A Bride Worth Waiting For

by Jeanie Smith Cash

  A Bride Worth Waiting For

  By

  Jeanie Smith Cash

  To Jesus my Lord and Savior, who made this all possible.

  To my own special hero, Andy. You are always there for me,

  and I love you so very much. To my family for their love,

  prayers and support. To my sweet sister and critique partner,

  Chere Snider, for your love, prayers, and support. I love you

  all very much and thank the Lord for you.

  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

  Chapter One

  Bethany Stillman zipped the top closed on her carryon bag. She could hardly wait to board the plane that would take her to her grandparent’s Ski Lodge. She had thoroughly enjoyed the week she had spent in Lake Tahoe for their anniversary and she was looking forward to working there with her three best friends for the winter.

  Just thinking of the ski trip she and her friends had planned for, after graduation, had kept her focused for the four years of college and throughout the long hours of studying. She couldn’t believe it was finally time to go. She took one last glance around the living room of her small apartment above the garage at her parent’s home, to make sure she had everything she’d need, suitcases, purse, and coat.

  “Oh no! Where are my airline tickets?” Racking her brain, she couldn’t remember where she’d put them. She dumped her purse upside down, checked in her coat pockets, the kitchen drawers, and everywhere else she could think of, but they were nowhere to be found. In a panic she cried, “Oh Lord! Please, help me to find them. I’ve looked forward to this trip for so long.”

  She started opening suitcases one by one. Finally at the bottom of the very last one she found her tickets. “Thank you Lord,” she hugged them against her breathing a sigh of relief. It was a good thing the Lord knew where she put things. How in the world could she have done something so scatter brained. She picked up the phone and called for a taxi. Stacking her bags she strapped them on the wheels with a bungee cord. Slipping her backpack over her shoulders she pulled the others behind her as she headed out the door. She walked down the stairs to wait on the front steps for the cab that would take her to the airport.

  Taking a taxi turned out to be a wise decision. After misplacing her tickets, she didn’t have time to park her car and walk inside. Plus her parents wouldn’t have to worry about coming to the airport to pick it up. The driver would drop her right at the door and she could go directly to the check in counter.

  Once the plane leveled out in the air, the flight attendants served them a snack. When Bethany was through eating, she opened the new Christian romance novel she’d bought and started to read. She’d just finished the first page when a loud crash behind her caused her to nearly jump out of her seat. The flight attendant ran by her just as Bethany leaned over to look down the aisle. An older gentleman lay unconscious in the floor. Bethany jumped up and headed that way, just as she got there a man stooped down beside him.

  “I’m an RN, Bethany Stillman. Can I do something to help?” She knelt down in the narrow aisle.

  The man looked up at her and frowned for a moment then proceeded to unbutton the older man’s shirt and placed his ear next to his chest. She thought his reaction was rather odd but she didn’t have time to think about it for long.

  “Colton Beckman, and you can assist me in CPR. “ He pulled a mouthpiece from the duffel bag he had on the floor next to him, positioning it over the older man’s mouth. Bethany placed her hands on the man’s chest in the correct location. She began CPR compressions following each time after Cole breathed air into the older man’s mouth.”

  “Do you have a defibrillator on the plane?” Cole asked the flight attendant between breaths.

  “Yes, Mr. Beckman we have a portable unit, I’ll get it.” She rushed off toward the front of the plane and returned within minutes with the unit.

  Cole opened the box and correctly placed the paddles on their patient. “Clear.” He yelled as he hit the switch and the man’s body jumped from the impact. They both watched the machine but there was no change.

  He yelled “Clear.” Again and hit the switch a second time. This time as they watched, the man’s heart beat leveled out and they both breathed a sigh of relief. Cole removed the mouthpiece and placed an oxygen mask in its place.

  He glanced at Bethany and she couldn’t help but notice he had the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. His smile revealed even white teeth softening his craggy features and her heart did a little flip in her chest.

  As he looked down at their patient, she was able to study him for a moment. Her gaze focused on his dark hair and tanned features. He was gorgeous there was no denying it and she had to remind herself she wasn’t interested. She had a career to pursue plus she’d probably never see him again.

  Watching him as he checked the man’s vital signs, she wondered what he did for a living. He certainly knew CPR and how to handle a defibrillator, plus he carried a mouthpiece in his duffel bag.

  He wasn’t a doctor. The flight attendant had called him Mr. Beckman. But he had some kind of extensive training. He didn’t learn how to use a defibrillator in a CPR class. He had to be in some form of the medical field.

  “We have him stabilized for the moment.” Cole told the flight attendant. “But you need to tell the pilot to land at the nearest airport. If we don’t get him to the hospital right away, he isn’t going to make it. He needs more help than we can give him here.”

  The flight attendant came back from the cockpit a few minutes later.

  “Here’s a blanket.” She handed it to Cole and he laid it over the patient. “The Pilot radioed to the nearest airport and they gave him permission to land. We’ll be there in about ten minutes. You really should be strapped into your seats.”

