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    Second Honeymoon
    Second Honeymoon
    Second Honeymoon
    Ebook158 pages2 hours

    Second Honeymoon

    By Mildred Colvin

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    About this ebook

    Lyndee Brannigan goes into a period of depression, after her husband of less than a month is killed. Even her mother can't reach her, but she sends someone who can.

    Keith Williams' best friend was Joe Brannigan, and he figures he owes it to their friendship to help Joe's grieving widow. He's no stranger to grief since he lost his wife to cancer little more than a year ago. He’s determined to help Lyndee find new meaning to her life, and he starts with an unannounced pizza delivery. He begins looking for things they can do together. Anything to get her mind off her problems. Helping her brings more enjoyment and healing to him than he could have expected until, before he realizes it's happening, she's become more than a very dear friend.

    Lyndee responds to Keith's friendship, and he begins to find a place in her heart. But she can't replace her husband's memory, yet she can't give up the love she's found with Keith. Does God have a plan she hadn't counted on?

    She never meant to fall in love, but neither did Keith.

    Second Honeymoon is a sweet, Christian romance about love and starting over.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMildred Colvin
    Release dateNov 5, 2019
    ISBN9780463937877
    Second Honeymoon
    Author

    Mildred Colvin

    Mildred Colvin is a wife, mother of three, and grandmother to three beautiful girls. She started writing when her children were young as they asked for stories. Not from a book. No! They were only satisfied when she made up stories. As the stories grew, she wrote some down and sent them off to magazines. Eight were published before her imagination turned toward love stories, which is what she enjoys reading.She has been writing Christian or clean and wholesome romance since 2001. Over the years several readers from pre-teens to older kids in their eighties and nineties have written expressing their interest in her books. She always loves to hear about one of her stories touching someone's heart. Her purpose in writing is to encourage, entertain, and bless someone else.She lives in the United States and sets her characters in the middle states from Texas to Nebraska and Iowa and reaching across Illinois to Colorado. She also has an Oregon Trail series, but the Great Plains states are her favorite setting.She is active in a very special critique group and has written and published over 60 books in both historical and contemporary themes, and plans to continue writing as long as God allows. He has been good in giving her many ideas for stories. Maybe more than she will be able to finish, but she enjoys each one.Please take a moment to visit her website at www.mildredcolvin.weebly.com, and sign up for her Romantic Reflections Newsletter to learn when new books are released. Also learn of promotions and free books through her newsletter.And take a look at her books. You might find something you don't want to put down.

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      Book preview

      Second Honeymoon - Mildred Colvin

      Second Honeymoon

      Mildred Colvin

      Contemporary Christian Romance

      Second Honeymoon

      by Mildred Colvin

      Copyright © 2019 by Mildred Colvin

      All rights reserved

      Cover Photo © Kornilovdream | Dreamstime.com

      Smashwords edition

      Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

      No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any electronic or mechanical means without permission in writing from its author except in the case of brief quotations used in printed reviews.

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to events, is entirely coincidental, other than those established by history and of necessity those have been fictionalized.

      Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

      Contents

      Dedication

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Chapter 12

      Epilogue

      Note from the Author

      About the Author

      Preview of Love Returned

      Other Books

      DEDICATION

      With special memory of my sister, Jean Norval, who left this story for me to do something with. Her thoughts were typed in a fifteen-page synopsis that I’ve taken and added to, changing a little here and there until Second Honeymoon is finally written. Thank you, Jeanie, for trusting me with your ideas.

      Also thanks must go to the Lord Jesus for giving the ideas and helping me make sense of what floats around in my mind. Without Him, I couldn’t write a thing.

      Chapter 1

      Des Moines, Iowa, present time

      The late July sun burned the grass and scorched the pavement beneath Keith Williams’ rubber-soled shoes. He crossed the parking lot to Lyndee Brannigan’s apartment, determination in every step. To say he was concerned about her was an understatement. It’d been almost six months since Joe’s death, and she hadn’t darkened a church door once that he knew of. Not Grace Community Church and according to her mother, she hadn’t been going to their church either.

      He balanced the large pepperoni and Canadian bacon pizza he’d picked up on the way and took the stairs to the second floor two at a time. Turning to the left at the top, he continued down the hall and stopped at the end door with his hand raised. His best friend, Joe, had lived here alone before he and Lyndee married. Everything was different now. As a police officer, Joe had died from a bullet wound when he answered a domestic disturbance call that should’ve been routine. In the past, he’d gone into many dangerous situations and came out without a scrape. This time he’d died and his partner was wounded.

      Keith shook off the darkness that always tried to swallow him when he thought of Joe. Amy, too. But he wouldn’t go there. He swallowed and knocked.

      When silence was his only greeting, he tried again. This time knocking louder. Come on, Lyndee. Don’t shut me out. I should’ve come by to see you earlier, but I couldn’t until now. Time has a way of, at the very least, making life bearable.

      A faint sound from the other side of the door alerted him to Lyndee’s presence. He tapped this time. Lightly, but enough to let her know he hadn’t given up. Someone had to get her out of the apartment, which was why he was here.

      Sensing her presence, he faced the spy-hole, knowing she’d recognize him. A few seconds later, the chain scraped as she slipped it off the track. Then the dead-bolt clanked, and the doorknob turned.

      She opened the door just enough to reveal her face. Keith, what are you doing here?

      I’m hungry and have no one to eat with. He lifted the pizza box. Please, will you share my pizza? It always tastes better when someone keeps me company.

      The hint of a smile touched her face, and she backed up, pulling the door open. If you don’t mind my messy house.

