Lined With Silver

by Roseanne Evans Wilkins

  LINED WITH SILVER

  An LDS Novel

  Also by Roseanne Evans Wilkins

  Tangled Hearts: An LDS Novel

  Hidden in the Heart: An LDS Novel

  Change of Heart: An LDS Novel

  Children’s Picture Book:

  The Fruitful Tree

  LINED WITH SILVER

  An LDS Novel

  Roseanne Evans Wilkins

  Lined with Silver: an LDS Novel

  Copyright © 2014

  Roseanne Evans Wilkins

  Published by Roseanne Evans Wilkins at Smashwords

  Cover Design by Create Space

  Cover Photograph by BigStock

  All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  No statements or implications are meant to convey the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Any doctrinal questions regarding infertility, IVF, or surrogacy should be directed to your local leaders.

  All rights reserved.

  Smashwords Edition License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  to Mike and Brenda

  and Lucille May Myrup Wilkins

  Was I deceived, or did a sable cloud

  Turn forth her silver lining on the night?

  John Milton

  Prologue

  Zachory Lee Carlson’s dark hair was almost blue in the burning sun. A battered felt hat sat on the rocky ground next to his denim-clad knee. The hat was one his grandfather had used on his ranch. It still served its original purpose, but Zack was more interested in soaking up the sun than fending it off.

  He sat on the side of the hill, waiting while the Young Women took their turn at pushing the cart up the slope. It was a stake re-enactment of the Mormon handcart trials. Through death or illness or other reasons, many Mormon women had been left to fend for themselves. The Women’s Pull allowed the Young Women to experience for themselves what it would feel like to handle the carts alone.

  Zack kicked at a clump of dirt to distract himself. It wasn’t easy to watch the Young Women struggle.

  The little Beehive in his trek family, Sondra Lytle, seemed to be having a particularly difficult time. Her long reddish-blond hair flowed over her back as it spilled out of her sun bonnet. The hat hid the freckles he’d seen liberally painted on her face.

  She tripped as the cart ran over a rock. Her trembling lip valiantly tried to hide her pain, but the blood running down her momentarily-exposed leg meant the injury was serious. Zack sprinted for his trek sister, pulling out the small first aid kit he had kept in his satchel as he ran.

  “Are you alright?” Zack asked as he pulled out cleansing wipes. The adults hadn’t seemed to see the small Beehive, but Zack had noticed the moment she fell. He had felt an immediate bond when he’d first met her. He could almost feel the pain of her injury as she pulled up her long skirts to reveal the slash on her knee.

  She nodded, biting her lip against her pain. He bent over her injured leg and gently washed the blood off, relieved to see the cut. It didn’t need stitches. He applied the antibiotic to the bandage and then carefully covered her wound. “Feel better?”

  She nodded again, her gray eyes swimming in tears. “Thanks.” She managed a small smile and then turned back to her task. The handcart hadn’t quite made it up the rise, and she was determined to do her part.

  Zack watched as he re-packed the first aid kit. He ached to join her in pushing the cart. “Tough kid,” he muttered and then re-joined the group of Young Men on the hill.

  Chapter One, Request

  “Sondra, you know I wouldn’t ask this, but I’m out of options.” Nikki moved her hand up to sweep her blond hair over her shoulder. She stood, tense, all 5’4” looking professional and immaculate.

  Sondra recognized the small sign of Nikki’s discomfort. She raised darkened eyebrows in a silent query, then said, “You’re sounding serious. What’s up?”

  “Well, you know we’ve spent a fortune on infertility treatments.” Nikki’s gray eyes were intense.

  Sondra nodded, her long reddish-blond hair pulled back in a formal style suitable for a successful attorney in the Andrews Law Firm. “I know you have. I’m so sorry nothing has worked for you.”

  Nikki bit her lip, her indecision clear. Several emotions crossed her face, the final one of sorrow settling firmly. “You can say no. Don’t feel any pressure.”

  When her sister talked like that, nothing good ever came out of it. How many times had Sondra ever said “no” to her older sister? She couldn’t recall a single one.

  “This sounds big.” Sondra took a deep breath, pushed back her chair, and stood up. “Go ahead.”

  “The infertility doctor said the embryo might survive in a different…” Nikki gulped, “mother.”

  Sondra stared, her mouth open. She snapped her mouth shut and then managed, “Wow. Just. Wow.”

  Nikki’s hand covered her mouth and a look of horror passed over her face. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said a word. It’s not your place to fix…” her voice dropped to a barely-audible whisper, “what I can’t have.”

  “I’m sorry, Nikki. I just can’t. You know I’d do anything for you, but this? I can’t.” Sondra’s own childless state had never loomed so large. She wanted children, sure. A family of her own. Marriage just hadn’t come. And giving her sister a child when she had no prospects? How could Nikki ask something like that? But then, this was Nikki. She was desperate. Sondra knew it. “There are women who do this—”

  “For a fee. Starting at $30,000. Our insurance will cover expenses for a pregnancy, but it won’t cover the cost of a surrogate. We just don’t have that kind of money, not with all the cancer expenses, and we wanted the baby before…before…” Nikki’s lip trembled, and tears trickled down her cheeks.

