Spring Rain
Authors: Gayle Roper
Spring Rain
C
HRISTY
A
WARD
F
INALIST
—
which celebrates the best in Christian fiction
“Spring Rain
weaves powerful lessons on contemporary moral issues into a wonderful story—a very powerful combination!”
B
OB
D
AVIES
, North American Director, Exodus International
“Gayle Roper’s novel
Spring Rain
contains all the mystery, suspense, and romance a reader could want.”
A
NGELA
E
LWELL
H
UNT
, coauthor of
Then Comes Marriage
“Gayle Roper is in top form with
Spring Rain.
Her storytelling skills make this one a page-turning experience readers will love.”
J
AMES
S
COTT
B
ELL
, author of
Blind Justice
and
Final Witness
“Spring Rain
is a heartwarming love story that doesn’t shy away from tackling tough subjects like homosexuality and promiscuity. Ms. Roper handles them with grace and compassion, never compromising the hope-filled truth of God’s Word while giving us a bang-up tale of romantic suspense!”
L
IZ
C
URTIS
H
IGGS
, author of
Bad Girls of the Bible
“This is a realistically portrayed story of love and forgiveness, filled with emotion and grace.… A compelling read.”
R
OMANTIC
T
IMES
M
AGAZINE
“Thank you so much for writing such a warm, lovely novel. The characters are so multidimensional and human! I was sorry to see it end and will be buying the next one shortly.”
M
ELANIE
R
IGNEY
, Editor,
Writer’s Digest
Magazine
“Spring Rain
is a gripping story from beginning to end. The characters are endearing yet very real and down to earth. With great finesse, Ms. Roper handles the delicate issue of AIDS and what our Christian attitude should be toward the disease and its victims. This romance will soften the hardest of hearts and keep you smiling throughout the summer days.”
AOL R
OMANCE
O
NLINE
“This is a moving novel that gives you much to ponder. It will make you want to hug those you love and value them all the more.”
ROMANCEATITSBEST.COM
Summer Shadows
C
HRISTY
A
WARD
& R
ITA
A
WARD
F
INALIST—
which honors the best in romantic fiction
“A fantastic book. I had to force myself to put it down. Definitely give
Summer Shadows
and Gayle Roper a look.”
S
CRIBES
W
ORLD
R
EVIEWS
“Summer Shadows
is funny, suspenseful, and romantic. With its intriguing characters and page-turning story line, it casts light on real issues without providing unrealistic solutions.”
T
HE
W
ORD ON
R
OMANCE
Autumn Dreams
R
OMANCE
W
RITER’S OF
A
MERICA’S
R
ITA
A
WARD
W
INNER
F
OR
B
EST
I
NSPIRATIONAL
R
OMANCE
“Gayle Roper has written another wonderfully entertaining book with characters that endeared themselves to me in the first few pages.
Autumn Dreams
was my third ‘season’ in Seaside, and I can’t wait to return for the winter.”
D
EBORAH
R
ANEY
, award-winning author of
After the Rains
and
A Scarlet Cord
“Gayle Roper’s done it again—wielding her powerful pen, creating captivating and compelling characters, a page-turning plot, and stirring action that inspires me to say, ‘More! More!’ I’m so glad this isn’t the end.”
K
ATHY
C
OLLARD
M
ILLER
, speaker and author of
Princess to Princess
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
SPRING RAIN
published by Multnomah Books
© 2001 by Gayle G. Roper
Scripture quotations are from:
The Holy Bible
, New International Version © 1973, 1984 by International Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House
Also quoted:
The Holy Bible
, New King James Version
(NKJV)
© 1984 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Holy Bible
, New Living Translation
(NLT)
© 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.
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—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission.
For information:
MULTNOMAH BOOKS
12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200
Colorado Springs, CO 80923
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Roper, Gayle G.
