Lakeside Sweetheart by Lenora Worth

Author:Lenora Worth
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-05-26T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Friday morning. Vanessa yawned and glanced around the house. She still had a long way to go, but things were shaping up. She had another week until the church rummage sale and her estate sale. Then she’d be forced to fling the doors of this home open to the public.

And watch part of her life go out the door. But maybe that was for the best. Rory had kissed her Wednesday, and then he’d told her he was sorry, just up and walked away. She hadn’t slept much in the last couple of nights.

So what did she do now? He’d made her care and now he couldn’t deal? Or had he stopped things before they went any further because he didn’t want to hurt her? Or watch her leave?

They’d hit a snag. And she thought she knew what that snag was all about. He was reliving his past, too. A past that involved loving and losing another woman. Vanessa figured that if she hadn’t come along, he’d have stayed trapped behind that brilliant facade for the rest of his life.

“My turn to minister to you, Preacher.”

But right now, she had to finish up things here. The busywork would help her sort through her feelings for Rory much in the same way she’d sorted through her own secrets for the last few weeks. In the meantime, she hoped he’d come back around.

“So not fair. So wrong.” Vanessa shook her head, determined to stop mumbling and get on with things.

He’d been patient with her. She would do the same for him.

Staring at the big, cluttered kitchen, she wished she’d cleared out this room already. But when she’d started, she’d crashed and burned out on the sidewalk with Rory watching her. That day, she didn’t know him well enough to tell him her fears and concerns or why she’d become so upset. She wasn’t sure she could tell him anything more now either. But this kitchen represented so much of the struggle between Vanessa and her mother. The silent meals. The shouting matches. The clashing of dishes. The burned food. The lost hope. This would be another hurdle. One more thing to clean up and tuck away.

And then she’d have to tackle the last bedroom. Her old bedroom. She had a lot to overcome before she put this house on the market. Up until now, Vanessa had believed all of her nightmares were holding her back. But it was more than that now.

Vanessa thought about Rory and how he’d tried to open up to her the other night. And he’d kissed her. That first kiss had left a lasting impression on Vanessa, like an imprint that marked her as cherished and special. They’d kissed several times, there in the rickety old glider, until he’d bolted like a forest animal on the run. Rory brought her the kind of security and comfort she’d only hoped for in her dreams. Now, he needed to feel that same kind of security. Or did he already?

“What

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