“Where is that, Mr. Bennington?”
All eyes turned to Donovan.
“What other locations are under consideration? As your former assistant, I happen to know several other towns…um, declined your offer.” He stepped down from the platform and extended his hands outward. “But I’ll leave it up to the people who will be impacted the most. Do you folks want to hear what I learned when I visited with Ellis Weaver?”
One of the cotton farmers, Judd Wingate, poked his hand in the air. “Seems to me that Bennington fella’s had plenty of opportunity to tell us what’s goin’ to happen. I think I’d like to hear from this McNeary fella.”
“Me, too.”
“He’s the one who says there’s another option.”
“Let the young fella talk.”
Pride for Donovan spiked through Nora, and a bubble of encouragement rose in her chest.
A hint of doubt colored Bennington’s eyes as he scanned the people sitting in the pews. He planted his fists on his hips and curled his lips into a snarl as he glared at Donovan, but he kept silent.
Donovan turned so he was facing the people instead of Bennington. “Ellis Weaver is very willing to sell another parcel of land about a thousand yards downriver. The current isn’t as swift there, but there is a solid rock ledge where a spillway can be built which would guarantee consistent water power for the mill.”
Bennington shook his head. “Too expensive to build a spillway. I say put pressure on Weaver to sell the original plot I offered to buy.”
A muted growl rumbled in Grandpa’s throat. He pushed forward on his seat. Nora sucked in a sharp breath, and she tightened her grip on Grandpa’s hand. If he mentioned protecting the burial ground, some would support him, but there would be others who wouldn’t see the need, and she couldn’t bear to see him hurt. She leaned close to his ear. “Wait, Grandpa. Let Donovan speak.”
A scowl deepened the creases in Grandpa’s brow, but he sat back and patted her hand.
Donovan folded his arms across his chest. “Ellis Weaver was adamant. That land is not for sale.” He walked partway down the center aisle. “The mill would be of great benefit to everyone in this community for several reasons— convenience to the farmers, jobs, commerce and growth for the town. I’ve already spoken with a respected member of your community.” He arrowed a look at Grandpa. “He has given me the names of a dozen men who would be willing to volunteer their time to help build a spillway.”
He turned back and approached Mr. Bennington. “Not everyone responds the way you want them to when you make threats or use intimidation. Pine Ridge wants your mill for their community, and they’re willing to pitch in and help do what is necessary to make it happen. But if you bully them or the Weaver family, or if you try to force your will on them, you’ll be looking for another location, all right, but we’ve already established the other towns have closed their doors to you, Mr. Bennington.
“And one more thing.” Donovan reached into his coat and withdrew a folded paper. “I have here a letter of intent signed by Ellis Weaver to sell the parcel of land he and I spoke about, for a fair price. You see, Mr. Bennington, these folks aren’t ignorant. They are hard-working people who want to provide for their families and see their community grow. They have honor and respect for each other, and they value honesty and faith above business savvy.”
Nora looked over at Grandpa. A tear was sliding down the old man’s cheek. She squeezed his fingers. The resting place of his love, his Eve, was safe.
Mayor Gilbert cleared his throat. “Mr. Bennington, I’m asking you right here in front of all these folks if you will please consider this other piece of land Mr. McNeary spoke about. He’s right, you know. We do want the mill, but he’s right about another thing. Nobody likes being bullied. So will you look at the letter from the Weavers?”
Every eye in the place focused on Bennington, and Nora bit her lip, afraid to breathe. Finally, the man nodded, an expression of resignation falling across his face. “McNeary, let’s have a look at that letter.”
The room erupted into applause and whistles, and the people filed out, slapping each other on the back. Pastor Parkin and Doc Guthrie shook Grandpa’s hand. Nora gave him a quick hug and whispered in his ear. “Grandma’s resting place is safe, Grandpa.” She turned to the other two men. “I have to go back to the courthouse. Doc, will you please make sure Grandpa goes home and gets some rest?”
