Special Mission Read online

  Copyright

  ISBN 978-1-60260-709-5

  Copyright © 2010 by Debby Mayne. All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the permission of Truly Yours, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., PO Box 721, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683.

  All of the characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental.

  Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.

  One

  Kimberly Shaw stared up at the bridal party, imagining herself getting ready to walk toward her own adoring groom, David. The wedding singer’s voice echoed through the small chapel as the groom and his men stood in a line, waiting. Her heart hammered. This would be her in less than a year—at least that’s what she hoped.

  After the singer finished her song, the chapel grew quiet for a few seconds. The organist positioned herself on the bench and opened her music book. A soft murmur started at the back of the church, but Kim figured people were just getting impatient. The wedding was running behind by—she took a quick look at her watch—about fifteen minutes.

  She glanced back up toward Brian’s guys. His smile had faded, and David leaned over to whisper something. Then suddenly Brian’s mother scurried up the aisle and spoke to the pastor.

  The murmur behind Kim grew louder. She squirmed in her pew. Something was happening; she just wished she knew what it was.

  “Where’s the bride?” Kim asked. “This isn’t good.”

  “Oh, I’m sure it’s nothing serious. I bet Leila couldn’t get into her dress,” Kim’s best friend, Carrie, whispered. “Did you see her putting away two desserts last night at the rehearsal dinner?”

  “Shh.” Kim couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, I noticed. I don’t know how she could eat the night before her wedding.”

  “Maybe she was nervous-eating. I do that with brownies.” Carrie smoothed the front of her skirt.

  Kim was about to comment, but the pastor returned to the front of the church. He whispered something to Brian, who hesitated, nodded, and tightened his jaw. The frown on his face deepened as he huddled with David and the rest of the guys, who all groaned then turned and headed for the side door.

  “What is going on?” Carrie said. “You don’t think we’re taking this outside, do you? I hope not. These heels are hard enough to walk in on hard floors. There’s no way I’ll be able to walk in grass.”

  Kim nodded toward the pastor, who held up his hands to quiet everyone. “Folks, there’s been a change of plans. There will be no wedding today.”

  Loud gasps resonated through the sanctuary.

  “This is weird,” Carrie said.

  “C’mon.” Kim scooted out of the pew and into the aisle, where a smattering of guests had already begun to congregate. “Let’s go find out what happened.”

  “But—”

  Kim didn’t wait to hear what Carrie was about to say. After figuring out she’d have to deal with a crowded narthex, she turned and half walked, half ran up the front and out the side door. David held his cell phone up to his ear and paced. Brian leaned against a concrete wall by the fellowship hall, a stunned look in his eyes. Kim hesitated for a moment before heading toward David. He glanced at her and shook his head, the straight line of his mouth letting her know that something awful had just happened.

  She turned toward Brian whose gaze locked with hers. Dread flowed through her, but someone needed to be with Brian, and all his friends stood several feet from him—as if they were afraid of him.

  He’d always been there for her, no matter what. The least she could do was find out what happened and comfort him if needed.

  Kim slowly moved toward him and forced a sympathetic smile. He remained fixed to one spot.

  “What happened?” she asked as she reached for his hand.

  “She changed her mind.”

  They stared at each other a couple of seconds while Kim’s mind wrapped around what he’d just said. “I’m so sorry, Brian. I don’t get it.”

  Brian’s shook his head. “Yeah, I don’t either.”

  “Can I. . .” Her voice trailed off as she tried to think of something to offer, but nothing came to mind. “Is there anything I can do?” She squeezed his hand. He didn’t budge from his position.

  “Not really. I’ll be okay after the shock wears off.”

  “I’m sure,” Kim said. “Have you talked to Leila?”

  “Nah. She didn’t have the decency to tell me. I knew she was late, but that’s pretty normal for her. Her mom called my mom.”

  Kim wanted to shake Leila until her teeth fell out for doing such a rotten thing to such a sweetheart of a guy. “Would you like for me to try to talk to her?” If she’d been better friends with Leila, she would have talked to her without asking.

  “Wouldn’t do any good,” he said. “Once Leila sets her mind on something, it’s a done deal.” He finally shifted, pulled away from her, shoved his hands in his pockets, moved a few inches from where he stood, then let out a sardonic chuckle. “In fact, she’s the one who finagled the proposal.”

  “Yeah, I remember David telling me about that.”

  Brian pulled his hands out of his pockets and lifted them. “I was perfectly happy with the way things were going, but after you and David—well, you know, after she saw your ring and all. . .”

  Kim held out her left hand and gazed at the sparkling diamond David had given her. After he proposed, she thought things would be wonderful—that they’d get married a few months or even a year later; then they’d live happily ever after. She had no idea that what started out as his part-time career with the National Guard would take precedence over their relationship. Shortly after they got engaged, he let the law practice he’d inherited from his father slide in favor of his passion for the National Guard. The patriotism she’d seen when they first met had become a source of contention between them.

  “Sorry,” Brian said. “David told me you’re getting frustrated about having to wait.”

