Marrying Kate Read Free Page B

getting himself a hot breakfast of bacon and eggs, Jared noticed that all sign of the pancakes had vanished. He had to give her credit for trying. It wasn’t her fault she hadn’t gotten the domestic gene like her sister.
    "Do you want some?" Jared offered since he hadn’t seen her eat anything.
    Kate shook her head as she shoveled another spoonful of baby food into Dani’s mouth. "Thanks, but I already ate."
    Jared watched as she expertly caught the food as it slid out again and quick as a wink slipped it back into Dani’s mouth. She’d obviously learned the art of feeding a baby. Practice, he supposed.
    Once his food was made, h e sat down at the table with his plate and after bowing his head to say grace, he dug in. He had only taken a couple of bites when he noticed Kate staring at him, a peculiar expression on her face.
    "What’s wrong? Never seen a man eat breakfast before?" Jared asked with a lift of an eyebrow. The eyebrow rose a little higher when he saw a flush of pink sweep up her cheeks. A blush. He hadn’t seen one of those in a while.
    "I was, uh, just noticing that you pray before you eat."
    "Oh yeah. I suppose I wasn’t doing that the last time we saw each other." After taking another bite, Jared settled back in his chair. "Actually, it’s a bit of a story. The strange thing is, I was in an accident in mid-January, just after I made contact."
    Kate gasped. "You were? But why did they think you were dead? Didn’t they look for survivors?"
    Jared shrugged. "I’m going to have to try and find some answers about that in the next few days. Anyway, it was a helicopter crash, not a car accident, and I was found by some natives. They took me back to their village where there was a missionary family—one of very few left in that area. They nursed me back to health and at the same time they shared about Jesus with me. I became a Christian about a month after I’d been there."
    "That’s wonderful!" Kate exclaimed. "I became a Christian many years ago but haven’t been very active in my Christian walk. It’s just been th e past year that I’ve really grown spiritually."
    "I had heard lots about it actually. Jen and Steve had started to attend church and when I was home last they shared to me about it. I wasn’t ready then , I guess, but they had planted the seed. Staring death in the eye has a way of changing one’s outlook on life. I guess that’s why I was more ready when Alex—the missionary—shared with me."
    "Jen and Steve were Christians?" Kate asked, her voice hushed.
    Jared nodded. "When I was here in late July last year they were just bubbling over with it."
    "Oh, I’m so glad!" Kate set the empty baby food jar back on the table. "I’ve been so upset thinking that they died without knowing Christ. What a relief!"
    Jared agreed. It did give him peace to know that his brother and sister-in-law were in heaven and that one day he’d see them again.
    "Jared, to change the subject ever so slightly, there are a couple of things we need to talk about."
    Jared finished off the last of his bacon. "Anything in particular?"
    "Your parents," Kate stated grimly.
    "My parents? What about them?"
    "When I heard you were dead, I started proceedings to get permanent guardianship of the children, but then your parents filed for custody. The first hearing will be next Monday."
    Jared took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm the anger pounding through him. "They will never get their hands on Steve’s kids. I’ll do whatever I have to , but they must never get custody."
 

Chapter Two
     
    Kate’s eyes widened at Jared’s response. She had been vaguely aware of Steve and Jared’s estrangement from their parents , but she hadn’t anticipated such a strong reaction.
    Jared’s hands gripped the edge of the counter, his blue eyes stormy. "No child on earth should ever have to live in a house with those two people."
    "I’m sorry...I didn’t realize..." Kate stumbled, not sure what to say.
    "It’s