Season of Hope by Lisa Jordan

Author:Lisa Jordan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-11-23T15:05:38+00:00

Chapter Nine

Somehow Jake had to get past the hurt and adjust to the fact that his ex-wife was going to be his neighbor and nothing more.

The promises they’d made to each other in that tiny chapel had been broken. Because of fear. Because she believed her father’s word over his. And she’d never given Jake a chance to prove he could take care of her.

At least now he knew why she’d left.

Question was, could he do what it would take to keep her from walking away again?

Did he even want to try?

Could he trust her to stay, to be there to share all of his heart?

He wasn’t sure.

She didn’t believe his words—his promises—and he couldn’t trust her to stay.

And the pain she’d gone through with losing her—no, their—baby, well, he struggled to wrap his head around that.

He’d almost been a father.

One more life God had taken from him.

Jake closed his laptop and shoved it onto the coffee table. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and rubbed his eyes.

He hadn’t been able to focus on the fund-raiser notes for the past hour so why bother pretending? They had a bunch of things left to do, but honestly he was so ready to be done with the whole thing.

To get back to life before Tori returned.

But what would that look like?

Spencer’s ears perked as headlights spanned across the front of the house and tires crunched the gravel in the driveway.

“Sounds like Dad’s home, ole boy.” Jake scratched the Lab’s head.

Spencer shot off the couch as the door between the garage and the laundry room opened.

Dad appeared in the doorway wearing tan dress pants and a light blue dress shirt opened at the throat—clothes he typically wore to church.

“Nice threads. What’s the occasion?”

Dad scowled and looked at his watch. “What are you doing up? It’s past midnight.”

“Couldn’t sleep.” Jake rubbed his forehead. A dull ache pounded behind his skull.

“What’s on your mind?”

“What makes you think there’s something on my mind?”

“Well, for starters, you answered my question with a question. Plus, you’ve been moody and distracted all week. Something going on between you and Tori?”

“No.”

Absolutely nothing.

Dad wandered over to the couch and sat next to him. Spencer jumped up between them and rested his chin on Dad’s knee. Dad leaned his head against the back of the couch and looked at Jake. “Kid yourself all you want, but you can’t fool your old man.”

Jake released a sigh. “Last week when Tori and I went kayaking, we ended up at Bridal Bend. I told her I wanted what Granddad and Grandma had...with her.”

“Judging by your hound dog expression, that didn’t go over well.”

“She confessed why she’d left.” Jake pushed to his feet and moved in front of the window, staring out into the darkness punctuated by the barn lights. “When we were married, after I’d been sent overseas, Tori ended up in the hospital.”

“What happened?”

Jake’s throat thickened as tears pressed against the backs of his eyes. “She lost—” His voice cracked. Horrified at losing it in front of his father, Jake scrubbed a hand over his face and exhaled a deep sigh.

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