Love Returned

by Mildred Colvin

  She busied herself preparing coffee and tried to ignore the obvious. Scott’s attraction stemmed from more than his handsome features. What woman wouldn’t be drawn to his gentle nature, kindness, sharp intelligence, and his pleasant personality? But Scott refused to step inside a church, and that told Megan his past stood before him just as strong as it had eight years ago when he lost his wife. The sad thing was Scott didn’t realize how tight a hold his wife still had on him.

  While the coffee perked and Scott joined the boys at the table, Megan fixed hot chocolate. The pumpkins began to take on facial features, albeit lopsided. From the looks of their work, she assumed the boys were trying for scariest pumpkin rather than most artistic.

  When the coffee finished perking, Megan poured two cups and handed one to Scott. She set a cup of chocolate for each of the boys on the table. Then, as if by unspoken agreement, she and Scott moved to opposite ends of the table to watch the boys weld the sharp knives as they worked on their creations.

  Derek finished first. He stood back and grinned at his jack-o-lantern. “Do you think Mom will let me set it on the front porch Halloween night?”

  Megan laughed. “I don’t see why not. As ugly as it is, you’ll scare all the trick-or-treaters away. Then you can keep all the candy for yourself.”

  “Hey, good idea.” Randy looked up at his dad. “You didn’t forget to buy stuff, did you?”

  Scott laughed. “Do you think I would tell you if I did buy candy? We wouldn’t have anything left.”

  “Oh, Dad.” Randy rolled his eyes. “You’re the one who eats everything up.”

  “Me?” Scott looked at Megan with innocent eyes. “Can you imagine? My own son accusing me of eating the kids’ treats.”

  Megan laughed. “All this talk of eating is making me hungry. What do you say we go to McDonald’s now?”

  “All right.” The boys’ voices blended into one.

  Scott pushed his chair back and stood. He carried his empty coffee cup to the counter and set it beside the sink. “I guess the secret’s out I like to eat. Ready when you are, Madam driver.”

  “Oh, that’s right. You are at my mercy, aren’t you? If I don’t drive you home, you’ll have to walk.” Megan stood with a grin.

  Scott’s gaze on her grew intense and the half-smile she had come to love sat on his lips. He spoke to Randy, but held her captive by his gaze. “Uh oh, son, sounds like we’d better toe-the-line. The lady has the upper hand.”

  Megan ignored the drumbeat of her heart. She set her cup beside Scott’s and stared at them. How cozy the two cups looked together. How domestic. Dare she think, how married?

  “I can eat three hamburgers.” Derek’s voice caught her attention.

  “Yeah, then I’ll eat four.” Randy came back.

  Scott laughed. “I can top that with five.”

  Megan’s face flamed as she realized her thoughts had been running rampant. She turned from the cups and brought her runaway emotions under control by laughing with Scott. “When you three men are ready, we’ll go put your boasts to the test.”

  “All right.” Scott ushered the boys from the house. “Let’s go.”

  At the restaurant, Megan insisted on paying for Derek’s and her meal. Scott finally agreed.

  “But you owe me a dinner date now.” He grinned at her frown of indignation as they settled at one table, and the boys took another.

  Megan set her food down. “And how do you account for that? I owe you because I’m paying for my own food?”

  Scott shrugged. “You’ve injured my masculine pride. First, you drive me all over town then you pay for your food. The only cure is to go out with me. How about next Friday? We could go back to Columbia or try something here. Which do you prefer?”

  Megan laughed. “Did you ever work as a salesman?”

  “Sure. I rang doorbells to put myself through college.”

  “You must have made a fortune.”

  Scott’s half-grin appeared. “Does that mean we should settle on a time?”

  “We need to pray. The boys are getting impatient.”

  Randy nodded and flashed a grin. “We’re waiting, Dad.”

  Again this man who refused to go to church prayed in public. Not only that. His son expected the prayer. Scott’s relationship with the Lord puzzled Megan. Of course, church attendance didn’t make a person a believer. Certainly one could live for the Lord without ever setting foot in a church building. Yet church attendance strengthened and uplifted God’s children. Few could retain their relationship with the Lord after eight years without some form of Christian fellowship and worship.

