Read Online A Hickory Ridge Christmas by Dana Corbit - Free Book Online

strength to do what God had been telling her to do all along.
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    Hannah drove into the nearly empty parking lot at Hickory Ridge Church, surprised that her father had demanded a meeting with her on a Thursday night and commanded her to ask Mary Nelson to babysit Rebecca. As a rule, Reverend Bob never demanded or commanded anything, rather made suggestions and let the Lord do the rest.
    She pulled to a stop under one of the streetlamps that cast a yellow haze over piles of plowed snow on the parking lot’s perimeter. With daylight saving time in full force, those lights were already illuminating a midnight sky at just after the dinner hour.
    Leaning her forehead on the steering wheel, Hannah took a deep breath and prayed a quick plea for fortification. Dad had probably put together the puzzle about Todd, and now he would expect to hear the truth from her. Just like Todd, her father had deserved to know everything years ago, but that didn’t make facing this conversation any easier.
    At the sound of a car engine, Hannah lifted her head and caught sight of another pair of headlights. She glanced to Reverend Bob’s regular parking place near the main entry, but the black sedan he’d been driving for years was already there. A mini SUVpulled into the parking space next to hers. It wasn’t until the driver opened the door and light flooded the interior that she recognized him.
    â€œNot now. Not now.” She threw open the door and stepped out into the slushy snow.
    The subject of her frustration climbed out, as well, and waved a gloved hand as he closed his car door.
    She marched around the car to face him, lifting on her toes to look larger than her usual five feet two. “Okay, I get it that you’re not going away. Will you stop following me already? Stalking is a crime in Michigan.”
    Todd only smiled as he pulled his stocking cap down over his ears. “Really? I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”
    â€œAnd I know the Milford Police Chief, too.”
    â€œOh, you mean Pete Conyers. Saw him at the Rite Aid yesterday. What are the odds that we would both run out of toothpaste the same night?”
    Hannah frowned. Of course, Todd knew Pete. He’d been a young cop in the village while Todd and Hannah were still at Milford High. She would have trumped his comment by saying her good friend was a State Police trooper, but Todd would only have said how nice it was to meet Brett Lancaster when Todd had moved his church membership to Hickory Ridge on Sunday.
    With a sigh, she asked, “What are you doing here, Todd?”
    â€œIt’s a command appearance.” He raised an eyebrow, lifting the same side of his mouth with it. “You?”
    Hannah didn’t even answer him. She turned away and squeezed her eyes shut instead. She’d alwaysthought of her father as a purposeful man, a man of God who had clear-cut views on sin and consequences, but she’d never before thought of him as cruel. Was Dad really going to make her confess everything in front of Todd?
    Because her eyes were burning as she opened them, she didn’t turn back to Todd but trudged to the main church entrance. Footsteps crunched behind her.
    Reverend Bob met her at the door.
    â€œHannah, you’re looking lovely.” He bent to drop a kiss on top of her hat-covered head. “I trust that Rebecca is doing well.”
    You saw her yourself at Wednesday prayer meeting, Hannah was tempted to point out, but she doubted it would do anything to make this conversation more comfortable. Why didn’t he just forget all the niceties and get on with the interrogation?
    As Todd came in the door behind her, Reverend Bob greeted him with a handshake. “Todd, it’s good to see you again. I hope you’re settling in well at the Proving Grounds.”
    â€œYou know how new jobs go, Reverend. The learning curve is pretty steep right now, but hopefully I’ll get to the bend before