“So lovely,” he whispered, contentment tipping his lips.
Her inhibitions began to crumble.
“So sweet.” Joseph pressed a kiss to her neck, his warm breath fanning over her in a wash of liquid heat.
He made slow work of the next kiss he placed on her lips.
“So very innocent.” He deliberately measured out the words as if he was marking her with a new name, etching it on her heart. Her soul. Her mind.
He skimmed his hands whisper-soft over her shoulders, then moved his hands to her waist, and Katie shivered at his magnificently tender touch.
He pulled her close to his warmth and strength. Every caring touch of his hands bringing her another measure of healing.
Joseph’s eyes were closed as he trailed his fingertips, feather-light, down her neck, shoulders and arms.
He cupped her face in his hands then and stared down at her, the depth in his gaze drawing her, beckoning her. “Katie, I love you,” he ground out. “Do you hear me? I love you.”
Her shame fell away then, shattering into a million pieces.
She stared through joyous tears up at Joseph, her heart soaring to heights she’d never known.
When he settled his arms gently around her and pulled her close, she felt completely encompassed by a love that gave her wings to fly. To explore the beautiful, wondrous, God-given design of intimacy.
“Joseph, I feel so safe when I’m in your arms,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around his chest and splaying quivering fingers against his back.
Joseph wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to express to her how much those words meant. With them she restored a foundation that had crumbled eight weeks ago when he’d lost his vision.
When she rested her cheek at his heart, his throat tightened with instant emotion. He nuzzled his face into her hair, loving the way she felt in his arms.
Her heart belonged to him and him alone.
He gloried in the revelation, unable to keep the smile from washing over his face. He’d seen beauty around him all his life. The mountains. The streams. The innocence of a child.
But to be entrusted with a heart so giving, and pure, and beautiful brought more joy than he’d ever known.
“You are so beautiful, Joseph. So perfect for me. I love you.” Katie’s sweet voice was laced with a strong sense of relief—as though she’d finally found what she was looking for.
He dipped his head to settle his mouth on hers, his lips brushing hers with a promise. The way she melted to his touch made his heart squeeze and allowed him another glimpse of God’s abiding love and power to restore.
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Joseph and Katie’s story and were touched, in some way, by the message of redemption. The characters I write and the internal issues they struggle with are often a reflection of my own fears and inner workings. However, when I started writing this story several years ago, I never imagined I would be closely affected by the kind of trauma Katie faces.
By nature, I’m a “fixer”—I want to give those who are hurting an antidote to make them feel better. That works for the physical, but most of the time it just doesn’t cut it for the emotional or spiritual. Quick fixes and just-get-over-it attitudes often circumvent the total healing God can do. There is no substitute for His presence, His word and His love.
It is my hope that, like Joseph and Katie, you find yourself wrapped securely in His love.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read Rocky Mountain Match. Please watch for the next book in the Drake Brothers series. I’d love to hear from you.
With love,
Pamela Nissen
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
Joseph is afraid of what his future holds, and responds out of his fear. When you have been afraid, how did you respond?
Why does Joseph so adamantly refuse help? Do you think that is a good or bad attitude?
If you were Katie and your new “student” was curt and unfriendly, like Joseph, how would you respond?
Julia is a thorn in Joseph’s flesh. Do you have someone like that in your life, and if so, how do you deal with those situations?
Did Julia’s reaction to Joseph’s blindness seem cruel to you? How would you have responded if a friend suddenly was injured as Joseph was?
Joseph’s brothers are also his closest friends. How do they show that they care?
When Joseph learns his blindness is permanent, how does that affect the way he lives his life? Have you ever put your life on hold for something, and if so, was it beneficial?
Katie left Iowa because of an incident that happened to her. Was she right to have left and made a fresh start in another town? What would you have done?
Katie’s flashbacks to her attack cause Joseph great concern. Do you feel as if he responds appropriately or should he have pushed her to talk sooner? How would you handle this situation?
Katie’s near-death situation causes Joseph to face his worst fears. Have you ever faced your fears and found freedom on the other side?
Fearing that Joseph will not want her once he finds out she is “used,” Katie is tormented by her secret. Have you ever revealed something that was once hidden, and if so, how did that make you feel?
ISBN: 978-1-4268-5704-1
ROCKY MOUNTAIN MATCH
Copyright © 2010 by Pamela Nissen
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.
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Rocky Mountain Match Page 24