Their Christmas Prayer

“We need you back in Jordan, Shaun,” Henry had said. He’d gone on to describe a position overseeing a newly formed network of house churches in Amman. “You’re my number one choice, but I need your answer pretty quick.”

Shaun didn’t feel anywhere near ready to return to full-time service. “I don’t know, Henry. I’m still figuring things out.”

“I understand. Take a couple of weeks to think it over and pray about it. I know God will lead you in the right direction.”

He only wished he shared Henry’s confidence—not in God’s wisdom but in his own ability to discern the Lord’s leading.

Or could this position be God’s answer to Shaun’s confusion? Maybe God just needed him to release his faith struggles and simply trust again. All he had to do was call the director back and say yes.

After parking the pickup next to the barn, he opened the recent calls list on his phone, his thumb hovering over Henry’s name. But the pinch in his gut wouldn’t let him complete the call. Barging from the truck, he stuffed the phone in his pocket. All he wanted right now was to lose himself in the monotony of helping Kent plant fence posts.

So he threw himself into that task, losing track of the time as the relentless work cleared his mind. By early afternoon, they’d set up temporary fencing through a section of pasture and connected the wire to a solar-powered charger. Afterward, Shaun moved out of the way while Kent climbed on Jasmine, his big black cutting horse, to herd several head of cattle into the fenced-off section. Kent said rotating grazing areas helped maintain the ecology of the land. Or something like that. All Shaun knew was that he’d worked up enough of a sweat stomping fence posts into the ground that he no longer needed his quilted flannel jacket.

With the task complete, he waded through knee-high grass and weeds to where he’d parked the pickup on a narrow rutted lane. A few minutes later, he caught up with Kent at the barn. Going cross-country on Jasmine, Kent had made better time and probably enjoyed a smoother ride as well. Bouncing over all those rocks and potholes had been painfully reminiscent of Shaun’s most recent missionary years in Ethiopia. His tailbone still ached at the memory of driving an ancient Land Rover with no shocks over roads better suited for donkeys and goats. Jordan, on the other hand, held much more pleasant memories...but was that incentive enough?

Pocketing the truck keys, he clamped his teeth together. Henry had given him two weeks. If God hadn’t given him a crystal clear no by then, he’d accept the call and start making plans for his return to Jordan, a previous post where he’d felt he really had made a difference. With that much settled for now, he put Henry’s call out of his mind and focused on the task at hand.

While Kent tended to Jasmine, Shaun unloaded the pickup bed and stowed the leftover wire and fence posts in the storage room. As he finished, his sister’s car pulled up outside the barn. He strode out to meet her and was nearly bowled over when Avery, his seven-year-old niece, plowed into him.

“Uncle Shaun, look! I lost another tooth.” Avery tipped her head back and opened her mouth.

“Whoa, you sure did. Hope the tooth fairy was generous.” He dropped to one knee to inspect the newly vacant spot on her upper gum. The shiny serrated edge of a new tooth already peeked through.

Avery cupped her hand around Shaun’s ear. “It’s okay. I know Mom’s really the tooth fairy. And she gave me two whole quarters.”

“Cool. Don’t spend it all in one place.” Tousling his niece’s mop of pale red curls, Shaun pushed to his feet. “Hey, Erin. Back for more wedding planning?”

“If I can tear my cowboy away from his cows. Looks like y’all have been working hard today.” Erin wrinkled her nose as she came closer. “Smells like it, too. Watch out, or Kent will make a rancher of you yet.”

“Don’t hold your breath.” Then Shaun got a whiff of himself. “On second thought, maybe you should, at least until I get cleaned up.”

They all entered the farmhouse, and Shaun made quick work of going to his room, discarding his soiled clothes and washing up.

By the time Shaun came downstairs in a fresh polo shirt and jeans, Kent had already cleaned up, too. He and Erin had just sat down at the kitchen table with glasses of iced tea and their wedding planning notebook.

Kent motioned Shaun over. “Pour yourself some tea and join us. I’m supposed to be picking a groom’s cake and I need another male’s perspective.”

“Afraid I wouldn’t be much help in the cake department. Think I’ll see what Avery’s watching on TV.” Shaun started for the living room.

