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  Such a cowboy, this man. Half the women in the TeamWork camp must secretly be in love with the director. Lexa swallowed hard, grateful Sam missed the open-mouthed stare he left behind.

  ~~**~~

  Removing his glasses, Sam shook his head and ran a quick hand through his hair. It was muggier than usual. Even his hand was damp when he picked up a pencil. Frowning, he reached for the roll of paper towels he kept near the desk and wiped his hands. Through blind eyes, he stared at the file folder in the middle of his desk. With one finger, he lifted the edge of the folder and opened it. Alexis Clarke’s folder.

  Rubbing one hand over tired eyes and sitting back in his chair, Sam thought about the woman who captured his immediate attention. She appeared insecure and timid one minute and then turned all spicy and defensive the next. He was curious and more than a little surprised by his own instinctive reaction to her. Maybe he should take some time to examine why that was. But not right now.

  A knock on the office door startled him. “Come on in,” he called, closing Lexa’s folder. “Hi, Beck. What’s up?” Motioning for her to have a seat in one of the chairs opposite his desk, he watched as she closed the screen door and sat down.

  “I’m curious about Lexa.”

  “Join the club.”

  “She’s obviously not the usual TeamWork volunteer.”

  “You can say that again. I was just starting to look at her file now. I haven’t really had a chance to look at her application.”

  “Oh, I’ll leave you alone then.” Rebekah started out of the chair.

  “No, it’s all right. Stay.” He motioned for her to take her seat again. “The bonfire’s over an hour from now, so I’ve got plenty of time. Besides, you know I always have time for you.” Sitting back in his chair, he crossed his arms behind his head. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

  “Lexa seems somewhat uncomfortable, and I get the feeling she’s not . . .”

  “Not a Christian?”

  Rebekah’s green eyes grew wide and Sam heard her quick intake of breath. “I’d never say that, Sam. You know that’s not what I meant.”

  “I know what you mean. This work camp is totally outside Lexa’s realm of normal. But no matter why she’s here, the Lord’s put her here for a reason.” Seeing Rebekah’s eyes cross, he laughed. “I know, sometimes I sound ridiculously pious. But it’s true, all the same.”

  “Maybe you should have pursued full-time church ministry. If you ask me, you’re well-suited to it.”

  His smile sobered. “This is my ministry for now. You know how much I love my TeamWork camps. And Lexa told me she researched TeamWork and wants to help us make a difference. But, in spite of me griping at her when I was changing a flat tire, and being spit on by a goat,” Sam said, pausing as Rebekah laughed, “she didn’t tell me to turn the car around and take her back to the bus station. The woman’s got spunk and determination.” Among other things.

  “Are you serious? A goat really spit on her?” Rebekah laughed and shook her head in disbelief. “That must have been pretty gross.”

  Sam laughed. “It was, but she handled it with uncommon grace.”

  Rebekah tilted her head, surveying him. “You like her.”

  Sam sat up straighter in the chair and clasped his hands together on the desk. “I like all my volunteers.” He avoided her eyes. She knew him too well.

  “This is different. Even though you’re trying not to look at me, I saw it. You’ve got that same look in your eye when you talk about Lexa that you did when you talked about Shelby.”

  Sam grunted. “That’s neither here nor there. Besides, I just met the woman.” He hoped she’d drop it.

  Rebekah was quiet for a long moment. “It’s been three years. You need to let Shelby go.”

  “I let her go a long time ago.”

  “Look at me, Sam.”

  Sam moved his eyes upward to meet Rebekah’s, but it took awhile. Patience was one of Beck’s best virtues. He knew she’d wait, and she didn’t disappoint.

  “Shelby was one of my best friends. We both loved her. But she’s gone.” She paused. “You’re thirty-one. It’s time to start living again. You need a companion.”

  “I don’t know . . .” Sam shook his head. There was so much about Shelby that Rebekah never knew, never suspected, but he wasn’t going to be the one to tell her. Maybe she was right. One of these days, maybe he’d slow down and focus on trying to find another woman. But, at this point, that was a mighty big maybe. Just because Lexa Clarke intrigued him didn’t mean she was the right one.

