(c) Michelynn Christy/Blessed Publishing

All Rights Reserved. Excerpt reprinted by permission.

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Chapter 1

  I can’t believe I’m doing this! Samantha frantically ran the brush through her hair. There were a bazillion things she needed to pack before heading out to Mom’s. Clothing, toiletries, camera, and the gifts. The gifts - the ones she hadn’t even purchased yet!

  Of course, why would she have needed to purchase gifts if she hadn’t planned on returning home for Christmas? No, this was not the plan. The plan was to spend an exciting Christmas weekend with Tammy and Jill. And that had been the plan until yesterday. Why couldn’t her roommates have informed her sooner that they were going home for Christmas? But the brink of Christmas Eve? Well, that was just fine and dandy! It was a wonderful plan for them – they were sisters. They had each other. What would she do now? Spend Christmas all alone? Not gonna happen.

  A quick phone call to Mom and a new plan had been forged. Of course, now she’d have to pay triple for the airfare. And purchase gifts. There goes my spring break. Oh well, it was Christmas. And she was determined to make it a memorable one.

~

  “Ma’am, would you like a blanket or pillow?”

Samantha glanced up at the flight attendant. “Both would be great. Thanks.”

  She gladly took the items from the flight attendant’s hands and immediately wrapped the blanket around her. Maybe a nap would relieve some of her anxiety.

  This would be her first time home since she’d left for college nearly a year and a half ago. Leaving home had been rough. And if she were honest with herself, deep inside she really didn’t even want to go away to college. But she had to. She had to get away from him.

  Travis.

  He’d first asked her out for a date in high school. They’d met at a football game. He was rooting for the opposing team, so she assumed he attended their rival school. She’d been correct. He was a couple of years older and way out of her league, she’d thought.

  Dating Travis would be a dream come true – and it was. They went out nearly every weekend and spent most of their free time together. Anyone could clearly see that she and Travis were in love. Many nights they’d talked about a future together. She often dreamt of the day she’d become his wife. He was all she’d ever wanted – handsome, thoughtful, caring, or so she’d thought.

I don’t understand what went wrong. Even now, she fought back tears. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been so bad if she hadn’t given herself away to him. She’d always planned on waiting till marriage, of finding that perfect one. She was so sure they’d be married someday. He’d said he loved her.

  He’d lied. And she’d been naïve enough to believe his words.

Everything was wonderful until a couple of months after graduation. That’s when she got the dreaded text message. He wanted to break up. He thought it would be a good idea if they dated other people. Why would she want to date anyone else when she’d already found her perfect match?

  Stinkin’ liar. How could someone just throw away a two-year relationship? The coward could have at least broken up with her in person. But then he’d have to look her in the eye. He’d have to see the hurt on her face and the pain he’d caused.

  She quickly brushed away the tear that slid down her cheek unbidden. Why was this still so difficult? It wasn’t because he was good-looking, or because he had plenty of money. No, she was certain it was because she’d loved him with all her heart. She’d believed he was her soul mate – the one person in this world she was to cherish all her days. She’d given him everything, believing he was reciprocating her affections. But instead of her anticipated marriage proposal, Travis had dumped her like yesterday’s garbage.

  An ostentatious chortle brought her attention to a young man just beyond the empty seat beside her. His face was bright as he stared at the airline catalog in his hands. He glanced her way and noticed she’d been watching. How couldn’t she? Chances are, all the passengers heard his jovial outburst.

  “You’ve got to see this!” He handed the catalog to Samantha.

  She glanced down at the advertisement and smiled. The front of the t-shirt for sale read ‘Let’s eat Grandma!’ other than ‘Let’s eat, Grandma!’; the back read ‘Punctuation saves lives’. She recalled seeing something like that on Facebook before, but apparently this was the first time this man had seen it.

  Samantha nodded. “It’s funny.” She handed the catalog back to him.

  “Sorry, if I bothered you.” His forehead creased.

  “Oh no, it’s fine.” A change of thought was welcoming.

