The Preacher's Son - Juliette Duncan Page 0,3

the dark. I tried to tell myself that I was being silly, allowing myself to get caught up in worries that didn’t need to be worried about, but I couldn’t convince myself. It felt as if there was something significant about his father raising that old but never forgotten subject, just as both of us were admitting to feeling a little unsure about life.

I prayed, asking God for peace of mind and immediately felt soothed, if not entirely at peace. If only I could be more like Hayden who was easier going than me and had no trouble placing his life into God’s hands.

Help me to do Your will, Lord, I prayed silently. But as my head sunk into the pillow, I couldn’t help wondering… What if it was God’s will for me to become a preacher’s wife after all?

Penny

The next morning, I woke with the sun shining through the windows and onto my face. I felt instantly lighter, as if the sun had chased away the anxiety I’d felt the evening before. Bouncing out of bed and leaving Hayden asleep, I went downstairs to make coffee. Usually Hayden woke first, so for once I decided to surprise him.

When I returned soon after, he was sitting up in bed rubbing his eyes. Rumpled and creased from sleep, he looked adorable and my heart warmed. “Is that coffee?” he asked.

Nodding, I handed him the mug and kissed his ruffled hair. “Yes, I thought I’d get it this morning.”

“Thank you. It was nice to have a lie in.” When he beamed at me, last night’s fears fully dissolved.

I snuggled in beside him, but the kids joined us moments later. I didn’t mind. Mornings like these were precious, and I treasured every moment.

We had breakfast and got ready for church without much fuss from the children, and then drove the mile or so to our local church. We’d been attending the small but close congregation since before we got married. Hayden used to say he enjoyed the anonymity of simply being a regular member and not being labelled ‘the preacher’s son’. He’d told me that preachers’ kids were often given a hard time by other kids in the church. Too much was expected of them, and they struggled to find their own identities. I could see how that could happen, so I was glad he was free to be himself.

Elijah and Rosie loved our church as well, largely because of the Sunday School, which was always loads of fun, and the morning tea afterwards with homemade cookies for the kids, made by Sheila, the preacher’s wife.

Sheila was the type of person who came to mind whenever I thought ‘preacher’s wife.’ Pretty in a modest way, with a penchant for a matching handbag and scarf, she was always friendly, and she excelled at cooking, baking, organising and making the church hall as homey and welcoming as it could be. I loved her, but we were totally different people. I couldn’t do what she did.

It was Sheila who greeted us first as we dropped the kids off to the Sunday School room before taking our seats for the service. She looked as fresh and pretty as ever, with no sign of the fine lines that were appearing in abundance around my own eyes.

“Good to see you both!” she said, beaming. “There’s an announcement this morning that might interest you.” She looked expectantly from me to Hayden as I smiled politely and wondered what study group or fundraising event she was trying to entice us into. Although we got involved with church events from time to time, we did more than enough with our volunteering and weekly attendance. Also, if I were honest, I was nervous that if Hayden became too involved, he’d be back to Bible College before I knew it. It was silly. He’d never leave me, yet my heartbreak from the time when he had, all those years ago, was suddenly fresh in my mind.

“I wonder what that was about,” I murmured to him as Sheila rushed off to meet someone else.

He shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough. Wasn’t it the ladies’ knitting group last time?”

He laughed and I laughed with him, but a sudden pang of insecurity attacked me and sent a shiver down my spine. Would Hayden prefer a wife who did things like that over one with a high-profile career? I shook my head. Of course he wouldn’t. It was silly thinking like that, but why were these