Читать книгу: «A Mother's Love»

Chapter One

“Shirley quit?” Jake Mathison swerved to avoid a huge puddle in the middle of the road, the beat-up truck bouncing as he hit a pothole instead. He moved the cell phone from his ear, then brought it back. “But she was assisting with those plans we’ve been working on as well as keeping my notes. And,” he suddenly added, “she helps with the children’s programs.”

Doom loomed before him as he realized all that would be left hanging with Shirley gone. He almost missed Jennifer’s next words, but instead nodded with exasperation. “I know, Jennifer. I’m not blaming her. If Charlie finally asked her to get married, I can see why she jumped at it. She’s been head over heels in love with him forever. I even counseled her when he left. That’s why she took that vacation out there.” Jake now wished in a small way that he’d had her wait just a bit longer.

No, that wasn’t true. He was happy for her.

He listened as Jennifer quickly suggested a solution.

“Yeah, okay. You do that. Maybe if you put it in the church bulletin, someone will be interested in temporarily assisting me.”

Though it was the middle of the afternoon, Jake squinted through the deepening gloom that had settled over the small streets of Centerton, Louisiana. It was the time of year for hurricanes. And whether they had hurricanes or not, the summer months always brought rain. So what if today was like a monsoon? Yesterday had been, also.

“Yeah, Jennifer. No, I won’t be back today,” he replied to her question. “Go on home to Gage.”

He squinted again as he went down the country road. “You, too. Bye.” He hung up.

Jennifer was a wonder. He adored her, had been delighted when she’d come to work for him as the day-care manager at his small church. Jake had even performed her marriage ceremony six months ago. He depended on her help.

Just as he had Shirley’s.

So, what was he going to do without his assistant? Not only had she kept his files in order, helped him when he went on his children crusades into the inner city, but she’d also been working closely with him on his latest project: getting the cities around Baton Rouge to pitch in and work together to build an inner-city recreation center where the kids would have a place to go, to get off the streets and away from drugs.

And now Shirley was gone.

Maybe it was the rain or his telephone call that kept him from seeing the woman until he was right beside her.

He caught only a flash of someone with long limp hair, huddled in an oversize yellow raincoat, before his truck splashed her and she cringed.

He hit the brakes, pulling off the road immediately. In his rearview mirror he saw the person stumble and fall from trying to avoid his splash.

“Oh, great! Good going, Jake,” he berated himself. He grabbed his umbrella and ran back to where the young girl was struggling up. Concerned, he held the umbrella out over her, trying to protect her from the rain.

Reaching down, he extended his hand. “Are you okay?”

The girl placed her pale-white hand in his. He felt calluses on the pads of her fingers, saw short clipped nails that were clean of nail polish. She struggled up.

When she lifted her head, green, the brightest he’d ever seen, met his gaze and he was transfixed. This girl—no, he corrected himself, this woman, had the most exquisite eyes he’d ever seen. They were beautiful. Large and innocent, they were framed by dark lashes. Perfectly arched eyebrows, a darker shade than her eyelashes, crested over her eyes. A few small freckles dotted the bridge of her nose, the same color as her dripping red hair.

Then her expression changed, became guarded, world-weary. “Are you okay?” he repeated, wondering what had caused the change.

“Fine.”

He waited, but she didn’t say anything else.

“Can I give you a ride somewhere?”

She started to shake her head, but he stopped her. “It’s pouring rain. Come on. I can’t leave you out here like this.”

She lifted her chin, then sighed, her shoulders drooping.

What could make this beautiful woman look so beaten down? His heart went out to her. “It’s okay,” he reassured her. “I won’t hurt you. Besides, it’s the least I can do, since I wasn’t paying attention and splashed you.”

She raised her wary gaze to his again, then nodded once, curtly. “Thank you.”

He walked beside her to the car. “I’m Jake Mathison.”

“I’m Margaret…” She hesitated.

“Margaret? You look more like a Maggie,” he joked, trying to put her at ease as he opened his truck door.

She lifted astonished eyes to him.

“You are a Maggie.” Jake laughed, knowing he’d guessed right, and her gaze softened for just a minute.

“I’m sometimes called that,” she finally replied. She turned her back on him and climbed into the cab.

He wished he’d brought his car, but he’d had to do some errands for the church. Though his congregation ran just over one hundred now, it didn’t seem as if he ever had enough help.

Going around, he hopped in the driver’s seat “Well, Maggie, where can I take you?”

“My car is about two more miles down the road. I need to stop and see if I can figure out what’s wrong. If you’ll just drop me off there…”

He looked at the hat—the one with the familiar logo—she was wearing on top of her sodden curls as he pulled back onto the highway. “You work at the fast-food restaurant about five miles back?” he asked.

