“Sure.” She looked out to where the men were striding toward the barn. “It looks like they’ll be busy for awhile. You can tell me while we make a salad.”
They walked back into the kitchen. Megan waited until she was armed with a knife and a cutting board, then began to talk as she chopped fresh vegetables.
After Megan had spilled the whole sorry tale of Barry’s betrayal, Ivo’s persecution, the authorities questioning her, and her and Sarah moving to the farm, Annalisa shook her head. “That’s a lot for one woman to bear alone.”
Megan appreciated the sympathy. For years, she’d kept it all hidden inside. Letting it out felt like a cool shower. “I really wasn’t alone. God has stood by me all along. I’ve never doubted Him. People are harder to trust.”
“You’re my kind of gal, Meg.” Annalisa banged a head of lettuce on the counter and tossed the core in the industrial-size garbage can. “But life’s so much better when you learn to trust again.” She deftly broke up a large salad. “Just to prove it, I’m going to trust you with a secret.” She laughed. “That sounded noble, didn’t it? Truth is, I’m dying to tell someone. Cade’s going to announce it today, but. . .” She slapped her forehead gently with her hand. “I’m doing it again. Cade says I always try to tell the end of the story, before the beginning.”
Megan couldn’t keep from laughing. “Whoa, breathe, Girl. Tell me your secret before you hyperventilate.”
In spite of the fact that they were in the kitchen with the swinging doors closed, Annalisa leaned toward Megan and lowered her voice to an excited whisper. “I’m pregnant!”
“Oh, Annalisa! That’s wonderful. When are you due?”
The two women spent the next half hour sharing confidences. When everything was ready for the coming crowd, Megan thought back on what the brunette had shared about her and Cade’s troubles getting together. They’d had such a hard time working things out. Could there be hope for her and Holt?
“It’s almost time for the others to get here. Shall we go rest our weary bones until they come?”
Annalisa’s question brought her back to the present. “Sure.” Megan realized with amazement that forging a friendship with Annalisa had almost completely erased her nervousness about meeting the crowd. If everyone was as nice as her hostess was, this day should actually be fun.
Twelve
Clint was the first to arrive. Holt and Cade both wrapped him in a bear hug. Megan was surprised by this show of affection. Her own brothers were good friends, but she didn’t remember ever seeing them hug.
Although he was a little serious for her taste, Megan immediately liked him. He fit the image of a fireman—strong and able to protect one against anything.
Three boys bounded into the room. “Uncle Clint!” The youngest one leaped onto Clint’s lap, and the other two hugged him.
Cade performed the introductions, proudly introducing his three newly adopted sons to Megan and Sarah.
The doorbell rang as soon as he finished, and the rest of the afternoon was a blur of people coming and going. Mostly coming. Holt sought Megan out numerous times, smiling each time when she assured him she was fine and encouraged him to go catch up with his relatives. She noticed that Annalisa never strayed far from her side, though, and, in spite of her newfound confidence, she was grateful.
She’d always thought one could learn a lot about a person by getting to know their family. In Holt’s case, this seemed to be true, because everywhere she looked, she saw humor, character, and love.
❧
Jake and Cade were sipping lemonade when Holt joined them by the fence. The horses that were in the pasture had hurried over to get their share of the attention, and all three of the McFadden brothers were happy to oblige. Their love of horses was one thing they all shared.
“Hey, Jake!” Holt clapped his youngest brother on the back. “Good to see you.” He looked around. “Did you bring Tami?”
The bright grin on Jake’s face faded slightly. “No, she couldn’t come today. She had to do a photo shoot.”
Holt nodded, but he knew his brother was let down. Jake had been excited when his girlfriend had first made a break into modeling, but lately he seemed to be worried that the glamorous life was pulling her away from him. Holt couldn’t deny he had the same concerns, but he said nothing.
“Clint loves horses more than any of us. Where is he?” Jake asked, in an obvious attempt to change the subject.
Cade shook his head. “There’s no telling.”