“Uh-uh, big brother.” Erin patted the chair next to her. “Sit down a minute. There’s something else we’ve been meaning to ask you.”

Erin’s elfin smile belied the hint of something more serious in her tone. Figuring this didn’t involve cake selections, Shaun cautiously lowered himself into the chair. “I’m not the guy to give advice about tuxes or flowers either, in case you were wondering.”

“Actually...” Erin reached for her fiancé’s hand, and Kent scooted closer. They both looked slightly nervous. “What we wanted to ask—I mean, with you being an ordained minister—”

Palms outward, he leaned back in the chair. “I think I know where this is going, and the answer is no.”

“But it would mean so much to have my brother officiate at our wedding. Please, Shaun, would you at least think about it?”

“I’m honored and touched that you would ask, but I’m not ready to—” His mouth went dry. He couldn’t meet his sister’s gaze. “Sorry, I just can’t do it.” He shoved up from the table and marched upstairs.

Alone in the guest room, he sank onto the bed and dropped his head into his hands. Didn’t they understand how messed up he was? When he couldn’t even discern God’s will for his own life, what made them think he could bestow a proper blessing on their marriage? After all his sister had been through with her abusive first husband and starting over after their divorce, she deserved only the best.

It was Greg, the eldest of the O’Grady siblings, who’d had the bright idea Shaun should spend some time in Juniper Bluff after returning from his most recent—and most discouraging—missionary assignment. This was supposed to be a kind of sabbatical, reconnecting with himself and with God. So far, all he had to show for it was more confusion, along with several new calluses from the hard labor of ranch work.

He wished he had the sense of direction of the woman he’d met this morning—Brooke Willoughby. An image of her crept into his thoughts. There was a woman who knew where she was going. She might display a few nervous twinges about settling into her new job, but underneath it all she exuded professionalism and self-assurance. True, he couldn’t deny the irrational spark of attraction he’d felt, but besides the fact that they were both new in town, what could they possibly have in common?

Not that it mattered, since their paths weren’t likely to cross again anytime soon.

Then why, absurdly, did he wish somehow they would?

Chapter Two

Leaving the sanctuary with Kent, Erin and Avery after worship on Sunday morning, Shaun glimpsed a familiar cascade of honey-brown curls. So much for discounting his chances of running into Brooke Willoughby. This was small-town Juniper Bluff, after all. Engaged in a spirited conversation with Diana from the doughnut shop and another woman, she didn’t notice him as he walked past.

“That’s the new communications manager for the chamber,” Erin said. “I met her in the women’s Bible study this morning. She’s really on the ball.”

“Yeah, I know.” As they continued toward the exit, Shaun couldn’t keep his head from swiveling in Brooke’s direction.

Erin looked at him askance. “You know?”

Shaun should have kept his mouth shut. He faced forward and walked faster. “Diana’s Donuts was packed yesterday, so we shared a table.”

A mischievous chuckle erupted from Erin’s throat. “Kent needs to send you to town more often.”

“Speaking of which,” Kent said, tapping his church bulletin against his palm, “I’ve been working on getting more connected here at church, and the service committee looks interesting. They’re meeting tomorrow night to discuss plans for this year’s Christmas charity project. Why don’t you tag along with me?”

Shaun gave his head a brisk shake. “I don’t think so.”

“Come on, it’ll do you good to get out and meet more people.” They’d reached Erin’s car, and Kent helped Avery buckle into the back seat. Blocking Shaun from proceeding on toward the pickup, he glowered. “How long have you been staying with me at the ranch now—a month? Six weeks? About all you come to town for is to pick up something for me at the ranch supply store or to visit Erin at her place.”

“I’ve been attending church with you nearly every Sunday,” Shaun shot back. “And didn’t I just say I met Brooke at the doughnut shop? So I get out plenty. I’ve got all the acquaintances I need.”

Kent shared a meaningful look with Erin, and then both of them pinned him with concerned frowns. “I spent years holding things in,” Kent said quietly, “isolating myself when I could have been sharing my problems with people who cared. So I know avoidance when I see it.”

