Abide: A Christian Romance Novel (The Lewis Legacy Series, Book 7)

by JoAnn Durgin

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Abide is Copyright © 2016 by JoAnn Durgin. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce in whole or in part in any form or medium.

  All Scripture contained within is from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

  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, downloaded, 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 the author.

  Cover Design: MaxCovers at fiverr.com

  About the Author

  ~~♥~~

  In addition to Abide, JoAnn Durgin is the author of the prior novels in the Lewis Legacy Series: Awakening, Second Time Around, Twin Hearts, Daydreams, Moonbeams, and Enchantment, as well as Prelude, the prequel to the series. Her other works include Catching Serenity, Heart’s Design and its sequel, Gentle Like the Rain, Love So Amazing and Love So Divine (The Wondrous Love Series, Books 1 and 2), Echoes of Edinburgh, Perchance to Dream, and the Starlight Christmas Series.

  A former estate administration paralegal, JoAnn now writes contemporary Christian romance full-time and lives with her family in her native southern Indiana.

  JoAnn loves to hear from her readers! Please feel free to contact her:

  Website: www.joanndurgin.com

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorjoanndurgin

  Twitter: JoAnn Durgin@Gr8tReads

  Author’s Note

  ~~♥~~

  Dear Readers,

  This seventh installment of The Lewis Legacy Series belongs to Catherine “Caty” Lewis, the youngest daughter of the Lewis family headed by Samuel J. Lewis, Sr. and Sarah Jordan Lewis, whose love story was told in Prelude, the prequel to the series. Caty was briefly introduced in Awakening, and she’s very close to her oldest brother, Sam Lewis, Jr., the “Papa Bear” of my TeamWork Missions volunteer crew throughout this series.

  Abide takes the series in a fresh and exciting new direction featuring the three youngest siblings in the Lewis family. In this book, you’ll also be introduced to NASA shuttle commander, Will (Pursuit, Book 8, releases in the fall of 2016), as well as the youngest Lewis sibling, Carson, a seminary student (his story is told in Assurance, Book 11, the final book of the series). The Houston-based TeamWork members are featured in small roles in Abide, particularly Marta and Eliot Marchand, and you’ll be brought up-to-date with familiar characters from the previous books.

  When you reach the end of Abide, I hope you’ll hold these characters close to your heart. Through the events in their lives, I like to show how a personal relationship with Jesus Christ can bring an inner peace and hope for the future that nothing, or no one else, can provide. As you read any one of my books, I pray you’ll be challenged in your personal journey with our great and merciful God. And then continue to write the story of your life. After all, no one can write that story better than you!

  Thank you for joining me in this latest adventure in The Lewis Legacy Series. And now, it’s my honor and privilege to present Abide.

  Blessings,

  JoAnn Durgin

  Matthew 5:16

  Dedication

  ~~♥~~

  In late May of this year, heaven gained a beautiful woman named Aubrey. She was a daughter, sister, grandchild, aunt, cousin, and faithful friend to many. Aubrey worked as a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse in Texas for nineteen years, and she was beloved.

  I did not know Aubrey personally. She was my acquaintance and friend on Facebook. I know she had several of my books, but I don’t know if she ever had the opportunity to read them. That’s not what’s important.

  When I heard the shocking news of her passing from cancer at a young age, one of the things that impressed me most was what a strong impact Aubrey made in her community. She was a shining light and witness for Jesus Christ, and her life truly epitomized the theme verse for my life and writing ministry:

  Let your light shine before men in such a way

  that they may see your good works,

  and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

  ~Matthew 5:16 (NASB)

  The characters in Abide are impacted by the death of someone they lost to cancer at a young age. In the book, Caty and Caleb visit a field of bluebonnets in Brenham, Texas. I was writing that chapter when I learned of Aubrey’s death. When I read through the many personal testimonies on her Facebook page, and when I noticed a group of her dear friends were gathering to celebrate Aubrey’s life in Brenham, I wept. Tears of sadness but also tears of sweet joy. God used her mightily during her time on this Earth.

  This book is dedicated to Aubrey and all those like her who fight the battle against cancer. Who is your Aubrey? Hug that person a little tighter, hold them a little closer. Cherish your time together, and thank the Lord for the blessing of having them in your life.

  Books currently available in

  The Lewis Legacy Series:

  ~~♥~~

  Available exclusively on Amazon*

  Prelude (Prequel)

  Awakening (Book 1)

  Second Time Around (Book 2)

  Twin Hearts (Book 3)

  Daydreams (Book 4)

  Moonbeams (Book 5)

  Enchantment (Book 6)

  Abide (Book 7)

  More adventures to come!

  Pursuit (Book 8)

  Roundabout (Book 9)

  Underground (Book 10)

  Assurance (Book 11)

  *Amazon and Amazon Kindle Unlimited

  Information about the previous books in

  The Lewis Legacy Series

  can be found at the end of Abide.

