Searching for Anna by Jenifer Carll-Tong (best classic books of all time .txt) 📕

and pulled out a large, glass marble. Phoebe gasped and reached for it, but he yanked it out of her reach.

"Hey, now!" he laughed. "It's mine."

"I loved that aggie. It was unfair of you to take it."

"Unfair? I won it fair and square!"

"You knew that I wasn't very good at marbles, yet you insisted we play for keeps."

Will leaned closer. "With you, my dear Phoebe, I have no other intent than to play for keeps." He carefully placed the marble in the center of the board and leaned back into his chair. "Tell you what…I'll give you another chance to win this back."

She scowled at him. "What's the catch?"

"No catch. Winner of this game takes all."

"All?" She leaned back slightly. "By all, you mean the aggie?"

Will raised his own eyebrows in response. "Unless you'd like to sweeten the pot."

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I'll have you know, I'm not a novice at chess."

"Neither am I."

It was only a marble, but Will knew Phoebe well enough to know that it meant something more to her. Winning the aggie back meant redemption, vindication, and a chance to regain her pride.

A slow smile spread across her face. "Well, sir, I believe the next move is yours."

Will nodded and they returned to play. Where their conversation had been stilted before, it was non-existent now as they both focused on the board with intensity. Will played well, but Phoebe was a formidable opponent, as he knew she would be.

"You could just give me the aggie and we can call the game complete," she said after taking out his knight. "It isn't necessary for you to be completely humiliated in order for me to get it back."

Will smiled. "You should know me by now, Pheebs. I don't give up. Especially where you are concerned."

She did not respond, nor did she lift her eyes from the board. "Tell me, why'd you keep it all these years?"

"The aggie?" Will shrugged. "It's special. I don't believe much in luck, but this was a comfort to me while I was in France."

"I hardly see how something as trivial as an aggie could bring you comfort."

"It wasn't the aggie itself. It was the memory of the girl it belonged to."

She looked up then and locked eyes with him. Her mouth opened and Will thought she was about to say something but just then, Mrs. Albright spoke quite loudly to her husband across the room.

"My word, James. How many times are you going to read that letter? Is it really that interesting?"

Rev. Albright rubbed his forehead. "It's from Frank."

Mrs. Albright put down the copy of Ladies' Home Journal. "Is something wrong? Please tell me it isn't Helen."

"No, nothing like that. He's having trouble filling posts at some of his churches."

"Well, no wonder. The U.P. is desolate, void of the modern conveniences most young preachers and their brides are accustomed to."

"He says it's not all that bad. With the copper and iron mines came the railroads. Lots of small towns, and good-sized ones, have popped up all over."

"Well, what does that have to do with you?" she asked, flipping through her magazine again. She stopped suddenly. "He doesn't expect you to pick up and move north, does he? At our age?"

"No, no. Not at all."

"Well, what then?"

"He is inquiring about Phoebe."

At this, all heads in the room turned toward the minister.

"Me?" Phoebe asked. "Why on earth would he be asking about me?"

Reverend Albright looked at her. "He wants to know if you'd be willing to take a church."

"You must be joking!" Mrs. Albright sputtered. "Why on earth would he ever suggest such a thing? A young, single woman - pastoring a church on her own? Well, that's absolutely ridiculous…"

Mrs. Albright continued speaking, but Will heard none of it. All of his attention was focused on the woman sitting across from him and the emotions that played about her face.

"Now, Ruth, don't be so old-fashioned. There's nothing wrong with a woman pastor."

"But in the Upper Peninsula? How would she survive? How would she live?"

"I'm sure it's not as bad as you are imagining, otherwise Frank wouldn't be suggesting it."

Phoebe's gaze dropped from her parents' conversation and settled on the chess board, but it was obvious that her mind was not on the game. Her delicate forehead wrinkled above knitted brows as she bit her bottom lip. Was she honestly considering taking a church in the Upper Peninsula? Was she scared of the idea? Worried? Or was she experiencing something different? Was her heart beating as erratically as his was at that very moment?

