A Mother's Love

“I never met a man who knew so much about shrubbery.” Maggie glanced at him curiously.

Jake turned and grinned at her. “Didn’t you realize a pastor is a jack-of-all-trades? Who do you think helped plant all these bushes?”

Maggie chuckled. Jake liked the way it sounded, low, warm, husky. Realizing where his thoughts had drifted, he stopped, disconcerted. Shaking himself mentally, he stepped off the path and in front of the long rectangular concrete building.

“This was once a business. We bought it, then tore out the inside and rebuilt it It was big enough for anything we might want to do later. I’m thankful now that we did that. Otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to start up a school.”

Maggie nodded.

Jake decided she probably wasn’t interested and held open the door. He saw her look down at the carpet. “The blue doesn’t show dirt as easily. It was a choice between that and red. If you’ll just turn to the right, you’ll find the offices. The left leads out to the sanctuary and the school, which I’ll be glad to show you later.”

Jake reached out and took Maggie’s elbow in his hand to guide her down the hall. He’d thought to do it as a gentlemanly gesture but found he liked the feel of her soft skin in his hand. He immediately released it This woman was a walking problem. He had no doubt she would flee if she knew his thoughts ran toward the curious and I find you fascinating.

He didn’t understand it. He hadn’t known her long enough to be attracted to her. Besides, she was pregnant. There was a broken heart in there somewhere. And though he felt she was the right one for the job, saw a softness in her, that didn’t tell him one iota about her relationship with God.

No, indeed, he had no right to be wondering if Maggie was married, divorced, single or carrying twins or quadruplets for that matter.

Besides, he’d learned long ago that women didn’t fall for men who owned nothing. Jake had a salary, and a roof over his head, but there wasn’t much left over. He had been saving what he could. Soon he would be able to buy a new car since the other one had over 100,000 miles. Janie had made it clear that if he wouldn’t go to a bigger church where he could make better money, she didn’t want him.

He remembered that breakup just before he’d moved to this church. Jake had never completely recovered. Janie couldn’t understand why he didn’t want a better job. When he’d tried to explain that this church was where God wanted him, that his heart was in building a place for the inner-city youth, she’d broken off their engagement.

Jake had decided then and there to concentrate fully on his ministry. God called him to do a job, and he would do that job. If love came one day, fine. But he wasn’t going to search for it.

“Here we are,” he said to Maggie.

Glancing around the office, he tried to imagine what she saw. “It’s rather messy right now. I’ve been trying to do the filing, and Jennifer Dalton has been coming in to help.”

“Jennifer?” Maggie asked, still studying the office. Jake nodded. He moved over to the desk, gathered four file folders and straightened them. “She’s the head of our day-care center now. A wonderful woman. You’ll love her.”

He put the folders in the box on her desk and then smiled. “This will be your desk. The copier is here.” He pointed to the corner. “And we have the latest in word processing on the computer. My office is through the door behind me. Since I do a lot of counseling, I need privacy, so you’ll have to screen my calls and run interference. Most everyone here is really understanding. There are a few, though…” He trailed off and shrugged. “You know how that goes. Life isn’t perfect.”

Maggie nodded. She looked around again and then toward the door.

Jake took her out and showed her the day care and the rest of the church.

“Jennifer!”

Maggie noted how Jake’s face suddenly lit up with a bright smile for the young girl coming their way. She was petite, the girl-next-door type, with long blond hair falling out of a French braid that was pinned up on the back of her head. She wore a purple and gold LSU shirt and baggy jeans. As she approached, Maggie realized there was paint all over her clothes and on her hands.

“This must be Maggie,” the young woman said, coming forward, beaming.

On closer inspection, Maggie realized Jennifer was older than she looked. Small smile lines around her eyes gave that away. Maggie smiled and nodded. “And you’re the famed Jennifer I’ve heard so much about.”

She actually blushed. “Jake has been telling tales again? Don’t you listen to a one of them.” Turning on Jake, the young woman gave him a reproving look. “You didn’t tell her about the snake, did you? Or the rappelling accident?”

Jake lifted his hands in surrender. “I haven’t told her anything except what an excellent job you do here.”

Maggie liked the way the light jacket stretched on Jake’s shoulders, outlining them, showing their width. She’d never seen a pastor who wore jeans with a jacket. But it suited him.

