“Hey!”
Wendy crouched to form her own hasty snowball, flinging it at Lucy and hitting her squarely on the forehead. Lucy stood for a moment, stunned, and then exploded into laughter.
After a moment, she stopped, gasped for a breath, and narrowed her eyes in disbelief as Cyndi tromped down the stairs with awkward and noisy klunks.
“Hi,” she called out to them and then slipped, quickly catching herself on the railing. “Whoa. Uh, hi.”
Lucy glanced at Wendy, and they exchanged a look of surprised and silent astonishment before turning back to Cyndi. Her shoes were covered in cropped plastic bags, fastened at the ankles with thick rubber bands.
Lucy’s hand sped to cover her mouth as she and Wendy broke out into hysterical guffaws.
“What?” Cyndi asked, clueless. “What are you laughing at?”
Instead of a reply, Lucy hurled a snowball into Cyndi’s shoulder, and it sprayed her sour face as it burst.
“Noooo,” she whimpered, wiping her cheek with the sleeve of her sweater. “Don’t do that.”
“Hey!”
They turned to find Matt and Justin headed straight down the incline toward them.
Lucy bridged the distance by running to meet them, hiding the snowball in her icy hand behind her back.
“Isn’t it fantastic, Mattie?” she exclaimed, and then she gently smashed the snow against his jaw before he had the opportunity to respond.
Good-natured as always, Matt grinned as he wiped his wet face. When he was through, he gave Lucy a sudden and curious glance.
“What did you do to your hair?”
She pushed the hood down to give him the full effect. “Wendy straightened it for me! Isn’t it great?”
“Gorgeous,” Justin replied. “It really suits you.”
Lucy puffed up as if she had feathers, and she shot Justin a satisfied smile.
“You,” she said, wiggling her index finger at him. “Mister ‘Oh-It’s-Not-Going-to-Snow-You-Silly-Girl.’”
“I know, I know,” he said, shaking his head in surrender. “I bow to your wisdom, m’lady.”
“Well, a girl can’t hear those words often enough.”
Justin’s hazel eyes caught the reflection of the snow and glimmered like emeralds. For a moment the sight took Lucy’s breath away. His perfect, chiseled face gave the impression that he’d been carved out of stone with great care by a very discriminating Artist.
He placed a hand on Lucy’s shoulder, and she tilted her head upward to look into his eyes. A faint, slow smile clung to his lips as he ran a hand through the length of her hair.
“I really like it,” he told her with a soft lilt.
“Hmmm?” Had he said something?
“Your hair. I really like your hair like this.”
“Oh. Thank you.”
Lucy’s heart beat slowly and steadily, thumping hard against her chest as if pounding its way out with a determined, concentrated effort. The discordant beat of a faster rhythm worked against it in her ears, and she broke the gaze she shared with Justin and looked toward the tromp-tromp-tromp of feet against snow-covered gravel.
“Where are you guys going?” she called out to Wendy and Matt as they headed down the hill.
“We’re going for a hike before breakfast,” Matt returned. “See you at the lodge in a while.”
Lucy stood there and watched them, somewhat dazed.
“Looks like something’s happening between those two,” Justin commented.
“What?” she asked, looking him squarely in the eye. “What do you mean?”
“Matt and Wendy. They seem to be pairing off lately.”
“Do they?”
Lucy’s gaze roamed down the trail with them as they wandered away. She could detect the soft hum of their conversation but could not quite make out the words.
“Matt and Wendy?” she remarked. “No. I don’t think so.”
“They seem like a couple to me.”
Matt’s just being a good friend, she thought. Just keeping Wendy busy so I’ll have more time with you, silly.
“Lucy.”
His voice was low in his throat, and when she turned toward him, Justin’s eyes greeted her with an intensity she hadn’t seen before. They narrowed as he smiled at her.
Hey. Wait a minute. Is he about to kiss me here? Is he actually going to ki—
Justin’s lips touched Lucy’s, soft and warm at first and then with increasing pressure. He touched her face with a soft, gentle stroke before pulling away, and then he came back in for one more quick kiss.