Hands on hips, Shaun exhaled sharply through his nose. Erin and Kent had been more than patient with him as he worked through his issues with God. He knew they were only trying to help. “Okay, you could have a point. But these past few years trying to make a difference in Ethiopia... I can’t begin to describe the frustration and disappointment.”

“We know, Shaun.” Erin touched his arm. “And we understand why you needed to get away and decompress. But getting involved in something on a smaller scale—a project where you can readily see the results of your efforts—might turn out to be just what you need.”

Shaun didn’t want to admit it, but his sister could be right. “All right,” he said, hands raised. “No promises, but I’ll attend the meeting with you and see what it’s all about.”

Kent clapped him on the shoulder. “Good man. Now, let’s go see what Erin’s got cookin’ for dinner.”

One thing Shaun had learned upon his arrival in Juniper Bluff was that his little sister had become not only a talented interior designer but a pretty amazing cook. He’d come to look forward to meals at her house or when she brought something special out to Kent’s.

He was proud of his baby sister in other ways, too, and felt rotten that while serving overseas he’d been unaware of everything she’d gone through with her abusive first husband. It helped only slightly to know their older brother, Greg, hadn’t been any more clued in than Shaun. Until the bitter end, Erin had managed to hide the truth from almost everyone close to her. Guess it ran in the family.

Interesting how Greg had contrived to send both his troubled siblings to Juniper Bluff to heal and start over. Erin had found not only a profitable outlet for her design talents but true love with someone who’d treat her right. Shaun had no expectations of romance, but if his sojourn in this friendly small town made room for God to shed a little light on his path, he’d be grateful.

He chuckled to himself as he wondered when his philanthropic elder brother would leave big-city San Antonio behind and settle in Juniper Bluff permanently. Greg spent a good part of his time here anyway to oversee the Camp Serenity program for disadvantaged kids at Serenity Hills Guest Ranch. It was probably only a matter of time before Greg started pestering Shaun to join him as a volunteer counselor, but that sounded too long-term.

On the other hand, the Christmas outreach project had a clear beginning and end, which seemed much more doable, something Shaun could complete even if he did feel led to accept the Jordan position.

On Monday evening he rode into town with Kent for the meeting. Erin wouldn’t be participating—too many wedding details to iron out, Kent explained, plus she stayed busy with her interior design clients and keeping up with Avery.

They arrived at the church a few minutes early, and Kent introduced Shaun to the chairperson, Emily Ingram. “Emily’s married to Dr. Robert Ingram, the vet who takes care of my livestock.”

Shaun smiled and offered his hand. He recognized Emily as the woman Brooke Willoughby had been in conversation with yesterday after church.

“A missionary and a minister,” Emily gushed. “I know you’ll be a huge asset to the group.”

He suffered a moment of regret for not asking Kent to omit that part of his background. “Just consider me another willing worker.”

As other committee members trickled in, Shaun took a seat next to Kent near the end of a long, oval conference table. Clearing her throat, Emily Ingram prepared to open the meeting, only to pause at the click of heels in the corridor.

Seconds later, Brooke Willoughby slipped into the room. She offered a shy smile. “Hope I’m not late.”

“Just getting started, Brooke. Have a seat.” Emily motioned toward the only empty chair, directly across from Shaun. While Brooke got situated, Emily introduced her. “Many of you know Brooke’s brother, Tripp, Robert’s partner at the vet clinic. Brooke just accepted a position at the chamber of commerce, and we’re delighted to welcome her to Juniper Bluff.”

Brooke’s cheeks colored at the polite smattering of applause. “Thanks. I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone.” Then her gaze met Shaun’s, and a surprised glint flickered in her brown eyes. “Oh. Hi.”

He couldn’t explain the flutter beneath his sternum. For one thing, he wasn’t the type to experience flutters in the presence of an attractive woman. For another, he’d already surmised their strongest common link was an affinity for good coffee.

Calling the meeting to order, Emily saved him from having to form a coherent response. After opening with a brief prayer, she consulted her printed agenda. “In the interest of time, I’d like to table the usual reports until the end and get right to our Christmas service project.” When no one objected, she went on, “Since this is my first year to chair the committee, I did a little research to see what’s been done in the past—helping a needy family buy gifts for their children, serving Christmas dinner at a shelter, and I think last year you put together care packages for the Camp Serenity kids.”

