“So that’s the way it’s going to be.”

Matt glanced at her. “Uh-huh. Unless you flip the script.”

“And how would I do that?”

“Surprise me,” he said, opening his arms wide. “Do something unexpected and surprise me.”

Haley took the steps that put her in front of him, and stared him straight in the eye. This close, Haley could see that the shade of blue was more like a cloudless sky.

“Matt Brandon, I was truly blessed by the hymn you sang this morning. Thank you for that.”

His eyes widened and darkened. And then, taking advantage of the opening she’d presented, he kissed her.

FELICIA MASON

is a motivational speaker and award-winning author. She’s a two-time winner of the Waldenbooks BestSelling Multicultural Title Award, has received awards from Romantic Times, Affaire de Coeur, and Midwest Fiction Writers and won the Emma Award in 2001 for her work in the bestselling anthology Della’s House of Style. Glamour magazine readers named her first novel, For the Love of You, one of their all-time favorite love stories, and her novel Rhapsody was made into a television film.

Felicia has been a writer as long as she can remember, and loves creating characters who seem as real as your best friends. A former Sunday school teacher, she makes her home in Virginia, where she enjoys quilting, reading, traveling and listening to all types of music. She can be reached at P.O. Box 1438, Dept. LI, Yorktown, VA 23692.

Sweet Accord
Felicia Mason

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Sing to the Lord a new song,

And His praise in the assembly of saints….

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

—Psalms 149:1, Psalms 150:6

Dear Reader,

Thank you for reading Sweet Accord. I hope you were in some way blessed by Matt and Haley’s story. I’ve wanted to write it for some time.

This is my first Love Inspired novel. It’s set in Oregon because I fell in love with that part of the country during several trips there. If I’ve made any errors, blame it on my head and not my heart. The town of Wayside and its history are fictional, but the details about the settlers who came to the Northwest following the Lewis and Clarke Expedition are true.

I hope to return to Wayside, and I hope you’ll take the trip with me. In the meantime, the next time you listen to Christian radio or a CD, I hope Matt and Haley will come to mind.

If you’d like to write, I’d love to hear from you. I can be reached at P.O. Box 1438, Dept. LI, Yorktown, VA 23692.

Blessings to you,

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Chapter One

Landing the job at Community Christian Church had been easy. Convincing some of the dyed-in-the-wool traditionalists that hand clapping and foot stomping wouldn’t guarantee them a one-way ticket to hell was another matter entirely.

Matt knew he’d face resistance.

He just didn’t expect it to come from a twenty-seven-year-old blond beauty. From across the table he watched Haley Cartwright shoot down every one of his ideas. Of course, she did it with such grace and sweetness he could almost forgive her the interference. Almost.

“When we lift our voices in song, particularly praise song,” she said, “the melody should be one that would make angels weep.”

Translation: That raucous noise you call music will be sung in here over my dead body. Matt had to smile. The lady had a way with words.

“I don’t see anything funny about this impasse, Mr. Brandon.”

“Call me Matt,” he said. Again.

Everyone else had quickly done so. Well, everyone who supported him.

Tall and softly rounded, Haley Cartwright was what his grandmother would call a big-boned gal. Matt preferred to call her pretty. But right now, she was doing a fine job of frustrating him.

“And no, there’s nothing funny about this.” His gaze took in the other seven people at the table. “I’ve been hired to direct the choir. That’s my job.”

An arched eyebrow rose over big brown eyes. She’d apparently picked up the not at all subtle message that since he was doing his job, she should do hers.

“Many of the young people in this church are also in my Sunday school classes,” she said. “To see them influenced—”

“Haley, I think Matt has a point.”

All eyes turned toward the man at the head of the table who’d quietly taken in every point of the debate.

Haley’s shoulders slumped at the pastor’s words. Matt bit back a grin. Having an ally had its merits, especially when the ally was Cliff Baines, the shepherd of the Community Christian flock. Since Reverend Baines declared this round a draw, Matt couldn’t really claim a personal victory. But he’d won and that meant an inch in his favor in the tug-of-war with Haley.

“However,” Reverend Baines said.

“However?” Matt echoed.

Across the table, Haley folded her arms and glared at him, but a flare of triumph danced in her eyes.

The pastor nodded at them both. “I think a compromise is in order. Introducing some of Matt’s ideas into the service will be good for us. He’s right. That’s why we hired him. Community Christian needs a good dose of fire every now and then.”

Matt resisted the urge to poke out his tongue in a “so there” gesture at Haley.

“However, taking it slow will be better than turning the worship experience completely topsy-turvy.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea, Reverend Baines,” piped in Mrs. Gallagher.

Eunice Gallagher, church clerk, pastor’s secretary and all-around terrific lady, had been in Matt’s corner from day one. If now though, after an hour’s worth of wrangling, she advocated a compromise position, Matt knew enough to heed the warning.

It galled him to say it, but he offered a concession he knew would appease them. “I can jot down the lyrics of the compositions so you can review them if you’d like.”

“Well, that’s a terrific idea, but I don’t think that—”

Reverend Baines held up a hand. “Deacon Worthington, we’ve been up and down this road already. And we do have other agenda items today. I don’t think it’s necessary to have lyrics approved by council. This is, after all, a church. And we’re of one accord on the gospel.”

Matt gave a huge internal sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted to do was write music by committee. And with this committee, the church council, his chances of getting anything approved ranged from slim to none. The church council consisted of Reverend Baines, Eunice Gallagher, Haley who directed the Sunday school, the heads of the deacon and trustee boards and two at-large members of the church. As the newly hired choir director, Matt represented the newest blood on the staid council.

Not for the first time since he’d arrived in Wayside, Oregon, Matt wondered why God had led him here. He glanced at the woman across the table. Haley Cartwright couldn’t be the reason. She’d been nothing but the proverbial thorn in his side from the moment he’d stepped in the door. She had apparently taken one look at him and decided she didn’t like him. Granted, his look was a little on the wild side for Community Christian.

“Reverend Baines,” Haley said. “If not by advance approval, how do you propose that we keep that…” She glanced at Matt and paused. “How can we ensure that the new music is appropriate for our services?”

“I’m glad you asked,” the pastor said, a definite gleam in his eyes as he met the curious gazes of those at the table.

Matt suddenly got a really bad feeling in his stomach. He knew he wasn’t going to like the plan or the proposal about to be hatched.

“A committee can do the deciding,” the minister said.

Matt inwardly groaned.

Deacon Edward Worthington cleared his throat and raised his hand. “I’ll volunteer.”

“Thank you, Deacon,” Reverend Baines said. “But I think since Matt’s work with the choir and Haley’s work with the young people overlap, that they should be our committee of two.”

“But…” Haley sputtered.

Matt’s head shot up. This was worse than he’d imagined. Couldn’t Cliff see the woman had it in for him?

“What a wonderful idea,” Eunice said with a clap of her hands. “You can come up with recommendations for us.”

“Exactly,” Reverend Baines said. “At next week’s church council meeting, the two of you can make a presentation on how to best weave some new life into the service.”

“But…” Haley squeaked.

“What about this Sunday?” Deacon Worthington said.

The minister rubbed his chin. He glanced between Matt and Haley. “Let’s just let our new committee handle that. Now, Eunice, I understand there’s a conflict between the Smith wedding and the senior citizen’s monthly luncheon.”

With the council onto other business, Matt took a moment to study his new partner. Scratch that; his fellow committee member. Thinking about Haley Cartwright as a partner, of any kind, would land him in nothing but trouble. She was too intense, too dedicated and too pretty by far. In other words, too much of a distraction.

