Chapter 24

Matthew never tried to push. His broad hands remained steady and warm along his back, and his pulse stayed methodical against Calvin’s cheek.

“I was touching you.” He’d made the connection downstairs, but voicing it now gave it life. “That’s why I could see what it really was.”

“I don’t know why that would be. Nobody else has ever claimed to see them too. And I know I touched Father Abraham before he died.”

“Maybe…maybe it’s because I’m the first one to believe you.”

His chest hitched slightly against Calvin’s. His arms tightened a small fraction. “Maybe.”

“And you see these everywhere you go.” He couldn’t keep the amazement out of his voice. “If I were you, I would’ve run away. You were already a priest. Couldn’t you have gone off to some monastery or something?”

Matthew chuckled. “There’s still the matter of being mad about this particular curse of mine. The others might take offense if I flipped off the cross every time I saw it.”