Courting Disaster

by Boeshaar, Andrea

  No doubt the reason was because he felt serious about his self-appointed undercover mission. Those Disaster Busters were up to something. Particularly Miss Cadi Trent. Frank just knew it. Why else would he have lost sleep last night thinking about her?

  He pulled into the parking lot and slowed his vehicle to a halt. He shut off the engine and climbed from behind the wheel of the SUV, then helped his kids out.

  On the way into the building, he greeted several people he knew and tried to ignore their expressions of shock and surprise at seeing him here again. Inside, he managed to pay little attention to the pity-filled stares. Many in this congregation had known and loved Yolanda, and now they saw him as her unfortunate, lonely widower in desperate need of female companionship.

  Ridiculous notion.

  Strolling up the center aisle of the sanctuary he bobbed a curt greeting to Paige Dunner, Dustin’s Sunday school teacher.

  “We missed you today.” She waved, and Frank noticed her gray eyes weren’t on his son as she spoke. He glimpsed her inviting expression, but he wasn’t interested in anything the skinny brunette had to offer.

  A few pews later, Dustin halted.

  Frank set his hand on his son’s shoulder before he could slide in and sit. “Let’s go up in front.”

  “But, Dad, we always sit here with Gramma and Grampa. They’ll be getting outa Bible study any minute.”

  “That’s fine, son, but I prefer to sit up front today.” Frank had already spotted Cadi’s blond hair in the front pew. She might be more hesitant to follow through with any rip-off schemes if she knew he was watching her every move.

  “But—”

  “Follow me, Dustin.”

  The boy obeyed, albeit reluctantly. Moments later, Frank and the children slid into the pew directly behind the Disaster Busters. The team greeted him with cordial smiles, but Frank sensed Cadi’s unease at once.

  She’s up to something, all right.

  Frank settled into the pew and stared at the back of Cadi’s head. He couldn’t help noticing that she’d fixed her hair so the usual sassy flips were smoothed under today. He had to admit the style looked more conservative and quite appropriate for Sunday morning service.

  His gaze moved down to her slender shoulders concealed by the teal and black printed jacket she wore.

  Then suddenly she turned to hear something one of her friends said, and Frank glimpsed the dangly silver earrings that hung from her lobes. The movement sent a waft of her delicate scent in his direction. She piqued his interest, all right, in more ways than one.

  Which makes her even more dangerous, he told himself, folding his arms across his chest.

  ❧

  Cadi wanted to groan out loud when Frank and his kids took occupancy of the wooden pew behind her. She had nothing against those two precious children, but she felt Frank’s molten gaze burning into her being. She had a hunch he meant to intimidate her, and she fought to overcome the destructive emotion. After all, no one could intimidate her unless she allowed him to do so.

  Besides, Lord, I have nothing to hide. Drawing in a deep breath, she forced herself to relax.

  “Dad, did you come to church with us today because of her?”

  The boy’s question reached Cadi’s ears. Next she heard Frank’s whispered reproof. Meg and Bailey, sitting on either side of her, began to laugh.

  “Oh, for pity’s sake,” she muttered, feeling her friends’ shoulders shake in amusement. Couldn’t her friends see that Frank viewed them as potential prisoners, not friends?

  Lord, please show this distrustful deputy that Disaster Busters is run with integrity. I’d never want to bring shame to Christ’s name.

  “Thanks again for the ride to the hotel last night,” Will said.

  Cadi turned in time to see him twist around in the pew and face Frank.

  “Glad I could help.”

  “As you can see, we found Cadi.” Will chuckled. “The little workaholic was so intent on building that Web site for victims of Friday’s explosion that she forgot her cell phone in the van and never knew we were trying to reach her.”

  “Web site, huh?”

  Cadi thought she could hear the distrust in his tone. She whirled around. “That’s right. Web site.” But the sight of Frank out of uniform and dressed in a black suit with a periwinkle shirt and coordinating necktie gave her pause. He looked like a model who had just stepped out of the glossy pages of a magazine.