  “I seem to be doing fine all on my own. I don’t need a woman complicating my life.”

  She wasn’t buying his protests for a second. Rebekah’s gaze softened as he met her eyes again. “You know Josh and I look at you like an older brother, Sam. You’re also smart enough to know the right woman won’t complicate anything.” She leaned across the desk, making sure she had his eye contact. “The right woman will only enhance your life and ministry. You’re too good a man not to find love and share your life with someone. Besides,” she added with a coy grin, “it’s about time you finally started raising little TeamWork volunteers of your own.”

  Sam shook his head. “No offense, Beck, but I have a mother. She does a fine job of reminding me of that constantly, all on her own.” Not to mention his three sisters had jumped on the old let’s-get-Sam-married bandwagon. It was getting rather annoying.

  “All I’m saying is, I hope you’ll at least open your eyes to the possibility of allowing yourself to love another woman.” Rebekah hesitated. “I like Lexa. She might be different from most of the women here, but she’s smart, and has a sharp wit. And she’s here for the right reasons. In other words,” she said, standing once more, “she’s got an awful lot of potential. It just needs to be tapped. Do you want me to take her under my wing, show her the ropes around the camp?”

  Sam looked up with a grateful smile. “That would be great. From what I’ve seen, you’ve done a terrific job of that so far.” He shook his head. “I have the feeling I might have to keep an eye on Lexa out at the worksite. She’s pretty independent, so I’ll have to try and not be obvious about the fact that I’m watching her.”

  Rebekah saluted with a small grin. “Pretty being the key word there, my friend. From what I’ve seen, you’re already doing a good job of keeping your eye on her.”

  Sam ignored her knowing glance, not wanting to give her the satisfaction. Admitting an attraction for one of his newest volunteers, even to one of his dearest friends and confidantes, wasn’t exactly the wisest move. As the work camp director, his behavior needed to be above reproach at all times. He had a job to do, and TeamWork depended on him to get it done.

  “I’ll leave you to your reading. Enjoy.”

  “Thanks, Beck.”

  Her smile always brightened his day.

  “You’re welcome. Anything to help. That’s what TeamWork’s all about, right?”

  How right she was. Sam’s thoughts drifted to earlier in the day. He’d been as obvious as an adolescent boy with a crush on the new girl in school when Beck showed Lexa around the women’s dorm. He might as well offer to carry her books and ask her to the Friday night dance.

  He was happy when Lexa joined his group at the worksite. If nothing else, he was grateful for the chance to keep a close eye on her. Something in the stubborn demeanor, the defiance in those lovely eyes, alerted him. He needed to make sure she didn’t get into too much trouble. Unsupervised, that seemed like a distinct possibility.

  In the dim light of his small, cramped office, Sam opened her file folder. Retrieving his glasses, he glossed over the parts about Lexa’s family background, but read enough to know she was an only child. Her mother died from cancer when she was a young girl, and her father within the last few years. The interviewer indicated Lexa was more or less an orphan except for a few scattered cousins.

  Sam couldn’t begin to imagine what his life would be like without the love an
d support his large family offered. Their hearts and arms were always wide open, ready to embrace any one of them. As the eldest child and namesake of the Lewis clan, he accepted the responsibility to model Christ-like behavior to his siblings and now to his TeamWork volunteers. He didn’t look upon it as a burden, but as a high privilege and honor. Still, it was a lot to live up to, and he hoped never to disappoint any of them.

  Stopping to read Lexa’s answers on the application about her personal testimony, Sam rubbed a hand over his brow. Straining forward to decipher the TeamWork interviewer’s handwritten notes in the margin, he read that she asked the Lord into her heart when she was a child of eight. The same age she’d been when her mother died. She listed no home church in Houston on the application.

  Removing his glasses, he folded and tucked them into the pocket of his shirt. Sam knew what he must do. What the Holy Spirit prompted him to do. It started with the devotional tomorrow morning. Even if Lexa chose not to come to the bonfire tonight, he hoped to see her there in the morning. It was at the top of his personal prayer list, the one he shared with no one but the Almighty.

