Love Blossoms: 7 Spring-Fresh Christian Romances

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  Marc pet the cat’s head and looked at Annie, his playful smile resurfaced. “Remind me to thank you both later.”

  Kelly’s eyes widened. “If she climbs up in a tree again, I’m going to blame you, Marc.”

  “Stevenson, you’re supposed to be putting out fires, not starting them,” one of the other firemen yelled. “Let’s roll.”

  Marc waved at the guy, and turned his attention back to Annie. “Promise me you won’t climb any more trees.”

  Annie frowned. “But what if Kee Kee does?”

  “Then call me,” he told Annie. He dug his hand into a pocket and retrieved his cell phone. Marc glanced at Kelly. “Speaking of which, I need to get your number.”

  Kelly rambled her number off, but the fire truck horn blared, forcing her to repeat it for him.

  “I’ll call you,” he yelled over his shoulder as he dashed for the fire truck.

  “Why is he calling you?” Annie asked. “So you can give me his number?”

  Kelly’s cheeks warmed. “I don’t think he wants me to give you his personal phone number, but I’ll be sure to ask him about it when he calls.” No doubt he would get a chuckle out of it when she told him. Kelly walked back to the children’s home, hoping to avoid answering Annie’s first question.

  Her hopes vanquished as soon as they walked into the living room and Annie announced, “The fireman is going to call Kelly. He even told me I can call him.”

  Chapter Two

  Marc twirled his fork around in his spaghetti, scooping up another bite. His mother made the best spaghetti, so he didn’t know why he chose to order it off the menu at the local Italian restaurant Nic chose to meet at. Marc’s mind was preoccupied. The brown eyed, beautiful brunette, had haunted his thoughts since he’d met her hours earlier. While Marc sat across the table staring at Nic, Kelly was possibly staring into the eyes of another man. She hadn’t said whom she was having dinner with, just that she promised to meet a friend. Was it a boyfriend?

  “You’re not very good company.” Nicholas Alexander popped half a meatball in his mouth, and flashed a lopsided grin.

  “Maybe you should consider asking a woman out to dinner instead,” Marc countered. “Then you would have someone who talks up a storm. No doubt you’d soon be content to have me not yakking your ear off again.”

  “Considering I’ve sworn off dating, I have a feeling you’re the one who wishes you were sitting across the table from someone with a few more curves than I have.”

  “I tried.” Marc sipped his water, then set the glass down, staring at the shrinking ice floating in the water. His mind felt numb, hovering in suspense. He took a deep breath and picked his fork up. “Kelly said she was meeting a friend tonight. The only thing is, when I asked her if it was a guy, she didn’t exactly answer because we got interrupted by one of the kids.”

  “One of the kids?” Nic said. “She has children?”

  Marc shook his head. “No.” Did she? It never entered his mind at the time. “Well, I don’t think she does. I think she works at the children’s home. That’s where the call came from.”

  Nic laughed. “Okay, let me get this straight. You invited a woman you met at a fire to go out to dinner?”

  “It wasn’t a fire.” Marc twirled another spoonful of spaghetti onto his fork and took a bite. He hadn’t planned on telling Nic about her at all, in case things didn’t work out. If she had agreed to dinner with him, then he would have had to cancel his plans with Nic. In which case, he would have told him all about her and why he’d have to go to church with Nic next week instead.

  “Well, whatever it was, you seem to be really hooked.” Nic pushed his empty plate forward and folded his arms across his chest. “You’ve been in la la land from the moment you sat down.”

  Guilty as charged. How could he deny it? “Yeah, I know. But if you had told me last week there was such a thing as love at first sight, I would have said you were crazy.” He wiped his mouth with the white cloth napkin and laid it on the table. “Nic, there’s just something about this woman. She’s vulnerable, and beautiful, and good with kids.”

  “No wonder you like her. You’re a big kid.”

  Marc laughed. “Yeah, I am.”

  “So what are you going to do about it?”

  “Excuse me?” Marc asked.