  She cleared her throat. “Pastor Dremond is going to announce the site—and explain its purpose.”

  Before turning back around in the pew, Cadi smiled at the little girl who looked as precious as a baby doll. But not wanting to leave out Frank’s son, Cadi reached toward him, palm up. Dustin whacked it. Next she balled her first, and they knocked knuckles.

  “What happened to a handshake?” Frank asked facetiously.

  “Handshake?” Cadi rolled her eyes. “That was so yesterday.”

  Frank narrowed his dark gaze at her, but she saw a light of amusement in his brown eyes. She laughed and gave Dustin a mischievous wink.

  The boy smiled back at her.

  Music suddenly filled the air as the organist and pianist began to play. Cadi turned in her seat just as the choir began filling the loft behind the platform. Minutes later, the ensemble sang a soul-stirring rendition of the hymn “Be Thou My Vision.”

  Then Pastor Dremond strode to the podium. The coffee-colored suit he wore complemented his reddish brown hair. He read the announcements and moved on to the Web site Cadi created yesterday.

  “The Internet has many dangers,” he said, “but it can be used for blessings, as well. This site will be a blessing to those in need after Friday’s tragedy because it allows those who feel led to do so to donate funds that will in turn be used to provide basic necessities. None of us is rolling in money, but if each of us gives a little, the sum will accumulate into a lot. And that leads me to my sermon this morning. . . .”

  Pastor Dremond began by reading from the Gospel of Luke, chapter twenty-one, beginning in verse one, which illustrated sacrificial giving. “As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ‘I tell you the truth,’ he said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’ ”

  The reverend looked out over the congregation. “Some folks want to hang on to every last coin,” he said, “but in the end, they miss out on the best things in life. Likewise, some people don’t want to return love and affection or friendship because they’re too busy hanging on to their hearts. In a word, they’re afraid to give.”

  The pastor asked his congregation to turn in their Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter ten, verse thirty-nine. “Jesus said, ‘Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’ ”

  Again, Pastor Dremond glanced up from his Bible. “I think this verse illustrates how the more we try to hang on to something in this world, the more prone we are to losing it. Including, as Jesus said, our very lives.”

  The pastor went on to make a few more comparisons and then closed his message with prayer.

  When the service ended, members of the congregation crowded around Cadi and inquired about the new Web site. She directed them to her Disaster Busters site, through which they could log on to the Wind Lake Explosion Victims’ page. Many thanked her for her service, and Cadi felt blessed, as though she’d truly made a difference in this community.

  Once the churchgoers continued on their way, Cadi collected her purse and Bible and headed down the center aisle toward the door.

  “You’re very innovative, aren’t you?”

  She re
cognized the voice at once—but more, she recognized the cynical tone. Glancing to her right, she spied Frank Parker standing several feet away.

  Cadi paused and regarded him. “There’s hardly anything innovative about creating a Web page. It’s done all the time, and anyone can do it.”

  “Guess that’s my point.” He took a few steps forward and narrowed his gaze. “There are a lot of scams on the Internet, and at face value most of them appear on the up-and-up.”

  “Are you insinuating that I’m trying to scam people using the Web page I created?” Cadi asked indignantly, as heat filled her face and spread down her neck. She glanced around for the reverend. “And do you think Pastor Dremond would be in on such a scam?”

  “I merely made a comment, that’s all. Do you think you might be overreacting, perhaps out of guilt?”

  The remark struck her like a slap across the face. Tears threatened, but she fought to keep them at bay. She drew in a calming breath and held it, knowing she had no good, Christian thing to say to this man.

  She brushed past him and left the church. Meg, Bailey, Jeff, and Will were waiting for her in the parking lot next to the van.

  “Hey, we’ve got directions to the Dremonds’ house!” Jeff called. His light brown hair was so short it didn’t move in the gentle wind.

  Cadi pushed strands of her hair off her face. “I’d rather go home. We can pick up some food on the way.”

