Читать книгу Forbidden Falls - Робин Карр, Robyn Carr - Страница 9

Three

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For someone who had stuffed herself on pizza the night before, Ellie seemed to have no trouble packing away a very large chicken-salad sandwich and some of Preacher’s potato salad. Noah doubted the pizza story. He picked up their plates and carried them to the bar, and when he returned he said, “Jack’s bringing chocolate cake.”

Her hands were on her flat belly. “Oh, man, I couldn’t …” “Just a bite or two,” he said. “So—you said you were raised on hymns. Tell me about that. I mean, if you want to.”

“Sure, I’ll tell you. I grew up with my gramma. What a peach—you’d have liked her. My mother wasn’t … isn’t … very stable. When I was born, she was clueless, so my gramma took over and my mother left and I stayed. When I was seven, Gram started teaching me to play the piano. It was a real old piano and about the only thing worth a dime in the house, but we had a neighbor guy who kept it tuned. Gramma hummed gospel tunes all day long and she loved it if I could figure out one of those old-time hymns. ‘The Old Rugged Cross,’ ‘Amazing

Grace,’ ‘Great Is Thy Faithfulness …’ ‘Course, I would have rather played Elton John, John Lennon or Billy Joel, but for her I tried.”

“Where was your mother?” he asked just as the cake arrived.

“Jumping from man to man,” she said, lifting her fork.

“Were there more children?”

“No.” She laughed. “She figured out that much. When I got pregnant in high school, my gramma must have been scared to death that I was just following in her footsteps. I wasn’t really, but it must have looked like I was.”

“Well,” he said patiently, “what were you doing?”

She sighed. She shook her head. “Trying,” she finally said. “Trying my hardest. I got pregnant at sixteen. I was three months pregnant with Danielle and trying to throw together a fast, cheap wedding to my nineteen-year-old boyfriend when he was killed. It wasn’t his fault, either. His family sued the driver of the car that killed him, and they won. They were supposed to set something aside for Danielle, but I guess it slipped their minds.” That last was delivered with a dubious look on her face. “By the time she was three, I’d gotten my GED and had finally stopped feeling sorry for myself long enough to meet someone I liked—a guy who made nighttime bread deliveries to the convenience store when I worked there. Like some kind of curse, I was three months pregnant when he pulled that stupid robbery stunt.”

Noah chewed on the cake and this history for a second. He had a million questions, but the one that popped out was, “You didn’t have any intuition about him, that he was capable of a felony?”

“Ha, he wasn’t. He was an idiot. He was out with his friends, drinking. Twenty-two, drunk, and he thought he was funny—putting his lighter that looked exactly like a revolver—into the hardware-store owner’s chest and saying, ‘Hand over the money.’ The store owner was going to drop off his deposit for the night when my dipshit boyfriend decided to be cute. Didn’t quite work out for him, though. I guess the judge had no sense of humor. He was convicted. Did time.”

“Did?”

“He’s either out by now or due to get out.”

“Can’t he help you with his son? With the kids?” Noah asked.

“Oh, please. No, he can’t. And besides, I’m not going back that way. In fact, I’m not going back. Period.”

He smiled at her. “Have you always been this stubborn? This strong willed?”

“Uh-huh. For all the good it’s done me.”

“So—where did the husband come in? If that’s not too personal?”

“Nothing personal about it, Rev. I was a working mom with two little kids and two jobs. He was new in the area and came into the real estate office, looking for something to rent or buy. I was the office manager. Our agents didn’t find him anything, but he kept coming back, was real nice, real friendly. I thought he was a stand-up guy. Trevor was only two, my gramma had died a year before, and I was having a real hard time holding everything together. I didn’t rush into anything—I made him act nice for six months. I didn’t have much time to date, but I never had a single date alone with him—if he asked me out for dinner, I told him the kids went where I went, and that wasn’t a problem for him. He did a lot of talking about wanting to be a family man and just hadn’t found the right woman yet. I took that as a good sign.” For a moment she looked away and couldn’t connect eyes with Noah. “I knew I didn’t love him, but I was so tired,” she said softly. “So scared I wouldn’t be able to take care of my kids with my gramma gone. My kids saw more of the babysitter than they saw of me.”

