Love Finds You in Branson, Missouri

by Gwen Ford Faulkenberry

  “They’re a part of you, so that’s easy.” He wiped his brow with a sudsy hand. “Anyway, it’s been fun.”

  “Do you think we should go on a walk now, on the boardwalk? Dot needs it, and it might be nice.”

  Will squinted toward the balcony as though he was thinking about her question. “To be honest, I think your Opa is tired.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. I do.”

  Ellie hadn’t thought so by the way he looked, but she knew Opa would never want to say so. “Okay, we can visit here, I guess.”

  Will straightened his back from where he was bent over the sink. “Would you like to take Dot on a walk with your mom? I could stay here and hang out with Opa.”

  “That would be great.”

  * * * * *

  As Ellie and Katherine strode down the boardwalk, Dot at their heels on her “real” leash, Ellie noticed people staring at Katherine. Couples looked up from their meals on the verandas of the stylish restaurants. A shoe shiner stopped shining a shoe in midair. Vendors paused in the hawking of their various wares, and one man, sitting on a bench talking on his cell phone, actually dropped his jaw.

  She was a striking figure, with the height and build of an aging supermodel. She wore a peacock-feather-printed skirt of polyester chiffon—long and flowing—with a beaded waist, paired with a simple combed cotton scoopneck T-shirt. Her short blond hair was gently tousled by the light wind blowing off the water, and she wore big blue and gold beaded dangle earrings that perfectly matched her skirt. Her feet were adorned with designer Italian calfskin sandals, T-straps, in the ideal shade of bronze. Even her toes were done in a faultless French manicure. She walked deliberately, with her head held high.

  “Mom, you are so not Branson.”

  Katherine laughed faintly. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means everyone is staring at you. You look like you just stepped off a New York runway.”

  “That’s very kind of you to say. But no one is looking at me, Ellie. Not when I’m walking with my daughter.”

  Ellie shook her head. “You’re crazy.”

  “Even if I were young, I am small potatoes compared to you.”

  “Mom, that is so not true. It never has been.”

  They stopped to look out at the lake, and Katherine leaned over, resting her elbows on the railing. “Perhaps we should ask Will Howard if it’s true.”

  Ellie was unable to look her mother in the eye.

  “I love the way he looks at you, Ellie.”

  “What do you mean?” Ellie thought she knew, but she wanted to hear someone say it—wanted to see what her mother saw.

  “He looks at you with wonder—and respect.”

  “That’s an interesting observation.”

  “It is.” Katherine gazed over the greenish water toward the mountainside. “I’m still trying to get my head around it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I don’t want to jump to conclusions. But the things you’ve told me and the things I’ve seen tonight add up to a pretty compelling package.”

  “I think so too.”

  “Can you believe this is happening? I mean, when you did your best to avoid coming to Branson?”

  “The irony of it dawns on me—fresh and new—every day.” Ellie chuckled.

  “It’s like you were running as fast as you could in the other direction, but some force—some fate—pulled you here, toward him.”

  “I think that force was God.”

  Katherine raised an eyebrow. “You may be right.”

  “So you like him?”

  Katherine’s smile was dazzling. “Ellie, I like him a lot.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Will sat on his porch, watching the sunrise over the cove that was his little piece of Table Rock Lake. It began like a whisper, with only the vaguest notion of light pervading the darkness. He couldn’t see the sun yet, but he knew it was there, making its presence felt before it would burst on the scene and be known…in all of its splendor.

  He hummed an unknown tune. He had slept well but awakened suddenly right before dawn, and with urgency. What was coming, he did not know.

  This had happened to him before. Not often, though—it was a cherished occurrence, like dreaming of someone loved and lost. The kind of dream so real he didn’t want to wake up. But this was better. Will had been summoned. This was a divine meeting.

  He went inside to grab his guitar and returned to the porch. Putting chords to the tune he was humming, he began to sing:

  “I am here

  I am Yours

  Do with me what You will

  For You are God, You are good,

  And all Your ways are love.”

