Next he used an inhaler and coughed, waiting a moment for the wheezing to quit. Megan’s bathroom was neat. He liked that. Maybe they’d put her belongings away because of his visit. Curious, he opened the medicine cabinet. Inside were some body lotions, a can of hair spray, a bottle of face wash, toothpaste, and her toothbrush. Feeling ashamed that he was privy to the brands she used, he quickly closed it.
Tentatively moving back into the hall, he saw a wide linen closet that he’d missed before. He opened it and peered inside. Mrs. Weaver had told him to help himself to linens. If he removed that one stack of towels, he could store those in his closet and replace them with the offensive pillows. He took the stack of four towels, two hand towels and six wash cloths and turned.
“You giving away souvenirs?”
He froze. Megan stood leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, watching him hauling all their linens off to his room. He sought for a witty response, but his brain was feather-deadened, consumed with the fire ants crawling up his neck, and nothing came to mind. Then he remembered that out on the porch, she’d admitted she had allergies, too. Maybe she could sympathize without thinking he was a wimp. How else could he explain toting off all the towels in the entire linen closet?
“Keep another secret?”
She arched a brow. “You’re making up a missions packet in there? You just moved into an apartment and have no money for towels?”
“I’m allergic to the pillows. Thought I’d store them in the linen closet. Anita said to make myself at home.”
Megan’s arms relaxed. “You have down pillows in there? I didn’t know we even had any of those left in the house. I’ll go tell Mom to get you some others.”
“No. Please. I don’t want to bother her.”
“Oh.” She let out an indecisive sigh then admitted, “I’d probably do the same thing. I’m sorry about all the open windows. We don’t have air-conditioning.” She glanced back at her room, and for one horrible instant he thought she was going to offer one of her own pillows. Thankfully, she didn’t.
“I’ll be fine.”
Her face relaxed. “Good. I’m off to Lil’s.” She started down the hall then looked back and caught him watching her. “By the way, Dad’s nice.”
She felt sorry for him. Not the emotion he’d prefer, but he guessed her sympathy was better than loath or repulsion. “Thanks. Have fun with your friends.”
She gave him a nod then hurried away.
As he carried the pillows to the linen closet, he told himself it didn’t matter what Megan thought about him. But he knew it did. He knew how these small churches worked. Everybody needed to be in agreement for him to take the job. He hadn’t been able to elevate her opinion of him at school, and here he was stuck with the same problem.
Her approval mattered to him. When she had stepped onto the porch, every masculine and fleshly desire had been awakened. The attraction was annoying. He’d observed her enough back at Rosedale to discover her weaknesses. She was naive and headstrong. Not exactly the ideal combination for a preacher’s wife. He needed a compassionate woman who related to the hurts of others, a woman who was caring and giving. Megan had plenty of passion, but she’d always used it to resist him.
His throat relaxed again, but the rest of his body remained uptight. Megan had made it plain that she didn’t want him in her home. And under those circumstances, he didn’t want to be in her home, either. Sharing a bathroom with her, for pity’s sake. Seeing her pink toothbrush was more than he could handle. And no matter how nice her dad was, once she told her parents how he’d dogged her at school, as if she were a lab specimen, they wouldn’t want him as a guest, either. If they moved him to the home of another person in their congregation, questions would arise. In this small congregation, news would spread quickly. It wouldn’t be good for his chances. Megan had put him in a difficult and awkward situation. No, he’d put himself there.
Confused and irritated, Micah sank to his knees, clasped his hands together, and rested his forehead against the quilt. Lord, I’m sorry I allowed my eyes and attention to stray to Megan. Again. She’s not my goal here. But You drew me here, so there must be a reason. Something I need to learn that will aid me in my work? Or is this place going to be my calling? My home? Please direct my steps, according to Your will. And help me keep my eyes focused on You. Only You.
The thought popped into his mind that if his history with Megan became public, it would create a good test, give him a feel for how the people in the congregation interacted. This interview wasn’t only about the congregation accepting him. This weekend was about his decision, too. He was suddenly very interested to see what the Lord had in store.
CHAPTER 7
Do you tell Fletch everything?” Megan squirted a drop of detergent in a kettle and ran some water in it while Lil arranged their dinner on serving platters.
“I don’t know, why?”
Megan placed a few dirty utensils inside the kettle to soak then turned away from the sink. “I’m still single. I don’t know how this works. When I confide in you, am I also confiding in Fletch?”
“Oh. I suppose if it came up, I’d tell him. But he’s not all that interested in girl stuff.” She eyed Megan carefully. “But if I told him it was confidential, you could count on him.”
“So if I don’t want Fletch knowing certain things about me, even if I asked you to keep it confidential, you might tell him?”
“Let me assure you. All Fletch can think about right now is his trip to Ethiopia. He can’t even remember to take out the trash. I don’t think you have to worry about him asking about you. It’s not that he doesn’t like you. He’s just got his own things going on right now. Sometimes he barely pays attention to me.”
Megan was shocked at the frustration in Lil’s comment. “What do you mean? You’re not having problems?”
“No,” Lil shooed the comment away with a flick of her wrist. “Is this about Chance? Is he trifling with you?”
