Free Texas Weddings 3 & 4 by Janice Thompson Page A

reeled. He can’t be divorced. He’s a pastor. On the
other hand, he did say he had a past. I can’t assume.
    “No,” Kent’s eyes
shifted to the ground. “I lost my wife two and a half years ago. She. . .” His eyes grew misty, and he swallowed hard. “She
was killed in a car accident on Interstate 45. Hit by a drunk driver on her way
home from a Bible study. It was her first night out with her girlfriends after
having the baby.”
    Shauna gasped. “I’m so
sorry,”
    “There’s no reason for
you to be,” he said tenderly. “I’ve gotten over the most painful part. Time has
a way of healing much of the hurt. But every time I look into my little girl’s
face, I’m reminded again of Faith.”
    “Faith. That’s a
beautiful name.”
    “For a beautiful
lady,” he said wistfully.
    “What’s your
daughter’s name?” Shauna asked, gazing at him with newfound admiration and
curiosity.
    “Oh, her name is. . .”
    “Chapman!” A voice
over the loudspeaker rang out his name suddenly, startling them both. “Chapman,
table for two.”
    He laughed, half
startled at the interruption. “Guess we’d better get inside before they give our table away. We can finish this conversation later.”
    ***
    Kent pulled the chair out, eyes following Shauna’s every
move. She sat carefully, placing her handbag on the floor next to the chair
    “So, how’s your computer?” he asked, trying to make light
conversation.
    “Fine. And yours?”
    “Fine” He looked at her with a smile, relaxing. “I don’t
know why I’m so nervous. Then again, I, uh, I haven’t been on a date since my
wife passed away. But listen. . .let’s change the
conversation. I want to know about you. Tell me everything.”
    “Everything?”
    “Yes. Start at the
beginning. Where are you from? Your parents seem really nice. Very loving. Do
you have brothers and sisters?”
    “I’m an only child,”
she explained. “And spoiled rotten.”
    “I know how that
goes,” he said, thinking of Charity. “I’m not sure how a parent is supposed to
act with an only child. Ever since Faith died. . .” He
stopped himself quickly. “I’m sorry. I did it again.”
    “That’s okay,” Shauna
said with a smile. “You can talk about her if you like. It won’t hurt my
feelings.”
    Kent shook his head.
“No. This is a new day. I know that God has already given me all the comfort I
could ever need. He’s been with me all the way. I don’t know why things happen
like they do sometime, but after more than two years of agonizing over everything
that has happened, I can honestly say He never gives us more than we can bear.”
    “I know that’s right.” Shauna said with a nod. “I haven’t
been through anything like you, but I lost my grandparents at a young age. My
mom’s parents, that is. They were killed in a house fire when I was seven. We
were very close, and losing them almost killed me.”
    “I’m so sorry.” He paused for a moment. “My grandmother
passed away a few years ago. She was a big part of our family. My grandpa Buck
is the only living grandparent I’ve got, but he’s in a retirement home. I need
to see him more.”
    They looked at each other in silence for a moment before
Shauna shifted the conversation a bit. Kent was grateful for the change in
subject.
    Shauna’s face contorted as she spoke. “Speaking of things
that are hard to deal with, I guess I should tell you a little bit about my
job. Don’t know if this is the best time because I feel like I’m in over my
head right now.
    “Really? What’s going
on?”
    “It’s just that I feel
like such a failure. I spent all of those years in school learning everything I
could about kids, and now I feel like I know nothing at all.”
    “Just wait till you’re
a parent,” Kent said with a laugh. “You find out that you know absolutely
nothing. Nothing at all. But you never finished
telling me about yourself. You’re an only child. How long have you lived