“I don’t think anyone can be held hostage by a hair color. In fact, some of my favorite people had red hair.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. King David had red hair. It was described as ruddy. Even Jesus Christ our Lord was said to have red hair when he was younger.”

  Autumn looked back up at the wooden sculpture. “Really?”

  “Yes. He was the grandchild of King David, and Jesus was described as fairer than most men of the region.” Autumn took a bit of comfort in that.

  He didn’t say anything else, so she continued. “About three nights ago my Auntie was at the shops. Uncle Albert was supposed to be working, but he came home early. I had just finished cleaning the apartment and was making dinner.”

  “This was after working all day at the factory?”

  “Yes. It was my way to pay for the additional expenses when Auntie took me in.” Pastor James nodded. “I was cutting vegetables and he came up behind me in the kitchen.” She sobbed once more. “He came so close I could feel his breath on my neck… and then he tried to have his way with me.” Autumn was sick just thinking about it.

  “Did you tell the authorities, or your aunt?”

  She shook her head. “Auntie wouldn’t believe me because of the ladies in town. She would think I was asking for it. But that isn’t the worst.”

  Pastor Barnes raised his eyebrow. “I took the hot skillet on the stove and hit him in the face with all the strength I had inside of me. Then I grabbed my coat and I ran.”

  “So you’ve been alone all this time?”

  “Yes.”

  “When was the last time you had something to eat, child?”

  “I was able to find some scraps behind the grocers. But he saw me picking through the trash, so I ran away from there.”

  Pastor Barnes’ eyes turned a soft shade of brown as he studied Autumn.

  “And that is how you ended up in the park?” Autumn nodded. “How about we go get you something to eat? And then we can figure out what to do next?”

  She looked up at the kind pastor. “If there was a God, wouldn’t He have helped me when I asked Him to?”

  Pastor Barnes put his hand on her cheek, wiping away the stray tears that she left. “I think He did, child. He gave you the strength to fight back. He also led me to that bench you were sitting on. I wasn’t going to walk through the park today, but something told me I needed to go that way.”

  She bit her lip, thinking about what he said. She wasn’t sure if she believe in what he said. It seemed too good to be true. “Please, you must not send me back,” she said, in a pleading voice.

  Pastor Barnes stood and offered her his hand. “My child, I will make sure that nothing happens you,” he said, as he pulled her up from the pew. “You can stay here inside the church for as long as you’d like. I think I can find you a new coat, as I can see that this one is fraying a bit,” he said, as he moved his hand across the sleeve.

  While she might not believe in God, she knew that she could believe that her luck was changing.

  Chapter 3

  Pastor Elijah Barnes stood smiling at the congregation as everyone turned to get up from their seats. The services had just concluded, and he was greeting his parishioners as they headed outdoors to go home or to the restaurant for a meal.

  He was quite pleased with the sermon he prepared the night before. It had kept him up for most of the night; his thoughts coming to him all at once. Normally he had the sermon prepared well before Sunday services, but in this case, it was a brand-new idea and he had to make sure he shared the news with all of Sulphur Springs.

  There were still a few stragglers in the church, milling around and talking. Since everyone else had already left, he headed to his office off the side of the sanctuary.

  “Pastor Eli! Pastor Eli,” a voice called. Eli turned and gave a silent groan as he saw Mrs. Francis Parker heading his way. Mrs. Parker was one of the original women in the town, moving to Sulphur Springs when she was a new wife. She had been married to her husband for over 35 years before he passed the previous year.

  She had a very stern look on her face and he had a pretty good idea what she was going to want to discuss. She came before him and grasped his hand. “Pastor Elijah,” she said, “that was a wonderful service.”

  Eli smiled and gave her hand a quick squeeze before releasing it. “Thank you, Mrs. Parker. I am glad you enjoyed it. Please excuse me,” he said as he turned away quickly.

