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Conscious that Chase still held her hand, she pulled it from his grasp. “No, I’m here as a volunteer to help the flood victims. I came in a National Guard helicopter a short time ago.”
“And we have to get to work,” Rick said, fidgeting from one foot to another.
“Sorry,” Chase apologized. “We can talk this evening, Amelia. It’s good to see you again.”
Amelia looked after Chase as he returned to work. The knit shirt and well-worn jeans he wore enhanced his muscular physique. Chase was slightly taller than she was, and his compact, lean body moved with easy grace. Physically, he had changed very little since the last time they’d seen each other.
“I’m surprised that you know Mr. Ramsey,” Vicky said at her elbow.
“What?” Amelia had forgotten about the girl. “Oh, yes, we were in college together. How’d you know him?”
“He’s one of the men who came from our church with the truck full of supplies.”
Chase, a church member? What a surprise! When Amelia had known him, he wouldn’t have been found inside a church. And neither would I, she thought with a wry smile. She wanted to question Vicky about Chase, but people were queuing up in front of her, so Amelia turned her attention to helping them.
The afternoon’s activities allowed no time for reflection as she screened and approved applications from people whose homes had been destroyed by water or mud slides. Those who needed medication got attention first, and when Chase finished unloading the truck, he used the church van to drive several people to another town where, with Red Cross vouchers, they could buy their medicine.
When the center closed at six-thirty, Amelia stood, wearily stretching her back muscles and flexing her fingers. Delicious odors wafted from the church’s kitchen, and Amelia realized that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. The pastor of the church, Allen Chambers, approached Vicky and Amelia.
“We’re housing flood victims in the gym, but we have temporary facilities for you and the male workers on the second floor. Bring your luggage, and I’ll show you to your quarters so you can freshen up a bit before we eat.”
As Amelia and Vicky followed Allen Chambers upstairs, he explained, “We have a day school here at the church, but classes have been canceled during this crisis. We’re fortunate to have enough space to provide a service center.”
He opened a door into the primary department. “There are rest room facilities in here, a bit small for you, but I thought we should leave the larger rooms next door for the men. More workers will be here tomorrow, but you won’t be crowded tonight.” Grinning, Allen Chambers pointed to a stack of cots and bed linens.
“We don’t have maid service, so you’ll have to fix your own beds.”
Amelia had grown up with maid service, but after she started making her own living, she couldn’t afford to pay anyone to clean for her. A long roll of thunder reverberated around the building and gusts of rain struck the windows.
“It’s raining again!” Vicky cried. “What are these people going to do?”
“It is bad,” the pastor said. “And the worst part, many of these victims had their homes destroyed less than a year ago. This is the second time in a few months they’ve been left homeless. Well, anyway, I’ll see you at dinnertime,” Allen Chambers said, and closed the door after him.
“He’s cute, isn’t he?” Vicky said.
“He’s very handsome,” Amelia agreed, but at Vicky’s next comment, she knew they weren’t thinking about the same man.
“He seems kind of young to be the pastor of a big church like this.”
A brawny man, Allen Chambers’s strong face was marked by freckles. His light blue eyes were deep-set in his face, and he had an outgoing personality. Cute? Perhaps he was, Amelia thought, but when compared to Chase’s lean body, Chambers’s bulk seemed overwhelming to her.
Amelia took a quick wash in a lavatory whose facilities weren’t higher than her knees, and after Vicky took her turn, they spread sheets and blankets on their cots while Vicky chattered about the unfortunate flood victims. Amelia tried to give the correct responses to her companion’s comments, but her thoughts were in the past.
She’d met Chase when she was a junior in college. He was the most popular man on campus. He’d dated a lot of women, so she had a lot of competition and considered herself fortunate when he’d focused his exclusive attention on her. Now he was back in her life after fifteen years. Was she pleased or sorry to see him again?
