As Leslie passed through the combination living and dining room, heading toward the kitchen, the front door opened. Expecting Paul, she waited with a smile of greeting. Instead, she was surprised as a tall, lean man entered the house, and she found herself face-to-face with Ben Murphy.
Ben was dressed exactly as he had been at their previous meeting, in khaki slacks and white shirt. As before, his hair was pulled back in a short ponytail. That, coupled with his swarthy tan, light green eyes and expressive mouth, gave him the appearance of a pirate. She sighed inwardly, dismayed to concede he was extremely good-looking.
Ben managed to hide his surprise at meeting Leslie in the Merdians’ living room. His gaze swept over her quickly, and he felt an odd catch in his chest. Today her hair was down, falling around her shoulders in shiny, mink-colored waves. Her simple red dress had short sleeves and skimmed her ankles. Though it was modest, it was appealing. He watched with annoyance as her smile disappeared. Twin bright spots on her cheeks rivaled the red of her dress.
After what seemed like an eternity to both, Ben broke the silence. “Paul invited me for lunch.” His voice was flat and his face void of expression.
“Oh. I see. Well, hello then.” Leslie searched for something to say, but her brain appeared to have ceased functioning, and she just looked at him and grew more flushed.
Ben did a little better. “So, how are you settling in?”
She acknowledged the question but could not quite manage a smile. “Pretty well. There have been some...ah...challenging times. But so far things have gone all right. Mama Joe is a terrific teacher.” Her expression brightened a little when she mentioned her mentor.
Ben knew it was his turn again, and he was pondering what to say when someone bounded up the front steps. Both gratefully turned as the screen door opened and Paul entered. Grinning broadly, he shook hands with Ben. “Really glad you could come. You haven’t been around much lately.”
Relieved to have a diversion, Ben responded to the preacher with genuine affection. “Hey, are you kidding? Do you think I’d pass up an opportunity to eat Judy’s cooking?”
Paul beamed at Leslie but continued to address Ben. “Judy and I thought it would be good for you to meet our newest missionary.” Paul crossed the room to shake Leslie’s hand in much the same manner, and she was glad he didn’t seem to notice the awkwardness of the scene he had entered.
“Ben and I have already met. He flew me from Nairobi,” Leslie explained, then deftly changed the subject. “I’m really looking forward to getting to know you and Judy better. I’ve already made friends with Johnny, Beth and Stephen. After lunch they’re going to show me the puppies.”
As if on cue, all three children entered the living room and saw Ben. The elder pair ran to hug him. Grinning mischievously at them, he scooped Johnny up and proceeded to hang the boy upside down by his ankles, eliciting giggles of delight from all three.
“Me, too! Me, too!” Beth cried.
From his inverted position, Johnny scoffed, “Heck, no. Uncle Ben can’t do this to you. You’re wearing a dress.”
Ben set the boy on the ground, scooped up the little girl, and said, “Well, maybe you can’t be turned upside down, but I can give you a big hug, can’t I?” Beth grinned and threw her arms around Ben’s neck; then Stephen held up his arms and was hauled into the mix.
Ben’s ease with the Merdians surprised Leslie. He was obviously very fond of Paul and his family, and the feelings were reciprocated. She couldn’t imagine they had much in common—well, other than living deep in the African savanna.
* * *
LUNCH WAS VERY informal and, as predicted, delicious. Roasted chicken was served over curried rice mixed with bits of mango and pineapple. Conversation was easy, and Leslie learned a great deal about her hosts. Paul and Judy had been high school sweethearts from Indianapolis and married right out of college. “We shared an interest in church ministry and African culture,” Paul told her. “Even early in college, we were focused on going to Kenya.”
“It took several years before we realized our dream,” Judy confided. “Paul had to complete seminary, and by then we had Johnny and Beth. Stephen was born in Kenya.” Judy smiled fondly at Mama Joe. “He was delivered right here in this house.”
Over lunch, the two men shared tales of a recent hunting expedition in which they had shot several eland. Leslie looked at them quizzically. “I didn’t know you could hunt in the game parks.”
“Oh, definitely not the endangered animals like elephant and rhino, and not the big cats,” Paul explained. “But they have hunting seasons for antelope, much as they do at home for deer. If herds aren’t thinned, they can quickly overgraze the parklands. And eland meat is really quite good. We’ll have some next time you come over.”
Leslie grimaced. “That’s what I was told about buffalo and ostrich. I’m still not a believer. But this chicken is delicious.” She glanced askance at her hosts and added, “It is chicken?” Everyone laughed.
As the others were finishing lunch, Judy got up to put Stephen down for his nap. With pleading looks at their mother, Johnny and Beth asked if they could be excused. “Yes, you may. Stay within the wall, though!” With a rush and the slamming of the screen door, the two disappeared.
At Judy’s insistence, the group settled in the living room with cups of coffee. Conversation drifted to discussions about the customs of the region and their experiences while living in Kenya. Leslie was fascinated. Ben was surprisingly pleasant, although he rarely addressed her directly. His comments were informative and enlightening, and he answered questions with honesty and wry, self-deprecating humor.
Ben appeared to grow a little more at ease with Leslie as the conversation progressed, and during a lull, he tried to draw her in with a question. “So, Leslie, do you have a fiancé or boyfriend crying in his coffee at home while you spend six months here?”
Leslie recognized Ben’s attempt to put a crack in the wall that had been evident from their first meeting. Nonetheless, the question caught her off guard, and she answered awkwardly, “Uh, no. Only my parents and sisters and a few close friends.”
Ben flashed his most engaging smile. “Oh, come on. With those big blue eyes, I can’t believe you don’t have some man pining away, waiting anxiously for you to come back.” Because Ben’s attention was focused on Leslie, he missed Mama Joe’s warning frown.
Leslie glanced at him, then quickly averted her eyes to stare at a book on the coffee table. “No, really. There’s no one waiting at home.”
Judy perceived Leslie’s distress and intervened. “How about dessert? I have pineapple cake or banana cream pie.”
Not willing to be sidetracked by his hostess, Ben misinterpreted the flicker in Leslie’s eye and her sudden wariness. Teasingly, he persisted, “Oh, I get it. You’re probably like me—you know, off to see the world. No strings attached. Not interested in settling down.”
Mama Joe caught Leslie’s flush. Unfortunately, she was too far from Ben to kick him. Following Judy’s lead, she said, “Pineapple cake sounds delicious. Leslie, why don’t you help Judy?”
Suddenly it became imperative for Ben to know more about Leslie. Her vagueness and obvious discomfort made him even more curious, so he ignored the other women. Mild sarcasm was apparent when he said, “But you really don’t look like an adventurer. You look more like a soccer mom or—”
“Ben, drop it.” Mama Joe’s interruption was blunt, but her demand had the intended effect. A startled silence ensued for a few seconds.
Leslie finally looked directly at Ben. She took a deep breath and said, “I had a family.” She clenched her jaw and continued. “My husband and daughter were killed in a car accident about twenty months ago. Actually, twenty months, one week and three days.” Her voice was hushed and matter-of-fact,