Everlasting Love (9 page)

“I thought of that, too,” Megan admitted. “Do you think there might be a connection?”

“Who knows? Us running around the woods like a couple of idiots won't help anybody, though. Especially not if the person we were warned about is involved. Wait here. I'm calling the sheriff. Then we'll go search your cabin to see if your sister took anything with her.”

“But…it might be a false alarm. What if the kids have just gone off together?” She scowled toward Aaron and added, “Like the other night.”

“That's almost as bad,” James said, visibly upset. “The reputation of my camp is already on shaky ground. If word gets out that we have a breakdown in discipline, it sure won't help.”

“Well, you can't blame me for everything. I didn't have any part in the outside threat.”

“True. And we don't know whether that's the problem now. I'm just not willing to take the chance it might be. The sooner we get professional help, the sooner we'll have both kids back, safe and sound, no matter what caused them to disappear.”

“I hope you're right,” Megan said.

James noticed that she was trembling and took her hand, holding it gently, firmly, as he said, “Believe me, I hope so, too.”

For once, Megan didn't try to pull away. She knew she needed to draw strength from his touch.

“Lord, help us,” she whispered.

Though James didn't comment, she felt his grip tighten as if his hands were adding “Amen.”

Then he released her and headed for his office to phone the police.

T
he peace Camp Refuge normally enjoyed soon disappeared in a blaze of flashing lights atop police cruisers and rescue vehicles. Hordes of volunteer searchers gathered in groups to receive their assignments and check their survival gear before starting out.

“I thought you didn't want to draw too much attention to this place. I'd hardly call this keeping a low profile,” Megan told James. “Where did all these people come from? I thought Camp Refuge was out in the sticks.”

“It is. Serenity is the closest town. It isn't very big for a county seat, but word travels fast around here. Folks care. And they look out for their own. I imagine some of these men came from Hardy, Ash Flat, even Glencoe and
Agnos—and those two places are barely pinpoints on the map.”

“Amazing. I've seen this level of group concern in my campus church group, of course. It's just kind of surprising to see a whole community joining together this way.”

“Why? Did you think only church people cared enough?” He huffed. “Listen, my mom and dad were in church every time the doors opened. On the outside, you'd have thought they were the best parents on earth.”

Her voice was tender. “They weren't.”

“Not hardly. My mother wasn't so bad, if you didn't mind the way she gossiped and complained about her friends and the pastor behind their backs. It was my dad who was the real prize. He bragged about the important contacts he'd made by belonging to that church, like it was a country club or something. He was real proud of the fact that only the highest class of people were fellow members.”

“That's really sad. They missed out on a lot by acting so superior.”

“Then you can understand why I don't want anything to do with organized religion.”

Megan slowly shook her head. “Sure. But if congregations weren't made up of fallible people,
who'd be eligible to go to church? Last time I looked, this earth was real short on genuine saints.”

“Except for my parents, you mean.”

That made her smile. She patted his arm. “Right. Except for them. Of course, if you choose to hold a grudge, that makes you as unforgiving as they were.”

“Let's drop the subject, shall we?” James said flatly. “Right now, we need to be concentrating on locating Zac and your sister.”

“I haven't forgotten. Talking about other things helps me unwind. At least it usually does.” Looking up at him she said, “I'm really getting scared.”

Expecting him to offer platitudes and calm reassurance, she was taken aback when he said, “Yeah. Me, too.”

 

Day turned to night. Frogs croaked and chirped along the slow-moving Spring River. Fireflies were back in abundance and crickets sang their cadence in unison. The moon was nearly full, enabling Megan and the other volunteers to see more details of the territory they were covering.

James had encouraged her to remain with him. While the organized search parties covered the hills in a grid pattern, she followed him to a few out-of-the-way places that the others weren't
checking yet. Sadly, there was no sign of the missing teens.

As long as she was busy picking her way through the underbrush and over the rocks with James, Megan's mind was occupied. It was when they rested that she found herself fighting back tears.

“I hate to be such a ninny,” she said, swiping at her damp cheeks. “I don't usually cry for no reason.”

“I'd hardly call this no reason,” he countered. “As soon as you pull yourself together we'll head back. I think you should call your parents, even if the sheriff has already notified them. They deserve to know what's been going on. It'll be easier on them if the report comes from you—especially if it's negative.”

