Love's Abiding Joy (Love Comes Softly #4)(25)

"Well, it's nice to know thet the wind is good fer somethin'," muttered Marty under her breath as she guided the team into the yard and directed them to the hitching rail.

A young woman came rushing from the house.

"Missie!" she cried. "Oh, I'm so glad you have come. I've been missing our visits!" She saw Marty and stopped with embarrassment. "Oh, please do excuse my bad manners. I did not know that Missie was not alone. You must be the mother. The one that Missie has missed and cried and prayed for."

Marty nodded.

"And I am Maria--the mindless one," she joked. "I run heedless when I see a friend."

Marty laughed and extended her hand, then changed her mind and hugged Maria close.

"Missie has told me of ya. Yer such a special friend, and I am so glad to meet ya," Marty said warmly.

"And I you," said Maria, giving Marty a warm embrace in return, "though I must say that seeing you makes me even more longing for the mama of my own. It has been so long. . ."

Maria did not finish her sentence. Missie had lifted the boys down and they were clamoring for some attention.

"Where's Jose?" asked Nathan.

"He's in the house, where we all should be out of this hot sun. Come, you must get in out of the heat. You are brave to come on such a day." And Maria hastened them all into her home.

"Jose is in the kitchen bothering the cook," she told Nathan. "You may get him and you can play in his room. I don't think that even our patient Carlos could put up with two small boys in the kitchen."

Nathan went to find Jose, and the ladies walked into the coolness of the sitting room, Josiah in tow. Marty felt so much better out of the sun. She slipped off her bonnet and was glad to wipe the perspiration from her face with a handkerchief. My, it was a hot trip!



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Maria seated them and went for cool drinks. Upon hearing the two older boys chattering as they came from the kitchen, Josiah decided to tag along with them to Jose's room.

The ladies were left to sip cold tea and visit. The talk was centered around the family, area news and ranching. Marty was included, though some of the phrases that the girls used regarding ranching were new to her.

"You should have waited for a day more less hot," said Maria and then laughed at her mixed-up English. "How you say it?" she asked Missie.

"A cooler day."

"My goodness--cooler, no! There is nothing cool about this day. How can it be more cool than something that is not cool at all?"

Marty and Missie laughed at Maria's reasoning. It seemed to make sense.

"Anyway," said Maria, "it is very warm to be in the sun. We are used to it here, but you, Mrs. Davis, must find it bad to you."

"It is warm," admitted Marty.

"Well, I guess we should have waited. But who knows, it might get hotter instead of cooler, an' I did want to see you, Maria."

"A special reason?" asked Maria seriously.

"Rather special. We've been missin' you on Sundays, an' I was afraid--well, I wondered--that is, I hoped nothin' was wrong."

At the mention of the Sunday service, Maria's head drooped.

"I wanted to go. I missed it. But Juan--well, he is not sure. Not sure that we do the right thing. At home we teach our boy one thing--one way to pray, one way to worship God--and at the meeting, you teach him another way. It puzzles him. You understand? Juan, he thinks that we should not confuse our son with more than one God."

"But, Maria," exclaimed Missie, "we've talked about that! It's the same God. We worship the same God, just in a little different way."



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"I know, I know," said Maria, her hands fluttering expressively. "I know all that. And I think that Juan, he even understands that. But he is frightened--frightened that Jose will not understand and he will not wish to worship God at all. Do you not see?"

"Yes, I see," said Missie slowly, tears filling her eyes. "I see."

"Oh, I am so glad. So glad that you understand. I was so afraid that you would not be able to see how we felt. I did not want you to think ill of me."

"Maria, I would never think ill of you."

Maria turned to hide her own tears. For a moment she couldn't speak, and then she turned back to her guests and the tears were running down her cheeks.

"You must pray for us. Right now Juan has many doubts, many questions. He cannot leave the church of his past, but he has here no church of his own. He does not want his child to grow up without the proper church teaching, but he is no longer sure what he wants him taught. There was much about Juan's church that he did not agree with, but he loved his church. He has not forsaken it. He will never forsake it. In the services at your house we have heard new and strange things from the Bible. We did not know of them before. It takes much wisdom, much time, much searching of the heart to know the truth. Please be patient with us, Missie. And please pray for us that we may know the truth. One day we think, 'This is it,' and the next day we say, 'No, that is it.' It is hard -so very hard."

"I understand," said Missie. "We will pray. We will pray that you will find the truth--not that you will believe as we believe, but that you will find the truth. We believe with all of our heart that God has given His truth to us in His Son Jesus Christ, that He came to die for us and to forgive us our sins, and--" Missie stopped short. "But you believe that too, Maria. You have told me that Jesus is the only way that one can come to God."