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Stone made his way along the boardwalk early Saturday
morning, eager to join the rest of the congregation in the spring cleaning of
the church. This would be the first time that Stone had been part of a group of
believers since his childhood, and though he was looking forward to the
fellowship, he was terrified at the same time. There was no doubt in his mind
that his presence would ruffle the feathers of some folks, and controversy might
erupt over whether or not he truly deserved to worship in the house of God.
He and Pastor Tom had discussed this issue over coffee
several days ago, and while the pastor was more than willing to welcome Stone
with open arms, he warned him to be prepared for some up-turned noses and cold
shoulders. The pastor also reassured him that things would settle down quickly,
and that his future sermons were likely to cause more chaos than the addition of
a former criminal.
Regardless, Stone was determined to make the best of it, and
he knew that along with Pastor Tom, there’d be others who were in his corner,
such as the Hendersons and Cally. But there was one thing that troubled him more
than gossipy old hens and stubborn old timers: how to deal with seeing Josie
(and her love interest) on a regular basis.
Preoccupied with his thoughts, it was no wonder that Stone
almost plowed into Ruby, the sultry saloon goddess, as she casually and
suggestively emerged from the saloon, aiming for Stone’s attention.
“Hey there, handsome stranger,” she said. “Remember
me?” She held out her arms as if to show off her skimpy outfit and to tease
Stone’s eyes. Ruby was snuggled in a blue corset with black trim that left her
shoulders bare and exposed a generous sample of her boson; and while she was
fairly gentle to look at, it was difficult to tell with all the rouge she had
on.
Not interested in her bait, Stone bid her a polite morning
and tipped his hat, then tried to excuse himself, but Ruby wasn’t about to
give up so easily.
“I’ve seen you ‘round town plenty, and was hoping
you’d come back and see me.” She refused to move from his path. “I’ve
been awfully thirsty and thought you might like to stop in and buy me a
drink.”
“Sorry, I ain’t one for drinkin’ and chasin’ women
that don’t belong to me. Now if you’ll excuse me…” Stone was hoping that
his direct manner would be enough to discourage her.
“No need to play so hard to get, handsome. I know you’re
not married. All I’m asking for is one little ol’ drink. That can’t hurt
nothin’. Besides, where you off to in such a hurry?” Ruby tried to wrap her
black feather boa around Stone’s neck, but he would have no part of it.
“I’m headin’ for the church, to help with the clean
up,” Stone said as he moved his eyes from the planks in the boardwalk to the
direction of the church, determined to shun Ruby’s ungodly appearance.
“That old shack could use some spit shinin’, that’s for
sure. Don’t tell me you’re one of them Holy Rollers. Not a big, strong
outlaw like yourself.” She tried to step closer to him, but Stone responded by
maintaining his distance.
“Ma’am, I’m not goin’ to play these games with you.
There ain’t gonna be nothin’ between us. Now I’d appreciate it if you’d
kindly get out of my way.” With his patience gone, Stone gruffly stepped away
from her.
“When you’re in the mood for some company darlin’,
you’ll come back and see me. You’ll be back to see ol’ Ruby,” she said,
while managing to hide her wounds of rejection.
As Stone approached the Ash Falls Community Church, his heart
began to pound uncontrollably. He scanned the small crowd already gathered in
hopes of spotting a friendly, familiar face. Pastor Tom greeted him almost
immediately, and introduced Stone to his wife. While Stone got acquainted with
Constance, Josie, who was there with her new beau, couldn’t help noticing
Stone, and being drawn to him. She’d heard rumors that he’d be attending the
church, but she was still surprised to see him there.
“Is that the outlaw I been hearin’ about?” Josh,
Josie’s beloved, whispered into her ear.
Though she suddenly felt tempted to swat Josh out of her
face, Josie resisted the urge.
“Yes. That’s the infamous Stone Hawkins,” Josie replied
with a bit of attitude.
“Any of those ol’ feelings stirrin’ up?” he teased,
but Josie shot him a look of anger and was about to reprimand him when Pastor
Tom came over and started ushering them in Stone’s direction.
“Come on you two. I want you to meet our newest member,”
said Pastor Tom as he placed his arms around the pair and walked them over to
Stone.
“Stone, I’d like you to meet some folks. This lovely lady
is Josie…”
“Yes. I’ve known Josie for quite some time,”
interrupted Stone. And for the second time in ten years, Stone was able to drink
in the beauty of his lost love, all while she tried to stare at him blankly,
meekly, and with a polite smile. “But I haven’t met this here fella. Howdy.
Stone Hawkins,” Stone said as he stuck out his hand toward Josh. Returning the
gesture, Josh introduced himself.
“I hear congratulations are in order for you two.” Stone
couldn’t believe he didn’t choke on the words. Although Josh was tall, lean,
and clean-cut-looking (a virtual opposite of Stone), Stone looked at Josh with
more envy than he’d care to admit. Here was a young man who was reasonably
handsome, had a heart for God, and would soon be the husband of the only woman
he’d ever loved.
“Yessir,” Josh said, very pleased. He put his arm around
Josie and squeezed her proudly, and, you might say, with a subtle hint of
victory.
“So when’s the big day?” Stone let the proverbial egg
slide off of his face with dignity.
“August 20th.”
“Well, I’m happy for you,” Stone said while staring at
Josie. In many ways, he meant for the comment to be sincere: he wanted Josie to
have all the happiness she deserved, but he regretted that he wouldn’t be the
one to share it with her.
Josie remained silent, and only nodded her appreciation.
As the crowd began to swell with new arrivals, including the
Hendersons and Cally’s family, Pastor Tom tried his best to introduce Stone to
everyone; Josie quietly slipped away behind the church. She hurriedly wiped
tears out of her eyes and took several deep breaths, wondering how much longer
she could go on pretending to hate Stone.
Pastor Tom gathered the congregation together and assigned
tasks after a short prayer. As Stone and several others prepared to climb atop
the roof to make some minor repairs, Stone saw Buck and Rowdy coming to join the
crusade.
“What are you boys doin’ here?” Stone asked before
anyone else noticed they were there.
“We come to help,” said Rowdy cheerfully. “Me and
Buck’s been talking about coming to church. We want to see what it’s like
and all.”
“Is that right?” Stone tried uselessly to hold back the
smile that spread across his face.
“Yeah. Been thinkin’ about what you said, well, all the
things you been sayin’. And you’re right. I do need to do my own thinkin’,
and I want to start comin’ to church, so I can make up my own mind about God
and all. I want to learn more about God bein’ a provider, and a father who
loves us unconditionally. I don’t want my life to be full of mistakes. And if
my pa doesn’t like it, well, that’s his right I guess.” Buck spoke with a
maturity that moved Stone’s heart.
Stone put his arm around Buck’s neck and pulled him close,
while silently he looked towards the heavens and thanked God for beginning a
change in the young man’s life.
“The Bible says taste of the Lord and see that He is good.
I believe you will.”
Buck smiled and returned Stone’s thoughtful
affection, and moments later, they were both hard at work on the house of the
Lord.
©2004 StoriesByEmail.com
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