  “What are you planning to do about it?” Nic smiled. “Are you going to make up an excuse to go see her again so you can ask her out?”

  “Ah.” Now he understood what Nic was getting at. “I already got her phone number and was going to have dinner with her, but she had plans tonight.”

  Nic’s eyes widened. “So you were planning on ditching me, or bringing her along?” His expression registered amusement.

  “Honestly?”

  Nic nodded.

  “Well…” Marc ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath, which he slowly expelled. “I was going to ditch you for the gorgeous brunette, but in my defense, I knew I could still come to church with you Sunday.”

  “At least you’re honest.” Nic’s shoulders shook slightly when he chuckled. He reached for the check their waitress sat on the table. “I’ll take care of this, and then we can head to church.”

  Marc felt a little guilty about his admission, but if Nic saw Kelly, he’d understand. Her chocolate brown eyes made a man want to melt. Thankfully, he didn’t have to worry about competing with Nic. But was there someone else? She didn’t elaborate on what her plans were for the night, so it was possible she was going out with someone else. He’d make sure to call her tomorrow. In the meantime, he could think of something catchy and suave to say to her.

  After Nic paid their check, they met up on the church parking lot since they both drove separately. Marc’s breath caught in his chest when he saw a woman crossing the parking lot that looked exactly like Kelly.

  “I think that’s her.” He tapped Nic’s upper arm with the back of his hand, afraid to take his eyes off the woman in pink Capris and a coordinating striped tee. “I’ll meet you in the sanctuary, okay?”

  He glanced at Nic, who nodded and chuckled. “I’ll save two seats.”

  Marc smiled. “Thanks, buddy.”

  She was already inside, and headed toward a counter that looked like it lead to a children’s area since there were all kinds of cartoon figures on the brightly painted walls.

  “Kelly?” he called, hoping to catch her before she had a chance to disappear.

  She turned. Her eyes lit up and she smiled when she saw him. That was a good sign. She was obviously happy to see him.

  He hurried over to meet her.

  “Funny seeing you here,” he said.

  Kelly’s laugh was delicate. “I believe I’ve been here almost every Sunday and Wednesday for the last twenty-five years, considering I’ve grown up in this church.”

  “You know what I mean.” Marc leaned his arm against the counter. “I thought I was going to have to wait a while until I could to see you again.”

  “I could always coax the cat back up the tree.”

  Marc snickered. “You could do that, but it would be easier to call me personally, then I could hang around longer.”

  “Hmm.” Kelly’s lips quirked to one side as she contemplated his suggestion. “Well, if I wasn’t so old-fashioned and believed the guy should call the girl, and the fact that I don’t have your number anyway because you never did call me…”

  “Ouch.” Mark put his right hand over his chest. Then he reached down and pulled his phone out of his right-hand jean’s pocket. He punched in his text and hit send.

  Kelly’s phone pinged. She pulled it out and read, “Now you can text me until I get a chance to call you later.”

  Marc sent another text that read, “Want to go out for coffee after church?”

  She frowned and typed.

  “No?” He looked up at her. His phone pinged again and he looked back down at it and smiled as he read. “Ice cream would be great. I’ll meet you back here aft
er church, okay?” He grinned as he looked back up at Kelly. “Sounds good.”

  “We’re not texting now?”

  “Not when we’re together.” Marc touched the tip of her nose with his index finger and winked. “I’d much rather hear your sweet voice.”

  At least he wasn’t the only one with a silly grin on his face.

  Church would be starting before long. He should probably find Nic, but he hated to leave Kelly. “Would you like to sit together during service tonight?”

  She sighed. “I’m sorry. I teach the kindergarten class on Wednesday nights.”

  He couldn’t deny he was disappointed, but at least they would be going out after church. The fact that she agreed to that meant she wasn’t trying to blow him off totally, and she had given him her phone number earlier when they met. “So these were the plans you mentioned you had for the night?”

  Kelly smiled as she nodded. “Every Wednesday.”

  “And what about the children’s home?” Marc asked.