“Umm-hmm,” she said, staring out the window, not meeting his eyes.

So, she didn’t want to talk. But Jake couldn’t let it go. He was concerned. She shouldn’t be out walking the streets, especially in a rainstorm. “You on your way to work?”

Another sigh escaped her, and then he saw it. One lone tear slipped from her eye and trailed down her cheek, mingling with the wetness already there.

Uh-oh, he thought. Help me, Father.

Very softly he said, “You want to talk about it?”

She shrugged.

He didn’t push her but waited.

Finally, she said, “I was at work, but they let me go.”

He drove along the bumpy road, doing his best to avoid potholes. Jake wondered if she saw the green trees lining the highway or if she was simply looking inside herself at something he couldn’t see. He was almost certain it was the latter.

“You were late because of your car?” he prompted.

She shrugged. “That was only an excuse. It doesn’t matter,” she added, suddenly sounding stronger. “I don’t need anyone. I’ll find another job.”

They arrived at a broken-down, rusted-out yellow compact. She started to get out. Jake touched her arm to stop her but wasn’t prepared for her reaction.

She jumped and jerked her head around. Fear flashed through her eyes, before warning replaced it.

He immediately pulled back, giving her space.

“I’m an old hand at working on cars. Let me have a look at it.”

“It’s not necessary—”

“Think of me as a knight in shining armor,” he teased, smiling at her. “My mama would come back from her grave and tan my hide if I left a lovely woman like you stranded with a broken-down car.”

The first smile he’d seen cracked her lips. It transformed her face, made her eyes look even greener.

Oh, boy, he thought, stunned by her effect on him.

He quickly exited the car. Going over to the compact, he popped the hood and looked under it. “Uhhuh, here’s your problem,” he said, fingering a belt “I have a friend who owes me a favor. What say you let me have your car towed to your house, and I can fix this for you?”

She stiffened. “I don’t think so. I’ll take care of it myself.”

Puzzled by the sudden anger in her eyes, he wondered what he’d said. “I’ve got a cell phone in the truck. Just hang on….”

“I can’t pay for the repair,” she finally confided, lifting her chin haughtily.

Realizing she was embarrassed, he smiled. “There’s no charge. Like I said, he’s a friend and I’ll put the belt on for you. The belt is only a couple of dollars.”

“I can’t ask you—”

He strode back over to her, touching her shoulders. Her arms felt small through the slicker.

When she stiffened again, he immediately let go. “You aren’t asking me for anything. But there’s no way on this earth I’m leaving you out here in this downpour to get soaked.”

He turned, swiped a hand at the rain pouring down his face, then went back to his truck to make a call. By the time he was done, the rain had almost quit.

And Maggie was again looking nervous. When he walked up she surprised him. Instead of trying to talk him out of helping again, she offered a tentative smile. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Your friend doesn’t mind getting out in this?” she asked, looking up at the sky.

He smiled. “Nah. He’s a good guy.”

She had the front of his truck between them, and he allowed it. After all, he was a stranger. It was only right that she be cautious. He wanted to reassure her but wasn’t sure how to put her at ease. The road was deserted, lonely. She had a right to be wary.

“Am I keeping you from something?”

He smiled, trying to help lessen the tension. “No, ma’am. As a matter of fact, I was just on my way home.”

“Do you need to call your wife or something?”

His grin widened. “No wife or something. No relatives at all.”

She ducked her head.

Interesting.

He sidled over to front of the truck. “Have you lived here long?”

She shrugged. “Two months.”

“I bet you live in the trailer park about two more miles up the road.”

She looked up, surprised.

He answered her unspoken question. “It’s the only thing up the road besides the church and a couple of subdivisions.”

“How do you know I don’t live in one of those subdivisions?” she asked.

“I don’t. But the hat you’re wearing wouldn’t pay the rent on those houses. Unless you’re independently wealthy and just work at the fast-food restaurant for fun.”

She opened her mouth to comment, when suddenly her stomach growled.

Red crawled up her face to her hairline.

He grinned. “My stomach’s telling me the same thing.”

Her lips formed a small smile again. “I get hungry a lot.”

The sound of a truck caught their attention, and they turned. Jake was relieved. He’d never had such a stilted conversation in his life. He was down-to-earth, always putting everyone at ease. This woman had a wall thicker than the Great Wall of China built around her. “That’s Tyler. Go ahead and get in the truck. We’ll hook your car up and then you can give us directions to your house.”

He started to walk off, but the woman called his name.

“Yes?” he asked, turning.

