Guessing that the simple words of her sister weren’t all that was on that tape, she raced into the living room and tried to get to the machine before the next message could play. Richard apparently caught her panicked expression.
“What’s wrong?” he asked at once.
“Nothing,” she insisted, trying to stop the darn machine just as an all-too-familiar male voice began with its litany of Scripture. She was numb to the words, but with a sinking sensation in her heart, she watched the play of emotions on Richard’s face—dismay, shock, outrage.
His gaze narrowed. “Who is that?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know? I can see from your expression that this guy has called before. He has, hasn’t he? That’s why you tore in here when I started the machine.”
She nodded and tried to still the trembling of her hands. He sounded so angry.
“How often?” he demanded.
“More since Christmas.”
“Who have you told?”
“No one.”
He regarded her with astonishment. “Why the hell not?”
“I thought I could handle it. I’ve been dealing with people like this for years now.”
“Is this what you call handling it? Letting some jerk terrify you?”
“It’s not uncommon for a woman preacher to get calls like this. I’ve told you—”
“Right. There are people who don’t approve of what you do. Why is that?” he asked furiously. “What have you ever done to the people in this valley except treat them with kindness? For heaven’s sake, Anna Louise, why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“I couldn’t. I knew you’d react just the way you are.”
“What did you expect? People like this ought to be strung up.”
“That’s no solution,” she said stubbornly. “Given enough time, I can win them over. I know I can. And the ones I can’t, well, they’d probably be happier over at Orville’s church, anyway.”
He rewound the tape and played it again...and again. “Does this sound like someone you can win over? The man is sick. He’s not going to wake up one day and say, `Gee whiz, that Anna Louise Perkins is a nice little lady, after all. I think I’ll get off her case.’” He threw up his hands. “I don’t know why any of this surprises me. It’s typical of the small-mindedness around here.”
“It is not,” Anna Louise said adamantly, devastated that she’d been responsible for stirring up all of his old hatreds. “Most folks are not like this at all.”
“I just don’t get it. You are the kindest, most decent person I have ever met. If people can treat you like this, then I’ve been right all along, there is no good left in the world,” he said bleakly.
“It’s just one person,” she argued, but he wouldn’t listen. At least he hadn’t heard the other voice. Maybe, given a day or two, she could persuade him to see reason.
“Why do you stay? You don’t owe this town anything.”
“I stay because I’m needed,” she said simply. “And this is where I want to be. It’s always better to stay and fight for what you believe in than it is to run, hoping to find someplace where things will be easier.”
“I think you should call the sheriff, at least,” he said.
“No.”
“Anna Louise...”
“Richard, these aren’t the first. They won’t be the last. And I’m not the only woman pastor to be pestered this way. I seriously doubt if any of these people intend to act on their threats. They’re just hoping to run me out of town. I’ll face more of the same wherever I go. I’ve dared to break with tradition. There will always be people who can’t handle that.” She lifted her gaze to his. “Frankly, I’m not sure you can handle it.”
He looked stunned by the accusation. “How can you possibly say that? Have I ever once suggested you don’t belong in the ministry?”
“Maybe not,” she agreed. “But I’ll wager you wish I’d chosen a different profession.”
He hesitated, clearly torn between honesty and admitting his own vulnerability.
“Maybe,” he said finally. “But not for the reason you’re thinking.”
Anna Louise was elated that she’d steered him onto a subject she’d been trying to find a way to bring up for days. “How do you know what I’m thinking? I’m thinking if I weren’t a preacher, you’d have made love to me by now.”
An expression of shock spread across his face so quickly it was almost laughable. “Anna Louise,” he protested.
“Well, it’s true, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Liar.”
“What are you asking me? Are you asking me to admit that I’m attracted to you? I ache with it every time I get near you. You know these chaste little kisses we’ve shared are sheer torment.”
“But you’ve never done more than kiss me. Why is that?”
When he didn’t answer, she offered her own interpretation, “Because I’m a preacher.”
“It’s not that simple, blast it.”
“You’re good with words. If that’s not all there is to it, then explain it to me.” She stood back and watched him struggle with himself over the explanation.
“You stand for something,” he said finally. “Something I’m not sure I can believe in. I can’t ask you to walk away from that and I’m not sure I can live with it.”
“So you’re saying there’s no future for us, no chance at all because you can’t accept what I do for a living. Isn’t that exactly what I began by saying?”
“How did we get away from this creep who’s been calling you?” he said, running his hand through his hair in obvious exasperation.
“This is more important. Answer me.”
“Okay,” he said wearily. “The ministry is more than a career to you, Anna Louise. It’s who you are. Your whole spirit is all about giving and decency. A part of me is drawn to that. Another part believes I’ll just spoil it if I let you get too close to the reality I’ve experienced.”
“Hogwash!”
He blinked and stared at her. “What?”
“Hogwash! You’re just running scared. You don’t want to acknowledge how much you want me because then you’d have to do something about it. Maybe you’d even have
