The Nephew's Wife

  -

  The Nephew’s Wife

  by

  Barbara Kaylor

  © Copyright 2012 by Barbara Kaylor

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover Art Design by Lance Rowe

  LanceRoweart@gmail.com

  This book is dedicated

  to the memory of my mother

  who taught me to love Jesus and

  encouraged me to follow my dreams

  Prologue

  “Great news, Whitney! Ellen called off the wedding! I won’t have to stand her up at the altar after all!”

  “You didn’t tell her about us, did you?”

  “I didn’t have to. She changed her mind on her own, said she didn’t want to go through with it. She started jabbering about how God was telling her that I wasn’t the right man for her. She wants to marry a Christian. My inheritance and the life I could give her didn’t matter anymore.”

  “She’s crazy!”

  “I’m just glad Ellen broke up with me instead of the other way around. I’ll come off looking like the victim instead of a scumbag, which will keep me in good graces with the family. Mother will be so sympathetic, she’ll hand me my inheritance on a platter.”

  “Did you act all broken-hearted when Ellen gave you the news?”

  “Are you kidding? I acted like it was the end of the world then tore out of her apartment like the building was on fire. Now no one will ever know I didn’t plan to go through with the wedding. They’ll blame Miss Goody-Two-Shoes, Ellen Todd, for dumping me at the altar, not the other way around. I can’t believe our luck.”

  “I never understood why you hooked up with Ellen anyway. She’s nothing like you. Talk about opposites! She’s so prudish and plain Jane.”

  “Hey, I needed a wife to get my inheritance and she fit the bill—until you came along.”

  “What about the letter you wrote to your mother, telling her you couldn’t go through with the wedding?”

  “I’ll just throw it away when I get home. Mother will never know I was going to dump Ellen at the altar. Mother would have been mortified. She hates scenes, and the one at the wedding would have been hard to live down. Thanks to Ellen, I don’t have to worry about that now. Mother wasn’t crazy about Ellen anyway so she’ll get over this fast. She can just blame it all on Ellen.”

  “How soon can we get married?”

  “Sooner than planned. Since Ellen broke up with me instead of the other way around, I won’t have to pretend there’s no one else. Mother will encourage me to move on and find someone to marry. She’ll see you as the one who mended her son’s broken heart! I’m telling you Whitney, things are really looking up for us. I’ll be at your place in fifteen minutes. We can celebrate! NOOOOO! AAAAHHHHHH!”

  SCRREEECHHH! BOOOMMM!!!!

  “Paul! Paul! Paul, are you there? Paul, answer me. What happened? What was that noise? Paul, what’s going on?”

  Chapter 1

  Nine years later.

  “Miss Todd, wait. I have something for you.” Reverend Nelson called to Ellen as she hurried to the back door of the funeral home.

  “What is it?” Ellen spun around, her patience thin. She didn’t want any surprises. Her life had gone from misery to fiasco since Paul’s tragic accident, and she was anxious to put the whole ordeal behind her. Outside, a swarm of reporters from all over the globe waited to pounce on her, hoping to get her reaction to Paul’s death. Ellen was ducking out a back service door to avoid them. A delay would cost her time and the chance to sneak away.

  Reading Ellen’s impatient expression, the reverend said, “I’m sorry. I realize you want to leave quickly, but Paul’s mother wanted me to give this to you after Paul’s death.” He handed Ellen a business envelope. “She never discussed the contents with me, and I never inquired about them, but whatever’s in the letter caused her great sorrow. She was crying when she gave it to me on her death-bed.”

  Ellen reluctantly took the envelope and crammed it in her purse. “Thank you.” She turned toward the door then, realizing her rudeness, turned back. The reverend was still there, watching her with a somber look. “Thank you for everything, Reverend Nelson. The service for Paul was very nice, considering everything.”

  The reverend gave her a sympathetic nod. “You’ve been very devoted, Ellen. Paul would have been touched by your loyalty and amazing love. You did more for him than his own family outside his mother.”

