“Did Rick give you an ultimatum?” Jay asked, knowing it was none of his business but still curious.
“He didn’t have to,” Kathi said, meeting his gaze. “I love this job, but I love my family more.”
“So you sacrificed your career for them.”
“It’s not a sacrifice.” Kathi leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “It’s a choice I’m making and quite willingly. Not because I have to, but because I want to.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I want it all, Jay,” Kathi said. “I want to be in front of the cameras and do the work I love and have a home life. I can have that in Lincoln. I no longer believe I can have that here.”
“But you were rumored to be the frontrunner for that slot that will be opening up at—”
“Life is about choices,” Kathi interrupted. “It’s about priorities. Success is meaningless without someone you love by your side.”
Jay thought about Rachel. Any success he achieved wouldn’t be nearly as sweet without her by his side. Could he do it? Could he willingly give up everything he’d worked for all these years for the sake of love?
The door to Jay’s office opened but he didn’t bother looking up from the computer screen.
“Jackie, were you able to book me on that flight to Des Moines?” Jay asked his gaze still focused on the screen.
“I’m not Jackie.” Though the hesitant voice was decidedly feminine, it didn’t belong to his assistant. “But I do know a thing or two about Des Moines.”
Jay’s head jerked up and for a moment he just stared, certain he had to be hallucinating. Because standing in the doorway, looking every inch a California girl with her blond hair, blue eyes and lithe figure was the one woman he’d never expected to see in L.A.
Jay blinked, convinced his longing for Rachel had conjured her up.
She didn’t disappear.
He blinked again.
Her smile faded and two lines of worry appeared between her brows. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be happy to see me or if—”
Jay wasted no time in showing her just how much he’d missed her. Quickly covering the distance between them, he tugged her toward him, reaching with his right hand to pull her chin up and stopping her words by covering her mouth with his own.
He kissed her with all the love and longing that had been pent up inside him the past month, and when it ended he kept his arms around her, breathing in the clean fresh scent that was Rachel.
“I can’t believe you’re here.” Jay sighed into her hair, perfectly and utterly content.
But Rachel stepped back, resisting his efforts to pull her to him once again. She squared her shoulders. “I’m here because there’s a decision I have to make and to do that I need some answers.”
His heart stilled at the serious look in her eye, but Jay forced a smile. “Ask me anything, anything at all.”
“That thing with Lindsay,” Rachel said. “What was that about?”
Jay’s brows pulled together. “What thing with Lindsay?”
Rachel stared at him for a long moment then reached inside her purse. “This.”
The minute Jay saw the newspaper article and picture he groaned. “I can’t believe you saw that.”
The reporter who’d done the piece hadn’t bothered to interview him and Jay wasn’t sure who’d snapped the photo. The article was tabloid fodder, pure and simple. The thought that Rachel might see it and be concerned hadn’t occurred to him.
But somehow she had, and it had upset her. Jay cursed the irresponsible journalism that had caused this unnecessary pain.
“Is it true?”
“Some of it,” Jay said, determined to be honest. “I did run into Lindsay at a wedding and we did attend the reception together.”
Rachel stared unblinkingly. “Are you two back together?”
“No way.” Jay laughed out loud at the thought. Being around Lindsay those few hours had made him only miss Rachel more.
“But the article—”
“Got it all wrong,” Jay said firmly.
“I thought you might have staged the whole thing,” Rachel said in a remarkably calm voice, twisting a strand of hair between her fingers.
“Why would I do that?”
Rachel lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug. “Maybe because you think it’s time our engagement comes to an end?”
Jay met her gaze. “What I think, Miss Tanner, is that it’s time you and I have a heart-to-heart.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Rachel’s breath caught in her throat at the determined look in his eye. A cold chill raced up her spine.
“I’d like to speak first,” Rachel said quickly. “If you don’t mind.”
Jay opened his mouth as if to protest, but appeared to reconsider and shut it without uttering a word. He gestured to a leather sofa against the wall. “Shall we sit?”
“That’d be nice.” Though Rachel walked with a confident stride, her insides were trembling.
She took a seat on the sofa and Jay settled in beside her.
