The Pastor's Woman

Chapter 4

Trinity Church on Mackinac Island provided the perfect setting for a fall wedding. The rows of seating were garnished with riots of red and orange roses arranged with gold ribbons and baby’s breath.

Bridesmaids adorned in beige gowns and carrying bouquets of flowers bursting in orange, yellow and gold floated down the aisle escorted by handsome groomsmen dressed in black tuxedos.

The bride made her grand entrance wearing a designer wedding dress in cream and holding an eye-catching bouquet in beauteous, brilliant, warm tones of red and orange.

Pearl glanced down at her own gown, a burnished red. She loved vivid color, avoiding neutral tones like the ones she saw among the guests at the Hamilton-Green wedding when she stood up to sing.

Her eyes lit on one guest in particular. Wade Kendrick. She was entranced by the silent sadness of his face. He’d worn that same look that day at the restaurant.

Once again, she wondered at the cause.

The groom had requested that Pearl perform a special love song, one she’d written just for them. A romantic at heart, Pearl found the task easy.

When she finished singing, the applause was thunderous. Humbled, Pearl smiled, and then took her seat. She was in her element whenever she was singing. She loved being in front of an audience, though initially she had felt a little nervous with Wade sitting in the congregation.

Pearl had no idea why she’d been so nervous. Wade had heard her sing plenty of times at church. But somehow, this time felt different. Maybe it was because she was singing in such a romantic setting.

When the ceremony ended, she found Wade standing beneath a huge elm tree outside of the church. Guests stood scattered around the picturesque grounds of the Mission Hills Resort while the bridal party returned to the church inside to take wedding pictures.

“Hello, Pastor.”

“Sister Pearl, it’s nice to see you. That song you sang was beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before.”

She smiled at the compliment and felt an unwelcome surge of excitement within her. “Thank you. I wrote it. It’s my gift to the bride and groom.”

What am I doing? Pearl wondered to herself. She glanced up at him to find Wade watching her.

She searched for something to say. “The ceremony was nice, don’t you think?”

He agreed. “Are you staying for the reception?”

“Yes. Why?”

“I thought this would be a good time to get to know each other. I want you to see that I’m really not a bad person.”

A delicious shudder heated her body. “Pastor, I never thought you were a bad person. Just old-fashioned and judgmental.”

He laughed, surprising her. “Are you always this blunt?”

“It’s the only way I know how to be. What you see is what you get when it comes to me.”

“I’m not so sure I agree with that,” he replied cryptically.

Folding her arms across her chest, Pearl uttered, “Excuse me?”

“It’s not a bad thing, by any means. I just meant, there’s a lot more to you than meets the eye.”

She cleared her throat, pretending not to be affected by his words. “Everyone is going into the reception,” Pearl stated. “We should find our tables.”

She chewed on her bottom lip as Wade escorted her into the Cypress Ballroom where they discovered that they were assigned to the same table. “Looks like we’re going to be sitting together,” Pearl said. She was filled with a strange inner excitement.

He smiled in response. “This confirms that we should get to know each other.”

“If you say so, Pastor.”

Wade guided her over to their table and pulled out a chair for her.

“Thank you,” Pearl murmured as she sat down, her heart hammering foolishly.

I’ve got to stop this, she told herself. She watched him as he dropped down into the chair beside her, noting how handsome Wade looked in the black suit he was wearing. It fit him as if it had been designed just for him.

Pearl was totally entranced by his compelling personage. Too bad he’s not my type.

“I have to admit that I’m very surprised to see you here,” she confessed. “Are you a friend of the bride or the groom?”

“The bride,” Wade responded. “Cassie Green’s family and I go way back. Her father is actually the reason I applied to Lakeview Baptist in the first place. He told me the church needed a pastor.”

“I didn’t know that.” Switching topics, she asked, “Have you ever been here before? To Mackinac Island?”

Shaking his head, Wade responded, “This is my first time.”

“So did you enjoy taking the ferry over?” No cars were allowed on the island, so guests were delivered to the church via horse-drawn carriages.

He nodded. “I couldn’t imagine an island without cars, but it’s nice and scenic over here.”

After the bride and groom danced the first time as husband and wife, it was time for the other guests to join them on the dance floor. Pearl and Wade found themselves alone at their table.

“This is probably a silly question,” she asked, “but do you dance?”

“I love dancing. I just haven’t done it in a long time.”

She eyed him in amazement.

“What?”

“I guess I expected you to say that you didn’t know how,” she confessed, pushing back a strand of hair. “I’m shocked, but then again, I haven’t seen you dance. I’m not sure you have any rhythm.”

Wade laughed. “Why? Because you think I’m such a stuffed shirt?”

Grinning, Pearl responded, “Something like that.”

“Sister Pearl, I’ve never claimed to be a saint. I’m far from it.”

She gave him a sidelong glance. “So do you want to give it a try? Would you like to dance with me?”

“Sure.”