  “I’m just glad he’s stalling now,” she replied. “Before we get married.”

  “Just don’t rush things,” Brian said. “Look where it got me.”

  Except Brian wasn’t the one who’d rushed the wedding. Leila’s fantasy of the romantic wedding and honeymoon had been the topic of her conversations with all their friends for the past couple of months. David had even accused Kim of being like Leila when she tried to press for a date.

  “Did David tell you he’s thinking about volunteering to go overseas? For some kind of top secret special mission. Only a few select people from his unit will be involved.”

  Brian’s forehead crinkled as he gave her a look of concern. “Kim, he’s already been accepted.” He gestured toward David who was still on his cell phone. “In fact, he’s talking to his commanding officer right now. Before we got to the church, he said he needed to contact him before the day was over, so I told him to go ahead and call.”

  Kim felt as if someone had pulled the turf from beneath her. She opened her mouth, but she had no idea what to say.

  Brian stepped forward and gently draped an arm over her shoulder. “Trust me, Kim. It’s better for him to go ahead and get this out of his system. When he comes back, he’ll be ready to settle down.”

  She frowned and nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Do you know when he’s going?”

  Movement captured her attention, so she looked up to see David striding toward them, a quick grin followed by a look of compassion f
or Brian. “Sorry, buddy, tough break.”

  Brian slowly removed his arm from Kim’s shoulder and gently nudged her toward David. “Like I told Kim—it’s better Leila does this now than decide she’s not ready later.”

  “Maybe she just has cold feet.” David offered a sympathetic grin. “I bet she comes around, and you’ll be off on your honeymoon in a day or two.”

  “We’ll see.” Brian stepped away from them and waved. “I’d better go talk to some folks and thank them for coming to the party that didn’t happen.”

  Kim and David watched Brian until he disappeared into the crowd; then David casually placed his hand in the small of Kim’s back. “I wouldn’t wanna be Brian now.” He gave her a squeeze. “But he seems to be handling it well.”

  She pulled away and studied David’s profile—handsome in every way, from his deep-set eyes to his strong chin. “What choice does he have?”

  “Huh?”

  “You said he was handling it well. What else would a guy in his place do?” Kim paused and gave him a moment to think before adding, “What would you do if I stood you up at the altar?”

  He gave her a mock look of shock. “That’s not something I’ll ever have to worry about, is it?”

  Kim shook her head. “No, of course not.”

  David turned her to face him and placed a hand on each of her shoulders. “That’s my girl.”

  “Now there’s something I’d like to know, David.”

  “What’s that?” He dropped his hands to his sides and lifted one eyebrow with one of his heart-melting gazes. She had to look away to say what she needed to say.

  “When were you planning to tell me about being accepted for this overseas mission?” She frowned. “I thought you were just in the discussion stage with your commanding officer.”

  David closed his eyes and swallowed hard. Kim folded her arms and tilted her head as she watched him try to figure out how to explain. Why didn’t he just come out with it?

  “I was going to tell you today.” His voice was barely audible.

  “Okay.” She cleared her throat. “Now that I know, let’s talk about it.”

  He gave her an apologetic look and shrugged. “What’s there to talk about? I’m going over to the Middle East on a special mission.”

  “How long will you be gone?”

  “I don’t know—a couple of months, maybe a little longer?” He forced a smile, cupped her chin, and tilted her face up to his. “Not too long, though.”

  “What about our wedding? Will we be able to get married sometime this year?” She wasn’t able to keep the sarcasm from her voice.

  Suddenly his smile faded. “I was hoping to, but now I’m not sure.”

  “So what am I supposed to do? Send out invitations telling people that we’re getting married sometime, like after you get back from your special mission, and they’re invited, but we’re not sure when. . .” Her voice trailed off as she started shaking.

  “I’m sorry, Kim.”

  “If you’re sorry, why did you request this assignment?” Her voice cracked, but at this point she didn’t care how she sounded. David had made a monumental decision without consulting her first. Was this how it would always be?

  “It’s important to me. I want to be part of this mission.”

  “More than you want to be with me?”

  “Don’t be like that, Kim. You’ve always known how I felt about our country and my responsibility. They need me.”

  “I love our country, too, David, but it’s not just that.” She pondered the right way to put her feelings to prevent sounding selfish. “One of the things I love about you is your patriotism and commitment to protect our country. But when you asked me to marry you, I thought you wanted me to be your partner. You should have discussed it with me before you volunteered to go.” Kim fought hard to control the way she sounded, but the words sounded shrill. She cleared her throat.

  He narrowed his eyes, but his voice was soft. “And what would you have wanted me to do?”

  “I—” She cut herself off before she said anything she might later regret. “I don’t know.”

  David leaned toward her and reached for her hands. “Kimberly, you know how I feel about you.”

  “I do?”

  “You should.” He paused, gently ran his hand up her arm, and smiled down at her. “I love you very much. I never would have asked you to marry me if I didn’t.”

  “But—” She stopped when he put his fingers to her lips to shush her.