“I will. C’mon, Hosea. You heard her.” The trio headed for the door, leaving Nora to wait and watch Donovan, Mr. Bennington, and Mayor Gilbert conferring over Ellis Weaver’s letter. Did that mean Donovan was re-hired? She’d have to wait to find out.
With one more glance over her shoulder, she turned toward the courthouse.
Nora glanced at the clock. It was past time to close up, but the men’s voices still droned behind the mayor’s door. Attorney Lawrence Templeton and land agent Wilber Dorsey had joined Asa Bennington, Mayor Gilbert, and Donovan in the mayor’s office more than three hours ago. She needed to go home and check on Grandpa and feed him supper. Should she tap on the mayor’s door? Indecision halted her feet.
At that moment, the door opened and Nora’s breath hitched. Donovan stood before her. They both spoke at the same time.
“How is it going?”
“You’re still here.”
They laughed, and Donovan tipped his head toward the office door. “They’re finishing up in there. May I walk you home?”
The depth of his eyes robbed her of speech, but she nodded. She retrieved her reticule and accompanied Donovan to the door. He looped her arm through his as they made their way toward her home.
“It appears I’m employed again.”
She looked up at him. “I suppose that’s good. Are you happy about it?”
He nodded. “I am, especially since it means I’m going to get to stay in Pine Ridge.”
She widened her eyes and halted. “You are?” Chagrin sent a warm flush to her face, but she didn’t care if her reply sounded too eager. “For how long?”
He took both her hands. “Permanently. Mr. Bennington just made me the overseer of the building project, and when it’s completed, I’ll be the mill manager. So I suppose you could say I’m happy about it. After all, I couldn’t very well ask your grandfather for permission to court you if I didn’t have a job.”
He wanted to court her? Tears clogged her throat and her pulse galloped like a horse that had just broken free of the pasture.
“Nora? Did you hear what I said?”
She moved her head silently up and down.
“Have I upset you?”
She shook her head.
“Will you say something?”
A smile that began deep within bloomed over her entire being. He glanced around at the nearly empty street before his eyes took on a twinkle. He lowered his face to hers and brushed a soft kiss across her lips. “Now will you say something?”
Joy flooded her being. “Yes.”
BETTER TOGETHER THAN APART
Rose Allen McCauley
Th is book is dedicated to my
oldest granddaughter Natalie Brooke Kinney, and my two daughters, Christy Kinney and Mandy Thornberry, and to all those who have stepped out into the wide, wonderful world of mission trips
for God’s use and His glory.
It is truly a life-changing event for all! Right, girls?
“By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third?
A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.” ecclesiastes 4:12the message msg
CHAPTER 1
Natalie Brooks slipped out of bed then slid open the door to the balcony on the ship. She winced at the grating sound and glanced over her shoulder toward her roommates. Good. Jenna and her mom, twin images lying on their right sides, didn’t stir.
Natalie sat down in one of the two orange and purple-striped deck chairs. She pulled up her legs and wrapped her extra large Universi
ty of Kentucky T-shirt around them as she watched the morning sky morph from gray to purple to pink. With a burst of orange, the sun peeked over the horizon, illuminating the vast ocean surrounding them.
You are awesome, God. Tap, tap. At the noise, she turned to see Jenna’s smiling face through the glass door, so beckoned her friend to join her.
Jenna flopped into the empty chair, her navy blue eyes wide with wonder. “I can’t believe we’re here, can you?”
Natalie’s emotions mixed in her head. “I know. It’s hard to believe we left Florida last evening. Now, we have a whole day at sea, and we’ll arrive in Jamaica tomorrow morning.”
“Mind boggling,” Jenna agreed. The morning light glinted off her auburn curls. “I hope we’ll get picked for the same mission trip tomorrow. When mom and I went on the K-Love cruise last year, we visited a place for handicapped children. One girl lay flat on her back in a wheelchair bed all day, but she prayed aloud for some of us. Can you believe it? We thought we were there to bless them, but they blessed us even more.”
