Kate didn’t know why she felt so nervous as she stood in front of her bedroom mirror and looked over her appearance one more time. It was just a bonfire and hayride—with Jacob. What could be so nerve-racking about that? Hadn’t she performed on stage, in front of thousands of people?
Maybe it was because during those performances, she’d been pretending to be someone else. If she was rejected, it was easier to believe her character was unlikable.
She felt far more vulnerable just being Kate.
“Kate?” Maggie’s little voice echoed up the stairwell. “I’m here!”
If Maggie was here, then Jacob would be here, too.
Already, the church ladies had descended upon her home. They’d come a half hour early and spent their time playing with the boys and cleaning her house. They had instructed her to go upstairs and put on something nice.
“I’m in my room,” Kate called out to Maggie.
A moment later, the little girl appeared at her bedroom door, out of breath from racing up the stairs. She stopped short, her eyes wide. “You look so pretty.”
“Thank you.” She hadn’t wanted to overdress—nor had she wanted to underdress. She hadn’t been sure what to wear, so she had googled what to wear to a hayride and had taken Pinterest’s suggestions. She wore a pair of dark blue jeggings, tall brown boots, and a chunky cream-colored cable-knit sweater with a cowl neck. She’d put soft curls in her hair and decided to wear it down. She’d bring a stocking cap if it got cold, but for now she left it off. The weather had been so nice the past few days.
“Daddy’s waiting downstairs. He said the church ladies are going to make pizza with me tonight.” Her eyes were huge with excitement. “Homemade!”
“That sounds yummy.” Kate took a steadying breath and grabbed her purse. “I think I’m ready.”
Maggie left Kate’s door and raced down the steps and out of sight.
Slowly, Kate descended the stairs and found Jacob standing near the door, waiting for her.
Her breath caught at the sight of him and she couldn’t stop her racing heart from skipping a beat.
Today, he looked nothing like a pastor. He wore a pair of tight blue jeans with a button-down shirt under his navy-blue peacoat. His chest was broad and his arms were muscular. For the first time since she’d met him, he wasn’t clean-shaven. It lent a rustic quality to his appearance that she liked very much.
“Wow,” he said, as he moved toward her. “You look great.”
“So do you.”
He smelled great, too.
Noise from the back of the house suggested everyone was busy in the kitchen.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
“I think so.” She grabbed her jacket off the coat-tree and picked up her stocking cap and mittens. “Let me just say goodbye.”
Walking toward the kitchen gave Kate a moment to collect herself. She had seen Jacob every day that week, so why was she reacting this way tonight?
All four church ladies were crammed into Kate’s kitchen. The boys were in their high chairs, happily eating the chunks of pepperoni and cheese on their trays, and Maggie was already elbow-deep in pizza dough.
“Do you have everything you need?” Kate asked the group.
“We’re right as rain,” said Mrs. Topper with a grin, as she filled up one of the sippy cups.
“You go on and have a good time,” Mrs. Anderson said from her spot at the stove, stirring sauce. “We have everything under control here.”
“Okay.” Kate kissed each of the boys and gave Maggie a side hug, and then said, “Good night.”
“Good night,” they all called back.
“Have fun,” Mrs. Caruthers said with a smile.
Kate returned to the foyer where Jacob was waiting.
The sun was low in the clear sky when they walked out to his car. Though it was cool, it wasn’t uncomfortable and Kate realized she probably wouldn’t need her cap. The snow that had fallen earlier in the week had quickly melted, making it feel like fall again.
It took about twenty minutes to get to the farm and the whole way they enjoyed companionable conversation about the children and the church.
When they finally parked the car near one of the red outbuildings on the farm, nerves got the better of Kate again. What if Jacob’s friends didn’t like her? What if it was glaringly obvious that she didn’t fit in? Everyone she had met at church seemed so wholesome and good. Would it be easy for them to spot all her flaws?
“Is everything okay?” Jacob asked, as he turned off the engine.
She marveled that he could read her so well. “I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure? We can leave, if you’d rather not be here.”
“It’s not that.” She tried to smile. “I’m actually really happy to be here.”
“Good.” The pleasure on his face was unmistakable. “So am I.”
A large bonfire was already blazing in an open area beyond the barn, while a hay wagon waited for its passengers to board.
“Looks like they’re getting the hayride going soon,” Jacob said. “Shall we?”
They exited the car and walked across the barnyard toward the hay wagon. A beautiful white farmhouse sat off to the side and a collie ran from person to person, jumping happily. Hay bales, cornstalks and pumpkins dotted the house porch and decorated the yard.
