Breathless (3 page)

The heat from a blush ran over her face and down her neck. She got the impression he enjoyed her discomfort, proving her assessment of him the day before had been on target.

“And how did you ladies like my sermon?”

“It was all right.” Lydia decided against announcing she thought him arrogant. He had stood over the parishioners like a Pharisee. He'd known they'd be taken aback by his long hair and tattoos. What bothered her more was the smug look he currently wore. Her eagerness to slap it off his face grew. How awful. She'd barely met the guy and twice had been inclined to knock him about.

James reached over Lydia brushing her shoulder and extended his hand toward Matthew. The touch unexpectedly disturbed her.

“We'll see you next week.” Lydia shuddered as she raced to the parking lot, hoping fresh air would help.

“I can't believe you did that.” Sheryl panted, quickly on her heels. “Shrugging off the new minister like that was rude. I don't recall ever seeing you act like this before.”

“I'm sorry. The more I contemplated what you said, the more nervous I became.” She hoped she hid the frenzy in her mind. The recent events had begun to color how she viewed people she once believed were friends. “I'm positive the person calling me is someone I know.”

 

****

 

Matthew stood in the sanctuary doorway as he remembered the silence when he first took the podium. A smile came over his lips upon recalling the shocked expressions of the congregation. His heart had stood in his throat as he scrutinized the astonished sea of people, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by the woman from the diner. The lady had mesmerizing eyes, a soft blue-violet. She had an appearance that could hold a man's attention for days. Very seldom did his mind wander, but he needed every ounce of energy to turn and regain his composure.

He glanced at this dazzling woman a bit later, but it was obvious she'd tuned him out. Why bother attending if you're going to ignore the Word? He imagined she only came to impress others in this rural area.

When she approached him, as she was leaving, her perfume drifted over him strong, yet soft. Something told him she could be the same. He pictured himself a cartoon character who floated in the air behind her mesmerized by the whiff of a pretty girl. When they touched, a tremor ran through his body. It was the same sensation as when he was a small child and had stuck a wet finger into a light socket. He could have sworn contact with Lydia Frederickson curled his hair.

Her eyes stared through him as if taking every secret he'd ever had from their dark hiding places. The thought caused him unease. Not that he had any secrets, just sins in his past he'd buried long ago.

When she spoke, the smoky tone of her voice pulled at him, and the only words he could muster were about seeing her in the diner. The blush that came over her told him there was discomfort with his words, though he couldn't understand why. However, when James Newman, III reached around her, fear flashed in her eyes. For some reason, Matthew had an urge to protect her from Newman's touch as she ran to her car. He was positive she wiped at her cheeks as she rushed out. Anger rose inside at the thought of her crying. It was a feeling he had to shake in order to get his jaw to loosen.

He strolled through the double-hung doors. This was
his
sanctuary. At least until the ninety-day trial period was over. He was surprised by its beauty the first day with its oak pews and deep blue upholstered cushions. The richness of the wood yelled class. At the rear of the stage sat two rows of chairs for the praise and worship team. Candelabras stood at the sides of the stage each holding six large tapered candles.

“What are you thinking on so intently?” Riley Owens came up behind.

“Recalling my first day,” Matthew said. “I looked for you this morning.”

A holster on Riley's hip held a .9-mm Beretta. Over his heart, attached to the tan Lincolnville Sheriff's Office uniform hung a silver sheriff's badge.

“Unfortunately, work does call, even on Sundays,” Riley said.

“I enjoy having regular days off.” Matthew replaced a Bible into the slot of a pew.

“I'll bet. Of course, if you discover this job doesn't work out, I still have room for you.” Riley sat in the front pew. “So how'd your first day go? Did you astonish them all?”

“Probably more amazed I didn't try to rob them.”

“I imagine. Some guy who looks like a thug turning out to be a preacher.” Riley raised the left side of his mouth into a small grin, the closest Matthew had ever seen to a smile. “But by the end, you had them mesmerized and shouting ‘Amen's' to the ceiling.”

“I'm not so sure about that, but overall I'd say it went very well.” Matthew enjoyed preaching. It gave him elation unlike any job he'd known. “So what are your plans for today?” He sat down next to Riley.

“I have to visit someone having a problem. In fact she's a member of your congregation. Seems prank calls have been wrecking her sleep.” Riley hesitated, a distant look in his eye. “They have her pretty upset.”

“You actually go in person for that.” Matthew knew in a big city most officers took a report over the phone, filed it, and hoped nothing tragic befell the victim.

“That's life in a small town. Besides, her husband was a close friend of mine.” Riley's black cowboy hat swung from hand to hand as he leaned forward. ”He's the reason I took this job. I told him I'd watch out for her when he died.”

Matthew caught his friend's pained expression. Whenever he dealt with this woman, memories of Riley's own loss had to crawl back up to the surface. “I'm sorry about your friend. It sounds like you were close.”

