Read Online Reclaiming His Past by Karen Kirst - Free Book Online Page B

attached to an outsider, and she was determined to be wise.
    A brisk breeze tunneled through the forested lane, rustling the multicolored leaves that hadn’t yet fallen. Crossing the wooden bridge suspended above the wide but shallow river, she eyed the church’s steeple rising toward the cloud-dotted sky and framed by Mount Le Conte’s gentle slopes. The shops on either side of Main Street blocked her view of the white clapboard building, but she knew the churchyard would be bustling with parishioners.
    Attending services used to be a pleasant, peaceful endeavor, a time to sing hymns and reflect on God’s glory, to delve into God’s Word and be encouraged by fellow believers. That had changed after she became involved with Lee. Caught up in a whirlwind romance, she had allowed her relationship with her Creator to become less of a priority. Her prayer time and daily Scripture reading had suffered. Lee had become her main focus and now she couldn’t seem to move past the shame and self-recrimination to find God’s peace.
    After the tragedy, folks formed opinions about her involvement with Lee and his associate, John Farnsworth, who was sitting in a jail somewhere in Virginia. Those with sympathetic attitudes saw her as a gullible young woman who’d been blinded by love. Others weren’t so kind. They thought she’d been privy to Lee’s activities all along and had chosen to keep quiet. Either way, the fact that every single person in Gatlinburg was aware of her most private failure made life uncomfortable.
    Spotting Jane and her family beneath the tallest, oldest oak on the church’s property, she veered toward their wagon. Six-year-old Clara ran to greet her with a hug. “Auntie Jessica!”
    Caressing Clara’s bouncy brown curls, Jessica smiled at the little girl who’d charmed her way into her affections. With her dark hair and sparkling bright green eyes, she looked enough like her uncle Tom that she might be mistaken for his biological daughter. Since both her parents were deceased, Tom had taken her in and treated her as his own.
    â€œIs that a new dress?”
    Clara’s smile widened as she performed a pirouette. A buttery-yellow color, the dress was trimmed in white ribbon, and a wide sash encircled her waist. “Auntie Nicole made it for me.”
    Jessica’s older sister Nicole was an excellent seamstress. She filled orders from her shop in the rear of the mercantile she owned with her husband, Quinn. “It’s lovely.”
    Taking Jessica’s hand, Clara tugged her over to where Tom was assisting a very pregnant Jane from the wagon. Seeing her identical twin sister in that state was strange. This was Jane’s first child, so her peculiar reaction was to be expected, Jessica supposed. Plus, it gave her a clear picture as to how she herself would look if a man as trustworthy and steadfast as Tom Leighton ever entered her life and decided he wanted marriage and a family with her.
    â€œJess.”
    Jane’s face, a mirror image of her own, crumpled with worry as she came near. Wearing one of the handful of dresses she’d let out to accommodate her growing form, she’d arranged her red hair in a sophisticated twist and accessorized with two ornate pins. Folks were able to distinguish between them because of their hairstyles. Jane favored more formal upward styles, while Jessica preferred to simply restrain the mass with a ribbon.
    â€œI was in the mercantile yesterday afternoon when I heard the news. I wanted to come at once, but Tom urged me to wait until today. How are you coping?”
    â€œIt’s odd having a stranger in the house, of course, but it’s a temporary situation. Ma’s there to change the bandages, and Will provides added security at night.”
    Not that they needed protection from Grant, she silently conceded.
    Tom joined his wife, his arm coming protectively about her shoulders. “See?