A Baby For The Minister. Laurel Blount

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      Jacob’s heart sank to his toes, along with his general opinion of humanity. “That’s Rufus. What’s he doing here?”

      “What’s a Rufus?”

      “The most troublesome billy goat in four counties.” Jacob shook his head. “No telling who stuck Adam with him. That animal’s been passed around more than the common cold. Nobody keeps him for long.”

      Natalie leaned forward in her seat, peering through the window. “The poor thing. He doesn’t look mean.”

      “He’s not. He’s just...irritating. And there’s not a fence made that can hold him.”

      He heard a click and turned to see that Natalie had shrugged off his coat and was unsnapping her seat belt.

      “Whoa.” Without thinking, he leaned over and caught her hand as she reached for the door lever. It felt small and chilly in his. “What are you doing?”

      She stared at him. “I’m going to look around.”

      Jacob hesitated, but she seemed pretty determined. “All right. But wait there. I’ll come around and walk with you. There’s junk all over this yard, and you don’t want to fall.”

      She already had her door open, but she stopped, looking surprised. “Oh! Okay. Thank you.”

      He came around and helped her out of the truck. “Take my arm.” Without waiting for her answer, he took her right hand in his and placed his other arm around her waist. In spite of her pregnancy, she felt as fragile as a bird. They walked slowly toward the house, the hem of her light dress fluttering in the fitful breeze.

      When they reached the porch, he halted. “These steps look pretty rickety.” He tested the bottom one. It groaned but didn’t break.

      “They seem fine.” She started to move forward, but he stopped her gently.

      “Let me go first.” He definitely didn’t need a pregnant lady crashing through some rotten board. He edged in front of her, bouncing on the remaining steps before allowing Natalie to put her weight on them. The old boards protested, but they held together.

      As he led her through the leaves toward the front door, he heard a quiet sniffle. He glanced back to catch Natalie swiping a tear off her cheek.

      He’d been expecting this ever since he’d told her about Adam.

      “Are you okay?” He regretted his choice of words the minute they were out of his mouth. Stupid question. Of course she wasn’t okay.

      She shook her head and managed a wobbly smile. “Don’t pay any attention to me. I’m fine. Really. It’s just...”

      As he watched her struggle for words, his heart swelled with sympathy. First the wedding disappointment and now this disaster of a house. He waited, praying for the ability to help her cope with whatever feelings she managed to get out. “It’s okay, Natalie. Go ahead and say whatever you need to say. Yell if you want to. After the day you’ve had, I wouldn’t blame you a bit.”

      “No, it’s not that.” She sputtered a teary little laugh and dabbed at her eyes again. “It’s just...you’re being so nice to me, holding my arm and walking me up on the porch and all. Don’t mind me. I cry about all sorts of stupid stuff these days. Hormones, I guess.” She gave him a trembling smile. “Wait just a minute. I put the house key in my purse.”

      Jacob didn’t smile back. He stood silently on the sagging porch, watching the wind tease strands of Natalie’s hair loose as she searched for the key.

      He was usually pretty quick with words, but right now, he couldn’t think of a single thing to say. After all Natalie had been through today, that was what finally made her cry? The fact that he wouldn’t let a pregnant woman walk on a half-rotten porch without checking it first?

      What kind of life had this woman led?

      I don’t have much family. When Natalie had made that quiet admission back at the church, he’d felt a surge of compassion so strong that it had surprised him. He’d always been a sucker for people in trouble, but he hadn’t wanted to help somebody this badly in a long, long time.

      He didn’t have much family either, and he knew firsthand how tough that could be. But, of course, loneliness wasn’t the only thing he and Natalie Davis had in common.

      Not by a long shot.

      The instant he’d caught sight of Natalie’s pregnant profile, he’d known. None of this was accidental. It couldn’t be. Of all the ministers in the surrounding area, as far as he knew, he was the only one who knew firsthand what it was like to struggle with an out-of-wedlock pregnancy.

      This situation had God’s fingerprints all over it.

      The mistakes Jacob had made before he’d become a Christian still broke his heart, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about them. But he could certainly do something about this.

      “I’m going to help you.” He didn’t realize he’d spoken aloud until she answered him.

      “Well, okay. Thanks.” She handed him a long metal key. “It looks really old. I hope it works.”

      She thought he meant help with the antique lock. He accepted the key automatically and turned to the door, glad to have something to do until he could think straight again.

      The lock was tarnished and flecked with decades of old paint, but the key turned easily enough. He pushed the door open, and a puff of musty air brushed their faces.

      The door opened into a small rectangular living room. Dust flurried in the weak sunlight coming through the generous windows, and furry gray cobwebs dangled from the bead board ceiling.

      The room looked like it had been furnished by somebody’s maiden aunt. There was a beige camelback sofa and two drab olive armchairs, all sporting fussy lace circlets on their arms and backs. A couple of spindly legged tables laden with dusty knickknacks were angled in the corners.

      “Oh my,” Natalie breathed beside him, poking her head in to get a better view. He glanced down and was surprised by the rapt expression on her face. He’d expected a wrinkled nose, but she didn’t seem put off at all.

      He frowned and took a second look at the room. Maybe it did have a certain appeal to it.

      If you didn’t have a dust allergy.

      Natalie edged past him into the house and touched one of the lace doilies with a gentle finger. “It’s like stepping back in time, isn’t it?” She opened a nearby door and disappeared into the adjoining room.

      “Watch your step, now.” Jacob warned as he followed her. He hoped the rest of this place was sturdier than that porch.

      The house was tiny, so their tour didn’t take long. They passed through two small bedrooms furnished with iron beds and discovered a bathroom complete with a stained claw-foot tub. When Natalie paused to twist a faucet on the pedestal sink, a stream of clear water ran into the grubby basin. She glanced up at him, smiling.

      “This СКАЧАТЬ