“What if she tries to bring that rock music into this church?” the third member of the Before Seth Graham chorus chimed in. Bill Collingsworth, a lawyer with the county prosecutor’s office, had remained silent for much of the meeting. Seth knew the balding, fifty-something man had merely been listening and gathering evidence to present his case. “What if she brings that poison into our midst? We don’t want her type of music influencing our young people. I’m not sure we want her influencing them.”
Jake Thomas jumped into the fray. “Oh, come on,” he said, with a impatient grumble. “You think Meredith Vining is going to be filling our kids’ heads with thoughts of running off to be in a rock band or something? That’s ridiculous. I have a teenage daughter, and let me tell you, I couldn’t ask for a better role model. Who better to tell my daughter about the dangers of falling into temptation than someone who’s been there?”
“I personally like what she’s brought to the service, and the music,” Joe Donaldson said. “Sure, it’s different, but change is a good thing sometimes.”
Seth looked over in surprise. Joe was a crusty old guy who owned the hardware store. Seth didn’t know how old Joe actually was, but suspected he had to be nearing seventy. Having his support was shocking, but welcome.
“I still think having a young woman in that type of visible leadership role is a mistake,” Harris interjected. “Especially as she has some questionable morals.”
Rumblings went up around the room, some murmuring their agreement, others vehemently opposed. Tension rose thick enough to cut with a knife.
Seth had heard enough. He stood to face Harris and his two cohorts. “Gentlemen, I’m trying to be generous in understanding your concerns, but if we’re going to travel down the path of questioning someone else’s moral fitness it’s time for me to take a stand. I have been struggling all week to contain my disappointment that my church could be so unwilling to forgive.”
He paused and let his gaze rest on each man in the room. He had their attention. Now it was time to take Julia’s advice and knock some heads together.
“A friend reminded me of the verse about throwing stones,” Seth continued. “God has a lot to say about judging people. I look around this room, and I see friends. Many of you have sat in my office and confessed the struggles you’ve had with sin in your lives.”
This time Seth was careful not to make specific eye contact, but names rolled through his head. One sobbing about his alcohol addiction. Another confessing of a one-night stand while on a business trip and wondering how on earth he was going to explain it to his wife. Another taking money from the company pension fund to cover a gambling debt.
All the men had stories they’d kept hidden from the world. Seth didn’t know them all, but he knew enough.
“My heart has been so heavy,” Seth said, struggling to contain his emotions. “Because what I don’t understand, is how you who have been forgiven so much can attack someone else. Meredith has struggled with sin like all of us. She realized the path she was going down was the wrong one, and she changed course. She’s made her peace with God, and He’s the only one who matters.”
“Amen,” Jake murmured.
Seth nodded his thanks. “The Bible tells us of a story of a shepherd who goes in search of one lost sheep. He doesn’t give up, and when he finds it, he rejoices. I know God rejoiced the day Meredith came home. Jesus himself told the parable of the Prodigal Son. The father welcomed his son with open arms and a celebration. It was the older son who protested. I ask you, are we going to be like that older son? Pointing out the speck in Meredith’s eye while ignoring the plank in ours? I thought better of you. I thought better of this church, and this body of believers. I have to tell you, if we can’t find a way to stop throwing stones we’re going to bring the entire church down to the ground.”
Drained and heartsick, Seth took his seat again and bowed his head. No one said anything for a while.
A voice to Seth’s right cut through the stillness. “Thank you, Reverend, for reminding us about forgiveness.”
Seth lifted his head. Grey eyes that had reflected despair over a moment of weakness swam with unshed tears. He looked around and saw several others were wiping their eyes. A roomful of men stripped of their arrogance. In that moment, Seth knew a miracle had occurred. He didn’t pride himself in thinking his words had turned the tide, but something powerful had happened.
Not all of them were happy, of course. The Before Seth Graham chorus sat with arms folded, their faces red with righteous fury. They had lost, and the defeat did not sit well with them. Seth figured he’d be short a few members come Sunday, but he could handle a slight exodus.
The meeting adjourned without taking a vote. None was needed. The men filed out, most without talking to anyone else.
Seth went to his office and prayed. Thanked God for averting the crisis and asked for strength and guidance. He even prayed for Bill, Harris, and Lawrence. By the time Seth walked outside, the moon had risen high in the sky. He paused to drink in the sight. No matter what madness human beings cooked up, the moon and stars stayed constant. To the naked eye at least.
He crossed the parking lot to his car but stopped when a voice called out. Jake Thomas loped toward him.
“I thought everyone was long gone,” Seth said.
Jake shook Seth’s hand and slapped him on the back. “A couple of us were out here talking. That was some thrashing, Reverend. Inspired even. I’ve never seen you so on fire. If I’d been in your place, I would have bashed some heads together.”
Seth chuckled. “That’s what my friend said.”
“The same one who reminded you about throwing stones?”
“Right.”
“Smart friend.”
One more hand shake and Jake walked back to his car. Seth headed for home. Much of downtown was closed up tight. Devon’s restaurant seemed to be doing a good business, though, and he could see several people milling around inside the bookstore. Main Street’s one traffic light turned red, and Seth stopped.