Rachel swallowed hard and wondered if she’d made a mistake. Maybe she should have let him go first. What if she bared her soul and he rejected her? After all, he was back in his element now—a handsome, successful man surrounded by beautiful women. Maybe he’d only thought he was in love with her and had now realized his error.
The urge to flee with pride intact was almost overwhelming. Rachel started to push up from the sofa, but before she could even shift positions, Jay reached over and took her hand in his.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he said. “But I can’t be so close to you and not touch you. It’s just not possible.”
The warmth from his hand traveled up her arm and straight to her heart, renewing her flagging hope. She took a deep breath and plunged ahead before she lost her nerve.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since you left,” Rachel said. “Not just about you, but about me, about my life and what it is I really want.”
Though Jay didn’t move a muscle, Rachel could feel him tense.
“And what did you discover?” he asked.
“That making God a priority in my life was still the right decision,” she said. “That family and friends were important.”
His hand tightened around hers but he didn’t say a word.
“But I also realized that I’d been wrong about some things, too,” she said. “I’d been so happy in Millville that I confused a place, a location on the map, with what home really is.”
He stared, unblinking. “You’ve lost me.”
“Home is where the heart is,” Rachel said. “It’s not a town, or a house, or a building. It’s being with the one you love.”
“What are you saying?”
“That I love you,” she said. “And home for me will be wherever you are. If that’s here in Los Angeles, then so be it. So, if you still want to marry me, I’m here to say yes.”
Hope filled Jay’s eyes but his expression remained cautious. “You’ll be giving up so much.”
“I don’t look at it that way anymore,” Rachel said.
“Are you sure?” Thick emotion filled Jay’s voice.
Rachel gave one last thought to her friends and family back in Millville. She smiled. “Positive.”
Suddenly she found herself in his arms, his lips covering her face with kisses and she was laughing and kissing him back.
“You have missed me,” she said teasingly as his lips traveled down her neck.
“You have no idea,” he said, lifting his head. “Every day was pure torture.”
“Well, the torture has officially ended,” she said. “Now all that’s left is for me to officially resign and for us to set a wedding date.”
“Can you get out of your contract?” he asked.
“Not a problem,” Rachel said. “My aunt is on the school board. She said if I got a better offer in L.A., I should go for it.”
Rachel leaned forward and nibb
led at his ear. “I think I’ve got a much better offer.”
Jay groaned but instead of kissing her as she’d hoped, he straightened and sat back. “You told me once you didn’t want to live in L.A.”
“I want to be where you are,” she said.
He studied her for a long moment, his gaze sharp and assessing.
“I’ve been thinking it might be nice to move somewhere closer to home,” he said finally. “Maybe Kansas City or Denver? Or even Chicago?”
Rachel’s brows drew together. Now she was thoroughly confused. “But you have a good job here.”
“I do,” he said. “But it’s a long ways from home.”
“It never bothered you to be so far away before,” Rachel pointed out.
He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. “I’ve never had a wife before.”
“You’d do this for me?” She couldn’t keep the surprise from her voice.
“I’d do it for us.” The look he shot her was filled with pure love. “For you, for me, for the children we’ll one day have. And, if you don’t like any of those cities, we’ll downsize again if necessary, until we find the perfect fit.”
Rachel snuggled up against him. “I’ve already found the perfect fit.”
Jay’s arms tightened around her. “I promise I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy.”
Rachel laid her head against his chest, utterly content. She breathed in the scent of him, reveling in the words of love he murmured, in the touch of his hand against her hair.
If home was indeed where the heart is, Rachel knew that in this skyscraper overlooking the City of Angels, nestled in the arms of the man she loved, she’d found her home.
Epilogue
Two Years Later
“You have to know that what you’re doing is dangerous,” Dottie said with mock seriousness. “Moving so close to Millville almost guarantees you’ll have a steady stream of visitors. And once that baby arrives in a couple of months, that stream will turn into a raging river.”
“I want you all to drop by,” Rachel said, glancing around the table. “The more often, the better.”
Although it had been after midnight when she and Jay had arrived in Millville, word had quickly spread and Dottie had arranged an impromptu luncheon at her house. In addition to Rachel and Jay, Tony and Claire and Adam and Jocelyn had been invited.
