Love Inspired June 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Rebecca Kertz

Author:Rebecca Kertz [Kertz, Rebecca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

Joshua took a deep breath after shutting the passenger door and rubbing his hand over the back of his neck to soothe his tension. Emma and Tommy were safe inside. Emma had stopped crying, and Tommy could finally see.

Joshua felt like he was falling apart, though. He opened his coat as he walked around to the other side of the pickup. He needed to cool down. He’d never been so angry at anyone as he was with Junior. Emma had trusted that man, and look how he’d rewarded her. There was nothing Joshua could do about it though so he opened his door and hauled himself up into the seat. He’d just carry on.

Joshua had barely begun to back out of the parking space when Emma spoke.

“I should have known about Junior,” she said softly. She bit her bottom lip for a moment, and he almost stopped the vehicle so he could gather her in his arms again.

“Don’t beat yourself up over it,” Joshua said instead.

She didn’t even look like she was listening to him, though.

“Junior always had a quick answer for everything,” she said, staring through the windshield, even though there was nothing out there to be seen. “I knew he loved to flatter and tease. I just never knew he outright lied. I mean, of course I found out when they told me he’d set up the fake wedding thing. But the earrings are almost worse. There was no need to lie to me there. I would have still treasured them if he’d told me they were costume jewelry.”

“Junior probably liked giving them to you better if you thought they were worth more, though,” Joshua said. “He liked to exaggerate and live the good life.”

Just like me, Joshua heard the words in his mind, and the revelation shocked him. He had not tricked anyone into marrying him, but he had certainly used his banter to make women think he was more impressive than he was. He’d hand them a wildflower from the fields and make it seem like an expensive hothouse bloom. Like Junior, he liked to think the other person was happier that way. But it wasn’t true. Something humble was not something grand. He was only a step or two behind Junior in sliding the truth to make the moment sound better. Fortunately, God had taken him in hand. Thank You, Lord, even in my unwillingness, You’re dragging me along. Thank You. Don’t ever let me mislead anyone.

Suddenly, being a stodgy bachelor didn’t sound so bad. Maybe having the truth in his heart and on his tongue was worth being a dull party guy. At least he wouldn’t leave any victims in his wake. It occurred to him suddenly that it would mean others could trust him more. He’d never looked at that side of things before; he’d just always been sure he couldn’t trust anyone else.

Joshua drove the pickup out of the medical-center parking lot and onto one of the main roads in Miles City.

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