She watched him run toward the playground, where the other children in the congregation were playing as their parents talked to each other.
She found a seat on one of the benches where she could watch Logan while surreptitiously watch as Greer made a beeline toward the parking lot. Jo was about to get in her tow truck when he must have said something to her. Holly watched as she leaned against the door, unable to hear what they were saying.
She hated herself. Why should she care what Greer was saying? He had made it painfully clear what he thought about her. Every hope she had harboring in her heart had been crushed and stomped on, and he hadn’t even known. It would have made his year to know how badly it had hurt her when he had said that he would rather shoot off his dick than touch her.
“What has you looking so sad on this beautiful Sunday?”
Startled, Holly looked up at her pastor. “It is beautiful, isn’t it? I enjoyed your sermon, but I think some of the men wished they had stayed home in bed.”
Pastor Dean sat down next to her with a smug grin. “Was I too obvious giving a sermon on Luke 6:29?”
“If most of the men weren’t already regretting being involved in the fight at the carnival, your sermon did it.”
“Were you there?”
“Yes. The ones who could have benefited from your sermon the most weren’t in church this morning.”
“Justin and Curt don’t make a habit of attending church. I’m sad to say that even if they weren’t in jail, they wouldn’t be sitting in church. Those two are walking a fine line of hurting someone bad, or getting killed themselves.”
Holly wasn’t shocked at her pastor’s comment. He wasn’t a conventional preacher. He rode a motorcycle and had built a new home on the property belonging to The Last Riders. He wore suits when he was in church, but outside of that, he wore jeans and T-shirts, having no compunction about showing off the tattoos that were visible. He was so good-looking, many of the women would be so wrapped up in his sermons they would have to sit several minutes before they had realized he had finished.
“It won’t be them. I was close to where the fight broke out. They were the ones who started the fight, but they didn’t have a mark on them. Tate said they’re used to getting in fights and then standing back and watching everyone else go at it.”
“I’m surprised the Porter brothers didn’t join in.”
“Tate wanted to get Sutton out of there, and Dustin had Logan,” Holly explained.
“Greer must not have been there. He would have loved the chance to fight.”
“He was there. He kept me from getting hurt when the fight started.”
Pastor Dean gave a low laugh. “I knew there had to be a reason.”
“He fussed about it for the rest of the night. So did Tate and Dustin. It was a close call between Greer and Holt, but Knox put an end to it. There’s no love between the Porters and the Hayes.”
“I can see them being upset about that. Especially Greer; he loves a good fight.”
“Yes, he does.”
Her pastor’s eyes sharpened on her. “Has he been giving you trouble?”
She looked to where Greer and Jo were still talking. Biting down her jealousy, she went back to watching Logan play. “He hates me.”
“Greer hates everyone but his family.”
He had a point. Greer had something mean to say about most of the people in town.
“Not as much as he hates me. Have you ever done something so bad that someone can’t forgive you for?”
She paled at the look of deep sadness that came across his face.
“Actually, I have.”
“I … I was just speaking for myself. I didn’t mean …”
“It’s fine,” the pastor told her. “I know you meant it rhetorically. You were talking about Greer, weren’t you?”
“Yes, he’s never going to forgive me for not going to the police over Logan.”
“Have you forgiven yourself?”
She answered him honestly, “I tell myself yes, but deep down, I still regret that I handled it wrong.”
“Once you forgive yourself, then what Greer feels won’t matter.”
“Diamond says that, too. I wish that were true.”
“It is. Holly, I nearly lost Willa to a man who hated me so badly he nearly killed her and a young girl. I could have put a stop to him long before he almost killed her, but I didn’t because of the guilt I felt. When we confess our sins to God, He forgives us. You’ve had to walk your road to forgiveness ever since it was discovered you had Logan. Only you know when that road to forgiveness ends. Mine ended the day Willa was hanging over that cliff. You do not have to travel the road alone, Holly. God is there, beside you, every step of the way, and I’m here if you need me.”