Sunset: 4 (Sunrise) Read Online Free PDF Page A

and purpose and virtue.
    A sudden nervousness came over him, and his heart pounded. He tried to find an easy smile. “Hi.”
    She looked away. “I thought we could talk by the fire.”
    Luke hesitated, his heartbeat twice its normal speed. Was he really supposed to tell her everything? “I’ll get some coffee.” As he headed for the kitchen, he felt again like he was walking across the bottom of the ocean. How did two people start a conversation like this? Where would it take them, if the things they learned today were too great to move past?
    He poured himself a cup and made his way back to the living room, to the chair beside her. As he sat down, he wondered if she too could hear the thud of his heart.
    “How were the kids?” Reagan glanced at him over the top of her coffee cup. Their chairs faced the fire, but they angled slightly toward each other.
    “Fine.” Luke’s palms were sweaty, but he kept them cupped around his drink. “I went over everything with my dad. Malin’s ear drops, Tommy’s latest tricks.”
    Luke allowed the briefest smile. Tommy’s antics were constantly keeping the rest of the Baxter family on their toes. These days the boy was finding every possible chance to slip into the garage, climb into the driver’s seat of whatever car was available, and search for ways to work the steering wheel or the gearshifts. Luke’s dad sometimes left his keys in the car if it was in the garage. Luke shuddered. He could only imagine what might happen if Tommy found keys in the ignition.
    “That boy needs more structure.” Reagan sighed. She stared at the flames dancing behind the wrought iron screen. Then she turned to Luke. “But I guess he’s not the reason we’re here.”
    “No.” After leaving his dad’s house, Luke had prayed for guidance. Just like his dad asked him to do. And now, without giving the idea a second thought, he set his mug down on the floor beside him and reached out to Reagan. The only sound in the room was the crackle of the fire. “Pray with me, Reagan. Please.”
    She looked almost surprised, and somehow her reaction cut Luke deeply. Had that much time passed since he’d asked her to pray? Maybe that was part of the reason they were in this position.
    Reagan shifted her cup to one hand and held out the other, lacing her fingers between his. “You say it.”
    A memory flashed in Luke’s mind, a time when he and Reagan were both at Indiana University and once in a while they would meet at a favorite bench between the buildings where they had their separate classes. More often than not, Reagan would take his hand and impulsively ask if she could pray for the two of them. Back then, prayer came as easily as breathing for both of them. Luke wished he could figure out exactly when that changed or how they could return to that place.
    He took a quick breath. “God, we come to this place not sure of what’s next. So lead us, please.” He thought about the details he might have to share in the coming hour. “Whatever is said today, give us the right words to bridge the gap between us, the strength to see tomorrow on the other side of today, and the grace to love each other no matter what.”
    They released the hold they had on each other’s fingers, and they both fixed their eyes on the fire. For nearly a minute, neither said anything.
    Then Luke shifted in his chair and faced Reagan. “Honesty, right? That’s what this day is about?”
    “Yes.” Reagan’s eyes were dark, layered with a sorrow and bitterness that had taken years to build. “How should we do this?”
    “Well—” Luke swallowed—“I can go first, I guess. I mean, what do you want to know?”
    “I’m not sure.” Reagan lifted her mug and took a sip. “I guess start at the beginning. How things got this way.”
    Luke tried to think of an entry point that would make his wanderings seem less a violation of his promise of faithfulness. But there was none. He settled into his chair and drifted back