“The same thing happened on the mission trip I went on while in high school.” Natalie cocked an eyebrow. “Did I ever tell you about the guy I met on my trip to Jamaica?” She’d been so impressed with Ken and his selflessness and commitment to God—the kind of guy she hoped to marry someday.
Jenna rolled her eyes. “You mean the tall, dark, and handsome one whose parents ran the orphanage there?”
“Yes, and with eyes so blue you could drown in them. We exchanged letters for several months, but after we both got busy with college, they fizzled out.” A forgotten ache surfaced.
Jenna’s perfectly arched brows knitted together. “You don’t even know if he’s still in Jamaica?”
“No, but it doesn’t matter anyway.” Natalie shrugged, portraying an indifference she didn’t feel. “I’ve got another year and a half of law school ahead of me, and he’s probably still doing mission work.” For months, a still small voice had nagged at her. Like before, she fought back with the same argument she’d used on Ken. As a successful lawyer, she could support these mission outreach efforts financially. Without taking any risk.
Time to change the conversation. “I’m so glad it worked out for me to room with you and your mom on this cruise. When my mom needed to stay home to help my aunt and her new baby I worried I’d have to cancel, too.”
“Sorry she couldn’t make it, but I’m glad we get to room together.” Jenna reached over and squeezed her hand.
Gratitude for her kindred spirit swelled her heart. “Yeah. Now, we can share everything on the trip. Like Mom always says, ‘All things work together for good.’”
Another peck on the glass. Jenna’s mom, Bobbi, opened the door enough to stick her head out. The wind tousled her blonde curls. “Good morning, girls. I’m going to take my shower first if you all don’t mind.”
“Go for it, Mom. We took showers last night while you were at the Matthew West concert. We’ll get dressed, so we can head to breakfast together. ”
“Good plan. I’ll grab my clothes and head for the shower.” Bobbi disappeared into the cabin.
Jenna popped out of the chair. “My mom takes short showers, so we better get ready.”
Natalie took one last glance across the rippling surface of the ocean before she followed Jenna inside the cabin.
When they were all dressed for the day, they ambled to the staircase leading to the breakfast bar.
Natalie took the steps two at a time. “It’s cool we’re on the floor right under the buffets so we can work off some calories by using the stairs.”
Jenna kept up with her. “We would’ve burned more calories if we’d had ten flights to climb.”
“No.” Bobbi smiled. “Because then I would’ve used the elevator.”
They were still chuckling as they entered the huge dining room. The scents of bacon mingled with waffles and syrup made Natalie’s stomach growl. The power of suggestion drew her to the waffle line. Next she added a boiled egg, some juice, and a cup of hot chocolate before scanning the crowd. Jenna and her mom were sitting by the windows. Natalie weaved her way between tables and joined them.
“Couldn’t resist, could you?” Jenna teased.
Natalie made a face. “No, but at least I’m not eating pizza for breakfast.”
“What’s wrong with pizza?” Jenna held up a finger. “I remember in health class studying that it contained all the food groups.”
“And lots of fat. But it does smell good. I may choose that tomorrow morning.” Natalie’s eyes gleamed. “We are on vacation.”
“Let’s pray.” Bobbi bowed her head and blessed the food.
Natalie took a bite of crisp bacon. “Mmmm, delicious. What’s on the agenda for today?”
“We can swim or sunbathe or go for a walk around the decks,” Jenna suggested.
“Or read in a lounge chair, or check out the silent auction room, or wait and watch an artist on deck at ten o’clock,” finished her mother.
“That’s just the morning!” A tall, bearded man in a baseball cap strode by. Natalie’s gaze followed him and then swung around to stare at Jenna. “Was that Crowder?”
“Yep, I can’t wait to hear him again. Last year, his concert was so awe-inspiring and worshipful I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. I believe he’s on the schedule for tomorrow night.”
Natalie couldn’t believe one of her fave singers was on the same boat with her. “Want to walk around with me, Jenna? Maybe we’ll see more singers.”
