by Marta Perry
“Believe me, Jay. If you have what the Academy wants, people will line up to recommend you.”
“Yeah, right.” He turned away, obviously not believing Ken’s words.
“I mean it.” His hand tightened on the boy’s shoulder. “I’ll promise you something. Wherever I am, whatever I’m doing, you come to me when you’re ready to apply, and if you’ve done your part, I’ll see to it that you get everything else you need.”
Jay studied him again, and he realized he wasn’t the only one who was trying to take someone’s measure today. “Juli thinks you’re okay.”
In other words, Juli’s opinion counted more with Jay than Ken’s status as an Air Force pilot. Well, that was okay. In fact, that was fine.
“Seems like Juli’s someone you can trust.”
“Are you kidding? Juli and her grandparents are the best.” The boy’s voice warmed. “I gotta believe what she says.”
“You know what? I do, too.”
He realized suddenly that it was true. His instincts were telling him the same thing Juli had—that this boy wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.
He patted the boy’s shoulder. “So you keep in touch with her. When I go back on duty—” When, not if. He had to believe that. “—I’ll let her know where to find me. And when you’re ready, I’ll do everything I can to help you.”
Jay didn’t say anything, but he nodded. And Ken could almost believe that was hope in his eyes.
He glanced toward Juli. “Come on. Guess we’d better find out what the boss wants us to do next.”
When they reached her, Juli handed them something that looked like baseball bases. He hefted one. “Do the dogs play baseball, too?”
“Smart guy.” She smiled, but he could see the wariness behind that smile. She wasn’t quite ready to forgive him yet for bringing up Jay’s name with the police. “They probably could, if they put their minds to it. We need to set up the bases for stop and stay.”
“Stop and stay?”
“It’s a test of a dog’s direct-ability. The dog has to respond instantly to commands given from a distance. That could save his life on a disaster site.”
“Looks like Jay has done this before.” The boy was moving away from them, already setting up the bases, apparently knowing how far apart to put them.
She nodded. “We do this fairly often in training. He’s a sharp kid. You don’t have to show him how to do something more than once.”
“I believe that.” He’d caught the boy’s quick intelligence at work in even a casual conversation. “Sometimes he lets his attitude get in the way.”
“Is that what you told him?” Her face tightened a little.
“No. I told him that if he still wants the Air Force Academy when it’s time to apply that I’d do everything I can to help him.”
“You did?” The squeak of astonishment in Julianna’s voice showed him how little she’d expected that of him. “You mean that?”
“I’m not in the habit of making promises I don’t mean.”
She studied him for a moment. “You talked to him about the Academy. I know that can’t have been easy.”
“Easy? No.” He wanted to deny the sympathy in her eyes. How did she know so clearly what would hurt him? “But you were right about him. That’s what he dreams of.”
“Did you tell him those dreams could come true?”
“I told him the truth. It’s not easy to get into the Academy. They have their choice of the best and the brightest. But if that’s what he wants, he has as good a chance of making it as anyone.”
“I find it hard to believe you’d encourage him if you believed him capable of vandalism.”
She stood close to him, her head tilted back so that she could look up into his face. The sunlight gilded her cheeks with bronze, and he wanted to touch her skin, to see if it was as warm and smooth and alive as it looked.
He was suddenly aware of the strength of her—not just physical, although that was there, but an inner, spiritual strength that didn’t depend upon what anyone else thought of her.
He wanted her to look at him with approval, even admiration. But he wouldn’t get that by glossing over what he had to say to her.
“I see the same thing you see in him, Juli. He’s bright, and he has courage and determination. I agree that he wouldn’t intentionally do anything to hurt you.”
Her expression seemed to harden, as if he were looking at a bronze statue of her instead of a living, breathing, vulnerable woman. “I sense a ‘but’ coming.”
He nodded. “But would he realize that vandalism here would hurt you? I don’t know.”