  Will could see a crease of light peeking over the mountain. He fixed his eyes on it as he played, and in what seemed like only a few seconds, the crease became a half-circle, rose to three-quarters, and then the giant flaming orb filled the sky with its opulent beauty. Will stared at it till his eyes burned with tears. He had to look away; it was too bright and brilliant for him.

  Be still.

  The thought came to him like a drop of dew falling on a leaf. It was gentle and light, yet profound. Nourishing. He stopped his fingers on the strings.

  Be still, and know that I am God.

  A steady stream of images began to fill his head then, and he held each one up, as though to study it beside the command of Psalm 46.

  Ellie. Be still, and know that I am God.

  The past. Be still, and know that I am God.

  The play. Be still, and know that I am God.

  The future. Be still, and know that I am God.

  What does it really mean to be still? Will had the feeling that seeking the answer to that question was his assignment for the day.

  * * * * *

  “Sam?”

  “Sam I am.”

  “You sounded exactly like Jesse Jackson when you said that.” Will laughed into his cell phone.

  “Will Howard. I didn’t know spiritual people like you watched Saturday Night Live.”

  “Only when there’s a reverend on it.”

  Sam hooted. “That’s a good one. That’s right—that’s when I watch it too. What’s up?”

  “What are you doing for lunch?”

  “Today? I’m not doing a thing. I’ve got appointments till twelve o’clock, but I could meet you at twelve-thirty.”

  “Great.”

  “The usual place?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  * * * * *

  The usual place was Uncle Joe’s, a barbecue joint. It had been a Branson staple for years, especially among locals. Since Sam had been the public school superintendent in Branson for twenty years and had been eating at Uncle Joe’s for almost that long, he qualified as a regular. He and Will ate there every time they went to lunch.

  Uncle Joe’s was at the end of a cabinesque strip mall on the main drag in Branson. It was right next to a T-shirt shop and shared a parking lot with an ice-cream parlor. It was a bit tricky to get to without fighting traffic, but Will knew a back way, and he arrived before Sam. He parked Scarlett in semishade and went in to get a table.

  The scent of Uncle Joe’s was pure barbecue heaven. Hickory smoke, salt, spices, and sugar suffused the atmosphere around it, beginning with the parking lot and growing stronger as he made his way inside. Will was lucky enough to get a table without waiting. A girl with enormous hair-sprayed bangs and electric-blue mascara seated him in a booth and brought ice water for two in mason jars.

  Will’s table was covered with red plastic and set against a wall that looked like distressed barn wood. On the wall hung a red telephone, the old rotary kind, and it was into that phone one placed his or her order. Since Will knew Sam’s order by heart, he called in both of their orders. Then he sat and waited, rearranging a tray that held ketchup, hot and mild barbecue sauces, salt, pepper, and packets of assorted sweeteners, and a roll of sturdy paper towels.


  “Hey, man!”

  Will rose to hug Sam, who sat down in the booth, smoothing his tie, which was navy with what looked like a child’s drawing of stick people.

  “Nice tie.”

  “Thanks.” Sam smiled, revealing white teeth that were large and square like a row of Chiclets. “Sorry I’m late.”

  “How’s the school business?”

  “It’s usually slower in the summer, but today I’ve had to work hard for my money.” Sam shook his head and whistled, blowing out air. “Whew.”

  “What happened?”

  “Oh, just some crazies. It always gets me how much energy gets wasted by people who want to stir up trouble. If they’d put all that into something positive, we could get a lot done.”

  Will took a sip of his water.

  “It’s a long story, Will, but the bottom line is that this lady got her feelings hurt because her son didn’t get to play on the ball team last year. The kid was a good player, but he didn’t make his grades, and that’s our policy. Can’t change it for the star athlete, you know? Even if it makes us lose games. We got more important things than that to worry about.”

