Picket Fence Pursuit

by Jennifer Johnson

  “I know, but worrying won’t lower my blood pressure.”

  Ryan leaned back in his chair. “You’re right.”

  The doctor opened the door, looked at Gramps’s chart, and then checked him. “Well, Mr. Watkins, the new medicine seems to be doing the trick. Your blood pressure is better than mine.”

  Ryan sighed in relief. Thank You, Lord. The doctor gave Gramps his prescription and left. After Gramps buttoned his shirtsleeve, they walked to the desk, paid the bill, and headed for the car.

  “Feel better?” Gramps asked.

  “Much.”

  “I reckon I do, too.”

  Ryan chuckled. Gramps would never admit he’d been concerned as well. Ryan slid into the passenger’s seat and buckled his seat belt.

  “I’ll say one thing for sure,” said Gramps.

  “What’s that?”

  “She sure is a cutie.”

  Ryan frowned. “The nurse?”

  “No, the blond.”

  “What blond?”

  “The gals that went to lunch with us. What was the blond’s name?”

  “Kylie.”

  “Yeah, her. Course the black-haired one was cute, too, but there was something about the blond. What do you think?”

  Ryan shrugged. “She’s all right.”

  “Just all right?”

  “No. She’s beautiful.” Ryan looked out his window. “And there is definitely something special about her.”

  ❧

  “Thanks for taking Robin’s shift. It’s probably going to be a busy day with several schools bringing their students.”

  Ryan smiled. “It’s definitely a busy day, but I love watching all these kids. Makes me feel young.”

  Kylie chuckled. “Spoken like a man with experience.”

  “It’s my fourth year working summers here.”

  Four years. Why would any grown man want to work here for four years? A teenager, sure. A college student, sure. She peeked at Ryan. Though he wore his hair in a younger style, Kylie felt sure he was past college age.

  “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Robin so sick.” Kylie avoided making eye contact with Ryan as she wrapped the apron around her waist.

  “I hope it’s nothing serious.”

  “Just a stomach bug, I think.” She grabbed a rag and wiped off the ice-cream machine. “I was afraid you might have a daytime job that would keep you from being able to cover for her.”

  “Nope.” He stepped in front of her, forcing her to look up at him. “This is the only place I work.”

  There goes that hope. She couldn’t stop thinking about Ryan Watkins, from the moment she woke up to the moment she went to bed. She hoped, dreamed, prayed even, that maybe, just maybe, he had a good, solid day job and simply worked at Holiday World in the evenings because he led an otherwise boring and uneventful evening life. She turned toward the counter and began wiping it off. Yep, one dream right out the window.

  It doesn’t matter. I am the decider of my fate.

  A soft voice nudged at her heart. “I thought I was.”

  She shook her head. Of course, God was the most important thing in her life. She would follow Him anywhere. She had chosen accounting as a major because He had shown her He wanted her to be there. Her life belonged to Him. She was clay in the Potter’s hands.

  Even in poverty?

  Grabbing the broom, she squelched the thought. I’m being silly. God wants only the best for His children. He’s shown me the way, and I’m to follow it. I’m just getting a little freaked out because I’m so close to graduating—so close to finally reaching the goals He has set up for me. “Yes, that’s all that’s wrong,” she whispered.

  “What did you say?”

  She looked at Ryan. The sun seemed to glisten in his reddish hair. How could she be so attracted to Richie Cunningham, as Robin called him? “I was just mumbling to myself.”

  “Oh.” Ryan grabbed the broom from her hand and set it against the wall. “I think you’ve made this place spotless.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. “We’re going to be here awhile. Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself?”

  Okay, I can do this. Small talk. No big deal. In fact, the more I learn about him, the less attractive he’ll become. She smiled, grabbed a stool from beside one of the machines, and hopped onto it. “I’m an accounting major at the University of Evansville. I only have one semester left. I can hardly wait to graduate.”

  “That’s great. What made you decide on accounting?”

  “The Lord.”

  “The Lord?”