“He would.” Her eyes flashed fire. “And he wouldn’t do that.”
“I hope you’re right.” His hand closed over her wrist, and he felt her pulse pound against his palm. “I want to believe you’re right. My instincts agree with yours. But I can’t totally trust my instincts, or yours, where someone else’s livelihood is at stake. I can’t.”
SIX
Several days had passed, and nothing more had happened at the construction company. Julianna took her seat in the church parlor for Bible study, nodding to those around her. She’d deliberately come in at the last possible moment, hoping to avoid any uncomfortable conversation with Ken.
Maybe it wasn’t right to say nothing had happened recently. Ken had been avoiding her again—that was what was happening. It was as if, after their conversation at the training setup, he’d decided they were getting too close.
She understood that feeling, and she agreed that a little distance between them was probably a good idea. He hadn’t liked letting her see how much it bothered him to talk to Jay about an Air Force career.
And she hadn’t liked the feeling that she was conspiring with him against Jay. She shifted restlessly in the metal folding chair. Pastor Gabriel was deep in conversation with an elderly woman who sat on the burgundy love seat that made up the first ring of the circle of seats, and apparently he wasn’t ready to start yet.
Surely Ken couldn’t believe Jay was involved in the vandalism. She had to cling to the hope that Ken wouldn’t have offered to help Jay get into the Academy if he thought the boy had trashed the office or tried to dump a load of lumber on his head.
Maybe the fact that the vandal hadn’t struck since that last incident was making everyone nervous. She agreed with Quinn about that—tampering with the hospital report wasn’t a simple act of vandalism. It was an attack against the company’s very existence. Ken couldn’t believe Jay did that. The very idea was ridiculous.
She had to clear the air with Ken. Avoiding the subject wasn’t helping. Even as she had the thought, the door opened and Ken and Holly came in. As if their arrival had been a signal, Pastor Gabriel opened his Bible.
Holly and Ken slid into the chairs next to her. She nodded to them, and forced her attention to Pastor Gabriel.
The subject of the study was one of her favorite passages—Psalm 27. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is the refuge of my life; of whom should I be afraid?”
She let the words seep into her heart. They were a promise she needed to remember.
Next to her, she felt Holly move restlessly. Beyond Holly, Ken kept his gaze fixed on the pastor, his profile stern and withdrawn.
After the study, she promised herself. She’d find some way to talk to him about Jay.
But when the moment came, Ken got up so quickly that it seemed the final “Amen” had released a spring. He turned away, as if to make a quick escape, but the end of the row was blocked by several people greeting each other. His left hand, with its gold Academy ring, clenched on the back of a chair, and she felt his tension as if they were touching.
Maybe that conversation she’d hoped to have would have to wait. She couldn’t—
Holly started to get up. She let out a gasp. The small sound had Julianna turning to her instantly. Holly sank back onto the chair, her face white. She met Julianna’s gaze and
shook her head.
“Get Ken,” she whispered.
Alarm threading along her nerves, Julianna moved carefully past her friend and scurried to the end of the row of chairs, where Ken was anchored by a couple of elderly ladies carrying on an animated conversation.
“Ken,” she said softly. Holly obviously didn’t want to draw attention to herself.
He turned slightly toward her. “Hi, Julianna.”
She touched his arm, lowering her voice. “Holly needs you.”
In an instant the armor she’d sensed him holding against her dropped. He shoved a chair out of his way to reach his sister, Julianna right behind him.
“What is it, Holly?” He knelt next to her, his voice low.
“Hurts.” Holly reached out to grab Julianna’s hand and hold on tight. “I don’t want everyone to know and make a fuss over me. Just help me out to the car.”
“Pull up to the vestibule door,” Julianna said quickly. “That’ll be the easiest way to take her out. I’ll stay with her.”
His face drawn with concern, Ken nodded. He stood and hurried to the door.
