A Moment of Weakness: Book 2 in the Forever Faithful trilogy
Page 1
PRAISE FOR
KAREN KINGSBURY’S BOOKS
“With the careful pacing of a seasoned storyteller, Karen Kingsbury spins a tale of love and loss, lies and betrayal, that sent me breathlessly turning pages to discover what might become of Jade and Tanner. These flawed characters are easy to sympathize with … and celebrate with by story’s end! Contemporary issues of faith and the First Amendment add to the timely message in A Moment of Weakness.”
LIZ CURTIS HIGGS, AUTHOR OF BOOKENDS AND BAD GIRLS OF THE BIBLE
“One message shines clear and strong through Karen Kingsbury’s A Moment of Weakness: Our loving God is a God of second chances.”
ANGELA ELWELL HUNT, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE JUSTICE
“Karen Kingsbury has written a heart-gripping love story. A Moment of Weakness demonstrates the devastating consequences of wrong choices and the long shadows deception casts over the lives of God’s children. It also shows the even longer reach of God’s providence, grace, and forgiveness.”
RANDY ALCORN, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF
SAFELY HOME AND THE ISHBANE CONSPIRACY
WHEN JOY CAME TO STAY
“Kingsbury confronts hard issues with truth and sensitivity.”
FRANCINE RIVERS, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF LEOTA’S GARDEN
“Kingsbury’s poignant tale of a lost and broken family and how they experience God’s miraculous healing is a sure guarantee to bring hope and joy to her readers.”
MELODY CARLSON, AUTHOR OF DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL
“A thought-provoking account of the battle of depression in a believer’s life. It leaves no doubt that God is loving, merciful, and faithful.”
NANCY MOSER, AUTHOR OF THE SEAT BESIDE ME
WAITING FOR MORNING
“What a talent! I love her work.”
GARY SMALLEY, BESTSELLING AUTHOR
“Kingsbury not only entertains but goes a step further and confronts readers with situations that are all too common, even for Christians. At the same time, Waiting for Morning will remind believers of God’s mercy and challenge them to pray for America. The book … reveals God’s awesome love and His amazing ability to turn moments of weakness into times of strengthening.”
CHRISTIAN RETAILING, SPOTLIGHT REVIEW
NOVELS BY KAREN KINGSBURY
Where Yesterday Lives
When Joy Came to Stay
On Every Side
A Time to Dance
A Time to Embrace (sequel to A Time to Dance)
One Tuesday Morning
Oceans Apart
THE FOREVER FAITHFUL SERIES
Waitng for Morning
A Moment of Weakness
Halfway to Forever
THE REDEMPTION SERIES
(Co-written with Gary Smalley)
Redemption
Remember
Return
Rejoice
Reunion
THE RED GLOVES CHRISTMAS SERIES
Gideon’s Gift
Maggie’s Miracle
Sarah’s Song
www.karenkingsbury.com
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A MOMENT OF WEAKNESS
Published by Multnomah Publishers, Inc.
© 2000 by Karen Kingsbury
Published in association with
the literary agency of Arthur Pine Associates, Inc.
All Scripture quotations are taken from
The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV)
© 1973, 1984 by International Bible Society,
used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission.
For information:
Multnomah Publishers, Inc.
Post Office Box 1720
Sisters, OR 97759
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kingsbury, Karen. A moment of weakness / by Karen Kingsbury.
p.cm.—(Multnomah fiction) eISBN: 978-0-307-56905-9
Custody of children—Fiction. I. Title. II. Series.
PS3561.I483 M66 2000 813′.54—dc21 99-050869
v3.1_r1
Dedicated to …
Donald,
My love song, my heart’s mirror image, my best friend—
Who once upon a yesterday looked to God alone during our own
Moments of weakness …
And whose faith is today still my greatest strength …
Life with you is good; it’s all good.
And since I can’t slow the passing of time I am doing my very best
To savor it.
Kelsey …
My sweet girl, my most priceless treasure …
Your music is in my heart,
The voice of one whose love is the very definition
Of pure and whole and right.
Little Norm, can it truly be that you’ve reached double-digits?
And that your little-girl time with us.
Is more than half over?
Tyler …
My handsome, lanky sunbeam.
You continue to give me bouquets of
Laughter and sunshine-filled memories …
I love everything about you, Ty.
No matter how tall you grow you’ll always be
My little boy.
