Restorations (Book One Oregon In Love) by Bonnie Blythe Page B

Community Church, originally
built in eighteen ninety-nine, had a spot on the National Register
for Historic Places. It boasted clapboard siding outside and
hand-carved oak pews inside, well worn from generations of
parishioners and their wiggling children. The simple stained glass
windows and rather stark interior appealed to Sara’s sense of
aesthetics.
    They sang several hymns to the accompaniment
of an upright piano in the corner, then the deacons passed the
offering plate. The pastor, a man in his forties, announced a
special presentation in lieu of a sermon that morning. The youth
group would perform a skit for the congregation based on the
Biblical story of Esther.
    Sara heard scuffling in the back of the
church as the teens made ready for an entrance, and everyone turned
around to watch. When she turn to look, she saw Brian sitting a few
rows behind her.
    Sara let out a squeak of alarm, which caused
a few heads to turn in her direction. Apparently Brian didn’t
notice, as his attention remained on the costumed teens.
    She leaned close to her aunt. “What’s Brian
doing here?” she hissed.
    Hattie gave her a quizzical look. “He’s been
coming here for several months now. This is where he goes to
church.”
    “But why would he come to church?”
    “Because he’s a Christian, of course. What a
silly question. Now hush, the presentation is about to begin.”
    Sara sat stunned. Brian said he’d changed.
Was this what he meant? Her heart fluttered at the notion. She
chanced a peek over her shoulder and caught him looking at her. He
smiled and assumed a comically pious expression. She jerked her
head back around, feeling heat steal into her face.
    Sara gripped her hands
together in her lap and blinked several times, trying to make sense
of her incoherent thoughts. Because he’s a
Christian, of course . Hattie’s words went
around in her brain like a litany.
    In the past, Brian had occasionally
accompanied her to church, but she came to assume he did it only to
placate her. That probably wasn’t the case now. Maybe he was
involved in some kind of spiritual search. Or maybe Hattie spoke
the truth.
    She next wondered if this was all part of an
act—like when they dated. Sara grimaced at the direction of her
thoughts. Enough was enough. For once, she decided to give Brian
the benefit of the doubt. After all, she'd prayed for him to find
faith while they dated and even for a time after that. And why pray
if she didn’t believe it had an effect? As this new reality settled
into her mind, she felt a rush of thanksgiving fill her heart.
Closing her eyes, she lifted her soul to the Lord in praise.
    The sound of closing Bibles and shuffling
feet on the old wooden floor made her realize she missed the entire
teen presentation. Hattie nudged her and together they gathered
their Bibles and purses and waited to exit the pew.
    Tapping her foot impatiently while the
congregation filed from the church, Sara jumped into the first gap
that presented itself. She caught up to Brian just as he stepped
outside and put a tentative hand on his arm as Hattie headed to the
car.
    “Brian, why didn’t you tell me?”
    Drawing her to one side to allow others to
pass, he looked down at her with a hooded expression. She noticed a
dull flush darken his face. After a moment, he shrugged. “I guess I
wanted to live it before I said anything. I thought it would be
awkward to just blurt it out.”
    Sara regarded him intently. “When did this
happen?”
    “About two years ago.”
    When I
left . “How? I mean...I just wondered...”
Her voice trailed away as she realized how suspicious she
sounded.
    He dropped his voice. “I
doubt you'll believe me, but part of what attracted me to you was
your faith. I really had been thinking about God before we met.”
    She bit back a smile. “I
guess I'll have to take your word for that .”
    His eyes sparkled. “Yeah, I think I managed
to derail the both of us.”
    Awkward . Sara was glad they were