Her steely dedication to her belief—that church music should sound like funeral dirges—nearly cost him the job as choir director at Community Christian. Backed by Edward Worthington and a group of traditionalists, she’d balked at every step of his interview process. Matt knew the vote to hire him had been close. And he had no doubt that Haley had led off the Nay column.

Not for a moment did Matt believe he was here by accident. The Lord had directed him to this small Oregon town for a reason. It was more than two thousand miles away from everything familiar to him. With its crisp clean air, green trees and Mayberry R.F.D. feel, Wayside was a world away from the sultry heat and humming intensity of his native New Orleans.

He didn’t miss Louisiana, though. He’d left a lot of anger and disappointment in that part of the country and had no particular urge to return to it or to the person he’d been then. He knew he was exactly where he was supposed to be right now—in the will of God. But knowing he was where he was supposed to be and liking his current situation were two different things. Being on a committee with Haley meant he’d have to be near her, and if he’d learned nothing else in his life, he’d discovered through harsh experience that he didn’t need to be that close to temptation.

“We’re agreed then, Matt?”

He blinked. Seven sets of eyes stared at him. “Yes?”

“Then you do approve?” Haley said.

If Haley approved he probably didn’t. His eyes narrowed. He’d been caught woolgathering. “Excuse me, I think I missed something.”

Deacon Worthington harrumphed. Eunice filled in the gaps: The Wayside Revelers, a local social group, couldn’t find a place to hold their annual fund-raiser and requested the use of Community Christian’s big room.

Annabelle Lancaster, one of the at-large council members, twittered. “I know our small-town ways are different for you, Matt. But even you surely couldn’t approve of a dance being held in the fellowship hall.”

He didn’t.

“It took five police officers to break up the melee at their event last year,” Annabelle said. “They’re banned from the VFW hall. Tore the place up, they did.”

Matt quickly provided his perspective. The request was denied, then mercifully the meeting wrapped up.

As the other council members left the classroom they used for their meetings, Reverend Baines asked Haley and Matt to wait. They remained behind while the minister finished talking with Annabelle.

Haley shifted the file folders in her arms. Matt stayed in his seat. He leaned back, crossed his feet at the ankles and tucked his hands behind his head. He took a moment to study her. Her blond hair came to her shoulders; he couldn’t tell if the crimped curls were a natural gift or the effect of a salon. Today it was pulled together with a clip and left hanging in the back. Her skin glowed with the health and vitality that only came from clean living. But her eyes, a deep chocolate brown, and her smile arrested him.

In the time since he’d been hired at Community Christian he’d had the opportunity to see her eyes flash with anger, frustration and mischief. The latter, of course, not directed his way. He just got the glares. But that, he knew, was a good thing. Though she sported no ring, she’d seemed the hearth-and-home type, all-American, apple pie and lots of kids at her feet. He’d already found out that she wasn’t married, so a boyfriend or fiancé who’d give her all her heart desired had to be lurking somewhere. Matt just hadn’t met the paragon yet.

“Didn’t your mother teach you it’s not polite to stare?”

A slow grin lifted the corners of his mouth. “As a matter of fact, she didn’t. She died when I was two.”

Haley’s mouth dropped open, mortification filled the eyes he’d just been admiring. She came around the table and reached for his hand. “I’m so sorry,” she said gently pressing her hand to his. “I didn’t mean to be snippish or rude. I didn’t know.”

In the face of her genuine regret and concern, he was sorry he’d been so blunt. She truly looked contrite and sympathetic, as if she hurt for his loss, even though he’d been too young to understand it at the time.

“Matt, we’ve gotten off…”

“Ah, there you are,” Cliff said. “Thanks for waiting.”

Haley dropped her hand and clutched her folders. Matt wondered what she’d been about to say. It had almost sounded like the beginning of an apology, an olive branch offered. In a way, he was sorry the minister had intervened at that moment. Matt found it curious that mention of a deceased parent had triggered a turnaround in Haley’s attitude toward him.

“I know you two don’t get along very well,” the minister said. “That’s one of the reasons I put you together to come up with a compromise. You’ll find common ground. I know you both have very strong opinions about this, and I know you also have the best interests of the church at heart.”

“Thank you, Reverend. I won’t betray that trust.”

Matt cut a glance at her. “Neither will I. We’ll work out our differences. One way or another,” he added in a barely audible mutter.

Haley’s quick intake of breath told him she’d heard though.

“Excellent.” The minister patted Matt on the shoulder and did the same as he passed by Haley. “Have a good day.”

Matt looked at Haley. The day had been just fine until he’d been tasked to spend time with her. As long as he remained focused on his ministry, though, everything would be fine. Just fine.

“I’m sorry about what I said,” she told him. “I didn’t know about your mother.”

He shrugged, then gathered his own papers before standing. “Not a problem. Look, when’s a good time for us to meet? The sooner we get this over with, the faster we’ll be done with each other.”

“Our task is very important, Mr. Brandon.”

He sighed. “Call me Matt.”

“You make light of it, but we can’t have tambourines and guitars in service. I can understand if it were during some sort of special program, but not in the regular service.”

“Too much like having fun in church?”

“Yes!”

His eyes speared hers. “Then we really have a ways to go before we reach a compromise on this committee,” he said. “The God I serve says make a joyful noise. Do you even know how?”

He walked out of the room before she sent a scathing reply his way.

Haley seethed.

“He’s the most conceited, self-absorbed, egotistical lout I’ve ever had the misfortune of meeting.”

“Lout?” Haley’s cousin Amber grinned. “Now that’s a word you don’t hear very often.”

“Whose side are you on?” Haley said as she snatched a saucepan from a cabinet in Amber Montgomery’s tiny but well-appointed kitchen and banged it on the counter.

Amber winced. “I think I’m on the side of those very expensive pots and pans you’re slamming all over the place. Those are my work instruments, you know.”

“Sorry,” Haley said. Amber was such a terrific cook that she carved a living at it.

Amber put down the knife she’d been using to chop celery and took the saucepan from Haley’s hands. “Why don’t you sit down? I’ll finish this.” She drew a bit of water, put the pan on a burner, then returned to a waiting pile of fresh broccoli and grated carrots.

Haley stomped through the small kitchen and plopped into a chair at the drop-leaf table Amber used as both eating surface and desk in her studio apartment.

“He sounds like a dreamboat.”

“You’re taking his side again.”

Amber adjusted the flame, then dumped all of the chopped veggies in the saucepan with the now boiling water. After a quick blanching they’d go into the salad.

“Well, from what I remember, the Bible does say something about making noise in church.”

One of Haley’s missions in life was to get her cousin back to church. She couldn’t make the faith decision for Amber, but she could try to get her back to a place where she’d be exposed to the Word.

“Come with me Sunday, you’ll see.”

Amber glanced up. “Nice try. But I’m running in a 5K in Portland on Sunday. You should come with me. You hardly ever go into the city. We could have brunch and then stop at Powell’s.”

Haley considered for a moment, the bookstore a temptation. “No. This situation with Matt Brandon is tenuous enough. If I’m not there, Lord only knows what he’ll do.”

“So, when’s your date with him?”

Haley leveled a heated look at her cousin. “It’s not a date. It’s a committee meeting.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Amber said as she nibbled around a leftover carrot. “I think you object too much. You haven’t even heard any of his music.”

“I heard what he played during his interview and believe me it’s not at all church music.”