“I’ve wanted to do that for days,” he told her.
“You have?”
Her focus broke away from Justin’s eyes for a moment, and she glanced down the hill to find that Matt and Wendy were no longer in sight.
“I have,” he replied. “And you were more than worth the wait.”
A wide smile stretched across her face, and Lucy leaned in to Justin’s embrace, taking one last look over his shoulder and down the hill.
“I’m going to go change clothes before breakfast,” she said as she stepped back from the hug. “I’ll see you there, then. In about an hour?”
“Sounds good.”
Lucy twisted her straight locks into a knot, tied it into place, and turned on the hot water in the shower.
Wendy and Matt, a couple. Crazy talk.
She couldn’t seem to break the stone-faced curiosity stuck to her expression, so she scrubbed it loose with her bare hands. And a little apricot cleanser.
Mattie’s not interested in Wendy Marshall, she assured herself. That is just nuts. I would know if my best friend were falling for someone.
Lucy produced the body bar she’d brought along in a small plastic container and lathered it up under the spray of hot water. She thought back over the last few years, summoning up quick pictures of the few women Matt had dated in that time.
There was Shelley the Belly, the girl with the tightest abdominal muscles in the state of Arkansas. She and Matt were never right for one another.
And then came Laura the Bore-ah. All she ever wanted to talk about was the fate of a world that didn’t recycle, and after a while, Matt yearned to have a little fun without having to think about how it impacted the planet as a whole.
What was that next girl’s name? The one with the fire-red hair and freckles. Sarah? Suzie?
Sabrina.
She had just been too cute to stand, with that high-pitched little voice and a giggle reminiscent of a ride along a very bumpy road.
Wendy was a different story from all of those women, Lucy realized. She was beautiful and smart and funny. She loved the outdoors as much as Matt did, and she could cast a fishing line even better than he could. In fact, Wendy was very nearly perfect in every way, and if Lucy were going to choose a woman for Matt, it was with great reluctance that she admitted to herself that Wendy was an ideal choice.
Matt had, for all intents and purposes, been a big brother to Lucy for as long as she could remember. He was her best friend, after all, and she wanted him to find happiness as much as she wanted to find it for herself.
So why was it upsetting her to think about the fact that he may have stumbled upon The One in Wendy? She should be jumping for joy.
Breakfast suddenly seemed like a chore as a wave of nausea passed through her. But after breakfast, there would be Sunday morning services, and she wasn’t about to miss that. Even so, as she put on a little makeup and brushed her silky new hair, all she really wanted to do was lie down for a while.
Hey. Justin Gerard just kissed me! Why am I not walking on air right now?
She was probably just tired, she decided. The day had started early with lots of excitement. A fall on the ice, a snowball war, a first kiss; it was more than she usually experienced in an entire day, and yet it had all occurred before breakfast.
Lucy pressed on. She pulled on a pair of faded jeans and a chocolate cable knit sweater and finished it off with a gold l
ocket on an extra-long chain. It had been a gift from Matt on her last birthday. The cuffs of her new parka were still damp when she slipped into it and pushed up the hood.
The snow had stopped falling, and the morning sky was clear blue against the risen sun. The white blanket laid out over the autumn colors would probably disappear by mid-morning, and Lucy was a little saddened at the realization.
On her way down the hill toward the lodge, she noticed movement just around the curve of the trail. As she approached, she caught sight of Brenda and Jeff, the bright colors of their clothing standing out against the sparkling white scenery. They were locked in an embrace and unaware of anything else around them. Lucy stopped in her tracks, not wanting to interrupt such a tender moment, and her heart soared a bit as they completed the kiss, joined hands, and continued along their oblivious way.
She could almost feel the sweet caress of love in the air as she followed at a distance, and Lucy wondered if Matt and Wendy had paused upon the way of their hike that morning to share a kiss with as much promise as the one she’d just witnessed. If someone had happened upon her and Justin earlier, would they have been captivated or sensed the bloom of new love?