“Oh,” Jennifer said.

Maggie glanced at Jennifer and saw she was pink again. Then what she had said registered. “Rappelling accident?”

Jennifer turned even brighter red. “Don’t ask. Maybe one day we’ll have time to sit down, and I can tell you all about it. Unfortunately, I was just about to go wash up. Gage is coming by and picking me up for lunch, and I got carried away with the kids and didn’t realize it was so late.”

Jake shook his head. “I’m just showing Maggie around. Go on.”

“Nice meeting you,” Jennifer said.

Maggie murmured her agreement. “Rappelling accident?” she asked when Jennifer was gone.

Jake chuckled and led her back toward the front entrance of the church. “It’s a long story. But it ends well. Jennifer got a pet snake out of it, and a husband.”

“You’re kidding.”

Jake shook his head. “Gage is quite a man. Come on, let’s go out this door and get your stuff unpacked from the car. Then I’ll let you rest.”

Jake pushed open the door for her and Maggie went out She had thought Jake unusual in how friendly and outgoing he was. She had never met a pastor quite like him.

He’d been enthusiastic, fun loving, excited, when he had picked her up and then rattled on and on about the kids and the puppet show. While showing her the house, he had actually been nervous about whether she was going to like it. But the house was a deal she couldn’t pass up. Who cared about the yellow-and-orange furniture or the yellow-and-orange coat rack in the corner?

Maggie had heard the pride as he had talked about helping plant the bushes, and the joy behind his words as he’d talked about the people at the church.

There had been no formality or reserve in his voice or his stance. His fluid movements as he’d taken her around proved to her how at ease he was with this.

“Meeeooowwr.”

Maggie didn’t even see the pitiful sight until she was almost upon it. “Oh, my heavens!”

Maggie stared in horror at the bloody mess that was a peach-colored cat. At least she thought it was peach. It was hard to tell with all the blood. “Jake!”

Jake moved up by Maggie and put a hand on her shoulder. “Let me handle it, Maggie.”

Jake started forward, and the cat hissed. He paused. “Maybe we’d better call animal control. The poor thing looks to be in bad shape.”

The cat lay there on its side, breathing hard, fur ripped away in tufts. She thought it had been in a cat fight since part of an ear was missing, except that she’d never seen a cat break another cat’s tail. And that had to be one of the problems with this cat, since its tail lay at such an odd angle. One leg was twisted, too. Tears came to Maggie’s eyes. “We can’t just leave it here.”

“I know, I know. Let me go call city hall and see if they can send someone out. I’ll be right back.”

Jake hurried in to call for help. Maggie continued to stare at the cat. Silent tears fell as she watched it labor for breath. She could see the terror and pain in its eyes and felt it reach out to her and wrap itself around her heart. It hadn’t been too many months ago she’d felt pain and terror.

Please don’t let it die, God Please, please, please, she prayed, and inched forward.

The cat hissed again, and she whimpered. “Please don’t let it bite me. Please, please, please.”

It hissed once more and then made an awful, plaintive sound. “Father, help it. Help me. I’m not letting it be die just because it’s in pain and scared.”

The cat eyed every inch she moved.

Maggie got close enough to kneel down. She put her hand out, and the cat swiped at it with one of its uninjured paws. Maggie jumped but didn’t back away. “I’m not going to hurt you. Please let me help you, sweetie. Just let me help you. No one helped me, but I can help you,” she whispered.

Carefully she moved her hand closer.

This time the cat only eyed her hand.

She slipped it under the cat’s head, then its body. The cat growled.

Maggie made sympathetic noises, crying right along with the cat as she slipped her other hand under it and then picked it up.

Its tail hung sideways. “Oh dear—oh dear,” she cried, over and over until she had gathered the cat to her bosom. “We’ll get you help immediately. I promise you. I won’t let you down.”

Maggie heard the church door open. “The animal shelter…Maggie!” Alarm in his voice tensed her spine.

Jake hurried forward when he saw the bloody mess in her arms. “You’re pregnant. What if it has rabies? What if it had bitten you?”

Maggie’s face turned as hard as stone. “Will you drive me to a vet?”

