A Groom Worth Waiting For

Matt didn’t need to see her eyes to know she feared for her life. He felt her terror in the tremble of her hand, in the way she pressed against his chest as if she couldn’t get close enough and in the way she’d turned her head as if she couldn’t bear to face the truth. And yet, despite her fear, she’d reached out to comfort him. She’d let him know with the squeeze of her hand and a reassuring rub on his forearm that she believed if they worked together they’d leave the storeroom alive.

Finally, the crashing glass stopped, and both Matt and the woman exhaled at the same instant. Though Matt loosened his embrace, he noticed she didn’t move. In the silent lull, a storeroom clock ticked off the seconds. Though it felt like they’d already been held hostage for hours, Matt guessed the actual time was closer to a half hour. Feeling his legs cramp, he shifted his weight, and he wasn’t surprised when the woman’s movements shadowed his own.

Dear Lord, he silently prayed, show me what to do. Help me protect this woman, and please, Lord, keep Hank safe.

Though Matt didn’t know the clerk well, he thought the world of Hank’s father, Howard, who owned a local chain of convenience stores. Howard had given Matt his first job, and he’d worked in this very store until after college graduation. Back then, he’d had no clue that his knowledge of the storeroom layout might one day save his life. The closet they were hiding in had been added as an afterthought, and instead of having a real door, a makeshift one had been fashioned out of a leftover piece of wood paneling. Because the door blended into the paneled walls, the robber hadn’t noticed it when he’d searched the storeroom.

When the silence continued, it became more unnerving than the crashing glass and angry shouts. What could be happening out there? Should he leave the closet and peek through the doorway? It was their only means of escape, as the delivery entrance was generally locked at all times, and the only window was barely big enough for a dog to crawl through. Plus, it had bars. But even a peek seemed like too much of a risk. If it had been just his own life, he would have taken the chance. But he had to consider the woman, too.

As the silence drew out and the woman’s heartbeat raced his, his thoughts turned toward her. He’d never seen her before, but that wasn’t unusual in a city the size of Lexington. She’d caught his attention the instant he’d seen her by the cappuccino machine. Not just because she was attractive, but because there was a sad turmoil in her eyes that made her seem fragile and lost. He’d wanted to say something profound, but what could you say to a stranger? Instead, he’d barked out something silly about her cappuccino. Then she’d amused him by smiling as she’d sipped the sugary drink. He knew she didn’t like it but drank it just to spite him. And he felt that same spunky spirit now as they patiently prayed for their freedom.

Suddenly there were a hundred questions he wanted to ask her. Like where did she live and what did she do for a living? How did she happen to be in this convenience store this morning? Did she believe in God? Did she love to ride horses across grassy meadows? Did she like corn dogs and chocolate ice cream cones? It seemed silly in this tense moment to wonder these things. Yet it was better than focusing on what could happen if things went wrong.

Without thinking, he brushed his hand across the top of her head, memorizing the silky feel of the fragrant strands. He swallowed hard, desiring to rub his hand down her cheek and neck and across her arms. As if, in the simple touch, he could know this woman. But he knew that was impossible. He sensed her complexity. This was a woman of spirit and passion, yet graced with enough common sense to trust him in this dangerous moment.

The shouting started again, but Matt couldn’t understand what was being said. Instinctively, he tightened his embrace as the woman pressed against him. Leaning his head close to hers, he whispered, “It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be over soon.”

In response, the woman placed her hand over his, and in the long, desperate squeeze communicated her faith in him and God. And as her message pulsed through his body, Matt felt something more profound and more deep than he’d ever experienced before. He felt as if he knew this woman in ways he’d never understood another woman. He felt as if she could see through the darkness to his vulnerabilities, to his longings, to his failures, as well as his hopes and dreams for the future. It was crazy, but he felt closer to her and more connected to her than he’d ever felt to anyone in his life.

He shook his head in an attempt to break the bond between them, to prove it didn’t exist, to prove it was merely a figment of his imagination. But the magic permeated the storeroom just as the scent of warm cinnamon bread lingered in the kitchen long after the last bite had been swallowed.

For just a moment, Matt didn’t want the standoff to end. He wanted to go on holding this woman forever.

The woman’s body stiffened, propelling Matt back to the danger at hand. The noises had changed. The front door buzzer sounded, and new voices filled the room. He thought he heard the click of handcuffs but couldn’t be certain.

When she tilted her head toward him as if to ask if it would be safe to go out, he answered by pulling her closer. He wouldn’t risk her life by venturing out too soon.

