“Yeah, me, too.” He nodded toward the back of the wagon. “The boys are having a blast. I’m glad you talked us into joining Scouts. Randy likes it, and it’s given me a good excuse to keep running into you.”
Megan laughed. “You could have thought up some reason, couldn’t you?”
“Yeah, and I would have, too.” Scott grinned as his arm tightened. “This just made things a whole lot easier.”
~*~
Before Scott liked, the wagon pulled back into the pasture. The first wagon had already returned and its occupants were gathered around the campfire for the pumpkin judging. Scott jumped down and lifted Megan, setting her carefully on the ground. He took her hand in his, and they headed toward the bonfire. Holding her beside him on the crowded hayride had been the longest time they’d spent in close contact since they'd met, and he hadn’t wanted it to end.
Joe and Shelly walked ahead. Scott hoped a romance developed between them. He’d happily attend their wedding if it meant Megan would be his. He smiled down at her as they stood behind a circle of folding chairs and watched the pumpkin carving winners go forward for their prizes.
While each winner held a lighted flashlight in one hand and a bag of candy in the other, someone took their picture.
Scott spoke to Megan. “After all their work our boys didn’t win.”
Megan nodded. “They had fun carving the pumpkins, and they’re having too much fun now to care whether theirs was the best.”
Scott looked at the boys laughing and talking to their friends. Megan was right. The fun of trying was more important than winning. He was glad they felt that way.
Later as the parents gathered their children and prepared to leave, Randy tugged on Scott’s arm. “Dad, can I go home with Derek?”
Scott looked into his son’s eager face. “Haven’t you had enough excitement for one night?”
“Please?” Derek bounced on his toes. “I really want him to, and Mom said it’s okay. Tomorrow’s Sunday, and he goes to church with us, anyway.”
Shelly joined them. “In case you’re wondering, I did say it’s fine. I’d love to have him stay.”
Scott shrugged. “If you want him, you’ve got him.”
“Great. We’ll stop by your house for church clothes.” Shelly turned away with a smile.
“Thanks, Dad.” Randy’s expression didn’t look as happy as Scott expected. “You won’t forget your promise, will you?”
“My promise?” Scott frowned. What promise had he forgotten now?
“Yes, Dad.” Randy glanced toward Megan then lowered his voice to a stage whisper. “You know. In the morning.”
Oh, yeah. Scott remembered. He’d promised in a moment of weakness to attend church with Randy. It’d been a long time since he’d been to church, but what would it hurt?
“I remember. I’ll be there, son.”
Randy’s wide smile rewarded him. As Randy ran off with Derek, Scott took Megan’s hand in his and walked her to her car.
“I’ll follow you home.”
She was so beautiful looking up at him. Could he get away with a kiss? It’d be worth trying.
“You don’t have to.”
“I know. I want to.” Scott did kiss her, on the forehead. He stepped back before she could react and went to his truck.
As he pulled out behind Megan’s car, Derek and Randy climbed into the back seat of Shelly’s van. If they got to the house before he did, they could wait. He wanted to see Megan home safely. Maybe steal another kiss. Not on her forehead, either.
Scott brought his truck to a stop in front of Megan’s house and jumped from the cab. He reached her car as she closed the door. Taking her hand in his, he walked with her to the front door and waited in the shadow of the porch while she unlocked it.
“I won’t go in. Shelly’s probably waiting for Randy’s clothes now. I had fun tonight, Megan. More than I’ve had in a long time. I especially liked the hayride—holding you close.”
Megan’s lashes swept down covering her eyes then she looked up at him. “Me, too.”
Scott’s gaze centered on her lips. He’d wanted to kiss her all evening. His blood rushed through his veins in anticipation. His head lowered. She lifted her face, giving him all the encouragement he needed.
As their kiss ended, he rested his forehead against hers. “I’m falling in love, Megan, and it’s all your fault.”
~Eleven~
Megan turned her living room light on and closed the door by falling against it. She hugged herself, letting the memory of Scott’s kiss linger on her lips.
