be checking the area you're worried about?”

“No. It's too far away. Too out of the ordinary. I haven't been there in years, myself. I don't know what brought the place to mind tonight.”

“The memory was probably hovering there in your subconscious all the time, waiting for you to acknowledge it,” she said. “If you were drifting off
to sleep, your customary defenses were shutting down. That's how the idea leaked out.”

“You're telling me my brain leaks?”

Megan gave him a patient smile. “In a manner of speaking. The human mind can make imaginary things seem very real, especially when we're under a lot of stress. I'm not saying you shouldn't follow up on your idea. I just mean you don't need to rush.”

James paused to rake his fingers through his hair.

“There's something else. Something I haven't told you.”

She could tell he was struggling with whatever he was trying to say so she reassured him. “Go ahead. I'm a trained listener, remember?”

“I don't even know where to start. Or where to end.”

“Well, how about the stuff in between?” Megan asked. She schooled her features to reflect calm acceptance. “Take a deep breath and just start talking. We can sort out the details and make sense of everything later.”

James arched his eyebrows and almost smiled. “Oh, yeah? I seriously doubt that. You see, it all started when I decided to take a chance and talk to God.”

 

Flabbergasted, Megan listened to James's confusing tale. He didn't employ commonly used religious terminology or realize what a big step he'd taken, but his story was a familiar one. When he'd consciously offered himself to the Lord and volunteered to be of service, no matter what, he'd begun a new life. That shed a totally different light on his apparent revelation.

“I don't get the connection, assuming there even is one,” he concluded, “but I'm positive I'm supposed to go check those caves.”

“Caves?” Megan's pulse jumped into high gear. “I thought you said the place you remembered was down by the river.”

“It is. That's part of the problem. I remember noticing marks on the inside walls from previous floods. If this storm develops the way I think it will, it'll dump so much runoff into the Spring River, those cave openings will end up under water. No telling how long they'll stay blocked like that.”

“Why didn't you say so? Let me grab my shoes. I'll go with you.”

“No. You stay here. It's too dangerous.”

Megan rolled her eyes at him. “Dangerous? Ha! You don't know me very well, do you?”

“It's you who don't know me,” James coun
tered. “The only reason I came to tell you where I was going was so you could explain to Aaron in the morning—in case I'm not back by then.”

“You couldn't leave him a note?”

“Don't argue.”

“Me? You're the one who's being unreasonable. Roxy rode double with Aaron on that stupid ATV of yours. There's no good reason why I can't do the same with you.”

“The best reason I can think of is that I told you to stay here,” James said flatly. “I'm not going on a joyride. There's no trail, it's pitch-dark outside and it's going to be a miserable, wet trip. I'll make much better time if I don't have to worry about taking care of you.”

“Nobody asked you to take care of me. I'll be responsible for myself.”

“Like you were responsible for your sister?”

Megan bit her lip. “That was a low blow.”

“Yes, it was. I'm sorry it was necessary. But I had to break through that stubbornness of yours and make you listen. If Roxy and Zac happen to be hiding in the caves, which I actually doubt, the sooner I warn them about the danger of rising water, the better. If they're not there, I'll turn right around and head for home. Either way, you'd slow me down too much.”

He strode to the door and flung it open. “It's that simple.”

“There's nothing simple about any of this,” Megan shouted after him.

The force of the gusting wind nearly tore the door from her grasp. She slammed it by throwing her whole body into the effort.

Tears stung her eyes. It wasn't fair. Roxy was family. Her only sister. She'd promised their mother she'd take care of the girl and she'd failed. There was only one way to make amends, and that was to suffer whatever indignities and uncertainties were necessary in order to put things right.

Filled with a burst of courage and enthusiasm, Megan slid her bare feet into her sneakers and tied the laces rapidly. Wiggles immediately headed for the door, anticipating an outing.

“Sorry, boy. You need to stay here,” she said. “I'm going to leave two notes for Aaron, one on the table and one tied to your collar. That way, when somebody comes looking for me, they're sure to spot one of them.”

Hurrying, she finished the brief notes then tore open a package containing a disposable poncho and slid the thin plastic garment over her head. It wasn't as durable as a regular raincoat would have
been but it was perfect for what she had in mind. If James wouldn't take her to the river and let her see for herself that Roxy wasn't in trouble, she'd make like a pioneer and get there the old-fashioned way.

 

As expected, Buckets was standing in the rain by choice, letting the pelting drops scratch her back and looking thoroughly contented.

Megan managed to bridle the horse before she heard the distinctive rev of the ATV. To be leaving that quickly, the hardheaded camp director must have run all the way home.

“Oh, please, not yet. I need a few more minutes.”