  “Yeah, I was taking a Bible study class, asking God what my major should be. I’ve always loved to work with numbers. I’d kind of narrowed it down to accounting or teaching math, and I don’t know how to describe it—I just felt He told me to go into accounting. Probably because I have a better chance financially with an accounting position.”

  “I see.”

  A perplexed look crossed Ryan’s face, and Kylie wondered what she’d said that confused him. “Where did you go to college?”

  “I didn’t.”

  Kylie nodded. “I see.” There you have it. He already looks less attractive. One step down the “Perfect Man” ladder.

  “Hey, can we get an ice-cream cone?” A preteen girl with braces on her teeth placed her money on the counter.

  “Sure can,” Ryan responded before Kylie had a chance. “What can we get you?”

  “I want a chocolate cone.” She looked at the boy a full three inches shorter—her boyfriend, Kylie presumed. “He wants a chocolate and vanilla cone.”

  “You got it.” Ryan smiled at Kylie. “I’ll get the swirl if you’ll get the chocolate.”

  “No problem.”

  They fixed the cones and handed them to the pair.

  “Thanks,” the youngsters said in unison and walked away. Kylie watched as the girl grabbed the boy’s free hand.

  “So tell me about your Lord.”

  “What?” Kylie looked at Ryan.

  “You said the Lord led you to accounting. I was just curious about your Lord.”

  Kylie frowned. She’d never heard such a statement and wasn’t sure what kind of response he wanted, but she’d tell him the best she could. “Well, I grew up in a large family. We attended church from as far back as I can remember. When I was eight, I felt the Lord drawing me to go forward in church. I asked Jesus into my heart and was baptized the next week.” She looked up at Ryan. He seemed enthralled with every word she spoke. She swallowed as a wave of heat washed over her. “Is that what you mean?”

  “Absolutely. I would have loved growing up in a big family. My parents died in a car accident when I was a teenager. That’s when I moved near Santa Claus to live with Gramps. I received Christ after that.”

  “Where did you live before?”

  “Alaska.”

  “Alaska?”

  “Yeah. My dad had a bit of an adventurer’s heart, and when he and Mom visited Alaska for their honeymoon, he fell in love with the state. I was eleven when I had to move. I still visit sometimes.”

  “Do you want to live there again?”

  Ryan shook his head. “Not really. Sometimes I get nostalgic about it, but Gramps is all the family I have now, and I want to be near him.”

  “It’s good you live so close that you can take him to church.”

  Ryan chuckled. “First of all, the man hardly ever lets me take him anywhere. He loves to drive. Second, we live in the same house. So like it or not, and sometimes he does make me crazy, we are definitely close enough to go to church together.”

  He’s so poor he has to live with his grandfather. Getting to know each other was the best idea Ryan Watkins ever had. She smiled up at him. His hair didn’t glisten all that much, and his eyes didn’t seem quite so swimming. Another step down the ladder.

  “That teen over there. He’s been lurking around awhile, hasn’t he?” Ryan nodded to the adolescent standing beside a bench. His hair was unke
mpt and looked dirty. His clothes, worn and torn in places, were worse than his hair. The teen looked in his wallet, then at the ice-cream stand, then back at his wallet.

  “I don’t know.” Memories of being sponsored for school trips washed over Kylie. She remembered friends’ parents who’d generously spotted her a few dollars for lunch or snacks. They never seemed to mind, but Kylie had.

  “Hey, buddy.” Ryan held an ice-cream cone in one hand and motioned with his free hand for the boy to come to the stand.

  The adolescent sauntered over, his face hardened, and his hand tightly clutched his wallet. “What?”

  “I’ve got an extra ice-cream cone here. Just wondered if you’d like to have it.”

  The teen’s eyes lit for a moment and then clouded. “Don’t need no charity. If I want an ice cream, I’ll buy an ice cream.”

  Ryan shook his head. “Ain’t charity, man. I just thought you might like an ice-cream cone.”

  “Everyone else has to buy one. Why not me? Sounds an awful lot like charity.”

  Kylie tried to swallow the knot that formed in her throat. She knew exactly how the boy felt. She hated charity. Loathed it. How could Ryan do this? The ice cream wasn’t worth it to the teen. He’d rather go without than always be beholden to one person or another.