“Apparently their unit responded to a house fire yesterday afternoon, and they didn’t get the dad out.”
Holt shook his head. He couldn’t imagine.
“I’ll go talk to him,” Holt said.
The other two nodded. All of the brothers were close, but Holt and Clint were only eleven months apart and related to each other almost like twins.
❧
Before beginning his search, Holt checked in on Megan and Sarah. Megan had found a champion in Cade’s wife. The two of them were taking turns swapping stories about kids with Holt’s mom and aunt, and all of them appeared to be having a ball. In spite of their age differences, four-year-old Sarah and ten-year-old Amy were united against the three boys who teased them unmercifully. Everyone in the house really seemed to be enjoying themselves, but Clint was nowhere to be found.
Following his instinct, Holt hurried out to the barn. Sure enough, Clint had sought comfort from the horses, a habit Holt remembered well from their childhood.
“Hey.”
Clint swung around to face him. “Hey.” His attempt at a smile was poor, to say the least. The deep creases etched on his forehead seemed to have sprung up overnight.
“Cade said you had a bad time yesterday.”
“Yeah.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“Nope, but thanks for asking.”
Holt smiled at his brother who was so careful with others feelings even though he was hurting. “Clint, I’m really sorry, man.”
“I know. There’s nothing anyone can do.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“I should have gotten to him.”
“How do you figure?”
“I just should have. If I’d turned the other way. . .”
Holt shuddered at how close he might have come to losing his brother. If he overreacted, though, he knew Clint would clam up. “ ‘If’ is the biggest word in the English language. If you’d turned the other way, you might have been trapped along with him. The possibilities are endless, Clint. Please don’t blame yourself.”
“Thanks, Bro.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me too. I guess it goes with the job.” Clint looked up at him with a sad half-smile. He gave the horse a final pat on the nose. “Let’s go back up to the house before Mama gets worried about her boys.”
“Yeah, because she won’t let you off the hook as easy as I did if she gets wind of trouble.”
“You’ve got that right.” Clint’s grin was still tinged with grief but closer to the real thing this time. “Has she grilled you about Megan yet?”
“No, but she seems to like her a lot.”
“Why wouldn’t she? I think you’ve got a keeper there, Holt.”
“Yeah, me too. I’m hoping today will help me convince her of that.”
“Uh-oh, if you’re counting on your family to sway her, maybe you should have told Mom to leave Uncle Harold and Aunt Lou at home.”
“Actually, I’m pretty sure Megan has a few family difficulties of her own. Maybe it will help for her to see that my family isn’t perfect.”
Clint smiled. “Only you could see the bright side of their constant bickering.”
❧
Holt glanced over at Megan who was trying valiantly to keep her head from bumping the ceiling. He eased off the accelerator even more. “Cade needs to get this road fixed,” he grumbled.
“I–I–I l–l–like it,” Sarah said, her voice vibrating with the moti
on as she bounced in the backseat. She giggled.
Megan offered Holt a huge grin. “She ‘l–l–likes’ it, Holt. Don’t be a spoilsport.” She glanced back at the other trucks, loaded with people, following them down the grassy path. “Besides, calling this a ‘road’ strikes me as a stretch, even for a politician.”
Holt laughed. “I guess you’re right. But it’s the fastest way to the river. And at least it’s not a long trip.” He pulled in beside Cade’s SUV and parked. Jake’s truck and Clint’s fire engine red Jeep were already there. A small grove of trees blocked a view of the river from the field.
Megan waved at Annalisa who still sat in their vehicle. Holt waited patiently, as well, until all the other trucks were parked. When the last engine was dead, everyone jumped out, grabbed their blankets and lawn chairs, and headed toward an opening in the trees.
Holt smiled as Megan helped his Aunt Gertie down the steep sloping trail that led to the river’s sandy bank. Sarah carried the elderly lady’s water bottle. Holt’s mother had her arm at Sarah’s shoulder, making sure the little girl didn’t fall.
