Man Beside Her

Assigned to Judah SAB Church in the town of Appleton, New York, Pastor Diane McPherson quickly discovers that small town people have the same big city problems she's used to. Problems like private sins with public consequences, family secrets and scandals, and more prevalent than the rest possessiveness where church positions are concerned. Eugene Bennett, music director and organist at Judah, has the possessiveness problem on a really large scale.

Diane's ministry gets off to a challenging start when she recommends changes in Judah's worship services. She finds herself faced with an elders' board hostile to her gender and a music director determined to end her tenure before it has properly begun.

Slade Patterson comes to church out of curiosity. He left Judah twenty years ago because of frauds, like Eugene Bennett, pretending to be 'the faithful.' He only comes to Judah to see if the new preacher can hold her own against Eugene Bennett. Hold her own she does; and when she opens her mouth and sings a cappella, Slade finds himself at the piano, strumming the keys and picking up the notes the pastor is singing. His visit of observation turns into one of participation.

Quicker than he can come up with excuses, Pastor McPherson convinces him to play at Judah. Slade plans on temporary service in God's house, but Diane is praying for his stay to be permanent. While he resists commitment to church, soon Slade starts thinking of permanence with the attractive pastor.

Diane appreciates all Slade's help and support in the music ministry of the church, and she appreciates Slade Patterson, the man, too. But with his service only a short term thing, will the duration of their relationship be the same--short lived?


Next in this series:

Firing the First Elder (Coming December 2014)
An Appearance of Evil (Coming February 2015)