Jake hesitated then nodded. “Just let me take—”

The cat hissed and swiped at Jake. His eyes widened and he lifted his hands in surrender, backing up.

“Okay. Okay. You hold it. But I’ll be praying the thing doesn’t take its pain out on you before we get to the vet.”

“It won’t,” Maggie said, looking back down at the cat.

Jake paused in pulling his keys from his jeans pocket He eyed her his features probing, searching before he nodded, “You know, Maggie-May, I think you just might be right.”

He slipped a hand to her lower back, then guided her toward the truck. “There’s a clinic less than two blocks away.”

Chapter Five

She wouldn’t let them cut its tail off.

Jake was still shaking his head over that. Jake sneezed again as he turned into the driveway next to the church.

“Are you sure you’re not allergic to cats?” Maggie asked worriedly.

Jake shook his head. “I’m not allergic to anything.” He rubbed at his watering eyes. “Just dust or something, I’m sure.”

He pulled to a stop and hopped out, then went around the hood to open her door. Once again the cat hissed at him.

He sneezed.

“Be careful,” she warned when he reached out to ease her out of the truck’s seat. “I don’t want you to scare her.”

Scare her? Jake looked at the way the cat rolled its eyes at him and didn’t think the animal was in any way scared. “Careful, now. We don’t want you falling.”

“I’m fine,” Maggie said, holding the cat close. “I still can’t believe she only had a cut on her side, was missing part of her ear and had a broken tail and broken foot”

“Well, if the doc was right and it climbed up in someone’s car, I’d say it was real lucky.”

Maggie nodded, sighing when both feet found solid ground. “The cat is a she, not an it.”

“Oh.” Jake nodded. He went ahead of her and opened the door to her house. As she approached he sneezed again. “You sure you’ll be okay with her here? Doc offered to keep her for you until the owner was found.”

Maggie shook her head. “I’ll look after her. We don’t even know if she had an owner. There were no records. That’s why the vet went ahead and gave her shots.”

Jake sighed He watched Maggie cooing to the cat the entire time the cat growled back at her. The hair on the back of his neck stood up at how mean that cat sounded, but Maggie sat there and made faces at the animal.

“If you need anything…”

Maggie looked up, opened her mouth, then shook her head.

“What?”

“Nothing. I can get it later.”

Jake studied her as she went over and sat down on the couch. His gaze drifted to the cat Suddenly it dawned on him. “Cat food.”

Maggie glanced up, surprised. “Yes. I do need cat food. But I am paying for this.”

She narrowed her eyes to let him know she was serious.

Jake shrugged. “I didn’t mind paying for the vet. You saved the cat when the shelter would have put her down. It was the least I could do.”

Maggie laid the cat carefully on her jacket, which was on the couch, and stood. She crossed the room to her purse and opened it. Jake watched her discreetly count out her money, then hand him some. “I would appreciate it. I’m just afraid to leave her right now.”

Jake smiled. “No problem. I’ll run up to the store and be right back.”

Maggie’s face softened. “Thank you.”

Her smile could easily knock a man off his feet. He couldn’t remember anyone with a smile like that. He found himself grinning like an idiot “Uh, yeah.” Jake cleared his throat “Okay. I’ll just…go.”

Maggie nodded, turning back to the cat when she growled again.

Jake shook his head and left, sneezing three times before he got out the door. He tried to remember if he’d ever been around cats and couldn’t recall a single incident except when he was a child. “No. I do not have allergies,” he reassured himself.

Jake turned and headed across the driveway to his truck. He saw Jennifer and her husband locking up the day care for the evening and paused.

Jennifer and Gage came over. Gage stuck out his hand and Jake automatically shook it. “How’s the new secretary? She getting settled in?”

Jake nodded, blinking at the itchy sensation. “She’s fine. I’m sorry, Jennifer, that I was gone so long. It took the doc longer to patch up that cat than we realized.”

“No problem.” Jennifer peered at him. “Cat allergies?” she asked sympathetically.

“No.” Jake shook his head. “I just…the truck needs to be cleaned out bad.”

Gage raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

Jennifer looked confused. “If you say so. Do you need anything before I leave?”

Again Jake shook his head. “I’m on my way to the store. No one called, did they?”

