Love in the WINGS (2 page)

Maybe Pastor David could, at the very least, help her find a way to tolerate this newcomer from the big city. The good Lord knew she could use a little help…she wasn't exactly feeling the love, so far.

If only he'd stayed in Austin. We were doing just fine without him. Lord, can't You just send him back where he came from?

“Aria.”

She jumped, and raised her guilty gaze to the minister's mischievous one. How long had she been staring into space?

“Sorry…did you say something?”

“Sure did, but you probably didn't want to hear it anyway.” The twinkle in his eyes became a sober, questioning gleam. “I asked if you've tried praying for Corbin?”

 

****

 

Corbin Bishop stopped, frozen, in the hallway outside the church office. One hand gripped the handle of the door he'd been about to push open.

“I asked if you've tried praying for Corbin.” Pastor David's voice carried through the closed door, plenty loud enough for him to hear every word. What was it with anointed preachers? He'd never heard a one of them who had a hard time being heard.

He couldn't make out the reply, but he knew the voice. Always soft-spoken, Aria Robbins's soft, husky tones sounded downright subdued today.

What was going on in there? And why was he a part of the conversation?

He scowled.
Oh, come on. Do you really have to ask?

From the day he'd arrived in Angel Falls, the minister's secretary made it ab-so-
lutely
clear that she had no desire to know the new youth pastor.

Despite his curiosity and concern about the conversation on the other side of the door, Corbin smiled a little. He couldn't help it. The prim, auburn-haired secretary—who also possessed an impressive anointing and incredible talent for leading the praise team—had that effect on his lips. Aria Robbins made him smile, but God only knew why, since she'd probably throw something right smack at his head if she figured it out.

And the really weird thing was, he didn't particularly like her either. Why would he, given the slightly cooler-than-frigid welcome she'd extended toward him? Maybe God tossed the two of them in the pot together so Aria could be the thorn in Corbin's side to keep him humble. He'd certainly dealt out a double scoop of possibility, since they not only had to work together here at the church, but lived in neighboring cottages at Heart's Haven.

He loved Angel Falls. The church was amazing—yeah, it could use a bit of modernization, a little nudge into the twenty-first century, but he liked the people. Pastor David and his wife were the salt of the earth. And his little cottage next door to Aria's had become the closest thing to a home he'd ever known.

Now if he could only find something to like about his neighbor. He'd have to add that to his prayer list.

But all that aside, the truth might as well be faced. “Pretty” didn't even begin to define the songbird secretary with a mass of curls the color of deep mahogany under a particularly vivid sunset. She wasn't big as a minute, but that little gal packed enough gorgeous in her little finger to make a man's head spin. Not that it mattered. Even if he'd had any interest—which he did not—Pastor David's brown-eyed Girl Friday made it clear without saying a word that she'd be perfectly happy if Corbin Bishop turned right around and hauled his lanky frame back home. And that was before he even had time to do anything wrong.

Her prickly attitude effectively punched a hole in his overblown one. Corbin had come to the small town full of plans and ideas, never doubting that he'd be well-liked and respected, just as he had been in Austin. He'd help make the small-town church a nationally known powerhouse, like the one he'd attended in the big city.

Aria had managed to undermine his self-confidence within thirty seconds of raising her humongous chocolate-brown gaze up and away from whatever task she'd been attending to when Pastor David led Corbin into the office that first day. No bright, welcoming smile. No rush to stand up and shake his hand. Just a cool nod that set silky strands of that deep reddish brown hair swinging around her chin. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Bishop.”

Corbin managed something that was meant to be a light laugh, even though he suddenly felt as though he'd been kicked in the stomach. “Corbin. Please.”

She shrugged. “Sure.”

Then she returned her attention to her work.

Thank God the minister had been with him; otherwise, Corbin might have stood rooted to the spot for the rest of the day. But David slapped a heavy hand onto his shoulder and guided him across the public office space and into his own private domain.