Spring rain / Gayle G. Roper.
p. cm. -- (Seaside seasons; bk. 1)
eISBN: 978-0-307-78167-3
1. Single mothers—Fiction. 2. Mothers and sons--Fiction. 3 Ex-prisoners--Fiction. I. Title.
PS3568.068 S6 2001
813’.54--dc21
2001000992
v3.1
For Lynn and Ken Roussey,
my sister-in-law and brother-in-law
with love and affection.
Who knew, Ken, when you were our best man,
that one day you’d marry Lynn
who was thirteen at the time of our wedding.
Did you rob the cradle or
did she marry a “mature” man?
Novels by Gayle Roper
S
EASIDE
S
EASONS:
Spring Rain
Summer Shadows
Autumn Dreams
Winter Winds
T
HE
A
MHEARST
M
YSTERIES:
Caught in the Middle
Caught in the Act
Caught in a Bind
Acknowledgments
Well, Chuck, we did it again. We survived the birth of another book, and I love you as deeply as ever. I greatly appreciate your prayers and all those dinners out.
Chip, my-son-the-pastor, your orthodox yet empathetic sermon addressing the issues in this book was exactly what I needed.
Lisa Herion, I thank you for taking the risk of sharing God’s keeping you safe as a child in abnormal circumstances.
Bob Davies, North American Director, Exodus, Int’l, Mr. Lightning Rod, your encouragement and suggestions have been wonderful. Thank you for taking the time.
Randy King, thanks for taking the time to share your concerns and comments making
Spring Rain
stronger.
James Ley, M.D., infectious disease specialist, you not only gave me your expertise, but you read the manuscript for medical accuracy. Be assured that any errors are mine alone.
Angela Elwell Hunt, you faxed me fifteen pages of information that contained exactly what I needed! Sometimes being over-organized is a wonderful thing.
Tracie Peterson and Athol Dickson, wonderful writers with tender hearts, you shared your friends and family and your keen insights and observations. I’m so grateful.
Lisa Laube, reader extraordinaire, you gave me great advice. Hang out your shingle, girl!
Julee Schwarzburg, my delightful editor, you and all the folks at Multnomah have been wonderful in your interest and support.
Evening Writers Arena, my critique group, wonderful women all, you listened to the book as it grew and gave me your love and suggestions. I wouldn’t miss our monthly gatherings for anything. Thanks especially to Bonnie who has cared and paid the price.
And last, my Prayer Board, you prayed for this project from its inception. You will never know how much your support and encouragement meant to me.
P
UBLISHER’S
N
OTE
Few topics today are as unsettling and controversial as the issues surrounding the AIDS crisis. Debates rage over what is and isn’t sin, what God has or hasn’t created, and whether or not AIDS is a form of divine retribution.
There is no denying that AIDS is a frightening condition—it is contagious and deadly. As believers, however, we have a higher calling than avoiding illness and those with the potential to infect us. We are called to
love.
The broken, the penitent, and the lost need our care and compassion. We must purpose to follow the Great Physician, to offer hands of healing and hope—physical and spiritual—to those who are seeking.
In the pages that follow, Gayle Roper handles some very difficult issues with truth, grace, and love. She helps us see behind the masks that so many wear, even within the church. Read this book with a heart ready to be convicted. Read it with a spirit ready to be taught and uplifted. And when you come to Gayle’s note at the end, be ready to be moved. Above all, remember: “Now abide faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love.”
Keep your Kleenex near and be prepared to be challenged in your own relationships because ultimately this is a book about reconciliation.
Enjoy! May God lead us all into His paths of righteousness.
For the Kingdom,
Donald C. Jacobson
President & Publisher
L
EIGH SPENSER LOOKED
at the FedEx package waiting on the doorstep of her apartment over the garage and made no move to pick it up. She felt the familiar cramp in her midsection. Johnny again. She closed her eyes and put her hand on her stomach. It was amazing how many times being his daughter felt like a bad case of the flu.