Meant-To-Be Marriage

by Rebecca Winters

  The bishop in Tom knew instinctively which question to ask in order for Jarod to get the right answer. In so doing, it freed him from that dark angel he’d wrestled for so many months.

  By the time the housekeeper rang to let him know breakfast was ready, the answer came to him with all the pure simple quiet of a beautiful spring morning.

  When he arrived in the dining room, a lavish meal awaited him. It appeared the housekeeper had gone all out.

  Tom was seated in his usual spot at the head of the table. “How did you sleep, Jarod?”

  He sat down at his left side. “As you might imagine, I didn’t get any.”

  The older man frowned. “I’m sorry.”

  “Did you really expect me to?”

  “No,” he said after an overly long moment. “That’s what makes you such an exceptional man and priest.”

  “I’m not coming back, Tom.”

  “When you didn’t knock on my door at five this morning, anxious to talk, I knew your answer. With hindsight I can see it was wrong of me to send for you and tell you about Jeanine.”

  Jarod shook his head. “I’m glad you did. During the night I had time to think. Just because I’m not a priest doesn’t mean I can’t go to her bedside as a friend. Before I rejoin Sydney, I’m going to drive to Cannon to see her. It’s the least I can do. I’ll let her husband decide if he thinks it’s a good idea.”

  “You have my utmost admiration. I hope you’ll always be my friend, too.”

  “You know better than to worry about that, Tom. Next to my father…” He couldn’t get the rest of the words out. Rising from the chair he said, “As delicious as this breakfast looks, I can’t eat. I hope you understand.”

  “Of course.” The bishop stood up. “Feel free to take one of the cars. Just ask the secretary for the keys.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’ll always keep you in my prayers, Jarod.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  JAROD LEFT THE dining room, fighting the unshed tears smarting his eyes. An hour later Rick met him outside the hospital in Cannon.

  “Jeanine’s doing a little better, Jarod. I’m glad the bishop called you. I debated telling you about her bec—”

  “I know exactly why you didn’t, but it’s fine,” he broke in. “My greatest concern right now is whether I should tell Brent the truth about myself before I walk in Jeanine’s room.”

  His friend shook his head. “They’ll both be so happy to see you, nothing else will be as important.”

  “Let’s hope so.”

  As they started for the hospital doors, Jarod’s cell phone rang, interrupting them. He checked the caller ID and clicked on.

  “Sydney?”

  “Jarod?”

  The way she said his name sounded as emotional as he felt. “Is something wrong?”

  “No. It’s just that I thought you were going to call me this morning before class. When you didn’t, I—I couldn’t wait any longer to find out if you’re all right.”

  He sucked in his breath. “I’m fine, but I’m afraid this isn’t a good time to talk. I promise to phone you as soon as I can.”

  “Then I won’t hold you up any longer.”

  “Sydney? Wait—”

  But her line had gone dead before he could explain the precariousness of Jeanine’s situation. With time of the essence…

  Rick’s eyes met his. “When you have a chance to explain the situation to Sydney, she’ll understand.”

  “I don’t know,” Jarod muttered. He should have phoned her on the drive over to Cannon, but had decided to wait because he knew she was in class. There was so much to tell her, he hadn’t wanted to leave it in a voice mail. “It’s too late to undo the damage right now. Come on,” he said to Rick.

  They entered the hospital and found the room where Brent was keeping a vigil at his wife’s side. Though Brent’s eyes widened at the sight of Jarod in a suit and tie, he didn’t miss a heartbeat as he leaned toward his wife who lay there with her eyes closed.

  “You have a visitor, honey. Someone you’ve been wanting to see.”

  “Father Kendall?”

  He approached her other side. “It’s Jarod Kendall now.”

  Her eyes fluttered open. “That’s what I heard. Someone saw you at the Bismarck airport with your fiancée.”

  “Yes. I’ve left the priesthood to marry a wonderful woman like you.” He grasped her hand and squeezed gently. “Brent needs you the way I need Sydney, so you have to get better.”

  “I knew it,” she murmured forcefully.

  “Was I that transparent?”

  “Afraid so. You should have seen your eyes when I told you where you could find her.”

  “Just don’t despise me too much, or blame the Church for what I’ve done.”

  “Despise you?” she cried in surprise. “Don’t you know you’ll always be way up there in my estimation?”

  “Thank you for that, Jeanine.”

  “I meant it. You’re a remarkable human being. It’s been my privilege to know you. Thanks for coming when I know you have other plans.”

  “Nothing’s more important than visiting a friend. I hear your prognosis is excellent. That’s a relief because I couldn’t have given you the last rites.”

  Jeanine laughed gently. “Cannon won’t be the same without the gorgeous Father Kendall.”

  “You must be feeling even better than I thought.”

  “I’ll be up and around in no time. Don’t be a stranger.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll keep checking on you. Now you need to rest so I’m going to leave. God bless you.”

  “You, too. The woman you plan to marry is luckier than she knows. Tell her I said so.”

  There was so much he had to tell Sydney, he couldn’t get home to her fast enough.

