“I don’t know why we couldn’t remain friends when you go back to L.A.,” Rachel said.
“Because I don’t feel like your friend.” His words came out on a sigh and he leaned his forehead against hers. “Not at all.” After a moment he took her hand and pulled her to her feet.
Rachel let out her breath. “I like you, Jay.” She whispered the words. “So much.”
Jay straightened and his eyes met hers, the depths of emotion taking her breath away. “With a face like mine, I can’t imagine why.”
Rachel realized that she no longer saw Jay Nordstrom, the popular newscaster who’d once made the cover of a magazine, but a man who, in only a few short weeks, had found a place in her heart.
Impulsively Rachel leaned forward and gently kissed his battered cheek. “Any woman would be lucky to have you.”
Books by Cynthia Rutledge
Love Inspired
Unforgettable Faith #102
Undercover Angel #123
The Marrying Kind #135
Redeeming Claire #151
Judging Sara #157
Wedding Bell Blues #178
A Love To Keep #208
The Harvest #223
“Loving Grace”
Two Hearts #246
Love Enough for Two #264
For Love’s Sake #281
CYNTHIA RUTLEDGE
loves writing romance because a happy ending is guaranteed! Writing for Steeple Hill allows her to combine her faith in God with her love of romance. When she’s not writing romance or working full-time as health network consultant for a large insurance company, Cynthia likes to take long walks with her husband, chat on the phone with her daughter and attend theater productions with her friends.
For Love’s Sake is Cynthia’s eleventh book for Steeple Hill Love Inspired®. Cynthia loves to hear from readers and encourages you to visit her Web site at www.cynthiarutledge.com.
FOR LOVE’S SAKE
CYNTHIA RUTLEDGE
The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.
—1 Samuel 16:7
To Carolyn Jean Brown, who suggested I bring Rachel and Jay together in a book of their own.
Until your letter, I hadn’t even considered that the two secondary characters from Redeeming Claire would be a good match.
But, Carolyn, you were right! Thanks for the suggestion and for letting Rachel finally find the happiness she deserved.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Epilogue
Letter to Reader
Chapter One
“Don’t even think about it.” Jay Nordstrom’s hard unyielding voice shot across the room, breaking the silence that had permeated the old farmhouse all morning.
Rachel Tanner’s hand paused in midair and her lips tipped upward in satisfaction. Finally she’d gotten a reaction. Until now Jay had ignored her, pretending to be reading even though the light in the living room was so dim it was a wonder he could see, much less read.
Taking a deep breath, Rachel reached forward and jerked open the heavy brocade draperies, letting the June sunlight bathe the room in light. She ignored Jay’s cry of outrage and for a moment reveled in the feel of the warm sun against her face.
“It’s much too beautiful a day to be holed up here in darkness,” she said firmly.
“Shut them,” he ordered. “Shut them now.”
Rachel took a deep breath and counted to ten. Jay reminded her of her father when he used that tone of voice, and it wasn’t a pleasant comparison. But she told herself that Jay had been through a lot in the past month. It was to be expected that he’d be a bit testy.
For now, she’d cut him some slack and hope that the sunlight would improve his mood. She turned from the window and met his glare with a bright smile.
Rachel couldn’t say she really knew him. Though they’d grown up in the same small town, he’d been a couple years older and they’d run in different social circles. She’d been a bookworm, shy and studious, while he’d been an outgoing guy who never cracked a book. Despite that fact, he’d been a good student and everyone knew he’d make it big some day.
And he had made it big. After graduating with a degree in broadcasting from Drake University in Des Moines, Jay had headed west. He’d started his career at a small television station just outside San Francisco. But he hadn’t stayed long. His rise up the newscasting ladder had been meteoric. It hadn’t hurt that he was remarkably photogenic. Or that he’d garnered some great press of his own because of the modeling he’d done on the side to supplement his salary.
He returned to Millville only sporadically, usually on holidays. The last time Rachel had seen him was when he’d attended church with his family on Christmas Eve. Of course, he hadn’t even looked her way when he’d walked past. But when he’d taken his seat at the end of the pew one row up and over, Rachel had definitely looked him over.
His mother volunteered at the school where Rachel taught and Twyla had regaled Rachel with stories of her successful, good-looking son for years. Rachel had seen him on TV, of course, but she’d been curious to see if the real man lived up to the image.
His hair was what she’d noticed first. It had glistened like spun gold in the light streaming through the clapboard church’s stained-glass windows. Though she assessed him with a critical eye, after several minutes of careful scrutiny, Rachel was forced to admit that television hadn’t done him justice. His boyishly handsome features had only improved with age. Without a doubt, the best-looking boy at Millville High had grown up to be a real hunk.
