Beloved (Where The Heart Lives) - Softcover

Hatcher, Robin Lee

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0310257778 ISBN 13: 9780310257776

Verlag: Zondervan, 2013

Inhaltsangabe

A most unwelcome guest surprises Diana at her engagement party—the husband she thought was dead!

Diana Brennan came west on the orphan train and was given a home with a loving couple who cherished and spoiled her. At 17, she fell hard for Tyson Applegate, the son of a wealthy mine owner. After a whirlwind courtship and marriage, Tyson took off for adventures around the world, including fighting with the Rough Riders in Cuba. Receiving no word of him in years, Diana is ready to move past the old pain and marry again, just as soon as Tyson is declared legally dead.

But when Tyson returns, supposedly a changed man, he wants to reunite with his wife and run for the senate. While Diana suspects the election is his real reason for wanting her by his side, she agrees to maintain his home and to campaign with him, but when it is over, win or lose, she wants her freedom.

He agrees with one condition—she must give him a chance to change her mind about him.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Robin Lee Hatcher is the author of over 80 novels and novellas with over five million copies of her books in print. She is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. Her numerous awards include the RITA Award, the Carol Award, the Christy Award, the HOLT Medallion, the National Reader’s Choice Award, and the Faith, Hope & Love Reader’s Choice Award. Robin is also the recipient of prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards from both American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. When not writing, she enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, Bible art journaling, reading books that make her cry, watching romantic movies, and decorative planning. Robin makes her home on the outskirts of Boise, sharing it with a demanding Papillon dog and a persnickety tuxedo cat.

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Beloved

Where The Heart Lives

By Robin Lee Hatcher

ZONDERVAN

Copyright © 2013 Robin Lee Hatcher
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-310-25777-6

CHAPTER 1

Boise City, Idaho

May 1900

To say the least, it was inconsiderate of Diana's almost-deadhusband to show up at her engagement party.

Conversations around the dinner table in the Calhoun diningroom fell silent as guests began to notice the tall, dashing strangerstanding in the doorway, his gaze fixed on Diana Applegate. Hewore formal evening attire, as if he too had been invited to thefestivities. But this was no guest.

Brook Calhoun, Diana's soon-to-be fiancé, leaned toward her."Who is he? Do you know him?"

"Yes," she answered, disbelieving the word as it came out of hermouth. "It's Tyson."

"Tyson ... Applegate?"

"Yes."

"Great Scott!"

Tyson smiled at her from across the room, but there was nothingfriendly about the expression. An odd humming started inDiana's ears, and she felt as though she was observing the momentfrom a distance. Was any of it real? Was he real? This couldn't behappening. It couldn't be.

Get up. Get up and go talk to him. Make him leave. Get himout of sight. But her body refused to obey her mind's demands. Dosomething. You must do something. Now. Now!

She heard the ticking of the clock on the mantle, even thoughtime itself seemed to stand still. Someone cleared his throat. Icetinkled against crystal. A chair leg scraped the hardwood floor.Then something in Tyson's gaze told Diana he was tired of waitingfor her to go to him. He was about to come to her. This at lastspurred her to action.

To Brook she whispered, "I'll speak with him." She pushed backher chair from the table and, as she rose, said to their guests, "Please,everyone. Go on with your dinner. I won't be but a moment."Somehow she managed to sound normal, unconcerned. What a lie!

She hurried toward the entrance, avoiding eye contact with hermother. Her heart raced and skipped, and her thoughts scattered ina hundred directions at once.

"It's good to see you, Diana," Tyson said when she reached him.

She felt everyone's gazes on her back. Watching her. Watchingthe two of them. They were wondering who he was, how she knewhim, what business he had with her. A chill shuddered through her.

"We need to talk," he added in a low voice.

This was no mirage. He was real. She felt his body heat uponthe skin of her arms.

"Not here. Co—" Her voice broke. "Come into the library."She moved past Tyson and hurried down the hallway, trusting hewould follow her to the room at the far end.

He did—and closed the door.

