The Pastor Takes a Wife Page 18

  “Reba will make it work,” Megan said. Just like she did for me and for Faith. “I’m glad you and Pete are buying the inn.”

  Jessica paused, blush brush suspended just above Megan’s cheek. “Reba hasn’t talked to you yet, has she?”

  “About?”

  “Not my place to say. Let me just finish up here and I’ll send her up.” She fluffed pink color on Megan’s cheekbones and stood back to admire her work. “Perfect. And stop frowning. This thing with Reba is good, and that is all I’m going to say.”

  Just then Faith burst into the room. “Mom? Down or up?” She flicked her long golden hair over one shoulder then bunched it into a ridiculous topknot that made Megan laugh.

  “Definitely down.”

  Faith walked over to the mirror and smoothed out her hair. Then she looked closely at her mother. “Wow. You look fantastic, Mom.”

  “I’m in my bathrobe,” Megan pointed out.

  “The face, Mom. Look at yourself.”

  Megan usually avoided studying herself in mirrors, and Jessica had insisted on turning her away while she did the makeup. But now Megan looked closer and while the woman looking back at her was familiar, something was there she hadn’t seen in a very long time—if ever. The woman in the mirror was radiant, not with cosmetics, but with bliss. After years of believing the best she could do was make sure Faith was secure, she was about to have some joy for herself.

  Her eyes welled with tears of happiness and both Jessica and Faith made a grab for the box of tissues. “Oh, no, you don’t,” Jessica warned, dabbing gently at Megan’s eyes. “There’s no time for this. I’ll go get Reba. Faith, help your mother with her dress and meet me in your room. I have an idea for your hair.”

  Reba knocked lightly, but entered the room before Megan could say a word. The two women stood facing each other, their expressions communicating what words were inadequate to say. Reba held out her arms and Megan went to her as she had so many times as a child, and later as a frightened teen.

  “You look so beautiful,” Reba choked out. Then she cleared her throat impatiently and swiped at her eyes with the back of one hand. “But you know that. Now, time is running short and this may be my only opportunity to give you my gift.”

  “Oh, Reba, you already gave us the flowers.”

  “This isn’t your wedding gift, Megan. Now, sit and don’t muss that pretty dress.”

  As always with Reba, Megan followed instructions. She perched on the edge of a chintz-covered side chair and waited. Reba removed a paper from one pocket and a pen from the other. She glanced around the room and took down one of the many books she and Stan had given Megan over the years. “You need to sign this,” she instructed, setting the paper on top of the book and handing both to Megan.

  “What is it?” Megan’s heart skipped a beat when she realized she was looking at some sort of legal document.

  “It’s a bill of sale making you an equal partner with Pete and Jessica in the inn. You can be a silent partner if you like, but you will have a say in how this place is run.”

  “I can’t afford this, Reba, and it’s unfair to expect that Jeb…” Megan was well aware of the price that Reba’s attorney had set on the property.

  “Did I ask for payment?” She thrust the pen at Megan, but her hand started to shake. “Please don’t refuse me this, Meggie,” she said. “You have been like a daughter to me. You and Faith were my strength after my Stan died. I don’t know how I would have kept going if it hadn’t been for the two of you.”

  “It’s too much,” Megan protested.

  “It’s not nearly enough,” Reba replied. “Make an old woman as happy as you are today.”

  “But Pete and Jessica…”

  “Know all about this and are in perfect agreement with the plan.” She tapped the paper, indicating the spot where Megan needed to sign. “I want you and Faith to have something of your own.”

  “Oh, Reba, I have so much. I have you and Faith and now Jeb. How could I possibly want more?”

  Reba laid her hand on Megan’s head. “That’s the point—you never asked for anything for yourself, always making sure others would be all right. It’s past time you had someone looking after you. Now, are you going to sign it or not?”

  Megan scribbled her name, noticing that now it was her hand that shook. “I don’t know what to say,” she murmured, as she stared at the document and then handed it back to Reba.

  “Yes, you do. Have I taught you nothing, young lady?”

  Megan smiled. “Thank you?”

  “Works like magic every time. Now, let’s go get you married. I do hope that Rev Jeb has planned a decent honeymoon—you know men. Stan’s idea of a honeymoon was to spend four days camping.”