  “All the love in the world can’t negate the fact that our country needs me. I want to do everything in my power to make this world a better place for us.” He managed a half smile as he gestured across the lawn. “And for everyone here.”

  No way could she refute any of that, or she’d come across sounding selfish. “I guess you’re right.”

  “I know I’m right. Now let’s go see how the jilted groom is doing. We don’t want to leave him alone too long, or he might think no one cares.”

  Kim could relate to the jilted feeling, but she still didn’t say anything. As strong as she was, she knew that once she got started talking about all the reasons she was upset and hurt, she might not be able to stop. David took her by the hand and led her to Brian, who stood in the middle of a group of guys, all of them silent and looking very uncomfortable.

  Kim’s parents had just spoken to Brian, and they approached her as David joined Brian. “This is terrible,” her mother whispered. “But at least this happened now rather than later.”

  With a sigh, Kim nodded. “I’m shocked, but he seems to be doing okay.”

  Her dad squirmed, so her mother gave her a quick hug. “I don’t think your dad wants to stick around, so I’ll talk to you later. We’ll pray for Brian.”

  “I’m sure he’ll appreciate it,” Kim said. She strode toward David and the group that now surrounded Brian.

  “Hey, buddy,” David said. “Things will look better tomorrow.”

  One of the other men coughed, and a couple of them walked away. Kim felt even worse for Brian now.

  “Do you want us to hang around?” David continued. “I don’t want to leave you alone if you need us.”

  “Um. . .” Brian glanced around Kim then looked David in the eye. “Nah, I don’t think so. I’ll be fine.”

  “C’mon, buddy, we can do something to get your mind off things,” David urged.

  Kim wanted to smack him, but she just tugged him away instead. “He’s not in the mood, David.” She offered Brian a sympathetic look.

  Brian smiled back at her then turned to David. “You’re a fortunate man to have someone like Kim. You’d better hang on to her.”

  David possessively wrapped his arms around Kim and squeezed. “She’s not going anywhere.” Then he let go and pretend-punched Brian. “Hey, thanks a lot for spilling the beans about my overseas tour.”

  “David. . .” Kim glared at him.

  Brian shot David a serious look. “I assumed you told her before you mentioned it to the rest of us. After all, she is your fiancée.”

  “Oh well, no harm done.” David loosened his tie and undid the top button of his shirt. “I think I’m gonna head home and get out of this monkey suit. Wanna do something later?”

  “I think I’ll pass,” Brian replied as he stepped back and turned. “Why don’t you spend some time with Kim before you have to leave?”

  Kim dropped her hands into her coat pocket. It was a cool, early spring afternoon, but as the sun headed closer to the horizon, the temperature was heading closer to freezing. She shivered.

  “Cold?” David asked.

  She nodded. “Yeah.”

  “C’mon, I’ll take you home. We can go out later if you want to. I think we have more talking to do.”

  ❧

  Brian watched his best friend escort the sweetest girl in Charleston, West Virginia, toward the parking lot. David had no idea how blessed he was to have the love of a woman who’d never even think to d
o what Leila did.

  Once upon a time, Brian had been in love with Kimberly Shaw. They’d been friends for as long as he could remember—since sometime in early elementary school. She was athletic, so they played on the same county-run soccer team. By the time they reached middle school, she’d moved on to the girl’s volleyball team at school, while he went out for football. Kim remained his friend, but things had changed. Boys liked her, and she trusted Brian enough to confide her deepest thoughts and feelings. Somewhere along the way, he’d fallen in love with her, and it hit him hard when one of his buddies gave her his class ring in high school. Brian wished he’d made his move before it was too late, but he didn’t want to risk losing what he had with Kim.

  He managed to stand on the sidelines of her life until his friend dumped her right before their big senior event at school. When Kim called crying, he offered to be her date, and she’d accepted. Too bad he’d wimped out on letting her know then how he felt—but he wasn’t willing to risk scaring her away. Instead, he encouraged her to try new things and not let any guy get the best of her. He figured if they were meant to be together, it would happen one of these days. Surely God would see to that, right? He prayed every night for some opening into the romantic side of Kim’s heart.

  When he’d met David during a National Guard weekend, he’d been happy to meet someone else from his hometown. David had grown up on the other side of Charleston, so he’d gone to a different school. Brian invited him to church, and David agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

  Kim didn’t seem all that interested in David at first. However, when David set his mind to pursuing her, she didn’t stand a chance. That was two years ago, and now they were engaged.

  Brian wanted to kick himself in the backside. What a chump he’d been. Meeting Leila had given him a little ray of sunshine. She was beauty-pageant pretty. Leila was a talented musician and singer, who loved doing solos in church. She laughed at his jokes and made him feel as if he were the only other person in the room. She still didn’t match up to Kim, yet he was able to convince himself that he was in love with her. And since he couldn’t have Kim, he knew he could grow old with Leila and never want to be with anyone else. She’d talked him into not reenlisting with the Guard because she didn’t like him going away so often. He was willing to do whatever it took to make a marriage work.