  Ellen cringed at his praise. She didn’t deserve it. Guilt and shame had kept her by Paul’s bedside, not love or loyalty. If she hadn’t ripped his heart out the night before their wedding, he never would have stormed out of her apartment in a rage. His running the stop sign and getting hit by the dump truck was all her fault.

  “I need to go.” Ellen put her hand on the doorknob.

  “Ellen.” The reverend stopped her again. “If I can help you with anything, let me know.”

  “Thank you, Reverend Nelson, but I’m fine.” Ellen’s smile was weak. She opened the door and poked her head out. It was still drizzling, but the back parking lot was quiet and empty. The reporters hadn’t made it to the back yet. Ellen pulled the hood of her coat over her head and started quickly across the wide pavement. She didn’t slow her steps or glance back until she reached her street, five blocks away. No one had followed Ellen, which would have been comforting had it not been for the crowd in front of her apartment complex.

  Mr. Howard’s going to kill me, she thought. Her landlord had already warned her about the reporters and curiosity seekers she was attracting. Ellen darted down a side alley then took the narrow service drive behind the row of buildings on her street. Keeping her head down, she made her way toward the back entrance of her apartment house. The drizzle had turned into a full-fledged downpour. Ellen picked up speed, dodging flooded potholes along the way. Her feet were getting soaked. She was only a house away when the heel of her pump hit a crack in the pavement and snapped off, sending Ellen careening onto the wet road. Her knees and palms took the brunt of the fall.

  Ellen bit down on the pain and frustration. A scream would have only brought attention, and she’d had enough of that. Slowly, she picked herself up and recovered the heel of her shoe then limped through a gate, across the yard, and up the steps to the back door of her residence.

  “What happened to you?” Daniel Howard met her in the hallway. Ellen was soggy and dirty.

  “It hasn’t been a good day.” She held up her broken shoe.

  He frowned. “I hate to make it worse, but—”

  “You want me to leave,” Ellen finished his sentence when he hesitated.

  Slumping, he replied, “The other tenants and neighbors are complaining about the crowd gathering out front every day. The reporters bother them. People keep snapping pictures as they drive by. They’re hanging all over the sidewalks, blocking the street. This neighborhood has always been quiet. I’m sorry, Ellen. You’ve been a good tenant. I hate to do this on top of Paul’s death, but I really need you to find someplace else to live.”

  “I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused, Mr. Howard. I’ll try to be out by week’s end.”

  “Thanks,” he said. “I’m truly sorry for this Ellen. How was the service?”

  “Sad.”

  “Maybe you’ll finally have some closure.”

  “Yeah.” Ellen nodded then turned toward the stairs. She wanted to get to her room before the tears came. There would never be closure. She needed Paul’s forgiveness for ruining his life, and she’d never get that. Without it, she couldn’t forgive herself. If she couldn’t forgive herself, she couldn’t accept God’s forgiveness. It was a vicious circle with no end. She felt as doomed as Paul had been following his accident.

  Inside her apartm
ent, Ellen changed into a warm up suit and fixed a cup of tea. She peeked out the closed drapes and groaned. The crowd had thickened despite the rainy day. Word of Paul’s funeral had reached the public. Sadness swept over Ellen like a storm- driven wave. An ocean of tears gushed down her cheeks.

  If only she could take back the night she broke up with Paul. Would life have been so bad if she had married him? Had she really felt God moving her to wait for the right man? Ellen was beside herself with confusion. Every day for the past nine years, she’d asked the same questions.

  To make matters worse, she’d inadvertently thrown herself into the limelight. If only she’d not agreed to help Robin Davenport with her special report on long-term patients. If only, if only. Her life was full of if onlys. If only her father had not died in that military exercise when she ten. If only her mother had not gotten cancer and died when Ellen was fifteen. If only her grandmother had not had the stroke when she was seventeen. If only she’d not accepted the job at Paul’s law firm when she had finished night school.

