Love's Deception (9 page)

Eleven

“Sister Lewis?” Cat raised her head to see the elders quorum president approaching. “Are you looking for Brother Bradford?”

She smiled, wondering if he didn’t realize Ty was a nonmember, or if he simply called everyone at church “brother” or “sister.”

“Yes, actually, I am. Did he go to elders quorum?”

The quorum president smiled as he walked passed her. “Yes, he’s still there—on the stage.”

What could be taking him so long?
Cat thought, marching up the steps onto the stage. She stopped short at the sight of Ty sitting across from the missionaries, fully absorbed in whatever they were saying. Danny let go of her hand and raced forward. “Ty, come on. It’s time to go.”

“Little man, how you doin’?” He scooped Danny into his arms and stood. Both missionaries got to their feet and shook Ty’s hand.

“We’ll see you Tuesday,” one of the elders said.

“Thanks,” Ty replied. He watched Cat as they walked toward the stairs. “Sorry I’m late. Are you okay?”

She forced a smile. The ache above her eyes made everything difficult, and the fluorescent lights only added to her misery. “I’m fine other than a headache.”

He slipped his fingers between hers and they left the church. Her mother waited patiently in the truck. It was strange, but ever since the cancer hit, her mom was always cold. Even with the windows rolled down it had to be over a hundred degrees in the cab, yet she looked perfectly comfortable.

Cat squinted her eyes against the blinding sun, wishing she could crawl into bed in a quiet, dark room. She set her scriptures on the seat and dug her keys from her purse. Ty buckled Danny’s seat belt. Before she could step into the truck Ty grabbed her hand—the hand that held the keys. “Cat, let me drive, since you’re not feeling good.” His voice was laced with concern. “You can rest your eyes.”

She opened her hand, letting him take the keys. “Thank you. My head is killing me.”

“Is your headache from fasting?” her mom asked when Cat had climbed into the passenger seat.

Cat leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “Probably.”

“Let’s get you home and get you some food,” her mom said.

Ty drove out of the parking lot. “When did you last eat?”

“Last night.”

“Why didn’t you have breakfast? That’s too long for you to go without food.”

She smiled at his reprimanding tone. “I know Ty, but it’s Fast Sunday.”

“What’s Fast Sunday?”

When Cat didn’t answer right away, her mom came to the rescue. “We follow the example of Christ, who fasted in New Testament times. We skip two meals, so our fast is for twenty-four hours. Fasting strengthens us spiritually and gives us an opportunity to petition the Lord for help through prayer. We can draw closer to Christ, as well. We are commanded to fast one Sunday each month, but we can fast any time we need special blessings.” Then Cat’s mother told Ty about fast offerings—how the money saved by skipping meals on Fast Sunday is donated to help those in need. Ty listened, occasionally asking questions. Cat kept her eyes closed, thankful he was at the wheel and her mother was taking care of the conversation.

Soon they pulled into her driveway, and it didn’t take more than a suggestion from her mother for Cat to head to her room to lie down. “I’ll make you something to eat and bring it up,” her mom promised.

“I’m sorry, Ty. Thank you for coming to church,” Cat said as she walked past him.

She trudged up the stairs and closed the door to her room. Not bothering to change her clothes, she simply kicked off her shoes, dropped into bed, and closed her eyes. Just as she felt herself drifting to sleep, a knock sounded at her door.

“Come in,” she called, thinking it odd that her mother would knock. Cat opened her eyes as Ty entered the room. “Oh, it’s you. I thought you would have left.”

He walked over to sit on the bed next to her. “No, we’re fixing spaghetti for you, but your mom sent me up with this.” He held out a glass of water and a plate of toast.

Cat sat up and pushed the pillow behind her back. She took the glass. “We?”

“Danny, your mom, and me.”

After taking a long drink, Cat said, “Thank you.”

Ty set the plate on the bed and reached into his pocket. “Oh yeah . . . and this too. She sent up the ibuprofen. Do you want one or two?” He opened the bottle of medicine and waited.

“I’d better take two. This is definitely a two-pill headache.”

He smiled and handed Cat two capsules. “I hope you don’t mind—I invited the missionaries over here on Tuesday.”

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Of course I don’t mind.”

While she took a few bites of toast, he loosened his tie and undid the top button on his shirt. “Next week I’ll bring a change of clothes.”

“Oh! So you’ll be going to church again?”

“I think so. I like spending time with you and Danny, plus it was . . . interesting. Not to mention somebody’s got to be there to drive you home if you get another headache.” Ty grinned.

Once she finished off the last of the toast, he took her empty plate and stood. “Try to get some rest. I’ll be back with the spaghetti in a little bit.”

He left, closing the door behind him. Cat let out a contented sigh. Already she was starting to feel better. The ibuprofen, a little food, and some water were doing the trick. Not to mention her relief at knowing Ty was there. It had been so long since someone had taken care of her; she’d forgotten how nice it felt. She relaxed and soon fell asleep.

When someone leaned on her bed, Cat’s eyes shot open. Hovering over her, Ty smiled. With his face so close to hers, she lost herself in his deep blue eyes.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” he whispered.

“What are you doing?”

He gazed down at her. “I was trying Prince Phillip’s move, but you woke up too fast.”

Sleeping Beauty
had always been one of her favorite movies. “How do you know so much about
Sleeping Beauty
?”

“It was my sister’s favorite video when we were kids. Although it’s been a long time, I’ve probably seen it five hundred times.” Cat reached up to touch Ty’s face, running her fingertips over his smooth skin. She had rarely seen him completely clean-shaven. The next thing she knew, his lips were touching hers in a tender kiss.

