Hank and Sarah - A Love Story
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The Madeleine Richards Series
Although the 3 book series is intended mainly for pre-teen/Tweenage girls, it’s been read and enjoyed by people of all ages. Here’s what one reader had to say about it: “Juliette has a fabulous way of bringing her characters to life. Maddy is at typical teenager with authentic views and actions that truly make it feel like you are feeling her pain and angst. You want to enter into her situation and make everything better. Mom and soon to be dad respond to her with love and gentle persuasion while maintaining their faith and trust in Jesus, whom they know, will give them wisdom as they continue on their lives journey. Appropriate for teenage readers but any age can enjoy.” Amazon Reader
About the Author
Juliette Duncan is a Christian fiction author, passionate about writing stories that will touch her readers' hearts and make a difference in their lives. Although a trained school teacher, Juliette spent many years working alongside her husband in their own business, but is now relishing the opportunity to follow her passion for writing stories she herself would love to read. Based in Brisbane, Australia, Juliette and her husband have five adult children, seven grandchildren, and an elderly long haired dachshund.
Apart from writing, Juliette loves exploring the great world we live in, and has travelled extensively, both within Australia and overseas. She also enjoys social dancing and eating out.
Juliette's first published series, "The Madeleine Richards Series", was written specifically for middle grade girls as she has a real interest in that age group, and she believes the more they can be encouraged to read good, wholesome books the better. Her most recent series, “The True Love Series”, is a Contemporary Christian romance set in her home town/city of Brisbane, Australia.
Connect with Juliette:
Website: www.julietteduncan.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JulietteDuncanAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Juliette_Duncan
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/juliette-duncan
TESTED LOVE - Chapter 1
Brisbane, Australia
Tessa slipped her arm through Ben’s as the newlyweds stood gazing at the house they were about to call home. “I’ve said it before, Ben, but I’m glad we chose this one. I absolutely love it!” The architect and builder had both done a great job of creating this modern sleek family home, blending it into the surrounding neighbourhood of New Farm, renowned for its trendy renovated worker’s cottages, cute cafes and shady tree-lined streets. The house sat on a narrow block. A row of lush green agapanthus in full bloom lay either side of a short path leading to the modern double doors she and Ben had spent hours choosing.
Ben kissed the side of her head. “Me too, my sweet. It’s perfect.”
Jayden, Ben’s fourteen-year old son, raced past them with Bindy yapping at his heels, and headed directly for the backyard where Sparky’s short, sharp barks could be heard. Stephanie, Tessa’s old house-mate, had dropped him off a little earlier, and Tessa knew her energetic dog would be excited to see her, but she wanted to inspect the inside of the house first. Grabbing Ben’s hand, she pulled him along the path to the front door. Tessa let out a small gasp as Ben whisked her off her feet and carried her over the threshold, kissing her gently as he placed her back on her feet.
“The first thing we should do in our new home is ask God to bless it. What do you say?” Ben asked when he finally released her.
Tessa smiled into his eyes. “That’s a wonderful idea.”
Ben kept his arms around her, and Tessa leaned her head against his chest as Ben thanked God for bringing them together and giving them a fresh start. “Heavenly Father, your faithfulness and grace are amazing. Thank you for bringing Tess into my life. Thank you for the gift of marriage that we can share together and for all the good things you have in store for us. And thank you for this house. Please make it into a home where your love touches everything we do. Thank you for being here with us right now, and we ask you to bless this home and this family. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.”
“Amen.” Tessa drew her head back and gazed into her husband’s eyes. How she loved him. Thank you, God for such a wonderful husband.
Persistent knocking on the expansive glass sliding door leading out to the deck and pool area broke the moment. Jayden stood on the other side with both dogs at his heels. Their tails were wagging and they let out short sharp yaps. Ben located the correct key and opened the door, letting Jayden in but holding the dogs back.
“Let them in, Ben.” Tessa laughed as she picked Sparky up and cuddled him, trying to protect her face from his eager kisses. Bindy snuck in through the gap but Ben grabbed her before she got too far.
“They should stay out, Tess. They’ll destroy our new furniture.”
