"Did it get burned?" Sabrina asked, trying to see again. "...is wet," Rylan finished.
Sabrina finally heard the words and froze, but only for a moment. Moving swiftly, she pulled the jacket around her and found herself fully enveloped. Not until she was covered did she look back into Rylan's eyes.
"I'll just run home and change."
"No hurry about the coat. And again, I'm very sorry."
Sabrina thanked him again and went on her way. She cut down the alley and across side streets to gain her front door as fast as she could. Jeanette would be wondering what happened to her, and this was not the way she wanted to be seen.
Pete Stillwell, owner of the livery, timed his visit perfectly. He came in to check on something in the livery office, which freed Rylan to go to see Jeanette. Rylan was sweaty and in work clothes but knew this was warranted. And thankfully Jeanette was alone. Rylan swiftly explained the incident to the dress shop owner, and even though she didn't want to, she took the money Rylan gave her.
"Please replace the skirt. It's all my fault, and I want to take care of it."
"I will, Rylan, but I'm fairly certain Bri will understand."
"She's a stranger here, Jeanette. I hate the thought of anything happening that would make her regret her move or feel uncomfortable with me or any of us."
Rylan did not stay much longer. Jeanette thanked him for his understanding and then prayed for Sabrina. She would not have thought about Sabrina's reaction in those terms and realized that
73 Rylan might be right. Jeanette kept working but with an eye to the window, anticipating Sabrina's return any minute.
Sabrina picked up Rylan's jacket, set it back down, and then picked it up again. Before it was over, she ended up leaving it, wanting to get back to Jeanette's as fast as she could. She took the same shortcut but didn't go back through the livery, hurrying back as fast as her long legs would carry her. She nearly burst through the door, an explanation on her lips, but Jeanette stopped her with three words.
"Rylan was,here."
"He explained?"
"Yes. Are you sure you're not burned?"
"I'm fine, but I don't know if the skirt can be fixed."
"He left money to replace it."
"He didn't have to do that."
"He wanted to," Jeanette said, not adding that Rylan was more concerned about Sabrina's reaction to what happened than the skirt. Jeanette knew that sharing this was not a good idea, but she hoped that Sabrina would share on her own.
"Did he tell you my blouse got wet?" Sabrina asked.
"He said you took his jacket, so I made an assumption."
Sabrina suddenly sat down. This was not the way she had envisioned things. She had never planned to bare her body for a man again, and now the pastor of her church had seen her in a wet, white blouse. She had been wearing a shift, but that hadn't been a great deal of help.
"Are you going to be able to forget about this?" Jeanette asked, wondering what the look on Sabrina's face meant.
"I think so. It might be embarrassing to see Pastor Jarvik." "He's a gentleman to the soul of his being. He would never deliberately do anything to embarrass you."
"Will he be embarrassed when he sees me again?"
74 "I don't think so. I think he'll be as kind and caring as he always
is."
The kind of man who comes here and pays to replace my skirt. Sabrina didn't say this aloud but nodded and picked up the man's shirt she was working on. Jeanette didn't press her any further, assuming if she wanted to talk some more she would.
It had taken a little doing. Sabrina had not cooked for more than a week, and the stove was new to her, but eventually she put some supper on the table. It was nothing like Becky could produce, but the bean stew was edible, and so was the flat bread that went with it. She had only one pot and a few dishes, but in time she knew she would build on that.
"Cleanup is easy," she said to herself as she began to boil water for the handful of items that needed washing and then laughed at her own joke. A moment later, someone knocked at the door. Sabrina found Rylan on the landing.
"Hello," she said quietly.
Rylan held up the lock she'd left at the livery. "I thought I'd stop by and fix this for you."
"I forgot all about it," Sabrina admitted. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Rylan said, going to work on the door while standing just inside. Sabrina watched him for a moment, not sure what she should do.
"Something smells good," Rylan finally commented.
