Page 14 of Rocky Mountain Devil
He hurried to the shower, scrubbing away the dirt and dust of the road. Of course,whilehe was in the shower was when it hit that he would probably end up seeing Laurel at some point today.
It was a thought he really should avoid while naked and wet.
His recent daydreams were close to being possible. Considering how many of his ideas were dirty, it was amazing he got out of the shower as quickly as he did, hurrying as if he were headed back to school in the fall, eager to catch up with his friend.
His mom chatted the whole way into town about pretty much nothing, excited to be able to tell him everything she was working on.
They made it to the fairgrounds where his mom pointed out the tents and makeshift corral at the side of the parking lot. By three o’clock the parking lot was full of cars, and the designated area where they’d set up straw bales covered with burlap sacks was full of families.
His cousin Karen had corralled her younger sister, Lisa, to come out as well.
Lisa offered a pleased smile as she sauntered in and took over helping the kids take turns climbing up on the bales to crawl onto Homer’s back. “Look who’s back. Hey, cuz.”
“Hey, Lis. You doing good?”
“Doing great. You know me—always one step ahead of trouble.”
“Makes me think you’re the one causing trouble and leaving it in your wake,” he teased.
“Shh. That’s a secret.” She gave Rafe a wink as she led the old beast around the blocked-off area designated for them. Karen was with the horses in a nearby pen, and Rafe…
Well, he stood ankle deep in lambs, goats and kids with his mom, helping toddlers to “pet the pretties” without the kids, human-type, getting bumped out of the makeshift pen by some too eager critter.
People wandered everywhere. Music blasted in the background as the temperature soared like on a summer day. He kept looking around for Laurel without admitting as much to himself, but her blonde hair was nowhere to be seen in the crowd.
Instead, Rafe spotted her father first. Pastor Dave marched through the crowds, nodding in greeting to the families he passed, but he kept moving in a straight line obviously aimed at Rafe.
Guilt and a healthy allotment of apprehension percolated in his belly.
The man had to be close to Ben’s age, but his neatly trimmed beard and mustache were shot only with the faintest hint of silvery white, and ample smile lines decorated the corners of his eyes. He was nearly as tall as Rafe, looking him in the face as he approached. Everything Rafe knew about the man put him firmly into “not Ben” territory.
He was still the leader of his mom’s church, a place where Rafe hadn’t willingly stepped for over seven years,andhe was the father of the woman he intended to get involved with.
Not to mention the other guilt-inducing bits of history, secret and not so secret. Nope, it wasn’t fear Rafe felt, but there were a whole lot of ways this could go awkward, real fast.
Fortunately, the man nodded briskly as if delighted to see him before offering a firm handshake. “Rafe Coleman. Thank you for taking time out of your day to help us out.”
“No problem. Glad to help.”
“Still appreciated.” The sound of laughter and music swelled for a moment, pulling their attention to the crowds even as Pastor Dave continued. “When your mom offered to supply the animals, I wondered if I’d see you. And look, here you are.”
Here I am. Rafe kept his smile firmly in place. “Yes, sir.”
“You’re welcome to join us, any time. Not just when there are animals to manage.”
“Yes, sir.”
The other man smiled. “I know. I know. You’ve got other things going on.” He clapped Rafe on the shoulder then seemed to remember something. “Hey, I wanted to mention. We’ve got a new candidate visiting. Nice young man, only a few years older than you. We’re considering hiring him as a youth pastor, but he’d also help with College and Careers members. If you remember, that’s the people about your age.” He gave a self-depreciating chuckle. “Sitting and listening to me ramble isn’t on everyone’s to-do list, but this fellow is pretty sharp. I bet he’ll get some great activities going. Nonchurch-y ones. You might want to take part.”
Rafe wondered briefly if they had a quota like the police did when it came to handing out tickets. Like—so many nonmembers they had to try to pull back into the fold on a regular basis. Only the invitation was said with such sincerity, he couldn’t get upset, or respond rudely.
Besides, his mom would tan his hide if she found out he’d been impolite to the pastor. Didn’t matter if she was a foot shorter and a hundred pounds lighter.
And that didn’t even take into consideration Rafe’s plans for Laurel…
“Think on it,” Pastor Dave admonished.
“Yes, sir.”