When they got to the bottom, Holt’s mother and father and aunt and uncle, as well as Aunt Gertie, set their chairs in a loose circle around the small campfire that Jake and Clint had come a few minutes early to build. Holt and Cade spread out blankets for all the others.
Juan, Tim, and Matthew hurried to the river and began to engage in a rock-skipping contest. Amy stood up from where she helped Annalisa smooth out their blanket and ran over to Sarah. “Want to go skip rocks?”
Sarah cast an uncertain look at her mother. Megan nodded and the preschooler jumped up and followed Amy to join the competition. When Amy skipped a flat stone ten times, even the boys whooped congratulations, and from then on, the girls were accepted. Holt watched as Tim, the youngest, carefully showed Sarah how to hold a rock.
“She sure is concentrating, isn’t she?” Holt said quietly.
Megan smiled. “Yes, I told you she never gives up either, so we may still be here this time tomorrow.”
Holt leaned over and whispered in her ear. “I can think of worse places to be than sitting next to you on a blanket for twenty-four hours.” He teasingly nuzzled her hair.
Megan slapped at the air. “Holt!” she hissed. “Your mom and dad are right there. What will they think?”
“That I’m an incredibly blessed man?” He couldn’t contain a grin.
“Oh, fine. If you’re going to act like that, then I’m wasting my time trying to reason with you.” Holt noticed her smile belied her irritated words.
“C’mon, kiddos, it’s time to start,” Cade called to the boys and girls skipping rocks. When the children were all seated, Holt noticed a flash of discomfort flit across Megan’s face. She’d asked him what to expect, and he’d done his best to explain this family celebration, but she still seemed nervous.
❧
Megan squirmed a little on the blanket as Holt’s dad, Jeb, stood and looked around at his family and friends. When she was young, she’d gone to camp and they’d had campfire “devotionals.” She’d asked Holt if that was what they were doing down here by the river, but his answer had been cryptic. “Sort of. You’ll just have to wait and see.”
“Today we celebrate our independence.” Jeb’s voice carried to all the people present in spite of the ripple of the water in the background. “Our independence and our freedom as a country.” He glanced around the circle. “But freedom isn’t only about being an American. Freedom is about being part of your family and, most importantly, being a part of God’s family.”
“Let’s pray.” Jeb bowed his head and all the others did the same. “Father, thank you so much for this wonderful country you have blessed us with. We know there are many problems in America, but we are so thankful to have the freedom to try to change things that are wrong and, most of all, to have the freedom to worship You. Bless each one present here tonight, Lord. In our freedom, God, please bind us together, and let us lean on each other in our times of need. Thank You for your Son, who died to give us the most precious freedom of all. In His name, amen.”
Megan felt the tears edging the corners of her eyes. Annalisa pulled out a small packet of tissues from her pocket. She took one for herself, leaned over, and handed one to Megan. “Holidays with this family. . .” she whispered, with a shrug. “I’ve learned to come prepared.”
Megan mouthed thank you, just as Jake started a song asking God to “Bind us together.” The others quickly joined in and, as the sunset painted beautiful swirls of color across the sky above their heads, their voices united in a sweet song that resounded through the river valley.
When the song ended, Jeb looked out over the group. “Who else wants to say something?”
No one moved for a minute, then Cade hopped to his feet. “I do.”
Cade looked at his wife. “Most of you know that Annalisa and I were both imprisoned by our pasts when we met. Though a little over a year ago, I was a bachelor, with no visible ties, as I look at my precious family. . . ,” his gaze lingered on each of the three boys and Amy, then came back to Annalisa’s face, “. . .I thank God that by Him bringing us all together we have finally been freed.”
He looked around the campfire. “Who’s next?”
Megan’s heart jumped in her chest. Would they expect her to speak? She admired Jeb’s obvious strength in God and Cade’s devotion to his family, but there was no way she could talk, especially about being free. Megan would never be truly free of her past.
“Don’t worry. It’s volunteer only.” Holt’s reassuring voice sounded right next to her ear.
She nodded, relieved, and brought her attention back to the campfire. Fourteen-year-old Juan had stood and was looking at his feet.
