Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Excerpt
OTHER BOOKS BY LYNNETTE BONNER
THE SHEPHERD’S HEART SERIES
Historical
Rocky Mountain Oasis - BOOK ONE
High Desert Haven - BOOK TWO
Fair Valley Refuge - BOOK THREE
Spring Meadow Sanctuary - BOOK FOUR
THE PACIFIC SHORES SERIES
Contemporary
Beyond the Waves - BOOK ONE
Caught in the Current - BOOK TWO
Song of the Surf - BOOK THREE
Written in the Sand - BOOK FOUR
THE WYLDHAVEN SERIES
Historical
Not a Sparrow Falls - BOOK ONE
On Eagles’ Wings - BOOK TWO
Beauty from Ashes - BOOK THREE
Coming soon.
Consider the Lilies - BOOK FOUR
Coming soon.
Find all other books by Lynnette Bonner at:
www.lynnettebonner.com
Soft Kisses and Birdsong
RIVERSONG, Book 2
Published by Serene Lake Publishing
Copyright © 2018 by Lynnette Bonner. All rights reserved.
Cover design by Lynnette Bonner of Indie Cover Design, images ©
www.istock.com, File: # ID 640190762
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-942982-10-4
Soft Kisses and Birdsong is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity and are used fictitiously. All other characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination.
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2 Corinthians 5:17-19
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
CHAPTER 1
Zaire Breckenridge looked up from her computer and gasped. Was that really the time? She snatched up her car keys, flipped over the “closed for lunch” sign, and dashed to her car. “You had one job, Zai. Get the food to the church on time. One job.”
If only she didn’t have so much on her plate. But it was okay. She could do this. If there was one thing she’d learned since Landon walked out on her two years ago, it was that she could do pretty much anything she set her mind to. She might have to put in lots of long hard days. And she might occasionally lose track of time because she was so focused on a project, but she always managed to pull things off somehow. The food might be a little late, but she would smooth things over. It would all be good.
She fell in behind the wheel, cranked the key, and thrust the car into gear. Her tires spun gravel as she exited the parking lot behind her little store. She glanced in her rearview mirror. “Slow down.” She’d heard that Riversong’s new cop was out to make a point to the citizens that he took his job seriously. She slacked off the pedal and turned toward her best friend Salem Finn’s riverside home where many women from the church were cooking lunch for the workers who were at the church redoing the roof.
Just as she’d feared, the women were frantically searching the road for her when she pulled into the driveway. “I’m sorry I’m late. I lost track of the time.”
Zai’s mother, Pam Kitzer, waved a basket of rolls at her. “Of course you lost track of the time. You always have your nose stuck so close to that computer that you can’t see anything else.”
“I can’t help it if you asked me to run deliveries for you on an inventory day, Mom.” She crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue before she pulled the older redhead into a quick embrace, dropping a kiss on her soft, wrinkly cheek.
Mom returned the squeeze with one arm. “Do you see that, gals? I get absolutely no respect!”
“Here, let me get that.” Zai took the basket of rolls from Mom’s hand and clicked the button on her key fob to open the back hatch of her little SUV. “We can load everything in here and I have all these towels to pack around the dishes so they won’t spill.”
“You really need to slow down and ask for help once in a while.”
Zaire clenched her teeth, determined not to argue with her mother right now. She didn’t have the time. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll try to do better.”
Behind her, Mom huffed. “Sure you will.”
Zaire was saved from a retort by the wave of women approaching her car, arms laden with food.
It only took them a few moments to get everything loaded. Zai’s stomach growled loudly at the smell of the pulled pork in the two large crockpots.
Shiloh, Salem’s sister who had recently returned to town and was teaching the sixth-grade class at Riversong Elementary School, dashed out with one last large Tupperware. “We almost forgot Mabel’s orange Jell-O salad.”
Zai peeked inside the lid. “Oh man, that would have been a tragedy. I love this stuff.”
Shiloh chuckled. “Well at least somebody does. Hey, you haven’t forgotten about Friday, have you?”
“Not on your life.” Zai tucked the Tupperware into a corner, stuffed a towel around it, and closed the hatch. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Great! Me too!” Shiloh actually bounced on her toes a couple times. “I learned that there are these Indian caves with paintings and I’ve asked—”
“Oh, look at the time!” Salem burst through the door and wrapped an arm around her sister. “Zai better get going before we have an outright rebellion of all the church men. We wouldn’t want them to abandon the roofing project—especially since it’s only half finished.”
Shiloh gave her sister a funny look, but Zai knew Salem was right. “I really am late. I better run. I’ll see you bright and early in the elementary school parking lot Friday morning—I haven’t been on a school field trip since we all went to the Seattle Science Center when Salem and I were in sixth grade and you were in fifth.”
