“You ready your Bible every night don’t you?”
“Yes, I like to spend some time with Jesus before bed.”
“You know, watching you, I think I’m almost ready to believe in this Jesus.” Ellen fluffed up Anna’s pillow.
“Why is that?”
“Well, you have peace, and I think that’s why. I just wonder why when James was raised by you, that he doesn’t believe like you.”
“God allows us to make our own choices, unfortunately, James hasn’t chosen Jesus.”
“I started going to a different church.”
“You did, why is that?”
“I just have to wonder if going to mass is really the right thing to do. I thought it might not hurt to go to the church down the street a few times. The people are friendly, and they talk about Jesus a lot. I’m still not sure about the whole thing though.”
“Keep listening, and searching Ellen. God will reveal Himself to you if you ask,” Anna said with a smile.
“James, I hate the way you act!” Ellen gripped the plate in her hand tighter.
“Yeah, well sometimes I don’t care for your habits either.” James crossed his arms across his chest. He didn’t feel like arguing, but if she was going to pick fights, he’d have to defend himself.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, you moved in here. You can’t force stuff on me.”
“All I asked was that you wash the dishes before I got home.”
“There were hardly any dishes,” James said flatly.
“Which is my point. It would’ve taken you five minutes, but you don’t have the decency to care.”
“I’ll try to respect your wishes, but this is my house.”
“Your house huh?” Ellen stomped her foot. “Well then, I’ll spend the night in town. Actually I’ll stay there until you decide to be reasonable.” She stomped to her room and burst back out moments later, suitcase packed. James stayed quiet. If she was going to be a child, fine.
About an hour after his wife had stormed out, James realized what had really happened. Maybe she’d never come back. Then he’d be back to where he’d started, only now he was married to her so they couldn’t just break up privately. He sighed and flopped onto the couch. Scooter came over and nosed his knee. “Hey buddy.” James held out his hand and the dog moved closer. James scratched behind the dog’s ears. “Did I do the wrong thing?”
James made himself some supper, but wasn’t hungry enough to eat much of it. Maybe a drive would help. Putting Scooter into his crate with a couple of dog treats, James headed outside to his truck. Heading north on a main road, he had a hard time focusing on the road. Why did she have to be so unpredictable? The littlest thing got her upset and screaming at him. He’d mentioned it to Roy during one of their quiet moments together and Roy had told him it could be the pregnancy, but James didn’t agree. Sure, he’d cut her some slack if she wanted to be emotional, or cry a lot, but he wasn’t about to have her run his life.
James rolled the window down to breathe some of the fresh spring air. It had been far too dry. They needed rain soon or who knew what would happen. He stopped at the side of the road and leaned his head against the steering wheel. He knew what his Grandma would say at a time like this. She’d remind him not to let the sun go down on his anger and to remember fights went two ways. Then she’d remind him how much God loved him and that he should love others. He did love Ellen, he thought. She was just so hard to love sometimes. The wind picked up and rustled through the dry leaves and grass. Any spark at all and there was going to be a serious disaster.
Straightening up, he sniffed the air, then saw the small cloud of smoke in the distance. He swore, knowing what he was likely to find at the source and put his truck into gear.
The grass fire already spanned at half an acre and the wind had begun to carry sparks to other areas of the field and only fanned the flames in their quick upward spread. James radioed Dispatch, asking for a mutual aid response knowing they were better to stand trucks down than to have a full-fledged wildfire on their hands.
After the first few hours as a free woman, Ellen knew she had to go back. Apart from being a little dusty in places, her apartment hadn’t changed, but it wasn’t much compared to the log house she’d started living in. She sank down onto the couch and flipped on the TV, hoping to catch some of the evening news. She wasn’t prepared for what she saw.
Fuelled by the strong winds, a wildfire raged, several miles north of town. It had already consumed hectares of crop land and bush, and was heading into the next county. Firefighters on scene could do little but watch and hope the wind didn’t change and drive the fire into residential territory.
Scooter had to be going crazy at home alone. Ellen left the apartment and headed back to the cabin.
Anna folded her hands over her open bible. “Dearest Father in Heaven, be with my boy tonight. Give him strength and wisdom to know what to do. We know it’s your world, but Lord we pray you’ll keep the damage to a minimum and be with the people involved. Remind them that you reign over their lives and that their possessions are only earthly. Please allow lives to be touched in a positive way. In Your Name, amen.”
The log cabin really had become home to her. Ellen got out of her car. The apartment had seemed lonely and sterile, not homey and familiar like the log house. Scooter barked frantically as she unlocked the door and was a wiggling ball of energy as she let him out of his cage and outside. She sat on the steps and watched the dog romping around the front lawn. When the retriever finally calmed down, Ellen headed into the house and checked the television again. There wasn’t any new news on the fire, so she gave Scooter a dog treat and put him to bed, then got ready for bed herself.
“James, Zack, you two know anything about cows?”
James wearily set his pack down and looked at the Chief. “I can fake it.”
“What about you Zack?”
“Not a thing. Why?”
