was disappointed that he wasn’t there, as well as relieved.
Pastor Lloyd seemed happy about his retirement, and after the services everybody gathered in the social hall adjoining the church for the party.
There was a lot of food—Opal wasn’t the only member of the congregation who’d been cooking up a storm, obviously—and small gifts were presented to the outgoing pastor, who eagerly introduced his replacement and said what an honor it was to have such a learned man in their midst.
Opal barely took her eyes off the Reverend Doctor Beaumont, Kendra noticed with a lot of affection and no little amusement. The man was tall, slender and graceful, beautifully dressed in a dark tailored suit, and his voice was deep and resonant, but not too loud.
He definitely wasn’t the hellfire-and-brimstone type, Kendra concluded with relief. She did wonder, though, as Hutch had at supper the night before, what could have attracted this highly educated and obviously sophisticated man to a small, mostly rural community like Parable.
The party was winding down by the time Pastor Lloyd asked Dr. Beaumont to say a few words.
He didn’t need a pulpit or a platform; his voice rolled over them like controlled thunder, quiet but forceful, even commanding.
“It’s an honor to join this fine community,” he said, revealing strikingly white teeth as he smiled, his gaze sweeping, warm, over the assemblage. “I look forward to getting to know all of you, and I look forward to the fishing, too, which I hear is mighty good around these parts.”
A twitter of laughter rippled through the friendly crowd. After church, most of the gathering would be heading back to the fairgrounds to shop in the exhibition hall and enjoy some of the carnival rides, but their affection for Pastor Lloyd, and their wish to make the new man feel welcome, kept them there.
Looking around, Kendra felt a rush of affection for these people—her people—all of them hardworking, doing their best to lead good and honest lives, glad to live in a place like Parable, where the fishing was good and the Fourth of July was a big, big deal.
This is home, Kendra thought, soothed. I was right to bring Madison here. No matter what else happens, this is where we belong.
By then, the children were getting restless—many of them had been to Sunday school and attended the main service afterward, thereby exhausting their limited supply of patience—and the crowd began to thin.
In her turn, Kendra said goodbye to Pastor Lloyd and shook hands with Dr. Beaumont, then rounded up an overexcited Madison and headed for the parking lot.
They drove out to Tara’s house, chatted with her for a few minutes, collected Daisy and headed back home.
There, Madison changed out of her Sunday school dress and into shorts, sneakers and a top, and she and Daisy dashed outside to play in the yard. Kendra, still in the simple blue sundress she’d worn to church, kicked off her dressy shoes and went to sit on the porch step, watching them.
She half hoped Hutch would show up, or simply call, and half hoped he wouldn’t.
She needed time and space so she could get some perspective, sort through what had happened up on the mountainside the day before. At the same time, she wanted him close again.
The sound of her ringing cell phone interrupted her thoughts; she slipped into the house, retrieved it from the counter where she’d left it before church, and answered, “This is Kendra Shepherd.”
“Hello, Kendra Shepherd,” said a cheerful female voice that seemed vaguely familiar. “This is Casey Elder. Walker Parrish gave me your number?”
“Yes,” Kendra said, surprised to find herself a little starstruck and right on the verge of gushing. “Hello, Ms. Elder.”
“Call me Casey,” was the perky response, “and I’ll call you Kendra. How’s that?”
Kendra smiled. “That’s fine,” she said, already liking the woman, sight unseen. “Walker tells me you’re thinking of moving to Parable.”
“That’s right,” Casey confirmed. She seemed to radiate energy, even over the telephone, which was pretty impressive, since Kendra knew the singer had been on tour with her band and probably performed the day before. “I don’t mind telling you, he makes the place sound pretty darn good.”
“It’s a great town,” Kendra said.
“I’d like to come and have a look,” Casey replied. “Would Tuesday be all right?”
“Sure,” Kendra answered, delighted. They agreed to meet at Kendra’s office at ten-thirty Tuesday morning, said their goodbyes and hung up.
She still had the cell phone in her hand when she stepped outside, smiling to find