  Ellen’s phone rang, jerking her from her pity-party.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, Ellen.” It was Ida Kline, Ellen’s former supervisor at the care center. “How was Paul’s service?”

  Unlike Mr. Howard, Ida had known Paul. She’d make time to visit him around her many administrative duties.

  “Sad. His mother had planned the service before she died. Only family members were allowed to attend. Reverend Nelson talked them into letting me come.”

  “They were a strange bunch.”

  “Well, I’ll never have to see them again.” Ellen suddenly remembered the letter from Paul’s mother. She told Ida about it.

  “Umm. A message from the grave. What did she have to say?” Ida asked, sarcastically. Vivian Kendall had not endeared herself to any of the staff at the care facility. She was a cold-hearted, bitter woman who had never accepted her son’s condition. Ellen stayed out of her way since it was clear to Ellen that Vivian blamed her for her son’s accident. Ellen figured Paul must have called his mother immediately following the break-up and told her everything.

  At first, Ellen tried to comfort the distraught woman, but Vivian wouldn’t have any of it. Their relationship had never been a close one, but it became strange after Paul was sent to the long-term care center. Vivian avoided Ellen at all costs. Ellen thought the two would have leaned on each other, but Vivian turned to drinking and pills instead. Whenever Ellen tried to intervene, Vivian gave her the cold shoulder and lambasted her for getting involved with her son.

  “Stay away from me!” Vivian had lashed out one day when Ellen had approached her. “I don’t want you in Paul’s room when I’m here! You don’t even need to be here, hovering over my son every day. Go away and live your life somewhere else.”

  Everyone on the floor had heard Vivian’s outburst. From that day on, Vivian’s attitude grew more vile and critical. When she passed away, the staff at the center was actually relieved. After that, no one from Paul’s family visited. Only Ellen remained vigilant. She’d even taken a job at the center in order to spend as much time with Paul as possible. As soon as Paul passed away, Ellen quit her job for two reasons even though she liked her work. The memories were too painful, and the press attention had gotten out of hand. Out of sympathy for Ellen, Ida had waived the two weeks’ notice.

  “I didn’t read the letter,” Ellen admitted to Ida. “To tell you the truth, I’m scared to.” Ellen figured Vivian had just wanted to get in one last dig or, worse, tell her she knew about the break-up and what it had it done to her son. Ellen didn’t need any more guilt heaped on her.

  “She can’t hurt you now, Ellen. Throw the letter out if it bothers you that much. Paul’s passed away. You need to move on, make a life for yourself.”

  “That’s going to be hard, considering my other problem.”

  “You mean all the media attention? That will die down soon. ”

  “Oh yeah? How many calls have you received today from reporters?”

  Ida hesitated before answering. “Too many to count, but you’re doing the right thing, staying under the radar as they say in Hollywood. One day everyone will lose interest in the suffering fiancée.” Ida used an overly dramatic voice when referencing the label given to Ellen.

  Ellen hated the description suffering fiancée. She had Robin Davenport to thank for it. That was the title Robin had given the article that started the worldwide infatuation with Ellen.

  “How I wish, Ida. It’s actually worsened since Paul’s death. Mr. Howard wants me to move.”

  “You can stay with me until you find a place.” Ida’s offer didn’t surprise Ellen. Ida was a Christian who extended a helping hand whenever she could.

  “Thanks. I may have to take you up on it.”

  “Are you still looking for a job?” Ida changed the subject abruptly. Ellen realized the supervisor had more important things to do than chit chat on the phone with a former employee.

  “Yes. Do you know of something?”

  “Grace called me this morning. You remember me telling you about her employment agency, don’t you?”

  “She’s the one who matches clients with health-care workers, right?” Ellen perked up. Maybe she wouldn’t have to wait too long for a good position.

  “I thought of you immediately. The job sounds too good to be true.”

  “That usually means it is.”

  “Grace only gave me the low-down because we’ve known each other since high school. The client is Rand Powers.” Ida spoke his name as if he was somebody.

  “Rand who?”

