Montana Hearts by Charlotte Carter

joining the departing parishioners. Bonnie Sue was among them.
    â€œHey there, hon. I was hoping to see you this morning.” The waitress-cum-town-welcoming-committee gave her a hug. “I see you’ve met Alexis. This lovely lady is not only Pastor Hoffman’s wife, she’s also the Director of Volunteers at the hospital in Shelby. That’s where we get most of our medical help unless we’re terrible sick and have to go off to Great Falls.”
    Excitement pinged through Sarah’s chest. She hadn’t thought there would be an opportunity for Susie-Q and her Dr. Zoom to volunteer at a local hospital. But why not…?
    Alexis tilted her head. “Our little hospital is growing all the time. I’ll have you know, we now have our very own cardiac specialist on staff. A dear young man. Very skilled. Studied at Johns Hopkins.”
    Sarah took special note of that information as well,although she sincerely hoped she wouldn’t need his services.
    They reached Pastor Hoffman, who was greeting his flock at the door. Alexis introduced Sarah.
    â€œI advise you to stay clear of my wife, young lady. She’s a fanatic about recruiting volunteers for the Shelby hospital. It’s an article of faith for her.”
    Alexis laughed and squeezed her husband’s hand. “Dear, you know I try not to recruit new people when I first meet them. I wouldn’t want to scare this poor young woman off.” She winked at Sarah. “The second time our paths cross, however, she’ll be fair game for my rousing recruitment speech, which no one can possibly resist.”
    The pastor laughed and so did Sarah, who stepped away to allow others to speak with him.
    â€œActually, Alexis, I would be interested in talking about volunteering. I have to get back to the ranch now, but if you’re coming to the potluck tonight, perhaps we can get together.”
    In dramatic fashion, Alexis slapped her hand to her chest. “Bless you, my dear. Of course I’ll be there this evening. We’ll have a nice chat and see where you’ll fit into our little program.”

Chapter Six
    K urt lifted his Stetson and used a bandanna to wipe the sweat from his forehead. The midday sun beat down hard, stealing the shade of the barn and making the job of unloading bales of hay from his truck all the more challenging.
    He leaned against the truck’s tailgate. When Zoe was alive, they used to make it a point to take Sunday off. After church, they’d ride to a natural swimming hole on a tributary of the Marias River where cottonwood trees shaded the bank and have a picnic lunch. The kids would go swimming.
    Sometimes Kurt did, too.
    The tug of regret and loneliness tightened his throat, and he swallowed hard. He missed those days.
    Hefting the last bale of hay, he shouldered the weight and carried it into the barn. Beth was in the house, probably texting her friends. Toby had gone off to be with his buddies.
    Without Sarah around, the ranch seemed exceptionally quiet. He only had the lazy buzz of flies, horsesshifting from one foot to another and a sleeping dog to keep him company.
    Odd that in less than a week he could feel the absence of Sarah almost as much as he missed Zoe.
    He shouldn’t let himself get used to having a woman around. Not an attractive woman with a slender figure and quick smile that made her eyes light up.
    No, he shouldn’t let that happen. Not when she’d be leaving at the end of summer.
    He heard the crunch of tires on the driveway and knew Sarah was back from church. In spite of himself, his heart picked up a beat, and he strolled as casually as he could out of the barn to welcome her home.
    She got out of her car and waved. He touched the brim of his hat in return, continuing to walk toward her, toward her welcoming smile.
    â€œHow’d you like Good Shepherd Church?” he asked.
    â€œVery nice. I had a chance to meet Pastor Hoffman and his wife.