Amber shrugged. “Maybe your definition of church music is too narrow.”

That offhand comment stayed with Haley throughout the evening. As she readied for bed that night she wondered if she was being overly critical without giving Matt Brandon a fair hearing. It didn’t sit well with her at all that she had to question herself. If nothing else, Haley had a reputation for being fair, scrupulously so.

So, she reasoned, her visceral objections sprang from elsewhere. Too bad her friend Kara Spencer was out of town. As a therapist, Kara would have some definite ideas about this. Most likely the attraction she’d felt when she’d touched his arm, the awareness she’d been trying to feign indifference toward from the moment she’d laid eyes on him. Not since Timothy had she been so aware of a man’s presence.

“And look where that got you,” she muttered.

Matt and Timothy were nothing at all alike. She and her ex-fiancé, both tall blondes, had been the golden couple in Wayside. Timothy, an up-and-comer at the town’s branch of Portland’s largest bank, was perfection and propriety—which made them a matched set. Matt on the other hand put her in mind of James Dean in his rebel without a cause persona. Where Timothy had been solicitous of her opinions and feelings, Matt’s attitude in the church council meetings put her teeth on edge. She’d seen every one of the weary sighs and rolling eyes that he thought he’d hidden so well.

Of course, to have noticed those things, she had to have been studying him pretty intently. She told herself it was the welfare of the church and the integrity of the council’s mission that had her watching his every move. The fact that he carried himself with an easy confidence that was both appealing and refreshing had nothing to do with it. Neither, she told herself, did the fact that when he smiled, tiny laugh lines at his eyes made her want to smile in return.

But watching him in a meeting and working with him on a committee of two were entirely different issues. In the meetings at church, she could hide her feelings behind the shield of the others present. In a one-on-one situation, she had no protection—not that she feared for her physical safety around him. Sparks seemed to fly whenever they were together, and those sparks could prove dangerous to her on a variety of levels.

“And so you’re stuck,” she muttered.

Reverend Baines was determined to have them together on this committee. Realizing it was futile to hope that the pastor might offer another solution to the music issue, her prayer that night was for tolerance and understanding. She ignored the other part of her problem, the awareness of Matt Brandon, an awareness that left her in a decidedly uncharitable mood.

The next afternoon, Haley struggled with a box jammed to overflowing with colorful cutouts and posters. As usual, she’d been the last teacher at Wayside Prep to clear out her room for the summer. Thank goodness, this was the last load. She’d store everything in her garage until she had time to sort through it all and figure out what she wanted to keep for the new group of fourth-graders she’d greet in the fall.

She fumbled for car keys that tangled somewhere under the box.

“Here, I’ll lend you a hand.”

Haley yelped and dropped the box—straight onto Matt’s foot.

“Ow.” He hopped out of the way, too late to protect his toes, though.

“What are you doing creeping up on me like that?”

Even as she said the words and her heartbeat slowed down, her mind registered running shoes, jeans, white T-shirt and a sport jacket, the same uniform she’d seen him in the day before. And the same objectionable thin gold hoop remained in his left ear. “And what are you doing here?”

“I came by so we can have our meeting.”

She reached for fallen posterboard apples and egg crate lions, remnants of the bulletin boards she’d designed and created that year. Their hands met when both sought the same fruit cutout. Heat raced through Haley. Rather than maintain even that minimal physical contact, she surrendered the cutout to Matt.

While he appeared nonplussed, she found herself totally flushed and flustered. “H-How did you know where to find me?”

“Eunice told me you were probably here. I thought you’d be at the church so I went there first.”

“Oh.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say. Jamming her key in the latch of her Honda, she unlocked the trunk and turned to get the box. She crashed into it and Matt instead. Again the box tumbled to the ground, this time most of its contents scattering.

“What are you doing?” she snapped at him.

“I thought I was helping you. Since that doesn’t seem to be the case, why don’t I just leave? Meet me at the church at six and we’ll go over some things.”

Haley lost her patience and her temper. “You’re just going to walk away? You destroy my bulletin board material and you’re leaving.”

He turned to face her. “Look, lady. What do you want?”

At the tone and the words, she stood tall and proud, ready for battle. Her fierce positioning must have convinced him she didn’t cower to anyone, least of all an upstart choir director. Without a word he bent down and started filling up the box.

Careful to put lots of space between them, they picked up the assorted decorations that during the school year illustrated the parts of speech and new vocabulary words.

“You just make me so…ugh!” She shook her head, apparently unable to think of a despicable enough word.

“The feeling’s mutual.”

They completed the rest of their task in silence, though Matt paused every now and then to read the words and descriptions on some of the illustrations. He handed her a piece of white construction paper with a blue sailboat drawn on it. “So, you’re an English teacher.”

“Language arts.”

“Why don’t you like me?”

She opened her mouth, but no words came. Haley swallowed, glanced away and then tried to meet his direct gaze. “Excuse me?”

He shoved his hands in his pockets. “You’ve hardly rolled out the red carpet to make me feel welcome here. Do I look like a boyfriend who dumped you or is it just the music you hate?”

Haley found herself flustered. She’d never met a man who was so straight to the point.

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t hate anyone or anything.”

“You’ve made no secret about what you think of me. I was just wondering why.”

“Mr. Brandon.”

“Call me Matt.”

She ignored that. But she did decide to level with him. It was the right thing to do. She could be honest with him without revealing that it wasn’t just the style of music he preferred that disturbed her.

“I joined Community Christian because it was a small conservative church with traditional values and services. If I had wanted to be affiliated with a congregation that had rock bands, hip-hop artists and jazz ensembles as part of the so-called worship experience, I would have joined one of the churches in town that feature that sort of…” She waved a hand as she floundered for an acceptable word. “Sound,” she finally said.

“So if you expect me to turn cartwheels down the center aisle because you’re here, I’m sorry. That’s just not going to happen.”

She lifted the box, placed it in the trunk next to several other boxes and closed the hatch with a hearty thwack.

He glanced at the trunk. “Something tells me you were wishing that was my head.”

She ignored that, too, and resisted the smile that threatened.

“There’s no way we’re going to be able to work together.”

He nodded. “Yeah. It’s looking like that. But listen,” he said, reaching for her arm when she would have walked away. “We can work this out.”

His thumb grazed her skin, but whether deliberately or as a result of him simply touching her as she pulled away, Haley couldn’t say. Frissons of something very like pleasure raced through her, causing her to catch her breath and feel even more wary of him.

“Let me go, please.”

Instantly, he dropped his hand and stepped away from her. She saw something flash in his eyes, but it was gone before she could determine if it’d been anger or something else entirely.

He reached in his jacket pocket, pulled out an envelope and handed it to her. “When you decide to stop playing games and being Miss Holier Than Thou, call me,” he said.

Haley watched him walk to a motorcycle parked not far away. He slipped a helmet on and a moment later the bike’s engine revved and he peeled out of the school parking lot.

Instead of being angry, she found herself even more curious about him.

She tore open the envelope he’d given her and pulled out two sheets of paper. The first was the order of worship for the Sunday morning service with two songs penned in where traditional hymns were normally sung. The other held lyrics to a song labeled “Acceptable.”

Standing in the parking lot, Haley read the words of the poem, a praise song about Jesus’s love and sacrifice. By the time she finished reading, her eyes were filled with wonder and with moisture that she furiously blinked away.

Surely he hadn’t written such an emotional song. But there, at the top of the page, under the title was “By Matt B.”

