A Baby For The Minister

Jacob started to chuckle, but he caught a glimpse of Arlene’s expression and cleared his throat instead. He’d never seen her this upset before, not even on that Wednesday evening last summer when a bat had blundered into the sanctuary and started dive-bombing the senior ladies’ prayer meeting.

“What’s wrong with the nephew’s wife?”

“Nothing! That’s the problem. She’s everything a minister’s wife should be. The girl’s a pianist, and her parents are missionaries. I’m telling you, it could hardly be any worse.” His secretary glared at him suspiciously. “This isn’t the least bit funny, Jacob. It was plain as day that Digby’s angling to put his nephew in your place, and if you don’t stop worrying about other churches’ jilted brides and focus on your own problems, you may very well find yourself looking for another job!”

Chapter Four (#u8dfe819c-cc38-5fb5-8381-d2f5a16ea15e)

Thanks to Arlene, it was nearly one thirty when Jacob finally drove up Lark Hill’s rutted driveway. No battered Jeep was in sight, so the runaway groom must not have returned. Natalie was nowhere to be seen, either. She was probably inside resting with her feet up, or doing whatever else pregnant women were supposed to do, he told himself. That was most likely why the place looked so empty.

Still, he quickened his step as he mounted the shaky porch. He knocked firmly. “Natalie? It’s Jacob Stone.”

He had to knock twice before he heard her coming down the hall. When she finally opened the door, his heart lifted with sweet relief.

Natalie Davis was just fine.

She looked good, actually. Her brown hair was swept away from her face in a simple ponytail, and she was dressed in a blue-and-white-striped maternity top with matching pants. She’d folded the sleeves back over her elbows, and she clutched a damp rag in one hand. Even though the April afternoon was unseasonably chilly, there was a faint sheen of perspiration on her face, and she smelled like freshly sliced lemons.

She didn’t, however, look very happy to see him. “Hi.” The polite smile she offered him didn’t quite reach her eyes.

He gave her his warmest one in return and hoped for the best. “Hi! I’m glad to see you survived the night.” He made the comment lightly, but he meant every word of it. He wasn’t about to leave Natalie out here alone again, not without setting some sensible safeguards in place.

Which was going to be difficult if he couldn’t even make it past the door. “Do you have time for a quick visit?”

She bit her lip. “I’m...kind of busy right now. I’m cleaning.”

Nice try, but during his time as a minister, Jacob had charmed his way past more doors than he could count. “Really? I’d love to see how the place is shaping up. I won’t get in your way.” He smiled again. “Scout’s honor.”

Natalie hesitated another few seconds. Then she sighed and opened the door. “All right.” She poked her head out onto the porch and scanned the yard. “You’d better come in quick, though. That Rufus goat was out of his pen this morning, and he seems to want to come in the house. He was at the back door just a minute ago, but he can be really fast when he wants to be.”

So could Jacob. He was inside before Natalie could change her mind.

Things at Lark Hill had definitely improved. The living room had been dusted, and an aqua-and-silver vacuum cleaner, the kind with a long hose attached to a round wheeled tub, sat in the middle of the floor. It looked ancient, but it must have worked because everything was a lot cleaner. She’d taken down the dingy curtains, and sunlight sparkled through the bare windows, casting golden rectangles on the floorboards.

“You really have been cleaning.” It came out like an accusation. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

She glanced up at him, her eyes startled wide. They were clear and bright today, and just the color of the spicy amber tea his grandmother had always brewed at Christmastime.

“I don’t like dirt,” she answered simply, “and anyway, I’m just using plain old dish soap and water. That’s not going to hurt anything.”

As Natalie led the way into the kitchen, Jacob halted in the doorway, stunned.

The litter of trash had vanished. The worn countertops and appliances shone, and the chipped enamel sink was empty of dishes. A raggedy broom leaned against one corner, the peeling linoleum floor was neatly swept and a bowl of sudsy water sat on the table. The lemony scent was strong in here. She must have been in the middle of scrubbing when he knocked.

This kitchen had been a complete disaster yesterday, but now it felt homier than his own bachelor apartment. Jacob shook his head slowly.

Women were amazing creatures.