  Abide

  Book Description

  ~~♥~~

  Catherine “Caty” Lewis is thrilled to be home again with her family and friends. After working as a chief accountant for a multinational oil corporation in Dallas and then Lubbock the past five years, she’s been transferred to their new world headquarters in downtown Houston. Before she can even inhabit her new office, she schedules a private meeting with the reclusive founder and CEO. Someone in her division appears to be embezzling funds, and Caty prays she’s not the prime suspect.

  After suffering a deeply personal loss, Caleb Reid is struggling to raise his precocious twelve-year-old daughter, Lauren, on his own. He moved to Houston for a fresh start and to escape the threats that have plagued him the past few years. Then quickly discovers he can’t outrun them.

  When these two meet, romantic sparks fly. Caty stares down fear with the kind of strong faith Caleb has neglected along the way. Can he risk endangering Caty in his fight against an unseen threat? Have the walls he’s built around him and his daughter served to protect them or to keep others from getting too close to his heart?

  Abide

  An enduring love story

  between a man and a woman.

  A story of standing firmly on God’s promises,

  never giving into fear, and

  placing our trust in the One

  who is infinitely more capable.

  Theme Scripture Verse<
br />
  ~~♥~~

  John 15:4

  Abide in Me, and I in you.

  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself

  unless it abides in the vine,

  so neither can you

  unless you abide in Me.

  Chapter 1

  Early April 2007

  This had to be one of the dumbest things Caty Lewis had ever done.

  No, make that the dumbest.

  She might as well sign her own pink slip and be finished with this phase of her life. If the worst case scenario happened, she could chalk it up to experience and move on to the next challenge. Unease rumbled in Caty’s stomach, her nerves so tight she felt they might snap. Her professional reputation for remaining calm and unflappable under pressure could be in serious jeopardy.

  Should she call and cancel her four o’clock appointment? No, no. Nerves were one thing, but she’d never been accused of being indecisive. Her accounting position for Belac, Inc. was her livelihood. Her life, actually. Maybe she should rethink her priorities, but she was a valued five-year employee with awards, stock options, and bonuses. After coming this far, she couldn’t chicken out now. She’d requested this meeting with the corporation’s reclusive CEO and founder for a specific purpose, and it was important. That needed to be her focus.

  Shivering for reasons that had nothing to do with the temperature, Caty glanced at the high-rise building across the street. One entire floor of the building housed the newer, bigger Houston office of Belac, Inc., also now the corporation’s world headquarters.

  Think positive. You can do this.

  As she tightened her grip on the handle of her briefcase, Caty’s features settled into grim determination as she entered the downtown Houston crosswalk with a dozen other pedestrians. Head held high, she walked with renewed purpose. When she reached the opposite sidewalk, her steps slowed as she surveyed the office building. Narrowing her gaze, she silently counted the floors until they disappeared into the low-hanging clouds.

  Whomp! Someone plowed into her from behind with the force of a linebacker, pitching her forward. Her briefcase flew out of her hands. With a small cry, Caty landed with most of her weight balanced on her right hand, fingers splayed on the sidewalk. Ouch. Her back would likely feel the aftereffects tomorrow. When she heard a ripping sound, she bit her lower lip to keep from groaning.

  “Sorry, lady.” A stocky man appeared by Caty’s side and planted a beefy hand beneath her elbow. “You okay?” He helped her to her feet and then released his hold.

  “I’m fine, thanks. My fault for stopping in the middle of the sidewalk.” Saying she was fine, even when she wasn’t, was her usual response. She also routinely apologized for things beyond her control, but this pratfall? Completely and totally her own fault. She hadn’t been paying attention and could only blame it on a bad case of nerves.

  A city bus rumbled by, spewing a cloud of black exhaust. Sputtering, Caty waved her hand and coughed. The man bent to retrieve her medium brown leather briefcase. To her horror, the case fell open and scattered the evidence of her innocence, so to speak, all over the sidewalk.

  “Oh, no! Can you please help me? I can’t lose those papers.” Today, of all days, she’d neglected to lock the case? No doubt about it, she’d lost her mind. Spilling confidential Belac accounting records on the city streets? That’d do more than get her fired. Why, it’d probably be grounds for criminal prosecution.

  Get those papers now! Bypassing embarrassment, she went straight into preserving the job mode.

  Darting here and there, with the man working beside her and the aid of a few kindhearted passersby, Caty snatched up the papers as fast as she could before a gust of wind could carry them away. The saving grace was that the streets had dried from the earlier heavy rain.

  “Thank you so much.” Caty stuffed the last of the documents and spreadsheets back in her briefcase. After the man handed her a red folder with the most important data, she perused it quickly and blew out a sigh of relief. Everything appeared in order.

  “You should be more careful,” he cautioned. “You can’t just stop walking in the middle of the sidewalk.”

  Caty nodded. “Trust me, I learned that lesson. I appreciate your help.”

