by Emma Easter
Love is Enough
Book One
The Sisters of Rosefield Series
Emma Easter
© 2018 Emma Easter
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. Copyright law.
Table of Contents
Thank You – Free Bonus
The Sisters of Rosefield Series
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Also by Emma Easter
About the Author
Thank You – Free Bonus
Thank you for picking up your copy of Love Is Enough. I hope that you enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it!
As a token of appreciation, I’d like to offer you a complimentary copy of the prequel to this book series. A Rosefield Christmas is an entertaining short story that tells of a memorable holiday when the sisters were much younger.
You can get your free gift by going to EmmaEaster.com/free
Thanks again, Emma
The Sisters of Rosefield Series
Book One: Love Is Enough
Book Two: Quest For Love
Book Three: Love Means Everything
Book Four: Falling In Love
Book Five: Love Will Prevail
Book Six: Blessed With Love
Dedication
To my dear husband, Mike
Chapter One
Sienna Gardner sat in front of the mirror and stared nervously at herself. Her heart skipped beats and her hands perspired. She could hear people talking and laughing outside her hotel room. The loud voices all sounded merry, waiting for her happy occasion to begin. But she wasn’t happy. She was a nervous wreck, and it wasn’t because of wedding jitters as Ben, her makeup artist, had assured her. It was due to the severe anxiety that had plagued her for months, which started with an explicit instruction from God. An instruction she had yet to obey.
Her long platinum blond hair had been straightened and styled into a classic chignon, and she was waiting for her makeup to be done. She turned as Ben came back into the room holding a bottle of face primer. He squeezed out a small amount into his palm and immediately started applying it on her face. Once he finished, he lifted two tubes of foundation and looked at her in the mirror, trying to decide.
“Which one do you want to use today, Sienna? The dewy or matte foundation?” he asked quizzically.
She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her heart, which had begun to pound again. She felt the anxiety attack getting worse and started to breathe in and out, in and out. But it didn’t help.
Lord, please help me, she muttered under her breath. She pressed her lips together and forced a smile. “Use the dewy foundation, and Ben, you need to hurry up. I can’t be late for my own wedding, can I?”
“Certainly not!” Ben chuckled.
As he did her makeup, her heart drummed faster and faster. She tried to pray, but the anxiety only increased. She kept telling herself to calm down, and avoided looking at herself in the mirror until Ben had finished. He smiled at her.
“Gorgeous as always, though you don’t even need any makeup to look beautiful.”
She tried, but her lips couldn’t form a smile. Getting up quickly, she said, “When you leave, could you please tell my sisters that I need their help in here?”
“You didn’t say anything about your makeup.” He frowned. “Don’t you like it? I know it’s not usually what I do for your photo shoots, but I decided to keep it simple and go with a nude look today to let your natural beauty shine. I think you look amazing.”
She inhaled and then exhaled slowly. “It’s fine.”
“Are you okay?” He frowned.
She shook her head. “Probably last-minute wedding jitters like you said.”
“Maybe it’s more than just wedding jitters.” He studied her face.
She walked away, unwilling to explain what was going on with her. He would not understand. What would she tell him—that God wanted her to quit her well-paid modeling job because it was immoral and vain? Or that God didn’t want her to get married because He was trying to teach her to take a different life path?
Ben would definitely not understand. He would think she was just being ridiculous. She had told her fiancé, Derrick, about the panic attacks and the cause of it, but she didn’t tell him she felt God wanted her to end their engagement. Just as she guessed, he didn’t get it.
Ben left the room, and Sienna sat on the bed. She inhaled and exhaled again, and then stood up to put on her wedding dress. The dress was a heavily beaded ivory ball gown with an embroidered corset. When she had bought it almost a year ago, she’d been thrilled at how beautiful it was, and she couldn’t wait to wear it on her wedding day. Now she could barely look at herself in it. It was an added reminder that she was disobeying God and choosing her own way.
Her oldest sister, Audrey, came into the room, dressed in a pale pink chiffon dress. Her short hair was pinned back with a silver pin, and she wore silver kitten heels. “Sienna, are you ready?”
“Umm, can you help me lace up my corset?”
Audrey looked around the room. “This is a gorgeous hotel room, but you didn’t have to spend so much money on a hotel room when you could have just stayed with me at the house. If Mom and Dad were still alive, they would not be happy.”
“You know the family house is small," Sienna sighed. The last thing she needed now was to feel even guiltier than she already did. “If I were staying there, Trish would have decided to stay as well until after the wedding. As much fun as that would be, I just wanted a little breathing space today. Besides, my wedding ceremony and reception are taking place here, so it’s just convenient.”
“I thought you would stay in the house since you decided to come back to Rosefield to get married,” Audrey said. “I know it can’t be compared to your luxury apartment in New York, but it’s still our family home, where we all grew up.”
