Vance finished and refolded the letter. He looked at Meg and she glimpsed the baffled frown that creased his brows.
“Apparently Kent told his father about Cammy and the electronic medical devices that doctors want to use as part of her new therapy. His father decided she was a worthy cause, and his company donated a healthy sum to the UK Children’s Hospital in Cammy’s name.” Vance shook his head. “Part of me doesn’t want to accept it, even though it’s a generous gift. The settlement I got years ago will see to Cammy’s needs.”
“Guess it’s up to you, Vance.” Meg didn’t know what to make of it.
“The letter’s addressed to you.”
He handed it to her and she skimmed the contents.
“Sounds like it’s a done deal.” Meg glanced up at him. “That is, the hospital already has the money. This is just notification that it was sent on behalf of Cammy.”
Vance squeezed his eyes shut for a second, scratched the back of his head, then shrugged. “I don’t know, Meg. Guess it’s a nice write-off for Baldwin Manufacturing, but it sure makes me have to swallow down a chunk of my pride. I’m wondering if that was the intention.”
“No.” Meg honestly didn’t think so. She suspected it was a half-baked attempt at an apology, but perhaps his motive wasn’t that dubious. “Kent was fond of Cammy, just as he was fond of all the kids at school. Maybe he wanted to help her achieve her dreams, and this is the way he chose to do it.”
“Hmm.”
Meg slipped her arms around his waist and peered up into his bearded face. “I say we ask Cammy to write a thank-you note to Baldwin Manufacturing and stop speculating about the reason behind the donation.”
“All right. I’ll go along with that. After all, ‘every good and perfect gift comes from above’ anyway.”
Vance watched with mild trepidation as pediatric neurologist Jason McDonald fitted Cammy with the new medical device designed to help her walk. He knew he shouldn’t feel so nervous, but he couldn’t seem to help it.
As if she sensed his apprehension, Meg slipped her hand into his.
“This system has been approved by the FDA and is perfectly safe. As for how successful it will be, well, that’s up to how hard Cammy works and how much her family’s willing to cheer her on.”
“I’m a hard worker.” Cammy watched the doctor’s every move.
“And we’re dedicated.” Vance gave Meg’s hand an affectionate squeeze, then caught his daughter’s eye and sent her a wink.
She smiled back. “I can’t wait. I can’t wait.” She moved the upper half of her body so she bounced on the exam room’s table.
“Hold still, young lady.” The tall, long-limbed physician smiled kindly at Cammy before he adhered two large white pads onto her skin, just above both knees. Then he looked over at Vance and Meg. “Since her nerve endings are still intact, this device should actually enable her body to repair its own nervous system.”
“That’s totally amazing.”
Vance smiled at Meg’s reply. He didn’t know what he would have done without her these last few weeks. Her positive attitude had never waned, even though he himself had felt doubtful at times. He’d worried that Cammy would end up disappointed and discouraged.
But now they’d arrived at the moment of truth.
“Are you almost done? Can I try to walk now?” Cammy’s blue eyes were round and eager.
“As soon as I make a few adjustments. This may take a while. Be patient.” Dr. McDonald glanced at her and grinned. He held a dial in his hand. Coated wires ran from it to the patches on Cammy’s knees. “I suggest you save your energy for when the physical therapist comes in to help you get on your feet.”
“Yes, sir.”
Vance hid his amusement. Though Cammy had stopped her wiggling, he could tell she was bursting at the seams with excitement.
After several long minutes, the doctor trained Vance and Meg on the usage of the medical device, and then he summoned two medical assistants and the physical therapist into the room. Cammy was given stainless cane-like supports to grip with each hand, and a safety harness was secured around her waist. All the while, Dr. McDonald explained procedures and processes to Vance and Meg.
Lord, it’s by Your grace that my little girl walks. He’d uttered this prayer a thousand times. Thank You for the wisdom You’ve lent these doctors—and all the medical staff.
“I want to walk down the aisle when Daddy and Meg get married.” Cammy was like a champion race horse, chomping at the bit.
“We’ll do our best to see that you do.” Dr. McDonald smiled. “Just relax.”
Before long Cammy was on her feet. More adjustments were made. And then—
Vance watched in awe as her right foot inched forward.
Then her left foot inched forward.
Sheer joy spread across Cammy’s face. “I’m walking! I’m walking! I’m walking!”
Epilogue
“Vance, hurry up. I’m feeling a little carsick with this blindfold on.” Meg clutched her rounded mid-section as the van went up and down the hilly road and rounded a bend. She had to keep swallowing hard so she didn’t lose the grilled hamburger and potato salad she’d eaten at the Owens’ Labor Day picnic.
It was hard to believe a year had flown by since she first met Vance and Cammy.
“We’re almost there.” She felt Vance reach over and take hold of her upper arm. “Hang in there, all right?”
“I’ll make no promises.”
He chuckled in reply.
“Hurry, Daddy, I can’t wait to see the surprise.”
“Just a minute more, punkin.”
It seemed like more than “a minute” before Vance rolled the vehicle to a stop. “Don’t look just yet. Keep your eyes covered. Both of you.”
Meg heard him get out. “What do you think it is, Cammy?”
“I think he bought me a pony and you a horse!”
“You think?”
“Yep.”