“I wish I could oblige,” Megan said with a noisy sigh. “Dad's away on his honeymoon with his new wife and her little boy. I don't even know where they went. And Mom's the one who talked me into bringing my sister along. All Roxy wanted was a temporary place to stay. Mom refused to be bothered.”

“She'd still want to know, wouldn't she?”

Megan sniffled. “I'm not so sure. I hate to say it, but my parents aren't exactly models of loving perfection, either.”

“No kidding?”

Megan raised her hand, palm out, as if taking a vow. “No kidding. See? We have more in common than you thought.”

“Dysfunctional families? That's hardly a plus.” James shook his head. “However, it does help to explain why we argue so much.”

“We do not argue,” she insisted, immediately realizing that was precisely what she was doing and seeing the latent humor in it. “Okay, maybe we do argue a little. But it's not like we disagree on everything. I think you're right once in a while.”

“Thanks a heap.” With a lopsided grin he added, “That's real Christian of you, Ms. White.”

“Hey, I give it my best. I'd be much worse if I wasn't a believer…believe me.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“Gladly. Take this situation, for instance. If I didn't trust God to bring us through, I'd probably be totally hysterical by now.” Her crooked smile mirrored his. “As things stand, I'm saving my screaming and sobbing for later, when I get my hands on my darling sister.”

“We'll find them,” James promised. “No matter what it takes. I won't give up.”

“Me, either.”

Growing pensive, Megan studied his compas
sionate expression, the kindness dwelling deep in his dark eyes. “I happen to believe you and I are sharing this predicament for a reason, James. God knew I'd need a friend like you at a time like this, and here you are.”

“That's a pretty complicated interpretation of a simple working relationship,” James said. “I doubt I can live up to such lofty ideals.”

“By yourself, you can't,” she said with a sweet smile. “But whether you like it or not, I think the good Lord is using you. And He never fails.”

 

Weary and dirty, James and Megan returned to the searchers' base camp just before dawn.

James approached the officer on duty at the portable command post. “Any word yet?”

Megan held her breath, dreading the answer. She'd already decided, from the men's overburdened expressions, that no one had found a trace of the missing teens.

“Not yet.”

“How much longer will you be here?” James asked him.

“Hard to say. If we don't find any signs of foul play we'll probably pull back pretty soon. No sense using all these expensive resources if there's been no crime.”

Megan was appalled. “You can't be serious! What about my sister?”

The man shrugged. “She's a teenage girl. They run away all the time. Usually come home when they cool off, though. Chances are this one will, too, even if she didn't stop to pack her bags when she left. You'll see.”

“I can't believe…!”

James took Megan's arm and led her away before she could blurt out more. “Calm down,” he cautioned. “Getting mad and yelling at the cops won't help your cause. They're just following normal procedures.”

“What procedures? Giving up?”

“No, being rational. You and I are personally involved with the kids. We're naturally uptight. That makes us the worst possible people to boss the job. Let's leave it to the experts, at least as much as we can stand.”

Megan's knees felt suddenly wobbly. She sagged against him, glad when his arm slipped around her waist and he pulled her closer.

Resting one hand on his chest she looked up at him. “Oh, James. I feel so inadequate. I want to go right back out and start looking again but I don't think I can stay on my feet much longer.”

“You're exhausted. We both are. A few hours'
sleep will do wonders. Why don't I walk you back to your cabin and help you feed your menagerie? Then we'll grab a nap.”

Megan's eyes widened. She saw his cheeks redden.

“I wasn't suggesting we nap together,” he added quickly.

“I never thought you were. I would like some company while I see to my animals, though. I'm really not ready to be alone.”

“I understand.”

“You do, don't you?”

Megan put her hand in his as they climbed the hill to her cabin. Funny, she mused. In the past she'd always thought of her four-legged, furry friends as perfect companions, yet she'd just told this man that she'd feel alone if he weren't beside her.

That shift in thinking had caught her off guard. Relying solely on animals for earthly solace had been her answer to adversity for as long as she could remember. So why was she now feeling as if she wanted—no,
needed
—to be with James Harris?

The tension of their current dilemma wasn't enough to explain such a radical change of heart. Neither was the temporary rapport they seemed to have developed while pursuing their mutual goal.

