by Clare Revell
“Wesley won’t bother you anymore. He’s behind bars. He tried to frame me for the murder, but it didn’t work. And it’s thanks to Gypsy we found you.”
Maggie looked up, confusion running rife through her. Nate stood behind Carson. The lights were on in the chapel and it was dark outside. “I don’t understand. What time is it?”
“Almost six thirty in the evening.”
“What? I can’t have been here all day.”
Concern filled Carson’s face. “Maggie, what time did you get here?”
“After you rang me this morning. I found myself here and came in to yell at God.”
Nate dropped a hand onto Carson’s shoulder. “Take her into the vestry. I’ll call off the search and make you both some tea. Think you should talk before the meeting.”
****
Carson helped Maggie to her feet, thanking God they’d found her and she was unharmed. He slid an arm around Maggie’s waist as her legs buckled. “Lean on me. I won’t hurt you.”
“Have I really been here all day?”
“Yes.” He led her into the vestry and sat her down. “You didn’t get to work this morning. When Dane Philips arrived at the school for the carol service, Vicky’s teacher told him you were missing.”
“Oh.” Her face fell. “I missed the carol service.”
“Dane called Nate, and Nate called me. We’ve been looking ever since. I didn’t think you’d be here though.”
“Sorry.”
“You’re safe, that’s all that matters.”
Nate came in. He put a tray of tea and sandwiches on the table. “People are arriving for the meeting. I’ll delay until seven fifteen. You’ll speak first and then need to leave.”
Carson nodded, his stomach upset at the thought of it. “OK.” He waited until Nate shut the door then turned back to Maggie. “Did yelling at God help?”
“Yeah. I know He heard me.”
He smiled. “He heard the cry of the afflicted Job 34:28. Did He answer?”
“I don’t know yet. But I’m not angry with Him anymore. It’s in His hands for Him to deal with.” She paused. “What will you do if the vote goes against you?”
“Leave.” He shrugged. “If God doesn’t want me here, then I’ll spend Christmas with my parents and find somewhere else to live.”
“But I’ll lose you—” She cut herself off, her hand covering her mouth. Wide eyes looked at him as if she’d spoken out of turn.
His heart skipped a beat then thudded a rapid rhythm that he wasn’t expecting. “Maggie?”
“When I heard you’d been arrested, I didn’t think I’d see you again. Part of me didn’t want to. I was so confused. But as today wore on, I knew only one thing. I don’t want to lose you.”
He gripped her hands. “Even if I was there when your brother died. If I pointed a gun at you?”
Maggie nodded. “You’re not the same man who robbed that bank eight years ago. You tried to save my brother just like you tried to save that man on Sunday. You’re not a killer, Carson. I know that, God knows that. God saved you for a reason and if it’s not to be here, then it’s someplace else.”
Nate peeked around the door. “We’re ready for you.”
Carson stood, keeping tight hold of Maggie’s hand. He walked with her into the chapel. Several icy stares met him, a few smiles, but the general atmosphere was chilly. And it wasn’t because the heating wasn’t on.
Maggie sat in the front row, with Gypsy by her side.
He stood in the pulpit for what could be the last time and looked out at the congregation. “I’m not going to say much. You knew who I was when you appointed me. I didn’t hide that. I can’t change my past. All I can do is point you to God, who knows my heart—”
He choked, annoyed with himself for letting his emotions show. “Who knows my—” He stopped, standing there like a fool.
Maggie stood and walked to the pulpit. In a few short steps, she was beside him, her hand in his. “If anyone has cause not to want Pastor Carson here, it’s me.
“Eight years ago, I went to the bank to pay a bill. Several masked men ran in. They told us to get on the floor or they’d shoot us. One of them pulled me against him and put a gun to my head to make sure everyone else did as they were told. But then, one of the other robbers killed the security guard. That security guard who died was my brother. The bank robber who threatened me, held me, was Pastor Carson.
“Ted…when Ted fell, Carson dropped his gun, let me go, and tried to save my brother’s life. Just like he did with that man in that London pub on Sunday evening.”
She paused for a moment. “He was on the phone to me when that man was stabbed. He tried to save his life, and that’s why he was covered in blood. If you really think he’s capable of murder, then we all are. It’s Christmas. God sent His Son into the world and we remember the tiny baby in Bethlehem. But that baby grew up into a man—Jesus Christ—who died on the cross to save sinners. That’s every single sinner, not just the socially acceptable ones. Jesus himself said he came to save the murderers, thieves and so on. Not the goody-goody’s. Carson has paid his debt to society. God has forgiven him. It’s time you put aside your feelings and let him do the job God called him here to do. Pastor the lost.”
