Brides and Grooms Box Set: Marriage Wanted\Bride Wanted\Groom Wanted by Debbie Macomber

Author:Debbie Macomber
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781460375563
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-07-01T16:00:00+00:00

Eight

Julia hesitated, one foot on the curb, the other in the limousine. Crouched as she was, she felt in danger of collapsing. Roger had dared to show up at her grandmother’s funeral! The man had no sense of decency, but that didn’t come as any surprise.

Although Alek couldn’t have known what was happening, he leaned forward, put his arm around her waist and assisted her to an upright position.

His eyes were filled with concern. Julia’s heart was beating double time and her head was spinning. She was afraid she might faint.

“I…I need to sit down.”

“Of course.” With his hand securely around her waist, Alek led her into the church vestibule. A row of wooden pews lined the wall and Alek encouraged her to take a seat.

“What’s wrong?” Jerry asked.

Julia couldn’t answer. “Water…could you get me a glass of water?”

Jerry hurried away and returned a moment later with her drink. Other friends were beginning to arrive and after taking a moment to compose herself, Julia stood.

How dare Roger come to her grandmother’s funeral! He’d done it to agitate her, and his unscrupulous ploy had worked. Julia had never been so close to passing out. Not even the day her father had—She pushed the thought from her mind, refusing to dwell on anything that had to do with Roger.

Jerry caught sight of their former employee, and his mouth thinned with irritation. “You saw him, didn’t you?”

Julia nodded.

“I’ll have him thrown out.”

“Don’t,” she said. Roger wasn’t worth the effort. “He’ll cause a scene. Besides, I think Ruth would’ve gotten a kick out of it. We tried everything but a subpoena to talk to him after the fire, remember?”

“I’m not likely to forget.”

“Who would’ve believed he’d end up coming to us?”

“Not me,” Jerry agreed.

Alek didn’t say anything, but Julia was well aware of his presence at her side. She wasn’t fooled; he took in every word of the exchange between her and her brother.

“Point out this man to me,” Alek said to them both. “I will see to his removal.”

Jerry glanced at Julia, looking for her consent. She thought about it a moment, then decided she wouldn’t give Roger the satisfaction.

“Don’t kid yourself, Julia, he’s up to something,” Jerry warned.

“I’d be a fool if I didn’t know that,” she returned testily. She’d been duped by Roger once and it wasn’t a mistake she cared to repeat. She knew his methods and wouldn’t be taken in a second time.

The three of them had gathered in the back of the church and were unaware of anyone else until Pastor Hall approached them and announced they were ready for the service to begin.

Julia had known this ordeal would leave her emotionally depleted. Several times during the funeral she felt close to tears, but she held them at bay, taking in deep, even breaths. Her fingers were entwined with Alek’s and she appreciated more than ever that he was with her. His presence lent her the strength she needed to get through the heartrending experience of saying goodbye to the woman she loved so dearly.

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