Kitabı oku: «Two Rings, One Heart»

Chapter One

Memories. Old memories, always flooding up from the past Megan Whitney had built a new life, but the past was always coming to haunt her. Reminders of a life years ago and the husband she had loved and trusted.

Why couldn’t she just let it go? Maybe it was because of the kids. But they were a blessing. No, it was deeper than that It was the promises. The vows she had made to God and to Mitchell.

Megan realized she felt this way every time she had a confrontation challenging her moral values. This time not only had her integrity been questioned, but by the end of the encounter she was being accused of causing her husband’s departure. Was it true? Had she been the problem all along?

The day had started out as usual for Megan. She got her two children off to school. Afterwards she opened Meadow Flowers, a once-small florist’s shop that she had built into a flourishing nursery and landscape business.

In the morning, she made flower arrangements. After lunch, she delivered them and went to do a final inspection on a landscaping job. From there she went to the high school to pick up her sixteen-year-old son, Zack.

Zack drove his mother to the Division of Motor Vehicles. He was finally old enough to get his driver’s license. Coming out of the building, he proudly showed his mother the license. To him it meant freedom to come and go without his mother escorting him. “See Mom, it’s official. I can drive now. Aren’t you happy?”

“Overjoyed! Now you can do the evening deliveries.”

“Aw, Mom!” Zack groaned. “Can I have the truck after that?”

“We’ll see,” she said, smiling faintly.

The last stop was a meeting to complete a landscape proposal. Megan’s day had been hectic, but she didn’t complain. There had been lean years in the past, when it had been hard to make ends meet.

Faith in God was her foundation. She had learned to pray, work hard and hold on. Now she no longer had to scrape to make a living. God was faithful.

Zack parked the company van like a pro in front of the newly completed building. Megan grabbed the proposal. “I know you’re anxious to try out that new driver’s license, but try to wait for me.”

Zack grinned wickedly at his mother as he changed the radio station. “Don’t be too long or I’ll just have to leave you here!”

Inside the building Megan found the owner, Mr. Carlyle, and waited for him to finish a phone conversation. He was a nice-looking man in his mid-fifties. She knew he owned several large properties in the area and was quite wealthy.

Mr. Carlyle glanced over the proposal, wrote a deposit check and handed it to her. They had met on a previous occasion at the work site. She had been in coveralls and had had her hair up in a cap, he recalled.

“Thank you. We’ll start work on Monday,” she said, then turned to leave.

Mr. Carlyle followed her outside. “Why don’t you explain the layout to me one more time?” he said, halting her progress.

Megan pointed out where the trees, shrubs and grass would be planted. “It will be beautiful. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied. We also offer lawn care, snow removal and seasonal flower planting. If you’re interested, give us a call,” she said, handing him her business brochure.

“Ms. Whitney, I think it would be nice if we closed this deal by going out to dinner. To celebrate,” he suggested.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Carlyle, I can’t. My son is waiting for me,” she said politely.

He glanced at the van. “He’s a big boy. Drop him at home, change into something nice, and meet me later.”

“I also have a little daughter waiting for me to come home and spend some time with her,” she said, trying to gently refuse his offer.

“It might be fun,” he said, raising his eyebrows.

“Mr. Carlyle, I’m married,” she said, glancing at his left hand, seeing that he was wearing a wedding ring.

“So am I. What difference does that make? We’re just going out to have a little fun, not make a lifetime commitment,” he said laughing.

Megan didn’t like the way this conversation was going and she intended to close it. “My crew will start working on Monday, if that suits you?”

As he stared at her without answering, she realized that he was waiting for her to back away or show some sign of submission. When she didn’t, he verbally attacked her.

“The way I hear it, your husband hasn’t been around for years. And when he was, he was a no-good drunk! Why are you being faithful to him?”

Megan twirled her engagement ring around her finger—something she always did when she was unsettled. Mr. Carlyle was a prominent businessman. He could do her a lot of good, or a lot of harm. Lord, help me to gracefully extract myself from this situation. Don’t let him push it too far.

“I hear you’re an exceptional businesswoman, Ms. Whitney, or may I call you Megan? How are you at negotiations?” he asked, letting her know he was implying more than business.

Megan thought before she spoke. “I have a thriving business.”

“Why don’t you go out to dinner with me? Maybe we can negotiate another deal,” he said suggestively. “You must be lonely and need a little companionship.”

“Mr. Carlyle, I’m not sure what you’re suggesting, but I have a pretty good idea. I have two children and I believe I need to set an example for them. To go out with you would be inappropriate, since I’m married,” she stated.

