Bride Wanted. Renee Andrews

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      Troy folded the letter and placed it in the wooden box that held the most recent of the letters that he’d written for the past fifteen years. The thing was, his grandmother had struck a nerve today with her impromptu visit to the station. He hadn’t anticipated passing his twenty-seventh birthday and still not finding the recipient of these letters. Then again, he asked God to send her in His time, so he knew that the Lord would put the right woman in his life one day. Maybe this weekend’s date with Haley Calhoun would be the start of something that would last longer than a date or two.

      His mind flashed to Destiny Porter, the woman who’d come by the station today. Silky chocolate hair and bright blue eyes in a pretty heart-shaped face. She wasn’t overly made-up and didn’t appear fake like a lot of girls he knew. Then again, they only seemed fake when they started the bizarre flirting that Troy couldn’t stand. He wanted a woman who spoke from the heart, and he hadn’t found that yet. But this woman, Destiny Porter, had seemed undeniably real. However, she was only passing through, here for a while to write about small-town living. She had big city written all over her, from the snazzy clothes she wore to the flashy car she drove.

      No, he couldn’t see himself dating someone like that, but he had found her easy to talk to. And she’d asked about church, not merely church on Sunday but the midweek service. She was visiting from out of town and still took initiative to find a church for worship in the middle of the week.

      Troy couldn’t deny he’d been impressed on several levels. Her natural appearance, pretty but not overdone. Her interest in faith, genuine and without putting on a show. And the easy way she’d talked to him, looked at him, seemed comfortable with him.

      He glanced back at the wooden box. Those were qualities he’d described several times over the years, a woman who was real, a woman who had faith and a woman he could relate to easily. He’d met Haley at church Sunday morning, and she’d seemed right at home talking about faith and God, even if she’d had to rush out after church when she’d gotten a call about a sick calf. Luckily, he’d already asked her if she’d like to have dinner Friday before she got that call.

      He left his house and drove to the church wondering if he’d see the new vet at tonight’s service. Turning onto the parking lot, he immediately spotted Destiny’s bright red convertible parked beneath a huge magnolia. She leaned against the side of the car, a Bible tucked beneath her arm, and the setting sun highlighted her there, smiling at Troy as she held up a hand.

      She wore a pale blue sundress with a white sweater and white sandals, her brown hair pulled into a low ponytail on the side, the same way it’d been when he saw her at the station. Like earlier today, she had a natural girl-next-door quality that Troy found appealing. He found himself wondering if she had a guy back in Atlanta, then shook the thought away. She was in a different league, lived a different life than small-town Claremont, and Haley had the very same qualities, pretty and natural and real, but she lived here and admittedly loved small-town living. Troy should keep his focus on the girl he’d go out with in two nights.

      But there was no harm in helping the city girl with her story. He pulled his truck in next to her car, grabbed his Bible off the seat and climbed out. “So you found the church okay?”

      “Yes, and thanks, your directions were spot-on.” She lifted her shoulders a little as she spoke, and Troy noticed the thin line of pearls circling her slender neck. Matching tiny pearl earrings dotted each ear, and again he thought about how much he liked her simple yet elegant taste. Her look wasn’t over the top, but it was very feminine.

      “Well, I’m glad you made it here okay.”

      “I hope you don’t mind, but I kind of waited for you.” Her smile was shy, sweet, and Troy found himself returning the gesture easily.

      “You waited for me?”

      “I knew you said you were coming and, I know this sounds crazy, but I get a little nervous when I go somewhere for the first time. I guess it’s that first-day-of-school type feeling, where you don’t know anyone and are hesitant about how you’ll fit in.”

      He knew the feeling well and remembered each time he’d experienced it. “First day of school, first day on a job, first date with a girl,” he said, grinning when he thought about how many of those he’d had, “or in your case, with a guy.”

      She laughed, and he liked the way even her laughter seemed real, natural, right. “Yes, that’s it. First-day jitters. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind showing me around, maybe letting me know where the classrooms are, or does everyone meet in the auditorium on Wednesdays?”

      “We have a few different classes, the youth, singles, young marrieds, middle marrieds, new parents, those types of things.”

      She looked surprised. “Wow, that’s a lot of options.”

      “Yeah, we have quite a few, but there aren’t that many people in each group. Claremont’s a small town, you know, but the folks at church like their Wednesday night study groups to cover applicable topics.”

      “So do you go to the singles class?”

      “Nah.” He glanced around for the pale blue pickup that Haley had driven on Sunday but didn’t spot it in the parking lot.

      “Looking for someone?”

      “Yeah, but I guess she didn’t make it this evening. You ready to go in?”

      “I am.” She walked beside him toward the building. “So what class do you go to?”

      “I usually go in the auditorium for Brother Henry’s lesson with the main group. Truth is, it’s mostly all of the elderly members of the congregation.” He waited to see if she’d ask why he’d selected that group, and he wasn’t all that certain how he’d explain the choice. Because I’ve dated everyone in the singles class, and I’m not married yet, so young marrieds and middle marrieds won’t exactly fly. Somehow that answer didn’t seem best. Thankfully, she didn’t ask, so he didn’t have to worry about how to respond.

      “Could I go with you to that one then, since I’ll know someone there?”

      “Sure. Bo and Maura, the couple that you met this afternoon who own the service station, will be in the class. And the Tingles, who own the bed-and-breakfast where you’re staying, will be there, too. So you’ll actually know a few.”

      “I can feel those first-day jitters going away already.”

      He opened the door for her when they reached the top of the church steps. She passed near him, smiled and thanked him. And Troy found himself inhaling her faintly floral scent, not a strong perfume that overpowered his senses, but a pleasing fresh fragrance.

      She responded to the greeters inside the lobby, and he noticed how easily she chatted and exchanged small talk with Bryant and Anna Bowman, the older couple assigned to welcoming everyone this evening. If she did feel the first-day jitters, or like a fish out of water, in the small community church, it didn’t show. In fact, she looked very much at ease making her way through the lobby with Troy introducing her СКАЧАТЬ