She topped the hill to see fire shoot from a downstairs window. The firefighters stood around their truck, barking orders, manning the hose.
With the parking lot blocked, she turned into the drive of the next house.
“Everyone got out,” her elderly neighbor yelled. “Mark is at the church, right?”
She nodded. The knot in her gut eased.
From the sodden yard next door, Adrea watched the firemen make progress. The flames seemed contained downstairs, but the blaze wasn’t under control. Mark’s car careened over the hill and screeched to a halt.
Grayson lurched from the passenger’s side and rushed toward the burning building. Her brother bolted toward the crowd. A firefighter caught Grayson and did his best to hold him back. With chaos and smoke surrounding her, Adrea pushed through the gathering crowd.
Mark saw her first. His eyes brimmed with tears as he pulled her into his arms.
“I just got here. I’m fine.”
“We have to find Grayson.” Mark kissed her forehead. “He’s a mess.”
Holding hands to keep from being separated, they made their way through the pandemonium. Adrea recognized Grayson’s dark hair and rushed up behind him. When he caught sight of her, his knees gave way. She knelt on the ground beside him as he moaned incoherently.
“I’m okay, Grayson. Don’t worry. Everything is fine.”
“Grayson, Adrea is right here. She’s fine.” Mark turned to her. “We need to get him out of here.”
Adrea helped her brother pull Grayson to his feet and walk him back to the car. They settled the distraught man in the backseat, and she climbed in beside him. Grayson laid his head in her lap. Gut-wrenching sobs tore through him.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“The church.” Mark turned onto the highway.
They met another fire truck and it took longer than usual to get to their destination. Grayson was still beyond words as Adrea stroked his hair.
“How did you find out?” She directed the question to Mark.
“Peg heard it on the radio and came to tell us. Since we knew you stayed home sick today, we were both terrified.”
“My fever wouldn’t break, so I went to the doctor. Bronchitis.”
By the time they arrived at the church, Grayson could walk by himself.
Peg, the secretary, rushed to meet them, obviously shaken at the sight of her shattered boss. “Is everyone okay?”
“No one was hurt in the fire, but it took us a little while to locate Adrea,” Mark explained.
“Thank God no one was hurt. I’ll get some coffee.” Peg darted for the hall.
“Thanks.” Adrea’s voice was little more than a croak.
Mark’s eyes were too shiny. “You may need to see your doctor again.”
“I’m fine. The smoke irritated my throat since it was already raw from the bronchitis.”
Grayson sat hunched over on the couch with his head in his hands.
Peg returned with coffee, creamer, and sugar, then left them alone.
“Well, we can stay in the basement here for a few days until we find a place to rent.” Mark ran his fingers through his hair and paced, in fix-it mode. “We have a couple of cots for emergencies. Grace and I can go shopping and get us each a week’s worth of clothing until we determine the damage. Write down your sizes for me. I’ll call Mom and Dad, Rachel, and Grace to let them know we’re okay. Peg is calling a few people from church.”
“Make sure she calls Helen.” Adrea never took her eyes off the distressed man at her side. “She’s at the shop today.”
“Grayson, are you all right?” Mark asked.
“Can you handle Sunday’s sermons for me?” Grayson mumbled. “I don’t think I’ll be up to it.”
Adrea blew out a breath, thankful to hear him speak.
“Sure.”
“Thanks for getting me out of there, Mark. People didn’t need to see the local pastor disintegrate.”
“No problem. Everyone expects preachers to be made of steel, but we’re only human. With everything you’ve been through, you had every right to fall apart.” Mark gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I’ll be back soon.”
As soon as the door closed, Grayson laid his head in Adrea’s lap again. “I can’t lose you, Adrea.”
“You didn’t. I’m fine.”
“The mere thought of losing you was almost more than I could bear.”
“You’re fine. You just had a scare.”
Disentangling himself from her arms, he sat up and wiped away the tears, then buried his face in both hands.
Adrea massaged his knotted shoulders.
“I have to pull myself together enough to pick Dayne up from Mom’s. It’s time for me to go.” He sat upright next to her. “I don’t think I can handle dinner tonight. I’m so tired.”
“I’m not feeling very well anyway. Just take care of Dayne and go to bed early.” Adrea traced his jawline lightly with her fingers and started to hug him again.
He quickly turned away from her and stood. Without another word, he left. Her stomach tumbled.
As Adrea made up her cot, footsteps echoed across the tile. She turned to see Grayson, his face haggard and drawn. Yesterday’s fire seemed to have put ten years on him.
“I thought you might call last night.” Her voice came out high-pitched.
“I meant to, but I fell asleep on the couch. Where’s Mark?”
“He went to check out the apartment.”
“Good, we need to talk.”
“I’m worried about you.”
He wouldn’t look at her. Instead, he stared at the floor.
A chill skittered up her spine. She wasn’t sure if it was from fever or apprehension.
He took a shaky breath. “Yesterday proved once and for all that I’m not ready for this.”
“Ready for what?”
“To love someone so deeply that the thought of losing them cripples me. I can’t do this again.”