Gentle pressure against her ankles, and her cat’s purr, brought her away from the door.
“Come on, Bagheera.” She bent to give the black cat an affectionate touch before leading the way to the kitchen. A cup of hot tea for herself and a fishy treat for her pet then she needed to head for bed.
Twenty minutes and a shower later, she lay staring at the dark ceiling. Scott said he was falling in love. What did that mean? Years before, Jason told her he loved her, but she soon learned his love was conditional. Did Scott love with a conditional love, or was his love real? And how did she feel about Scott?
There was no doubt in her mind she loved Randy. Not since her baby was taken away had she felt such maternal tugs on her heartstrings. Of course Randy was an exceptional child. He was bright, friendly, cute as could be, and adopted. He could easily be her son.
But Randy hadn’t been on her mind when Scott kissed her. She smiled in the dark, reliving the feel of Scott’s arms around her and his lips covering hers.
In her mind, she lingered on each of Scott’s features. He’d held her close on the hay wagon. They hadn’t been apart more than two minutes the entire evening, and she’d never felt happier or more cared for. Did she love him? If he asked, could she agree without reservation to spend the rest of her life with him?
Scott had issues in his spiritual life needing to be resolved. Issues strong enough to keep them apart. Megan closed her eyes and prayed for Scott.
~*~
The next morning Megan woke to sunlight streaming through her window. She sprang from bed with a smile on her lips, expecting the day ahead to bring good things.
She gave Bagheera his breakfast, fixed toast and orange juice for her, then selected a blue jacket dress to wear to church. She fixed her hair and applied makeup with special care. With a smile on her face and a spring in her step, she opened her front door.
“Hi.” Scott’s grin startled her.
“Oh!” Megan stepped back with her hand splayed across her heart. “I didn’t know anyone was here.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just thought maybe I could talk you into going to church with me this morning.”
“When you promised Randy you’d go with him, you didn’t expect him to run off and leave you on your own, did you?” Megan smiled at Scott.
His grin returned and he shook his head. “My mom told me it would be like this. You put everything you have into raising them and then they up and leave first chance they get.”
I wouldn’t know. Megan thought. Some of us aren’t allowed to raise our children.
She refused to let the past cloud her mood. Scott was going to church for the first time in years. This was a day of celebration. She stepped out the door and took his arm.
“I’d be delighted for you to escort me to church. Whose car shall we take?”
“Mine’s warmed up and waiting.” Scott led Megan to his truck and opened the passenger door for her to climb aboard.
He circled the truck and got in behind the steering wheel. As the engine roared to life, she glanced at him, and their eyes met with unspoken emotions warming her heart. Her lips turned up at the corners and stayed that way throughout the Sunday morning worship service.
After church, Megan introduced Scott to her pastor. “Pastor Turner, this is Scott Landis. He teaches history at the university. He’s Randy’s father.”
“Of course
.” Pastor Turner smiled, extending his hand. “Randy is a favorite around here.” He gripped Scott’s hand and gave him a firm handshake. “I’m so glad you decided to join us and hope you’ll return.”
“Thank you.” Scott smiled. “I enjoyed the service this morning.”
“Good. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, please let me know.”
“I’ll remember that. Thank you.” Scott and Megan moved out the door.
“He seems like a sincere man. Like he might practice what he preaches.” Scott caught Megan’s hand as they walked toward the parking lot where Randy, Derek, and several other boys tossed a basketball at a hoop.
“Yes, I think he is.” Megan enjoyed the feel of Scott’s hand around hers. “I’m glad you came today.”
Scott stopped at the edge of the parking lot and turned to face Megan. His eyes showed the intensity of his feelings. “I want to come back. I feel like I’m just now beginning to work out some things in my life that have hung on for years. It’s been a long time since I’ve prayed, really prayed. It’s time I came back to the place with God where I left off eight years ago.”