Amelia had no answer for that question. She’d changed a lot, and probably Chase had, too. Her reaction to meeting him today had been annoyance more than anything else. She was getting along fine as she was—she no longer had any desire for masculine companionship. She and Chase had enjoyed being together, and were compatible in many ways. Yet something had always seemed to be missing, something to make their happiness complete. When she’d accepted the Lord into her life, she knew immediately what they’d lacked to have a satisfying relationship.
According to Vicky, Chase was active in his church, so he’d had a change of heart, too. Would this mutual interest make a difference in any future encounters they might share?
Chapter Two
Amelia knew she couldn’t put Chase off if he wanted to talk to her, but she was relieved that they didn’t have time to visit during dinner. The volunteer staff mingled with the flood victims, and Chase and she didn’t have an opportunity to speak in the dining room. Her thoughts were diverted from him as she listened to the heartbreaking stories the victims told of their narrow escapes from the floodwaters.
She sat across the table from an elderly couple, Josh and Mandy Newberry, who seemed bewildered by what had happened.
“We’ve lived in that holler for most of our lives,” Josh said in a deep voice. “And this is the first time we’ve ever been flooded out. There have been little floods, but nothing like this one.”
“Everything we’ve saved all those years is gone,” Mandy said in a quavering voice, tears in her eyes. “If I’d just had time to save the pictures of my young’uns! All my memories are gone, too.”
Josh patted her hand. “No, Mandy. Your memories ain’t gone. And we’ll make out all right. We’ve got the good Lord on our side. He’s seen us through a lot of other trouble, and He’ll see us through this’n.”
Amelia’s throat tightened in compassion, but she smiled at the Newberrys. “That’s right. One of my favorite Scriptures is ‘I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.’ God will provide for you, and He’s sent me and many other people to help you.” She gripped each of their right hands. “Try to get a good night’s sleep. Maybe the sun will shine tomorrow.”
“God bless you, young lady,” Mandy said. “You’ve already perked me up.”
Amelia left the dining room to go upstairs to her quarters, seeking some privacy. She was surprised, and annoyed, at the emotional turmoil she was experiencing because she’d encountered Chase again. She’d voluntarily walked away from him fifteen years ago without a backward glance, and as the years passed, often weeks would go by when she didn’t think about him. So why had Chase’s surprise appearance sent her pulses spinning? Why was she filled with unease at being around him in this cleanup effort?
Chase had been visiting with Allen Chambers when Amelia left the gym, and she’d hoped to escape talking to him tonight. Instead of going to the cubbyhole she’d be sharing with Vicky, Amelia followed the signs to the chapel, a small room with an altar, a lectern, a few pews and an illuminated cross in the background that dimly lit the room. She knelt by the altar to pray, but words were hard to find. She did pray for the flood victims, asking for strength and wisdom to make a difference in their lives. Since she didn’t know how to pray about Chase, she simply asked for guidance in every aspect of her life during these weeks she’d be spending in the mountains.
When she rose from her knees, Amelia had the sensation that she wasn’t alone. She turned quickly.
Chase leaned gracefully against the doorframe. His stunning good looks captured her attention as if she was seeing him for the first time. He’d changed from the shorts he’d worn earlier. His tailored brown slacks revealed a lean, sinewy, youthful body. His waist and hips were thin, but his broad shoulders stretched the fabric of his brightly colored shirt, which emphasized the gold flecks in his gray eyes. Chase had always looked well put together, like a male model.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he apologized. “Maybe this is a good place for us to talk?” He spoke hesitantly, as if he doubted his welcome.
Amelia’s head swirled with doubts, and she experienced momentary panic, but she didn’t want him to know her feelings. “Why not? It’s quiet here,” she said calmly.
“Looks like a good place to me,” he agreed.
They sat on the front pew, not close, but in comfortable conversing distance. Several minutes passed in tense silence, each of them waiting for the other to speak. What could they say to bridge fifteen years?