“Where is Mr. Brandon?” Haley asked Eunice. She had to find him. She’d gotten her emotions in check by the time she arrived at the church. The pages, though, remained clutched in her hand.

“I thought he was with you. I sent him over to the school when he came here looking for you.”

“He found me, but he left. Is there another way to reach him?”

“Sure, Haley,” Eunice said as she reached for the Rolodex on her desk.

For a moment, Haley thought she detected the hint of a sly smile at Eunice’s mouth. But in a flash it was gone.

Eunice plucked out a card. “He’s staying in the Amends House over on Grove Street. You know, the one they rent out. Here’s the phone number.”

Haley glanced at the card and then at Mrs. Gallagher who was smiling this time. “No. Thank you, though. I’ll just go over there.” She held up the pages. “We, uh, need to go over this.”

“Sure thing, Haley.”

It wasn’t until she stood on his front porch rapping with the brass knocker that she realized just what she was doing. The words to the song had touched her so deeply, moved her so completely that she wanted to hear the music, had to know if it sounded as emotionally gripping as the lyrics. For a moment, she wondered if Matt had really written the song. He’d claimed to be something of a songwriter when he’d interviewed. It just seemed so incongruous that a man who wore jeans and an earring and drove a motorcycle would or could compose such stirring lyrics.

No one answered her repeated raps on the door. Dejected, she turned away and went down the three wide steps. She sat on the middle one and opened the paper again to read the poem.

“So what did you think?”

She started and clutched her heart, the envelope and papers crumpled in her hands. Matt stood not six feet in front of her. She hadn’t even heard him approach.

“Do you always sneak up on people?”

Two brown paper bags of groceries filled his arms. “Since I live here, I’d hardly sneak up on my own house. What are you doing here?”

It took a moment for her heart to stop its accelerated beat. Twice now he’d caught her unawares. It wouldn’t happen again. “Is this one of the songs you plan for the choir to sing Sunday?”

“No,” he said, stepping around her and going up the steps. “It’s one I was going to sing. If, of course, it meets with your approval.”

His sarcasm wasn’t lost on her. Haley didn’t quite know what came over her when he was around. Matt seemed to bring out the worst in her.

“It’s a beautiful piece.”

Not saying anything at all, he stared at her a moment. Then he murmured a quiet “Thank you” as he hoisted a bag on his hip and jostled for his keys. Haley wondered at his quiet intensity and then the soft-spoken words of thanks. What had he been thinking?

He managed to open the door.

“I’ll get that,” Haley said. She plucked the second bag from his arms and followed him inside.

“Thanks. The kitchen is this way.” The Amends House, named so because old Mr. Anderson built it for his wife to make amends for running off to the war, had been a landmark in Wayside for many years. These days, Mr. Anderson’s grandson used it for long-term rentals.

The sprawling house, twice the size of Haley’s small rancher, seemed quite a lot for a single guy like Matt. Maybe it was all that had been available for rent. Or maybe he had a wife and lots of children somewhere who would soon fill the many rooms. Would they be joining him when he got settled?

Haley trailed behind him through a dimly lit living room and dining room into the kitchen. Here, late-afternoon light streamed in through windows at the sink and a sliding glass door that opened onto a large deck.

“I didn’t know they’d built a deck.”

“You know the Andersons?”

She nodded. “They go to First Baptist. I taught their oldest boy two years ago.”

“So you’ve lived here all your life?”

Haley didn’t particularly want to talk about her life. She’d come here to discuss his music. Besides, she didn’t even like talking about herself; she much rather preferred drawing others out of their shells.

“Long enough to know a lot of people,” she told him. “Living in town and teaching helps a lot.”

She placed his second bag of groceries on the counter. “It looks like you’re settling in well.”

Matt glanced at her, but didn’t say anything about her attempt to change the subject as he began to unload groceries. Haley noticed lots of red meat and fresh vegetables, including a couple of varieties she didn’t immediately recognize.

“You cook?”

“I grill. It’s a guy thing.”

A smile tipped her mouth.

“You’re very pretty when you smile. You should do it more often.”

The smile quickly disappeared. “I didn’t come here to fight,” she said.

“Paying you an honest compliment means I’m picking a fight?”

Haley didn’t know how to respond. Compliments from Matt made her feel vulnerable. And she definitely wasn’t about to admit that to him. “I came to talk about this.” She held up the now well and truly crumpled song sheet.

“What about it?”

“It moved me to tears.”

That got his attention. Slowly he folded the paper bag. “And?”

Haley shrugged. “And I wanted you to know. I also wanted to hear the music.”

It was his turn for quiet contemplation.

Haley bit her lip, wondering if she’d again said something improper or inadvertently impolite. She still felt bad about the dig she’d made at the church.

The silence grew uncomfortable, and she wished he’d say something—anything! But still he just looked at her. She tried not to squirm, but found herself unable to pull off the absolute stillness that he’d apparently perfected.

“What?” she finally asked when she couldn’t stand the silence a moment longer and he didn’t seem inclined to say anything at all.

“Have dinner with me.”

Chapter Two

Haley’s eyes widened, first in surprise and then in reluctant pleasure. She could think of worse ways to spend a Thursday evening. Settled in front of the television with a bowl of microwave popcorn came to mind.

She told herself curiosity about the song “Acceptable” made her want to take him up on the invitation. Her innate honesty, however, compelled her to acknowledge curiosity about the man himself. She’d never really been this close to anyone like him before. If Matt projected any image at all, it was that of rebel. Maybe it was the bike and the earring. And maybe it was the sense of controlled power she sensed whenever he was near. Whatever it was, she knew for certain that she’d never met anyone quite like him.

He shrugged out of the jacket and placed it over the back of a chair. She’d seen him in nothing but his casual clothes since the day of his final interview with the church council. Wondering if the suit he’d donned for that meeting was the only one he owned, she studied him as his arms flexed when he tucked the paper bag under the sink. Pulling out a colander, he ripped lettuce and let cold water run over it.

When he turned to her again, her breath caught.

“So?”

More than slightly confused, and painfully aware of her awkwardness, Haley just stared back. “So what?”

He held up a plastic-wrapped butcher package that contained two thick center-cut steaks. “Dinner?”

Before she could answer, the telephone rang. “Excuse me,” he said as he walked across the kitchen to an old-fashioned gossip bench. He picked up the phone.

A moment later, a smile curved his mouth. He glanced at her and shifted a bit so his back was to her. He spoke in the quiet hushed tones she’d seen her college roommate use when a boyfriend called and said something naughty.

Haley blushed. She quickly glanced away.

Then she looked over her shoulder at him. His low murmur and chuckle made her wish someone talked like that with her on the telephone. But Timothy, her first and only long-term boyfriend, had never been one for flowery compliments or long conversation. That was one of the reasons Haley eventually realized it would never work between them. They had everything—and nothing—in common. A man of action, Timothy wasted precious little time on social niceties unless it was with a client. To Haley, that seemed so cold. And so unfair. Over time, until he’d finally called things off between them, she’d learned to live without.

Now, half-listening to Matt, she wondered what it might be like to have a man whisper sweet nothings to her.

Despite his dinner invitation, probably issued because he wasn’t used to eating alone, Haley realized she intruded. She picked up the song sheet, smoothed out the wrinkles in the paper and tucked it in her pocket. Without disturbing his conversation, she slipped through the rooms headed toward the front door.

She’d just pushed the screen door open when he called out.

“I thought you were going to have dinner with me. You know, we have to at least put forth some sort of effort at compromise.”

Haley paused.