Shaun sat back and listened while the committee batted around those ideas and a few others. After several minutes, he glanced across the table to see Brooke silently chewing her lip and added one more thing to their list of commonalities. As the two newbies on the committee, both were reluctant to wade into the middle of a discussion that grew more vocal as each new idea emerged.

Emily tapped the table with her pen. “With so many possibilities to consider, I suggest we give oversight of the project to one or two individuals. They can sort through the options, make the final decision and then get back to the committee with their directives for implementation.”

At last, a voice of reason. Shaun liked Emily Ingram already. He scanned the room and tried to guess which among the regulars would get the chairperson’s nod. Probably not Kent, since he was in the middle of planning a wedding. Maybe the sixty-ish lady at the other end of the table who’d had plenty to say about nearly every idea presented?

Then he felt Emily’s gaze on him. She smiled like the proverbial cat who ate the canary. “Nothing compares with the freshness of new ways of looking at things. Shaun and Brooke, our newest committee members, could we prevail upon the two of you to head up our Christmas outreach efforts?”

Brooke’s gaze locked with Shaun’s. Squirming in his chair, he looked equally taken aback by Emily’s request. Brooke forced down a swallow while pawing through her oversize purse for the water bottle she’d brought. She’d tried to persuade both Diana and Emily yesterday that she wasn’t quite ready for committee involvement, but she may as well have been arguing with those fence posts Shaun had been hauling. Maybe if she stalled long enough, he’d make convincing excuses for both of them.

He coughed into his fist. “I actually just came along at Kent’s invitation. I’m not really in a position to—”

“Oh, you’ll do fine.” Emily reached across the table to pat his wrist, then did the same to Brooke. “With your unique combination of skills and experience, you two are exactly what this committee needs.”

Nearly choking on a sip of water, Brooke shook her head. “Wouldn’t you rather ask someone who knows the community much better than either of us?”

“Right,” Shaun agreed. “We’re both practically strangers to Juniper Bluff.” He set his hands on the armrests as if preparing for a quick exit.

Kent, obviously the future brother-in-law Shaun had mentioned, chuckled to himself while appearing a teensy bit remorseful about setting Shaun up for this. Family pressure? Brooke could totally relate.

Emily maintained her ethereal smile as she jotted notes. “Shaun and Brooke, why don’t you two get together over the next couple of weeks and hammer out a plan of action? You can report back to us at our next meeting.”

Brooke cast Shaun a get-us-out-of-this stare. He responded with tight lips and a helpless shrug. Before either of them had a chance for further protests, Emily moved on to the next item on the agenda. Brooke scarcely heard a word as she mentally rehearsed one statement after another about why she was a bad choice for this assignment. She’d hit Emily with them the moment the meeting ended. The glazed look in Shaun’s eyes suggested he was doing exactly the same.

After other business had been covered and Emily adjourned the meeting, Brooke and Shaun attempted to corner her. The woman barely slowed her pace as she turned off lights, locked the classroom and marched out to the parking lot. But no matter how forcefully they reiterated their objections, she insisted they were more than up for the task and they should feel free to call if they had any questions.

“Oh, boy, I’ve got plenty,” Brooke muttered as Emily drove away.

Shaun stood beside her. “Remind me to strangle my almost-brother-in-law.”

“Where is he, by the way?”

“Over there waiting for me in his truck.” Shaun nodded toward the dusty tan pickup Brooke had seen him driving on Saturday. “Kent should have warned me. His prize Brangus bull’s got nothing on the world’s most ruthless committee chairperson.”

Giving a snort, Brooke rifled through her purse for her keys. “I definitely need to have a word with my brother and sister-in-law.”

“Don’t tell me—you were steamrolled into joining the committee, too?”

“My family seems to think I need an actual life away from the office.” Brooke rolled her eyes. “Bossy big brothers and their wives are the worst.”

