From The Ashes

by Claire Sanders

Jacob grimaced and shook his head slowly. “There’s all kinds of crazy in the world.”

  “Did anyone blame you for the hostage’s death?”

  “No. No one, but me.”

  “I don’t think you did anything wrong. You were in an impossible position.”

  “I hesitated, Judith. If I’d shot the robber a few seconds earlier, a teenager’s life would have been saved. One second, maybe two, made the difference. I couldn’t stomach the idea of picking up a gun again, knowing the price of making a mistake. Being a cop lost all of its attraction.”

  And if Judith hadn’t opened the door that day, if she’d stayed by her mother instead of running outside, maybe she could have prevented her mother’s death. “We both wish we could go back and do things differently.”

  “But we can’t. Besides,” Jacob said as he clasped his arms behind his head, “returning to Piney Meadow turned out to be a good decision. One of the reasons I moved to Houston was to prove I could make it on my own, but I missed my family.” He flashed a mischievous smile. “Please don’t tell my brothers and sisters I said that. I get enough teasing as it is.”

  Jacob’s joke signaled it was time to put their tragedies behind them.

  Judith smiled in relief and drew an imaginary X over her heart. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

  ****

  They rode back to Piney Meadow in an easy silence.

  But when Jacob parked the truck in front of the cabin and turned off the engine, the silence was suddenly uncomfortable.

  Judith knew she could invite him in, but what would they do? She was all talked out, and she wasn’t ready to do more than talk. Jacob probably wanted a goodnight kiss, but Judith didn’t want their first kiss to be in the truck.

  However, she couldn’t get out of the truck by herself unless she was willing to split the seam of her skirt. She eased the truck door open and Jacob sprang out to meet her on the passenger side.

  He fixed his hands around her waist but didn’t lift her down. Instead he studied her face in the soft light from the truck, their eyes level for once.

  “Thank you for dinner,” Judith said.

  A small smile crossed his lips. “You’re welcome.”

  He continued to watch Judith for a few seconds, not saying a word, not moving in for a goodnight kiss.

  “Are you going to help me down?” Judith asked.

  “No. I like the way you look there. Can’t get out without my help, can’t get around me, either.”

  Judith knew when she was being teased. “You don’t scare me.”

  “Good. That’s not my intention.”

  “What is your intention?”

  “Haven’t decided. I was considering a kiss, but somehow it doesn’t seem like the right time. Not yet, anyway.”

  “So, I’m stuck here until you decide?”

  “Have you ever been on a moonlight hike?”

  “No, and I’m not interested in one now.”

  “What are you interested in, Judith?”

  “First, to get out of this truck. Second, to go inside.”

  “That’s all?”

  “For now, Jacob. That’s all for now.”

  He nodded his understanding and lifted her onto the ground. Without saying another word, she stepped onto the porch, opened the front door of the cabin and flicked on the light. Then she turned back to Jacob.

  He waited beside his truck, his profile lit by the light from the cab.

  “Goodnight,” Judith said.

  “Oh, I almost forgot,” he said with a snap of his fingers. “I’m supposed to ask if Chloe can come tomorrow to work on birthday party decorations.”

  “Sure. But make it after lunch. I have to go into town and buy supplies.”

  They stood watching each other. Judith didn’t want him to leave and she didn’t want him to stay. She longed for him to hold her in his arms, but didn’t trust herself to touch him. For the first time in her life, her body seemed to be divorced from her mind.

  This is the man for you, her senses yelled.

  Too much, too soon, her mind answered.

  A vision of herself jumping off the porch and throwing herself into his arms formed in Judith’s mind. The desire to feel his lips against hers was nearly overwhelming.

  But Jacob saved her from herself. “Take care,” he said as he returned to the truck and started the motor.

  Judith raised a hand in goodbye and watched the taillights disappear down the dirt road. Someday she’d be happy he’d left. But she wasn’t so sure at that moment.