  The young man held out his hand. “My name’s William.”

  She reluctantly shook his hand. She’d never been too keen on meeting strangers. “Samantha.”

  “Where’re you going?” he asked.

  Should she share her plans with a complete stranger? She eyed him covertly. By his jeans, raglan shirt, and baseball cap, she figured he was just a friendly all-American guy. She guessed him to be about twenty-five. “Fresno,” she divulged. It wasn’t exactly her destination, but that’s the airport she’d be arriving at.

  “Really? Me too. Do you have family there?”

  “Yes. Well, not in Fresno. My parents live in a small town, not too far from there. How about you?”

  “All my family’s back East. I really hated to leave them right before the holidays, but my new employer called and requested that I come early. I guess they had an emergency and wanted me to help out.”

  “Where will you be working?”

  “At a church. I’m their new youth pastor.”

  “Oh.”

  “Not your typical job, I know. But serving the youth is my passion. It’s such a dynamic age – just between childhood and adulthood. It’s a difficult time for many of them and I want to show them God’s love and help them make wise decisions that can have a positive impact on the rest of their lives.”

  Yep, he was certainly excited about his new career.

  A voice called over the intercom. “Please return to your seats and fasten your safety belts. We will be arriving in Fresno in approximately thirty minutes.”

  Samantha noticed a few passengers heading back to their seats.

  “Do you attend church anywhere?” He grinned.

  Samantha shook her head. “No.”

  “Well, if you’re looking for a place to attend, you’ll already know the youth pastor.” He chuckled. “I don’t know if you’d consider that a positive or a negative.”

  She smiled. This guy didn’t seem anything like how she’d envisioned a pastor.

  “Ooh, no response. That’s never a good sign.”

  “No, it’s just that…you’re not anything like what I’d imagined a pastor to be.”

  He winced. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

  “Good, I think.”

  He wrote down an address and phone number on the back of a little booklet and handed it to her. “We’ll be having a candlelight service at a quarter to midnight on Christmas Eve. You’re welcome to join us.”

  She received the invitation from his hand and slipped it into her purse. “Thank you.”

  “So, do you have big plans for Christmas?”

  “I’ve got dinner at my parents’ house on Christmas Eve. The following morning, my extended relatives will come over for breakfast and we’ll exchange gifts.” In spite of the unpleasant memories of Travis, she was glad to be home. Truthfully, there was no place she’d rather be. “How about you?”

  “Not quite sure. I’m staying with the pastor and his wife. He’s an older gentleman, so I don’t think they have any children at home. I don’t know how they usually celebrate the holidays. I have a feeling that they won’t be doing too much, though. Part of the reason I’m starting my job early is because Pastor Marshall sprained his ankle. He has to wear a cast on his entire leg for at least six weeks.”

  “Oh no, that’s terrible. Does that mean you’ll be preaching?”

  He chuckled. “I hope not. The congregation might just get up and leave, if I did.”

  “But I thought–”

  “I’m just the youth pastor. I don’t mind being in front of a group of young folks, but looking out at adults scares me to death. We had to preach before a congregation several times in Bible College. That’s when I determined I’m more comfortable with young people.” He smiled. “I have to keep reminding myself of the verse ‘For God hath not given us a spirit of fear…’”

  “What will you be doing at the church then?”

  “I imagine I’ll be driving Pastor Marshall around to make his usual visits. And I’ll help out wherever I’m needed.” He shrugged.

  “Even if it means preaching?” She raised a brow.

  “If they ask me to, I will. But I’m hoping they won’t ask. They have an assistant pastor and I’m guessing he fills in when needed.”

  “I hate public speaking too.”

  This time, the pilot’s voice spoke. “Flight crew, prepare for landing.”

  “It looks like we’re about to arrive. Well, Samantha, it was a pleasure meeting you.” He smiled. “Hopefully, we’ll see each other again sometime.”

  “It was nice meeting you too.” Was it really time to go? A part of her wished she could have more time to get to know William. He was so friendly and easy to talk to.