Sharee pulled the foam pieces apart to reveal the fragile sculpture within. There were three figures on the stand. One was a knight with his sword drawn. He had his left arm held out to the side, shielding a young woman in a long white dress. A small gold crown sat on her head. In front of him was a fire-breathing dragon. She turned it over and read the inscription. Sir Galahad and the dragon.
Sharee laughed.
Ryann’s nose wrinkled. “What’s funny?”
“Cindy use to call John by this name—Sir Galahad.”
“And he’s protecting you?”
“Yeah, except…”
“Except?”
“It says Sir Galahad, but it could also represent Christ protecting his bride, the church. And the dragon is the devil.”
“Like in Revelations?” Abbey asked. “Where Jesus comes riding out of heaven on a white horse?”
“Yes, something like that.” She stared at the sculpture. “We have an enemy that seeks to kill, steal, and destroy, but we have a Savior that’s greater.”
She closed her eyes for a minute, thinking of Bruce. Do I believe all that I say I do? Do I believe in heaven and eternity? If so, then Bruce is alive, in heaven. She let the thought fill her.
She swallowed and handed the sculpture to Abbey. “Will you take this to Lynn and tell her I want it on the cake table? Don’t let John see it. I want him to be surprised.”
Abbey grinned at her. “Sure, Ms J, I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Good.” Sharee smiled at Ryann. “I’ll go put on my necklace in the bathroom here. I need some quiet for a couple of minutes, but I’ll be back so we can finish up with the veil and get my flowers.” She gave the girl a hug and went down the hall.
Lynn had cordoned off the large lavatory near the dressing area, making it off-limits for all but the bride until the ceremony was over. Sharee hadn’t thought much about it at the time, but now she hugged the privacy to her.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror on the wall. The dazed look engendered by Bruce’s death had disappeared. God had worked in her heart. Not that there weren’t times of sadness still, but God had restored.
She slipped on the delicate diamond necklace John had given her. His strength and support, even as he went through his own process of grief, had buoyed her. She had almost shut him out after Bruce’s death.
Thank you, Lord, for not letting that happen. Thank you for all you’ve done for us, and thank you for today.
She picked up the matching diamond earrings and leaned toward the mirror. Light hit one and sent a flash of color her way.
Behind her, the door to the bathroom swung open. China entered, closed the door, and then stood with her back to it. Surprise jolted through Sharee.
A soft smile curled China’s lips. “Well, you won. The game is officially over.”
Sharee turned. She hadn’t thought about China in a long time. She hadn’t seen her for months. “Game?”
“You’d really won before, you know.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That night at the church when John spoke to the youth group. He told me that night, after the service, that he wanted me to stay away from him—and you.”
Sharee noticed the sarcasm but said nothing.
“He thanked me for helping with Cooper while you were in the hospital but asked me not to come by again.” Her smile lost its sweetness. “I’d made a copy of his key and stopped by to ‘find my bracelet’ after you went home from the hospital.” The sarcasm was laced with hardness now. “You’ll be glad to know he was the perfect gentleman. Well, not quite a gentleman. He threw me out.”
Sharee lifted an eyebrow, but kept herself from smiling. He’d told her more than once not to worry about China.
“Then after the funeral, you were so…well, not there, were you? I thought I might have another chance.”
“And you sent him a picture on his phone, didn’t you?”
“He told you? He blocked my access after that. He’s really such a prude. So loyal to you.” She made it sound as if it was something bad.
“China.” Sharee held up her hand to stop her. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I thought you should know.” She smiled sweetly and turned to go.
“Wait.”
The girl held the door open but looked back at her.
“I’ve wondered about something. Did you talk with Dean at any time?
“The guy you were first engaged to?”
“Yes.”
She looked as if she might not answer but then shrugged. “I heard Bruce on the phone with John one time. Bruce was picking up a ring for John—for you. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it had to be an engagement ring.”
“And you told Dean?”
“Yeah. I thought it might create some problems. I didn’t know if he still cared, but I remembered him being so possessive. So, I called at his work and left him a message.”
“Interfering in people’s lives is not a game, China.”
The girl shrugged and turned to go again.
“Are you…do you…consider yourself a Christian?” Sharee asked.
China looked back at her. “I’ve been in church all my life.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Again, she shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s that important.”
Sharee stared. Dear God, help her. “If you had been in a garage all your life that would not make you a car. You are not a Christian because you go to church, you…”
“I know, I know. I need to accept Jesus as my savior. I know.”
“I’ll pray for you,” Sharee said.
China laughed and let the door close after her.
***
Standing in the foyer of the church, her dad looked at her in a way that made her want to cry.
“Daddy…” Sharee started.
He put a finger to her lips. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s okay. It hurts. I can’t say it doesn’t, but it’s right. He’s a good man. He loves God. He loves you. What more could I ask? Your mother and I are very proud of you. You know that, don’t you?”
She nodded. If something doesn’t change soon, though, I’ll have tears down the front of this gown. She clutched her flowers in tight hands.
Her father smiled, eyes alight. “Your mother cried most of last night, and then I had to throw water on her to get her up this morning.”
