The Pastor's Wife (17 page)

Nick held up the dart and closed his eyes for a moment. He moved his hand back and forth, as if making up his own throwing rhythm. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes and sent the dart on its way.

It headed for the center of the board, but arced sharply down. It looked like it would drill straight into the booth's plywood floor, but at the last minute it caught the balloon at the left-hand bottom corner of the board.

Maura let out a shriek as the balloon exploded.

“You did it!” She threw her arms around Nick's neck.

He laughed as he returned the hug.

“Well, lookie there,” Alice said. “Not only did you break a balloon, you managed to find one of the bugs. You killed the computer virus!”

Nick and Maura broke from the hug and looked back at the board. Sure enough, beneath the pieces of ragged latex they saw a picture of a cartoon bug lying on its back, feet in the air, next to a tombstone marked “R.I.P.”

Maura patted Nick on the back. “Ooh, now I’m really impressed.”

“Don’t be. I aimed for the middle.”

Alice took on a philosophical tone. “In this booth, as in life, intentions don’t mean much. It's the results that count.” She pointed to either side of the booth where samples of the big prizes were displayed. “Since the lady always does the choosing, which would you like, Maura? A gorilla or a tiger?”

They left the booth a minute later, a stuffed white tiger under Maura's arm. As they walked, they were constantly greeted by folks who wanted to say hello, or tell Nick how good the Thanksgiving message had been. It was the kind of interruption that had driven Maura crazy when she and Nick first moved to Granger. They couldn’t go anywhere without people stopping Nick to talk about church business or to ask him about a personal problem. When it happened, Maura inevitably ended up standing off to the side, feeling awkward and ignored.

But now, their roles were different. Since Maura had become a presence in the community and the church, just as many people came up to say hello to her as they did to Nick. There were even a few people with whom she’d worked on the theatre project who hadn’t met Nick before, so she was able to introduce them. Rather than feeling like she was floundering and forgotten, Maura felt like she was part of something.

She was part of the community.

“Wow, the place looks great.”

“What?” Maura pushed her thoughts away and paid attention to where they were. They stood on the sidewalk in front of the theatre.

Nick admired the building. “I said it looks great. I go by here almost every day, but I still can’t get over how you revived the old place.”

The Music Box Theatre sparkled in the late afternoon sunlight. The display windows were spotless, and the brass around the ticket taker's booth had been polished till it shone. Big, bold letters on the marquee announced the grand opening on December 1, and replicas of vintage movie posters for a revival showing of
It's a Wonderful Life
hung in the “Now Showing” cases.

Nick walked up to one of the display windows that held posters, detailing upcoming events and group services that could be provided at the Music Box.

“The graphics on these are terrific.” He motioned at the poster with his thumb. “And I saw one of your brochures at the house. I’ve got to say, I’m impressed. I had no idea you could do all this.”

“Thanks, but I can’t take credit for the print ads. My only talent there is in hiring great people,” Maura said. “Pamela Schwaab did all the graphic design work.”

“Bettie's granddaughter?”

Maura nodded. “The same. You look surprised.”

“I am.” He stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets, cocking his head to the side. “Don’t get me wrong, Pam's a sweet girl, but she's a little …”

“Quiet?”

“Well, yes. Aren’t artistic people usually more loud and flamboyant?”

“I guess. But now you’re generalizing. You know you can’t judge someone by their outward appearance.”

“Ouch.” Nick winced, his reaction overdone and comical. “Maybe you should take over the pulpit next Sunday.”

Maura waved her hands in front of her. “Oh, no, buddy, not on your life. The last thing I need is to be a pastor.”

“Agreed. Besides, between me and Chris, we don’t need another pastor. But,” he added quietly, “we could use a pastor's wife.”

Maura narrowed her eyes. “We? As in, the congregation needs you to have a wife?”

“The congregation would like me to have a wife. But I need one. To be more specific, I need you.” He took a step closer to Maura and put his hand on her waist. “So what do you think? Could ‘pastor's wife’ fit into your job description?”

