Page 15 of Organized Chaos

Sarah scrambled out of his way but then tried to help. Their hands knocked into each other, and the fire continued to grow closer.

“What is this stuff?” Phillip grabbed wads of fabric. Great scraps of cloth that were tied in knots that never seemed to end.

Sarah coughed and covered her mouth as smoke billowed around them. “Looks like old quilting pieces.”

Phillip yanked until the whole mess came free, then tossed it onto the fire.

Flames hissed and spat into the air, the sudden burst of fuel driving back the darkness.

Sarah settled onto her knees and held her arms stiff over her stomach. “I could have set the whole place on fire.”

“But you didn’t.” Phillip offered the only comfort he knew and slung an arm over her shoulders. He pulled her close and rubbed a hand up and down her arm. “It’ll be okay.” He said it as much for his own benefit as hers.

CHAPTER SIX

This whole humdrum, woe-is-me attitude was not to her liking. Sarah rested her head on Phillip’s shoulder long enough for her heart to steady after the “almost” catastrophe. If Phillip hadn’t gotten to the box in time, the whole stack could have gone up. That would have spread to the shelves, and if the rapid pace that the fire ate up the shards of wood was any indication, the shelving units would go up in seconds.

They were playing a dangerous game trying to contain a fire among all the flammable materials.

She raised her head. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” He grabbed another handful of wood and added it piece by piece to the fire. The quilt fabric burned to nothing, leaving them back in the darkness. Creases appeared in his forehead, and he took on what Sarah had dubbed his critical thinking pose. He stared into the flames and moved enough to continue feeding wood into the fire.

“When did you first believe in God?” The question hurtled out of its own accord. She met Phillip’s gaze when he turned her way. His eyes were a wonderful shade of brown. Warm and inviting now that they understood each other a little better.

He blinked and looked away. “I was eight when we first started going to church. I remember sitting in the pew with my parents and I felt it.” A slight shudder rippled across his shoulders. “I’d never felt anything like that before. Like I’d found the missing piece of my life.” He turned his face away. “Sounds silly now.”

“No.” Sarah took his hand in both of hers and held on. He resisted for a heartbeat then relaxed into her touch. “I was sixteen. My first time at church camp. I went in thinking I couldn’t wait to show everyone that I didn’t have to be a Christian or know God. I was going to show them all that I could have everything I wanted.”

She relived the memory with a smile.

“What happened?” Phillip turned fully to face her. Their knees bumped but he didn’t seem to notice or care.

Her grin widened. “I fell out of a tree and broke my arm. Spent the whole summer in a cast. Four weeks of church camp where everyone else was swimming, kayaking, riding horses, and having the best time of their lives.”

“And you felt like you were being punished for thumbing your nose at God?”

She shook her head and frowned. “No. Well. Maybe at first. But then I met the church pastor, and he let me help him in the stables. I was more trouble than help, but he never let on that I was in his way.”

“You spent summer camp working in the horse barn?” Phillip snorted and added more wood to the fire. They had a comfortable blaze now, enough that the light it cast highlighted Phillip’s sharp cheekbones and cast shadows into his dark hair.

She elbowed him in the ribs. “I’m very good with horses. They love me.”

“And you didn’t trip and fall under a single one?” His voice sharpened with disbelief. He pointed a stick of wood at her. “Have you ever ridden a horse?”

“Once.” She held her face in check, refusing to give anything away. “The last day of camp, I took one of the horses out.”

“Let me guess.” Phillip snapped the wood and put both in the fire. “You fell off and broke your other arm.”

“Never heard a pastor pray so much over a quarter mile.” Sarah guffawed. “He had to chase after me on his horse. I freaked out and dropped the reins. Let’s just say my horse did not appreciate my screaming when I saw a spider on the saddle. He took off before I could jump down.”

Phillip’s laughter joined hers. “I wish I’d seen that.”

“I wish I could learn how to ride.” She let the admission slip out on a whisper. In all the adventures between church camp and now, horseback riding was the one thing she steered clear of at all costs. She’d rather crawl through a hole in the ground than onto the back of a horse. Except that knowing her fear held her hostage made her want to beat it back.

Phillip brushed her braids back over her shoulders and gave her a quiet smile that eased her frantic heart. “I’ll teach you.” He made a pointed look around. “If we ever get out of here.”

“Hey now, none of that pessimism.” She stood and pulled him to his feet. “That’s enough sitting and stewing.”

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