“Is that your way of telling me you like to jog?” When she nodded, Marc laughed. “It wasn’t on your list of things you like to do in your down time.”
“I also didn’t list sleeping, showering, or eating, but they’re still things I do daily.”
Marc’s eyes widened. “Whoa, wait a minute. Are you trying to tell me you like to jog daily?”
Kelly nodded.
“And not because somebodies chasing you?”
She smiled. Marc definitely had muscles. You could tell by the way his broad shoulders tapered down to a narrow waist and his biceps looked solid beneath his white dress shirt sleeves. “Given your physique, it’s obvious you work out. So if you don’t run, what do you do?”
“We have a weight set at the firehouse.” Marc had a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “So when we aren’t getting called to children’s homes or fires, a couple of us lift weights.”
“If you hadn’t gotten called to the children’s home, we wouldn’t have met.” Although embarrassing at the moment, she was glad someone did call for help.
His expression sobered. He reached across the table and took her hands in his. “I’m glad we got the call.”
Her cheeks warmed. “So am I.”
Marc’s smile quirked upwards on one side. “I definitely want to see you again. Even if it means I have to hike the Himalayas to do it.”
She loved the banter they exchanged. He was fun to talk with, even if it was only about silly things. “Personally, I was hoping we wouldn’t have to leave the state, much less the country, to see each other again.”
“So there will be a next time?” His left eyebrow arched.
“Yes, silly. You can’t get rid of me that easy.”
Chapter Four
If Marc was winded from their hike, he kept it to himself as they followed one of the trails Kelly liked to go on. She was going to take him on a steeper one, but didn’t want to scare him off—like she had a couple of girls she had gotten to join her for jogging. After two miles, she was just getting warmed up and the other gals were ready to quit. When they realized she was holding back, a wedge began to form between them—perhaps they were a little insecure. Whatever it was, she didn’t want a repeat with Marc. While women could be catty, men didn’t like to be shown up. One thing she knew for certain, she wanted to see him again.
Kelly stopped and inhaled deeply, looking out over the river. She loved spring. New growth sprouted all around, from pale green leaves on trees to all the beautiful, vibrant flowers, even if the ones they’d passed before they got to the trails were planted by the grounds keeper. “It’s such a lovely view.”
“Yes, it is.” The deep throaty sound of his voice made her turn. He was staring at her. Their gazes locked.
Her breath caught. Instinctively she licked her lips and found herself looking at his, wondering if he would kiss her goodbye when he dropped her off today. Her lips parted to say something, but before she could react, his lips descended on hers with such warmth and tenderness, she melted into his arms. When the kiss ended, she snuggled closer to him, leaning her head against his shoulder.
“I totally understand why you became a firefighter.” Kelly chuckled at the thoughts flitting through her mind.
Marc crooked his neck to see her face. “Why’s that?”
She giggled nervously, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. “Because if you’re going to start fires, you ought to at least be able to put them out.”
Deep laughter vibrated through his chest. “You are so lucky we are not closer to the water, and it isn’t summer, ‘cause I would definitely throw you in.”
She lifted her nose in the air, pretending to be taken aback.
“Great.” Marc kissed her temple. “Now I’m thinking about you in swim wear.”
“Swim wear?” It was her turn to look quizzically at him.
“Okay, a bikini.” He took a step back, letting his arms drop. Marc grabbed hold of one of her hands instead of letting her go completely. “Now I need to take a shower.”
“Well, if you weren’t so hot…” Kelly let her words trail as they began walking again along the trail. “I’m sorry.” Her cheeks warmed. Sometimes her flesh struggled and her past haunted her. “That was inappropriate.”
“It’s my fault as well.” He squeezed her hand. “It proves we’re only human which is why I try to remind myself of scripture to help keep me on track.”
“So do I.” She smiled. “In times like this, the first scripture that comes to mind is, ‘Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires’ but sometimes, that verse makes me doubt myself for even having such thoughts.”
Marc paused, which made her stop since they were holding hands. She turned to look at him. To her relief, his features were soft, not stern or judgmental.
“Jesus came to save the world, so that we could have forgiveness. He didn’t come to condemn you.” Marc caressed the side of her face with his free hand. “Even Jesus faced temptation.”
Kelly laughed. “Yeah, but I always thought what he tempted Jesus with was a joke.”
“How so?” Marc asked.
“The devil offered him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.” Kelly shrugged. “I mean, come on. Those things already belong to God.” Her lips pursed as she thought about the other temptations listed in the Bible. “The other two I can see as being temptations, although I kind of thought of them as taunts—wanting Jesus to prove Himself.”
“Kind of like a dare.”
“Yeah.” She was happy Marc understood what she was saying.
Marc lowered his hand from her face, and began walking, still holding her right hand. “Reminds me of when my brothers and I were little. We were always daring the other one to do something they shouldn’t.” Marc sighed. “I think I’m going to have to call them later and apologize.”
“I didn’t mean to make you feel bad,” Kelly said.