  After Scott’s short prayer, they ate and talked about the hayride to be held the following evening. The boys finished eating first.

  “Can we go outside and play?” Randy and Derek stood by the table with hopeful expressions.

  Scott looked at Megan. She shrugged. “I think Shelly usually lets Derek play for a while in the playground. We could go out with them.”

  Scott nodded. “Sounds fine to me if you don’t think you’ll be too cold.”

  Megan slipped her coat on and picked up her half-eaten sandwich. “I’ll be fine.”

  They resettled at a table outdoors and watched the boys. Megan especially watched Randy. She had noticed before how different his coloring was from Scott’s. How similar it was to her own. Since Scott’s wife had dark hair, could Randy have inherited his fair coloring from a grandparent? Sometimes that happened.

  She should keep her curiosity to herself, but she couldn’t. “Randy doesn’t look much like you, does he?”

  “Nope.”

  Not satisfied, Megan persisted. “Does he look like his mother?”

  Scott smiled. “Now that I can’t answer since I don’t know what she looked like, unless of course, you mean my wife.”

  Megan stared at him. What sort of riddle was he talking? “What do you mean you don’t know what his mother looked like?”

  “I assumed you were referring to his biological mother.” Scott’s half-smile seemed almost sad now. He looked at Randy and then said, “After our baby was born, Carol couldn’t have another child. A year later, we adopted Randy. I don’t know what his birth mother looked like.”

  Megan looked at Randy as he climbed the ladder to the spiral slide behind Derek. He had her coloring. She thought of Scott’s lawyer friend, John Waldon. He’d placed her baby boy with a young Christian couple who could not have children.

  Maybe Scott didn’t know what his son’s birth mother looked like. Or maybe he did and just didn’t know he knew. A chill ran down Megan’s back that had nothing to do with the cool October evening. Each time she looked in the mirror, did she see the reflection of Randy's birth mother? Or was Shelly right in thinking she was crazy to entertain such thoughts?

  ~Ten~

  Megan went early to the Cub Scout hayride Saturday evening. Randy had occupied her every thought from the moment Scott said he was adopted. Even now, as she tried to concentrate on the job ahead, she couldn’t get him out of her mind. She drove through an open gate and followed tire tracks into a pasture. Near the middle of the large field, Megan parked her car.

  Joe had his pickup truck backed up to a cleared area. He and Tim, the Cubmaster, were unloading take-apart tables and benches that at the moment looked like large sheets of plywood cut into unusual shapes.

  Tim’s wife, Shirley, waved Megan over. “Did you get the plastic ware and paper plates and cups?”

  “Got ‘em.” Megan waved a plastic bag as she joined Shirley. She held another up. “Here are the hot-dogs.”

  “Good.” Shirley took both bags and placed them on top of a pile of utensils, condiments, and buns. Sticks for roasting protruded from the pile.

  “Let’s get one of those tables set up so we can sort some of this stuff.” Shirley pulled a plywood table part from the pile on Joe’s truck.

  Megan slid another part off, hoping it went with the one Shirley had.

  “Here
, let me help you with that.” Joe grabbed a couple of table parts. “The trick is to find the corresponding letters marked on the grooves so you know which ones go together.”

  “Yes, I know, Joe.” Why did he always treat her as if she didn’t know anything?

  “I tried to call you last night.” Joe continued working without looking up.

  “Oh?” Megan took a couple of table parts and slipped the notches together. That wasn’t so hard. She reached for the other leg. “What did you need?”

  “Nothing. Just wanted to talk. To ask you something.”

  Megan glanced at Joe. He had his back to her. She snapped a tabletop into place.

  Joe turned toward her and started to speak when Shirley stepped between them. She touched Megan’s arm. “We have enough tables to get started. Can you help me set out the stuff we have here?”

  “Sure.” Glad to get away from Joe, Megan followed Shirley and spent the next several minutes arranging food and condiments. The families each brought a bag of chips or some dessert and added them to the tables as they arrived.

