Whatever Tomorrow Brings (The Californians 1) by Lori Wick Read Free Book Online

him tightly in his arms for a long time.
    Marcail, having just a week before found out about her father's departure, was so upset she'd vomited twice. Father held her close and mopped her small face.
    His heart toyed with the idea of gathering his children and returning to Hawaii for good, but even as the thought came he pushed it away. He didn't think he was in any shape to return and minister to the people there. They had only been in California a week before they'd been made aware of the seriousness of Theresa's illness, so this had not been a restful time as planned.
    Father planned to leave very early in the morning so good-byes to his family were conducted at bedtime the night before. No one was asleep the next morning when he left, but everyone stayed in their rooms even as his steps were heard in the hall.
    Maureen did her level best to occupy the children for two days before deciding that maybe they didn't need distraction so much as they needed to let themselves grieve. She planned to allow them a few days to themselves and was feeling very good about her decision when she heard heavy footsteps in the entry way. She was walking the length of the library when a tall figure appeared in the doorway. Maureen rushed forward with a joyous cry and threw her arms around her loved one. Percy was home.
     

eleven

    Percival Lawton was immediately captivated with his cousin Kaitlin. In a foul mood he had left Europe on a ship he felt was beneath his station. He'd lost badly at the gaming tables in London. With his best friends still in Europe, Percy resigned himself to a life of boring social rounds with his mother until he could soften her into giving him some more cash. But to his infinite delight he arrived home to find the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen living directly under his roof.
    Kaitlin, in her grief, was unaware of the heart-flutter- ing she was causing within the chest of her cousin. She had been spending many hours reading and talking with her siblings. This didn't leave much time for the other members of the household but Maureen understood, knowing they were going to survive this painful ordeal by those very actions.
    Percy, on the other hand, was extremely frustrated over Kaitlin's lack of response to him. He knew he was good looking, and indeed he was, but it wouldn't have mattered if he were Prince Charming himself, Kaitlin was in no shape for a romantic attachment.
    The thing that bothered Percy the most was the amount of reading Kaitlin did. He felt it a great insult that she could actually prefer a book to his engaging company.
    It was not at all unusual to pass her bedroom on the way out of his own, and see her curled up in a chair reading her Bible. She also read in the library. Not books so much, but the newspapers. And not just the front page stories, as he did, but every page and every word, he was sure.
    What Percy failed to see was how starved these children were for current news after living on an island for so many years. Oh, there had been contact, but never this daily fare of words to be devoured at their leisure. And Percy was right, Kaitlin did read every word, even the want ads. Sean was just as bad, and even Marcail could spend an hour with whatever page she'd been allotted.
    All of these seemingly simple pleasures, such as reading a newspaper and having time to themselves were working wonders in the hearts of the Donovan children. Daily they felt the pain of their loss and the separation from their father, but also daily, God was their comfort. And not having extra emotional burdens was more beneficial than even they realized, but Maureen saw it and knew she'd handled things the right way. There was a little something bothering her, nagging just at the back of her mind, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. The children were fairly happy and eating well and she told herself she was worrying over nothing.
    Unfortunately the secure world that Maureen had gone to such lengths