Veiled Gems (Diamond Knot Dreams Book 1)

by Mary Manners

  “This is a mistake. I should go.” Morgan’s breath whispered warmly against Lila’s ear. “I don’t want to ruin things for Gunnar or his family. I don’t want to cause them more hurt than they’ve already endured. You said so yourself that this has been a tough road for him…for Maddie.”

  “Haven’t you realized yet that you are Gunnar’s family? God brought you to Clover Cove and here, today, for a reason. If you truly don’t want to cause any more pain for those who love you—who care deeply for you—then you should stay and talk to Gunnar.” Lila gripped his hand and refused to let go. “Stick this out and see where it leads.”

  “Why should I do that, Lila?”

  “To discover God’s plan, that’s why.”

  ****

  Just as Morgan was about to bolt, Pastor Kingston rose to welcome the congregation.

  Too late. I’m stuck here now.

  Morgan fingered a button along the collar of his dress shirt as every nerve fiber thrummed. Like a rider strapped into a roller coaster seat with no means of escape, he suddenly felt the same gut-twisting dread he’d experienced countless times upon ascending the thrill ride’s first massive incline in anticipation of a breath-stealing drop.

  Help me, Lord.

  For the second time since he’d arrived in Clover Cove, the heartfelt plea came without warning. Morgan clung to the words as a sense of peace washed over him. He settled back in the seat to draw a deep breath. Lila’s hand sought his once again and he carefully twined his fingers with hers. The warmth of her touch comforted.

  God works in His own time…

  Lila’s words drifted back, cooling the flash of heat that blazed across his cheeks. Morgan sat in awe of her boundless, unwavering faith.

  He bowed his head slightly and closed his eyes. A silent prayer whispered through his mind.

  I want faith like Lila’s…like Mr. and Mrs. Haynes. Help me to discover such faith, Lord. Draw me closer to You.

  He drew a deep breath as peace filtered in on silent wings. He lifted his head, opened his eyes, and everything seemed suddenly brighter. He turned his full attention to Pastor Kingston’s sermon, based on a passage from Hebrews 10:22.

  “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

  Sitting there as the full meaning of the words sank in, Morgan wondered if somehow Pastor Kingston knew he’d be in attendance today. The sermon seemed tailor-made just for him. Could it be?

  As the service unfolded, a spirit of renewal overtook and filled him. All these years, he’d carried such guilt and anger across his shoulders and in his heart. Guilt over running from Gunnar on that fateful December night and anger Gunnar had not cared enough to search for him all these years. Suddenly he saw how wrong he’d been to harbor such feelings. Lila was right; it was time to let go of the past and the hurt that stemmed from the abandonment he’d endured for the better part of his youth.

  The time had come to move on.

  But letting go was easier said than done. Such a task would take more than desire—it would require divine intervention and faith. Morgan wasn’t sure if he had more than a seed of faith remaining, but he trusted Lila was right when she affirmed God had a plan for bringing him here to Clover Cove. Exactly what such a plan might entail, Morgan had no clue. But he’d take things one step at a time to discover where they might lead. He’d made the choice to come here this morning. Maybe that was a decent enough start.

  Lila nestled beside him. Their shoulders brushed, igniting a deep desire in him. Morgan knew part of God’s plan for him rested with her. Was the Victorian’s restoration all that was in store for them…or could there be more?

  How would he know?

  “Try using this instead.” Lila’s simple, yet profound words tugged at him. He followed her earlier, tender gesture and splayed a hand over his racing heart.

  Too soon, the service concluded. Morgan found himself wanting—needing—so much more.

  “Are you in a hurry?” He asked Lila as he took the hymnal from her and set it back on the seat.

  “Not at all.” She folded her bulletin and tucked it into her purse.

  “Then can we just sit here for a few minutes before we head back into the hurry-up chaos of the world?”

  “I think that’s a great idea, especially since Gunnar and Maddie are headed this way.”

  “They are?” His head snapped up. Sure enough, his brother strode toward him. He held Maddie’s hand. Was Gunnar as nervous as he?

  Lila leaned close. Her breath, laced with a hint of cinnamon, whispered warmly against his skin as she murmured in his ear.

