Authors: Lesa Henderson
Chapter Two
The next morning Megan arose early. Though it was early spring and the mornings were still chilly, she walked out on her back porch with her usual cup of coffee, flavored with vanilla creamer. The sun was just making its ascent over the mountains, creating a pale lavender hue and stretching its red and pink fingers across the sky as far as the eye could see. It was another glorious sunrise.
The mountain trees were glistening with dew, and from the perfect position Megan’s cabin was nestled in, she was able to see for miles. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed in the crisp, clean mountain air, reopening her eyes to smile contentedly. She never tired of this view, or of these mountains. To Megan, it was heaven on earth.
From seemingly nowhere the thought intruded.
Th
e only thing that would make it more perfect is someone to share it with.
She shook her head in denial.
She didn’t need anyone. Megan McCormick was self-reliant. She was finished with love, or should she say illusions. She was completely happy in her new life.
She
was complete, with nothing missing.
Not entirely complete,
an inner voice gently reminded. It wasn’t her own voice, but one she was hearing on a more consistent basis.
Pastor Daniel Phillips, most commonly known as Pastor Dan, was the pastor of Cindy’s church which Megan was now making her home as well. He would say the voice she was hearing was her Heavenly Father’s. Megan wanted to believe this, but she was plagued with questions.
For such a long time, she denied the existence of God, or at least the existence of
a
god, who took much interest in His creation, but no one could view the majesty of these mountains and believe they just evolved. The scene in front of her acknowledged the artistic creation of these mountains, in their entire splendor—creation by a higher power. However, there was still a question in her mind. Did the Heavenly Father, who created all of this, care for her as an individual?
At the present, this was the debate between her and the kind man who was responsible for looking over the flock in Laurel Ridge. For some reason, Pastor Dan and his lovely wife, Penny, felt inclined to take Megan under their wings. They tried, unceasingly, to show her the love of the Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus.
Their efforts, as well as those of Cindy and her husband, Alan, were certainly causing Megan to rethink the stance she had taken for many years. In fact, she was reexamining many things in her life, of late. Sometimes, she felt more confused than ever. At other times, she felt as if she were standing on the precipice of one of these mountains she loved so much and was about to step off into something unknown, something larger than her world had ever been. She didn’t know for sure whether it was revelation, understanding, forgiveness, or perhaps something else.
Megan had entertained the idea of opening up to Pastor Dan by sharing with him the events of her childhood and even the most recent trauma she’d suffered. However, being the private individual she was, she continued to hesitate; sharing her recent foolhardiness would be humiliating. She recognized the fact she should have known better, but to have someone else look at her with condescending eyes would be too much. She simply did not think she could bear the further guilt.
Guilt already weighed heavily upon her for falling for a man like Trevor. She should have recognized the signs. She, of all people, should have seen he was not at all what he proclaimed. He was too much like her father, and she should have spotted the similarities.
Megan blamed herself for her blindness, but she blamed Trevor for his lies and for misleading her. She blamed her father for her inability to trust and for his betrayal of her and her mother. Two men whom she loved had betrayed her; she now hated them both. Megan shook her head before her thoughts became too melancholy.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
The scripture found in Philippians was whispered as a gentle reminder to her heart.
“I know. I’ve heard Pastor Dan quote that scripture,” she spoke aloud to the wind. “I am trying to do that. It’s just so hard when…when I feel so much anger. I’m not sure exactly what I’m feeling, but it’s not good. All of this just makes me hurt. I want to put it behind me. I want to be happy; I just don’t know how.”
Megan shook her head again. “Great, now I’m talking to myself.” She looked into the heavens and took a deep breath, sighing. “I hope You’re listening.” With that, Megan gave the view one last appraisal before turning and walking back inside the cabin.
After changing into a pair of faded jeans and a cotton pullover shirt, she headed to the kitchen table, where her computer laid waiting, took a seat and opened the laptop to begin her work for the day. As she began typing her latest project, she couldn’t help smiling. Instead of being dressed in a suit and heels, she sat in a comfortable pair of jeans and slippers. She had replaced the ninth floor of a stuffy office building with her kitchen table and given up a view of brick and glass accompanied by the sound of traffic below for sky and mountains serenaded by birds. She had to chuckle as she resisted the urge to pinch herself just to make sure it wasn’t all a dream.
When Megan left the prestigious marketing and advertising firm of Adams and Gilmore, everyone had thought she was insane. She was a successful copywriter with great potential for various promotions, perhaps even an eventual partnership. But, following the fiasco with Trevor, she had not cared what she may be giving up or leaving behind. She only knew that the city felt like it was closing in on her. She couldn’t breathe and knew she would go crazy if she continued without a change. She had some money in savings and was more than willing to take a risk. Megan decided, if she was as good as everyone said she was at copywriting, she could go into business for herself. If the clients liked her work, they would follow her and she could work from anywhere she and her laptop could go.
At that moment the phone rang and Megan looked down at the Caller I.D. in surprise.
“Wow, speak of the devil,” Megan murmured aloud as she picked up the receiver and then greeted the surprise caller, “Hello?”
“Hello, Morgan, this is Stanley Adams,” the deep voice responded.
“Hi, Mr. Adams, how are you?” Megan was sure the astonishment was evident in her voice.
“Doing just wonderful, and yourself?” Mr. Adams asked.
“I’m great.”
“How’s country life treating you these days?”
“Wonderful. How’s everything there?” Megan inquired.
“Oh, busier than ever. You know how it is.” Mr. Adams answered with a laugh.
Megan knew her old boss hadn’t called her to chit-chat or see how she enjoyed life in the
country
. So, what did he really want?
“Mr. Adams, I know you didn’t call just to chat. What’s up?” she asked, foregoing the rest of the pleasantries.