“The Amelia Stone I knew wouldn’t be praying in a chapel,” Chase said at last. In the dim light, his gray eyes seemed dark and unfathomable.
“Thanks to God, that Amelia Stone is gone.” She seemed to be in a Scripture-quoting mood today, Amelia thought humorously as she continued. “‘If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!’ Vicky tells me that you’re a member of her church, so you’re probably familiar with that verse.”
“Yes. It’s true for me, too. I’ve been a Christian for several years.”
“Then neither of us is the person we used to be, which is for the best, I think.”
“What are you doing now, Amelia? I never meant to lose track of you, but the years passed quickly.”
“I’d had enough of being a rich man’s kid, so I left home to make it on my own. I wanted a job that would make a difference in other people’s lives, so I went to work for the Red Cross in Philadelphia. I’ve been there for several years. My parents never did have much time for me, so I’m pretty much on my own.” She scanned his face briefly. “Now it’s your turn.”
“I’m working at a bank in Worthington, Ohio. I transferred there from Chicago twelve years ago.”
She took a deep breath and plunged into chancy territory. “I assume you’re married?”
“No, I haven’t married.”
A tremor touched her lips and, hoping he hadn’t noticed, she changed the subject. “How long are you going to be here in Mingo County?” Amelia asked.
He paused thoughtfully, before he answered. “I’d only intended to unload our truck and go back home, but if I can arrange to take some of my vacation now, I might stay for a few weeks. I didn’t realize the extent of the disaster until I got here.”
“Neither did I. I want to help as much as possible, and I need some rest. It’s been a long day.”
Uncomfortable with the knowledge that Chase might extend his stay, Amelia stood and headed toward the door. She’d be more comfortable emotionally if he went back to Ohio. Was he really concerned about the flood victims, or was he staying because of her?
Chase walked alongside her to the door of her sleeping quarters. “My buddy and I are in the room next door,” he said. “If you need anything, pound on the wall, and I’ll hear you.”
“Thanks. See you in the morning.”
Chase walked into his room, thankful that his friend from the church was already sleeping. He undressed quietly, turned off the light and lay on the cot, wide-eyed. He’d been awake for almost twenty-four hours. He should be ready to sleep, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Amelia. Memories of the past plagued his mind. He remembered much about their time together—memories he’d be better off forgetting. Seeing what Amelia had become, he realized anew what a big mistake he’d made when he’d let her slip out of his life.
He stirred uneasily on the cot, a very uncomfortable place to sleep, but that wasn’t the cause of his distress. His marriage to Amelia had lasted for almost five years, and he kept remembering the intimate moments they’d shared. He was even more restless when he remembered the reason for their divorce, and who was to blame.
Amelia awakened sluggishly, her befuddled mind hazily questioning why she was sleeping on a board instead of her comfortable mattress. She stretched, turned over and barely missed tumbling off the narrow cot onto the floor. Her eyes popped open as reality surfaced. She was in a disaster area of West Virginia, not her Philadelphia apartment.
Cloud-darkened daylight crept into the schoolroom where she slept in the company of Vicky, who had abandoned her narrow bed and was curled up, kittenlike, on the floor with a yellow blanket wrapped around her. Rubbing the crick in her neck and her aching back muscles, Amelia thought the floor might have been preferable to the cot.
Amelia stifled her moment of self-pity, remembering that many people on the first floor of the building not only didn’t have a comfortable bed, but no home to put one in. Moving quietly so she wouldn’t disturb Vicky, Amelia stood, stretched her stiff muscles and went to the bathroom. Allen Chambers had mentioned last night that there was a shower room adjacent to the gymnasium, but Amelia knew the disaster victims would need that facility. She took a skimpy sponge bath with water from the lavatory.
She dressed in heavy socks, jeans, a pullover sweater and the knee-high waterproof boots her supervisor had insisted that she must have. Even though it was late April, this mountainous area was cold.