“Meddlesome little sisters and their fiancés are just as bad.” Shaun took a few steps toward Kent’s pickup, then turned and blew out a resigned sigh. “So, I guess we’re doing this?”

“If for no other reason than to prove Emily wrong. Should we decide on a time to talk one day soon?”

Offering a wry half smile, Shaun said, “I’m not the one keeping office hours. You name the time and place.”

“Things are a little crazy at the chamber right now while I get a handle on this new job. But maybe we could meet early one morning for coffee.”

“That works. Anyway, I’d say Diana owes you free coffee and doughnuts for life.”

Brooke snickered. “I’d have to agree.” She took out her cell phone and they traded numbers. “I’ll give you a call after I double-check my calendar at the office tomorrow.”

They said good-night, and Brooke slid behind the wheel of her metallic-red sedan. Passing the town square on her way home, she recalled her first two encounters with Shaun O’Grady. She still didn’t know what to make of the man. Although, thanks to Emily’s brief introductions of the other committee members, Brooke now knew Shaun was an ordained minister and former missionary—both of which made him much more qualified for a church outreach project. Maybe she could plead busyness and convince him to take the lead.

Besides, she’d been sorely dreading Christmas, her second since Mom died. Last year, she and Dad had been able to distract themselves with excitement over Tripp and Diana’s January wedding. This season, Brooke had planned to stay so busy at the chamber that she wouldn’t have time to think about the approaching holidays.

So much for that idea. At this rate, Christmas could be at the top of her priority list for weeks to come.

A few minutes later, she parked in the garage at home. She and her dad had rented a two-bedroom brick cottage down the block from Tripp and Diana’s house. For her dad’s sake, she couldn’t deny the advantages of living near family again, but being this close would take some getting used to. Especially if they insisted on micromanaging her personal life.

“How was the meeting?” Dad asked as she let herself in through the kitchen. He’d just poured himself a bowl of oat cereal as a bedtime snack.

Brooke tossed her purse onto a chair. “Fine, if you count getting roped into cochairing the Christmas outreach subcommittee. Tripp and Diana are so going to pay for this.”

Dad merely chuckled. “Not biting off more than you can chew, are you?”

“Probably.” After filling a cereal bowl for herself, Brooke plopped down at the table across from her father. “Hopefully my new partner in crime will carry most of the load.”

“And who might that be?”

“Guess I didn’t tell you about the guy I met at the coffee shop on Saturday. His name’s Shaun O’Grady, also new in town. He’s a minister taking a break from missionary work. That’s about the extent of what I know about him.”

“Old, young?” Dad swallowed a spoonful of cereal, then winked. “Married, single?”

Making a growling sound in her throat, Brooke glanced toward the ceiling. “Probably around my age and probably single. Happy now?”

“I’m plenty happy. The question is, are you?”

She let her father’s words hang in the air while she finished her cereal. But the question followed her even as she changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed. No doubt about it, the last couple of years had taken a toll, both emotionally and physically. Add her nonexistent romantic life into the mix and things looked even drearier. The life she’d always striven to keep perfectly under control had disintegrated beneath her. No matter how hard she tried to ignore it, the nagging sense of failure lingered.

Not even the move to Juniper Bluff had been entirely in her control. Struggling through her grief over Mom’s death, she’d had no other goal than to bolster her advertising clientele and strengthen her position at the advertising firm. Little did she realize her family had been working behind the scenes to bring her and Dad back to Texas.

Okay, yes, seeing Dad happier than he’d been since Mom had first developed kidney disease was definitely a blessing.

But being strong-armed into working with an almost-complete stranger on a project she had neither the time nor the experience for? This was a situation she needed to get under control ASAP.

After returning calls and replying to a few emails Tuesday morning, Brooke decided she couldn’t put off the inevitable. She found Shaun’s number in her phone and pressed the call button.

He answered with a breathy “Hello?”

“Hi, it’s Brooke. Is this a bad time?”

“Just caught me hauling a hay bale, one of the many delightful ranch chores I’ve been delegated.”

She chuckled. “I take it your future brother-in-law is still alive and kicking.”

“Yeah, my sister’s put a lot of effort into planning the wedding, so she’d be really miffed if I did him in.”