Shiloh shuddered
. “Oh, that was the time when Johnny Asher brought his pet mouse and dropped it down the back of my shirt.”
Salem and Zaire simultaneously launched into the dance they had patented over the years to mimic Shiloh’s actions from that day.
Shiloh folded her arms and did her best to hide her laughter beneath a forced glower. “Ya’ll have absolutely no sympathy.”
Zaire took pity on her and pulled her in for a hug. “Well let’s just hope there are no pet-mice-owning-boys who have crushes on cute little girls in your class this year.”
Shiloh’s eyes widened at the thought.
Zaire tweaked her cheek in a ‘guess you hadn’t thought of that, yet, had you?’ gesture before turning her gaze onto Salem, who was chuckling at Shiloh’s horror-filled expression. “And then, I guess we’ll all see each other again on Saturday?”
Salem forgot about laughing at her sister and squealed out her excitement. “Yes! I can’t wait. Shopping for my wedding dress with you two is going to be so much fun!”
The reminder of the shopping trip put a damper on Zai’s emotions. She waved goodbye and slipped behind the wheel. She only hoped that she could continue to keep her bitterness about the whole marriage process from Salem. The ceremony was only a month from now, she reminded herself. Surely after that they’d be able to spend more than two minutes together without talking about weddings.
She remembered how excited she’d been to marry Landon, and the thrill of each new step in the process. Little had she known that just two years down the road he would leave her behind like yesterday’s socks. That kind of thing tended to jade one’s view, but she’d been doing her best not to put a damper on Salem’s excitement. And she truly did hope that things worked out better for Salem and Jett than they had for her.
Zai, I’m home to stay. If she hadn’t been driving she would have closed her eyes in despair at the memory of Landon walking into her store out of the blue last month to inform her that he’d come home.
Thankfully, the church was just a few miles down the road, so it only took her five minutes to get there and she didn’t have to dwell on him for long.
She pulled into the lot and parked near the doors into the fellowship hall. She knew that several other women were in the building setting up tables and tableware, mixing punch, and making coffee.
Marlene Kaufmann was standing in the doorway with one hand shading her eyes. She gave Zai a narrow, pinched-lip look.
“I’m sorry I’m late.” Zai hopped out almost before the SUV had come to a complete stop. “I have everything here. And it’s a feast that will ensure forgiveness from the men.”
Marlene didn’t look convinced, but she called over her shoulder, “Girls, she’s here!”
A hoard of women descended on her SUV and absconded with the contents of the back end before Zai even had time to lift one tub. “Well that was easy,” she murmured.
She really should get back to work, but she was starving. It had been a long time since the half a cup of coffee that she’d had for breakfast. She’d forgotten to stop and eat today. Maybe she could just sneak a small plate before all the men descended like scavenging barbarians.
She realized she hadn’t even looked to see how far the crew had gotten today. Pushing her hatchback closed with one hand, she curled the other over her eyes to see the roof.
And there, bent over with a nail gun in his hand, and jeans stretched tight was her ex. She pulled in a breath. What was Mr. Wife-Abandoner doing here? And why did he still have to be so good looking? Faded torn jeans and an organic cotton T-shirt had never looked so good on a man. Especially since most men didn’t have biceps as cut as Landon did from his many hours of rock climbing.
The hatchback thunked down onto her thumb. “Ah!” She snatched her hand away and shook the pain, doing every mental exercise she’d ever practiced so that she didn’t shout a curse word right here in the church parking lot. Giving the liftgate an angry shove that sent it satisfactorily into the latched position, she spun in a circle, sucking on her throbbing thumb. There really ought to be a rule. The heartbreaker should never be allowed to move back to town.
“You alright down there?”
Drat. She must have made more noise than she thought.
She looked up and forced a perky lift of her chin. “Yes. Fine, thanks.”
“You sure? Cause it sounded like you were doing the backwards counting in French that you used to do when you were trying not to swear.” There was a decided glint of humor in his eyes when he squatted casually at the edge of the roof and rested his forearms across his thighs.
He was perching there with all the ease of a man settling into a hammock, like he wasn’t six inches from a twelve-foot drop.
Zai narrowed her eyes. “If you must know, I slammed my thumb just now.”
His face turned serious. “Is it bad?”
Zaire pushed away the wave of warmth that spread through her at his concern. “I’ll be fine, thank you.” Have been doing just fine on my own since you left, and don’t need you now.
The devilish gleam was back. “You were surprised to see me up here, weren’t you?”
‘Surprised’ was an understatement considering she’d hardly been able to talk the man into special services like Easter or Christmas during the last year of their marriage.
