Tall, handsome and very young New Life Christian Center's pastor, Joshua Renoir, held the rapt attention of the members of his congregation during the early afternoon service. As he read from the book of Proverbs, chapter five, his strong, baritone voice echoed through the church, rolling like thunder. His deep brown eyes, dark and piercing voice, swept slowly over the crowd of congregants. All eyes were finely tuned on Joshua. All ears finely tuned into his powerful message.
Now that all of the church members were gathered in the reception hall to greet their new pastor, and feed him until he couldn't move, Rain Madison, a petite, ageless cutie-pie, sat on the sidelines watching Joshua's every move. That he chose to speak about adultery on his first sermon had rubbed her the wrong way. But it made her wonder about his personal life.
There were a number of people in the congregation who could benefit from his sermon. Rain had lost count of all the divorces in the church within the last year, yet she still thought his message had been inappropriate. It would behoove Joshua to gain the trust of his congregation before taking them to task, especially the female powers that be.
Joshua was a pretty boy, very easy on the eyes. He possessed smooth cinnamon-brown skin and his dark hair was worn in a close, neatly edged trim. Rain had to give him his due. The brother was fine. She figured that he stood at least six foot two and it didn't appear that he missed many days at the gym. His dark pinstripe suit was tailored to perfection, giving him an added air of class and sophistication. The silver-gray silk shirt and tie made him look dashing.
Disgusted by all the single and married women who flocked around Joshua as if he were the last ten-carat diamond at a jewelry-store liquidation sale, she mumbled a few choice words under her breath. She hated to see the women virtually throwing themselves at a man. Had Jesus walked in, not one of the women would've recognized Him, she thought to herself. These classy sisters were too busy worshipping their brand-new, downright sexy false idol to notice anyone else.
You shall have no other gods before Me, Rain mused, cynically.
The delicious aroma of food propelled Rain out of her seat, leading her toward the buffet line. The ladies at the church always threw down at these functions. The fellowship hall turned into a soul-food café at least three to four times a month. If the pastor weren't careful, these chefs would have him overweight and rolling around all over the pulpit. Collard greens, macaroni and cheese, candied yams and sweet-potato pies were regular menu items, not to mention all the freshly baked yeast rolls and thick, buttery pound cakes.
A light tap on her shoulder caused Rain to look behind her.
Although Rick Majors, attorney at law, was the last person she wanted to deal with at the moment, she smiled, anyway. "Hi, Rick. How's it going?"
Telling Rick it was nice to see him would be lying in church. He was somewhat annoying, often drooling over her as if she were his favorite chocolate bar. Good-looking and successful, he could have his pick of the church litter, but he had fixed his attentions on Rain from the first time he'd met her in bible study class a year ago.
Rick moved close to Rain. "Things are great. How'd you enjoy the sermon?"
Rain shrugged, warding off the urge to tell a white lie. "It was powerful and moving, but I didn't care for the subject matter. He's really a dynamic speaker, though."
Remaining true to herself was important to Rain, but she never wanted to intentionally hurt anyone. Protecting Rick's feelings was why he was still approaching her every chance he got. He was a sweet enough guy, just the not the right one for her. Rick wanted to take her out. Rain just wasn't interested in starting a relationship with him or anyone else.
Rain hadn't dated anyone steadily in the last nine months and she didn't miss being in an exclusive relationship, not one iota. Since marriage wasn't in her immediate future, she'd decided not to get herself tangled up in one guy. At twenty-six, she had her whole life ahead of her. Selling that line to Myles Randolph hadn't been easy. As much as he had protested, she stood her ground, breaking his heart in the process. Myles had recently moved from Houston to Dallas to try and get over his feelings for Rain.
"Mind if I share a table with you, Rain?"
"That's okay with me, Rick. But I have to rush out as soon as I finish eating. I need to stop by and see my sister. Sky has been sick for a week now."
Rick's ebony eyes flickered with sympathy. "Sorry to hear that. Is it serious?"
Worry clouded her coffee-brown eyes as her petal-soft apricot complexion paled slightly. "We're not sure yet. Waiting on the results of medical tests."
Rain moved through the food line, surprised that it was going so quickly. Once she filled her plate with salad, a piece of baked chicken and a roll, she headed back to the table where she'd left her personal belongings, grabbing an ice-cold can of lemonade on the way.
