My Steps Are Ordered
Page 1
My Steps Are Ordered
Michelle Lindo-Rice
www.urbanchristianonline.com
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
Title Page
My Steps Are Ordered
Praise for Sing a New Song
Acknowledgments
A Note to My Readers
Dedication
Prologue
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
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter Thirty-nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-one
Chapter Forty-two
Chapter Forty-three
Epilogue
The Fall of the Prodigal
Readers’ Guide Questions
About the Author
UC HIS GLORY BOOK CLUB!
What We Believe:
Copyright Page
My Steps Are Ordered
by Michelle Lindo-Rice
What happens when her husband finds out she’s in love with his brother?
The Second Installment in the On the Right Path series
Praise for Sing a New Song
“Ms. Lindo-Rice writes with heart, humor, and honesty . . .” –Shana Burton, author of Flaw Less and Flaws and All
“Michelle Lindo-Rice has written a sweet story of the power of love despite the main character’s (Tiffany’s) sordid past . . .” –Michelle Stimpson, best selling author of Falling into Grace
“The author’s writing is crisp and her characters’ emotions are authentic . . .” –Pat Simmons, award-winning and bestselling author of The Guilty series.
“The author did a phenomenal job in drawing the reader’s heart and spirit into the characters . . . Ms. Lindo-Rice developed an endearing, engaging, multilayered story with realism and redemption . . .” –Norma Jarrett, Essence bestselling author of Sunday Brunch
Praise for Walk a Straight Line
“I could feel the breeze and smell the scent of the flower garden the wind was carrying with it; that’s how fresh this story is . . . I loved how the story flowed.” –E.N. Joy, BLESSEDselling author of the New Day Divas series
“The message of resilience in Colleen’s story is powerful and important . . . as is the message of commitment, love, and friendship that comes through . . .” –Rhonda McKnight, bestselling author of An Inconvenient Friend and What Kind of Fool
Acknowledgments
I acknowledge my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My heartfelt gratitude goes to my sons, Eric and Jordan, or my “two eyeballs,” for their encouragement and understanding.
To my parents, family, loved ones and friends at Agape Church of God and the Charlotte County public schools, I thank you for being in my corner. Special mention goes to Glenda Clark and Colette Alexander, who support me every step of the way. And I owe a very special mention to my unpaid “editors” and feedback crew, Zara Anderson, Sobi-Dee Ophelia, and Jane Adams.
I want to extend a special thank-you to Rhonda McKnight. Her skill and craft are helping me become a better writer. I still have much to learn.
I would also like to thank Felicia Murrell for her editing skills. She’s fast, thorough and has an eye for details.
And I wish to thank Victoria Christopher Murray, a best-selling author, who encourages me. Her willingness to advise and share speaks about her character.
And Joylynn Ross, the acquisitions editor, literary genius, and author at Urban Books, deserves my thanks for taking a leap of faith in me and for believing in my work.
Finally, I must express my deep appreciation to all the new readers who reach out to me on various social media and who make it all worthwhile. To all the book clubs and bloggers who feature me and read my work: Thank you.
A Note to My Readers
“The steps of a good man are ordered by
the Lord : and he delighteth in his way.”
–Psalm 37:23
For many of us, the road to salvation has been paved with many mistakes and failures. Sometimes, we know better but choose to go our own way and to satisfy our wants. But we can delight in knowing that we serve a perfect God, who loves us and who forgives us all our sins. When we accept Christ, He throws our past in the sea of forgetfulness and remembers it no more. However, we do have consequences that we might have to face, but He will be with us every step of the way.
As Christians, we are flawed and human, but we have an advocate in Christ Jesus, who pleads for us and sends us His Holy Spirit to comfort us. We also have a secret ingredient for abundant life—hope. Though we face the same battles and trials as everyone else, we hope for a brighter day, when God will wipe away all tears and our sorrows will be turned into joy.
Thank you for choosing to read my work. It wasn’t by accident, but by divine ordination. Be entertained. Be blessed.
Sincerely,
Michelle Lindo-Rice
Dedicated to
Glenda Momrelle-Clarke,
A sister, a friend, woman of God, and one of my biggest cheerleaders.
We Agree
We came into this world alone
But we were not destined to end it that way
We yearned for someone with whom we could share
The myriad paths in life just waiting for us to choose
Our lives were full but without true meaning
We developed our talents but were still dreaming
Then we awakened and discovered that our souls
connected
And we acknowledged finding that missing link
The person with whom everything clicks
The one who invigorates, rejuvenates, entrances,
The mind, body and soul
At first, admission was a struggle
But eventually we accepted defeat
For love had conquered
Our wandering, seeking hearts
And captured the essence of who we are
Now we are tightly woven
Where does she begin?