  “Don’t you think it’s about time you officially meet your sister-in-law, as well as your niece and nephew? After all, they are your family and you are theirs. You need each other, don’t you think?”

  7

  “Are they going to be OK?” Lila peered out the kitchen window to the back porch of Gunnar and Maddie’s house.

  “I think they’re going to be just fine.” Maddie rocked baby Katy, humming quietly now and then.

  Outside, Gunnar flipped half-a-dozen burgers on the grill while Morgan stood at his side, sipping sweet tea and graciously supervising. Their voices hummed through the open sliding glass door as they swapped stories in a way only two brothers can do.

  “I mean, just look at the two of them.” Maddie had joined Lila at the table, but of their gazes were fixed on the brothers. “It’s as if they never left each other’s side.”

  Both Gunnar and Morgan had delighted in a second reunion following the morning’s church service. In stark contrast to their meeting at the pizzeria, Morgan readily returned the bear hug Gunnar offered. Tears followed all around, and Morgan and Lila were quickly invited to lunch.

  Lila nibbled the sugar cookie Maddie had offered her. “Do you think they’ll finally put the past behind and move forward from this point?”

  “It sure looks that way. It’s awful what they’ve been through, both of them, but I think they’ll make it through to the other side.”

  “Look at Morgan, giving Gunnar grilling tips.”

  “Yes, I see that.” Maddie snorted out a laugh. “Next they’ll be comparing biceps and swapping old football stories.”

  Lila took a last bite of cookie and rinsed her hands at the sink. “Can I help you get the rest of the meal on the table?”

  “Sure.” Maddie shifted the sleeping baby in her arms as guffaws erupted between the brothers. “If Morgan is anything like Gunnar, he’ll be ravenous by the time those burgers are grilled. Do you mind to hold the baby for a few minutes while I toss the pasta salad and put together the fruit tray?”

  “Not at all.” Lila took Katy and nestled the sweet little bundle onto her shoulder. The soft scent of powder wafted to tickle her nose. “Oh, she’s so light!”

  “Not compared to when she was born. She came two weeks early and she was so very tiny. I was afraid to bring her home from the hospital, afraid I’d break her. Now, look at me.” Maddie smoothed wavy dark hair—a trait culled straight from Gunnar—from the baby’s forehead with a wistful sigh. “Ah, how time flies when you’re blurry-eyed from commandeering midnight feedings and changing mountains of diapers.”

  “I don’t think I’ll mind the lack of sleep or the occasional spit-up on my blouse.” Lila pressed her lips to Katy’s crown. “I’d love to have one—or two or three—someday.”

  “Well, it’s no secret that babies are a lot of work. But they’re so worth every minute of worry and exhaustion.” Maddie turned from the fridge where the door swung wide. She set a glass bowl filled with pasta on the counter and then went back for the fruit. “The love outweighs everything else, hands-down.”

  “I can only imagine. Maybe I’ll be fortunate enough to be blessed with a family—with babies of my own—someday.” Lila did a soothing hip-sway in her attempts to keep Katy happy. It felt
good…natural. “But I have a few hurdles to tackle before that can happen.”

  “And if my women’s intuition serves me right, one of them is beyond that window, tinkering in the yard with my husband.”

  “Morgan?” Lila’s gaze shifted to him. He’d loosened his tie and rolled the sleeves of his light blue dress shirt to his elbows, exposing a sinew of muscle. She had to admit she was taken in by his rugged good looks and take-charge, yet tender, attitude. Sunlight poured over him, turning his eyes the color of summer-blue ocean waves. “Oh, you’ve got that all wrong. He’s just helping me with renovations on the bridal shop.”

  “You keep telling yourself that and maybe one of us will eventually believe it.” Maddie laughed and pulled a large spoon from the drawer beside the sink. She lifted the lid on the salad bowl and added a splash of Italian dressing. “In the beginning, Gunnar and I did our own little relationship two-step but I think we both knew, even from the start, where it would all eventually lead.” She glanced up from the counter and winked. “I still enjoyed the dance, though. You will too if Morgan’s anything like Gunnar. And from what I see from here they are two peas in a pod.”