“When we get to my house, I’ll be glad to feed you dinner for your help.”

He could tell that offer cost her a lot. Still, he was glad for the invitation. He nodded. “That’s very nice of you, Maggie. Go on, now. Get in the truck. I’ll be right there.”

“She sure is a pretty little thing,” Tyler said as Jake walked up. He and Jake worked on getting the car hooked up to his truck.

Jake glanced back to see the woman sitting alone in the dilapidated old truck. “Yeah, I suppose she is.” He remembered the haunted look in her eyes.

“So she’s caught your eye, has she?” Tyler joked.

Jake turned back around and chuckled. “How could she not? She’s beautiful.” It was the honest truth. He saw no reason not to admit that to Tyler. But he didn’t mention there was something more than beauty that had snared his attention. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Maybe it was the simple fact that she needed someone, and Jake was the giving type.

Tyler laughed. “I’m surprised you even noticed.”

Jake raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. “I’ve dated, Tyler. You know that I just have too much to do and no time to go looking.”

“I know other preachers who’ve gotten married,” Tyler replied, going around to the other side of the car.

“I have, too. Some of them are my friends. But the right woman has just never come along.”

He finished adjusting the chains, then nodded. “Follow us. Maggie said she’d give me directions.”

“Sure thing, Jake,” Tyler said, and headed toward the truck.

Jake went back to his truck. Marriage. Now, where had that come from? He supposed many in his congregation wondered why he’d never married. He was finally realizing a lifelong goal in his inner-city ministry program. He honestly didn’t believe he had time for marriage with all that going on. Or he, at least, had no time to look.

“It shouldn’t take too long,” he said, turning his attention to Maggie when he got in the truck. He was pleased when she smiled….

He started the truck. “Which way?”

She pointed one long slender finger. “You were right about the trailer park. If you turn in the second entrance, I’m the first trailer on the right under the big oak tree with the long patio porch.”

“So,” he said, pulling back out onto the highway, watching as Tyler slowly followed, “do you have any new job prospects?”

If she thought his question too personal, she didn’t show it. She only shrugged. “I’ll find a job.”

“What type of work do you do?”

If he hadn’t chosen that moment to glance at her, he was certain he would have missed the flash of bitterness in her eyes. As it was, she covered it quickly. “I do a bit of everything. I’ve done inventories, was an executive secretary, a cook, fast-food.”

Surprised, he asked, “Why aren’t you in Baton Rouge looking for a job? Executive secretaries make much more than a fast-food restaurant worker would.”

“There are no openings where I applied. Besides, I have no references.”

An idea formed. He had to tread carefully, though, because he didn’t want to push Maggie the wrong way. “Have you ever worked construction or anything like that?”

She didn’t answer.

Oh well, it had only been a hope. He’d been lucky that Shirley had experience in that area. Still, maybe if this woman could just keep good notes…

“I worked in a building company,” Maggie said, breaking into his thoughts. “I did everything from dealing with the people who ordered lumber to talking with people who were building their own houses. I loved that. I thought, at one time, building would be my future.”

She had a distant look. He wondered what experience from her memories of that job had to do with the lingering pain in her eyes. He couldn’t help but ask, “Why aren’t you still there?”

Maggie snapped back to the present, the wary look returning. “No reason. Why are you asking me all these questions?”

He smiled. “I just might know of a job.”

He turned in to the trailer park. “But why don’t we talk about that after I get your car fixed, okay?”

“Sure,” she said.

He didn’t hear much hope in her voice, though.

“It pays better than a fast-food restaurant, and I think you’ll be perfect,” he added, and was glad he did when he saw a small spark of hope in her eyes.

“I’ll go fix dinner,” she said. “If you’ll excuse me…”

Jake turned off the engine and slipped out. After going around to her side of the vehicle, he opened her door to assist her down. “I appreciate the meal. Watch your step here,” he warned, realizing he’d parked in a huge puddle.

Jake reached up to help her at the same time her foot slipped on the running board. She fell forward against him.

He caught her small body against his, feeling her arms snake around his neck for support. The soft smell of strawberries wafted up from somewhere. He gazed into her deep-green eyes and saw her hint of dismay.

Then it registered what else he was feeling.

His eyes widened, and he glanced down. Sure enough. Though they were touching in the middle, the rest of her body came nowhere near to touching him.

He thought of the pictures of starving kids in Africa but of course knew that wasn’t her problem.

Totally surprised, he looked back into her eyes and said, “You’re pregnant”

“Gee,” she replied, roughly, her eyes brimming with sudden defiance and a cynical smile slowly twisting her lips, “what was your first clue?”