Love at Any Cost by Julie Lessman

Author:Julie Lessman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC042030, FIC042040, FIC027050, Single women—California—San Francisco—Fiction, San Francisco (Calif.)—History—20th century—Fiction, Love stories, Christian fiction
ISBN: 9781441240576
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group

“Oh, I just love fireworks.” Cassie’s bare toes wiggled beneath her white eyelet dress, hands propped behind her head next to Alli on a blanket sprawled on Uncle Logan’s lush Napa lawn. Her uncle’s laughter drifted from his house at the top of the hill where he sat with Aunt Cait and Father Harry on a curved stone terrace overlooking miles of neighboring vineyards. Bougainvillea spilled from pots on a rock wall, lending splashes of pink that matched the color of the sky bleeding on the horizon. Cassie breathed in the flinty smell of sulphur and gunpowder from the firecrackers shot off after dinner while dusk settled on the valley with an ethereal glow.

“Me too,” Allie said, fireflies flitting over Uncle Logan’s terraced backyard dotted with blankets and people. Smoke hung in the air like an acrid perfume mingling with the fragrance of rose bushes heavy with bloom, embedding the scent of Napa into Cassie’s brain.

Cassie’s sigh was one of contentment as she watched Jamie set up the fireworks display with Bram and Roger Luepke. “Fireworks and Napa have to be two of my favorite things.”

Alli snuck a sideways glance to where Liddy chatted with Blake while her sister Patricia sat on a blanket a few feet away with Maddie and Meg. “While we’re on the subject of fireworks and favorite things,” she whispered, turning back to Cassie with a dance of brows, “how’s the pre-courtship trial going?”

A glow as pink as the sunset sky warmed Cassie’s cheeks. “No fireworks yet, except the ones in his eyes,” she said with a sheepish smile. “And in my heart.”

Alli shifted to give her a tight hug. “Oh, Cass, I couldn’t be happier! I swear when you two are together, the air’s as charged as Fourth of July.” She tossed another glance over her shoulder at Patricia, whose gaze bore into Jamie. “Of course, with sparks like that, I hope somebody doesn’t get burned. Patricia’s eyes shoot fire every time she looks your way. She’s pretty head over heels, and Liddy says she’s not been happy Jamie seems smitten with you.”

“We don’t know for sure Jamie’s smitten,” Cassie said slowly, desperate to remain cautious in a situation that involved her heart.

“Come on, Cass, the man goes to church twice a week and is reading books he has no desire to read. Trust me, Jamie MacKenna wouldn’t do that for any woman unless he wanted something pretty badly.” Alli paused, assessing Cassie through curious eyes. “And speaking of wanting something badly, how’s the spiritual training going?”

Cassie’s smile faded like the light of dusk while she watched Jamie carry a crate of fireworks to the back of the lawn, muscular arms bulging from the weight. “Okay, I think. He seems to be picking things up quickly, but I worry his heart’s not in it for the right reasons.” Her stomach did a little flip when he winked on his way back up the hill, and a sweet shiver traveled her body despite the hesitation in her tone.

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