She looked back at Noah and said, “I married him and quit my job because he wanted to take care of us. It didn’t take two days before I knew I’d made a big mistake. He insisted I dress real dowdy and awful. He had rules. He needed to be right about everything. Ridiculous demands. He started trying to get me to give up my independence on the first day! He wanted me to sell my car, and he took his computer to work, out of my reach. He doled out money for food … It was terrible. And I wouldn’t play along, which made him so frustrated and angry. I mean, I knew in two days it was a bad deal, but I gave it almost three months. Then I packed up our stuff while he was at work, picked up Danielle from his private school, and we were history. I went back to an old boss, the lawyer, to draft a divorce petition. That gave poor old Arnie the impression I had a rich, classy lawyer. I didn’t ask for anything, so he couldn’t contest it. I just wanted out.”

“He didn’t fight it, then,” Noah said.

“Not legally. But he threatened me. He said if I went through with it, he’d be my worst nightmare. We had been divorced for about nine months when he made a case for custody. There’s where I wasn’t too smart—I couldn’t see how he had a leg to stand on. He wasn’t their father, we’d lived with him less than three months, and I didn’t think I needed any help keeping my own kids. And, like I said before, I’d never done better for myself workwise. I had a good job, made good money, was taking good care of my kids. That club is totally legal. Maybe it’s not tasteful, but it’s legal. Most of the women dancing in there are single moms. That judge—he had it out for me. Maybe I should’ve let him buy me dinner.”

Noah’s eyes narrowed and he glowered. “He didn’t want dinner.”

“Yeah, that’s why I said no,” she said.

“You were blindsided,” he said.

“Yeah. There’s so much I don’t know. I should have called my old boss again. I did call him afterward. What a nice guy. He said there wasn’t much he could do for me, but gave me the name of a friend of his who worked for a legal-defense office that did charity work. He called them for me, and that brings us to today. Hey,” she said, “this is still part of the silence pact, right?”

“Absolutely, Ellie. I don’t gossip.”

“Because I’m not ashamed of anything, but I’m not stupid. All the stuff I’ve screwed up? I’m bound to be judged pretty hard by people who don’t know me. But it’s not even that—it’s the kids. I don’t want them judged because I—”

“Don’t worry,” he said. “Our conversations are private.” He concentrated for a minute on the chocolate cake, which didn’t get as much appreciation as it deserved.

Noah had a lot of experience counseling people who were down on their luck, many of them actually in need of food and shelter. He’d seen worse than what Ellie was going through, but just the same he was mighty impressed by her toughness, her fearlessness. She wasn’t dependent on him for anything. All she needed was a job chit to take back to that crooked judge in eighty-one days, collect her kids and get on with her life. Meantime, he’d help her any way he could. He was glad he’d taken a chance on her.

“I’m not embarrassed I had that job, you know,” she said, lifting a bite of cake to her mouth. He lifted his eyes to hers. “The owner of the club—he’s a great guy who liked to take good care of his girls. And the funny thing was, the ones who didn’t mind getting right down to cracks and nipples weren’t always the most popular ones….”

One end of Noah’s mouth lifted in a half smile. Ellie laughed.

“I guess I’m a little too straightforward for you, huh?” she asked. “Thing is, all I had to do was wiggle around with those pom-poms or the white nurse’s hose held up with a garter belt and I did just fine. I think Madonna wore less on stage half the time than I did in that club. The people were usually nice, the customers didn’t give us any trouble. ‘Course, we had a plus-size bouncer, just in case. It was just work. It paid the bills. It’s not something I wanted to do forever. I was always on the lookout for something better.”

“You shouldn’t have lost your kids over that job,” he said. “Worst case, they should have been left with you with visits from Child Welfare. They would have seen in no time that the job wasn’t damaging to the children. That was crap, what happened to you.”

She just looked at him for a long moment. Then very quietly she said, “Thanks. I guess coming from you, that’s saying something.”

“Coming from me?” he said, lifting one dark brow.

“You being a minister, and everything. I know you don’t approve of that kind of place—or of the women in it.”

He gave a shrug. “Ellie, I don’t have an opinion about your last job. There’s plenty about it to admire,” he said.

“Like?”

“Like a mother who would do just about anything to take care of her kids.”