Job description.
Boy, he’d gotten that right. Maura had learned that being married to a pastor did bring with it some job-like aspects. That knowledge gave her a certain amount of power. Knowing what to expect, and what others expected from her, equipped her to deal with it. From that perspective, being a pastor's wife didn’t seem as daunting as it once had. But the crux of the problem stood in front of her: Nick himself. She loved him. There had never been any doubt about that. And she believed he truly did love her. But if she agreed and they got back together, would love be enough to sustain her during those times when it felt like everyone in the congregation came first?

“I think it's a strong possibility,” she finally answered him. “But I want to take it slow and make sure we’re both absolutely certain of what we’re committing to. For right now, how about we enjoy our date?”

She could tell Nick had hoped for a more decisive answer. But he had the good grace to smile and nod politely.

“You know how I feel,” he said, “so for now I’ll leave the ball in your court. If you decide you’re ready to move our
relationship along, you just let me know.” He slipped his arm around her waist and led her away from the theatre.

As they walked down the street, Maura let herself relax. Now that Nick had given her the time she needed, she could concentrate on fulfilling the stipulations of Miss Hattie's will. But thinking about that made her tense up again. Her calendar was so full she hardly had a blank spot on it. Between the Music Box's grand reopening in a little over a week, rolling out drama classes, rehearsing the Christmas program, and working with the youth group, Maura saw little free time on the horizon. Somehow, she had to find a way to pencil in time to reconnect with Nick.

And there was the matter of what to do when she completed her time at the parsonage. At the end of January, the six months would be up, the deed to the Music Box would be hers free and clear, and she could live wherever she wanted. At that point she’d need to make a decision, one way or another.

They walked around the corner, and Maura came to an abrupt halt, jerking Nick to a stop. “Whoa! I didn’t know anyone sprung for rides at this shindig.”

Nick laughed. “Well, sure. The bank always sponsors a Ferris wheel. It's our only ride, but it's a classic.”

Sure enough, there stood the enormous wheel in the parking lot of the Granger Savings and Loan. From the length of the line snaking away from the ticket taker up front, it appeared to be quite popular.

“What do you say?” he asked. “You feeling brave?”

Maura looked from Nick to the wheel towering above them. She’d never been crazy about heights.

She looked back at Nick. “Is it safe?”

“No, we just figure it's good for everyone's prayer life if we set up a death trap now and then.” Nick shook his head. “Of course, it's safe. Would I even ask you to ride if it wasn’t?”

Maura put a hand on her hip. “Just for that, I should walk off and leave you here.”

Nick immediately looked contrite. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He fell to one knee, held his hands up to her and wailed melodramatically, “Can you ever forgive me, sweet Maura?”

“Stop that!” Maura smacked him in the shoulder with the head of her stuffed tiger. “Get up before somebody sees you and gets the wrong idea.” She’d already noticed a couple of the teens from the youth group elbowing each other and pointing.

Nick rose to his feet, grinning widely. “Seriously, riding a Ferris wheel is practically a required activity for a courting couple. So, will you do me the honor?”

Hearing him call them a courting couple made her heart melt like a chocolate kiss in the sun. He was making such an effort to woo her. At least she could conquer her fear of heights and go along with it.

“Okay,” she gulped. “I’ll give it a whirl.”

The line moved much faster than she’d hoped. Before she knew it, they were greeted by Herb Munson, the bank manager. “Good to see you, Pastor. And Maura, you look lovely as ever. Glad to see you two out and about.”

Nick returned the greeting, handed him their tickets, and boarded the ride. Maura sat beside him and gasped as the seat swayed several inches.

“Is it supposed to do that?” she asked Herb.

“Of course,” he said as he locked the safety bar in place. “If the seat didn’t move, you’d be upside down by the time you got to the top.”

“Upside down!”

Nick put his hand on Maura's, which gripped the bar in front of her so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. “Relax,” he told her. “This is supposed to be fun.”

“Uh huh,” she squeaked out.

Nick shook his head. “You grew up at the beach. Haven’t you ever been on a boardwalk Ferris wheel before?”