“Yes, but it’s not about him.”
Confused, Lil placed her hands on her apron’s waistband. “Spill the beans.”
“This is one of those confidential things,” Megan started, but just then Katy and Jake arrived.
“This isn’t finished,” Lil warned, then went across the room to greet the newcomers.
Megan followed her and reached for Jacob. “Hey, sweet boy.”
The baby stared at her with bright eyes and responded with gurgling noises. Megan nestled her face into the tiny chest. When she drew away, Jacob’s arms flew in the air. “I didn’t mean to scare you,” she cooed.
As the men conversed, Lil drew Katy to a safe distance. “Megan’s going to tell us a secret. And she doesn’t want the chump to hear.”
Katy didn’t flinch at Lil’s pet name for her husband, who was also Lil’s cousin. And Megan didn’t blink when Lil invited Katy into the conversation. “It’s just that I made a promise that this wouldn’t get around in church, but I’m exploding inside.”
Katy’s dark, almond-shaped eyes speared Megan. “It’s about the preacher candidate, isn’t it?”
“Who’s staying at your house?” Lil clarified.
“Yeah. Old Joe Zimmerman.”
“Dad’s meeting him tonight.” Katy looked disappointed. “How old?”
“That’s my point. He’s young. And I know him.”
“He’s a relative?” Lil asked with confusion. “No. He’s from Rosedale.”
Lil untied her apron and slung it across a chair. “That’s interesting.”
“It’s a nightmare.” Having their full attention, Megan shifted Jacob to her opposite arm. “It’s Micah Zimmerman, the guy who I couldn’t get rid of. Remember that first semester?”
Katy folded the apron and replaced it. “Skinny Man?”
“The stick man.” Lil covered her giggle.
“It’s not funny. Don’t you remember how hard it was to get him to leave me alone? Now he’s just down the hall. In my own house
. What’ll I do?”
“You poor thing.” Lil tilted her head. “Remember how he slid a poem inside your math book? And didn’t he take you to the zoo?”
“No! But he tried.”
Katy nibbled her lower lip thoughtfully, “You think he’s here because of you?”
Megan shrugged and ran a finger across Jacob’s soft cheek. “Professor Maust recommended him. Dad wrote the letter inviting him. But even if he isn’t interested in me anymore, it’ll be awkward if he gets the job. Worse, if he starts asking me out again.” As her voice escalated, Jacob made a pout. Megan attempted to rock him with his arms, but he let out a howl.
Katy reached for him. “If he’s staying at your house, you’ll get past the awkward part.”
“Unless I have to give him another set down.”
Lil frowned. “Do your parents know?”
Megan shook her head. “This just happened a few hours ago. Micah asked me not to tell anyone about what happened between us at Rosedale.”
“Or didn’t happen,” Lil corrected.
“I told Micah I was going to tell my parents. He said he understood. But I could tell he didn’t like it.”
“If this gets around your church, folks’ll make a big deal about it.”
“I know. It’ll be humiliating.”
“They won’t hear it from me. We’re going to be out of the country anyways.”
“Me either,” Katy promised. “So besides your history, do you think he’d make a good preacher?” Her dark eyes teased. “We already know he’s persevering.”
Megan rolled her gaze toward the ceiling. “I have no idea.”
“And now you have to fend off two guys,” Lil remarked caustically.
Hoisting the squirmy baby up on her shoulder and patting his back, Katy demanded, “That Campbell man is still after you?”
“Yeah. He even invited himself to the Fourth of July events.”
“Ugh!” Katy scoffed, giving her opinion of the matter. “What did you tell him?”
“I turned him down. Chance Campbell will soon be gone,” Megan reminded them. “But what if I have to live the rest of my life with Micah’s ogling?”
Katy shook her head. “I don’t think preachers ogle, do they?”
“You need some help in there, honey?” Fletch called from the table, where he could see they were merely visiting and not paying attention to his hunger needs.
“No thanks.” Lil handed Megan a platter and took one for herself. “Let’s go eat. If you want, we’ll talk more later.”
Megan nodded. Lil was more worried about Chance and wasn’t taking the situation with Micah seriously. Anyway, she was going to be out of the country. And Katy wanted her to give Micah a chance just because he was Mennonite. Well, it wasn’t like she wanted to intentionally thwart his career.
Using Lil and Katy as a sounding board had sorted out her thinking: The real issue wasn’t about how to fend Micah off for a weekend. It was figuring out if they could get along as preacher and parishioner. To find the answer to that question, she needed to get more involved in the process. As much as she dreaded it, she needed to use her influence to sway Micah’s decision. If she ran from the situation now, she’d surely regret it later.
Micah—Joe to everyone in the room except Professor Maust—shifted uneasily in his chair and tried to answer the question that had just been fielded at him. What have you been doing since school?
The reference to his seminary training as school didn’t show much respect for his degree and made him feel less than mature around a room full of people two decades older than himself. But he smiled and discussed his work in Allentown with some inner-city kids through a program at his home church. He explained how his love for sports made it a natural fit. He mentioned he’d been given opportunities to preach numerous times. He’d written several articles for The Mennonite, a church magazine.
