A Hope Undaunted Read online

  Also by Julie Lessman

  THE DAUGHTERS OF BOSTON

  A Passion Most Pure

  A Passion Redeemed

  A Passion Denied

  WINDS OF CHANGE

  A Hope Undaunted

  WINDS of CHANGE

  a Hope Undaunted

  A NOVEL

  JULIE LESSMAN

  © 2010 by Julie Lessman

  Published by Revell

  a division of Baker Publishing Group

  P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

  www.revellbooks.com

  E-book edition created 2010

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – for example, electronic, photocopy, recording – without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

  ISBN 978-1-4412-1310-5

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

  Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture used in this book, whether quoted or paraphrased by the characters, is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

  Scripture marked NIV is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  To my beautiful daughter Amy –

  not only the inspiration for Katie O’Connor, but

  God’s amazing response to my own “hope undaunted.”

  You were an answer to prayer then

  and you’re an answer to prayer now,

  and Dad and I love you to pieces!

  Each man will be

  like a shelter from the wind

  and a refuge from the storm,

  like streams of water in the desert

  and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

  Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,

  and the ears of those who hear will listen.

  Isaiah 32:2–3 NIV

  Contents

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  Acknowledgments

  1

  Boston, Massachusetts, May 1929

  Now this is how love should be – nice and neat. Katie O’Connor sucked the last of her Coca-Cola through a straw and studied her steady beau Jack Worthington with a secret smile. No, siree, no dime-novel notions of love for her. Love requires a focused plan, she thought to herself with certainty. Cool, calm, rational thinking, not a moment in time where one lovesick glance seals your fate. With a loud, hollow noise, she drained her soda and pushed the glass away, assessing Jack through approving eyes. Her lips slanted. Love at first sight, my foot.

  She noted the dimple that deepened on his chiseled face as he delivered a punch line with a boyish grin, and a satisfied smile tilted the corners of her mouth. Falling in love was for fools – blind fools, she reflected with all the mature assurance of her eighteen years. Let other girls “fall” in love with their eyes closed, but not her. No, she preferred to be in control and walk – not fall, thank you very much – into true love. And if she had her way – which she fully intended to have – it would be with a man who was everything on her carefully crafted list.

  Laughter disrupted her thoughts, and she found herself grinning along with the two couples sharing their booth as they roared at the finish of Jack’s joke. As usual, Jack’s buddies made a ruckus, whooping and pounding their fists on the table in glee, and Katie couldn’t help but sigh with contentment. Good sense of humor. She mentally checked a box on her list and quickly scanned Robinson’s Diner with its black-and-white-checked décor, grateful they had it to themselves at this late hour. Jack and his friends tended to get a bit rowdy, but they certainly knew how to have a good time. She settled back against the red-leather, high-backed booth and shot a glance at the marble counter where a lone soda jerk polished chrome mixers to a gleam.

  “For crying out loud, Katydid, you inhaled that soda! And I bet I’ll have to buy you another, won’t I? I’m not made of money, you know.” Jack draped a sturdy arm across her shoulder and pulled her close to his handsome face. The glimmer in his dark eyes matched that of his deep brown hair, stylishly slicked back with Brilliantine. “Or maybe I am,” he teased.

  Wealthy and attractive. Check, check. She drew in a deep breath and gave him a patient smile. “Nobody likes a braggart, Jack, but if you’re willing to put your money where your mouth is, I believe I’d like a hamburger. I’m starved.”

  “No, you can’t be!” Genevieve Townsend said with a moan. “How can you possibly be hungry? We just had dinner before the picture show.”

  Katie shrugged her shoulders. “That was over two hours ago, Gen.” She wrinkled her nose and teased with a ghost of a smile. “Besides, Valentino makes me hungry.”

  Jack leaned in to plant a kiss at the nape of her neck. “Mmm . . . not only for food, I hope.” His wayward tone set off another round of chortles from his friends.

  “Save it for the car, Worthington,” Warren Sheffield said with a smirk. “The woman’s hungry – feed her!”

  Katie swatted at Jack and broiled his friends with a mock glare. “I’ll take a hamburger and another Coke, please.” She glanced at the large Nehi clock on the wall and frowned – 9:40 p.m. “You better hurry, though – they close at ten.”

  Genevieve groaned. “It’s just not fair. How do you stay skinny as a rail?”

  “I’ll bet she starves herself at home and saves her appetite for Jack.” Lilly wriggled her pencil-thin brows.

  Katie smoothed a tapered hand down the straight lines of her blue, long-waisted dress and carefully crossed her legs, resting her palm on a powdered knee beneath her short hem. “I’ll have you know, Lilly Hansen, that I watch what I eat, just like you and Gen.”

  Genevieve’s round face wrinkled into a frown, forcing her cupid-bow lips to pucker into a pout. “Yeah, we watch what you eat too, and sheer logic says you shouldn’t fit in this booth.” Her sigh was heavy. “I’ll take what she’s having,” she announced in defeat.