“Is that why you took this job?” Jay snapped, his tone harsh. “So that you could stare at the freak and then run home and tell all your friends the gory details?”
His words jerked Rachel from her reverie and she realized with horror that while her mind had wandered she’d been staring.
She stifled a groan. What a way to start off a new job. His mother had warned her that Jay was super-sensitive about his altered appearance.
“I’m sorry.” Rachel unconsciously reverted to the soft dulcet tones she used with her first graders during the school year. “I really wasn’t staring. I was just thinking about the last time you were in Millville.”
He shifted his gaze out the window. “I wasn’t a freak then.”
“And you’re not a freak now.” Though she wanted to be sympathetic, irritation rippled through Rachel. From what she knew of the car accident last month, Jay was lucky to be alive. He should be praising God his life had been spared, rather than wallowing in self-pity.
She thought of little Timmy who’d been in her classroom last year. The boy suffered from a rare genetic disorder that caused pain and disfigurement. Still, Timmy came to school every day with a smile on his face. But then, Timmy hadn’t once been handsome, either, she reminded herself. And he’d had years to adjust to his situation, not just a few weeks.
For the first time since she’d entered the room, Rachel really looked at Jay. A long red scar cut a swath across one cheek. The eye on that side was bloodshot and the skin surrounding it puffy and br
uised. He might not be ready to be on the cover of GQ, but he didn’t look as bad as his mother had indicated when Rachel had interviewed for the job as his temporary caretaker.
“So you have a scar across your cheek,” she said. “And you look like you got socked in the eye. Big deal.”
“What about this?” He gestured with his head to the cast that ran from his left foot up to his knee.
Rachel barely gave it, or the other cast on his right arm, a second glance.
“I was in a body cast for scoliosis when I was in junior high,” Rachel said. “Don’t expect any sympathy from me.”
Jay’s brows pulled together but instead of being offended by her bluntness as she’d expected, his tightly controlled expression eased. “I thought nurses were supposed to be sympathetic.”
He thought she was a nurse? The idea was laughable. The last time Rachel had tried to donate to the Red Cross, she’d fainted. The possibility of seeing any blood had been her only concern about accepting this position. But Twyla had repeatedly assured her there wouldn’t be any open wounds.
“I don’t know what your mother told you,” she said. “But I’m a teacher, not a nurse.”
He tilted his head and stared at her for a long moment. Finally, a dimple flashed in his left cheek, rippling the scar. “And what are you planning to teach me?”
Rachel laughed. “For starters, how about some manners?”
He shook his head, his gaze warming her skin. “We should start with something easier.”
Rachel leaned back against the window and folded her arms across her chest. “What did you have in mind?”
“Kissing.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Ever since she’d been in junior high, Rachel had fantasized about locking lips with Jay Nordstrom. “Kissing?”
Jay nodded and flashed a lazy smile. “I’d like some advanced lessons.”
Rachel couldn’t believe it. He’d oh-so-easily slipped into flirtatious mode. And she’d hazard a guess that the enticing smile he flashed usually got him whatever his heart desired.
“Sorry, Charlie.” Rachel kept her tone deliberately light. “Not going to happen.”
Kissing was one lesson Rachel wouldn’t teach—not because of his injuries or because in this case the pupil would know more than the teacher, but because of Tom.
Jay’s expression stilled and she could tell he wasn’t accustomed to hearing the word no. “Because I’m ugly?”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “No.”
“I don’t believe you,” he said flatly. “What other reason could there be?”
She couldn’t believe his arrogance. He’d obviously never considered she might be dating someone. “I’m involved.”
Surprise filled his eyes. “You’re engaged?”
She shook her head. “No, but we are exclusive.”
Jay heaved a sigh and leaned back in his chair. “Everyone in this town is either married, engaged or involved. It’s…insane.”
Rachel smiled. Insane wasn’t the word she’d use—normal was the one that came to her mind.
“Even crazier, my mom told me Kim Krueger, my date for the senior prom, just had her third kid.” Jay shook his head, a disbelieving look in his eye. “Tell me she made that up because she wants grandchildren.”
“Kim’s oldest was in my class last year,” Rachel said, trying hard not to laugh.
“No kidding.”
It seemed odd to be discussing old classmates with him but, when Rachel thought about it, what else did they really have in common? Jay hadn’t lived in Millville since high school, and other than a brief stint in Chicago, Rachel hadn’t lived anywhere else.
“Abby Zinsmaster has four,” Rachel said. “Of course two are twins.”
Jay grimaced. “Abby isn’t old enough to have one child, let alone four.”
“She’s my age,” Rachel reminded him. “Twenty-eight.”
“I can’t imagine being tied down like that at such a young age,” Jay said. “Can you?”