He kicked the sand softly and cleared his throat. “Um. . .when I was running with the gang on the street, I thought I was free. Free to make my own decisions. Free to have fun. Free to get in trouble. Then I came here. Now I know that what I thought was freedom then was a lie. The love of my family and my God. . .I wish I could tell my friends how much they’re missing.” He swiped a tear from his cheek and sat down, ducking his head as Cade clapped his hand on his shoulder.
Megan felt the tears finally overflow and spill down her cheeks. Annalisa reached over and squeezed her hand, then released it.
Holt’s mother stood and smiled at each person in the circle, love apparent on her face, even in the firelight. “I’m thankful for the freedom of being a mom. A mother can say things that other people can’t. So when someone in my family has a problem. . . ,” she looked pointedly at Clint, “. . .I have the freedom to find out what’s wrong. I’m not being nosy. It’s just my job.” Everyone chuckled. “Anybody else have something to say?” When no one responded, she raised an eyebrow at Holt. “Senator? Can you get me out of this with some words of wisdom on freedom?”
“Sure, Mom.” Holt stood, and his mother sank back into her chair.
Megan tensed. Surely he wouldn’t say anything personal. It was going to be hard enough never seeing his family again, much less leaving them with the wrong impression. She breathed a sigh of relief when his words were purely patriotic.
“I don’t know about words of wisdom, but most of you know I have definite thoughts on freedom.” Megan watched in fascination as they all nodded. “In spite of its name. . . ,” He grinned, “. . .freedom is not free. It’s very costly. Many have died so that we can enjoy the liberties we too often take for granted.
“As Dad mentioned earlier, we’re so blessed to live in a country where we can worship God without worrying that we’ll be persecuted by the government for doing so. So the next time you go into a church building and you don’t have to look over your shoulder to see if anyone is watching, remember your fellow countrymen who died to give you that right.”
He stood in silence for a minute then he nodded at Megan. “I know I promised no campaign speeches, but this doesn’t really qualify, because I’m pretty s
ure everyone here was going to vote for me anyway.”
“I wouldn’t be overconfident, if I were you,” Jake called. Megan joined in the outburst of laughter.
“Okay, well, maybe not.” Holt pasted a mock look of uncertainty on his face and sank back down on the blanket.
After the laughter had completely died down, Cade stood and started a song. The rest of the group rose and joined in. The song of thankfulness wafted up to the night sky and given the sincerity ringing out in each voice, Megan had no trouble imagining the words reaching all the way to heaven.
Thirteen
“You have no idea how tough it is to set up a fireworks extravaganza while you’re being closely watched by an overanxious fireman.” Jake grinned at the group who had all moved up to the open field, a large portion of which was freshly plowed for the occasion.
“Yeah, if Jake had his way, you’d each get those little buzzer fireworks under your chairs,” Clint called from a good distance away where he was busily setting up bottle-rockets.
Everyone laughed, and Jake held up his hand. “Now wait a minute. We could have done it like you wanted, I guess, and just pass out those little snap and pop thingies. But it just doesn’t seem like much of a show without ever lighting a match. We couldn’t really call it “fire” works then, could we?”
Holt laughed as his brothers kept up their impromptu comedy routine while they worked. Even though Clint’s heart obviously wasn’t in it, Holt was glad he was here instead of all alone in his apartment in Little Rock.
Holt had an easy arm around Megan’s shoulder, and her laughter did his heart a world of good. She’d really opened up since she’d been here. She and Sarah both blended in with his family seamlessly.
She’s everything I’ve ever prayed for in a wife. Now if I could just convince her.
When it became obvious that the show was about to start, Cade and Annalisa stretched out on their blanket, and the four children piled around them. Holt and Megan exchanged a smile when Sarah scooted over next to Amy.
Holt leaned back with his hands behind his head and soon Megan did the same. With her there beside him, looking up at the starlit sky, he felt so close to her. She turned her head toward him just as he looked at her. Their noses were almost touching.
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