Lights and Shadows (Oregon In Love) Read Online Free PDF Page A

into the drive of the B
& B, brushing a lock of wind-blown hair from her face. Sara's
chatter faded into the background as she fought down a rising feeling
of panic. 
What
on earth am I going to do with myself for the next several weeks?

    ***

    Sara snuggled against her husband with her head on his
chest. They sat together on the couch in what used to be her bedroom.
Now it was in their private quarters, added onto the B & B, and
included a master bedroom and bath, a sitting room, and nursery. The
extra space afforded them some privacy when they had a house full of
guests.
    At first Sara had thought the addition extravagant and
unnecessary, but often guests lingered in the living room, making it
difficult for her to relax in her own home when she needed a break.
With a rueful smile, she decided the room most heavily used—due to
bouts of morning sickness and her pea-sized bladder—was the
remodeled bathroom.
    Her baby suddenly jabbed her in the ribs. “He’s
moving!” Sara put her husband’s hand over her
belly until he felt a couple of thumps.
    Brian kissed her. Sara twisted her head away.
“Sweetheart, I want to ask you something.”
    He grinned. “Why do I get the feeling my plans
for a romantic evening are going up in smoke?”
    Sara tickled him on his ribs. “Talking is romantic.”
    Brian snorted, but when he caught the fulminating
expression she sent him, he cleared his throat. “Of course,
you’re right dear. Talking is terribly romantic.”
    Sara arched her brow and smiled. “Julia and I
went shopping today.”
    Brian gave a dramatic groan.
    “ Very funny. Anyway, the subject of Julia’s marriage
came up.”
    “ And I’ll just bet I know who brought it up.”
    “ Hush and listen. Now, you told me she’d been
married before and that her husband died, but I’ve noticed you’ve
been reticent on the details.”
    Brian rubbed his face and frowned. “Julia doesn’t
like me or anyone else talking about it, you know.”
    Sara tapped his chest. “I’m your wife!”
    He sighed. “I have a feeling I better tell you so
you don’t try to find out from Julia herself. That wouldn’t go
over too well with her.”
    “ I’m not trying to pry, but I do want to know so I
can help.”
    “ Trust me, Julia is probably the last person who needs
help.”
    “ Brian!”
    “ Okay, but this is between you and me, all right?”
    Sara nodded.
    “ Well, um, she got married a month after graduating
from high school.”
    “ Whoa.”
    “ Yeah. And she had dreams of a home, bunch of kids,
white picket fence, the whole nine yards. Unfortunately, the guy she
fell madly in love with had severe problems.”
    “ I remember you once said he was a drug addict. What
made them decide to get married?”
    “ They were both brand new Christians and while his
faith was kind of shaky, Julia was sure God and her love for Kevin
would be more than enough to solve all their problems. And for a
while before the wedding, he really tried to stay clean. But
after...” Brian shook his head.
    “ What happened?” Sara prompted.
    “ Right after the ceremony, he disappeared. Poor Julia.
During the reception, I thought her face would crack from all the
smiles she gave to downplay the situation. The next day, she got a
call from his parents. He was found dead in his apartment from an
overdose.”
    Sara felt the blood drain from her face. “How horrible .”
    “ Obviously Julia took it hard. We all did. But what
worried me was that she blamed herself for not doing enough, for not
loving him enough.”
    Sara couldn’t speak for several minutes. Her heart
ached for her sister-in-law. In the short time of her visit, she
seemed so poised, so together. Sara couldn’t help but wonder if
Julia was an incredibly strong person, or if she had amazing acting
abilities. She suspected it was a bit of both. “And there’s never
been anyone else?”
    “ As far as I know, no.”
    “ Do...do you think she’ll ever marry again?”
    Brian