A Greater Love (26 page)
Authors: Rachel Ann Nunes
Tags: #Romance, #Christian, #Orphans, #Christmas, #LDS, #This Time Forever, #ariana, #clean romance
Kylee felt touched at his willingness to make things right. “Okay, Guillaume. Would you like to sit at my table?”
“I’d like that. But call me Bill, okay? Bill Dubrey.”
“Oh, right. You said you had a new name.”
“What about you, Kylee? Have you changed your name? Your last, I mean. Are you married?”
“No, I’m not.” No use in telling him about her brief relationship with Raymond.
He said nothing further but offered her his arm. Kylee was amazed that she could see no trace of the violent emotions she had glimpsed before. Neither the grief nor the anger was apparent in his demeanor. How could he obliterate them so quickly?
“Wait.” She swiftly checked her makeup in her compact mirror and rubbed off a bit of smudged mascara. After reapplying her powder and patting her short blonde hair into place, she hooked her hand through his arm and they walked back into the banquet hall together.
Elaina and Troy were still greeting people at the door. It took Kylee only a few moments with the waiter to rearrange the name tags at her table, where a few guests were already seated. “I need to welcome the rest of the people,” she told Bill, after she had introduced him around. “I’ll be back soon.”
He gave her a wry smile. “Take your time.”
“We’ll keep Dr. Dubrey company,” said Mrs. Boswell. “I have a little surgery I’ve been meaning to discuss with him.”
“Oh, you know Bill?” Kylee asked.
“Not really, my dear, though I feel as if I do. My friend Audrey has simply gushed about what he did for her.” Mrs. Boswell gave Kylee a conspiratorial smile, but her voice carried to everyone at the table. “A facelift, you know. She positively looks ten years younger.” She focused on Bill while her husband and the other guests continued to nibble on their appetizers. “I’ve asked around and you have quite a reputation, Dr. Dubrey. They say you are simply the best.”
Bill smiled. “I’m glad to hear it.”
Kylee excused herself and hurried to the entrance, wondering at what she had learned. She knew Guillaume had been studying to be a doctor when she had known Nicole, though she didn’t recall anything about plastic surgery. Nicole had told her that after their initial bout at separate colleges, she and Bill had rediscovered their childhood love and had become engaged. While he was off in America, specializing in one thing or another, Nicole, a gynecologist, had stayed in France delivering babies—and waiting. It had been to the hospital where Nicole worked that Kylee sent several of the pregnant charity recipients she was working with at the time. She met Nicole, and they’d become close friends. Kylee remembered Nicole’s sadness at Guillaume’s absence, and how she had attempted to stave off her loneliness by throwing herself into fundraising with the organization Kylee was working for. But Guillaume had returned to France often, and during his visits Nicole tended to be scarce, though on more than a few weekends the three of them had gone hiking or camping together. Kylee had liked what she had seen of Guillaume. He was a nice guy, and perfect for Nicole.
When Kylee had moved to England to work with yet another charity, she was pleased to receive the announcement of their long-awaited wedding. Nicole’s accompanying letter had exuded complete happiness. It was the last communication Kylee ever received from Nicole, despite four subsequent letters Kylee had sent to her in France. Kylee imagined her friend was so content with her fiancé’s return and their marriage that she hadn’t even thought of writing. Now Kylee knew the truth, and it hurt to think that the lively Nicole was dead.
No wonder Guillaume had been so angry.
Kylee glanced at Guillaume—no, it was Bill now—and saw him conversing with the group at her table. He was obviously successful as well as incredibly handsome. If not for her glimpse of the emotions he had shown earlier, she would have never guessed at his former life and the tragedy behind the mask.
When she finally greeted the last of the guests, Kylee headed for her table, leaving Elaina to officially welcome the crowd and introduce the speakers and singers who would entertain them as they ate. After dessert was served, Kylee would make her presentation of the video and the children.
“So, Dr. Dubrey, why haven’t you married?” Mrs. Boswell was saying as Kylee arrived at the table. “Audrey has quite the eye for you, you know. Her two kids are practically in high school, so they wouldn’t be much of a bother. The fact that she’s moved to the same condominium complex as you is really quite convenient. I keep telling her to chase you a bit, you know. Men liked to be chased.” Mrs. Boswell batted her mascara-laden eyes and Kylee felt her heart go out to the unfortunate Audrey who had trusted Mrs. Boswell with her heart.
“I’m afraid I’m a born bachelor,” Bill said as he applied crab paste onto a wheat cracker. He met Mrs. Boswell’s gaze with a direct stare. “My focus is on my work. I’m much too busy for a relationship.” He took a bite of the cracker and swallowed before adding, “I especially like to work on subjects with your potential, Mrs. Boswell. You’re a perfect candidate for my latest sculpting methods.”
