As usual, Nanci didn’t need an alarm clock to wake her up early on Tuesday morning. There had been a time in her life when her mother had just about needed a pry bar to get her out of bed anytime before noon, especially on school days, but that had disappeared long before in her first days in the Grand Canyon. Even now she didn’t spring out of bed fully alert, but after she got some clothes on, a trip to the kitchen to turn on the coffeepot was enough to get her going.

It would usually still take her a few minutes to get her mind ready for her morning devotions, just thinking about what she wanted to say and organizing her thoughts to say it. Even so, she soon found herself on her knees, with her hands open and resting palms upward on her thighs, the position she preferred for her private prayers and her personal time with God.

As she almost always did, she asked God to put His loving arms around her friend Allie, the girl who had unwittingly pointed Nanci down this path in her life by giving up her own. It seemed especially poignant to Nanci now in that she would be giving the funeral service for Elmer Pepper, who had also died by his own hand when the pain in his life had become too much to endure. She prayed for Elmer, too, prayed that God would pour His forgiveness on him and those Elmer had left behind.

She prayed for her friends and relatives, especially those who were down in the Grand Canyon right now – friends and relatives who had given so much to her in helping her along the path she’d chosen. She prayed for her mission here in the churches of Tyler and Conestoga, for the people in the churches, and that He would show her the path to guide and lead them.

But this morning she was also praying for Amber, who seemed to be a bright girl and had endured much and who seemed to have risen above the tribulations of life. She prayed that the girl would truly come to Him seeking His forgiveness and guidance by taking Jesus into her life as her Savior. She prayed for Amber’s mother Linda, too, prayed that she was all right, and prayed that she would cast off the sins of the world and the flesh that she might become a new person through His hand. She prayed that Amber’s mother would take up the responsibilities of caring for her child in the same way that God cared for His children, but that His Will be done with her.

Most of all, she prayed for His guidance in dealing with the girl, that He might show her the way to help the girl become the child of God that she could be. Amber seemed to be reaching out for Him, so she asked for His help in helping her find the light.

And, as almost always, once she had finished the list of her major concerns, she fell silent, just letting God peer into her soul to see what was really there, to not let her babble distract Him from what was truly in her soul.

In time, she felt she was done for the morning, although that did not preclude the likelihood of more praying later in the day. By now the house was filled with the enticing smell of the fresh coffee, so she got to her feet and headed for the kitchen. To her surprise, she found Amber there with a cup of coffee in front of her, looking bright and cheerful rather than the barely awake, glum kid Nanci at her age would have been at this hour. “Well, good morning Amber,” she said. “You’re up early.”

“I was ready to get up,” Amber replied. “I knew you were in praying, so I decided to get a cup of coffee. I’ve been thinking about it and I decided that I want to do some morning exercises with you.”

As Nanci headed for the coffeepot she reflected that was something else she would never have conceived of doing at Amber’s age; exercise had been a dirty word, and her brother had even given her some hints on how to avoid phys. ed. classes in school. But she didn’t say that, only replying, “What brought this on?”

“I got to thinking that I’ve been eating real good the last few days, and I’ve really enjoyed it, but I don’t think I want to overdo it and get fat.”

“You could stand to put on some weight,” Nanci said, once again impressed with the girl’s thinking. “But really, it needs to be more muscle weight than just fat. I’ll be glad to work with you on exercises, but don’t try to keep up with me all the way, since I’ve been doing this for a long time.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Amber smiled.

“Then let’s get started.”

It was a little strange to have someone to work out with, but Nanci decided that she needed to get Amber off on the right foot, so she took it slow and gave the girl some encouragement. It was difficult for Amber since she didn’t have much in the way of muscles yet, but she knew the moves, probably from school phys. ed. classes in the past. She had a lot of determination, and that was something Nanci had seen in her ever since she’d met the kid.

With that observation Nanci decided to keep the session short but hoped that Amber would get something out of it and still be willing to join her in the future. “That’s probably enough for you for today,” she said finally. “Why don’t you go grab a shower while I get started on breakfast?”

“I’ve been thinking about that, too,” Amber replied. “You shouldn’t have to do all the work around here, and if I’m living here I feel like I ought to be helping out. Why don’t we trade off on doing breakfasts? You’ll have to teach me to make some things that you like, but I can handle sausage and eggs all right. There’s still plenty of time before I have to leave for school.”