The engine noise built, then grew fainter. Megan knew, if she didn't mount up immediately, she'd lose her chance to follow successfully.

Gathering the reins in her left hand, she stepped onto the top of the footlocker, swung her right leg over the horse's slippery bare back and pulled herself astride.

If James had given her more time she'd gladly have saddled up before risking a long ride in the rain. Unfortunately, she no longer had that choice. Or any other.

She gave Buckets a nudge with her heels and
leaned forward to offer encouragement. “Okay, girl. Come on. Let's go. You and I have a job to do.”

If Megan hadn't been so worried about being left behind, she'd have chuckled at the next remark that popped into her head. It was straight out of the movies.

She gripped hard with her knees, hung on to the horse's mane and said, “Follow that car!”

 

Megan had assumed she'd have little trouble trailing something as noisy as the ATV. At first, that was true. The farther they got from the camp, however, the harder it was to pinpoint the direction James was headed. Sound echoed erratically, bouncing off the hillsides and sliding down the valleys.

Thunder did more than rumble in the distance. It shook the ground. A crack of lightning split the night air, setting Megan's hair on end and making her shiver in spite of the humidity trapped beneath her plastic poncho.

“Oh, please, Lord. Take care of us,” she prayed aloud. “All of us. I know I shouldn't have brought Buckets out in this storm but I can't quit now. I don't know where I am.”

The absolute truth of that confession sent a shud
der of fear zinging through her from head to toe. In the daylight, given enough time, she might have been able to eventually find her way back to Camp Refuge, especially if she'd paid attention to landmarks she'd passed on the way. At night, in the midst of a storm, it was impossible to have seen anything distinctive, let alone taken special note of it.

Going back was not an option. Then again, she wasn't looking forward to being stuck out there all by herself, either. It was imperative she catch up to James, or at least get close enough to keep him in sight until he'd reached his goal.

Megan's main advantage was her mode of transportation. Buckets was cautious and sure-footed, which allowed them to cut across rough terrain that was impassable by motorized vehicle. More than once she wondered if she'd worked too far into a thicket of saplings and vines to continue, but each time she came out the other side closer to the sound of the ATV.

By listening carefully she could tell every time James was scaling a hill or traversing an especially rocky area. Once he was through it, the revving of the engine always evened out.

Suddenly, the noise from the ATV stopped. She nudged Buckets harder, urged her up the last few
feet of the slope they'd been climbing and halted at the crest.

Lightning shot across the sky in a jagged show of force. Thunder rumbled from all sides. Rain pelted down in waves, as if hurled from the clouds by an angry giant.

Nevertheless, Megan sat tall and peered into the distance. Across the next narrow ravine a pair of stationary lights gleamed. Could that be the ATV?

“Probably. Unless white-tail deer come equipped with headlights these days,” she answered aloud. “Come on, Buckets. Let's go tell Mr. Harris he's got company.”

 

By the time Megan reached the vehicle it was abandoned. Twenty or thirty yards ahead she could see the beam of a flashlight and catch an occasional glimpse of a yellow slicker moving among the trees.

She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “James! Wait. Where are you going?”

The light stopped moving.

“James. It's me,” she called again, relieved when she saw the light swing around to point at her. Hooray! He was coming back!

“What are you doing out here?” he yelled.

“Following you,” Megan answered as soon as
he drew nearer. “Good thing I caught you before you started off on foot or I'd have lost your trail. Is this the place you told me about?”

“No.”

“Then why did you stop?”

He pointed the light at the rear of the ATV. “Flat tire. I must've hit a sharp rock.”

“Out here? Rocks? No kidding. This place is nothing
but
rocks.”

“You didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?”

“Yes, I did. I said I followed you. You wouldn't take me with you so I got here on my own. Well, almost on my own. Buckets helped a little.”

“I can see that.”

“She is a little hard to overlook.”

Megan instinctively ducked and hugged her horse's neck as another bright bolt zigzagged across the sky.

“You're an idiot,” James yelled over the ensuing thunder. “You shouldn't be out in this weather.”

“Takes one to know one. How much farther?”

“I'm not sure. Maybe three or four miles. I'll recognize the place when I see it.”

“Okay. Hop on.”

“Do
what?
”

“Mount up behind me. You'll be fine. It won't hurt Buckets to carry us both for a little while.”

“Fine? In your dreams, lady. I don't ride horses, remember?”

“Hey, I'm not the one who insisted there was such a big rush—you were. Is there or isn't there a chance somebody could drown if we're late getting there?”

“A remote one.”

“Are you willing to take that risk?” Megan asked knowingly. She could feel the tension, sense the emotional struggle he was having. To his credit, the hand holding the flashlight remained steady.