Miracles in Disguise (The Trampled Rose Series) by Michelle Lynn Brown Page A

between his, and she looked away from the pity she saw in his eyes.
    “That must have been hard to deal with at thirteen,” Nathan said.
    “I had a friend in high school, Michael, who lost his mother around the same time. He really helped me through it.” She paused, waiting for the barrage of jealous questions about Michael. She was surprised when they didn’t come.
    “And your mother?” Nathan asked.
    “She still lives in New York,” Kristina said, her voice soft and tinged with grief as she spoke. “She is everything my dad wasn't, soft, loving, very giving.”
    “You must take after her,” he said.
    She smiled, but said nothing. After a moment, seeking to change the somber mood that had fallen on their table, she said, “I can’t believe Thanksgiving is almost here.”
    “Are you planning on spending Thanksgiving back in New York?”
    The way he was staring at her sent that old familiar thrill down her spine. When he reached across the table and lightly held her hands in his, her thoughts became more preoccupied with his thumbs, which were lightly circling the back of her hands. “No, Lisa and her family are coming here."
    His head snapped up at her response. “Lisa?” he questioned, “I’ve never heard you talk about her before.”
    Some awareness settled over her numbed senses, and she withdrew her hands, though a little reluctantly. “She’s been my best friend since college.”
    “Well, you will have to take them downtown. I don’t know if you have been around there lately, but the businesses along Third Street, and the park in front of the Courthouse, are decorated each year for Christmas.” He smiled over his glass, and took a sip. “They go all out, and Thanksgiving evening is the first night they open it to the public. If your friend has any children, they will definitely love it.”
    “She has a little girl, and I’m sure she will love it.”
    Kristina loved the idea of taking Lisa’s family there, but she loved the fact that the discussion was no longer near her past – the past was something she wasn’t ready to reveal to him. Later that evening, Nathan walked her to her door. She turned to him and he smiled down at her, “I hope you had a good time tonight,” after a short pause, he added, “and the date wasn’t a flop.”
    “Not bad, you did all right,” she said with a playful smile.
    Nathan pulled Kristina into his arms, and, wrapped in the security and warmth they provided, Kristina begged God not to strip this from her. He can heal my heart if You would just let him , she prayed.
    But all thoughts vanished as his lips descended toward hers. With one arm wrapped around her waist, and the other gently cradling the back of her head, he kissed her, banishing her fears, banishing her desire to hide and run from what was developing between them. She moved her hands, which had been lightly resting on his arms, and twined them around his neck. She rose on her toes - she was no longer being kissed, but kissing back. The changed caused Nathan to pull her closer to him.
    Nathan pulled back a little, and he chuckled when she sighed in disappointment.
    After a few moments, he whispered, “Well, I better get going.”
    “Thank you,” she said, “I had a great time.”
    Neither moved to break the embrace, and he bent to kiss her again. There was no hesitation on her part this time, and she eagerly welcomed his kiss. But after a few moments, he rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed. “I really better get going.”
    She stepped out of his embrace and they said their goodbyes.
    Kristina walked inside, and her heart was still full from the warmth of Nathan’s embrace. She sang softly to herself as she prepared for bed. She pulled open the bathroom drawer, searching for the toothpaste she had just bought, when her hands brushed against cold metal. Pulling it out from the depths of the drawer, Kristina stared for a moment at her wedding ring. The coldness of the band