by Lori Wick
“Well, you did,” Sabrina said, trying not to laugh at the look
127 Rylan was giving her. She felt free to smile when he looked painfully disgruntled and went back to painting, starting with the spot he missed.
Jeb came with the ladder a short time later, and the first thing he noticed was Sabrina’s dress.
“You should have worn something old, Bri,” he told her, not unkindly.
Sabrina was not able to tell him that most of her clothing was new because her old clothes had been indecent. Instead she said, “This is the dress I wear to paint in my apartment. So I thought it would do.”
“Are you painting your apartment, Bri?” Patience, who had come to their side, asked.
“Well, I started. I haven’t gotten very far.”
“What color?”
“Blue. It was Jessie’s last gallon, and she gave me a good price.” Sabrina did not add that she hadn’t been entirely certain she could trust her landlord to honor his agreement to pay for the paint, and that was why she’d looked for a good deal.
The men began to work up high, and Sabrina and Patience covered the area below, chatting about this and that and working in companionable silence. Long before they were done, Sabrina’s arm was screaming at her, but before anyone finished for the day, they had covered almost two sides.
“Well, now.” Bret caught Sabrina when she cut down the alley on the way home. “I see Mrs. Fulbright is having you paint her shop.”
“No, I was working on the church building,” Sabrina answered, looking down at the paint she’d gotten on her sleeve.
“You look a little warm,” Bret said, keeping his distance but not bothering to monitor his gaze. Even in a paint-stained dress, Sabrina was worth a second glance. “Why don’t you come in.”
128 Sabrina could read his thoughts as though he’d said them and decided to speak plainly.
“To what end?”
Bret did not see this coming and would have spoken plainly as well, but there was a dangerous glitter in Sabrina’s eyes. Instead he opted to change the subject.
“I heard how you got your face scratched.”
“Did you?” Sabrina sounded as disinterested as she was. “You should be a little more careful.”
“I’ll remember that,” Sabrina said, and moved on her way. Bret repeated the offer to come inside, but Sabrina didn’t answer. She was too busy telling herself no matter how tired she was, she needed to stay out of that alley on her walk home.
“It might seem that we’re spending too much time on this one aspect,” Rylan said to the men who had gathered at his house on Thursday night, “but I want us to go back to verse eight of Titus 1. I think we moved too fast over the command for bishops-elders as we see in verse five-to be sober.
“We immediately run over this since none of us drink, but there’s far more to this command. An elder is a sober-thinking man. This is a man who knows how to say no to himself. It’s not just about drink, but also food and thoughts that are not in control.
“We need to take a long, hard look at our hearts when we see this word. We need to humbly ask God if we’re sober men. You’re all married. You can ask your wife if she believes you are sober.” Rylan smiled a little. “She’ll probably mention the fact that you don’t drink, and that will give you an opportunity to talk about it.”
The men were quiet for a moment, Rylan letting them have their thoughts. Brad was the one to speak.
“You always encourage us to ask our wives. Whom do you ask, Ry?”
129 “Well, I expect to hear from any and all of you if you see something amiss in my life, but I usually check with Chas. He’s good about asking questions that make me think.”
“When did you first realize this was not talking only about drinking?” Jeb Dorn asked.
“It’s probably been a few years. I was studying this and caught the fact that verse seven covers wine. I got to looking long and hard at these verses and the ones in First Timothy, and realized the bigger issue here.
“And if I might add, it’s tougher than avoiding alcohol. It takes constant thinking, but that’s what we men of Christ have to be, well-thinking men who are serious about the work on the cross and what it means in our lives and in the lives of our families.”
The men talked for another 30 minutes, and because it was late, spent only a short time in prayer. Rylan, however, was at the advantage this night. He was already home and had no wife or children to see to. He took the next hour to pray for each man who studied with him, asking God to give them greater humility and a yearning for holiness. Only after he’d pled his heart did Rylan seek his bed.
Sabrina found herself alone in the dress shop on Friday morning. She had handwork to do, and at the moment, it was quiet. Heather had been ill in the night and was not able to see to Theta. Becky was there to help, but Jeanette had not wanted to leave her on her own. Sabrina didn’t mind. She had talked with Crystal the night before and had a lot to think about.
“Did you talk to Paula?”
“Just for a few minutes.”
“Are you going again?”
“No. If you see Paula, you can remind her where I live, but I’m not going back out after dark.”
“I think Toben is interested in you.”
130”Is he?”
“He’s rich, you know.”
“He could be Midas-I’m not interested.”
“You like that big guy?”
“My pastor? Of course I like him.”
Crystal studied the other woman, but Sabrina didn’t help her. She sometimes wondered why she bothered.
“Eliza is moving.”
“Where to?”
“I don’t know, but I think she’s afraid Zeke will hurt the baby.” “He probably would.”
“Why did you do it?”
“It’s just who lam.”
“You don’t have a scar.”
Sabrina touched her cheek. “No, it’s all gone but the memories.” A moment of silence fell before Crystal said, “I gotta go.” “Crystal,” Sabrina stopped her with the one word. “I pray for
you.”
