Free Lightning and Lace by DiAnn Mills Page B

apart.”
    “I can tell by the look on your face that I need to leave the room.” She stood from the table and picked up a few of the empty dishes. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”
    “Thanks, Mama.” Grant waited until the door between the dining room and kitchen closed. “I’ll be real honest here. Whoever is beating Rosie is careful not to damage her face. She’s black and blue from the neck down, and her left arm is broken.”
    “She must be frightened to death.” The reverend shook his head. “Is she back at the home or with you and Jenny?”
    “Heaven’s Gate. I don’t think she’d have sought help if one of the other girls hadn’t found her. I talked to Eustes, and he plans to have one of his deputies keep an eye on her.”
    Travis wondered what kind of man purposely hit a woman. A weak one, at best. “I’d be glad to talk to Rosie,” he said. “Maybe a new face might help the situation. The reverend here has wisdom and the look of a father figure.”
    “The last time Jocelyn went with me, Rosie wouldn’t breathe a word of what happened.” He paused. “Brother Travis, I’d like to check on her in the morning. Mind going along?”
    “Be glad to.” A hammering in Travis’s head nearly blinded him. The past always seemed to attack him when he least expected. Trying to help a woman who once lived in a brothel? The thought made him shake to his shoes.
    “Thanks.” Grant took a sip of coffee. “Where’s Zack?”
    “I’m getting Jocelyn,” the reverend said. “Brother Travis can give you that story.”
    A few moments later, Grant stared into Travis’s face. “Sure glad I stopped over here tonight. Military school, huh? I’ll visit with Morgan tomorrow. I imagine he knows more about those things than I do. Like you, Brother Travis, I want to see Zack like he used to be.”
    “I think that expecting him to be the happy boy y’all knew when his father was alive is unlikely. It’s impossible to lose someone and then behave as though it never happened. He can find happiness, but he has to trust God again and understand he has a good life ahead of him. The change would be a blessing for all of you.”
    “And we’d owe you a tremendous debt,” Grant said.
    “If we are blessed to see a change in Zack, it is God who is owed the thanks.”
    Later on, as Travis finished reading in his room at a small desk, he pulled out paper and pen to figure out how he was going to school Zack. He already knew the main textbook would be the Bible. Within the covers of those pages, he hoped to build lessons that would help Zack in reading, writing, spelling, ancient history, geography, and hopefully, spirituality. Tomorrow, Travis planned to visit the schoolteacher for help in math. He’d learned she didn’t want the boy back in her class. He shrugged. The idea of teaching Zack a little Greek and Latin had crossed his mind. For a moment, Travis wondered if the education he’d received in seminary had been intended for more than preaching the gospel.
    Travis believed God knew all along about how he’d fail at his church in Tennessee and all the horrible gossip and lies that followed. And God knew about the problems here in Kahlerville and his taking on Zack Kahler. Travis blew out an exasperated sigh. The idea of teaching and parenting a twelve-year-old scared him to death. He’d rather take on a town full of heathens. At least he’d have an idea where to begin. God, if You had this all figured out, then You must have a plan in this, too.
    His thoughts trailed to Zack’s mother, but no sooner did the image of her face rise in his mind then he pushed it away. His work in Kahlerville did not involve anything to do with a woman, other than tending to the needs of her soul. He stood from the chair and stretched. Before he went to bed, he needed to make sure Zack understood his commitment—whether Zack wanted to hear it or not.
    In the darkness, he made his way down the hallway to the boy’s room. Travis