Nanci would just as soon have done it herself, but she was amazed and proud that the girl was willing to contribute. That was something she couldn’t turn down and wanted to encourage. “Fine with me,” she conceded. “If you want to get started, I’ll get going on my shower.”

“Don’t take too long,” Amber replied. “I think I know where everything is.”

Still amazed, Nanci headed off to the shower. Once again, Amber had just shown that she was a lot different than Nanci had been at her age; responsible, self-reliant, willing to contribute, and take a share of the load. How had that happened? Probably because she had to be to get this far, Nanci realized as she turned on the water in the shower to let it warm up.

Even though she was gaining confidence in her young guest, Nanci kept her shower short, and decided to not wash her hair to speed the process up. It probably would be a good idea, she thought, to keep an eye on things without being overbearing. She was in and out of the shower in minutes then got dressed for the day in a blouse and jeans, which ought to be adequate for today. When she got back out to the kitchen, Amber seemed to have everything under control and was close to being done; there was even toast in the toaster, and the table had already been set. “That was quick,” she said. “Where’d you learn that?”

“Mostly from Mom, back before we had to move out of the place we were in and into the shack where we’re living. Mom was a good cook when she wasn’t drinking, because she used to be the cook at the Prairie Dawn. I had to learn to do this stuff so I could do it when she wasn’t up to it.” She shook her head and went on, “That was most of the time, especially the last couple of years. I sure don’t ever want to get like that.”

“At least you’re aware of the trap you could fall into,” Nanci replied as Amber began to serve up breakfast. It really did look and smell good. There was a lot more to this kid than she had ever dreamed.

In a minute or so they were seated at the table. “Since you cooked,” Nanci smiled. “Perhaps you ought to say Grace.”

“Me?”

“Of course, you. You know how to do it. You’ve heard me do it.”

“You’re sure it’s all right? I mean, you’re a minister and all. I wouldn’t want to mess it up.”

“Amber, saying Grace is just saying a prayer. I think that God hears what we mean, rather than what we say, so the words don’t matter that much.”

“All right,” she said, perhaps a little dubiously. She bowed her head and went on, “Heavenly Father, bless this food to our bodies that we may do Your leading today. This we ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.” She turned to Nanci and asked, “Was that all right?”

“It was fine, Amber,” Nanci smiled. She recognized the words, it was the normal blessing she asked before each meal; Amber must have learned them from her. This girl had a lot of potential, she thought. She saw more of it in her with almost every minute they spent together. How many people had missed it? Probably all too many, she realized. With that, she sent a silent prayer of thanks for Him allowing her to see it.

The breakfast tasted just as good as it had smelled, and they took their time with it until Amber realized that it was almost time to go to school. She got up and headed for the shower, leaving Nanci at the table with a cup of coffee in front of her while she was thinking hard about Amber and wondering what was going to happen to her.

In a few minutes, Amber returned, wearing the same clothes as the day before, the ones Nanci had loaned to her. “Amber,” Nanci said when she saw her, “Do you know if they have a clothing store down in Carondelet?”

“I think so. I’ve only been there a couple of times and I don’t remember for sure.”

“All right, I’ll see if I can find out. Don’t be late getting home from school today. We may just take a run down there. I think you need some better clothes, and there’s no point in putting off getting some.” Even if she wound up going to the group home, Nanci thought she needed better clothes than she had.

“Rev … Nanci, you don’t have to do that.”

“Amber, there’s a difference between having to do something and wanting to do it. Besides, I need a few things myself, and as long as we’re getting things for me we might as well not waste the trip.”

A tear came to Amber’s eye. “I can’t tell you the last time I had new clothes of my own. They’ve always been something someone else has gotten rid of.”

“Then it’s time we did something about that. Amber, I wouldn’t have made the offer if I didn’t want to do it, but no matter what anyone else may think, I think you’re worth it.”

“Do you …” she said in a small voice “Do you really think so?”

“Of course I do, Amber,” Nanci replied, getting up to give the girl a hug she could see was sorely needed. “I really do.”

“Thank you. That’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time.”

Once Nanci finally got Amber out the door to go to school, she gave some thought about what she was going to do today. She’d missed going to the Prairie Dawn for breakfast the day before, and with Amber living with her it might be a long time before she ate breakfast there again. Still, it seemed like a good idea to go down there for what would be her fourth cup of coffee of the day just to be seen out in the community. It was still one of the more important things she had to do – get to know people.

