HaBO: Cap Sleeves on Cover & a Minister Hero

You did it! We figured this one out! It is a truth universally acknowledged (by me for certain) that the Bitchery pretty much knows everything, and really, it's true. Scroll down to see the solution for this HaBO - and many thanks!

This HaBO comes from Carole, who wants to find a Harlequin romance from the 80s:

I have been contemplating the podcast on The Books That Made Us Romance Readers. A story I remember fondly was one of the first books I recall reading that discussed aspects of sexuality in a romantic relationship openly, and not just in euphemistically purple prose. It was a contemporary love story from perhaps the 80s, probably Harlequin or Signature that focused on the love story but that contained elements of sexuality within a relationship. I was wondering if it was an early precursor for Harlequin Books in opening up about sex and laid the foundation for later Harlequin lines like Desire, Temptation and Blaze that became much more sexually explicit. I recall some plot details, but I can’t remember the title or the author. Hoping you can HABO…

The story takes place somewhere in the United States and the heroine lives in an apartment above her parents’ garage. I think she might be a secretary to either her father or perhaps at church, and I think her name might be Abby. A hunky new minister moves to town to her family’s church and he is single and of course all the ladies deliver pies, cakes, etc. hoping to catch his eye, but he is attracted to Abby.

I think the book stuck with me because when they are dating, during some making out at a picnic and in her apartment, one thing leads to another and he fondles her breast. She is surprised because he is a man of the cloth, but he explains he considers it sacred and respectful as a natural part of a loving relationship where single people are attracted to each other, even if he is a minister. It is not sordid pawing, rather a loving, healthy, sexual response in a mature dating relationship. I think one of them refers to or quotes the Song of Solomon. I am pretty sure she is not a virgin and people in the church believe she is not a good match as a minister’s wife, but he falls in love with her and assures her that even if she is not what most people consider a ‘perfect wife’ for a minister, she is however, the perfect wife for him, the man.

I think there is a picture of her on the cover and she has chestnut brown or auburn hair and she is wearing a white top with cap sleeves. Something about it has stuck with me and I would love to find it again to re-read and see if I am still as impressed and touched by the romance.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?