  10

  Jacob’s heart lifted as he turned down the dirt road that led to the cabin the following day. When he’d eagerly volunteered to pick up his niece after her art lesson, his sister had winked at him and smiled.

  “Just you try getting Chloe to leave,” Hope had said. “She’s crazy about Judith.”

  Chloe wasn’t the only one, Jacob thought. In the weeks he’d spent with Judith, she’d gone from being a pretty stranger to holding a special place in his heart. His father had always told Jacob that when he met the right one, he’d know it, and there was no denying the lightness he felt whenever he was close to her.

  There was something special about her - a strength that made him proud and a vulnerability that made him protective. Jacob rounded the last curve and saw Judith hanging sheets of paper from an old clothesline. She smiled when he approached, a warm welcome that encouraged his thoughts about making Judith more than a friend.

  “Those look great.” Jacob said.

  “Thanks.” She fastened the last clothespin. “Chloe loves to use water colors.”

  “Where is Chloe?”

  “Playing over at Beverly’s house. Hope that’s OK.”

  “Sure. Keneisha’s got so many cats, Chloe will be happy all day.” Surprised, but grateful to find Judith alone, Jacob drew Judith into an embrace. She eased in his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. “Did you sleep well?” he asked.

  “Not really,” she said in a soft voice.

  “Why not? Something on your mind?”

  “What about you? Did you sleep well?”

  “Tossed and turned all night.”

  “Did you have something on your mind?”

  “Just a pretty girl with curly dark hair and beautiful eyes.”

  He felt her lips curve against his shoulder.

  “What are you doing for the rest of the day?”

  “Nothing special.”

  “If you’re still interested, I could show you where to find those orchids.” And if she wasn’t interested, he’d find another reason to spend the day with her.

  “Sure. Just let me get my sketchbook, and then I’m all yours.”

  He liked the sound of that. Making Judith all his was becoming more attractive every day.

  Judith disappeared into the cabin and returned a few minutes later. She tucked a sketchbook and pencils into a satchel and draped the strap over her head. “How far is it?”

  “Not too far. We’ll follow this trail for a way, and then cut across a meadow to the marshy area.”

  They walked for several long minutes, Jacob a few paces ahead, clearing the undergrowth with his footsteps and holding back the branches to ease her passage. They were at the meadow before he broke the comfortable silence. “You’ve got a really nice piece of land here, Judith. Isaiah left you many blessings.”

  Judith eased onto a fallen log and removed a bottle of water from her satchel. “Selling this land would be like rejecting my grandfather’s gift. Did your mother tell you I decided to lease the land to your family?”

  Jacob blew out a breath of relief and said a silent thanks to the Lord. At last, he’d have good news to share with his father. “No, she didn’t.”

  “I don’t know the first thing about owning a forest,” Judith continued. “I thought it would be best to simply leave it alone and let nature take over.”

  “Not if you want to really take care of it.”

  After ta
king a long drink, she passed the bottle to Jacob. “What does that mean?”

  “Forest management includes inspecting the timber stands and keeping an eye on the wildlife populations. Especially if we find endangered species.” Jacob drank the cool water, glad she’d thought to bring some.

  Judith accepted the bottle, capped it and returned it to the satchel. She wrapped her arms around her knees and sat in silence, scanning the surrounding area. “Will your family harvest the timber?”

  “Some of it,” Jacob answered, lowering beside her. “But with four hundred acres, you could harvest trees every year and never really see a difference. Remember, a lumberman wants to protect the forest more than anyone else. Conservation doesn’t mean leaving a site untouched. It means using the site in the best way possible.”

  “How long have the Frasers been in the lumber business?”

  “My grandfather started the lumber mill. Now my father oversees the mill and my brothers each specialize in different aspects of the business. I’m the forester, David is in charge of finding the best market for the timber, and Richard operates the building supply.”

  “What does a forester do?”

  “Scout for new property and manage the land we own. That’s how I renewed my acquaintance with your grandfather.”

  “You liked him, didn’t you?”