But still... “I really don’t think you should be working this hard.”

She laughed, but there wasn’t much humor in the sound. “Don’t worry about me. I’m used to hard work.” She pulled out one of the chairs and lowered herself into it slowly.

He dragged out a second chair and joined her at the table. “I’m guessing Adam didn’t come back.”

“No, but he called.” Avoiding his eyes, Natalie dipped the rag into the bowl, wrung it out and busied herself scrubbing at a spot on the table. “He’s coming back in two weeks. I’m going to stay here in the meantime and get things ready.”

So the wedding was still on. Supposedly. But in Jacob’s opinion, the rest of that plan was definitely a nonstarter. “You can’t stay way out here on your own for that long in your condition. You don’t even have a working car.”

For a second or two, her rag stilled. Then she tightened her lips and began scrubbing even harder. “I’ll be fine.”

Jacob considered the stubborn set of Natalie’s jaw with a sinking feeling. From the look of things, unless he was prepared to manhandle an extremely pregnant woman out of this house and into his truck, there wasn’t much he could do.

But he had to do something.

He pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found the one he was looking for. Two rings later, his call was answered.

“Hey, Mike. Listen, I need a favor. There’s a car parked over by the Sunset Motel on Highway 36. Do you think you could tow it back to your garage and get it running?”

“What are you doing?” Natalie had straightened up in her chair, the dripping rag forgotten in her hand. She shook her head at him furiously, her ponytail swinging.

He held up one hand in a calming gesture. “Yeah, I know, Mike. You’re always backed up, but this is an emergency. Like I said, I’m calling in that favor you owe me. Sure, tomorrow’s fine. Yes, whatever it takes. Just fix it. I’ll drop the keys off first thing in the morning.” He ended the call and smiled at Natalie, who was staring at him with her mouth open. “Give me your keys, and I’ll run them by Mike’s garage tomorrow. He’s a member of my church and the best mechanic in town. If anybody can get your car running, Mike can.”

“I...” Natalie blinked at him. “I appreciate the thought, but you should have checked with me first. I’m on a...limited budget right now. I’d love to get an estimate, but I can’t give the go-ahead for the repairs until I’m sure I can afford them.”

“There’s no way you can stay out here without a car. It’s not safe. Don’t worry about the cost. My church can help.” They could. But would they? Given everything that was going on right now, he wasn’t sure.

Well, it didn’t matter. If the board wouldn’t allow the benevolence fund to cover the repairs, Jacob would pay for them himself. Somehow.

“No!” The force of her refusal seemed to surprise her as much as it did him. She blushed and continued in a calmer voice. “It’s really kind of you to offer, Jacob, but that wouldn’t be right. I’m not even a member of your church.”

“That’s not a problem.” It wasn’t. Well, not to Jacob. “In any case, there’s no point worrying about it until Mike gets back to us about the repairs. We don’t even know what’s wrong with your car yet. It might be an easy fix.”

“I suppose.” Although Natalie’s expression made it clear that she doubted it.

“So. Now that we’ve got that settled, what else can I help you with today?”

* * *

Natalie hesitated. She wasn’t sure what to do, and right now she didn’t like any of her options very much.

She hated the thought of getting any more mixed up with Jacob Stone or that church he kept mentioning. But just before he’d arrived, she’d asked the Lord to help her manage until Adam came back. She couldn’t afford to turn her nose up at His answer, just because it wasn’t what she’d hoped for. And, she was stuck out here in the middle of nowhere without a vehicle and with nothing to eat but Adam’s leftover junk food. If it wasn’t for the baby, she’d make do, but...

Once again, there was no real choice to make.

“Do you have time to drive me to the supermarket? I can be ready to go really fast. I just need to do a quick check and see what I need.” Probably everything, but given her lack of funds, she’d make sure.

“Sure,” Jacob agreed instantly. “Take your time. While you make your list, I’ll go put Rufus back in his pen for you and make a couple of phone calls.”

Fifteen minutes later, they were rumbling toward town in Jacob’s old truck. As he drove past fields dotted with grazing cows or rows of seedlings, Jacob kept up a friendly conversation about their various owners. Natalie nodded, but she wasn’t really listening.