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Authors: Kim O'Brien

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Twenty

“Do you feel like you're back in high school?” Pastor Bruce asked Laney as she and Rock walked into the classroom. They had arrived at the school in order to take another premarital exam. “One of these days our church will be built,” the pastor continued, “but until then we're here.”

Laney settled into the third row. Rock sat in the row in front of her.

“Here we go,” Pastor Bruce said cheerfully as he passed out the exam. He glanced at the clock. “You have thirty minutes.”

Gripping her pencil, Laney stared at the first mul
tiple-choice question. “What color are your fiancé's eyes?” Sighing, Laney shifted in her seat. Did the pastor mean with or without his tinted contacts? Rock wore blue-tinted lenses, but without them his eyes were a muddy, indiscriminate color. The three choices were blue, gray, or brown. She frowned. The correct answer could be any of those. She guessed brown.

She studied the next question. “What color is your fiancé's hair?” Worrying her lower lip, Laney decided this had to be a trick question. Did the pastor mean before Rock highlighted it? Brow furrowed, Laney selected “dark brown.”

“What is your fiancé's favorite food?” Rock's favorite food depended on the meal and time of the day. Laney remembered Mother Tilly had said beef bourguignon was his favorite. Yet the other night he'd praised her lasagna dish and claimed it was his new favorite. The third choice, a fruit smoothie, was hardest still. Rock's favorite breakfast was a fruit smoothie. She picked the lasagna because she thought that was what he would pick.

She plowed steadily through the exam.
God, please help me get through this exam,
she prayed.
Rock is a good servant of Yours, and we could do Your work together. But something inside me doesn't want to marry him. Is that something You?

The words blurred on the exam. Even the questions about her appeared difficult to answer. Rubbing her eyes, Laney struggled to concentrate. Her world seemed to be spinning out of control. Ever since that awful scene at the high school, everything had gone steadily downhill.

Her brothers had stopped teasing her and now treated her with a deference she found infuriating. At least once a day her father stopped in the store to check on her. Ty had disappeared from her life as abruptly as he'd entered it. And Rock, well, he still seemed to like her, but deep inside she knew he hadn't forgiven her for the most recent unfortunate incident with Mother Tilly.

Consumed with Angel's inexplicable failure at the high school, Laney had neglected to tell Rock about the gun in the lasagna pan. Tilly had discovered the gun and become convinced Laney had threatened her yet again. She'd called Rock to come over and make sure the gun wasn't loaded.

Somehow, in the process of handling the gun, and here Rock hadn't been very clear, it had gone off. Although no one had been injured, the shot had shattered the crystal chandelier in the foyer.

Laney shuddered. Rock had asked her about a hundred times how she could have forgotten the gun. She had no answer. Rock's chuckle from the row in front of her drew her attention back to the exam.

One question remained, a true or false. She stared at the bold letters. “Do you love him?”

She closed her eyes, suddenly knowing her feelings for Rock were not deep enough to marry him.
This is urgent, Lord,
she prayed.
I don't want to hurt Rock, but I can't marry him.

“Time's up,” Pastor Bruce said. Standing, he collected their papers. “You can wait while I grade them.”

Laney jumped when Rock's hand landed on her shoulder.

“Can you believe that test?” Rock whispered. “Only a complete idiot could have failed that.” He grinned at Laney. “And to think of all the time we spent studying.”

Laney pulled hard at the diamond. Her knuckle seemed to have grown a size, and the skin strained and reddened as she pulled. “Rock, we need to talk.”

“I know it,” he said. “Where are we going to celebrate passing the test?”

“Can we go somewhere private?”

He chuckled. “You know how I feel about waiting for the wedding.”

Laney said, “Rock, there's something you should know.”

Rock's smile dimmed. “Does this have something to do with my mother?” He slipped an arm around her shoulder. “When you give her grandchildren, Mother's going to forget all about the chandelier.”

Waving her hand, Laney replied, “Of course this isn't about your mother.”

“Good,” Rock said in relief. “I can't handle anything else.”

Pastor Bruce cleared his throat. “Folks, I've finished grading the exams.” He looked from Rock's face to Laney's. “You failed again.”