As usual, after eating, the men had disappeared into the living room while the women remained in the kitchen.
“The house we bought has an extra bedroom specifically for guests,” Rachel added.
“John and I always go to Kansas City to check out the Christmas lights,” Dottie said. “Put us down for mid-December.”
“I’m not waiting that long,” Claire said. “I desperately need some new clothes. Just let me know when you’re settled and Tony and I will be on your doorstep. I love to shop at the Plaza.”
“I’ve got an idea,” Jocelyn said. “What would all of you think about making plans to get together on a regular basis—say every other month? Rachel and Jay could come up here or we could all go down there?”
Happiness spread through Rachel like warm molasses. “Sounds good to me.”
“I’m all for it,” Claire said.
“It’s a great idea.” Dottie smiled. “I’m afraid if we didn’t have plans, we wouldn’t see you up here as much as we’d like. Especially now that your mother is in Kansas City.”
Shirley Tanner had always hated living so far away from her oldest daughter and her grandchildren. That’s why, when Rachel had announced that not only had Jay taken a job in Kansas City, but that they were pregnant, her mother had put her house on the market.
Once it had sold, she’d bought a house in Overland Park, fifteen minutes from Rachel and Jay’s new home and thirty minutes from Mary.
“Are you kidding? I’d still come and see you guys,” Rachel said. “But this way, we know we’ll get together regularly.”
“I bet you can’t wait to get out of Los Angeles,” Dottie said, visibly shuddering. “All that horrible traffic and smog.”
Rachel smiled. That had been her first impression of the city, too, but she’d quickly discovered all L.A. had to offer and had grown to love it.
“Actually, I’m going to miss California,” Rachel said, thinking of all the new friends she’d made. “I really liked the school where I taught and I absolutely loved the warm winters.”
“Whose decision was it to make the move to K.C.?” Jocelyn asked.
“Jay had offered to move closer even before we were married. But he was doing so well, I convinced him that I wanted to give L.A. a chance,” Rachel said. “Then, four months ago when I found out I was pregnant, Jay brought it up again.”
“And this time you said yes,” Dottie said.
“Actually, at first I said no, but when Jay convinced me that he really wanted to raise his children in the Midwest,” Rachel said an impish smile, “I told him I’d make the big sacrifice and move back.”
The words had barely left her mouth when the men piled into the kitchen, declaring they were in desperate need of snack food. Dottie and Jocelyn laughed, telling the men they’d just eaten even as they rose to assist John and Adam in their foraging. When Claire announced she’d check on the napping children upstairs, Tony promptly volunteered to go with her.
The last one to enter the kitchen was Jay. Rachel caught sight of him just as he stepped through the doorway.
Their eyes met and her heart flip-flopped. It was incredible. Even after two years of marriage, one look from Jay was still all it took to steal her breath away. She couldn’t begin to imagine life without him. He brought a richness and a depth to her world that went far beyond the physical.
He moved to her side and crouched down, brushing a kiss against her cheek even as his hand moved to rest on her protruding belly.
“How’s my girl?” he asked.
“She’s fine.” Rachel smiled. “Active as ever. A few minutes ago she kicked so hard it knocked the napkin off my lap.”
Jay chuckled. “I’m glad for the baby update, but actually I was asking about you. Don’t forget, you’re my girl, too. My best girl.”
Rachel leaned her head against his shoulder.
“I love you,” she said in a low voice meant for his ears only. “Forever.”
“For always,” he whispered.
As his lips met hers and the baby kicked inside her, Rachel realized that her mother had been right; a sacrifice made for the sake of love wasn’t a sacrifice at all.
Dear Reader,
Often when I write a book, the secondary characters become so vivid in my mind that I know they simply have to have a book of their own. However, when I wrote Redeeming Claire (Love Inspired, October 2001) Jay and Rachel must have been below my radar. It was not until a reader, Carolyn Jean Brown, wrote to me and suggested a love match between the two that I stared to see the possibilities. For Love’s Sake is the result.
I hope you enjoy their story.
Blessings,
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0479-9
FOR LOVE’S SAKE
Copyright © 2004 by Cynthia Rutledge
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.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.
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