Reverend Noah Kincaid can't believe his luck. On his first- ever adventure to an online auction site, he finds an old rundown church in the remote mountain town of Virgin Falls for sale. His wait to find a church of his own finally becomes a reality. With some hard work and the recent money his mother left him, he believes he can make a go of it. His first order of business is to find an assistant to help with the cleaning, painting and repairing of the church while he gets to know people in the surrounding area to attempt to gain a congregation. The first few applicants are not very promising, but when the eager ex-stripper with her sad and tragic past sways his compassionate side, he is unable to resist.

Ellie Baldwin is in dire straits when a judge awards her two children to their step-father and gives her 90 days to get her act together. Applying to be a pastor's assistant seems to be the best way to get back her kids. She's lost without them, so if working hard for next to nothing will help her along the path, she has no choice but to try and get the job. She has always been an independent and resilient woman, even after her first love died in a motorcycle accident when she was 16 and pregnant living with only her Gramma to guide her. It's her bad taste in men that leaves her desolate and in the position she is in now -- alone, no kids, and with a short period of time to prove to the courts she is a good mother. Now working in a church (of all places!) she promises to swear off all men.

Robyn Carr once again brings Virgin Falls alive with mystery, friendships, difficult trials and love. I never miss the opportunity to read one of her novels.

Book Summary

The young widower arrives ready to roll up his sleeves and build a place of worship and welcome, but he needs some help. And the Lord works in mysterious ways....

With her tight shirts and short skirts, “Pastor's assistant” is not a phrase that springs to mind when Noah meets brassy, beautiful Ellie Baldwin. The former exotic dancer needs a respectable job so she can regain custody of her children. And Noah can’t help but admire her spunk and motherly determination.

The pastor and the stripper: an unlikely team to revitalize a church, much less build a future. The couple has so many differences, but in Virgin River anything is possible, and happiness is never out of the question.

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