"Oh, it's just a stew I made. Would you like some?"
"I've eaten, but thank you."
"It was my first time," Sabrina said, not sure why she added that.
"To cook here or anywhere?"
"Here."
"How did it go?"
75"I think all right. Becky cleaned the stove the other day, so it doesn't even smoke."
"That Becky is a wonder. Have you had her biscuits?" "No, I don't believe so."
"When I'm desperate, I make broad hints, and she takes pity on me."
Sabrina laughed. It was such a funny comment coming from this confident, seemingly self-sufficient man.
"You can laugh," Rylan said, still working on the door, "but after you've had them you'll find yourself desperate enough to beg like the rest of us."
Sabrina had to smile, even though he wasn't looking up to see it. "I like her bread pudding," Sabrina said. "She even taught me how to make it."
"I haven't had that," Rylan said. "I'll have to drop a few hints for that one too."
Again Sabrina wanted to laugh. He was so honest about wanting to eat Becky's cooking, without a bit of shame for what he called begging.
"Well, now," Rylan said, and Sabrina looked up to see him watching her. "You do know how to smile."
"Do I not smile very much?" Sabrina asked, feeling uncertain. "Now that I think about it, a certain blacksmith tried to burn you
to death today, so it's no surprise that you didn't smile at him." "It was just a mistake," Sabrina said.
"That's true, but if I can be honest with you, I've never let anyone get near the forge, and for the very reason you discovered today. I don't know how I let my guard down."
"I didn't realize I was so close."
"I think a cinder must have been on the floor. I assume the bottom of your skirt was burned?"
"The hem, yes."
Rylan nodded and then said, "All done. It should work now." "Oh, that was fast."
76 "Have a good evening, Sabrina," Rylan said, finding "Bri" a little too familiar.
"Thank you. Oh, just a moment." Sabrina remembered the jacket and went to get it from the corner of the living room. She handed it to Rylan, who looked at her directly.
"Thank you. I'd forgotten all about it."
Sabrina nodded and thanked him again. She closed the door and locked it, thinking Jeanette had been right. He had done nothing to embarrass her.
"What is this?" Butch Sandgren asked, when Sabrina gave him only a portion of the rent money on Friday after work.
"That's half the rent, minus the money it took me to buy the paint and have my lock fixed."
The anger in the man's face was unmistakable when he said, "I can have you kicked out."
"By whom?"
"The sheriff."
"Before or after you explain to him about our agreement?" Sabrina asked, feeling a bit shaken by his anger.
"What agreement?"
"You haven't fixed my stairs, and I've been living here for ten days. If they break, I can't even get to my apartment. Not to mention I could be hurt."
Butch calmed down. He did mean to fix the stairs and had genuinely forgotten.
"All right. I'll get to it next week."
"Thank you," Sabrina said, and turned to go on her way. She was about to round the corner, back to her stairs, when a voice spoke to her.
"More folks should stand up to him. If they did, he'd fix this dump."
77
Sabrina looked around, but all she saw was a window.
"Who said that?" she asked the window, and waited for a woman's face to appear, a cigarette hanging from her mouth. She was not very old, maybe in her mid-twenties, but her eyes were hard.
"I said it. Are you the new woman upstairs?"
"Yes. Bri Matthews."
"I'm Crystal."
"Hello, Crystal."
Crystal shook her head in self-derision before saying, "Butch went on and on about how pretty you are."
Sabrina didn't try to comment on that.
"And then I still let him visit me."
"Maybe you shouldn't," Sabrina said with enough confidence that Crystal stared at her.
"I think someone's at my door," Crystal suddenly said. Sabrina could see the front door-no one was there-and saw it for the excuse it was. Still she took the hint.
"I'll say goodnight then."
"He was right," Crystal said before Sabrina could move away. Sabrina looked at her and waited.
"You are pretty."
That said, the face disappeared back inside, and Sabrina slowly climbed the stairs to her room.
