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He squeezed her shoulder. “He’ll be
back. You’ll see.”

“
Dad, it’s not just that.
I thought I’d been so careful not to let my feelings for him rush
ahead of me. We both agreed to take it slow, one day at a time. And
yet, there’s not one trace of doubt in my mind that I’m in love
with him.” It seemed strange, hearing herself say those words out
loud.

His wide smile slowly deepened. “If
you’re expecting to find shock on my face, don’t waste your
time.”

She reached out and took his hand. “I
know. It’s not as if I’ve tried to hide my feelings. I’m just not
quite sure what to do with them at this point.”

Her father rested his head back on the
sofa. “I think you just keep doing what you’re doing, and try not
to overanalyze it.”

“
Easier said than
done.”

“
True. But if I’ve learned
anything these past few years, I’ve learned that worrying myself to
death over this or that doesn’t help a thing.”

“
I still remember that
sermon you preached on worry back when I was in high school,”
Tracey began.

“
And here, all this time,
I thought all you ever did in church was pass notes with your
friends and giggle.”

“
Most of the time, but
occasionally I listened.”

Buddy tugged at a lock of her hair.
“You were saying?”

“
I remember the analogy
you gave, comparing worry to a rocking chair. ‘It keeps you moving
but doesn’t get you anywhere.’ I never forgot that.”

“
A great word picture,
isn’t it?”

Tracey nodded. “Yes, and I feel as if
I’ve put a million miles on that rocker since Noah took
off.”

Buddy took another sip of tea. “For
what it’s worth, when I can’t seem to stop worrying, I always go
back to one of my favorite scriptures. Philippians four, verses six
and seven. ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be
made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.’ That’s a mighty powerful promise, if you ask
me.”

“
I know, Dad. I just wish
I could live that out, you know? It sounds like the perfect
antidote for worry, but something inside me just can’t let go
enough to really buy into it completely.”

“
It’s about trust, Tracey
Jo.”

“
I know. But it’s amazing
how often that particular word picture gets blurred.”

“
It’s a hard lesson to
learn‌—‌trusting God completely. Especially when it comes to
relationships with others.”

“
Speaking of which,” she
said, turning to face him again. “Where do things stand with Deacon
and the City Council on our permits? Is that what the meeting is
about tomorrow night?”

Buddy ran his hand through his hair.
“I’m afraid so. It’s their monthly meeting, which means it’s open
to the public. I figure it’s the only way I can get a fair hearing
by the entire council without Deacon blocking me. I’m sure he’ll
put up a fight, but he doesn’t have a leg to stand on. There’s no
reason for him to block these permits, which means it’s sheer
vindication on his part.”

“
So what happens if he has
convinced everyone else on the council to block the
permits?”

“
That, my dear, is when I
cling to those verses we just talked about and put my trust in God.
I have to trust He’ll be able to do what I can’t.”

Tracey stood up and stretched. “Guess
I need to do the same where Noah is concerned.”

She leaned over and kissed her father
on the top of his head.

“
God will never let you
down. That much I know for sure. G’night, sweetheart.”

“
Good night,
Daddy.”

Alex stepped back to admire Tracey’s
work. Her latest project, two matching bedside tables, boasted
three pastel shades highlighting the wainscoted detail on the front
of each table.

“
I cannot believe what a
natural you are at this. Had I known, we should have done this
years ago. Think how much fun we’ve missed!”

Tracey stood up, twisting to stretch
her aching back muscles. “I doubt I’d be able to stand up straight
now if we’d been doing this for years. I can’t wait to be up at the
shop where we’ll have a worktable and stools. Much more of this and
we’ll both be in traction, Sis.”

The loud rumble of a Harley drew
closer to the barn. Tracey stopped to listen, then sighed when she
recognized the familiar sound of her father’s bike.

“
Trace, I’m sorry,” Alex
said, rubbing her sister’s shoulder. “One of these days it’ll be
Noah’s you hear.”

“
But not today.” Tracey
set aside one of the tall narrow tables and wiped her hands on her
apron.

Buddy stepped into the barn. “Ah, my
two favorite girls. How’s it going?”

“
You look nice, Daddy.
What’s the‍—‍”

Alex jumped. “Oh my goodness‌—‌what
time is it?!”

Buddy checked his watch. “It’s a
little after six. I thought you two were planning to come to the
meeting tonight.”

Tracey yanked at the strings on her
apron. “We completely lost track of time! When does it
start?”

“
City Council meets at
6:30 sharp. Think you can make it?”

Alex threw off her apron, then stopped
herself to pick it up and hang it where it belonged. “Daddy, just
go. We’ll be there!”

Twenty-two minutes later, Tracey and
Alex dashed down the hill toward the town’s small City Hall. Even
before they got there, they could see a line of people waiting to
get in. When they reached the end of the line, Alex tried to catch
her breath. “What’s going on? Why are you all out here?”

Tina Redmon’s face lit up. “Are you
kidding? The showdown between your dad and Deacon Stone!
Everybody’s talking about it. We’ll be lucky if we can squeeze in
the back of the room.”

Alex grabbed Tracey’s arm and pulled
her along. “Make way, make way! Family coming through. C’mon,
people, let us through.” Slowly but surely, the sisters pushed
through those in line and the crowd standing in the outer hall of
the small building.

