Read Online The Closer You Get by Carter Ashby - Free Book Online

the congregation. He sat next to her. There was a slight rustle in the crowd as her family—Rye assumed—passed her purse and song book back to her.
    “If you’ll all turn with me to Ephesians chapter four, starting in verse twenty-two,” the preacher said, “we’ll be reading from there in a moment. First of all, I want to tell you all what a fine thing it is to see you gathered here, worshiping under God’s cathedral.” The preacher raised his arms to the sky. “Pray with me, please.”  
    There were murmurings of amens and other unintelligible comments among the people. Rye looked around him, still unsure why he’d wandered this direction or why he’d stayed. A sharp elbow jabbed him in the ribs. He turned to see Cora giving him an angry look before closing her eyes and folding her hands.  
    Right. Prayer. He was supposed to close his eyes for that. Rye followed suit and even said ‘amen’ at the end. Then he smiled proudly at Cora, who was still glaring at him. As the preacher began his sermon on ‘Spring Cleaning for the Soul,’ Cora leaned into him. “You stink of whiskey and you look like you slept in the back of a truck.”
    He nodded. “Spot on, boss.”
    “Were you rolling around in the mud?” She gestured to his jeans that had a fair bit of dried mud on them.  
    “Playing on the river bank with a girl,” he said.
    Her face turned red, and she looked away. Rye gulped down a pang of regret though he wasn’t sure where it had come from. He leaned down and lowered his whisper. “It was just a little fun, that’s all.”
    Her eyes, when she turned to him, were pure vitriol. Rye had never felt so judged before in his life. This time, he was the one to look away.
    “‘That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness,’” the preacher read from his Bible.  
    “Why are you here?” Cora whispered.  
    Rye shrugged. “Wanted to hear the singing.”
    He couldn’t look at her, not after those eyes she’d given him. Somehow, in that one look, she’d punched a hole in the dam he’d built around his conscience and feelings of guilt were beginning to trickle from it.
    “Seriously?” she asked.
    He shrugged again. “Maybe I got the Holy Spirit, and it led me here so’s I could be cleansed of my sins.”
    She was silent for a moment before saying, “I suggest you disappear at the first possible moment, or they’re gonna try and baptize you.”
    He turned and frowned. “You serious?”
    She nodded, dead serious.
    “Against my will?”
    “Oh, yeah,” she said. “They’s a lot of strong fellas here. They’ll haul your hungover ass down to the river and throw you in, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”
    “Nuh-uh,” he said. She had to be kidding. But then, this woman didn’t strike him as much of a kidder.
    “Yup. And if you don’t stop your sinful ways, they’ll come to your house and lay hands on you…try and cast out the demons.”
    He grinned. “You’re shitting me.”
    She shook her head, still keeping a straight face. “Stay if you want. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
    “Purge yourselves of these evil ways!” the preacher boomed. “Carve out the cancer of sin and live in purity for the Lord. Don’t let the vile lusts of the world corrupt your soul!”
    Rye listened, transfixed. The dude was charismatic. His grand, mystical presence and passionate verbosity cast a spell over his listeners.
    Except Cora, who was fidgeting, trying to get comfortable on the tree root. After a while, her fidgeting snagged Rye’s attention, and he turned to study her. Definitely not hot. But the smattering of freckles was cute. She had a sweet curve to her jaw. Her bottom lip was a little fuller than the top…good for biting, Rye thought with a smile.  
    She turned