Finding the Way Back (Book 1 in the Forgiving Hearts Trilogy) by Erin Landy

interested? For all we know, he’s found someone else.”
    “If he has, she doesn’t mind him wearing a wedding ring. So you tell me - would a man who doesn’t love his wife still be wearing a wedding ring almost a year after they separated?”
    “Maybe he only wears it at work,” Laurel suggested flippantly.
    “Yeah, that’s it. He remembers to slip it back on every morning while he’s shaving. Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?”
    “It doesn’t matter anyway.”
    “No, of course it doesn’t. The fact that you both still wear wedding rings, haven’t found anyone else, and have migrated to the same area hours away from where you used to live doesn’t mean anything.”
    “Is this more evidence for your ‘it’s a sign’ theory?”
    “No, I’m trying to get you to do something before it’s too late. No matter what happened between you and Colton, is it worth being alone?”
    Laurel wondered if Rose would be urging her to get back together with Colton if she knew exactly what he’d done. It was tempting to tell her and end all the speculation. Then maybe all these painful discussions would end. But could she do it? Could she admit how utterly she’d failed as a wife?
    “You need to quit worrying about me, and give some attention to your husband.”
    “Okay, I’ll stop nagging. See you tomorrow.”
    * * * *
    Colton retrieved the spare key hidden under a flower pot on the front porch of his friend’s house. As the deadbolt slid open, the barking started. By the time he reached the laundry room, the sound was deafening. He opened the door and prepared for the onslaught. Two golden retrievers flew out, almost knocking him down in the process.
    “I wish my patients were this happy to see me,” he said with a rueful smile. “Okay, boys, let’s go outside and run off some of this energy.
    The dogs followed him willingly through the back door. He watched them examine every part of the fenced yard as if they’d never seen it before. Only when this inspection was complete did they return to where he sat on the deck.
    “What’s next? Dinner?” he asked. He laughed as they trotted to the door.
    While the dogs ate, Colton strolled into the kitchen. Mallory always left food for him. As he unwrapped a humongous serving of lasagna and placed it in the microwave, he thought how blessed he was to have Spence and Mallory’s friendship. Their acceptance had made his transition to Brunswick easier.
    The decision to move had been the hardest thing he’d ever done. Leaving Charleston meant leaving Laurel; it was an admission that his efforts to save his marriage had failed. He didn’t know which was worse – living apart from her in the place where they’d been so happy or living apart from her in a new place. Either way he felt as if his heart had been ripped open.
    The beeping of the microwave interrupted his musings. Without thinking, he grabbed the dish and then quickly pulled his hand back. “That’s what I get for not paying attention,” he mumbled to himself, sticking two stinging fingers in his mouth.
    Using a towel, he removed the hot plate to the counter and began to eat. As he stared into space, he remembered how he used to rush home from work in the evenings. He couldn’t wait to be with Laurel. Now he stayed late at work, putting off the moment he’d have to face the empty rooms. There was no one waiting for him: no one to laugh with, no one to talk to, and no one who cared what kind of day he had.
    Why hadn’t he thought of this before he risked everything? Why hadn’t he been able to resist? Colton had asked himself these questions over and over. The answer was always the same. He’d become wrapped up in himself and grown away from God. He alone created the snare that entangled him and ignored the One who could have helped him escape. “The pleasures of sin last only for a season,” he whispered, not realizing he’d spoken aloud. For those pleasures, he lost the love of his