“He had cancer and lingered quite a while.” Riley leaned back. He shook his head as if trying to get something out. “Maybe you'd like to come.”

“Why should I do that?”

“She's a parishioner, and her husband died two years ago this week.” Riley stared at the cross. “Maybe more psychological than real. The death hit her pretty hard.”

“I imagine.” Matthew got to his feet. “I'll agree but only if you come for dinner at Brenda's. If you go, I can at least make a case for not being married when you're not either.”

“Your sister still giving every effort to pinpoint that special person for you?”

“More than special. A wife.” Matthew flipped off the church lights. The two of them walked out, and he locked the outer doors to the building.

“Tired of you being a bachelor?” Riley opened his car door. “You better be careful. She probably has a few candidates in mind.”

Matthew nodded. “That's what I'm afraid of.”

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

“This is ridiculous.” Lydia threw the eggshell in the disposal. “What can Riley do about the prank calls?” Having to describe the incident gave her a knot in her stomach.

“I believe it warrants him stopping by.” Sheryl gave a firm nod. “He'd want to know, especially with how upset it made you this morning.”

“I think it's an excuse so you can see him,” Warren said. “I'm not sure it's for Lydia's benefit or your own.”

“I have absolutely no interest in Riley Owens. Just because he's one of the few single men in Lincolnville doesn't mean a thing.”

“Besides, Sheryl added slyly, “there's a new man in town. And he's single, too.”

“You sound like a desperate teenager waiting for a boy to ask you to the prom.” Warren grinned.

“Stop it you two, or I'll have to separate you.” It amazed Lydia how Sheryl and Warren kidded each other constantly, like a pair of squabbling young siblings. Having known each other since grade school, they were as close as any family she knew.

“And exactly how's your love life?” Sheryl teased Warren. “I haven't seen you out lately, though you did seem rather cozy with Wendy Moreland this morning. Do you plan to ask her out?”

“Probably not.”

“Why?” Lydia said. “She's a nice lady.”

“There isn't that type of attraction, that spark,” Warren said.

Heat rose in Lydia as she remembered the voltage from Matthew's touch. His shocked look told her he felt it too. It must have been static electricity. She would never be attracted to someone so egotistical. Sure he was handsome, but most men with that type of looks had the attitude to go with them.

“There isn't always a spark,” Sheryl said. “Sometimes you need to make your own electricity.”

“This coming from the world's oldest virgin.” Warren smirked.

Sheryl slugged him in the shoulder, causing him to wince.

Sheryl sprang from the stool at the sound of a knock at the door. “That should be Riley.” Before opening the door, she whispered, “And look who's with him—the new pastor.”

“Great,” Lydia said. She hoped the earlier spark had been a solitary thing.

“You be nice.” Sheryl let out a giggle. “You could do worse than a preacher for a husband.”

“I already had a husband.” Guilt swept into Lydia as she thought of another man in the house she'd shared with Justin.

Sheryl guided Riley and Matthew into the living-room. Warren brought cups from the kitchen while Lydia carried in the coffee.

“Riley, it's wonderful of you to come by.” Lydia placed the silver carafe on the coffee table. “I probably shouldn't have bothered you with this but Sheryl insisted.”

“We all know how determined she can be.” Riley gave Lydia a kiss on her cheek.

“Pastor Winters, nice to meet you again.” She gritted her teeth, hoping the current she'd felt earlier had faded. A wish not granted.

“Matthew and I have known each other for a while,” Riley said. “I brought him, because as your minister, he may well be of some service.”

“In case it turns out I'm a crazy widow lady with a vivid imagination? The only thing missing is a houseful of cats.” Lydia retreated to a nearby wall.

“That's not what I meant by inviting him.” Riley stared at the ground.

“I notice you didn't argue my sanity.” Her laughter sounded empty even to her. “I'm not a fool Riley. It's been two years since Justin died. Either the calls are a coincidence, or I'm losing my mind. Maybe the preacher here can do an exorcism to release all my inner demons.” She waved her hands as she spoke.

“Lydia!” Sheryl's voice had a harsh tone.

Lydia inhaled a deep breath, then motioned for the visitors to sit.

“Maybe it's not such a coincidence.” Matthew finally spoke. “There might be something to the fact the calls are coming at this particular time.”

“What do you mean?” Lydia's insides shook.

“If the caller lives nearby, they have to be familiar with your husband's death. Calling now would make it even more distressing.” Matthew stirred sugar into his cup. “If it's kids, they'd do it as a prank to scare you not to bring sorrow.”

“I can't bear that thought.” Lydia forced herself to look away from Matthew's tanned skin and his perfect lips. Why was she thinking about his lips? Maybe she was crazy.

“What thought?” Sheryl's eyes held concern.