This isn't what Will wanted for her. Phoebe deserved so much more in life than the hardships the Upper Peninsula could offer. Surely God wouldn't subject her to a life like that. Hadn't he said those exact words to God this very afternoon?

Phoebe's eyes lifted and locked with Will's.

They do not know the thoughts of the Lord, they do not understand His plan.

When Will had read that scripture in the book of Micah that morning, he had thought God was giving him a message for another reason, that God was giving him confidence to turn down the assignment he had been given. But now, staring into Phoebe's dark eyes, he realized that he was the one who did not understand God's plan. He was the one who would be gathered like sheaves on the threshing floor if he impeded the Lord's plan.

It was Will's turn to avert his gaze from Phoebe's. "Did he mention where this church is?" Will asked Reverend Albright, not looking up.

"A place called Iron Falls," Rev. Albright answered.

"I don't care what it's named, no daughter of mine…"

Mrs. Albright's rant was interrupted when the front door swung open.

"Where is that college graduate of ours?"

All eyes turned toward the entrance as Esther, the eldest Albright sister flounced into the room. She pulled Phoebe from her chair and into an embrace.

"I've missed you so much," Esther nearly squealed. "I'm so glad you're finally home!"

"So am I," said her husband John as he casually entered behind her. "Now my wife will have someone else to take her shopping. It is a truly taxing event."

Esther smiled coyly at him as she rubbed her protruding stomach. "Well, you are to blame for this ever-growing belly of mine, are you not? The least you can do is to help me replace the clothing I've outgrown."

John had no response to that, except to rub the back of his neck and clear his throat, a nervous gesture that brought Will to laugh out loud at his friend's discomfort.

John elbowed Will in the ribs. "It's your fault I married her."

"I will proudly accept the blame," Will said, slapping John on the shoulder. "I knew she was the perfect match for you."

John, a journalist at the Lansing State Journal, had been Will's best friend since they fought side-by-side in the Great War, and his marriage to Esther had only strengthened that bond. It also, Will hoped, would someday make them brother-in-laws.

"Daddy's friend wants Phoebe to pastor a church in the Upper Peninsula!" Sarah exclaimed.

In unison, Esther and John looked from Sarah to Phoebe.

"The U.P.!" exclaimed Esther. "Oh, no! You can't! You've only just come home."

John looked at Will and raised an eyebrow in question. Will stuffed his hands into his pants pockets and averted his gaze. He knew what John was wordlessly asking, but Will didn't have an answer.

"It's one thing to pray for God to protect you while you are away at college," Esther continued. "Quite another to send you off to the frozen frontier! Daddy, tell her she can't go!"

"Well, Esther, nothing's been decided." Reverend Albright rocked back and forth on his heels. "There's no need to go worrying."

No, Will thought. I'm worrying enough for all of us.

"I hate to interrupt," Will said, "but I must be getting back to the barracks."

John looked surprised, as did Mrs. Albright. "Oh, must you? Can't you stay a while longer?" she asked.

"No, I'm sorry. But thank you so much for dinner. You have no idea what it means to have a home-cooked meal."

"But what about our game?"

It was Will's turn to be surprised. Everyone, including Will, turned and looked at Phoebe. Her cheeks instantly flushed.

"I – I mean, there is the matter of the aggie," she managed to stammer out.

"Of course, Pheebs," Will said. They both returned to the table. He concentrated for only a moment, moved his remaining bishop, and took out her knight.

"Checkmate."

Phoebe's mouth slowly fell open as she stared at the board then lifted her eyes to stare at Will. He winked as he grabbed the aggie off the board and nodded goodnight to everyone.

"Wait, Will," Esther called out. "Phoebe will see you out."

Will grabbed his hat off the hook in the foyer and stifled a grin at the sound of Phoebe's exasperated sigh. He turned to see both