“I guess you’re right after all.” He bumped his shoulder against her playfully. “Sometimes scripture does make us feel convicted of our wrong doings, but it is that conviction that brings us to repentance.”
She nodded.
“I think our conversation has gotten heavy enough for a second date, don’t you?”
Kelly giggled nervously. “Just a little.”
“So can I admit something?”
She looked at him. It was hard to read his expression from the side angle, especially climbing down the slope of the dirt trail. “Sure.”
“I expected you to want to go somewhere like the zoo or something.”
“I like the zoo.” She dodged behind him for a second to avoid a rock on the trail, then moved back to the side of him. “But I normally only go on field trips with the kids or my nieces and nephews.”
“Why don’t we go now?” Marc suggested. “I don’t usually have anyone to go with me and it feels a bit awkward going alone.”
“You just want just want to drop everything and go to the zoo?”
He laughed. “Yeah. As a fireman, we have to be flexible because we never know when we may get a call and we have to drop whatever we’re doing.”
“I guess that will be a good thing for your wife when you get married,” Kelly said. “You’ll already be used to having to do things you weren’t planning on.”
His eyes widened when he glanced at her. “Please tell me you don’t mean shopping?”
The look on his face was priceless. “Another man horrified by shopping.” She smiled. “Perhaps we should go so you can conquer your fears.”
“Oh, no.” He waved his hand in front of him, like the motion to halt someone. “It’s enough that I’ll go to the zoo knowing they have a snake and reptile building, which I am not going near either.”
“So two things you don’t like to do is go shopping or go near snakes?”
“Exactly.”
“Then I guess I shouldn’t tell you I have a python at home?” Kelly said.
Marc stopped in his tracks and looked at her. “You what?”
“That’s obviously a deal breaker.” She chuckled. “Good thing I don’t have any pets.”
“None?”
“No.” Kelly shook her head. “Our apartment doesn’t allow them.” She thought for a second. “But they might allow an aquarium that I could put a snake in.”
“Or fish,” he quickly added.
She smiled. “Or fish.”
“I’m starting to rethink the trip to the zoo.”
“Wait a minute.” Dawning registered as a thought came to her. “You only suggested going to the zoo to get out of hiking.”
“And once you started making me think about snakes, I wanted to get out of hiking with nature even more, but now I’m afraid I might be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.”
“Well, you’ve certainly got yourself into boiling water by your admission.”
Chapter Five
“What do you want me to say? I was an idiot.” Marc sighed in frustration.
Being the supportive friend that he was, Nic chuckled. “You won’t get any argument out of me.”
“Thanks a lot.” Marc smiled.
They were seated across from each other in a booth, having coffee. While Nic’s toothy grin should have irritated Marc, he knew his friend was only teasing. Maybe he should have asked Wade and Katie for advice instead, but they were busy planning a wedding in the midst of their already busy schedules.
“You know I’m always glad to help.”
Marc blinked, trying to bring his thoughts back to the conversation he was having in person, not the one he’d just had in his head. It took a moment for Nic’s words to register. The teasing gleam had left Nic’s eyes.
“You’ve really got it bad for this girl.”
It was a statement, more than a question. Marc nodded. “I’m worried I may have messed things up.”
“Maybe you should hold back on some of the teasing with her and show her you’re sincere.” Nic took a sip of his coffee. “Then maybe she’ll be able to tell the difference.”
“That’s if I get the chance to get out of hot water.”
“You’re used to fighting fires,” Nic said. “Just think of this as a fire. How would you go about extinguishing it?”
“I don’t know.” Marc felt helpless. “Sending flowers seems so cliché.”
Nic shrugged. “Then do something different.”
“Taking her out for a nice romantic dinner isn’t likely to be something different, unless I took her out for something exotic to eat.”
“She likes to hike, right?”
Marc nodded. “Yeah, that’s what got me into this mess. I’m not against hiking, but she seems to have an endless bounty of energy.”
“Then maybe consider something a little less taxing, that you can do over and over again.” A smile crept upon Nic’s face. “And I’ve got just the idea. Geocaching.”
“Geo what?”
He chuckled. “Geocaching. People have hidden containers all over the place and you have to use a GPS to find them.”
“They forgot where they put them?” Marc frowned. “So now they want other people to help them?”
“Really?” Nic shook his head and sighed. “Think of it as a kind of scavenger hunt, but when you find the item, you just sign your name to the logbook showing you were there. You don’t take it with you. It is a fun way to have mini adventures. Maybe you could do one a week and it would give you a set date to look forward to seeing each other and it would be sort of a hike, but not necessarily as long. That would make her happy and your day off not such a workout.”
In theory, it sounded like a good idea. He even had a GPS app on his phone. Marc texted Kelly, “Are you up for an adventure?”
She responded, “Does it involve climbing trees? If so, bring a ladder.”
“I’ll put it in the back of my truck.” He grinned remembering their first encounter. “Ever hear of geocaching?”
“Yes,” she texted. “Have you? You do realize it involves hiking with a mix of hide and seek?”
