Page 8 of A Sweet Deal for the Cowboy

“Did you grow up there?”

“Sort of.”

He didn’t know what that meant.

“Didyougrow up there?” she said.

He nodded. “I sure did. My mother was a fixture in that place.”

“And you don’t remember me?”

“Do you remember me?” he asked.

She laughed. “I don’t, but I try to forget things.”

He didn’t know what that meant either. “I would probably remember you if we were closer in age.”

She was staring at him again.

“I mean, I’m quite a bit older than you. It’s not like we were in the same Sunday school class or something.”

“I thinkquite a bitis an exaggeration. But anyway, I’m not offended that you don’t remember me. Why would you? A lot of kids have gone through that church.”

“That is true. I asked you that because I would think they would be able to help you.”

“Yeah, right,” she scoffed.

“What does that mean?” He felt himself bristle in defense of his church.

“I mean that ... look, I’m just not big on organized religion.” She looked out the window.

What was she talking about? “I’m not asking you to start a committee. I’m just thinking that they could probably help with the job and the place to live and ... you know, anything else.” He didn’t know if they’d find her a husband, but anything was possible.

Chapter 6

Nova watched the fields roll past her window. She was saying too much, but it was so nice to have someone interested enough in her life to want to listen. She wasn’t used to that. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be negative, but when I was little, the people in that church were pretty horrible to me and my mom.”

“They were?” He sounded shocked.

“Not all of them, of course, but it only takes a few kicks in the teeth to knock some loose. And yeah, my mom was a pregnant teen. Then she was a single mom. And I was kind of an unruly kid. She was a great mom in that she let me be a kid, but there were people there who said she wasn’t a good mother because I was always running around with all this energy.” She looked at his calm, stoic expression. “I bet you were just the opposite, weren’t you? I bet you never got in trouble.”

He shifted in his seat. “Something like that.” Well, he obviously didn’t want to talk about himself. She’d have to work on that, even things out a little. “So the women who were rude back then, are they even still there?”

They were far more thanrude, but she didn’t argue. “I have no idea. All I know is I started going as soon as I got back to town. I didn’t want to, but I knew I was going to need all the God I could get to get through this, and I wanted extra people praying for me.”

“And we have been.”

“I know.” She was butchering this. She needed to stop talking. “But it’s been months, and no one has tried to includeme in anything, no one has tried to get to know me, and so, to answer your question, no, I don’t know how the church could help me. I think they’d probably side with Priscilla.”

“Who’s Priscilla?”

“Sorry, the Family Services Specialist who took my brother and sisters away from me.”

He sighed. “I’m sorry that the church hasn’t made you feel at home. And even though I was a quiet kid, I can relate to what you’re saying.”

“Really?” Her head snapped his way. What didthatmean?

“Really. My mom was a saint, and she was always at the church, always working and helping, but our father wasnotalways at the church. In fact, he never was. And everyone knew that he was a big ... well, he could be unpleasant. Anyway, to make it even weirder, I was adopted, so yes, people were nice to me. I didn’t have it like you. But they always treated me like I was different, and even as a young kid, I always felt like I didn’t belong.”

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