“Failed?” Rock's eyes bulged. “You can't be serious.”

“I'm sorry,” Pastor Bruce replied. Standing, he smiled apologetically at them. “I'll leave you alone to discuss the results.”

“How could you fail that test?” Rock seemed stunned.

Laney looked at his indignant face. “I think we both failed.”

Rock appeared not to hear her. He looked at the questions she'd missed. “Laney, how could you miss the questions about my favorite foods?”

Laney shook her head. “I'm sorry.”

Rock frowned. “You did it on purpose, didn't you? You're trying to get me back because of the stress management thing.” He eyed her with a knowing look. “You gave me your word, young lady.”

Laney yanked harder at the ring. “This isn't about the stress management sessions. I'm trying to tell you I can't marry you.”

“Of course you can,” Rock said. “We'll just have to take another test. Maybe we can have an oral exam since the written ones seem to stress you out.”

Laney shook her head. “Our engagement is off, Rock.” She struggled with the ring. “I'm sorry.”

“It can't be off,” Rock argued. “We have too much invested in this relationship.”

Laney watched the disbelief play across Rock's classic features. His skin reddened, and his eyes narrowed. She looked at the tiled floor. “It's nothing you did or said. It's this feeling that we have different paths to take in our lives.”

Gesturing with his arm, Rock drew a large circle in the air. “We're so close to a great life together. All we have to do is reach out and grab it.” His gaze locked with hers.

“I'm sorry,” Laney said. “I'm really, really sorry.” The ring dug into her skin as she yanked it off. The pain on her finger was nothing compared to the tightness of her heart. She wished she loved Rock enough to marry him, but she didn't.

For a moment, Rock stared at the ring, and then he looked at Laney. His eyes darkened, and his cheeks flushed a deep red. “I thought that even with all your faults, Laney, you could keep a promise.” Rock lifted his chin. “I was wrong about you.”

Slamming the classroom door, Rock stormed into the hallway. Laney listened to his footsteps, angry and loud then becoming more distant, until the noise faded away completely.

❧

Night had fallen when Laney left the high school. Throwing her shoulders back, she pushed forward. Her leather shoes made a hollow clicking sound on the sidewalk.

Within the spill of light from an overhead street lamp, Laney marveled at the thickness of the night, the way an oak leaf curled at the tips, the beauty of the ordinary painted in dark gray shades of evening.

She'd done the right thing. Rock had been her safety net for a long time, and she would miss the security of the relationship he offered. But she didn't want to be treated like a child any longer and didn't want everyone to rescue her at every opportunity. She was perfectly capable of looking after herself.

Suddenly Laney felt acutely aware of God's presence. She might be alone, yet somehow He was with her, guiding her, giving her hope and confidence. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, filling her lungs and drawing the promise of her faith into her heart.

She felt Him directing her toward something more important than anything she had ever faced in her life. Every step brought her closer to a fulfillment of a plan that had been created long before she was ever born.
Please, God,
she prayed,
show me Your plan. I'll do my best not to mess it up.

Twenty-one

“You've been practicing the speech I wrote, right?” Thomas tried to sound calm, but his smile jerked sporadically.

Laney ignored the question. “Don't worry, Tommy.” She straightened his best tie—a red designer tie she knew he wore only for the most important of client meetings—and patted his blue wool suit. “I'm not going to fall apart on you.”

“Good,” Thomas said. “You've got the paper I wrote?”

Laney nodded. “In my pocket.”

She smoothed the thin fabric of her brown silk pants and felt the rustle of paper within her pocket. Along with the speech, she carried around the crumpled yellow paper she had found at the church. Although she hadn't made any progress in finding the writer, she hadn't forgotten her promise.

Absently she touched the little silver cross at her throat as her gaze traveled around the foyer of the new municipal building. People filled the lobby and spilled over into the corridors. Standing about in small groups, they chatted and laughed, their voices blurring into an indistinguishable rumble. Police officers milled about, along with judges and secretaries and administrators, all standing shoulder to shoulder.

“Any questions?” Thomas asked. “You know how to work the microphone?”