At least two dozen people were either on the hay wagon or waiting to board. Kate recognized just a few of them from church, though she was certain many of the others must have been there, too.
“Jacob.” A pretty woman in her later twenties called out to him from the line. “Come and join me.”
Jacob hesitated and Kate looked up at his face to try to read his thoughts.
“Come on, Jacob!” she called again. “We’re about to board.”
“Do you mind joining Evelyn?” he asked Kate, his jaw a bit tense.
“Of course not.” She’d pretty much go wherever Jacob wanted, if it meant she didn’t have to face this crowd alone.
An older man sat at the front of the hay wagon in a pair of worn overalls, keeping the horses still, while another gentleman helped everyone step onto a hay bale and use it to get into the wagon bed.
“Oh, I’m so happy you’ve come,” Evelyn said to Jacob when they reached her side. She put her hand on his arm and smiled up into his face, ignoring Kate. “You never come to the singles’ events.”
Thankfully, Jacob didn’t ignore Kate like Evelyn had. “Evelyn, have you met Kate?” he asked.
Evelyn finally turned her large brown eyes to Kate, though they lacked the excitement she’d previously exhibited for Jacob. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure. Hello, Kate.”
“Kate, this is Evelyn Ramsey.” Jacob made the introductions while the two women shook hands.
“I moved to Timber Falls about the same time as our Jacob.” Evelyn put her perfectly manicured hand up to her lips. “Oops, I mean Pastor Jacob.” She giggled. “We’ve become such good friends I forget to add the pastor part onto his name.”
Kate just smiled.
Jacob didn’t respond.
“I teach third grade at the Timber Falls Elementary School,” Evelyn continued. “I keep telling Jacob if he’d get the church school built, I’d be his first applicant.” She batted her eyelashes at Jacob. “Then he’d get to see me every day.”
“We’re working on it,” Jacob said, looking beyond her, nodding hello at several other people who had noticed his arrival.
“I’ve heard the holdup has to do with Miss LeClair.” Evelyn tilted her head and looked at Kate. “Don’t you want to see progress in our little town, Miss LeClair?”
Sudden irritation made Kate’s skin itch.
“It’s not because of Kate,” Jacob said quickly. “There are several factors in play.”
Kate had thought quite a bit about the church’s request to buy her home—Tabby’s home. But she wasn’t any closer to a decision. Once it was gone, it was gone. She’d only learned about Tabby’s death one week ago—and was just feeling as if she was getting her feet under her. It was nice to have a little time away from the boys, just to clear her mind. Maybe tonight would be a good time to talk to Jacob about the house again.
“It’s your turn to get on the wagon,” Evelyn said to Kate.
Kate turned her attention to the wagon and suddenly realized how high it was. The hay bale they had put on the ground would not be sufficient enough to climb on board, and she hadn’t been watching the others to see how they had done it.
“We’re waiting patiently, Miss LeClair,” Evelyn said with a sigh.
Kate wouldn’t let Evelyn get to her—or stop her from having fun. She stepped onto the bale, shocked at how much it rocked, and reached for the wagon for support, but found Jacob’s hand instead.
He took her hand in his and nodded at the wagon with an encouraging smile. “You’ll have to climb on board. There isn’t really a graceful way to do it.”
She smiled, amazed again at how perceptive he was, and did as he instructed. She was just getting her footing in the hay when one of the horses spooked and jumped forward, causing Kate to fly into the middle of the wagon.
For a moment, she lay in the hay, facedown, stunned.
But in the next moment, a half dozen people were at her side.
“Are you okay?” Jacob asked, stepping onto the wagon and kneeling beside her.
The hay scratched her skin and stuck to her lips—and all she could think was that she wished she could burrow beneath it and disappear.
“I’m okay.” She got onto her knees, removing the musty bits of hay from her mouth.
“It’s in your hair, too.” He gently reached up and started to remove the pieces.
The others had all stopped talking and were looking at her, their eyes wide.
Kate was mortified—but she had a choice. Either laugh it off—which she was certain many of them would join her in—or run from the scene in tears. Since she had more self-control than that, she decided to laugh.
And soon the others joined in.
“I suppose I’ll never forget my first hayride,” she said as she picked pieces of hay out of her sweater.
“That’s one way to look at it.” Jacob’s eyes were shining with mirth as he offered his hand to her again and helped her stand. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Nothing hurt but my pride.”
“At least you weren’t on a stage in front of thousands of people.”