  As they walked downstairs together, Megan understood that Reba was jabbering as much to still her own nerves as to quell any second thoughts Megan might have.

  “You loved camping,” Megan reminded her.

  “Yes, but did I fail to mention that we were married over Thanksgiving? I thought my feet would never thaw out.”

  Both women were laughing as they walked out into the side yard. A few feet away, Owen was pacing and Faith was fussing with the headband of flowers that Jessica had woven into her hair.

  “Let’s get this show on the road,” Reba said, taking charge as always. “Faith? Ring?”

  Faith held up her forefinger, where she wore the wide gold band that Megan would give Jeb.

  “Cue the music, Jessica. Owen, places.”

  Owen looked as if he might pass out at any moment so Megan placed her hand in the crook of his arm. “Ready, Dad?”

  Owen nodded and, as Faith made her way down the aisle, Megan prepared to take her own walk to the altar, and caught her first glimpse of Jeb. He was wearing the same suit he’d worn that first Sunday. It struck her that they had known each other only a short time, and she couldn’t help thinking that perhaps they were making a mistake—that he would realize it and regret marrying her.

  And then Owen led her to the opening under the arbor and Jeb looked up. Megan searched his face for any of the same doubts she was feeling, but what she saw in his smile was not doubt or hesitation. Indeed, he took half a step forward as if he might come up the aisle and meet her halfway. Then the minister touched his arm lightly, stopping him.

  Jeb nodded and remained in his place, but as Megan and Owen started down the aisle, Jeb held out his arms to her and in his eyes she saw only the unquestioning love and the shared future she had longed for all of her life.

  The faces of neighbors and friends passed in a blur as she walked to Jeb and, intertwining her fingers with his, they turned to face the minister.

  “Dearly beloved…”

  Jeb tightened his hand on hers and when she looked up at him, he mouthed the words she knew she would never tire of hearing. “Hello, my love.”

  Dear Reader,

  I grew up in a town not unlike Singing Springs and, as in many small towns, our community had its share of scandal, gossip and ultimately forgiveness. That sense of community that borders on “family” inspired this story. By contrast I spent several years working for two major international corporations where I daily observed men and women who had put their personal lives on hold in the interest of achieving maximum success and financial security. Their mantra all too often was “someday,” and frankly I always worried that their someday might never come.

  The setting for this story is a favorite part of the beautiful state of Wisconsin—an area full of lakes of all sizes, wonderful evergreen forests and country roads that ooze peace and security. Of course, the state can be a magnet for tornadoes, and the one in Barneveld mentioned in the book actually happened and wiped out that entire town. But resilience is the hallmark of such communities and I am happy to say that the town has rebuilt and revived itself to thrive once again.

  Finally this book is dedicated to the brave women I have sponsored through a wonderful organization helping women around th
e world to help themselves. The organization is Women for Women International, and my experience sponsoring “sisters” in war-torn countries has enriched my life beyond measure.

  Thank you, dear reader, as always for choosing this book. You have no idea how special it is for an author to hear from readers, so I do hope you will drop me a line at P.O. Box 161, Thiensville WI 53092, or visit my Web site at www.booksbyanna.com.

  All best wishes and many blessings to you and yours.

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  How do you think small-town life differs from life in a city?

  In what ways are they the same?

  What is the path that has led Megan to this moment in her life?

  What other paths might she have taken?

  How else might Jeb have reacted to the tragedy in his life?

  In what ways do you think Megan and Jeb made the right choices?

  In what ways did their faith sustain each of them during their journey to this moment?

  What might you have done differently in their situations?

  Often in fiction a storm is a metaphor for what is happening to the characters. Do you see any such connection between the tornado and the characters in this story?

  How might Megan and her friend Jessica have found a way to mend their friendship earlier?

  What do you think might happen between Faith and her birth father?

  In many ways this is a story about forgiveness. How many examples of forgiveness can you recall?

  Do you think Megan has forgiven her mother by the end of the book? If not, does she need to do that?

  In what ways do Megan and Jeb help each other find peace with their past?

  Imagine you are meeting these characters ten years after the book ends. Where are they and what has changed?

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-5698-3

  THE PASTOR TAKES A WIFE

  Copyright © 2010 by Jo Horne Schmidt

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.

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