  Rick walked him to the car. “Kay and I are looking forward to the wedding. We’ll fly into Gardiner tomorrow afternoon. I’ll call you when we reach the motel.”

  “That’ll be perfect. We’ll have dinner together.”

  His friend studied him briefly. “How did it go with the bishop?”

  “Actually our visit was what I needed to lay my last demons to rest.”

  “Then I couldn’t be happier for you. Be safe.”

  Sydney had told him the same thing.

  On the way to Bismarck he called her, but naturally her voice mail was on because she was still in class. He left a brief message that he was on his way home to Gardiner and would call her later.

  He supposed he could call the office and ask them if she could come to the phone. But unless it was next of kin calling, or an emergency, they’d probably tell him to leave a message. That wasn’t good enough.

  He needed to do something that would grab her attention. Something guaranteed to let her know she was on his mind…

  As the germ of an idea took root, he called the information operator for Montana. By the time he’d reached the airport for his flight home, he was smiling in anticipation of her reaction.

  By the time seventh period started, Sydney was in so much pain, she didn’t know how she was going to make it through class.

  She’d waited all night for a phone call from Jarod, hoping he’d break down because he couldn’t stand to be apart from her and needed to hear her voice. Convinced he would phone her first thing this morning, she’d gotten ready for school early so she’d have time for a lengthy talk before first period.

  But there’d been no phone call. She’d checked her messages between second and third period. Nothing.

  That should have warned her not to bother him. When he’d answered his cell, he’d sounded far away and preoccupied, so totally unlike the man who’d given up the priesthood for her. His abruptness had left her devastated.

  At this point she realized she couldn’t lie to herself any longer. What was the expression? Whatever seemed too good to be true probably was?

  Two weeks ago Jarod had appeared at her apartment without his collar like som
e magnificent apparition from a fantastic dream.

  It was fantastic all right.

  Things like that didn’t happen in real life!

  When he’d refused to move in with her, she should have seen through his clever smoke screen. What a twist of irony that when he’d arrived out of the blue, she’d thought he’d come to dally with her during his vacation from the parish.

  Instead, he’d refused to touch her in order to make her believe he’d left the parish for good. She believed his story about his wanting to honor her by making her his wife before they went to bed together. Part of her had always doubted he would leave the priesthood forever and it seemed he had given up on her already.

  No farce or tragedy Shakespeare had written could compare to the scenario Jarod had created. It was masterfully scripted and acted exactly like the play her class was working on right now.

  “I’m still waiting for an answer, class. Let me repeat the question. Can any of you identify a folk tale woven into The Merchant of Venice?”

  Several hands went up. “Amy?”

  “It seems like in a lot of fairy tales there are always three wishes, or three tries at something. I was thinking that maybe the suitor having to choose one of the three chests to win his mate was like that.”

  “Excellent thinking, Amy. You’re exactly right.” She looked around. “There’s another folk tale, as well. Does anyone want to take a guess?”

  Linda Smoot’s hand shot up. Another irony that one of the men responsible for trying to drive Jarod out of Gardiner was this girl’s father. It was the stuff that could have been lifted from the famous English bard’s backlist of material.

  “Go ahead, Linda.”

  “How about the way creditors make their victims pay. You see that all the time in stories about the Mafia.”

  Sydney nodded. “You’ve been doing your homework. Who can identify the greedy creditor? How about you, Randy?”

  “Shylock.”

  “Correct.” She looked around. “Steve? What undercurrent is stirred up when pitting a greedy Shylock against a noble Antonio?”

  “They come from different faiths.”

  “That’s right. Jew against Christian.” Priest against sinner. “This next question is for anyone in the class. Does this theme have any relevance that you can see in today’s world? If so, be prepared to cite a specific example.”

  Everyone in the class raised their hand. She was about to call on Mike Lawson when a garishly clad man holding a rectangular florist box under his arm entered the classroom from the back. His presence created a major stir.

  It had to be some girl’s birthday. Sydney had seen this kind of thing done before. At least the clown had chosen to come at the end of the period. There’d be no more discussion of the plot twist today.

  The intruder looked around, playing the crowd. Everyone in the room had grown excited. “I’ve got a present here for someone. I’ll give you a clue. The initials are S.A.T.”

  The kids laughed. Naturally. It was the name of the dreaded test they all had to take.

  “What?” the man said. “No Susan in here? No Sam?”

  “There’s a Steve!”

  “It’s not my birthday, and my last name doesn’t start with a T,” Steve Carr said, red-faced.

  “All right. Let’s try another clue. This person once had a pony named Pickle.”

  The kids thought that was hilarious.

  Sydney blinked. Pickle had been her pony when she was a little girl.

  The flowers were for her. Sydney Anne Taylor.

  Her heart pounded outrageously. They had to be from Jarod, but she couldn’t believe he remembered those obscure little details about her.

  She got up from the chair. “The bell’s about to ring. Since the recipient doesn’t seem to be in this class, if you’ll leave the box with me, I’ll check for a card inside and make certain it gets to the right person.”

  His thank-you coincided with the final bell of the day. She took the box from him. Everyone left the room except Steve. Sydney wished he’d gone out with the others, but she couldn’t do anything about it now.

