Tender Trust by Tanya Stowe

Author:Tanya Stowe [Stowe, Tanya]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: christian Fiction
ISBN: 9781611162875
Publisher: Pelican Ventures Book Group
Published: 2013-09-03T04:00:00+00:00

8

Alex closed the cover of his Bible and stared out the window of his hotel room. He’d been reading the story of Jesus at the home of Simon, how the woman had bathed His feet in her tears and dried them with her hair. Jesus told Simon and the Pharisees He hadn’t come to heal the healthy, but the sick. Alex had spent the better part of the afternoon reading the Scripture over and over again.

He didn’t like tending the bar at Penny’s place. But he understood Penny’s strong feelings about it. She needed to support herself, needed to have the sense that being with him, loving him, wouldn’t leave her vulnerable again.

Jesus came to heal the sick, to find the lost. The people at The Copper Penny were lost.

Penny’s comments made him understand her fear of abandonment went deep, all the way back to her childhood and her mother. She’d been only a few years older than Lexie when she was left to fend for herself. He shuddered at the thought of Lexie in those circumstances.

He remembered how his daughter sat in church this morning, awed by the stained glass windows. She’d even solemnly folded her hands as if she knew she was in the presence of God.

If only he could get her mother to feel the same way.

A small idea grew. It wasn’t clear, but he thought there just might be a purpose to his bartending in Penny’s saloon. If he could keep his focus on the Lord, something good might come of it.

Footsteps pounded outside, and someone banged on his door.

Jann’s face was beet red and he was out of breath. “Lexie ran away,” he said before Alex could say a word. “I’ve looked in all of our hiding places. I looked everywhere, and I can’t find her. Aunt Penny sent me to see if you can help.”

A sick feeling gripped his stomach. Could someone have taken Lexie? Holloway…would Holloway be so cruel as to harm Lexie? Not even pausing to grab his heavy coat, he hurried out the door with Jann.

A small group stood just inside The Copper Penny. A man with crutches and a broken leg sat near the fire. Jann introduced him as Angus McDougal, the owner of the bar next door.

Another man with a sallow, sickly pallor held out his hand. “Tom Woten, a friend of Jewel’s.”

Alex went to Penny. He tried to hug her, but she was rigid. She wouldn’t allow that small comfort.

“She ran from me,” she said in a ragged tone that broke Alex’s heart. “She said I lied to her and ran out the door.”

The way Penny looked at him…did she blame him for Lexie’s actions?

Emotions swept through him. Anger for going along with this charade and frustration with Penny that she’d insisted on it. Those thoughts beat at him, but he forced them aside to focus. “When did this happen?”

“After church. Maybe two hours ago.”

“Why did you wait so long to send for me?”

Her stiff pose broke and she shook her head.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.