Chapter 28
Roland McBride watched the horses as they went in front of him once more.
He was the only one of his family that hadn’t gotten married, and while he didn’t exactly feel left out, he did wonder if maybe there was something wrong with him.
“Hey, Roland,” Judd said, sitting down beside him.
“Hey there, Judd,” he said, respect in the line of his body as he shifted to make room for Judd.
Terry, his oldest sister and the sibling that he most looked up to, had chosen a good man.
Judd was quiet, but as they said, still waters ran deep, and there was a lot about Judd to learn about, and everything that he learned showed him what a great man he was.
Roland felt a little guilty that he had squandered so much of his life, when he saw how much Judd had done.
Of course, it was never too late to get started working for the Lord, and Roland had a few things in mind.
“You enjoying the wedding?”
“The food is good, so I’m happy.”
“You’re not gonna talk about how beautiful the bride is or how in love your brother looks?” Judd said, teasing a little.
“That’s probably all true, but my stomach is happy, and so am I.”
“Well, that’s good, because I have a favor to ask of you.”
“All right?”
“Don’t you think you ought to hear it before you agree?”
“I was agreeing to hear it, not to do it,” Roland said, knowing that Judd was just teasing him.
“So you probably heard about the Secret Saint, he goes around town doing good deeds.”
“I have.” He had no idea who it was, but he knew his family had benefited from it at times.
Last year, when Desire had been in the hospital dying of cancer, no one had been thinking about gifts for Gilbert’s children, but the Secret Saint had somehow managed to get gifts underneath the Christmas tree.
The Secret Saint had also helped Charity, his sister-in-law, with gifts for her children too, before his brother Wilson had married her.
Wilson and Charity were riding in the carriage now, together, with no children. Charity was expecting again, and Wilson rode with one hand behind her, one hand on her stomach, as though to protect her.
Roland shook his head at how silly love could make a man behave.
“I wanted to know if you were interested in helping the Secret Saint.”
Roland blinked and looked at Judd. “You know who it is?”
Judd nodded. “You know it’s a secret. So, you’re going to have to agree to help before I can tell you who it is.”
Roland looked down at his hands. He wanted to help, but…
It seemed like a lot of work, and he didn’t understand how the Secret Saint knew all the things he knew.
Like who needed help, and what to do for them.
Somehow he seemed to know when people were behind on their mortgage, or needed money for their light bill, or needed their oil tank filled, and all kinds of things like that.
The Secret Saint seemed to know things in town that no one else knew.
It was pretty amazing how he moved in perfect time with everything, and then as Roland was thinking about it, he thought, what better person than a doctor to find out who needed things?
“Is my sister the Secret Saint?” he asked, referring to Judd’s wife, Terry.
“Are you agreeing to help?” Judd asked evenly, not forgetting the words that he had said.
Roland thought about it. He had just been thinking that he wanted to do more for the Lord, and maybe this was God opening a door.
Sometimes it seemed like God dragged His feet and tested his patience, taking His good old time in answering his prayers, but in this case, he barely thought it before opportunity materialized.
Unless he was making a mountain out of a molehill.
“Yes. I agreed to help.”
“All right, then. Here’s what you need to know.”