“How’s this?” Dad asked. Mom glanced over at them.
“Fine,” Megan murmured, feeling almost guilty for where her thoughts had taken her. Was Micah doing the same thing, remembering all their encounters, perhaps even chiding himself? They were both so much younger at the time. Megan lowered her voice and asked Micah, “So how did it go last night, meeting the committee members and their wives?”
“Okay. You missed a good supper. I guess you know your mom’s a good cook?”
“Yeah, but so is my friend Lil. She’s a chef, was head chef until she got married and stepped down.”
He shrugged. “The committee members and their wives were friendly, but it felt a little bit like being in a dunk tank.”
Megan smiled. “Are you still interested in the position?”
“I’m more curious about it than ever.”
“So what’s your plan?”
“Let’s see. It goes something like this. Parade. Eat. Meeting. Eat. Meeting. Eat. Preach. Potluck. Preach. Eat.”
Megan giggled. “Yes, that’s the Mennonite way, all right.”
“Oh, and there’s a tour of the church in there someplace. Then Monday I leave, and you can breathe easy again.”
“Can I?”
His expression grew serious, and he quietly studied her. They both knew that if he got the position, it didn’t end on Monday. She tore her gaze away, toward the street. “It’s starting now. The children’s parade is first. Here comes the baby float now. There’s a baby contest, and they even dub a Little Lady and Little Knight.”
Megan hoped that sometime during his eat-meeting-eat-meeting-eat stay, she’d be able to figure out what he was really pursuing. If it was her, she’d put an end to it. If it was the job, the situation was more complex.
At this point, the invitation to actually take the job hadn’t been extended. But this weekend wouldn’t be the end of it. There was another candidate to interview. No matter what happened, the parade might be her only opportunity to find out more about Micah and to get the answers to some of her niggling questions.
A row of four- to six-year-olds twirling batons led a small marching band that was followed by a preschool float. Then a colorful mishmash of decorated bicycles, tricycles, wagons, and floats were followed by a children’s choir.
In the short interval after the children’s parade, Micah drew his gaze from the street to Megan. “The other afternoon when I first saw you, I assumed you were coming home from work. What are you doing these days?”
“I work at a charter air company as assistant to the owner and also do some customer relations.”
“No kidding?” He glanced at her. “That sounds interesting.”
She nodded. “It is. Char Air does a lot of charity flights. I’ve always liked missions, and my boss pretty much promised me there’d be some travel involved.”
“How long have you been there?”
Megan glanced across the street at a row of two-stories. Directly across sat a pretty house with yellow siding and an expansive front porch. Next to it stood a neat, brown brick commercial shop. The narrow sidewalk was crammed with onlookers. “Less than a year. I was just getting started in school when you were finishing.”
Music drew her gaze farther down the road, where the shops outnumbered the homes. “Here comes the high school marching band.” Following that chugged a string of antique tractors and cars. “My dad’s not happy about missing the car show for your meetings.”
“Does he usually participate in it?”
“Are you asking that question as a preacher, or are you just curious?” she teased.
“Just curious.”
“He doesn’t participate because he thinks it would be prideful. I’m sure Brother Troyer and the other elders feel the same. But sometimes the show includes cars that he’s restored for someone else. He does that as a sideline, makes extra money that way.” She drew close and whispered, “He’s well known in the entire Columbus area.”
“You’re proud of him.”
She nodded.
A woman leading a pony with a flag-blanket passed them. A dune buggy followed, and someone threw candy into the crowd. Until the next float appeared, all along the sidelines children with plastic grocery bags scuttled to gather the candy.
“I don’t know if our congregation’s ready for you. I think your age will be shocking.”
He looked startled. “Aren’t there very many young people in the church?”
“No, there are.” She tore her gaze from a Jeep pulling a float of soldiers. “Was it hard to choose a sermon?”
“Not really. Your dad gave me a choice of three topics.”
“He did? I didn’t know that. What are they?”
“ ‘Set Not Your Heart on Earthly Things,’ ‘Going Forward with Unity,’ or ‘How to Check a Heart against Pride.’ ”
Megan widened her eyes. Not because of their earlier conversation about pride, but because she remembered Brother Troyer preaching those exact sermons. “I don’t understand. Those were Brother Troyer’s last three sermon titles.”
Micah frowned and glanced at Bill Weaver, whose gaze was riveted to the street festivities. He shook his head. “I wonder why the committee did that? It’ll provoke an emotional reaction from the congregation.”
Megan understood his frustration and even felt a twinge of righteous anger toward the search committee. Didn’t they see that the first candidate would be put at a disadvantage? She wondered if Micah even knew that they were choosing between two men or more for the position.
Most likely, they’d give them all the same sermon choices. But it still wouldn’t be fair. The first candidate would be judged the harshest. She glanced at her dad, who was watching the pizza restaurant’s float, then back at Micah. “I’m sorry they did that to you.”
He gave a broad-shouldered shrug. “Hopefully the other candidates will have the same list. But thanks to you, I’m forewarned.”
So he did know that he wasn’t the only candidate. “Which sermon did you choose?”