Being married and having a family had been Rachel’s dream since she’d been a preschooler clacking around in her mother’s high heels, clutching a baby doll to her chest.
“Didn’t I read you were dating someone fairly seriously?” Rachel asked, deliberately changing the subject. “Some model?”
“Lindsay Stark,” Jay said in a flat tone.
“That’s right.” Lindsay was a provocative brunette rising to superstardom almost as fast as Jay had risen to become one of the most well-known newscasters in the country.
“And if you’re asking if we’re headed toward the altar, the answer is no.” He absently rubbed his casted leg as if it ached. “I haven’t seen Lindsay since shortly after the accident.”
“Is she out of the country?” Though Rachel had no idea how the modeling world worked, she assumed there was a fair amount of travel involved.
“No.” Jay leaned back in the chair and met her gaze. A weariness she hadn’t noticed until now edged his eyes. “She’s just busy.”
Though his tone was offhand, the momentary flash of pain in his eyes confused her.
“What about you?” he asked. “Does your boyfriend live around here?”
Rachel nodded. “Actually he graduated with you. Tom Tidball?”
If she hadn’t been staring directly into Jay’s eyes she’d have missed the look of surprise. Though she understood the reaction, it still hurt. As the son of the former mayor and a star athlete in high school and college, Tom was Millville’s “favorite son.” He’d been part of the town’s elite from the day he was born while, because of her father’s explosive temper, she’d spent her life on the outside looking in.
Not anymore, she reminded herself. Being with Tom had opened those doors now to her, too.
“Tom and I were friends in high school,” Jay said. “We played ball together.”
They’d also partied together. But for Tom, all that was behind him. Now he ran his father’s bank and a wild night on the town was dinner and a movie in Des Moines.
Jay’s brows drew together. “I thought Tom married Karen Wheeler and moved to Kansas City.”
“They split up two years ago. He moved back here last year.” Rachel lifted her chin, uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation but not sure why.
“I know this makes me sound provincial,” Jay said, “but it’s weird to think that someone who graduated with me is already divorced.”
“It is hard to believe,” Rachel said with a rueful smile. She’d never planned to become involved with a divorced man, but Tom had swept her off her feet. “Unfortunately I see it every day. Probably half the kids in my classroom come from a single-parent household. I can only pray that my children will never have to split their time between mommy and daddy.”
“That’s why you need to make sure you marry the right guy.”
“Exactly.” Rachel gave Jay an approving glance. So many people thought that having a good marriage was just luck, but Rachel knew it was more than that; it was finding your soul mate, the person God intended you to be with for the rest of your life.
“Have you and Tom talked marriage?” he asked.
“Only in the most general of terms,” Rachel said. “We want to take it slow. Make sure we’re right for each other.”
Curiosity flickered in Jay’s eyes. “Sounds like you have some doubts?”
Rachel paused. She and Tom were working on their problems and she’d never been one to air her dirty laundry. “We have some issues to resolve.”
“Do you two live together?”
“I don’t believe in sex before marriage.” Startled by the unexpected question, Rachel responded immediately without bothering to censure her reply.
Jay’s eyes widened as if she’d just announced she didn’t believe in celebrating Christmas. “And Tom’s okay with that?”
By the way he asked, Rachel knew Jay was having trouble reconciling the party guy he’d run around with as a teen to a man who could date
a woman for three months without sleeping with her.
“Tom respects my decision,” Rachel said.
Jay’s lips curved up in a smile.
Irritation surged through Rachel at the look in his eye. “You think it’s silly, don’t you?”
“It doesn’t make any sense.” Jay absently rubbed the scar on his cheek with the side of his finger. “Today is all we have. Why not enjoy it?”
Rachel studied him for a long moment and wondered how he could have strayed so far from his roots and the Bible truths he’d been taught as a child. “You’re used to such a different lifestyle. Why did you come back here to recuperate?”
It seemed a logical question. His father was busy in the fields, his mother was in Texas taking care of Jay’s dying grandfather and his elderly great aunt could barely care for herself. “Wasn’t there anyone in L.A. who could have helped you?”
Jay lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “I didn’t want my friends to see me looking like a fr—”
He stopped at the warning look in her eye. “Like this.”
Rachel thought how Dottie or Jocelyn or even Claire Karelli would be at her side in a heartbeat if she needed help. “But they’re your friends.”
“Friends who wouldn’t hesitate to send their résumé to the station if they thought I might get the boot.” Jay’s tone was surprisingly philosophical.
Rachel started to protest, but immediately shut her mouth. Though she might still believe in the overall goodness of mankind, she was far from naive. Living eight months in a big city and working for a Fortune 500 company had opened her eyes to the sometimes evil ways of the world.
“I had friends like that when I lived in Chicago,” Rachel said. “That’s why I came back home.”
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