While her mind had been running along another track entirely, Matt remained focused on their mission.

Inexplicably, Haley felt on the verge of tears, her emotions raw and on the surface. Something about Matt brought out a soul-deep longing in her while at the same time a fear of the very thing she longed for. He wasn’t afraid to embrace life, while Haley preferred the comfort of things she knew best.

“I can’t,” she said. And then she fled.

From his door, Matt watched her leave. Something had frightened her. He glanced back in the house, not sure what it could have been. He finished the conversation with his grandmother, apologizing for keeping her waiting, then, unfortunately, turned his attention to an evening meal for one.

After grilling steak and vegetables for dinner, he spent the rest of the evening in the room he’d been using as a makeshift studio. Upstairs, it had the best light and a decent view of the town square. If he stood just so, he could see the gazebo where, he assumed, bands played during the summer. That’s the sort of small-town activity he’d seen on television. And Wayside, at least its downtown area, looked and felt as if it had been towed straight out of a studio back lot.

Matt had been in Wayside for all of two weeks. He’d been in Oregon, though, for several months. He loved Portland and took every moment he could get to go into the city for books, good coffee and record stores with extensive gospel selections. He liked large cities because a person could be as anonymous as he wanted to be. And for a long time now, Matt had reveled in anonymity.

Lord, why did you lead me here? He’d been praying the same prayer, asking the same question…and inevitably getting the same response. Silence.

But Wayside had called to him. And long ago Matt had learned to listen to the still, small voice inside him. The one time he hadn’t had cost him everything. That had been three years ago, time enough to do penance, time enough to reflect on how he should have handled the situation with Melanie.

Sitting at his favorite keyboard, his fingers moved over the keys and he sang of lost youth and innocence, of finding the way home, of being a prodigal son. As it had so many times before, time passed without his being aware of it. When he looked up, it was because shadows chased across the room as evening fell.

Matt prayed. There were a lot of things he could have asked for, including a return to the public glory and adoration he’d thrived on. Even after three years, a part of him still yearned for all he’d lost. But he had a different life now. He’d been given a clean slate and a new beginning.

Grateful for that gift, one he knew he didn’t deserve, his prayer was one of thanksgiving and praise.

Friday dawned misty and cool in Wayside. The rain, as much a part of the environment as the community’s hospitality to newcomers, always took Matt by surprise. His hometown was renowned the world over for embracing strangers, but it had been a long time since he’d actually lived in New Orleans, the place he called home.

“Have a good morning,” the town baker called as Matt left with a dozen mixed doughnuts. He’d never tell his grandmother, but these doughnuts rivaled her beignets.

“You, too,” he said with a wave.

He’d traded in his red BMW for a four-wheel drive SUV before starting his cross-country trek to Oregon. In the rain today, the truck made much more sense than the motorcycle he usually drove.

As he headed toward Community Christian, he took in the small shops and businesses along Main Street. The town boasted sixteen churches, a synagogue and two temples.

A small, private college lent the town an additional appeal, but with students gone for the summer, Wayside apparently didn’t offer much open beyond nine at night. In the daytime though, people were out and about, another fact that always seemed to take him by surprise.

He sure wouldn’t have picked it himself, but Wayside was as good a place as any he might choose to completely start over. As he pulled into the parking lot at Community Christian, Matt’s thoughts turned to the ever perplexing Haley Cartwright. Without a doubt he knew he was attracted to her. Was that why she was so skittish, sometimes hostile toward him? Did he emit “I’m trouble” vibes?

Since he didn’t see her white Honda, Matt figured it a safe bet that he’d have a quiet morning. Today was the first rehearsal he’d have with the choir. Until that gathering at three, he planned to further familiarize himself with the church’s big pipe organ.

“Good morning, Eunice,” he said. Hoisting the doughnut bag high, he added, “I brought a treat.”

“I just put a pot of coffee on,” she said. “I’ll get us some cups.”

Before long, they sat in Eunice’s office enjoying the late-morning repast. She’d taken a fresh cup of coffee and two jelly doughnuts in to Reverend Baines, who was working on his sermon.

“So, what do you think of Wayside so far?”

Matt smiled. “I was just comparing it to New Orleans on the drive over here.”

“It must be exciting to be from somewhere as famous as New Orleans. Me, I’ve never been beyond Portland.”

“There’s a great big world out there,” Matt said. “Have you ever dreamed of seeing it?”

Eunice waved a hand. “Heavens, no. All that I’ve ever wanted or needed is right here. All my family is here. And I have good friends and a wonderful church family. No, I leave the traveling to you young people.”

He chuckled as he sipped his coffee. He very much wanted to ask Eunice about Haley, but thinking of an opening that wouldn’t seem contrived escaped him. As it turned out, he need not have worried.

“So, have you and Haley come up with a plan yet?” He detected a definite twinkle in her eyes when she asked the question.

“Not exactly. Did you have a suggestion?”

“Haley’s a good girl. And even though she’s a stickler for rules, we love her dearly. She’s been hurt. So kid gloves are a good idea. She needs someone who will cherish her.”

Matt cleared his throat. “I was talking about a suggestion on the music.”

She looked at him and winked. “I know. But I thought you might want to know the other, too.”

Wisely, Matt held his tongue. He finished off a doughnut and excused himself. “I’m going to the sanctuary to practice on the organ.”

“All right,” Eunice said. “And Matt.”

At the door, he turned to face her. “Yes?”

“She’s allergic to roses, but she loves lilies.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Haley overslept. She’d planned to clean her closet and do some baking Friday morning. While she couldn’t claim to be a gourmet chef like Amber, she was hardly a slouch in the kitchen. But a restless night filled with shadow dreams left her tired and a bit cranky. Bagging her plans for the early part of the day, she decided on a little gardening. A peek outside, though, squelched that plan. Right now, the rain, which would undoubtedly clear up later, fell as gray and blah as she felt.

The telephone rang before she made a decision to just fling the sheet over her head and go back to sleep.

“Good morning, dear,” Eunice’s cheery voice rang through the line.

Running a hand through her hair, Haley sat up in bed. “Hello.”

“Oh, my. I hope I didn’t wake you. It is after ten.”

“That’s all right.” She’d truly planned to be up at eight-thirty. “What can I do for you?”

“The vacation Bible school supplies arrived. The UPS driver just delivered them. I thought you’d want to know.”

That news cheered her up. “Thanks so much. I’ll come down this afternoon.”

“I’ll be here. Ta-ta.”

Chuckling at the breezy way Eunice always signed off, Haley got up. She made quick work of showering and making her bed.

As Sunday school director, she was also in charge of the church’s education and outreach program. Anxious to go through the materials she’d ordered, Haley dressed in chinos and a cotton top. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and donned a pair of sandals. An omelette, toast and tea would provide sustenance until dinner.

A few hours later after running a few errands in town, she pulled into the parking lot at Community Christian Church where she saw several cars, but no sign of Matt’s motorcycle. Not willing to peer too closely to see if she cared one way or the other, Haley locked her car and went into the church.

Figuring that Eunice probably had the supply boxes put in her classroom, Haley headed there. And sure enough there they were.

The summer program would be a lot of fun for the children and the teenagers. With ready-made handouts and activities for the youth from the religious-supply company, Haley would spend more time developing the program for adults. But right now, she’d enjoy going through all of the colorful fliers and banners and books for the kids.