  Chapter 7

  “Coming with us, Lexa?” Amy pulled a lightweight sweatshirt around her shoulders and tied the sleeves together across her chest with a casual, practiced move. It was the same way the preppy kids in college wore their sweaters, bouncing along to the tennis courts or club activities. Lexa had seen it all before with her clients. It was the unconscious gestures that gave Amy away—tying the sweatshirt, the tilt of her pinky when holding a cup, certain inflections in her voice. She was generous and unassuming, but this girl had a trust fund.

  Lexa shook her head. “Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow night.”

  Amy shrugged and smiled. “I understand, believe me. You’ll get used to the pace here. It won’t take long.” She called to Rebekah to wait and followed her out the door.

  Alone at last. Having so many people around constantly with all the commotion and chatter was draining. Even though part of her enjoyed it and liked the companionship, she also craved the solitude. That’s why she didn’t share her townhome in Houston with anyone else. Not even a cat.

  Sitting on her bed and staring at the empty walls, Lexa weighed her options. She could read the romance novel in her suitcase or go to bed. But she wasn’t quite ready to retire for the night and felt restless.

  Since she hadn’t been to any kind of camp since she was a young girl, Lexa didn’t like the imposition of guidelines or curfews dictating what she could—and couldn’t—do. She wasn’t a rebel in any sense of the word, but she was independent and feisty enough to balk against being made to obey rules. She was an adult, capable of managing her own life and making her own decisions. After all, isn’t that what she’d been doing the last seven years, four years in college and then living on her own?

  Pulling the book from her suitcase under the bed, Lexa sat down on the mattress and began to undo the laces of her work boots. They were quite dirty after working at the worksite. Yanking the boots off her tired feet, Lexa grimaced when she glimpsed her filthy socks. Peeling them off and draping them across the boots, she pushed them beneath her bed, out of sight. Combined with the heat and hard work, she’d be paying a visit to the laundry room sooner than later.

  Lexa plopped down on the bed with a tired sigh. She almost laughed aloud when she turned the book over and spied the virile-looking cowboy who bore an uncanny resemblance to the TeamWork leader. Perhaps she shouldn’t read this particular book since there was a living, breathing example of a man like this right here in the camp. But considering it was the only vice in her life, she felt somewhat justified.

  After a few minutes, she heard the door to the dorm creak open. Putting a finger in the book to keep her place, Lexa frowned and looked up to see which one of her roommates was coming back inside.

  “Hi.” Shoulders slumping, Sheila headed straight for her bed. Picking up her Bible, she bowed her head and started to read. Sensing Lexa’s stare, she looked up a moment later with a timid smile. It relaxed the drawn lines on her face. Beneath all the worry, Sheila was quite pretty, but it was difficult to judge her age.

  “You seem to really like reading your Bible.” Lexa turned on her side and propped herself on one elbow. She hoped she didn’t make it sound like a bad thing, but more as a simple observation of truth.

  Sheila nodded, her smile growing brighter. “Ye–ye–yes.” Unlike most of the other women, this roommate was a woman of few words. It might be a result of the stuttering, but Lexa suspected there was more to it. At least she didn’t look scared of her own shadow for the moment. Reading and studying her Bible seemed to give her a sense of calm and peace.

  “Well, I won’t keep you.”

  Sheila nodded and resumed her reading. A sting of shame nipped at her conscience, and Lexa moved one hand over her novel and nudged it beneath the pillow. The bare-chested cowboy on the front might be great-looking, but she didn’t want the other girls to see it. If they did, they might run straight to Sam and plan a TeamWork intervention. Even so, they’d be loving and gentle about it. The thought made her smile.

  Feeling somewhat claustrophobic, she decided to take a walk. A slight breeze wafted through the open window, beckoning her outdoors. It had cooled things down enough to make the act of breathing easier. Shoving her feet into tennis shoes, Lexa left the dorm and strolled across the work camp, following the sounds of laughter coming from the bonfire a short distance away. The logs on the fire snapped and a man started to sing, his voice rich and strong.