“You what? You threw water on mother?”
Brian Jones grinned, looking, Sharee noticed, like John for a minute.
“Yes.”
“Oh, I bet you’re in trouble.”
“I am. Like the time we went horseback riding in Colorado, and your mother’s horse took off up the mountain—in the wrong direction? When the crew finally caught up with her and got back to the ranch, it was almost dark. Remember how upset she was because we couldn’t stop laughing?”
Sharee’s heart lifted. “I do. Remember the time she thought she saw a bear when we camped at Juniper Springs in Ocala? We were telling everyone to watch out, when she realized it was only a sheep dog—that belonged to another camper.”
“We’ve had fun.”
“We have. Dad, I love you. I love Mom, too.”
“And John?”
She smiled. “And John.”
“I guess I finally have a son.”
Sharee hugged him. “You do.”
The music began. Lynn stepped from the corner where she’d been standing. “There’s your cue, Bride Girl. Time to go.”
Sharee and her father turned as Lynn pushed open the double doors of the sanctuary. They stepped forward. All the people in the church stood to their feet. The carpet had a white runner running the length of the aisle, and at the end. John and the groomsmen stood waiting.
Sharee’s breath caught in her throat. Her legs began to shake. Her dad’s hand tightened on her arm. She looked down the aisle, and everything blurred except John’s face.
She saw his smile, but she couldn’t move. Every muscle froze. She looked down. Get your head up, she seemed to hear Bruce say; and as she looked back down the aisle, she saw the warmth of John’s eyes.
“I love you,” he mouthed and put out his hand.
All her nervousness dropped away, and she walked down the aisle toward the man and the union for which she had waited thirty years.
…To have and to hold…in sickness and in health…for richer, for poorer…forsaking all others… as long as you both shall live…
*
I hope you have enjoyed As Long As You Both Shall Live.
It was fun and exciting to write.
If you enjoyed it, would you leave a review
on Amazon and/or Goodreads?
Readers and authors need and love reviews.
Your review does not have to be long,
but can be a line or two if you want.
Thank you!
**
Other Books by the Author:
Book 1—Amber Alert
Book 2—As Long As You Both Shall Live
Book 3—Splashdown
Book 4—Looking for Justice
All can be found on Amazon in Kindle or paperback.
***
On the next few pages, you will find a chapter from Splashdown.
Splashdown
Christian Contemporary Romance with Suspense
Chapter 1
Lynn Stapleton gripped the steering wheel of her Lexus and questioned her sanity one more time. The approaching hurricane drove gray sheets of rain across the windshield. She narrowed her eyes to see.
It didn’t help that during the phone conversation earlier, Sharee Jergenson had called her crazy. And maybe she was, but not checking on Victoria would be crazier still. How could she run for safety while Victoria was still out there?
The car’s wipers struggled now to handle the downpour. This morning’s weather forecast predicted Hurricane Bella’s landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast in less than twenty-four hours. With winds up to a hundred miles per hour and torrential rains, Bella had driven many of her neighbors to flee even before the mandatory evacuation order came.
When she’d heard the evacuation order a few hours ago, she packed a large suitcase with clothing, personal papers, and a few treasured items and left her beach condo. She headed north, not inland as Sharee had requested. Besides, her newly married friend didn’t need a houseguest.
Her calls to every shelter within twenty miles benefited nothing. No one named Victoria had registered at any of them. Anxiety fanned flames throughout her whole body. Why hadn’t Victoria answered her calls or texts? Lynn had bought her a prepaid phone—in case the man found her.
The winds had scattered palm fronds, branches, and loose foliage across Pinellas Avenue. Storm-driven waters filled ditches on either side of the road. A precursor of what was to come.
Sharee’s words played across her mind. “Lynn, you cannot run all over the county with a hurricane coming. Victoria’s probably in a shelter, and whoever you talked to just doesn’t know it. She left with the others, you can be sure.”
“Then why hasn’t she answered her phone?”
“You might be way down on her list, girlfriend. Survival is first.”
Sharee worked with the homeless, so Lynn hadn’t argued, but she knew Victoria would call—if she could. She concentrated on the road and thanked God for the lack of traffic.
Her last option was the tent city in the woods. If Victoria wasn’t at a shelter, had she stayed behind? Lynn turned off the main road, and the tires sprayed mud and water from the unpaved street. She drove past wind-whipped trees and scattered debris. In a minute, the street dead-ended. She brought the car to a stop and sat back in the seat, stunned.
Devastation met her gaze. The tent city where the homeless lived had almost disappeared. Clothes, shoes, and other items littered the ground along with scattered pine needles and tree branches. Tents slumped, tangled in the mud. Only a few, sheltered by large trees, still stood.
She’d visited three times before. Tents had filled the clearing then, and ropes stretched from tree to tree as makeshift clotheslines. The homeless people welcomed them—welcomed the food they brought, the clothes, and the toiletries.
What had she expected today? Lynn stared through the lessening rain, eyeing the few tents left standing. Perhaps if this squall line passed, she could get out and check them. She took a hair band from her purse and pulled her waist-length blonde hair into a ponytail.