She was so caught up in her work, she didn’t notice Matt at the door looking in. He took the opportunity to study her. In the casual clothes, she looked a lot like the teens she worked with. Matt had often wondered how she’d appear in a different environment. And now, while still at the church, she’d clearly abandoned her prim-and-proper pumps and pearls for more comfortable clothes.

She hummed as she worked, and Matt smiled at the off-key melody.

Had they met under different circumstances they might have been friends, maybe even something more. But that didn’t seem possible, let alone likely. She’d made it pretty clear what she thought about him and his work. Yet, much like a moth flirting with a flame that would eventually consume it, Matt found himself compelled to get to know her better, to break down the defenses she’d built around herself.

Since he didn’t want to again be accused of sneaking up on her, he cleared his throat and rapped his knuckles on the open door.

“Excuse me. Haley?”

She glanced up, a smile on her face. When she saw it was him, though, the smile faded. “Hello, Mr. Brandon.”

“Call me Matt. Please.”

She took a breath and put down a packet of promotional fliers. “What can I do for you?”

“I told Eunice you were okay with the plan for Sunday,” Matt said.

“But I’m not okay with it,” she said, putting air quotes around okay.

“Haley, this is the day she does the bulletin for Sunday. I gave you my changes yesterday. When you didn’t voice any objections, which, I might add, I appreciated, I told Eunice everything was fine for Sunday.”

“But everything isn’t fine. We haven’t discussed anything.”

Matt folded his arms. “She’s at the printer’s right now getting copies made.”

Haley wanted to cry out in frustration. But Matt couldn’t be faulted here. She’d gotten so caught up in feeling sorry for herself last night that she’d run off without resolving the issue between them. “Well, we still have to come up with long-term recommendations for next week’s council meeting. I’m free now. I was just finishing up with some vacation Bible school inventory.”

“Sorry. I have plans.” He smiled and Haley remembered the quiet conversation he’d had the previous evening. A date? The man had just moved to town and he had a date already.

She really couldn’t blame the women of Wayside. Men who looked like Matt didn’t come along very often. Forbidden fruit, that’s what he was.

“Hi, Matt. Hi, Haley.”

They both looked up to see who stood at the open door.

“Hi there, Cindy.” He sent a smile the young woman’s way and the girl’s face lit up. “I’ll be right there.”

The teen’s shy smile had Haley glancing between the girl and the musician.

“Haley, we’re looking forward to seeing you tomorrow,” Cindy said. “You will be there, won’t you?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Haley said. She’d actually been looking forward to the surprise farewell party for Eric Nguyen, an exchange student who was headed home after spending the fall term in the United States. He’d been sponsored by Community Christian Church.

Haley’s gift to him was a photo album half-filled with images of Eric and his American friends during church activities. All she had to do was wrap it.

But the party was the least of her worries right now. Matt Brandon was the problem.

He’d been here barely two weeks and if the adoring look in her eyes was any indication, Cindy Worthington was putty in his hands.

Haley’s eyes narrowed. Cindy was Deacon Worthington’s only grandchild. She was young, sheltered, very pretty in a china doll way and just barely eighteen.

Matt cutting a swathe through the single women in Wayside was one thing; hitting on girls at the church was another entirely. Extremely protective of her young people, Haley’s hackles rose.

Could Cindy with the sweet soprano voice have been the woman he’d privately whispered to yesterday?

“I have to get going,” he told Haley. “I’ll see you Sunday.”

Troubled, Haley watched them go. He didn’t put his arm around Cindy, but he leaned down to see whatever the girl had in her hands.

Matt Brandon thought he was slick. But Haley, already on to his tricks, wouldn’t let him take advantage of anyone, especially her young people who could so easily be influenced by flash, dash and a sexy smile. Haley knew from painful experience that that potentially lethal combination led to nothing but heartache.

She’d have a talk with Cindy after Sunday school and then, depending on the outcome of that conversation, she’d voice her concerns to Reverend Baines. And in the meantime, she’d ignore the stab of jealousy that arced through her and focus on what was really important.

The party was in full swing when Matt arrived at the home of Cliff and Nancy Baines. He’d been invited earlier in the week by Cindy and some of the choir members and hadn’t planned to attend…until he’d heard Haley say she’d be there.

“Matt, I’m so glad you could come,” Nancy Baines said as she ushered him into the house. “Everyone’s down in the family room.”

Matt could hear the laughter and conversation floating up from a nearby room.

“Food’s over there. Help yourself.”

He held up a small, but gaily wrapped gift. “I wasn’t sure if I should bring something.”

“Oh, how sweet. You didn’t have to, though. You’ve never even met Eric. Sign the guest book, would you? We want Eric to return home with good memories of his time in Wayside. And you can put that on the table over there.”

Matt found a place for the CD on a table already overflowing with presents, then wandered down into the family room, where a rousing game of charades was being played.

He grinned. Haley was right in front kneeling on the floor and yelling out answers.

“Baby. Infant.”

“Rockabye baby!” somebody hollered.

The player’s shoulders slumped and he started pantomiming again.

Reverend Baines joined Matt at the arched entry to the sunken room. “Hi, there. Nancy told me you’d come in.” The minister pressed a glass of red punch into Matt’s hand.

“Thanks. Looks like a great party.”

“One for my baby!” Haley said.

The player nodded. Applause and high fives went up all around. Haley scrambled up and gave the previous player, a boy of about sixteen, a hug. As he took a seat among the twenty-five or so people gathered, Haley plucked a card from the box and read it on her way to the open area in front of the fireplace. “Oh, goodness.”

“No talking, Haley.”

“I know. I know. But this is hard.” She furrowed her brow and then her face lit up.

Smiling, Matt relaxed against the archway and watched as Haley held up three fingers to indicate the number of words. Tonight she wore a pair of capri pants, with a long floral see-through jacket over a scooped neck top. Everyone settled down as she started the first word. She held her arms out at her sides and shook her hips from left to right. Matt’s eyebrows rose.

“Aerobics,” someone guessed.

“Hula hoop.”

Haley gave a quick shake of her head indicating those weren’t correct. She shook her hips faster.

“Hawaiian hula. A luau.”

Haley slapped a hand over her head, then indicated she was starting over. She held her hands stretched out in front of her, closed her fists and turned them in opposite directions.

“Twist,” Matt said softly.

“Yell it out,” Reverend Baines told him.

“Not yet,” Matt said as he studied her.

Haley held up three fingers telling the group she would work on the third word. She cupped her hands over her mouth and opened her mouth wide.

“Twist and shout,” Matt said, this time loud enough for his voice to carry across the room.

Cliff chuckled as all eyes turned to where they stood. “Well done, Matt.”

Matt accepted the applause and greetings as he made his way to the front of the room. Haley’s eyes never left his.

“So, was that right?”

She licked her lips and glanced away. “Yes.”

“Way to go,” someone said slapping his back.

“Everybody,” Reverend Baines said, “this is Matt Brandon, the new choir director at the church. I know some of you haven’t met him yet.”

Calls of “Hi, Matt” and “Welcome, Brother Matt” went around.

“No hug for me for guessing the right answer?” he murmured as she went by.

Her eyes widened and she gave him wide berth. She didn’t take a seat back in front, but made her way to the edge of the group. Matt watched her fold her arms and watch him. His game card read “blue moon.” It took a while, but he was finally able to pantomime enough for someone to guess.

The rest of the evening went by with a couple of other games and then a video that someone put together of Eric Nguyen’s adventures while in Wayside. Matt watched Haley interact with the teenagers and was impressed at her ease and their camaraderie. She’d obviously been a good choice to lead the church’s youth department. Throughout the night he’d seen her making the rounds, talking with everyone, drawing the shy ones into conversation. She’d made no such friendly overtures with him.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he told her.

