Meeting Her Match

by Debra Clopton

  “True. But, well, things are comfortable the way they are. I’m afraid to give up what I’ve got. If I were to try and change things…I might mess it all up.”

  Pace suddenly understood looking at the older man. He was clinging to what they had, rather than trying for something better. Like Pace had done clinging to his old life. Sam had to let go just as he’d had to do. “Sam, it looks like we have a lot in common.”

  “How’s that?”

  Pace met the little man’s somber gaze with a smile of certainty. “What you’ve got to do is trust the Lord and give up your Idaho. Just like I did.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Ohh! Oooohhh, that tickles!”

  “Esther Mae, you have to hold still if you want this to look right.”

  “I know, but I am so ticklish.”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t get these stripes straight if you jump every time I touch your toes.”

  “Yeah, Esther Mae,” Norma Sue said from where she stood looking over Sheri’s shoulder. She’d been hovering there ever since Sheri had begun painting a tiny American flag on Esther’s big toenail. “Be still. Your flag’s waving.”

  Esther Mae grabbed the chair arms in a grip that would have challenged Sam’s handshake. “I’ll try to sit still, but watch yourself. I might kick you without meaning to. If I can just get past being so ticklish I think I’m really going to like this nail art. It’s such an expression of who I am. I think I want to try one of those cute rhinestone toe rings, too. Ohh!” she squealed, yanking her toe free of Sheri’s grasp. “Sorry. Try it again.”

  “A toe ring!” Norma Sue exclaimed as Sheri reached for Esther Mae’s toe one more time. This was going to be the weirdest-looking American flag she’d ever tried to paint on a toenail.

  “That’s right—a toe ring.”

  “Esther Mae,” Norma Sue said, drawing the Mae out as if she were dragging it up a mountain. “You express yourself just fine. It’s one thing to get doodads on your toenails, but a toe ring?”

  “Norma Sue,” Adela said softly from the styling chair where Lacy was finishing up her haircut, “I think it’s nice the way Esther Mae is trying new things. Sometimes change is good.”

  Lacy whipped the cutting cape from around her neck. “Adela, you’re a free woman,” she said. “You know me, I think change is a great thing. I love it.”

  “Me, too,” Esther Mae said, nodding. “Just because we’re almost seventy is no reason we have to subject ourselves to boredom. Sheri, I will take one of those rings. The red one please. The brighter the better.”

  Norma Sue bopped her forehead with the palm of her hand. “Okay, okay, I give up. Who am I to try and make you give up your fun? Adela, you sure are quiet today.”

  “Are you feeling well?” Lacy asked and Sheri glanced toward them, catching the sudden sadness in Adela’s eyes.

  “Well, now that we’re talking about change. All of you know that a few weeks ago my daughter asked me to move to Abilene.”

  Norma Sue snorted. “Yeah, that was the most ridiculous thing I ever heard.”

  “I’ve been praying about it. And I think I may go.”

  Heavenly Inspirations had never been as quiet as in that moment. Sheri was so shocked by the announcement she almost dropped the bottle of white polish. Adela moving—it was inconceivable. Really, no one had even given it a second thought when Adela had mentioned it before. Mule Hollow without Adela? No way.

  “But why?” Esther Mae whined, her toe ring forgotten. “You have a life here.”

  “Adela, why haven’t you asked us to pray with you?” Leave it to Lacy to zero in on the spiritual need.

  Adela, her beautiful blue eyes sad but sure, met each of their gazes one after the other. “You are my friends, and I just thought I should warn you of things to come. I didn’t tell you earlier because I have no doubts the Lord is going to give me the right answer in His own time.”

  “The answer is no!” Norma Sue huffed, moving to stand beside her lifelong friend.

  “That’s right,” Esther Mae agreed. “This is about Sam, isn’t it? If the man would only come to his senses and marry you, then—”

  Adela shook her head. “Esther Mae, this isn’t about Sam. It’s about practicality.”

  “Practicality, my foot!” Norma Sue snapped. “Nope, this is about love and you know it. You of all people, Adela, running. I can’t believe it.”