  “Pastor Elijah,” she called again. “I want to continue our conversation from last week.” He stopped and turned causing Mrs. Parker to run into him. He grabbed her arms to prevent her from falling. He was surprised at how quickly the old woman walked after him. “Have you given any thought to what I suggested?”

  He tried to hide his annoyance and forced a smile. “Yes, indeed I have.” And it wasn’t a lie. He had thought about what she had suggested for the week, and it made him madder than a hornet on a summer day.

  “Don’t you think it will be a grand idea?” she asked as a smile spread across her face.

  He didn’t want to upset her, so he tried to tread carefully. “Mrs. Parker, you must understand, what you suggested is a big decision. A huge decision, in fact. It isn’t a decision to be taken lightly.” He took a deep breath. “I just can’t decide something like this overnight.”

  Mrs. Parker didn’t look impressed. “But it would be so easy for you to just decide. We have many willing participants. All you need to do is choose. You know all the women; what more could you want?”

  A lot more, he thought to himself. But he didn’t want to get into an argument with her in his church. “I have an appointment I have to be ready for, so I’m sorry but I must depart,” he said, as a confused Mrs. Parker looked back at him.

  Before she could say something else, he took three large steps and opened a door in the side of the church that led to his office. He disappeared behind the door and closed it just as Mrs. Parker was speaking again. Leaning against the door he pushed his hair back in frustration.

  He was going to have to do a better job at avoiding Mrs. Parker, he thought to himself. Or maybe he should try to avoid all the women around him, as they had all seemed to be going mad.

  It all started last week, he thought, when Mrs. Parker had cornered him after the sermon to talk about the new influx of people coming into the town. Eli was happy; he was glad there were more people settling into town. It meant the town was thriving. But Mrs. Parker wasn’t upset about that. It was the type of people that were arriving. She noticed that most of the people weren’t married. Single men and single women were arriving by the coachful and she was very concerned with sin taking over the town. You could never be too careful.

  While Eli himself hadn’t noticed anything different, he couldn’t recall that many families settling in Sulphur Springs. But it didn’t bother him one bit; he had always felt that you needed to let God chart the path for you. He figured that all the men and women would eventually partner up and create families, which would keep the town thriving even more. However, patience was not one of Mrs. Parker’s virtues and she insisted on doing something to jumpstart the process.

  And by jumpstart, she meant for Eli to take the first step and get married. Quickly. She thought it would be good for him to set a precedent that other folks could follow.

  He didn’t think marriage really mattered to his job performance; he had thought he was a good pastor for the town and had never had any complaints. His older brother Jacob was also not married. Jacob was more married to his church. If a woman had even tried to make his brother turn his head, Jacob would probably miss the signals.

  He should have known immediately what she was alluding to, however taking hints wasn’t his strong suit. He believed people should just state what they mean and not beat around the bush. When she continued that she thought the people arriving weren’t of good influences, it was his duty to step up and show them an example of a godly family.

  He was taken aback by her train of thought. He still didn’t see how getting married solved the problem that didn’t exist.

  He smiled at her and told her that while it was a great gesture, it was not something he had been particularly thinking about, but he would take it under consideration. He said the last just to appease her and release himself from the conversation.

  Not that he was against marriage, he didn’t know any of the women in town and as a Pastor he thought it would be odd for him to suddenly show interest or chase down one of the available females.

  He walked over to his desk and sat down. Opening the drawer, he pulled it out as far as it would go without falling. There in the back was a flat wooden box, without decoration or carvings. His brother gave him the box when he entered the church and Eli stored a few precious mementos in there. He opened the box and pulled out a photograph. Holding it in his fingers he recalled there was a time when he did think about marriage and a family.

  It had been many years ago. He was young and reckless and hadn’t given a thought to the church. He had a string of relationships and he knew he would eventually find the right person and settle down. He wasn’t a saint by any means, but that was in the past. No one in town knew of his wild past.

