Perfectly Matched

by Lois Richer

  “I’m not worried. I’m praying.” Maggie’s lips moved as they struggled upward.

  “You stay, honey. I’m going back for some stuff,” Shay said when they were finally inside. She saw Maggie’s face tighten and hugged her. “Don’t worry. I just want to get the rest of the food and a blanket, in case we have to camp here for a bit. You keep praying.”

  “I’ll ask God to send Uncle Nick,” Maggie said.

  “Good idea.” Shay paused in the opening of the cave. But how would Nick know where to find them?

  The wind tore at her as she scrambled down the rocks to her car. It didn’t seem to be dissipating. Moving as quickly as possible, she bundled as much as she could carry into her rucksack, including the leftover lemonade. Then she scrambled back up to the cave.

  “I’m back,” she called to Maggie, raising her voice to be heard over the wind. “I’m just going to step outside and try my phone again to see if I can let your grandmother know that we’ll be late.” She was grateful when Maggie didn’t argue. If only her own faith was that strong.

  Shay’s heart sank when she saw there was only one bar of reception.

  “Please let this work,” she whispered as she dialed.

  The fourth time she edged a little closer to the precipice and extended her arm. To her amazement the call went through and was immediately picked up by Nick.

  “Shay, there’s a bad storm…” he said, his voice fading.

  “Nick!” She stretched her arm an inch farther and yelled, hoping the wind wouldn’t obliterate her voice. “My car’s dead. We’re at Mooney’s. Please help.”

  The phone blinked out; the battery was dead. All she could do was pray he’d heard her. She walked back into the cave slowly as she tried to come up with a way to tell Maggie she wasn’t sure when help was coming. What were they going to do? If she could carry Maggie out, they might get caught in a rainstorm and that meant getting wet and risking hypothermia when the desert cooled off as it always did at night. They wouldn’t have enough clothes to keep warm even if they snuggled together inside the cave. Rattlers came out at night. Javelina pigs and mountain lions stalked and fed at night.

  They were in trouble.

  “I’m c-cold, Shay.” Maggie sat huddled inside, lips chattering.

  “This should warm you up.” Shay wrapped the child in the blanket then, after checking to be sure there were no animals inside the cave, sank down beside her and drew her close. “Better?”

  “Yes.” Maggie was silent for a few moments then she asked, “How long do we have to stay here?”

  “I’m not sure.” Shay had to be honest. “It’s a big storm, honey. Listen.” As if to emphasize her words, the wind chose that moment to send a shower of sand into the mouth of the cave. “But we’re safe here.” Shay didn’t feel safe, but she would not let Maggie see her fear. “I brought the rest of the picnic for when you get hungry.”

  “Okay.” Maggie peered through the gloom for several moments. When she finally spoke, her question surprised Shay. “Uncle Nick said your dad died. Did you have a good daddy?”

  “I did, darling.” Shay snuggled the girl close against her and bent her head to rest her cheek against Maggie’s still-damp hair. “I had the best father a girl could want.”

  “So did I,” whispered Maggie. She sniffled.

  “I know.” Though she tried to ignore the hiss of wind into the cave, worrisome what-ifs plagued Shay. “We were lucky to have had such good fathers,” she said, struggling to blot out her unease.

  Maggie frowned. “When I was in the hospital, a lady told me I was an orphan. I asked Grandma what that meant.”

  “What did Grandma say?”

  “She said I wasn’t an orphan because God’s my daddy and Jesus is my brother.” Maggie lifted her head. “And you know what else Grandma said?”

  “Why don’t you tell me, sweetheart?”

  Shay’s admiration for Mrs. Green’s ability to teach her faith to her granddaughter was shattered by a strange noise. She leaned forward a little, concentrating on where the sound came from. Was it just the hiss of sand in the air as it hit the stones outside? Or an echo that kept rebounding inside?

  Or was it something more sinister? They were near the front, but perhaps something had taken refuge in the back where she hadn’t seen it. She shuddered at the thought.

