A Walk In The Wilderness

by Nancy Hopper

  A Walk in the Wilderness

  By Nancy Hopper

  Copyright 2013 by Nancy Hopper. All characters, places and situations in this novel are fictional. Any similarity to any (past or present) person, place or thing, is unintentional.

  Contact me at: nancy@idahopics.com.

  Read my blog at idahopics.com

  CHAPTER ONE

  Caitlin Kilpatrick took the receipt out of the computer, tore off the customer copy and handed it to Mr. Tyler with a smile. "There you go, you're all set. I do hope that you enjoy your stay with us."

  Mr. Tyler smiled and nodded, but he was already turning away. It was late, and he had a tired family waiting in the auto.

  Caitlin nodded at the Tyler group as they trudged by the reception desk. Then she sighed, and rubbed her neck tiredly.

  The graveyard shift worked well for her, but sometimes the nights could surely get long and lonesome. She didn't start until eleven, and she was on duty until seven in the morning.

  It was her uncle’s inn, and she felt lucky to have such a good job. They were scarce just now, and Caitlin was trying to work her way through school.

  The phone rang, and she answered it with much more pep than she felt inside. "Kilpatrick Manor."

  "Hey, Caitlin. It's Patricia. How are you?"

  "Good." Caitlin answered enthusiastically. Patricia was a friend she'd met in college, and she enjoyed their friendship a great deal.

  "Did you like the CD I gave you?"

  "Oh." Caitlin hedged. "Actually, I haven't had a chance to sit down with it. It's been very busy tonight."

  "Oh. Well, you know, I just found out that the artist who did the CD, is coming on tour to Scotland and Ireland. I'm going to catch his concert, and I thought maybe you'd like to come with, if you enjoyed him."

  "Well, that's interesting. I'll try to listen to it later, and see what I think. If you think he's that good, why not? Unless I hate his CD, I'll go with you." She laughed.

  "Super! Thanks, Caitlin. I hate to go alone to these events, you know. Makes me feel like an old maid, or something."

  Caitlin laughed. "That you'll never be, love." She said teasingly. Patricia was very beautiful.

  Two men were walking by, as Caitlin said those words. They looked at Caitlin askance, and she blushed as she realized how it must have sounded. The two men looked at one another with a wry smile; and Caitlin hid her eyes with her hand. They were both quite young, handsome, stylishly dressed – and obviously single. A girl could tell.

  "Oh, how embarrassing." She whispered into the phone. "Uncle will skin me alive, if they tell."

  "What?" Patricia yawned.

  "There were two very handsome men walking by when I called you 'love', and they looked at me so horribly, as if they thought I was talking to a lover, or something. Oh, I hope they don't complain. Sometimes I'm so foolish!"

  "Nah. Don't give it another thought." Patricia snorted.

  "When exactly is this concert?"

  "Actually, he opens tomorrow night. If that won't work, he'll be here a few different nights, but I'd like to catch him right off, if it works for you."

  "Um ... yeah. All right." Caitlin agreed. "Why not? I have that one exam to study for next week, and of course I have to keep working on finals; otherwise I'm in the clear."

  "Great. I'll pick you up, say, about five. We can have something to eat, and then be off."

  "Excellent. What luck – tomorrow's my night off."

  Patricia laughed. "For sure! I can't imagine keeping your schedule. Well, listen. I'm going to bed, and I'll see you tomorrow in class, all right?"

  "Yes. Thanks for thinking of me, I'm sure we'll have fun."

  "Bye."

  Caitlin was already pulling the CD out of her purse as she hung up the phone. If this guy was a flop, she wanted to know right away. She put her portable CD player out on the counter and put the thing in.

  His picture on the cover was dark and mysterious-looking, in teal with black shadows. He had dark, curly hair and brooding eyes. His name was Skyler Vaughn. Caitlin pursed her lips, and raised her eyebrows. He looked interesting.

  His voice was actually rather captivating. It had a rough edge, and had a tendency to break at times; yet it was rich, for a tenor. He had a delightful, light accent that Caitlin correctly guessed to be Canadian.