Rain had barely sat down in her seat when Rick joined her. Rick looked at Rain's plate and frowned. He then looked down at his own, which was piled high with every single item on the table. "Dieting?"
Rain shook her head. "This is how I always eat. I'm only five-three, Rick. Being overweight wouldn't look too good on me."
Rick grinned broadly. "Yeah, I see what you mean. Wouldn't want you to tamper with perfection. You're a perfect size."
Rain decided to let Rick's compliment go unchallenged, but she did thank him.
Rain and Rick didn't have a lot to say to each other while eating. She was amused by how he wolfed his food down, but she contained her laughter. As she looked around the room, her eyes suddenly locked with Joshua's hypnotizing gaze. It appeared to her as if he'd been staring at her. Rain noticed that members of the congregation occupied the seats on both sides of him. She hadn't heard whether there was a Mrs. Joshua Renoir or not. She'd find out the truth about that soon enough. The church gossip vine would be buzzing over everything there was to know about the new pastor's professional and personal business.
True to her word, Rain finished her meal, and then got up to leave. She first cleared off her part of the table and disposed of all her trash. "I'll see you later, Rick. Have a good day."
Rick leaped to his feet. "Hold up, Rain. I'll walk you out." Sighing hard, Rain bit down on her lower lip. She wanted to refuse Rick's offer, but she thought better of it. It wouldn't hurt her to let him walk her out. He truly meant her no harm.
However, she didn't want to encourage him either. Guilt over one broken heart was enough.
One turn of the engine let Rain know her old Toyota Camry was in big trouble. She'd been putting off buying a new car for the past few months, but it looked like dodging the high car notes was just about over. When Rick tapped on the window, she sighed with relief. The thought of being stranded wasn't a pleasant one even though it was nowhere near nightfall.
Rain opened the door. "The engine seems to have died on me, but it could be the battery." She knew that was only wishful thinking on her part. "Do you have jumper cables?"
Rick nodded. "Sure do. Be right back. Release the hood latch."
Once Rick pulled his car up close enough to Rain's, he jumped out and lifted her hood. After properly positioning the jumper cables, he shouted for her to give it some juice. Not a single putter occurred. Two more attempts ended with the same dead-end results.
Rick threw up his hands. "I'm afraid she's dead. I can give you a lift home."
Knowing she had no other alternative, Rain gathered her belongings and stepped out of her vehicle, locking the doors behind her. Putting on the alarm was futile, but she did it anyway.
Seated in Rick's shiny, candy-apple-red Corvette was quite a change from her old ride. The black leather seats still smelled brand-new. When he asked if she minded if he put the top down, she was all for it. Since this would be the first and last ride in his car, why not enjoy it?
Rick gunned the engine before pulling out of the parking lot. "Do you still plan to stop by your sister's place?"
Rain grimaced. "I really should. She didn't sound too hot when I last spoke with her."
"Not a problem. I'll take you there. I can wait for you and take you home if you'd like."
Rain knew she was treading in dangerous waters, but she did need to see about her sister; she would also need a ride home. "Thank you. She lives in the FriendswoodArms condo complex off of Bay Area Boulevard. I'll call and see if she minds if you come in. Sick women don't like the male species to see them all grubby and washed out. We're so vain, you know."
Rick's dark eyes softened. "I didn't know. Beautiful as you are, you have every right to be vain. Somehow I don't think you're conceited, though. You seem very free-spirited."
"You are very observant, Mr. Majors. I like that in a man." Worried that her remarks were a tad flirtatious, Rain pulled out her cell phone and called her sister. The rasp in Sky's voice caused Rain to wince. "My car died on me, Sky, but a friend is bringing me to your place. I'll need a ride home so he'll have to come in. Is that okay?"
"Whatever, Rain. I hope he's good-looking. Just get here before I die."
"Don't even joke about something as serious as dying, Sky. See you in a few."
Twenty minutes later Rain punched in the security code at the gate of her sister's condo complex. Once the wrought-iron structures swung back, Rick eased the Corvette through, parking at the unit Rain pointed out to him.
Using her emergency key, Rain let herself into the condo. After telling Richard to make himself at home, she ran back to Sky's bedroom. Seeing her sister looking so frail alarmed Rain. "Baby, you look so awful. I feel ...