Pastor Gabriel looked toward them and seemed to take in the situation with a glance. He ushered the last stragglers out of the parlor and came to them, his face drawn with concern.
“What can I do?” He clasped their linked hands in his.
Holly managed a smile. “Pray.”
“I’m already doing that,” he said. “Are you going to the emergency room?”
She nodded.
“I’ll follow you.”
Before he could say more, Ken hurried back in. “I’m right outside,” he said. He bent over his sister. “I’m going to carry you to the car.”
Ignoring her protest, he lifted her carefully in his arms. Julianna grabbed her bag and Holly’s and hurried to open the door. In seconds, it seemed, they had Holly secured in the passenger seat. She was still gripping Julianna’s hand, so Juli slipped into the seat behind her.
Ken backed out the walkway he’d brought the car in and turned onto the street. She could sense the urgency in him, but he maneuvered the vehicle as cautiously as if he were transporting a wedding cake.
“Be there in a jiffy,” he said. He glanced at Holly, so concentrated on his twin that Julianna had the feeling he’d forgotten she was there. “I know twins are supposed to share each other’s pains, but can I miss this one?”
“Chicken,” Holly said, and her smile flickered.
Through their clasped hands, Julianna seemed to feel the comfort Holly received from her brother’s words. She patted Holly’s fingers.
“Can you tell us what you’re feeling?”
“Pain.” Holly’s grip tightened. “Take-your-breath-away pain, down very low in my belly. If something’s wrong with the baby—”
“We’re almost there,” Ken said quickly. The car spurted up the drive to the hospital. “Hang on, Hol. They’ll take good care of you.”
Indeed, the moment Ken pulled to a stop outside the emergency room door, a wheelchair was there. Attendants whisked Holly toward an exam room. Since Holly still gripped her hand, Julianna went, too.
When the nurse helped Holly onto the exam table, she grimaced and then tried to smile at Ken.
“No offense, Ken, but I’d rather you weren’t here for this examination. Julianna will stay with me. Why don’t you go call Jake?”
It flickered through Juli’s mind to wonder if Ken resented her supplanting him, but if anything, he looked relieved.
“I’ll have to call Mom, too, or she’ll never forgive us.”
Holly nodded. “Try not to alarm her.”
Ken managed a smile. “I’m afraid that’s beyond my capabilities, but I’ll try.” He glanced at Julianna, and she saw the pain he was trying to hide. “Take care of her.”
She nodded, throat tightening.
No sooner had Ken left than Holly’s obstetrician arrived. The tall, gray-haired woman brought an aura of calm and control with her into the room.
“Dr. Smithfield.” The relief in Holly’s voice was obvious. “The baby’s okay, isn’t she?”
“We’ll soon see.” Dr. Smithfield touched Holly’s abdomen, and Holly seemed to relax at her touch. “Suppose we have your friend wait outside for just a few minutes, all right?”
Holly nodded, so Julianna slipped out, making her way to the waiting room. Pastor Gabriel was already there, but in answer to his raised brow, all she could do was shake her head.
“I don’t know anything yet. Her obstetrician is with her now.”
“Then we’ll pray.” He clasped her hands in his, seeming oblivious of the receptionist behind the desk, and lifted his voice in prayer.
By the time he’d finished, Ken came back in, slipping a cell phone into his pocket. “Anything?”
“Not yet. Did you reach her husband?”
He nodded. “He’ll be here in a couple of minutes. His parents will stop by for Mom.”
They were about to be invaded by a horde of Montgomerys and Vances, in other words. Well, that was natural. Holly had linked the two families when she married Jake Montgomery, formalizing the ties that had existed between them for several generations.
She didn’t belong here, with people like that. But she couldn’t leave until she knew that Holly was all right.
Please, Father. Protect her and the baby.
By the time Dr. Smithfield emerged from the exam room, the waiting room had filled up with Montgomerys and Vances, and Pastor Gabriel had launched an informal prayer service.
