The Preacher's Daughter

by Lyn Cote

  “Back at you, Lucie. We made it back to my place before the winds hit. Have you heard from the other teams?”

  “No, but the preacher and I are going to make the rounds, back at you.”

  “Roger. We’re heading in. Fields’ll be too wet to harvest for several days. Out.” Farmer One clicked off.

  One by one, Lucie raised the others on the radio. “That’s a relief.”

  He nodded. “Thanks be to God.” Tanner swiped his sleeve across the sweat on his forehead. “We’ll have to try again soon. Right now, I’m heading into town.”

  Lucie noted Tanner’s tension ease, but just a fraction. He still gripped the steering wheel and kept his jaw clamped as he drove. The roadside culverts rushed with rainwater. Mud smeared the road and branches littered it and the shoulder.

  In town, they had to stop. A large maple had blown down, blocking Main Street near the park and church. Mitch from the nearby auto shop approached carrying a chain saw. He pulled its cord and the distinctive burring whine sounded. Tanner jumped out and went to help Mitch as he began cutting the trunk to clear the road.

  Lucie got out to look around. She picked her way around the sopping-wet downed branches and leaves. Suddenly a group of women and children, some from Shangri-La, found to her. Overjoyed, Lucie hugged Sammie Torres and then his mother. “You weren’t at the trailer court?”

  “We were but—” Mrs. Torres motioned to the white police cars parked nearby “—the police came through and picked up people and brought us to the church.”

  Miguel spoke up. “We were playing in the park and heard the bells ringing. A man there told us the padre wanted us to come into the basement, a bad storm was coming. I was scared!”

  Lucie hugged him close, remembering her own fear in Sophie’s dark storm cellar.

  “Did you see my Sam?” Mrs. Torres asked.

  Lucie nodded. “He’s on his way back with Nate to the farm. They’re both fine.”

  “¡Gracias a Dios!” Mrs. Torres pressed her hand to her heart.

  “Yes, thank God,” Lucie echoed.

  “And I came over from the café,” the waitress said, “and brought my customers, too. I’m so glad someone thought to ring the bells. It got me moving!”

  Tanner returned to Lucie, gathering her close with an around her shoulders. “We’ve cleared a narrow lane. We can get through. I want to see if everyone’s okay at Shangri-La.”

  Lucie stayed close to him, sensing his urgency.

  “Most everyone was still at the plant,” Mrs. Torres said, “and a lot of the kids were here in the park. I think the police got us all out of the trailer court.”

  “Good, but I want to see for myself,” Tanner insisted, hurrying Lucie back to the truck.

  Lucie prayed they’d not find anyone hurt. She’d come to love the people in this town.

  As they drove through the entrance to the trailer court, they saw that several pine trees had been blown down. Branches littered the streets and patches of lawn. Two trailers on the western edge had been swept off their cement block foundations. A police car was already there and a policeman waved to them, calling, “No one’s here! They all got out!”

  Lucie turned to Tanner and threw her arms around him. “You were wonderful!” Her pride in his quick action and leadership flowing out in tears and laughter.

  Tanner crushed her deeper into his embrace. He bent and kissed her.

  Night had come. A cool breeze after the storm had made Sophie turn off the air-conditioning and open the windows. Everyone had gone to bed except for Lucie and Tanner.

  In a subdued mood, she walked beside him to the back porch. His mother was at home waiting for him. Lucie recalled their first real kiss on this same back porch and the kiss they’d shared this morning at the trailer court. That kiss had swept away all her hurt and anger from the night before. But where did they go from here?

  Tanner hesitated on the top step. “Can we talk?”

  “We’d better,” she said with a confidence she didn’t feel. She sank down on the step and propped her elbows on her knees, waiting to see what he’d have to say. Lord, have I been mistaken in what I feel or in what I thought this man felt for me?

  “I realize we haven’t known each other that long, but…”

  Lucie grinned. This was authentic Tanner, true to form in his let’s-not-rush-into-anything mode. She leaned her cheek on his shoulder. “Time is relative.”

  “You’re just out of college. I want you to have time to live on your own—”

  She chuckled and decided to use her let’s-get-to-the-point attitude. “I’ve lived on my own since I was eighteen. Now, are you proposing or trying to get out of proposing?”

  “Lucie…” He shook his head. “Lucie…” He gazed at her and then threw his hands high. “Oh, so much for the sensible approach.” He hugged her close. “I’m in love with you, you vibrant, slightly crazy, completely adorable woman! Will you marry me?”

  Laughing aloud, she hugged him back and then pulled away to look into his face. “I’m in love with you, you wonderful, slightly stick-in-the-mud, absolutely gorgeous man! I will marry you.”

