Because of Him: A Christian Romance (New Hope Falls Book 2)

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  Kieran thought of the fatal car accident and the families that had been affected by it. Someone else had taken care of the family notifications since the one driver had been from Seattle, and the other one had been with her husband, who had survived the accident. Still, he knew that if he’d been called on to make those notifications that he would have struggled to comfort the family in their grief without having his own rise to the surface again.

  “I know that there are some here today who are hurting or are in trouble, and it’s not because I know each of you and know your situation. It’s because I know we live in a fallen and hurting world. And as Christians, we aren’t exempt from hurt or troubles. Verse four speaks to that directly when it talks about God comforting us in all our tribulation. Our trials. Our suffering. Our pain. If Christians were exempt from all of that, this verse wouldn’t talk about how God comforts us.

  “The difference between those of us who know and love God and the world that doesn’t, is that we know He is there to comfort us in those difficult times. We never face hopeless situations alone because our hope is in God. We only have to turn to Him during those times to experience His comfort. But it’s not enough for us to seek comfort from Him, we must also then comfort those who are in trouble or are hurting. Let people see the comfort of God through the comfort we offer them.”

  Kieran looked down at the verse on the screen of his phone again. He used the feature to highlight the verses then tapped to make a note of what Pastor Evans was sharing. Having read through the New Testament in the past year, he knew he’d read those verses, but they hadn’t stuck with him the way he knew they would now.

  Pastor Evans shared other verses that he seemed to pull right off the top of his head, and Kieran added them to his notes, planning to look them up and highlight them later.

  Though the man usually spoke for more than half an hour most Sundays, that day, he ended after just twenty minutes. Instead of sitting back down, however, he walked down the stairs to stand on the floor in front of the stage. Since he wore a wireless mic, they were still able to hear him when he spoke again.

  “I want to have a time of prayer for those who are in need of comfort today. You can stay in your seat and just raise your hand if you would like to let me know you need prayer. Or, you can come to the front if you wish to have someone pray with you. I’d like to ask the members of the board if they’d come forward. However, I don’t want to limit the opportunity to pray just to the board. If you have experienced God’s comfort and would like to share that with someone today, then I would invite you to come forward as well. Let us become an instrument of comfort to those around us, not a source of pain.”

  He paused, waiting as the members of the board made their way to the front and took up positions at his side. Soft music from the piano began to drift through the sanctuary as the pastor bowed his head.

  “Father, we come before you today in need of comfort. You promised us in Your word that You are a God of comfort, and in turn, we are encouraged to comfort those around us who are facing trouble and tribulation. Let us feel your presence here today, Father, as we gather together, those of us in need of comfort and those who are offering it. May our actions bring honor and glory to You.”

  Silence settled over the congregation for a moment, with only the piano playing softly in the background.

  “Raise your hand or come to the front if you would like prayer today. We don’t need to know the details. It is enough for you to say I’m hurting. God knows what it is that’s causing you pain and hurt, and as we offer our comfort, He will also comfort you.”

  Kieran looked up, his gaze landing on the empty wooden cross that stood at the front of the sanctuary. It momentarily went out of focus. He swallowed hard and blinked to clear his gaze.

  He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned enough to see that Cara had lifted her hand. Her head remained bent, and her hand didn’t stay up for long, lowering as soon as Pastor Evans said, “I’ve seen your hand, sister, and I’ll be praying for you.”

  At first, no one was moving to the front of the sanctuary, but then a young man got up and walked to the front before sinking down on his knees. He’d barely settled when another young person got up and went to his side, and the youth pastor joined them both. The courage of the young man seemed to reach out to others in the congregation because soon, more people began to make their way forward.

  Some were clearly there seeking prayer, but just as many were going forward to come alongside them, slipping an arm around their shoulders as they bowed their heads together. Kieran bowed his head, choosing to stay in his seat and pray for Cara as well as the people who’d gone forward.

  It seemed pretty clear that Cara wasn’t comfortable going to the front, but she’d acknowledged she wanted prayer, so he would do that for her even if he couldn’t comfort her the way he might want to.

  He folded his hands together and let them rest between his knees as he prayed for God to comfort Cara and help her through whatever it was that she was enduring. Though he wished he knew the details, Pastor Evans’ words rang in his head. God knows, and that’s all that matters.

  After a while, people began returning to their seats, and Pastor Evans said, “I know we sang this before the sermon, but I’d like to sing it again as a reminder. I’d encourage you to read up on the background of this particular hymn and what Horatio Spafford was going through when he wrote it.”

  The worship leader walked behind the podium as the words came up on the screen again.

  When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

  When sorrows like sea billows roll;

  Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

  It is well, it is well with my soul.

  It is well with my soul,

  It is well, it is well with my soul.

  Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

  Let this blest assurance control,

  That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,

  And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

  My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—

  My sin, not in part but the whole,

  Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

  Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

  And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

  The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

  The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

  Even so, it is well with my soul.

  When the song ended, Pastor Evans moved to the front to pray. Kieran bowed his head, listening as the man prayed a blessing on the congregation. After echoing his amen, Kieran straightened and turned toward Cara…only to find she wasn’t there.

  Spinning around, he looked to the back of the sanctuary, but there was no sign of her. He had hoped to talk to her, to make sure that she was okay, but it seemed she hadn’t been interested in interacting with anyone. Or had it just been him? Had she realized that he was in the pew beside her?

  “Kieran.” His mom’s voice drew his attention from the doors of the sanctuary. She came to stand next to him in the pew. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” He’d texted her earlier to let her know about the accident and that he was going to try and grab a quick nap before church. “Just tired.”

  “Do you want to come for lunch with Mary and me?”

  “Actually, Mom. I think I’m just going to go home and try to get some rest.”

  She didn’t argue with him, knowing the toll something like the accident would take on him. She also didn’t ask for details. After being married to a cop, she knew that sometimes she didn’t need to hear the details. She never pushed for him to talk about what he’d seen, but Kieran knew that if he ever wanted to talk, she would have been there to listen.

  Right then, however, there was someone Kieran wished would talk to him. He was coming to realize that the gentle, friendly face Cara showed to the world hid a depth t
hat seemed to be causing her pain. Did she have anyone in town who she considered a close enough friend that she could confide in?

  Kieran slipped out the door of the church and jogged down the cement steps to the sidewalk that ran in front of the building. He glanced around, hoping that he might spot Cara, but she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. As he walked to his vehicle, he debated heading to her place to check on her.

  He shut that idea down as quickly as it had popped up. She might not have close friends in town, but that didn’t automatically mean she’d talk to him. In fact, it spoke volumes that she’d lived in New Hope Falls for several years, and yet he couldn’t remember ever having seen her hanging out with anyone. Whenever he had seen her at a distance, she’d always been on her own. All the evidence pointed to the fact that she was a loner because she wanted to be.

  With a sigh, Kieran slid behind the wheel of his Jeep and started it up. Though the temptation was strong to go to Cara’s, he ignored it and turned toward his own place. Once there, he changed out of his uniform into something more comfortable then he made himself a sandwich. He took it with a drink into the living room where he set it on the table next to his recliner.

  Needing a distraction, he used the remote to turn on his television then settled into his chair to eat while he watched the NASCAR race that was on that afternoon. He didn’t follow the sport religiously, but he enjoyed watching it. He had a feeling, however, that he’d end up missing part of the race that day as his early morning rise was rapidly catching up with him.

  ~*~

  Cara stared out the window at the town. She’d been sitting in the same spot since she’d come home from church, trying to wrap her head around the emotions and thoughts that had been circling through her mind ever since she’d gotten back from visiting her dad.

  After her last trip, she’d been certain that she wouldn’t have another visit with him, and yet, when the time had rolled around again, he’d still been there. She wasn’t sure if Doug Anders, the ADA, had pulled strings or what, but her dad had been moved to a small private room, which meant she’d been able to spend more time with him.

  Much of that time had been spent with her reading from her journal. He’d been too weak to read it for himself, but he’d wanted to hear about her month. It had been something she’d been only too happy to do.

  The surprise of the visit had been her dad’s revelation that he’d become a Christian. In the past, he’d brushed aside her mom’s attempts to get him to come to church with them. After her mom’s death, Cara had tried to talk to him about it again, but he’d angrily brushed her attempts. Not wanting to cloud their times together, she’d eventually stopped trying and had just prayed that somehow God would reach her papa before he died.

  But this time around, he’d had a definite message for her. I want to see you again, carissima. I’m certain that I’m going to heaven now. I want you to be certain too. Promise me.

  She wanted him to talk more about how he was certain, but talking beyond the promises he’d once again extracted from her had seemed to require more energy than he had available. He had gripped her hand tightly as he struggled with the words, only relaxing when she’d assured him that she was certain. Probably more certain than she’d been at any point previously in her life.

  And that assurance was the reason she’d gone to church that day instead of watching the service online. She’d sat in the back row, as she had every time she’d gone, and listened as the pastor talked about hurting people and God’s comfort. It had been hard to admit that she really wanted that comfort. She’d been determined to be strong. To make her parents proud by being able to handle everything life threw at her without crumbling.

  And she’d done okay for the last few years, but in recent months, though outwardly it looked like she was doing fine, inwardly, she was crumbling. She walked around with a constant ache in her heart, and nothing could keep her mind from worrying over the coming loss. Which was why the sermon had been timely.

  Cara watched as the town’s lights began to wink on. It had been a gray and dreary day, so twilight seemed like it was coming earlier than usual. The days were already getting shorter as they moved through November. In a few weeks, it would be Thanksgiving. Usually, she tried to be with her dad around that time, but she wasn’t sure if that would happen that year, given his condition.