  “We can’t leave him if he goes into Cardiac arrest again we’ll need to be close by.” Cole slid his bag under the nearest seat as the flight attendant went to the front of the plane and fastened herself in securely.

  “You’re an RN huh?” he asked as he kept a close eye on their patient.

  “Yes.” Bethany settled back against the frame of one of the seats. “I just graduated in May from the nursing program. What do you do?”

  “I’m a fireman paramedic. You sure got a chance to exercise your skills here today.”

  “I’m just thankful we could help him.” She indicated the older man on the floor just as the plane taxied into the terminal.

  The pilot came over the intercom interrupting their conversation. “Please do not leave the plane. As soon as the paramedics come on board for the patient, we’ll continue on to our destination. Thank you and we apologize for any inconvenience this unexpected stop may have caused you.”

  Bethany noticed that no one complained. Two paramedics brought a stretcher in for their patient. The two men lifted him gently from the floor and placed him onto the narrow bed. Cole explained what he and Bethany had done for the man and the paramedics left as quickly as they had arrived.

  Bethany waited while Cole handed the defibrillator unit back to the flight attendant. And she left. “I wonder if we’ll ever know if he made it.” Bethany watched the paramedics as they carried the man off of the plane.

  “I don’t imagine we will. But we did all we could for him, now we pray and leave him in the good Lord’s hands.”

  “Bethany glanced up at him. He was a Christian, a definite point in his favor. What was she thinking? She was glad he was a Christian, but she didn’t have time to think about an attractive man.

  “It was nice meeting you, Cole.” She smiled and offered him her
hand.

  His tan Dockers and dark blue shirt were well pressed. He stood tall, at least six foot three and muscular in build. At her height of five four, he towered over her.

  * * * * * *

  “It was my pleasure.” Cole shook her hand and watched her walk back to her seat. The blue jeans and red plaid top she wore fit her slender figure well. Waves of thick auburn hair hung half way down her back and large golden brown eyes dominated her small face. She was lovely and he found himself attracted to her. He wouldn’t mind getting to know her. She hadn’t hesitated to jump in and help him. She knew her skill well. He’d been a little concerned at first as to whether she would have enough strength to keep up the chest compressions, but she hadn’t faltered even for a minute.

  Cole doubted she’d want to get to know him if she realized who he was. He was surprised she hadn’t recognized his name. He’d recognized hers right away. But then it had been ten years ago. He’d only been sixteen at the time and she couldn’t be more than twenty-three now, so that would have made her only thirteen. He certainly remembered it. You didn’t tend to forget something like that. He’d been involved in an accident that crippled her grandfather. Her family blamed him for the fact that Charles Stillman would never walk again. When she realized who he was, she wouldn’t want anything to do with him. It didn’t really matter. He picked up his bag and went back to his seat. He’d probably never see her again anyway.

  * * * * * *

  As the plane taxied into the terminal at the Reno airport, Bethany put her book away. A few minutes later, the captain came over the intercom and gave clearance for the passengers to depart.

  Bethany slipped into her jacket and grabbed her purse. She slid her backpack onto her shoulders and followed the other passengers off of the plane. When she made it to the end of the long hallway leading to the inside of the terminal, she walked up to the ticket agent.

  “Excuse me, can you please tell me where baggage pickup is located?”

  “It’s down the escalator and to the left.” The young man pointed across the terminal from where they stood.

  “Bethany thanked him and walked across to the escalator and stepped onto the bottom stair. It took her to the ground floor and she located the area where her luggage would come out onto the turn style.

  She had just sat down on a bench to wait when she saw Cole Beckman on the escalator. She should have realized he would also have luggage to pick up. She sighed; the man was just too nice looking. It was a good thing she wouldn’t be seeing him again after today. She didn’t need him complicating her life. She had set a goal and she didn’t intend to allow anything or anyone, to keep her from accomplishing it. She feared he could weaken her resolve and so that made him off limits.

  Chapter Two

  Bethany stood up just as Cole stepped off of the escalator. He was carrying what looked to be a fiddle case.

  “Well, we meet again.” Cole smiled.

  “Yes, the bags have just begun to come through. “ Bethany walked over where she could see them as they dropped onto the conveyer belt.

  Two elderly ladies stood beside them and when their luggage came around Cole lifted it off for them and they thanked him.

  “I’ll get yours too if you’d like.”He smiled that million-dollar smile and her heart nearly skipped a beat. Oh, brother this would never due. She was so glad she didn’t have to spend any time around him or she’d be in trouble for sure. The thought hit her, why wasn’t he married? Well, maybe he was. Why did she just assume he was single? A ridiculous assumption, since she didn’t know a thing about him.

  They stood watching the luggage as they came around. The last two turned out to be theirs. Cole lifted them off and Bethany thanked him.

  “My pleasure.”

  “You play the fiddle, huh?”

  “Yes, since I was a little tyke. My grandfather plays and he taught me as soon as I was old enough to hold one. My brother plays the banjo, my father the Dobro, and my mother the mandolin. We’re a musical family.” He grinned.

  “Sounds like it. So what does your grandmother play?”