“Well, be real clear about that, Rev. If I hadn’t lucked into that job, I would have done just about anything. When it comes to the kids, I’m all out of false pride.”

Soon, he thought, I’m going to see her kids. And I bet I see something remarkable.

“Do you ever want kids?” she asked.

“I did,” he said quietly. A bunch of them, if possible.

And so did Merry—she wanted them right away. “I think this little town church is going to be my kid for a while.”

“Sometimes I think the deal I got with Arnie was just what I deserved. I married him because I thought he was safe for me and the kids. He seemed all right, he made a decent living, he was okay that I had children while a lot of guys run for their lives when they find out you come with kids. I wasn’t attracted to him, I wasn’t in love with him. So maybe that’s what I deserved, huh?”

Noah didn’t have to consider it. “Never think that,” he said. “No one deserves cruelty of any kind. Not on their worst day.”

Just then, the door opened and Mel came into the bar. She went first to Jack, lifting herself up to lean over the bar and give him a kiss. Then she turned and looked at Noah and Ellie. “Mel,” Noah called. “Got a minute?”

She walked over to their table. “Mel Sheridan, this is Ellie Baldwin. She’s helping out in the church for a while.”

“Nice to meet you,” Mel said, putting out her hand. “Jack said there was someone new in town. How’s it going over there?”

“It’s my first day, so it’s looking pretty ugly,” Ellie said honestly.

“Well, it’s not my first day, but Ellie got more done this morning than I’ve managed in the last week. She’s a whirlwind.”

“Good for you. Very cute top, by the way.”

Ellie looked down, then lifted an eyebrow toward Noah before she said, “Thanks. Target. Under twenty bucks.”

“Really? I need to get over there one of these days. They usually have good buys. So, Ellie—where do you live?”

“I’m in Eureka now, but I have to find something closer—I can’t afford the gas. Would you happen to know of anything? Nearby?”

Mel pulled up a chair. “I can sure ask around. What are you looking for?”

“My kids are with my ex-husband right now, so all I need is a bed and a roof. Really, one room would do it for me. Something cheap, but not scary. His Holiness here doesn’t exactly pay a lot.”

Mel laughed. “I know one thing that qualifies as cheap and real nice, but I think it might flunk the scary test. Right at the end of the block, nicest house down there, Jo Ellen and Nick Fitch have a great one-room efficiency over the garage. I don’t think they’ve rented it out in a long time. Jo Ellen’s a doll, a very nice lady. But she’s married to a groper.”

“Is that so? How serious a groper?” Ellie asked.

“The first time I met him, he treated me to a major butt grope while I had my back turned.”

Hearing this exchange, Jack put a cup of coffee in front of his wife and used the pot to refill Ellie’s and Noah’s cups. “Mel drop-kicked him,” Jack inserted. “It was a beautiful sight. I think that’s when I really fell in love with her.”

Ellie grinned widely. “What did you do to him?”

“I got lucky, that’s all. I took a little self-defense course in college, I didn’t think I even remembered any of it. But he snuck up on me and I just reacted. I threw him an elbow in the gut and then under the chin. One little swipe behind his heels and he was flat on his ass. Sorry, Noah—I meant to say butt. Butt’s okay, right?”

Noah looked up at Jack. “The women in this place are rougher on the language than the men.”

“Tell me about it,” Jack said. “We now have a swear jar at home. David’s college education will be paid for and we’ll have a trip to Bermuda by the end of the year.”

“I might have to put a swear jar in the church,” Noah said.

“I could teach you that move,” Mel said to Ellie, taking a sip from her cup.

“Thanks. I have some moves of my own, too. So, this guy—is he dangerous? Or just frisky?” Ellie asked.

“I don’t think he’s dangerous, but I couldn’t guarantee it,” Mel answered. “I’d hate myself forever if you came to any harm from him. But, as the gossip goes, he’s been slapped down by several women in this town. Too bad Jo Ellen hasn’t hit him over the head with a big club. I can’t believe she puts up with that behavior. Really, she’s such a nice person.”

“Nick might have ideas all the time, but I think he’s only frisky when he drinks,” Jack said. “His problems usually come up during a party. Most of the time, when the town gets together, they do it here, they have food and drinks, and Nick loses his head.”