  Jack chuckled and massaged Katie’s shoulder. “Hear that, doll? You’re a bad influence – both on Gen’s figure and my wallet. Anybody want anything? I’m buying.” His gaze flitted to the soda jerk bent over the chrome and leather stools with a rag in his hand. Jack put two fingers to his teeth and let loose with a deafening whistle. “Hey, kid, shake a leg – we have an order.”

  The “kid’s” body tightened as he rose to his full height, revealing both a broad, muscled back and the fact that he was anything but a kid. He turned in slow, deliberate motion, eyeing the clock before facing them dead-on. A nerve flickered in his angular jaw while his blue eyes glittered like sapphire. He forced a smile as tight as the short sleeves of his white button-down shirt – which, Katie hadn’t noticed before, strained with biceps as intimidating as the man’s penetrating gaze. “Sure thing, but we close in ten minutes. Sorry, sodas and ice cream only.” He strolled to their booth with a casual gait as steady and slow as the draw
l that coated his voice like hillbilly honey. “What’ll you have?”

  Katie felt the tension in Jack’s manner as he cradled an arm around her shoulders and lounged back against the booth, eyes locked on the soda jerk with deadly precision. “I know it’s late, but the lady here says she’s hungry. She wants a hamburger and another Coke.”

  The man’s blue eyes flicked to Katie and held, his cool smile braising her cheeks with a rare blush. He nodded a head of white-blond thatch toward a large sign over the jukebox. “I sure do apologize, miss, but as you can plainly see, we don’t serve entrees after nine.”

  Katie blinked. Excuse me? And the world would end if he cooked a hamburger after nine? Her stomach rumbled, and she straightened her shoulders with willful resolve. The thought of a thick, juicy hamburger taunted her – just like the annoyingly calm look on the soda jerk’s face. Tilting her chin in a coy manner, she gave him the shuttered smile that always worked wonders on Jack. For good measure, she propped her chin in her hand and resorted to a slow sweep of lashes. Her tone softened to a husky plea. “Aw, come on now, mister, you can make one teeny-tiny exception, can’t you? Just for me? We’ll make it worth your while, I promise.”

  His gaze shifted to the clock and back, and then he disarmed her with a smile that made her forget she was hungry for food. “I really wish I could, ma’am, but a rule is a rule. But if I say so myself, my true talent lies in making one of the best chocolate shakes in all of Boston.”

  She stared, open-mouthed, his polite refusal slacking her jaw. Despite the faint smile on his lips, his eyes seemed to pierce right through her. A second rush of heat invaded her cheeks. The nerve! A soda jerk and a mule! Katie’s eyes narrowed. If there was one thing on God’s green earth she despised more than not getting her own way, it was pushy, stubborn men who dictated what she could and could not do.

  Out of pure instinct and more than a bit of irritation, she jutted her chin in the air and matched his gaze with a searing one of her own. “Yes, well, it’s nice to know you have some talent, but no thank you. Not even if they’re the best on the Eastern seaboard. Let’s go, Jack.”

  Jack drew her close while his thumb glazed the side of her arm. “Come on, Katydid, settle down. I know you’re hungry, but this guy is obviously new and doesn’t realize who we are.” He cocked his head and flashed a patronizing smile. “We’re some of Mr. Robinson’s best customers, kid. So, tell me, what’s your name?”

  Drawing in a deep breath, the “kid” shifted his stance and exhaled. “The name is Luke.” He shot a glance at the clock, then looked back. His gaze softened. “Look, I’m sorry, I really am, but Pop Robinson sets the rules, not me. The grills take forever to cool down, so we do them at nine. Hate to tell ya this, but they’re already clean as a whistle and shut down for the night. Now, I have to be somewhere at ten-thirty, but if you give me your drink or ice cream orders, I’ll get them as fast as I can.”

  Katie started to rise, but Jack yanked her back down. “That would be great, Luke, just great. Bring six of your best chocolate shakes and six glasses of water, and we’ll be on our way.”

  “But I don’t want his stupid sha – ”

  “Hush, Katydid, I do, and if Luke here is nice enough to make them for us, everything is jake.” He smiled again, all the while fondling a golden tress of Katie’s smooth Dutch-Boy bob that curved against her jaw. “Besides, you need something in your stomach. I don’t want you cranky on the way home.” As if to underscore his romantic hopes, his hand absently caressed the long, pearl necklace that draped the front of her dress. His fingers lingered along her collarbone with a familiarity that deepened the already uncomfortable blush on her cheeks.

  “Sure thing,” Luke said, his eyes taking in the intimate gesture with cool disregard. His gaze met and held hers for several seconds, unnerving her with his apparent disapproval. He turned away.

  Her ire soared. “Extra whipped cream and sprinkles,” she said in a clipped tone.

  He turned and nodded, full lips pressed tight. “You bet.” He started toward the counter.

  “And don’t skimp on the cherries,” she called after him.

  He kept walking, but the stiff muscles cording his neck and back told her he’d more than heard. She forced a smile to deflect her embarrassment and took a deep breath. “Well, he’s a sunny individual, isn’t he? Night help must be hard to come by.”

  “At least he’s nice to look at,” Lilly said with a sigh.

