Humiliation was a sad thing. Jack had found his ski, but his dignity had taken a fatal hit. In front of Katherine McKaslin.
Why her, Lord? He took another sip of strong sweetened tea in the warmth of the lodges empty auxiliary dining room and tried to squeeze the memory from his mind of glancing up to see Katherine at the top of the ravine, looking like a gift from heaven dappled with snow.
The Lord wasnt answering, and Jack had to accept it. Why he was continuously coming across as a bull in a china shop in front of Katherine might forever remain a mystery. Maybe the trick would be staying away from her. That shouldnt be too hard to do, right?
Right. So stop thinking about her.
Okay, he focused on the view outside the wide picture windows. Stunning. The rugged snow-draped mountain peaks stabbed into the falling veil of snow. Closer in, the mountain slope lay in a pure mantle of white that felt as peaceful as it looked. Out front, just within his view, a half dozen teens on skis were clustered in a half circle around a beginning instructor. Hayden was one of them. She stood at the end, a little farther away than the others. He only saw her from behind but he knew that slump to her shoulders. She was scowling, looking nothing at all like the little girl he remembered.
Where had the time gone? In a blink of an eye, here she was, a teenager, fifteen going on sixteen, and he wasnt ready for it. Something had gone wrong somewhere, and he didnt know what. The move here to Montana, to a smaller city and a slower pace was supposed to fix that. And after the stunt shed pulled in Katherines store, it was clear his little girl was a teenager on the edge of trouble. Funny, hed always blamed the parents for something like that.
But he was simply doing his best.
Maybe finding a church would help with that. He simply hadnt had the time with the move and the adjustment to a new home and job to start searching for the right one. Thank God for this opportunity. Jacks chest tightened with a mix of emotions he couldnt name except for one. Gratitude. If Hayden was going to act out, it had been a blessing that shed done so in front of Katherine. That theyd been given this chance to make things right. It was an opportunity he refused to waste, and he wouldnt let Hayden waste it either.
Katherine. His guts knotted when he thought of her. Maybe the Lord was trying to tell him something. Like give up any thoughts of dating. You arent cut out for it. Not that hed been thinking on that real hard, but some of the guys at work were more than happy to offer to set him up. Hed turned them down, so far. He was doing fine enough on his own, right?
Well, as tough as it was to admit, not really.
More tea, sir? The sunny waitress breezed up to his corner table with another pot of steaming water.
Not in a sunny mood, he gave a gruff nod and kept his attention on Hayden. The snow was falling harder now, shadowing the kids so that it was hard to see them as they followed their instructor, sidestepping toward the beginners run. He watched Haydens blue parka grow smaller and disappear over a rise.
Thats when he felt it, a flicker of emotion stretching tight right behind his sternum and then popping free, like a rubber band snapping. What was that?
He didnt have to look around to know who was coming his way. For some unfathomable reason, he could feel the string pulling tight again, right over his heart the moment he saw Katherine enter the dining room.
His gut instinct told him to duck, but it was too late.
Chapter Five
That man sitting at the windowthere was something familiar about those mile-wide shoulders and the tidy shock of black hair. His posture was as rigid as a seasoned soldiers, and shed seen that black parka before.
Jack Munroe. Her feet froze in place in the archway between the lodges main restaurant and the practically empty room. Maybe he hadnt spotted her. It wasnt too late to tiptoe back out of the room.
Dont be silly, she told herself. Shed planned never to see Jack Munroe again. This was a coincidence, not divine intervention or her secret wish. Shed simply find a quiet table on the far side of the dining room, pull out her book and wait for Holly and Marin to find her. She didnt have to look in Jacks direction whatsoever.
Luck might be in her favor. With the way he was gazing out the window, he might not even notice her. She could walk right past him. If he did happen to look her way, shed toss him a polite smile. It sounded like a good plan.
So why did her feet take on a mind of their own and lead her to his table? Did you ever find your lost ski?
There wasnt an ounce of surprise on his chiseled face as he pivoted in his chair and fastened his gaze on hers. Total control emanated from him like cold from the window. I did. After a few more runs, skiing came back to me.
Good. Katherine hadnt spotted him on the advanced runs, so she guessed hed tried a less challenging trail.
Well, she hadnt intended to chat and didnt want to. Time to make her escape. But the instant she took a step, his hand shot out and his fingers curled around her wrist. The shock of the contact startled them both.
You cant go yet. He released her, but his gaze was pure black steel. Not until I apologize.
She didnt know if it was fury at his overbearing manner or something like interest that froze her in place. The imprint of Jacks hand felt like a brand on her arm. Apologize? For which offense?
Are there that many?
You know the answer to that.
Sorry. I just Jack shook his head. What was he thinking? It had been a mistake to stop her. A mistake not to have kept as much distance between them as possible. Is there any way we can start over?
Start over with what?
She was going to make this as hard as possible. He squared his shoulders, ready to take a direct rejection. We can pretend we didnt meet the way we did.
You mean with your daughter stealing from my familys store and you trying to run over me with your car? Her soft dainty mouth tightened into a thin line. One slim eyebrow shot up as if hed insulted her.
She wasnt insulted, he realized. She was too nice a woman for that. He stood and pulled out the chair next to him. Watched deeper emotions play in her captivating eyes.
Whenever he was around her, he felt off-balance, as if hed lost his center, his footing, everything he was sure of. Maybe she felt this, too. If you can put those things behind you, Id like to try again.
