Chapter Ten #3
you. While you’re home he wanted the two of us to select a day for the wedding. I just naturally assumed . . .” He let the
rest of what he was going to say fade away.
Looping her hand in his elbow, Meggie smiled with an inner happiness. “Honestly, Dad, of course he’s asked me. It just surprised
me that he said anything to you, that’s all. And, Dad, you’re going to love Jill. She’ll remind you so much of me at thirteen.
How do you feel about being a grandfather?”
“Funny thing, Quinn not mentioning his daughter.” Her father ran a hand over his unshaven cheek. “I kept expecting him to
say something about Jill and a ready-made family. Of course, I knew about the girl from everything you’ve said. But Quinn
didn’t mention her once. Not a word.”
The bubble of happiness that surrounded Meggie seemed to burst all at once. Jill was nothing more than an encumbrance in Quinn’s
life. An ache grew in Meggie’s heart for the child Quinn found impossible to love.
Sam was waiting for them when they arrived home from the airport. Meggie walked into the small home and felt the comfort of
familiar things, a deep sense of belonging. Sam was sitting on the worn sofa, leafing through a dog-eared magazine. He laid
it aside the minute Meggie walked in the door.
Roy walked around his daughter, carrying her suitcase into her bedroom.
“Hello, Sam,” she said, and smiled softly.
Hesitatingly he stood, his eyes focusing on the pattern of the old carpet. “Welcome home,” he murmured in a dejected, hurt
tone. “I’ve missed you, Meggie.”
“What a nice thing to say. It’s good to be home for a visit.” She qualified her arrival, making sure he understood she would
only be there a few days.
Sam nodded. “Roy said you’re going to marry some hot-shot policeman in Portland.”
Holding her purse with both hands in front of her skirt, Meggie said, “Quinn’s an inspector for the Portland police.”
For the briefest second Meggie saw something unreadable flicker over Sam’s face. “I wish you every happiness, Meggie.”
“Thank you, Sam, I know you mean that.” It was an uncomfortable scene; she didn’t know what more she could say and, for lack
of words, stood on the far side of the room just inside the front door.
“I don’t know about you, Meggie,” her father interrupted the silence from the kitchen doorway, “but I could do with a cup
of cocoa.”
Meggie smiled at her father gratefully. “Me, too,” she agreed in an eager voice, happy to be on familiar ground. “Want one,
Sam?”
He shook his head, his eyes still managing to avoid hers. “I’ve got to be heading home. It was nice seeing you again, Meggie.”
“You too, Sam,” she finished with a breathy sigh.
“Meggie,” Sam stopped, his hand on the doorknob. “Do you think your inspector friend would mind if I took you out to dinner
Sunday afternoon? It would just be for old times’ sake.”
Meggie hesitated. There had been plenty of such dinners with Sam; she knew this one would be a repeat of all the others. First
he’d tell her how much he loved her, had always loved her, how his life would be incomplete without her. The experience was
enough to take away a starving man’s appetite.
“I’m leaving Sunday. I don’t know that we’d have time.”
“Quinn didn’t say anything about you flying out Sunday,” her father interrupted.
Meggie flashed him a fiery glare. “Nonetheless, I’m returning to Portland Sunday afternoon.”
Roy O’Halloran chuckled as he took the milk from the refrigerator.
“I could take you to the airport, Meggie,” Sam offered. “I’ll pick you up early in the afternoon; we could have brunch and
then I could drive you to the airport.”
Meggie wasn’t sure she should agree. But if Quinn had told her father about the reason for her unexpected visit, it wouldn’t
be beyond him to make excuses to detain her. It would be just like Quinn to have set up such an arrangement.
“All right, Sam,” she said. “That sounds like a good idea.”
Her father hesitated, opening and closing his mouth as if he had something he wanted to say. Apparently he decided it wasn’t
worth saying because he resumed his task, taking a pan from the cupboard.
Quinn called Meggie Saturday afternoon, but she was shopping with a former school friend and missed the call. When she tried
to return his call later, there was no answer.
Another call came for her early Sunday morning immediately after she’d left for Sunday school and church. Again her father
said he thought it must have been Quinn. She was scheduled to fly out that afternoon and didn’t attempt to return his call.
After all, she’d be seeing him in a few hours anyway.
Her suitcase was packed for the return flight and she was waiting for Sam when the doorbell rang. Her father was reading the
Sunday paper.
“I’ll get it, Dad, it’s probably Sam.” She glanced at her wristwatch and noted that for once in his life Sam was early.
The sight at the front door brought a startled gasp from Meggie. “Quinn,” she choked on his name. His appearance, far more
than his presence, shocked her. His hair, normally groomed and neat, was a rumpled mess. A dark stubble grew along the lines
of his jaw and cheek as if he hadn’t shaved since she’d departed Friday afternoon. His clothes looked as if he’d slept in
them.
“Oh, Meggie.” His voice cracked when he spoke.
Before she could even stop to catch her breath she was heaved into his arms and squeezed until the very oxygen was sucked
from her lungs.
“Quinn,” she said in a tiny voice. “What is it?”
He eased her away from him and looked at her with such an infinite tenderness it brought a frown of inquisitiveness to Meggie’s
face. As if suddenly realizing where he was, Quinn pulled his gaze away from Meggie and flickered to her father, who was standing,
looking just as shocked as Meggie.
“Quinn.” Roy O’Halloran extended his hand.
Pulling Meggie into the crook of one arm, he shook hands with his future father-in-law with the other hand. “I’m sorry to
meet you under these circumstances, Roy.”
“Circumstances, what circumstances?” Meggie questioned.
“I’ve had a warrant issued for Sam Abernathy this morning. The L.A. police are picking him up now.”
