For Every Season Read Online Free PDF Page A

wasn’t strong enough to give Casey what she needed. Sandra came by her baggage honestly enough, and he doubted that anyone who’d survived all she had could cope any better. She’d had a difficult childhood, and he knew her bipolar issues often led to lies and poor decisions. He cringed at the thought of the word bipolar . But after years of knowing her, he had realized she wasn’t that different from others. Everyone lived with conflicting natures. And despite her disorder, she had far more value than even she knew.
    Still, he wasn’t ready to talk to her.
    The phone beeped, going to a second message. “This is Craig Ryer with the law office of Epps and McCarthy. I’m calling for Jacob King. Please have him call me as soon as possible.”
    As soon as possible? Jacob didn’t like the sound of that.
    Concern flickered through Samuel’s eyes as he punched the button to reveal the caller’s phone number. “The battery’s dead. His number doesn’t show up, and he didn’t leave one.”
    “I know how to reach him.”
    “Then I’ll leave you to it.” Samuel stood.
    “It’s not like the lawyer’s office is open this time of day.” Jacob wasn’t sure why he was telling Samuel anything except to rattle him enough to get the truth about Rhoda out of him.
    Samuel nodded. “When you talk to him, I hope he has good news for you.”
    “Do you?” Jacob knew he was being condescending, and he waited for Samuel to snap back at him. But Samuel just stood there, clearly thinking hundreds of things he would not say aloud.
    Jacob had left Rhoda time and again over the last six months, either to make sure he was flying below the radar so he didn’t bring any trouble onto his own head or to keep from bringing more speculations and accusations down on Rhoda during her recent legal troubles. Each time he left, Samuel pushed Jacob to see a lawyer to get free of what dogged him so he could build a life with Rhoda.
    Unfortunately, what Jacob found out didn’t give him any type of freedom,and his staying away until he could see the lawyer only afforded Samuel more time alone with Rhoda. But in all Jacob’s struggles, he never once thought his brother and his girl would fall into each other’s arms.
    Samuel had no idea what he’d done.
    None.
    Samuel drew a deep breath. “This thing with the lawyer or Sandra, is there anything I can do?”
    “No. And before you do anything else to help , let me know so I can just walk off a cliff or something.” Jacob was going to keep jabbing at Samuel until his brother exploded. It was his only chance of figuring out what had happened—and what still existed—between Samuel and Rhoda.
    Samuel’s face tightened, a sign he was fighting with his temper. “I’m trying to be patient.”
    “Well, that’s real good of you since you are in the wrong.”
    Sandra and her little girl had been so sick at Christmastime that Jacob had abandoned Rhoda again to help them. If he’d been able to stay home, he’d planned to ask Rhoda to marry him.
    Would she have said yes?
    He used to think their relationship was a gift from God. Now he didn’t know what to think—other than he was a fool not to realize that Samuel would betray him for a chance with the most beautiful, amazing woman Jacob had ever known.
    “Look, I know you don’t want to hear anything I have to say, but you can’t leave things as they are with Rhoda. Talk to her. She—”
    Jacob held up his hand. “Spare me your assurances of her love for me.” He wanted to talk to her, and yet he dreaded finding out the truth. What if she wanted Samuel instead of him? Then what?
    Samuel grimaced. “We can’t keep going like this.” He gestured to the paperwork on his desk. “Neither the business nor the settlement can survive what’s happening with the three of us. I regret my actions completely, but are you going to destroy Kings’ Orchard over them?”
    “I don’t care what happens to your precious family business. It means as