She gripped her sisters’ hands—refused to let go when Tiffany tried to pull away. It was one thing to behave as a bishop, who took charge of keeping his flock on the path toward salvation; it was downright rude to talk about Tiffany as though she weren’t sitting right in front of him. “And just what are we talkin’ about, exactly?” Naomi asked in a strained voice. Hiram clasped his hands in front of him, as he often did when he was preaching. “This concerns matters I’ve discussed—twice now—with Miriam and Micah. Unfortunately, neither has heeded my strong suggestion to eschew the dubious company of—” “How about ya say it in plain talk? I’m a Plain woman.” Naomi’s brown eyes flashed as she rose slowly from her chair. “And if you’re meanin’ to put the ban on my Micah—and maybe Miriam, as well—it’s an obvious concern to me, too, ain’t so?” Rachel and Rhoda exchanged cautious glances. It wasn’t like Naomi—or anyone else—to challenge Bishop Knepp.
