have been angry at her if she had.
“I’m doing it for us,” she said simply. “And who knows, maybe we’ll have better luck having a baby there. It’s worth a shot. And most of all, I want you to have a church. You deserve one, and if that’s the one you want, I’m game.” She was smiling at him, and he hugged her so hard, he nearly knocked the wind out of her.
“Remember, if you hate it, we’ll come back in a year. Less, if you want.” He thought it was a good idea to keep the apartment. For the moment he thought it wiser to keep a foothold in New York. “I will never, ever forget what you’re doing for me, Jenny,” Bill said gratefully. They talked about it all night. And he called the head of thechurch board in Moose, Wyoming, the next day. They asked Bill to come out in a week, and he said yes. And Jenny would follow him in a month, after she tied up all the loose ends in New York. She and Bill agreed to buy simple furniture locally for the house that came with the ministry. She wanted to leave all their things in the New York apartment and not disrupt their home there, which Bill thought wise too. And it would be nice to start fresh with simple furnishings. Their lives were about to change radically. For better or worse, they were on their way to Moose, Wyoming.
His brother Tom nearly fell out of his seat when Bill called to tell him before he left.
“Are you serious? I thought we almost had you convinced to come back to the firm. Dad will be crushed.” Tom sounded disappointed.
“You nearly did. My wife talked me into going to Moose.”
Tom laughed at the idea. “You’re either a lunatic or a saint, I’m not sure which. That is one hell of a change for both of you. What’s Jenny going to do about her business?” He knew how important it was to her, and she couldn’t take it with her.
“She’s leaving her assistant to run it for a year. And she’ll do what she can by phone and mail. And she’ll come back a couple of times. She expects to slow down, though. She’s been an incredibly good sport about it. She’s the saint. I’m the lunatic.”
“I think I have to agree. When are you leaving?”
“In two days.”
“Stay in touch,” Tom reminded his little brother. He had to admire him for his perseverance and guts. And one thing was for sure, hehad a wife who loved him more than anything in the world. Tom had no illusions that his own wife would have done the same for him. It was a huge sacrifice to make, as Bill was well aware.
“Come and visit us in Moose,” Bill said, sounding happy and excited about what they were about to do. This was what he had been waiting for, through all his years of seminary, and the four months since.
Tom laughed. He was still laughing when he hung up the phone, as Peter walked into his office.
“Who was that?” Peter asked in his usual querulous tone.
“Our baby brother Bill,” Tom said, still smiling.
“Is he coming back in?” Peter asked, bored.
“No, he isn’t,” Tom answered him. “He is going to Moose, Wyoming, to be a minister. I have to hand it to him.” And to Jenny. And for a fraction of a minute, he envied them for what they shared, even if he thought they were crazy for moving to Moose.
“Moose, Wyoming?” Peter said to Tom, stunned. “You’re not kidding?”
“No, I’m not,” Tom said with an amused glance in his brother’s direction. “I almost wish I were going with him,” he confessed. It suddenly sounded like a lot more fun than his own life in New York.
Chapter 6
Bill flew to Salt Lake City, and from there he took a small plane to Jackson Hole. It was snowing when they landed. Winter had already set in, and a tall man with gray hair, in cowboy boots and a Stetson, was waiting for him in the small airport. He was the head of the church board, who had been corresponding with Bill since June, hoping to convince him to take their offer. He had a serious face, with deep weathered lines and electric blue
“I’m doing it for us,” she said simply. “And who knows, maybe we’ll have better luck having a baby there. It’s worth a shot. And most of all, I want you to have a church. You deserve one, and if that’s the one you want, I’m game.” She was smiling at him, and he hugged her so hard, he nearly knocked the wind out of her.
“Remember, if you hate it, we’ll come back in a year. Less, if you want.” He thought it was a good idea to keep the apartment. For the moment he thought it wiser to keep a foothold in New York. “I will never, ever forget what you’re doing for me, Jenny,” Bill said gratefully. They talked about it all night. And he called the head of thechurch board in Moose, Wyoming, the next day. They asked Bill to come out in a week, and he said yes. And Jenny would follow him in a month, after she tied up all the loose ends in New York. She and Bill agreed to buy simple furniture locally for the house that came with the ministry. She wanted to leave all their things in the New York apartment and not disrupt their home there, which Bill thought wise too. And it would be nice to start fresh with simple furnishings. Their lives were about to change radically. For better or worse, they were on their way to Moose, Wyoming.
His brother Tom nearly fell out of his seat when Bill called to tell him before he left.
“Are you serious? I thought we almost had you convinced to come back to the firm. Dad will be crushed.” Tom sounded disappointed.
“You nearly did. My wife talked me into going to Moose.”
Tom laughed at the idea. “You’re either a lunatic or a saint, I’m not sure which. That is one hell of a change for both of you. What’s Jenny going to do about her business?” He knew how important it was to her, and she couldn’t take it with her.
“She’s leaving her assistant to run it for a year. And she’ll do what she can by phone and mail. And she’ll come back a couple of times. She expects to slow down, though. She’s been an incredibly good sport about it. She’s the saint. I’m the lunatic.”
“I think I have to agree. When are you leaving?”
“In two days.”
“Stay in touch,” Tom reminded his little brother. He had to admire him for his perseverance and guts. And one thing was for sure, hehad a wife who loved him more than anything in the world. Tom had no illusions that his own wife would have done the same for him. It was a huge sacrifice to make, as Bill was well aware.
“Come and visit us in Moose,” Bill said, sounding happy and excited about what they were about to do. This was what he had been waiting for, through all his years of seminary, and the four months since.
Tom laughed. He was still laughing when he hung up the phone, as Peter walked into his office.
“Who was that?” Peter asked in his usual querulous tone.
“Our baby brother Bill,” Tom said, still smiling.
“Is he coming back in?” Peter asked, bored.
“No, he isn’t,” Tom answered him. “He is going to Moose, Wyoming, to be a minister. I have to hand it to him.” And to Jenny. And for a fraction of a minute, he envied them for what they shared, even if he thought they were crazy for moving to Moose.
“Moose, Wyoming?” Peter said to Tom, stunned. “You’re not kidding?”
“No, I’m not,” Tom said with an amused glance in his brother’s direction. “I almost wish I were going with him,” he confessed. It suddenly sounded like a lot more fun than his own life in New York.
Chapter 6
Bill flew to Salt Lake City, and from there he took a small plane to Jackson Hole. It was snowing when they landed. Winter had already set in, and a tall man with gray hair, in cowboy boots and a Stetson, was waiting for him in the small airport. He was the head of the church board, who had been corresponding with Bill since June, hoping to convince him to take their offer. He had a serious face, with deep weathered lines and electric blue