Rival Hearts by Tara Randel

Author:Tara Randel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Published: 2014-04-29T00:00:00+00:00

10

Ben stood outside Nora’s front door Sunday afternoon, the spicy aroma of fried chicken wafting from the bucket in his hand. He’d been invited to the once-a-month potluck lunch Nora held with the women from the quilting group and their families. He’d tried to beg off, but Nora wouldn’t hear of it. She’d even gotten him to commit to attending church. He’d made the service, his first real attempt in years. It had felt odd, being around so many believers. But it had brought peace, too.

While he’d been reluctant to attend many professional functions, he’d always stayed clear of more personal get-togethers. The same questions haunted him. Would he fit in here? Would he have anything in common with these folks? The whole point of accepting the invitation was to get him involved with people on a personal level.

Never a quitter, he didn’t plan to become one now. He pressed the doorbell and heard a loud yell. “It’s open.”

Squaring his shoulders, he entered and made his way to the crowded kitchen, where women scurried around. Nora waved at him.

“Find an empty space for the bucket. We’ll take care of it from here.”

He cleared a space on the counter and stood, waiting to be told what to do next.

“Go out back and visit,” Nora instructed.

Straightening his shoulders, Ben ventured to the backyard to meet husbands and children. The contained chaos should be second nature to him after all the years spent traveling with a crew. For a guy used to being in the thick of things, he didn’t know what to do here. One of the men engaged him in conversation. Before long Nora and the ladies came outside and they all prayed a blessing over the food. Ben filled his plate from the buffet and took a seat under a tree, away from the crowd. After a few minutes Nora joined him.

“A little overwhelming?”

The woman did know how to get to the crux of the matter. “Some.” He faced her with an arched brow. “You had everything planned out, didn’t you?”

“Why do you think I asked you to come? It time for you to make some friends.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

They ate for a few moments in silence, until Ben had to ask the question nagging at him since he’d arrived. “So is Molly coming?”

Nora grinned. “She’ll be here. She had something to do with her brother.”

“I know she went kayaking yesterday.” It had driven him crazy, knowing where she was, but giving her space to figure out her part in the challenge. Twice he found himself pocketing his keys, ready to jump in his SUV to check her progress. He had to keep his space, otherwise he’d come off like a presumptuous pain in her neck.

“I haven’t spoken to her in a few days.” Nora chuckled. “Molly in a kayak. How is her training coming?”

“I don’t know. I’ve decided to stay away. Let her deal with the challenge on her own.”

Nora rested her plate on her lap. “Have you thought about what will happen when the challenge is over?”

“One of us will get the job.

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