brethren was long overdue.
The last time the Times had gone after a ministry like this the author had been awarded a Pulitzer Prize for journalism. While she did not aspire to that level of greatness, she could at least hope to get another crook off the streets.
Funny, but some sort of instinct deep in her reporter’s gut told her Ryan Baxter was not that sort of creep. She ignored it.
Just because his dimples set her toes tingling and his passion for the ministry seemed genuine, that didn’t mean the company was legitimate. Heavenly Beans could very well be a front for bilking big money out of innocent Christians instead of the means for showing orphans the love of Christ.
If only she could figure out a way to keep him talking well past the end of the flight. An interview in the airport would be rushed and probably wouldn’t result in the depth of questioning she desired.
Did she dare ask him outright to submit to an interview? She cast a glance at her seatmate and noticed the restless look he now wore. Perhaps now was not the time.
Before she could blink, the seatbelt sign above her flashed red and the captain began to give the weather conditions in Austin. Suddenly there was no better time. Think, Carrie. How can I get this interview?
CHAPTER TWO
Think, Baxter. How can I get her to interview me about the company?
Ryan Baxter had begun to fidget well before the fasten seatbelt sign went on. Now that he could feel the nose of the plane dipping toward Austin, he’d all but begun to feel a real panic. Carrie Collins was a delight, one of those rare young women with intelligence, classic beauty, and a sense of humor. She had also professed a love for the Lord and a desire to serve Him as a journalist.
A challenge she seemed well equipped to handle, since the newspaperwoman had certainly matched wits with him and come out the victor. Not that he claimed some great genius.
After all, if he had half a brain he would have already seized the chance to try and extend their conversation beyond the airport. Coffee somewhere or, ideally, dinner could very well get an interview that might garner Heavenly Beans and the precious ones it supported some much-needed publicity.
Ryan did many things for the company under silent protest, including this trip. While his body called on potential benefactors to the cause, his heart was back in Costa Rica where the real work of the Lord took place. A few hours with Carrie Collins, however, would be a welcome change from the rest of his stay here, namely his visit tomorrow with the head of Camex Incorporated, a likely source of revenue and distribution.
George Renfro, the international shipping and food service company CEO, lived on a ranch just west of Austin. This wasn’t his first meeting with the corporate executive, but it would be the first time he sat across a table with him and discussed Heavenly Beans.
A Camex representative would be meeting Ryan at the airport to whisk him away to a downtown hotel where he had a breakfast meeting with Mr. Renfro himself before boarding a plane back home to Costa Rica tomorrow night. A whirlwind visit, to be sure, but one he hoped would make a large dent in the costs associated with running a coffee company and funding multiple ministries.
Just this morning the prospect of joining forces with Camex had made his mind spin and his heart race. Funny, but now the newspaperwoman to his left seemed to be having the same effect on him.
Somehow the plane landed and he’d trudged all the way to the baggage claim area with her two-ton bag slung over his shoulder – at his insistence - without having found the courage to speak his mind. All the way there he’d tried to convince himself that dinner with Carrie Collins would be all about getting the word out regarding Heavenly Beans.
As he swung her bag off the conveyor and carried it to a cart then dumped her carry-on atop it, he had to admit there was a bit more to it.
The last time the Times had gone after a ministry like this the author had been awarded a Pulitzer Prize for journalism. While she did not aspire to that level of greatness, she could at least hope to get another crook off the streets.
Funny, but some sort of instinct deep in her reporter’s gut told her Ryan Baxter was not that sort of creep. She ignored it.
Just because his dimples set her toes tingling and his passion for the ministry seemed genuine, that didn’t mean the company was legitimate. Heavenly Beans could very well be a front for bilking big money out of innocent Christians instead of the means for showing orphans the love of Christ.
If only she could figure out a way to keep him talking well past the end of the flight. An interview in the airport would be rushed and probably wouldn’t result in the depth of questioning she desired.
Did she dare ask him outright to submit to an interview? She cast a glance at her seatmate and noticed the restless look he now wore. Perhaps now was not the time.
Before she could blink, the seatbelt sign above her flashed red and the captain began to give the weather conditions in Austin. Suddenly there was no better time. Think, Carrie. How can I get this interview?
CHAPTER TWO
Think, Baxter. How can I get her to interview me about the company?
Ryan Baxter had begun to fidget well before the fasten seatbelt sign went on. Now that he could feel the nose of the plane dipping toward Austin, he’d all but begun to feel a real panic. Carrie Collins was a delight, one of those rare young women with intelligence, classic beauty, and a sense of humor. She had also professed a love for the Lord and a desire to serve Him as a journalist.
A challenge she seemed well equipped to handle, since the newspaperwoman had certainly matched wits with him and come out the victor. Not that he claimed some great genius.
After all, if he had half a brain he would have already seized the chance to try and extend their conversation beyond the airport. Coffee somewhere or, ideally, dinner could very well get an interview that might garner Heavenly Beans and the precious ones it supported some much-needed publicity.
Ryan did many things for the company under silent protest, including this trip. While his body called on potential benefactors to the cause, his heart was back in Costa Rica where the real work of the Lord took place. A few hours with Carrie Collins, however, would be a welcome change from the rest of his stay here, namely his visit tomorrow with the head of Camex Incorporated, a likely source of revenue and distribution.
George Renfro, the international shipping and food service company CEO, lived on a ranch just west of Austin. This wasn’t his first meeting with the corporate executive, but it would be the first time he sat across a table with him and discussed Heavenly Beans.
A Camex representative would be meeting Ryan at the airport to whisk him away to a downtown hotel where he had a breakfast meeting with Mr. Renfro himself before boarding a plane back home to Costa Rica tomorrow night. A whirlwind visit, to be sure, but one he hoped would make a large dent in the costs associated with running a coffee company and funding multiple ministries.
Just this morning the prospect of joining forces with Camex had made his mind spin and his heart race. Funny, but now the newspaperwoman to his left seemed to be having the same effect on him.
Somehow the plane landed and he’d trudged all the way to the baggage claim area with her two-ton bag slung over his shoulder – at his insistence - without having found the courage to speak his mind. All the way there he’d tried to convince himself that dinner with Carrie Collins would be all about getting the word out regarding Heavenly Beans.
As he swung her bag off the conveyor and carried it to a cart then dumped her carry-on atop it, he had to admit there was a bit more to it.
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