Halfway to forever by Karen Kingsbury

summer. By the end of August, the day before he was scheduled to go back to college on the east coast,
there was nothing either of them could do to resist the temptation of being together. And that single nightthe
decision to give in to a moment of weakness greater than either of them-changed everything about the
next decade. No matter how much time passed, the truth about what hap pened that fall was still
depressing. It made Tanner long for a way to go back and change things so he and Jade could somehow
share every one of the days they missed. After their fateful night together, Tanner left for Europe on a
lengthy mission trip. He was there, completely out of communi cation, when Jade learned she was
pregnant. With nowhere else to turn, Jade called Tanner's mother, who told her that Tanner was a liar who
randomly slept with women and made them pregnant. Tanner opened his eyes and exhaled in a way that
filled the hotel room with sadness. The fact that Jade had believed his mother was always the hardest part
for Tanner. That and what happened next. 116 Alone and pregnant with nowhere to turn, no one who
`seemed to care about her, Jade panicked. It was as simple as that. She married Jim Rudolph, a man who
shared nothing of Jade's _`l newfound faith. It was a marriage intended to do one thing: give Jade's baby a
chance at a normal life. Instead, it caused all of them a decade of heartache. Tanner stood and stared out
the window at the distant Colorado mountains. There were no words to describe the pain that had
suffocated him when he returned from his mission trip that fall and found out Jade was married. Tanner
tried desperately to reach her, but to no avail. Tanner turned back to the hotel room and glanced at the
clock. Matt was right. What good was he doing Jade here in Colorado researching his next case? He
could finish his research at home. He wandered about his room, gathering clothes and tossing them into
his suitcase. A heaviness settled over Tanner's heart, and he knew it was from the flood of memories that
had carried him through the past hour. The pain of losing Jade all those years ago never dimmed, not even
a little. Maybe that's why he was running so fast these days. He'd been heartsick watching her move away
when he was a boy. Then after they'd found each other again in Kelso, after they'd fallen in love and made
promises to marry, Tanner had been dev astated by losing her a second time. It had taken years before her
face didn't haunt him at night, before her name wasn't fresh on his mind in everything he did. Now the
stakes were higher than ever, and Tanner was sure of this much: If he lost Jade again, it would destroy
him. 121 kwon
Fear coursed through Patsy Landers' veins as she sat on a stone bench amidst the wild daisies, pink roses,
and brash violets that took up most of the courtyard outside her small house in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
This was her prayer garden, the place she came when she
wanted quiet time alone with God. It was a place she'd visited
often these past four months while she prayed about the situation
with her wayward daughter. And now, as her heart raced within
her, she was sure of His answer.
It was time to take action.
Not for Leslie's sake. Unless Leslie gave her life over to Jesus,
there was no way the girl was going to change. She was twentyone,
hooked on crack, and determined not to take help from her
mother or anyone else. At this point she could be living on the
streets or with a band of drug runners. There was no way to tell.
Patsy lifted her chin and let the breeze dry her tears. If Leslie were not a mother, it would be time to let
her go. Let her come to the end she seemed desperate to reach.
But Leslie was not alone.
She had little Grace with her, even though Patsy had offeredas
she always did-to care for the child herself. Patsy folded her
gnarled hands and a small sigh slipped from between her teeth.
The loan had been Patsy's last-ditch attempt, the only way she