  Shay couldn’t quiet her rising panic when a shadow on the cave wall moved. Her breath jammed in her chest. Every brain cell told her to grab Maggie and run.

  God? The one-word prayer whispered straight from her heart to heaven.

  Suddenly there was a lull in the wind. The whole world seemed to hush. Maggie’s pure, confident tones rang out.

  “Grandma said God isn’t like other daddies. He knows how to take care of His kids.” With that, Maggie closed her eyes and fell asleep.

  I will never, never fail you nor forsake you.

  This morning’s verse bloomed crystal clear in Shay’s head. The promise was hers. Maggie had accepted it. Now Shay could choose to believe it or she could fret and make herself sick with worry.

  Either way, sooner or later, Nick would show up.

  Because that’s who he was.

  Shay made her choice.

  “I will trust You,” she whispered. “We are safe in Your hands.”

  The wind raged again. The sand pelted the cave opening, and the sky was just as dark. But inside Shay’s head, a reassuring presence blossomed, pushing out panic and fear.

  Even if she never had her own family, she was part of God’s family and He would never let her down.

  Shay closed her eyes and worshipped. And in that moment she remembered a detail so startling, she knew it had to be from God.

  *

  “Shay? Shay!” Nick glared at the offending phone but no one answered. He dialed Shay’s number but it went immediately to voice mail.

  “What’s wrong?” His mother hovered at his elbow.

  “I’m not sure but I think they’re in trouble, Mom.” Nick met her gaze.

  “Then you’ll find them.” Her confidence in him was reassuring.

  “There was a lot of static. Nothing Shay said came through clearly. It sounded like she said they were at the moon.” He shook his head, his hands fisted at his sides. “I’m pretty sure she also said her car was dead.”

  “The moon?” His mom frowned. “Is that some kind of amusement park?”

  “Not that I know of.” Why hadn’t he gone along with them, or at least asked her to tell him where they were going? He glanced down at Hugs. The dog lay flopped on the floor at his feet, his big eyes fixed on Nick as if he knew something was wrong.

  “If we don’t know where to look, how can we find them?” Worry lines appeared at the corners of his mom’s eyes.

  “We’ll get help.” He dialed Kent. “Hey. Are you and Jaclyn okay?” He listened for a moment then explained the situation and what he thought he’d heard Shay say. “The thing is, I can’t figure out what ‘the moon’ means.”

  “I haven’t got a clue either. Hang on a sec.” Kent talked to Jaclyn then returned. “Jaclyn says the Weather Channel is claiming this storm will let up in about an hour. I’ll call Zac and Brianna. We’ll head over to your place as soon as we can and go from there.”

  But go where?

  “They’re coming as soon as they can,” Nick told his mother.

  “But it will be dark soon, Nicky.” The old nickname that his mother used only at the most stressful times told him how worried she was. “I’ll pray.”

  “I hope that’s enough to help Shay,” he muttered.

  “Prayer is always enough.” His mom frowned. “If you say you trust God, you have to trust Him with everything, son. He has plans for Shay and Maggie. He isn’t going to let harm come to them.”

  Worry chewed at Nick. This was exactly why he’d been so hesitant about that job in Seattle. What if this had happened when he was away? Who would be there for the ones he loved?

  Loved?<
br />
  Maggie, yes…but Shay, too?

  The knowledge blindsided him, but he knew it was true. He did love Shay, and somewhere deep inside he’d known it for a while. So why hadn’t he told her that when she said she loved him? Because he was afraid?

  But fear was exactly why he wanted so desperately to see her healed, to see her happy, to look after her.

  Because he was in love with her.

  “Nick?”

  “Yeah?” Half-dazed by this new understanding, he glanced at his mother.

  “Why is it so hard for you to trust God? He’s your Father.”

  “Sorry, but that analogy doesn’t exactly inspire me, Mom.” He let out a harsh laugh.

  “God is nothing like your earthly father,” she said. “But you’re not just talking about God’s trustworthiness, are you? You’re also worried about your own.”

