Read Online Child of Grace (Love Inspired) by Irene Hannon - Free Book Online

continue helping with those things. It’s a worthwhile cause.”
    “I appreciate that.” Luke tapped the folder against the top of the table, faint furrows creasing his brow.
    Silence fell between them.
    Kelsey shifted in her seat and scanned the vast expanse of blue water. Dark clouds were moving in and the wind was picking up, disturbing the placid surface. She should leave. A storm was approaching. Besides, the less contact with her disconcerting neighbor the better, right?
    Right.
    Then why was she hesitating?
    One more quick peek at him gave her the answer. He, too, was focused on the horizon. And his face mirrored the turbulence in the lake.
    “Luke…is everything okay?”
    At her soft question, he blinked and shifted his attention to her. “Sorry. I’m a little distracted.”
    “I noticed.”
    One side of his mouth quirked up, but the worry in his eyes didn’t dissipate. “My sister needs a place to stay for three weeks. She’s arriving Friday.”
    “I take it her visit is unexpected?”
    “Very.”
    He wasn’t offering much, and Kelsey wasn’t about to pry. Not after she’d rebuffed every attempt he’d made to ferret personal information from her.
    Time to go.
    She pushed her chair back and coaxed her lips into a smile. “Well, I won’t take up any more of your evening. I’m sure you have a lot of things to do to get ready for your company.”
    “I’m sure I do, too.” He blew out a breath. “I just don’t know what they are.”
    Kelsey squinted at him. “What do you mean?”
    He shook his head and raked his fingers through his hair. “Hannah is seventeen. She was in diapers when I left for college, and I haven’t been home much since. We email some, but in my mind, she’s still a freckle-faced kid with braces and pigtails and an overblown case of hero worship for her big brother. I have no idea how to entertain her for three weeks.”
    As he proceeded to explain the sequence of events that had led up to his mother’s phone call, she pulled her chair back to the table and crossed her arms on the glass top.
    When he reached the end of the story, she gave a sympathetic nod. “I can see why you feel obligated to do this. But the timing’s not ideal, with the youth center project just starting up.”
    “Tell me about it. I’m not going to have a lot of time to spend with her.”
    “That might not be a problem. If she’s like most seventeen-year-olds, she’ll probably be happy to hang out on the beach, listen to music, watch DVDs and eat junk food.”
    “You think?” He gave her a hopeful look.
    “Yeah, I do. But it’s too bad she doesn’t have someone her own age to hang out with. Maybe there’s a youth fellowship activity or two that would appeal to her. You could ask Father Joe.”
    “Good idea.”
    A gust of wind whipped some strands of hair across her face, and Kelsey pushed them aside as thunder rumbled in the distance. Once more she slid her chair back.
    “We’d better take cover. Lake storms can be nasty, and this one is approaching fast.” As she spoke, she hoisted herself to her feet and examined the sky. The dark clouds had scuttled closer as they talked, erasing any evidence of the earlier blue sky. A raindrop plopped onto the glass-topped table, followed by another. “I’m out of here.”
    Grabbing the manila file folder, Luke followed her to the edge of the deck. “Listen, I appreciate all your help with the project. And your encouragement. Hannah’s a good kid. We’ll work things out, I’m sure.”
    She stopped at the top of the steps and turned to him. “I am, too. But in case things go south for any reason, I was a seventeen-year-old girl once. A long time ago. I might be able to offer some advice.”
    “I’ll take all the advice I can get. With Hannah, and with this.” He waved the file folder as the rain intensified. “You better get home before you’re soaked. Unless you want to sit out the storm in my kitchen over a cup of tea.”
    For a