“Just help me with my corset, please,” she said and turned her back to Audrey. Audrey laced up the corset quickly and turned Sienna around
“What is wrong with you? And don’t say it’s ‘nothing’ because I know you. Something is definitely wrong.”
Sienna pursed her lips. Audrey was pretty perceptive, but would even she understand?
Audrey sat down on the bed and patted the space beside her.
“I hate to see my baby sister this way. Sit and tell me what exactly is wrong with you.”
Sienna looked down at Audrey and then sat beside her, her heart still beating rapidly.
“Is it cold feet?” Audrey asked. “You can back out of the wedding now, you know. It’s not like that Derrick is even worthy of you. You are such a sweet, beautiful girl while he is a . . .”
“Audrey! Not again. Please, leave Derrick alone!”
“You know I always speak my mind, Sienna. I know you don’t love him. You’re only marrying him because he was like Dad’s right-hand man when he was alive. You think you owe Dad that and that Dad would have wanted you to marry him. That’s how he managed to weasel his way into your life.”
“I’m having a tough time now, a
nd I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make it worse.”
“I’m worried about you.” Audrey frowned. “Please tell me what’s wrong.”
Sienna searched her sister’s eyes. If only she could share everything with Audrey—the nightmares, the months of grueling dread and panic, the constant fear that she would die unless she canceled her wedding, quit her job, and did what she knew God wanted her to do right now. She wanted to obey God in all things, but canceling her wedding and quitting her job seemed way too much.
“Please, tell me,” Audrey pleaded.
She sighed wearily and opened her mouth to speak just as someone opened the door. Trisha, her older sister, swayed into the room sheathed in a tight, pale pink dress. The dress was the same as Audrey’s, but she’d fitted hers to hug her generous curves.
“Sienna, are you ready?” Trisha asked, and then gasped. She took Sienna’s hand, lifted her off the bed and surveyed her. “You look stunning!”
“Thank you,” Sienna said.
Trisha looked at Audrey and then focused on her again. “We have to go now before people start thinking you ran away from your own wedding.”
Sienna’s emotions roiled. It was precisely what she felt like doing right now.
“Sienna, are you okay?” Trisha asked with a concerned look on her face.
She nodded. “Just last-minute jitters.”
You have to give in now, Sienna, or face the consequences of your disobedience to God, the now-familiar voice whispered in her heart.
She bit her lips and nudged the voice aside and went out of the room with her sisters. Audrey and Trisha held her hands as they made their way into the elevator and down to the last floor. She managed to hold back the anxiety and condemning voice, but as soon as she stood in front of the hall where her wedding ceremony was to take place, the voice came back, harsher than ever.
The wedding song began to play and she tried to suppress the taunting voice, but it wouldn’t go away. She began to walk—or rather, tiptoe—down the aisle strewn with flowers. The hall was covered with white roses at her request as a symbol of purity, but she felt impure. Guilt threatened to suffocate her.
People watched as she made her way slowly down the aisle.
They must be thinking I’m the saddest looking bride they have ever seen.
She looked up at Derrick and mustered up a smile for him.
He smiled back, his eyes shining, clearly letting her know he couldn’t wait to marry her. She started to hyperventilate and screamed at herself in her head. Get yourself together!
You know you shouldn’t do it! You are clearly disobeying God! The voice shouted at her.
She reached the front of the hall and stood beside Derrick, with her heart still racing. She looked up at the pastor and suddenly, waves of intense anxiety like she had never felt before flooded her mind and soul. She began to tremble as what she dreaded took over her mind. She felt like she was dying. She started to hyperventilate and couldn’t stop.
“Sienna, what’s wrong?” Derrick held her hand and whispered.
The pastor stared curiously at her.
The pastor can see you’re in rebellion, Sienna. You know what you must do!
People were beginning to murmur and whisper amongst themselves. She tried to breathe, but when she couldn’t catch her next breath, she knew she had to end it now or die. She turned to Derrick with tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, I can’t do this.”
A hush fell over the crowd.
Derrick’s eyes grew wide with confusion, and she felt terrible for what she had done. But she knew she had no choice. She turned and ran out of the hall.
She ran faster, spurred on by the sounds of determined footsteps behind her and the frustrated voices of dozens of people yelling her name. She kept running and didn’t stop until she reached her hotel room. She quickly locked the door and then collapsed onto the bed.
She kept inhaling and exhaling hard until the intense panic began to subside. The suffocating guilt gradually subsided, and she heaved a sigh, exhausted. The only negative feeling that remained was the pain of loss.
