by Beth Ziarnik
The disgruntled woman shuffled out of the room.
A soft blush crossed her sister’s delicate features. “I’m sorry about that. She is really very nice. It’s just that Grandmother has been edgy since—”
“Since I arrived yesterday?”
Lillie nodded, glancing into her lap and closing her eyes before looking up again. “Rather awkward, isn’t it?”
“Me being here?” Jill felt it keenly herself.
“Oh, no. I’ve known about you for a long time. Grandmother doesn’t know it, but I overheard her talking about you years ago. I’ve wanted to know you ever since,” she said. “I mean it’s awkward our having the same father but different mothers. That seems to be the whole problem from Grandmother’s perspective. Do you think it needs to be a problem between us?”
Jill liked this sister. “I hope not. I don’t want it to be.”
“Good. Then let’s not let it happen. After all, neither of us has a mother now, do we?”
It was more a statement than a question, and Jill’s heart ached at the sadness lacing her sister’s voice. “How long has it been for you?”
Lillie’s large blue eyes regarded her. “About two years, but I didn’t know her well. I hardly remember her. I was three years old when she went to the hospital. She was sick a long time, and I was not allowed to visit her much. But I missed not having a mother like other girls.”
How much Jill had in common with her sister. Though in her case, she had grown up longing to have a father like other girls.
Lillie put her fork down on her half-empty plate. “Do you miss your mother, Jill?”
At the sudden question, a wave of heartache washed over her. “Yes. She died before I had a chance to say goodbye.”
From what Lillie said, Jill guessed both their mothers had died about the same time, though they lived hundreds of miles apart.
“I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye either.” Lillie’s voice trailed into a wistful quiet.
The door to the butler’s pantry swished open, and Hannah set a plate of pancakes and a dish of pineapple and strawberries before Jill. After a cold stare, the housekeeper retreated.
Jill glanced at her sister, who seemed eager to see her sample the pancakes. Jill poured hot maple syrup over her fragrant breakfast, then cut a small piece and let the soft, textured sweetness melt on her tongue.
Her sister’s blue eyes sparkled. “I was right, wasn’t I? Aren’t they the best you’ve ever tasted?”
Jill agreed and sipped her coffee. “I haven’t had better.”
Lillie tilted her head and studied Jill’s face. “You have our father’s eyes.” The thought seemed agreeable to her sister. Then Lillie’s demeanor quieted. “Will you see him this morning?”
The longing in her sister’s voice tugged at Jill’s heart. “Alice said she would let me know when I can go up. Would you like to come with me?”
“Oh, no.” Lillie’s eyes widened. Did the suggestion frighten her? “I … I have my plants to care for.”
“Is that your hobby?”
“It’s what Lillie does.” The chilly voice inserted itself into the conversation, and Jill found a tall, slim woman frowning at her from the doorway. She entered as if she belonged.
Lillie sat up straighter. “Kathryn, this is our sister, Jill.”
“Our father’s love child.” Kathryn poured herself a cup of coffee. She cocked her head and stared, boldly assessing Jill. “I had to see you for myself.”
Refusing to shrivel as Kathryn’s cold eyes raked her, Jill did some assessing of her own. Unless she was mistaken, this sister would despise her for any display of weakness. Jill put her fork down and faced her oldest sister, unflinching while attempting not to appear combative. She had no desire to antagonize her and gut any chance of future sisterly bonding between them.
“Be nice, Kat,” Lillie chided.
“Why? What father did wasn’t nice.” She turned back to Jill. “So, I’m curious. What do you want from us?”
Jill’s heart rate kicked up. She blinked at her half-sister’s boldness but refused to give ground. “Time with my dad. Time to get to know him.”
“Oh, come on now. Father is ill—perhaps enough to die—and suddenly you show up. A rather strange coincidence, wouldn’t you say?” Continuing to stand, Kat sipped her coffee without taking her eyes from Jill.
