“I don’t think that would be a good idea.” She suddenly seemed to have a lot of trouble meeting his eyes, but she offered him a brief smile.
“It’s just... I don’t have anything to wear to church.” She tugged at the waistband of her maternity pants. “These are too loose now, but all my regular clothes are in boxes I left with a coworker back in Atlanta. Adam and I were going to pick them up, but...” She left the sentence unfinished. “Right now I’m making do with safety pins, but I wouldn’t risk going to your church with pants that could fall down at any moment.”
“No, I suppose not.” How stupid of him not to have noticed.
Still... As a minister, he’d heard an awful lot of excuses, and there was something about Natalie’s explanation that didn’t quite ring true.
Natalie glanced back at the farmhouse. She seemed suddenly anxious to get away from him. “Ethan will be up before long. I think I’ll go inside and try to get a nap. And please don’t make yourself late on Rufus’s account. No matter what we do, he’ll be out again in an hour.” She gave him another quick smile and hurried back toward the house. She kept one hand on her sagging waistband, but Jacob still wasn’t convinced that her oversize clothes were the real reason she’d refused his invitation.
Fortunately, there was an easy way to find out. He’d take care of that the first chance he got.
As he watched Natalie go, a bluebird flittered down to perch on one of Rufus’s leaning fence posts and burst into a wildly happy song. As Jacob listened, he was suddenly aware of the warmth of the morning sun on his shoulders and the springy young grass under his feet.
Well, what did you know? Spring had finally bloomed in Pine Valley, and he hadn’t even realized it.
Until now.
* * *
“Togs?” Natalie read the script on the big bag Jacob had just set on the kitchen table. She was standing at the sink trying to finish washing up her breakfast dishes while Ethan squirmed and fussed in his bouncy seat. “What’s that?”
“According to all the women in town, the only clothing store in Pine Valley worth shopping in. You’d better try everything on. I didn’t know your size, so I had to wing it. I saved the receipt, so if they don’t fit, we can swap them.”
Natalie stared, her dishcloth dripping into the sudsy water. “You bought me clothes?”
“Don’t worry. I didn’t pick them out. The lady who owns the store chose them.”
“Jacob.” Natalie wrung out the cloth and draped it over the faucet, searching for the right words. “Helping out around here is one thing. Buying me clothes...”
“I know,” he interrupted. “It’s too personal and inappropriate and all that stuff. But you’re losing weight fast, and you need something that fits. And I really didn’t buy much this time, just the basics. Here.” He nudged the bag in her direction. “See for yourself.”
Natalie hesitated, but curiosity won out. She peeked into the sack while Jacob unfastened Ethan from his padded seat and settled the unhappy infant against his shoulder.
“Marla called those stretchy pants leggings,” he said when she set two pairs on the table. “I don’t know anything about women’s clothes, but they looked comfortable. There are some shirts to match. And a pair of jeans.”
Natalie drew out two flowing button-up shirts. “This is really thoughtful of you.” She stroked a silky shirt with one finger. It was patterned all over with blurry-looking pastel flowers, and it looked feminine and delicate. She’d never owned anything so pretty in her life.
“Do you think they’ll fit?”
Natalie slipped her fingers into the collar to check on the size. She tried a discreet check of the price tag too, but Jacob had torn off the part that told the cost.
Not that it mattered. She couldn’t possibly have afforded them anyway, and after the nursery, she’d made up her mind that she wasn’t allowing Jacob to give her anything else. He meant well, but accepting charity always ended up causing trouble. The last thing she needed right now was more of that.
Besides, the man’s own shirt collar was frayed at the edges. If he had any spare money, he ought to be spending it on things for himself.
She piled the pretty clothes back into the bag and pushed it in his direction. “This was very sweet of you, Jacob, but you’ll have to take them back. I already told you. I’m not accepting any more gifts.”
He didn’t look happy, but he nodded. “Okay, if you insist. We’ll consider it a loan. Here.” He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a crumpled receipt. “This is what I spent. You can pay me back when you’re able.”
She hesitated a second before reaching for the paper. She smoothed it out and scanned the total, frowning. “This doesn’t seem like very much for such nice clothes.”
“Yes, well, Marla gave me a discount.”
“Why would she do that?” Natalie’s heart sank. Probably because Jacob had mentioned the outfits were for somebody “less fortunate.” She’d always hated that term, but church people sure were fond of it.
“Because she owed me a favor.” He patted Ethan’s round bottom soothingly as he smiled at her. “Besides, she likes me.”
Natalie chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully. Well. That she could believe. Jacob sure seemed to specialize in doing favors for everybody he knew.
And of course the woman liked him. What woman wouldn’t?
Look at him now. He had Ethan cradled expertly against one shoulder, the baby’s round head tucked under his chin, patting the little diapered rump patiently. He was also swaying back and forth and making a little humming noise under his breath. His hair was tousled, and there was a wet patch of baby drool expanding on his worn shirt at an alarming rate.
He looked kind of silly.
But to a tired mother who’d been jouncing a fussy baby in her aching arms all morning, he also looked pretty wonderful.
