shade trees. The ladies of our church are cooking the dinner.”

      Micah sauntered around the area, looking at it with his professional eye, considering the shading and judging the position of the sun in three months.

      “What time is the ceremony?” he asked.

      “The music will start at one o’clock, and the processional a half hour later.”

      “Then, I’d say this is an ideal spot. The light should be good for photographs.”

      “The formal pictures will be taken inside. We want candid shots of activities here on the lawn. Dereck’s father plans to make a video, but we want some professional pictures for albums.”

      “Are they having many attendants?”

      “Just one each, plus a flower girl and a ring bearer— Dereck’s niece and nephew.” She halted, and looked out over the river. “Without any close male relatives, I’ll have to give her away.”

      Her voice faltered a little, and Micah quickly glanced her way. “Pretty difficult to do, huh?” he said sympathetically.

      “Yes, especially since they’re moving to Colorado. The groom is an engineer, and he has a job there. Besides, Colorado is his home state.”

      “And you’ll be all alone.”

      Laurel turned away and started walking toward the house.

      “I’m sorry, Laurel. I shouldn’t have said that. Not being a parent, I can’t quite understand your fears.”

      “You don’t need to apologize. I will miss her, but I’ve tried not to tie her to my apron strings. I’ve learned to love Oaklawn, but in a way, it’s been a prison to me. I’m trying to preserve the place for Debbie, never knowing if she’ll ever want to live here. Her future husband travels a lot with his job, but I don’t want her to feel tied to Oaklawn. I’m anticipating Debbie’s wedding as a turning point in my life, too.”

      He followed her up the steps to the gallery.

      “I’ll be happy to photograph the wedding.”

      “Thank you so much,” Laurel said. “Debbie will be very pleased.”

      Laurel felt a welcome surge of excitement. She was assured of Micah’s presence the rest of the summer, and she could have shouted for joy. Trying to control her exuberance, she said, “We’ll start for church at ten-thirty.”

      Micah said good-night and sauntered toward his apartment. But he turned back, and at his quiet approach, he saw that Laurel sat with her head in her hands. He scuffled his feet, and when he reached the steps of the gallery, she was sitting erect, her eyes suspiciously moist.

      “Will you and Debbie go with me for lunch after church?”

      “That’s nice of you,” she said. “I don’t know Debbie’s work schedule for Sunday, but she tries not to work on Sunday morning. Thanks for asking us.”

      “Since I’m new in the area, I’ll leave it up to you to choose a restaurant.”

      Laurel nodded, but the despair in her eyes saddened him. She was disturbed about something, and he didn’t think it was Debbie’s leaving. Micah wanted to help, but he couldn’t intrude into a place Laurel didn’t want him to go.