Finally, a gruff man, who identified himself as a police officer, shouted from the storeroom doorway that it was okay to come out. Matt and Amy sucked in their breaths, leery of leaving their safe nest.

“Dear Lord,” Matt prayed, “thank You for keeping us safe.”

Amy finished, “And thank You for sending a guardian angel my way. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d had to face this ordeal alone.”

“We made it through together,” Matt said, then squeezed her hand.

The police officer charged into the storeroom and opened the closet door. Both Matt and Amy exhaled in unison.

“There’s a man and woman in here,” the officer called to his partner. Immediately, two paramedics rushed in carrying medical equipment. Even still, Amy remained in the stranger’s protective embrace until a paramedic pulled her free.

Chills suddenly descended upon her, and in that instant, she felt more alone than she ever had before. She looked at the nameless stranger’s blue eyes and thought she saw her anxiety mirrored on his face. She wanted to reach out her hand, to draw them together again, but a flurry of uniformed men blocked her silent plea.

“Are you hurt?” the paramedic asked, glancing from Amy to Matt.

“I’m fine,” Matt said. “Please, help her.”

“I’m okay,” Amy insisted. For the first time, in full light, she looked into her protector’s eyes and was overwhelmed with gratitude. “If it hadn’t been for this man’s courage and quick thinking, I hate to think what might have happened.”

Amy stammered over the last words, and the tears that she’d been too frightened to cry began a slow descent down her cheeks.

With a gentle flick, Matt wiped the tears away, then pulled her close. With his arms around her tightly, he felt as if order had once again been returned to his world.

As if it were the most natural thing to do, he kissed the top of her head, and he would have been happy to never let go. She felt so right in his arms. She felt like the woman he’d been searching for. The woman who would bring an end to his lonely life and fill his dreams once again with hope.

Reluctantly, he let go of her so the paramedic could check her physical condition. Whether it was by chance or God’s design, this woman had suddenly come into his life, and he didn’t want to let her walk away. He wanted a chance to get to know her, to discover if she was everything he believed her to be.

The officer in charge waited until the paramedic finished examining both of them, then said, “I’m going to need your statements.”

Amy and Matt both nodded.

“And Hank?” Matt asked, anxious to know if the clerk had survived.

“He’s going to be okay. He had a heart attack during the robbery, but he’s on the way to the hospital,” the officer explained.

Matt’s jaw dropped. “Oh, my gosh. I had no idea. So what happened out there?”

“At this point, we can’t be certain, but Hank’s heart attack probably saved his life. The best I can figure, he had the attack about the same time they pointed a gun at him.”

“But why didn’t they just shoot him and run?”

“We may never know the answer to that.” The officer shook his head, raising his brows over perplexed eyes. “These two men are wanted in other states for similar robberies. And they’re not stupid. Being convicted of robbery is a far cry from murder or manslaughter. Regardless, they’ll both be going away for a long time.”

Matt still didn’t understand. “You’d think when things got botched, they would have taken the money and run.”

“It’s called greed. Hank was in so much distress he couldn’t open the safe. One of the guys had seen a commercial that claimed aspirin could save a heart attack victim, so he forced Hank to take aspirin. However, by the time Hank responded you’d already made your call and the store was surrounded.”

“And so they panicked and argued about how they were going to get out of this mess.”

“You could say that. The one guy went berserk and in a rage destroyed everything in the store. Listen, if you’ll have a seat, I’ll be back in a few minutes to take your statement.” The officer went into the retail area.

Matt met Amy’s gaze and for the first time realized he didn’t even know her name.

“I’m Matt Wynn,” he said, extending his hand.

“I’m Amy Jenkins,” she answered, grasping the hand that had been her lifeline for the last hour. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you. I owe you so much. You saved my life.”

Matt shook his head. “I didn’t do that much.”

“You saw what was happening and you reacted quickly. If those men had seen us, there’s no telling what would have happened to us.”

The thought of anything happening to Amy distressed Matt. Though he’d only known this woman an hour, he couldn’t bear the thought of harm befalling her angelic face.

“I want to try to make this up to you. You have to let me find a way to repay your courage and kindness.” Amy’s eyes pleaded for him to accept her offer.

Once the crazy idea popped into his head, Matt pushed it aside. However, he wasn’t prepared to let Amy walk out of his life, either.

“There is something you can do for me,” Matt finally said.

“What?” Amy asked, her eyes brimming with gratitude.