  “Fast food compared to a home-cooked meal? The latter has my vote,” Will said. “Mrs. Dremond said she prepared pot roast. Mmm-mmm. That’s my kind of noonday supper.”

  As if in reply, Cadi’s stomach rumbled. She hadn’t eaten breakfast this morning.

  “You look upset.” Meg peered at her and tilted her head. “What’s wrong?”

  Cadi momentarily closed her eyes to regain her composure. “Another run-in with our friendly neighborhood sheriff’s deputy. He accused me of setting up the Web site so I can steal donations.”

  “Shut up!” Will replied in disbelief. “Maybe you should file some kind of complaint against him. I mean, he has no proof, and his behavior borders on harassment.”

  Cadi considered it.

  “In the meantime, let’s drive over to the Dremonds’ and eat.” Will rubbed his palms together.

  “I just want to go home.”

  “Oh, c’mon, Cadi,” Bailey said. “It’ll be fun.”

  “All right. But just remember, we need to get home today. I don’t have another change of clothes.”

  “I’m out of clean clothes, too,” Meg said. “Besides, it seems our work is done here.”

  “I agree, but a few hours at the Dremonds’ place won’t set us back too far,” Jeff reasoned. “It won’t take us long to get home.”

  A moment later the heavy entryway doors of the small country church closed with a bang. Cadi turned in time to see Pastor Dremond exiting the building along with Sergeant Parker and his two children.

  “Want me to go talk to him, Cadi?” Will stared in the deputy’s direction with a firm set to his jaw. “I’ll straighten him out about everything.”

  “No. Just leave the matter alone. With any luck we’ll never see the guy again.”

  “See you at home in a few minutes!” the reverend called to the Disaster Busters team. Then he shook hands with Frank.

  Cadi’s gaze met Frank’s dark eyes. Tumultuous emotions made her stomach flip while an infinite sadness filled her being. He thinks I’m out to cheat people. She looked away and told herself to feel thankful that she’d seen the last of the hypercritical sheriff’s deputy. After lunch with the Dremonds, she could retreat to Waterloo and, she hoped, out of his jurisdiction.

  Eight

  The Disaster Busters team piled into the van with Cadi at the wheel. They rode to the Dremonds’ single-story ranch-style home, located a mile up the road from the church. With the trailer hitched again to the van, Cadi carefully maneuvered the vehicle up the winding gravel driveway.

  All jumped out, and after a hearty welcome from the Dremond kids and Simon, the family’s dog, Cadi, Meg, and Bailey offered to help Lindsey Dremond in the kitchen. There wasn’t much to do, however, as the trim, dark-haired woman had things under control. So the women chatted and got acquainted while the last of the lunch preparations were made. Then Meg and Bailey went outside to set up the picnic table for the children.

  Minutes later, while Cadi carried a porcelain bowl filled with steaming roasted meat, potatoes, carrots, and celery to the dining room table, she heard laughter coming from the next room. She thought she recognized the deep guffaw that certainly didn’t sound as if it came from mild-mannered Pastor Dremond.

  Oh, Lord, no—not him.

  “Cadi, you’ll never believe who just arrived with his kids.” Meg rushed over to her. “It’s that nice officer you like so much.”

  She had to smile at her friend’s sarcastic wit. “Great. I’ll look forward to being interrogated while I try to eat.”

  “Bring it on,” Meg said with a smile. “He’s outnumbered.”

  Cadi relented. “True enough.”

  “Between all of us, maybe we can put that guy’s suspicions to rest once and for all.”

  She nodded in agreement. Her friend made a good point, and with a new perspective, Cadi’s nerves felt less jangled.

  Until she was seated beside the brawny man at the dinner table. His shoulders were so broad that his arm brushed against Cadi each time he moved.

  Pastor Dremond prayed over their food and concluded with a hearty “Amen.” Everyone began eating while Lindsey set off to check on the kids and make sure they were behaving outside. She made a quick return and announced that all was well. They didn’t mind eating their pot roast under the budding apple blossoms.