It was more than that. They were beginning to rely upon each other, growing empathetic to the point where they shared their ups and downs without having to always voice specific needs.

Was that what he'd been trying to explain when he'd kissed her so abruptly? Was she just now acknowledging a soul-deep awareness that had been evident to him all along? Perhaps.

Then again, perhaps her imagination was running amok. Stress could do that to a person. Normally levelheaded individuals sometimes did or said absurd things under the pressure of life's trials. Just because she was a Christian didn't mean she'd always recognize the right path when she stumbled across it.

Her human side would see to that.

Rounding the cabin, Megan gasped. Wiggles was panting hard and lying atop the scattered remains of a forty-pound sack of dry dog food. If he'd eaten all the food that was apparently missing, it would swell inside him and he'd soon be in terrible physical distress. It might even prove fatal.

She crouched beside him and commanded, “Roll over.”

James joined her. “What's wrong?”

“I don't know if anything is, yet,” she said.

Probing the dog's abdomen she looked for the
large, hard mass that overeating dry food would produce. Thankfully, her pet's stomach seemed normal-sized and not tender to the touch.

She rose with a sigh and a shake of her head. “I don't think Wiggles ate too much, so that's good. I can't believe this mess, though. He's never done anything like this before. If I hadn't trusted him to behave while I was gone I wouldn't have left him loose to guard the other animals.”

Bending to study the ground, James pointed. “I don't think he's responsible. Look. Raccoon tracks everywhere. I imagine he was busy all night defending his territory. Either that or he made some new friends.”

“Terrific.”

“I take it he's been vaccinated.”

“Of course. For everything.”

“Good. Every couple of years we get an outbreak of canine distemper in the raccoon population up here.”

“What about the spilled food? Is it ruined?”

“Well, it's up to you, but if he were my dog I wouldn't let him eat it.” He gave her a look of mild scorn. “Of course, I'd have been smart enough to keep the open sack in the house, or at least dump the contents into a metal can for safekeeping.”

“I didn't want to put it in the cabin and attract more mice.”

“So, you got bigger, smarter thieves, instead. What now? Did you bring any spare dog food?”

“No. One sack was supposed to be plenty.”

“In that case, we'd better make a run to the feed store in Serenity for more.” He held out his hand. “Come on.”

“I can't leave. What if they find Roxy and Zac? What if my sister needs me?”

“We'll give my cell phone number to the sheriff and tell him to call us the minute anything turns up.”

Still hesitant, she eyed her panting dog. “I can't leave Wiggles, either. Suppose I'm wrong and he starts to get sick? I'd have to rush him to the vet.”

“Okay, we'll take him with us. Is that all? Are you out of excuses?”

“I guess so,” she said, “unless you'd like to volunteer to go get the dog food for me.”

“Can't. If they don't have the same brand I wouldn't know what to substitute.”

“That's true. Okay, if you're sure you're not too tired. We could always wait and run errands later.”

“I'd rather go while the camp has police protection,” James said. “Besides, Serenity's not far.”

“Give me a few minutes to clean up and change?”

“Sure. I'll do the same, pass out my number, grab the cell phone and pick you up in fifteen minutes. Will that be enough time?”

“Plenty.” As he started to leave she called, “James?”

He paused, turned. “What?”

“Thanks. I don't know my way around this area at all. I really appreciate your help.”

“Hey,” he said, breaking into a teasing grin, “I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for the dog. And I'm buying you a metal trash can with a lid we can fasten tightly.”

“You don't need to do that. I can charge everything to the project account.”

He laughed. “Not in Serenity, you can't. If you didn't have me to vouch for you, you'd be lucky to get anybody to even accept a university check unless you drove all the way to Wally-world in Ash Flat. Besides, I spent months discouraging the skunks and raccoons from nesting under these old cabins. I don't want them to start seeing Camp Refuge as a free buffet again.”

“Okay,” Megan said. “But let's take my truck. Wiggles is used to riding in it, and if he gets sick…”

“Enough said,” James replied. “Your truck it is. I'll be waiting. Just swing by and pick me up in front of the boys' dorm whenever you're ready.”

Smiling, Megan watched him walk away. She felt guilty for agreeing to leave camp while Roxy was still missing, but no good would come of running around wringing her hands and weeping all the time, either.