Free Cattle Valley Mistletoe CV2 by Carol Lynne Page A

By this time, mom was totally immersed in the teachings of the church 51

    and the Reverend Marshall.” Hal stopped talking, and Casey could tell he was sorting through a lifetime of buried pain.
    “When I was eight, she got sick. To this day I don’t know what from, but the Reverend Marshall told her to pray. Mom spent everyday in the church on her knees. When she got to the point that she was too sick, she sent me in her place, telling me if I prayed hard enough she’d live. I…tried…”
    Casey tightened his hold on Hal’s torso. He knew Hal’s mother had died, and now he knew how. “Shhh, that’s enough for now.” Casey wasn’t sure what to say. How a boy could be placed in that position by people who were supposed to love and protect him, Casey didn’t understand. A realisation struck him, and he looked up at Hal. “You’re not an atheist are you?”
    “Huh?” Hal asked, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.
    “It’s not that you don’t believe in God, it’s that you’re angry with him.” Casey quickly worked through the last few days. “When I was throwing up and refused to go to the doctor, were you mad at God or the fact that I was refusing medical help?” Hal just looked at him, and Casey could see the wheels turning. “What are you trying to say, Case?”
    Casey took a deep breath. He knew it wouldn’t be easy for Hal to hear what he was about to say, it may even drive a wedge between them. “God didn’t let you down when your mom was dying, she did. But a little eight-year-old boy can’t hate his dead mother, so you turned that anger in another direction. You told me that you wouldn’t let me die just because I was too stubborn to go to the clinic that day. I think over time you’ve realised that your mom should have gone to the hospital and not the church.”
    “God and the Reverend Marshall let her die then tried to blame me,” Hal said, pulling away enough to get up and walk toward the fireplace.
    Watching Hal put a few more logs on the fire, Casey blew out a breath. He didn’t know who the hell this Reverend Marshall was, but Casey felt like finding him and kicking his butt. “You know now that your mother should’ve gotten medical treatment, don’t you?” Bracing his hands against the mantle, Hal looked down into the fire. “Yeah.”
    “Do you know that even though I’m also a reverend, I’m nothing like Marshall?”
    “I know Casey the man, but I’ve never heard Reverend Sharp address a congregation of followers.” Hal turned to look at Casey but didn’t move from his spot.
    Casey stood and walked toward Hal. Standing in front of him, he looked up. “You see, that’s the difference. I don’t have followers. I have fellow worshipers. Every man and 52

    woman in my church has their own mind. They don’t blindly follow me and my teachings. We gather together on Sundays to praise and give thanks to the Lord, it’s just easier when one man is sharing the teachings. It doesn’t make me any better than they are.”
    Hal placed a kiss on Casey’s lips. “If you don’t mind, I’d like some time to myself. I think I’ll go for a drive.” Hal pulled away and started gathering his clothes.
    “Would you rather I left? This is your home after all.”
    “No.” Hal shook his head. He zipped his jeans and walked back over to Casey. “My feelings for you haven’t changed. I just need to have this out with God in private. I’ll be home later.”
    He didn’t want Hal to leave, but he knew if he tried to stop him, it would prolong Hal’s agony. Hal was right, he needed to get things straightened out, but Casey felt it had more to do with feelings toward his mother rather than God. That was for Hal to figure out though.
    “I love you. Drive safe and come back to me.”
    “I’ll always come back to you,” Hal said. Casey watched him slip on his boots and coat before walking out to the garage. Hearing the big door open and then close, Casey walked to the