  “Gorgeous afternoon, isn’t it?” Pastor Dremond remarked. “Perfect day in May.”

  “I love this time of year, but summer is my favorite season.” Meg cut into a piece of meat. “Can’t wait until it arrives.”

  “How do you like to spend your summer days?” the pastor inquired. “When you’re not responding to disasters, of course.”

  “Well, I do have a full-time job, and I’m working on my master’s degree in Christian counseling. But when I find free time, I play volleyball on a team at church, and Cadi and I enjoy watching the guys play softball.”

  Cadi gasped at the remark’s implication, choking on the iced tea she’d just sipped. Will clapped her between the shoulder blades.

  “Gracious me!” A pinkish hue crept into Meg’s cheeks. “I, um, didn’t mean anything by that comment. We just enjoy the evening games. We mostly sit and talk with our girlfriends in the stands.”

  Beside her, Frank chuckled.

  “We do tend to gab more than we watch the game, I’m afraid,” Bailey added.

  “My mouth ran ahead of my brain,” Meg said apologetically.

  “Sure did,” Will quipped.

  Cadi finished her coughing fit. “Excuse me for getting all choked up.”

  Chuckles flitted around the table.

  “Quite all right,” Adam said. “My wife makes strong tea.”

  Cadi smiled and cast a quick glance in Frank’s direction. He was smiling, and he seemed so disarming—so likable—that she wished they could be friends.

  “And evening softball games are a favorite pastime of mine, too,” the pastor continued. “My oldest son is on a Little League team.”

  “Awesome,” Meg replied, sending a look of apology across the table to Cadi.

  She accepted with a smile.

  “If I recall, you used to play some softball, Frank.”

  “That was a long time ago.” He shifted in his chair, and his elbow bumped Cadi’s. He murmured an apology.

  “Your son’s close to the right age to join
Little League.”

  “Maybe next year. Dustin has expressed an interest in softball. I guess I could sign him up.”

  “Great. We can carpool.” Pastor Dremond grinned at his wife.

  Cadi took a bite of the seasoned beef and savored its rich flavor.

  “So, what kind of disasters has this group responded to lately?” Frank asked, changing the subject.

  Cadi felt Frank’s stare, but with her mouth full, she dared not reply. Instead, she looked across the table at Meg, Jeff, and Bailey, silently urging them to respond.

  “You name it, we’ve been there,” Jeff said. “Probably similar, that way, to your line of work, Officer.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Feel free to check out our credibility, if you haven’t already,” Will told him. “We play by the book.”

  “The Good Book,” Bailey added. “Disaster Busters is a Christian organization.”

  “I ran a check on both the organization and Cadi, and everything came back squeaky clean.”

  Cadi swallowed. “You ran a check on me?” Stunned, she turned toward him.

  “Just doing my job.” He peered at her with an unwavering gaze.

  Cadi felt more than offended. She was hurt—hurt that someone would dislike and suspect her when all the while her intentions were honorable.

  Lindsey cleared her throat. “Well, if you don’t mind, I’d prefer if you all didn’t exchange disaster stories during lunch. I can barely watch the local news channels. But I’d love to hear what God is doing in your lives.”

  Bailey replied first, then one by one, they shared miraculous accounts of the Lord’s mercy and goodness—all except Frank Parker who, Cadi noticed, didn’t contribute to the conversation. What’s more, he had the nerve to settle back in his seat and drape his arm over the back of her chair. Cadi, however, refused to be intimidated. The thought of filing a complaint against him, as Will suggested, somehow grew more and more appealing.

  After lunch, the reverend cleared the dishes, and his wife served dessert. The children came in, and the boys began begging to play a game of catch with Will, Jeff, Frank, and the pastor. The men declined, but Cadi decided throwing around a ball with the kids sounded better than sitting under Frank’s scrutiny a moment longer.