Read Online Tender Vow by Sharlene MacLaren - Free Book Online Page A

can.”
    “You mean you want to do penance. You feel guilty for John’s death, you pity our plight, and stepping in on John’s behalf will appease that.” When had she become so snide and stonyhearted?
    She heard his long intake of breath, sensed him holding it till his face went red. “You can say and think what you want; that’s your right, but it doesn’t change anything for me. I saw issues around your house that need tending, and I have the expertise to take care of them.”
    “I don’t—”
    “And you can hold your arguments, young lady. I’ve already made up my mind.”
    “You’re a stubborn coot,” she muttered.
    His chuckle was low and throaty. “Always have been.”
    She stared across the room at the fireplace screen, which was covered with fingerprints, and thought about her next words. “I hate being a widow.” A tear slid down her face and her throat clogged. “Sometimes, I can’t take it. I’m lonely, Jason. I’m lost, heartbroken, mad as all get-out, and downright sick of life!”
    “You’re not alone, Rachel; you’re never alone. God is sitting there with you right now.”
    God. The name seemed somehow foreign to her, breeding mountains of guilt in her soul. And since when had her brother-in-law taken up preaching? Had Jason Evans, the die-hard party boy, found the Lord? Her cynical attitude bit through her core. Lord, I’ve drifted away from Your presence. Please forgive me , she prayed silently, then said, “Listen to you. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you found the Lord.”
    “And you’d be right. I got acquainted with Him not long after John’s accident.”
    “Really?” She stretched her legs out in front of her, fanning her toes and making a mental note to remove the chipping nail polish. “Is this a ploy to pacify your conscience, Jason, or are you sincere?” Could she have been any more snide?
    A tiny pause on the other end had her nearly apologizing, but not quite. “It’s the real deal, Rach,” he said, his voice quiet yet firm. “I reached a point where life got a little too crazy, and I had to step back and evaluate my goals. I came to find out that my priorities needed a good shuffling. Losing my brother…well, that started to put things into perspective. Instead of crawling out of bed to crack open a beer these days, I’m cracking open God’s Word. I’m changed, Rach. I’ve traded in the old me.”
    She wondered why she found it hard to believe him. “How come you didn’t mention it when you came over last Sunday?”
    “I guess I hoped maybe you’d sense something different about me without my bringing it up.”
    She scrunched her eyes shut to push back her annoying tears. She had nothing to say in response because she had no desire to continue the conversation.
    “What about you, Rachel? Are you keeping that Bible dusted off?”
    “I’m very tired, Jason. Thank you for calling, but I just don’t feel like talking right now.”
    “Then when?”
    She relieved an itchy spot on her forehead with a swipe of her fingernails and sighed into the receiver. “I have no idea. I just…I don’t feel like talking. Matter of fact, I don’t feel like much of anything these days.”
    “What do you mean by that?”
    “Oh, leave me alone, would you?”
    “Rachel.” His voice sounded all gentle and caressing. Blast him!
    “I’m going to bed now. With a little luck, maybe I won’t wake up.”
    She hadn’t meant it, of course, not one bit of it, and yet the stupid sentence trailed off her lips, anyway. Naturally, there’d be repercussions.
    “Rachel!” The pliant tone was gone.
    “I didn’t mean it like that.” She hadn’t—had she?
    “Well, then, why’d you say it?”
    Yes, why? “I have no idea. It was just a slip of the tongue, okay?”
    “A bad one. Now, you’ve got me worried.”
    “Oh, for crying out loud, Jason, you’re turning into a pest, you know that?”
    “Have you talked to anyone…about your feelings?” he asked,