"Can Bri stay for supper?" Hannah asked her mother on Saturday afternoon.
"As long as she likes venison stew," Jessie agreed.
"I'll ask her," Hannah volunteered. Sabrina said that she did but still checked with Jessie in the next hour.
"Are you sure you have enough?"
"Plenty, but I think I'd better warn you that this is our night to walk by the creek."
78"What does that mean?"
"Oh, that we'll all get at least a little wet."
"I think I can live with that," Sabrina said with a smile, thinking about her recent bath in the livery and thankful she wasn't wearing a white blouse.
Sabrina would have asked Jessie a little more about it, but Patience Dorn was coming her way with a young woman who was holding a baby.
"Hello, Bri," Patience greeted. "I don't think you met my niece on Sunday. This is Meg. She's married to Brad. And this is their daughter, Savanna."
"I've heard about you," Sabrina said, smiling at the adorable baby in Meg's arms.
"How do you like working for Jeanette?" Meg asked.
"I like it very much. Saturdays are my favorite because the contrast of being there in the morning and here in the afternoon is so interesting."
"She means tiring," Jessie teased, and the women went to work on Meg's list. Patience took Savanna into the rear of the store with Hannah and Clancy, and Sabrina was given a chance to get to know Meg.
"How was Theta this morning?" Meg asked.
"Actually, I found an apartment," Sabrina told her. "I'm not at Jeanette's now."
"Oh, I'll bet they miss you. Becky loves to have someone to take care of."
"Well, she sends enough food my way that in some ways she still
is."
"That's Becky all right. Oh, are these on sale?" Meg asked, having spotted canned plums and apricots.
"They are on sale, yes."
"Brad loves these," Meg said. "And I don't find them that often."
"I don't think I've ever tried any."
79 "They're not bad. Sometimes the syrup is a little sweet, but it's a treat when I run low on our own canned goods."
Savanna was heard giggling just then, and Sabrina was going to ask about life with a baby in the house, but someone came in the door. Sabrina couldn't see Jessie, so she went to see if she could be of any service.
"We throw rocks," Clancy told Sabrina on their walk to the creek.
"Into the water?"
"Hard," Clancy clarified, and Sabrina had all she could do not to laugh. Both girls were delightful, but Clancy had such a funny way of expressing herself. Clancy took life very seriously at times, and the little girl's sincerity was very fun to watch.
"You can get wet," Hannah filled in now, "but just a little."
"I'll try to remember that," Sabrina said before turning to Jessie. "How long have you been doing this?"
"A long time. After being in the store all week, I just need to get out on Saturday evening."
"What do you do in the winter?"
"We come until it's too cold. We usually make it into November but never into December."
"Do you get much snow?"
"We get enough, but the cold is the hardest part. It's unforgiving."
Sabrina got cold easily and did not look forward to that time. It was hard to imagine it getting cold on a warm day like today, but it had been the same in Denver-hot enough to boil you in summer and anything but come winter.
Before she knew it, they were at the creek. It had been closer than she realized, and as she listened to the water ripple over stones, making white waves in some spots, she wondered that she hadn't
80 come here before. The scene caused her to remember all the things Danny had taught her about God the Creator, and that made her prayerful. It also made her wonder what Jessie believed.
"Over here, Bri," Hannah invited, and Sabrina joined that little girl at the water's edge. From there the time flew, everyone getting a little wet, until Jessie urged Sabrina on her way, making sure she started home long before dark.
When the girls had been out of earshot, though, Jessie had been plainspoken about Token Creek on Saturday nights and Sabrina's neighborhood getting more than its share of action when folks started drinking. Sabrina, snug at home, didn't think much of it until the sun set and it got noisy. She fell asleep just fine, but even as she prayed for Jessie and the girls, it occurred to her that Jessie had been right and that going out on Saturday nights was probably not the best of ideas.
"What's up?" Trace found Cassidy in the living room, the lantern turned high and a letter in her hand.