  “Like character.”

  “That’s right, like character. You get it, but she doesn’t.” Sam took a sip of water from the jar. “Made a big stink last year, but I thought it was over. Now she’s saying she’s going to run for the school board, and that’s fine with me, but she didn’t make the deadline to file so she was disqualified to run this term. State law. So she comes up to my office as I was leaving and proceeds to make a scene in the parking lot. Says it’s a conspiracy against her and her family. Really flipped a switch.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I tried to reason with her, which of course didn’t work. She started screaming. I guess I could have called the police but decided to get in my truck and drive away instead. Decided it was the merciful thing.” Sam exhaled. “It was kind of funny too. Left her standing there just hollering. The office was locked; Thelma’s on vacation, and Gerry and Janie are gone for the rest of the day, so I headed out. Hopefully she’ll be gone by the time I get back.”

  “What a story.”

  “You wouldn’t believe what I’ve seen in the school business.” Sam paused while the server set down their food, then walked away to refill their waters. “But it’s a good business.”

  Sam said a quick prayer of thanksgiving for the meal, and they dug in. Each of the men got a half rack of pork ribs with french fries, and Sam got coleslaw.

  “So how are you?” Sam asked.

  Will swallowed a bite and washed it down with some water, wiping his mouth on a paper towel. “I’m good. Having an amazing summer.”

  “Work going well?”

  “It is. You know, as crazy as it seems, I really have a passion for the Shepherd story and getting it told in an excellent, meaningful way.”

  “Doesn’t seem crazy to me. Seems cool.”

  “I’ve got a great cast, and just hired a codirector who is really helping out. So I think we’re going to have a great season.”

  Sam nodded, finishing off a rib. “Now maybe with that help you can simplify your life a little more, live out that vision you came here with.”

  “Yeah. I believe that’s coming. That’s the goal, anyway.”

  “You still seeing that pretty little thing you brought with you to church?”

  Will’s eyes lit up. “Ellie. That’s one of the big things I want to talk to you about.”

  “Well, spill the beans.”

  As they ate, Will told Sam how strongly he’d come to feel for Ellie in such a short time. He shared about talking to his boss, and he and Ellie praying together, and how he’d been honest with her about his past. “You know, you’re the only other person around here who knows that story.”

  “That’s pretty heavy-duty stuff.”

  “I know. I never would have put it on her if I didn’t feel the Lord was in it.”

  “Sounds to me you’ve got a good thing going. So what’s bothering you? You know I don’t have all of the answers, but I’ll sure listen and pray for you.”

  Will’s voice dropped to a half whisper. “This morning I woke up early and sat out on my porch. I felt like the Lord wanted to meet with me. I was singing and playing my guitar, and I felt Him speak to my heart and say, ‘Be still.’

  “I started trying to figure out what He meant. I mean, I know what that means, sort of, but since it was so direct for me in that moment I started thinking about my life and wondering what areas I need to be more still in, and Ellie kept coming to mind.”

  “What’s your physical relationship like?” Sam leaned forward. His eyes were kind but penetrating.

  “It’s pretty—hot.” Will’s throat suddenly burned from the spicy barbecue. “I mean, we haven’t done anything wrong, but—”

  “But it’s smokin’.”

  “Yeah.” Will took a drink of water.

  “And where there’s smoke…”

  “There’s probably a fire?”

  “Sorry, dude.” Sam reached over the table to pat Will’s shoulder, and they both laughed.

  “I know the Bible says it’s better to marry than burn, but we can’t get married yet, can we? We haven’t dated long enough. She’d probably turn me down flat.”

  “What do you think you need to do?”

  Will took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Be still.” The words from the early morning dawned on him again. “I never thought of it that literally.”

  “I’ll tell you something about me and Clara. I know you think we’re just two old folks now.” Sam chuckled.

  “I do not.”