  Sheri finished Esther Mae’s toe, slid the red toe ring on her third toe, and listened to the conversation. All week long she’d awakened each morning and proceeded to force herself to put one foot in front of the other while telling herself all the practical reasons she should stop thinking about Pace. She was supposed to be figuring out what the Lord wanted her to do with her life, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Pace and his dreams.

  “Adela,” Sheri said, picking up a slender cuticle stick and rolling it between her fingers. “Why don’t you ask Sam to marry you?”

  “Now there’s an idea,” Esther Mae gasped.

  “Yeah, Adela.” Lacy’s eyes lit up. “You can’t just give up on the man and leave him here. Just think about it. He’d be so sad and grumpy none of us would know what to do with him.”

  Adela blushed. “I couldn’t do that. Besides, I’ve always trusted the Lord’s timing. Me asking Sam would be rushing God’s plan. This is something Sam has to work out for himself.”

  “Then leaving before God’s plan happens wouldn’t be right, either,” Sheri pointed out, and everyone joined in talking at once agreeing with her.

  “Come on, Adela, shake up the love boat,” Lacy laughed. “Really, if you’re going to leave anyway, what could it hurt? The verse I was reading this morning would be suited for you and for you, too, Sheri. It’s from Second Timothy. ‘God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power.’ I think we need to see some of that power being utilized right now.”

  Sheri quirked an eyebrow at Lacy. “I’m getting there. But we’re talking about Adela right now.”

  For the last few days, she’d talked with Lacy about how she’d been feeling about finding out what God’s plan was for her life. And Lacy had been quick to point out that she was missing the boat by not believing that God might have brought Pace into her life for a reason. Sheri wasn’t completely sure about that. She wasn’t willing to make a mistake when it came to Pace. She’d already caused him enough trouble. And while she might have begun to dream of a life with Pace, until she got the go-ahead from the Lord she felt the best thing was to keep her feelings to herself. Pushing aside thoughts of herself, she looked at Adela. She was sitting quietly studying her hands which were clasped tightly together in her lap. The short wispy white hair around her face hid her eyes from them.

  Sheri remembered the first day she’d seen those eyes. Sheri had never seen more peaceful eyes in all of her life. They’d reminded her of Lacy’s eyes, so blue and with that sparkle that Sheri felt certain came from a strong bond with the Lord. A bond Sheri had wished she could emulate. But she’d learned that while she could teach herself and command herself to walk through life emulating Lacy’s vivaciousness, she couldn’t command the Lord to have a relationship with her that she’d convinced herself was only for a privileged few like Adela and Lacy. And why not? They were special. They were the ones who came up with just the right verses to inspire people or spur them to action. They were the ones people like her imitated…just weeks ago she’d settled for that.

  Now she knew that she could have the same kind of relationship with God. It was out there for everyone, all she had to do was seek Him with all her heart. That meant learning to walk with Him on a daily basis. It meant that she needed to study His word and hide it in her heart. It meant she needed to do a little work. She’d realized that while she was a Christian, she wasn’t growing in her belief. Lacy and Adela had immersed themselves in God’s word, seeking out His will.

  Pace was doing the same thing. And she loved him because of it. It was tr
ue…he made her want to be the best person she could be. And though she had begun to dream of having a life with him it was better to stay out of his life for now. She still wasn’t certain she could trust herself. Despite everything, her past still haunted her.

  Adela was different. It killed Sheri to see her faltering and suddenly she knew she had to do something.

  “Adela, you have to fight for what you want sometimes. You have fought for everyone else to have the happiness you thought they deserved all these months. Don’t sit there and think for one moment I don’t know that you haven’t been instrumental in all these setups.”

  “That’s the truth,” Esther Mae said. “She’s got your number on that, Adela.”

  “You are the one who thought this whole ‘Wives Needed’ campaign for Mule Hollow,” Norma Sue added.

  Lacy plopped her hands to her hips and cocked her shaggy head to the side. “You have to fight for the principle of it all. I mean really, Adela, come on. Let’s go put Sam out of his misery.”

  Adela’s eyes lit up, spurring Sheri on.

