The Small Town Preacher's Fake - Lucy McConnell Page 0,19

Evie was truly dark and loathsome.

His hands tightened on hers. “I’m going to fall short,” he rasped.

She leaned slightly forward as if taking him into her confidence. “That’s what grace is for.” She slid her hands out from his, taking the plate with her. He stared as she switched out for the blue set with the most chips. “This one.”

“But it’s damaged.”

She nodded. “Most people would only see the damaged parts. But there’s more smoothness and beauty than chips.” She ran her hand around the edge, proving that the majority of the piece was intact. “It doesn’t have to be perfect to do what it was created to do.” She proceeded to load the set of five dishes and five bowls into the cart with care.

Seth watched in awe. His wife was beautiful, inside and out. If he was any kind of a gentleman, he’d push her away. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. A part of him craved being accepted and loved in the way she promised. He’d searched for it his whole life.

But she’d never love him. That wasn’t their deal. No matter what feelings she stirred up in his heart, he’d keep them from seeping out. The best thing he could do for Evie was keep her at arm’s length.

No matter how much he wanted to pull her close.

Chapter Eight

Evie

After finding plates and a few other kitchen essentials, Evie and Seth headed to the local box store for towels, hand towels, washcloths, and bathroom rugs. Evie tried to study her husband out of the corner of her eye. He was handsome in a rugged way, with chin-length hair and stubble on his cheeks that turned the color of honey in the sunlight. It was all kinds of beautiful.

Not that she could tell him that. Nope. They were platonic in every sense of the word and would remain that way until death did them part. That was the deal, and she was a woman who kept her word. The butterflies in her belly swirled in all directions, making her doubt her earlier proclamation to Maisie that she could keep this up. She did have hope that she wouldn’t have to hold out for another 60-plus years. Eventually, he’d go bald or something, right?

She shifted in her seat, trying to stop staring at him. Seth had opened up about his past. Having listened to him preach, she never would have thought he’d come from a tough home life. He spoke of God’s infinite love with conviction—as if he’d felt the Lord’s light fill him. Perhaps it had. Maybe that was how he’d survived all that he’d been through. She wanted to ask him to tell her more, but things like that were better when they were uncovered like an archeological site—one layer at a time. If she dug too deep, too fast, she’d damaged things—precious things.

It was better not to wish for something that couldn’t be. This was the path God had placed her on, and she’d walk it, with Him and for Him. Perhaps she’d believed that it would be easy because it was His will.

That was naïve.

They parked and hopped out. Seth glanced at his phone where he’d typed the list she’d dictated before they left the house. “If you want to start in towels, I’ll see what I can find for gardening tools.”

She grinned. “Any requests for color schemes?”

He shook his head.

She narrowed my eyes playfully. “Reeeaaallly?”

“If you’re asking if I’ll use a pink towel, the answer is: I’m man enough to wear pink.”

The image of him wrapped in nothing but a pink towel and droplets falling from his freshly washed hair filled her head, and her eyes popped open. As if reading the thoughts on her face, he ducked and hurried inside the store, veering toward the garden center.

She had her eyes on the scuffed floor when an all-too-familiar voice called her name. In horror, she looked up to see Owen not two feet away. Usually, she could sense him in the area as easily as smelling a dead skunk. She must have been too distracted by her husband to care much about her ex. Wasn’t that a wonderful thought?

“How’ve you been?” Owen asked, flashing his ultra-white teeth. If the power went out, he’d be able to light the way to the exit with those bad boys.

“Great. I got married.” She held out her hand, showing off the modest ring. She didn’t care that it was smaller than the one that Owen had