While she could have driven the short distance, it seemed like a better idea to walk, if for no more reason than the exercise; besides, it was a nice morning and a brisk walk would be enjoyable.

On her way to the Prairie Dawn, she happened to notice that the sheriff’s SUV was parked outside his office, so she decided to drop in and see if there was any word about Amber’s mother. Sure enough, the sheriff was sitting behind his desk, apparently doing a little paperwork. “So how are you this morning, Reverend?” he asked.

“Not bad. In fact, pretty good.”

“How’s it working out with the girl you took in?”

“It couldn’t be better. That girl amazes me every time I turn around. I never knew her mother, but somehow she managed to produce a really good kid.”

“They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” the sheriff laughed. “But it’s been my experience that sometimes when it hits the ground it rolls a long, long way, and that can mean bad as well as good.”

“I’m sure you’re right since I’ve seen it happen myself. In fact, I’m probably as good an example of it as anyone.”

“So what can I do for you today?”

“I was wondering if you’d heard anything about her mother.”

“Not much,” he shrugged. “I took a run over to the Stationhouse a couple of times to ask around. She hasn’t been in there in almost two weeks. The only thing anyone can remember is that she was sitting with a guy no one recognized, and the next thing anyone noticed both of them were gone, and no one is real sure exactly when that was. That might mean something, or it might not. There’s nothing about her on the Colorado Crime Information Center and that also might mean something, or it might not. Since you’re concerned about her, I put a notice up on CCIC and a couple other places, but that might not come to anything, either.”

“So really, there’s no news.”

“Pretty much. What’s more, there might not be any for a long time, if ever. I know it’s not much, but I don’t know what more to tell you. If I do hear something, I’ll let you know. Anything else I can help you with?”

“Not really, but you might like to know that the service for Elmer Pepper will be at two Thursday afternoon at the West Walke Cemetery.”

“Good, glad to hear that got settled. If I’m out in that end of the county around that time I might drop in.”

“I’m sure you’d be welcome.”

They talked for a couple more minutes, just pleasantries, before Nanci went on up the street to the Prairie Dawn. It was a little later than she’d normally gotten there the week before, but not much. Not surprisingly, Bernice and Edith were there; while they both said they only got together there a couple times a week, Nanci had never missed finding them there around this time. There was a seat at their table, so she joined them. “We missed you yesterday,” Bernice said as Nanci sat down.

“Something came up,” Nanci replied, not wanting to get into the details. “Edith, I don’t know if you knew that Elmer Pepper’s funeral is going to be Thursday at two at the West Walke Cemetery.”

“I’d heard that,” she replied. “I got a call from the funeral home down in Carondelet yesterday afternoon. I’m sure the announcement will be in the Cooke county paper, but since it’s a weekly it won’t come out until after the service. I’ve been thinking I ought to get a newsletter out about it, but there really hasn’t been much else happen around here recently.”

“It would be nice if you could. I mean, I didn’t know the man at all, but somehow I think his passing deserves some notice, and it would be nice if people knew about the funeral.”

“You could be right,” Edith agreed. “The thing of it is that people usually know when something like that is going to happen. It gets passed around between friends and neighbors, and often it seems I’m the last to know.”

“You’d know more about it than I would,” Nanci sighed. “But still, well, it seems a little empty. At least a few people will show up for the service.”

“You’re going to do it, I hear?”

“Yes, the funeral home contacted me about it yesterday.”

“I heard that Reverend Saunders from the Lexington Church was asked to do it,” Edith replied. “I take it that he didn’t want to.”

“That’s what I was told,” Nanci replied, not wanting to get into the details of why he’d told the director he wouldn’t do the service. Passing along news was one thing, but passing along gossip was another, and she wanted to avoid that.

Bernice shook her head. “Doesn’t surprise me, not at all. I’ve only met the man a couple of times, but he strikes me as a real loudmouth who’s always trying to stuff his beliefs about the Bible down everyone’s throats and sometimes they don’t make a lot of sense. I know there are people who like that, but I sure don’t do it. There seems to be enough people who like that kind of thing for the Lexington church to hang on though.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Nanci sighed. From Bernice’s words, her original supposition about Saunders seemed to be confirmed, and was best described in a word she didn’t use any more. “I’ve never met the man. In fact, I hadn’t heard his name until yesterday.”