“It’s out of the question, Ellie,” Noah said. “You can’t even consider it.”

“It could work,” Ellie said. “Mel, would you be willing to introduce me to them, be there when I ask about the room? I’d have to have a look at him, too. See if I think I could take him.”

“This isn’t happening,” Noah muttered.

“Sure,” Mel said. “I’m positive he’s still scared of me. I know he’s been slapped, but I hold the sole distinction of taking him down.”

“And she put a boot on his chest to hold him down while she threatened his life,” Jack said. “I’m telling you, I almost exploded with lust. I had to marry her.”

Ellie sipped her coffee. “Well, I’m bigger than you are,” she said to Mel. “And I have Mace.”

“We could try starting with a firm warning,” Mel suggested.

“You can’t be serious,” Noah said. “You’d rent from a guy who’s a known molester?”

“Okay, let’s be totally straight here—is this just an idiot who gets stupid and cops a feel? Or has he left a trail of wounded victims in his path?” Ellie asked.

“So far as I know, he’s a laughingstock,” Mel said. “But there’s no guarantee that wouldn’t escalate. Luke Riordan has some cabins on the river—vacation rentals. Also one-room efficiencies with kitchenettes, but I’m sure they’re more expensive. And from what I hear, he’s done a brisk summer business—full or almost full all the time with early reservations for hunting season.”

“I’m on a tight budget,” Ellie said.

“No reason to be afraid of Nick,” Jack said. “I could take you down there and introduce you, threaten to sic my wife on him if he steps out of line.”

“I bet one knee in the nuts straightens him right out,” Ellie said.

There was a strange sound from Noah, something of a growl. “I don’t like this idea at all. If this guy got fresh with you, I’d have to deal with him. That wouldn’t be good.”

“Horsefeathers,” Ellie said. “I can take care of myself.”

This wouldn’t be the best time to bring up the fact that she was having a tough time doing exactly that—taking care of herself. And in almost exactly twenty-four hours Noah was already feeling the urge to deck the imbecile who would dare put a hand on her. It had been years since he’d been in a fight; it wasn’t nice for ministers to fight. He was supposed to counsel and pray his way out of tight spots.

One corner of his mouth lifted. Actually, he was competent in a fight. Didn’t bother him in the least to engage, as long as it was fair.

Noah looked over at Ellie. She hadn’t completed her first day of work and already she was complicating his nice uncomplicated ministry.

Right at the end of the main street in Virgin River was a beautiful two-story home, freshly painted a pale yellow with white trim, just like three other houses on the block. But this one was large and pampered—it looked almost new. The porch was wide, the lawn was lush and green, summer flowers grew thick and healthy along the walk and tall trees shaded the house from the summer sun. It had white shutters and rocking chairs on the porch. The driveway went around the side of the house to a detached two-car garage. There was a staircase on the outside leading to the room upstairs.

Mel had called Jo Ellen, learned the room was available to the right person and had set up an appointment. Noah would not be left behind, and so it was that the three of them stood on the porch of the lovely house and rang the bell. Jo Ellen Fitch came to the door with a smile on her face, but the second she saw Ellie, she gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Then she shot a pleading look at Mel, which Mel completely ignored. Even dressed in overalls, no makeup, and her hair pulled up, Ellie was a striking young woman. She had a beautiful face and a drop-dead-gorgeous body that she made no attempt to downplay.

“Hey, Jo,” Mel said. “This is Ellie Baldwin, who’s looking for a room. And this is Reverend Noah Kincaid. You might have heard about him—he’s the new minister, fixing up the old church. Ellie works for him and needs a place to live. So, what do you think? Want to show her the room?”

“Ohhhh, Mel,” she said miserably.

“You can make up your mind about me later, Mrs. Fitch,” Ellie said, taking charge. “First things first—let’s see if I like the room. How about that?”

“Sure,” she said a bit nervously. She opened her front door, keys to the room in hand, and began to lead them toward the garage. Then she stopped suddenly and turned. “Oh, I apologize. How do you do, Reverend Kincaid? Miss Baldwin. This way.” When they entered the room, Ellie went into a kind of daze. It was perfectly lovely—a double bed with two bedside tables against one wall, a small bathroom with a tub and shower, and on one wall a minirefrigerator, two-burner stove, microwave, sink and a few cupboards. At the foot of the bed was a chest. A comfortable chair and ottoman sat in the corner. There was no closet, but rather a large armoire for clothes. It was finer than anything Ellie had ever lived in. In her life.