What makes you think I want to?
Just a hunch. Cops instinct.
Let me guess. Your hunches are wrong a lot, arent they?
Youll have to sit down and find out.
There was Jack Munroe with a vase of white rosebuds cradled in his hands.
These are for you, to say thank you. I owe you an apology, Jack said.
Please, dont worry. It was understandable given the circumstances.
Katherine had to move closer to accept the bouquet, close enough to notice he didnt wear a wedding ring. Not that she should be noticing. Not that she wanted to.
Youre generous to say that. Needless to say, I dont take criticism of my daughter very well.
I wasnt criticizing her. Just trying to make things right. Everyone makes mistakes, especially teenagers.
How could he have gotten it so wrong? The woman wasnt high and mighty, she wasnt righteous and judgmental. She was amazing. And if he stood here one second longer and kept this conversation going, then he was going to make a huge mistake.
JILLIAN HART
makes her home in Washington State, where she has lived most of her life. When Jillian is not hard at work on her next story, she loves to read, go to lunch with her friends and spend quiet evenings with her family.
Precious Blessings
Jillian Hart
www.millsandboon.co.uk
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Letter to Reader
Questions for Discussion
Chapter One
Go on, do it. The barely audible whisper skimmed over the tall aisle of displayed greeting cards on the other side of the store.
Ordinarily, there was too much noise in the Corner Christian Book Store to hear a low, private conversation. But with the heavy February snowfall tumbling just outside the Spring Is Coming front window display and the fact that most of the customers had hurried through their shopping and left for home when the snow began falling in earnest, the whispering was almost too loud in the quiet, nearly empty store.
Katherine McKaslin didnt stop her work straightening and restocking the greeting-card display, but she did look around. The last time shed heard those words whispered in the store, someone had been shoplifting.
Two teenage girls stage right, between the crystals case and the humorous greeting cards. They giggled softly, their heads bobbing together to tell secrets. All Katherine could see of them over the chin-high displays were the tops of their heads. One had a tuft-like hairdo of orange spikes, and her friend had blond hair streaked with blueberry strands.
Ah, teenage rebellion. It was a stage shed missed entirely, which was probably why she was thirty-two and still single. Shed always been stuck in the same rut. There was comfort in the familiar.
Whenever she got an impulse to color her hairnot orange or blueand maybe add a few highlights to her plain blond locks or wear shoes with more than a sensible one-inch heel, it was short-lived. What would her family think? How would she explain it?
Theyd probably say, thats not like you, Katherine, whats gotten into you? And so here she was, thirty-two and working in her parents store, wearing sensible low-heeled shoes and a black blazer, blouse and skirt that suited a conservative businesswoman. Ever since shed been a teenager, shed been afraid of making mistakes.
Ill be back, Spence, her brother, called as he shrugged into his nicest coat. Send prayers and positive thoughts.
Already done.
With a chime of the overhead bell, the door swished shut behind Spence and she was alone on the floor. She swung her gaze back to her work, pressing down serious worries over the stores worsening financial situation. Her stomach tightened with dread, but before she could send a prayer on Spences behalf, a blur of movement caught her eye.
There, in the corner security mirror, she had a perfect view of the blue-haired girl slipping something inside her oversized purple book bag.
Oh, no. You arent shoplifting, right? Katherine waited, pulse thumping, hoping against hope the teen was reaching for her cell phone. Or maybe the girl was checking where shed left her keys. Customers did that all the time.
But even as she searched for other possibilities, Katherine knew gut-level that it was serious. One look in the mirror showed the empty spaces in the crystals case right in front of the door. The door that should have been locked. Sure enough, the blue-haired teenager had just made a colossal mistake.
Go on, kid, put the figurines back. That would be the best outcome for everyone involved, she thought as she crossed the floor calmly to the counter. Give the girls the chance to do the right thing.
It had happened before in situations like this and it could happen again. She stared hard at the top of the girls heads and wasnt surprised when the blue-haired girl looked up. Katherine couldnt tell the girls exact expression beneath the layers of mascara, thick black eyeliner and shadow, but she thought she saw a flash of fear before a brittle hardness settled into a cold-eyed stare.
Okay, maybe not the nicest girl on the planet, but she didnt look like the worst, either. And that brief flash of genuine emotion was telling. The girl wasnt well practiced at stealing. Maybe she wasnt a hardened criminal just yet.
Put them back, please. Maybe the please had been a little too polite. That was another one of her problems. Return the figurines or Ill call the police.
Those hard eyes widened in horror. In a split second both girls dashed around the display case, and raced toward the door.
Big mistake. This was not what she wanted. Katherine took off after them, heart heavy, as the detectors went off. The girls flew out onto the sidewalk. Another few seconds and theyd be lost in the thickly falling snow.
Kelly slung open the break room door. Whats wrong?
Shoplifters. Call the cops.
Trusting her best employee to make the call, Katherine hurried out into the storm. The blast of the cold January snowstorm struck her like a brick wall. She swiped the wind-driven snow from her face. Which way had they gone?
North, into the storm and in the direction of the high school, judging by the fresh sets of boot prints. The veil of snow thickened, and they were gone from her sight. Right along with about two hundred and fifty dollars in merchandise she suspected.
Great. Katherine dropped to a walk, lost in the swirling snow. It wasnt the financial loss to the store that bothered her. Those girls were on a troubled path. The police were on their way, and it was out of her hands now. Too bad, because she knew how devastating the consequences of a single act could be.