by Lisa Harris
“Never.” Alex laughed. “They might end up driving you crazy, and you’ll eat more Tex-Mex and barbecue than you ever thought possible, but they’re a family who will have your back every time.” Nervous as she was, she had to admit that sounded wonderful.
Fifteen minutes later, Alex parked at the end of La Bella Raina’s dusty driveway. There was just enough light left to wash the two-story ranch house in the hazy golds of the sunset. Meghan stepped out of the truck, breathed in a mixture of hay and the woodsy scent of a fireplace and felt her shoulders relax.
“Wow. This is stunning.”
“And you haven’t even seen the inside yet.” He took her hand and headed for the house. “Come on in and meet everyone. I’ll bring in your suitcase later.”
Meghan walked beside him toward the house with its stone walls, huge picture windows and long veranda. Despite her fears of meeting his family, there was also a measure of peace in her about being here. They’d both taken time over the past few weeks to chase away the lingering shadows from their pasts.
She’d met her father in Cape Town and spent a week with him, facing long-buried issues from the past, learning to forgive and working on building a new relationship for their future. At the same time, Alex had visited his grandparents’ homestead and his mother’s grave, bring closure to a piece of his personal history he would always carry with him.
He turned to her on the veranda, pulled her into his arms and kissed her before they stepped into the house.
Her heart took a nosedive. “What was that for?”
“To make sure you know I love you and can’t imagine bringing anyone else home to meet my family.”
Meghan smiled as they walked through the front door, across the shiny wood floors, finally stopping in front of an extraordinary fireplace. They stood there for a moment, taking in the tangy smell of barbecue and noisy laughter from the back of the house.
“Anybody home?”
An older man using a carved wooden cane met them. Tall, broad shoulders, graying dark hair… She’d recognize Alex’s father anywhere. “Mr. Markham.”
“Please.” The older man’s smile widened. “Mr. Markham sounds way too formal. Call me Charles.”
Alex placed a protective arm around her. “Dad, this is Meghan.”
“So I finally get to meet the woman who captured my only son’s heart.”
Before Meghan could respond, the room was filled with the buzz of excited chatter.
“It’s taken you long enough to get her here. I’m Camy, Alex’s youngest older sister.” She gathered Meghan into a big hug. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to meet you.”
“I’m glad to meet you, too—”
“Have you ever been horseback riding?”
“What about hunting? Uncle Alex, could we go hunting tomorrow?”
Meghan tried to field the questions from two boys with bright red hair and freckles sprinkled across their noses.
“Or swimming if it’s not too cold. Do you like to swim?”
“Boys, where are your manners?” asked another woman who could only be Sara. “Introduce yourself before you swamp Meghan with all of your questions. There’ll be time for all of that tomorrow, but for now, both your uncle and Meghan are tired.”
Meghan couldn’t help but smile. “You must be…Tyler and Cameron.”
“He’s Cameron and I’m Tyler. Uncle Alex’s favorite nephew.” Tyler shot his uncle a broad grin.
“You’re not his favorite,” Cameron countered as Alex drew them both into a bear hug.
“Boys!” Sara shook her head and apologized to Meghan. “They’re excited.”
“They have every right to be excited. It isn’t every day that Alex brings home a girl.”
“I heard that, Heather.” Alex gave his niece a big hug.
“Personally, I’m glad to hear it isn’t a common occurrence.” Meghan took in all the energy and excitement around her. Nervous or not, this was what she’d always wanted. A big family with traditions, laughter and, yes, even the inevitable drama. Meghan laughed, then turned to the teenage girl. “I hear we’re going to be roommates for the weekend.”
“Yes, and Grandpa is giving us the master bedroom. It’s huge with a Jacuzzi tub—you’re going to love it!”
“Looks like someone is trying to impress our guest, Dad.”
“And why not? It’s about time you found someone to settle down with.”
“I agree. I’m Julia, mother of three precocious little girls who are currently having a tea party upstairs, but will be tearing through here any moment.” Julia linked her arm with Meghan’s. “I’ll be the first to admit that we’re a bit overwhelming at first, but hopefully you’ll come to love us.”
Any fear Meghan had felt was quickly dissipating. “I know I will.”
“Are you tired?” Camy asked.
“Not really. I dozed a bit on the flight.”
“Good, hopefully you’re hungry, because dinner is almost ready.”
“Can I help?”
“You bet.” The women started back toward the kitchen. “We can always use an extra hand, and maybe you can tell us firsthand some of your adventures in South Africa.”
Alex grabbed her hand and smiled at her. “I told you they’d love you.”
A moment later, Meghan stepped into a kitchen bigger than her entire chalet back in South Africa. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually cooked something.
“Would you mind frying up the rest of the okra, Meghan?” Julia scooted past her with a bag of flour. “I need to get the gravy finished for the chicken-fried steak.”
A buzzer went off over the stove.
“Sara, that’s your pie,” someone shouted.
“Got it.”
