"She moved to Marrow Island with her family when she was twenty-three. I was twenty-five, and a little bit of a hellion. Oh, the way she used to tell the story, she wanted to tame me like a wild horse, with food and kindness. I didn't figure I was the settling down type. And then her father broke his leg and needed an extra hand on the farm for a few months..."

The rest is history, he says with a gesture.

"That was long before I became preacher. Though Merrick and I were good friends for many years, so maybe it makes some sense that I was picked, after his death."