High Plains Hearts Read Online Free PDF Page B

palm. “I mean, I almost don’t dare to hope, and, let’s face it, I’m out of practice with all this. But I do like him.”
    The minister pried her tensed fingers apart. “Just take it easy, Tess. Let God guide you through this. I’ll be praying for you.”
    “I also wonder if he’s a Christian,” she said softly. “It does matter, you know.”
    He patted her hands. “You were born into the faith, my dear, and it’s always been part of you, like your red hair and your blue eyes. But even if I didn’t know your religious background, I’d have to say I’d be more surprised if I learned that you weren’t a Christian than that you were.”
    “I don’t follow.”
    “I can’t say for sure, but I have that feeling about Jake. He’s a good man, Tess, at least from what I saw of him last night. Certainly there are consummate actors who can fool you into thinking they’re saints when the only view of heaven they’ve seen is a perfume ad. But I don’t sense that about this young man. I think he’s all right.”
    His assessment tallied with hers, she had to admit. Jake did seem ethical, so why was she looking for something to be wrong with him?
    “Just let God lead you,” the pastor advised. “And let this relationship develop without complicating it early on. Have faith in God’s wisdom.”
    There was that word again. “Faith.”
    “You’re still young,” Reverend Barnes continued. “You need to get out, have fun, go to dinner. And, speaking of dinner, I’d better be going. Mrs. Barnes is making her famous stuffed pork chops.”
    Tess smiled. “World famous, I’d say. She’s going to have to give me that recipe.”
    He shook his head as he pulled up the collar of his overcoat. “Not a chance. That recipe ranks right up there with the CIA’s most-secret secret. About the other matter”—he grinned widely—“I’ll check back with you later. Meanwhile, try to relax and have a good time. If you get the chance to share your faith, do it, but don’t push it too hard too fast.”
    He winked at her. “Your grandparents raised you to be a good Christian girl, and your faith shows through you like a beacon. That alone does more to move a seeking soul than a year of my sermons. Why, I’ll bet that right now your faith is having a nice visit with that young man, Jake What’s-His-Name.”
    She stared after him, her mouth agape. How did he do that? She looked at the empty spot where Faith had stood. Nice visit, indeed. Sometimes that man was downright spooky.
    The phone rang, interrupting her contemplations. She picked it up and held it to her ear, still absorbed in the minister’s words.
    “Hello? Hello?” A disembodied voice floated from the telephone receiver. “Tess?”
    “Angel’s Roost,” she answered, snapping back to reality. “May I help you?”
    “Tess, this is Jake.” The connection spit and crackled. “Sorry. This car phone is giving me all sorts of problems. Anyway, I wanted to know if you had plans for tonight.”
    “No, no.” The minister’s words revisited her:
“Have fun—go to dinner.” Easy for him to say
, she thought. “No, I don’t have any plans.”
    “How’d you like to go to dinner tonight?” Jake asked. “Tess? Tess?”
    How did that man do it?

Chapter 4
    T ess pawed through her closet one more time. Well, there was nothing to be done at this stage: She’d wear her green silk. She slipped into it and preened at her reflection in the hall mirror. She had to admit it. No matter that the dress was four years old; it did look good on her.
    She told herself she was cool, calm, and collected. She pulled back her shoulders, tilted her chin upward, and tried for a haughty look, like a lady of society.
    A furry shadow moved into the mirrored image, sniffed Tess’s ankles, and twitched her tail crossly, as if angry that her owner would be leaving her alone on a cold winter night.
    “Don’t worry, sweetie. I’ll only be gone awhile,” Tess crooned, smoothing