Hope Springs
Acclaim for Kim Cash Tate
“Tate expertly crafts an intriguing narrative that explores unrequited love, true faith, and the complicated politics of change in the Christian church . . . [An] affecting tale about forgiveness and following God's call.”
â
Publishers Weekly
review of
Hope Springs
“Kim Cash Tate draws us into a world where the dreams, desires, missteps and matters of the heart we discover there mirror our own. She is a master at crafting characters who make you forget you're reading fiction. By the end of
Hope Springs
, you'll feel as if you're cheering on members of your extended family.”
âStacy Hawkins Adams, best-selling author of
Coming Home
and
The Someday List
“Tate's amazing ability to connect with the reader on both personal and spiritual levels elevates this novel far above the rest. Those looking for hope and encouragement will find it on the pages of this superb book.”
â
Romantic Times
TOP PICK for
Cherished
“As I read Kim's book
Cherished
the word that came back to me over and over again is grace. Kim has the gift of being able to tell a story so vividly that you forget that the characters she portrays are fictitious and you experience deep empathy for them. You will find yourself in this story. More than that you will discover for the first time or rediscover how deeply you are loved, valued and cherished by God.”
âSheila Walsh, author of
Sweet Sanctuary
“The author skillfully ties the concept of sexual purity, whether married or single, to the idea of faithfulness on a spiritual level . . . Tate avoids the unrealistic âhappily ever after' ending while still offering a message of faith, hope, and love. Readers will not be disappointed . . .”
â
Crosswalk.com
review of
Faithful
“Tate has an amazing ability to put difficult but realistic emotions on paper and show the reader the redeeming love of God in the process.”
â
Romantic Times
review of
Faithful
, 4½ stars
“Kim Cash Tate's enjoyable novel is true to both the realities of life and the hope found through faith in Jesus. Romance meets real life with a godly heart. Hooray!”
âStasi Eldredge, best-selling author of
Captivating
, regarding
Faithful
“Three friends. Two husbands. One Romeo. All are shaken to the core as author Kim Cash Tate peels away layers of lies and self-deception to reveal the rotten core of infidelity and its tragic consequences. But this novel is also about hope and healing as her well-drawn characters discover the freedom of being FAITHFUL.”
âNeta Jackson, author of the Yada Yada House of Hope novels, regarding
Faithful
“
Faithful
by Kim Cash Tate is not only beautifully written, it is a novel that changes you, that makes you question your heart and attitudes. I can't recommend it highly enough!”
âColleen Coble, best-selling author of
Lonestar Homecoming
“Good fiction has to grab me, knock me around, and make me care about what is happening to the characters. But great fiction inspires me. Kim Cash Tate accomplishes it all in
Faithful
.”
âMarilyn Meberg, Women of Faith speaker and author of
Tell Me Everything
Hope
Springs
Also by
KIM CASH TATE
Faithful
Cherished
Hope
Springs
KIM CASH TATE
Copyright © 2012 by Kimberly Cash Tate
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherâexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].
Author is represented by the literary agency of The B&B Media Group, Inc., 109 S. Main, Corsicana, Texas, 75110.
www.tbbmedia.com
.
Scripture quotations are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE
®
, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Publisher's Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Tate, Kimberly Cash.
 Hope Springs / Kimberly Cash Tate.
     p. cm.
 ISBN 978-1-59554-997-6 (trade paper)
 I. Title.
 PS3620.A885H67 2012
 813'.6--dc23
2012007533Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Printed in the United States of America
12 13 14 15 16 17 QG 6 5 4 3 2 1
For every soul that's learning to let go
Sanders Family Tree
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
Wednesday, December 23
S
tephanie Sanders London sulked with all the fervor she could muster as she and Lindell rode the escalator up to security in St. Louis's Lambert International Airport. She stared vaguely at the moving stairway, lips pursed, sighing displeasure with rhythmic regularity.
Lindell looked over at her. “Steph, I thought it was settled.” He had the nerve to look amused. “We said we were done talking about it.”
Her eyes floated to the rafters. “You didn't hear me say a word.”
“Oh, cool. Glad I was mistaken.”
“I'm just sayin', though, Lindell”âshe hit his shoulderâ“and stop laughing because I
wasn't
saying a word before but I am now.” She adjusted the purse on her shoulder. “I don't see why you're acting like we
have
to go. I'm the one who came up with the idea for this trip, so I should have the right to change myâ”
She paused just off the escalator, gaping at the security line that snaked up and down the cordoned rows, spilling into the general walkway, past the Starbucks, ending with an older woman who'd set her bag on the ground and folded her arms.
“That's it. It's a sign. I'm out.”
She turned on her heel toward the down escalator, and Lindell pulled her back.
“Where are you going?”
“H-o-m-e.”
Lindell looped his hand through her arm and walked her forward as he wheeled their luggage. “It's two days before Christmas,” he said. “We knew the lines would be long. That's why we left early.”
Stephanie trudged beside him, shaking her head. “What on earth possessed me to suggest traveling for Christmas?”
“To spend time with your family.”