Megan didn’t know what to say but sensed she didn’t need to speak. Scott didn’t expect her to. He stared over her shoulder for a moment then back into her eyes. “Do you think Brother Turner would mind if I talked to him?”
“Mind?” Megan shook her head. God was so far ahead of her, she’d never catch up. She’d wanted Scott to attend church. God wanted him to return to a close relationship with Him. She smiled. “I think Pastor Turner would be thrilled to have you visit with him.”
“All right.” Scott grinned. “How about we get our basketball player over there and go eat someplace?”
Our basketball player? A sharp pang ripped through Megan’s heart at the thought. If only Randy really was hers. She laughed to cover her confusion.
“Sounds good to me, and I know the perfect place if you like left over potato salad and homemade subway sandwiches. I think I can even scrounge up some baked beans.”
Scott slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick hug. “Let’s get going. I’m already hungry.”
Megan cleaned out her refrigerator and stepped back while Scott and Randy made some rather unusual sandwiches.
The three laughed and talked as if they were a family. The family Megan wanted but didn’t know how to obtain.
Even Bagheera accepted Randy’s attentions, and the two went outside to play after dinner while Megan and Scott stacked dishes and wiped off the table.
“That was fun.” Scott scraped garbage into the sink before turning on the disposal. “We should do this more often.”
“I’d like that.” Megan swept the floor. Working with Scott while Randy played outside seemed domestic and right. This is what she’d missed for nine years. This is what she should have had, but didn’t, because Jason couldn’t handle responsibility, and her mother wouldn’t accept a child born outside of marriage.
Hurt and anger from the past surfaced, and a tear rolled down her cheek. She turned away from Scott.
“Hey, look what I found.” Randy burst through the kitchen door leading to the garage.
“Let’s see what you’ve got there, son.” While Scott and Randy inspected a large compound bow, Megan wiped the tear from her cheek and pasted a smile on her face.
She stepped toward them. “That isn’t mine, but if you’d like we could do some target practice.”
Scott looked at her with a quizzical expression. “Why do you have someone else’s bow in your garage?”
“It belongs to the Boy Scouts. I have space, so I store it for them. They use it for their archery merit badge requirements.”
“Hey, neat.” Randy looked from the bow to Megan. “Can we really shoot it?”
“Sure.”
“Can Derek come over and shoot it, too?”
“I can ask.”
Scott shook his head. “I hope you know how to handle this thing because the only time I tried, I wasn’t very good at it.”
“I’m not so bad.” She usually got higher scores than the male Scout leaders, but she wouldn’t tell Scott.
She turned toward her telephone. Her mother answered on the first ring. “Hello, Mother. This is Megan. Randy is here, and he’d like for Derek to come over for a while this afternoon. Would that be all right with you?”
She made arrangements for Scott to pick Derek up then hung up with the same tight feeling in her chest she always experienced after talking to her mother.
“While you pick up Derek, I’ll dig out the target and some arrows.” She smiled at father and son.
After they left, Megan finished cleaning the kitchen before she went to the garage. She moved boxes until she found the one she wanted.
Two short months and her life had been turned inside out by the arrival of Scott Landis. She’d been immune to the charms of any man, but something about Scott had broken down the barricade she’d built against forming a relationship. She’d lost her heart to Scott and Randy as well. If Scott truly loved her, and if she could prove Randy was her son, she would have everything.
Megan pulled the arrows and target from the box and backed out of the corner as she heard Scott’s truck pull into her driveway. She met him and the boys at the truck and led them into her large backyard. A huge round bale of hay waited for them in the corner of her property.
Scott grinned. “Wow, you’ve been busy. I didn’t expect a backdrop like that with such short notice.”
Megan laughed. “The older Scouts sometimes practice here since I’ve got the room and the equipment. You remember Mr. Beck? The man we bought the pumpkins from?”
At Scott’s nod, she said, “Every year he brings me a fresh bale as his donation to the Scouts.”
“That’s nice of him.”
