In God's Own Time

Perhaps it was time they found someone to share her mother’s house or else suggest her mother move in with Jack or Meg. Although Audrey wouldn’t welcome either suggestion, Meg was sure. Audrey loved her independence.

She made a note to talk with Jack and Kathy about the matter and closed her notebook.

But it wasn’t the problems surrounding her mother’s care or the usual excitement of finding all the components necessary to complete a business agreement that crowded her mind as she fell asleep later. No, she had no doubt those solutions would work themselves out with a little extra finesse on her part What made her heart flutter was the knowledge she would see Kelsey again in only a few hours. She wondered why that was still true after all these years, why she hadn’t fallen out of love with him. Or why she’d never found a man to supplant Kelsey’s place in her heart.

But she hadn’t, and that was that. Now she wondered what bothered him, what was on his mind. What did Kelsey need from her?

What if Lissa and Aimee had told him of their proposal?

She sat straight up in bed, wide-eyed, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with—not anxiety. Of course not. She was a grown woman and experienced in worldly attitudes. Such a small thing to cause a tizzy.

Her hands flew to her flushed cheeks, and she jerked them away, then dropped them into her lap.

Oh, what if they had. How mortifying! For her and for Kelsey.

Oh, Father, please, please don’t let either of us be embarrassed in this situation. The girls are so young and they haven’t a clue as to how I’ve felt all these years. Or Kelsey, either. Please, Lord, help me to think clearly in the morning and not hope for the impossible or…anything at all…or make an utter fool of myself.

She lay back down, curled on her side, with the sheet pulled up to her chin. Well, she’d just have to laugh it off. Surely she and Kelsey could share the joke together like the old friends they were.

They didn’t have to let it create a mountain of embarrassment.

Turning over, she punched her pillow. She’d wear her new buttercup yellow dress with the high waistline. It didn’t make her figure look much slimmer, but it went well with her coloring.

No—she’d wear the navy linen. She looked slimmer in it.

By eight the next morning, Meg had settled for a casual soft blue print skirt with a solid blue knit top to match her eyes. Betty Jean’s Café sat on a corner in the old part of town only two blocks from church. It boasted an old-fashioned family menu in a sixties setting Most of its customers came from long habit and loyalty. Meg slipped into the booth opposite Kelsey at exactly the appointed time.

Without his usual straw cowboy hat or his sometimes baseball cap, his gleaming auburn hair lay smoothly brushed against his head. He had dressed in a suit and tie, attire he seldom wore. He had little requirement for it, she knew; few farmers did. Granted, the outdated brown suit and solid green tie could never pass as anything more than very conservative, but he’d dressed up, just the same.

She’d caught him a second before he looked up. His downcast gaze appeared thoughtful, and his mouth had settled into a solemn expression. She blinked, wondering if he planned on going to a funeral

Then he smiled at her, and her heart went on its leapfrog game.

“Morning, Meg.”

“Hi, Kelsey.” She glanced at his almost empty coffee cup. “Have I kept you long?”

“No, not really. Lissa and Aimee needed to be at church early because the junior choir is singing for this morning’s service.”

“Oh, that’s nice.” She owned up to a tiny bite of disappointment. He hadn’t dressed up for her; he planned to attend church to hear his girls sing. “Where are the boys? And Heather?”

He signaled for the waitress to bring coffee. “Heather was invited to Miss Maybelle’s, her Bible teacher, for Sunday morning breakfast along with three other children entering kindergarten next year.”

“Ah, yes. I remember Miss Maybelle. She coached me in every Bible verse-and-fact contest while I was in grade school. I’m amazed at her faithfulness and tenacity.” She chuckled. “And longevity. Does she still own that property to the south of you?”

“Uh-huh. I’ve asked her if she wants to sell it several times, but she isn’t ready to let go of it yet. Been in her family too long. But she lives in town now.” He picked up his spoon, set it down again and glanced away. “The boys had pancakes already and now are riding their bikes in the park. I told them to check in with us in thirty minutes.” He glanced at his watch. “Twenty-five now.”

“With strict instructions not to get dirty before church, too, I bet.”

“You got it. I guess that kind of parenting never changes, does it?”

“No, I suspect not.”

The harried waitress finally came to their table, filled their coffee cups, left containers of fresh cream and rushed away. Kelsey stared after her with impatience. “Did you want something to eat? A donut or something?”

“No. I ate breakfast with Mom before I left.”

“It’s okay to leave her alone now?”

“Yes, she’ll do fine for a short period of time. In spite of her protests to the contrary, she likes her time alone. Anyway, she plans to attend church this morning.”

He nodded and stirred two creams into his cup and two sugars.

“My goodness, Kelsey,” she teased, trying to ease his unusual tension. “If I put all that in my coffee I’d be a butterball in no time at all. I have to watch all my calories as it is.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that, if I were you. You look good, Meg. Really good.” His expression remained earnest, though he tried for a smile, as though making fun of his own effort at complimenting her. “Didn’t I mention that the other day?”

“Um, I don’t recall hearing it. Thank you.” He’d paid her a few offhand compliments when they were younger, but she’d always thought them in the nature of a big brother. This was of another kind altogether

“Well, you look very nice this morning. All the time, really.”

