bring her back. And I can’t stay with you forever. Neither can Molly. We have our own lives to live!” She turned and ran into the house.
Garrett felt as though he’d been punched in the gut. Was that what this contest was about? The girls thought they had to get him someone so they could have their own lives? Did they really think they needed to take care of him?
He walked to his bench in the back woods, speaking quietly to his wife. “I’ve made such a mess of things, Susie. I don’t know how to do this.” His jaw tensed as he waited for the words. “Why did you leave me? I don’t want to do this by myself!” The sharp pain of guilt stabbed him, making him ache all over. “I meant to get that tire fixed! Oh, how I meant to get it fixed.” His mind agonized with the thought of her tire blowing, causing her to lose control of the car and plow into a utility pole. His words twisted in agony, then snuffed to silence as he allowed the familiar thorns of guilt to tear into his conscience and pierce his momentary peace once again. “God, I need Your help.”
Garrett swallowed hard. He hadn’t called upon God since before Susie’s death. Weakness made him do so now. He lifted a determined jaw and pulled in a ragged breath. No. God had turned a deaf ear when Garrett had needed Him most.
Garrett would not turn to Him now. He would take the girls to church for Susie’s sake, but that’s as far as he would go.
Standing, Garrett headed toward the house, all the while ignoring the empty shadow that hovered over his heart.
Lauren closed her door and fell onto the bed. “A contest?” Staring into space, she felt the truth hit her like a bad jury decision. “The surprise!” She smacked her palm against her forehead. “I’m such an idiot! How did I forget the surprise?”
She stood and began to pace. So that’s why everyone had thought she wasn’t coming. She must have been late or something. A contest to win his heart. What had Candace and Gwen been thinking? She felt near hysteria. The last thing she wanted was another romantic involvement. For crying out loud, couldn’t they see how Jeff had hurt her? How could they put her through that again? She continued to pace. She needed a gym, time to think. It always helped her to work out when she was upset. She skidded to a halt and looked at Nocchi. “We’ll go for a brisk walk in the woods—without the laptop. The fresh air will be better than being inside a gym, anyway.”
Adrenaline pushing her forward, Lauren gathered Nocchi and headed for the woods at a record pace. Even though there wasn’t a path, she wandered deep into the dense pines. Jeff had told her she was a workaholic and needed to loosen up, enjoy life a little. Maybe she should prove to him—to everyone—she could enjoy life as well as the next person. Though she wasn’t interested in romantic involvement with anyone at this point, it couldn’t hurt to play along in the game. And she didn’t want to disappoint Gwen and Candace. Or Molly and Macy, for that matter.
As thoughts of the contest bounced around in her mind, she came to a tree that bore the initials GC plus SC with a heart around it. Lauren stopped and traced the markings with her fingers. Garrett and his wife. How he must grieve for her still. Lauren’s heart ached for that kind of love.
Thoughts of her life, her future mingled with her raw emotions. Macy and Molly, and Garrett and a wife Lauren could not visualize. What a precious family they must have been. Lauren wondered if anyone could ever love her that way. She whispered a prayer for the Cantrells and one for herself. How hard it was to trust God with a future she could not see. A future she felt sure held only loneliness.
When she finally pulled free from her thoughts, Lauren scanned the area, feeling she had gone a little farther into the forest than she had planned. With a glimpse upward, Lauren noticed that the tiny opening beyond the treetops revealed dark, low-hanging clouds. “Hmm, it might rain, Nocchi. We’d better get to the house.”
Lifting the dog into her arms, Lauren started back. After walking a while, she came to the same marking on the tree that she had seen earlier. If a sliver of panic had not rushed through her, she might have gotten excited with the realization that Garrett and George Clooney had the same initials. Unfortunately, even that couldn’t lift her spirits now. She was lost.
“Let’s see. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.” Nocchi cocked her head to look at Lauren. “Don’t be impressed. I have absolutely no idea whatsoever what that has to do with me finding our way back to the house.”
She’d be the first to admit her friends were right about her being directionally challenged. She figured some people had brown eyes, some had blue. Some came equipped with an internal compass, some didn’t.
She didn’t.
Lauren stood a moment and tried to get her bearings. The trees started to rustle overhead, a sure sign a storm was brewing.
An urgency pushed her to get back to the house. She began to jog. Her speed picked up with the wind, her steps taking her one direction, then another, then another. Rain began to fall from the sky and pelted her skin. A chill worked its way to her bones. Nocchi shivered in Lauren’s arms. She wanted to cry, but refused to give in to her emotions. Her body grew cold and wet as her tired legs ran hard through the wooded maze. Limbs swayed overhead. She thought she heard a man’s voice call out, but decided it must be the sound of the whipping wind that howled through the trees.
Water dripped from Lauren’s hair onto her face. A shadow moved ahead of her. She wiped her eyes to see if she had imagined it. Another movement. With everything stirring around her, it was hard to tell if it was a tree or something else. It could even be a bear. Faster and faster she ran the other way, her feet sloshing through puddles, her vision blurred. A pain cramped in her side. The cold pierced her lungs. There was that voice again. Was it Garrett’s? As she slowed to catch her breath, a hand clamped upon her arm. “Lauren!”
A gasp caught in her throat. Fear froze her in place. Lauren stood trembling when the owner of the hand stepped around her into view. She peered through wet lashes to see concern etched on Garrett Cantrell’s face. “Are you okay? You were gone so long. I was worried about you. Since I didn’t hear Nocchi in your room when I knocked on your door, I figured you took her into the woods.”
Without hesitation she fell against him, exhausted from running, chilled from the rain. He dropped his umbrella and pulled her so tightly against him, she could feel his heart beating through his light jacket. Her mind muddied like the ground beneath her feet. How long she stood locked in his embrace she didn’t know. She didn’t care. Finally he leaned back so that he could see her, still holding her in his arms. “I’d better get you to the house so you can change into some warm clothes,” he said, but his feet stayed planted, his eyes probing deeply into hers.
Feeling his breath brush lightly against her cheeks made her light-headed. She was afraid to breathe, afraid of breaking the stillness between them. Her legs wobbled. Suddenly Nocchi shivered in Lauren’s arms, bringing Lauren and Garrett both back to their senses.
Dumb dog. Should have left her in the room.
Garrett picked up the umbrella and held it over them while edging Lauren out of the woods. She realized she probably never would have found her way back without him.
Once they were back at the house, she ran upstairs, peeled off her drenched clothes down to the skin and pulled on a sweatshirt and pair of jeans, then dried her hair. She also dried Nocchi, then left her in the bedroom and returned downstairs. But for the soft violin music playing from the stereo, the house was quiet as she slipped into the front room, where a cozy fire played in the hearth. Garrett entered carrying two cups of steaming liquid on a tray.
“I guess Macy and Molly took the ladies sightseeing. They try to give me little breaks here and there. It appears we have the house to ourselves.”
Adrenaline surged through her body.
“Though I seriously doubt they’ll stay gone long in this weather. Not exactly a great day for sightseeing,” he added. “I know you drink coffee, so I made some.” He placed the tray of coffee cups, sugar and cream on the table. He stood and handed her a cup. “Want some sugar or cream?
“Sugar,”