  He grinned. “I bet I know who those are from.”

  “Let’s find out, shall we?”

  Her heart fluttering with excitement, she lifted off the top of the box.

  What on earth?

  He stared at her. “Don’t you like them?”

  “Yes, of course—” she blurted. But lilies were normally a funereal symbol. The end. To her mind they portended nothing good.

  Then she saw the note.

  With trembling fingers, she pulled the little card from its tiny envelope.

  This short trip to Bismarck has been illuminating. Just so you know before we see each other, the path I’ve chosen is the right one. Jarod.

  She tried to smother her gasp so Steve wouldn’t notice.

  Was this Jarod’s way of saying our love isn’t meant to be after all?

  Her pain went too deep for tears. She didn’t have any more to shed.

  “Sydney? You look sick.”

  She shook her head. “I’m all right, Steve. It’s just that the person who sent these lilies doesn’t know I’m allergic to their cloying scent. Will you do me a favor and take these to your mom to enjoy? Just tell her no one claimed them, so I let you kids draw straws and you won.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “Okay. You know that question you asked on relevance?”

  “Yes?”

  “I felt like looking at Linda and telling her she and her family had a lot in common with Shylock.”

  “For someone who didn’t think they were going to like Shakespeare, you’re very astute. Tell your parents you got A-plus in my class today.”

  “How about making that my permanent grade?”

  “Maybe.” She smiled at him. “See you tomorrow.”

  A few minutes later she left the building. Before starting up the car, she checked her cell phone. This time Jarod had left her a voice mail that he was on his way home.

  There was no mention of anything personal. No mention of the flowers. He’d let the note say it all.

  Were the lilies his way of softening her up before he had to face her in the flesh with the truth?

  Sydney didn’t want to hear it. In her frantic state of mind, she couldn’t stand to go back to her apartment. If Gilly was home, she’d drive there.

  Reaching for her phone to call her friend, she heard it ring and noticed it was Jarod calling again. Her heart raced with sickening speed.

  Was he checking to find out if she’d received his gift yet? His consolation prize?

  If I’d just met you first, Sydney.

  She sat there afraid to pick up and listen to what he had to say because she feared her doubts had come true, and her mother’s prediction.

  That man could destroy you. I’m frightened for you, honey.

  Terrified to find out he might be phoning to call off the wedding, she let it ring and headed straight for Old Faithful.

  The plane had been delayed, putting Jarod down later than he’d planned. He left the Gardiner airport and headed for Sydney’s apartment. Why didn’t she answer her phone? He didn’t know if she’d received his flowers or not.

  His hands tightened on the steering wheel while he waited for the next light to turn green. That’s when he saw a black-and-tan Jeep headed for Mammoth at top speed.

  Sydney’s?

  He’d asked her to stay put at her place after school until he came for her. Deciding it couldn’t be her car, he kept going toward her apartment. But when he arrived there, he couldn’t see her Jeep. Completely frustrated, he made a check of the school grounds. Nothing.

  Maybe it had been her car he’d seen after all. Why hadn’t she gone home to wait for him? He phoned her again.

  To his relief she finally picked up. “Hello?”

  It didn’t sound like her. “Sydney?”

  “Yes?”

 
; “Where are you? I’ve been trying to reach you.”

  “I’ve been busy since class.”

  That didn’t sound like her, either. “Did you get my flowers?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  He frowned. Something was wrong. “If it disturbed your class, I’m sorry.”

  “No. The period had come to an end. Your timing was perfect.”

  A groan came out of him.

  He’d hurt her earlier this morning when she’d called and he hadn’t been able to really talk to her. No floral offering could undo the damage. It was a mistake he would never make again, but how to convince her of that right now?

  “Darling—”

  “If you don’t mind, I’m busy and can’t talk to you. Maybe later?”

  To his chagrin, she clicked off. Sydney wasn’t behaving like the woman he knew and loved.

  Though Gardiner was a small town, traffic was heavier this time of evening. With her head start, he’d have trouble catching up to her. Filled with a strange sense of foreboding, he called Park information and asked to be connected to the chief of security.

  After a minute, “Ranger Smith speaking.”

  “Larry? It’s Jarod Kendall.”

  “Hello! How’s the bridegroom-to-be holding up?”

  “Not so well I’m afraid.”

  “Uh, oh. What’s wrong?”

  “I’m not sure, but I’ll admit to you I’m worried. Ten minutes ago I thought I saw Sydney headed for Mammoth in her Jeep. We’ve had a slight misunderstanding.”

  He paused to clear his throat. “The truth is, something’s wrong, Larry. I can feel it. If you or one of the rangers should happen to spot her, would you let me know? I’m on my way to the North Entrance right now to look for her. You can call me back on my cell.”

  “As soon as we hang up, I’ll put out an alert. If she’s in the Park, we’ll find her. Just hold on.”

  “Thanks. I’m going to owe you for this one.”

  “It’s what friends are for.”

  Jarod knew he’d liked Larry right off. Now he knew why.

  Before she reached Norris, Sydney heard a siren. One of the patrol cars was after someone. In a few seconds she realized that someone was herself!

  What on earth?