  “I am my father’s son,” Nick said bitterly. “I am just as bad at relationships as the old man was. I even walked out on a woman I said I loved,” he admitted. “Twice. I can’t be trusted with love.”

  “That’s why this decision to take the job in Seattle is tearing you apart,” she said. “You want to be here with Shay, but you won’t take the risk.”

  “I love her.” It felt good to finally say that aloud. “I want her to be happy. I want to make her happy. But I can’t stay.”

  “Because?” his mother prodded.

  “Because I don’t think I will make her happy. Besides, the family needs me and I can’t fail them. I can’t fail you, or my sisters, or Maggie.”

  “Nick, you won’t fail us no matter where you work. You’ve been there every time your sisters and I needed you.” She touched his cheek. “Sometimes I think you’ve been there too much for us.”

  Nick gaped at her, stunned by her words, words that turned his entire perception of himself upside down.

  “Your sisters and I all find it too easy to turn to you at the first hint of trouble, and like the dependable man you are, you rush in to rescue us.” His mother smiled. “You always have, because you think no one else will. But that’s a lie, Nick. God uses you when you let Him, yes. But God doesn’t expect you to give up your life for us. If you’re not available, He’ll find some other way to see His will done.”

  Nick couldn’t assimilate her words. For so long he’d been the go-to guy in his family. To just back off and let them deal with whatever—well, that just wasn’t his way.

  “You can’t always be there for us, even though you want to be.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. “I am so immensely proud of you, Nick. You are everything a son should be and more. But you can’t run yourself ragged trying to be all the things your father wasn’t. You deserve to find happiness with Shay.”

  “But what if I fail Shay, like Dad failed you?” That memory of his father turning his back on his family still burned. “What if I mess up and hurt her?”

  “Then you apologize and ask for forgiveness.” She sighed. “Humans fail, dear. All of us. I failed your father, too.” She smiled at his look of disbelief. “It’s true.”

  “But Mom, if I stay in Hope, if I don’t take that job—” Nick gulped. “What will I do?”

  “I don’t know, sweetheart. Take the time to woo the woman you love? Start thinking about what you want your own future to look like? Keep blessing people with your inventions?”

  “You make it sound so simple.”

  “It is simple, Nicky.” She leaned back. “Now, are you ready to pray with me?”

  Nick thought of Shay and Maggie out there somewhere, alone and probably frightened. And then he thought of God wrapping His arms around Nick’s loved ones, protecting them and keeping them safe, just as he wanted to.

  Nick reached out and took his mother’s hand as she led a prayer asking for the Father’s guidance. Then Nick prayed his own prayer.

  “God, You know how much I love Shay. But I can’t keep her safe all the time. I trust You to bring Shay and Maggie home safely. I trust You to direct my future. Put me where You want me.” He inhaled. “You know what the future holds, and You know how much I want a future with Shay. I leave it in Your hands, Father. Help us find Shay and Maggie. Please.”

  Nick lifted his head, met his mother’s tearing eyes and smiled.

  Now all they could do was wait for God to show them the next step.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Shay sat motionless with Maggie sleeping in her arms as the storm raged, waned and finally died away. The sky cleared, the wind calmed and the world around them returned to normal. She had just begun to nod off when she heard the pad of footsteps outside the cave.

  Outlined by the moon, the shadow of an animal filled the cave opening. She couldn’t tell exactly what it was. Only that it stood there, poised, waiting.

  In that instant fear rose up like a tsunami and prepared to engulf Shay. Every muscle tensed. She wanted to scream but couldn’t.

  “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Maggie’s soft but unfaltering voice surprised her, cutting through the cloud of fear.

  As Maggie continued, the animal twisted its neck to watch them. Its eyes seemed to glow through the shadows, joining the host of stars behind it that glimmered and shone. On seeing those stars, Shay’s fears melted away. God had created the stars and the animal and Maggie and her. Like a shepherd He led them all on the best path. Nothing happened that He wasn’t in control of.