He smiled at her hopefully, and her heart softened. “You’re impossible to argue with,” she informed him. “You know that, right?”
His grin widened. “That’s what everybody tells me.”
“Well, okay. It’s just a loan, though. I’m paying you back as soon as I possibly can.” She pulled the bag back across the table and began unpacking it again. “I have to say, it’ll be a big relief to have some pants that actually fit.” She unfolded the final item and discovered a dress in a dark rose color. It was loose enough for her to wear comfortably, but it had an elegant simplicity to it. She shot a suspicious look at Jacob.
“A dress? I thought you said you just bought the basics.”
“I did. You’ll need that for church on Sunday. Of course, you could wear those legging things if they’re more comfortable. There’s no dress code at Pine Valley Community, and people wear all kinds of clothes.”
So that’s what this was about. She should have known.
Natalie put the dress back into the bag and shook her head. “Thanks, but I don’t think that me going to your church would be a good idea.”
Jacob pulled out a chair one-handed and lowered himself slowly into it. Ethan was almost asleep. “I know you’re a believer. So, why not?”
Natalie made a short, harsh noise that had Ethan’s eyelashes fluttering. “I don’t think I need to spell it out for you.”
“I think maybe you do.”
“Because of my situation.”
“What situation is that? Being a single mother? I hate to break it to you, Natalie, but you’re definitely not the first woman in our congregation to find herself in that position.”
She didn’t know quite what to do with that answer, so she changed tactics.
“It’s not only that. There’s the whole money thing. I need to get back on my feet financially before I—”
“We don’t charge admission, Natalie. And anyway, it’s the same deal. Half the town’s out of work right now, so
you’ll find plenty of people who understand what you’re going through. Come on, it’s Mother’s Day this Sunday. Your very first one. You wouldn’t want to miss that.”
“I might.”
“And if you’re planning to stay here, you’ll want to make some friends in the community. No better place to do that than a church.”
That’s what he thought.
Natalie fidgeted with the sleeve of one of the shirts, wondering how much she should tell him. “The truth is, I don’t exactly have the most...heartwarming memories of churches.”
“All the more reason to make new ones.”
Natalie made a skeptical noise, picked up her dishcloth and busied herself wiping the clean countertop. She could feel Jacob studying her, but he said nothing. Finally, she turned and met his gaze. “Besides, even if I did want to go, I couldn’t. Ethan’s only a few weeks old. I don’t feel comfortable leaving him in a church nursery.”
“You won’t have to. Don’t worry about Ethan. I’ll take care of everything.”
The man had an answer for everything. “I’m not only worried about Ethan. Or myself. Church people...well, you know what they can be like. I wouldn’t want to...cause trouble.”
“You couldn’t possibly cause any trouble, Natalie.”
“Don’t be so sure.” He kept looking at her, one eyebrow lifted, obviously expecting her to explain. She sighed. “Right after Adam left, when I...turned back to God, I tried going to church. It was nice...for a while.” She swallowed and looked down at her hands. “I was so thankful. Those services were my lifeline, you know? They kept me going through some pretty hard days. And then one Sunday, the minister took me aside and told me about this after-school ministry they were doing for kids from the housing projects.”
Jacob’s eyes lit up. “That sounds like a great outreach!”
“It really was. But some of the workers were having a pretty hard time. They’d never run into kids like the ones who came, you know, kids from the projects. But I had, and he thought maybe I could help make the program better. So I got my manager to rearrange my schedule so I could be at the church every weekday afternoon.”
“That was kind of him.”
Natalie laughed. “Not really. He made me work the night shift to make up for it, but I didn’t mind. I felt like I was really making a difference. For a few weeks, anyway.”
“What happened, Natalie?”
“I started to show. Not long after I started wearing maternity clothes, the lady in charge pulled me aside and told me not to come back anymore. She said I was a bad example to the children. She suggested I volunteer to fix plates for the shut-in ministry instead because nobody would see me in the kitchen.”
Jacob made a sharp, disapproving noise, causing Ethan to stir against his chest. Jacob soothed him gently, but an angry line remained between his eyebrows. “That’s inexcusable. The pastor should have stepped in.”
“Oh, he did,” Natalie interrupted quickly. “He apologized. He even talked to the program director about it. But the woman’s husband was on the board, and they were big contributors to the church, and I was just...me. So.” She shrugged. “In the end all the minister did was cause a whole lot of trouble for himself.” She looked Jacob directly in the eye. “So, are you sure you want me to go to church with you?”
“I am.” Jacob spoke firmly and without hesitation. He stopped patting Ethan long enough to shove the bag with the dress back across the tabletop in her direction. “No church is perfect, Natalie. That’s for sure. But I can tell you this—Pine Valley Community is full of wonderful people with good hearts. They’d love to get to know you and Ethan and welcome you both into the community, the same way they’ve welcomed me. And remember, I have some personal experience with your kind of situation, myself.”
That was true. She hadn’t thought about that.
“Do they know? About your daughter, I mean?”
“I didn’t put it on my résumé. But I haven’t made any secret of it, either. So, yes, a lot of them know. My church is my family, Natalie. I don’t hide things from them.”