  “She plays the base. Occasionally we play and sing gospel at bluegrass festivals.”

  “I love bluegrass music.” Bethany slipped her back pack over her shoulders, placed her bags on the set of wheels and fastened them on with the bungee cords. She pulled the luggage behind her as she walked away. “It was nice talking to you, Cole.” She called over her shoulder.

  “You too, Bethany take care.”

  As she left him Bethany experienced a mixture of disappointment and relief. Colton Beckman was a man that could easily distract her from her goal and she couldn’t let that happen. She was glad the temptation was removed and she wouldn’t be seeing him anymore.

  Bethany walked over to the candy machine she had spotted on the way into the terminal. She bought two bags of Peanut M&M’s and dropped them into her purse. Her mother always teased her that they were her crutch; because she always munched on them when she was nervous or uncomfortable about something. Adjusting her backpack, she headed through the double doors to locate the shuttle her grandmother told her would be waiting when she arrived. The doors had just closed behind her when she stopped in her tracks, she couldn’t believe this! Standing next to the shuttle to the ski lodge, was Cole Beckman. Oh Lord! What am I going to do now? Please tell me he isn’t going to the lodge. But no divine intervention seemed to take place and Bethany knew in her heart that was exactly where he was headed. She didn’t like it but she had little choice in the matter so she proceeded on over to the van.

  “Cole, are you going to the lodge?” Bethany slipped the backpack from her shoulders and handed it along with her luggage to the shuttle driver.

  “Yes, looks like you are too,” Cole said.

  Bethany was more than a little annoyed as he followed her into the shuttle and took a seat across from her. But even though she didn’t like the fact that she would have to see him after she’d convinced herself she wouldn’t, wasn’t his fault. She’d just have to avoid him as much as possible while he was there. After all he had as much right to be going to the ski lodge as she did, and surely he wouldn’t be staying more than a few days. “Are you taking a skiing vacation?” She asked

  “No, I’m on a leave of absence from the fire department. I lost my partner and best friend in a fire four weeks ago.” He stopped for a moment and swallowed making Bethany realize this was hard for him to talk about.

  “My boss thought a change of pace would be good for me for awhile. I saw an ad on the internet for winter jobs at this ski lodge. I emailed Mr. and Mrs. Langston a resume and they called me for an interview. I flew out two weeks ago and they hired me for the winter as a ski instructor.” He glanced out the window and then back over at her. She could see the anguish on his face.

  “I’m so sorry about your friend that would be an awful thing to go through.”

  “It’s not easy. We’d been friends all through college and then became partners at the same fire department.” He glanced out the side window again before continuing. “He died in my arms.”

  Cole cleared his throat and Bethany suspected it was to cover up the emotion he was having a hard time controlling. Even though she wasn’t thrilled about him being at the lodge all winter, she did feel bad for him. Losing a friend wouldn’t be an easy thing to get over. She couldn’t even imagine losing any one of her three best friends. They would soon be joining her at the lodge to work for the winter. She could hardly wait to see them.

  He interrupted her thoughts drawing her attention back to him as he changed the subject. “So why are you headed to the lodge are you on vacation?”

  “No. My grandparents own the lodge.” Bethany glanced over at him.

  “Mack and Elizabeth Langston are your grandparents?”

  “Yes, in fact that’s why my mother named me Bethany it’s a derivative of my grandmother’s name.” She smiled.

  “They’re nice people. I really appre
ciate them giving me a job for the winter.” Cole set his carryon bag on the floor next to him.

  “Yes, I can’t argue with that. They gave my three friends and I a job also. Since we just graduated from college Gram and Papa are allowing us to work in our new professions for some experience while they get the lodge up and on its feet so to speak.”

  “I take it you’re the live in nurse.”

  “Yes. Since the lodge is a ways from downtown, my grandparents thought it would be good to have some medical staff on the premises.”

  “That’s probably a good idea. Here we are.” Cole said as the shuttle pulled up in front of the ski lodge. “Can I help you with your luggage?”

  “Thank you, but I can get them. You have enough to carry of your own.” Bethany started to take her bags from Sean the driver, but he told her he’d take them inside for her. She slipped her backpack onto her shoulders and headed into the lodge. She couldn’t wait to see her grandparents. When she started to open the door Cole reached around and held the door for her and Sean as he rolled her luggage inside. She thanked Sean and he smiled and politely refused the tip she offered since she was an employee of the lodge. Just then her grandmother saw her. She rushed over and enveloped Bethany in a big hug.

  “Hi, Sweetheart, I’m so glad you made it okay. Hi Cole, I see you’ve met my granddaughter.”

  “Yes, actually we were on the same flight.” Cole smiled at Bethany.

  Her heart did a little flip and she chided herself, she needed to get a grip here. This was going to be a long winter if she reacted this way every time he flashed that killer smile in her direction. No one should have a smile with such a devastating effect. Well, she was going to do her best to avoid him as much as possible. Her career had to come first no matter how attracted she was to Cole Beckman. Now she just had to convince her heart of that fact.

  “Hi Gram, it’s good to finally be here. Where’s Papa?