“We don’t have a TV in here or anything,” Jo Ellen said.

The bed had a yellow floral comforter and lots of fat, decorative pillows. There was a picture of a meadow and barn over the bed, a full-length mirror on the bathroom door, a reading lamp behind the overstuffed chair. Ellie sighed. She fell in love with the room at once. “Does that phone work?” she asked.

“It does,” Jo said. “It’s a private line.”

There was the sound of a car in the driveway, followed by the slamming of the car door.

“Are there some plates and glasses?” Ellie asked. “A couple of pans?”

“Yes, some. Not much. And towels. This is kind of a one-person room.”

“What a coincidence.” Ellie laughed. “I’m exactly one person.”

“Nothing extra comes with the room,” Jo said. “No housekeeping. You’re on your own. There’s no washer or dryer. I mean, it’s not a bed-and-breakfast—you’d have to take care of all your own needs. Meals, laundry, that sort of thing.”

There were feet on the stairs.

“I understand. There’s probably a coin laundry somewhere nearby.”

The door opened and Nick walked into the room. “Well, I thought there was company here.” He smiled.

Ellie smiled back. He was probably her height, wasn’t all that bad looking and he was fit. His salt-and-pepper hair was still thick, his brows heavy and graying. He wore a short-sleeved shirt—light blue—with a bad tie that he’d loosened, nice dress jeans and boots. His eyes glittered approvingly and he smiled at Ellie.

Jo Ellen cleared her throat and made introductions; everyone shook hands. “How much is the room, Mrs. Fitch?” Ellie asked.

Jo Ellen opened her mouth to speak, when Nick interrupted her. “Honey, is a hundred a month too much?” Nick asked his wife.

“We usually—”

“How does that sound, Ellie?” Nick asked her.

“Very reasonable,” she said. “If you find me acceptable.”

“There won’t be a problem, if you work for the preacher, here,” Nick said.

“How soon can I move in?”

“It’s ready when you are,” he said. And he slipped an arm around his wife’s waist and gave her a squeeze. “Right, honey?”

“Thank you,” Ellie said. “I didn’t bring any money or checks with me today. Can I settle up with you tomorrow?”

“That would be fine,” Jo said, clearly not happy.

“Oh, thank you. I think this will be perfect for me.”

“If you’re sure …”

“Oh, I’m sure,” she said. But when she looked between Mel and Noah, she saw doubtful expressions. Their expressions could have to do with that lascivious gleam in Nick’s eye. “I’ll see you sometime tomorrow, Mrs. Fitch.”

“Sure,” Jo said, standing aside so everyone could go single file down the stairs. Noah followed Mel. Nick held the door open for his wife, then for Ellie.

“Oh, Mr. Fitch—can I talk to you a second?” Ellie asked.

“Of course, sweetheart,” he said.

She spoke to him at the top of the staircase while the others descended. They all stopped at the bottom while Nick listened to Ellie and actually seemed to back away from her. But she was smiling the entire time, smiling with a glow. Then she grabbed his hand in both of hers to shake it vigorously, and hurried down the stairs to join the others.

Everyone said their goodbyes. Nick and Jo Ellen went into their house while Noah, Ellie and Mel began walking back toward the bar and the church. “You sure about this, Ellie?” Mel asked.

“Absolutely, it’s going to be great. I love the room. The price is terrific, I’m going to save a ton in gas, I can walk to work. And I’ll be close enough to sneak away from the reverend here and catch a nap.”

“You got a glimpse of Nick,” Mel said.

“I did. He agreed I’ll be totally safe in that room.”

Mel lifted a brow. “I didn’t see his lips move, actually.”

“Trust me,” Ellie said. And then she walked on. “It’s going to work out perfectly.” When they got to the bar, Mel said goodbye. “Thank you so much, Mel,” Ellie said, waving.

Noah walked Ellie to her little PT Cruiser that sat in front of the church. “What went on while you two were out of earshot?” he asked Ellie.

