"I have a buddy at the power company, and he said that Mistletoe Meadows is next on the list. He said power could be on to select homes even before midnight tonight."
Mark nodded as Ben spoke low into his ear.
Most of the families had retreated to their corners and were reading stories, singing songs, and otherwise getting their children calmed down and ready for bed.
The older ladies had lain down on their cots, although they must still have had their hearing aids in, because they spoke low.
Mark observed the interactions, making sure teenagers stayed with their families, and didn't go wandering around having some clandestine meeting. He didn't want the church's reputation to be one where promiscuity abounded, not even a little bit.
"Thanks for the report. We had a pretty good day, but I know people are getting restless, and also concerned about the lack of work. I truly hope some folks can start going back to their homes tomorrow."
"I think they should be. The snow stopped earlier this evening,although our road isn't plowed. It's probably going to take some heavy equipment to move that much snow. From what I understand, the interstate is okay, though."
"The trucks were able to keep that clean?"
"That's where they had to focus all of their resources. But they'll start opening up the side roads soon. Down below, once you get out of the mountains, they didn't get nearly as much snow, so we should be seeing trucks tonight, overnight, or tomorrow morning, I would think."
"Well, that's good news. I don't think I'll say anything to anyone, though, because I don't want to get their hopes up."
"No. I just wanted to let you know what I knew, so that we were on the same page, with the same timeline in mind."
"All right, I appreciate it."
"How's the food holding out?"
"We've got plenty. Although, if Marjorie McBride hadn't come bearing loads and loads of food, we might've been out by now. Thankfully, we had a couple of farmers in the area donate some meat as well."
"It's always good to have some friends that can feed you," Ben laughed.
"I never realized just how true that could be," Mark said.
They grinned, as Ben moved away, finding his wife, who was talking to one of the older ladies who had been a little short of breath.
Mark had been keeping an eye on that situation. He didn't think it was anything serious, but he also wanted to be sure that they were on top of things. If they had to figure out how to get someone to the hospital, they were going to do it.
As his eyes scanned over the room, they caught for a moment on Olivia, as she snuggled with her boys, one on either side of her. She had a book in her lap, and they leaned against her as she read it to them quietly. He couldn't pick her voice out of the crowd, but he didn't need to. Just looking at her was enough.
He'd been aware of her presence all day—where she was, what she was doing—and had found himself wanting to go over and talk to her more than once, even though he didn't really have anything to say. He just wanted to check in on her, make sure she was okay, chat about the weather or something else that didn't mean anything, just to have that connection with her.
He knew what that meant, although he hadn't felt it before. It meant that the attraction he felt was getting stronger.
Lord, should I pursue this? Could you tell me for sure if I should?
He knew that God did not work that way. After all, God gave him the principles in the Bible, and if he lived his life according to those, he would probably remain in God's will. Sometimes there just wasn't a right or wrong answer.
But the idea of striking up a romantic relationship could have huge implications throughout the entire community, and he didn't want to mess it up.
After all, a bad breakup could be painful for both of them, and could also jeopardize his position in the church. He didn't want to be known as the man who went from relationship to relationship to relationship, with none of them working out. He wanted to enter a relationship with the idea that they were building something solid and long-term.
Was he really thinking about a relationship with Olivia?
Maybe that was moving a little too fast. Maybe he should have given in to his urges and talked with her a little bit more today. He definitely wanted to spend more time with her. He enjoyed playing with her boys and getting to know them. Although, when he overheard one of them telling a friend that Pastor Mark could be their dad, it hadn't scared him the way he thought it should. On the contrary, he thought,Yeah. I could.
Oddly, he had been talking to Olivia about that very thing, the boys needing a dad. And he had been assuring her that God would provide if they actually needed it.
How ironic, if God had been intending to provide him as the father all along.
He was definitely getting the cart ahead of the horse. For now, he needed to just relax and let things work. Let God work things the way He wanted to.