“Grayson, what are you saying?” Tentatively, she touched his forearm.
“We shouldn’t see each other anymore.”
“You’re not thinking clearly. You just had a scare, but it’s over now.”
“I can’t risk letting myself love like this again.” He turned away from her. “With the possibility of losing again.”
“That’s life.” Adrea spoke to his back. “You’ve said it yourself: God doesn’t promise us how much time we have. We simply have to trust Him, live our lives, and to the best of our ability, glorify Him. He never promised it would be easy, just that He’d be there for the rough times, to hold us together.”
“I’m sorry for leading you to believe we had a future together. Just be glad I figured out what a coward I am now, instead of later. I planned to propose to you last night.”
His admission jolted through her. It should have filled her with joy, not sadness at all that she had to lose. An iron fist closed around her heart.
She stepped in front of him, forcing Grayson to look at her. “We already love each other. It’s a little too late to decide you’re not ready.”
“I’m sorry for hurting you, but I can’t open myself up to loss again.” His shoulders drooped. “I barely made it the first time and don’t have the strength for another round.”
“You don’t know what will happen. We may live to be a hundred, or you could die long before me. But eventually, we both get eternity. Let God give you the strength. You can’t live in fear and close your heart.”
“Dayne needs the only parent he has left to be strong and remain capable of functioning, for his sake.” His gaze never left the floor.
“So, you’re letting fear—of something that may never come—steal your happiness. ‘For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee,’ ” Adrea quoted from Isaiah.
Grayson turned away from her again. “I’d rather not love than to love and lose again. I’m not the man you thought me
to be. Forget about me; find someone else. You deserve happiness.”
Shaking her head, she stiffened her spine and, with as much pride as she could muster, left the room. With nowhere to go, she ran to the fellowship hall and paced the length of the building until she heard a car start and leave. Through sheer willpower, she refrained from crying.
She pushed Grayson’s mention of a marriage proposal to the back of her mind, refusing to allow herself to think about it now. She couldn’t let the tears start, knowing they wouldn’t stop. The emotional strain did nothing to ease her fever and throbbing head.
The door opened and she jumped.
“Whoa.” Mark held both hands up, palms facing her. “Don’t go through yourself, it’s just me. Good news. The flames never reached the upstairs. One of the firefighters told me the house is structurally sound. We probably sustained smoke and some water damage, but that’s all. We should get the chance to see what’s salvageable in the next few days.”
Mark took in her appearance. “What’s wrong?”
“Can we get a motel or something?” Her voice cracked.
“Sure, if you want to, but why?”
“Did you see Grayson when you came back?” she squeaked.
“No, his car is gone. What happened?” Worry formed on her brother’s face in the shape of a frown.
The tears she’d been holding inside coursed down her cheeks.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Mark pulled her into the shelter of his arms.
“Grayson doesn’t—want to—see me—anymore.” Her hiccuped words ended on a sob.
“Why? He loves you.”
Incapable of answering for several minutes, Adrea’s tears soaked Mark’s blue cotton shirt. Finally, she pulled away from him.
“The fire scared him and he’s afraid he’ll lose me. He said he’d rather not love than to love and lose again.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” Mark’s eyebrows drew together. “He already loves you.”
“That’s what I said. He says he can’t risk losing me.”
“So he’d rather not have you at all?”
The tears began again.
He pulled her back into a comforting embrace.
“I can’t stay here, Mark, and worry about running into him.”
“How about Mom and Dad’s?”
“Maybe tomorrow. I can’t deal with everyone’s sympathy right now. Please can we find a motel just for tonight, so I can try to pull myself together?” “Sure.” He squeezed her hand.
An hour later, Adrea sat in a spotless Searcy motel, trying to pull herself together again.
Mark pressed his palm against her forehead. “You’re burning up. Have you taken anything for that fever?”
“Not lately. I guess my antibiotics are still in the car.”
“I’ll go get your prescription. I bought some sinus medicine and aspi- rin along with the clothes.” He disappeared into the bathroom and returned with a cup of water and the medicine. “Here, take these. I wish we had a thermometer.”
Before leaving, Mark tucked her into her bed as he would a child. Within minutes, he was back with her antibiotics.
For hours, she tossed and turned. Knowledge of Grayson’s intended proposal was something she could’ve lived without. Lying on her back, hot tears coursed down each side of her face, quickly soaking the hair at her temples. Crying swelled her sinuses even more, and she could only breathe through her mouth, which made her throat hurt worse. She rolled over and tried to mask her sniffles by burying her face in the pillow. Soft snoring came from the other queen-size bed; at least she wasn’t keeping her brother awake.
When she finally did fall into a fitful sleep, dreams plagued her. Dreams of a raging fire keeping her from Grayson. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t reach him. As the flames closed in on her, Adrea awoke with a start, drenched in sweat. At least her fever had broken.
Saturday evening, on autopilot, Grayson didn’t want to go to the church, but he had to check his messages and clear his calendar. Would Adrea attend tomorrow? Would he get through the service if she did?
At least there were no other cars in the lot, except Peg’s.