There was a long stare and no comment. Sabrina was about to turn away when Crystal thanked her.
Thinking back on it now, Sabrina still wondered if she’d done the right thing. She knew Jeanette kept a Bible in the back, and because she was almost done with her work, she went and found it. She turned to Colossians and read from the first chapter, verse ten: “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
There’s so much I don’t know, Lord, please teach me. Help me to walk worthy and increase in knowledge of You.
Sabrina went back to work, but she asked God for these very things until Jeanette arrived.
Sabrina had not thought about what Rylan’s reaction would be.
131 She came to church on Sunday morning, a little earlier than usual, only to have Rylan take one look at her and pull her off to one side of the foyer area.
“What happened to your cheek, Sabrina?”
“Oh.” Her hand came up to her cheekbone. She’d almost forgotten. “A box fell from a shelf in Jessie’s storeroom.”
Rylan looked so surprised that Sabrina smiled up at him, clearly amused.
“Was I almost in trouble?”
“Almost,” Rylan had to admit, knowing it was time to face the fact that his reactions to this woman were anything but calm. He honestly thought she’d been out again, and he was ready to put her under lock and key.
“Would that have been so bad?” Sabrina pressed him. “It all depends on the circumstances.”
“So there are rules now?”
“There have always been rules. I thought we were in agreement on this.”
“We are,” Sabrina agreed, “but I’ve also been thinking about the fact that if we never go outside of our circle, when will we share Christ?”
“You’re right, and it�
�s easy to forget that. It’s also easy to forget that going outside the circle has to be done wisely.”
“I’ll remember. I’ll just tell Jessie I need to stay out of the store—
MOM.
Rylan tried to look stern, but a smile peeked through. Sabrina’s smile had turned a bit cheeky when she saw she’d gained the upper hand, and Rylan chuckled a little.
Trace and Cassidy, just coming in the door, noticed the smiles between the two in conference, and Cassidy did not waste a moment. She turned to her husband, her brows raised, her meaning clear. Trace knew she wanted him to question Rylan, but he wasn’t ready to do that. It was too much fun watching from afar and asking God if this might be the one He had for their pastor.
132 “What happened to your cheek?” Jeanette asked, looking instantly upset.
“A box fell on me in Jessie’s storeroom.”
“Oh, you poor dear,” Jeanette said, gently touching Sabrina’s other cheek and telling herself to calm down.
Heather joined the women at that moment, and Sabrina had to explain again.
“Don’t forget the women come to our house tomorrow, Bri,” Heather reminded her.
“I don’t think I’ll be there. Jessie has me organizing part of the storeroom, so even if we’re slow, I’ll probably be doing that.”
Heather asked a few details, and the women were still discussing that when the service began. Sabrina made a mental note to visit at Jeanette’s as soon as she could. There was never enough time to visit the way she liked, and not being with them made her miss Callie as well as feel very far from home.
“Where is Sabrina?” Cassidy wanted to know when she and Meg got to Jeanette’s on Monday.
“Jessie needed her at the store today.”
The women of the church gathered at Jeanette’s house most Mondays. They prayed together and shared a time of fellowship that each woman enjoyed. The children played in the room with them or in Jeanette’s other parlor. Becky did her part with treats and drinks, and Heather managed to go back and forth between both groups and still keep an eye on Theta.
“You can pray for me,” Jeanette requested when the ladies had settled. “Savanna’s first birthday is coming up, and not having Theta know about it is bothering me.”
133 Both Meg and Cassidy were in the room and nodded with compassion.
“It’s funny when it hits me. Most days, I go along, just thankful that she’s here, but when the big events come on the calendar, I ache to have my sister back.”
Miranda said she would take that request, and Patience shared about her upcoming trip to New York to see her brother and sister-in-law, Meg’s father and mother. She was excited to go back after all these years, but it was a long way to travel and she said she wasn’t 19 any longer.
For some reason this got everyone to laughing. It took some moments to settle back to the requests, but before it was over, all the women had shared something they wanted special prayer for. The women each prayed, interrupted only twice by the needs of children, before they broke to have the pastry Becky had made. Not leaving for almost two hours, each one was very thankful she had come.
Sabrina had been correct. She was back in the storeroom at Jessie’s, restacking shelves and hopefully making more items and shelf space available. She was working steadily along when she heard a male voice. Jeb Dorn had come to help her.
“What can I do?”
“Oh, Mr. Dorn, that’s kind of you, but-” Sabrina stopped when he put his hand up.
“Patience took one look at that bruise and gave me the look. If you get hurt again, I’ll be in all kinds of trouble.”
Sabrina laughed, but she believed with all her heart that everyone was overreacting. A vision of her face after a violent customer got done with her one night in Denver floated through her mind. The pain of the memory was intense, and Sabrina was surprised that it took this to bring it back. It would have made more sense to recall it after the night with Eliza.
134 “What shall I do?” Jeb asked, and Sabrina was happy for the distraction.