“Seriously?” Tessa arched an eyebrow and cocked her head. Although Steph had never been too happy about it, Sparky had been allowed inside their house whenever they were home, and she hadn’t thought about him not being allowed inside here. Was this going to be their first disagreement? “Maybe we could just set some ground rules? They’re smart – they’ll learn, I’d hate them to be outside all the time.”
Tessa hugged Sparky to her chest as she waited for Ben’s response. Ben’s gaze bounced between Tessa, Jayden and the two dogs.
“Yeah Dad, the backyard’s way too small. There’s hardly any room for them to run around in. You’ve got to let them in.”
Ben let out a slow sigh. “Alright then. But they’re not allowed on any of the furniture or upstairs. Agreed?”
Tessa winked at Jayden as they both nodded their heads in agreement. Jayden’s shy grin gave Tessa hope that he might start to accept her, maybe not as his mother, but at least as a friend.
Reversing beepers sounded from the front of the house. Ben strode to the door to meet the truck drivers, and Tessa and Jayden reluctantly put the two dogs outside for their own safety.
“I’m going to check my room out.” Jayden picked up his box of memorabilia and headed upstairs. “Hope it’s bigger than the backyard…”
Tessa laughed lightly, but cringed inside at the sarcasm in Jayden’s voice. Would he learn to be happy here? She took a few moments to pray for him and to look around her new home before Ben returned with one of the drivers and a load of boxes.
Hours later, once the drivers had left and they’d eaten the dinner Tessa’s mother had pre-cooked for them, Tessa and Ben relaxed on their new soft leather sofa. Subtle lighting in the garden highlighted a range of lush tropical plants surrounding the pool, and Tessa could almost imagine they were still on their honeymoon.
“Hard to believe we were in Fiji this time last night.” She leaned back against Ben’s chest and gazed outside. “I wish we had longer before going back to work. This month has been wonderful Ben. I don’t want it to end.”
“Me either, my sweet. We’ve got tonight and tomorrow, so let’s make the most of it.”
He nuzzled his face into her hair and sighed contentedly.
The next morning, Ben suggested they have breakfast out before tackling the remaining boxes. The rest of the day passed too quickly, but by the time evening came, everything was unpacked and in its place.
Tessa woke early the next morning to Ben kissing her forehead. “Good morning, my sweet,” he said softly as he gazed into her eyes. “I’m going for my morning jog. Be back in twenty.” Tessa returned his kiss and rolled over, warmth and contentedness enveloping her body as she curled up, cuddling Ben’s pillow. She was drifting off when a jolt stabbed her body and she sat with a start. What am I doing? I can’t go back to sleep. Her pulse quickened. She couldn’t be late for work, today of all days. The day she started her new job. She showered quickly, threw on a pair of new pink scrubs before changing her m
ind, choosing a white shirt and black trousers instead, more fitting for her new role as manager, and ran downstairs pinning her hair up. Jayden was in the lounge room watching television.
“Good morning, Jayden.”
Jayden glanced at her and mumbled something unintelligible.
“Did you sleep okay in your new room?”
“Preferred my old bed.”
Tessa inhaled slowly. Be patient. Count to ten.
“Do you always take so long to get ready?” Jayden turned his head away from the television and looked at her directly.
Tessa fought the temptation to tell him off for being rude. Instead, she replied in a controlled voice. “The new clinic’s right near here so I don’t have to get up so early. It’d be a different matter if I was still working at the old one.” She wasn’t going to tell him she’d slept in and was now in a rush.
“My school’s the other side of the city. How am I going to get there?”
“We’ve already talked about that.” He really is trying me out… Tessa steadied her breathing as she clenched her fists. “Your dad will drive you today since it’s your first day back after the break, but then you’ll need to catch a bus most mornings.” She took a deep breath as Jayden continued to glare at her. “You should be able to catch the same bus to the city as your dad, but then you’ll need to change and catch the bus to Indooroopilly on your own. From there it’s only a short walk to school.” Tessa held his gaze firmly as she paused. “Remember?”
“Dad used to drive me every day.” Jayden’s eyes narrowed.
