Page 17 (1/1)

Noah spent the next week door-knocking in thehi people to a church that would be refurbished and open for business in a couple of months He’d also been to Valley Hospital twice He was non a the volunteer women and before he even asked, he was directed to a patient who had had no visitors While he carried a Bible and introduced himself as Reverend Noah Kincaid, he wasn’t there to pray or preach unless asked All he did was visit He syhed, shared favorite jokes, straightened linens, fluffed pillows and even gave assistance to the bathroo her brief illness and chemotherapy he’d spent countless hours at the hospital While she was reading or dozing as the che, he’dfamilies He hadn’t even realized he’d found a mission there But people welcomed his friendliness and it filled a place in hiin River, he visited the nursing ho When he stood in the doorway, the old ive up till you convert ress on the cleaning and painting Ellie had finished two bathroo to work on the kitchen And Lucy, for all her infir up and down the steps like a pup…and following Ellie everywhere

On this particular day, Noah made it back to the church a little before three because he had an appoint downstairs and found Ellie bent over the sink, cleaning her painting gear "I’lanced over her shoulder "Boy, you have a ton of ot anything done around here Why’s that phone ringing all of a sudden? You run an ad for soes?" he asked with trepidation

"Yeah I wrote ’em down and left ’em on the desk"

"You answered the phone?"

"What did you expect me to do? Let them all think there wasn’t anyaround to face hiht?"

He sed "Uerty, the builder Off the top of your head, do you remember any--"

"Well, a woman na in a couple ofthere will be a church by then Gloria Tuttle called fro people and thought you should call her--she’s one of the nurses and can tell you about patients who onna wanna watch Gloria, Rev--she wants to jump your bones She asked if you were led Some old woman nas were going and I told her ere doing our best" Then she grinned "And there were others A lot of ’eot a nuet soonce last week"

"What did you say?" he asked

"To who?"

"Whom," he said, and then he almost kicked himself "To Miss MacIntyre, for example"

She studied his face for a second and then, with a hand on her hip, she said, "I said, ‘You’re da--he needs the work!’ What do you think I said? I took her number and told her I’d have you call her back The same to all of the the botto after your hot pants" Then she smirked

"You’re a pain in the butt," he said

"Yeah, so says the pot to the kettle You thought I wasn’t sh to kno to answer an office phone I’ve worked in offices!"

"I know this," he inforot those jobs because I have--"

He put up a hand to stop her "I never thought a thing," he said

"Boobs," she finished insolently Then she winked while she chewed vigorously on soet this stuff cleaned and get out of here I’ back to the sink "Can you h By the way, thank you"

"For?"

"For taking rinned over her shoulder "No probleood day?"

"I did," he said