“The first. I figured the older members would be interested to get my opinion of what was worldly and what wasn’t. As you mentioned, I’m a young candidate. Obviously, it’ll be hardest to gain their acceptance.”
She sympathized with him and had half a notion to pay Barbara a call and ask for Brother Troyer’s sermon notes. Barbara would understand. Any woman would understand the emotional dimension involved. “That’s smart. You’re right about that. And that sermon is the oldest of the three, too. Maybe nobody will remember it.”
The fire trucks drove past them, drowning out her voice with their flashing lights, firemen, and sirens. A dog rode in the first truck. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned just as Micah went to whisper in her ear, causing his lips to brush her face. Shocked at the intimate touch, she jerked away and looked at him with confusion.
But he seemed unaffected. “What did you say?”
Micah’s question hung in the air, as her gaze took in something even more alarming than Micah’s mistaken kiss. “Chance?”
“Huh?” Micah tilted his head and stared at her lips.
Megan felt her face heat as her temporary boss squeezed in beside her, placing a hand at the small of her back. She sensed Micah stepping away, Chance moving closer. The sirens added to her confusion.
Micah was crushed from the velocity of new information and the sudden turn of events. There was nothing fair about what the search committee had done to him, and most likely he would be up all night reworking his sermon. It was reassuring that Megan sympathized with his plight. She’d tried to tell him something just as the sirens blared.
Then he’d leaned forward because he’d missed her last comment, and she’d moved. His lips had touched her face. She’d jerked away as though he’d done it deliberately. It happened just when she’d started to relax around him; the timing couldn’t have been worse. Nearly kissing her was an accident, the least of his intentions. About now he could u
se the hoses attached to that screaming fire truck to put out the blaze that she’d just ignited in him.
And who on earth was the man who had shoved in right after that and wedged his way between him and Megan? The intruder had possessively placed his hand at her waist. But Megan had turned pale as paste. Whatever was going on between them, Micah could tell the outsider was attracted to her.
One good thing, Megan had shrugged away from the intruder’s touch. Watching them closely, Micah tried to determine what kind of relationship they shared. The intruder dropped his hands from her waist and jammed them into his jeans pockets. He leaned close to Megan and whispered something. She shook her head, giving him an arched look.
Micah wondered if she was disagreeing with him or refusing him. At least at school it hadn’t been necessary for Micah to watch her interact with other guys. To his knowledge, she hadn’t shown interest in any of the other students. The flash of jealousy that he felt wasn’t a welcome emotion. Especially not now. Not this weekend.
“That’s it!” Anita’s voice bellowed. She spoke at the exact moment that the fire trucks turned off their sirens. “Well.” She lowered her volume. “The best parade yet, don’t you think?”
“A beauty.” Micah smiled weakly, unable to share her enthusiasm since his mind was on Megan and the stranger. Anita flinched, and Micah knew she’d just noticed the man speaking to her daughter.
“Megan?” Anita stepped onto the street so that she could face Megan and get a good look at the stranger. “Who’s your friend?”
“This is Chance Campbell. He’s my boss’s brother. He’s filling in for him right now.”
“Oh.” Anita’s voice carried resignation.
Chance stepped forward and put on the charm, garnering Micah’s disapproval. He watched Anita, knowing most Conservative women weren’t taken in by showy pretense. He could hardly bite back a smile when Bill Weaver caught on and strode over to get in on the introductions. He was easy to read: My daughter’s a catch, but you better keep your distance.
Megan’s hand flitted to Chance’s arm. “It was fun to run into you. But we only came for the parade. I’m afraid we can’t stay. But there’s more entertainment. You won’t want to miss the hot air balloons. There’re some sports events planned, too.” Her hand fell away, and she gave him a parting wave. “Enjoy yourself.”
The stranger’s gaze suddenly shifted up to Micah’s, as if he was responsible for her swift and unexpected departure.
Micah stepped forward and introduced himself as a guest of the Weavers.
Anita fanned her face. “It’s going to be a hot one today. Better find yourself a tall, cold drink, Mr. Campbell. Ready to go, Bill?” She nudged her husband and started in the direction of their car.
“I’ll do that. Nice to meet you.”
Micah wanted to wait for Megan but knew he had no business doing so and followed the Weavers instead. Before he was out of ear shot, however, he heard some bits of conversation ensuing between Campbell and Megan.
“I thought you were kidding when you said you had plans. I thought you were only trying to ditch me.”
“I always mean what I say, Chance. Enjoy your day. And I’ll see you Tuesday.”
A lot of information was packed in those short sentences. They were on first-name basis. Megan didn’t have to work on Monday. It was important to her for Campbell to understand that she always meant what she said. The statement included a warning. The type of knowledge that would have saved Micah a lot of trouble back at Rosedale.
“Is the barn on fire or what?” Megan asked, catching up with Micah and her parents.
Anita shot back, “Sorry, honey. But that man looked like he wanted to settle in and stay awhile. And your dad has a busy day planned. The parade went longer than we thought. It was bigger this year, don’t you think?”
