that was all he could say about the mission. Period. And yet, his body had never been recovered. That just didn’t add up in Gabe’s opinion.
Less than ten minutes later, he jogged along the path that circled Lake Bowen and turned his thoughts to last night.
He’d been a jerk.
The look on Cassidy’s face would stay with him the rest of his life. After putting him in his place and telling him to leave, she’d risen from the love seat and left the room.
He’d called after her. She’d ignored him. Gabe had let himself out of the mansion reassuring himself that he’d been right in what he’d said. By the time he arrived home, he realized he owed her an apology. But she’d scared him.
He’d seen her interest in him as a man. As a result, he’d lashed out in self-defense because he found the attraction mutual and didn’t want it to be; didn’t deserve her affection. In the jungle, he’d seen a different side of her. A side he’d liked…a lot. She’d been scared, but she’d displayed a courage few people in her situation would have shown.
She’d kept her promise to her friends despite every conceivable effort to stop her. Her determination to get to Alexis had endangered her life and yet she’d persevered. He’d accused her of needing to grow up and she’d said he didn’t know anything about her. But he did, and he wanted to know more. He also wanted to hear about how God had changed her life.
Cassidy planned to stay with her parents until the reading of the original will on Monday morning. Gabe and the ambassador had discussed, via telephone, safety precautions for Cassidy and Alexis. If the people that kidnapped her went to that much trouble to track her down, it seemed reasonable to suspect that they would try again.
Gabe’s stride faltered at the thought, but he reassured himself that she was safe as long as she was behind the walls of her parents’ security-protected home. Ambassador McKnight and his wife planned to leave after the reading of the will to head back to Brazil. His short-term leave was up, Cassidy was home safe, and the man had work to do. Gabe just hoped all would go as planned.
April 3
Monday dawned bright, warm and windy. The third day of April promised to be a hot one. Cassidy stepped into the offices of Morgan, Cline and Edwards and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, it was all going to be over with. She’d left Alexis with her friend Amy.
Cassidy desperately tried to keep her thoughts from lingering on Gabe and the anger she’d felt when he’d accused her of being thoughtless. And her mother’s confession about her father’s affair. She’d have to sort through her emotions later. She loved her father and understood that the circumstances of her parents’ life had been vastly different all those years ago, but still…
Another thought struck her. Her father hadn’t been a Christian then so he’d not had the spiritual protection that would have allowed him to resist temptation. Sure, he’d known right from wrong, but what was to keep him from giving in? Where could his strength have come from if he didn’t have the Lord?
Cassidy shook her head. The affair was wrong, but she could see why it happened. After all, what was going on in his life at the time? A lousy home atmosphere, loneliness, pressure from his job, feeling like he wasn’t loved or understood—and no peace that comes from being able to lean on the One that would have been there through it all with him—Christ.
She took a deep breath. Yes, she could understand that. But she didn’t want to think about it anymore. Instead, she thought about Amy and how blessed she was to have her as a friend. Amy had come along after Kara and Cassidy had already formed their friendship, but Amy had been such a fun, cheery girl that she’d been welcomed with open arms and the twosome had quickly become a threesome.
Thank You, God, for Amy. Keep them safe today.
Cassidy walked up to the receptionist. A name
Less than ten minutes later, he jogged along the path that circled Lake Bowen and turned his thoughts to last night.
He’d been a jerk.
The look on Cassidy’s face would stay with him the rest of his life. After putting him in his place and telling him to leave, she’d risen from the love seat and left the room.
He’d called after her. She’d ignored him. Gabe had let himself out of the mansion reassuring himself that he’d been right in what he’d said. By the time he arrived home, he realized he owed her an apology. But she’d scared him.
He’d seen her interest in him as a man. As a result, he’d lashed out in self-defense because he found the attraction mutual and didn’t want it to be; didn’t deserve her affection. In the jungle, he’d seen a different side of her. A side he’d liked…a lot. She’d been scared, but she’d displayed a courage few people in her situation would have shown.
She’d kept her promise to her friends despite every conceivable effort to stop her. Her determination to get to Alexis had endangered her life and yet she’d persevered. He’d accused her of needing to grow up and she’d said he didn’t know anything about her. But he did, and he wanted to know more. He also wanted to hear about how God had changed her life.
Cassidy planned to stay with her parents until the reading of the original will on Monday morning. Gabe and the ambassador had discussed, via telephone, safety precautions for Cassidy and Alexis. If the people that kidnapped her went to that much trouble to track her down, it seemed reasonable to suspect that they would try again.
Gabe’s stride faltered at the thought, but he reassured himself that she was safe as long as she was behind the walls of her parents’ security-protected home. Ambassador McKnight and his wife planned to leave after the reading of the will to head back to Brazil. His short-term leave was up, Cassidy was home safe, and the man had work to do. Gabe just hoped all would go as planned.
April 3
Monday dawned bright, warm and windy. The third day of April promised to be a hot one. Cassidy stepped into the offices of Morgan, Cline and Edwards and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, it was all going to be over with. She’d left Alexis with her friend Amy.
Cassidy desperately tried to keep her thoughts from lingering on Gabe and the anger she’d felt when he’d accused her of being thoughtless. And her mother’s confession about her father’s affair. She’d have to sort through her emotions later. She loved her father and understood that the circumstances of her parents’ life had been vastly different all those years ago, but still…
Another thought struck her. Her father hadn’t been a Christian then so he’d not had the spiritual protection that would have allowed him to resist temptation. Sure, he’d known right from wrong, but what was to keep him from giving in? Where could his strength have come from if he didn’t have the Lord?
Cassidy shook her head. The affair was wrong, but she could see why it happened. After all, what was going on in his life at the time? A lousy home atmosphere, loneliness, pressure from his job, feeling like he wasn’t loved or understood—and no peace that comes from being able to lean on the One that would have been there through it all with him—Christ.
She took a deep breath. Yes, she could understand that. But she didn’t want to think about it anymore. Instead, she thought about Amy and how blessed she was to have her as a friend. Amy had come along after Kara and Cassidy had already formed their friendship, but Amy had been such a fun, cheery girl that she’d been welcomed with open arms and the twosome had quickly become a threesome.
Thank You, God, for Amy. Keep them safe today.
Cassidy walked up to the receptionist. A name
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