He’d stalked her to the buffet table. She paused in midreach for celery sticks.

“I’ve done no such thing.”

“You did a great job with your turn at charades.”

Haley glanced at him, but didn’t address the compliment. “I didn’t know you knew Eric.”

“I don’t.”

“So you crashed a party at the pastor’s house?” The censure came through loud and clear.

“I was invited.”

She looked skeptical.

Matt turned his attention to the hearty spread Nancy had set out. He helped himself to some salmon then offered some to Haley.

“Thank you.”

“I’m not going to bite,” he said.

“Excuse me?”

He put his plate down and faced her. “Haley, you look and act as if I’m a wolf preying on your flock of lambs.”

She lifted an eyebrow.

He sighed. “I’m here to do a job, Haley. We have to work together, so we may as well get along while we do it.”

Before she could answer, Reverend Baines called for everyone to gather for a special tribute to the guest of honor.

Later when Matt looked for Haley he couldn’t find her.

“Have you seen Haley?” he asked Mrs. Baines.

“She left about twenty minutes ago, Matt. She said something about a headache.”

Matt had no doubt that he’d caused it. And he was sorry he’d chased her from the party where she’d clearly been having such a good time.

Haley didn’t sleep well at all that night.

“And it’s all his fault,” she said, petulance lacing her voice. Since she was home alone, she could get away with the whining, something she rarely indulged in and never let her students do.

She’d truly had a headache when she’d left the party. After a long soothing bubble bath, she washed down three aspirin and climbed into bed. But sleep proved to be an elusive partner. For a long time she stared at the ceiling in the darkness of her bedroom.

Even though her clock flashed that it was after eleven, her thoughts tumbled over each other in disarray that left her too keyed up to settle down. Why had Matt come to the party? She’d been having a great time until she’d heard his voice call out the answer to her pantomime. Her heart beat double time from the moment she spotted him.

She punched her pillow and turned to her side, clutching the pillow to her body in a comforting embrace. It was bad enough that Eric Nguyen reminded her of her long-forgotten dreams. Once upon a time, she’d wanted to be a foreign missionary, working in Central America or Asia. But those dreams hadn’t come true, so she’d created another life for herself and pursued other dreams right here in Wayside. Now Matt threatened the peace of mind she’d so carefully cultivated.

When she finally drifted to sleep it was on the thought that Community Christian’s new choir director had been taking up an awful lot of space in her thoughts lately.

Chapter Three

Sunday morning dawned as a perfect late-spring day. The sun shone bright in Wayside, and Haley felt much better than she had the night before.

Haley took another deep breath of the fresh air and deliberately shut down thoughts of Matt, focusing instead on her Sunday morning meditation and quiet time.

By grace she had a place to call home and every day she thanked God for that. But Sundays were special. While she walked in grace and thankfulness each and every day of the week, Sunday afforded the opportunity for communal worship and fellowship. Sanctuaries had always soothed her, and the one at Community Christian never failed to fill her with such reverent peace that she always found a moment during the week to sit quietly in the presence of God. And she usually found a few minutes between Sunday school and the start of the eleven o’clock service to meditate before the church filled with morning worshippers.

She’d do it again today, too…if only Matt didn’t spoil it.

She huffed in exasperation. He was invading her world and now he’d invaded her quiet time.

“Focus, Haley,” she coached herself. She closed her eyes, again trying to turn her attention to the things she had to be thankful for.

“School’s out,” she said. That was another thing. She loved her job, but by the time the academic year ended, she was ready for a break.

With the official start of summer just around the corner, today seemed even more blessed. She’d completed her fourth year teaching at Wayside Prep and was looking forward to the full-time volunteer work she’d begin next week. Before she knew it, her days would be filled with activity, the sorts of things that left her little time or energy for the pangs of loneliness and longing that sometimes crept up on her.

But right now, she wasn’t lonely. She couldn’t be as she basked in the joy of nature. Taking another deep breath she filled her lungs with the clean Oregon air before slowly exhaling. After watering her flowers, she picked up her purse and her Bible, and with a bounce in her step as bright as the day, she headed to church.

That’s where the day took a definite downward turn.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re here,” Eunice said the moment Haley stepped in the door.

“What’s wrong?”

“Three teachers have called in.”

Haley winced. “Three?” The Sunday school staff consisted of just seven teachers, including Haley. “Who?”

“Linda, Bob Thompson and Alicia Gordon.”

Haley did some quick thinking. She normally taught the middle grade level. For today, she could combine Linda’s elementary kids with her class. But with both the high school and young adult teachers out, that gap posed a significant problem. The first week after school let out and before family vacations kicked in usually meant a small upsurge in the number of teens at Sunday school.

“I can fill in in a pinch,” Eunice offered.

“I think I’m being pinched.”

Mrs. Gallagher patted her arm as they made their way down the hall toward the classrooms. “Just point me in the right direction.”

“If you can take my class and Linda’s, I’ll handle the teens and young adults.”

“Deal.”

Twenty minutes later, the church bustled with the sound of laughter and talking.

Cindy came in, the hemline flounces on a bright yellow and blue sundress billowing behind her. Dainty matching sandals and a handbag completed the ensemble. Cindy looked like summer on parade. Haley couldn’t help smiling.

“Do you have a moment, Cindy?”

“Sure, Haley. What’s up?”

“I’m going to be filling in with your class today. But I need to get Eunice settled with the younger kids. I’ll be with you guys shortly.”

“Sure thing.”

Haley got Eunice tucked in with a Bible storybook and a game. She wouldn’t have guessed that getting out of that classroom would pose the biggest obstacle.

“But I want to be with you today, Miss Cartwright.”

Haley bent low to give Amy Perkins a hug. The girl’s mother had died a year ago, and Haley had been trying to fill in some of the gap. She could never replace or be Amy’s mom, but Haley had more than a little experience with being a motherless child. She knew some of the fears the little girl faced.

“It’ll be okay, Amy.” She knew just the way to help Amy’s insecurity while boosting the girl’s independence. “Eunice is going to have her hands full with all of the little kids today. I think she could use some help from someone who knows the ropes and can assist with prayer and offering.”

Amy’s face lit up. “I can do that.”

“Are you sure?”

With the girl’s enthusiastic nod Haley steered her toward the front of the classroom, where Eunice sat in an oak rocking chair.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Haley closed the door, checked her watch then quickly made her way to the young adult classroom where the teenagers gathered.

The door was pulled to but not closed. Laughter spilled out of the classroom one moment and in the next voices raised in spirited debate.

“But the Bible doesn’t say anything at all about makeup. Makeup wasn’t even used back then.”

“Not true,” someone countered. “There was henna. And Cleopatra sure had a ton of it on.”

“That was in a movie, you nitwit.”

“No name-calling,” a deeper voice said.

A smile tugged at her mouth. At least someone maintained order.

Haley pushed the door open. “Good morning, everyone,” she called out brightly.

Her gaze scanned the group. About fifteen teens sat around the room, some of the guys more sprawled than seated. In the back, but nevertheless commanding attention, was none other than Matt Brandon. The urban cowboy pose with a booted foot in the seat of a chair and his elbow resting on bended knee wasn’t at all very churchlike.

The only relief from his black slacks and a black suit jacket came from a sparkling white shirt with a banded collar. At his neck, instead of a tie, was a treble clef pin. He looked for all the world like a renegade priest on holiday.