  What could Joe have wanted? He’d acted nervous, which wasn’t like him. She paused with a bottle of ketchup in one hand and mustard in the other as she looked across the field. Scott’s truck rolled to a stop. Her heart took up a rapid beat as he stepped down. Could some of the love she felt for Randy stem from the attraction she held for Scott? She watched him approach.

  “You about finished here?” Joe spoke beside her.

  She turned to him in surprise. She’d forgotten about him as soon as Scott appeared. “I suppose I will be when everyone gets here with their stuff.”

  “You are going on the hayride, aren’t you?” Joe asked.

  Megan glanced back at Scott striding toward her. He lifted a hand in greeting. She waved and answered Joe. “Yes, I am.”

  “That’s good.” Joe shifted, scuffing his toe into the grass. “I was wondering—”

  Scott stopped beside her with a wide grin. “Don’t forget you promised to save me a seat on the hayride.”

  “I haven’t forgotten.” Megan smiled at Scott before turning to Joe. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings in case he’d been about to ask her to ride with him. Scott had shown up at just the right time.

  Joe glanced from Megan to Scott. He took a deep breath, his gaze returning to bore into hers. “I’ve been trying to ask you something for the last week or more. Do you think your sister would be offended if I asked her out?”

  Megan stared at Joe. He wanted to go out with Shelly? All this time she had thought... Laughter she could barely hold bubbled inside. “I don’t think so, Joe. Why don’t you go ask her?”

  “You think she’ll say yes?” He sounded like an insecure teenager.

  Megan nodded. “Yes, I think she will. Just go ask her, Joe.” She made little shooing motions with her hands. “Go on.”

  Joe took a deep breath and looked at her as if for more assurance. His breath rushed out all at once. “All right, I guess it won’t hurt me. Enjoy the hayride.” He turned on his heel and hurried away.

  “How can you be so mean?”

  Megan swung around at her sister’s voice.

  “Joe’s a nice guy and you just hurt his feelings.” Shelly glared at Megan.

  “Oh, no, I didn’t. Besides, I didn’t know you cared about Joe.”

  “I didn’t say I cared about him. I just think you’re rude telling him to go away.”

  Megan released the laughter she’d been holding. “Shelly, you need to listen to the entire conversation. Joe wants to ask you out, but he’s afraid. I told him to go find you and ask.”

  Through the meager light of the setting sun, added to the bonfire and a few scattered gas lanterns, Megan had no trouble seeing Shelly’s eyes widen and her mouth drop open. “Really?”

  “Yes, really.” Megan nodded the direction Joe had gone. “He’s over there. A little encouragement might help.”

  Without another word, Shelly headed toward the bonfire and Joe.

  “Good job.” Scott’s grin warmed Megan’s heart. “I hope your sister can keep that guy away from you. I’m getting too old to fight the competition.”

  “Competition?” Megan liked the sound of Scott’s jealousy. She laughed, becoming bold as his smile surrounded her, shutting out all others. She took his hand and walked away with no destination in mind. “If you mean for my affection, there is no competition.”

  Scott stared at her, his expression intense. “I hope you mean...”

  “Hey, Dad. Hi, Megan.” Randy and Derek almost collided with them. “Is it time to eat?”

  Megan smiled at the frustrated frown on Scott’s face. She turned her attention to the boys.

  “It’s almost time to eat. As soon as the fire is ready, the Cubmaster will call everyone around it.” She glanced back toward the bonfire. “As a matter of fact, I think that’s what he’s doing now. Sign’s up.”

  The boys lifted two fingers high in the Cub Scout sign, as did almost everyone there. Silence swept over the gathering.

  The Cubmaster spoke in a loud voice that reached Megan without a problem. “Welcome to our fourth annual fall hayride and hot dog roast. We’ve asked one of our Webelos dads to offer thanks over our gathering then we’ll go ahead and eat.” He nodded to the man standing beside him. “If you will, please?”

  After the short prayer, a line formed at the tables. Scott stayed close beside Megan while Randy and Derek ran to get in line. The boys took a hotdog and a stick to the bonfire where Joe and Tim stood watching.