Moving across the room, Diana stared into the fireplace, stillunable to calm the tangle of her thoughts. How could this behappening? Tyson Applegate was supposed to be dead. Missing onthe battlefields of Cuba, his body never found. The court was scheduledto declare his death a fact tomorrow morning. But now, on theeve of her expected freedom from the husband who'd abandonedher, he'd returned.

Very much alive.

Not injured. Not frail. Not sickly.

She turned around. "You ... you're supposed to be dead." Thewords came out a whisper—and she hated herself for sounding weak.

"I know. Sorry to disappoint you." Tyson gave his head a slowshake, and his expression seemed to say he regretted his flippancy."When I learned that you were about to publicly announce yourengagement to Mr. Calhoun, I realized it was important that Istop you."

The words didn't quite make sense to her. They should butthey didn't. She turned her back to him again and covered her facewith her hands. This was a nightmare. Surely it was a nightmareand she would wake up at any moment to find Tyson Applegategone once more. Dead, the way everyone—including her and hisfather—had thought of him for the past two years.

"You deserve an explanation, Diana, but perhaps here and nowisn't the time or place for it. I imagine you and Mr. Calhoun willhave a few things to talk over."

A few things to talk over. She wanted to laugh at the understatement.

"Diana." Tyson's voice was low and near. Too near. "I'm sorry.I don't mean to be unkind. This wasn't the best way for you to findout that I'm still among the living. But when I learned the reasonfor this dinner party, I felt I had no choice but to come at once."

If he touched her, she wasn't sure what she would do. Scream.Cry. Faint. Perhaps all three.

"Here, Diana. This is where you'll find me."

She looked over her shoulder. He held a calling card for herto take.

"Please come and see me in the morning. There is much wemust sort out."

Another understatement. She took the card.

"Until tomorrow." He turned and left the library.

Suddenly weak in the knees, Diana sank onto the nearby sofa.The shaking started deep within and worked its way out to herfingertips and toes. She hugged herself lest she shatter.

Tyson was alive. He was alive and he'd returned. But for whatpurpose? To save himself from embarrassment. It certainly couldn'tbe because he wanted her. He'd never wanted her.

"Never," she whispered to the empty room.

The door to the library opened again. This time it was Brookwho entered. Wordlessly he sat beside her, but he didn't touch her.Didn't put a hand in the small of her back or an arm around hershoulders. Didn't offer any sort of comfort. Just sat there in stiffsilence.

It was a few moments before she had the strength to look athim. "Brook, I ... I thought he was dead. His father thought hewas dead. All this time without a word from him."

"What did he say to you?"

She drew in a shaky breath. "He wants me to see him in themorning." She held up the calling card. "At this address."

"And?"

"He said there is much we must sort out."

"Ah."

That wasn't the response she wanted. She wanted him to hopto his feet and swear he would never let her go. She wanted him topromise to fight a duel rather than let her return to the man whohad forsaken her so cruelly. Love might not have a place in herrelationship with Brook, on either side, but there was a shared affection.They'd made plans for the future. Their future. She wantedhim to demand that she divorce Tyson so they could marry. Shewouldn't be the wealthy widow he'd proposed to, but everythingelse about her would be the same. Surely that would be enough.

She looked down at the card she held in her right hand. "Ihave no choice but to meet with him." Say you'll go with me. Please,Brook. Say you want to go with me.

"Yes, you must." He stood. "I think it best if I make your excusesto our guests. The less said now, the better. Don't you agree?"

"Yes," she whispered, fighting the lump rising in her throat.

A short while ago, she'd been seated at a table surroundedwith well-wishing friends. But there would be no congratulationstonight. There would be no champagne toasts to Brook and hisfiancée. Not now. Brook was ending their engagement before itofficially began. What else could he do? She wasn't free to marry.Not him. Not any man. The only way she would be free was if sheobtained a divorce. And few, if any, men of good society were willingto marry a divorcée.

That included Brook Calhoun.

"I am sorry, Diana. About ... everything."

She continued to stare at the card in her hand. "I know."

"I envisioned this evening much differently."

Me too.

"Would you like me to send your mother to you?"

"Please." She drew in a...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Zondervan
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2013
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0310257778
• ISBN 13: 9780310257776
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 304
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
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