A Splash of Hope Read Online Free PDF Page A

you.”
    Serenity eyed the bracelet Carter held between his fingers as if he were holding out a snake instead of a gift.
    “What is that?” The horror in her voice took him by surprise. He twisted the jewelry for a better look, wondering if there was something wrong with the piece. He didn’t know all that much about women’s jewelry. Of course, he had to assume that, at the price he’d paid, it would be as close to perfection as possible.
    “I don’t want it. Please take it back.” Her open distress left Carter off balance. He was screwing this up, but damned if he knew why.
    “I wanted to give you something special,” he told her quietly, hoping to calm her.
    Her eyes fell closed as if his words physically pained her. When she opened them once more, he could tell she was genuinely hurt. The realization caused the muscles in his stomach to clench. Being with Serenity meant more than he could repay with a thousand bracelets.
    “I don’t want you to buy me things, Carter. It makes me feel…”
    The truth dawned, making him wonder why he hadn’t noticed it sooner. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Even if he lived to be a hundred, there would never be another Serenity for him.
    He shoved the bracelet back into his pocket, leaned over, and reached to the vase sitting in the center of the table. He plucked a daisy out and shook off the excess water. For a moment, Carter simply twirled the flower between his fingers before holding it out to her.
    “I have a present for you.” A luminous smile lit her face as she accepted the flower. She tucked it behind her ear.
    “I love it.”
    Carter brushed his knuckles over her cheek, because he was incapable of not doing so. As Serenity leaned into his touch, his chest felt heavy. Being with her was half pleasure, half pain. He spent every other waking moment expecting to lose it all at any moment. The other seconds he spent praying he never would.
    “Oh, and for the record,” he said, unable to stop himself. “I know you don’t expect expensive gifts from me. That’s not why I bought you the bracelet. I did it because I’m in love with you. A bit desperately, actually.”

Chapter Seven
    Faith: Present day
    Her feet hurt, and she’d moved beyond stickiness from the heat over two hours earlier. Faith was also sick beyond tears from knocking on doors no one bothered answering. At the thought of being forced to stand even one second longer in the blazing sun, Faith beat her fist harder against the solid oak door. It was standing between her and Adam. That was unacceptable. She waited a moment longer. When she thought she’d throw her arms up in defeat, the door swung open. A disgruntled-looking Adam stared out at her. Faith let her eyes travel the length of him. His hair stood on end and his shirtless state threatened to make her swallow her tongue. His chest and stomach appeared as if they’d been carved from stone. The baggy gray shorts he wore, might have at one time been sweatpants. That is, before someone took a pair of scissors to them. They were more appealing than the most expensive of suits. Holy shit . She had to tear her eyes away. Not hers .
    Faith was almost certain she’d pulled Adam away from his workout by her incessant knocking. Unfortunately, he was so goddamn yummy she forgot why she was there. She was staring at the line of hair that disappeared beneath his waistband until he cleared his throat. Damn it . She thought she’d already forced her eyes away. Nope. She was still gazing at the deep lines etched into his stomach. Lifting her gaze back to his, Adam’s eyebrows rose in question, but his smoke-colored eyes distracted her once more.
    “I’m assuming this has something to do with Serenity,” he said, when she remained silent.
    Oh yes, Serenity , Faith reminded herself. She was here about the sister who’d snagged him. “I went to her apartment earlier, but one of her neighbors said she wasn’t living there any longer.” Faith