  “You know you’re not going to move away from here and leave all of us.” Sheri walked to the door and opened it wide. Something inside of her was driven to see Adela fight for her right to a happily ever after. “Now come on, what do you say? It’s a great day for a marriage proposal.”

  “You’re gonna do it. You’re really gonna do it!”

  “Hush, Applegate. Ya been after me for years to do this so let me do it.”

  “Right.” Applegate stopped his hovering and stood still, watching as Sam yanked off his apron and dropped it to the counter, tugged the waistband of his britches up while tucking his shirttail in securely.

  “You’re right, Pace,” he said. “There comes a time when turning back to the past ain’t an option anymore. Ya gotta look to the future. If I don’t do something to change her mind, my Adela is goin’ ta load up and move off. Then where will I be? I’ll be alone, regrettin’ for the rest of my days that I didn’t give up my fears and ask her to marry me.”

  “At’s the way, Sam,” Applegate said. “Here, slick yer hair down.” He licked his palm and reached toward his friend’s head. “When a man’s goin’ to ask a woman to be his wife he don’t need a cowlick stickin’ straight up off his crown. It ain’t dignified.”

  “Get back, App!” Sam dodged Applegate’s damp hand and headed toward the door with a determined stride with Applegate trailing behind.

  Pace couldn’t help chuckling. The two of them looked like a pair of overgrown kids as he and Stanley followed them out into the sunlight.

  “Where is she, Sam?” Stanley asked.

  “She’s down at Lacy’s getting her hair and nails done like she does every Friday at one o’clock.”

  “Then what are we waiting fer?” Applegate said, grinning. Applegate grinning—Pace figured that in itself was a miracle.

  Sam cleared his throat, lifted his chin, and glanced from them down the street toward Lacy’s. “Yer right, App. C’mon, time’s a wastin’.”

  Sheri figured the Lord’s timing was right on the money when she looked out that door to see Sam heading up the small parade marching down the center of Main Street. She almost got trampled in the stampede when she’d called everyone to come see.

  One look and Norma Sue and Esther Mae whipped around and practically picked poor Adela up and scrambled out onto the sidewalk with her.

  It was a sight. Sam, not quite five feet, looking as tall and determined as Pace Gentry, who was backing him up along with his sidekicks Applegate and Stanley.

  Sheri had a great view of both Sam’s and Adela’s expressions as he came to a halt in front of Adela. If ever there were two people who loved each other it was these two. Sam slicked a hand from forehead to crown as Adela raised elegant, fine-boned fingers to touch a wisp of hair just behind her earlobe.

  “Hello, Adela,” he said, in a gentle voice that was reserved only for her.

  “Hello, Sam,” she answered, her voice a bit more breathy than usual.

  Without further ado he dropped to his knee. “My sweet Adela. I’ve been a prideful man, but one who loves you more’n life itself. And if I ain’t waited too long to get the gumption to ask you to marry me, then I’m askin’ ya now. Will you do me the honor and be my wife?”

  Sheri’s heart swelled as a tear slid from the corner of her eye. It was so romantic. Adela took his face between her hands and looked deeply into his eyes.

  “My Sam, my sweet Sam. I’d begun to think you were never going to ask. Yes. My answer is yes.”

  Sheri reacted by letting out a whoop. Everyone joined in, clapping as Sam sprang up and engulfed Adela in an embrace. Everyone was laughing and even Applegate Thornton was grinning like a hound dog getting a belly rub. Sheri figured this was a story for the weekly newspaper. It could go right there alongside Adela and Sam’s wedding announcement.

  Another wedding for Mule Hollow…. A wish tumbled through her and she closed her eyes, willing away the image that came of her and Pace.

  “Can we talk?”

  Now that just wasn’t fair, she thought as she opened her eyes to find Pace standing half a step in front of her. Afraid to let him see what she’d been thinking, she’d avoided eye contact with him during Sam’s proposal to Adela.

  “Sure.” And there you go—her mouth and her heart were giving her a mutiny! He started walking and she fell into step beside him, drawn to him despite the fact that she was willing her red frog giggers to run the other way.