"Jessie had a letter from my mother. Meg brought it back." Trace sat close to his wife. "How is she?"
"Her back has been hurting again, but other than that, all seems well."
"Can she visit when the baby comes?"
Cassidy smiled before reading, "You had to ask. Just try to keep me away.
"I wondered if she might not feel that way."
"Once she gets here, I won't want her to leave."
"Maybe she'll feel the same way."
"And you would really be all right with that?"
"Well, it would take some getting used to, but I think we would be fine."
Cassidy smiled at him, thinking he was wonderful, before she
81 finished the letter and snuggled close to Trace's side. She had sudden visions of her mother moving to Token Creek and being strong enough to help Jeanette with the shop and maybe even live in the apartment above. Cassidy knew it was just a dream, but part of her wondered if someday it might come true.
"Sit by me," Jeanette invited when Sabrina came into the church building on Sunday morning. Sabrina was happy to have Jeanette's company, and between her and Heather, they caught Sabrina up on all news concerning Becky, Timothy, and Theta before they wanted to know how Sabrina was doing in her apartment and was she safe enough?
The women were still visiting when Rylan stepped into the pulpit, but for a moment, Sabrina sat in quiet wonder and prayed. They welcomed her like an old friend, treating her with such love.
Had Sabrina but known it, Jeanette and Heather were so thankful to see her they could have wept. They had not asked her what she believed, but Jeanette had simply taken her along to church on that first Sunday. And now here, living on her own, she had still joined them for the service for the last two weeks.
Rylan had started his sermon, but all the women took time to pray and praise God for providing in such an amazing way.
Sabrina sat after the sermon ended, reading over Colossians 1:17 and trying to understand what Rylan had meant when he mentioned creation. She was still working on it when Chas Vick came up to speak with Jeanette. Their conversation did not need much time, and as soon as they were done, Jeanette introduced him to Sabrina.
"It's good to meet you," Chas
said. "Are you visiting, or have you moved to Token Creek?"
82 "I moved here a few weeks ago," Sabrina said, liking him and feeling free to share. "I work part-time for Jeanette and part-time for Jessie at the mercantile."
"Well, you're a busy lady. Between those two stops, you must see everyone in town."
"Especially at the mercantile," Jeanette added.
"It is busy," Sabrina agreed.
"Where are you living?"
"I'm in one of the apartments on Willow Street."
"One of Butch Sandgren's?"
"Yes."
"He's a character, isn't he?"
"That's one way to put it," Sabrina said dryly, thinking there was
another side to Mr. Sandgren that was not so charming.
"Listen," Chas suddenly said. "If you're free for lunch and can
stand four kids, we'd love to have you."
"Oh, thank you," Sabrina answered, not having expected this. "Let me find my wife," Chas said, and left before Sabrina could say another word.
Sabrina looked at Jeanette, who smiled at her.
"You'll like the Vicks. Miranda is wonderful, and you'll fall in love with all four children."
Sabrina could only nod, still trying to take it all in. Miranda Vick came over, and Sabrina left with them a short time later. Not for many hours did she remember she had a question about that one verse.
83
"WHEN YOU CONTINUE TO study these qualifications," Rylan said
to the men on Monday night as they met in his living room, "don't lose sight of the cross. When you see 'hospitable' in the verse, see the cross. When you read that we need to be sober and vigilant, again, remember the cross.
"It's easy to see this list as a group of things to master and check off. If we forget that the main goal is living a godly, holy life before God, then Christ's amazing work on the cross will diminish. Working at these things with the cross in mind empowers us to a greater purpose: to lead our families and the church of God to greater holiness."
Brad had a question for Rylan just then, and so did Daryl Rathman concerning why it was important for elders not to be new in the faith. They ended in prayer as they always did, and because it was early still, the conversation turned to some physical matters.
"How are you doing financially, Ry?" Trace asked. "Are you planning to stay at the livery?"