  “Morgan did bring me flowers.” Lila grinned as she recalled the beautiful blooms.

  “He did? When?” Maddie arranged thick slices of watermelon on the tray, then added pineapple chunks, strawberries, and slivers of kiwi. “I want all the details. Don’t leave out a single thing.”

  “The flowers were perfect…lovely.” Lila related her and Morgan’s first face-to-face encounter. “I have no idea how he knew wildflowers are my favorite.”

  “Those two have their ways.” Maddie grinned. “I have a feeling you’re going to be your own best customer at your bridal shop.”

  “Bite your tongue.” Lila hugged little Katy just a bit closer. “That’s crazy.”

  “Maybe so, but crazier thigs have happened around Clover Cove.” Maddie nodded toward the window, where Morgan turned the burgers while Gunnar peered over his shoulder. “Case in point—those two, together again and laughing as if they never missed a step. It’s a miracle, truly.”

  “Yes, it is.” Lila smoothed the pad of her thumb along the baby’s rosy cheek as nostalgia pricked her. She had her own painful memories, and helping Morgan wrestle with his had brought them to the surface. “Well, whatever may come from this point on, I’m glad Gunnar and Morgan finally found each other. They have a second chance to be a family, something we don’t all get. It shouldn’t be squandered.”

  Kyle loped through the doorway just then, with his mischievous chocolate lab, Axle, at his heels. The teen looked much like a fair-haired, smaller version of his uncles. All three boasted the signature cleft at the center of their chins. =

  “Uncle Morgan is cool.” Kyle snatched a sugar cookie from the platter on the counter. “He’s gonna teach me how to demolish things and then put them back together again.”

  “Oh?” Maddie quirked an eyebrow. “Sounds…intriguing.”

  “It’s gonna be awesome.” Kyle swallowed the cookie in a pair of bites and reached for a slice of watermelon. “How long ’til lunch?”

  “It looks like you’ve already started.” Maddie gave the pasta salad a toss with the serving spoon. “I’d tell you no more cookies, that they’ll spoil your appetite. But I don’t think that’s possible.”

  Kyle laughed. “I’m on a growth spurt.”

  “Always.” Maddie waved the serving spoon at him. “But I’m almost finished here, so a few more minutes and we’ll chow down.”

  “Cool. I think I’m gonna head out back and hang with Gunnar and Uncle Morgan, if that’s OK.”

  “Of course. You all have a lot of catching up to do.”

  “Yep.” He started to leave and then turned back. “Oh, Uncle Morgan said he’d help us build that playset for Katy. You know, the one Uncle Gunnar’s been talking about.”

  “We still have some time to get to that.”

  “Not with the way she’s growing…the kid eats more than I do.”

  “That’s what babies do.” Maddie laughed. “Eat, sleep, and—”

  “I know.” Kyle held up a hand. “You don’t have to remind me. I’ve been there to help with the clean-up. Can I head out now?”

  “Sure, but you’d better take your uncles some rations.” Maddie placed several cookies on a paper towel and handed them to Kyle. When Axle whined, she tossed him a biscuit from a canister on the counter, as well. “Now, both of you scoot.”

  When Kyle and Axle had gone, Maddie turned back to Lila.

  “So sweet,” Lila murmured as she watched the trio of males exchange high fives, then dive into the cookies. “Brothers…nephew…family.”

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Maddie stopped stirring the pasta and drew Lila toward the table. “Oh, Lila…you’re crying.”

  “No. I’m…” She pressed a kiss to the baby’s crown. “OK, you caught me.”

  Maddie pulled out a stool at the cook island. She motioned.

  “Why don’t you sit down here with me and share what’s on your mind?”

  ****

  Morgan headed up the deck steps toward the kitchen to refill his tea glass. The day was warm for early March, the air crisp and clean with the scent of fresh mown grass. He breathed deeply and smiled.

  He’d done so much talking with Gunnar while they grilled burgers that his throat ached like it had been scraped raw by sandpaper. It was a good ache, though, one he wouldn’t trade for every ounce of gold.

  He’d found Gunnar. Gunnar had found him. They had, against all odds, found each other. And Lila had been a part of that—a huge part. If she hadn’t trusted him with her renovation project, he’d have never come to Clover Cove. Without Lila’s trust, his path may have never crossed with Gunnar’s.