“Yes,” Laney said.

“So you're ready.”

“I'm ready to throw up,” Laney replied. When she saw panic in her brother's face, she added, “Only kidding. Don't worry.”

His muscles relaxed, and he looked hard into her eyes. “When I get nervous about public speaking, I look for one friendly face in that crowd, and then I'm okay.” His eyes crinkled with warmth. “You can look for me, Laney.”

Laney squeezed his hands. “Thanks, Tommy. You're the best.”

“I know this is going to be tough for you, especially after breaking your engagement.”

Laney nodded, grateful that her brother, more than anyone else in the family, had accepted her decision not to marry Rock. Thomas had not asked for details of the breakup with Rock, yet he had defended her loyally.

Thomas smiled at his sister, the lines of his mouth momentarily softening. “In my opinion, you should have dumped Rock a long time ago.”

“Speaking of Rock,” Laney said, “here he comes.”

As Rock walked into sight, Thomas automatically stepped closer to his sister. Rock moved past them without speaking. His entire attention was centered on a tall, painfully thin man with a long neck that jutted forward like the neck of a turtle coming out of its shell.

“That's Judge Gray,” Thomas muttered. “He's probably filling his ear with how you tried to off his mother with the M-54 in the lasagna pan.”

Laney shrugged. “It doesn't matter.” Strangely it didn't. She, who had once cared so greatly about people's respect and opinion, had discovered it wasn't so important after all. Rock could tell everyone she had rabies and howled at the moon. As long as people were talking about her, they would leave Ty alone. She gladly would take full responsibility for the fruitless locker search if it meant removing the blemish from Ty's record.

Suddenly someone's warm hand touched Laney's arm. She turned and saw Ty Steele standing there. “Ty?”

The small lines around his mouth etched deeper into his face. His eyes, dark and deep-set, had tiny red lines of fatigue. “We need to talk,” he said.

Laney nodded, but Thomas frowned. “You don't have time to go anywhere,” he said. “We're just waiting for Dad to give the word before we start.”

Ty pulled a worn paper from his pocket. “This can't wait.” He spoke as if he and Laney were alone. “As I was driving here, I remembered what you had said about miracles, about asking for one.” His eyes held hers in a steady gaze. “So I did.”

Laney nodded. “You asked.”

“And nothing happened,” Ty said. “Instead, I kept having a nagging feeling I'd missed something about the locker search.” He lowered his voice. “We didn't search the corn chip bag. There could have been bullets inside. It was heavy enough. And there's something else, too.”

Thomas laughed. “Bullets in the corn chip bag?” He shook his head. “You'll have to come up with something better than that. Even Laney would never believe something so farfetched.”

Even Laney?
She wanted to step hard on her brother's shoe.

Ty scowled. “I figured out the code. It's so obvious.”

Her father walked over to join them. He frowned on seeing Ty Steele—maybe because she was standing so close to him. “You ready, honey?” He took Laney's arm and pulled gently. “I'll walk you to the podium.”

“The numbers on the paper were a time,” Ty said, ignoring her father. “If I'm right, something could happen about fifteen minutes from now. We can't waste a second.”

“Do you see how he's trying to use you, Laney?” Thomas's eyebrows nearly touched his hairline. “If you leave now, it'll look bad for Dad. All Steele's trying to do is get back in the sheriff's race.” He glared at Ty. “Some hero you are, figuring this out just now.”

Ty shrugged. “I'm going to search the lockers again. I need you and Angel.”

“This is so low, trying to get at my father by manipulating Laney,” Thomas whispered furiously. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself.”

Ty held Thomas's gaze. “This isn't an attempt to do anything but prevent a school shooting.”

“If you go near the school, you're fired,” Laney's father said flatly. “We both know this is nothing more than a campaign ploy.”

Laney wavered. Her father was counting on her. His need projected itself clearly. The desire to please him, to gain his approval and therefore his love, filled her more forcefully than ever before. If she ran out on him now, he might never forgive her.
Please, God, help me do the right thing.

“Come on, Laney,” her dad urged. “For once in your life listen to reason.”