Suddenly, Stump appeared before them.
“Miss Alex, Miss Tracey, Buddy said for me to bring you girls in.
He saved you seats on the front row with him.”

Alex stood on her tiptoes
and pecked the big guy on his cheek. Thankfully, he had leaned down
so she could place her lips on the small patch of his face
that
wasn’t
bearded. “Thanks, Stump! You’re our hero.”

He smiled as he showed them the way.
Just as they took their seats, Deacon started pounding his gavel.
Their father gave them each a hug and a kiss on the
cheek.

“
Ladies and gentlemen,
take your seats and come to order.” Deacon continued pounding the
gavel, his face pinched in a scowl.

“
Looks like Ginny Stone’s
been feeding her husband persimmons again,” Alex
whispered.

Tracey smiled but was much too nervous
to laugh. She spotted her father’s knee bouncing at a rapid rate,
so quickly stilled it with her hand. “Dad. It’s gonna be
okay.”

“
Oh. Sorry, sweetheart.”
He put his hand over hers. “I’m good. Really. Just ready to get
this over with.”

“
Ladies and gentlemen,
that will be enough!” Deacon pounded the gavel three more times and
held it up as he waited for the audience to give him their full
attention. When the murmurs died down, he placed the gavel back in
its holder. “That’s better. This City Council meeting has now come
to order. My colleagues and I wish to remind you that we will
maintain complete decorum during this meeting. If, for any reason,
we find the actions of this gathering to be of a disruptive manner,
we will clear the room. I trust all of you will comply.”

Tracey studied the six
other council members, three on each side of Deacon, who, of
course, was council chairman. They were all people she’d known her
whole life. Good, decent people with one exception‌—‌they all
kowtowed to Deacon Stone. Which, of course, is how they got
themselves elected to this council year after year.
How does he do it? Are the elections rigged?
Surely after all these years, someone would have blown the whistle
if that were the case. The real question is why. Why would anyone
be so driven to rule a tiny community like Jacobs Mill? Big fish,
little pond? Really? Are you that starved for power, Deacon
Stone?

“
At the top of our agenda
this evening is the matter of the residential property owned by
Buddy Collins. Mr. Collins, on behalf of his daughters, has
requested a proprietary change of zoning for a shack on his
property‍—‍”

“
Oh brother,” Alex
groaned.

“—
which he prefers to now
be zoned for retail business. The council has denied Mr. Collins’
request on numerous occasions for the simple reason that we have
rules against such things. These rules are in place to prevent
folks from turning their homes into businesses and thereby
detracting from their neighbors’ property values.”

Tracey listened, marveling
at the tone in Deacon’s voice. Just a good old boy looking out for
everyone’s best interest. Like Andy Griffith explaining to Aunt Bee
why she can’t sell her prized pickled beets from her
kitchen.
No wonder so many fall for
Deacon’s bull. Who doesn’t love Andy Griffith?

“
Who among us would want
Lennie Flickerman to move his auto mechanic shop right next door to
their home? Who among us would want Avery Cramer to open his fish
bait shop right beside our front porch? Or who among us would want
Birdy Simpson to move her beauty shop into the house next door? Of
course, none of us would. That’s because we respect one another’s
property and have each other’s best interest at heart.

“
It’s really a very simple
case of protecting our fair city against those who would ruin it.
First, a store selling beat-up, secondhand furniture‍—‍”

Tracey noticed her sister’s fingers
clenching and unclenching. On the other side, she saw both her
father’s knees bouncing in rhythm now. She closed her eyes and
uttered a prayer for both of them.

“‍—‍
and what’s next? A
thrift store? A Wal-Mart? A Jiffy Lube? Why, Jacobs Mill would be
nothing but another tacky stop on the interstate! And I know not a
one of you here want that to happen.”

To his far right, council member
Flossy McMills leaned over to her microphone. “Deacon, I think we
should‍—‍”

“
Now, Flossy, remember our
protocol. We do not interrupt one another.”

“
Yes, but‍—‍”

“
You can have your say
when I’m finished.”

Flossy blinked and busied herself with
a paper clip.

“
The point is, ladies and
gentlemen, we all know what’s going on here. Our town has quite a
history of having to deal with this family and their ilk. Why, who
hasn’t heard Buddy and his hooligans roaring through town on those
enormous motorcycles? Which, by the way, are in direct violation of
the noise ordinance.”

“
Is he talking about
us?”

They all turned when Hank Biddle spoke
aloud to Stump.

“
I believe he is,” Stump
answered, glaring across the room at Deacon.

“
We gonna let him talk
about us like that?” Hank continued.

Buddy stood up and turned to face his
Elders, all standing across the back of the room. “Guys? Let’s keep
this civil, okay?”

The Elders looked back and forth at
each other, then finally shook their heads in agreement. “If you
say so, Buddy.”

“
Thank you.” Buddy turned
back to face Deacon. “Look, I can’t sit here and let you turn this
into another personal vendetta for whatever it is you hold against
me and my family.”

Deacon slammed the gavel down. “You’ll
have your turn to speak, Buddy. Now take your seat.”

“
Let him speak!” someone
yelled from the outer hallway.

Deacon slammed the gavel again until
the room grew quiet. “I think we can all see what we’re dealing
with here. And as chairman of this council, I for one will not sit
idly by while ANYONE tries to degrade our little town by refusing
to obey the rules and laws that were set in place for the good of
all.”