Lucas nodded. “They’re going to go to the Philippines for two weeks.”
“The Philippines? What are they going to do there?”
“The plan is to help a small mission with a school and orphanage. Do some building and help them with whatever else they need.”
Than let the information sink in. Just going on his own interactions with her, it didn’t seem like something Lindsay would be interested in. However, he’d seen a different side to her while on the island for Brooke and Lucas’s wedding. She’d been more relaxed and had clearly doted on her nephew, Danny, and even Brooke’s niece, Sarah. It had been an interesting view of yet another side of her personality. One of these days, he might have the complete picture of the woman who’d intrigued him to no end.
“So what is it you need me to do?”
“I want you to go with her.”
Lucas’s direct statement had Than straightening. “Go with her? On a mission trip?”
“I am not comfortable sending her halfway around the world without someone to keep an eye on her.”
“Wouldn’t that be the responsibility of whoever is heading up this trip?” Than asked.
“Someone whose only job is keeping an eye on her. I know the Philippines is a relatively safe country, especially where they are going, but that doesn’t mean there’s no risk involved. After what happened with Lincoln, Mom is a little reluctant—make that extremely reluctant—to let any of us too far out of her reach. I’ve told Lindsay that if she’s determined to do this, then—for our mom’s peace of mind—she’s going to have a bodyguard go with her.”
“And she agreed to that?”
Lucas hesitated. “She’s coming around.”
“So do you want me for the job or one of my men?” Than asked, pretty sure he already knew the answer.
“You. Even mentioning to Mom that I’d send a bodyguard with her wasn’t enough. It was only when I said I’d try to get you to take the job that she finally relented.”
Than gave an exasperated shake of his head. “Lincoln has no problem with me. Your mom trusts me—and apparently so do you since you’re here—but you’re asking me to trek halfway around the world with the one person in your family who definitely does not like me.”
“Yep. That’s about the sum of it.” Lucas leaned back in his chair, apparently at ease now that he’d gotten it all off his chest. “I’ll pay whatever it takes to get you to do this for us.”
“Will that include funeral expenses and a trust fund for my family when Lindsay sends me back in a body bag?”
Lucas chuckled. “If I didn’t think you could hold your own against her, I wouldn’t be here. And this is what you do, after all, right? Deal with people who don’t always want to be under the watchful eye of a bodyguard?”
Given the report he’d been reading earlier, Lucas was right about that. But was he willing to risk it and spend two whole weeks with this woman? He was pretty sure Lucas didn’t have any idea exactly what he was asking of him. No one did. Than wasn’t one to tout his failures when it came to women…especially the one that he just couldn’t seem to get out of his mind.
He’d gone on three dates since that memorable evening with Lindsay eight months ago. But he’d finally tossed in the towel and stopped asking women out. It wasn’t fair to the women when he spent most of the evening comparing them to his date with Lindsay. Inevitably, his thoughts would drift to why she had turned him down for a second date. And then he would wonder why he even cared… It was a vicious cycle that had gotten worse with each date, so he’d just stopped trying.
“Is the mission team okay with me coming along?” It wasn’t like he was a regular church attender, even though his parents were. He always seemed to be able to find more important things to do on Sunday mornings than drag himself out of bed to sit in a pew.
“I’ve spoken at length with the mission team leader about the situation. He was a little concerned that having you along would upset Lindsay but seems to understand where I’m coming from. Obviously, if the worst should happen, Lindsay would be the most valuable person because of her potential worth from a financial standpoint, so the guy understands my concern. And while I don’t like using my money to manipulate situations, I’m not above doing it for my sister’s safety. A good portion of the money needed for this trip is coming from the charitable arm of Hamilton Enterprises.” Lucas paused. “Anyway, Mark—the mission team leader—said he’d pray about it. He called me this morning to let me know that he’d also talked to the people at the mission center in the Philippines and it would be fine for you to accompany Lindsay.”
Lucas seemed about to say something more but when he didn’t, Than asked, “Have you run my name past Lindsay yet?”