She glanced toward the door into the fellowship hall. “I should get inside to help.”
His focus lowered to the roofing tiles at his feet. “I know you don’t believe me, Zai, but I’m going to show you that I’m a changed man—only by God’s help.”
Yes. And that was what terrified her. She didn’t want him to be changed. She liked him classified right where he was in her “terrible person” box. There definitely should be a rule.
He continued looking at her as though waiting for a response.
“We’ll see,” she offered in a clipped tone, before scurrying inside.
She didn’t look away fast enough to avoid the hurt that crossed his face though, and it frustrated her that she felt bad to have caused him pain.
She gave a low growl as she stepped through the door.
The first thing she saw was the cross hanging on the wall straight ahead. Okay, God, I’m trying. But You do know You are asking a lot from me, right?
And the second thing was Mrs. Robinson’s big smile.
Zai’s guilt increased tenfold.
Mrs. Robinson had one of the hardest lives Zai had ever witnessed anyone live. She and her husband had been in a severe car accident early on in their marriage that had left Mr. Robinson in a vegetative state and had damaged several vertebrae in Mrs. Robinson’s back. Zai knew she was in constant and severe pain, and yet Mrs. Robinson had faithfully cared for her husband for all these years, and she always had a smile and was the first one to offer a hug.
Even now she stretched out her plump arms. “Zaire, so good to see you, dear. I know it was a sacrifice for you to take time off of work to do this today!”
Zaire’s guilt mounted as she allowed herself to be enfolded in the soft arms. Mrs. Robinson had likely spent much of her morning bathing and feeding her husband, Bill, and then getting him from his bed into his wheelchair—all while suffering herself. And yet she never complained.
Zai pulled away. “It really isn’t that much of a sacrifice. I’m on my lunch break, and who could complain about getting free pulled pork for lunch?” She winked at the older woman. “And how is Bill today?”
She glanced over at the man who sat in his wheelchair in the corner of the room.
Mrs. Robinson’s smile broadened. If that were possible. “Bill is doing just fine. At his last appointment, his Dr. said he was fit as a fiddle.”
“And how has your back been recently?”
Mrs. Robinson waved a hand. “Oh, you know… About the same as usual, but I really have nothing to complain about. The Lord has blessed me with so much over the years. Now how about we grab you a plate before all those men get in here?”
&nbs
p; Zaire gave the woman a pump of her brows. “I can’t say as I would complain about that at all.” She chuckled and followed in the woman’s steps to grab a plate. She filled it, feeling only a little guilty when she took enough to ensure that she could have it for dinner, also. And then she grabbed up some plastic utensils and a napkin, quickly dropped a kiss on Mrs. Robinson’s cheek, thanked her for letting her grab a plateful, and hurried back to her car.
Landon Breckenridge stood on the peak of the roof and rubbed his cheek across his shoulder as he watched Zaire’s white SUV pull from the church parking lot. He propped his hands on his hips, feeling the weight of all his mistakes settling into the pit of his stomach. He angled a glance at the sky. When You asked me to come home and make things right, I didn’t think it was going to be such a difficult task. The heavens remained silent as though chiding him for not expecting this. What had he been expecting? Had he thought that he’d tell her he’d returned home and that she would just invite him back into her life as though nothing had happened between them?
He sighed and leaned into the angle of the roof as he carefully made his way toward the ladder at the other side of the church. When he reached the ground, Jett Hudson was waiting for him.
Jett clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t give up on what you feel the Lord has asked you to do, man.”
Landon scrubbed at the nape of his neck. “Not sure she’s ever going to forgive me.” And what am I going to do if she doesn’t?
A sympathetic sock on the arm was Jett’s only response before he tipped his head toward the fellowship hall entry. “Let’s get some lunch.” As they walked, Jett continued, “One of my coaches used to say trust is like a bridge. It’s a lot easier to tear down than to build. And once you’ve torn it down, it’s a whole heck of a lot harder to rebuild then it was the first time around.”
Landon thought about that as he and Jett got in line for the food. He’d certainly done a doozy of a job of tearing down any bridges he and Zai had going. Two years. That was all he’d given it. Then at the first financial crisis his business had faced, he’d tucked his tail between his legs and run from everything. He’d been terrified at the thought that it was his responsibility to refloat the sinking ship that was taking not only him to the bottom of the sea, but the woman he loved most in the world as well. If only he’d had his priorities right. But he hadn’t. His sole drive had been making more money. And he’d only seen his value in that. So when everything had fallen in the tank, he’d been sure that Zai could never keep loving him. He hadn’t been able to handle facing her disappointment, so he’d barricaded himself behind a wall of retreat, falsely believing that if he left first, he wouldn’t feel so much pain.
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