  His pronunciation was clear and clean. He sounded sexy. The music was wild and interesting – rock and roll, but with heavy percussion and sweet flutes, and varying keyboard fill sounds.

  Caitlin blinked and stared, as she listened to the lyrics.

  "You alone I come to. You alone I can see. You alone are the one I need. I was going nowhere into darkness. Oh, you came and captured me. You set me free!"

  Caitlin read the cover and chuckled, shaking her head as she listened to Skyler growl. Then the heavy rock guitar went careening into a solo.

  "I owe my very life to Jesus. I give Him the glory, the honor, the praise. Thank you, Lord, for my ongoing salvation and my hope. I trust in you alone." She mumbled, reading the inset. "Oh, brother. What have I gotten myself into?" she grumbled.

  But, she listened to the CD. He was good. Darn good! She sighed, and shook her head, again. She supposed it wouldn't hurt to go hear him. It was a concert, not a church service, after all.

  Still, she was a bit uncomfortable with Patricia the next morning. She'd had no idea that her friend was into this kind of thing. She sincerely hoped that Patricia hadn't recently befriended her in hopes of an opening to preach at her.

  But, Patricia didn't. All she asked was, "Did you listen to him?" And when Caitlin admitted that she had, "Did you like him?"

  Caitlin agreed that he was good. And that had satisfied Patricia. They went to dinner, and talked about their Ergonomics class together, over Pasta and salad. Then, Patricia drove them to a large auditorium across town, and she produced two tickets.

  "Already paid for. I got them from a friend. She distributes his CD's over here, so hey presto -- we're in free!"

  "Excellent." Caitlin chuckled. "I had no idea you were so well connected."

  "Well, neither did I. My friend told me to listen to the CD, and she told me if I'd buy it and help Skyler's name get out, I could have free tickets. Pretty sweet deal, I thought."

  "Yeah." Caitlin agreed hesitantly. Oh, she hoped she wasn't going to regret coming.

  They showed their tickets at the door, and were ushered directly in. To their amazement, the tickets were front row, center. They looked at one another in shocked amazement. They were seated directly under the bench of a magnificent, black grand piano. The stage was set with blue, green and purple lighting and white Greek columns, here and there. There were potted trees and shrubs. It was very elegant.

  They looked with interest at the various instruments positioned on the stage. There was a very large harp, some guitar equipment, and an extensive percussion section. As they watched, some musicians filtered in, and sat down with stringed instruments in the shadows – it looked to be two violins and a cello.

  The auditorium filled to capacity in no time flat. Soon the harpist was seated, and the lead guitarist and bassist were strapping on their instruments. Three women in flowing dresses of royal blue and purple in sparkling knits came on stage with radio microphones.

  The band started playing some deep, rumbling, ominous introductory music, and a man came on stage, bringing cheers and applause from the audience.

  “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! My name is Robert Rowan, of the European Christian Concert Coalition; and I am your host, this evening."

  He waited for the applause to die down.

  "Tonight we have the unprecedented honor of bringing to you a musician and worship lead
er whose music is sweeping the world! I am certain that it will touch your heart. Please help me extend a warm welcome to Mr. Skyler Vaughn!"

  The crowd responded with roaring applause. Patricia and Caitlin looked at one another with raised eyebrows. "This guy is bigger than I thought." Patricia mumbled. "He's got a whole lot of fans, doesn't he?"

  "It would seem so." Caitlin agreed.

  As his figure emerged from the shadows, the band began a hard-driving rhythm. A roar went up from the crowd as the spotlights hit him, and he smiled a dazzling smile.

  "Hello, Scotland!" he roared into a headset mic, waving an arm in the air. The crowd response was so overwhelming that the girls couldn't help catching the excitement.

  He was very dashing in a black, collarless suit and sleek, black boots. His royal blue shirt was open at the collar, and the buttons were offset for an interesting flair. His hair was dark and loosely curly, hanging over his collar and actually on his shoulders in the back. He was very handsome, very trim and muscular. He wasn’t very tall, but rather wiry and well-knit.

  He sat down at the piano and after a long slide down the keys, he fell in with the band.