Is my father right, Lord?
She imagined the long line of her failures soaring to the sky like a kite on a windy day.

Her father seemed to sense her indecision. “You'd only be encouraging Steele to throw away what's left of his career.”

Laney looked from her father to Ty. She wanted to please both of them and couldn't. Maybe her father was right. By refusing to help Ty, she'd be doing him a favor. And then she realized it didn't matter what either of them wanted for her. She needed to do what God wanted for her.

You know me, God, better than anyone. Where do You want me?

Laney opened her eyes. She threw her shoulders back and tilted her chin to meet Ty's gaze. If Rock had taught her anything, it was that if she didn't take herself seriously, no one else would either. “I'm going with you.”

Her father's jaw tightened the way it always did when he attempted to control his temper. “If you walk out of here, Laney, don't plan on coming back.”

“I'm going,” Laney said flatly. She pulled a paper from her pants pocket and handed it to Thomas. “You'll need this.”

❧

“Angel's in the van,” Laney said, pushing the building's glass doors open.

Ty eyed the dusty van parked with two wheels on the curb and Angel hanging out the front seat window.

Laney followed his gaze. “I parked in the shade for Angel.”

“What shade?” Ty asked. “The parking meter you've nearly knocked down?”

“It's just leaning a little.” Throwing open the door, she began to climb inside. “We don't have time to argue about my parking job.”

Ty slipped in ahead of her. “You're right,” he said, “but I'm driving. I've seen you in reverse, and it isn't pretty.”

Laney climbed into the passenger seat. She kept her head held high as the minivan bounced and scraped its way off the curb. He swung the car out of the parking spot and accelerated in a burst of speed that sent Angel's ears flying. Laney braced her legs and wondered if the minivan had ever gone this fast.

Glancing at Ty's profile, Laney saw the stubborn set to his jaw and the tightness of his hands gripping the steering wheel. The reality of what they were doing slammed into her. If he was right, they were about to step into the middle of an extremely dangerous situation. Ty could be shot, possibly killed.

He wouldn't hesitate to put himself in front of a bullet if it meant saving someone.
Lord, please take care of Ty. Don't let him get hurt. If I trip or do something else clumsy, please let me trip the right person. In Your name I pray. Amen.

“Wish I had my siren,” Ty muttered as he pushed the accelerator.

“Look out!” Laney shouted.

Ty hit the brakes, and the minivan skidded sideways. “What?”

“A squirrel!” Laney shouted. “You nearly ran it down. Didn't you see it?”

“You're nuts,” Ty said. He straightened the steering wheel. “Actually, I'm the one who might be nuts.” Shaking his head, Ty looked directly ahead. “I'm paranoid, probably, even to think something is going to happen at the school.”

You're not the only one,
Laney thought,
who's suffering from paranoia.
It had to be her imagination, but she could have sworn she'd just seen a vintage red convertible following them. Why would Rock be tailing them? Had her father sent him to arrest them? No way, she decided, relaxing slightly. He would have sent his deputy in a patrol car.

“Don't worry,” Laney said. She gripped Angel more tightly. “No matter what happens, we're doing the right thing.”

She checked the rearview mirror once more for Rock's car and saw nothing. Of course she wouldn't see anything. Right now Rock stood in the first row listening with rapt attention as her brother introduced her father. Suddenly she had an awful thought.
I couldn't have given him the wrong paper, could I?

What if she had? Would Thomas read the poem she'd found in church? With a sinking feeling, she reached in her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.

“Oh, no!” Laney blurted.

“What?” Ty scanned the road nervously and tapped the brakes. “Another rodent on the road?”

“No,” Laney moaned. “I gave Thomas the wrong piece of paper. Instead of my speech, I gave him the poem.” She shut her eyes.

Ty's frown increased, but he didn't have time to respond. The high school came into sight then, a sprawling redbrick building with two sides coming together in a two-story-high glass wall. He slammed the brakes as the minivan skidded to a halt in front of the school.

“Let's go,” he said.

Laney gave one last look over her shoulder, scooped up Angel, and then hurried after Ty.

BOOK: Pastor's Assignment
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