Austin …
Who races and rolls and rough-houses through our home …
Even the toughest athletes take timeouts …
And when you take yours and those sticky, baby arms make their way
Around my neck.
I think of the miracle you are … And I am grateful.
Grateful beyond words.
Whenever I wonder how much God loves me, I never have to look further than you.
And to God Almighty, who has—for now—
blessed me with these.
Acknowledgments
MY NOVELS ARE NOT WRITTEN WITHOUT DRAWING ON THE research and true-life events that happen around me. For that reason, I’d like to thank several people for the help they have sometimes unwittingly provided me during the writing of A Moment of Weakness.
First, I’d like to thank the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) for their tireless work in fighting for religious freedom in the United States. One day while listening to an ACLJ broadcast, I heard a woman call in because she was being sued by her husband for complete custody of her child. The reason? The woman was a Christian. And in that moment the story line for A Moment of Weakness was born.
Also, I’d like to thank my friend, Sherri Reed, aka Evil Buster. In the small town where she lives, Sherri started a campaign against Channel One—a real U.S. Department of Education program, which offered free televisions to public school classrooms as long as the students watch a fifteen-minute program each day. The program—which did not require parental approval—included government-chosen documentaries on topics that are at best questionable. Five minutes of the programming is commercial spots geared directly to school children. Over the course of a year, Sherri led a parent group that convinced the local school board to cancel the programming and give the television sets back to the government. I drew heavily from Sherri’s experience in writing certain sections of A Moment of Weakness.
My medical scenes—no matter the book—are always written based on the expertise of my close friend and brother in Christ, Dr. Cleary. I am humbly indebted to him for allowing me, a would-be, self-appointed medical expert of the Verde Valley, to pick his brain at all hours of the day and night.
A very heartfelt thanks goes to my amazing editor, Karen Ball, whose God-given talent is responsible for making my fiction what it is today. And also to the entire staff at Multnomah, from Don Jacobson and Ken Ruettgers to the sales and marketing and publicity teams, to cover design, and editing. I am amazed at what God is doing at Multnomah and humbly blessed to be part of it. Thank you for believing in my work.
As with each of my books, I could not have written this one without the help of those who care for my precious children during crunch time. For that reason I’d like to thank Christy and Jeff Blake (and Butter for making Austin’s naptime a bit cozier). And also my dear, sweet friend, Heidi, for making Tyler part of your family on so many occasions.
A special thanks to my parents who have believed in my writing since I was old enough to hold a pencil and to my extended family for their love and support.
Also thanks to my church family and friends, especially Christine Wessel, who knows my heart and has held me up in prayer on so many occasions; Michelle Stokes, who has a house with her name on it next door to mine; Lisa Alexander, who has been there from the beginning and always will be; and Heidi Cleary, who will take a piece of my heart with her when she moves away this summer. I love you all.
Oh, and thanks to the Skyview basketball team—you fiery, slam-dunking, hard-working, amazing guys who have given me so many reasons to cheer, even on deadline! Each of you and your families feel like a part of mine, and I cherish the fleeting moments we have together!
Finally, thanks to Grandma Polly Russell, who went to be with the Lord during the writing of this book. Thank you for teaching me what it truly is to love.
Contents
Cover
Other Books by This Author
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Part I 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
Part II 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
Author’s Note
Reading Group Guide
About the Author
PART I
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me,
and I will listen to you.”
JEREMIAH 29:11–12
One
May 1977
THE OLD BIDDIES SAT IN A CIRCLE, THEIR TIGHTLY KNOTTED HEADS turning this way and that like vultures eyeing a kill. Only this time the carcass was the Conner family, and no one was quite dead yet.
Hap Eastman watched from a corner of the Williamsburg Community Church fellowship hall. He’d done his part. Started the coffee, laid out the pastries, set up the chairs. It was something he did every Saturday morning for the Women’s Aid Society, and every time it was the same. The old girls started with a list of needs and prayer requests and ended with a fullblown gossip session.
Hap’s wife, Doris, was president, and at forty-five the youngest of the group. So Hap hung around tinkering with fix-it jobs in the kitchen or perched on a cold metal folding chair in the corner, a cup of fresh brewed French Roast in one hand and a Louis L’Amour novel in the other. Four days a week he was a jurist laden with a heavy workload and weighty decision making. Saturdays were his day to relax.