Lucas shook his head. “I wanted to make sure you’d actually do it before I dropped that little bomb on her. No sense in riling her up if I didn’t know for sure you’d take the job.”
“What are the dates?”
For the next half hour, the two of them hashed out the details of the trip including what Lucas expected of Than.
“You’ve been to the Philippines before?” Lucas asked when Than revealed more than just a passing knowledge of the country.
“I’m actually half Filipino.” Than turned around a family picture he kept on his desk. “My mom is from the Philippines.”
Lucas picked up the picture and examined it. “Really? How did your folks meet?”
“Dad was stationed at Clark Air Force Base back before it closed. He attended a church outside of the base where my mom also went. The rest—as they say—is history.”
“Well, now I feel even more confident in my decision to send you with her. Plus, it gives more weight to why you’re the best man for the job. Do you speak the language?”
Than nodded. “Mom made sure I learned at a young age. All us kids are bilingual. Although, to be honest, English is spoken pretty much everywhere there.”
Lucas set the picture back on the desk. “You have a lovely family.”
“Thanks. They’re a pretty decent bunch.”
As he pushed up from his chair, Lucas said, “Thank you for being willing to take this on. I know Lindsay can be…difficult at times, but I hope this trip will help her see there’s more to the world than the sphere we tend to operate in because of our wealth. I know that my trip to Africa with Brooke was an eye opening experience. I’m hoping it’s the same for Lindsay.”
Than stood and walked around the desk to join Lucas. “I’ll talk with Marcus and Alex about the timing of this just to be sure they have nothing on their schedule for me. As long as I have some sort of internet and cellular connection, I should be fine.”
Lucas stuck out his hand. “Thanks again, Than. I appreciate all you’ve done for our family, and even though Lindsay might not say it, I know she does, too.”
After shaking the man’s hand, Than stood for a moment with his hands on his hips, staring at the doorway Lucas had disappeared through, marveling at this latest turn of events. He had to admit, he was doubtful that this was actually going to happen. Once Lindsay got wind of what her brother was planning, Than was fairly certain she’d veto it all.
As he walked back to his desk to give Alex a call, Than realized the thought filled him with more disappointment than it should.
~*~*~
“You hired who?” Lindsay stared at Lucas. She’d known from the minute he’d walked into her office that she wasn’t going to like what he had to say. She just hadn’t known exactly how much she wasn’t going to like it.
“You heard me.” Lucas settled into the chair across from her desk. “And before you get all twisted out of shape, there are some pretty compelling arguments as to why it should be him.”
“Really?” Lindsay crossed her arms and glared at Lucas. “Do tell.”
“First, Mom finally backed down on her objections to your plans when I suggested we approach Than about going with you. Knowing he’ll be there with you will give her peace o
f mind.”
Lindsay gave him that point. Her mother had been anything but supportive of her decision to go on this mission trip. She’d thrown every argument in the book at Lindsay, so hearing that her mom had dialed it back when told Than would accompany her was rather surprising.
“Second, Than is actually half Filipino—his mom is from there—which means he knows the culture, the country, and the language. With that knowledge, he’ll be able to analyze potential threats much more quickly and easily.”
“I still think you’re overreacting,” Lindsay murmured with a frown. “Do you really think the church would send a group of its people into a dangerous place?”
“No. I’m sure they wouldn’t, but there are pockets in that country where extremists are known to be. And things can turn on a dime. I just want to know that should things go bad, you’ve got someone by your side to help you and give you the best chance to get out safely.”
Lindsay really thought Lucas was just being overprotective and controlling. More understandable was her mother’s concern. Sylvia Hamilton had endured a lot in the past year and even though Lincoln was technically safe now, she’d still lost her son. When the news of Lincoln’s death had reached them, the grief had been immense. Discovering that he had survived the crash had been welcome news, even though it had been overshadowed by the realization that he’d lost his memory, so Lindsay understood why her mother worried about something happening to her and Lucas. She hadn’t been all that pleased that Lucas and Brooke had decided to go to Africa as part of their honeymoon, but after Lucas had promised to check in each day, she’d relented.
