Sugar Plums for Dry Creek & At Home in Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad Page B

church.”
    â€œOf course,” Lizette said.
    All four of them had come to a stop at the bottom of the church stairs. There were only seven steps to the landing, but Judd didn’t feel inclined to step forward and, apparently, neither did any one else.
    â€œHave you been to church here be fore?” Lizette finally asked as she stood looking up at the door.
    It was a perfectly ordinary door, Judd decided. A good solid-wood double door. It was winter so the door wasn’t wide open, but it was open a good six inches or so and he could hear the sounds of people talking in side.
    â€œNo, I’ve never been,” Judd admitted.
    â€œOh,” Lizette said, and then looked at him in steadof the door. “But you’ve been to other churches, right?”
    Judd shook his head. “I don’t know a thing about them.”
    â€œMe neither,” Lizette said.
    â€œI thought I should bring the children,” Judd finally said.
    Both Judd and Lizette looked down at the children and then looked at each other.
    Lizette nodded. “Yes, the children should go to church.”
    Lizette held out her hand to Amanda. Judd held out his hand to Bobby. The four of them walked into church just like they were a family.
    Yes, Judd thought. The next time he went to Billings he was definitely going to buy him self a suit and a tie.
    Â 
    Lizette looked around the church the minute she and Amanda stepped through the door. She’d searched through her costume trunk to find the French fedora she wore, and not an other man or woman in the church was wearing a hat. She’d tried so hard to blend in that she was sticking out.
    â€œWell, welcome,” Mrs. Hargrove said as she walked over from an other group of people. She had her hand extended out to Lizette. “I can’t tell you howhappy I am that you decided to join us this morning.”
    â€œI thought the children should come to church,” Lizette said, and then blushed. She wasn’t the one who was related to the children. It wasn’t her place to see that they went to church.
    â€œOh, we have something for all ages,” Mrs. Hargrove said as she extended her hand to Judd as well. “And you made it, too. I’m so glad.”
    Judd nodded.
    â€œThe children are going to decorate candles this morning,” Mrs. Hargrove said as she leaned down to the level of Amanda and Bobby. “And you’re going to talk about the light of the world.”
    â€œCan I make a blue candle?” Amanda asked. “I like blue.”
    â€œThey have all colors of candles and sequins and all kinds of things to put on them,” Mrs. Hargrove said as she motioned for an other woman to come over. “Glory Curtis, the pastor’s wife, will take you back to the Sunday-school room and get you settled.”
    Lizette watched the two children walk away with the pastor’s wife.
    â€œI can just wait out side until—” Judd began.
    â€œNonsense,” Mrs. Hargrove said as she took them both by the arm. “The pastor has an adult Sunday-school class, and today’s topic is how to have a happy marriage.”
    â€œOh, but I’m not—” Lizette began.
    â€œNonsense,” Mrs. Hargrove said as she walked them for ward. “What he’s going to say will apply to many relation ships in life.”
    Judd decided that Mrs. Hargrove was wrong within five minutes of the pastor starting to talk. Judd had never had a relation ship in his life that sounded like what the pastor de scribed. His uncle certainly hadn’t acted that way to ward him. He’d never had a friend who was like that. Certainly none of the women he’d met on the rodeo circuits had cared about him that way.
    He’d never even heard things like the pastor read from the Bible. What kind of person did good things to the people who wanted to do bad things to them? That would be like if the Nutcracker guy just lay down and let the