After a few minutes, with the rain continuing to lessen, she tugged the hood of her rain jacket over her head and threw open the car door. The sodden wreckage in front of her spoke of desertion. The feeling of defeat wasn’t one she was used to, nor was it welcome.
She shoved the door closed, and a wind gust thrust her back against the car. Above her, the tree tops swayed and bowed. She huddled beside the Lexus until walking was possible again. Sending a thank-you to heaven, she moved forward.
Debris slowed her progress. Lynn stepped over branches and circled a downed tent before lifting her head to yell. “Victoria!”
No answer. She walked forward, cupped her hands around her mouth again and stumbled over something large and soft, something that bulged under another downed tent. Pay attention, girl. What if you sprained your ankle out here?
She looked at the downed tent. Someone had left more than their temporary home. A blanket, maybe, or clothes or a sleeping bag lay under the bulky material. Her throat tightened just as it had the first time she’d come.
While Sharee had chatted away with a woman and young teen that day, Lynn’s comfort in her designer jeans and shirt and her Prada handbag had dissolved. She’d eyed the woman’s mismatched clothes and her daughter’s dirty pants and shirt. That might be all they owned. Lynn’s glimpse into the steamy confines of their canvas home had drawn tears she’d released on the way home that day.
Another gust of wind shook rain from the trees, and Lynn tightened the grip on her hood. The corner of the tent covered whatever was under it. Perhaps she could salvage something for someone. She leaned down and grabbed the heavy material. Stepping to the side, she tugged it up and back.
Horror shot through her. Her stomach rolled. The sodden canvas pulled free from her hands and slapped down across the hideous thing she’d just seen. She screamed.
Chapter 2
Even though the Sheriff’s cruiser was dry and warm, Lynn fidgeted. She’d sat there answering the detective’s questions long enough.
By the time the deputy arrived and then the detective, the storm’s ferocity had climbed. They were the skeleton crew, the deputy informed her, because of the hurricane. While she waited in the deputy’s cruiser, he and the detective took pictures of the scene then scouted the area for evidence. The rain and wind competed with them for anything left behind. Finally, a van arrived. Lynn turned her head when they pulled out the body bag.
Tears collected and ran down her face. Oh, Lord, where are you? What happened?
By the time the detective slid into the driver’s seat of the cruiser, she’d almost given way to the pulsating blackness, but she steadied her insides. She’d get through this and out of here—to somewhere. Although, she couldn’t go home—not with the evacuation—she’d find somewhere…
Evening had darkened the interior of the car. Lynn answered the detective’s questions but stared out the car’s window. Outside, the deputy battled the wind to roll up the tent. He stumbled, dropped the heavy material, and started again.
“We can finish this at the office.” The detective had made the suggestion once already.
Lynn stiffened and shifted her focus back to him. He sat in partial darkness, as she did. “I told you, I don’t want to be stuck there. The hurricane’s coming, and I’d rather be with friends.” She had to get away. The hold on her ragged emotions needed tightening, and going to some sterile office complex surrounded by people an
d bright lights wouldn’t help. “You have my statement. And this street will flood soon. I’d like to leave before it does.”
Silence met her words, but she wouldn’t allow him to sway her. She’d fought the familiar blackness that had swept up and threatened to engulf her before dialing 911. Now, if she didn’t move, didn’t get away from here, it would be back. All she could see was Victoria, eyes open and staring, blood covering her hair and face. Lynn shivered and tightened the rain jacket’s collar around her neck.
They’d questioned her the other time, too…
After a moment, the detective flipped the page in his small book. “You’ll be staying with friends then? I need a name and address.”
She rattled off the information as rain pelted the car’s windshield.
He looked up. “Sharee Jergenson? You’ll be staying with her?”
“Yes.”
“And this address—”
“Is a church. They live on the property.”
“They?”
“She and her husband.”
“John Jergenson?”
Lynn frowned. “Yes, but how did you—”
“You had a kidnapping there. Less than a year ago. A baby.” He tapped his book. “You, Sharee and John were part of the investigation.”
Lynn hadn’t paid much attention to him or the deputy. Suppressing the horror of what she’d seen had proved hard enough. “You were the detective on the case?”
“A deputy at the time.”
A tree branch slapped against the window. She jumped. The detective glanced past her.
“The wind’s picking up.”
“Yes, I…” She swallowed. “Your name again?”
“Richards.”
“Oh. Deputy Richards. I remember.” Intense blue eyes that she couldn’t see now were what she recalled. But what did it matter? Nothing mattered right now but getting away. She fought back tears.
“You know,” he said, “the sooner we have all the information, the sooner we’ll find out who killed your friend.”
Who killed your… Her mind leapt back over the years, to the other time. She heard the screams, ran down the hall, and saw the woman sprawled on the hard tile floor. Her hair was splayed out, the blood a red aura around it. Lynn’s mind had, at first, refused recognition…
As Long As You Both Shall Live: A Christian Contemporary Romance with Suspense (Dangerous Series Book 2) Page 24