Out of a Dream (Sandy Cove, #1)

by Rosemary Hines

It seemed like Michelle was doing more and more of the after dinner chores by herself these days. Steve wandered into the kitchen, came up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. She turned and kissed him on the cheek. “That was a nice surprise,” she murmured softly. “I love you, babe,” he said. “Let’s sneak away somewhere together. Just the two of us.”

“Listen, Michelle, if this conference is something you want to attend, it’s fine. Really. We could go to the lake the following weekend. I’ll make it work.” “Are you sure, Steve?” she asked him. “Positive. You gave up a lot to move here with me. If this class and conference are important and interesting to you, then I think you should go,” he answered decisively.

She was worried. Really worried. John was always so strong and in control. Now he seemed hopelessly lost and afraid.

What could she do? How could she help this man with whom she had shared more than thirty years? There must be some way out of this legal and emotional mess, some way to bring back the man she knew and loved.

She could see the tremendous toll it was taking on him. After all, John took pride in his self-sufficient nature. Now that was crumbling, too.

After settling him into bed, Sheila did something she had not done in years. She prayed.

“I haven’t seen either of them, hon. Why do you need a Bible?” she asked curiously. “Well I had an unexpected visitor at work yesterday. Ben Johnson. I used to play football with him in high school,” he began. “In high school? How did he find you up here?” Michelle wondered. “Actually, he wasn’t looking for me. He just spotted my name on my shingle in front of the office and took a wild chance it might be me.” “Wow! Small world!” “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“So what does this have to do with finding a Bible?” she asked. “Well, I’ll tell you the story.” He sat down on another box, and Michelle leaned back against the door. “Ben was the star quarterback at Claremont High. Great athlete, but a real jerk of a guy. Thought he was God’s gift to planet Earth. Strutted around school like he owned the place. Most of the guys respected him for his athletic abilities, but hated him for his arrogance. The girls seemed blinded to his weaknesses, and he always had some cheerleader hanging on his arm. His date for the senior prom was the homecoming queen.”

“Anyway, the last time I saw Ben was after freshman year at college. We ran into each other at McDonalds. He didn’t seem the same. Said he didn’t like college much, but his parents insisted on him finishing.”

He couldn’t adjust to not being the big man on campus.”

you would not have recognized Ben yesterday. He was a totally different guy.” “How do you mean?” “It’s kind of hard to explain. He just seems so much more mature. Friendly. Down to earth. Like a regular guy,” Steve grasped for words.

He started sharing with me about this Bible study on campus, and how he met Kelly there. Then he said some stuff about the Spirit of God doing a work in his heart. “I know it sounds weird, but he was dead serious. He said that his life was completely changed.

“Okay, well I’ll help you look if you want me to. Just be careful. Some of these religious fanatics are pretty convincing,” she warned.

Steve smiled. “That’s an interesting comment coming from someone who’s exploring some pretty far-out stuff.

I’m a lawyer. I don’t fall for stories without checking out...

Maybe the Bible was more than a history book. Maybe it really did have some significance today. The investigative attorney in him was intrigued.

This Bible stuff did not seem to blend very well with the direction she was taking spiritually. She made a mental note to discuss it with Trevor while they were at the conference.

His mind replayed their time together on the motorcycle with her body pressed firmly against his and her arms wrapped around him. He smiled, nodding to himself. We’re going to have a great weekend.

These Bible studies were becoming more and more fascinating to him, but there was no way he would have allowed himself a whole weekend of study if she had been home. Besides, it had been a long time since he had the freedom of bachelorhood.

Michelle took a deep breath, used her yoga techniques to find her center, and quieted her inner tremors. I’ll be fine, she reiterated silently to herself.

I think the Bible is a valuable history of spiritual evolution in the Jewish world. It gives us some insight into how we all evolve. Take Jesus, for example. Now there’s a guy who was far beyond His contemporary society. They knew nothing about spiritual evolution, so they actually thought He was God Himself. “Now, of course, we know better. He was just living at a higher level of consciousness—able to tap into that universal power or divinity we are all able to attain, whether in this lifetime or a subsequent one,” he concluded.