“Oh, Your Righteousness, you probably don’t want to know. What if it makes you an accessory to the crime or something?”

He sighed heavily. Impatiently. “Just lay it on me, Ellie.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure. Come on. You smiled the whole time.”

“Yeah, that part wasn’t so easy. I wanted to smack him just from the look in his eye. I said, I know about you, so don’t try anything. My boyfriend is a six-foot-five-inch bouncer in a mean bar and my father is a judge, and if you even exhale within twenty feet of my boobs, I’m going to have your nuts on a platter. And then I’m going to call my boyfriend and my father.”

Noah was speechless for just a second, but then he burst out laughing. “You didn’t!”

“Of course I did. I think that’s called a preemptive strike. Isn’t that what it’s called?”

“You’re out of your mind,” he said, laughing in appreciation.

“I got that room for a hundred bucks a month. And it’s a great room.”

He shook his head. “You think that threat will hold?”

She peered at him, lifting a corner of her mouth and an eyebrow at the same time. “That bouncer? He’s a friend. I babysat for him and his wife a couple of times. He’d come out here and scare the bejesus out of that imbecile if I asked him to. But before we even get to that, Mr. Nick has a date with my knee. And I know how to do that.”

Noah just chuckled and shook his head.

“I just want that room. It’s the best room I’ve ever seen. My gramma and I slept on a pullout sofa together my whole life. The only thing that could make that room prettier would be if my kids came with it.”

Noah sobered. Two sentences hit him in the gut—she slept on a pullout sofa bed her entire life? With her grandmother? They must have lived in one room. And her kids? It must have been so traumatic to leave her children with a guy she knew didn’t love them. When they got better acquainted, he meant to ask more about that. “So,” he said. “When will you move in?”

“Oh, right away. I’ll bring money and my stuff tomorrow. It’ll just take one trip. Can I have a little time in the morning to unload the car? I’d like to do it when Mr. Hands is at work. I plan to avoid him.”

“What about the duplex?” he asked.

“That nice lady next door owns it. She’ll let me go without a problem. She understands my situation. She’s on my side.”

“You can move in one trip?” he asked, looking at her car.

She turned to look at him. “Noah, the kids have their clothes and toys with them. I have very little to move. Believe me, I live a one-trip existence.”

“My car is full of stuff,” Ellie said to Noah when she arrived at the church the next morning. Then she crouched in front of Lucy, grabbed her head in her hands and kissed her snout, receiving a lick in return. “Morning, girlfriend. You’re looking better every day.” Then to Noah, “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to take an hour to tote it up the stairs to my new residence. I just want to wait until Mr. Fitch has gone to work.”

“Ellie,” he asked, “did you leave anything behind? Or in storage somewhere?”

“Nah, that’s it. I travel light. So, what’s on the schedule for today?”

He tried not to let it show that he felt something cinch in his chest at the very idea she could fit all her worldly goods in the little PT Cruiser she drove. Up until he married, while working and going to school, he’d had next to nothing, but that was different. He liked having a light load; it was all part of the changes he wanted to make in his life. But Ellie had a family! What about her grandmother’s house, her grandmother’s furniture—the pullout sofa and piano? But asking about that would have to wait. He said, “Well, I’d like you to get started painting the bathrooms today, if you think you can do it.”

“Of course I can do it. I should probably change clothes. Around nine, I’ll go move my stuff, but I’ll wait till later to put it away. I’ll grab something old and ratty to put on and get started. You have the paint?”

“Some yellow, some white, some blue. Can you work with that?”

She made a face. “How were you planning to use them? One blue bathroom, one yellow, white trim? Because that’s very boring.”

He looked at her long fingernails. Today was hot pink with sparkles. He looked down—she was wearing tennis shoes, but somehow he knew her toes matched her nails. Against his better judgment he said, “Use it any way you like.”

“Good deal. Do you have any masking tape? Any caulking?”

“Yes, why?”

“Straight lines and edges. Just out of curiosity, how’d you settle on those colors?”

“They were on sale,” he said.

She shifted her weight to one foot. “Have you ever actually had a church before?”

“Not exactly.”

“Listen, I’ll make something work with those colors. Even though they’re pretty dorky colors….”