Jill placed her linen napkin near her empty breakfast plate and rose. “I had no idea he was ill until I arrived. The invitation said nothing about that.”
“What invitation?” Kat’s sharp challenge made it clear her sister didn’t believe her.
“His letter inviting me to spend the holidays with him.” Jill kept her reply quietly polite.
“Father would never. He knows better than to upset Grandmother like that. Or the rest of us, for that matter.”
“I’m not upset,” Lillie said. “I like our sister.”
“She’s not our sister. She’s a money-grabbing opportunist.” Kathryn slammed the palm of her hand on the table.
Lillie shook her head. “No, Kat. You’re wrong.”
Kathryn tossed Lillie an impatient glance. “If I’m wrong, let her prove it.” She turned to Jill. “Pack up and leave. Right now. And never come back.”
“She can’t, Kat. Father begged her to stay.”
“Says who?”
As if the troubling exchange wasn’t difficult enough, Jill sensed another sudden presence dominating the room.
“Lillie is right, Kathryn.” Dora entered and took her place at the head of the table. She snapped a linen napkin before sliding it over her lap. “Your father insists that she stay. Will you join us for breakfast?”
Kat put her coffee cup down and kissed her grandmother’s cheek. “No, and I can’t believe you agreed to this arrangement.”
Dora pursed her lips. “It has nothing to do with what I want.”
Kat smirked. “So, you want her to leave too.”
Looking away, Dora busied herself with Hannah’s reappearance. The housekeeper set a plate of toast before her mistress and poured her coffee.
“Fine. I have to get back to the fitness center, but I will return.” Stony eyes bore into Jill’s. “You can count on it.”
Jill matched her sister, stare for stare. Let Kat probe for weaknesses. She would find plenty. Jill had no illusions about herself. But she also dearly wanted to win over this woman, no matter how much work or how long it might take. She smiled pleasantly at Kat. “I look forward to it.”
Kat raked her with a last scathing glance and rushed out of the room as Alice entered.
“Jill, John is waiting to see you.”
Quashing a sigh of relief, Jill excused herself, congratulating herself that she had met her father’s family and survived. Best of all, one of her sisters liked her. It was a beginning.
After hurrying up the stairs and knocking on his door, Jill entered and stopped short. A gasp escaped her lips. Stepping back, she stared wide-eyed at the disturbingly familiar silhouette of the young man at her father’s bedside.
Chapter Seven
The sight of the man’s trim form in a dark, expensively tailored suit thrust Jill back two years. What was he doing here? His name squeezed from her throat in a shocked whisper.
“Brian?”
He jerked and turned. His mesmerizing blue eyes and commanding presence stirred a pain in her heart she thought long gone.
A thousand memories swirled before her until she settled on the one where he had held her in his arms as she laid her head upon his shoulder and wept over her mother’s untimely death. They had loved one another back then.
Brian appeared speechless.
“Ah, my daughter.” Her father cheerfully beckoned her from the chair where he was sitting, his pajamas covered with a robe. “You arrived at the right time.”
Obeying his gesture, Jill approached hesitantly, glancing repeatedly at Brian. His presence was too surreal.
Her father’s puz
zled gaze swept back and forth between them. “Do you two know each other?”
Brian moved aside and spoke as he made room for her to stand beside her father. “At one time, we were engaged.”
How like him to take the lead. Pain tightened in her chest. She turned and gaped at him. “You knew my father all along and never told me?”
“I didn’t know he was your father, Jill.” Her name fell softly from his lips. “If I had, I would never have kept it from you.”
Her gaze slid from his face to the floor as she attempted to digest this bit of information. Of course, he wouldn’t. He had always been energetic and ambitious, but also thoughtful and never vindictive. Their breakup had been a mutual decision, a simple realization that circumstances had changed, and they could not go on as before.
She raised her head to assure herself he was the same man she had known back then. His blue eyes remained clear of any guile. “I don’t understand. Why are you here?”