  She joined Maggie, her voice growing more confident with every word.

  “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for thou art with me.” Loudly, their voices raised in triumph, Shay and Maggie finished the verse. When Shay looked again, the animal was gone. All she could see now were stars. Laid out across the desert sky, they shone. Some were brighter, some were dimmer, but all of them shone, proclaiming the power and glory of God. Then, suddenly, a star burst out from the others and shot across the sky, scattering particles of light in a path behind it.

  “Did you see that, Shay?”

  “Yes, darling, I saw it,” she said, remembering the night when she and Nick had watched the meteor shower. A powerful certainty filled her.

  God had led her back to Hope, to Whispering Hope Clinic, and to Nick. He’d given the love she felt filling her heart. God would finish what He started.

  “I can do that,” she whispered.

  “What?” Maggie asked.

  “It’s getting light. We should get our stuff together and be ready to leave. Your uncle will be here soon.”

  “Really?” Maggie’s big brown eyes studied her.

  “I’m positive.” She grinned at the little girl. “Want to take a dip in the lake before he gets here?”

  Maggie laughed and Shay laughed right along with her. God was in charge. He would take care of them. Always.

  And that wasn’t the only thing she held in her heart. She could hardly wait to tell Nick what she’d remembered. It could change everything—for both of them.

  *

  When Nick saw the red convertible, his heart jumped with relief. She was here.

  He saw a picnic basket sitting on a ledge above him. As he scrambled up toward it, he saw a cave behind it. He climbed quickly, using his hands to propel him faster.

  “Shay? Maggie?” They weren’t inside.

  Nick moved back outside and dug out his cell phone to let everyone know he’d found the car. But he couldn’t find cell service so he climbed a bit higher. And that’s when he heard the singing.

  His heart jumped for joy. Maggie’s childish soprano accompanied by Shay’s strong voice filled the hills and the valleys, echoing back to penetrate even the tiniest crevices.

  “Our God is an awesome God,” they sang.

  “Yes, He is,” Nick agreed, his heart skipping in time to the tune. “Thank You, God.” He moved higher up the hill, anxious to hold his loved ones in his arms. He ducked through an overgrowth, and when he stepped free he saw Shay and
Maggie seated at the edge of a small lake, legs dipping in and out of the water as they swayed together, arms around each other’s waists. As far as Nick could tell, Shay looked perfectly calm, with no sign of panic marring her lovely face.

  Thank You, Lord.

  “Do you think that was loud enough for Uncle Nick to hear?” Maggie asked.

  He stood silent, curious to hear Shay’s response.

  “Whether he heard it or not, Nick will find us. He won’t let us down.”

  Such faith in him. For a moment the old worries besieged him, but he shoved them back and stepped forward. “You sure have a lot of faith in me,” he said, his eyes meeting and holding Shay’s.

  “Yes.” Shay gave him the most heart-stopping smile he had ever seen in his entire life.

  “Oh, Uncle Nick, we had the awesome-est picnic.” With Shay’s helping hand, Maggie rose and walked over to encircle his legs with her arms.

  “I don’t think awesome-est is a word,” he said with a chuckle, swinging her into his arms.

  “It is when you’re talking about Shay’s picnics. We missed you.” She hugged his neck then leaned back to look into his face. “You should come next time, Uncle Nick.”

  “I intend to, Maggie-mine. I intend to be at every one of Shay’s picnics in the future.” He set his niece down and locked his gaze on Shay. “If she’ll let me.”

  “Every time you’re home, you mean?” Shay swung her feet out of the water and rose. She tilted her head to one side, watching as he smiled.

  “I am home.” Nick waited for her to get closer, and when she did he reached out and pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her hair. “This is my home, Shay. With you.” He leaned back just a little, so he could see her face. “I love you. I want a future with you.”

  “But—” She stopped, though her arms were already winding around his neck. “What about your job?”

  “They’ll have to find someone else. My life is here in Hope.” It felt so good to say that. “I love you, Shay. Will you marry me and share whatever future God gives us together?”