Crisp winter air greeted them, a welcome relief from the warmth that had flooded her cheeks during her conversation with Jude.
"So," Kiara said as they walked back toward the mansion. "What did Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Serious want to talk to you about?"
"Nothing important," Angela replied, trying to sound casual. "Just apologizing for missing the cinnamon rolls yesterday."
Kiara shot her a knowing look. "Mmhmm. And that's why you're blushing."
"I'm not blushing."
"If you say so." Kiara looped her arm through Angela's. "But for what it's worth, I think he likes you."
"Don't be ridiculous," Angela said, though her heart skipped at the suggestion. "He's just doing his job."
"His job is to apologize for missing pastries? Interesting career choice."
Angela couldn't help but laugh. "Stop it. He's just being polite."
They continued to walk in silence, their boots crunching on the snow-dusted path. The mansion loomed ahead, grand and imposing against the winter sky.
Would it ever feel like home? Would its beautiful walls feel less like a prison one day?
She’d wanted a home. A place of safety. She wanted to believe this could be that for her and Kiara.
Jude’s handsome face came more sharply into focus in her mind.
She’d never had much interest in men. It probably wasn’t too surprising, considering the type of men she’d been around for much of her life.
But now she’d met men who seemed to be completely different from Jim and Craig. Even Julian, whom she hadn’t spent a lot of time with yet, seemed to be a decent man.
A father and brother in direct contrast to the father and brother she’d been raised with.
And then there was Jude. A man unlike any she’d ever known before. A man of quiet strength, who could easily hurt someone, and yet she was confident he would never hurt her. She felt completely safe with him.
It was foolish, she knew, to even look at Jude as anything but a man who worked for Duncan… her father.
But there was something about him that drew her to him. She didn’t have anything to offer him, however. Of that, she had no doubt.
Still, the yearning of her heart for things she’d never had before was stronger than it had ever been.
Safety.
Security.
Peace.
Love.
Please, God, help me to not set my heart on something that isn’t your plan for me.
CHAPTER TEN
Jude closed his Bible and the devotional book he’d started at the beginning of the year and set them aside. Each year, he tried to find a devotional that would guide him through his daily quiet time.
He’d chosen this particular study because it was for men and offered insight into the things he was trying—with God’s help—to pursue in his life.
Self control. Discipline. Humility.
They were all qualities his dad had not only impressed upon Jude, but he’d strived to live them out in his own life. Jude knew that part of why he’d pursued those specific qualities was to honor his dad. But his dad had always told him, “Don’t do it for me. Do it for God.”