“I’ve just met with the farmer east of here and warned him we may need him to evacuate if the wind changes at all. He’s going to move his heifers and dry cows south to another pasture and try to leave the milking herd here as long as possible. I thought I’d send a few of you that way to help him out, then you can help with the other evacuations on that road.”
“Sure Chief.”
Roy met them as they headed to Truck 77. “Comin’ with me on cow detail?” he asked.
“Apparently.” James replied, hopping into the passenger seat.
Zack climbed into the backseat. “I’m not sure what we’re supposed to do. I don’t really do cows.”
“It’s easy, Chief said the guy has called some buddies and could just use a couple guys to help him herd them onto the trailers.”
“What do you know about cows?”
“I used to be in 4-H.” Roy put the truck in gear and they took off.
“Is there anything you haven’t done?” Zack asked.
“I haven’t been skydiving, my wife won’t let me.”
“We’ll now go to our correspondent, Laura Hilton, on the scene at Maple Valley Road. Laura.” Ellen watched the screen shift from the news anchor to the brunette reporter.
“George, I’m here on the scene of one of the evacuations on Maple Valley Road. A road potentially in the path of the wildfire. Firefighters, Police and members of the Red Cross are helping people evacuate and move to safe places in town. As you can see, some properties are more complicated than others. Behind me is Tom Barker’s dairy farm. We were unable to interview Mr. Barker as he is involved moving seventy young cows to safe pasture south of this location. As you can see behind me, firefighters are getting their hands dirty helping herd animals onto waiting trailers.”
Ellen leaned forward at the sight of three firefighters in red coveralls encouraging the Holsteins onto a large aluminum stock trailer. She caught her breath as she saw James slam the trailer door and latch it. The brief glimpse she got of her husband’s f
ace showed him to be sweat drenched and sooty. Why hadn’t she been more understanding? James was out there helping people, probably thinking she was still mad at him.
Chapter 7
James didn’t think he could stand up any longer. He drained another bottle of water, then gratefully climbed up onto a truck. The Captain had offered him a break and he hadn’t even thought to refuse. He rested his head against the dashboard and was asleep almost instantly. It had been three days of hard labour and very little sleep, but the fire was contained now and hadn’t actually reached any residential buildings. A couple of hunting cabins had been burned in the path, but otherwise, the damage was limited to trees and brush. The forest would come back stronger.
Four days after discovering the fire, James stumbled through the front door. Scooter dove at his legs. “Sorry Boy, but I’m not in the mood.” He looked up through watery eyes to see Ellen. “Hey, thanks for taking care of the dog.” His Grandmother had left him a message on his cell phone the morning after the fire started to let him know Ellen would be taking care of his dog. It had saved him the trouble of finding someone else to let Scooter out.
“It was the least I could do.” Ellen replied quietly. “Are you okay?”
“I was going to hit the shower, but I think I’ll just fall asleep and drown myself if I do.”
“Then go to bed. If you’re that dirty, you can just wash your sheets later.”
“I think I will.” James headed for his bedroom.
James slept all night and most of the next day. Ellen was started to worry about him when he finally came out late in the afternoon.
After a long shower, he came out to the kitchen.
“Are you hungry?” Ellen was at the sink washing dishes.
“Starving.” James rummaged in the fridge.
Ellen came up behind him. “There’s some leftover spaghetti, or enough roast beef to make a hot sandwich, you just have to warm up the gravy.”
“Spaghetti and roast beef, sounds wonderful.” James grabbed all three containers.
“You’re not actually going to eat all of that are you?”
“You bet I am. I haven’t eaten real food in four days. Or is it five now? What day is it anyway?”
“Thursday.”
“I see. I guess I should phone Dave and see if I still have a job.”
“Doesn’t he understand when you’re away?”
“Yeah, but I haven’t been absent for five days before.” James dumped the spaghetti onto a plate, then arranged meat on a slice of bread and spread cold gravy over it. “I bet this would taste good even if I didn’t warm it up.”
“James, that’s gross. It’ll take 2 minutes in the microwave, you can wait that long.”
“Fine.” James put the plate in the microwave and programmed it. Leaning against the counter, he turned back to Ellen. “So, are you still mad at me?”
Ellen shook her head. “No, I stopped being mad about two hours after I left.” She sat down in a kitchen chair. “And, I gave up the lease on my apartment yesterday.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“No, but if that’s a problem, I’ll find somewhere else.”
“No, it’s okay, I’m just surprised.” The microwave beeped and James turned around to take his plate out. He set the plate on the table and sat down. “Why?”
“I realized that this is my home now. I’m married to you for better or for worse, and having somewhere I can run to is just a temptation I don’t need.”
James twirled his fork in his spaghetti. “Do you think we’ll ever work this out?”
“I don’t know, but I know we do have to keep trying.”
“I’m leaving for church James, are you sure you don’t want to come?”
“Positive.” James crossed his arms across his chest. “Mass is one thing, but you’ve gotta be crazy to want to go to one of those other churches.”
“This one is different. I like it. I put some soup on the stove, add some macaroni to it if you want.”
“Okay.”