  “When we met as juniors in college, it was like two pieces of flint rock coming together. Sparks flew. She was gorgeous—just like she is now—and I was lifting weights every day for football.”

  Will could hardly imagine Sam more fit than he was today. His shoulders hardly fit in the booth.

  “I became a Christian my first year in college, you know, and when I met Clara two years later I had just made a big commitment to the Lord that I wasn’t going to kiss another girl till my wedding day.”

  Will’s eyes widened.

  Sam laughed at him. “I know, man. I met Clara, and it was like, ‘Lord, You are messing with me here, aren’t You?’”

  “Bummer.”

  “It seemed like it, but believe it or not, we stayed the course. Clara was a good girl, never messed up bad before. But I had failed in that area so many times, even after I became a Christian, I just knew it was the only way. That’s why I made that drastic commitment. Thank goodness Clara was willing to wait.”

  “So you didn’t even kiss her—at all—till your wedding day?”

  “Nope.”

  “How long did you date?”

  “Six months. And that includes our three-month engagement.”

  Will was in shock. He’d never heard anything so radical. “That must have been so hard.”

  “It was.” Sam nodded. “But God gave us the strength to resist temptation. I set my mind to getting to know Clara’s heart before I knew her body. It was an awesome experience.”

  “I don’t think I could do that. I mean, I guess if God called me to it, anything is possible—”

  “That’s true.” Sam dipped a french fry in ketchup. “But I’m not advising you to follow me. That was my particular calling. I’m just telling you this story to encourage you that you can walk in purity. Believe me—if I could do it, anybody could.” Sam’s voice was unassuming. “God gives us the grace for anything He calls us to. You’ve just got to hear from Him on what purity means for you.”

  “How did you decide where the line was? I mean, no kissing?”

  “I got honest with myself about where everything started going south. For me, holding hands was okay. But kissing—nope. It was like rolling a snowball down a hill. Once I started kissing a girl, that thing was gone, out of control fast.”

 
Will looked into Sam’s eyes. The metaphor was right on for him too, but Will couldn’t imagine not kissing Ellie. He was not that strong. “You are an amazing man, you know that?”

  Sam snorted. “Nah. I’m just a guy clinging to grace.”

  Will took the check when the server came to offer it.

  “You let me get that.” Sam reached across the table.

  “Nope. It’s mine today. I am in your debt, though I don’t know what to do about what you’ve told me.” Will felt a little sick to his stomach.

  Sam smoothed his tie. “Listen, Will, you’ve got to hear me on this.”

  Will set down the tray with his money for the server and gave his friend his complete attention.

  “Sex is from God. We’re created for pleasure. It’s an awesome gift. You don’t have anything to be ashamed of, falling in love and feeling desire for Ellie. So don’t you start feeling condemned. Your past is over, and you’re a new creation.”

  The knot in Will’s stomach loosened somewhat. “I want to get it right. I want to please the Lord, and I honestly don’t know if I can without stepping out of my relationship with Ellie.” Even the thought was physically painful. “I don’t want to do that. But I’m not strong in that area. Not at all.”

  “What you’ve got to remember is that Jesus is strong in our weakness. And you’ll have to search this out, but I don’t believe God wants to take your relationship with Ellie away. There’s too much good going on there.”

  Sam’s words brought Will relief.

  “Will, all of His ways with us are kindness. Not condemnation. The Bible says no good thing will He withhold.”

  They rose from the table and walked toward the door together. When they were outside, Will squeezed his friend’s arm. “Thank you, Sam, for all you’ve shared. I think I need to spend more time alone with God now to sort some of this out.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  4 May 1887

  It is my first night at Uncle Robert’s and Aunt Liesel’s home in Branson. Heidi and I still share a room, like at home, but what a room it is. It is beautifully appointed. We have an ornate iron bedstead with soft sheets and satin covers, instead of a patchwork quilt. The pillows are of finest down—not straw like at home. They feel like clouds billowing underneath your head.