“Now I see that Christians are just stuck at a level of perception that doesn’t allow them to see the bigger picture.

Steve didn’t know what to say. He felt such a peace listening to Ben pray. It was almost as if God Himself was in the room with them. Somewhere inside he knew that he wanted what Ben had. He wanted that peace for himself.

Perhaps He was allowing this trial in Sheila’s life to draw her back into His arms.

How she wished that she could find that solid faith she once knew as a small child. She wanted to turn away from all the complexities of life and crawl

back into that little girl’s body and life.

Much as she loved Steve, she could not deny her growing attraction for Trevor. He was so good for her in so many ways. Already she had learned so much more about herself and her nightmares.

Whatever this thing was with Trevor, she really did love Steve.

He’s always referred to religion as a crutch for weak people. He raised Michelle and Tim to believe in themselves and to believe that they could do anything they set their minds to.”

“But if you're talking about being a decent human being and trying to live by the Golden Rule, I’d say John Ackerman is a good role model for the rest of us.”

I’m not sure about this ‘born again’ stuff,”

“I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

“So are you basically saying that you really believe that Jesus and Christianity are the only way to God? That seems so narrow-minded to me.” “I’m not saying that, Steve. Jesus himself is the one who said that. Listen to this passage in chapter fourteen verse six: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ That was Jesus, Steve. He said it.”

I’d lost all sight of right and wrong. All I cared about was having a good time.”

it was weird because they were all Christians. Their music sounded a lot like the music I listened to on the radio, but their message was totally different. “It got my attention, and afterward I went up and talked to a couple of them. Before I knew it, I was telling them what a mess my life was.

Ben placed his hand on Steve’s shoulder and both men bowed their heads as Ben led Steve in a prayer asking Jesus to become the Lord of his life.

This was one problem that Steve would definitely understand better. She was eager to get home and discuss it with him. He always had great ideas for resolving a crisis or solving a mystery. He’d know what to do.

He thought back to their encounter over the pillow fight. There was definitely something positive developing between the two of them. He hadn’t experienced these feelings since the early years of his relationship with Trisha. The magnetism was undeniable. Even Michelle had to admit there was something special between them. Clearly their relationship could evolve from here. It was in the stars for both of them. He could feel it, but he knew this was no time to push her. She had too much on her mind already. His own inner wisdom told him to leave her alone with her thoughts for the time being.

Walking back into the family room, Michelle was impressed and touched to see Steve’s efforts at atmosphere. She remembered how attractive that aspect of his personality was when they were dating. When he wanted to, he knew how to romance a woman.

Trevor took another sip of wine and sighed. “I will know that woman in every way,” he promised himself. “Eventually Michelle will realize that we are meant to be together.”

Part of her was aware of the danger of this friendship with Trevor, but another part was flattered by all the attention and intrigued by his charm.

“I’m totally in control of myself,” she said aloud as she got dressed. “I won’t do anything stupid.”

“I like you too, Mr. Wind!” Michelle said with a smile, while she fought the voice inside that warned her to back away.

If only there was some way to guarantee a transfer of faith from parent to child, but God had not encoded faith into DNA, and all he could do was pray and wait for her heart and mind to reopen.

Michelle was packing her bags for the weekend. A getaway with Steve sounded so attractive three weeks ago. Now, with the tension that permeated their relationship, she almost dreaded spending two days alone with him. Her original plans of a romantic retreat dissolved, and rather than packing her honeymoon nighties, she threw old tee shirts and sweats into her suitcase.

he hoped to teach them about past life regressions.

He didn’t appear to notice her look of disdain as she glanced over at his reading material. There must be a way she could get him to realize the Bible was only one small tool in the quest for spirituality. But how?

All of that ended after high school. Tim burned out on trying to win the love he felt he was missing, and his goals began to change.

He wanted to have fun, and his dad’s serious and seemingly joyless existence did not appeal to him. Rather than argue, he just tuned his dad out. Trying to clamp down harder only led to further resistance, until finally Tim opted to move out a year after graduating.

“Your husband is on the way to the hospital, Ma’am. He has been seriously injured. A gunshot wound. It appears to have been self-inflicted.”