Derrick was a good guy. He’d been in their lives for as long as she could remember. Dad and Mom had acted as foster parents to him for a few months when he was just twelve. He had been adopted by another family soon after, but Dad had kept in close contact with him, acting as his mentor. They had grown very close. Even when Derrick became an attorney, he was in the house frequently throughout her childhood.
Sienna pressed her lips together. Derrick had somehow found his way into her heart. Even though she’d been a little hesitant about dating him when he asked her out, she had known her father would give his full blessings. That had gotten her to agree to go out with him. She would miss him now, but he was better off without her. He would find someone better in no time.
A loud knock sounded at the door, but she ignored it.
She stood again, shed her dress, and began gathering her things to leave for New York. For months, she’d resisted God’s call, but she was ready to give in now. Once she got to New York, she would pack up all her things, call her agent to tell him she was quitting modeling, and return here to Idaho. Before the end of the week, she would enroll in The Beulah Bible College and by month’s end, she would be a Bible College student. Hopefully, once in Beulah, she would find total peace.
*****
Audrey returned home late after a day spent patrolling Rosefield. She went into her bedroom, shed her police uniform and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top. For the umpteenth time that week, she checked her phone for any message from the mayor’s office but found none.
As she headed to the kitchen to put together something to eat, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She plucked it out and stared at it. And then she heaved a sigh of relief. It was the email for which she had been waiting.
Since the former chief of police retired a month ago, she’d been the acting police chief. She was eager to officially take over the position now. The mayor’s office had let her know that an official email would be sent to her once they fully agreed on who would fill the position. As she had been assistant police chief for some years and now acting chief of police, she was confident she would be the one selected, but that didn’t stop her from being a little bit anxious.
It’s about time, she thought. She clicked on the email, a thread of excitement running through her, and then looked up as a loud knock at the door distracted her.
She frowned. It was almost ten o’clock. Who could it be?
She walked to the living room, opened the door and gasped when she saw who it was. Sienna was standing there with a large suitcase beside her.
“Sienna! What are you doing here? You didn’t tell me you were coming to Rosefield.”
“Can I come in?” Sienna sighed loudly. “I’m tired.”
Audrey stepped aside so Sienna could enter the house. She shut the door again and sat beside her sister, gazing worriedly at her. Since Sienna had ran out on her wedding day more than a month ago, she’d become reclusive and had stopped answering her calls. Something was going on with her—something bizarre. Audrey needed to find out what it was. Audrey sat facing her.
“You look drained. What’s up? I thought you were preparing for some designer’s fashion campaign this week, so how come you’re here?”
“My agent was negotiating a place for me in the campaign, but it doesn’t even matter.” Sienna took a deep breath and said, “I quit modeling.”
“What?” Audrey stared at her in astonishment. “You quit your high-paying job? Why?”
“I’ve enrolled in a Bible college here in Idaho . . . near Rosefield.”
Audrey stared at her baby sister in utter confusion and then shook her head. “What is going on with you, Sienna? First, you run out on your wedding day, and now you quit your job in New York and enroll in a Bible school in a small town?”
Sienna had always been slightly flighty, but her modeling job, apart from the financia
l success it had given her in just five years, had been perfect for her in every way. Quitting it was lunacy.
“I thought you were happy as a model. What went wrong?”
“It’s a long story.” Sienna wrung her hands and sighed again.
“Tell me. I have time . . . well at least for an hour, as I have to get to work early tomorrow.”
“It started about eight months ago,” Sienna said. She went on to tell an alarming story of nightmares, frequent panic attacks, and constant dread. She finally finished and said, “So you see why I have to go to a Bible school. I need to obey God so that all of it will stop.”
“Frankly, I don’t see it. You know I wasn’t a big fan of Derrick, and even though I thought it was pretty weird of you to leave him at the altar, ultimately, I didn’t mind. However, suddenly quitting the job you love, leaving New York, and enrolling in a Bible school here in Rosefield sounds like madness to me.”
“It’s not madness. It’s what God wants me to do.”
“I just don’t know, Sienna. Would the Lord use all that anxiety and distress to get you to obey his will? Surely, He can find better ways to do that.”
“I didn’t say the Lord used the anxiety, I said I’ve had the panic attacks because I didn’t obey God.”
“And I don’t think God would tell you to quit your job!” She looked at Sienna. “I think you should see someone, like a therapist or . . .”
“Please, Audrey! I just want to rest up today. I’ll be moving into the Bible College dormitory tomorrow.”
“Where exactly is it?”
“It’s actually on the outskirts of Rosefield, right between Rosefield and Green Valley.”
“Umm, I think I know it. What about Trisha? Have you told her?”
“You know how Trish is. It’s hard to reach her because she’s always busy with Stan and her friends. Besides, I don’t want to bother her, or anyone else, especially after what happened at the wedding.”