She met him at the door. “Are you okay?”
Must have been watching for him. He knew she wasn’t nosy, just genuinely concerned about him.
“I’m fine. Just tired.”
“Coffee’s brewing. I’ll bring you a cup in a few minutes.”
“That would be great, but I’ll come get it. You don’t need to wait on me. Really, I’m fine.”
“I don’t mind. Mark and Adrea got a motel, so they’re gone.”
Her name twisted the double-edge sword lodged in his chest.
“Thanks for letting me know.” In his office, he leaned his elbows on the cool surface of the desk and covered his face with both hands. A few minutes later, he heard footsteps.
Expecting to see Peg, instead he looked up into the angry face of Mark. Grayson stood to greet him, hand extended.
Mark slammed his fist into Grayson’s midsection.
He bent double as breath escaped him.
“That’s for Adrea.” Mark muttered the unnecessary explanation and stalked down the hall.
Gasping for breath, Grayson followed, his stumbling footsteps echoing on the tile.
Halfway to the foyer, Mark turned to face him. “You want more?”
“No, though it is justified.” Grayson strained to speak. “Adrea didn’t deserve the way I treated her. I pursued her and then decided I couldn’t take the heat.”
“No pun intended,” Mark referred to the fire, but his glare showed no trace of humor.
“I never met a man worthy of my sister, until you. I encouraged your relationship, pushed you toward her. And what did you give me in return? You broke her already broken heart and turned your back on her when she was sick and suddenly homeless.”
He couldn’t argue with the truth. “I need some time off. Can you fill in for me, say for about a month?”
“You need some time off? What about Adrea? How do you think she feels?”
“Actually, it might help her if I disappear for a while.”
Mark sighed. “Okay, but not for you. For her, and when you come back, prepare to find yourself another associate.”
“Now, Mark, there’s no need for that.” Grayson shook his head. “You do a great job here. This doesn’t have to affect our church relationship. Let’s just forget that you winded me, especially since I deserved more.”
“I don’t think I can work with the coward who devastated my sister.” Mark stalked to his own office.
Grayson didn’t follow. He walked outside and tried to come up with an explanation for Dayne on why they needed to pack up and leave.
Adrea didn’t go to church. Guiltily, she slept in as October dawned, then met Mark at the abandoned apartment house.
“I’ll probably smell smoke for the rest of my life.” She sifted through their belongings, a pungent odor hanging heavily in the air.
“It could have been much worse.” Mark swept a pile of sodden refuse into the corner. “We could have lost everything, including our lives. God blessed us, sis. No one was hurt and the damage was limited.”
“Right again.” She found their photo albums nestled in a dry corner and flipped through them. Thank You, God. “No more complaints from me.”
“We should probably try to find a new place, though. The landlord said the smoke removal might take some time, along with the repairs downstairs. But, I have some good news.”
“What?”
“Our not-so-fearless leader is leaving for a month. He feels the need for a sudden sabbatical.”
Adrea’s breath caught in her throat. Concentrate on the effect of his absence on others. “What about Dayne? School just barely started.”
“Grace said he worked it out so Dayne can homeschool for the month. His teachers are sending all his schoolwork with them.”
�
�What about the church?” She dropped some pictures, which had never made it out of the store envelope, into a box with the albums.
“I’m in charge until he returns. After that, I plan to look for a new church.”
“Oh Mark, don’t leave Palisade because of me.” She propped both hands on her hips. “God placed you there. Let Him decide when you need to leave. You have Grace to support you now, so I’m planning to return to Mountain Grove anyway.”
Mark’s jaw clenched. “I can’t fulfill my calling under a man I no longer respect.”
“You have to get past this. That man is your fiancée’s twin brother. You’re stuck with him. Do whatever you have to in order to work things out with him. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”
Mark didn’t respond and she dropped the subject, for now.
“Since we’re basically homeless, we could move a little farther out of town.” Farther away from Grayson. “We could get a smaller apartment. Your wedding’s barely three months away, and I won’t need as much space after you’re gone.”
“I won’t allow you to run or go off on your own to lick your wounds.” Mark touched her cheek with his fingertips. “We’ll find something where we both can live happily and maybe you could move in with Grace and me after we’re married.”
“I’m not moving in with you and your bride.” She turned away to dig through another pile.
“We can talk about all of that later. In the meantime, I may need your help charming my angry fiancée after she sees her brother.”
Adrea whirled to face him. “What did you do?”
“It was no big deal.”
“Mark? Did you hit him?”
“Nothing that will leave a mark.” He smiled. “Pardon the pun.”
“I’m not amused.” She looked heavenward. “You are a preacher!”
Chapter 10
It was righteous anger,” Mark said.
“You really hit him?” Please be joking.
“Just in the stomach, but it took him a while to catch his breath. He’s pretty solid. In fact, my hand still hurts.”
“Mark!”
“I wanted to knock his head off, but that would cause a bruise and people would ask questions. This way, it was just between him and me.” Mark dusted his hands against one another.
ARKANSAS WEDDINGS: THREE-IN-ONE COLLECTION Page 14
