Doubting Thomas (Tarnished Saints Series) Read Online Free PDF

want to talk about it in front of her daughter. She also hadn’t told Agnes she worked for Child Services. She figured she’d keep that quiet for now, and just ask curious questions. She wanted to spend her vacation time on Thunder Lake, and if everyone knew why she was really there, she’d never be left alone to spend time with her daughter.
    Angel slipped out of bed and dressed quickly. Gabby opened one sleepy eye and gave her mother a half-smile.
    “Is it time to get up?” she asked.
    “No, honey. It’s still early. You go back to sleep. I’m going for a morning jog. If you need anything, Mrs. Ainsley will be downstairs, so you can talk to her.”
    Angel had known her friend Tillie for a long time, and trusted completely anyone related to the woman. Tillie was somewhat of a worrier, so when she raved about her aunt and uncle and the way they loved children, Angel knew she could trust the old couple.
    “Okay,” Gabby answered, rolling over and closing her eyes. She didn’t like to wake up early and would probably sleep for a few more hours since it was summer and she didn’t need to get up for school.
    Angel kissed her daughter atop her head and slipped out into the hallway. Even though it was only six a.m., she could smell the tantalizing aroma of bacon and fresh brewed coffee coming from the Ainsley’s kitchen. She made a quick stop at the bathroom at the end of the hall before continuing down the stairs. Of the four upstairs bedrooms, only hers and one other was occupied. Agnes and Clarence Ainsley occupied the room at the bottom of the stairs.
    The house was a beautiful, huge metropolitan structure with cathedral ceilings, three elaborate stone fireplaces, and lots of windows lining the walls. There was a large domed glass sun porch attached to the family room, and a stained-glass ceiling above the kitchen island that lit up from above. This house belonged in an upper class section of a much larger town. It was not at all the kind of house you’d find on a lake. All the houses she’d seen last night on the way in, were small little cottages. Run down, and in dire need of painting. She knew they were probably the houses that were only used during the summer. She did see one or two larger ones, but believed those to be occupied by the permanent residents.
    “Good morning,” she said, trying to sound cheerful as she made her way into the large kitchen. Clarence Ainsely was sitting at the long table, a newspaper in front of his face. He lowered it, and she got her first glimpse of him, since he’d been sleeping when she arrived last night.
    Gray hair crowned the large bald spot on the top of his head. He wore a pair of thick glasses with dark plastic frames. He had a steaming cup of coffee in front of him and the remains of what looked like a bacon and egg breakfast. He sat there in his blue corduroy housecoat with a pipe clenched between his teeth.
    “Good morning,” came that same, deep, booming voice she’d spoken to over the phone when she’d made her reservation. He put down the paper, took the pipe out of his mouth and stood up, towering over her. “I’m Clarence Ainsley. I take it you must be our niece’s friend, Angeline.”
    She greeted him with a handshake, but flinched when he grabbed her hand tightly. Everything about Clarence Ainsley was done in a big way - his voice, his body, his glasses, and definitely his house.
    “Angel,” she said. “Just call me Angel. That’s what my close friends call me.”
    “Okay, Angel,” he said and chuckled. “Amazing, the names I’ve heard since we’ve opened up this Bed and Breakfast. How about some food? Let me call my wife. Agnes, where are you?” he boomed. “We’ve got a little lady here that’s pretty skinny. We need to fatten her up with some of your bakery.”
    “Oh, you’re awake!” Agnes poked her gray head around the side of the restaurant-sized refrigerator, coming out from what looked like a butler pantry with her hands full