  Tears of her own surfaced. Sondra couldn’t bring herself to hug Nikki, who had crumpled into one of the guest chairs. Sondra stalked out of her office.

  Her administrative assistant, Cari, looked up from her computer, a question large in her eyes. It was a question that would go unanswered. Sondra needed some time alone.

  She climbed into her dark blue sedan. It matched her life. Secure. Safe. Not flashy. Suddenly, she wished she’d bought the bright red convertible which had called from across the lot a couple of years before.

  She sighed and turned out onto the street. As she drove, she realized there was a place on her bucket list she hadn’t yet seen. And if the airline cooperated, she could make a four-day trip out of it. She reached for her cell phone. “Cari, could you cancel all my appointments for the rest of the day? I’ll be back on Monday.”

  “Did you want to cancel the appointment with Mr. Wellingford?”

  Sondra stifled a groan. Of course she did. Especially him. “Yes. Please reschedule for Monday.”

  “But he’s been trying to see you all week.”

  “It can wait.” Sondra wouldn’t allow guilt to change her mind. He was a client who demanded her every waking moment.

  A trip to Washington, DC, had been on her wish list since she was in Jr. High. What better time than now? She needed to put things into perspective. She needed to think.

  Tears coursed down her face. This was so unfair! Why would Nikki throw this at
her? She thought back over the years and realized this had been coming for some time. Nikki wouldn’t have asked if she had other options.

  Her husband, Brad, was dying of cancer. They’d frozen several embryos before his chemotherapy. Nikki had already been through three miscarriages a couple of months into the pregnancy.

  Adoption was out of the question. No agency would place a child where one of the parents was terminal. And, apparently, a different surrogate was out of the question, too.

  If Sondra remembered right, Nikki and Brad had only created a dozen embryos. Nikki was running out, and Sondra knew her desire for a child was intense.

  Searing pain shot through her heart. She was all that stood between her sister and the child she so desperately wanted. Could she really carry a baby for her?

  She looked at her own life and wondered how she could fulfill her duties as an attorney while she waddled through a pregnancy. She couldn’t remember seeing another lawyer testifying in court several months pregnant. Maybe law firms kept their pregnant lawyers sequestered. The vision of herself standing in court with a full belly made her shudder.

  And would her clients decide she wasn’t worthy to be their attorney? They all knew she was single. Even in this day and age, many of her clients expected her to behave “properly.” There hadn’t been any question in the past. With her dating life, there was no danger of misbehavior. Most of her clients were LDS. They knew the standards of the Church as well as she did.

  Would they drop her services if she was a single mother? It wasn’t something she’d feel comfortable explaining. Many of her long-standing clients were like Mr. Wellingford. They’d grown up in a different age. She doubted they’d understand. She wrinkled her nose as she imagined the reprimand Mr. Wellingford was sure to give. But he’d been using the services of the firm for longer than she’d been living. Surely, he wouldn’t pull his lucrative business.

  Sondra parked in the long-term parking at the Salt Lake Airport. The icy wind bit at her as she stood in the shelter waiting for the shuttle. The only other person waiting was texting. He barely looked up as he stepped in the shuttle and settled on one of the plastic seats.

  Sondra rubbed frozen hands together and wished she’d remembered gloves. The long black wool coat she wore was adequate coverage on a normal winter day. This wind carried an arctic chill that seeped into her bones. The plastic seat didn’t help. It felt like it was immersed in ice. She perched at the edge and stared out the window. She hoped she could find a seat to DC. If she remembered right, there were two direct flights every day.

  As she entered the terminal, warm air flowed past, rushing air not entirely stopped by the environmental airflow dividing the cold outside air and the warm inside air. She flexed thawing fingers as she stepped to the service desk.

  “I’d like a flight to DC. Are there any seats left?”

  The clerk pulled up a screen. “There are five. Four.” She corrected herself. “Three are center seats. The aisle seat is near the lavatory.”

  “I’ll take the aisle seat.”

  The clerk didn’t look up as she asked, “Luggage?”

  “No. Carry on only.”

  Sondra paid for the seat and headed toward security.

  A seat close to the restroom might not be a bad thing, she thought, and shuddered at the memory of her last trip. That flight had been to Texas. It had been a rough flight. The weather today wasn’t any better than it had been then.

  Without any luggage to check, she rushed through security and headed to the gate, stopping at a small shop. She bought some Dramamine and a bottle of water. This trip wasn’t going to turn out like the last one.

  She could see the gate from the shop. The 9:55 am flight was already boarding. She rushed to join the end of the line and worked her way to the back of the plane.

  The gentleman with sleek dark, almost black hair sitting in the seat next to her own seemed familiar. Sensing her intense gaze, he looked up. His dark eyes echoed his hair. The coloring of his skin and his strong jawline spoke of Native American ancestry. His short sleek haircut matched the crisp suit he wore, which enhanced his muscular build.

