wire and pulled it free on the first try. “Nothing to it.”
Ryan backed away. “I’m going inside.”
“You don’t want to help with the other sections?”
“I’d rather read.”
Before the boy reached the door, Will said, “What are you doing this Saturday?”
“Nothing.”
“I promised my nephews I’d build a house for their dog. Would you like to come out to the farm and help us?”
“Maybe.”
“Think about it then let me know later this week.”
“What kind of dog?” Ryan asked.
“A black Lab named Bandit.”
“How old are your nephews?”
“Five and they’re twins.”
“Okay. I’ll help.”
Talk about a quick turnaround.
“Can my mom come, too?”
The last thing Will needed was Marsha watching his every move with Ryan, but obviously his son didn’t want to be alone with him. “Sure. Your mom’s welcome to hang out at the farm.”
Ryan nodded then left.
After tugging off the wire mesh Will spent the next hour cleaning up the mess and hauling the debris to the Dumpster in the parking lot. When he moved aside the protective sheet to make sure no debris had fallen inside the sanctuary, he came face-to-face with Pastor Bugler.
It had been years since Will had seen Marsha’s father and the pastor’s frailness shocked him—even his clothes hung loose on his frame. Hearing that someone had cancer was a whole lot different than seeing firsthand the effects of the disease on the person. He felt bad for Marsha and Ryan and predicted it would be an emotional summer for both of them.
“William.”
Willie was the name printed on his birth certificate, but he didn’t bother to correct the man. “Pastor Bugler.”
“Under the circumstances I believe you should call me Jim.”
Will had convinced himself that he was prepared for this moment, but he caught himself staring at the exit.
“I thought we should talk.” The pastor patted the space beside him on the pew.
Will hadn’t sat in a church pew since Johnny and Shannon had married—and that ceremony had lasted fifteen minutes.
“I don’t know who I’m angrier with—you for taking advantage of my daughter or my daughter for letting you take advantage of her.”
Will sensed what the pastor was thinking... Any other man would have made a better father for my grandson than a Cash boy .
“I’m not surprised you didn’t offer to marry Marsha,” he said. “But I am surprised that you didn’t want to raise your child.”
Marsha hadn’t told the whole truth to her father. If Will was any kind of man at all, he needed to own up to his actions even though his honesty wouldn’t earn him points with the pastor. He shoved a dirty hand through his sweat-dampened hair. “I told your daughter to get an abortion.”
The disappointment in the pastor’s eyes cut Will to the core.
“Don’t look at me that way.” He sprang from the pew and paced across the sanctuary. “You know I’m not cut out to be a father.” His outburst echoed through the church.
“So you abandoned Ryan and forced my daughter to raise him on her own?”
“That’s what my father did to me. I didn’t know any other way.”
“You’re a liar, William Cash. You did know another way. Your grandfather never walked out on your grandmother, and he helped raise all of you hooligans.” Marsha’s father turned away, his spine bowed as if the truth was too heavy to carry.
“Hey!” Will shouted. “Your daughter said she’d take care of things, so I assumed she had. If I’d known she’d kept the baby...” I would have helped raise my son. Will couldn’t make himself finish the lie. Not that it mattered—the pastor had left the church.
Before he demolished a second wall—with his fists—Will headed outside, stopping when he almost kicked over the glass of lemonade Ryan had delivered to him. He picked up the cup and stared at the tepid liquid. No matter what he did or how hard he tried, he’d come up short—if not in his son’s eyes then in
Ryan backed away. “I’m going inside.”
“You don’t want to help with the other sections?”
“I’d rather read.”
Before the boy reached the door, Will said, “What are you doing this Saturday?”
“Nothing.”
“I promised my nephews I’d build a house for their dog. Would you like to come out to the farm and help us?”
“Maybe.”
“Think about it then let me know later this week.”
“What kind of dog?” Ryan asked.
“A black Lab named Bandit.”
“How old are your nephews?”
“Five and they’re twins.”
“Okay. I’ll help.”
Talk about a quick turnaround.
“Can my mom come, too?”
The last thing Will needed was Marsha watching his every move with Ryan, but obviously his son didn’t want to be alone with him. “Sure. Your mom’s welcome to hang out at the farm.”
Ryan nodded then left.
After tugging off the wire mesh Will spent the next hour cleaning up the mess and hauling the debris to the Dumpster in the parking lot. When he moved aside the protective sheet to make sure no debris had fallen inside the sanctuary, he came face-to-face with Pastor Bugler.
It had been years since Will had seen Marsha’s father and the pastor’s frailness shocked him—even his clothes hung loose on his frame. Hearing that someone had cancer was a whole lot different than seeing firsthand the effects of the disease on the person. He felt bad for Marsha and Ryan and predicted it would be an emotional summer for both of them.
“William.”
Willie was the name printed on his birth certificate, but he didn’t bother to correct the man. “Pastor Bugler.”
“Under the circumstances I believe you should call me Jim.”
Will had convinced himself that he was prepared for this moment, but he caught himself staring at the exit.
“I thought we should talk.” The pastor patted the space beside him on the pew.
Will hadn’t sat in a church pew since Johnny and Shannon had married—and that ceremony had lasted fifteen minutes.
“I don’t know who I’m angrier with—you for taking advantage of my daughter or my daughter for letting you take advantage of her.”
Will sensed what the pastor was thinking... Any other man would have made a better father for my grandson than a Cash boy .
“I’m not surprised you didn’t offer to marry Marsha,” he said. “But I am surprised that you didn’t want to raise your child.”
Marsha hadn’t told the whole truth to her father. If Will was any kind of man at all, he needed to own up to his actions even though his honesty wouldn’t earn him points with the pastor. He shoved a dirty hand through his sweat-dampened hair. “I told your daughter to get an abortion.”
The disappointment in the pastor’s eyes cut Will to the core.
“Don’t look at me that way.” He sprang from the pew and paced across the sanctuary. “You know I’m not cut out to be a father.” His outburst echoed through the church.
“So you abandoned Ryan and forced my daughter to raise him on her own?”
“That’s what my father did to me. I didn’t know any other way.”
“You’re a liar, William Cash. You did know another way. Your grandfather never walked out on your grandmother, and he helped raise all of you hooligans.” Marsha’s father turned away, his spine bowed as if the truth was too heavy to carry.
“Hey!” Will shouted. “Your daughter said she’d take care of things, so I assumed she had. If I’d known she’d kept the baby...” I would have helped raise my son. Will couldn’t make himself finish the lie. Not that it mattered—the pastor had left the church.
Before he demolished a second wall—with his fists—Will headed outside, stopping when he almost kicked over the glass of lemonade Ryan had delivered to him. He picked up the cup and stared at the tepid liquid. No matter what he did or how hard he tried, he’d come up short—if not in his son’s eyes then in
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