Silence fell. She looked at Carson, the warmth of her smile matching the warmth flooding his heart. “We have some dogs that need walking. Let’s go.”
“Don’t you want to stay and vote?”
Maggie picked up a piece of paper from the pulpit and wrote on it. Then she folded it and put it in the voting box. “Done. Let’s get out here.”
Ten minutes later, they walked to the park. Carson held Maggie’s hand firmly in his. “I can’t believe you did that. You didn’t have to.”
“Yes, I did.” She glanced at him. “I meant every word. You’re a good man. Sure you made terrible mistakes and bad choices, but we all have. You go, I go.”
“You can’t.” Shock filled him. Was his mind making irrational leaps here, or was Maggie in her own way declaring her affection for him?
“I can and I will. I don’t intend to lose you, Carson.” Her hand touched his cheek for a brief moment. “I love you.”
Carson gathered her into his arms. “I love you, too.”
Her face was inches from his, her delectably kissable lips curved into a trademark Maggie smile. “Together forever,” she whispered, as he claimed those lips for his own.
Finally breaking off for air, he held her gaze. “How would you like to be a pastor’s wife? Or an ex-pastor’s wife, depending which way the vote goes?”
10
Christmas Eve…
Maggie stood in the YPSB classroom, twenty over-excited three to six year olds sitting on chairs swinging their legs, in front of her. The costumes were perfect, hair neatly brushed and tea towels and tinsel finally clipped into place.
She smiled over at Patricia Kincaid, the new teacher. They’d work together for two weeks, and then they’d rotate three weeks on and three weeks off. Maggie was looking forward to sharing the teaching and actually making a morning service occasionally. She still couldn’t believe Patricia was going to teach, of all the people they could have picked, they chose her friend.
She turned back to the children. “You all look wonderful. We need to sit at the front to start with, but once we’ve finished, you can go and sit with your parents. Don’t forget to pick up one of the sheets to color during the sermon. All you need to do is listen for four words and color those pictures. Are we ready?”
All the children nodded. She smiled and lifted her hands, silently telling them to stand. The children rose quietly and followed her into the chapel.
It took her breath away. The chapel flowers were red, green, and white. Holly and mistletoe wreaths hung from the pillars supporting the gallery. The stained glass windows the children had made hung on the gallery along with tinsel and paper stars. A tree with colored lights sat one end of the platform, with the nativity set unde
rneath it. The manger of course was empty until tomorrow morning.
Nate stood in the pulpit and opened the service in prayer. The organ played the first carol. Maggie loved Silent Night. In her mind, it wasn’t Christmas until she’d sung this hymn at least once. Preferably twice or five times.
The hymn over, Nate nodded to her and she stood. Not sure why she was so nervous, when she did this every day at work, she sat on the platform. “The children of YPSB have been working hard the last couple of weeks and we’d like to tell you the story of the first Christmas.”
One by one, the children joined her on the stage as she told the story. “And Mary rode to Bethlehem on a donkey, because she was going to have a baby very soon.”
A chuckle spread through the church as Carson, dressed in a grey flannel donkey onesie, started crawling on his hands and knees up the aisle, with Vicky Philips dressed as Mary sat on his back. “Joseph” walked beside him, telling him the whole time not to drop his wife, because he might hurt her and the baby if he did. And if he hurt either of them, he wouldn’t be invited to any more parties.
The angel appeared to the shepherds, only the shepherds weren’t scared enough and the lead angel started a fight with the head shepherd. Within seconds, the fight had spread to include all the shepherds and angels. Carson waded in and sat the lead angel on his lap, whispering to her. She then hugged the head shepherd and peace was made.
The wise men brought in gifts of “very shiny and expensive gold”, “myrrh which rhymes with purr” and…
Peter looked blankly at his box. “This is…this is…”
“Frank…” Maggie prompted.
“Oh, yeah, that’s right.” He shoved the box at “Mary.” “Frank sent this.”
Carson grinned at Maggie from where he still sat with the angels and shepherds and tossed his flannel donkey ears over his shoulders.
Maggie smiled back and turned to the children. “Ready?” she asked. She nodded to the music group. They began playing. She just hoped the children remembered the new words she’d written to the secular song they all knew from school.
“Who was born on Christmas Night?
In a tiny stable way out of sight
While angels sang in the starry night
I know, don’t you?
Jesus!
“Who came to save us from our sin?
And make us clean and pure within
Who came to Earth our souls to win?
I know, don’t you?
Jesus!
“Shepherds and wise men worshipped Him,
Angels sang a brand new hymn
He loves us, will we love Him?
