He glanced at Janie, whose apology had made him feel bad. Even though Janie had been deeply wounded in the past, she was still open to loving and caring for others. That openness didn’t apply to dating, however, and he wasn’t sure he blamed her.
Which was why Ty wasn’t sure how he was supposed to give Rachel another chance. Technically, yes, that was what the Bible said he should do. He was working on forgiving her, but he didn’t know how.
It seemed like the more time he spent with her, the more he found himself liking her.
Like now.
Though she wasn’t fully committed to Christ, she’d been willing to keep coming to church, to let a bunch of strangers pray for her, and whether she realized it or not, to let God work in her heart. Because Ty had always known and loved God, he didn’t know what it must be like for Rachel, having all this thrown at her at once.
When everyone finished praying for Rachel, Ty felt a greater peace about the situation than he’d known prior. He didn’t have any answers, but he did know that God had it under control.
As the crowd thinned out, Rachel turned to Ty and hugged him.
“Thank you for giving me a chance, even though you aren’t sure about me.” Tears shone in her eyes. “I don’t know if I’ll get a new kidney or not. But after today I do know that God loves me. Thank you for encouraging me to come up here, because otherwise, I’d have been too scared.”
Then she turned to Janie. “You know what your dad said about accepting Christ? I think I need you to talk to me more about that.”
The smile on Janie’s face almost made it all worthwhile. God worked in many mysterious ways, and if He could use the messed-up way Rachel came into their lives to bring Rachel into their fold, then maybe Ty needed to do more to figure out what having Rachel here meant for him personally.
“I would love that,” Janie said, giving Rachel a squeeze before turning her attention on Ty. “Go get the kids from Sunday school and keep them occupied. My mom is teaching their class today, so if you tell her I had to take Rachel to get a jelly doughnut, she’ll let you take them.”
“Your mom came to church today? I thought the chemo was making her too sick to come,” Ty said, trying not to sound overly concerned. He was one of the few people in the church who knew just how sick Janie’s mom was.
“Yes,” Janie said. “So don’t let her tire herself out by staying late for some kids whose moms are getting right with Jesus.”
He chuckled as he shook his head slowly.
Janie gave him a stern look. “Be sure you mention the jelly doughnuts. That’s our code word to let someone who’s not me pick the kids up. The other volunteers wouldn’t do it, but my mom understands.”
That was what Ty loved about their community. The trust they’d all built.
Maybe Rachel had never had that, so maybe she didn’t understand just how important it was to be open with the people around you.
When he got to the classroom, Sam and Katie were the last two in there. Janie’s mom looked thinner and more exhausted than he’d ever seen her.
“Hey, Mama R. Janie told me to tell you that she and Rachel had to get some jelly doughnuts, so I should pick the kids up.”
Janie’s mom gave him a weary smile. “I’m so glad. Janie does love her jelly doughnuts. I always thought she’d follow in Jeff’s footsteps and lead the church, but...” She shook her head. “Ah, well, we all serve the Lord in our own ways.”
Pastor Roberts poked his head into the room. “Are you about ready to head home, Bette?”
She nodded slowly. “Today wore me out more than I thought it would. I just thought that if I could be doing what I loved, spending time with the children, I’d feel better.”
The tender look that passed between the couple put an ache in Ty’s heart. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t want that kind of love for himself. Janie said his standards were too high and that he was too picky.
“Where’s Janie?” Pastor Roberts asked, looking around the room.
His wife gave him a smile that spoke of pride, but must have taken a great deal of effort. “Getting jelly doughnuts with Rachel.”
Pastor Roberts nodded. “I thought there might be something happening in Rachel’s heart. The poor woman. So much to deal with. It’s good that she’s letting the Lord help her with it.”
“What’s with the jelly doughnuts?” Ty asked.
A wide grin filled the pastor’s face. “They were her favorite when she was little. Praying with people is her favorite thing as an adult, so we made that our code for when Janie’s running behind. That way, no one is called out or made to feel uncomfortable. And it keeps our little Sam safe.”
At the mention of Sam’s name, he got up from what he was playing with and came running. “Poppa!”
Katie also got up and came to them, looking hesitant. Then Sam nudged her. “Poppa, you have to be Katie’s poppa, too. She doesn’t have a dad, just like me. And since she doesn’t have a poppa, either, I told her that I would share you.”
When Pastor Roberts squatted down to hug the children, tears pricked the backs of Ty’s eyes. Even though his anger and frustration had been directed at Rachel, he hadn’t thought about what things must be like for Katie.
Katie had no family, other than Rachel and Ricky, but they hadn’t yet told Katie. They’d probably have to soon, since everyone knew now, but Rachel had said she needed to do it in her own time and her own way.
What would happen to Katie if Rachel died?
While Ty wasn’t sure he could risk one of his