“The calls are coming because of the anniversary of Justin's death. That would mean they're doing it to hurt me.” The battle of the tears lost, she darted into the kitchen.

Riley followed her. “What's going on? This is about more than just the phone calls. What is it?”

“I don't know what's wrong with me.”

Riley pulled her into a hug as her silent tears became sobs.

 

****

 

Matthew remained in the living-room with Warren and Sheryl. When Riley suggested he come along, he hadn't considered the widow would be the brunette whose dark eyes distracted him while giving his sermon. As silence fell over the room, Matthew scanned the space, taking in the soft yellow on the walls. The tan floor boards added a nice contrast. The plush chairs where Sheryl and Warren sat matched the multi-colors of the sofa he was on. Beside Matthew stood a walnut end table where a display of symbols lay atop a folder.

“That's Lydia's work,” Sheryl said. “She creates logos for websites. It takes plenty of talent and quite an imagination.”

Matthew picked up a slip of paper with a pencil drawing. It was a pair of hands placed over a keyboard, the logo for a typing service. Simple, yet effective. “I always wondered how companies got their logos.”

“For larger companies it's probably done in a boardroom or by an advertising firm. Smaller companies don't have the resources so they hire Lydia to do it for them.”

Matthew replaced the document on top of the file folder. The photograph of a younger man stared from a black picture frame. Her late husband, he assumed. His dark features would have been a great fit for Lydia. They must have made a striking couple.

Feeling restless, he rose from the sofa, glancing at photos standing in frames over the red brick fireplace. Happier times. Her husband appeared to be in his late twenties, his features fading from cancer.

“She really misses him.” Sheryl followed and picked up a framed photograph from the mantel. “She hasn't changed one thing about this house since he died.”

“Maybe she's afraid if she did it would erase him even more.” Sorrow filled Matthew as he contemplated the pain Lydia must have suffered.

Sheryl brushed aside her thick hair. Distress filled her light blue eyes as she glanced toward the kitchen.

Matthew continued to scan the pictures. His stomach jumped at a photograph at the end. Lydia posed with a dark-haired boy in his mid-teens. The recognition was instant. Charlie Westerman. He flashed to a horrible scene before he'd been a minister, when he worked with the Drug Enforcement Agency. They had arranged a sting operation. He could still see the woman kneeling beside Charlie's lifeless body. Her words still haunted him.
“The kid just wanted a cigarette. Why'd you kill him?” The woman dressed in blue jeans and a black leather vest sobbed.

Sheryl's voice brought Matthew back to the present. “That was Lydia's brother. He died in Miami.” Sheryl shook her head. “She's lost so much, too soon. Barely thirty and two people she was close to gone.”

Matthew couldn't take his eyes off the picture. His pulse drowned out any further conversation with Sheryl. “Excuse me, please.” Matthew took a moment to regain his composure. He was here as Lydia's minister.

As he walked toward the kitchen, he could hear Lydia's voice breaking. “I wonder if it'll ever be easier.”

“I'm certain it will,” Riley said. “Someday you'll look up and have only happy memories.”

Matthew entered the room. Unexpected jealousy rushed through him when he saw Riley holding Lydia in his arms. He cleared his throat. “Excuse me. I didn't mean to interrupt. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“There's nothing that can be done at this moment.” Riley released Lydia. “Not until this guy makes his next move.”

“I'm not talking about the caller. As your minister, if you need to pray or talk, my door is always open.” Matthew laid a hand on her shoulder for some reason wanting to just touch her.

“Thank you.” Lydia wiped her eyes with a tissue.

“We'll have a car drive by sporadically in case someone's watching you,” Riley told her.

“I appreciate that.” Lydia leaned against his shoulder as she led them out. “Thanks for everything.”

 

****

 

As they sat in the drive, Riley pounded his palm on the steering wheel. “She hasn't had much happiness in the last few years. Watching Justin die all but shut her down. When he did pass, his mom was so upset, she moved in for Lydia to take care of her. She died about eight months ago, allowing Lydia to finally grieve. She was actually coming out of it.”

Matthew's pulse continued to beat in his ears. What were the chances he'd come into a town where Charlie's family lived? He needed to focus on other things. “What type of cancer did her husband have?”

“Prostate. They found out weeks after their wedding. It doesn't seem fair. That house holds her hostage with all her memories. It's been frozen in time with the same pictures and Justin's items lying around since his death.” Riley paused. “And all her pain. She only leaves to go to church and do volunteer work in Chattanooga.”

“You sound as if you care deeply for her.” Matthew wished Riley would put the car in gear.

“Justin and I were close, closer than some brothers. I sure hope we can figure out who's doing this. The anniversary of Justin's death is coming, and we always visit the gravesite. I'm worried she'll fall apart completely if these calls continue.”

Matthew nodded, more concerned with how she'd react once she discovered her minister was the man who shot her brother.