HEART OF INTEGRITY

HEART OF INTEGRITY
Friday, July 5, 2024 by EDWINA KIERNAN

Categories: Friday's Fiction / GUEST AUTHORS

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EDWINA KIERNAN

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EXCERPT FROM HEART OF INTEGRITY

Not even the blazing sun could shake the chill from Susan Kelly’s bones. Had she really come all this way—crossed thousands of miles of tumultuous sea—for this? California was supposed to be an escape. A fresh start. But nothing had changed.

Nothing except the climate.

Back home in Ireland, she’d be soaked by now. But she hadn’t seen a drop of rain since she’d arrived in Lone Pine six months ago. It was strange... not what she was used to at all. But it was bliss.

At least, it had been until last night.

“Morning, Miss Kelly!”

“Mornin’, Dr. Reed!” She nodded in greeting, plastering a smile on her face to mask the emotions churning inside her. She was good at that, her father had told her years ago. Good at acting, at pretending.

At lying.

The elegant physician strode past, small pockets of dust skiting up in his wake. He looked like a doctor—imposing and dignified. But the townsfolk loved him, and she could see why. He was a dote, as she would’ve said back home. A gentle, kindly man.

She couldn’t imagine him asking his daughter to do what her own father had made her do most of her life back home.

A sour sensation twisted in her gut.

She was no saint—she knew that. But she’d been so glad to leave all the secrets and corruption behind. She’d hoped Da would’ve been, too. But she never could depend on him.

Her steps slowed. There it was.

How different it looked today. For the past few months, it had been a haven—a place she could truly be herself and actually help people. Letters and packages had always held a comforting charm, but as she eyed the little post office now her heart ached so deeply it was hard to breathe. It was only a matter of time until it was ruined somehow. He always managed to destroy anything her heart held dear.

Slowly, she approached the little wooden steps. Funny how so many of the buildings here were made of wood. She supposed it made more sense, due to the climate. In Ireland, if the buildings had been made of wood, they’d have been rotted through in no time.

No, she certainly didn’t miss the damp. There wasn’t anything she missed, except her mother’s grave. Had it really been ten years last week since she and Da had huddled beside it, watching the gravediggers cover up her mother’s coffin with shovel after shovel of mossy dirt?

Memories of the conversation with her father the previous evening echoed in her mind.

No sooner had she sat down to her supper, as the locals called it, than a strange scuffling had sounded outside her little kitchen door, followed by a short, sharp knock.

For a brief fragment of a moment she’d thought it had sounded like his knock. But just as quickly, she’d dismissed the notion. Surely, if he were planning to travel all that way, he’d have sent word to her first.

Unease had tightened her gut as she’d approached the door, silently debating whether or not she ought to answer it at all.

“Who’s there?” she’d called out.

Seconds of silence had ticked by.

“It’s late, mind. Who is it?”

The sound that’d met her ears had taken a moment to believe. She’d held her breath. No... It couldn’t be...

“Someone who didn’t want to spoil the surprise, Missy!”

It was. It was really him. Here.

For a moment, she’d been tempted to run. To hide. To stay free from the inevitable entanglement.

But some deeply embedded sense of obligation had compelled her to turn the key and the handle, and pull open the little wooden door.

His eyes had latched on to her, his mouth slowly opening in astonishment as he’d looked her up and down, as though some wondrous transformation had occurred. “Look at ye, girl! Why, you’ve never looked so well!” He’d met her gaze and stepped forward into her little kitchen, his arms outstretched. “Ah, my wee Susan... Gave yer da a big hug!”

Susan had stumbled forward into his embrace, her heart pounding, worry clogging her throat, choking out each word she’d attempted to voice.

Her father had released her, then looked her up and down again before turning his focus to their surroundings. “This is a fine place you’ve got yourself,” he said, nodding. “A fine wee place.” Then he’d looked at her, a melancholy admiration in his gaze.

Even as a pang of guilt had pricked her heart, she’d steeled herself, determined to maintain her defenses. “Da...”

“Now, now, I know what you’re thinkin’, Susan. But...” He’d sighed. “But, I mean it, darlin’. I want a fresh start, too.”

She’d eyed him wearily. Why now? She’d begged him to come with her all those months ago, but he’d been too wrapped up in all his wheelings and dealings. He’d begged her to stay, but she’d slipped out one night and never looked back.

Now, there he was, standing in her kitchen on the other side of the world.

Had he really changed? Or was it all just another lie?

MORE ABOUT A HEART OF INTEGRITY

Purchase Link: https://edwinakiernan.com/integrity

Not all fault lines are hidden in the earth...

Ifor Morgan and his father have traveled far from their home in Wales to settle in the small mining town of Lone Pine, California—driven by a need to escape the shame and sorrow of his brother’s fatal scandal.

Susan Kelly is starting over, too. Miles from her home in Ireland, she’s determined to build a life for herself in Lone Pine that doesn’t involve any of the deceptions she was caught up in back home.

As Ifor and Susan forge a cautious connection, people from Susan’s past show up in town, entangling her in a fresh web of illegal activity.

And when a devastating earthquake throws the town into a state of upheaval, secrets soon shake those least expecting to uncover them…

ABOUT EDWINA KIERNAN

Edwina Kiernan is the Christian author of eight novels, four of which are award-winning. She is a committed follower of Jesus (the Living Word), and endeavors to use her pen to point others to Him. When she’s not writing, Edwina loves spending time with her dashing husband and lively little son, reading and studying the Bible, getting lost in a captivating novel, and drinking more types of tea than most people realize even exist. Sign up for her weekly newsletter and get a free Victorian romance novel: https://edwinakiernan.com/freebook

visit EdwinaKiernan.com

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