“No, Da didn’t take us to any of the beachside amusement areas. Said he didn’t like the element. We went to Disneyland a few times, but they didn’t have a Ferris wheel back then.”

“Do they have one now?”

Maura nodded, but that small movement made the seat move again, so she froze and stared straight ahead. “Uh huh. At California Adventure. It's huge. Never been on it, either.”

The wheel lurched forward. With a yelp, Maura fell back in the seat. She released the bar, and grabbed the first object she could find, which happened to be Nick's arm. The wheel moved up a few feet before it stopped again.

“Did the ride break?” Maura asked as their seat swayed.

“No. We’ll stop like this until the ride's full. Then we’ll go around a few times. While the ride empties out, we’ll go back to the stop and start thing. Are you going to be okay?” He leaned over the edge of the seat and studied the ground with no fear at all. “We’re not too far up yet. We could probably still jump out and not break anything.”

She was pretty sure he was kidding, but didn’t want to chance it. “No, I’ll stay put. Thanks.”

By the fourth time the wheel stopped to let on new passengers, Maura felt more comfortable with the ride. When it continued around in one smooth, slow arc, she even enjoyed it.

Somewhere along the way, Nick had put his arm around her shoulders She leaned into him, enjoying how solid and secure he felt. He smelled like Irish Spring soap, just like she remembered. Funny how a little detail like a scent could take you right back.

“This is nice,” she said softly. “I’m glad you talked me into it.”

Nick's arm squeezed her tightly. “Me too.”

They were at the top of the wheel when it came to a stop once more. “I guess the ride's almost over,” Maura said.

“Yep. Better take one last chance to admire the view.”

The setting sun cast the sky in hues of pink, purple, and orange. Below them, the town of Granger had never looked prettier, or more like home.

The thought struck Maura in the pit of her stomach. When she’d returned to Granger, her one purpose had been to retrieve whatever Miss Hattie left her and beat it out of town. Once she’d discovered the stipulations of the will, she’d planned to carry them out so in six months’ time she could sell the theatre, take the money, and leave. But gradually, her plans had changed. She’d come to like the idea of running the theatre, turning it into something that would not only bring her an income, but also benefit the community. And somewhere along the line, this small town had become her home.

No matter what happened between her and Nick, Granger would continue to be home. And that made everything look different.

“We’re not moving.”

“What?” Nick's statement pulled her back to the moment.

He frowned. “We should have moved by now.”

They looked at each other, then looked down at the crowd standing by the ride operator. Maura recognized most of the people below them, including several members of the youth group.

“What's wrong?” Nick called.

Herb Munson cupped his hands around his mouth and called back. “You’ve got to kiss her!”

Nick did a double take. “What?”

“It's tradition,” the bank manager boomed. “When you get to the top of the wheel, you’ve got to kiss your lady.”

The growing crowd below them cheered and clapped. And to Maura's chagrin, they chanted, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

Her cheeks burned as she turned to Nick. “Did you put them up to this?”

“Trust me. I’m as surprised as you are.”

From the car behind them came another voice. “Come on, Preacher, give her a smooch so we can all get down. I want to buy some cotton candy before they close up.”

Nick laughed. “Well, how can we argue with that?” He looked down again before turning back to Maura. “I think we’re outnumbered.”

She nodded.

Nick pulled her closer. And there, in front of most of the town of Granger, with the sun setting behind them, Maura received her first kiss atop a Ferris wheel.

T
he weather could be a problem.

Maura and Rachel built up the grand reopening of the Music Box Theatre as a major event in the town of Granger. They sent out invitations and placed ads in the local paper. Everything was ready, from the big black letters spelling out GRAND OPENING on the marquee, to the bunting-draped podium that would stand outside the front doors, and the long tables full of hors d’oeuvres, coffee, and spiced cider ready to set up in the lobby. No detail had been overlooked

None except the possibility of a fast-moving winter storm.

Maura jumped out of bed and ran to the window, praying the snow that had fallen steadily for the last two days had stopped. No such luck. Not only did it continue to fall, but from the way the wind blew, it appeared to be coming in sideways.