Homecoming at Hickory Ridge. Dana Corbit

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СКАЧАТЬ laughter escaped the gymnasium as Andrew pulled open the heavy metal door that separated the Family Life Center from the rest of the church. The aroma of garlic and oregano wafted along with the sounds.

      Inside, a dozen long tables were lined with folding chairs to await the dinner crowd. Along the gymnasium’s far wall, about thirty adults and children were in line, heading for the main serving counter with its roll-up metal window. At another table to the side, guests who already had plates of spaghetti or lasagna were serving themselves bread sticks and bowls of fresh salad.

      “Hey, there’s some food left,” Andrew said.

      As soon as he stepped in line behind a preteen girl with a mass of dark, curly hair, he gave the girl’s ponytail a playful yank.

      She turned around, a frown scrunching her cute face until she recognized the culprit. “Daddy Andrew!”

      She flung herself into his arms. When he set her on the ground again, Andrew turned her to face his guest. “Kyle, this is my stepdaughter, Tessa.” He gestured with his hand. “Tessa, meet Mr. Lancaster.”

      “Hi.” She smiled shyly and turned back to her friends.

      As they reached the front of the line, Kyle asked for a slice of lasagna and then made his way to the salad table. Only instead of a vat of iceberg lettuce and a pump container of French dressing like he was used to, he approached a spread with carrot shavings, cucumber slices, boiled eggs, croutons and sunflower seeds. Quantity and choices. There were even several dressings. He grabbed a second plate and started to build a salad, resisting the temptation to make a pig of himself.

      “Excuse me, please. Coming through,” a feminine voice called from behind him.

      Kyle turned to see a blond pregnant woman holding a tray of fresh fruit. He set down his plates and lifted the tray for her, setting it on an empty spot near the end.

      “Thanks.” The woman grinned at him and then turned to look over her shoulder. “Is that the last of it, Julia?”

      “I think so,” answered a female voice as its owner pushed through the swinging kitchen door carrying a tray of brownies and cookies.

      Kyle’s breath caught as a raven-haired woman with a porcelain face like Snow White and Catherine Zeta-Jones combined came into view. No, neither the cartoon reference nor the Hollywood one did justice to that kind of perfection. Julia wore a low ponytail that fell in a silken stream to the middle of her back.

      She glanced up at Kyle as she set her tray on the table, and her deep brown eyes widened, exaggerating their almond shape. For a moment Kyle thought he saw recognition in her eyes before her lush lashes swept down and she averted her gaze.

      At the sound of Andrew coughing into his hand, Kyle started. Snap out of it, Lancaster. He was acting as if he’d never seen a beautiful woman before. Well, not up close in a long time, but still…

      Andrew began introductions, but he indicated the blonde first. “Kyle, this is Hannah McBride. You already know her father, Reverend Bob Woods.”

      He set his plate on the edge of the table again so he could shake her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

      Hannah indicated the brunette with a tilt of her head. “This is my friend, Julia Sims.”

      He smiled at Julia, balancing on the tightrope between looking and staring. She was attractive but not as perfect as he’d first thought. She wasn’t particularly tall—no more than five foot four—and her curves were more generous than fashion-magazine wisdom demanded. He would have searched for additional flaws, but she smiled and he forgot why he was looking so hard.

      “Julia, this is Kyle—” Hannah paused, waiting for him to fill in the blank.

      “Lancaster,” he supplied.

      He hated that Julia’s eyebrow lifted at the mention of his name. He hated even more that her reaction bothered him. Of course, his reputation had preceded him.

      “Lancaster?” Julia asked. “Are you any relation to Brett Lancaster?”

      “Brother.”

      “I thought you looked familiar.”

      So that was it. She’d only noticed a family resemblance when she’d looked at him. Maybe the whole church didn’t know about his prison record, after all.

      “You two do look a little alike,” Andrew said. “Except for Brett’s short hair.”

      “You know cops.” Kyle shrugged, figuring his hair was plenty short enough. On reflex, his hand went to his neck. His hair barely covered it now, though a week ago it had been long enough to tie with a band.

      Julia smiled again, an expression that lit up her whole face. “You must be such a proud uncle since Brett married Tricia and got an instant family. Brett is such a proud daddy.”

      Kyle tried to smile back and hoped he succeeded. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

      “I didn’t know Brett had a brother,” Hannah said, tilting her head to the side and squinting as if trying to recall. “But I’ve met your sister, Jenny.”

      “She works in the hospital obstetrics ward with my sister,” Julia added.

      He had little time to ruminate on how everyone he’d met in Milford seemed to know everyone else, before Hannah posed the question Kyle would like to have asked himself.

      “If you’re visiting tonight, why isn’t your brother here to show you around?”

      Maybe for the same reason Brett hadn’t even been by to see him since Kyle had moved into his downtown apartment over the weekend.

      “Oh, I invited him,” Andrew answered, covering the lingering pause. “Kyle’s going to be working with our new prison ministry and helping out with plans for the Homecoming celebration. We want to familiarize him with some of the other church programs.”

      “The celebration’s going to be great,” Julia told him, excitement clear in her voice. “It’s like a big family reunion for anyone who ever attended our church. We scheduled it on the same weekend as the Milford Memories festival—the second weekend in August. That way, former members can make a vacation out of their visit.”

      One of those cat-just-made-a-snack-of-the-canary smiles appeared on Hannah’s face before she spoke again. “Andrew, have you told Kyle about all the church programs? What about our singles’ program?” She turned to Kyle. “It’s called Christian Singles United. Julia’s a member. You should ask her about it.”

      Sure, Andrew had mentioned it, and Kyle had been quick to nix the idea. Still, though Hannah’s approach had been about as subtle as a two-by-four to the head, Kyle couldn’t resist sneaking a peek at Julia.

      She rolled her eyes and frowned.

      “Julia teaches first grade at Johnson Elementary,” Hannah continued. “She’s a great teacher and a great catch.”

      “Gee, thanks, Hannah.” Julia shook her head, looking embarrassed.

      “No problem. Now, Andrew and I are going to see if anyone needs help СКАЧАТЬ