She tipped her head and stared at him over her coffee cup.

“Thank you, Kelsey.”

“This is no good” He set his cup down suddenly, letting the liquid slosh over its rim. “If I drink any more of this stuff I’ll be so jittery with caffeine the kids’ll think they have a snapdragon for a dad.”

She laughed, the sound bubbling out of her spontaneously. He joined her, his lips spreading in a genuine smile, while his eyes took on their mossy look.

“What is it, what’s the matter, Kelsey? I’ve never seen you so…jittery. It’s not like you. Can I help?”

“Actually, you can. I mean…” He brushed back the neatly trimmed hair above his left ear, sighed and leaned back. His expression turned determined. “We’ve been friends for a long time, Meg. Good friends, I like to think. I’m just going to shoot straight, okay?”

“Sure, Kels. Fire away.”

“I overheard what Lissa and Aimee said to you the other night. Out on the drive. I’ve been thinking about it. About Linda…”

“Oh.” She swallowed hard and put down her cup, willing the rising blush to abate quickly, or better yet, wishing to hide it altogether. But it was no use, so she rushed into a response. “Oh, Kelsey, I wish—Don’t be angry with the girls. They mean well, you know, and they’ll get used to Linda in time. She’s really a good person, and she’ll make a wonderful effort to…”

She lost her momentum as he staunchly shook his head.

“No. Linda’s a nice woman, Meg, but she’s all wrong for the kids. She has no patience for them, and they don’t get along with her girl. Besides—” he looked at her with a growing realization, a frown puckering his brow “—I’d make her a lousy husband. No real respect between us, you see. While with you—”

“With me?” she squeaked out.

“Meg—” he held her gaze “—why haven’t you married by now?”

“I don’t know.” Clasping her cup hard to keep her hands still, she felt mesmerized with the intimacy of this conversation. “Just never found anyone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with when it came down to the nuts and bolts of a commitment, I guess.”

“Are you ever sorry?”

Dropping her gaze, she hesitated for a long moment.

“Sometimes.”

“Don’t you want to?”

How could she answer that? “Well, I always thought I would. Like most women, I suppose.”

“Would you consider it, Meg? Marrying me?”

Looking up, she could only blink at him, wondering if she’d hear her morning alarm go off at any moment

“The thing is, Meg—” he straightened and reached across the table to pry her fingers from her cup “—I think the girls are on to something. We could make a go at marriage. You and I.”

Meg looked at his callused hand holding hers, his fingers strong and steady, his nails clean and neatly pared. Her own hand trembled.

“The way I see it,” he continued, “we could form a kind of partnership. I haven’t much to give you but myself, but I’d be a faithful husband. And you’d be close to your mom, that’s something to consider.”

“Yes, I’ve been thinking about that,” she murmured absently.

“We have a lot of advantages on our side, Meg—we’ve known each other for years, respect each other. I don’t have to tell you anything about Dee Dee or question the fact you’ll be good to my children. You’re fond of them, and they love you.”

“I’m not sure about the boys. Or Heather.” She made her comment in jest because she didn’t know as yet how else to respond. But for once he answered seriously

“They’ll love you when they know you better. As much as the rest of us do. In God’s own time, you’ll see As you said a moment ago, they’ll adjust to a mother’s hand. And you understand how to handle Heather.” He grinned his old teasing grin. “As Aimee said, she need’s unspoiling. Maybe we all do.”

The boys would love her as much as the rest of them? Did that include him?

Even if it did, that didn’t necessarily mean Kelsey was in love with anyone but Dee Dee’s memory. Could he ever fall in love with another woman?

A sudden rapping on the window beside their booth brought their faces about like puppets, startling them from their concentrated attention on each other. Thad and Phillip. They beckoned eagerly, their muffled voices telling them to come see the old cars driving through town on their way to a car rally.

Meg’s usual sharp mental switches eluded her as she tried to take in what the boys wanted while a long-held breath whooshed from her lungs. Kelsey had just asked her to marry him. She’d heard the very words that had filled her thoughts and fueled her longings for days. Would it be wrong to marry Kelsey for her own selfish desires?

Oh, but she wasn’t kidding herself. He’d never have thought of asking without the kids’ prompting, and he wasn’t offering anything like a romance.

But did that matter? They were two rational adults who looked at life’s practical needs first. Kelsey thought they had a shot at building a good marriage. At a fulfilling, long-lasting relationship based on friendship.

Now it was up to her. Now she had to discover if she had the courage to chance getting her heart broken. Because if she married Kelsey and he never fell in love with her, that’s exactly what would happen

Chapter Six

The moment Meg stepped into the church foyer where she’d promised to meet her mother, Sandy stood ready, waiting to pounce. Audrey was coming with Babs Dunning.

“Meg, dear, really! You should have a little talk with Aimee.”

“Aimee?” Meg blinked rapidly to bring her cloud-raptured thoughts back to the moment at hand. She’d barely been able to think in a straight line since leaving the café. Stalling, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Why? What’s wrong with Aimee?”

“Why, she’s making outrageous statements which are bound to upset your mother. You should put a stop to it right away.” Sandy pursed her lips. “That’s how rumors get started, y’know.”

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