“You might consider coming with her,” Jake commented. “We welcome new members in our congregation.”

“Me, in a church?” She burst out laughing, until she saw the two bland faces watching her. She sounded defensive when she added, “I don’t go to church. I don’t believe in all that stuff.”

Jake raised an eyebrow. He smiled to himself, as if at some private joke. “At some point in your life, I assure you, your beliefs may change.”

“Unlikely,” she said stiffly.

He sighed. “As you wish. Then you won’t mind if my daughter, Carlie, comes by to pick Michelle up for services on Sunday, I take it?”

Roberta ground her teeth together. Obviously the minister knew that since Michelle couldn’t drive, Roberta had been refusing to get up and drive her to church. She almost refused. Then she realized that it would mean she could have Bert over without having to watch for her stepdaughter every second. She pursed her lips. “Of course not,” she assured him. “I don’t mind at all.”

“Wonderful. I’ll have Carlie fetch you in time for Sunday school each week and bring you home after church, Michelle. Will that work for you?”

Michelle’s sad face lit up. Her gray eyes were large and beautiful. She had pale blond hair and a flawless, lovely complexion. She was as fair as Roberta was dark. Jake got to his feet. He smiled down at Michelle.

“Thanks, Reverend Blair,” she said in her soft, husky voice, and smiled at him with genuine affection.

“You’re quite welcome.”

She walked him out. Roberta didn’t offer.

He turned at the steps and lowered his voice. “If you ever need help, you know where we are,” he said, and he wasn’t smiling.

She sighed. “It’s just until graduation. Only a few more months,” she said quietly. “I’ll work hard to get a scholarship so I can go to college. I have one picked out in San Antonio.”

He cocked his head. “What do you want to do?”

Her face brightened. “I want to write. I want to be a reporter.”

He laughed. “Not much money in that, you know. Of course, you could go and talk to Minette Carson. She runs the local newspaper.”

She flushed. “Yes, sir,” she said politely, “I already did. She was the one who recommended that I go to college and major in journalism. She said working for a magazine, even a digital one, was the way to go. She’s very kind.”

“She is. And so is her husband,” he added, referring to Jacobs County sheriff Hayes Carson.

“I don’t really know him. Except he brought his iguana to school a few years ago. That was really fascinating.” She laughed.

Jake just nodded. “Well, I’ll get back. Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will. Thank you.”