The Pastor's Wife Read Online Free PDF
Author: Jennifer Allee
stake as you do.”
“Is that so? How do you figure?”
Nick crossed his arms, shifting his weight to the back of one foot. “Well, if you don’t get that theatre in shape, we won’t be able to have the church program there. And if that doesn’t happen, the church won’t get the donation. So it's in my best interest to see you have all the background information you need.”
Her spirits sank just a little as she realized he was right. She might as well face facts. No matter how hard she tried to avoid it, the two of them were stuck with each other for six months.
“Okay, you win.”
For such a practical man, sometimes Nick was way too impulsive, like offering to drive Maura around. If he had thought it through, he would have realized it was a big mistake. The more time they spent alone together and the more interaction they had, the harder it would be to keep his feelings bottled up. He was leaving himself wide open for more pain.
As they drove down Main Street, he pointed out new businesses, some brand new and others that had taken the place of closed establishments. The first time the two of them had driven down this road, they’d been a happily married couple, exploring their new hometown. Nick had been so excited about the prospect of coming on as an associate and being mentored by Pastor Wesson that everything seemed quaint and full of potential. Maura, on the other hand, kept expressing wonder at the smallness of the town. When she had asked where the Starbuck's was, he should have realized everything wasn’t going to be as perfect as he expected.
“What's that?”
Maura pointed at one of the shops across the street. Its bold blue and yellow sign proclaimed The Dot Spot, making it stand out sandwiched between Mabel's Beauty Emporium and The Wee One's Shoe Shack.
“That's your first surprise. Believe it or not, The Dot Spot is Granger's first Internet café.”
“You’re joking.” Her head whipped around for another look. “I thought for sure it was a dry cleaner or something.”
“Nope, it's an honest to goodness designer-coffee-and-internet-hookup spot.”
“I’ll bet the boys at the phone company had a great time wiring that up.”
Nick shook his head. “They don’t have any dial-up connections.”
Maura hesitated. “You mean …”
“Yep, it's all high speed and Wi-Fi,” Nick finished for her. “Technology has come to Granger.”
He glanced over at Maura, who stared out the front window. She had never liked living in Granger. Nick knew the town felt too small and backward to her. She’d said it hadn’t changed in a hundred years and wouldn’t change in another hundred. How must she feel now to discover she’d been wrong?
They kept driving, and he pointed out other progressive improvements. She simply nodded and muttered the occasional, “Hmm.”
When they neared the edge of the commercial district, he pointed off to the right. “You already know what's in that direction. That's the older residential section of Granger. It's pretty much the same as when you were here.”
“The older section?” she asked. “You mean there's a newer one?”
“Oh, yeah. Boy, are you in for a surprise.”
He took a left, went around a corner, and they were immediately greeted by a beautiful tree-lined street full of newer homes. Nick visited members of his congregation in this area regularly, but the sight of all this new growth occasionally still took him by surprise. He could only imagine how Maura must feel.
Beside him, she swung her head from side to side, trying to take in all the houses with their neatly manicured lawns and paved driveways. “When did all this happen?”
“The construction started about three years ago, and phase two was completed about six months ago, so—”
“ Phase two? How many phases are there?”
Nick held back a grin. “Right now the Granger Commission for Urban Growth has given the go-ahead for phase three, but—”
“Urban growth?
“Is that so? How do you figure?”
Nick crossed his arms, shifting his weight to the back of one foot. “Well, if you don’t get that theatre in shape, we won’t be able to have the church program there. And if that doesn’t happen, the church won’t get the donation. So it's in my best interest to see you have all the background information you need.”
Her spirits sank just a little as she realized he was right. She might as well face facts. No matter how hard she tried to avoid it, the two of them were stuck with each other for six months.
“Okay, you win.”
For such a practical man, sometimes Nick was way too impulsive, like offering to drive Maura around. If he had thought it through, he would have realized it was a big mistake. The more time they spent alone together and the more interaction they had, the harder it would be to keep his feelings bottled up. He was leaving himself wide open for more pain.
As they drove down Main Street, he pointed out new businesses, some brand new and others that had taken the place of closed establishments. The first time the two of them had driven down this road, they’d been a happily married couple, exploring their new hometown. Nick had been so excited about the prospect of coming on as an associate and being mentored by Pastor Wesson that everything seemed quaint and full of potential. Maura, on the other hand, kept expressing wonder at the smallness of the town. When she had asked where the Starbuck's was, he should have realized everything wasn’t going to be as perfect as he expected.
“What's that?”
Maura pointed at one of the shops across the street. Its bold blue and yellow sign proclaimed The Dot Spot, making it stand out sandwiched between Mabel's Beauty Emporium and The Wee One's Shoe Shack.
“That's your first surprise. Believe it or not, The Dot Spot is Granger's first Internet café.”
“You’re joking.” Her head whipped around for another look. “I thought for sure it was a dry cleaner or something.”
“Nope, it's an honest to goodness designer-coffee-and-internet-hookup spot.”
“I’ll bet the boys at the phone company had a great time wiring that up.”
Nick shook his head. “They don’t have any dial-up connections.”
Maura hesitated. “You mean …”
“Yep, it's all high speed and Wi-Fi,” Nick finished for her. “Technology has come to Granger.”
He glanced over at Maura, who stared out the front window. She had never liked living in Granger. Nick knew the town felt too small and backward to her. She’d said it hadn’t changed in a hundred years and wouldn’t change in another hundred. How must she feel now to discover she’d been wrong?
They kept driving, and he pointed out other progressive improvements. She simply nodded and muttered the occasional, “Hmm.”
When they neared the edge of the commercial district, he pointed off to the right. “You already know what's in that direction. That's the older residential section of Granger. It's pretty much the same as when you were here.”
“The older section?” she asked. “You mean there's a newer one?”
“Oh, yeah. Boy, are you in for a surprise.”
He took a left, went around a corner, and they were immediately greeted by a beautiful tree-lined street full of newer homes. Nick visited members of his congregation in this area regularly, but the sight of all this new growth occasionally still took him by surprise. He could only imagine how Maura must feel.
Beside him, she swung her head from side to side, trying to take in all the houses with their neatly manicured lawns and paved driveways. “When did all this happen?”
“The construction started about three years ago, and phase two was completed about six months ago, so—”
“ Phase two? How many phases are there?”
Nick held back a grin. “Right now the Granger Commission for Urban Growth has given the go-ahead for phase three, but—”
“Urban growth?