The two worked along, with occasional visits from the girls, until dinnertime. Jeb couldn’t stay in the afternoon, but with his help, Sabrina finished that day. She nearly fell into the door of her apartment, too tired to even eat, and thinking that she was not cut out for such work. The storeroom, coupled with a day of painting last week, was making Sabrina wonder if she shouldn’t try to find work at the bank.
“I’ll check with Rylan first,” Trace said to Cassidy as they entered town on Sunday morning, “if you’re sure you’re not up to something.”
“I’m sure,” Cassidy said with a laugh. He’d checked with her twice already. “I don’t know Bri at all, and if Ry’s not comfortable with it, you know he’ll be honest.”
Trace knew that Cassidy would never play games with a person’s heart, but she was a romantic. He had told her straight up that he was not going to speak to Rylan, but he had agreed to ask him for Sunday dinner. It wasn’t until they agreed to this that Cassidy also mentioned having Sabrina.
“Can you join us for dinner today?” Trace asked Rylan as soon as he got in the building, even before the service could begin. “I can, thank you, Trace.”
“Great. Cass also wants to invite Bri, but if you’d rather we didn’t do that, just say the word.”
“Why would that bother me?” Rylan asked in all sincerity. “Because it might look like we’re up to something. We’re just inviting the two of you.”
“I don’t have any objections. Have you checked with Sabrina?” “Cass will do that if you’re good with it.”
“I’m fine,” Rylan agreed, but a little part of his heart feared
135 rejection. If he got to the ranch and Sabrina wasn’t there, he would know where he stood.
As it was, both Rylan and Sabrina rode to the ranch with Trace and Cassidy. It meant that Trace would have to take them back to town later, but he didn’t mind. Rylan could have taken something from the livery, but Trace was quick to offer.
When they arrived at the house, Sabrina enjoyed the large front porch and thought she could have sat on it all day. However, when Cassidy went to the kitchen to put dinner on, Sabrina went to lend a hand.
“Is there something I can do?”
“Sure,” Cassidy agreed. “Those biscuits need to go into a bowl. You’ll find one in that cupboard on the wall.”
Cassidy glanced over as she worked and had to make a comment.
“You must hear this all the time, but your hair is beautiful.” “Oh, thank you,” Sabrina said, not having heard that for a long while.
“It looks thick.”
“It is.”
“I don’t know how you wear it down. I have to have mine up when it’s this warm.”
“I don’t get hot very easily. I tend to be cold.”
“What are you going to do this winter?”
Sabrina laughed before saying, “Probably freeze.”
Cassidy smiled at her, but an unbidden thought came to mind: Rylan would keep you warm this winter. She pushed the thought away, not wanting to plot against her friend Rylan or Sabrina.
“How’s it coming, Cass?” Trace appeared to check on her.
“Good. The meat is almost hot, and I just have to put these sweet potatoes in a bowl.”
136 “Let me know when you need things carried.”
“Thank you.”
The gesture was so simple. Sabrina was sure this couple thought nothing of it, but for her this small act made her ache. It was the type of thing Danny would do for Callie. Sabrina had resigned herself months ago to never having this special unity with a man, and she was still resigned to that, but at the moment it hurt so much she could hardly breathe.
It was a relief to have Cassidy unaware. The food was ready faster than she thought, and before she had more time to grieve, they were sitting down to dinner.
“How did you come to Token Creek?” Cassidy asked Sabrina when they all had dessert in fro
nt of them.
“It’s a long story,” Sabrina said, not unwilling to share, but not wanting to monopolize the conversation.
“We have time,” Trace said, already seeing that his wife was very drawn to this woman and fairly certain that Rylan was working to keep the emotions from his face.
“Well, I found myself alone. My parents had both died, and my sister and I had lost touch. In fact she had made it clear that she didn’t want me in her life anymore. But then a man and his wife came along, Danny and Callie Barshaw. They took me into their home and cared for me. They found me a job at a laundry. I lived with them for more than six months, and it was during that time I believed in Christ. Their faith is genuine, and they taught me from the Bible and took me to church each week.
“But Denver still held a lot of painful memories for me. Danny suggested I try Token Creek because there’s a fine church family here.” She smiled before saying, “And I found out he was right.”
With her comments about the church family, Trace and Cassidy
137 naturally looked to Rylan. That man waited until Sabrina looked at him as well.
“Danny Barshaw is my father’s cousin,” Rylan told her quietly, his eyes seeing more than he let on.
138
SABRINA LOOKED AS SURPRISED as she felt over Rylan’s announcement.
She was too stunned to even speak. Had this not come up before? Did Rylan not know that she wrote to Danny and Callie regularly? And why hadn’t Danny mentioned his relationship to the pastor of the Token Creek church?
“So he sent Bri because he knew about your being here?” Cassidy asked.
“He’s done it a few times over the years,” Rylan said by way of explanation. “Although none of the folks still live here.”
“Did he contact you and tell you Bri was coming?” Trace wished to know.
“No. This is the first I’ve heard that Sabrina knows them. And I haven’t talked to Danny in years. I visited home two years ago, but my family has a farm on the outskirts of town. Danny and Callie live right in the city.”
“I had to leave my hometown a few years ago,” Cassidy began to share.