  “Then why were you so upset with me last night?” He kissed her ear.

  Reveling in the tingling down her neck this ignited, Lucie sighed. “First, I’m sorry I snapped your head off. Your mother had just made it clear that in her opinion I’m not the right girl for you—”

  “I wondered if my mother had upset you. Don’t worry. I’ll set her straight—”

  “Wait. Your mom wasn’t the problem.” She leaned against him, drawing on his strength to speak the truth. “You know me. I’m a free spirit!”

  “I know that.”

  She pulled away to watch him to make certain he understood. “Ever since I was in my teens, I’ve been at odds with my mom. I didn’t like how people all took advantage of her. She was always there for everyone and always sweet and always said just the right thing, unlike me—”

  “And your point is?” he asked archly.

  Lucie considered her answer, because it was an important one. “I just thought I could never be like that, be like my mom, so I made a promise to myself that I’d never marry—”

  “A preacher.” Tanner chortled.

  Wrinkling her nose, she punched his arm. “So you see, your mom really didn’t upset me, she just touched my sore spot. It was a shock to hear my own fears coming out of her mouth.”

  Tanner corralled her in his arms again. “Lucie, you are just the right kind of wife for this preacher. I’ve accomplished more this summer than I have in the year before you arrived. I have good intentions, but I admit it—I have trouble getting things started. You make me get busy and move. I like that.”

  “We’re a good team.” She grinned and kissed him, hope for their future flooding her. “And I’ve realized that my mom’s one kind of pastor’s wife. I’ll just be another kind!”

  Tanner took her face in his both his hands. “I love you, Lucie.”

  “I love you,” she echoed.

  Later, feeling a joy he’d rarely felt, Tanner drove into his one-car garage behind the parsonage. Lord, help me break the news in just the right way. I don’t want to widen the gap between my mother and me. Help this bring us closer. Then he walked into his kitchen. His mother sat at the table, holding a mug of one of her herb teas between her hands. “Hi, Mom.”

  “Hi, dear. I thought this would calm my nerves. What a day.” She leaned her head against the steaming mug. “I don’t think the last earth tremor in Thousand Oaks upset me this much.”

  Tanner sat down at the table and a realization hit him. Before he broke the news about his engagement to Lucie, he needed the truth about his mother’s coming here. “I think it’s time you tell me why you came for this visit.”

  His mother looked away. “Just wanted to see you—”

  He took one of her hands. “Tell me the truth.”

  She set the mug down. “We haven’t gotten along for so many
years….”

  “Ever since I decided to go to seminary.”

  She faced him. “I just didn’t want you to have to live like I did as a child. We were so poor, and as the preacher’s daughter, I had to be the perfect little girl.” She tightened her lips. “I couldn’t breathe, Tanner! And here you were willingly going into that…repressive, drab lifestyle! I couldn’t believe it! I couldn’t face it!”

  Trying to understand, Tanner squeezed her hand. “Mother, money’s not a problem. I’m paid well for a first pastorate in a small church. Most important, I felt God’s calling. I love my job and believe me, I can breathe.” Especially with Lucie at my side. “But this still isn’t the reason why you came. What’s wrong? Aren’t you and Barry going to marry after all?”

  “Barry? You thought…? No, dear.” Now her lips crimped tighter. She blinked away tears. “All right.” She steadied herself. “I had a scare…a bad mammogram…an inconclusive biopsy.”

  “Cancer?” Tanner asked, gripping her hands and feeling his stomach sink.

  Exhaling, she leaned back against her chair and stared at the tabletop. “I’m fine! I had a few more tests and another biopsy and no cancer.” She pulled his hands and pressed them to her cheek. “But it made me want to see you. I’m so sorry, son, for pushing you away. I love you so much. I shouldn’t have done that!”

  He gathered her into his arms and let her shed a few tears of relief on his shoulder. He patted her and prayed that she’d understand his choices. “I’m sorry that you were treated so badly as a child. That shouldn’t have happened. But I think it’s time you also made peace with God over it. He loves you, Mother, more than I am able to, and He didn’t want you treated like that.”

  She pulled away and wiped her eyes. “I think you’re right. Facing cancer turned my life upside down. I’ve done a lot of thinking since. And I’ve enjoyed the services at your church. I’ve gained a new peace here.”

  “I’m glad.” He took a deep breath and plunged on. “I just asked Lucie to marry me.”

  “Oh! Tanner!” she shrilled. “Are you sure?”

  He grinned. “We’re just unofficially engaged for now. We love each other, but we aren’t going to rush to the altar.”

  His mother frowned.

  He patted her arm. “Mom, Lucie is the right woman for me. If I’m wrong, I’ll pray that God lets both of us know long before we marry. Don’t worry. Over this summer I’ve discovered that Lucie is just the wife I need. And I love her.”