  Then one day he met Effie Lou Smith. Two first names mind you, and she used them both. Effie Lou was everything that he had wanted in a partner. She was demure, with dark hair and dark eyes. She never talked out of turn and always listened to what he said. She was nothing too flashy, she wore little to no makeup, and her clothes were as plain as the hills outside of Philadelphia. She laughed at all his jokes and would agree with nearly everything he said. He was amazed he had found such a woman!

  He was willing to give up his wild ways for her. In fact, the day he was about to propose, she disappeared. He found out she had eloped with another man. Devastated, he ended up falling into a spiral of cheap booze and trouble. The police knew his name and he spent more time in the back of a wagon instead of at home. It was as if he had lost his path and couldn’t find a way back. His parents had died when he was a young man, so he didn’t really have much of a structure. The only person that was around was Jacob, and he did the best that he could to try to get him on the right path.

  It wasn’t until he witnessed Jacob becoming a pastor, did he really find his place. He saw the way Jacob took his calling seriously and the way people would listen to his every word when he preached at the pulpit. Jacob seemed to be making a difference in people’s lives.

  When Eli asked his brother, what made him choose this particular path, Jacob shared that it came to him one night while he was sleeping. A loud voice spoke in his dreams and told him that this was what he was meant to do. Jacob knew it was the voice of God calling to him and he had to follow. He made it his mission to share God’s word.

  Eli himself had never been close to God; at the least he was skeptical of the Almighty’s presence. But one night, he himself had a vision. He saw himself, cleaned up and in front of a crowd of people. He was preaching the gospel and people were responding.

  He woke with a start and he knew what he had to do. He enrolled in theology school and learned everything he could about God, the Bible and serving others. Once he was done with his studies, he bought the first ticket out west. After making the rounds with a travelling preacher, he decided to settle in Sulphur Springs, Montana. It was still new – less than 30 years old and held the promise of growth. His first task was building the church where he now served.

  He loved his life. It was exactly as he had envisioned it in his head nearly 10 years ago. But at no point did he think that he would be married. He had given up that thought when Effie Lou had left him.

  He wanted to brush Mrs. Parker’s silly request, no, her demand, aside.

  If he was to admit his past and why he didn’t want to get married, then he was opening himself to judgement and ridicule. He couldn’t bear to relive that part of his life again and he certainly didn’t want to see the look of disappointment on his congregation’s faces when they found out he was not as Godly as they thought him to be.

  Eli took one last look at the photograph and placed it back in the box before closing it inside. He returned the box to the desk and closed the drawer. Picking up his Bible he quietly prayed for guidance and finished with a soft amen.

  His stomach gave a soft growl and he was reminded that he hadn’t eaten anything that day. It was nearly noon, so he thought he should run to the restaurant and get a quick bite to eat.

  He peeked out into the vestibule and didn’t see anyone. Mrs. Parker was gone. He breathed a sigh of relief.

  Closing the church doors, he made his way towards the restaurant next to the hotel. Mrs. Abigail Spencer, the hotel owner’s wife, led him to a table in the back.

  “We missed you in church today, Abigail.”

  Abigail blushed. “I am sorry I couldn’t be there, but I was so sick this morning.” She placed her hand against her belly as if to shield her baby from hearing the words.

  “Congratulations. When will the baby make its appearance in Sulphur Springs?”

  “This Autumn. Doc says I’m doing just fine and can probably work right up to the baby being born.” Abigail scribbled on the pad of paper in her hand “Although, maybe I can see about Mr. Spencer giving me a bit of a break.” She laughed and looked back at Eli. “But that isn’t going to happen, we are shorthanded as it is. So, what can I get you?”

  Eli ordered soup and a sandwich as that would be the quickest thing to make and he was ravenous. As he waited for his meal, he looked around the room.

  Several people were taking their noon meal in the restaurant. There was a table of women that Eli recognized from town, but he didn’t know their names. They were looking straight at him before whispering to each other.

