Chapter Nineteen, An Explanation

Grasping for something to talk about before she became totally lost in those dark blue eyes of his, Beth said, "So, you were going to explain the situation at church this morning.”

"Not until we're all seated at the table." Pastor Jack smiled as he poked his head out the door. "Everything's ready. Can you lend us a hand? I think Sylvia is about worn out."

Adam stood, helped Beth to her feet and led the way to the kitchen where they found his mother plastering on a tired looking smile.

"You overdid it, didn't you, Mom?"

"Oh, pooh!" Sylvia waved a dismissive hand at her son. "I'll be fine in a moment. I just need to rest a minute."

"Well, I think we can handle things from here. Stay put while we get everything on the table." Stroking his mom’s cheek, Adam bent to plant a kiss on her head.

Sylvia gave him a loving smile and did as she was told. When the table was set, Adam scooped her into his arms and carried her into the old-fashioned, formal dining room with walnut trim. Setting her down, she reached up to give his cheek a loving pat.

"You're such a good son."

"Too good if you ask me…doesn't leave room for anyone else to take care you," Pastor Jack said with a twinkle in his eye.

Laughing, Sylvia's hand fluttered in embarrassment. "Fiddlesticks! I'm just enjoying my son while I still have him. One of these days some sweet girl will snag his heart and then I'll have to look for someone else to take care of me," she said as she tossed a glance Beth's way.

"And we all know that Pastor Jack will be the first in line to volunteer," Adam said.

A deep red suffused Jack's face. "Well, could anyone blame me?" he said as he took his seat next to Sylvia. "A man would be more than blessed to have a woman like Sylvia."

Now, Sylvia blushed. "Oh, you two…let's give thanks before the food gets cold. Jack, will you do the honors, please?"

"Certainly." Taking Sylvia's hand and reaching across the table for Beth's, he said, "Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this Lord's day. We thank you for your love. I ask that you bless Sylvia with the strength she needs today. Thank you for her and her son and the blessing they are to me.

"We also thank you for this sweet, young woman who sits in our midst. We pray a special blessing on her, Lord. Help her through her present trials. Give her wisdom and discernment, and help her make the right decisions regarding her future.

"Thank you for this food. We pray you will use it to strengthen our bodies for the day. In your precious son's name we pray, amen."

"Amen. Thank you, Jack. Adam, will you hand the dishes to Beth? Then, just pass them on to Jack, if you would please, Beth."

The sound of dishes clinking filled the room for the next several minutes. Beth pondered the gentleness with which Adam handled his mother. You can usually tell how a man will treat his wife by how he treats his mother…echoed in her head. She wondered what it would be like to be treated with so much tenderness and love.

A sudden vision of Kyle ordering his mother about flashed through her mind and she cringed.

"So, who's going to explain things to Beth?" Pastor Jack's question startled Beth back to the present.

Sylvia giggled. "I suppose we owe her an explanation. I'm sure you couldn't help but notice all the young women swooning at my son's feet."

"He did seem rather popular," Beth said, as she glanced at Adam with a wry grin.

Adam kept his head down as he shoveled food into his mouth.

"Well, beside his natural good looks and sweet disposition, Adam is the only heir to the Blythe "dynasty" who remains unattached. You see, he's a descendent of the man who first settled the area. Isaac Love settled here, building an iron forge. His son, Matthew, opened the Old Mill about ten years later. Matthew had a daughter who married "Grandfather Blythe" and was the soul heir of the Love estate which included hundreds of acres in and around Pigeon Forge.

"When the government decided to make the Smokies a national park, many people started moving out of the park area looking for land. Our family started selling off the land little by little, adding to the family coffers. What remains in the family is divided up amongst Adam and his aunts, uncles, and cousins.

"Anyway, you can imagine how the young women in our community see Adam as the most eligible bachelor."

"Which is precisely why I won't consider anyone from here as a possible future mate," Adam said.

Beth wrinkled her brow in confusion. "I'm not sure I understand. I would think that to mean you could have your pick."

"Yes…but, who am I to trust? How can I tell who likes me for me and who just sees prestige and dollar signs?" Adam looked at her, a mixture of confusion, hurt, and wariness swimming in his eyes.

"Oh…I see your point." Wanting to comfort him, she reached over and laid her hand on his arm. "So, what will you do? Do you plan to never marry?"

"I hope to have a wife and family of my own someday. I'm trusting God to bring the right woman into my life at the right time. Until then, I have my sweet, beautiful mother to take care of." Smiling, he turned to wink at Sylvia.

"But, how will you know when you've met the right woman?" Beth asked in total confusion. "If you've determined not to marry anyone in Pigeon Forge, yet, this is where you live, how will you ever meet someone and get to know her well enough to know if she's the one for you? Also, you can't keep your family history secret from her forever. She's going to find out eventually, and then, how will she be any different from the local girls?"

"She won't know when I first meet her. I've found that most women change how they act once they find out. God will give me wisdom to know who's for real and who's not."

Beth's stomach fluttered, and then churned at the intent look in Adam's gaze. Confusion swirled through her mind. She picked up her fork to continue eating. "I wish I shared your confidence," she muttered as she poked a bite of juicy roast into her mouth.

"Mmm…oh, Miss Sylvia! This roast is heavenly," Beth said before shoving another bite into her mouth.

She could feel Adam's gaze burning a path her way.

"Thank you, Dear," Sylvia said before turning her attention to Pastor Jack.

Still feeling the heat of Adam's gaze, Beth glanced up only to be held captive by the overwhelming sincerity in his eyes.

"Trust God, Beth." He reached up and stroked her cheek before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "He'll make things plain to you in time. You'll see."

Swallowing hard, she stared at him wide-eyed. Feeling immobilized, she forced her head to nod and her mouth to speak. "I-I hope so." Her voice but a whisper, she cleared her throat and said, "I mean…I do trust Him. I just don't trust myself."

Leaning close, Adam rested his arm on the back of her chair and whispered close to her ear. "What do you mean…you don't trust yourself?"

Beth whispered back. "I mean, I don't trust my heart," she said, placing the flat of her hand against her chest, beseeching Adam with her eyes. "I don't trust my own judgment. If I can be so easily deceived by Kyle, how can I truly discern God's direction? It's just all so confusing."

"What made you second guess yourself about Kyle?"

"There are so many things that made me start wondering about him…things he would do, lies he would tell…even the way his family interacts.”

Beth glanced over to see Sylvia and Jack absorbed in private conversation. Turning back to Adam, she kept her voice quiet and continued. “I had this nagging in my spirit that I ignored for the longest time. My mom just loves him and my dad seems to like him, so I thought for a while that those niggling feelings must be wrong. Once we became engaged, his behavior became worse and I decided to stop ignoring what I felt. I decided that the only way I could look at the situation objectively was to get away from it where I could think and pray…where Kyle couldn't talk me back into a state of self-doubt and confusion."

Her gaze swept over Adam's face as her voice continued just above a whisper. "I just never expected my running away to bring more complications."

Beth watched as a slow grin dawned on Adam's face. "So, I'm a complication, am I?"

Ducking her head, Beth felt the heat flood her face. Picking up her fork, she started poking at her food. "Yes. I guess you are."

Giving her shoulder a squeeze before going back to his plate, he chuckled and said, "I think I can live with that."


Written by: Linnette R Mullin