On the morning of the third day after the shooting, Roy woke up on the couch with sunlight streaming through the living room window, and the morning somehow felt a little brighter. Cora was already awake when he joined her in her father’s room, leaning over the side of her bed with her hands clasped together in prayer.
“He’s going to be okay, Cora,” Roy said suddenly. He didn’t know why he felt the urge to say it, but somehow it felt like the right thing to say at that particular moment.
“I want to believe that you’re right,” Cora said numbly. She was no longer crying, and Roy suspected that her body had used its entire reserve of tears in the past three days alone.
Roy was then distracted by hoofprints outside. Frowning and wondering who that could be, as Dr. Davenport had already left for his morning check-in, Roy went outside to find Philip Hawthorne, his old schoolmate who he had recently reconnected with at the newspaper print shop, coming down from his horse.
“Philip,” Roy greeted him. “It’s nice to see a familiar face.”
“I thought I’d pay you a visit. I know you and Cora have been keeping vigil at the sheriff’s bedside. I wanted to let you know that we have been praying for him. Yesterday, everyone met at the church in Magnolia Grove, and Pastor Reynolds led a prayer service for him—and for the two of you.”
A lump of gratitude formed in Roy’s throat. He nodded his appreciation, unable to speak.
“We also took up a collection,” Philip continued. “To rebuild the church. We raised a good bit of money, and we’re going to take up another collection at Sunday Service. Everyone knows what Alfred Mills did and see what a horrible man he, and his entire family, have been. I guess it took a blow to his ego to show his true colors.”
“What about his mother?” Roy suddenly remembered Violet, the vile woman who had been the one to actually verbalize the vague threat on the way out the door the night before the church burning.
“No one has seen or heard from her,” Philip said, shrugging. “But the speculation is that she fled the state after Alfred was arrested. Word is that she has family on her side that own a big ranch in Wyoming.”
“Looks like she’s showing her true self as well,” Roy said. “For as much as she seemed to adore her son, she sure was quick to abandon him as soon as he gets caught fulfilling their collective plan. Of course, she’s probably also angry at Alfred for trying to do the job himself after she told him to get their goons to do it for him.”
“Yep,” Philip agreed. “She’s always been the mastermind behind all the evil doings of that family, and now she’s left her precious son all alone.”
“Oh, how the mighty has fallen,” Roy grumbled, smirking in satisfaction.
“‘Everything that is hidden will be shown, and everything that is secret will be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the light,’” Philip recited. “That’s what the Word says in the Gospel of Luke.”
“You know your Scriptures well,” Roy said impressed. He cast his eyes downward to hide his sadness. “Reminds me of my father.”
Philip didn’t respond, and when Roy looked up he saw that Philip was rubbing the back of his neck, as if he had something to say but was nervous.
“What’s wrong?” Roy asked, concerned at his friend’s sudden change in demeanor. “Do you want to come inside and have some tea or coffee?”
“I wish I could, but I have to get to the newspaper shop for work. I just… there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about before I go.”
“Of course, what is it?”
“I’ve actually been spending a lot of time studying the Scriptures,” Philip said, his hands in his pockets and rocking on his heels. “Beyond just my normal quiet time with God, I mean. Deep study of them.”
“That’s great, Philip,” Roy said, although he was confused why this was so difficult for him to admit.
Philip nodded. “I’ve actually been meeting with Pastor Reynolds in Magnolia Grove twice a week. He’s been mentoring me.”
“Do you mean…” Roy was starting to put the pieces together. His father had once recommended that Roy mentor with Pastor Reynolds to prepare for his ministry, saying that it would be good for him to learn from someone other than his father, to get an influence from a pastor outside his own family.
“I don’t want to step on your toes,” Philip said quickly. “It’s just that, well, I really feel called to ministry, and when your father passed away, I realized that we would need a new pastor soon. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. So I talked to Pastor Reynolds, and he suggested that maybe…” Philip’s voice trailed off.
Roy laughed out loud in relief and pulled Philip into a brotherly hug. “Is that what you were worried about telling me?” he asked, patting him on the back. Before releasing him, Roy felt Philip’s shoulders relax in relief, as if a weight he had been carrying had been lifted.
“I just know that your father always wanted you to take his place, but it also was no secret that you weren’t really interested in the job. I just don’t want to overstep.”
“Trust me, you’re not overstepping,” Roy assured him. “Listen, I had fallen away from God for a while, mostly because of a misunderstanding when my father and I had trouble seeing eye to eye. Now, by His grace, I’ve found my way back to Him. But that doesn’t mean I’ve changed my mind about being a pastor. We all have our different gifts that God has given us, and He calls us to use those gifts to serve Him. For me, that means working on the land. That’s why I’m buying that ranch. And for you,” Roy placed one hand on Philip’s shoulder and squeezed it. “For you, that’s preaching God’s word. Lakewood needs a pastor, and I can’t think of anyone else who is a better fit for the job.”
The relief in Philip’s eyes was evident, and his face broke out into a grin.
“Thank you, Roy,” he said. “That genuinely means a lot coming from you. Your father left big shoes to fill, but I promise to do my best to come close to the influence he had on this town and to imitate his service to God.”
“Now that you mention all this,” Roy said, suddenly getting an idea as he thought about his and Cora’s upcoming wedding, “I might have an idea for something you can do as your first role as Lakewood’s pastor.”