Slowly, he lifted his head and said, “Dinner’s ready.”

Momentarily speechless, Cat nodded.

He tucked his hands in his pockets. “Do you want to come down, or should I bring a plate up for you?”

She smiled when she realized there was no sign of the headache that had plagued her earlier. “I’ll be right down.”

Cat woke a few days later to the heavy rumble of thunder. The dimness in the room surprised her, considering the time. She stood and gazed out the window. Dark storm clouds rolled across the horizon.

Last night, the missionaries had spent an hour teaching Ty in her living room. He seemed genuinely interested in the Church, but she’d heard horror stories of men who joined for a girlfriend, only to completely turn their backs on it once they were married. In Cat’s mind that cast a shadow of doubt on Ty’s true intentions. How could she know what he really thought, what he felt? It all seemed too perfect—that he would instantly love the gospel and be converted.

She shook her head at her own paranoia. Here she feared the worst when he’d done nothing to deserve her doubt. She should at least give him a chance. She owed him that, right?

She opened her window, anticipating the sweet smell of summer rain. The pastures needed it. The horses had churned the ground into swirling dustbowls. Cat smiled at the electric light splitting the gray sky. Thunder and lightning fascinated her. One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi, five—a crack of thunder, followed by her doorbell ringing, brought a halt to the count. Who would be here this early? She stuffed her hair into a baseball cap and grabbed a sweatshirt. She hadn’t heard a sound from either her mother or Danny. They must still be sleeping. She ran down the stairs and looked through the peephole, then threw the door open.

“Ty, what are you doing?” she asked. “It’s so early.”

He stepped inside and wrapped his arms around her waist. He oozed excitement as he lifted her off her feet and turned in a circle. “I’m off today. What do you want to do?”

“The whole day? Why?”

“The rain,” he said. “It’s pouring at my dad’s place and the storm is moving this way. Should be here any minute. It’ll be too wet to harvest anything.”

Cat looked out the door. Raindrops covered Ty’s truck, and lightning flashed in the distance. Her hands slid across his damp shoulders. She smiled at the thought of an entire day with him.

Another low rumble sounded. “Don’t you love thunderstorms?” she asked. “They’re so ominous. It’s as if the sky has a mind of its own. And it’s angry this morning.”

“I’m glad the sky’s angry, because now I get to spend the day with you.” The crescendo of rain on the porch roof went from a pitter-patter to a deafening downpour. Ty pulled her farther into the house and closed the door, never taking his hand off her waist. “Have you had breakfast?” he asked.

“No, have you?”

“A while ago, but I could eat again. How about if I make you French toast?”

“You’ll make me breakfast?”

“I like cooking breakfast,” he said.

“Okay then. I still need to feed the horses. Do you want me to help you in the kitchen first, or should I get that done?”

Ty tightened his hold on her. “I think I can handle the kitchen. You go feed your horses. I’ll bet I can have breakfast made before you’re done.”

Cat smiled. “Is that a challenge? Did you want to race?”

“Sure, I’ll race you. On your mark, get set—” She tried to step away, but his iron grip held her in place. She looked at his face. He planted a quick kiss on her lips before releasing his hold. “Go!” he said.

As she darted for the garage door, the sound of pans clanging in the kitchen echoed behind her. She jammed her feet into her boots and pulled on a rain slicker, then ran from the garage to the shelter of the barn. She scattered armloads of hay in even piles, one for each horse in the pastures, then made sure the water troughs were full enough to last the day. With a smile, she closed the barn door and ran to the house. That had to be a record.

Hopping in a circle, she pulled off one boot and then the other. She hung the wet slicker on a hook and rushed through the door. Ty stood over the griddle, spatula in hand, watching his French toast. He raised his eyebrows. “That was fast.”

Trying to hide her rapid breathing, Cat walked casually to the table. He had two plates, two forks, two glasses, and a gallon of milk at one end. “It looks like I won,” she said.

“I want a rematch someday, now that I know where you keep everything in the kitchen.”

Laughing lightly, Cat moved to the sink and washed her hands. A steaming pan sat on the stove. She picked up a fork and stirred the dark liquid. “I’ll admit you had the disadvantage. Are you making homemade syrup?”

“Only the best for you.”

“Wow! I had no idea your culinary skills were so advanced.”

He shrugged off the compliment and stacked the French toast on a platter. The two of them enjoyed half their breakfast in peace and quiet. Then Danny woke up, bringing with him a constant stream of chatter.

“Hey, buddy. What do you say we take your mom to a movie this afternoon? She needs help getting started on her new hobby.” Ty glanced up from his plate and winked at her.

Danny’s face brightened. “Yeah, can we?”

“As long as your mom says it’s okay.”

Danny turned to her. “Can we?”

Smiling at his excitement, she said, “I don’t see why not.”

The rain didn’t let up until nightfall. Even though they had spent the entire day together, Cat sensed Ty’s reluctance to leave. When he asked if she would see him the following night, she smiled and said yes. He kissed her, lingering longer than usual before leaving.

The following Sunday, Ty again knocked on Cat’s door earlier than necessary. This time, he walked into the house carrying a change of clothes and an old pair of basketball shoes. She watched him closely, admiring his new look. He seemed to be taking to the whole suit-and-tie thing like a natural. While she got herself ready, Danny asked Ty for help buttoning his shirt and putting on his tie. “Do you want me to drive?” Ty said as he picked up Cat’s keys.