Her father groped for her hand, his own warm and reassuring. “Caldwell is a lawyer with my firm who’s taking care of matters while I’m ill. I asked him to come this morning to meet you.” He paused, closed his eyes, and rested a long minute. He opened them again and searched her face. “If something happens to me, he needs to know you’re my daughter. He’s here today to help me clear up legal matters so you will inherit, without trouble, along with your sisters.”
Alarm spiked in her veins. “What? No, Dad. Please don’t. There’s no need.”
“Since when?” Brian scoffed.
Jill bristled. Her financial affairs were no longer his concern, but her father might need to know to keep from making a horrible mistake. “I already have a generous inheritance from my mother’s family.”
But even if she needed money, she would oppose her father’s plan. Being included in his will would seem to confirm Kat’s suspicions and destroy any possibility of a relationship with her reluctant sister. “Please don’t do this. I don’t want to share in my sisters’ inheritance. It belongs to them. All I need is a chance to get to know you as my father—for us to be a part of each other’s lives.”
Her father squeezed her hand a bit more firmly than yesterday. She smiled at him, delighted at her sudden realization. “You’re better today.”
“Yes, yes,” he said as if it were of little importance.
Maybe Alice was right. Maybe her presence was making a difference in her father returning to health. But even so, he appeared far from strong.
He regarded her with tired eyes. “We’ll drop the matter for now, but Caldwell and I have other office matters to address before he leaves. Would you please excuse us?”
What could she say without revealing too much? Though lame, she settled for, “Alice asked me to stay with you until she returned.”
“I’m sure she’ll understand,” her father said.
Brian touched her shoulder. “You shouldn’t be present for confidential discussions regarding clients.”
He was right, of course, but Jill looked to her father, unsure if leaving would be right, no matter what the circumstances.
“We won’t be long,” her father assured her.
If only she could mention his nurse’s suspicions, but she couldn’t risk it without Alice’s permission. Physically weak, her father was still an intelligent man who knew what he was doing. Maybe, because of the circumstances, she could make an exception. It helped to know that the Brian she knew wouldn’t harm her father.
Encouraged by her father’s slight smile and the twinkle in his eyes, she bent to kiss his forehead. As she left the room, closing the door behind her, she wished the niggling doubt surrounding her decision would go away.
She left the door to her room ajar in order to keep watch should anyone else come or go. Settling in a chair that gave a clear view of her father’s door, she texted Alice with the update, then tried to make sense of Brian’s sudden reappearance in her life.
When had he become a member of her father’s law firm? How in the world had that happened? More importantly, why would the Lord bring him back into her life at a time like this?
“Lord, I love Clay.” Just the mention of his name sent a longing coursing through her veins and an overwhelming desire for his return. “He‘s all the future I want on this earth.”
He was the one God had provided to watch over her and save her from a terrible death only a few short months ago. He was the one whose love made all the difference in her life now.
Did she dare tell Clay about Brian? How would he take the idea of a former fiancé back in her life, no matter the circumstances? Though she shouldn’t keep anything from him, would the news worry and distract him from his business in Haiti?
She buried her face in her hands. “Lord, please bring Clay back—and soon.”
The rap on her door brought Jill’s head up from a text she was writing to Clay.
Brian stood there with that once-endearing lopsided smile of his. “Your father and I are finished. He’s looking for you.”
She hit Send and slipped her phone into her pants pocket while avoiding Brian’s searching eyes.
“Are you still angry with me?” he asked, a trace of regret in his voice. “About our breakup?”
“I was never angry. Just disappointed. But our decision was a good one. The right one.” When she tried to brush past him, he caught her arm.
“Are you sure?”
She removed his hand from her arm. “I’ve moved on, Brian. I love someone else.”
His jaw flinched as if she’d slapped him. She hadn’t meant to hurt him. “I’m sorry. I … I just thought you should know. I expected that by now you would have moved on too.”