Meg envisioned herself, six months pregnant and riding horseback. She laughed. “I don’t think I could mount a horse right even if we found a crane to hoist me into the saddle.”
Vance opened their doors and helped Meg from the van before lowering Cammy to the ground. Although she could walk now—and was getting better at it each day—there were still plenty more times she required the use of her wheelchair.
Vance looped Meg’s arm around his elbow and pushed Cammy’s chair over bumpy ground. As they stepped forward, Meg felt long grass tickling her ankles and legs.
“Where are you leading us, Vance?”
“Just a few more feet and you can look.”
“There’s no snakes around here, are there?”
“Tons of ’em.”
Meg felt herself stiffen.
Cammy giggled. “He’s just teasing, Mommy.”
“Hmm.” If not for the blindfold, Meg would be giving Vance one of her sharp glances right about now.
“Okay. Count to ten and then you can both take off your blindfolds.”
Meg and Cammy began counting. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, TEN!”
Meg peeled off the folded bandana that Vance had tied around her eyes before they left the Owens’ farm. She blinked until her eyes focused. Cammy did the same. Together they stared out over grassy pasture that was surrounded by steep, wooded hills.
Vance stood in the middle of it with his arms opened wide. “What do you think?”
“It’s pretty countryside.”
“Where’s my pony, Daddy?”
“Well—” He cantered across the pasture. “Once we build the stable, we’ll keep him in here.”
“Yay!”
Meg frowned, puzzled. A stable?
“The house will be here.” Again Vance jogged across the field.
“The house?” Meg felt her knees growing weaker. They’d talked about building a house, but she thought it was only a fantasy.
“Our dream house, Meg. It seems on
ly fitting that we build here in Miracle, don’t you think? Our lives have been forever linked by one miracle after another.”
She put her fingertips to her lips, touched. How poetic.
“Can you picture it, Meg? Right about here.”
Vance took off in a jog and looked like he was running around a baseball diamond. Meg didn’t know whether to laugh at his antics or cry because this was one more answered prayer. A home. Their home. In Miracle.
“Where will my bedroom be, Daddy?”
“About right here.” Vance ran in a smaller square. “The baby’s room, about here.”
Meg caressed her belly.
“And our room, Meg, about here.”
“What about the guest room? That’s important, you know. I want the newlyweds to stay with us sometimes.” She smiled, recalling Leah and Dave’s wedding two months ago. She missed Leah, since she’d moved to Georgia where Dave had recently been stationed. “Don’t forget that Liz and Charlie need a place to stay when they visit, too. And what about Mom?” She and Mom had been speaking again recently, and Meg still held out hope that they’d reconcile. It might take a few years, but she had witnessed bigger miracles.
“Guest room here, and—” Vance ran to the far side of the yard. “—Mother-in-law’s suite over here. Lots of distance between it and the house.”
“Perfect.” She laughed.
Vance ran up the grassy slope. He bent and placed a kiss on Cammy’s head, then looked deeply into Meg’s eyes. “What do you think? The land’s for sale. Should we buy it?”
She nodded. It seemed like a no-brainer to her. After all—Meg took Cammy’s hand and wrapped an arm around Vance—love found her in Miracle, Kentucky.
Want a peek into local American life—past and present?
The Love Finds YouTM series published by Summerside Press features real towns and combines travel, romance, and faith in one irresistible package!
The novels in the series—uniquely titled after American towns with unusual but intriguing names—inspire romance and fun. Each fictional story draws on the compelling history or the unique character of a real place. Stories center on romances kindled in small towns, old loves lost and found again on the high plains, and new loves discovered at exciting vacation getaways. Summerside Press plans to publish at least one novel set in each of the 50 states. Be sure to catch them all!
NOW AVAILABLE IN STORES
Love Finds You in Miracle, Kentucky by Andrea Boeshaar
ISBN: 978-1-934770-37-5
Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas by Sandra D. Bricker
ISBN: 978-1-934770-45-0
Love Finds You in Romeo, Colorado by Gwen Ford Faulkenberry
ISBN: 978-1-934770-46-7
Love Finds You in Valentine, Nebraska by Irene Brand
ISBN: 978-1-934770-38-2
Love Finds You in Humble, Texas by Anita Higman
ISBN: 978-1-934770-61-0
Love Finds You in Last Chance, California by Miralee Ferrell
ISBN: 978-1-934770-39-9
Love Finds You in Maiden, North Carolina by Tamela Hancock Murray
ISBN: 978-1-934770-65-8
Love Finds You in Paradise, Pennsylvania by Loree Lough
ISBN: 978-1-934770-66-5
Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida by Debby Mayne
ISBN: 978-1-934770-80-1
Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana, by Melanie Dobson
ISBN: 978-1-934770-74-0
Love Finds You in Poetry, Texas by Janice Hanna
ISBN: 978-1-935416-16-6
Love Finds You in Revenge, Ohio by Lisa Harris
ISBN: 978-1-934770-81-8
COMING SOON
Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon by Melody Carlson
ISBN: 978-1-935416-18-0
Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio by Birdie Etchison
ISBN: 978-1-935416-17-3
Love Finds You in Bethlehem, New Hampshire by Lauralee Bliss
ISBN: 978-1-935416-20-3
Love Finds You in North Pole, Alaska by Loree Lough
ISBN: 978-1-935416-19-7
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Love Finds You in Miracle, Kentucky Page 27