With the door closed between them and the secretary, the minister grinned and pounded him on the back again. “Well, you survived Aria. You're off to a great start.”

And now the pastor stood on the other side of this door asking that little spitfire whether she'd prayed for Corbin. Prayed for
him?
What was the man thinking? If Aria prayed for him at all, she'd ask the Almighty to dump a bucket of something nasty over his head.

He lifted his chin and straightened his shoulders. He'd been taught to confront any sticky issue head-on. That kind of approach put the brakes on a whole lot of unpleasant possibilities by hauling them out into the open and dealing with them right up front.

So.

He turned the knob and shoved the door open. “Did I hear something about somebody praying for me?”

Behind him, the quiet click of the closing door boomed like a gunshot in the answering silence. Corbin took in David's amused grin and Aria's horrified grimace and realized he had no idea what to say next.

 

 

 

 

2

 

Aria mulled over the events of the morning as she drove from the church to Jewels for the Kingdom, where Pia would keep her busy the rest of the day.

Her cheeks burned with a flush of hot embarrassment even now, recalling the youth minister's deliberate crash of her supposedly private conversation with Pastor David. Of the three of them, only Pastor had seemed unaffected by Corbin's sudden appearance. After his initial, over-bright outburst upon entering the room, even the interloper himself seemed lost as to what should happen next.

Pastor grabbed an extra chair, planted it as close to Aria's as it would fit, and pointed Corbin into it. “Sit.”

Only after the younger man hesitantly obeyed did the pastor roll another chair into the three-way circle for himself.

“What am I going to do with the two of you?” He wagged his head back and forth, but couldn't quite hide the twinkle of humor in his eyes. “You're my strongest ministers for the youth in this church, but this animosity between you has got to stop. It's not the kind of example the young people need.”

Aria lowered her gaze, shamed by the truth in that remark. Beside her, Corbin squirmed in his chair. Apparently, Pastor David's straightforward approach pierced through even the oversized, big-city ego the youth minister had brought all the way to Angel Falls.

“Look, kids, I don't have a clue what's up with y'all, and to be honest, I don't care. I just want it to stop.”

“Pastor—” Aria tried to speak up, stung by his inability to see in Corbin what she saw so clearly.

He held up one hand and shook his head. “Not now, Aria. If you still feel the need to discuss it a week from today, we'll get together again. For now, however, here's what I want to see happen.” He leaned forward, propped his elbows on his knees, and clasped his hands together. Then he pointed both index fingers at Aria and Corbin. “The two of you are going to spend thirty minutes of your prayer time every day this week focusing entirely on praying for each other.”

Corbin's head snapped up right along with Aria's. “
What?
” They spoke in complete unison—probably the one and only time they'd ever be in agreement.

The pastor's smile encompassed them both. “It's hard not to care about someone you're praying for. I don't mean just saying words; I think you both know that. Sincerely, from the depths of your souls, you are to pray for each other. Every day. Starting today.”

He stood. “In the meantime, try not to step on each other's toes, if you can help it. I have better things to do than play referee.” He rolled the chair he'd borrowed back to where it belonged and disappeared into his office, leaving Aria and Corbin alone.

When she finally found the courage to look up, she found his translucent blue gaze fixed on her in what appeared to be genuine confusion. Seeing he had her attention, he lifted one shoulder in a tiny shrug. “I'm in the dark right now. I don't have a clue why you dislike me so much. But I've been taught to obey those who have the rule over me, and while I'm attending this church, that means Pastor David.” He stood and rolled his chair back to its place. “So I guess I'll be praying for you this week, Aria.”

And he walked out of the office.

Aria had sat with her head bowed, feeling about half an inch tall.

By the time she pulled her Mustang into a parking slot next to the dilapidated blue sedan Pia Myers stubbornly refused to replace with something more eye-appealing, she'd worked herself into a nervous tizzy. She pushed through the door, eager to absorb the serene peace she always experienced in the large, neo-modern room that displayed Pia's jewelry designs in minimalistic, innovative settings.