  Ryan leaned against the counter. “I’m not going to lie to you, man. Everyone else does have to pay, but sometimes in life people like to give a little gift to other people. I’m not seeing you as charity. I just simply bought an ice-cream cone.” Ryan grabbed money from his pocket, opened the cash register, and dropped it in. “And I want to give it to you. Now, are you going to take it or not?”

  The teen seemed to search Ryan’s expression. Finally, he exhaled. “Sure, I’ll take it.”

  Kylie watched as the adolescent walked away, licking his ice-cream cone. She looked back at Ryan, who’d already turned away to wipe off the machines. Ryan’s heart was as genuine as the mop of reddish hair atop his head.

  That’s just great. The guy falls two steps down the ladder and hops three steps up.

  Four

  “This is going to be fun.” Robin hooked arms with Kylie.

  “Fun,” Kylie mumbled as she picked a wisp of hair out of her lipstick-covered lips and pushed it behind her ear.

  “Come on, Kylie, have a little fun. You got your grades today.” She wiggled and bumped her hip against Kylie’s. “Professor Nickels gave you the A.”

  Kylie smiled. Pure satisfaction filled her heart. “I earned that A, my friend.”

  “Yes, you did. Now, loosen up and let’s have a little fun.”

  “You’re on.”

  Kylie quickened her step, and Robin fell in line with her. The twosome pushed open the church’s recreation center doors. A banner on the far wall read SINGLES’ GAME DAY. Queasiness filled Kylie’s stomach.

  “Don’t get nervous,” Robin whispered in her ear and squeezed her arm for reassurance. “This will be a blast.”

  “You know me too well.”

  “Yep, and you’ll be fine.” Robin let go of Kylie’s arm and winked at her. “Let’s go sign in.”

  Kylie placed her name tag on her shirt and listened as a large, brown-haired man announced different groups. “In group three,” the man’s voice boomed over the speakers, “Kylie Andrews, Mike Dickerson, Cami Longman. . .”

  Kylie listened, praying he would announce Robin Reed in her group. She clutched her purse strap.

  “Sandy Osborne, Zane Sanderson. . .”

  Kylie’s heart plummeted. He was reading in alphabetical order. Robin wouldn’t be in her group.

  “You’ll have fun,” Robin whispered and squeezed her arm once more.

  “And Ryan Watkins.” The announcer stopped and pointed to a group of chairs in one corner. “Group three will meet right there.”

  “Hey, somebody I know,” Ryan’s voice sounded from behind her.

  Robin laughed. “I’m glad you’re here. Kylie gets so nervous. She’ll already have a friend in her group.”

  “Robin,” Kylie spat through clenched teeth. She was a great friend, but she had precious little tact.

  “I’m glad to have a friend in my group, too.”

  Kylie looked up at her male “friend.” His gaze spoke nothing but sincerity and kindness, and she willed her nerves to calm. “Let’s go, then.”

  They walked to the group and sat beside each other on metal folding chairs. The group’s leader, a tiny brunette, bounced around the circle, introducing herself to everyone. She stopped, clapped her hands, and exhaled. “I’ve already told you my name is Macy. We’re going to have a great time today. I know we will build lifelong friendships—and who knows, maybe our perfect, God-intended match.” She looked at Ryan and winked.

  She did not just wink at him. Kylie peeked at Ryan, who simply grinned and leaned back in his chair. What do I care if she winked at him? She placed her purse under her chair, then crossed her legs. What do I care if he grinned at her wink?

  Kylie sneaked another peek at Ryan. This time he glanced at her and winked. She forced a smile and looked away. The nerve of him. Flirting with me after the cute little group leader flirted with him.

  “Okay, the first thing we’re going to do is get to know each other,” bubbled Macy. “I’ve copied Bible verses onto slips of paper. I’ll pass them out, you’ll read the verse silently, and then tell us your name and what the verse means to you in your walk with Christ.”

  Kylie trembled at the thought of sharing such personal information with a group of twelve strangers.