“A very small consolation.”
The wagon was loaded to capacity and the only place that could possibly fit the two of them together was at the back of the wagon. “How does that look?” he asked.
“Perfect.”
“Make room for me,” Evelyn called to Jacob, as she climbed over someone to get to him.
“Sorry,” Jacob responded. “There’s barely enough space for the two of us.” He took Kate’s hand and led her to the back of the wagon.
They took a seat, their feet hanging over the edge, and were forced to sit very close to one another.
Kate tried to move, to give him a little more space, but there was nowhere to go.
Jacob looked down at their legs, which were pressed together, and then he looked up at her. His face was close to hers and she could see the darker specks of blue in his brilliant eyes. “Do you mind?” he asked softly.
She should mind—but she didn’t—not in the least. She liked Jacob, far more than she should, and it scared her almost more than anything else in her life at the moment.
“It won’t be hard for people to believe we’re a couple,” Kate said just as softly, thankful for the noise of the others as they talked all around them. “If we stay close, I mean.”
“No.” Jacob shook his head, his eyes caressing her face in the glow of the setting sun. “I have a feeling they’re already talking. I know my secretary is.”
“Do a lot of women throw themselves at you?” Kate glanced at Evelyn, who had shimmied between two men on the other side of the wagon and was talking incessantly. “As the pastor, I mean.”
He glanced away from her, embarrassment in the set of his mouth. “More than you’d imagine. It doesn’t really bother me, though, since I was warned by one of my mentors long ago that it would happen. It’s Maggie that I get concerned about. She’s not a fan of all the unwanted attention she gets from interested parties.”
The horses went into motion with a jerk and Kate reached out on instinct for Jacob, putting her hand on his knee. He did the same, putting his arm around her shoulders to keep her on the wagon bed. But as the movement evened out, and she removed her hand from his knee, he kept his arm around her shoulders.
It was warm and comfortable, and she didn’t mind at all.
She just hoped he didn’t think she was yet one more woman throwing herself at him.
The scent of wood smoke lingered on their clothes and filled Jacob’s car as he pulled up to the curb outside Kate’s house at the end of the evening.
He and Kate sat in the car, the stars sparkling overheard, neither one anxious to get out.
Jacob turned off the engine and let the silence linger for a bit. “I had a lot of fun tonight, Kate. More fun than I’ve had in a long time. Thanks for being willing to sing at the campfire tonight.”
“It was my pleasure.”
Evelyn had made a big show of singling Kate out, asking her to sing. Kate had tried to refuse, but Evelyn was insistent. Jacob had been suspicious that Evelyn was trying to embarrass Kate, but like usual, Kate had been gracious. She had finally sung for everyone, her cheeks a bit pink, and had been humble as the crowd clapped and cheered for her at the end.
Evelyn had not looked happy at their praise and quickly turned the attention away from Kate.
“I had a lot of fun, too.” She faced him and he could just make out the form of her in the darkness. “Thank you for taking me. I’ve always wanted to go on a hayride, even if it did start out a little rocky.”
“You’re welcome.” He grinned, thinking about how well she had handled the incident at the beginning of the evening when the horses had spooked and she’d ended up facedown in the hay. Her elegance and poise had shown through at that moment, too, and she had laughed off the embarrassment, allowing everyone else to laugh with her. It took a special kind of woman to put everyone at ease when she was probably mortified. He was quickly learning Kate LeClair was one-of-a-kind.
His smile dimmed and his heart suddenly started to race when he thought about the question he’d wanted to ask her all evening. “I’ve been wondering about Thanksgiving, which is less than a week away now.” He fought the urge to rush through his question to just get it over with. Instead, he spoke gently and evenly, surprising himself with how calm he sounded. “I was wondering if you and the boys would like to join us for our Thanksgiving celebration.”
She was silent for a moment. “You want to spend your holiday with us?”
Why did she sound so surprised?
“Isn’t Thanksgiving for family?” she asked.
“Thanksgiving is for family and friends.” He wished they were still sitting close together on the wagon. “It’s a time for people to give thanks for their many blessings—and that’s exactly what you’ve become to Maggie and me. A blessing. We couldn’t imagine celebrating any other way.”
She looked down at her hands and he wished he could see her eyes better. They were so easy to read. Had he upset her?
“My parents will be coming from Iowa to spend the whole weekend with us.” Jacob waited patiently for her to look back at him. “We’d love it if you could come, too.”
“Your parents?”
“I’m their only child—and Maggie’s their only grandchild. They come as often as they can.”