“Yes. Mrs. Rawley. She wanted to make sure this was her Sunday to work in the nursery. Gloria called and rescheduled her appointment from Monday to Tuesday to talk with you. She said she just couldn’t make it.”

Jake sighed. Gloria was putting off their talk and that worried him. She had come to him about the problems going on in her marriage and their one talk was enough to make him really concerned.

“And Sister Hollings called. She wanted to talk to you about the music again. She says it’s way too loud on Sunday morning. If it wasn’t turned down, then she said she was going to turn it down herself.”

Jake smiled. “I know…that guitar…”

“Just drives me crazy,” Jennifer said with him, and they both chuckled.

“Gotta love her,” he said. “You left the messages on my desk?”

“Yeah. They’re all there except Gloria’s. I slipped that in your top desk drawer on top of the phone book.”

“Thank you, Jennifer. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You get some sleep tonight,” Gage said, slipping his arm around his wife but keeping his gaze on Jake. “Those plans for the inner-city program can wait until later.”

Jake groaned. “I completely forgot.”

Jennifer elbowed her husband. “Thanks, Gage.”

Gage shrugged. “Sorry.”

“Seriously, Jake. I’ve looked over them and talked with the committee. They’ve agreed to give you another week.”

Wearily Jake nodded. “Fine. Fine. Good night”

They waved and left.

Jake climbed in his truck and ran up to the local dollar store.

Once there, Jake went through the aisles, trying to decide what the cat would need and if he could pay for it with the money Maggie had given him.

He shook his head.

Impossible.

With God, all things are possible, he acknowledged silently. “So, how are we going to work this out so as not to embarrass her?” he muttered.

Jake thought.

They could afford cat food. That was a must. Cat litter, too. But that left only three dollars for a litter box and bowls.

Remembering being on the streets when he was a kid, he smiled. Other people had had pets, but they certainly hadn’t been able to afford all the fancy stuff advertised on these aisles as musts for cat owners. No, a simple bowl out of the kitchen and a plastic-lined box had suited them fine.

He took the two items up the cash register and paid for them, feeling guilty. Of course, what Maggie didn’t know was that he’d had the cabinets filled from their food pantry as a welcome gift from the church. So maybe this money wouldn’t be missed so much when she realized she had food.

After paying for the items, he took them out to the truck and hurried back to Maggie’s.

He knocked.

“Come in, Jake.”

He opened the door and went inside, carrying the items. “You really should have that locked.”

He stopped, unable to believe what he was seeing. Maggie had taken the extra pillow, put her raincoat over it, then a sheet and finally the cat on top of it.

The cat saw him and growled.

He sneezed.

Maggie looked up, noticed the bag and smiled. “Thank you.”

Jake handed her the food. “I’ll carry the litter. It’s too heavy.”

“Okay.” Maggie nodded and went into the kitchen. She rummaged around until she found two old bowls, then filled one with water and one with food.

“About the door…” he began.

“I would have had it locked, but I went out to get my suitcases. I had just gotten back in before you arrived.”

“I told you I’d get those for you,” Jake said, somehow feeling he’d failed to help her.

Maggie glanced over her shoulder at him. Jake noted the way her hair had come out of the ponytail and several strands fell loosely against her cheek. “That wasn’t necessary, Jake.”

Jake stared at her smile, thinking how soft it made her look. When she tipped her head quizzically he cleared his throat. “Oh, um…well, carrying those can’t be good for you as far along as you are.”

Maggie chuckled, finished pouring the food and brought both bowls back over to the cat. “There you go, my darlin’,” she crooned, obviously not hearing the growl when she rubbed the cat on the head.

“I’m just over seven months pregnant, Jake. I have eight weeks to go. Actually, tomorrow I’ll be seven months. Anyway, I’m big but not helpless. The doctor at the clinic told me I’d get a lot bigger the last two months.”

Jake nodded. “Elizabeth was as big as a barrel before her twins were born.”

Maggie laughed. “I hope I don’t look like a barrel.”

Jake flushed. “I didn’t mean that.”

Maggie looked up impishly. “You’re a pastor. I thought all pastors had a talent to wax eloquent.”

Her attitude surprised a laugh out of him. “I don’t know where my talent for words has gone. I have never been able to wax eloquent, Maggie-May. I’m just a country boy at heart and I’m afraid that comes out in my sermons.”

