In His Eyes by Gail Gaymer Martin Page A

want to lay eyes on you, Connor. Good night.”
    She spun around, marched into the bathroom and slammed the door.
    Connor’s eyes rang with her dismissal. He sat there a moment, willing the door to open so they could finish what they’d started. As he stared at the barricade between them, his hope vanished and he felt empty. This wasn’t how he’d wanted the conversation to end.

Chapter Nine
    E llene waited in the bathroom until she heard Connor close the door of his bedroom. She peeked out and saw the night-light turned on in the hallway and knew he’d gone to bed.
    She opened the door and tiptoed out into the living room. The house was quiet, and she assumed Aunt Phyllis had fallen asleep with Caitlin. She saw no point in waking the woman to traipse down to the sofa.
    After finding the pile of bed linens in a chest under the window, she made up the sofa and settled down. Though her body lay still, her mind continued to struggle with her conversation with Connor. She’d been wrong, and she knew it, but it was too late now.
    His faith journey filled her thoughts. She’d never let that stop her from loving Connor. He had every admirable trait that the scriptures commanded—kindness, gentleness, compassion, humility and forgiveness.
    Forgiveness. She needed to find forgiveness in her heart. Connor had walked away because she’d sent him, and he’d explained what he’d been thinking. Nothing made sense to her, and now so much time had passed since they’d been in love. Ellene thought she’d been over the breakup for a long time. Apparently she hadn’t been.
    Guilt shrouded Ellene’s thoughts when those memories led her down an unwanted path. She’d tried to forget another part of her life, but it always came back to haunt her. After she’d heard Connor had married so soon after their ended engagement, she’d dated any man who asked, but the relationships felt empty and sad. Yet at the time, she’d been so fixated on hurting Connor that she didn’t care.
    Finally, she’d stopped, determined to remain true to herself, remembering how useless it felt and knowing what God expected from Christian relationships.
    Yet she recalled the day she’d met Owen. He’d captured her interest, and after months of dating, he’d tempted her emotions. They’d talked about marriage, and Ellene relived the day they’d looked at rings. With the promise of marriage, he’d convinced her to show her love. She’d given in, and before the wedding date was finalized, he’d walked away, too.
    Afterward, Ellene felt dirty, unloved and unforgiven. She’d gained nothing. She’d allowed emotions to rule her heart instead of her head. From that day, she’d promised God never again to give herself toanyone outside of marriage. The guilt and sorrow, the chance of disease or pregnancy was not worth it.
    Now she thought about Connor. He stirred her. She cared about him, but she realized their past left her feeling uncertain and untrusting. They’d both changed, but she had no guarantee things would be any better the second time.
    The one thing that stayed in her mind was that Connor had always been moral. He’d never touched her. He’d wanted to, but he’d respected her Christian upbringing, and he’d promised never to allow passion to overrule what was right and good. She would always admire him for his respect and protection.
    Ellene pressed her eyes closed, wishing sleep would come. The wind made night sounds, and she heard the creak of rafters and the crack of branches breaking from the weight of ice. The night-light gave her assurance the electricity hadn’t failed them.
    Morning arrived with the sound of Connor’s footsteps approaching her. She pulled down the blanket and opened her eyes. “Up early?”
    “I didn’t sleep well,” he said, passing by and heading for the kitchen. “Why did you sleep here?”
    “It didn’t make sense to wake your aunt.” She pushed herself up using the arm of the sofa and braced her