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with straight hair,” Alison commented as Lucy stepped into the lodge and pushed back the fur-trimmed hood of her jacket.
“Me neither,” she replied. “Just something I thought I’d try.”
“Well, it looks nice.”
“Thanks, Alison.”
Justin greeted her at the coffee buffet, extending an empty mug toward her. “You look beautiful.”
And of course you do, too, she thought. But she refrained from saying it out loud. Justin always stood out in a room.
“Thank you,” she said instead.
The cinnamon scent of French toast called Lucy to the far side of the buffet, and she placed two slices on a plate and doctored them with butter and syrup. She sensed that Justin was leading her toward a table for two by the window; she wasn’t quite sure why, but she pretended not to notice, making her way instead to the longer table where Wendy and Matt were already seated with Cyndi and Rob.
What is wrong with me?
“Good morning,” Matt said with a nod. “Again.”
“How was your hike?” she asked him, thumping down into the chair next to Matt.
“Oh, it was so great,” Wendy answered instead. “That little bit of snow just gave the valley a whole different look and feel. It was so gorgeous, wasn’t it, Matt?”
“It really was. I’ll be sorry to see it melt away.”
“I was just thinking that very thing on my walk down here,” Lucy remarked.
“Even if it does melt,” Alison said as she joined them, “today’s activity is pretty much kaput.”
“What was it?” Lucy asked.
“Kayaking,” Justin interjected.
“Instead, Betty Sue and Dave have offered to put something together for us this afternoon so we can spend our last day here having some fun and fellowship,” Alison announced. “It will be Game Day here in the lodge after lunch. For anyone interested, there will be a Scrabble tournament, dart games, ping-pong, and an array of board games to choose from.”
“Fun!” Lucy exclaimed. “Mattie, if they have any team games, you and I will wash the floor with them.”
“It’s true,” Cyndi chimed in. “It’s like they read each other’s minds.”
“It’s freakish, really,” Jeff added.
“Let’s sign up for one of the teams playing darts,” Wendy suggested.
Matt nodded. “Sure. So you can put me to shame.”
“So I can teach you how not to be put to shame,” she corrected, and Lucy looked on as the two of them shared what struck her as a private moment.
“What do you want to sign up for, Lucy?” Justin asked her. “Ping-pong?”
Lucy laughed out loud at the thought. “Not exactly my strong suit.”
“Darts?”
“Maybe. I mean, I could try.”
“Scrabble?” he said, cringing.
“Now you’re talkin’.”
“I was afraid you’d say that.”
“There are also some Wii games,” Dave told them, as he replenished the fruit bowl on the table nearby.
“I love Wii,” Justin exclaimed. “Do you have Bowling?”
“Sure do.”
“That sounds like fun,” Lucy said.
“You’re a terrible bowler,” Matt reminded her.
“But maybe I’ll be better at virtual bowling.”
“It’s always a possibility. At the very least, it’s safer.”
“Ha, ha,” she mouthed, and then she added, “What other games are there?”
“There’s golf, tennis, and ping-pong,” Dave replied.
“Maybe you’ll be better at virtual ping-pong?” Justin suggested.
Lucy and Matt looked at one another for a moment and said, at exactly the same time, “Doubtful.”
Monday — Fishing, bug bites.
Tuesday — Horseback riding. Held my own.
Wednesday — Cooking classes. Couldn’t walk after horseback riding. And let’s not forget HAY!
Thursday — Underground caverns. Hit in the head by a kamikaze bat.
Friday — Hot air balloon ride. Barfed in front of Justin. Lovely.
Saturday — Mountain View shopping. And of course the Lasagna Incident.
Sunday — Snow! And first kiss with Justin!
It’s been such a full week with all the bats and the barfing and the kissing.