He had a fleeting thought that this was not the woman to be lecturing him about good taste in anything. “Aren’t you the least bit afraid I might take that personally? Maybe I’m sensitive about the colors I picked.”

“No,” she said, tilting her head and peering at him. “You’re not gay.”

He smiled at her. “You sure about that?”

And she smiled, her hands on her hips. “Obviously. Or you’d have chosen more interesting colors.”

He sighed heavily. He watched her walk toward the upstairs bathroom in her shrink-wrap jeans. He squinted. He followed, Lucy ever at his side. She had a tattoo peeking out of the back of her low-rise jeans, right in the small of her back. “I … ah … have an old painting shirt you can throw over your clothes, if you’d like. Would that help?”

“Sure, thanks. After I get my stuff out of the car, I’ll put on my old sweats. You have all the supplies for me to get started?”

“Stacked outside the bathroom in the hall.”

“Super. I’ll start up here and, when I’m done, I can move it downstairs. Let me check it out, make sure you have everything I’ll need.” She knelt on one knee, checking out the supplies, showing more of that tattoo, but he still wasn’t able to make out what it was. She looked over her shoulder. “Noah, can you round up the masking tape and caulk? And get me a screwdriver and hammer, please?”

“Screwdriver? Hammer?”

“I’m going to take the door and mirror off. Open paint cans.”

“By yourself?” he asked. “Want me to help with that?”

“No. Just get me what I need.”

“Sure,” he said. But he stood there, his eyes riveted on that tattoo.

She looked over her shoulder again. “It’s called a tramp stamp,” she said. “I got it when I was fifteen, to be cool.”

“I know what it’s called. I just can’t make out what it is.”

“It’s vines in the shape of my name, and I’m not showing you any more of it. Let’s get this show on the road, huh?”

“Right,” he said, going off to his toolbox. And he thought, I’m taking orders from her. Why am I not the least bit surprised?

After he delivered what she asked for, she completely ignored him, so he took Lucy to his office. He heard Ellie humming, moving around the drop cloth, pounding at the hinges to remove the door. She didn’t ask questions, nor did she need any help with the heavy door or with the mirror over the sink. He could hear her peeling off strips of masking tape for the borders. Completely self-sufficient and low maintenance. That’s what a good pastor’s assistant was, whether painting or managing the office. Now, that did surprise him.

Before sitting down to make a renovation list, Noah decided to tour the old building once more. The church was large but simple. Upstairs was a sanctuary that could hold about three hundred people. There were large double doors at the east end of the church that opened onto a foyer. From here, four wide stairs led up to the sanctuary level and a wider foyer—wide enough for a staging area, as for the gathering of a bridal party. Large interior double doors opened to the aisle, which led toward the stained-glass window, then two more steps led up to a deep stage that had room for the altar, the pulpit, a couple of choir pews. Up here Noah would find room for the piano that had been Merry’s.

There were doors to the right and left at the front of the church. To the left was the pastor’s office—a room large enough for his desk, shelves and filing cabinets plus a big round table for meetings. Outside that office, the stairs led down to the basement and a side exit door. On the other side of the sanctuary was another room of equal size that could serve as a secretary’s office and library. Right next to that room was the upstairs bathroom. Just a sink and toilet, of course, but it had taken the strain off his RV bath facilities. They seemed to be in perfect working order, even though they hadn’t been used in years. And that was it—no classrooms. But the basement could be divided with movable panels.

Noah went to his office and set about making a list of things to talk about with the local builder. Paul Haggerty was a friend of Jack’s and was going to work on the remodel. That big basement room with a kitchen would make a great community hall, once finished. Right now the walls were plain cinder block and needed texturing. The ceiling was stained from mystery leaks that should be checked out before new ceiling panels were hung. The floor was hard, cold concrete and could use a sub-floor covered in tile.

The sanctuary was in pretty good shape, if a little beat up. If he rented a sander, he could finish the hardwood floors himself, but the ceiling was much too high and would require scaffolding.

He had ordered pews, an altar, a pulpit, a baptistery and a new desk for his office. The pews were an extravagance—they could make do with folding chairs. But the pews would be beautiful; he wanted them and there was enough money. Once done, the sanctuary would be breathtaking. And while Noah would enjoy doing all the work himself, it was his mission to get the church open for business as soon as possible. Paul could undoubtedly help with that.

