LITMIR.BIZ

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dropped the phone. He leaned against a wall to support his trembling knees. “He isn’t going to die, is he?” he whispered.

      “Lord willing, he won’t, but the doctors haven’t ruled that out yet,” Hilda said grimly.

      “I’ll come home right away,” Evan said.

      “Have you finished everything for this semester?”

      “Not completely, but I can probably continue the work online.” If he had to make a choice between joining his family in a crisis or finishing the work for his Ph.D., his family would always come first. “I’m coming home.”

      “We want you to be here. But, Evan…” Hilda hesitated for several seconds. “Your father’s left side is paralyzed. Even if he lives, it will be weeks, maybe even months, before he’s able to resume working. You’ll have some difficult decisions to make.”

      “Yes, I know. I’ll leave right away.”

      “Drive carefully. Bye.”

      Evan sank down on the nearest bench, his head in his hands. He couldn’t comprehend his mother’s message. Karl Kessler was in the prime of life—only fifty-two years old. Evan couldn’t envision his brawny, strong father dying or, even worse, being an invalid for the rest of his life.

      When Evan didn’t return to the jewelry store, Wendy thanked the saleswoman for her help. “We’ll make a decision later,” she said.

      She stepped out of the store and looked around, startled to see Evan’s dejected figure on the bench. His chin had lowered to his chest, and his fingers threaded his heavy blond hair.

      Rushing to Evan, Wendy sat beside him and took his hand. “What’s wrong?”

      He lifted his tear-streaked face. The golden freckles across his cheeks and nose stood out in sharp contrast to the pallor of his skin.

      “My father’s in the hospital. I have to leave for Ohio right away.”

      “I’m so sorry, Evan. What happened?”

      He briefly related the conversation he’d had with his mother. “I can’t believe this happened to Daddy. He’s always been so strong.”

      Evan’s words aroused old fears and insecurities that Wendy hadn’t experienced since she’d met Evan. Panic, strong as a snow blast, froze her heart. Evan had been the best thing that had ever happened to her. When he’d asked her to marry him, she’d felt secure, believing that his love would enfold her forever. Why was she so fearful? Was it because she couldn’t understand why Evan would shove his plans for the future on the back burner to rush home because his father was in the hospital?

      Panic-stricken, she wondered if Evan ever had to choose between his family and her, would she be in second place? Wendy could hardly bear the pain of it all. For a couple of hours, she’d had a glimpse of paradise. Now in light of Karl Kessler’s illness, paradise was only a dim shadow.

      Ashamed of putting her own wishes ahead of Evan’s sorrow, she said tenderly, “I’m so sorry, Evan. What can I do to help?”

      He started to say, “Pray for me,” but he doubted that Wendy ever prayed. “You can go with me to my apartment and help pack. I’ll take everything with me, since I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”

      Although annoyed because she was thinking about herself when Evan was so upset, his words startled Wendy like the passage of a fire truck in the middle of the night. But Evan needed her compassion now, so she lifted his hand and kissed each finger.

      “Sure, I’ll help you pack. And don’t worry. Your dad will probably be better by the time you get home.”

      “Did you choose a ring you like?” Evan asked, trying to change the subject.

      “Not really. Let’s forget about the ring until you come back,” she said, refusing to believe he wouldn’t return to Florida.

      Wendy walked quietly beside Evan to his truck, still wondering why his father’s illness had shattered him. Evan was such an even-tempered man; hardly anything ever frustrated him. But in his concern for his father’s health, she sensed his total devotion to his family.

      Wendy had rarely seen her father since her parents’ divorce when she was eight. So it was difficult for her to understand the close ties between Evan and his father. As they drove to the complex where Evan lived, he talked about growing up on the farm, and of the farmwork, the fishing and hunting trips he’d shared with his father. Wendy gained a vague understanding of what she’d missed by not having a father around while growing up.

      Everything in Evan’s apartment was organized, so in less than two hours, his belongings were gathered into the boxes he’d saved when he’d moved into the apartment in August. As he’d hurriedly packed, Wendy had carried the lighter boxes down the single flight of stairs to his truck.

      The empty apartment saddened Wendy because it seemed as if he was leaving for good. Evan’s rent was paid through the end of the school year, however, so maybe he would return after Christmas.

      Evan’s lips were surprisingly gentle when he kissed her goodbye before they left the apartment. Tears trembled on her eyelids, and Evan wiped them away.

      “Don’t cry, sweetheart, and make it worse for me. I don’t want to leave you, but I must be with my family when they need me. I may not be gone long.”

      He gave her money to pay for a taxi back to her dorm. “If I leave from here, I’ll save an hour of driving time. You don’t mind taking a taxi, do you?”

      She shook her head. “Not at all. You should get started as soon as possible.”

      Wendy stifled her tears as she stood in front of the apartment building and watched Evan drive away. Once he was out of sight, she leaned against the building and tears of deep frustration trickled down her cheeks. Was this the end of her relationship with Evan?

      Chapter Two

      A mass exodus of students heading home for the Thanksgiving weekend had almost emptied the dorm where Wendy lived. She welcomed the quietness. Her thoughts still centered around her relationship with Evan, which, in a few months, had catapulted from friendship to a romance.

      One of Wendy’s closest friends stuck her head in the door to say goodbye before she hurried to catch a bus to the airport. As Wendy gathered the items she’d need over the weekend, she wished she could be as excited as the other students about going home. Her four years at the University of Florida had been the happiest time of her life. Since she lived less than a hundred miles away, she went home at least once a month. If she saw her mother only once or twice during the school year, would she look forward to going home? Holidays at the Kenworth apartment weren’t joyous occasions. After her mother had spent long hours working in the department store during the Thanksgiving to Christmas rush, she spent most of her holidays in bed.

      Noting that it was almost two o’clock, Wendy shouldered her backpack, picked up a suitcase and hustled to meet a friend who would drop her off at home.

      Wendy’s friend was a fast driver. They arrived at the apartment building in Jacksonville before Wendy was ready to face her mother. Wendy’s excitement over Evan’s proposal had been dimmed somewhat by his rapid departure, but she wondered if her mother would sense her daughter’s heightened emotions?

      Emmalee Kenworth was overly perceptive where her daughter was concerned, and Wendy knew it would be difficult to keep her mother unaware of her inner excitement and turmoil over the day’s activities. Evan had made such a difference in her life that Wendy was amazed she’d been able to conceal their relationship from her mother for the past few months. Now that Evan had asked her to marry him, she knew that she must tell her mother about him.

      Hand on the doorknob, Wendy stopped and took a deep breath before she entered the combination kitchen-living room of their three-room apartment.

      “Hello, dear,” Emmalee called.

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