  “Oh, of course, you wouldn’t know him. I’m sorry, Ellen. You’ve had your mind on other things for years. Rand Powers is one of Florida’s most eligible bachelors. He’s wealthy, runs his own company, and is good-looking. He’s also a Christian.”

  “So why’s he single?” Ellen asked, curiously.

  “Well, he had been engaged a few years ago to some society girl. Apparently she dumped him a couple weeks before the wedding after he was diagnosed with cancer. It was all over the papers thanks to the girl’s chatty friends. Their mouths ran like faucets. It was pretty sad and embarrassing for Rand. I have friends who attend the same church he does. They always talk highly of him. He does a lot of charity work and mentoring to new Christians.”

  “What is he looking for?” Ellen was intrigued.

  “A companion for his great-aunt. She suffered a stroke a year ago and is confined to the house.”

  “Why hasn’t he hired someone before now?”

  “He has, three times. None ever made it through the three-month trial period.”

  Ellen frowned. “Why not?”

  “Well, according to Grace, and please don’t repeat this, they were too focused on him and not his aunt. In other words, they were flirty, which he didn’t approve of. Grace says he’s looking for someone who will help his aunt come out of the depression she’s been in. The salary package includes room and board, your own suite, and plenty of perks, like use of a car and the gym, library, and pool. Are you interested? If so, I can have Grace set up an appointment for you with Mr. Powers as soon as tomorrow morning.”

  Ellen didn’t have to think twice. “Sure, I’m interested. And thanks Ida!”

  “You’re welcome, Ellen. You deserve a break after all you’ve been through. I just hope it all works out for you so you can move on.”

  Later that afternoon, Grace called. Ellen had an appointment with Rand Powers at eight the next morning. A car would be sent for her.

  “Bring your resume and good luck.” Grace said, cheerfully.

  Ellen didn’t count on luck. That night she prayed for a blessing, one that would finally free her. Her faith had bounced up and down over the past nine years, but she still believed God was the only one who could help her find the peace she needed so desperately.

  Chapter 2

  Rand Powers studied the name on his appointment calendar. Ellen Todd. It soun
ded familiar. He rolled the name around in his head and took a sip of his strong coffee, hoping the hot liquid would jar his memory. She was due in less than an hour, and he wanted to be prepared. So far, he’d interviewed five ladies, all qualified, but none approved by his Aunt Dolly.

  “Celeste, can you step in here, please,” Rand called to his housekeeper who happened to be passing in front of his office on her way to the kitchen. “Does the name Ellen Todd ring a bell?” He asked when she entered.

  “She’s known as the suffering fiancée, sir. The one who remained with her fiancé after his tragic accident. He passed away last week.”

  “Ahhh, that’s right.” The story came back to Rand. “I remember reading about her. She stayed with him nine years or so. Umph! I couldn’t get Lana to stay with me five minutes after she found out I had cancer.”

  Celeste scrunched her face with annoyance. “I’ve told you, Mr. Powers. God didn’t want you to marry that girl. He’s got someone else in mind. You just haven’t met her yet.”

  “Thanks for reminding me, Celeste.” Rand smiled. “But, I’m not looking for Mrs. Right anymore. I’ve learned to be happy being single. I’m not giving my heart away to anyone anymore.”

  Celeste marched over to Rand’s cherry-wood desk and tapped her index finger on its highly polished surface. “Look here, buster. I don’t want you talking like that and certainly not around your great-aunt. Your singlehood is upsetting her. She wants you married with a family. When she goes, you’re going to be all alone. Is that what you really want?”

  “You know I don’t want Aunt Dolly worried about me, but—I can’t go through that kind of hurt again, Celeste. Nor the humiliation. Everyone in town knew I’d been dumped.”

  “Lana is a spoiled brat, and you know it! You thought the world of her before God revealed her true nature. But, every girl you meet is not going to be like her. You’re a catch in this town. Plenty of women would love to go out with you. How are you going to find the right girl if you don’t get out of that cocoon you’ve wrapped yourself in and investigate the prospects.”