  Eli looked away. When he took a quick glance back one of the women waved to him. She waved!

  He highly suspected that Mrs. Parker had put a rumor out that he would be looking for a wife. He saw Abigail go to the table and speak to the ladies. They erupted into a fit of giggles. Eli groaned.

  It was only a matter of time before the pressure would be overwhelming and he would be cornered into marrying someone. That was not what he wanted.

  It wasn’t that the women in town weren’t nice, he just didn’t know them well. And they all seemed prone to gossip. He looked at the women again.

  No, he needed a Godly woman that had a pure soul and wouldn’t gossip about his past. He thought about how he would find someone like that; then he thought of his brother Jacob. He had a knack for being able to read the best in people.

  Just then Jeremiah Price and his family walked into the restaurant. Esther saw Eli and gave him quick wave. Jeremiah tipped his hat and Eli watched as his children sat quietly around the table. What a change in that family, he thought.

  Jeremiah had been a widow and needed a wife and a mother for his four children who were out of control. Eli wrote to Jacob and within a month Esther arrived in town. It was as if God had designed her just for that family.

  Abigail reappeared and placed his soup and sandwich in front of him. He took a bite of the thick ham sandwich and looked again at the Price family.

  Esther was everything Jeremiah needed, and Eli hadn’t even written a set of criteria. His brother had a gift for getting to the heart of what was needed. Eli needed that gift now.

  Maybe getting married wouldn’t be so bad if the woman didn’t know anything about Sulphur Springs or his past. He started checking off the qualities he wanted if he was to marry someone.

  He would send a letter to his brother as soon as he returned to the church. He would post it off tomorrow and hopefully hear something within the month.

  The more he thought about it, the more he became open to the idea. Perhaps marrying someone wouldn’t be so bad, he thought to himself.

  It was as if a weight was suddenly lifted from his shoulders. Soon he wouldn’t be the target of the women in town. If he had a wife, it would be a nice shield and that would allow him to get back to his true purpose.

  Chapter 4

  It had been three weeks since Pastor Barnes found her on the park bench.

  Autumn was settling nicely into her new life. Pastor Barnes allowed her to stay in the spare room at the back of the church. He found her a coat, although she kept the frayed one. She didn’t want anyone to take it from her. It was the coat that she sewed pennies into the lining of on payday when she was working at the factory. Although the pennies were long gone, her coat contained much more than she wanted to disclose. It contained her future.

  She wanted to earn her keep so she did odd jobs at the church. The work was fairly easy, and she didn’t get yelled at if something wasn’t perfect. He said she just needed to rest from her ordeal, but Autumn was so grateful she insisted on helping. She was responsible for dusting the church, fetching items from the storage room in the back, helping prepare meals for the poor and doing whatever else Pastor Barnes needed to keep the church running.

  Autumn was wearing a new dress – or at least it was new to her. Pastor Barnes let her rummage through the donation box and she found two dresses and a coat. She was so grateful, as those few items were the first new items she had received in nearly three years.

  She knew that eventually she was going to have to find something more permanent than staying at the church, but for right now, she was happy that Pastor Barnes had found her.

  She had yet to see or hear anything of her aunt or uncle and she was thankful. The church was on the other side of town, in the part of town where she used to live when her family was alive, she was pretty confident that they were never going to find her. The only downside to this arrangement was to be around the life she used to have.

  She saw a few people that she knew from when her parents were alive. She even saw Poppy and her brother, but they didn’t see her. She tried to duck out of view if she saw anyone as they were walking down the street. She had seen Mrs. Henderson at one of the recent services but she stayed in the back where the elderly lady couldn’t see her. She wiped a tear away as Mrs. Henderson sang reverently, the hymn Amazing Grace. She missed her former maid … and friend. Mrs. Henderson offered to take her in after her parents died, but Autumn knew she had a daughter and the extra mouth to feed would be difficult, especially since Mrs. Henderson was then out of a job.