  Jacob braced his hands on the log and stretched his long legs. “I liked him a lot. Isaiah lived a simple life. We’d usually meet for coffee in the morning, and then we’d drive out to inspect some part of the property. He talked a lot about how the community had changed since he was a boy, but that the forest had been the one constant in his life. Seemed to me as though he’d grown roots as deep as a red oak.”

  Judith stood and stretched. “Do we have much farther to go?”

  “No,” Jacob said, rising. “Just across this meadow to where that stand of yaupon is growing.” He nodded towards the shrubs.

  “I’ll just follow you,” she said.

  “Good enough,” Jacob answered with a grin and led the way. “My sister, Hope, told me to make sure you were coming to Chloe’s birthday party.”

  “Will your whole family be there?”

  At the other side of the meadow, Jacob stopped and turned to face her. “You sound like the turkey that was invited to Thanksgiving dinner.”

  “Remember, I grew up with just my father. Two quiet people in one big house. I liked your family, but when I first met them I felt like my underwear was showing.”

  The thought flashed across Jacob’s mind, but he quickly whisked it away. Those kinds of thoughts would only lead to trouble. “Think you could get used to my big family?”

  “Why would I want to?”

  “Well, Judith, as should be obvious by now, I’m seriously considering courting you.”

  “Courting?”

  The tips of his fingers touched hers, and then he pulled her hand into his. “Don’t you know what courting is?”

  Judith didn’t withdraw her hand. “Let’s pretend I don’t.”

  “Well, first I ask you out on a series of dates, and we spend a lot of time together. Then, after a few dates, I start buying you presents.”

  “Presents, huh? I like that part.” Her eyes twinkled.

  “Then, after you fall in love with me, I buy you an engagement ring.”

  Color flooded Judith’s cheeks, but her voice remained playful. “Awfully sure of yourself.”

  “Not really.” Jacob slid his calloused hands along Judith’s soft cheeks and tilted her face up to his. “I’m going to kiss you now, Judith. If you don’t want my kiss, you’d better say something.”

  Jacob waited for her consent, his gaze intent as he struggled to read her thoughts. But before he could decode her reaction, she raised on tiptoe and gently laid her lips on his.

  Jacob deepened the kiss. At last, she was in his arms, kissing him as freely as he kissed her.

  How wondrously pure she tasted, as warm and sweet as the first spring morning after a hard winter. How perfectly she fit in his arms, her tall, slender body a perfect match for his. Could she really be the one? The one God had made for him?

  When at last they broke apart, Jacob cradled her head against his shoulder with one hand and wrapped his other arm tightly around her. “Oh, Judith. I’m so glad you came to Piney Meadow. So glad.” His lips brushed against her hair, her forehead, her temple. “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

  Judith raised her head, wrapped her arms around his neck, and smiled.

  Jacob encircled her waist and lifted her off her feet, melding his lips with hers. She laughed as their mouths touched, and Jacob swallowed her laughter, taking it inside until his heart shone with the burgeoning love he felt. He lowered her and stepped away. “We’d better stop this now, Judith, before I forget I’m a gentleman.”

  She brushed her lips across his knuckles. “I’m glad you’re a gentleman.”

  Oh, yes. He would do whatever he could to win this woman. But time to step away before temptation grew too strong. “Besides,” he said, striving to make his voice sound casual, “I still have to collect Chloe.”

  “But the orchids,” Judith said with a frown. “You never showed them to me.”

  Jacob pointed to the ground. “See those dark green leaves growing around that brown stalk? That’s the orchids. They bloom in the fall.”

  Judith swatted his arm. “Did you bring me out here on false pretenses?”

  “Nope. I always planned to get you alone where I could talk to you without interruptions. The forest is the perfect place for that.”

  Judith tried to feign annoyance, but she couldn’t stop her grin from spreading to a full-blown smile. “Next fall, huh?”

  “Yep. Think you’ll be around to see them?”