Maggie didn’t answer but slowly pushed herself to her feet.

Jake couldn’t resist the urge to reach out to her. He caught her elbow to steady her, wondering how she kept her balance.

She must have known anyway what he thought because of the knowing smile she gave him. “Thank you, Jake, for helping me today.”

Jake nodded, taking that as his cue to leave. He started toward the door.

“And thank you for the food in the cabinets.”

So, she knew about that. “That was a welcoming gift from the church. We have a food pantry, and it’s well stocked right now.”

Maggie had an unfathomable look on her face. Jake hoped he hadn’t gone too far. He waited as she studied him. Finally, she nodded. “It means a lot.”

Relieved, Jake smiled. “Good. You’re part of our family now, Maggie. You shouldn’t go in need of food or help. If you have a need, please tell someone.”

“I haven’t even attended your church yet, Jake. How can I be part of your family?”

Jake saw the yearning in her eyes and wondered at it. Was it loneliness? A desire to belong somewhere? He didn’t know, but he wanted to reassure her. “Whether you attended our church or another, we’re all family. As a Christian, that’s what God expects. But I’ve met you, you’re working for me, I know you as part of God’s family. So, we’re here for you.”

Maggie slowly shook her head, the light dimming in her eyes. “I’ve heard that preached, Jake, but I have yet to see that truly practiced.”

Jake wanted to retort that she’d been going to the wrong churches. But he didn’t He couldn’t judge what he didn’t know, where he hadn’t been. And he was glad it wasn’t his job. Instead, he said, “Give us a try. I’m not saying we’re perfect. I don’t think there’s a church that is, but God won’t fail you when we do.”

Maggie thought about what he said and nodded. God hadn’t failed her. She didn’t understand how this had happened to her, why she’d ended up pregnant, but she did know that every time she had lost a job, something had turned up almost immediately. She had never run out of food, though she had come close. And when she had been at her lowest, this man had appeared, offering her hope again—or at least it looked that way. She’d have to reserve judgment on that until later.

“No, God never fails us, does He?” she repeated softly, her heart echoing loudly in her own ears. “Thank you, Jake.”

Jake nodded. “Well, let me get out of here so you can get some sleep. Church starts at ten in the morning. I hope to see you there.”

Maggie nodded again. “Good night.”

“Good night”

Jake went out the door but paused. “Lock it before I leave the porch.”

Maggie held back a chuckle. She walked across the floor and locked the door.

She heard his feet echo on the steps and then peeked out the window. He walked—no, it reminded her more of a stroll—to his car as if he had all the time in the world, as if there weren’t any problems pressing down on his shoulders, as if he were happy and carefree. “Oh, Father, why can’t I feel like that? Where has my joy gone? Have I been down in the pit so long that I can’t see out?”

Maggie turned and headed back over to the cat, which was trying to lap up the water. “You poor thing,” she whispered, and bent down to help her.

The cat let out a whimper, then allowed her to help. “You don’t fool me. As much as you’re hurting and you act like you don’t want the help, deep down you do. Maybe you don’t realize it yet, but I’m not going to let you sit here and die of thirst when I can help you.”

A line of a song came to her: “He’s my rock, He’s my fortress, He’s my deliverer….”

“Father, You’ve been my rock, or I would have never made it this far. My fortress. I don’t know that I’ve allowed You to be that, hiding myself away. And my deliverer…”

Maggie sighed. “Please, Father, be my deliverer. Deliver me from the fear of the night, the fear of being alone…and the fear of sleeping. Jake was right You never fail. If we would only turn to You immediately, instead of hiding away, we’d be so much better off.”

Maggie felt a peace. She noted the cat had stopped drinking, having gained her fill. Maggie moved the bowl back and stood, then went to fix a box for the litter. She hadn’t thought of litter, she was glad Jake had.

“Thank You, Father for sending this man my way. Help me to learn to trust him. And keep any disasters from befalling him because of our relationship.”

She finished the box, set it next to the cat and vowed to keep an ear open in case the cat had any problems in the night.

Maggie went to her room, changed into her orange nightgown and crawled into bed. For the first time in a long time, she felt, if not total peace, then a safety knowing there was someone nearby if she needed help.