Micah liked Anita better all the time. They walked in silence for a while, and when they’d finally moved out of the general crush of bodies, he glanced over at Megan. She seemed lost in her thoughts.
“You said Campbell’s filling in for your real boss?”
“Yeah, my boss is on a leave of absence.”
Trying to sound nonchalant, he asked, “How long will he be gone?”
“Eight weeks altogether. Five more. I really shouldn’t be taking Monday off with all the work I have on my desk, but Chance insisted that I treat myself. Our work routine is finally settling in, but …” Her voice died away.
“You’re keeping track of the weeks?” Micah gave a contrived laugh. She’d almost said something negative about the situation.
“It’s hard not to do. Every time I go into his office, I see a row of big red x’s on Randy’s calendar. Chance is a missionary pilot. He’s anxious to get back to the action.”
Their relationship seemed personal, but maybe that was because it was a small, intimate workplace. She’d called her real boss by his first name, too. Micah had no right to concern himself with Megan’s relationships. His time with her was limited, and he needed to concentrate on the more important reasons for his stay.
“Megan?”
She looked over, tilted her face with skepticism. “What?”
“You’ve been a good sport, keeping our secrets. But I’ve got another favor to ask you.” He thought he saw her shoulders sag the tiniest bit.
“Yeah, what?”
“Regarding Brother Troyer’s sermon—the one I’m going to preach. Do you remember much about it?”
Given her brief blank expression, she’d forgotten all about it. As their previous conversation came back to her, however, she relaxed. “Sure. If I thought about it long enough, it’d probably all come back to me.” Her eyes took on a glint of mischief. “And you want me to tell you about it.”
Encouraged by her insight, he confided, “Now that I know what I’m up against, I’ll probably be up all night working on my sermon. Do you think we could find some time to talk about it? I could jot down some notes and try to figure out my approach.”
“Sure, Micah. I should be home when you get back from your meetings. Just let me know when you want to talk.”
“Thanks.” Having the promise of her help made the pill easier to swallow. Gave him something to anticipate while he was closeted up with the search committee. He couldn’t help but wonder what other surprises they had in store for him.
CHAPTER 9
Jo,
What an awkward day! The preacher tagged along with our family to the Fourth of July parade. I guess I should have expected Mom to invite him. Anyway, I took advantage of the situation. Given our history at Rosedale, I was worried that Micah came to Plain City for more than a job. But after spending the morning around him, I think his motives are good, that he’s mostly interested in the job.
Although I never entirely let down my guard, I did relax around him. I actually felt sorry for him when I found out he has to preach Brother Troyer’s sermon. And I even agreed to help him. Now I’m dreading it. What was I thinking?
Even more awkward, Chance showed up at the parade. That man’s motives are easy to read. He’s driving me crazy. The next few weeks are going to be hard because I don’t really want to resist him. But I must. The man is off-limits to me. Handsome, charming, fascinating, and definitely off-limits.
Megan heard a door close, which meant that Micah had returned. He’d be looking for her so that they could talk about Brother Troyer’s sermon. With resignation, she slipped her journal into her nightstand drawer and glanced in the mirror over her dresser. She straightened her hair and covering then moved to her door. Hesitantly, she opened it and stepped into the hall. It was empty. The door to the guest room was closed. But a light shone from under the bathroom door. This was crazy. She felt like she was spying on him. She turned and started back to her room. A door creaked behind her.
“Megan!”
Her back tensed at the masculine whisper, and she pivoted. “I thought I heard you.”
He ran a hand through his hair.
It hit her that he parted it way too deep on the side for her liking. Was that what had always repulsed her? She stared at the part that was at least a whole inch too low. It almost gave him the comb-over effect. Other than that, his hair was normal, or even better than normal. It was about two or three inches long on top. Thick and dark brown. The coloring matched his eyes perfectly. The sides of his hair were short and neatly trimmed around his ears, giving him a boyish appearance. A slight curl or cowlick made his bangs wavy. Probably rebelling from the ridiculous part, they swept across his forehead. He’d need to do something with his hair before Sunday’s sermon. When she realized she’d been staring at him, she blurted the obvious. “You look beat.”
“A rough day.” He glanced at his room and back. “Where’s a good place for us to talk?”
Funny. Everybody had been so busy that the opportunity hadn’t arisen for her to tell her parents about what had happened between them at Rosedale. Or maybe the threat had lessened somewhat as she’d observed him and realized he’d changed over the past three years. But the prospect of telling her parents was a trump card that could be played at any time. “How about the kitchen table?”
“All right. I have some stuff to do. Fifteen minutes?”
“Sure. See you then.”
With relief she watched Micah disappear into his room. He wasn’t interested in her at all, just his sermon. And that suited her fine.
The downstairs lighting was dim, and some clattering noises led Micah to the kitchen, where he found Megan standing at the counter with her back to him. She had two empty plates and was scooping a piece of oatmeal cake on one of them.
“Uh, oh.”
Startled, she gasped and turned. “I didn’t hear you come down. Do you always go around sneaking up on people?”
“Feeling guilty, are you? You one of those middle-of-the-night eaters?”
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