  Randy stuck his hot-dog into the fire, and Megan sighed. He was a sweet little boy. She’d love for him to be her lost son, but even she knew how unlikely that would be. She needed to give up the quest for her son and leave him in God’s hands. Besides, Scott might not appreciate where her thoughts had been drifting lately.

  “Aren’t you going to eat?” Scott spoke close to her ear.

  She looked up and realized the line had moved forward.

  He looked at her with concern. “Are you all right? I’ve been talking to you for the past five minutes. Are you upset about Joe and your sister?”

  Megan followed his gaze just past Randy to Shelly and Joe who appeared to be having a much better time than she was. She smiled. “No. Actually, I was watching your son. Does Randy like charcoal? His hotdog just caught on fire.”

  Scott ran, but Randy had already dropped his burning dinner into the fire before Scott got there.

  “Wow, Dad!” Randy looked up with wide eyes. “Did you see that?”

  “Yes, I did.” Scott reached for Randy’s stick. “Do you think you can cook another hotdog without burning it?”

  Randy laughed. “Sure.”

  “Good, then you can cook mine, and if you do it right maybe Megan will let you cook hers, too.”

  As they walked to the tables, Randy looked up at Megan with a grin. “This is fun, Megan. I’ll cook yours if you want me to.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Megan slipped her arm around his shoulders and walked the rest of the way with him beside her. She couldn’t imagine loving a child she’d known for such a short time any more than she loved Randy.

  While they ate, the first wagon left for the two-mile hayride. Voices drifted back as someone started singing a camp song and the others joined in. Megan looked for her sister and found her with Joe. The two sat close, seemingly in deep conversation.

  She spoke to Scott. “I wish I’d known my sister was interested in Joe. I’d have introduced them long before now.”

  Scott chuckled. “I’m glad she’s keeping him away from you.”

  The second tractor roared to life. Kids and adults ran toward the hay-covered wagon as if they were afraid it would leave without them. Scott stood and tossed his empty paper plate into the fire. He held his hand out for Megan.

  “Come on, if we miss this one, we’ll have to walk.”

  Megan laughed and placed her hand in his, letting him pull her to her feet. “Wrong.
If we miss this one, we’ll stay here and clean.”

  Scott took off running, pulling her after him. “In that case, I want on that wagon.”

  Megan laughed as she ran with him. “You do know we have to ‘leave no trace’ before we can go home, don’t you?”

  “I was afraid of that.” Scott helped her climb on the wagon then hoisted himself up to join her.

  Megan smiled at Scott and moved closer when his arm went around her waist.

  Joe and Shelly sat at the other end of the wagon. They seemed interested in only each other, and Megan was glad. Joe was a nice guy, and her sister deserved someone nice to love. Maybe this would be a beginning for them.

  The wagon began to move, taking them for a ride through the country. With only the tractor lights and the moon competing with scattered clouds overhead, they sat in darkness, but Megan didn’t mind. She snuggled close to Scott, relishing this time with him as they sang one silly song after another.

  Until Scott came along, she’d shut out any man who paid too much attention to her. After the baby was born she thought that part of her life was over. She made a bad decision, suffered the consequences, and now must live with it for the rest of her life. Turning away from other men hadn’t been hard, but Scott was different. He drew her as light draws a moth. The intense attraction she felt for him surely must be the first stirring of love. Oh, how she wanted it to be.

  Megan breathed a prayer for strength. Please, Lord, if I’m making another mistake, help me escape without scars. I think I love Scott, but it’s been ten years since I’ve allowed myself to even look at a man in that way. I pray for Your will to be done. Amen.

  Then, as an afterthought, she added. Also, Lord, if Randy is my son, please help me find out so I can put to rest all the hurt and longing that will not go away.

  Scott leaned near. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I’m fine.”

  “Not too cold?”

  She shook her head. How could she be cold when he held her close? She smiled at him. “I’m comfy right now although I’ll probably itch for a week after sitting in this scratchy hay.”