      Messy house? That didn’t sound like the Lyndee he knew. He stepped through the doorway and stopped while she closed the door behind him. Okay, so he hadn’t seen the apartment since before Lyndee and Joe’s marriage. Joe had always kept it spotless when he lived here alone. Maybe Lyndee wasn’t much for housekeeping. He turned toward the sofa and stared. She’d spread a quilt over the entire seat and poked it into the space where the seat and back met. She’d draped a sheet over the end, leaving the corner of a pillow sticking out. Had she been sleeping there?

      Lyndee led the way to a table at the end of the kitchen, open to the living room. She picked up dirty dishes, books, notebooks, and a laptop. The dishes she carried to the kitchen counter then dropped the books on a chair. Can you wait a minute, and I’ll clean the table?

      Sure, no problem. Keith watched her move quickly as she set the table to rights. What was going on? Sure, she missed Joe. He understood that. He’d lost his wife, too, and after a year he still missed her. Maybe Lyndee hadn’t had enough time to regain purpose in her life. Everyone moved through the stages of grief at their own speed. Still, there should be something he could do to help her.

      When she finished, he set the box on the table and opened the lid, releasing the warm, rich aroma of spices that could only come from pizza. Mmm. He inhaled. Doesn’t that make you hungry?

      Her smile was in place, but the pretty blue eyes he’d always thought were so bright held no spark of laughter today. Oh, I forgot the dishes. Do you mind using a small plate?

      Yeah, that’s fine. He glanced into the living room. You can see your TV from here. Would you like to watch a movie while we eat?

      I suppose so.

      He crossed the room and squatted in front of a small stand holding two or three dozen movies. Running his finger along the spines, he stopped at one that looked like the romances Amy used to enjoy. He shoved the thought aside and pulled it from the shelf. How about this one?

      She turned his way and nodded. Yes, that’s good.

      He stuck the disc in the player and carried the remote to the table. She had already sat down, so he took the chair across from her. Do you mind if I say a quick prayer?

      Not at all. She bowed her head.

      Father, we give You praise in all things. Bless our food and our bodies to receive nourishment. May we turn every area of our lives over to You and be willing to accept Your will. Amen. He lifted the glass of soft drink and took a swallow. She must’ve set them on the table while he was getting the movie ready. Thanks. This completes the meal.

      She shrugged. I like pop with my pizza. Thank you for bringing it. You’re right. It is nice to have someone to eat with. It seems like years. Her voice broke. At other times only days.

      It’ll get better, Lyndee. Keith’s heart ached for her.

      How long? Her eyes grew wide as she stared at him.

      He looked across the table, his eyes narrowing reflectively. I think that depends on us. What we do with our grief. When she opened her mouth as if to argue his point, he held up a hand. I’m not saying we shouldn’t grieve. If we want to get past the pain and the anger, we’d better allow ourselves time to accept what’s happened and release our hurt. But I am saying we can’t let the grief take control of us.

      You lost Amy only a few months before I lost Joe. How can you not grieve for her? The words poured from Lyndee as she leaned toward him, her expression intense. I hurt for them both. It’s been six months, and I can’t seem to function, Keith. I see Joe in this apartment everywhere I look. She gestured toward the sofa. I can’t even sleep in my bed. Her head bowed as she whispered, In our bed.

      Keith released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. I know, Lyndee. Believe me, I know. I’m just saying you can’t let the grief hang on until it consumes you. It’s the anger I’m still fighting. I can’t seem to get over it, but I keep fighting it.

      Why are you angry? Lyndee’s brows drew together. Amy was sick, she didn’t get shot for no reason. Joe did nothing but knock on a door in a nice neighborhood. There was no reason for that man to meet him with a gun in his hand. No reason to shoot him down before he could ask what the problem was. I’m angry, too, Keith! I’m angry at the man who killed my husband, and I’m angry with Joe for doing what he did. Tears filled her eyes, and she brushed them away. I’m sorry.

      Don’t be. Keith toyed with a slice of pizza. Bringing it had been a bad idea. Lyndee needed to talk. She needed to get her feelings out in the open. You have a right to be angry, but release your anger so it doesn’t fester inside you. I’ve held my anger longer than I should have. No one killed Amy, but she knew she might die and waited five years before she finally agreed to marry. I would’ve married her while we were in college, but she wouldn’t. She wanted to be well. When she went into remission, she agreed to marry me after she stayed cancer-free for five years. All I could do was agree. Our marriage lasted three months when we could’ve had those five years too.

      That’s why you went into the Navy, isn’t it? Lyndee’s expressive eyes glowed with compassion. She understood what so many others didn’t.

      He nodded. Yes, not to get away from her, but to give her time and space. It’s what she wanted, and I couldn’t be with her without pushing for the commitment she couldn’t give. We didn’t become engaged until she got her clean bill of health. He gave a short laugh. For all the good that did. But at least we had those few short months. I’m thankful for that, as you should be thankful for the time you had with Joe.

      Lyndee stared at Keith, her eyes, a darker blue than usual, trained on his. A slow smile touched her lips and spread. She straightened, then brushed a wayward lock of blonde hair behind her shoulder. I agree that I’ve been giving in to depression and anger, and I’m glad you came tonight, Keith. No one else seems to understand what I’m going through, but I sense you do. She picked up a slice of Canadian bacon pizza and held it up as if making a toast. Let’s eat to our recovery. Turn on the movie, and we’ll watch something happy.

      Sounds good to me! Keith pointed the remote toward the TV and pushed the button that brought it to life. He took

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