  Embarrassed by her own bold appraisal, Sondra dropped in her seat and stuffed her bag under the seat in front of her. Where had she seen him before? His face was too familiar. Why couldn’t she place him?

  As she shuffled through her mental deck of acquaintances at work, at school, at church, she half listened to the boarding attendant discuss the floatable seats. She glanced out of the window over the heads of the other passengers. Gray skies released small flakes of snow. The day matched her mood.

  This was the first time she’d taken an unscheduled trip. The difference in ticket price was staggering, but at this point, she didn’t care. She couldn’t think surrounded by the pressures of the office coupled with Nikki’s request. As she settled into her seat, the cabin heat thawed her frozen fingers. Giving up on her mental search for the man seated next to her, she reached for her ebook reader.

  She needed to keep her mind off her sister’s request. Sondra drew in a deep breath. She didn’t want to have a sob fest in front of the other passengers.

  The effects of the two Dramamine finally settled in. Hardly able to keep her eyes open, Sondra stuffed the reader in her purse and leaned a weary head against the seat.

  * * *

  She woke to a gentle nudge. A pleasant, oddly-familiar voice addressed her. “We’re landing.”

  Sondra blinked and stared into a pair of dark eyes. She jerked back, a warm flush spreading over her face. She’d been burrowed into her neighbor’s shoulder.

  She was relieved to see his suit had survived her nap without a wrinkle.

  Another blink helped her to focus on what he was saying.

  “Sorry. You didn’t look like you were going to wake any time soon, and I have a meeting to get to.”

  “No. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to borrow your shoulder.”

  A slow smile spread across his face. “I didn’t mind.”

  Who was he? Once again, she struggled to place him. Court room? She had worked on so many cases, he could be a client or someone she had opposed in court. University? Grad school?

  While she struggled to place him, she glanced at her watch. She had slept through the entire flight.

  As the plane approached the airport, the pilot’s voice rang in the cabin, “There’s been a slight delay in the flight. Due to severe weather conditions, we’ll be landing at the Baltimore Airport instead.”

  An audible groan came from the cabin. Her substitute pillow muttered under his breath.

  Sondra raised a querying brow.

  He answered her unasked question. “That’s cutting my appointment close. I’m not sure I can make it.”

  “I’m sorry.” She paused, then asked. “Urgent?”

  He blew out a frustrated breath and nodded. “Unfortunately.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He shrugged. “There’s nothing I can do, but thanks.”

  As the plane circled and then landed a few minutes later, Sondra stood to join the other passengers. She brushed her skirt, grateful the dark blue wool resisted wrinkles.

  She was taller than Nikki at 5’7”. Her neighbor was several inches taller. She tried to ignore him, but her skin tingled where his suit almost brushed her arm.

  Trying to focus on something other than her seatmate, she felt a few strands of hair brushing her neck. Her tight chignon had loosened through her nap. She pulled out the securing pins and shook out her hair, the cascade of reddish blond curls falling to the middle of her back. She finger combed through her hair, her heart pounding loudly in her ears. So much for ignoring him, she thought.

  She wasn’t usually interested in men. Her life was too full for complications, but spending a flight sleeping on his shoulder put her in a different frame of mind. Then again, maybe it was Nikki’s suggestion that changed her frame of mind.

  Her life had been neat and ordered and too
busy to spend any time thinking about what it might feel like to have a tiny human squirming inside her. Thoughts about her own child and not Nikki’s coupled with the man standing next to her had color spreading over her face.

  She was certain he wouldn’t be thrilled at where her mind was taking her, what with his urgent meeting and all. She snuck a glance at his ring finger and was relieved to see she wasn’t fantasizing about a clearly-taken man. At least he wasn’t walking around with a ring on his finger, but maybe it didn’t mean anything. Despite his nagging familiarity, she couldn’t remember anything about him. How could she be fantasizing?

  She snuck another look at him as he glanced at his watch. He certainly wasn’t showing any interest. She could kick herself. Or Nikki. Nikki was the one who had introduced these unsettling thoughts.

  Guilt washed over her. She wasn’t living what Nikki was living. She hadn’t lost several of her own children through miscarriage. Her beloved wasn’t even now lying on his death bed. She didn’t even have a love interest, let alone a beloved one. How could she be feeling used by her sister?

  She tossed back her long curls, angry at where her thoughts had once again taken her and moved forward with the other passengers. She would have to slam the door on her fantasies about her temporary pillow. She’d most likely never see him again.

  Chapter Two, Proposal

  Since she didn’t have any luggage to gather, she headed straight for the car rental area. There were a dozen counters, and from the snippets of conversations she was overhearing, it sounded like there weren’t many choices.

  She was tucking the key to her rental sedan in her purse with some satisfaction when her temporary pillow showed up at the desk. She couldn’t help but overhear the rushed conversation. “I need a car, truck, van, anything.”

  “I’m sorry. I just placed our last.”