Raspberry Kisses (The Bakery Romance Series Book 1) by Cecelia Dowdy Page A

others. Before she could say anything else, he pressed his lips together, tried to calm down. Sweat rolled down the side of his face, and he took a few deep breaths. If the others knew about his past, would they vote against keeping him in the pulpit? Should he have told the entire church, including his family, about what had happened during his college years? You’ve got to help me out here, Lord. I honestly don’t know what to do.
    Tell the truth. The answer came to him, clear and strong. He needed to tell them, but, he…he just couldn’t. Not now. Instead of sharing his past, he turned toward the crowd of ladies. “A few of you have known me since I was a boy. I’ll admit that I’m not perfect—none of us are, but, I care about this church, I love Jesus, and I’m determined to share the gospel with others.” He paused, swallowing, gathering his wits. “Linda has only been in this church for a year, and she doesn’t know me. She doesn’t know my heart.”
    Linda stepped forward, facing Martin. She pressed her thin lips together, shaking. She glared, clutching her white handkerchief. “Look—”
    “No, I’m not listening to what you have to say. For some reason, you seem to have a lot of influence over the women from your home church. I have no idea why you’re using that influence in an ungodly way.” He paused, looking into the sea of faces. “I want all of you to do me a favor. Think and pray about this. Don’t just listen to what Linda says, think with your head and your heart. The few of you, who have known me a long time, think about my character, and my will to serve God.”
    Trina walked forward, standing beside him. “My brother is one of the kindest men I’ve ever known, and I’m not just saying that because we’re related. He loves serving others. Since he’s started the ministry of feeding the homeless, so many people have come to know God through his work. Martin has a good heart. Just remember that whenever anybody says negative things about him.” She turned toward Linda, her voice hardening. “Especially people who have only known him for a year.” 
    He hugged Trina. “Thanks.” He really needed some time alone with Trina so that he could properly thank her for showing her support. He took a deep breath, glanced at the crowd. He’d said all that he could for today.
    He approached the door, and opened it, gesturing for Trina to exit. She left the bakery and he exited behind her, the bell over the door tinkling as they left.
    She walked beside him on the sidewalk, silent. They neared a Starbucks. Martin opened the door, and Trina entered. He followed her inside. After he’d purchased their coffee, they sat in empty window seats.
    “Thanks for coming and showing your support.”
    She shrugged, sipping her coffee. “It was the least I could do. I knew once you found out about that meeting, you’d be coming to defend yourself.”
    He narrowed his eyes. “What’s wrong with defending myself? The Lord doesn’t want Linda spreading rumors about me. You know that I’m not a womanizer.”
    She didn’t meet his intense gaze, staring into her coffee cup. He groaned, finally figuring everything out. “You were going to come here anyway, weren’t you? You were going to come by yourself and defend me, weren’t you?”
    She finally looked up, nodding.
    “Trina, I’m a grown man, I can take care of myself.”
    She shook her head. “You don’t understand. I just thought that since I’m a woman, and Linda seems to be targeting the females in the congregation, that I’d have more influence defending you.” She paused, staring out the window for a few seconds. “Besides, you can get a bit hot-headed when you defend yourself. I didn’t want you to lose your temper when you spoke to Linda. Linda seems to anger you so easily.”
    Trina had a point. Linda didn’t have to do much to make him angry. Whenever he spotted her, he’d felt his blood pressure rise. “I prayed before I