Free A Christmas Bride in Pinecraft by Shelley Shepard Gray

I was talking to the Lord, too.”
    Ginny looked embarrassed. “Oh, I’m sorry. Here you were, praying, and I barged in.” Looking like she was ready to turn around, she asked, “Would you like me to leave you in peace?”
    â€œNot at all. I’ve been meaning to thank you again for your hospitality the other night. I truly appreciate you all having me over.”
    Ginny smiled. “It was our pleasure. I was happy to help you. And I still am. Please let me know if I can do anything at all.”
    Beverly was thankful to have a friend like her. And because she knew Ginny was being sincere, she said, “Actually, I was just puzzling over something. If you have time to listen, I could use your ear.”
    â€œOf course I have time for you. There’s a teacher meeting or something this morning, so school doesn’t even start until lunchtime.”
    â€œLucky you,” Beverly teased. She remembered that Ginny worked part-time as a teachers’ assistant and classroom aide at the public elementary school.
    Ginny beamed. “I thought so. I decided to use the extra time to get a little exercise. Effie will be sleeping as long as she can, no doubt. What’s going on?”
    â€œEverything,” Beverly blurted as they turned right.
    â€œWhoa! That’s a lot. Are you upset about the break-in?”
    â€œI am, but that’s not what kept me up last night. See, I learned something upsetting about Eric and I don’t know what to think about it.”
    â€œThat sounds intriguing. Is it about him and his girlfriend?”
    Beverly shook her head. “ Nee . He broke up with Amy months ago. What I keep thinking about has to do with his past.”
    â€œHow far in the past?”
    â€œYears.” Doing some quick mental calculating, she said, “Probably fifteen years or so.”
    Ginny slowed. “So it happened long before you knew each other.”
    â€œIt did.” After a pause, Beverly added, “I don’t want to betray Eric’s confidence, but I feel like I need to talk about what he told me.”
    â€œIf you’d care to share it, I promise I will keep it to myself.”
    Beverly had a feeling that the Lord had brought Ginny Kaufmann to her side on purpose. She could either trust Ginny enough to help her get through her worries or continue to fret on her own. Put that way, there seemed to be no other choice.
    â€œBasically, Eric told me that he got into some trouble when he was young. He, um, actually robbed houses.”
    Ginny stopped and stared. “Goodness!”
    Ginny’s exclamation was so similar to how she’d been feeling, Beverly almost smiled. “I know! I’ve been trying to pray my way through my feelings, but I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t come to terms with it yet.”
    â€œWhat are you hoping to come to terms with? Do you want to accept his past or reject it?”
    â€œIt’s not quite that easy, Ginny.”
    â€œI kind of think it is,” she countered as they started walking again. “After all, this happened years ago. Long before he knew you or the inn or anything.”
    â€œThat is true.” Then, because she didn’t want Ginny seeingEric in a poor light, she added, “He said he had a difficult home life. One that forced him to make some bad choices.”
    â€œThat’s probably true, don’t you think?”
    â€œJah.”
    â€œSo, what did he do?” Ginny asked. “Did he rob lots of people? Did he get caught?” Her blue eyes widened. “Did he get hurt or hurt someone else?”
    â€œWell, he got sent to jail.”
    Ginny’s eyebrows rose. “He went to prison?”
    â€œNot exactly. I mean, he went to a prison for children.” Remembering the exact phrase, she said, “It was a juvenile detention center.”
    â€œAh.”
    â€œHe said when he got out of that place, he made the choice to do things