Hap had already heard the story from Doris and generally when the birds got going, he tried not to listen. But days like this it was nearly impossible.
“I don’t care what anyone says. We need to talk about it.” Geraldine Rivers had the floor, and Hap eyed her suspiciously from a distance. Geraldine was a talker from way back and in charge of the social committee. Generally when the gossip got going, Doris and Geraldine fanned the fires and battled for position. Especially in the heated sessions, and Hap figured this was about as hot as they’d ever get.
“We haven’t read the minutes yet.” Louella tilted her face in Geraldine’s direction. The minutes were still tucked in her unopened Bible, so her comment was more for appearances than anything else.
“Minutes mean nothing at a time like this!” Geraldine nodded toward Doris. “Tell us what you know, will you, Dorie? Several of the ladies here haven’t heard what happened.”
The vultures nodded in unison, and Doris took her cue.
“It’s really very tragic, very sundry. I almost hate to talk about it at church.” She paused for effect, smoothing the wrinkles in her polyester dress. “You all know the Conner family, Angela and her husband, Buddy—”
“Buddy’s been drinking alcohol at the tavern lately. Louella’s husband saw his truck there last week, isn’t that true?” Geraldine knew this to be true but enjoyed her own voice too much to be silent for long.
Doris frowned. “Right. He’s become a regular drunkard. Now, Angela … well, she’s another story. A flirtatious type, not given to things of the Lord.” She looked around the circle. “Nearly everyone in Williamsburg has suspected her of cheating on Buddy.”
The old birds nodded again.
“Well, yesterday I got a call from Betty Jean Stevens … you’ve probably noticed she’s not here today.” Doris’s face bunched up like it did when Hap forgot to take out the trash. “Seems all those rumors were true. Betty Jean found out last week that her husband’s been seeing Angela Conner on the side. And I don’t mean at the Piggly Wiggly.”
A collective gasp rose from the circle, and six of the girls started talking at once.
“Bill Stevens and that loose woman?”
“Why, that hypocrite!”
“A deacon at Williamsburg Community has committed adultery?”
“He’ll need to make a public apology before I forgive him!”
“I knew something was happening between those two!”
The cacophony of accusations grew until Geraldine rapped her fist on the table. “Quiet, all of you! Quiet!”
They had obviously forgotten about Hap and his novel, and he gazed at them over the top of his book. The biddies fell silent again, and Geraldine lowered her gaze, trying to look appropriately indignant. “There’s more.…”
Doris brought her hands together in a neat fold. “Yes.” She drew a deep breath. “For the past few weeks Bill’s been … taking a motel room with the Conner woman. Apparently she set about trying to seduce him for some time. And … well …”
“There’s a temptress in every town!” Geraldine obviously intended to maintain her presence even if it was Doris’s story.
“Betty Jean says Bill tried to ward off her advances. But last month
… he gave in.”
“I do declare, Angela Conner’s a harlot. She’s always been a whore!” Geraldine snapped at a lemon pastry and dabbed fiercely at the filling it left on her lips.
“Yes, I believe she is.” Doris looked glad that Geraldine had said it first. Hap sighed. “But the worst part happened last night.”
The birds were nodding their interest, waiting breathlessly for the rest of the story.
Doris sipped her coffee, and Hap knew she was enjoying the way she held her audience captive. “Last night … Bill Stevens ran off with her. The two of them. Just like that, they up and left town.”
Several of the women were on their feet firing questions.
“Where did they go?”
“Does anyone else know?”
Doris kept her back stiff, her nose in the air. Hap hated it when she got uppity, and this was one of those times. She answered their questions with all the condemnation she could muster.
“D.C.”
“The capital?”
“Yes. Betty Jean says Bill sat her down last night and told her they were through. Told her he’s in love with Angela, and they’re starting a new life in Washington, D.C.”
“Dear heaven, how’s Betty Jean handling it?”
“She’s ashamed, broken. But she saw it coming. About a year ago, Bill began meeting with Angela to talk about a business venture.”
“Business venture?”
“I guess we all know what type business—” Geraldine spat the word the way boys spit watermelon seeds on a summer day—“that was, don’t we?”
Doris hesitated. “Betty Jean’s just thankful the children are grown and out of the house.”
“Angela Conner was bad blood from the get-go. Last year, I think she was seeing that attorney in town. You know, the divorce lawyer.”