  He shuddered at the thought. How awful would it have been to never again lay eyes on his brother…to miss the sharing of laughter and conversation? He not only had Gunnar again, but he had Maddie, Katy and Kyle.

  Kyle had come to live with Gunnar a few years ago, when Charlene’s drifter way of life made it impossible for her to responsibly care for him. Gunnar knew a little about Charlene’s whereabouts. He knew that she lived in California. She flitted from job to job. Grocery store clerk, gas station attendant, a short stint as a hairstylist—until it was discovered she lacked a license. Though the two hadn’t seen each other in a few years, they spoke on the phone from time to time.

  Morgan had a family again—his very own family. The thought remained hard to fathom.

  He owed Lila more than he could repay, but he’d begin by thanking her and go from there. They’d get to know one another. He’d enjoy taking advantage of the opportunity to spend time with her. Who knew where it might lead?

  The thought caused a thrill of anticipation.

  God’s plan…is this all part of God’s plan?

  Morgan paused at the top of the stairs as Lila’s voice drifted through the sliding glass door.

  “Megan was my twin. We did everything together until our junior year in high school…until the accident. Then she was gone forever.”

  Accident? Gone forever?

  Morgan gulped back a wave of emotion. He stood glued to the top step just beyond the sliding glass door, which stood slightly ajar.

  “It should have been me.” Lila’s tone held a note of misery. “I was supposed to work the evening shift that Friday at the restaurant my parents owned, but I concocted a ridiculous excuse about having to finish a group project for chemistry class with some friends. I told my parents I’d fail the class if I didn’t turn the project in on time. But none of that was true.”

  “What was the truth?” Maddie gently prompted.

  “A band I liked—Quiet Chaos—was in town. I was invited to go to their concert by some friends. I was young and star struck, and I thought the band—and lead singer Jake McCord—hung the moon. I simply refused to miss it.”

  “Been there, done that.” Maddie sighed. “I don�
��t think there’s a teenage girl who hasn’t been bitten by the boy-band concert bug.”

  “It was wrong. I told a lie and from there everything spiraled out of control. Megan offered to fill in at the restaurant for me. She was good that way, generous to a fault. She looked out for others and though I was technically older—by a full eight minutes—that night she took care of me.”

  Morgan leaned against the porch rail. His heart pitched and roiled in his chest. With each word he felt as if another piece of a puzzle fell into place.

  “Megan was heading home from the restaurant about ten-thirty that night. It was the heart of winter—mid-January—and a storm had just swept through. Not a lot of snow, but it left a thin film of ice on the roads as the temperature plunged below freezing. Megan was only half a mile from our house when the car fishtailed going into a curve. The police reports stated she wasn’t speeding, but that night it wouldn’t have taken speed to do such damage. She lost control.” Lila paused so long that Morgan thought she might not continue. But then he heard her voice once more…barely a gnarled whisper. “It was the only stretch of road without a guard rail. She slid down an embankment. The car side-swiped a tree and flipped. Without her seatbelt, she was thrown from the car…crushed. The paramedics…they said she died instantly.”

  “Oh, Lila…” Through the glass, Morgan watched Maddie ease to Lila’s side and gently place an arm around her shoulder.

  “If I hadn’t made up a story about schoolwork—hadn’t snuck to the concert—Megan would still be alive.”

  “It’s not your fault, honey. There were so many variables.”

  “But none of those variables would have mattered if it wasn’t for me and my selfish lie.”

  “We all have things we wish we could take back…do over.” Maddie smoothed Lila’s hair back. “I’m so sorry this happened. So sorry all the way around.

  “My parents came looking for me. They came to the house where I was supposed to be to tell me what had happened. Of course, I wasn’t there. When they finally found me, the look in their eyes—the disappointment—tore me to the quick.” Lila pressed a fist to her lips and shook her head. “Megan was gone. I never got to tell her good bye, or that I’m sorry. We would have gone to college together. We had it all planned out. Megan had a boyfriend, too, and he’d just given her a promise ring. They had a dream to be married as soon as she graduated.”