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hair that was clinging to her cheek. “I can’t possibly get everything done by tomorrow.”
    “My new preacher’s looking for work.”
    Ella looked toward Margaret. “What?”
    “Brother Calvin,” she said. “He just come to town to take over the pulpit. But our congregation can’t pay him nothing. He’s sleeping on a member’s porch, and they’s feeding him, but he’s wanting to earn some money so he can get a place of his own and move his wife here. She’s down in South Texas with her folks, and he’s missing her something awful. For a little bit of nothing he’d do them chores for you, Miz Barron. You ought not to be doing all that heavy lifting anyhow, and my back’s hurting just thinking about hauling that mattress down them stairs and back up again. Why’n’t you let me fetch Brother Calvin?”
    Ella glanced at Mr. Rainwater, who was following this conversation with interest. He said, “I’d be willing to pay Brother Calvin’s fee.”
    Margaret smiled as though the matter had been settled. She headed toward the hallway, where the telephone was. “I’ll call over to the store right now.” To Mr. Rainwater she said, “Randall’s Dry Goods and Grocery is where my boy, Jimmy, works. While he’s on a delivery, he can run right over to where the preacher’s stayin’ and tell him to get hisself over here.”
    When Margaret was out of earshot, Mr. Rainwater said to Ella, “I hope that’s all right with you.”
    It wasn’t. This was her house. All decisions regarding it were hers to make. But it seemed that nothing was normal this morning. Everything was out of whack. She was being swept along by an unusual series of events. In fact she felt overtaken by them, and that sense of floundering alarmed her. Routine wasn’t just a preference, it was a necessity.
    But in the grand scheme of things, retaining the services of Brother Calvin was a small matter, and she would look peevish to object to so workable a plan, especially since Mr. Rainwater had offered to pay for the man’s services.
    However, she wasn’t quite ready to concede. “I would prefer to do the work myself, Mr. Rainwater.”
    “Because your standards are so high.”
    “I’m not afraid of hard work.”
    “No one would doubt that.”
    “But since time is a factor …”
    She hadn’t intended to mention his limited time. She let the sentence dwindle without finishing it. Embarrassment made her face feel even hotter than it already did.
    He said, “This is a good plan. It will save you a lot of labor. It will spare Margaret’s back. And it will hasten Brother Calvin’s reunion with his wife.”
    Again, she noticed the gleam of amusement in his eyes, and she thought that, if she smiled, he would also. But she didn’t, so neither did he. “And it accommodates you,” she pointed out.
    “It does, yes.”
    She sighed defeat. “All right. But if you would give me through tomorrow morning, I would appreciate it.”
    “How about four o’clock tomorrow afternoon?”
    “Four? Yes, good. By then I’ll have the room ready.”
    “I’ll be sure to come with cash in hand. To cover Brother Calvin’s charges and the first week’s rent.”
    He grinned, but she didn’t return it. Instead, she motioned him toward the hall, indicating that their business was concluded.
    “I can go out the back way.”
    Nodding, she walked him to the screened back door. As he went down the steps, he put on his hat. At the bottom of the steps, he turned back and doffed the brim. “Mrs. Barron.”
    “Mr. Rainwater. I hope you’ll be comfortable here.”
    She had other duties to attend to, the first of which was to see that Solly ate his lunch. But for some reason, she didn’t turn away. She maintained eye contact with the man who would share her address for the last weeks of his life. Did her pity show? she wondered. It must have.
    He said, “He told you, didn’t he? Murdy told you about me.”
    Being coy wasn’t in Ella’s nature. Besides, she