  “Maybe. All I need is a reason to stay.”

  “Oh, I plan to give you a reason,” Jacob said, taking her hand and pulling her back towards the trail. “You can count on it.”

  ****

  He’d kissed her.

  Judith held Jacob’s hand as they walked towards Beverly’s house, her heart smiling at the memory of his kiss, and his words fluttering in her chest.

  Could he really want to marry her? So soon? No man would decide such a thing on a whim. Would he?

  Everything told her that he was a thoughtful, responsible kind of man. Not one to throw proposals around. If he was serious, she’d have to give an answer. Did she want to marry him? Judith rubbed her temples to quiet the questions.

  “You’re awfully quiet. Something on your mind?”

  “Are you serious about wanting to court me?”

  “Is that a problem?”

  Yes. No. She looked into his eyes, to see the mix of concern and hope that flickered there. She pulled her hand free and took a few steps to distance herself. “I need time to pray about it, Jacob.”

  “Take your time, sweetheart. I have faith in our future, so I can wait until you feel the same.”

  “How can…why do you…” Judith slapped her hands against her thighs in frustration.

  He held her so closely she could feel his heart beat. She tipped her face up and he lightly touched his lips to hers. “I know I caught you by surprise, but you’re the woman for me. Don’t you feel it, too?”

  Judith’s knees weakened from the gentleness of his lips and the strength of his embrace. Warmth bloomed from her heart to every part of her body until she was sure she’d collapse from the overwhelming feeling of being loved.

  Had he asked her a question? With his lips moving so tenderly over her face, all rational thought evaporated. She curled her fingers into his shirt and gave in to the astonishing sensations surging through her.

  A voice came from somewhere outside the cocoon of tenderness he’d created, and Judith struggled to focus on something other than Jacob. He abruptly let go, leaving her mind reeling in a muddle of sensations and oblivion.

  Chloe was there, dancing around Jacob and chattering
about Keneisha.

  Awareness slowly fought its way into Judith’s brain. Chloe. They’d come to Beverly’s house to pick up Chloe.

  “Keneisha’s momma took us to her new church. Keneisha wants me to go to church with her. Can I?”

  “That’s a question for your mom and dad,” Jacob answered.

  Judith watched Jacob and Chloe walk down the red dirt road, realizing that she should follow them, but unable to move.

  “Something wrong, Judith?”

  No, for the first time in her life, something was very right. She walked quickly to catch up.

  Jacob turned his attention back to his niece. “How do you like Keneisha’s new church?”

  “It’s OK,” Chloe answered, swinging Jacob’s hand. “But it’s not big like our church. And it’s made of wood instead of bricks. And it doesn’t have pretty windows like our church.”

  “It’s not size, or bricks, or stained glass windows that make a church, Chloe.”

  “It’s not?”

  “A church is made of people who love the Lord, no matter where they meet,” he explained.

  Chloe shifted her interest to Judith. “What’s your church look like?”

  “It’s a big, brick building with a huge cross planted right in front of it.”

  “Does it have colored windows?”

  “Oh, yes. Right above the front door, there’s a stained glass window that shows Jesus calming the storm at sea.”

  “Is He walking on the water?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’d like to see that. I think church is lots of fun,” Chloe continued. “The people are nice and they always have doughnuts.”

  “Tell you what, Chloe,” Jacob said. “Let’s invite Judith to visit our church.”

  “Want to come on Sunday?” Chloe asked. “The children’s choir is going to sing.”

  “I’ll come,” Judith promised. “I’d love to hear you sing.”

  Satisfied with that answer, Chloe skipped away and Judith and Jacob resumed their slow pace.

  “I’m glad to know you go to church every week.” Judith said.

  “Been going almost every Sunday for as long as I can remember. My whole family goes. We meet at the church, always sit in the same spot, and then go to my parents’ house afterwards. The responsibility of living my life so that others can see Christ in me has been challenging, but that’s who I am. Having a relationship with God is as important to me as breathing.”