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Chapters (53)
  1. Cover
  2. Everyone loves the ladies of Covington!
  3. Also by Joan Medlicott
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright
  6. Dedication
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
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  42. 35
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  45. 38
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  48. 41
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  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. Discussion Questions

“Thank you, Hannah. I will do as you say.”

28

Denny Ledbetter

After church on Sunday, Ida McCorkle dawdled while June waited impatiently by her car. When the last hand had been shaken and the last parishioner walked away from the church, Ida approached Pastor Denny. She leaned close and whispered, “Pastor, I gotta talk with you.”

Ida’s simple cotton dress with its white collar, her tan straw hat tipped ever so slightly to one side, and the manner in which she clasped her simple brown faux leather purse with both hands reminded him of a woman in a Norman Rockwell calendar tacked to his kitchen wall.

“Are you free tomorrow?” he whispered back, wondering why they were whispering.

Ida nodded. “Eleven in the morning?”

He nodded, attempting to appear casual rather than conspiratorial, which is how he felt with June standing by her car, tapping her foot, one hand on her hip and staring at them.

“Mama, will you please hurry up?” A faint smile crossed her lips. “Sorry, Pastor Denny. Eddy’s waiting on us for lunch.”

“I’m coming, June. I’m coming.” Clutching her hat against a sudden brisk wind, Ida hurried toward her daughter.

“What were you and the pastor talking about?” June asked as they drove home.

“I was telling him how much I liked his sermon.”

“That sermon about Job? I was bored out of my mind. I’ve had enough of those old Bible tales. I like it when he talks about what’s going on in the world and refers it to Jesus’ teachings.” She checked her watch. “Lord, we’re late. I stuck that pork roast in the oven before we left and told Eddy to take it out at noon. I hope it isn’t dry as cardboard.”

“It’ll be fine. You’re a right good cook,” Ida said, hoping to mollify her daughter. She wanted to ask about May. May had been on her mind of late, and she missed her. She’d about decided the time had come to make it up with her daughter. But May was living with Lil, and from the day she’d met her sister-in-law those many years ago, something hadn’t sat right between them. She had never trusted Lil, though she couldn’t rightly say why. Their babies were born the same year. They’d cooked for and cleaned up after family picnics, and one fall she and Lil spent the good part of a week weeding the family cemetery, getting it ready for the annual family gathering.

Fact was, Lil hadn’t never done her nothing. Still, there was something about Lil, the way she kept her nose in the air, like she was better than anyone else. Ida had never told anyone how she felt about Lil, but she sure didn’t want to feel beholden to her just ’cause she took May in to live with her.

“How’s May doing?” Ida asked.