“I tried.” He offered a wry grin. “I wasn’t as successful as you were.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” And she was. He deserved to be happy. True, he had made it impossible for them to go on as a couple, but she didn’t wish him ill. “I have to go. My father is waiting.”
“I’m glad you found him, Jill. I know how much your father means to you.”
The soft sincerity in his voice melted a bit of the hardness in her heart, a hardness she hadn’t realized she harbored until this moment.
She watched him lope down the stairs. He wasn’t a bad guy really. But their days of dreaming about a future together were over. When she and Brian broke up, Nona had advised her to put that part of her life behind her. And though it hurt, she had.
Until now, it hadn’t occurred to her that their broken relationship left a scar. Lord, please remove this hardness from my heart. Help me forgive Brian and be pleasing to you.
At her father’s request, Jill helped him to his bed and arranged the pillows behind his shoulders for more comfort. She smiled in hopes of encouraging him. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better today.”
She pulled a chair close to his bed and sat. His trembling hand reached for hers. As a child, how often she had wished for her father’s hand to hold hers. Back then, she had envied other little girls who walked hand in hand down the street or in the park with their fathers. How she had wanted to know that kind of love and security. Now, here she was, a grown woman with her father’s hand closed gently around hers.
Contentment enveloped her as she gazed in wonder at him. He was everything she had dreamed of—kind, caring, loving. Her heart ached as she recalled the many years they had lost. Please, Lord, give us many more years.
He let go of her hand and patted it. “If I’m not being too nosy, tell me about Brian and you.”
She frowned. “There is no Brian and me.”
“I know that. I mean before your current young man.”
“Didn’t Brian tell you?” It was hard to imagine him saying nothing.
“Humor an old lawyer who happens to be your father. I would like your version.”
So, Brian had said something. No doubt, her version would be much like his. “We met the day he walked into Nona Anderson’s agency where I was working. He’s pr
etty persuasive, as you must know, and before he left, I agreed to go to dinner with him that night.”
“If you eventually consented to marry him, you two must have fallen in love.” His sharp eyes searched her face.
She nodded. “I loved him deeply at one time.”
Her father’s brows arched. “What went wrong?”
Like the lawyer he was, her dad sure went right to the point. Okay then. She would too. “He couldn’t accept the changes I made after becoming a Christian.”
“What kind of changes?” Though probing, he presented a poker face. What was he after?
“Do we have to talk about this? I’d rather not dwell on the past.”
“I want to understand, Jill. He’s a good man.”
“Yes, he is.” Was this some match-making ploy? Jill refused to squirm. For now, she’d give her dad the benefit of the doubt.
“And right now,” he went on, “I’m counting on Brian to help me keep my law firm operating. But you’re my daughter, and if his presence in this house is a problem for you, I need to know.”
“It’s not a problem.” For her father’s sake, she would make sure of that.
“Then please tell me what happened.”
Jill bowed her head, unable to look at her father for fear of the pain she might bring him but wanting to honor his request. “You’re aware that Mother died.”
“Y … yes.” His voice shook.
She glanced up and found tears glistening in his eyes as he waited for her to continue. “When I found out, I blamed myself, certain Mother never would’ve taken her life if I hadn’t run off and let her believe I was dead. The cruelty of that choice and its awful consequences tortured me until I couldn’t eat or sleep. One night, I decided I didn’t deserve to live.”
Jill paused to catch her breath and prepare for the worst of her tale.
Her father grasped her hand. His groan and crinkled brow said it all. He suffered right along with her.
She gently squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry. You can see God had other plans.”
His brows drew together even more, but he said nothing.
“Nona told me that, while she was praying, God told her to get to me right away. She spent the rest of the night convincing me God loved me, forgave me, and had a good plan for my life. When dawn came, I knelt with her and gave my life to Jesus. That’s when the trouble began.”