“Ms. Whitney, there are ways around such concerns. I’m sure your children would understand you going out for a business dinner,” he said persuasively.

“Is that all it would be?” Megan asked boldly.

“It can be whatever you want it to be.” He grinned smugly. “No one will ever know, but us.”

Megan held out the check to him. “Maybe you’d better take this back.”

“What’s the problem?” He seemed baffled. “We go out and have a little fun. I give you a few good customers. Nobody gets hurt and we all get what we want”

“Doesn’t it bother you to break the promises you made to your wife before God?” she asked and waited for him to answer. She honestly wanted to know.

“All that happened a long time ago. We’ve both changed. And who knows if God is even there or cares?” he said carelessly.

“So you’re telling me that the vows you made to your wife and God no longer matter. You’re free to do whatever you wish. Who changed the rules?” she asked.

He glared at her angrily.

“You know, if you keep this up, one of these days you’re going to go home and she’s not going to be there. Maybe you should take your wife out to dinner. She may not wait forever,” Megan said evenly.

“I don’t want to hear this. Especially not from you,” he said hotly. “Who are you to preach to me, anyway? You probably ran the poor guy off, after you drove him to drink!”

Megan steadied herself after the assault of cruel words. Then she offered him the deposit check once again.

“No! Keep it. If you’re that straight, I know you’ll do the job right. Business, you understand,” he said sarcastically.

Megan strode to the van quickly, before some of the harsh words that were reeling through her head could come spewing out. “Let’s go home,” she said quietly. Zack started the van. He had watched enough to guess what had transpired. He drove away giving the guy a dirty look.

When they got back to the flower shop, Megan immediately began working. Ted Garrett, her assistant, looked at Zack concerned. He knew Megan always asked how things had been while she was out, or at least said “hi.”

“Mr. Carlyle wanted a date,” Zack explained, irritated.

“Oh! Did we lose the job?” he asked cheerfully, having worked with Mr. Carlyle types before.

“No! But I nearly lost my cool,” Megan said, turning crimson at the thought of the encounter. “He thought I was going to sleep with him!”

“You should have slugged him and told him to keep the job,” Ted said, chuckling. “We have enough business without him.”

“Don’t think that idea didn’t cross my mind,” she admitted. “We don’t get big jobs like that very often. We can’t afford to just throw them away. Besides, I know you’re looking forward to digging those holes for the trees he ordered,” she teased.

By the time they locked the shop, Megan was her usual self again. Zack playfully draped his arm around his mother’s shoulder as they walked across the yard to the old farmhouse. “I’m proud of you, Mom. You were something else.”

“I’m proud of you, too. I suppose you’ll be wanting to take the truck out,” she said, pulling out a shiny new set of keys and dangling them before him.

Zack grinned. “How’d you guess?”

“Mothers just know these things,” she said, tossing him the keys.

Zack hugged her neck, then dashed inside ahead of her.

“Cool!” said Jess, looking at the picture on her brother’s license. “When are you going to take me out?”

When he didn’t answer, she turned to her mother. “Gran wants to know if she can pick me up after school tomorrow. We’re going shopping and to a movie. Can I spend the night with her?” Jess clamored.

Megan smiled at her daughter’s pretty face. To a ten-year-old girl, a trip to the mall with an overindulgent grandmother was heaven. “I guess so.”

Zack showed his grandmother his license. She squinted at the picture and smiled at him with approval. “Good job!”

“Thanks for coming over, Ruth,” Megan said to her mother-in-law, comforted that Jess hadn’t had to stay alone.

Ruth Whitney was in her sixties and retired. She seemed to be at loose ends most of the time. Her husband had died years before. Then Mitchell, her only child, had deserted her as well as his wife and children. Life had been far from perfect for her, but she didn’t dwell on that. Megan always included her in all the family activities.

“Mom, my camping trip is tomorrow too!” Zack said anxiously, realizing this would be the first time both he and his sister would be gone overnight at the same time. “I could cancel,” he offered, obviously trying not to sound disappointed.

“No way! You guys have been planning this trip for weeks. You’re going,” she said stubbornly.

Zack knew that was the end of the discussion. His mother had made up her mind. He was a little relieved. He really didn’t want to give up the camping trip. Then again he felt a little guilty leaving her alone.

Megan helped Zack load his gear into his friend’s father’s Jeep the next evening. It was a guys’ weekend. Zack didn’t get much of that being surrounded by women. “Have a good time!” Megan said, waving as she watched them drive away.