  “He’s a two-bit soda jerk, Lil, with more attitude than brains.” Roger Hampton glanced at the soda counter with disdain. “We oughta complain to Robinson.”

  “Humph . . . he’s not that special,” Katie said. Her eyes narrowed while she watched him scoop ice cream into the mixer.

  “Come on, Katie, you’re just miffed because you didn’t get your hamburger. The man is a real sheik and you know it.” Gen shot a look of longing across the room, then gloated with a grin. “But it is nice to know all men don’t wrap around your finger as easily as Jack.”

  Jack honed in for a kiss. “Mmm . . . that’s not all I’d like to be wrapped around,” he said in a husky tone.

  Katie squirmed and pushed him away. “Behave, Jack, or I’ll make your life miserable.”

  He chuckled. “You already do, doll, but I love every minute.”

  Ignoring Jack’s comment, Katie observed the soda jerk laboring over six chocolate shakes and wrinkled her nose. “Get your specs out, Gen,” she said, her temper still inflamed, “he’s more of a hick than a sheik from where I’m sitting. I mean, who has hair that color anyway? Blond straw, almost bleached white. Old men and hicks, that’s who. And he doesn’t even have the good sense or style to comb it back with Brilliantine, for pity’s sake. I’ll bet under that shirt, he’s even got a farmer’s tan. Let’s face it – the man’s a hayseed.”

  Lilly and Gen sighed as they watched Luke work behind the counter. “I believe I’d like a glimpse of that farmer’s tan, wouldn’t you, Gen?” Lilly whispered with a giggle.

  The frown stayed on Katie’s face until the soda jerk finally returned, toting a tray of milkshakes. “Six Robinson’s specials.” He deposited tall, frosty glasses to each at the table, along with six glasses of water. He set Katie’s down last with a considerable thud. One maraschino from the mountain of cherries obscuring her milkshake rolled off, landing on the table with a plop. “Enjoy,” he said with a stiff smile. “And let me know if you need more. I wouldn’t want you to go hungry.”

  She swallowed hard, completely unsettled by his direct gaze. “I will. Thank you.” He laid the ticket in front of Jack, then returned to the back to finish cleaning up. She stared at her shake and sighed, her appetite suddenly gone flat. With another frown puckering her brow, she pretended to sip, all the while watching Farm Boy wipe down the counter out of the corner of her eye. Okay, all right – she’d give him “good-looking,” but she’d bet he was dumb as a post. Her eyes thinned as she took a token sip of her shake. And she would lay money on the table that good looks was the only box that character would fill on anyone’s checklist.

  Her mood darkened. He was probably just the type of man who was poison to women – strong, handsome, cocky . . . controlling. How many times had she seen it? A man like that, sweeping a woman off her feet only to pin her beneath his thumb for the rest of her life. Katie tore her gaze from the soda jerk to stare out the window, her jaw suddenly tight. A man like her father, whose iron rule dictated her every move.

  Katie blinked to dispel her sudden onslaught of guilt. Not that she didn’t love her father. No, Patrick O’Connor was the one man who Katie truly did respect and love, the one man whose approval she longed to win with every fiber of her being. A knot of hurt shifted in her throat. But it seemed her father’s approval was something she’d never been able to achieve, no matter how she’d excelled in school. Total submission seemed to be all Patrick O’Connor wanted and the one thing Katie couldn’t give, at least willingly. She sighed, his words haunting her as s
he stared out the window. “You’re a handful, Katie Rose, and God knows if I don’t keep you in line now, some poor man will shoot me later.”

  A handful. That’s all she had ever been while her older sisters had always been “his girls.” A distinction that had neatly separated her, not only from her father’s approval, but from sisters almost seven to fourteen years older than she, sisters she’d never related to. Women who had sought – and found – a relationship like her parents – deep, loving, passionate. And controlling. Resolve furrowed her brow. Well, she loved her family, she did, but she wanted more than blind submission to a man. She wanted a career and independence. A chance to pry the thumb of male dominance off the heads of a generation of women who were finally coming into their own. Women who had won the right to vote, to have a career and enjoy equal standing in a world where, up until now, they’d only been second-class citizens.

  “Hey, Katydid, wake up! You haven’t even touched your shake.”

  She jolted back. The others were staring and half done. She gave him a feeble smile. “Sorry, Jack. Guess I’m not as hungry as I thought.”

  “That bozo didn’t upset you, did he? Because if he did, I can tell Pop he needs new help.”

  “No, no, please. I’m fine, really.” She watched as Farm Boy disappeared into the kitchen and ignored the warm shiver that traveled her spine. “Just a little tired, I guess.”

  Jack shot a glance at the empty counter and grinned. “Well, we got something that just might wake you up, don’t we, boys?” He reached and tugged the menu card out of its glass holder on the wall and set it on top of his untouched glass of water, then gave her a wink. With a quick flick of his wrist, he reversed it on the table and slowly eased the card out from beneath the upside-down glass. The water sealed perfectly, a flood waiting to gush as soon as the “kid” picked it up.

  Lilly and Gen gasped in unison. “Wow, how did you do that?” Gen sputtered. “Ol’ Luke’ll be madder than a wet hen when he cleans this table.”