mouth opened and closed twice before she could think of a safe answer. She laughed shortly to conceal her hesitation. “Grandmother Klein says it’s because I haven’t looked hard enough.”
“Or maybe you’ve been looking in all the wrong places,” Seth suggested.
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him where the right places were, but Abbie resisted the impulse. “Maybe,” she conceded, and stirred the half-eaten salad with her fork. Absently she glanced at the slim, gold watch around her wrist. Her eyes widened when she saw the time. “It’s after one. I have to get back to the office.” She laid her napkin alongside the salad plate and reached for the luncheon check the waitress had left, but Seth was quicker. Her hand ended up tangling briefly with his fingers, the contact sending a tingling shock up her arm.
“I’ll buy this time,” he insisted.
“Please,” Abbie protested. “I don’t really have time to argue. She opened her purse to take out her money, intending to leave it on the table regardless of what he said.
“You said yourself that you’re short on time,” Seth reminded her. “If you insist on paying, just put whatever you feel you owe in the collection plate this Sunday.”
“I… all right.” She gave in to his persuasion and refastened the leather flap of her purse.
“Don’t forget your father’s sandwich.” He handed her the paper sack when she started to get up without it.
“Thank you.” She gratefully took it from him. It was bad enough being late without her father having to go hungry, too.
“See you Sunday.”
The walk to her father’s office seemed longerthan it was. Abbie suspected it was because she was late and trying to hurry so she wouldn’t be later than she was already. Her father was a tolerant, easygoing man, but he was a stickler for punctuality.
When she walked in, the door to his private office was closed, but she could hear muffled conversation within. His one o’clock appointment had obviously arrived. Abbie hurried to her desk, returning her purse to the lower drawer and setting his sandwich atop her desk. She swiveled her chair to the typewriter and picked up the headset to the dictaphone. Before she had it comfortably adjusted so she could hear, his door opened.
Abbie saw his irritation as he approached her desk. “I left a file on your desk.” He picked up a folder from the IN tray.
“Here’s your sandwich.” She handed him the sack.
“I’m surprised you remembered. What kept you?”
“I had lunch with Reverend Talbot.” She knew the judge would mention it if she didn’t. Besides, keeping it a secret would only mean there was something to hide. “The time just slipped away.”
He harumphed but didn’t comment. Instead he opened the sack to peer inside. “Roast beef?”
“Yes.”
There was a relenting of his stern expression. “At least you brought back my favorite.”
Chapter Four
There were more people at church than Abbie remembered seeing in a long time, especially since it wasn’t Easter or Christmas. A lot of it, she guessed, was curiosity about the new minister. Seth made a striking figure standing at the pulpit in his robe while he conducted the services.
He was halfway through his sermon before Abbie realized he wasn’t using a microphone, yet his well-modulated voice carried his words effortlessly to the back row. He talked easily, as if he was carrying on a conversation instead of giving a sermon. His gestures were natural rather than dramatic. There were even places where the congregation laughed at a bit of humor that contained a message.
It seemed that Seth had barely begun when he finished. Abbie would have liked him to go on, and it was the first time she could ever remember wishing a sermon had been longer. She stole a glance at her parents sitting in the pew besideher. Her father was looking at his watch with a stunned expression, while her mother continued to give her rapt attention to the man
“Or maybe you’ve been looking in all the wrong places,” Seth suggested.
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him where the right places were, but Abbie resisted the impulse. “Maybe,” she conceded, and stirred the half-eaten salad with her fork. Absently she glanced at the slim, gold watch around her wrist. Her eyes widened when she saw the time. “It’s after one. I have to get back to the office.” She laid her napkin alongside the salad plate and reached for the luncheon check the waitress had left, but Seth was quicker. Her hand ended up tangling briefly with his fingers, the contact sending a tingling shock up her arm.
“I’ll buy this time,” he insisted.
“Please,” Abbie protested. “I don’t really have time to argue. She opened her purse to take out her money, intending to leave it on the table regardless of what he said.
“You said yourself that you’re short on time,” Seth reminded her. “If you insist on paying, just put whatever you feel you owe in the collection plate this Sunday.”
“I… all right.” She gave in to his persuasion and refastened the leather flap of her purse.
“Don’t forget your father’s sandwich.” He handed her the paper sack when she started to get up without it.
“Thank you.” She gratefully took it from him. It was bad enough being late without her father having to go hungry, too.
“See you Sunday.”
The walk to her father’s office seemed longerthan it was. Abbie suspected it was because she was late and trying to hurry so she wouldn’t be later than she was already. Her father was a tolerant, easygoing man, but he was a stickler for punctuality.
When she walked in, the door to his private office was closed, but she could hear muffled conversation within. His one o’clock appointment had obviously arrived. Abbie hurried to her desk, returning her purse to the lower drawer and setting his sandwich atop her desk. She swiveled her chair to the typewriter and picked up the headset to the dictaphone. Before she had it comfortably adjusted so she could hear, his door opened.
Abbie saw his irritation as he approached her desk. “I left a file on your desk.” He picked up a folder from the IN tray.
“Here’s your sandwich.” She handed him the sack.
“I’m surprised you remembered. What kept you?”
“I had lunch with Reverend Talbot.” She knew the judge would mention it if she didn’t. Besides, keeping it a secret would only mean there was something to hide. “The time just slipped away.”
He harumphed but didn’t comment. Instead he opened the sack to peer inside. “Roast beef?”
“Yes.”
There was a relenting of his stern expression. “At least you brought back my favorite.”
Chapter Four
There were more people at church than Abbie remembered seeing in a long time, especially since it wasn’t Easter or Christmas. A lot of it, she guessed, was curiosity about the new minister. Seth made a striking figure standing at the pulpit in his robe while he conducted the services.
He was halfway through his sermon before Abbie realized he wasn’t using a microphone, yet his well-modulated voice carried his words effortlessly to the back row. He talked easily, as if he was carrying on a conversation instead of giving a sermon. His gestures were natural rather than dramatic. There were even places where the congregation laughed at a bit of humor that contained a message.
It seemed that Seth had barely begun when he finished. Abbie would have liked him to go on, and it was the first time she could ever remember wishing a sermon had been longer. She stole a glance at her parents sitting in the pew besideher. Her father was looking at his watch with a stunned expression, while her mother continued to give her rapt attention to the man
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