The waiting room fell silent when Dr. Smithfield entered. She smiled. “You can all stop worrying. Holly and the baby are both fine.”
“Thank Heaven,” Jake said fervently, running a hand through dark blond hair. “Can I see her?”
She nodded. “Go on in. She’ll tell you all about it.”
Ken’s mother took a quick step forward as if to follow, but Dr. Smithfield cut her off smoothly.
“Holly asked me to explain the situation, so you’d all relax and stop worrying. It’s nothing unusual. The baby has shifted to a position where she’s pressing on a nerve. The situation is very painful for the mother, but there’s no danger.”
“But can’t you do something for Holly?” Marilyn Vance was obviously concerned for her baby.
“We’ve given her something, and she’s much more comfortable already,” Dr. Smithfield soothed. “I’m going to keep her overnight, just to be on the safe side. You can see her once she’s in her room, all right?”
Mrs. Vance looked as if there were a protest on her lips, but Ken took hold of her arm.
“That’s fine, Doctor. Thank you.” He seemed to send an unspoken signal to his aunt, and the woman came to put her arm around his mother.
“Let’s get some coffee while you’re waiting, Marilyn.” She led her to a chair.
Now she had no excuse to stay. Holly was going to be all right, and she was surrounded by people who loved her. Julianna Red Feather didn’t belong here with people like the Montgomerys and the Vances.
She slipped toward the door, but just as she went out, she realized that Ken had followed. He caught her hand, bringing her to a halt just outside the door, where they stood bathed in a pool of light from the emergency room sign.
Ken inhaled. “Smells better out here. I hate the smell of hospitals. You don’t think Holly could tell, do you?”
She was unaccountably touched. “She was just grateful you were there. I just hadn’t realized—” She stopped, thinking she was getting too close again.
“Realized what?” Ken captured her hand in his, so that she couldn’t move away.
“The link between you two. I guess all those things they say about twins are true.”
“Funny. I hadn’t thought about that in ages, but I guess so.” His fingers were warm around her wrist. “I’ve been away too long. Maybe it’s right that I’m here now.” He frowned. “Although if that’s the case, God could have used a less painful way of get
ting me home.”
It sounded as though Ken were searching for answers to the puzzling question of God’s will, just as she was. She had to say something, although she certainly wasn’t an expert.
“I don’t believe—well, that God caused your crash just so you’d be here. But I want to believe that God can bring something good out of the most terrible things.”
She had to believe that, or she’d have no way to keep on going.
“That sounds like personal experience talking.” Ken’s voice was low.
She tried to smile. “Something like that.”
“Will you tell me about it someday?”
“I don’t know.” He was the one person who might understand, but she didn’t think they’d ever be close enough for that.
He squeezed her hand. “I hope so, Juli. I really do.”
His voice was so warm that it brought her gaze, startled, to meet his. Her breath caught. Ken was looking at her as if they meant something to each other. As if—
A flicker of panic went through her. She couldn’t feel anything for Ken. She couldn’t.
But she did.
“I think it’s about time we left Jake and Holly alone.” Ken nodded toward the hospital room door. “Come on, everyone out.”
“Ken’s right.” Jake’s father put his arm around his wife. “Come on, Liza. Jake and Holly don’t need us right now.”
Liza bent over the bed to drop a kiss on Holly’s cheek. “You call us if you need anything.” She gave her son a stern look. “Anything at all.”
“We will, Mom.” Jake released Holly’s hand long enough to hug her. “I’ll give you a call in the morning.”
Ken nudged his mother. “Come on, Mom. Us, too.”
His mother frowned. “If you mean that we should leave also, Kenneth, please say so.”
When Mom started correcting his speech, she wasn’t worrying too much. He smiled, bending over to kiss his sister.
“’Night, Hol.”
“Thanks for clearing the room,” she whispered.
He grinned. “Hey, I didn’t need the twin thing to figure that one out. You behave. We’ll check in tomorrow.”