“Sure.” Jenna stood. She gave her mom a hug. “We’ll come to the room to get you for lunch.”
“Great. I plan to catch up on some reading, but if the boat lulls me to sleep, you can wake me up.” Bobbi grinned.
The girls climbed to the top level where they didn’t need to dodge so many people. They stood at the railing, the sea wind tossing their hair. Natalie breathed in the salty ocean air and was drawn back to the time she stood on the beach with Ken—the last night of her mission trip to Jamaica almost six years ago.
The breeze had whipped a piece of her hair into his face. He leaned over to brush the lock away then kissed her lips so softly she wondered if it even happened. Joining hands, they walked some more. Both promised to write, and they did for several months—until they had a major disagreement by mail over her desire to become a lawyer and his to stay in Jamaica as a missionary. Neither would concede.
By the time her freshman year of college ended, months had passed since she’d heard from him, so she threw his letters away when she packed up to move home that summer. A pang twisted her heart. How could something so sweet have gone so wrong?
Ken Worth paced the mission compound while awaiting his parents’ return from the doctor’s office. Concern for his mom twisted his stomach into a giant knot. She’d been having night fevers for weeks now, so bad that neither she nor his father slept much. What will I do if my parents need to fly back to the States? Maintaining the mission, keeping up with all the staff and children, was hard enough for the three of them. He couldn’t imagine staying here and trying to run everything on his own.
Shouts from the gatekeeper announced someone’s arrival. The children ran to the sides of the dirt road and waved their hands in the air as the familiar vehicle came through the gate, “Mada! Fada!”
Ken noted his parents’ smiling faces and prayed they weren’t pretending to keep the children from knowing anything was wrong. He’d be lost without his parents’ presence, but most of these kids would be on the streets starving without them.
As some of the other helpers gathered the children for story time in the rec hall, he jogged behind the car to their house on the back of the property. His long legs covered the ground as he hastened to meet his parents and help his mother out of the car. She’d been so weak this morning, he and his father had walked on either side to support her.
Taking her arm, he helped her to the house while his dad locked up the vehicle. “Feeling better, Mom?”
“I most certainly am. The doctor said there’s nothing wrong with me except I’m becoming a mature woman.” She gave a wry smile.
“Mature? You’re already the most mature woman I know.”
“Thanks…I think.” She laughed. “The doctor said we’ll need to run an air conditioner in our bedroom or at least a fan at night to help me sleep. He also gave me some thyroid medicine and wants to keep a watch on my blood pressure. It’s probably just hormones so I should be fine.”
He whooshed out a sigh as he sent up a silent prayer of thanks. “I’m so glad. I don’t know what we would do without you.”
His father joined them. “You can’t keep a good woman down, and your mom’s the best of the best.”
She blushed. “This woman better go see what she can find for a quick supper—without using the oven.” She turned toward the kitchen.
Dad motioned for Ken to join him outside, and Ken’s heart boomed against his eardrums as he followed. What did Dad need to say without Mom around?
His father smiled, and some of the lines disappeared from his face. “I know we’ve both been worried, but the doctor thinks she’ll be fine until our next visit to the States in a couple years. He says it’s just a normal thing called peri-menopause, and it should run its course in a few years. We need to make sure she gets more rest and keeps her blood pressure monitored. I still want us to help out all we can, especially during most of the outside activities.”
Ken’s gut unknotted a little. “Sure. I better grab my guitar for the singa-long we usually have after story time.” He hoisted his instrument from a corner of the porch then walked to the rec room.
As he strolled to the hall, the assignment for the online class he needed to finish that night came to mind. He’d soon have enough classes finished to do his last thirty-two hours in residence at Asbury Theological Seminary. Would his mom’s health mean he’d need to postpone getting his degree? He’d postpone things in a heartbeat if that’s what it took. Could he get a scholarship to cover at least part of the cost?
Destination: Romance: Five Inspirational Love Stories Spanning the Globe Page 12