Meghan turned to a pile of sliced green okra while the rest of the women fluttered around the kitchen like Martha Stewart. “Okra…”
Camy must have caught the look of panic in her eyes, because she swooped in, arm around Meghan, and steered her toward the dining room.
“Heather, take over the okra, will you? I need Meghan’s help to get the table set.” Camy grabbed a basket of silverware on the way. “You don’t mind, do you? It was getting too crowded in the kitchen.”
“Actually, you just saved me.” They stepped into the dining room with its high ceiling and rustic wood beams that held a table built to hold at least a dozen and a card table set up on the side, presumably for the kids. “Cooking isn’t exactly my specialty.”
“Mine, either.” Camy handed her a stack of white dinner plates from a wooden hutch. “I’ve always preferred the outdoors to a stuffy kitchen.”
Fifteen minutes later, she’d met the brothers-in-law and Julia’s three girls, and was sitting in front of a spread the size of Texas—barbecued ribs, chicken-fried steak, corn on the cob, beans, fried okra and a sideboard of desserts.
As soon as the amens had been said, the questions started again. Where had she grown up? What was her favorite animal on safari? When would they be able to watch her documentary on the internet? Was she going to make another documentary? Had she ever had a pet monkey or lion or giraffe? Meghan fielded the questions while filling her plate.
“What I want to know about is how you managed to survive being kidnapped by some international crime syndicate,” Camy said.
“It was scary, but thankfully, there was this Texas Ranger who saved my life.” Meghan squeezed Alex’s hand under the table. Meeting his family was turning out to be tame compared to what she’d gone through those last few days.
Cameron jumped up from the kids’ table to grab a roll from their bread basket. “Mama says you’re getting married, Uncle Alex. Is that true?”
The table went silent. Meghan looked to Alex.
“Cameron, I—” Alex pushed a piece of fried okra across his plate.
“Cameron, that isn’t the kind of question you ask a couple in public,” Sara said.
“Especially before the man has proposed,” Alex a
dded.
Cameron frowned. “I would have asked in private, but there are too many people here.”
Someone snickered. Meghan shifted in her chair.
“Sorry. I was just curious.” Cameron started back to his table.
Alex cleared his throat, then tapped a knife against one of the glasses to get everyone’s attention. The room fell completely silent as a dozen pairs of eyes stared at them.
“Meghan, Cameron might have spoken out of turn, but he was right that I have a question to ask you.”
Meghan gulped in a breath of air. Surely he wasn’t proposing now? She looked down the row of faces she’d all just met. Sisters, brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews… This wasn’t exactly how she’d imagined him proposing. She’d daydreamed about a quiet table for two while the African sun splashed its golds and oranges across the horizon, or even here at the family ranch sprawled out on a blanket beneath a tree with a picnic basket and nothing but the West Texas sky for miles and miles.
Certainly not in front of his entire family.
“Maybe this isn’t the perfect moment I’d planned,” he continued, “but I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. About you and me and our future.”
Meghan dropped her fork onto her plate and scooted her chair back as Alex knelt down beside her. His hands shook as he grasped them. He really was going to propose.
Someone let out a whoop from the end of the table. Meghan felt her cheeks heat up.
“I had something prepared for you—something I’d planned to share with you in private.” Alex shot a glance at Cameron. “But I’m not sure I can wait until we have a moment alone. Or for that matter, if we’ll ever have a moment alone. So I hope you’ll forgive me, because I’m not exactly one for making speeches.”
“Just tell her how you feel,” someone called out.
Someone else giggled in the background, but Meghan barely heard it. All she could see was Alex, on his knees, getting ready to ask her to marry him.
“When I decided to take the assignment in Africa,” he said, “I went to find that hole my mother left when she died. To heal and to find a way to escape my own burnout. Instead, I found what I was really looking for all along. You.”
Meghan felt her heart tremble. Everyone around them melted away. All she could see was the man she’d fallen in love with, looking up at her with those gorgeous eyes of his that made her heart flutter like a teenager’s again. The man who had filled the missing pieces inside her own heart.
Tears welled in her eyes as he continued.
“The time I spent visiting my mother’s home after I left you confirmed all the things I felt while we were together. And those feelings deepened during these weeks we’ve been apart, making me realize just how much I love you. You were the one who made me laugh again. Showed me how to find peace again. Showed me that I didn’t need more religion, but instead more love for my Savior and those around me. Showed me that pursing justice is still worth fighting for. So I spoke to your father last night and asked his permission to marry you.”
“Uh-oh,” someone called out.
“He gave me his permission, Camy,” Alex said with a mock glare at his sister.
Meghan tried not to cry as he pulled out a small black velvety box from his pocket.
“Like the ranch that belongs to our family, this was my mother’s ring and my grandmother’s before that.”
He opened the box and pulled out the simple, beautiful solitary-diamond ring.
“Meghan Alyssa Jordan, will you marry me?”
