Love Finds You in Daisy, Oklahoma Read Online Free

an eternity, she finally worked up the courage to rap on his door.
    “Come in.” Reuben’s voice sounded strained as he responded to her gentle knocking.
    She eased the door open and stuck her head inside then forced a smile. “Reuben, could I speak with you for a moment?”
    “Of course.” He looked up from the stacks of opened mail on his desk. “Is everything all right?”
    “Yes. Quite.” She took a few steps inside the room and eased herself into a chair near the desk. For a moment she said nothing. She gazed at the rows and rows of bookcases and tried to summon the courage to speak.
    “Something wonderful has happened,” she said at last. “Well, I think it’s wonderful, and I hope you agree. I’ve been waiting for you to return to tell you firsthand.”
    He gave her an inquisitive look. “I’m intrigued. Something to do with the missions society?”
    “Yes. How did you know?”
    He thumbed through several papers on the desk, not even looking her way. “Well, I left you in charge of the knitting for our Christmas event, so I would imagine you’ve had your hands full.”
    “Oh, that.” She tried not to let her expression shift much. “No, actually it’s something altogether different. I stumbled across a letter from a sheriff in Oklahoma. Now, mind you, I wasn’t going through your mail. I’d accidentally knocked the tray of letters off the desk.”
    “I see.” He glanced at her, tiny creases forming between his brows. “Oh, I remember the letter now. The headmistress at the orphanage is leaving, and they need someone to take her place.”
    “Yes, precisely.” Rena smoothed her gray skirt with her palms, her anxiety growing. “Have you found someone yet?”
    “No. I sent out a notice to various congregations but haven’t heard back from anyone as of yet.” His attention shifted to the papers on his desk. “Not sure what I’ll tell the sheriff.”
    “Tell him you’ve located the perfect person.” She sat up straighter in her chair. “Someone who would love nothing better than to care for children in an orphanage.”
    “The perfect person?” Now he gazed at her with intention, and she could read the concern written in his eyes. “Who do you mean?”
    “Why, me, of course.” She gave him a playful grin.
    He looked stunned by this statement. “You?”
    “Yes, brother. It’s the perfect solution to their problem.” And mine.
    “Surely you can’t be serious, Rena.” With the wave of a hand he dismissed her idea. “You’ve not spent time with youngsters since Sadie was a child. And these are mostly boys. Troublemakers, I would imagine, based on the wording of the sheriff’s letter. It’s out of the question.”
    Rena’s cheeks grew hot. How dare he answer for her? “It’s not out of the question, and I’m perfectly capable of making up my mind, thank you.”
    “I’m only looking out for your best interests.” Now he gave her his full attention. “I think perhaps the heat has gotten to you. This idea of yours is unrealistic at best.”
    If anything has gotten to me, it’s the knitting, not the heat.
    She rose and paced the office, pausing to gaze at the shelves filled with books. Though she had read dozens of them, the information seemed pointless now. What good was information if one could not act upon it?
    “For years, you’ve been telling me to give of myself to the poor,” she said.
    “Well, of course. That’s why I’ve given you so many opportunities to work with the indigent here in Gulfport. We are a team—all of us, working together.”
    “Reuben, I hope you won’t find this irreverent, but I feel that much of my doing here is just busywork. I’m not changing lives for the better. Yes, I understand the concept. I’m well-read. I’ve studied the books you’ve given me. But I’m not making a difference.”
    “Of course you are.” He appeared to dismiss her concerns.
    “I’ll be forty in two years.” Rena’s hands trembled as the reality of