“How long have you been trying to find a church?”
“Not long. I thought it was better to get practical experience first. Also, my grandmother was sick. I lived with her. When she died, it took awhile to settle some family business.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.”
An awkward silence filled the room, and then Vernon Yoder recapped Micah’s past experience. “Since school, you served at your local congregation and did some preaching.”
“Yes, sir. I was waiting for God’s leading to move forward.”
“And you sense that now?”
“Yes. I felt a strong call to come for this interview. But I have to be honest, I don’t know if it’s a match or not. I want to follow God’s will. I’m as interested as you are to see where this goes.”
Anita quietly left the room and returned with a tray of desserts. As she passed them out, her husband asked, “Did you know our Megan at Rosedale?”
Micah cleared his throat. “Yes. I met her during my last semester.”
The professor quirked an eyebrow, and Micah sensed that his former teacher knew something about their relationship or lack of it. He met Noah Maust’s gaze, and there was a definite twinkle in the older man’s eyes. Micah redirected his gaze back to Bill. “Your daughter’s very charming. I suppose everybody noticed her.”
Bill seemed pleased with his comment, but that would probably change once Megan spoke to him and he learned the entire truth.
“Do you have a special woman in your life?” Anita asked, settling into the chair beside her husband.
“No. Honestly, at this point, I’m more interested in my work. I figure if I focus on the Lord, all the other things will fall into place.” He could have quoted Luke 12:31—“But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you”—because he’d memorized it shortly after Megan’s rejection. It had become his anchor verse. But he didn’t want to come across as overly pious.
“You’ve plenty of time for that,” Bill agreed.
“But you hope to one day marry?” Mrs. Yoder asked. “A wife would be a good asset for a preacher. Help him in his ministry. Our Barbara is a saint.”
Micah adjusted his collar, but not from an allergic irritant this time. “I’m sure that’s true. When I feel it’s in God’s plan, I’ll consider marriage.”
The woman got a glint in her eyes. “Those things just happen sometimes.”
Everybody in the room chuckled at Micah’s inexperience. He hadn’t meant to sound self-righteous. He supposed they’d feel more comfortable with a married preacher residing over them, but they’d known he was single when they invited him. “No girl. No marriage on the immediate horizon.”
“We’ve hounded Joe enough for one evening. We should let him eat his cake now,” Noah Maust said.
Though relieved, Micah still needed to clarify one thing. He cleared his throat. “There’s something I should probably tell you. Before this goes any further.”
Instantly, every eye riveted on him.
“I don’t go by Joe. It’s Micah.” So it was his own fault that he didn’t get to eat his dessert, but he hadn’t the appetite for it anyways. Next, he found himself telling the story of how he became known as Micah. “So sometimes it doesn’t pay to get named after a relative. It’s too confusing. After Grandpa died, it seemed disrespectful to take his name.”
The conversation shifted to the committee’s itinerary for Micah. Being a holiday weekend, the town festivities were mentioned. “When Brother Troyer was here, we had a church picnic every July Fourth to celebrate our religious freedom. What’s your opinion on it?”
“While I can’t rejoice about bombs bursting in air, I see nothing wrong with attending some festivities. I agree with Brother Troyer’s philosophy. We should be thankful for our freedoms. Honor those who died for freedom.”
Soon after the cake had been served, people began to leave, making sure to give Micah a personal farewell. When the last visitor had gone, Bill exhaled a deep sigh, and for the first, Micah realized that the man was under a great deal
of strain.
“Let me help.” Micah straightened some throw pillows and found a cup that Anita had missed and headed for the kitchen.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” she protested.
Bill grabbed the trash and headed out the back door.
“I want to. I always dried dishes for Grandma.”
Anita eyed him kindly. “We’ve peppered you with lots of questions. Enough for one night. But someday I’d like to hear more about your family.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
Anita handed him a dish towel. “You want to go to the Fourth of July parade with us tomorrow morning?”
“I’d like that.” But immediately, he wondered who all Anita was including in the us.
CHAPTER 8
Megan sidestepped around a family with a child in a red wagon and felt her arm brush against the preacher’s. In her mind, she’d started calling him Preacher. Her previous nicknames no longer fit him or gave her any pleasure. Instinctively she pulled back and glanced up at him, but his gaze was roving both sides of the street, taking in the small-town, pre-parade activity.
She stole another glance. Micah wasn’t as gangly as she remembered him from college. He’d changed. He’d gained some weight so that the sharp planes of his face had softened. His nose fit his face now. Everything about him seemed more solid, even his mannerisms. And he didn’t stare at her all the time and make her feel uncomfortable. He seemed almost human. Normal. Still she shouldn’t let her guard down.
Or had she magnified her memories of everything that had happened between them at college? She thought about that first day they’d met. He’d been climbing some exterior steps and had actually stopped midflight, turned around, and asked her if he could carry her books. And she had been going in the opposite direction! At that first encounter, she’d been flattered. Who wouldn’t have been? At the time, she hadn’t taken him seriously. She’d thought he was just clowning around. She’d grinned, shaken her head, and hurried away.
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