Changing Her Heart

Changing Her Heart
Gail Sattler

When lovely Lacey Dachin signed on at the clothing shop next door, it looked as if fun-loving Randy Reynolds had found a potential lunch partner.Meals could be lonely for a single guy, particularly one whose friends were getting hitched right and left! But could the past truly be behind him? He knew Lacey feared the worst. Yet with his life in stand-up shape, the only thing that needed changing now was Lacey's mind.

“I didn’t want to say this before, but when you were gone, I was worried about you.”

Randy’s movements froze at Lacey’s comment, and he turned his head to face her. She expected an impish grin and a joke that would lighten the moment, but his expression was the most serious she’d ever seen.

“I don’t know whether that’s good or bad.”

“I don’t know, either. I’m so confused. And so scared.”

Before she realized what he was doing, Randy tipped his head slightly, leaned forward and brushed a slow, gentle kiss to her lips.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning. We’ve got some sidewalks to sell.”

In the split second it took her to catch his quip about the upcoming sidewalk sale, he’d closed the car door behind him and was gone.

Lacey would indeed see him tomorrow. And every day thereafter.

She pressed her fingers to her lips and prayed she was doing the right thing.

GAIL SATTLER

lives in Vancouver, British Columbia (where you don’t have to shovel rain), with her husband of twenty-six years, three sons, two dogs, five lizards, one toad and a degu named Bess. Gail loves to read stories with a happy ending, which is why she writes them. Visit Gail’s Web site at www.gailsattler.com.

Changing Her Heart

Gail Sattler

Turn from evil and do good;

then you will dwell in the land forever.

—Psalms 37:27

Dedicated to my husband, Tim, and my kids Justin,

Chris and Tyrone, who take care of stuff so

I can write, no matter how long it takes

or how crazy things get.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Letter to Reader

Chapter One

“There’s something you don’t see very often.”

Lacey Dachin’s mouth dropped open. All the pins she’d had pressed between her lips fell to the floor.

A man was standing at the panty hose rack, holding two types of panty hose, one package in each hand, quite obviously comparison shopping.

Lacey got to her feet, knowing she would never get her customer’s hem straight now.

She kept her voice down to a whisper. “You know, Vivian, I’ve seen him before, but I can’t remember where.”

Lacey and Vivian stared as the man looked back and forth between the two packages, and then appeared to study one of them more closely.

“The one he’s so interested in is the most expensive we have,” Lacey muttered.

He tucked the less-expensive package back into the rack, and continued reading.

Vivian’s gaze dropped to the man’s pants. “I hope he’s not buying them for himself.”

Lacey stiffened. As creepy as it was, she couldn’t stand in judgment. “Who he’s buying them for is not my concern. It is only my concern that he needs help.”

“Then…then I think I should be going,” Vivian stammered. “I’ll leave the dress in the changing room, and I’ll be back on Friday.”

“Thanks. That gives me plenty of time. I’ll see you then.”

Once Vivian disappeared back into the changing room, Lacey gathered her courage and swallowed hard. She’d seen many odd things over the years when she worked at the La Boutique downtown branch, but this was not something she expected to deal with at the suburban outlet. “Can I help you?” she asked as she approached him.