  It soon didn't matter to Caitlin one whit whether this guy was a fanatic Christian or not. He was phenomenal. He could play like no one she'd ever seen!

  The crowd was going wild, and she could feel her heart pounding with excitement. He was right above her. She could see his eyes roving the keys, she was so close.

  "Do you feel the liquid fire? Do you feel the heat? Revival fire's coming,

  deep calls unto deep. Pouring over dry bones, let the fire come. Let us be surrendered to God's only son. Deep unto deep! Liquid fire, burning strong. Deep unto deep! Passion for the Son."

  He was passionate and unrestrained. They could see the concentration in his eyes, the sweat pouring down his temples. The percussion section was hitting a heavy jungle rhythm that had the crowd clapping enthusiastically. When they finally finished the song, the crowd literally went nuts. Patricia and Caitlin were with them, on their feet.

  He rolled right into a melodic, dissonant chord and let the sound die slowly away. "My very soul cries out." He sang, sounding raw and hungry, passionate and sweet. "There must be more. I can't go on, anymore. I need you like never before. Jesus, are you there?"

  He played a few slow, full chords before he went on. "I can't take what this world is giving me. I'm weak and without you, I have no hope. Can't you see, I must be free. But with you I have compassion for the heartless; the homeless; the angry and abused. Through your eyes I see my own need; just as great as any one's. But with you I can have hope and strength, all that I have need of. You're the only one -- yeah, the only one."

  By the time that he got done with the song, the girls were just sitting, riveted in their chairs, holding back tears. This man had touched their hearts and their souls. They knew that he'd bared his heart, they felt his struggle between his humanness and his search for God. They’d seen his heart seeking provision for the ills of the world. And he had touched them all, with his plea.

  There was a long silence, and then applause rang out. There was a standing ovation. Skyler lifted up his head and looked out over the crowd. A smile broke his lips, and he stood and bowed back to them. Then he sat down again, and went on.

  Halfway through the program, he stopped and took off his jacket. "Can't take it anymore, I hope you won't mind. It’s hot up here." He told them with a chuckle. He proceeded to roll up his shirt sleeves and talk to them. Just talk, so naturally done.

  It was his first trip to Scotland. He was going all through the Isles. He told them a joke, told them little things about his life. He was altogether delightful, and while his words were not blatantly Christian, they were deep; they caused one to think. He was very compelling.

  When it was finally over, he'd given them a good hour and a half. The crowd went wild, begging for more. He bowed and picked up his coat, then he walked off stage. The crowd didn't stop. They just became more intense.

  They could hear Skyler laughing through his mic from backstage, and he came back with a tired grin. “All right, then." He laughed. The crowd was ecstatic. He played for another fifteen minutes. When he was finished, he bowed again.

  It was a repeat of the last time. The crowd simply would not stop. They were insisting on another encore. This time, he waited long enough to change his shirt, and he came back toting a bottle of water. His white collarless shirt was open at the neck, and he had the tails out. He mopped his face with a hand towel, and sat down at the piano with a weariness that could be seen. But he poured out again. Another twenty minutes.

  Caitlin and Patricia were awed. He was wonderful!

  When he was finished, he stood and bowed, and blew a kiss. "God bless you. Goodnight." He said, and disappeared yet again.

  The crowd continued to roar, but after a short time, they let it die away. It was clear that the man was finished for one night. He certainly had poured out upon them a deluge of delightful sound and poetry.

  "Ladies. Please follow me." A security guard said to Patricia and Caitlin.

  "What?" Patricia asked uncertainly. "Is something wrong?"

  "No, not at all. You have the complimentary tickets, correct?"

  "Well; yes." Patricia confirmed uncertainly.

  "Then you have a backstage pass. Please come with me."

  Patricia exchanged a wide-eyed look with Caitlin, and they followed the man. It seemed incredible, but it appeared to be so. He led them up a side stair to the stage curtain, and behind it.