So if taking Than along was what would ease the fear her mom had for her safety, well, Lindsay would just have to accept that. She still wasn’t one hundred percent sure why she was going on this mission trip. The first time it was announced at church, she’d felt a strong urge to join the team. Initially, she’d brushed it aside. After all, she would be the first to say her faith wasn’t what it should be. Going through the motions was more her style. But she’d felt the pull to be a part of this mission trip, unlike anything she’d ever experienced before.
Convinced that they’d laugh at her request to join, she’d still taken the time to speak to the team leader to feel him out. Surprisingly enough, he’d been more receptive than she’d thought he would be. And Lucas, too, had been supportive for the most part. The roadblocks had come primarily from her mom. Once she’d heard of Lindsay’s plans, her mother had demanded that she back out.
“Okay. If that’s what it will take.” Lindsay let her brother enjoy his win for a moment then said, “But on one condition.”
Lucas’s brows lifted at her comment. “And what’s that?”
“He has to be part of the team. And by that I mean he needs to do what all the rest of us do. If we’re painting a wall, he’s right beside me with a paint brush in his hand. I don’t care if he has a gun in the other one, but he’s going to have to pull his weight. And actually, I’d rather he not be visibly armed while we are at the mission. I’m sure some on the team already question my ability to adapt and do the work, so I don’t want them to see me as some pampered princess who has to bring along her muscle.”
“Even if that’s exactly what you are?” Lucas said, a corner of his mouth lifting.
Lindsay flung a pen in his direction. “Shut up.”
With one last grin, Lucas left her office. Though she had a stack of files to review, Lindsay sat staring into space. Two weeks with Than. She’d done her best to avoid being alone with him since their date eight months ago. After meeting him for the first time, she’d seen pretty quickly the type of guy he was. A consummate flirt. A skirt-chaser. A serial dater. None of those things had appealed to her in the least, so she’d accepted his invitation for a date for one reason and one reason only: to show him that there was at least one woman on the planet immune to his charms.
The problem was that it turned out she hadn’t been as immune as she’d thought. One on one with him during their date, he had drawn her in with his gorgeous smile and warm chocolate brown eyes. She’d been able to resist his attempts to make her laugh—but just barely. Though it had been hard not to allow his compliments to go to her head, she’d managed to keep from blushing.
With any other man, it might have been the perfect first date. Only she knew that while Than did first and sometimes second dates, it never went much beyond that. She was so not interested in becoming just one more in a long line of women he wined and dined. And she’d come pretty close to joining that line when she’d realized that beyond her assumptions of him, there were several things about him she found attractive. However, none of them outweighed his history with women and the knowledge that even if he did decide he wanted more than a handful of dates with her, there would be no happily ever after with him. Her father and even Lincoln had shown her that there were some men who believed that it was their right and privilege to enjoy the company of any—and every—woman who grabbed their interest.
Fortunately, thanks to Lucas, Eric, and Trent, Lindsay was also aware that there were men in the world who wanted just one woman to love and cherish. Somehow she had to just wait and see if there might be one of those men for her. Or if it was her lot in life to be an aunt, a daughter and a sister but never a wife or mother.
Strangely enough, until Brooke and Danny had come onto the scene, she’d been more than happy with the roles of daughter and sister. But somehow, seeing the love between Brooke and her son had brought something to life within Lindsay. And then when Lucas and Brooke had fallen in love, well, that had also awakened something inside her. A desire for more than she’d been willing to settle for.
But that more would never include a man like Than. No, she’d wait for a man who was willing to treat her the way Lucas, Eric, and Trent treated the women they loved. And not just for a date or two but forever.
So while the prospect of spending two weeks with Than close by was rather daunting, she was just going to focus on why she was going on this mission. To experience life outside her little bubble and to help the mission however they needed it. Than was there as a means to an end. Without him, she wouldn’t be able to go, so she’d accept his presence, but it didn’t mean it had to be anything more.
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Kimberly Rae Jordan, When There is Love: A Christian Romance (The McKinleys Book 3)
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