Loving Bella. Renee Ryan

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ beyond.

      The slow ticking from the clock on the mantel soothed her nerves. She found herself slowing her breathing to match the rhythmic cadence.

      She hadn’t expected to find Beau settled in the middle of a wealthy neighborhood. He’d written in great detail of his decision to build a church that would be directly connected to an orphanage for prostitutes’ mistakes. He’d told of his wife’s support, both financial and emotional, throughout the entire building project. But his letters had failed to do justice to the fairy-tale world in which they’d settled.

      And not just the large homes of expensive brick, manicured lawns and attention to detail.

      Bella had never seen a sky so blue. So clear.

      The mountains in the distance marched in a row, looking like sentinels on duty, safeguarding all who moved in their shadows. Puffy white clouds weaved along the top peaks, creating a sheer downy blanket of added beauty.

      Bringing her gaze closer to Beau’s home, she took in trees of all shapes and sizes lining the lane between the church and Charity House’s front door. The afternoon breeze swirled fallen leaves into a tapestry of shifting shapes and rich colors of autumn.

      Switching to the window on her right, Bella eyed the yard that connected the church to Charity House. The children were at play again. Now that the drama of Ethan’s injury was hours old, the fun had resumed.

      Some of the more active boys played a hearty game of tag. Others climbed trees. Some of the girls sat in a small group, tying miniature bonnets on their dolls’ heads. All in all, the children looked healthy, happy, and well-cared for.

      But Bella had seen the anguish in their eyes, the sense of aloneness that they all shared. She had seen the look that both connected them to one another and yet kept them painfully separate. There was an underlying sense of dishonor and disconnection that they didn’t think anyone else could understand.

      Oh, but Bella understood all too well. She knew the loneliness that was brought on by shame, the inability to connect to people she’d once adored. Even her brother seemed a foreigner to her now. He was too much a man of Christian integrity. Surely he would see through her facade if she allowed him to look too closely. So she wouldn’t allow him to look. Ever.

      The sound of approaching footsteps halted her thoughts. The hint of authority in the steps told her Beau had returned for round three of their argument.

      Bella took a fortifying pull of air into her lungs as her brother joined her.

      She pointed to his wrinkled forehead. “If you don’t watch out, that line will become permanent.”

      His scowl deepened. “You can’t seriously be considering Shane’s offer.”

      Bella scrunched her face in an identical expression and tried to ignore the fact that her brother looked well. The brute. Happy, too. The hint of contentment in his gold eyes belied his abrupt words with her, as though his shock and anger could do nothing to dispel the joy that was a part of his life, a part of who he was in Christ.

      Why did Beau have to be so…good?

      “Help me to understand, Bella.” He scratched his chin in frustration. “Why do you want to do this? And why now?”

      She didn’t like his tone, but it was the familiar clenched jaw and narrowed eyes that had her bristling. It was the same expression all her brothers gave her when they were about to lecture her over some serious—in their mind only—offense.

      Well, she might be the youngest of six. And the only female. But she wasn’t a child anymore. “Beauregard O’Toole, you might be older by nine years, and you might have an education from a renowned university and equally impressive seminary, but that does not make you an expert on everything.”

      “I don’t need to be an expert to know you aren’t a trained nurse. And, I might also point out, that whine in your voice makes you sound twelve. Hardly the way to go about convincing me of your maturity.”

      “Don’t be so dramatic.”

      “Me?”

      She made a face at him. “Dr. Shane only needs me on a temporary basis. He’s not even paying me.”

      “He’s what?”

      “Oh, he offered,” she said, careful to keep her voice from quivering. “But I refused to hear of it. I don’t need the money.”

      Which had only been a portion of the reason for her refusing the man’s offer of a salary. The true reason had been connected to her sense of shame, her sin. Perhaps by volunteering her services for free she could do penance for her blunder with William.

      William. So much regret there. Such humiliation. Even now, a month after their disastrous last meeting, she inwardly recoiled at how far she’d walked away from her Christian upbringing. How close she’d come to destroying a family.

      How had she been so foolish?

      Lord, how do I get past this? How do I make atonement?

      Beau touched her arm. “Bella, what aren’t you telling me?”

      She lowered her gaze. What would he think if he knew the real reason she’d fled London? “Beau, don’t. Please don’t ask.”

      Thankfully, Hannah, Beau’s wife, walked into the room with the sort of grace any lead actress would envy. Even knowing of her renown, Bella was a little awes-truck at the woman’s mere presence. She was…stunning. Unforgettable.

      It was no wonder she had earned enough prominence on the stage and consequently sufficient money to walk away a wealthy woman after only five years of treading the boards.

      With a swoop, her startling green gaze landed on her husband for only a second before swiveling back to Bella. “Beauregard, introduce me to your sister.”

      He blew out a frustrated breath, but then walked over to his wife and covered her hands with his. For a brief moment, the two shared a connection that went beyond words, similar to the one Bella had seen pass between Trey and Katherine Scott.

      And similar to the Scotts, these two were not only in love they actually seemed to like each other. Bella had never thought marriage could include both love and affection, at least not outside her parents’ marriage. She’d always assumed Patience and Reginald O’Toole had been lucky.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, СКАЧАТЬ