Steadfast Heart - Extended Preview Edition

By Laurel Ross

What hurts the most? What you lost—or what you never had?

After a childhood spent moving from small town to small town, Rachel Adams has spent her adult life searching for a place where she truly belongs. When her big city career and one-sided romance crumble simultaneously, she reluctantly moves into her grandparents’ home in tiny Burns, Indiana, to tutor at the local school—just for the summer. But once she arrives, she comes face to face with Ben Parsons, the object of a teenaged crush, and confronts the Christian upbringing she thought she’d outgrown.

Ben has a career in computer programming, which perfectly suits his devotion to order and logic. The predictable pattern of his life is disrupted when his widowed mother suffers a stroke, and Ben returns to Burns to aid in her recovery—only to discover the bookish little girl next door has grown into a very appealing woman.

In the midst of crisis and loneliness, Rachel and Ben struggle to reestablish their faith in God and build trust in each other. Can Ben help Rachel to see that the home she’s searched for all her life is the one she’s planning to leave behind?

This is an extended preview edition. The full book is available separately.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Life Love Light Publishing
• Release date: Mar 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386740773

Book preview

STEADFAST HEART

LAUREL ROSS

Please Note!

You are about to read an extended preview version of Steadfast Heart. This is NOT a complete novel in itself, but rather a free sample of the first 30% of the book. I offer these chapters as an opportunity for you to decide whether this story is up your alley—but I don’t want you to be blindsided when the chapters end before the story does. The full novel is available if you should decide you want to finish reading. I certainly hope you will!

Copyright

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Cover art provided by Life Love Light Publishing.

Copyright ©2018 Laurel Ross

All rights reserved.

Life Love Light Publishing

1

AS

she moved around the far side of her kitchen counter, Rachel Adams sneaked a look at Nick Riley. Sometimes when he was here, in her apartment, she tried to imagine what it would be like if he were always here.

As Nick finished transporting their shared order of Chinese across her living room and wrangled it onto the counter, Rachel studied his profile in silhouette—narrow but chiseled face, sky blue eyes, light brown hair in a neat business cut. Although he was due for a trim, and a few strands curled endearingly against the collar of his shirt.

All in all, he was not at all hard to look at.

Except that Nick’s forehead had settled into a near-permanent scowl, recently. His handsome mouth tugged downward into a sullen frown.

I feel… trapped. The attractive rumble of his voice held a whine, matching his expression.

Rachel’s first thought was that Nick really meant he was bored—with his job, with his life.

Maybe even with Rachel.

Rachel used the excuse of lifting white cardboard containers from stiff brown bags to put off answering Nick and to cover her increasing distress over his recent mood. For a few seconds, the rustling of paper was the only response she gave Nick.

Spicy steam from the Mongolian beef and Hunan chicken wafted into her face. Rachel juggled them out of the bag quickly to avoid burning her fingers. She set the cartons side by side on the counter separating her galley kitchen from the dining area beyond and turned for plates from the cupboard behind her.

It’s really that bad? Rachel finally asked over her shoulder.

Nick worked as a technical writer for a technology solutions company, here in Indianapolis. Not Rachel’s idea of fun, but it paid well. Maybe he didn’t remember it now, but Nick had been excited to land the job out of college.

Nick’s reply was a disgusted huff. Rachel turned back with the plates and frowned at Nick, who had plunked himself into a spoke-backed chair beside her counter height table. Three years ago, the table had been Rachel’s first grown-up furniture purchase for this, her first real apartment. The table and chairs were a rich, light cherry finish that had spoken of coziness and home as soon as Rachel laid eyes on them.

Usually, Nick fetched drinks while Rachel set out the food. But then, he’d used to complain a lot less than he had been lately, too. He had laughed more. He’d smiled at Rachel, for her, in a way that had made Rachel hope their longtime friendship might finally blossom into something more. She’d spent enough years wishing it would.

Lately, Rachel thought Nick barely noticed her at all. She’d grown to believe she might love the old Nick. This new, utterly unhappy version of him left her feeling hurt and confused.

You used to love your job. Rachel kept her tone deliberately gentle.

Careful to avoid dangling her sleeves into the food, Rachel set the plates alongside the containers. Nick had changed clothes before coming over and wore jeans and a faded gray t-shirt that accentuated the blue of his eyes. Rachel still wore the charcoal slacks and black cowl-neck blouse she’d worn to work.

Nick looked up at Rachel, and a wistful expression eased across his face. For a moment he