He thought about Jake’s parting comment. Julia had given him a good kick in the pants, and in the end she’d proven to be his inspiration. He should call and let her know what had happened. Better yet, he could go over and tell her in person. He couldn’t wait to see her face when he told—
Somewhere in his mind a key turned. The drums he’d heard in the park on first seeing Julia started up again. Only this time they pounded like a thousand waves crashing into the shore. He wondered if this was what Paul had felt like on the road to Damascus. The clarity of vision. The utter certainty that his life had changed forever.
Who was the first person he wanted to tell good news and bad? Who had he come to for advice in the first place? Who had he been trying to stop thinking about for weeks now? It certainly wasn’t Amy. His feet had taken him in the direction he needed to go before his heart had been willing to admit the truth. Meredith and Brian had recognized the truth, but he’d been too caught up in a memory. Too scared to let go.
A horn blared behind him, and he jerked back to the present. Seth waved a hand in apology, and after a slight hesitation he turned in the opposite direction from Grace’s house.
A few minutes later, he made a left. He parked near the entrance and got out. Gravel crunched under his feet as he made his way past gravestones bathed in the silvery glow of the moon. Moist earth and the scent of dozens of different blooms filled his lungs. Crickets and his own breath were the only other sounds he could detect.
When he reached the magnolia tree he stopped. The words chiseled on the stone swam in front of his eyes, but he didn’t need to see them.
ELIZABETH JOY GRAHAM
BELOVED WIFE AND DAUGHTER
ALIVE IN GLORY
Seth stared down at the grave marker. “Hey, BG,” he choked and blew out a gust of air. A sweet-scented breeze slipped past his cheek, and he smiled. “Yeah, I guess you know why I’m here. You’ve probably been up there shaking your head,
wondering when I’d get it. I’m stubborn, but then you know that, too. I didn’t want to let you go when you were here, and I held tight even when you’d gone. But like my dad said, there’s room in my heart for you… and Julia. It just took me a while to figure that out.”
He squatted down, and touched the top of the gravestone. “Who would have ever thought? Prickly, bitter, keep-your-distance Julia Richardson. I guess she’s had to be all those things to survive, though. I think you would have liked her. She’s pretty special, BG. She’d kill me for saying this, but she’s actually sweet and kind and loving. And she makes me glad I’m still alive. Dad was right about that, too. I think she is what I need now.”
Pushing to his feet, Seth stood. A lump seemed to clamp around his throat as he stared down at the marker. Reaching into the vase of the grave next to him, he plucked a couple roses and placed them on the ground in front of Beth’s tombstone.
The vise pressing down on his windpipe eased as fresh tears flowed. “Night, BG. Love you.”
Without looking back, Seth walked away.
Chapter Thirty-One
“Get to the church, now.”
Julia stared at the phone in confusion. She’d been focused on the million and one things that needed to be accomplished for Laurel Manning’s wedding, including confirming final fittings, hair appointments, limousine service, catering, and delivery of everything from boutonnières to a mammoth ice sculpture of a swan about to take flight, to Hadden Acres. So, it took a moment to process both the identity of the voice and the disjointed comment.
“I’m sorry?” Julia asked.
“Unless you want to consign me to the fate of wearing a bubblegum pink Southern Belle number you’d better get yourself over to the church right now.”
“Meredith?”
A distinct sigh of frustration floated through the phone. “Of course it’s Meredith. Do you know anyone else with a sister who would force her to wear a hoop skirt and corset in the middle of summer?”
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Julia said as she read through her notes.
“Amy called to tell me Seth asked her to come by the church. To talk, she said. Amy has gone into blushing bride mode already. She’s convinced he’s going to pop the question today. She’s on her way there.”
The dire warning finally succeeded at getting Julia’s full attention. “Where are you?”
“Giving a voice lesson,” Meredith said. “I’d cancel, but I’m not sure thwarting my sister’s engagement falls under the category of family emergency.”
“Do you think he’d pop the question at the church? That doesn’t seem very romantic to me.”
“Amy seems to think it would be exactly the place he would pick. Are you moving yet?”
The last question was sharp enough to make Julia leap to her feet. She had her hand on the front door, her mind already wondering how on earth a person was supposed to stop an impending proposal. “Yes, I’m moving.”
“You’re going to bust it up?”
“I’m going to try.”
Julia heard a little whoop on the other end of the phone. “Hallelujah! Go get him, sweetie,” Meredith said.
Julia slipped into her car. “Shouldn’t you be pulling for your sister at least a little?”
“Would you make me wear a skirt so wide I’d have to turn sideways to get through the door at your wedding?”
A shudder threaded down Julia’s spine and a cold sweat broke out. “Don’t mention a wedding yet. I’m still working up to the relationship part, but to answer your question, there would be no hoops or corsets.”
“There you have my reason. Not to mention the fact that I think you and Seth make sense.”
“Why?”
“You complete him.”
“I’m hanging up now.”
Meredith let out a delighted laugh. “Call and let me know what happens. I’ll be looking at wedding songs for you guys.”
Julia hung up.