  Though she hadn’t planned to tell him about Kieran and her interest in him, she hadn’t been able to keep that news from spilling out. Her dad had been in and out of consciousness throughout their visit, and she’d begun to tell him about Kieran while he’d been asleep. She just felt the need to talk to someone about what had been going on with him.

  Partway through, her father’s eyes had opened, and his dark gaze had been focused and intent on her.

  “Do you love him, carissima?”

  “No.” She’d thought of Kieran and the care and concern he’d shown her, then added, “But I think I might be able to.”

  “Don’t hold yourself from love.” Even though she’d explained that he was a cop, her father had insisted. “Your mother could have chosen not to love me because of who I was. We would have missed so much joy and happiness—and you—had she not given me a chance.”

  Before he’d gotten so sick, they’d talked at length about his complicated relationships and the fact that he’d never divorced his wife in order to marry her mother. It had taken a long time for Cara to understand and accept his rationale. In her mind, if he’d loved her mom that much, he should have been willing to let go of his old life.

  She hadn’t realized that her dad had made the choices he did in hopes of protecting her and her mom. Of course, in the end, that hadn’t worked. He might as well have divorced his wife and married her mom. Hindsight was everything.

  Would that happen to her? If she decided to keep her distance from Kieran, would she look back and wish she’d made a different decision? Of course, the opposite could be true too. She could decide to see where things went and then come to regret that in the future. There were no guarantees that one choice was better than the other.

  Though he’d never encouraged her to date, Cara knew it would give her father peace of mind if he thought she had someone to love her after he passed. But still, he’d extracted a promise from her.

  Love him, but never tell him about your past. Consider it done. Like it never happened. You can remember your mama and me, but never give details of our other life. Especially if he’s a cop. For the sake of your happiness, he must never know. Promise me.

  And once again, she’d promised because it gave her hope that perhaps she could have a romantic relationship. Before Kieran, she wouldn’t have considered dating or even having the future of a family, but since meeting him, that had changed. The only thing was that he hadn’t been around much in the last couple of weeks. Maybe he really had only come around because he’d needed her cameras.

  As she stared out at the houses that glowed warmly in the encroaching night, she resolved to let things unfold as they came. She wasn’t going to force anything, but with her dad’s blessing, she would accept any overtures from Kieran.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  It was past the lunch rush already when Kieran walked into Norma’s, and, as was his habit, he glanced around to see who was there. He spotted Arianna and Eli at a table near the back, seemingly unaware of everyone else in the restaurant. It was good to see that things were working out for Eli. At least on the personal front. Kieran was sure the investigation was weighing heavily on him but having Arianna in his life appeared to be making him happy in spite of what was going on around him.

  Arianna smiled at Eli when he reached out and touched her cheek with his fingertips. The connection they had was clear in their body language and the smiles on their faces. It wasn’t a look he’d seen on Eli’s face before.

  A longing blossomed in his chest as he watched them. He let out a sigh and looked away from the couple, only to have his gaze land on Cara, where
she sat in a booth in front of the windows. She was looking down at something on the table and didn’t appear to have noticed him come in.

  “You here to eat, Chief?” Norma asked, drawing his attention from Cara. “Or are you taking out?”

  “I think I’m going to eat in,” Kieran said.

  She gave him a knowing smile and nodded toward Cara. “I’ll let you seat yourself. Do you need a menu?”

  Kieran chuckled. “I think I’ll be okay.”

  As Norma turned to greet a couple of people who’d just walked in, he headed to where Cara was seated. He slid into the booth opposite her, smiling when she looked up.

  “May I join you?”

  She hesitated for only a moment before nodding. “Are you here for lunch?”

  “Yep. I was going to take it back to the office, but then I saw you here. Thought I’d see how you were doing.”

  “I’m doing fine.” She gave him a small smile. “How about you?”

  “Had a bit of a rough start to the week with a bad accident on Sunday.”

  “I heard about that.”

  Before she could say more, Missy appeared at the table. She put a glass of iced tea in front of him with a smile. “What can I get you, Chief?”

  “I’ll have a roast beef sandwich and a bowl of your soup-of-the-day.” Though there had been splashes of sunshine throughout the morning, it was still cool, so soup was appealing.

  Missy didn’t even write anything down. Just said, “Sounds good.” Then she left them alone again.

  “I heard that people passed away in the accident.”

  Kieran sat back in the booth. “Yes. Unfortunately, two people died, one at the scene and one later in hospital.”

  “Were they from here? Did you know them?”

  “The woman who passed away was from New Hope. She owned the florist shop just around the corner from Norma’s on Semple. Her husband was also badly injured, but last I heard, he was stable. The man who passed away wasn’t from around here.”