Maybe while Paul was handling the walls and ceiling of the sanctuary, he could be painting the offices. He and Ellie, he thought. He heard her faint humming. She seemed completely capable. If the bathroom didn’t end up painted in stripes or polka dots, he might ask for her input on colors for the offices.

She popped her head into his office. “I’m going to run home, unload the car, change into painting clothes and come back. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take you up on that offer of your old shirt.”

“You bet. I’ll have it here when you get back.”

Less than an hour later, she was back wearing sweats and a tank top. It seemed everything Ellie owned fit snugly, without a pleat, gather or wrinkle to spare or rattle around in. Fitted to that extraordinary body with those incredibly long legs Ellie managed to make old sweats look sexy. She’d had two children—how’d she manage her flat stomach and high, full breasts? Surgery? Somehow he couldn’t imagine her spending money on plastic surgery if she didn’t even own a couch.

He handed her one of his blue work shirts, already decorated with a little old paint. He was very happy to see her put it over her sweats and tank. Then he observed with some consternation that she looked every bit as pretty and sexy in that oversize shirt. Thank goodness she got right back to work. Humming. Sometimes actually singing, too softly for him to make out words, but it was very pleasant. Every once in a while Lucy meandered from his office to the bathroom and Noah would hear Ellie say, “Hey there, girlfriend. How’s it going? Bored?”

Around eleven in the morning, he checked on Ellie. In just a couple of hours, she had taped off all the edges and was almost done trimming the baseboards in white. When she heard him in the doorway, she looked up from her place on the floor and a coppery curl fell over her forehead. He couldn’t help but smile at her—she looked cute as the dickens with her hair piled on top of her head and drowning in his shirt. Besides, there wasn’t a bubble or streak on those baseboards. It was perfect.

“Are you extra happy today?” he asked.

“I might be,” she said, smiling. “I talked to my kids last night and gave them my new phone number. I’ll talk to them tonight and then tomorrow I’ll pick them up at eight in the morning for the day. I’m thinking of showing them my new apartment.”

“That’s right, tomorrow’s Saturday. Your day off.”

“Seventy-nine days to go.”

“You’re doing a very nice job there, Ellie.”

“Thanks. I know how to paint. I have a knack.”

“Lucky me. I’m going to put that talent to good use. Listen, I have some errands to do. I might not be back before you’re through today. I’m going to leave Lucy in the RV. I want you to help yourself to the lunch fixings in the refrigerator in the RV. There’s sandwich stuff and fruit, bottled water and soda.”

She wiggled around to her knees. “You don’t have to do that, Rev. Really.”

“I know I don’t have to, but it seems only fair. I could either raise your pay to eight twenty-five an hour or offer you lunch. I went with the lunch idea.”

“You’re actually a very nice guy, aren’t you?”

“Ellie, I’m a man of God. Don’t you expect nice?” Then he grinned.

“Does God know you’re throwing his name around to impress people?” she asked.

He laughed. “The RV is unlocked. Take a nice long break. Would you mind letting Lucy out to do her business? And try not to get paint on my dog or my La-Z-Boy.”

“You have a La-Z-Boy? Oh, brother. You’re certainly not gay….”

“How did they sound when you talked to them?” he asked. He hadn’t planned to ask, but it popped out. “The kids—how did they sound?”

“Well, fair. Not happy. They were a little emotional. They want me to come and get them right now and they’re having a real hard time understanding why I can’t. But they didn’t sound scared or hurt or anything. And I was as nice to Arnie as I could manage—I told him I was working things out so the judge would be happy with my job, and that I had a new place that was small but perfect. He was a jerk, but he promised to take good care of the kids. ‘They’re in better hands than they were, Ellie,’” she mimicked. “School starts soon and he goes to his office every day, getting ready for classes to start, and takes them with him. The school secretary keeps an eye on them. They miss me, but they’re safe. I think.”

“This must be very tough for you.”

“Yes, it is, but I’ll have them tomorrow. I’ll be able to see how they’re really doing.” And then she smiled at him.

Forbidden Falls

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