A/N: Dedicated in loving memory of my pastor, who taught me of the need to share the good news and inspired me to grow closer to Christ.

sss

Kid's hair was damp from his bath and he sat on her bed, waiting for her. Ruth had forgotten that he was likely in her room and she quickly turned around and wiped her eyes before she began unbuttoning her dress, hoping he would think she was just getting ready for bed.

He got up and gently turned her around; he couldn't help but notice her red eyes and puffy eyelids. "You're crying."

"It's nothing," she said, her shaky voice belying her words.

"It's not nothing. Who upset you?" His dark eyes were swirling with anger at the offender. "I'll find out from your family if I have to."

"Anna just had some things she had to say to me is all."

"Like what?"

"Just that I'm too outspoken and that I tend to embarrass her. Nothing too uncommon between sisters, I guess, but I thought we were closer than that. I'm not sure she even missed me."

"Well, you say the word and we'll leave. I don't like this witch business anyway."

She shook her head. "I couldn't leave after I promised my family 3 weeks. I'll be fine."

She finished slipping off her dress and then climbed into bed under the thick quilts.

Kid raised the corner of the covers and crawled in with her. She wrapped her arms around him and nestled in closer, which brought her a measure of comfort. "What about my parents?"

"I don't care what anybody says, I'm not leaving you. They'll have to drag me away." He kissed her forehead. "She was right about one thing. You do have a big mouth." Her mouth dropped open a little in surprise and he smiled at her. "But I love that big, sweet mouth." He laid tender kisses on the corners of her mouth and then on her lips.

She laughed through her tears.

sss

They all piled into the McKenzie wagon and rode the 5 miles to church. The general store and church were the only buildings that made up the town, if you could call it a town.

The little church looked as austere as the expressions on Ruth's family's faces.

3 bearded, older men blocked the door as they climbed the stairs to enter, obviously having lain in wait for their arrival.

"Ya'll can all come in except for Ruth McKenzie. We don't need her kind here," said the man in the middle.

Kid's eyes narrowed. "And just who's going to stop her?"

The men didn't seem the least bit intimidated as his reputation wasn't quite as well-known here. Before things could escalate, however, Mrs. Norris had arrived and quickly assessed the situation. Her eyes zeroed in on the leader of this group. "Get out of the way, Michael Campbell. There's folks here trying to get to church."

"I'm happy to see you're better, Mrs. Norris, but it ain't natural how it happened. It's the work of the devil."

"Since when does the devil go about healing people in the name of Christ? The only place the devil's working right now is in your heart. Now move."

Seemingly chastised if not totally appeased, he and his friends moved out of the way.

They all took a pew near the front and the service began almost as soon as they took a seat.

The sermon was dry and the pastor's cadence never varied. He was no great orator and wouldn't win any prizes for flowery words or delivery skills, but he was preaching the word of the Lord, and he supposed that was all that really mattered. He fought to stifle a yawn.

He looked over at Ruth. She was sitting on the edge of the pew as if straining to keep from missing a single word, soaking it in like it was precious, life-giving water in a dry desert. He smiled and thought to himself how much he loved this woman.

He wasn't the only one looking at his wife he noted. She was a greater subject of interest than the topic of the sermon, and people seemed to be trying to determine from her appearance and behavior if she was really a witch or not, but she paid them no mind.

It was a welcome relief to Kid when the hymn singing began.

When they reached the door, she shook the pastor's hand. "It was a wonderful sermon. It gave me a lot to chew on."

"Thank you," he said with a formal nod. "It's good to see you again." If he'd heard the rumor, he gave no indication.

Her eyes caught sight of the river behind the church when they came out, the place where she'd been baptized as a teenager, which caused her to think of their previous pastor, who had passed away just a few months before she'd left.

He had been the kindest and humblest of men. His hands had been rough from labor as he had always been ready to use them to help a neighbor. Though he lacked a scholar's hands, he was extremely knowledgeable about the Bible and his heart was as well-used as his hands and mind. The very thought of what the Savior did could move the large man to tears, but he didn't lack a backbone. There wasn't a soul he met that he didn't gently deliver the Lord's message of love to, including her, and he never failed to preach what his flock needed to hear. He had been a true and faithful servant of his Lord with a ready ear when she needed to talk. He had encouraged her in her walk and calling, and she couldn't wait until she could sit down and talk to him again and tell him how his influence had helped her and what it had accomplished for the kingdom.

"Thank you, God, for the people You send to us in our lives to help us on our way to You," she whispered reverently.

One of those said people was beside her right now. She slipped a hand into his, drawing on his strength, pleased she wasn't an embarrassment to her husband or to God.

Kid squeezed her hand affectionately. The rest of the McKenzie women were all quiet, dignified women, at least in public. He could see how the personality differences might cause some conflict in the family. The exception being Ruth's grandmother, who seemed to be a hardy, friendly Scotswoman. She flitted from family to family asking after everyone's welfare much like he expected Ruth would be doing if not for her conversation with her sister, which might have been just as well as people were giving her a wide berth as if she carried the plague.

"I want to go say hi to Laura," Ruth said.

He released her hand and she made her way over there. After exchanging hugs of greeting with her nephew and saying hi to her brother-in-law, she asked, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure." Laura followed her a few feet away from everybody.

"Do you think I'm an embarrassment?" Ruth asked straight out.

"No, but I'd be lying if I said you were never an embarrassment. You were a pain and a half growing up, but then I think you were all pains; it comes with being younger siblings. What brought this question on?"

"Just something Anna said last night."

"Don't pay it any attention. Anna thinks she's all grown up, but she's still got some maturing to do. You know how girls that age are. They think the world revolves around them and that the least little thing their family says or does is a reflection on them."

Her gaze went over to said sister. "Is that the fellow she's courting standing with her?"

She nodded. "Moved here a little after you left. They've been as thick as thieves."

"Well, at least it don't look like he's going to shun her because of me."

She gave a laugh. "Is that what she told you?"

"Something along those lines," she mumbled.

Laura reached over and hugged her sister. "I'm so happy you came to visit. I've missed you something terrible. I'll see you up at the house after Danny get changed out of his good clothes."

The ride back was as somber as the ride there.

Mary was the first to get out of the wagon when they arrived and start up the hill, eager to get dinner on the table, and it wasn't but a couple minutes before they heard her scream. They all ran up to the house to see what the matter was, a matter which quickly became apparent. One of the nanny goats had escaped the pen again and was up on the porch. The goat's wide eyes gave it an air of innocence even as it chomped away on a beribboned straw hat.

"My hat," Mary cried. "That confounded goat has my hat." She was using her Bible to thump on the poor creature, trying to get it to release it. "I'm going to kill me a goat," she raged at last, realizing the hat was past saving.

Robert rescued the animal by scooping it up and toting it down to the barn.

"My best hat ruined," she bemoaned, picking up the chewed-up article.

"I'll buy you another one, Mother." James had trouble hauling the woman into the house, who couldn't have weighed more than a 100 pounds and who wasn't that far from the door.

"He better hide that sucker good cause I'm ready to try my hand at goat stew," Mary declared.

Kid tried to hide a smile. If he was that goat, he'd be afraid, very afraid.