  “Very well, Tanner.” His mother still looked hesitant. “I’ll pray that you two both do what’s right.”

  Tanner kissed her cheek. “I couldn’t ask for more than your prayers.”

  Epilogue

  Lucie and Tanner stood behind their towering white-and-pink-rosed wedding cake, posing for the photographer. Lucie felt like a medieval princess in shimmering satin with dozens of seed pearls over the bodice of her long white gown, and Tanner looked gorgeous in a black-and-white tux—in her opinion!

  The fragrance of fresh-cut lilacs filled St. Andrew’s basement in Pleasant Prairie. A heady scent. Members of the church and friends had decorated the reception room with lilacs from their own bushes. And here or there a late tulip—red or yellow—spiced up a bouquet of the lavender flowers.

  “Now, sweetheart, I’ve been worried about this cake thing.” Tanner whispered in Lucie’s ear. “Please don’t smear that cake on my face, okay?”

  “Ah, but this is so tempting. A once-in-a-life opportunity!” Brandishing a small square of the sweet confection, she chuckled wickedly. Instead, she kissed him and then carefully popped the morsel of cake into his mouth.

  He, too, picked up a small square of cake and poised it over Lucie’s mouth. “Should I or shouldn’t I?” he taunted.

  The gathering of guests laughed and encouraged him to have fun. Finally, he slipped the bite of cake into Lucie’s mouth and then sealed it with a kiss.

  Lucie savored the sweet frosting and the touch of her husband’s lips as she gazed out at the basement full of friends. Pleasant Prairie had weathered the layoffs and the population had stayed. In fact, the town was growing as more newcomers came to live in the “community that cares.”

  Zoë had given birth to a beautiful little girl. Holding her tiny daughter, she stood between Lucie’s mom and dad. Lucie’s sister Anna and her husband had come with a baby, too. Lucie’s first nephew was already six months old. Another blessing, Nate had left his crutches far behind and had his arm around Sophie. Carly chased her brothers around the fringe of the gathering. Even Fella and Sancho had been included.

  Sam Torres had moved into a trailer on Nate’s farm, where he worked now. Leaving the packing plant behind had been good for Sam. He even smiled once in a while. And this made it possible for Fella to live with both his families, going back and forth between Sophie’s house and the Torreses’ trailer—which suited Sammie and Sophie’s boys just fine.

  Sophie and Nate would watch Sancho too while Tanner and Lucie flew to Cancún for their honeymoon, the wedding gift from Vita and her new husband, Barry, who stood together watching the cake proceedings, laughing and applauding.

  The photographer finished shooting the cake photos and Lucie and Tanner moved to the center of the room. Maria and others in the Bible study groups had donated a piñata for the children at the wedding reception.

  With arms around each other’s waists, Lucie and Tanner watched the merriment as the blindfolded children took turns, whacking at the bright yellow piñata shaped like a donkey.

  Then Lucie let out a whoop as her mother let Miguel drag her to the center and insisted she take a turn with the bat. Blindfolded, Dorothy swung and swung again, each time missing the piñata. Miguel shouted directions, “Señora Dorothy, to the right! Now the left!”

  Normally quiet Dorothy was laughing and jumping up and down.

  Lucie shook with laughter. Where had her shy, unassuming mother, the perfect pastor’s wife, vanished?

  Tanner bent low and kissed Lucie.

  As she moved her lips over her new husband’s, she thought of the first day they’d met, and then she looked around the room with a smile. What wonders God had wrought!

  Dear Reader,

  Did you guess that I named my heroine for a fifties TV heroine? That’s right, Lucie Hansen was inspired by Lucy Ricardo of I Love Lucy. Fortunately, my Lucie didn’t get into as much “trouble” as her predecessor!

  Opposites attract is an old axiom, but I think it remains true. I know my husband and I certainly prove it. He thinks in numbers and I in words! Our conversations are often filled with hilarious and sometimes maddening misunderstandings.

  Tanner was a man committed to doing God’s will, but he needed a petite live wire like Lucie to get him out of the church office and into the world. Lucie and Tanner were indeed a match made in heaven.

  By the way, over the years, I’ve had many friends who were wives of pastors. God bless them. They don’t get paid a salary, but devote their lives to their families and to their churches. Next Sunday, give your pastor’s wife a hug!

  I’d like to hear from you. Drop me a line or an e-mail.

  Lyn Cote

  P.O. Box 273

  Hiawatha, IA 52233

  www.booksbylyncote.com

  ISBN: 978-1-4592-1053-0

  THE PREACHER’S DAUGHTER

  Copyright © 2003 by Lyn Cote

  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.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired
by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

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