Her heart pounded as he slipped the ring onto her finger. “Yes.”
“Kiss her…kiss her…” someone started chanting in the background.
Alex laughed as he pulled her into his arms. She lost herself in his kiss. She was no longer the little girl searching for love and family, because for the first time in as long as she could remember, she’d finally come home.
*
Keep reading for an excerpt from STOLEN MEMORIES by Liz Johnson.
Dear Reader,
I had so much fun writing this story because it brought together many of the things I’ve loved about living in Africa over the past ten years, from the people to the animals to the scenic beauty. This continent has captured a piece of my heart, and I’m thrilled for the opportunity to give you a glimpse of this beautiful place. One of my favorite things to do is go on safari. My family and I have been able to see so many amazing things, and for me, each animal, each sunset and the vast night sky really do “declare the glory of God.” The other thing that has impacted my life is the people I’ve been able to meet. They’ve taught me how to laugh, love, dream and how to truly give from the heart.
Be blessed,
Lisa Harris
Questions for Discussion
We’ve all had people in our lives who have let us down and hurt us, but forgiveness doesn’t always come easy. What have you learned in life on how to forgive and let go?
Is there a specific person in your own life you still need to forgive? If so, what is a tangible way you can move forward in letting go of this hurt?
Kate tells Meghan that she had to continually remind herself that her identity isn’t “determined by who I’m with, but by the One who created me.” What do you think about that statement?
When Kate asks Meghan what makes her push Alex away, Meghan admits he makes her feel vulnerable. Have you missed out on things because you felt vulnerable?
What measuring tool should you use to measure your self-worth? What people say about you, or what God says about you?
I’d love the chance to do a wildlife documentary and spend a few weeks filming in the bush. What is a dream that you have that you’ve yet to realize?
Alex realizes that many people believe that the end justifies the means. He also sees that money can turn someone away from the truth and break their integrity. What do you think about that statement, and how can we avoid falling into that trap?
James says in the Bible that pure religion is to look after the orphans and widows and keep ourselves from being polluted from the earth. How do you think this verse should apply to our own lives?
What do you think about this statement: “It doesn’t matter what is true. What matters is what is believed.”
Do you come from a big family or a small family? How did that influence your growing up?
If you were able to go on a safari, what animals would you like to see?
Meghan loves to travel in this story. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.
You enjoy a dash of danger. Love Inspired Suspense stories feature strong heroes and heroines whose faith is central in solving mysteries and saving lives.
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ONE
Zach Jones ran his hand down his face until his fingers covered a yawn. Letting out a muted sigh, he stared through the windshield of his parked car, seeing nothing but the lights lining the Minneapolis street. After a long day of chasing down dead ends, he was ready for a couple days off.
A quick glance at the clock on his dashboard revealed that his shift was almost over. Time to head back to the station before turning in for the night. He’d just put the unmarked sedan into gear when the police radio in his car squawked, and he leaned over to turn it up.
“Possible dead body at the corner of Thomas Road and Gavel Drive at Webster Park.” His stomach lurched, his pulse flying. That was just a few blocks away.
Tossing the radio handset into the empty passenger seat, he flipped on the sirens and pulled onto the nearly
deserted road. Usually he was the last one to the scene. Homicide was always called in after a dozen patrol officers had swarmed the area.
This close to the scene, he’d probably even beat the uniforms there.
“This is Jones. I’m en route.”
The dispatcher replied with a quick, “Ten-four.” Then after a short pause she added, “Two boys cutting through the park found the body.”
“Are they still at the scene?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Tell them to stay away from the body but not to move. I’ll have questions for them later.”
Trees just beginning to sprout their spring leaves sailed by as he maneuvered around a car pulled over to the side of the road to get out of his way. The lights of the restaurants and stores of the commercial district to his left faded, his mind focused on the scene he was about to reach.
Pulling off the road, he parked at the entrance of a walking path, turned off the sirens but left the red-and-blue lights flashing. He was the first on the scene. He slipped his phone into his pocket, tucked his flashlight into his belt and pulled on rubber gloves as he followed the beam of his headlights.
Two boys, probably no more than twelve, sat next to each other on a wooden bench, hugging their hockey skates as though he was going to demand they give them up. He pushed back his jacket to show them the badge hanging around his neck, a late winter wind seeping through the fabric of his shirt. “You boys call the cops?”
The bigger boy nodded a mop of dark brown hair and let go of his skates long enough to point behind him into the shadows.
Zach squinted but couldn’t make out a form between the tree trunks. “Did you go near the body?”
“No, sir.” Again from the bigger boy. The little one with the blond crew cut hadn’t blinked since Zach arrived. He was probably in shock from what he’d seen.
How bad was it over there?
His skin crawled, the hair on his arms standing up. It wasn’t from the cold. Or even from this case. This wasn’t his first day in the department.
It was something in the air. Something that, after ten years with the Minneapolis P.D., he could almost smell. Something that, after all this time, he still couldn’t name.