  “I’m sorry. Putting the cart before the horse.” Macy smacked the side of her leg and snorted at her mistake. Even her snort sounded cute. “I’m going to pair you up for this activity, then we’ll go to a group game.” She walked around the circle. “You and you. You and you.” She pointed to Kylie and Ryan. “You and you.”

  Ryan turned toward Kylie. “This is great. We already kind of know each other.”

  “That’s true.” Kylie wasn’t sure she was quite as thrilled to be paired with a man whose cologne made her weak in the knees and whose too-long, wavy hair attracted her in the weirdest of ways.

  “You want to go first or you want me to?”

  “I think I want to get it over with.” Kylie read through her verse and smiled. It fit her life perfectly. She looked at Ryan. “You ready?”

  “Whenever you are.”

  Kylie shifted in her chair. “Okay. You already know I’m Kylie. My verse is Proverbs 21:21. ‘He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.’ ”

  “That’s a great verse.”

  “Yes, and it’s perfect for me to share. I think I’ve told you I was raised in a large family, eight kids to be exact.”

  Ryan’s eyes bulged. “You’re kidding.”

  “Not kidding. We were pretty poor most of the time. My dad was a coal miner. He and Mama grew up in eastern Kentucky, and for the first few years of their marriage, Daddy worked in Pike County. By the time Mama was pregnant with me, times were pretty rough. He was offered a job in Otwell, and they’ve lived there ever since. Still, if you know anything about coal mining, you’d know life is feast or famine, and with ten mouths to feed, it was often famine.”

  “But what a blessing. You never lacked a playmate.”

  Kylie laughed. “That’s true. I also never enjoyed some peace and quiet or the ability to have a few personal items that no one messed with, but as a kid I wanted both!”

  “I bet it was hard to keep your siblings out of your stuff.”

  “Definitely. Anyway, even as a small girl I knew God wanted me to pursue more than the life I led.” She uncrossed her legs and rested her elbows on her knees. “Two of my sisters have already married coal miners, and life is hard for them. Well, now I’m about to graduate from college. I plan to get a good job and marry a man with a steady income. I will pursue righteousness for the love of my family. I’ll be able to help them.”

  Ryan�
��s brows furrowed into a deep frown. “I don’t understand how you’re getting ‘be rich and marry rich’ from that verse.”

  “Don’t you see—the verse says ‘He who pursues righteousness and love’—I’m getting my degree to get a good job. It’s a righteous pursuit for the love of my family.” Kylie read the rest of her verse. “ ‘Finds life, prosperity and honor.’ God will give me prosperity, because my pursuit is to help my family.”

  “So, your family resents the coal mining business?”

  “Well, no.”

  “Then they hate the poverty that goes up and down with it?”

  Kylie remembered the many times her mother had made a game out of the unusual concoctions of dinner menus, like beans and corn bread with a side order of pancakes. As kids, they’d loved to guess what their mom would conjure up. “Well, not really.”

  “So, is your pursuit really from God?”

  How dare he challenge her walk with the Lord! Ryan Watkins hardly knew a thing about her. He had no idea what her life had been like. He obviously had family willing and ready to let him mooch off them. She was not and would never again be a charity case. God gave her a capable mind and two capable hands with which to provide work—hard work. She could hardly wait to help her family, to buy food during the down times, and to buy clothes for her siblings and nephews. “Yes, my pursuit is definitely from God.”

  ❧

  “Kylie, I really like him.”

  “Robin, you don’t even know him.”

  Ryan didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but the two were only a few feet away from him. He twisted in his chair in an attempt not to listen.

  “But I feel an instant connection,” Robin responded.

  “You always move too fast. You don’t think things through. What do you know about him?”

  “He’s a Christian. A youth minister, in fact. He has a small son.”

  Kylie gasped, and Ryan couldn’t help but pay attention now. “He has a child?”

  “It’s not like that. Tyler’s wife died from leukemia when their son was three.”

  “Oh, Robin, haven’t you heard of serial murderers who pick up young women at functions like these? They fill women’s heads with garbage.”