I do, do you?
Jesus!”
****
Still in his donkey onesie, with tail and ears, Carson made his way into the pulpit. He looked over the congregation. The church was full, but there were several people missing. The Diamonds were noticeably absent. They and a few other people had resigned their membership with immediate effect after the vote had an overwhelming majority to keep him as co-pastor.
He spied his parents sitting in the gallery, along with his brother. Somehow managing to contain the grin that threatened to escape, he opened his Bible and unfolded his sermon notes. “If you’re twelve or under,” he began, “there are special sheets for you to fill in as we go along. At the end of the service, bring your sheet down to the front as I have sweets for those that are filled in correctly. So if you haven’t yet picked one up, there are spare ones at the back of the chapel. For the rest of us, please turn back to the passage we read earlier in Luke chapter two.”
As he preached, Carson was aware of God’s hand upon him, like he’d never known it before. This really was where God wanted him. Just like Barak in Judges Four, he’d had his wobbly faith moment. Not a lack of faith, but a crisis of faith. The past few days hadn’t been random, but a box of circumstances God wanted him in. And He would work it for good. The church would be stronger for what happened on Tuesday, and they’d move forward together.
The service concluded, Carson reminded everyone that there was tea and coffee and mince pies available and then headed down from the pulpit. He made a beeline for Maggie. “Thank you so much. That was brilliant.”
“All thanks to you.” She looked radiant as she smiled at him and his heart did that annoying skip-a-beat thing again. “Personally I think the donkey made a fantastic save with the angels and shepherds. That could have been nasty.”
He grinned. “Danny had hidden Sasha’s doll before they left this morning. She was looking for an excuse to hit him.”
“Ah. Families, eh? Who needs them?”
“Speaking of families…” Carson turned and hugged his parents hard. “When did you guys get here?”
“Just before the service. All the bags are in the car.”
Carson shook his brother’s hand. “I’m so glad you came as well, Will.”
William smiled. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world. I can get several years’ worth of teasing from this outfit. I should have taken some photos.”
“It was recorded. DVD’s will be available to a select few. Not you.”
William grinned. “We’ll see about that.”
Carson pulled Maggie close and took her hand. “I’d like you to meet Maggie Turner, my girlfriend. Maggie, these are my parents, Edward and Mildred, and my brother William.”
Maggie shook their hands. “It’s lovely to meet you. Carson talks about you all the time.”
“I understand you’ve been teaching him to cook,” Mildred said. “I can’t wait to see how he’s been getting on.”
“He’s a fast learner and an excellent chef.”
“Carson?”
Shivers ran over him. He knew that voice. But it couldn’t be… She’d sworn she’d never speak to him again. He spun around, trying to take in the blonde woman standing there. A tall man stood next to her, a hand on her shoulder. “Sue-Lyn?”
She hugged him tightly. “I am so sorry, Carson. I was wrong about you. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Of course I can.” He hugged her back, tears burning his eyes. “But how…I don’t understand…” He pulled back slightly, confused. “I tried writing, and Mum said you didn’t want to ever hear my name mentioned.”
“Maggie rang me. She made me listen. She told me about her brother, and I figured if she could forgive you and love you, then as your sister I should do the same.”
He hugged her again. “You’re forgiven, little sis.” Then he shook Paulo’s hand. “Long time, no see, bro.”
“You, too.”
Sue-Lyn smiled at him. “You were fantastic this morning.”
He shrugged. “The donkey was easy to play. Maggie deserves the credit for organizing it all.”
“I meant the sermon. You have a real gift. God certainly did work a miracle in you, Carson.”
“Where are you staying?”
“With you, I hope. The plane landed a couple of hours ago and we came straight from the airport. We didn’t tell anyone we were coming in case it didn’t pan out.”
“Of course you can stay. The more the merrier. Come through and get some coffee. I’ll need to go talk to a few people, do pastoral stuff for a bit, and then I’m all yours.”
He grabbed Maggie’s hand and dragged her into the corridor between the chapel and the hall. Ignoring the people milling around, chatting and drinking coffee, Carson hugged Maggie tightly.
She hugged him back. “What’s that for?”
“Thank you. For giving me my sister back.”
Maggie smiled. “It’s Christmas. A time for families and miracles.”
He kissed her softly. “And fairytales.”
“With a happily ever after?”
He smiled. “Of course. And speaking of happily ever after, have you given my proposal some thought?”
She grinned. “I have. And I’d love to be a pastor’s wife. Assuming the pastor in question is you.”
His lips clai
med hers again. “Silly question…”
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