“I have no intentions of letting you out of my sight.” Marc typed. “Thought it might be something we can try together if you’re up to it.”
“Me?” Kelly included a smiley emoticon. “You can’t lose me that easily.”
“Good!” Marc texted her that he’d call her later and they would discuss the details. Hopefully Nic could supply the answers since he suggested it in the first place.
*
As they followed the GPS to a park, along a trail, and over a fence to look for their first find, Kelly delighted in watching the excitement on Marc’s face. He reminded her of a small child trying to hunt for a hidden treasure. “I pictured you playing cops and robbers more than pirates when you were little.”
Marc grinned. “You didn’t find many damsels in distress playing cops and robbers.”
“Ah.” Now she understood. “You weren’t into putting away bad guys, you wanted to rescue women, or people in need. Which is probably why you ended up as a firefighter.”
His laughter was rich and hearty. “Actually, it’s more of the family business.”
“There are more of you?” She giggled. While it was a scary profession, it was admirable. It warmed her heart to think of how close his family must be to continue such a noble family tradition.
“Yes.” His expression sobered. “My father is retiring this year. My brothers were all firefighters as well.”
She picked up on his undertone. “Were? What happened?”
“My oldest brother, Matthew, died three years ago saving a family and their baby.”
“I’m sorry.” She squeezed his hand and he glanced at her, the faraway look in his eyes focusing on her.
“It’s okay.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek as they kept walking. “It’s one of the hazards of the job. Because of his braveness, three people are alive today.”
“What about your other brothers? How many do you have?”
“There were four of us. I also have a sister who is a nurse.” Marc paused, noting the GPS had signaled they were in the vicinity of their first find. “While we hunt around for our treasure, why don’t you tell me what made you want to pursue a degree in early childhood development? Are you planning to teach?”
“I want to work in family services,” Kelly said. “Too many children seem to be endangered and I want to help kids be safe and find good homes.”
“That’s very commendable and actually crosses my profession.” Marc leaned against a large tree and drew her to him. “A couple months back a meth lab exploded. Family services had to come and remove the two children from the scene because their parents were arrested. It wasn’t a pretty sight.” He sighed, gently brushing a strand of her hair from her face. “Your job can be heartbreaking at times, but it is also rewarding knowing you are helping children to have a chance.”
Kelly nodded, not using the opportunity to share with him about her past. She didn’t want him to think of her as damaged, but sometime soon, she needed to tell him.
Her gaze wandered upward toward something green in the knobby hole in the tree. “I think I found it?”
“Found what?” He turned his head to follow her gaze, then moved to grab it.
Having him hold her in his arms was more pleasant, but the distraction gave her a reprieve from feeling compelled to share more right now.
Marc held what looked like a plastic green pencil box. He opened it, revealing a notebook and pencil.
Kelly took the notebook and began thumbing through it. “Wow, there are people from as far as Alaska who have been here.”
“Wonder if they came in the winter, when there was snow?” Marc teased. “Then it would feel like home to them.”
She loved his good-naturedness because he always made her smile or laugh. That was a commodity she didn’t have when she was growing up.
Chapter Six
Meeting Marc’
s family held an underlying expectation, a sign that he thought her significant enough to introduce to them. His family’s Christian roots obviously went back a while if their names were any indication.
Kelly was glad Marc’s mother allowed her to help prepare lunch Sunday after church while the guys played touch football. Marc’s sister-in-law helped in the kitchen, while his sister, Sarah kept busy in the living room, playing with their two small children. Sarah had a noticeable baby bump that Kelly envied.
“Do you come from a large family, Kelly?” Marc’s mother glanced over her shoulder while she pulled a pan of brownies from the oven.
“No, not really.” She didn’t want to bring up the foster home since she’d only been in foster care a little over a year, and the time she’d spent there had been recovering from cervical cancer. Kelly didn’t want people feeling sorry for her. Life was what it was—you dealt with whatever you were given, or whatever you’d been forced to endure. God’s grace was sufficient to heal all wounds, emotional and physical. Kelly opted to change the conversation. “If you don’t mind my asking, Mrs. Stevenson, I’m curious about your sons’ names. How come Marc isn’t spelled like it is in the Bible?”
“Please, call me Ruth.” She set the pan of brownies down on the potholders on the counter and turned to face her. “It’s actually a funny story.”
“Now I’m curious.” Luke’s fiancée, Lori, looked up from her task of setting the table. “I don’t think I’ve heard this story.”
“Marc was our third child, so my labor went pretty quickly.” Ruth’s eyes widened as she smiled while recounting her story. “By the time we got a sitter and made it to the hospital, he was ready to meet the world. We both had agreed on giving him the Biblical name, Mark. However, my husband was so anxious with everything going on, he told them the spelling for the lead singer of T. Rex, Marc Bolan.” She chuckled and glanced toward the guys as they came in from the backyard. “It wasn’t until his birth certificate came in the mail that we realized the error.”
Love Blossoms: 7 Spring-Fresh Christian Romances Page 57