  “I tutor there on Monday and Wednesdays. Once in a while, I help out on Saturday mornings.”

  She obviously loved children if she donated so much of her time to helping them. He couldn’t wait to have his own children, but that was still a ways to go. Kelly seemed like a prime candidate for the role of the future Mrs. Stevenson. They still had tonight and the awkward first date to get through. She’d also have to see if she could handle him, moreover his family. Not everyone wanted their children to grow up and be firefighters, but in his family, it was a tradition. Probably something that he shouldn’t mention immediately. Around his family, it wouldn’t take her long to figure that one out.

  “One last question, how do I find the sanctuary?” No one could accuse him of not asking for directions. When he was driving was another story. But some genius had invented GPS maps for that. Unfortunately, they didn’t work inside of buildings.

  Kelly turned him slightly and pointed. “Follow that hallway all the way to the end and you will see a couple sets of double doors that lead to the sanctuary.”

  He followed her gaze, then looked back at her, her face mere inches from his. Her lips looked very kissable. He longed to taste them. If they weren’t at church, he would have taken a chance.

  “I’m looking forward to dessert.” And with any luck, a kiss good night, he thought to himself.

  Kelly licked her lips and he nearly moaned.

  “I better go.” It took every ounce of energy to walk away. With his luck, the pastor would preach a hell, fire and damnation sermon and he’d be instantly vaporized for thinking of making out with a woman in church.

  His mind wandered as he walked down the hallway, numbly nodding or smiling toward people who made eye contact. It was a large church, so it was doubtful all the members knew each other.

  The church he grew up in was small. Everyone knew you, and everything about you, which was one of the reasons he was looking for a new church. Another reason was to meet single, Christian women. His twenty-seventh birthday loomed ahead, and his selection of single women who hadn’t already been married, divorced, or were a single mother, was getting smaller to choose from. If finding a potential wife meant changing churches, then so be it. It was a better alternative than joining an online Christian dating service.

  Marc spotted Nic close to the front of the sanctuary. He was standing in the aisle, engaged in conversation with two other men. Marc headed over to greet them.

  “Here he is now.” The other two men turned to look at Marc when Nic spoke.

  “Should I be concerned if you’re talking about me?” Meeting new people was always awkward, but as a firefighter, he’d learned to deal with many difficult situations—not that going to a new church was necessarily difficult compared to other situations he faced in day-to-day life.

  “Nothing bad, I assure you.” Nic clasped the shoulder of the guy on his right. “This is Jonathon Weeks and his cousin Frank Winegrass. Two weeks ago you rescued their grandmother whose house had caught on fire.”

  “Ah.” Marc remembered her. Lily Nelson was a kind, older woman. Very frail looking. “How is she?”

  “It was really thoughtful of you to go visit her at the hospital.” Frank was well-rounded and had a scruffy beard. His misty eyes took away from his rough exterior.

  Although the two were cousins, he couldn’t see any family resemblance between the two. Jonathon was tall, slender, and clean shaven.

  Marc shrugged. He didn’t go see her to get recognition. She inhaled a lot of smoke and he’d prayed for her. “I just wanted to follow up and make sure she was doing okay.” His voice caught in his throat. “I’m glad we were able to get there in time.”

  Marc’s father instilled a sense of pride in both of his brothers and him, just as their grandfather had done for his father. Their job was one of servitude, one that made a difference—for people like Lily. As the guys often teased in jest, fire fighters were the ones running into a building when everyone else was running out. He looked forward to the day when he would have sons to follow in his footsteps. They would be the fourth generation of Stevensons to become firefighters.

  Chapter Three

  Sitting across from Marc in the fast food restaurant, that was known more for its ice cream than anything else, made Kelly’s pulse race. She had given up casual dating several years ago, determined that it was what she needed to overcome her reckless past.