Where does he end?
That is a mystery
Only God holds the key
For what He has joined together
No man can put asunder
So from this day onward
We walk together
For the two of us,
We agree
Written by
Michelle Lindo-Rice
For Glenda and Andrew Clarke Jan. 22, 2006
Prologue
The present day . . .
It can’t be.
No. It’s impossible.
The voices of the choir faded in the distant echo. All around him people praised and rejoiced while Keith felt the scales around his heart chip away.
Time stood still.
Leaning forward, Keith squinted to focus into the distance. That’s her all right. She was here. His psyche must have known something. No wonder she’d been on his mind.
Gina Ward.
His brother’s wife.
And, the mother of Keith’s child. Yes, he was a father.
Keith’s heart slammed into his chest. Its beating sounded like thunder booming to his ears. Gripping the handles, Keith eased his body out of the chair, intending to pursue the woman who had twisted his insides and stolen his heart.
He had to go to her.
As he soon as he stood, Keith felt a moment of disorientation; belatedly realizing the crowd was standing and cheering. It seemed as if they were giving him a standing ovation. Flabbergasted, Keith watched Gina leave. All of his thoughts about his sermon left the forefront of his mind.
He turned his head to see his assistant, Natalie Henderson, or as he called her, “The Hawk,” gesturing towards the podium. She mouthed the words, “Go. Go,” with frantic hands.
Keith gritted his teeth, clenched his fists and closed his eyes. Lord, help me. Help me. He repeated scriptures to temper the need that filled his being.
The crowd shouted praises, presuming he was hearing something from God. Summoning every ounce of self-control he possessed, Keith stepped up to the stage. He opened his Bible, worn from use. He’d refused to get a new one. This one had sentimental value.
Then, with authority and anointing, he addressed his parishioners waiting on a word from God.
Chapter One
Three years earlier . . .
“Say you’ll be here for Gina’s party. Colleen and Terence can’t make it, so I’m counting on you to show your ugly face. Trey’s been asking for his favorite uncle Keith.” Michael Ward, Keith’s brother, threw in that last tidbit for emotional blackmail.
Keith Ward grinned, picturing the rambunctious little boy giving the pint-sized Gina a run for her money. “I’m his only uncle Keith. Is he still running like his pants are on fire?”
“Yup, and you should see Gina try to pick him up. He’s already half her size.”
Sitting in a leather chair in his office located on Queens Boulevard in New York City, Keith propped his foot on another chair and looked up at the ceiling. Going to Atlanta would mean that he would be seeing her again. Gina. His blessing and his curse. Who was he fooling? Of course he’d be there.
“Okay, I’ll come. Let me know if you need me to take care of anything on my end,” Keith offered. As soon as he ended the call, he grabbed his briefcase. He needed to head to the courthouse, located two blocks away.
While he’d been on the phone, his secretary had handed him a message that the judge was ready to make a ruling on the Harper Wills case. After two grueling months, he was glad a decision had been made.
As he walked, Keith took a stroll down memory lane. Michael had been love struck when he’d met Gina Price, her name at the time, at his business partner, Terence Hayworth’s wedding. His brother tended to attract psychopaths, so Keith had been prepared to dislike and dismiss this new woman who had his brother spellbound. But the moment he’d seen Gina Price, Keith had gotten the shock of his life.
Before Gina, Keith hadn’t known there was such a thing as instant love at first sight or even real animal attraction, but that was how it had been. Before her, he’d only been in love once, with Vanessa Arnold. Sadly, she’d been killed by a drunk driver. However, Keith’s feelings for Vanessa paled in comparison to what he felt for Gina.
Gina was like a fire that consumed him.
Keith stopped. He stood at the foot of the ten steps leading up to the entrance of the courthouse. He dragged his hands down his face, pulling on his cheeks, as the memories flooded him.
Twice. On two sweet occasions, he’d been with Gina.
The first time was right before his brother’s near fatal car accident. When Gina and Michael were dating, she found out Michael had cheated with his crazy ex, Karen Newton, and had broken things off with him.
To Keith, this had been fate giving him his chance. He had rushed to Gina’s house and he hadn’t had any reservations about professing his love. It sounded like the plot of a cheap romance novel, but he’d been convinced that Gina was his destiny. This was his time—his moment, he’d told himself. His heart rang with joy when Gina confessed she’d felt the same way.