Instead, she was greeted by Pia's disembodied voice, which sliced through the silence of the shop with uncharacteristic sharpness. “Aria, I hope that's you. You are late!”

Aria froze. “Pia?” Her voice sounded half-frightened—which she kind of was. Pia had never snipped at her before. The whole world seemed off its center beam today.

“Well, who else?” Pia's head poked up from behind a nearby counter, where she'd obviously been rooting through a cabinet full of tiny gold boxes. Her tousled hair bespoke the mad effort she'd made to find whatever it was she sought. A pair of almond-shaped eyes sparked with green fire as she glared across the room. “Are you going to stand there all day, or come help me—” She broke off and confusion clouded her stormy eyes. “Help me...find…that thing?”

“Just a sec.” Aria hurried into a smaller storage area, where she stashed her purse and pulled in a deep breath before returning to kneel next to her pastor's wife. “Sorry I'm late. David needed a couple of extra things done before I left. He sent his apologies.”

She hardly knew how to approach this new version of the fun, vivacious woman for whom she loved working every weekday afternoon. The two had become close over the past months, forming a deeper bond than the typical employer-employee relationship. They were friends.

Except right now, Pia neither looked nor acted like herself. A chill snaked its way down Aria's spine as she captured the other woman's hands and held them in a firm grip.

“Pia. What's going on?”

For about half a second, pure, undiluted rage zipped across the lovely green of her friend's eyes. Then it was gone, and Pia's entire body slumped.

“Aria! Oh, honey, I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me.” Her hands trembled in Aria's grip. Tears welled up in her eyes along with a massive dose of confusion and fright. “What am I doing?”

Aria forced a light giggle. “Well, I think it's safe to say that, one, you're working way too hard. And two,”—she raised a rueful brow and pointed her chin at the disorganized mess of tiny boxes and sparkling gems strewn all over the floor—”you've been on quite the treasure hunt. What in the world are you looking for?”

The moisture in Pia's eyes overflowed and ran down her cheeks. She gently pulled her hands from Aria's grip and covered her lips with trembling fingers. “I have
no idea.
” Her gaze swung from one side to the other, taking in the mess she'd made behind the counter. “Dear Lord…am I losing my mind?”

 

****

 

After giving her a tight hug, Aria shooed her rattled boss into the back room, away from the chaos she'd created. She set herself to returning order to the room, all the while praying beneath her breath.

Something was definitely not right in Angel Falls.

While walking from her car to the door of Jewels for the Kingdom, she'd noticed the same heaviness in the air that she'd experienced earlier outside her Heart's Haven cottage. The strange, prickly air had been much less noticeable on her walk into the church and back. So…
pockets
of overpowering humidity within the same eco-region? That seemed unusual. No…unheard of, in Aria's experience. She couldn't shake the feeling that the weighty air was more than a weather anomaly.

Something about it felt…malevolent.

Another chill traveled the length of her spine just as the phone rang. “Sit still, I've got it.” She hurried across the room, calling out to Pia on the way, and hoping her voice didn't reflect the panic starting to take root in her soul. “Jewels for the Kingdom. This is Aria.”

“Hi, Aria!” A bright sliver of light sliced through the darkness in Aria's heart and a tiny smile tickled her lips. Though it wasn't one she recognized, something pure and sweet in the female voice on the line soothed her troubled senses. “My name is Zoe Manning. I have a very important message for Pia. Is she available?”

“Yes, of course, Zoe, just a moment.” She punched a button on the phone, hung up the receiver and hurried down the hall.

Pia sat hunched over the small dining table in the kitchen area, her head buried in her arms. Aria touched her shoulder. “Are you up to taking a call?”

“Who is it?” Pia's muffled voice sounded nothing like it should.

“Zoe Manning. She said she has an important message—”