Before we came, I joked about leaving Snowball with a boyfriend. And as unlikely as it seemed then, maybe it wasn’t a joke at all. But is Matt leaving Snowball with someone at his side, too? Is that what You’re doing with him and Wendy? Maybe You decided to put them together so Mattie won’t be alone. I guess that’s a pretty good plan.
Humbled and grateful,
Lucy B.
Chapter Sixteen
LUCY HADN’T REALIZED THAT DAVE WAS A PREACHER, BUT HE HAD THAT comforting, personable quality about him that made him a natural.
“In the Gospel of John, we see that Peter had a certain vision of the way things should go,” Dave reminded them from the simple wooden pulpit in front of the blazing fireplace. “When the officers came to arrest Jesus, Peter spontaneously grabbed one of the soldiers’ swords and cut off the man’s ear with it. He wasn’t going to go down without a fight, and this was just not his idea of the way the Son of God was going to be taken. But what do we know from Old Testament teachings? Our ways are simply not God’s ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways higher than our ways. Often the way we decide things are going to go are very different from God’s actual plan.”
Dave taught on the subject of God’s will for nearly an hour, and everyone in the room was riveted. Several members of the Bender family were in attendance, along with little fire-haired Annie. The six-year-old wore white tights with a dark green velvet dress and black patent leather Mary Janes. Her wild curls were tamed into long pigtails, held in place by elastic bands with shiny green marbles attached to them. She crinkled up her little nose and waved at Lucy once their eyes met.
Betty Sue stood in front of the wall of glass, looking on. When he was through, Dave thanked everyone for visiting their retreat.
“This place is a little slice of heaven for Betty Sue and me, and we’re always grateful when given the opportunity to share it with God’s people. Now, we’ve asked one of our guests to lead us in a song of praise. Wendy, would you come up to the front?”
Lucy’s neck snapped as Wendy stepped up, took guitar in hand, and sat on the stool Dave set out for her at the front of the room.
“I’m convinced,” she told them all, “that this place is what Dave says it is: a slice of heaven. And for that reason, I thought I’d sing ‘Holy Ground.’”
From the moment the first note left her mouth, Wendy had them enthralled. Her voice was as sweet and
melodious as any Lucy had ever heard before. She could easily have been a professional.
Lucy looked down the row at Matt, and she noticed that he appeared to be in a trance. He couldn’t take his eyes off Wendy, and for that matter, neither could anyone else in the room. Including Justin.
Stop gawking. This is worship time, she reminded herself.
When the song concluded, the entire group of them erupted into sudden applause, and Betty Sue dried her eyes with the corner of a crumpled pink tissue. Wendy thanked them and invited the group to join her as she started “Amazing Grace.”
But even as she tried to concentrate on the words of the well-loved hymn, Lucy couldn’t resist stealing another glance at Matt. And when she noticed his gaze locked on Wendy, an unfamiliar emotion came over her. She didn’t suppose she’d ever seen Matt look at another human being in that way, and it seemed to cut her right through.
This is crazy. What’s wrong with me? I should be happy for my friend. Why am I not happy for him? And why am I looking around during praise time at Sunday services?
Lucy closed her eyes for a moment, but when she opened them, she found her gaze locked onto Matt once again.
For crying out loud.
She directed her eyes toward the window, and what she saw outside of it made her blink—and blink again.
“Well, would you just look at that?” Betty Sue suddenly exclaimed as Wendy’s song came to a close.
A harmonious hum of wonder filled the room as each person’s gaze was drawn out the window, where a blanket of white was coming down like a freshly laundered sheet being shaken out over the landscape.
“The weather report said it would be warming up today,” Betty Sue said on a chuckle.
“It almost never snows in these parts so early in the year,” Tony informed them, and he scratched his head. “This is just a complete freak of nature.”
“Betty Sue, do you have any sleds?” Justin suddenly asked, and a murmur of delight rippled through the group.
“We do,” she confirmed. “Three or four of them out there in storage. We can pull them out for you all after services.”
Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas Page 15