“I know, but let’s give this a try, shall we? It’s not fair to expect your dad to drive through the city and then back to his work every day when you can catch a bus. It was different when you lived on the other side of town.”
Jayden shrugged and gave Tessa a glassy stare before picking up his school bag and absentmindedly checking the contents. “Guess I have no choice, so I suppose we’ll have to. Where’s Dad?”
“Gone for his run. Should be back any minute.” Tessa poured herself a coffee and sat at the breakfast bar, resting her elbows on the marble benchtop as she wrapped her hands around the mug and studied Jayden. Her heart was heavy. How am I going to get through to him, God? Please help me, I’m really struggling. She sighed and took another sip of her coffee. He’d be a good looking boy if only he’d cut his hair. But that doesn’t matter, it’s what’s going on inside him that’s important. He’s been through so much, God, it’s understandable he’s struggling with everything. What child could ever understand why their mother would walk out on them without explanation? Even though he’s surrounded by people who love him dearly, there must a deep ache in his soul. Tessa’s heart cried for him. I just want to love him and have him love me, Lord. But she had to earn that right. She couldn’t expect a fourteen-year old boy who’d been through everything he’d been through to automatically accept her as his new mum.
“Jayden, I’m sorry if I was short with you. Let’s try to get through this first week and then we can see if it’s working. Okay?” Her voice was warm and much softer than before.
Jayden stopped fiddling with his bag and looked up, tilting his head a little. His lips were still tight and he wore a pout on his face.
“Whatever.”
Tessa cringed. She was starting to hate that word.
“Tell me about all your sports and after school activities. I’d like to come and watch when I can – if you’re happy for me to do that.”
Jayden raised his eyebrows. He leaned back and crossed his arms, studying her face as he reeled off his weekly schedule. “This term I’ve got rugby training on Mondays and Fridays, rowing on Tuesday mornings, and tennis on Wednesdays.” He paused, as if waiting for her to say something, but then continued before she could. “I’m also part of the science club which meets on Thursday afternoons.”
Tessa’s eyes widened. “Wow! All of that?”
Jayden’s mouth lifted slightly at the edges, falling just short of a smile.
“It’s nothing.” Jayden shrugged again as if he was trying to play it down, but Tessa’s reaction had obviously pleased him. “And you don’t have to worry about watching me play. Dad hardly ever comes even though he says he will.”
“That’s not true, Jayden. Your Dad tries to get there as often as he can. You know he does.” Tessa couldn’t help herself. He wasn’t being fair on Ben at all. During their courtship, Ben was always having to hurry away to either watch Jayden play something or other, or to pick him up. Tessa had occasionally gone with him, but most often she’d just let Ben go on his own. But that was about to change. She would go whenever she could. She stood her ground and looked him in the face. Jayden’s smile had disappeared and his sullen look had returned, and it made her blood boil.
“Yeah, well, what you think is often and what I think is often must be two different things.” He turned his attention back to his bag. “By the way, what’s for breakfast?”
“Breakfast?” Tessa dropped her striped leather work bag onto the floor and slapped her forehead. “Breakfast! Of course, I nearly forgot.” She hurried into the kitchen. She’d have to fix something quickly and get it on the table before Ben got back. How could she have forgotten about breakfast?
Jayden sat with crossed arms watching as she pulled out pots and pans and yanked food items out of the pantry. Tessa’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. She was sure he was silently mocking her. What mother forgets to make breakfast for her family? Her own mother would never have done that. Thank goodness Ben’s not here.
Jayden flicked the television off and joined her in the kitchen.
“We normally only have cereal and toast.” He grabbed the packet of Weetbix from the cupboard and placed four of the breakfast biscuits into a bowl.
Tessa sighed with relief and let out a small laugh as she leaned back against the counter. He’d been testing her again. Such a changeable boy. One minute he was horrible and the next he was joking with her. Was it typical teenage behaviour, or was it because he was sorting out how to treat her now she was his step-mum?
“Thank you.” She gave him a grateful smile, and her heart warmed as a cheeky grin spread slowly across his face. Maybe, just maybe, they’d made some progress.
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Tender Love: A Christian Romance (The True Love Series Book 1) Page 13
