Pastor's Assignment Read Online Free

into the parking lot, she marveled at the sight of stores like Payless Shoes and Compass Bank looking unfamiliar and self-conscious as if they had been caught playing dress-up.
    Wanting to protect Rock from any gossip, Laney had briefly considered disguising herself in a sari. But she’d pictured only too well catching the hem in the front door and the subsequent unraveling of the garment.
    In the end, she opted for a different sort of disguise. A search through her closet revealed black karate pants and a black knit top. She’d added two inches to her height with a pair of black, chunky sandals. A French braid controlled her long hair, and a large pair of her brother’s sunglasses eclipsed her face. When she had walked into her kitchen, Angel had barked from his basket, thus confirming her disguise.
    Still, she paused in the parking lot, scanning the cars with the caution of a secret agent preparing to make a drop. She had no need to be nervous, she told herself; she would slip through the parking lot rendered invisible by the virtue of her mission.
    The anonymity effect was ruined when she saw the detective standing by the front door to the restaurant. She met his gaze, and her heart beat faster, more than when she simply got nervous.
    Please be with me, Lord. Here we go. Laney slammed her car door and stepped forward. A sharp tug nearly jerked her off her feet, and she realized the strap to her purse had caught in the car door.
    Embarrassed, she glanced around. The only eyes that seemed interested, however, were Ty Steele’s. Their gazes locked a second time. Her stomach clenched, and her heart knocked against her ribs as if thrown there by force.
    Searching for courage to see this secret mission through, Laney walked toward him. Her doubts grew as she neared him. He didn’t look like a man who had suffered an inconsolable loss or who needed a woman to listen to him or had ever in his life contemplated suicide.
    Instead, he resembled a casually dressed action figure at the toy store. It was all too easy to imagine him gripping the steering wheel during a high-speed chase or vaulting chain-link fences in pursuit of criminals or throwing a thug against a wall as he read him his rights.
    For a moment, panic filled her at the thought that somehow she was supposed to help this man. She, who had always attracted disaster as successfully as a tall pole drew lightning, somehow had to find the right words to save this poor, unhappy man from himself.
    Okay, Lord, Laney prayed. We both know James Bond I’m not. I can’t do this on my own. If I’m supposed to reach out to this person, You’ll have to do it through me, because I surely can’t do it on my own.
    She pushed the large dark glasses further up her nose and squared her shoulders, trying not to notice that Ty appeared slightly fierce, as if he were determined to dislike her.
    Laney greeted him with a smile, which he did not return.
    â€œLet’s go inside,” he said.
    He opened the door for her, and they stepped inside the restaurant. The combination of her sunglasses and the darkness of the restaurant nearly blinded her. A blast of air-conditioning immediately penetrated her black knit top, adding to her discomfort. It didn’t help when Ty’s hand touched her arm and guided her forward. His hand on her arm felt unfamiliar. She jerked away.
    Rock might not be perfect, but he loved her perfectly. Not a day went by when he didn’t call her at least three times to remind her of his undying affection. Just the other day he had volunteered to join the greeters’ ministry at church. She had been overwhelmed by his willingness to serve others. His humility made him all the more attractive to her.
    The hostess, a young Italian woman wearing black silk, led them to the dining area where about twenty round tables sat covered with crisp white tablecloths. She pointed to a table for two flanked by two large palms.
    Ty pulled