Pastor Chambers had mentioned that the church women would be serving breakfast at seven o’clock. When Amelia finished dressing, it was half-past six. She called Vicky’s name quietly, and the girl awakened immediately, seemingly none the worse for sleeping on the floor all night. Youth! Amelia thought enviously, when she compared the young woman’s bright and cheery attitude to her own low spirits. She doubted, though, that the uncomfortable cot was the only cause of her wretchedness this morning.
Amelia was usually more peppy upon awakening, and she knew that her exhaustion resulted from mental—rather than physical—fatigue. She hadn’t rested physically, because an overburdened mind had contributed to her restless night. Why had running into Chase caused her so much misery? She’d occasionally wondered how seeing him again would affect her. She’d never expected to experience the devastating anguish that had seared her heart the moment she had seen her ex-husband yesterday.
Memories of the past smothered Amelia, and she called to Vicky, who was still in the bathroom. “I’m going out for some fresh air. I’ll meet you in the gym.”
Leaving by the front door of the church, Amelia walked to the crest of the hill and looked out over the river valley. Below her, a two-lane highway, far above the river, provided some transportation. No trains moved along the railroad track at the base of the mountain, because the tracks were blocked by a floodwall gate. The Tug Fork River, the border between West Virginia and Kentucky, lapped several feet on the wall that protected the town of Williamson.
Remembering the devastation she’d seen from the helicopter, Amelia’s faith faltered momentarily. Why did God allow such destruction? She considered the apostle Paul and the many terrible things that happened to him. His faith had remained steadfast during all of his trials. Why bad things happen to good people was a question she’d never been able to answer.
Amelia hadn’t volunteered for this mission to ask questions. She was here to help troubled people, and she had to put aside her spiritual doubts and personal turmoil. Wondering what her duties would be today, Amelia turned back toward the church, praying that God would use her to make a difference in the lives of the flood victims.
After breakfast, Rick Smith stood on a small platform and called for their attention.
“I want to thank all of you volunteers for your prompt response to our needs. I’ve lived in this area all of my life, and I’ll quickly give you a brief rundown on our history. The first settlers arrived in the late eighteenth century, but the town of Williamson was organized a hundred years later. The heyday of our town was during the early twentieth century. Our population today is about five thousand, half of what it was a century ago. Many of our historic buildings were destroyed by frequent floods before we had floodwall protection, and many were razed to make room for the floodwall. Although it’s not what it used to be, Williamson is still a good place to live, and I hope you’ll feel welcome in the area.
“Today’s most urgent need is to find out how many people need help and to provide as much comfort as possible until more volunteers and supplies arrive.
“As soon as the roads are passable, several out-of-state churches will send portable kitchens and a staff to operate them,” he said. “They’ll do the cooking in a few central places, and our volunteers will take the food to the disaster areas. Today we need to canvas all of the flooded areas we can reach, see what the needs are and help as many people as we can. We can’t provide hot food today, but Chase and his buddy brought a lot of canned juice, water and snacks.”
“How long will it be before we can reach all the flooded areas?” a volunteer asked.
“The floodwaters are receding now, but representatives of the U.S. Corps of Engineers say that it will be weeks before we can drive into all of the affected areas. A lot of infrastructure has been destroyed. Go today prepared to hike into areas where the roads are impassable.”
“When will more Red Cross volunteers arrive?” someone in the crowd asked.
Rick Smith shook his head. “I don’t know. The National Guard brought in a few, but their helicopters are busy rescuing stranded people now. There are several truckloads of supplies stalled at the highway rest stop near Beckley, waiting to be delivered. As soon as the roads are open, we’ll have hundreds of helpers. It will be several days before we can get all of our supplies, emergency vehicles and more volunteers. In the meantime, we’ll make do with what we have. Today, I’m assigning you in teams of two to go out and assess the needs and help where possible.”