And he’d had her, for one sweet night that he’d hoped would last forever. However, for Gina and Keith there had been no happy-ever-after. They shared one of the most mind-boggling, emotionally charged intimate experiences uniting their soul . . . Remembering, Keith felt the old guilt begin to eat at him again . . . and, then the call came.
Michael, feeling guilty about cheating on Gina, had lost control of the vehicle while speeding to her house and crashed, almost killing himself.
Keith remembered how his body had shaken with fear when he’d learned that Michael was in a coma. The wait had been agonizing. By some divine intervention, Michael had awakened with no residual brain damage and Gina patched things up with him. At her urging, Keith and Gina agreed never to talk about what transpired between them.
Plagued with guilt, Gina pressed, “It never happened.”
After his near death experience, Michael had wasted no time in putting a rock on Gina’s finger and wedding plans commenced with so much speed that Keith felt like he was in a time warp.
Keith trudged up the stairs as her words pounded in his head. It never happened. He made a fist. But, it had once.
And again.
There had been a second time. Keith shrugged. He’d better leave that as a secret of the past.
Entering the designated courtroom, Keith put his briefcase on the table, pulled out the battered leather chair, sat, and waited for his client, Harper Wills, to arrive. Keith drummed his fingers on the table, his mind on Gina.
He couldn’t control the quivers of anticipation that rocked through his spine. He ached to see her. Soon . . . soon he would. He felt like a kid who was about to be given an all-you-can-eat day in a candy store. However, lucky for him, while he sat there musing, none of his thoughts showed on his face.
When he left the courthouse, he was going to go gift shopping. It would be late, but he lived in the city that never slept, so he wasn’t concerned. After the guilty verdict, as soon as the gavel hit the desk, Keith went through the motions, entered an appeal and shot out of there. He knew just the perfect gift.
The days flew by, and before he knew it, Keith found himself scurrying to catch the flight from JFK Airport to Atlanta. Since he carried only a small carry-on, he made it to the plane right before the final boarding call. With a dismissive glance at the other passengers, he settled into his seat. There was enough legroom for him to stretch out.
As he watched the clouds during the plane’s ascent, Keith sighed. He was grateful Michael had planned the trip. He relished leaving the hustle and bustle of New York, and its crazy, demanding work hours, for five days. Taking a deep breath, he settled deeper into the comfy seat. He could feel the muscles in his neck and back relaxing already.
His plane made good time and landed without incident. With his height of six-three, Keith had no trouble spotting Michael, who was awaiting his arrival just outside the security checkpoint.
“Hey, big bro!” Michael gave him a hearty hug.
“It’s been a while,” Keith replied, feeling good about seeing his brother. It had been almost six months since his last visit.
“I’ve missed you,” Michael declared, a little misty-eyed.
“Same here, bro,” Keith said.
“What about me?”
&nb
sp; Keith knew whom the small voice belonged to. “Hi, Trey,” he said. Two little fists clutched his trousers. Keith bent to peel Trey’s hands off his pants. His chubby fingers were sticky. Not caring, Keith held out his arms.
“Yippee!” Trey squealed and jumped into his arms.
Keith’s heart expanded with indescribable joy. “You’ve gotten so big, Little Man.”
Trey nodded and opened his mouth to show off his new tooth. Keith noted that the boy’s honey-colored complexion, curly hair, and hazel-green eyes were a gift from his grandma Gerry. At four, Trey was already so tall that Keith was convinced that he would overtake him.
“You guys are going to have to watch the women.” Keith looked at Michael. “He’s probably breaking hearts in preschool.”
Michael chuckled. “Don’t I know it? I predict he’s going to be like you, a magnet for the ladies.”
“What did you bring me?” Trey asked his uncle.
“Trey.” Michael was annoyed at his son’s blunt request, but Keith laughed.
He waved off Michael’s rebuke. “It’s okay. I like the direct, up-front approach.” Keith’s biceps expanded as he adjusted Trey in his strong arms.
Michael poked Keith in the ribs and whispered, “Still affecting the females, I see.”
Keith harrumphed. He looked around, noticing a group of women eyeing him, then ignored them. He was here for his family, nothing else. “Don’t start,” he warned and walked off.
Michael grabbed Keith’s carry-on and said, “What? You can’t blame them for being entranced by a movie star in their midst.”
“Spare me the humor, Michael.”
“Well, when you’ve got it, you’ve got it. I’m just saying you missed your calling.” Michael listed Keith’s physical attributes all the way to his car. “Accept it. You’re too pretty for words.”