“Sam!” Both Meggie and her father cried simultaneously. Roy lowered himself onto the couch as if he couldn’t believe what
he was hearing.
“I’m sorry to be the one to bring such bad news,” Quinn said in an apologetic tone. “But it was Sam who was making all the
calls.”
Meggie joined her father on the couch, her knees suddenly so shaky she felt unsteady. “But how, why?” Disbelief clouded reason.
Of course Sam had motive to want to frighten her, scare her into returning to California. But she would never have suspected
him of making long distance obscene calls.
Roy O’Halloran slumped forward, his knees supporting his elbows as he buried his face in his hands. “I should have realized . . .
I should have known. Sam was always so confident Meggie would move back. But I’d never have believed he’d resort to this.”
Kneeling beside her on the carpet, Quinn took her hands in his. “Thank God, you’re safe,” he murmured over and over, until
he’d composed himself enough to explain what had happened. “You’ve talked so little about Sam, I didn’t really make the connection
until there were no calls Friday night. Saturday I started to suspect something was up and ordered a record of long-distance
calls made to your number. One telephone number had made repeated calls. When I checked out the number I learned it was Sam’s.”
Several hours later Meggie sat beside Quinn on the airplane flying north. His hand continued to tightly grip hers, as if he
couldn’t let her out of his sight.
“I thought I’d lost you, Meggie,” he murmured, in a deep guttural tone that spoke of untold anxiety. “I phoned your father
this morning to try and warn him what was happening. But the line was a poor one and all I could get out of him was the fact
you were flying home today and that Sam was taking you to the airport. I’ve never known such fear as when I heard him tell
me you were meeting Sam. Before I could say or do anything your father said it was useless to try and talk on such a bad line
and hung up the phone. When I tried to call back there wasn’t an answer.”
“Dad works in the garage on Sunday mornings. He just didn’t hear the phone, that’s all,” she explained.
Covering her hand with both of his, he looked away for a moment. “Do you remember me saying I didn’t pray? I told you there
wasn’t anything important enough in my life to pray about. But I prayed today as I’ve never done before.” He rubbed a hand
over his face and for a moment Meggie was sure she saw a sheen of tears glimmer in the depth of his eyes. “You were right
when you said I’ve been tortured by guilt. Diana, Nelson, Laura—I’ve never laid them to rest. I’ve blamed myself for what
happened; I allowed hate and bitterness to discolor my life.” He swallowed tightly and Meggie squeezed his hand, bringing
the callused fingers to her mouth as if she could kiss away the hurt. “You were right about Jill, too,” he said in a soft
tone. “Of all, she is innocent in this. I’ve decided from now on Jill is my daughter. I’ll probably never know the truth,
but it doesn’t matter. I’ve made her my daughter in my heart.”
“Oh, Quinn,” Meggie said, and tried to hold back the tears. For the first time that afternoon, Quinn smiled, his eyes gazing
deeply into hers. “I was like a crazy man trying to get to you. When I couldn’t connect with a commercial flight, I hired
a private plane. You aren’t going to believe this but the pilot was a retired clergyman.”
A gentle smile touched her face, reaching her eyes so that they glinted with all the love that burned in her heart. “Of course
I believe it. My God works in mysterious ways.”
Quinn’s eyes locked with hers. “Our God, Meggie,” he corrected. “I’ve done a lot of things in my life that I regret, but today
I am a new man, free in Christ. The past is buried and the future—our future—holds wonderful promises.”
Meggie laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, her heart overflowing with a happiness that made words impossible.
“Meggie, come look,” Jill insisted. She was wearing faded jeans and a T-shirt her new grandfather had printed for her. The
picture on the front was of a Cheshire cat grinning his know-it-all smile but his teeth were wired with braces. “I’ve got
my room unpacked,” she told Meggie proudly. “It really looks great.”
Meggie stood in the open doorway, her hair contained in a bright kerchief while boxes from the moving van littered the house.
“Jill, this is great. Good enough for you to help me arrange the living room.”
Jill laughed, her young face sparkling with happiness. “You know adults are really funny sometimes?”
Meggie paused, hands on her hips. “Oh, and how’s that?”
Jill placed one of the moving boxes into her closet. “Right before you and Dad got married, I think it was while you were
in California. Anyway Dad came to talk to Hariette and when he saw me he murmured something about the braces and started hugging
me like crazy. That’s when Dad and I had our talk. Then when you saw me you took one look at me, covered your mouth with your
hand and started laughing and crying and hugging me just like Dad had done.” She paused, her eyes meeting Meggie’s across
the width of the room. “I think adults can act crazy sometimes.”
Meggie didn’t even try to make excuses, only smiled softly to herself.
“Meggie, Jill, I’m back,” Quinn called from the front door. “I hope everyone likes cheeseburgers for our first dinner in our
new home.” Long strides ate up the distance between them as he handed Jill the sack and pulled Meggie into his arms. “Come
here, woman, we forgot something.”
“Quinn,” she cried, as he pulled her out the front door and ceremoniously lifted her into his arms. Automatically, she looped
her arms around his neck. “You’re crazy, you know that.”
He chuckled. “Crazy in love,” he murmured beside her ear.
“Just what are you doing?” Meggie demanded, unable to restrain the laughter.
“Atoning for an oversight. I wanted to carry you over the threshold this afternoon when the movers left, but we got so busy
I forgot.”
Jill stood in the entryway looking out after them, the sound of her giggles filling the summer’s evening air. “See what I
mean, Meggie?” she called. “Adults act sillier than kids sometimes.”
Meggie looked dreamily into her husband’s eyes. “Yes, they do,” she admitted in a husky whisper. “They really do.”
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