  From the moment they met, Marc cut through her defenses with his charm. He looked even more handsome in street clothes than in his uniform. Running into him again tonight felt like a sign. She’d been praying and asking God to help her overcome her past and to bring the right person into her life. Could Marc be the one? Was he a committed Christian? Or a new Christian, since this was the first time she’d seen him at their church? She knew that the only way to find out what you wanted to know was by asking, but she needed to be careful in how she steered the conversation. If their conversation took a wrong turn, some things about her past might slip out and might scare him off. Maybe that was the real reason her heart beat quicker.

  “Did you enjoy service tonight?” Kelly smiled faintly before taking another bite of her ice cream with chocolate and cheesecake mix-ins.

  “Yes.” Marc nodded. “It was different than my church, but definitely refreshing.”

  “So, you normally go to another church?” When he nodded, Kelly continued, “What brought you to our church?”

  “Right now I’m tempted to say God.” He smiled wide. “Because I got to see you again today.”

  Kelly laughed. “I was thinking the same thing.”

  Her cheeks warmed.

  A moment of silence hung between them as they both stared at each other. Marc broke the silence. “I’m glad we met, especially since you turned out to be a well-grounded Christian.”

  Well-grounded? She had been in church for the last six years. Kelly was still growing in her spiritual walk. But this wasn’t necessarily a topic she wanted to discuss with Marc. At least not on their first date. She wanted to get to know him better before she brought up her past. While God may have forgiven her, she was still working through forgiving herself and her family.

  “Did you grow up in church?” Kelly asked.

  “Yeah.” Marc licked his ice cream cone. “Same church my whole life, which is why I needed to go somewhere else for a change. Pastor Thompson gave me a lot to think about.”

  “Oh?”

  “He talked about helping widows and orphans, and while I may be a firefighter, I don’t go out of my way when I’m not working to reach out and help either.”

  “But you’ve spent your life helping others.” Kelly straightened in her seat. “That means a lot and you shouldn’t beat yourself up over it. God calls different people to do different things so that He can use us to help meet everyone’s needs.”

  Marc chuckled. “So you get the widows and the orphans and I get the rest?”

  Kelly giggled. “Well, I’ve go
t the orphans. Someone else will have to help the widows, but I know God’s got that covered, or He was speaking to someone in the service to encourage them to step forward and help.”

  “I think I may put my name on the list to help out with handyman repairs for widows.”

  “Does that mean you’ll be coming to our church again?” Kelly held her breath and eyed him intently.

  He stared at her momentarily, taking a lick from his ice cream cone before a smile crept across his face. “So you wouldn’t object?”

  “Why would I object?” She laughed, wadded up the napkin in her hand and playfully tossed it at him. “After all, having you attend the same church beats having to wait for you to show up on another 9-1-1 call.”

  Marc’s hearty laughter made her smile. “So true, but maybe we could find another way to meet outside of church besides emergency calls. What do you like to do in your down time?”

  Kelly finished the last bite of her ice cream and moved her empty container to the side of the table. She folded her hands in front of her, leaning her forearms against the table. “I like to hike, go to the zoo, or even the outdoor theater. What about you?”

  “Outdoor theater?”

  Kelly giggled. “I never would have taken you for the musical type.”

  His eyes widened. He paused, his cone a few inches from his mouth. It took a moment before he lowered his hand to rest on the table. “Is that what you meant by outdoor theater? It’s some sort of musical?”

  “Yes, The Muny is an outdoor musical theatre. It’s kind of far, though, so I don’t get to go very often.” By the expression on his face, the arched eyebrow and frown, he wasn’t likely to want to go with her whenever she went.

  “So you said you liked to hike?”

  She couldn’t help but chuckle at his diversionary tactics. “You’re too funny; and yes, I like to hike. Do you?”

  “It’s as simple as walking,” Marc said. “I think I can handle that.”

  “Um…” How did she tell him? Compromise is key to any good relationship, at least that’s what she’d heard from others. Her own parents were not the best example to learn from, and the reason she’d been taken away from them when she was a teen. “Walking is fine, too. I hope you don’t mind a few steep slopes, or we could go another trail I’ve gone on that has a lot joggers.”