"Matt, you're going to church today?" Annie tried to hide her surprise as she emerged from Sam and David's bedroom in time to see Matt head for the stairs. She wanted to out-and-out cheer; could this be the influence of Matt's new girlfriend?
Matt stopped short and squared his shoulders. He'd known his family would give him a hard time about this. The last thing for him to do would be to pretend like nothing was out of the ordinary. He forced a smile and turned toward his mother. "Yeah, a friend of mine was reminding me what a great preacher Dad is and I thought I should go and see what I've been missing."
"What's her name?" Annie asked with a slight, knowing grin.
It was on the tip of Matt's tongue to protest but finally his smile won over. "Her name is Caldwell. How did you…?"
"I'm a mother; I'm trained to know these things." Annie regarded him carefully, wondering how far she could prod him for information. "You really like her, don't you?"
Matt blushed. "Yeah, I really do. She's not like anyone I've ever met before."
She kissed his cheek and gave his arm a squeeze. "Then I'm happy for you. The name doesn't sound familiar to me. I'd like you to give some thought to bringing her to lunch or dinner where we could meet her."
"Mom…"
Annie stopped him with a raise of her hand. "I know; I know you are an adult and don't need your parents' approval for everyone you date but we'd still like to meet her."
"Mom, I was just going to say that I already invited her to lunch after church. I didn't figure you would mind. If it's a problem though…"
"No, it's not a problem. We'd be delighted to have her over. I can't wait to meet her."
Matt grinned. "She's looking forward to today as well."
**********
"Matt, Mom said church is about to begin." Simon stuck his head out the door. Matt was pacing nervously back and forth in the foyer of the church. The smile that Simon had seen earlier on his older brother's face was now a worried scowl.
"She's not here."
Simon raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Mom's inside."
Rolling his eyes, Matt threw himself into the overstuffed chair next to the door. "Not Mom. Caldwell. Why isn't she here?"
"Maybe she overslept and will be here in a moment." Simon shrugged. "Come on inside. When she gets here, she'll find you."
Reluctantly, Matt followed his brother inside and took his seat at the end of the aisle next to his mom. She reached over and touched his knee. Her smile tried to convince him that everything would be okay but Matt was beyond convincing. He glanced back at the door hoping Caldwell would come in. Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat and his skin turned cold and clammy. What if something had happened to her? She lived alone and she was dying. If she were to get sick, nobody would be there to help her.
The choir finished its first hymn and Eric stepped to the pulpit. An unbidden image popped into Matt's subconscious. In his mind's eye he could see Caldwell sprawled unconscious, her face deathly pale and her body lifelessly still. He shot to his feet, startling Annie and halting Eric mid-sentence. With only the briefest apologetic glance at his family, Matt rushed up the aisle and out the church.
Fortune smiled on him as he sped across town to the small cottage Caldwell called home. No flashing blue lights appeared behind him and no red lights in front of him forced him to stop his frantic flight. He barely put the car in park as he pulled into her driveway.
"Caldwell?!" Matt called out as he pounded on her front door. Five minutes later the only answer he'd gotten was the distant barking of a neighborhood dog.
Fear rising from his stomach like bile, Matt tugged on the door in frustration. To his amazement, the knob turned in his hand. It was only then that he remembered Caldwell blushingly admitting that she trusted Glen Oak enough not to lock her door at night when she went to bed. Pushing the door opened, Matt offered up a prayer that she was okay. Entering the living room, he drew up short and stared in horror. The nightmarish image he'd had at the church was now played out for him in living color. Or, he thought as he tried to gulp down the lump of fear embedded in his throat, he hoped the diminutive form of the girl he loved lying spread eagle on the floor was still alive.