My church is my family. He sure knew the right buttons to push. A family was exactly what she wanted for Ethan. And for herself.
He was still waiting for her answer. Natalie drew in a deep, slow breath and nodded slowly. “All right. I’ll go.”
Jacob’s smile lit up the kitchen. “Great! I’m telling you, you’re going to love Pine Valley Community, Natalie.”
She hoped he was right. But if he wasn’t, if this worked out the way she feared it would, at least he couldn’t say she hadn’t warned him.
Chapter Nine
The following Sunday morning, Natalie sat in the front pew of Pine Valley Community Church, trying not to fidget. She wished Jacob hadn’t insisted that she sit all the way up here. All through the service, she could feel the eyes of his curious congregation boring into the back of her head.
But when she’d protested his choice of seating, he’d dug in his heels, joking that he was putting her up front so she couldn’t slip out of the service to check on Ethan.
Proving what she already knew. Jacob Stone was one smart man. If she’d been sitting in the back pew, she’d have sneaked out before the offertory. This first hour away from her baby seemed endless.
It wasn’t that Jacob wasn’t a good preacher. He was. His Mother’s Day topic was “Following Blind,” and it was about the necessity to follow God as unquestioningly as a mother expected her child to follow her. He was really making her think about how fully she was trusting God in her current situation. She’d even found herself using the pencil in the little holder in front of her to make some notes on the back of the bulletin.
His delivery was every bit as good as his subject. Jacob had a casual, friendly style, giving the impression that he was talking personally to each listener.
At least that was the way Natalie had felt. Of course, maybe that was because he seemed to glance in her direction a lot. He’d even grinned down at her once during a hymn when he’d caught her sneaking a peek at her watch. In that second, he’d transformed back from Pastor Stone into Jacob, the guy who’d insisted on rolling up his shirtsleeves to change Ethan’s diaper just before the service.
Maybe it was the confusing intimacy she shared with this man, or maybe it was just her wacky postpartum hormones, but her emotions were sure all over the place today.
She’d been really nervous when they’d pulled up in front of this little church today. But so far, things had gone all right. The people she’d spoken to had seemed a little surprised when Jacob introduced her, but they’d shaken her hand warmly and made her feel welcome.
She’d have felt a little less conspicuous in a different seat, but still, it was a nice change to worship with other people, instead of watching a service on television. When she caught herself checking the back of the bulletin to see what the sermon was going to be about next Sunday, she had to laugh a little.
She hadn’t even left yet, and she was already looking forward to coming back.
The minute Jacob had given the benediction, he bounded down the carpeted steps. “Congratulations! You made it through the whole hour.”
“I did.” She couldn’t help but smile back at him. “And it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. You’re a wonderful speaker, Jacob—you really are.”
“Thanks.” He winked. “As much as I’d love to hog all the credit for that, the truth is, I’ve got some pretty good material to work with.” He held up his worn black Bible, and she laughed. He grinned back, and as he did, his eyes met hers, just the way they’d done countless times before. But this time...
Something felt different.
This time, his gaze looked deeper somehow, and a feminine instinct buried in Natalie’s heart woke up.
Jacob Stone had looked at her hundreds of times, sure. But never li
ke this. Right now in the front of this church—she didn’t know how to explain it, even to herself, but it was as if he was really looking.
At her.
She suddenly found it hard to draw a deep breath. He reached out, his hand closing gently over her upper arm. She jumped like a startled deer, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“Look, Natalie, I’ve got to say goodbye to everybody. You go pick up Ethan and meet me at the front door in a few minutes, okay? This part can take a while, so if you need to feed him, just lock my office door and take your time. We’re in no hurry.”
He gave her arm a little squeeze and started down the center aisle of the church, shouldering his way through his congregation. The murmuring in the sanctuary hushed as the people paused for a second or two, watching Jacob thread his way toward the door.
Natalie saw people shooting some curious glances at her, too, but for once she didn’t really care. She stood frozen where Jacob had left her, trying to collect her thoughts.
That—whatever it was—had to have been her imagination. To think anything else was just ridiculous.
Wasn’t it?
She suddenly noticed a gaggle of older women heading in her direction with determined looks on their faces, and her heart skipped nervously. She’d enjoyed the service, but church ladies were her personal kryptonite, and she definitely wasn’t feeling up to coping with them right now. She slipped up the side aisle and escaped just in time.
Once safely out of the sanctuary, Natalie hurried down the carpeted hallway toward Jacob’s office. That’s where she’d left Ethan with Beth Pruitt.
A grandmotherly lady with a kind face, Mrs. Pruitt had been Jacob’s answer to Natalie’s refusal to leave her tiny two-week-old baby in the church nursery.
“She can look after him right here,” Jacob had assured her. “Ethan will be just fine. Mrs. Pruitt is the most experienced baby spoiler in town.”
“Don’t you worry, dearie,” Mrs. Pruitt had said, reaching for Ethan with a gentle smile. “Go have yourself some good fellowship time with the Lord. I’ll sit right here in this chair and rock your sweet little boy for you.”
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