Sins of the Father Read Online Free PDF Page A

know,” she said. “I’ve heard it all before. You loved me and Saralyn. Well, good for you.”
    He sighed. “I can’t change the past, Leah, but I want to change how we go forward
     from here. I want to get to know Deborah and Michael.”
    Leah took a deep breath. “It’s what I’ve always wanted, Abraham, but it may be too
     late. I just don’t know.”
    “Deborah’s been meeting me for lunch for the past few months. She’s told you?”
    Leah nodded.
    He smiled. “She reminds me so much of my mother. I only wish—” He stopped, closed
     his eyes.
    “I wish both of them had known Miss Iris,” Leah said. “I was tempted a few times to
     tell her about them, but I never did. A part of me always thought she knew or suspected,
     but chose to ignore us. I couldn’t risk finding out she didn’t want to know them.
     Your rejection had been hard enough. I couldn’t go through another.”
    “It’s not your fault,” he said, tugging at his salt and pepper mustache. “It’s mine.
     It’s all mine, and I’ll go to my grave with the regret from it. I did so many things
     wrong, told so many lies, not just to you and Saralyn, but also to myself. I wanted
     what I wanted and everybody else be damned.”
    “Good traits for business,” she said, feeling compassion for him despite herself.
     It was probably because she saw her son’s face in his. “Not so good for relationships.”
    “Don’t I know it.”
    She felt the past hurts recede. “How are things with your wife and son?”
    “Better with Saralyn than with Isaac. I’m such a disappointment to him. I don’t know
     if he’s ever going to forgive me.”
    “It’s hard with boys. Girls are easier.”
    “Do you think Michael will ever soften toward me, give me a chance?”
    “To be honest, I don’t see it right now. I didn’t realize the degree of his anger,
     and I should have. It’s been there a long time. I don’t know if he can get beyond
     it. Right now he doesn’t want to. His anger is what fuels him.” She smiled. “He’s
     like you in that way. He’s ambitious and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve
     his goals. Unfortunately, his personal life suffers because of it.”
    “His wife’s pregnant. We’re going to be grandparents.” When she lifted a brow, he
     added, “Deborah mentioned it to me. Don’t worry. I make it a point not to ask her
     about Michael. I don’t want to put her in the middle of my problems with him. Because
     they’re so close, he comes up sometimes in her conversations. She shares bits and
     pieces about him and you, about the past and what’s happening now. And I try to share
     myself, my early days with her. It’s not a one-way street.”
    “I didn’t say it was. I know you’re sincere in wanting to get to know Deborah.”
    “Does she know it?” he asked, an uncertainty in his voice that tugged at her heart.
    “Some days, but she’s not ready to trust you fully yet. She doesn’t want to be hurt.”
    “I won’t hurt her,” he said.
    “I hope not. She’s a strong woman, Abraham, but a part of heris still that little girl looking for Daddy’s love. Be careful with her heart.”
    He nodded. “I want her to come work with me. Did she tell you?”
    “She told me you bought her a company!”
    He chuckled. “It was a small production company, but it’s perfect for her.” He told
     her about Running Brook. “I hope she takes me up on it.”
    “That’s between you and her,” Leah said. “I’m not going to get in the middle of it.
     I’ve given her my opinion, but the decision is hers.”
    He stiffened. “What was your opinion?”
    “I told her to give you a chance.”
    His shoulders relaxed. “Thanks for that.”
    “I didn’t do it for you. I did it for her. I’m trusting you with her heart, and I
     hope you’re up to the challenge. In the past, trusting you hasn’t worked out too well
     for me. I’m praying that you’re different now, that you’ll be different with