  There were a number of people scurrying behind stage, taking care of things, but they paid no attention to the guard or to the ladies. He led them to a receiving room that was very plush and comfortable, in blues and greens. He showed them each to a chair. They sank into deeply cushioned armchairs, positioned around an area rug and a glass table. He got each of them a soda of their choice and smiled, as he went out.

  Again, Patricia and Caitlin exchanged bewildered looks and silently told one another they hadn't a clue what was happening. Caitlin was secretly wishing she'd spent a lot more time on her hair; and Patricia was wishing she'd not worn her jeans, good and new though they might be. She envied Caitlin her very smart black suit with the long blazer and her crisp white blouse. Her legs looked slim and incredibly shapely.

  A man in a suit soon joined them, and held out his hand. "Hello, ladies. I'm Roland Eyres, Skyler's manager. Did you enjoy the show tonight?"

  They immediately assured him that they had, and he smiled. "I'm very glad." He replied. "Kathy Emmons gave you your tickets, is that right?"

  "Yes, she did." Patricia agreed. "I had no idea just how wonderful a thing she'd done for me."

  "Well, Sky hasn't had too much exposure yet in Scotland, but that's changing fast. We seem to be doing well, and we hope to return for many more tours. Are either of you ladies in the record business?"

  "Oh, no." Patricia objected. "We're just college students. I'm sorry, I felt sure that there must be some mistake!"

  "No, not at all. I just asked Kathy to get the tickets out to whoever she could. We do have some business contacts coming to the shows of course, but it seems none are here tonight. Sky is just as happy to talk to you as to anyone else. He's actually discouragingly unimpressed by the idea of kissing up to industry people, if you'll excuse my bluntness. He'd much rather just 'make friends' wherever he goes and get to know people. He's of the mind that God will promote him, or he'd rather not go."

  Patricia raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like a good policy."

  "Well, it's working for him, so I'll certainly not complain." Roland chuckled. "Skyler is taking a shower, but he should be with us in just moments."

  The girls looked at him as though he'd grown another head. "Skyler? You mean … the Skyler?” Patricia stammered, sounding silly.

  "Yes. You would like to meet him, wouldn't you?" he asked lightly.

  "Um, sure. Of course. He's awesome." Patricia gasped. "
We just didn't realize." Patricia’s blue eyes were sparkling, and wide with excitement.

  Roland smiled. "Well, very good. I'm glad you approve. He's good, isn't he?"

  As if on cue, the man in question came into the room. His hair was damp, and he was wearing black jeans and a cotton pullover. "Sorry to keep you waiting." He said with a bashful grin. He turned to Patricia first. "Hello."

  "Hello." Patricia said hollowly. She reached out a hand to Skyler Vaughn looking as though she had a peach pit stuck in her throat. She brushed her long, straight, black hair out of her eyes self-consciously.

  "This is ..." Roland cued her.

  "Oh. I'm Patricia McDonald." She said quickly.

  "Patricia. It's a pleasure." Skyler said.

  She almost wiggled with pleasure and excitement, in response to him. Her eyebrows were in her hairline, and her mouth a surprised O.

  Then, he turned to Caitlin. She felt his eyes on her, and knew she blushed. She hated it, but she couldn't help it. She felt about thirteen years old. He was handsome, and had a very heavy presence about him. Male, and sexy, yet very unassuming and kind. His eyes looked into her with a depth that made her want to catch her breath.

  "I'm Caitlin Kilpatrick." She managed to say. Skyler took her hand, and she just looked up into his eyes as though drawn by a magnet.

  He smiled slightly. "Caitlin. It's very nice to meet you." He said in a soft voice. Then he let go of her hand, and took the chair next to hers.

  Roland handed him a bottle of water, and he grinned gratefully up at him. "You read my mind." He said gratefully.

  "It wasn't hard. Sky, you're working yourself a bit hard, don't you think?" Roland questioned him worriedly.

  Skyler put his boots up on the table, and let his head fall back onto the chair. "Yeah; well, what could I do when there were such beautiful ladies in the front row?" he asked teasingly. "I had to try at least to make an impression when I could see something so special, right in front of me." He turned and looked at Caitlin as he said this. She blushed brilliantly, and lowered her eyes.