Ellen put her coat on and headed for her car. Soon she wouldn’t need a coat. The breeze on her face had a warmth it hadn’t had before. It felt strange to be missing mass, but at the same time, she felt like she’d be missing out if she didn’t go to this church. Sitting in the pew, she tried to follow the hymns, but most of them were still new to her. A deacon made the weekly announcements, then the Pastor got up to preach.
Ellen was mesmerized as he spoke. He said he’d been led to go back to the basics of Christianity and lay some foundation. He told of how God had made the world perfect, then Adam and Eve had sinned, making it necessary for someone to redeem mankind. He went on to the story of Jesus’ death on the cross and how His sacrifice made a way for people to commune with God. As he finished his sermon, he offered the congregation a chance to come to the altar and dedicate or re-dedicate their lives to Christ. Ellen sat quietly as the pianist began to play. A few people went forward. She felt almost as if she was being pulled in that direction. Then it was as if a voice quietly whispered. “Come to Me.” Taking a deep breath, Ellen stood up and walked down the aisle.
“How was church?” James asked dryly when she walked through the door.
“Wonderful.” Ellen knew her life had changed that morning. “I gave my heart to Jesus.”
“You what?” James didn’t look impressed.
“The Pastor was talking about how we’re sinners, and we need Jesus to get to heaven. I prayed. It was amazing. I feel like I found what I’ve been missing all my life.”
“I’m glad you feel that way. Can we eat?”
“Don’t you care James? You could have Jesus too, He can change our lives.”
“I think I’m good Ellen. Do whatever you want, but I’ve had enough church to last the rest of my life, so leave me out of it.”
Ellen was a little crushed, but decided to wait and see if he came around.
Ellen didn’t realize James wasn’t in the house until after she’d had breakfast and he came through the front door. “James, where have you been?”
“Structure fire. Place was finished when we got there, but I ended up in a pack on a hoseline almost all night.”
His voice was slurred from fatigue. Ellen moved toward him. “Are you still coming to church?”
“I think I’ll just hit the shower then get some sleep, I’m wiped out.”
“But you promised.” Ellen almost felt angry, but by the streaks of soot and his sweat soaked shirt, she didn’t want to push him too hard.
“I’ll go some other time.” He brushed past her, heading for the bathroom.
Feeling a little disappointed, Ellen got ready for church herself. James was already sound asleep when she left.
“Will you come to church next Sunday?” Ellen asked cheerfully that afternoon. James had woke up just as she was getting lunch ready.
“I don’t know, I don’t think I want to go to church,” he said flatly.
“But you promised.”
“I did not promise.”
“I thought you did.”
“Well you thought wrong.”
“You are so stubborn.”
James didn’t say anything. Ellen cut him a piece of meatloaf and spooned out some mashed potatoes and green beans. She set the plate in front of him and he ate silently.
“Are these potatoes from a box?” he said roughly.
“Yes, I didn’t exactly have time to peel the real thing this morning.”
“I guess not.” James took another bite. “It’s not that they’re bad, they’re just...”
“From a box?”
“Yeah.”
“Aren’t you used to that? You’ve only got thirty cans from every food group in your cupboard,” Ellen said wryly.
“I know, but you can get snowed in real good up here. It never hurts to be prepared.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. How long have you been up here?”
Ellen thought for a
moment, “Almost four months.”
“You’re in for a surprise when winter really gets here then.”
“What do you mean?”
James put his fork down. “Well, you can’t live in a northern part of the Canadian shield without getting huge snowstorms several times a year.”
“So we might get stuck here?”
“Yeah. Stuck here.” James smiled. “Together.” He picked up his fork again. “Maybe someday that’ll actually be a good thing.”
James didn’t mention church for three weeks and Ellen didn’t want to bring it up because she knew he’d probably get angry. She knew she needed to get some supper ready for him, but felt too sick to get off the couch. Her book said this shouldn’t last past the first trimester and that was over in another week so she hoped this would end soon.
She put her hand on her abdomen where the tiny bump had started. “You know you’re a piece of work,” she said quietly. She heard James’s truck pull into the driveway, then heard the screen door squeak.
“Ellen? Sorry I’m late.” James looked around for her. “Oh, there you are. Are you okay?”
“I’m feeling pretty sick.”
“That sucks, can I do anything for you?”
“No, but you’ll have to make your own supper.”
“That’s fine. I got you something.” James reached into his pocket.
“What?”
“These.” He handed her a package. “They’re sea-bands. They’re supposed to help with morning sickness.”
“How?”
“I don’t know, but it was a slow day at work, so I googled it and it was the one thing you’re not already doing. Wearing them is supposed to help and I figured it couldn’t hurt.”
“You googled morning sickness?”
“Yeah.”
“Thank you,” Ellen said quietly. “I just don’t understand why you care.”
James knelt down in front of her. “You live here, so you’re my responsibility and I hate seeing you feeling so sick. It’s not fair.” He brushed her hair out of her eyes. “You don’t have to use them,” he gestured the package. “But it might be worth a try.” James stood up and headed for the kitchen.
Married For Jeremy (Under Fire Book 1) Page 6