Mrs. Boswell flushed and brought a hand to her well-endowed bosom. “I may come to see you very soon, Doctor.” She elbowed her husband, who nodded with a distracted smile. Kylee had the feeling that the heavyset Mrs. Boswell did whatever she pleased, with or without her husband’s approval.
Kylee slipped into the chair next to Bill as the waiters began to serve the main course. Usually she would have mingled with the guests instead of eating, in order to personally iron out any problems that might arise, but tonight Elaina and Troy would have to handle that. She owed Bill this much. She had brought him here using Nicole’s name and then, worse, she had inadvertently set him among sharks—or at least one shark. Kylee felt she should give him as much support as she could muster.
“So how long have you been in California?” Kylee asked.
He set down his fork and looked at her steadily. “Four years.”
“He studied in France, you know,” Mrs. Boswell said. “The French are simply the best at maintaining beauty, aren’t they?” The other women at the table nodded. “But it’s certainly good to be able to go to an American,” Mrs. Boswell added with a sniff. “I don’t trust foreigners.”
Kylee caught an amused glint in Bill’s eyes, and she almost laughed aloud. What would Mrs. Boswell say if she knew Bill had been born in France as Guillaume Debré? Well, Kylee wasn’t about to tell her.
Everyone was blessedly silent after the waiters delivered the food, but only for a few moments. When the talk began again, it turned to politics and the economy. Kylee only listened halfway, as she studied Bill from the corner of her eye. She had known him fairly well during the two years she and Nicole had been friends, and his appearance was uncannily the same. There were almost no wrinkles around his eyes, and his hair didn’t have even a trace of grey. Underneath the new polish of poise, he still had something boyish and open about him. Was that what had made Nicole love him so deeply?
Kylee sighed inwardly and forced herself to think about the speech she would make. The sooner it was over, the sooner she could help the children—and the sooner she could get away from Bill Dubrey and the hurtful memories of Nicole.
END OF SAMPLE.
To purchase
This Very Moment,
please visit your ebook store. Or continue to the next page to learn more about the author and her books.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Ann Nunes (pronounced noon-esh) learned to read when she was four, beginning a lifetime fascination with the written word. She still reads everything she can lay hands on, from children’s stories to science articles.
She began writing in the seventh grade and is now the author of over thirty published books, including the popular
Ariana
series
, The Huntington Family
series,
Eyes of a Stranger,
and
Saving Madeline
. Her novel
Before I Say Goodbye
won the 2011 Whitney Award in the general fiction category.
Imprints, An Autumn Rain Novel
(2010
), Fields of Home
(2008), and
The Independence Club
(2007) were all Whitney Award Finalists.
Rachel and her husband, TJ, live in Utah Valley and are the parents of seven awesome children—three boys and four girls. Rachel writes Monday through Friday in a home office, taking frequent breaks to read or swim with her kids.
Before writing this book, Rachel lived for two years in Portugal, where
A Greater Love
takes place (back in the days before euros). Part of this time she served as a missionary for her church. “I have seen the Lord work miracles in many hearts,” she says, “and I wanted to write about such a miracle. I feel that this story is one of the most important I have ever told.”
To read about upcoming books, visit Rachel’s website at http://www.RachelAnnNunes.com.
BOOKS BY RACHEL ANN NUNES
Autumn Rain Novels (Paranormal Romance)
Imprints
Shades of Gray
Final Call
Line of Fire (Sept 2012)
Romantic Suspense
Eyes of a Stranger (Autumn Rain series prequel)
Women’s Fiction/Romance
Flying Home
Fields of Home
Saving Madeline
Huntington Family
Winter Fire
No Longer Strangers
Chasing Yesterday
By Morning Light
The Independence Club
Ariana Series
Ariana: The Making of a Queen
Ariana: A Gift Most Precious
Ariana: A New Beginning
Ariana: A Glimpse of Eternity
This Time Forever
Ties That Binds
Twice in a Lifetime
Love Series (Romantic Suspense)
A Bid for Love
Framed for Love
Love on the Run
Other Novels
Before I Say Goodbye
The Gift of Angels (novella)
To Love and to Promise
Tomorrow and Always
This Time Forever (also part of Ariana series)
Bridge to Forever
Where I Belong
A Greater Love
This Very Moment
A Heartbeat Away
In Your Place (young adult)
For Children
The Problem With Spaceships: Zero G (chapter book)
Daughter of a King (picture book)
The Secret of the King (picture book)
Under the Pen Name Rachel Branton
Tell Me No Lies (romantic suspense)
Under the Pen Name Teyla Branton
Unbounded: The Change (urban fantasy)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