  Lexa headed closer, straining to hear the lyrics of the song. It was about belonging to the Lord as one of His children. She listened, entranced by the clarity and conviction of the man’s voice. It sounded familiar. Standing a few yards away, behind the circle of volunteers sitting on benches in a semi-circle, she paused.

  She should have known. Sam. It wasn’t so much the quality of his voice that drew her closer, although he carried the tune well. It was more the pure emotion he poured into the song. He meant every word he was singing, in his heart, his very soul. His eyes reflected the brightness of the moonlight and the leaping, orange-red flames.

  Lexa clasped her arms tightly about her, transfixed, shivering even though she stood closer to the fire than before. It must be incredible to feel something with such a depth of emotion. Turning away as his song ended, she thought about sitting on the ground behind the circle or retreating, hoping no one would see her.

  Sneaking away on tiptoe in the stillness of the night, she heard Sam begin another song. The others joined in. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see . . . The lyrics of the old, familiar hymn flooded her mind, and Lexa sang them quietly under her breath. Some things you don’t forget, after all. She hadn’t sung those words in years, and yet they came back to her easily.

  With one last glance over her shoulder, she made her way back toward the dorm. Her steps slowed and she listened as she walked, still humming under her breath when she no longer remembered the words. She felt comforted and warm all over. She couldn’t explain it, but she did.

  ~~**~~

  “Lexa! Time to get up, sweetie.” Someone gave her arm a gentle shake.

  “Huh?” Lexa opened her eyes, dazed with sleep. “Where am I? What time is it?” She clamped a hand over her mouth as she yawned.

  Amy laughed. “It’s almost five-thirty. Looks like we’ve got ourselves a hard sleeper, girls.” Holding out one hand, she helped pull her to a sitting position.

  Lexa rubbed her eyes and ran a hand through her tousled hair. She wasn’t exactly a morning person. Under these conditions, it might be a difficult eight weeks.

  “I guess I did sleep pretty hard.” She darted a groggy glance around the room, seeing the other girls busy with their morning preparations. Most of them were dressed and appeared ready for the day’s events. How did they manage to be so alert at this unearthly hour of the mo
rning?

  “You didn’t get a chance to meet the rest of your roommates yesterday,” Rebekah began before Lexa interrupted.

  “Why don’t we wait until I’m a little more awake.” She yawned quite loudly.

  “Nonsense. This is Natalie Combs, Kim Lawless, Monica Porter and Winnie Doyle.” Still in a fog, Lexa nodded in the direction of the four girls, but knew she probably wouldn’t remember any of their names by the time she got into the shower.

  “Nice to meet you.” Lexa’s eyes opened wider. “What day is it?” Sitting up and stretching her arms wide, she kicked aside the lightweight sheet with one leg.

  The pretty blonde with a ponytail and big blue eyes laughed. Lexa thought it was Winnie. “It’s Sunday, and breakfast is served in thirty minutes. Time to rise and shine!” Perky Winnie definitely was the Mother Hen of the group. At the moment, it was equal parts comforting and irritating.

  Groaning, Lexa rolled out of the bed and planted two unsteady feet on the hard concrete. Even at this early hour of the morning, the floor was already warm from the rising temperatures.

  “Whew! Is it going to be a hundred degrees in the shade today?” Lexa fanned her face with one hand.

  “Only a hundred and five,” Amy joked, reaching out a hand to pull Lexa off the bed. “Come on, you can do it!” Amy pulled her to a standing position.

  “All right, I can do it.” Being part of this crew wasn’t such a bad thing.

  Rebekah caught Lexa’s eye and winked. “Sam leads a Sunday morning Bible study after breakfast, if you’d like to come.”

  “Thanks. I’ll think about it.” Was it Sunday school all the time at the TeamWork camp? Occupied with unzipping her suitcase, she avoided looking at Rebekah. She wasn’t up to answering any questions.

  Showering and dressing in record time, Lexa braided her damp hair with practiced movements. A quick glance in the mirror reflected a tinge of pink in her cheeks, a new sparkle in her eyes. Not pausing to think about why that was, Lexa headed off for the dining tent a step behind the others.