Zack was doing really well for a kid growing up without a father. She tried her best, but sometimes it wasn’t enough. There were some things a mother just couldn’t do.

With the kids out of the house, it was unusually quiet. Megan found herself at loose ends staring out the window. The farm was mostly gently rolling land, but at the back of the property were foothills into the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains.

She put on some old clothes and started walking down the dirt road that led to the river. She crossed the old wooden footbridge and started climbing the timeworn, rutted-out path. Out of breath when she reached the top, she turned to look back.

The view always made her heart swell, and at the same time humbled her. Below, like a picture, lay her farm. The farmhouse, barns and buildings that made up Meadow Flowers paved their way along the dirt road ending near the river. Each improvement looked as though it belonged, not as though it were an after-thought. Megan had planned it that way from this very spot. It was her favorite place. The kids called it “The Hill.”

Megan moved on to an ancient-looking rock and climbed onto it, thinking back to the circumstances that had brought her to this point in her life. The summer she was sixteen, Mrs. Thurlow opened a small flower shop to keep herself busy while her husband farmed. The shop was just a hobby but Mr. Thurlow hired Megan to keep his wife from overworking herself. Megan had just wanted to make a little spending money.

At first the shop had very few customers. Once in a while a friend of Mrs. Thurlow would stop by for fresh flowers to put on the table for dinner guests. Other than that, Megan spent her time pulling weeds, pruning shrubs or helping can vegetables.

Even though she was learning a lot about gardens and plants, she was bored stiff. With her quick mind and lots of time to think, she began coming up with ways to improve business. There was always an excess of fresh vegetables. With the Thurlows’ permission, she put a sign near the road advertising homegrown vegetables for sale.

Before long they had a number of regular customers and began getting orders for flowers to be delivered. Mrs. Thurlow had never learned to drive, but Megan had an old car. The two of them would arrange flowers, then set out to deliver them, carrying along a variety of vegetables just in case they could sell some along the way. Usually, they sold everything.

Mrs. Thurlow loved it. She would get to visit her friends, and make a few dollars to boot. Megan also loved it. She was no longer pulling weeds or canning vegetables.

When Megan graduated from high school, Mrs. Thurlow wanted her to work full time and offered her a percentage of what they made. Megan was planning to marry her high-school sweetheart, and needed the job.

By this time, Mrs. Thurlow just wanted to keep her around. Megan made her feel years younger, the older woman had told her. The delivery trips were like an adventure. Megan always seemed to think up something to keep things interesting. They would stop for ice cream or go by the pond with stale bread and feed the ducks, or ride up to the highest hill just for the view.

Megan had a way with Mr. Thurlow as well. She would bring him a box of jelly doughnuts or pick up the latest trade paper for him. It was his suggestion to give Megan a percentage. He knew she would earn it.

Years later, the Thurlows made the difficult decision to retire and move out west with one of their sons. He had a ranch, and told his dad that he needed help with the chores. They all knew it was because of the health problems that Mr. Thurlow was experiencing. Yet it was the best decision for the couple.

It was bad news for Megan. The young girl that the Thurlows had hired for a summer job was now the mother of two small children and raising them as a single parent. She had no training or experience outside the flower shop. The thought of trying to find a job to support her family was frightening.

The Thurlows were well aware of her situation. They offered to sell her the farm, knowing she loved Meadow Flowers and dreamed of owning it one day. Megan went to her bank and tried to secure a loan. The only collateral she had was her old car and the bedroom furniture Mitchell had given her for their first wedding anniversary. The bank had no interest in either, and turned her down flat. She went to several more banks and loan companies, receiving the same response at each.

With no place else to go, Megan finally turned to God. Dear God, I don’t know what to do. I know, with Your help, I can run this business and pay back the money I borrow. If there’s any way possible for me to buy this land and if it’s Your will, please show me the way. In Jesus’ name, amen.

When she got the last negative loan report, she figured it just wasn’t meant to be. She braced herself to tell the Thurlows. Parking near the kitchen door of the farmhouse, she knocked on the door.

Mrs. Thurlow answered, smiling. “Megan, this is a surprise!”

“Could I talk to both of you?” she asked seriously.

“Of course, come in,” Mrs. Thurlow said, leading her into the family room. “Please sit down.”

Mr. Thurlow was reading the paper. Megan nervously waited until she had their full attention. “What can we do for you?” Mr. Thurlow asked, putting the paper down.

Megan sighed. “I just came over to let you know I can’t get a loan.”

“We were afraid of that,” Mrs. Thurlow said sympathetically.

“I wanted to let you know as soon as possible,” Megan said, getting up to leave.