Rick Smith answered several questions from the flood victims, who wanted to know when they could go home. Over five inches of rain had fallen on the area in a twelve-hour period, and many people had escaped the rapidly rising water with nothing more than the clothes they were wearing. Understandably, they were anxious about the possessions, pets and neighbors they’d had to leave behind.
After he compassionately explained that it might be days before the people could leave this temporary shelter, Rick Smith asked, “Have any of you volunteers ever driven a Jeep?”
Amelia hadn’t seen Chase all morning, and she was startled when his voice sounded close behind her.
“I did, during my four-year stint in the army. I probably haven’t forgotten how.”
Amelia was surprised to learn that Chase had been in the army. That had apparently happened after they’d broken up.
Another man indicated that he’d once owned a Jeep, and Rick Smith said, “Good. We’ve borrowed a couple of Jeeps from the National Guard until we can get our rental vehicles, so you guys can drive them and scout out some of the isolated hollows today.” His gaze scanned the few volunteers.
“Amelia, I see you’re dressed for outdoor work, so you go with Chase, and…”
Stunned by this turn of events, Amelia didn’t hear the rest of the assignments. She could not spend the day alone with Chase! Her erratic heartbeat almost took her breath away, and she became more uncomfortable as her dismay increased.
Rick had moved on with the daily plans, not giving Amelia the opportunity to accept or reject the assignment.
When Chase appeared at her side, saying quietly, “This will be like old times,” Amelia knew it was too late to politely refuse. Were her steps destined to travel a path that would disrupt the even current of life she’d developed in the post-Chase era, as she always thought of the last fifteen years?
The eagerness in Chase’s clear gray eyes was disconcerting, and she forced herself to regard him dispassionately, as she might look at a stranger. Amelia considered the man facing her was a stranger. Very little that she’d noted in the short time they’d spent together yesterday had reminded her of the man who’d loved her, married her and disillusioned her so thoroughly that she had no interest in marrying again.
Chapter Three
Amelia decided to accept the inevitable. She wouldn’t be able to avoid contact with Chase, but she was determined to prevent him from hurting her again.
“While you load provisions in the Jeep, I’ll bring my laptop,” she said, praying that her casual tone would convince Chase that he was no more to her than a business acquaintance. Which was true, wasn’t it? “I can use the computer to record our findings,” she added.
Amelia went to her makeshift bedroom for the laptop and a hooded plastic parka, because more rain was predicted today. She filled a tote bag with personal items she might need.
Seated in a camouflaged Jeep, Chase waited in front of the church, and he handed her a white Disaster Relief vest with a red band around the bottom and a large red cross on the back. “We have to wear these all the time when we’re out on a volunteer mission.”
The Jeep didn’t have any doors, just a fabric roof, so Amelia climbed in beside Chase and adjusted the seat belt. She removed a woolen cloche from her tote and put it on her head. She pitched the tote into the back seat, opened her laptop, steadying it on her knees.
“Let’s go,” she said.
How could a man wearing a heavy woolen jacket, jeans, a pair of rubber boots and a hat covered with plastic appear attractive? On Chase, the work clothes lent an air of masculinity that enhanced his handsome features.
Thunder sounded in the distance and a few sprinkles accumulated on the windshield.
“It was a good idea to bring your parka. I have a raincoat on the back seat if I need it,” he said.
Chase nosed the Jeep toward the edge of the mountain and down the steep incline toward the river valley. After driving a few miles eastward on the paved highway, he turned left on a narrow, rutted, muddy road, and shifted into four-wheel drive. Red clay mud flew in all directions as, with difficulty, he maneuvered the Jeep upward along the hazardous mountain terrain.
“Are you sure this is the right road?” Amelia said as she clutched the seat with both hands.
“I’m beginning to wonder. Rick Smith said to take the first road to the left, but this must not have been the one he meant.” Glancing over his shoulder at the steep, crooked road, he said, “I can’t go back now.”