“You probably will sooner or later,” Edith put in. “Although he’s not from around here and doesn’t spend any more time around Lexington than he has to, or so I’m told. Anyway, I’ll think about putting a newsletter out. I’ve got little bits of county history I can use to fill it up with. At times like this they come in handy.”

Only now did the waitress come over to the table, carrying a coffeepot and cups with her. “Can I get you something, Reverend?” she asked.

“Just coffee this morning,” Nanci replied. “I’ve already had breakfast, thank you.”

In seconds Nanci had a cup of coffee in front of her, she’d ordered it more as a courtesy than anything else; she’d already had enough coffee to hold her this morning.

Serving the coffee was enough to break the conversation. “So how are you getting along with that girl you took in?” Bernice asked.

“Amazingly well. I’ve never met her mother, of course, but Amber seems to be a really good kid.”

“I was surprised when she showed up at church with you on Sunday,” Bernice went on. “She really seemed interested in what you were saying.”

“She was really paying attention. We had a long talk about the message afterwards, and that was after she’d sat through the service out at Conestoga. She got more out of that sermon than I think most people do, but most of the message was new to her, of course. Though she’s only been with me a couple days, it’s been fun having her around. It may not seem like it, but I think she can make something of herself if she’s given a chance.”

“She didn’t say much when Larry and I had you and her to dinner after church,” Bernice said. “But I do have to say she seemed like a well-mannered kid. I mean, not the kind of kid you’d expect Linda Wallace to raise.”

“I’m finding there’s more to her than meets the eye,” Nanci said. “There’s no doubt that she’s been living rough and has had a hard time, but she seems to be a survivor. She’s had to learn to be self-reliant. I’m really impressed with her.”

“So what’s going to happen with her?”

“Good question,” Nanci shrugged. “At this point, I don’t know. Her mother has disappeared. I just came from the sheriff’s office and he has no idea what happened to her. He and I talked it over, and what we decided is that this close to school being out, there’s no point in yanking her out of here and sending her down to the group home in Carondelet. We’ll see what happens once school is out.” Even as she said that, Nanci realized that it was less and less of an option, especially knowing the reputation of the group home.

“Don’t be surprised if her mother never shows up again,” Edith warned. “She’s been getting into the bottle worse and worse the last couple of years, and half the time I’d be willing to bet that she doesn’t remember she has a daughter at all.”

“She used to be the cook here, and she was pretty good,” Bernice added. “But she got into the sauce so much that they had to let her go. I have no idea where she was finding the money to drink anything, but she sure managed to somehow, mostly down at the Stationhouse.”

“That was what Amber was telling me,” Nanci admitted. “I’ve seen it happen elsewhere. You wouldn’t believe some of the things people will do to get high and stay high.” She wasn’t going to tell Bernice or Edith, but these days she couldn’t believe some of the things she’d done for it, either.

“Reverend, a word of warning,” Edith said. “I realize you’re just getting to know the girl, and that you like her. But be very careful with her. She could very well be her mother’s daughter, and there’s a good chance she will turn out that way. People in this town know her mother, and know what kind of a mess she’s made of her life. She once wasn’t a bad person, but the bottle turned her into pure trash. I suppose it’s good that the girl is out of that, and while I’m glad you’re willing to help her, she could turn on you and bite you.”

“I have to agree with Edith,” Bernice added. “I like the girl I met Sunday. Don’t get me wrong: I hope things work out for her, but I’m afraid they won’t. What’s worse, Reverend, is that there are going to be plenty of people in both the churches who know her mother, and they are not going to think very well of you for taking her in. Oh, for a few days is one thing, and you probably see it as your Christian duty. But some people won’t see it that way and will think you’re a fool for letting her take advantage of you, thinking maybe she’ll influence you into doing something you shouldn’t be doing.”

Nanci was thoughtful for a moment. “I’m already picking up a little of that,” she replied, thinking of Trent Westbrook’s reaction to Amber showing up with Keith at the gathering on Saturday. “It’s something I’m going to have to be careful about. But you are also right in that it’s my Christian duty to take care of those who need my help. I wouldn’t be a minister if I didn’t feel that way. That’s part of the reason I haven’t made my mind up yet about what I’m going to do about her in the long run.”

“Don’t be too long making up your mind,” Bernice warned. “Don’t get me wrong, Reverend. I’ve come to like you a lot in the short time you’ve been here, and people already like you better than they ever liked Reverend Anders. But if you get too involved with the girl you run the risk of ruining that.”

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