Miracles in Disguise (The Trampled Rose Series) by Michelle Lynn Brown Page A

risk that.
    Mrs. McKinley led them into the living room where the chairs and two sofas were arranged to form a circle. Spread out in the middle of a large square coffee table was a tray of refreshments. As Barbara pulled out her notes, she burst out, “I think I’m going to puke!”
    “Oh, my!” Mrs. McKinley said, rising from her chair.
    “No, I mean, I don’t mean that literally. I’m just really nervous.” Smiling sheepishly, she said, “Sorry, Mrs. McKinley.”
    “Barbara,” Kristina said, laying her hand on the young woman’s, “You don’t have to do this. Maybe you can try another night.”
    “No,” she said, as some of the color returned to her face. “I mean, I’m nervous. But at the same time, I really want to do this. I really want to get everyone excited about this book, and to let them know what I got out of it, and hear what they did.” Shrugging, she added, “And that keeps me from puking."
    Pride filled Kristina’s heart. “How about I get the official stuff taken care of and you handle introducing the author and book?”
    Hugging Kristina, Barbara said, “Thank you!”
    The situation with Barbara momentarily made her forget about Nathan, and as people started coming in and she began talking with them, Kristina relaxed considerably. She was talking with Principle Shirley’s wife when Nathan came in, and she missed his entrance, failing to notice him as everyone took their seats.
    As Kristina began, she stood near her place on the loveseat. As usual, when she stepped into her teaching role, she was focused and oblivious to all outside distractions, including Nathan sliding into the other side of the loveseat. After all the business was concluded, Kristina turned it over to Barbara, and with an encouraging smile, she turned to sit down. Her heart leapt to her throat as she saw Nathan sitting next to her empty spot. There was no avoiding him, and she settled next to him rather stiffly. She could feel the warmth from him, and when he crossed his ankle over his knee and settled his arm across the back of the loveseat, she rebelled at the vision in her mind. She could picture herself settling back next to him, cozy and comfortable, in the crook of his arm. It took every nerve and effort on her part to focus her attention on Barb. But soon the rapture of books consumed her, and allowed her to unconsciously relax back against the sofa.
    As the meeting ended, he bent close to her ear and said softly, “Hey, Kristina, I just wanted you to know, my father and I talked to Bobby. I told him if I ever caught him harassing you or Barbara again, I would make sure he never played football in this state again.”
    Relief flooded Kristina. “What did he say?”
    “‘Whatever, man. I was just playing.’” Nathan mimicked Bobby’s tone, wringing a laugh from Kristina. Laying her hand on his arm, she said a soft, but sincere, thank you.
    “You know, I have seen you teach, how would you like to see me teach?”
    Startled, Kristina stammered, “I don’t have any musical abilities. I can barely sing without making dogs howl in pain, and I’m all thumbs when it comes to instruments.”
    It was Nathan’s turn to laugh, “No, not my music class. I teach adult Bible study on Thursday nights at the church. I thought you might like it.” His charming smile lit up his face as he said, “After all, the Bible is the best literary work around.”
    The thought of attending a Bible study was frightening enough. But the fact that it was being led by Nathan sent fear trickling down her spine. A flash of David’s weekly family Bible study skittered through her mind. There were very few weeks that she was able to scrape by without any sort of repercussion. No matter what mood he was in when the study began, David ended drunk with power, and she was his to control. And if she dared fight back in the slightest way, he crushed her.
    She looked up at Nathan, her hand still resting lightly on his arm. His eyes were