“Sit down! We’ve just been discussing a notion. See what you think of it,” Mr. Thurlow said, motioning for her to sit down.

The Thurlows had so many exciting plans. She was really pleased for them, but she wasn’t sure she could hear about their unfolding adventure today without crying. Yet out of love and respect for the pair, she put on a happy face and sat back down.

Mrs. Thurlow spoke up first. “You know I’ve spent all of my life here. Our children have lives of their own. They don’t plan to come back here. We hate the thought of developers dividing up the land into housing tracts, but it’s a small farm and no one else really wants it.”

Except me! thought Megan.

“You know we have a developer that wants to buy it, don’t you?” Mrs. Thurlow asked, then she continued

on before Megan could respond. “He wants to cut it up—”

Megan could see Mr. Thurlow was getting impatient with his wife’s lengthy story. “What would you think if we loaned you the money?” he blurted out.

Megan’s mouth fell open. “I don’t understand.”

“Well, we would act like the bank. Sell you the place at a decent interest rate. You would make the payments to us. If you can’t make a go of it, the farm would come back to us. We’ll get a lawyer and do it all legal and business-like,” he said, brushing it off and making it sound unimportant. “But we won’t need a down payment or any of that stuff. What d’ya think?” Both of the Thurlows were smiling proudly at their idea.

Megan looked from one to the other. She wasn’t sure how to take this new turn of events. She didn’t want to put Mr. and Mrs. Thurlow in any kind of financial jeopardy. “Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?” she asked, feeling overwhelmed.

“Positive! We checked with a lawyer. He said people do this all the time,” Mr. Thurlow said, grinning smugly.

“If this isn’t the answer to prayers, I don’t know what is,” Megan said, smiling bravely. Then she broke down and bawled.

“We know you’ll love this place as we have. This is the right thing for you and for us,” said Mrs. Thurlow, as Megan wiped her eyes.

Mr. Thurlow stuck out his hand to Megan. “Is it a deal?”

“You better believe it,” she replied, grabbing his hand and shaking it heartily.

This was one of Megan’s best memories. She thanked God every single day for being so good to her. Her little family thrived on the farm. Meeting the mortgage had been tight in the beginning, but she had found creative ways to meet her payments.

One year, she made pine wreaths and sold them to make the December payment. The next year she put in a pick-your-own pumpkin patch. She always had just enough to pay the bills and give to the Lord.

Megan knew these “patch jobs” weren’t going to work forever. She started reading everything she could get her hands on about growing plants. Before long she built a small greenhouse and started her own bedding plants for the coming spring. She planted Christmas trees as part of a long-range plan.

She continued to educate herself. Eventually she offered tree service, snow removal, lawn care and landscaping, along with her florist’s service. She even planted bedding flowers in the spring for those who wanted a pretty yard with no bother. She especially enjoyed doing this for older people who really weren’t up to digging.

When the time came to hire someone, she prayed, asking God to help her find the right person for the job. Soon she ran into an old high-school friend, Ted Garrett. He was out of work and desperate. He had been a business manager and the store had gone out of business. He had a wife and three little kids.

Ted happened to see Megan at the local building supply store, while picking up a washer for a leaky faucet. “Hi, Megan. How are you doing?” he asked.

“I don’t have enough time to do all the jobs that need doing. I’m getting ready to build a retaining wall,” she answered distractedly.

“Need help?” he offered.

“I sure do, but everyone’s looking for a suit job. They want an office and easy work,” she said, thinking he was just making conversation.

That statement hit Ted where he lived. Not knowing he was out of work, she continued on, “I need someone who’s willing to put in a hard day’s work.”

“About what would the job pay?” Ted asked curiously.

“If someone did a good job, more than they would make in an office. For a real hustler, I would be willing to work out a salary-plus-commission job,” she said, trying to figure out why he was asking her all these questions.

“What does the job entail?” he asked.

“Being able to keep up with me,” she said kidding.

“I can do that,” he said cockily. “Consider me.”

Megan was surprised. “Why? Are you tired of the retail scene? Or do you want to see what the other half does?” she teased.

Ted looked embarrassed. “No. I lost my job months ago. I haven’t been able to find steady work since. All I’ve looked for is white-collar work, but I need a job and I need it now,” he said seriously.

Megan looked away, thinking. Lord, is this the employee I’ve been praying for? Show me! She turned back to Ted. “If you’re serious, be at Meadow Flowers tomorrow morning at eight o’clock sharp,” she said briskly, and left.