  “Welcome.” He gave her a gap-toothed grin. “You have a good day.”

  “You, too.” Tucking the folder back in the briefcase, she clicked the locks in place. And checked them again. Then grimaced when she spied a dark scuff mark that hadn’t been there when she’d left for the meeting an hour ago. It wouldn’t matter so much if she hadn’t bought the briefcase only two weeks ago in anticipation of her new downtown office.

  Just a material thing. Not a big deal.

  Lord, can you please rewind the clock and start this day over? The last five minutes would be good. Stopping in the middle of a busy sidewalk? Okay, that had to be the dumbest thing she’d done so far today, and perhaps in the entire past year. Hearing her cell phone, Caty stepped out of the path of oncoming pedestrians and quickly retrieved it from the pocket of her skirt.

  She checked the display. Sam Lewis. Maybe her older brother would be the voice of sanity amidst the madness.

  “Hey, Sam. Make it quick. I’m standing outside the building, trying to psych myself up for this meeting.” Goodness, she was still shaking.

  “You’ll be fine,” he said. “I’ll be in the TeamWork office until five if you need to talk.”

  “I’ll keep you posted.” A sleek black Porsche 911 Carrera zoomed her way. Caty’s eyes widened when she spied the standing water along the curb. The storm drain must be clogged, but the speed demon apparently didn’t notice or care.

  “Ohhh!” She jumped out of the way seconds before the car pulled to a stop at the curb and a spray of water splashed in a high arc over the pavement. Whew! That was close. She seemed to be tempting fate this afternoon. Not a good sign.

  Feeling wobbly and off-balance, Caty glanced down at her feet. Wonderful. The heel of her right pump was loose and cockeyed. At nearly five foot ten, she rarely wore heels, but she’d splurged and bought expensive navy slingbacks especially for this meeting. Go figure.

  “This is soooo not happening,” she muttered under her breath.

  “Should I ask?” Sam sounded slightly alarmed. “Caty? Everything okay?”

  “I’m honestly not sure how to answer that.” She moved one hand over her stomach and deep breathed a few times. “You wouldn’t believe how many things have happened in the last five minutes alone. I hope it’s not some kind of sign I should cut my losses, go back home, and wait to be summoned to the great throne room.” As it was, if the current trend continued with the Reidco Oil account she managed for Belac, this meeting would be inevitable sooner than later.

  Her oldest brother had the nerve to chuckle. “The CEO had the good sense to hire you, so I’m sure he’ll listen to your concerns.”

  “Remember, he didn’t hire me,” Caty said. “I’ve never personally met the man. Matter of fact, I’ve never even seen a photo of him, although we’re exchanged a few emails, and his tiny, illegible signature is stamped on all of the important corporate documents.”

  “Including your paychecks.”

  “Yes, that too, smart man.” Timely reminder. “My point being that he’s like a modern day Howard Hughes. Powerful and reclusive.”

  “I’m sure he works closely with his associates,” Sam said. “I doubt they do anything without his direction. You might as well check out your new office while you’re there in the building. Maybe it’ll be ready earlier than expected.”

  Caty drew in a quick breath. “We’ll see how the meeting goes first. That’ll determine whether I’m feeling optimistic. Just pray I survive this day.”

  “Will do. Listen, I talked to Mom and Dad a few minutes ago, and they said to tell you they’re thinking of you. Even though we know you can’t tell us what’s going on, we understand how important this meeting is, Caty Bug. It’s not every day you request a personal
meeting with the CEO and founder of the corporation.”

  “Try never before, but thanks.” Did Sam have to use her nickname now? She already felt like a kid this afternoon. “I’d better keep moving. Hopefully, I’ll call you later to let you know that I haven’t been swallowed whole. If you don’t hear from me—”

  “Remember this: ‘For God has not given us a spirit of timidity. But of power and love and discipline,’” Sam said. “It takes guts to bring your concerns to the top man in the corporation. You’re following your instincts, and I admire your initiative.”

  Tears stung her eyes, and Caty breathed out slowly. “Sam, you are my anchor.” Her older brother’s tendency to be right a majority of the time, and his ability to spout Scripture at any given moment, could be annoying at times. But, of all her siblings, Sam was the one who’d always been there for her without fail.

  “If I don’t talk with you before Saturday morning, we’ll be there to help move you into the townhome at seven.”

  “Thanks. See you then. Give my love to Lexa and the kids. I’d better go.” After signing off, Caty tucked her phone back in her skirt pocket. Her right palm was lightly scraped and dotted with pinpricks of blood. Yikes. Quickly digging a tissue from her purse, she pressed it against the affected area.

  What felt weird? She moved her right arm back and forth a couple of times. The ripping sound… A sinking feeling settled in her stomach. Reaching beneath the right arm of her jacket, Caty ran her fingers along the seam and let out a small groan of frustration when she felt a hole. Not gaping, but a rip about an inch long.