  “How have you been?”

  So they were back to small talk. “Fine,” she croaked. Her throat felt like a sandpit, while her heart was pounding. “Just fine.”

  They made it to the corner of Main Street and Pace turned left, along a sidewalk of empty buildings. And suddenly they were alone.

  He smiled, coming to a halt. He turned and touched the hair at her temple and sent her already crumbling defenses into a freefall. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, but she couldn’t, she had to learn to be a better person first. She had to get her life figured out first so that she wouldn’t mess his up. But the look in his eyes was weakening her defenses.

  “The Sheri Marsh I know wouldn’t use the word fine. She’d use words like cool and awesome and kickin’. She would not say everything is fine. It’s a dull dry word that is used when someone doesn’t want to say that things are really boring or dull. Mundane.”

  She snapped her arms together across her chest and glared at him. She was trying to distance herself and he was standing there smiling at her, looking more handsome than any man had a right to look. It wasn’t fair.

  “How about a movie? Take me to a movie, Sheri.”

  The man was insufferable. He knew exactly what he was doing to her and he didn’t care. Not one bit.

  It was true she was tempted to throw caution to the wind and do it…but until she knew what God wanted from her she was not caving in. It was for his own good.

  “No. I can’t. Look, Pace, was there something other than this that you wanted to talk to me about?” There. She’d managed to sound firm and in control.

  “No, Sheri, this is it. I want to talk to you about us.”

  Aww, man. “There is no us.”

  “So when are you going to let there be? I’ve made up my mind I want you.”

  He wanted her! Sheri could have jumped for joy, instead she spun and stomped away from him. She had to put space between them. She wasn’t ready.

  “Sheri, you can’t keep running away from this.”

  She swung around. “I am not running.”

  “Yes. You are. You’re afraid.”

  He was right about that. “Look, Pace, I’ve been very vocal on the subject of marriage and the fact that I don’t hang around very long. That does scare me. It should scare you.”

  “You can’t speed-date forever.”

  Ha! “That’s really none of your business. I already told you that I’m done with that, too.”


  “Sheri, you are not meant to live alone and you know it. You were really happy back there watching Sam and Adela.”

  “Well who wouldn’t be happy that Sam finally asked Adela to get married? Of course I was happy. That has nothing to do with you deciding to, to—”

  “To what? Try and finish what you started. To try and convince you that we’re meant to be together like Adela and Sam.”

  “What I started was a ruse.”

  “No. What you started was a romance under the guise of a ruse. I think you know as well as I do that something bigger than both of us was happening from the moment we first butted heads.”

  Sheri crossed her arms and looked away from him because Mr. Smarty Buckaroo had a smug look in his gorgeous eyes and she didn’t think she could hide her feelings from him too much longer if she kept looking at him. Oh, why was she even bothering?

  “Okay.” She met his smoky stare straight on. “Hope this makes you happy. It’s true. I haven’t ever felt like I feel when I’m around you. But, Pace, I can’t count on it lasting. Take it from me, I know how I am. It may take a week, a month—hey, it could be a year or two, but in the end I’d be moving on. That’s why I’m just calling it quits to all dating. I’m going to put all that energy into figuring out some kind of ministry I can do for the Lord. I’ll never take a chance on marriage, kids and divorce.” She knew it was true. Her past suddenly came rushing at her, reminding her of all the reasons she would never marry. “The quicker you understand that the better for both of us.”

  “So that’s it? You’re the last person I thought would accept defeat without a fight.”

  She took three strides and glared up at him. “There you go judging me again when you have no idea what’s going on inside my head. You don’t know what it felt like to be handed off like I was the family pet. You don’t know what it felt like to have absolutely no control over any aspect of my life.”

  Pace stepped close to her, so close she could feel the warmth of him, but she was so overcome with the resentments she’d kept inside for so long that she couldn’t move. She could only stare at the pockets of his shirt and battle the tears welling up inside her. She was breathing hard and when his arms went around her, to her horror, she crumpled against him. Just for a moment she let him hold her up. He was a tower of strength and for a minute she let herself go.