Page 19

She knew he was trying to sound as casual as the hundreds of other times he’d asked her that question, but Katherine could feel her patience slipping away.

“Are you sure you’re not just stalling?”

“No, you just seem a little off your game tonight.”

“You wish.”

“Sometimes, wishes come true,” Peter said with a wry smile, lifting one of the black discs and letting it drop between the two sides of the yellow frame. “Connect Four, sucker!”

“Where?” she scowled.

“Here… diagonally!”

“Oh, wow!” Katherine shook her head as Pastor Peter Humble stood up and performed a shameless victory dance. “Been waiting a while to saythatone, huh?”

“You’re darn right I have!” Peter shimmied his hips, flapped his arms like a chicken, and then pretended to spike a football inside an imaginary end zone.

Smirking at his silly antics, Katherine allowed him one last moment of glory before she reached out to slide the plastic piece along the bottom of the frame and release the red and black circles.

“Not so fast, young lady. This one is going on the bookshelf in my office.”

Katherine watched as Peter lifted the Connect Four game far from her reach and set it on the shelf over the church’s kitchen sink. The same shelf she had to ask him for help when she needed something from it.

“Are you serious?”

“Heck yeah,” he said. “This defeat was way too long in the making not to display it in my office next to my other accolades.”

“I meant, are you seriously putting it up where I can’t reach it? You don’t trust me?”

When he fluttered his lashes and grinned unabashedly, it made Katherine laugh. “You’re so weird.”

Actually, Pastor Peter was an excellent man. Born and raised in Windsong, he grew up, left town to pursue a degree in theology, and met his wife, Emily. After getting married, they traveled the world as missionaries before he was offered the senior pastor’s position at Hope Community Church.

With the added prospect of finally starting a family of their own, Peter was thrilled to be back in Windsong. But Emily wasn’t.

Less than a year after returning from overseas, she went to spend time with friends in Seattle and didn’t come home.Eventually, she informed Peter that she had no intention of returning, then met with a divorce lawyer and had papers sent to him.

Months after their divorce became final, the former Mrs. Humble married a missionary doctor she now traveled the world with, raising his three boys from a previous marriage and their two girls.

“You got time for another cup of tea?” Peter asked, turning the burner on underneath the kettle.

“Sure.” Katherine stifled a yawn while his back was turned.“Why not.”

“You know, if you’re tired, we can call it a night. There’s always next Friday.”

“Who says I’ll be back? Maybe I don’t like getting beat at Connect Four.”

Peter cleared his throat and raised his hands like Charlton Heston inThe Ten Commandmentswhen he parted the Red Sea. “‘Humble thyself before the mighty hand of God—’”

“‘—that He may raise you up in due season,’” Katherine grumbled the rest of the verse.

“Ha! I knew it was just a matter of time before it would be your favorite, too.”

Katherine scoffed, “Sorry to break it to you, but that’snotmy favorite. Besides, you only like it because your first name is the book it comes from, and your last name starts the verse.”

“Young lady, are you accusing me of pride?” Peter tried to look offended but couldn’t hide his delight. He loved bantering with Katherine. Probably because if he could draw her into any kind of back-and-forth verbal sparring, he was usually able to catch her off guard and get her to talk. “By the way, whatisyour favorite verse?”

“Matthew 19:14,” Katherine blurted out before realizing what she’d done.