“Yeah, people are generally pretty nice...” Megan’s voice trailed away as she heard a car stop in front of her house.
“Hey, it’s Mom.” Derek stood by the side of the house where he could see the street in front. “Joe’s with her.”
“Joe?” Scott and Megan spoke at the same time. Scott winked at her.
Joe’s son, Cody, darted around the corner of the house. Shelly and Joe followed him. Megan forced her mouth to close as she stepped forward to welcome them. She hadn’t expected anything to come from the evening before. If appearances meant anything, Joe and Shelly had hit it off very well.
“Hi, what are you guys doing here?” Megan called out.
“When Mom told us where Derek went, we decided to come join the fun. I hope you don’t mind.” Shelly’s expression challenged Megan.
Megan shook her head. “No, of course we don’t mind. The more the merrier. I assumed you were at work.”
“I don’t work all the time, little sister.” Shelly smiled. “Even I have to play sometime.”
“Besides,” Joe grinned at Megan. “I couldn’t resist the opportunity to challenge you to a rematch.”
Megan laughed and shook her head. “Oh, Joe, you don’t want to lose to me again, do you?”
A touch of red crept up his neck, but Joe grinned good-naturedly. “You may be good, but I’m willing to try. You don’t think you’ll win again, do you?”
“But of course.” Megan turned her smile on Scott. “Last spring we had a tournament with the Boy Scouts, and Joe had a bad day.”
Joe laughed. “That’s generous of you.” He looked at the others. “The truth of the matter is Megan’s the best archer we have in either the pack or the troop, bar none.”
“In that case, I’ll shoot against the boys.” Scott slipped his arm around Megan’s shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze.
Hating to break the contact, but knowing she couldn’t stand in the circle of his arm forever, Megan looked at him and smiled. “We could have a play-off, or we could take turns shooting arrows for the fun of it. It doesn’t matter to me.”
“Let’s have a play-off.” Derek voiced his desire.
>
Randy nodded. “Yeah, I want to see Megan beat Joe.”
Even Cody got in a jibe at his father. “You ain’t gonna let a woman beat you, are you, Dad?”
“Probably.” Joe laughed as he took the target from Megan and secured it to the hay bale. “Fine, let’s have a play-off. Who knows, maybe Megan’s lost her touch.”
By the time the arrows had flown to their mark over and over, there was no doubt Megan had a steady hand and a good eye.
Joe shook his head with a wry grin. “I don’t think I’ll challenge you again, Megan. You’re too good for me.”
Megan just laughed and gathered arrows. “It’s getting cold out here. Does anyone feel like having hot chocolate and cookies? I stocked up just the other day.”
Shelly laughed. “Nothing homemade about our Megan. I’m game. Her elf-made cookies are always good.”
As the seven of them sat around the table or bumped into each other in her small kitchen, Megan again had the strong feeling of family, a desire she’d given up long ago. She sighed. No need to build up hope.
She met Scott’s gaze, and he grinned.
~Twelve~
In the wee hours of Monday morning, Jason invaded Megan’s sleep a second time. Only this time he brought Randy with him.
She stood alone in the middle of a large empty parking lot. Together Jason and Randy rode toward her on dirt bikes. Dressed in black leather jackets and faded blue jeans, Randy looked like a miniature copy of Jason. The closer they came, the more she noticed how much alike they looked. Their eye coloring and facial expressions were identical. The only difference was the color of their hair.
Jason rode around Megan. Randy followed. They both watched her. They continued riding around and around, revving up their engines as they tightened the circle. When they could get no closer, they stopped and stared.
She lifted her hand toward Randy as he grinned and said, “Hey, Mom, come ride with us.”
Megan woke with sweat beading her forehead. Her breath came in great, gasping sobs. What was happening to her? She’d never had a dream so real. Was God trying to speak to her? To tell her Randy was her son? Or was her dream the product of the foolish game she played yesterday, pretending Scott and Randy could be hers? That maybe Randy was, in reality, her lost son?
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