“Sure.” He clasped his hands behind his back, not facing her. Despite the knowledge that it would come, he hadn’t yet prepared himself for the good-bye. Vainly, foolishly, he’d hoped that she’d forget to leave him, that if he pretended they were together again, it would be true. But he’d gotten his one miracle and he didn’t expect another. “But I thought you’d want to sit on the bed and count your gold.”
“Count my gold.” Mara managed a harsh laugh, remembering. “Of course. A thief revels in her possessions. And I got what I came to Kiev for. Enough money to leave this state and never return.”
“I assumed as much.”
At the cold pronouncement, Mara stalked over to the bags where they’d hidden the satchels. Dropping to her knees, she fumbled with the zipper and ripped at the drawstrings. The bag fell open, gold shining in the dimly lit room. “All the money in the world.”
“Millions. You can go anywhere you want. Be anyone you wish.” Ethan gripped the windowsill and stared into the empty dark. He understood then what every day of his life would be from that moment forward. Swallowing hard, he muttered, “Why don’t I get you that separate room?”
The first coin grazed his temple. The second nicked his lip and skated off his nose. “What the hell?” Ethan spun toward Mara, agape. In steady, unyielding succession, gold coins pelted him. When one caught him squarely in the forehead, he reached her side in three strides. “Cut that out!”
“You think I want the money?” She scrabbled away, tossing coins like confetti. “You think I’m so soulless that I could walk away from you? Again. God, you know nothing about me!”
Warding off the rain of gold, Ethan chased her until her back rammed into the bed. Then he sank beside her and covered her hands. A vicious, terrible hope fluttered inside him, and he pulled the long, elegant fingers to his chest. “What do you want, Mara?” Another coin fell between them, and he whispered, “I thought this was it.”
Beneath his hand, Mara splayed her hand against the rapid beat at his chest. “Not gold, Ethan.” She covered his heart. “This is it.”
“Tell me, Mara.” Ethan tipped her chin, forcing her amber eyes to his. “For once, please tell me.”
“I love you.” The words floated between them, around them. “I love your courage and your tenacity. Your thoughtfulness and your ferocity.” Unable to finish, she shook her head. “But I don’t expect you to feel the same. Not again.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t understand how you could. Not after everything.”
“Because I have faith in you.”
Mara shook her head once more, afraid to trust. “I don’t understand why.”
Shaking his head, Ethan murmured, “Despite your upbringing, you don’t really get this faith idea, do you?” He laughed softly, heart soaring. “Faith isn’t about what I know of you. It’s about what I believe lies within you. I know you have a good heart. That you’ll face down hell itself for your friends. That you’d give your life for someone you loved.”
Desperate to believe, she held his cheek. “How can that be enough? After all of the wrong I’ve done. The sins I’ve committed.”
“I learned this from you, Mara. Redemption, faith. Love. They aren’t prizes to be won or free gifts with purchase. Faith is looking at a sinner and seeing the potential of a saint. And redemption is what you find—what you’ve earned—when you finally stop punishing yourself for the sins of your father and see yourself. As I see you.”
“Ethan.” Trembling, triumphant, she drew his mouth to hers. For hours, for seconds. Forever.
She rested her forehead against his, grateful for second chances. And thirds. “I love you. Always.”
“My angel. Mara, my lovely angel. You can’t change this or con your way out of it. I have faith in you. I believe in you. And I love you too.”
Author’s Note
Dear Readers:
Hidden Sins finds its start in a dusty little town, but quickly moves into a world as big as Texas. I hope you enjoyed Mara and Ethan and their search for love and forgiveness—and a wealth beyond measure. Please join me soon for Sebastian’s story, as he discovers the ancient secret of love.
If you have comments or questions or simply feel like sharing, please contact me at:
[email protected]
www.selenamontgomery.com
P.O. Box 170352
Atlanta, Georgia 30317-0352
I will be pleased to reply.
Happy reading,
Selena Montgomery
Acknowledgments
Tremendous gratitude to Andrea Abrams, for the cultural tutelage; Robert Abrams, for his arcane knowledge; Carolyn Abrams, for the theological tuition; Damon Avent, for motor history; Brandon McLean, for a lovely site; Mirtha Estrada and Kate Super, for bolstering confidence; Marc Gerald, my excellent agent; and Selina McLemore, my terrific editor. And with abiding love for and appreciation to Leslie Abrams, my lodestar and finest critic.
About the Author
SELENA MONTGOMERY grew up in southern Mississippi, with two incredible parents and five fascinating siblings. She is a graduate of Spelman College, the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and Yale Law School. She draws upon her interest in and experiences with social and economic policy, politics, and creative writing to fuel her novels.
Selena is now a proud resident of Atlanta, where she is a lawyer by day and a writer during every waking hour. As her alter ego, she is the author of several pieces on tax policy and social justice issues.
She is also an obsessive consumer of political biographies, every genre of fiction, good television, and film and movies (which are different). She is still mourning the passage of Buffy and the end of the Star Trek: The Next Generation franchise.
Selena would love to hear from her fans. Please visit her website at www.selenamontgomery.com com.
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Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
HIDDEN SINS. Copyright © 2006 by Stacey Abrams. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
ePub edition December 2006 ISBN 9780061746741
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Selena Montgomery, Hidden Sins
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