Cameron had heard people talk about ministers who preached fire and brimstone, and Hollister was one of them. His voice thundered and nearly shook the barn rafters, which caused everyone, including him, to heed to his words.
After a fiery prayer, Hollister began his sermon. “This morning, we will begin to expound on the Ten Commandments. We won’t get through them all today, but I’ll be staying on for a few more weeks, so we’ll get to all ten,” Hollister said. “First, I’ll explain how Moses received these commandments and why he was chosen to receive them.”
Cameron had no idea what commandments were, but he had heard of Moses because his aunt had a painting of baby Moses in a basket, floating on water. She had told him the story of Moses’s birth and how his mother had been forced to give him away. Cam supposed it was the same Moses, now a grown man, whom God had chosen to give the commandments.
Hollister got as far as the third commandment because he took the time to explain the exact meaning of each one. Cam felt relief that, so far, he hadn’t broken the first three commandments. There weren't any other gods he worshiped. He didn’t pray to idols, and he’d never sworn, not since his aunt had washed out his mouth with vinegar once when he’d said a bad word.
While the people sang another song, Cam thought about what he knew about God. In her second letter, Hannah had asked him if he was a believer, and he’d assured her he was. He had always believed in God because his aunt had always read him Bible stories. His favorite was the one about Noah and the ark. He and his aunt had never gone to church because there wasn’t one near enough to where they’d lived, but she did her best to tell him about God. He’d just stopped thinking about Him in the last few years, since he’d been so busy going to college and law school. He knew there was a God, but he hadn't thought about Him or prayed since his childhood.
The prayer Hollister led at the end of his sermon touched Cameron, which surprised him: "Lord Jesus, we came to this place today to offer up worship. Thank You for your many blessings. Some of us came to this place with broken hearts, but You have mended them. Others came with a burden; You were their only hope. Father, You have shown Yourself strong in their lives. Guide us as we go back to our homes. Show us the right way to follow throughout the week, and when we come back, we shall testify to the great things You have done in our lives. In Jesus’ name, we believe and pray; Amen."
It was the last part that gave Cameron the same feeling of guilt as he'd felt when he'd lied to Hannah: Show us the right way to follow throughout the week, and when we come back, we shall testify the great things you have done in our lives. Cam repeated the words to himself: Show us the right way to follow throughout the week. The sentence nearly choked him up.
The people at the service made them feel welcome. On their way out to their buggy, several businessmen he knew stopped to greet him. Everyone presented themselves as friends, even those whom he and his family didn’t know. Several ladies admired the children. Cameron hadn’t noticed how smart they looked. Hannah had dressed Annabelle in a navy-blue pinafore, and Georgie in red short pants and a white shirt. His wife had even dressed their hair, and he had to agree, they looked adorable. And Hannah? Why, she looked so lovely in a soft pink ruffled blouse and a gray skirt. He felt proud of his family at church. Why hadn’t he noticed them before?
He realized he’d been unappreciative of Hannah and her efforts.
Once they’d arrived home, the children ran into the house with Bessie. When he came around to help Hannah from the buggy, he kept hold of her hand.
“Hannah, you did a remarkable job dressing the children today. They did, indeed, look adorable.”
Hannah removed her hand from his grasp with a smile. “Thank you. I’ve become extremely fond of them.”
“I was surprised to find myself enjoying the service. It was quite nice.”
Hannah walked toward the house. “It was, wasn’t it? I think I’m going to love going every week. I always feel refreshed and excited about life after a good church service, don’t you?”
Cameron remembered Bessie’s words—he had to loosen up. “Yes, I do feel rather refreshed, so much so, I wondered if we might take a buggy ride after dinner, just you and I. It would be nice to become better acquainted, don’t you think?”
Chapter Eight
After dinner, Hannah put Georgie down for a nap and gave Annabelle a school project to work on. She went into her bedroom to fix her hair and powder her nose.
Hannah had been shocked by Cameron’s compliments. Perhaps the church service had been good for him. She had to be careful, though, for he was a good-looking man, and she didn’t want to become too fond of him. She still had strong reservations about him and his motives to become a senator. Of course, he’d married her to help win the election as well to be a mother for his beautiful children. If that was all he wanted, she could live with that. At her age, she’d never imagined becoming a mother, and he’d made that possible. She would devote her life to the children, and if their marriage helped him win the senate seat, all the better. It would keep him too busy to bother with her—the children would supply her with all the