She was quiet for a moment. “I’m honored that you would invite us.” She paused. “But are you sure we wouldn’t be an imposition? I’d hate to think you’re inviting me out of pity or obligation.”
Jacob almost laughed. Pity was the last thing he thought about where Kate was concerned. “There couldn’t be anything further from my mind.” Or heart, he wanted to add. “Maggie and I care very much for you and the boys. We want you to come—and I’d like you to meet my parents.”
Again, she was quiet, and he was afraid he’d said too much.
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”
He frowned, wishing she would open up with him. What hurts did she hold inside? “Why not?”
Kate looked out the window toward her house and shook her head. It took her a moment to answer him. “I haven’t had a normal Thanksgiving since I was eighteen—right before I ran away from home—and even then, it’s wasn’t a pleasant holiday.”
She had never hinted at her past before, and he sensed that she didn’t share it often. The knowledge that she’d trust him with part of it was an honor. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” She turned back to look at him. “Jacob, you’ve been so kind to me this past week. I don’t know where I would be right now without all you’ve done. But I don’t belong here. You’re all so good—”
“Kate, we’re not as good as you think we are.” His past mistakes returned to the forefront of his mind with a vengeance. “All of us are sinners saved by God’s grace. There is not one of us who are faultless. That’s why Jesus came—not for the saint, but for the sinner.” He was preaching to himself, just as much as he was to her. “Jesus doesn’t expect perfection—and neither do I. I’d be a hypocrite if I did.” He hoped he could speak to her heart. “If I required those who came to my home and my church to be faultless, I’d be alone. Worse, I wouldn’t be welcome there, either. Maggie and I would love it if you and the boys would join us for Thanksgiving—not because you’re perfect, but because you’re you—and we like you exactly as you are.”
She took a deep breath and let it out on a gentle exhale. “Well, if you put it that way.” She laughed softly. “I’d love to come.”
He couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face. “Great. My parents will love to meet you.”
“Please tell me what I can bring.”
“Nothing—just those boys.”
“I want to bring something.”
He could tell it was important to her to contribute, so he nodded. “I’ll ask my mom, who usually cooks the meal, and let you know.”
“Thank you.” She looked toward the house and reached for the door handle. “I should probably get inside.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you another question.” He hadn’t been brave enough to ask her about the Christmas program, in case she said no, but he was running out of time.
“Yes?”
“Mrs. Meacham has been in charge of the Christmas program at the church for as long as anyone remembers, but she’s unable to do it this year.” He swallowed the nerves in his throat. “I know you’ve only been to church once and you’ve got a lot going on, but I was wondering if you would—”
“Yes.”
He stumbled to a stop. “Yes?”
“If you’re wondering if I’ll organize and lead the Christmas program, then the answer is yes—as long as you don’t need a perfect person for that job, either.”
Relief washed over him. “We’ll take you as you are—but only if you’re sure.”
“Jacob, there’s no possible way I could ever repay you or the church for everything you’ve done for me.” She reached out and put her hand over his. “I’d be honored to give back this way.”
Her hand was warm and soft on his and he had to fight the urge to capture it.
“We’ll have volunteers to help watch the boys,” he said, trying not to be distracted by her hand. “And I’m sure Mrs. Meacham could call you and let you know what she’s done in the past—but you’d be free to do whatever you’d like.”
She removed her hand from his. “I’ll start working on it right away.” She reached for the handle again. “But I should really get inside and relieve Mrs. Caruthers and the other ladies.”
“Thank you,” he said.
She smiled. “Would you like Maggie to spend the night? I have a feeling she’s already asleep.”
“Do you mind?”
Kate shook her head. “Never.”
She started to open the door, but Jacob stopped her. “Let me,” he said.
He jumped out of the driver’s side and jogged around the back of the car to open her door.
“Thank you,” she said softly, as she stood and faced him. “I’ll call you in the morning to let you know when Maggie’s ready to come home.”
Without warning, she stood on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on Jacob’s cheek.
“Good night,” she whispered and then turned and walked to the house.
Jacob was speechless as he stood near the passenger door, his face on fire where she’d kissed him. The kiss had been so innocent, and so pure, that it had startled him.
Slowly, he closed the door and walked over to the driver’s side where he got into the car and sat for a moment.
In just one week, Kate LeClair had slipped into his life as effortlessly as the shifting seasons—yet, he sensed that when she left, as he was certain she would, the transition would not be as smooth or as pleasant. That thought alone sobered his reaction to her kiss.