The Wedding Quilt

The Wedding Quilt
Lenora Worth

WEDDING DREAMS…The handmade quilt had been stored with care–along with Rosemary Brinson's cherished dreams. The wedding was called off and Rosemary vowed she'd never marry.Then Kirk Lawrence arrived, hired to renovate the historic town church. The rugged steeplejack had always avoided serious ties, but Rosemary's tender smile touched his very soul. He wondered about the quilt she treasured and why no man had made her his wife.Kirk knew that by summer's end, he would restore the old church to its former glory. But could he mend Rosemary's heart–and rescue her lost dreams?Welcome to Love Inspired™–stories that will lift your spirits and gladden your heart. Meet men and women facing the challenges of today's world and learning important lessons about life, faith and love.

Table of Contents

Cover Page (#uc68a53ab-84a7-58c7-9b92-263bcb3c4c0a)

Excerpt (#u11431d24-32c6-561e-b426-9eff2ef267db)

LENORA WORTH (#u9c392aed-fc27-5cf7-9287-d01adfb85522)

Title Page (#ufffc9da3-ab40-59f9-8eb7-e068f500951b)

Epigraph (#u0cab8218-42f3-532f-8874-b1c70b71ae0e)

Dedication (#uf74ecd0d-2125-5ea5-98ac-365a88683564)

Chapter One (#ub87aa05f-fad2-5d32-bc55-c128e783fcbc)

Chapter Two (#u4c1ed31a-ed54-51ea-a48b-8f73aa78516e)

Chapter Three (#u63d58de6-2292-5d00-ba75-80c01fabf8d5)

Chapter Four (#u15911df9-c6ca-5e34-977d-f69fa62faa26)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Dear Reader (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

(#ulink_afc9ebf0-6806-5296-9e85-471f1ff3f8bd)“Don’t do this, Rosemary,” he said.

“Don’t punish yourself or me this way. Think about us. Think about this.” He reached out a hand. “Put your hand in mine.”

“No,” she said, a plea in the one word. “I can’t.”

“Rosemary, God doesn’t want you to be alone. He’s not cruel that way. Together, with His guidance, we can figure this out.”

“No,” she said again, her heart breaking. “Let’s just leave it the way it is. Go,” she whispered. “Before we wake my father.”

“I’ll wake him,” Kirk replied, angry now. “I’ll wake this whole town and tell all of them that I care about you and I want to be with you and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Hearing him say the words aloud made her realize she felt the same way. But she was still afraid to make good on her feelings. Yet she knew Kirk was right. She had asked God to forgive her, to give her a second chance. Maybe this was that chance.

Slowly she reached out her hand to him. Kirk pressed his hand to hers, his eyes searching her face in the moonlight.

“Tell me you’ll pray about this, Rosemary. Promise me you’ll ask God to guide us.”

“I will,” she said, meaning it. “I’m asking Him right this very minute…”

LENORA WORTH

grew up in a small Georgia town and decided in the fourth grade that she wanted to write. But first, she married her high school sweetheart, then moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Taking care of their baby daughter at home while her husband worked at night, Lenora discovered the world of romance novels and knew that’s what she wanted to write. And so she began.

A few years later, the family settled in Shreveport, Louisiana, where Lenora continued to write while working as a marketing assistant. After the birth of her second child, a boy, she decided to pursue full time her dream of writing. In 1993, Lenora’s hard work and determination finally paid off with that first sale.

“I never gave up, and I believe my faith in God helped get me through the rough times when I doubted myself,” Lenora says. “Each time I start a new book, I say a prayer, asking God to give me the strength and direction to put the words to paper. That’s why I’m so thrilled to be a part of Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired line, where I get to combine my faith in God with my love of romance. It’s the best possible combination.”

The Wedding Quilt

Lenora Worth

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

(#ulink_deb90912-10a9-53b6-8fe0-c8c8c7cc1608)“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”

—Ecclesiastes 3:1

(#ulink_7895af2a-7570-5b52-886e-9e31b7cc2e23)To my sister, Glenda, who died from a wreck involving a drunk driver in 1991. We all miss you still.

To Suzannah, a friend who believed in the good in me and taught me so much about courage and dignity.

And especially…to my niece Crystal Howell Smith. Hope this helps to ease your pain.

Chapter One (#ulink_7e6cc380-8399-5cfb-8f8f-ea18b83b0622)