Ted showed up before she got to work the next morning. It had been a hard day, she recalled. She nearly worked him into the ground. He had been working for her ever since. She kept her word; when business grew, so did his paycheck. Ted had definitely been the employee she’d prayed for.

Now Megan had two more full-time employees, and Zack worked part time. Looking back, overall, life had been pretty good. She had few complaints. Though she could use a little more free time…and do without people like Mr. Carlyle.

It always did Megan good to remember her humble beginnings. Her life was in God’s hands. She needed to please Him. That was the most important thing.

As the sun began to drop behind the mountains, Megan trekked back down the hill to the farmhouse. It was so empty without the children. She had thought a night by herself might be fun. It wasn’t! She found herself wandering from one room to the next as though looking for someone. Finally she went to bed.

Unable to sleep, other memories came into play. Megan began to hear Mr. Carlyle’s accusing words. “You probably ran him off…ran him off…ran him off…” She looked at the empty place beside her as the words echoed.

She’d gone over this so many times, but she’d never come to a conclusion. Maybe because she’d never heard Mitchell’s side of the story.

She’d been pregnant with Jess. The pregnancy was difficult from the start, kind of like Jess. She had gone to see Doc Crawford for a routine checkup. Her blood pressure had been excessively high. Doc slapped her in the hospital before she had time to argue with him about it.

Once in the hospital, all Megan wanted was to see Mitchell. Ruth had an awful time finding him. He had been fired from his job and hadn’t bothered to tell his family. Ruth finally tracked him down at a local bar and drove him straight to the hospital, hoping he would sober up before Megan saw him.

One look at her bleary-eyed husband made her face things she had been refusing to see. He confessed that he had lost his job, blaming it on everyone but himself. Doc pulled him aside and tried to talk some sense into him. Then Ruth drove him home to let him sober up, while she picked up Zack from school.

Later, Mitchell came back to the hospital. He was still in a self-inflicted alcoholic fog. Megan reached for him. “Mitch, what’s wrong?”

He came closer and gave her his hand. She took it in both of hers and kissed the palm, then pulled him closer. He looked away, unable to face her.

“Mitchell, I love you,” she whispered. She ran her hand through his dirty, tousled hair and down the side of his face, cupping his chin. She waited for their eyes to meet. His were bloodshot and seemed vacant “We can’t go on like this,” she said gently. “You need help. Don’t you understand? I need help, too,” she pleaded, hoping to see some understanding in his eyes.

He shrugged as if it were of little importance. He seemed to want to get away.

His careless attitude caused something in Megan to snap. All the things she had been thinking, but never daring to say, came shooting out “Mitchell, something is going to change. I will not lose this baby worrying about you. It’s time for you to get straight, grow up and accept some responsibility. I need a husband I can depend on. Zack needs a father, not a playmate. When are you going to be there for us, instead of off somewhere with your buddies or lost in a bottle?” Megan began to tear up. “We love you. Why can’t you see that?”

She steadied herself. “I know everything seems awful right now, but it will all work out if we just hold on together and trust God to help us.”

“When are you coming home?” Mitchell had slurred, ignoring her words.

“In a day or two,” said Megan wearily.

“Meg, I never meant for things to get like this,” Mitchell finally admitted.

Tears began to run down Megan’s face. “I know, but they have.”

Mitchell put his head on her chest and let her comfort him. But when Mitchell left, she knew that they hadn’t made any progress.

The next evening Mitchell came to visit again. He was on edge and couldn’t seem to sit still.

“Mitch, I’ve made a decision,” Megan said evenly. “I’m not sharing you anymore. You have to make a choice which you want more—me and Zack, or drinking. You can’t have it both ways. I love you with all my heart, but you’re heading down the wrong road and I’m not going with you. I’ll help you with anything, but things can’t go on the way they are,” she said.

She waited for some kind of response. When she got none, she continued. “If you choose the path you’re on, we’ll have some decisions to make, because one of us is leaving. And know this Mitchell, if you’re ever unfaithful to me, it’s over. I’ll never want to see you again. I want us together as a family. I hope you want that, too.” She had stayed strong until she said this. Then she broke down and cried.

Mitchell carefully took her in his arms and held her. “You know I love you, Meg. There’s never been anyone else, never will be. I love you and Zack. We’ll be okay.”

His words had comforted her for the moment, but the problem had never been other women. It had been alcohol, and nights out with his “ol’ buddies.”

The next day Megan was released from the hospital. Instead of Mitchell picking her up, Doc drove her home. As soon as she came into the apartment, she knew something was wrong. Zack was there with his grandmother and he rushed into her arms.