Lakeside Sweetheart by Lenora Worth Read Free Book Online

nothing. Her confusing thoughts about Rory had to melt into nothing, too. Because growing close to him would be a bad idea all the way around.
    Why should she believe him? Why did she want to believe him?
    Because Rory was different. She could tell that. He’d never been through the type of horrible, mortifying things she’d endured. He was happy and settled and well-rounded and content.
    He didn’t know the kind of pain she knew.
    Did he?

Chapter Five
    R ory sat behind his desk, a spot he tried not to occupy very often. He much preferred being up and about, talking to people one-on-one. Paperwork always made him antsy and tired, but today was Monday.
    Paperwork day.
    He signed a few more checks and went over some notes for the committee meeting he had to attend later in the week. Then he checked his watch. Blain and Rikki were coming in today to go over the last-minute details of their upcoming wedding.
    Thankful that they’d managed to get past her family’s alleged criminal activities and that Blain had saved her from some nasty people, Rory was glad that Blain, a detective, had fallen for Rikki, the daughter of a reputed Mafia boss. Rikki had made peace with her family since she’d found out her powerful father had truly mended his ways long ago, and Blain had made peace with his father, a retired sheriff who’d helped him crack the case.
    Rory’s heart warmed at the harmony all around him. Another win for the good guys.
    Now he was in charge of yet another wedding. He’d married off Alec Caldwell and Marla Hamilton right before Christmas of last year. They were thriving.
    He wanted that for Blain and Rikki, too.
    He might even want that again for himself one day. But he tried not to think about the past or his own heartache too much. Rory didn’t talk about that time in his life. He’d been so happy, so ready to start his career as a minister. But then, his life had changed in one quick heartbeat.
    People would be surprised to know he’d had to crawl out of his own dark place.
    He stopped reading over the budget report and glanced out the office window, across the street to the Craftsman cottage. And wondered for the hundredth time how Vanessa was doing. She hadn’t come back to church yet. But it had been only a week. He’d hoped she’d come yesterday, but he hadn’t seen her in the congregation. He hadn’t talked to her since the day he’d helped her with the pile of broken dishes. But he kept that little kiddie cup she’d almost tossed right here in his desk drawer so he could return it to her one day.
    When she was ready.
    He had a good vantage point to keep an eye on her. He’d seen her coming and going, taking boxes to the trash, loading her tiny car with bags of stuff. She was busy. She was avoiding him. Maybe she was avoiding the whole world.
    He’d also seen her staring off into space, sometimes up at the house, sometimes out toward the lake. And a couple of times, over toward the church.
    He prayed she’d walk over and see him one day soon.
    In God’s own time .
    Some people believed you had to rush right in and grab people by the lapels to convince them that God loved them. Rory preferred to let people come to that notion on their own.
    So he prayed them into taking the next step. And he’d been doing a lot of praying for Vanessa lately. She was going through a deep pain, no doubt. No one here really knew he’d been through that kind of pain. Not even his best friends.
    Rory wanted to keep it that way. He couldn’t let people see beyond his good-natured, friendly attitude. He’d hidden that side of himself away for so long, it didn’t match anymore.
    He’d scare people and confuse them if he told them about the man he used to be. Not that he’d ever been scary. But he didn’t want to go back to that dark spot in his soul. Ever. He’d come a long way to get to this place, and he liked