He laughed at her boldness and said, “I want you to come back to the firm. We’ve got some really big accounts and need your expertise on them.”
“I don’t think—”
Stanley cut her off. “Hear me out. I want to make you managing director with a promise of partnership in two years.”
Managing director! With the bonuses that came with that position, her salary would double. For a moment, Megan silently pondered what those funds could mean, but as she did, she glanced outside at the mountains resting majestically behind her cabin.
You are home.
A still small voice whispered in her mind.
“I’m very flattered, Mr. Adams. I really do appreciate it but I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline,” she politely refused.
“Are you serious?”
Megan could hear the surprise in his voice.
“Yes, I am, but thanks for the call anyway,” she answered, with certainty. Given that there was little left to say, she politely but firmly ended the call.
When Megan replaced the receiver, her hand was slightly shaking. Was she crazy? She’d just turned down a promotion, a very generous salary and a future partnership.
Yet even with all of that, Megan had absolutely no desire to return to the city or to the life she had led there. She just was not cut out for it and could no longer pretend to be. As she thought through all of this, Megan couldn’t help but think about that earlier scripture
whatever is right
. For that moment, doubts were silenced and she knew God’s hand was at work in her own life.
Yes, there had been a few lean months while she was getting things off the ground, but since then, business had been good and there was no lack of work. If anything, she was receiving more business than ever. Her clients were more than satisfied by her performance and she was getting referrals, as well as repeat business, increasing her income substantially from her days with Adams and Gilmore.
“Yep, Sir, the sky’s the limit. I don’t need Adams and Gilmore to make it in this world.”
As she got back to work, she smiled, hoping the doubts would stay at bay.
****
When Sir whined, Megan looked at the clock and realized she’d been working for several hours. She’d stopped only once, around noon, to eat half of a sandwich and drink a diet soda before going right back to her project.
Sir whined a second time.
“Okay, boy. Just one more second.” She hit the final keys to save her work, and with a satisfied nod, closed the computer.
“Tomorrow, I’ll edit it and send it off,” Megan said aloud, as she stood and stretched. Her sore back let her know she’d been sitting far too long.
“How about I go with you, Sir?” she asked the Dane as she stretched again before grabbing his leash. “I think I could use a good walk about now.”
Sir wagged his tail, his ears perking up at the sound of the leash.
“Okay, boy, calm down.” She tried to soothe his excitement. “Now look, we can only do this if you promise not to yank me off one of these cliffs. You got that?”
Sir’s response was to look at her innocently, as if to say, “Who me?”
“I know it would never be intentional,” she assured him as he pulled her out the door, “but sometimes you get ahead of yourself and you just don’t know your own strength.”
Megan followed Sir to the path they generally walked. Continued use had caused it to be well worn and relatively safe. When she walked with Sir, she kept to this path because she was familiar with its twists, turns and drop-offs. Though it was a beautiful walk, it was also a pretty strenuous workout with its uneven ground and degrees of elevation. Sir, in all of his exuberance, tended to make it even more challenging.
When Megan and Sir returned forty-five minutes later, she was soaked with sweat and Sir was panting to beat the band. Megan was sporting red scratches on her arms and face, as well as some leaves in her hair.
“How many times have I told you it’s
not
necessary to chase the squirrels when I’m with you?” she asked furiously. Sir gave her a pitiful stare, which somehow lost a bit of its sincerity with the huge strings of drool coming from both sides of his sagging jaws. To prove his intent, he reached up with his huge tongue and gave her arm a long apologetic lick. Megan released an exasperated sigh and let them into the cabin.
“Oh my!” Megan exclaimed, glancing at the clock. “I’ll have just enough time to shower, change and make it to the church fellowship dinner.”
Megan rushed to the shower and emerged from her room a scant thirty minutes later in a long-sleeved, soft linen dress that buttoned up the front and swirled softly around her ankles. Hopping, she slipped her feet into open-toed mules as she hurried to the entry where she stopped to check her reflection in the mirror one last time. The light foundation had not done much to hide the red welts lining her left cheek or the light sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of her nose.
She’d resigned herself to the freckles years ago, determining they came with the thick chestnut hair, which hung straight to the middle of her back. Though at the moment, it was pulled back away from her face and knotted securely at the nape of her neck.
Megan wasn’t unhappy with what she saw, gazing without vanity at the reflection. While she wasn’t a great beauty, she felt her best feature was wide, thickly-lashed, amber eyes set beneath long naturally-arched brows. She crinkled the pert nose that rested above slightly full lips which covered straight white teeth, the result of two years of braces. She’d passionately hated wearing them during those gangly teen years, but now realized it was discomfort and time well spent. Megan nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders at the reflection before turning to grab her leather handbag, shooting out the door and down the porch steps.
Chapter Three
Megan wheeled into the gravel parking lot of Grace Community Fellowship thirty minutes late. She would have been on time, except when she pulled into the parking lot the first time, she realized she had not brought a dish for the fellowship dinner.
Although she knew coming without a dish wouldn’t have upset anyone, Megan could not go to the dinner empty handed. So, she had driven the mile back down the mountain into Laurel Ridge to find the local deli just before it closed. While the staff was already putting things away, they were kind as she picked a vegetable tray and some macaroni salad. The drive back to the church seemed to take forever but in reality was just a matter of minutes.
Megan used the walk through the parking lot to calm her breathing and to remind herself she was looking forward to this evening. Even with going as quickly as she could, when Megan entered the side door of the church social hall, everyone was already seated and eating. She couldn’t help but think she had disrupted something and a bit of nervousness returned. She hesitated as they all paused and called out a warm greeting.
Penny, Pastor Dan’s wife, rose from where she was seated to come over and relieve Megan of her dishes.