Despite her casual tone on the phone, Julia ended up breaking a few speed limits on the way to the church. Once there, she barely got the key out of the ignition before jumping from her car. Her mind raced. Where would Seth choose to propose? His office seemed way too formal.
Outside somewhere?
She wasted a few precious minutes circling the grounds, but the happy couple wasn’t in the picturesque gardens or in the playground near the Sunday school rooms.
Sunday school. There was an idea. Amy was the director after all.
Julia slipped inside the building, paused to adjust to the darkness, and started off down the hallway. As she passed the open doors of the sanctuary, a flash of pink caught her eye. She skidded to a halt. Search over. Amy had dressed well for the occasion. Clad in a flowing, cotton candy-colored sundress, with a pink ribbon tied in her hair, she looked like a young 1950s starlet.
Julia took a step, ready to call out and stop the proposal, when it registered that Seth didn’t look like a man who’d just declared his undying love. Furthermore, Amy definitely didn’t look like undying love has been declared to her.
Amy’s golden tresses swayed as she shook her head. “I don’t understand. Everything was so perfect. We could be happy. I could make you happy.”
Oh, bless the marvelous acoustics! Julia could hear every word loud and clear. She slipped into a pew in the back, careful to stay in the shadows.
“Amy, I didn’t mean to lead you on,” Seth said. “I never should have asked you out in the first place.”
“It’s your wife, isn’t it? You can’t get over her,” Amy said. “I can help you do that. I can make you forget her.”
“No one could ever make me forget Beth.”
Amy must have sensed the rebuke and wisely backed off. “Of course not. I didn’t mean it that way. I only meant—”
“Beth isn’t the issue.”
There was a moment of silence. “It’s her, isn’t it?”
Julia couldn’t see it from the pew, but she somehow knew Amy’s burn-your-face-off laser gaze had returned. Julia knew who “her” was too, and she sank lower in the pew in case there was another set of laser eyes in the back of Amy’s head.
“Do you love her?” Amy asked.
Yeah, do you?
Seth didn’t answer.
Come on. Answer her.
“She isn’t worthy of you,” Amy said. “She’ll never make you happy the way Beth did. The way I can. She doesn’t understand you and what you need.”
“Actually, she does, probably better than anyone ever has,” Seth said.
Okay, that wasn’t exactly a passionate declaration, but it was a start.
“She’s not like us, Seth,” Amy said. “She doesn’t believe the things we do.”
Seth rubbed the back of his neck. “I never said it made sense. In any case, I don’t know what God will do with her heart.”
“What about your position here?” Amy asked. “Do you think the leaders of our church will approve?”
“I don’t care.”
Julia gasped.
“What was that?” Amy cried.
Julia ducked down in the pew as their heads turned. Her heart started pounding. Seth didn’t care if people objected? If he faced criticism or even lost his position in the church because of her? Okay, so maybe it wasn’t a big romantic gesture like a room full of roses or skywriting, but the declaration worked for her. A hot flush enveloped her whole body.
“I didn’t hear anything,” Seth said.
“Seth please—”
He held out a hand. “Amy, it’s no good. I’m so sorry.”
“She’ll only hurt you—” Her voice cracked.
“I’m sorry.”
Seth kissed her cheek, and Julia could tell by the stiffness in Amy’s shoulders that she was trying to hold it together. Then she twirled around and hurried from the sanctuary. Julia barely had time to duck out of sight again, but Amy was in such a hurry she didn’t even glance around.
Shoot, Julia thought, now she was stuck. It was one thing to stop a proposal, but to be caught listening in on a dumping was so immature.
An important question flashed through Julia’s mind. How long would she have to wait for Seth to leave? Unless she could sneak out before he saw her?
Yeah. Apparently not happening, because when Julia glanced up Seth stood right… by… the… pew!
“Hide and seek?” he ventured.
Gathering her dignity, Julia sat up. “If it matters I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”
“How much of that did you catch?”
“Some.”
Seth’s eyes narrowed. “Define some.”
“I heard you.”
A dispirited sigh escaped as he lowered himself onto the pew next to her. “What are you doing here anyway?”
“Meredith called me.”
The answer brought forth a bemused glance. “Meredith?”
“She called to tell me Amy was in a state because you had asked her to come here.”
A shake of his head indicated Seth still didn’t understand. Julia didn’t blame him. She wasn’t making any sense.
“Amy seemed to believe you were about to propose, and Meredith said I should get over here,” Julia continued. “Meredith sort of knows about us.”
A light seemed to dawn, and Seth turned more fully in the pew. “And you came to do what?” he asked, eyes growing sharper and more focused.
“To stop you.”
“Why?”
His eyes twinkled, and Julia fought the urge to slug him. “Why what?”
Seth crowded closer. “Why did you want to stop me from proposing?”
Looking him in the eye was impossible right now. Instead, Julia covered her face. “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”
“I’d like to hear it, yes. I did pour my heart out to you.”
Such a bald statement earned a glare. “You poured your heart out to Amy.”
The teasing disappeared, replaced with tenderness. “Is it so hard for you to say?”
“You know it is,” she whispered.
“Were you going to race over here and not say it?”
Marry Me Page 27