Haley did notice that the earring she’d seen him sport all week was gone. Why was he here? If he wanted to attend Sunday school, he should have gone to one of the two adult classes.

Several of the teens greeted her, but Haley barely noticed. “What’s going on?”

“We were just talking about some issues while we were waiting for you,” Miguel said.

“And Reverend Matt here was telling us about a church he was in where no one wore any makeup at all.”

“The women that is,” one of the guys clarified to laughter around the room.

With so many issues thrown at her at once, Haley didn’t quite know where to begin. “He’s Mr. Brandon,” she said addressing the easiest thing to correct.

A couple of the teens glanced at each other and shrugged.

Matt didn’t say a word. But he did shift position and sit in the chair.

“Well, let’s get started,” Haley said. “Did you pray?”

“We were waiting for you,” Cindy said.

Haley cast a glance Matt’s way, but didn’t say anything as the teens all gathered in a standing circle, clasped hands and bowed their heads.

“Father God,” Haley began. “Thank you for this day. Thank you for the fellowship of your saints and children who have come to this house again to praise your name. Lord, as we study your word this morning, remind us to maintain a quiet dignity in your presence and to, as the Scripture dictates, keep our lives, our words and our actions in decency and in order.”

Murmured “amens” echoed around the room. When Haley looked up, Matt was looking right at her, through her it almost seemed. She could read neither his eyes nor his expression. When he sat down again, it was without the arrogant cockiness she’d witnessed earlier. Or was that merely an illusion, a trick of the light?

“This morning, we’ll pick up your study of Psalms,” Haley said. She was glad the teachers all coordinated their lessons. While she could hardly present to this older group the arts and crafts and Bible lesson she’d planned for her own class, she could easily adapt the Scriptural material to suit a discussion with the teens.

“Does anyone have a favorite?”

Cindy Worthington’s hand shot up. “The Twenty-third.”

Haley nodded. “A lot of people cite that one. Why do you think that is?”

The young people went around the room, each who wanted to say something taking a turn, some citing other Psalms, but most concurring that it was the soothing peace of the Twenty-third Psalm that made it so popular. When they got to Matt, Haley’s breath caught as she waited to hear what he had to say.

“I’m glad you’re studying the Psalms,” Matt said. “As a musician, I can tell you that a lot of Christian music you hear today is based on the sacred hymns and poems of the Psalms. I have many personal favorites. One in particular is Psalms 150.”

For a moment, the flutter of Bible pages turning was the only sound in the room. Then Josh stood and read aloud the short chapter, ending with “Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”

Everyone in the room read the last line of the verse “Praise the Lord.”

Haley bit the inside of her mouth. So, he wanted to play games, take their personal differences to an open playing field. That he’d use a tactic so low infuriated her. He’d already managed to ingratiate himself with the group at Eric Nguyen’s going-away party. Now he thought he’d try to influence them to his way of thinking by planting ideas that would encourage them to accept his music.

Hiring this man had been a mistake. A big one. There was little she could do about it right now. But the next church council meeting would come, and in just days. Until then…

“Miss Cartwright?”

With a blink, Haley realized that a room full of teens waited for her to say something, to lead the discussion. Collecting her thoughts, she looked out at the expectant faces. “Thank you for reading, Josh. And you for sharing, Mr. Brandon. Let’s talk a little about the reverence of worship.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Matt smirk. But he kept quiet during the discussion. Freewheeling, it ran the gamut from those who thought like Haley did, that worship service should be a time for quiet reflection, to a couple of teens who’d expressed an interest in the non-denominational but Pentecostal-type service held on the college campus during the year. Haley hadn’t heard anything about it, but that these teenagers would be interested in fellowshipping with other young people didn’t surprise her.

“Church shouldn’t be boring,” one of the teens said. “Why should I waste my time coming to something that’s going to put me to sleep?”

“Because your mother makes you.”

That got a laugh all around the room. Even Haley had to smile.

Community Christian Church had 250 members, most of them over the age of forty. The younger families brought their children though, so the congregation had a pretty good mix of both ages and races. Haley’s job as Sunday school director was to keep everyone, young and old alike, interested in the Sunday morning study of the gospel. She had some ideas about outreach efforts to draw more members to the Sunday school. But in the year she’d been in charge, the results had been mixed. Listening to the teens told her she might need to loosen up a bit and offer more activities that would appeal to them.

With just a few minutes remaining before the class ended, Haley breathed a sigh of relief that Matt hadn’t challenged her again. Her relief was short-lived, though, when one of the guys turned toward Matt.

“You’re the new choir director. What do you think about all of this?”

Matt leaned forward. Haley held her breath.

“I think everyone praises God in his or her own way. For some, it’s quiet reverence, as Miss Cartwright puts it,” he said with a nod toward Haley, who sat erect in her chair. “For others though, praise may come with a waving hand, tears, a shout of hallelujah or dancing.”

“Dancing?” Cindy said.

Matt chuckled. “Not that kind. There are many Christians who believe that holy dancing is a form of divine worship and praise.”

“We’re out of time,” Haley quickly interjected before this got out of hand.

“Oh, man,” someone complained. “It was just getting good.”

They said a final prayer; Haley then passed out a sheet with home Bible study suggestions and activities for the coming week and they began to disperse for the unity gathering.

Haley had smiles and hugs for the teens as they filed out of the classroom. She complimented Shannon on her new braided hair, and again thanked Josh for volunteering to read the Scripture in class and during the closing. She offered Miguel a word of encouragement as he left and overhead Jacob still talking about the end of their discussion.

“Jacob,” Haley called, with the intent of answering a question he had about a scene in a movie that showed women dancing around a golden idol. But Matt touched her elbow. She knew it was him because the hair at her neck prickled with an uneasy awareness.

She whirled around, soundly closing the classroom door behind her. “How dare you?”

In the face of her anger, Matt took a step back. “Whoa, Haley. What’s wrong?”

“How dare you bring something like that up in here? We’re a conservative congregation, Mr. Brandon. If you think you’re going to come in here and just turn things around and have people shimmying and shaking in the aisles, you’re gonna be out of a job faster than you can say ‘What happened?’”

“You know,” he said, his voice a slow drawl. For the first time, Haley heard a bit of his Louisiana heritage in his voice. “I’ve typically found that the people who are most resistant to change are the ones who have the most to lose. What do you have to lose, Haley? I’m not here to take your position if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“What I’m worried about is you putting thoughts and ideas in those kids’ heads. Things that will confuse them. This isn’t a seminary. It’s Sunday school.”

“Oh, well perish the thought that they might think and evaluate anything for themselves. Who died and made you gospel queen?”

Before she realized it, Haley’s hand connected with his face. The slap resounded in the classroom.

He caught her hand in his, his grip strong and sure.

Mortified, Haley stared at the red imprint on his jaw. She’d never in her life hit another human being. Her mouth trembled and tears filled her eyes. But she didn’t apologize.

She tried to tug her hand from his, but Matt held on, his blue eyes locked with hers.

“You try me,” he said. His voice, while not cold, didn’t hold any warmth either. An indefinable something gleamed in his eyes, though. A shiver raced through Haley.

“Let me go.”

His grip loosened a bit, but he held fast. Slowly, he turned her hand until her open palm was exposed. He bent his head, his eyes never leaving hers. And then he pressed a kiss to her hand.

“Jesus taught that we should turn the other cheek,” he said.

He released her so quickly after that that Haley stumbled. By the time she got her bearings, the door had clicked closed behind him.

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