Quest for Love Read online

  Quest For Love

  Book Two

  The Sisters of Rosefield Series

  Emma Easter

  © 2019 Emma Easter

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. Copyright law.

  Table of Contents

  Thank You – Free Bonus

  The Sisters of Rosefield Series

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Also by Emma Easter

  About the Author

  Thank You – Free Bonus

  Thank you for picking up your copy of Quest For Love. I hope that you enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it!

  As a token of appreciation, I’d like to offer you a complimentary copy of the prequel to this book series. A Rosefield Christmas is an entertaining short story that tells of a memorable holiday when the sisters were much younger.

  You can get your free gift by going to EmmaEaster.com/free

  Thanks again, Emma

  The Sisters of Rosefield Series

  Book One: Love Is Enough

  Book Two: Quest For Love

  Book Three: Love Means Everything

  Book Four: Falling In Love

  Book Five: Love Will Prevail

  Book Six: Blessed With Love

  Dedication

  To my dear son, Jimmy

  Chapter One

  Audrey smiled sadly at Ken as they sat talking on her couch.

  He put a hand on her shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, baby. We might not be able to get married now, but the wait will only make it sweeter. You’ll see!”

  Audrey sighed and tried to cheer up. Without a doubt, Ken was as disappointed as she was about the fact that the wedding had to be postponed, but, unlike her, he wasn’t letting it get to him. As usual, he was optimistic. Unable to resist any longer, she pulled him close and kissed him passionately.

  When they finally came up for air, he gave her a crooked grin and said, “What was that for, Audrey? Do you want me to lose my head and decide to spend the night here?”

  She shook her head. “It’s exactly what we don’t want.” She gave him a rueful smile. “If we were already married, you wouldn’t have to return to your hotel room tonight.” She kissed him again; it was a slow, lingering kiss.

  He shook his head when they finally separated. “You are going to get me in trouble. This is really fun” -- he waved his hand between them -- “but you remember we decided to reduce the amount of time we spend kissing, especially when we are alone… just so we keep on the straight and narrow.”

  “Okay… okay!” She thinned her lips, got up from the couch and went to sit on the armchair across from him. She took a deep breath as she curled up on her seat.

  “Much better,” he said.

  She gazed wistfully at him. It took everything in her to stop herself from joining him on the couch again, just so she could cuddle up to him. These days, they were constantly facing a dilemma. Because of the wedding planning, they had to spend lots of time alone together, sometimes late into the night. And every time, they ended up snuggling and kissing. Before long, they almost always started to push the boundaries, until one of them broke it off before it was too late.

  She said to him, “If we can’t keep our hands off each other here, what will happen when we get to Madrid for our vacation and our guards are down?”

  He lifted a brow. “We would probably have to ask Bryan and Sienna, or Trisha, to be our chaperone. That’s the best thing we can do.”

  “Or we could just elope now,” she chuckled.

  “We could… but then your sisters wouldn’t be at the wedding.”

  She shrugged. “Well, Bryan and Sienna did it.” She sighed. “But I want my sisters at my wedding. And I also want my brother to be there.”

  He nodded and said, “Yes, and that’s why we can’t elope or get married right now. Plus,” he grinned at her, “we have so many guests because your guest list is getting out of hand.”

  She laughed at the teasing smile he gave her. “My guest list is half the size of yours, Ken, and you know it. I think you are inviting everyone in Miami.”

  “Because I want everyone to see me married to the love of my life.” He winked at her and patted the space beside him on the couch.

  She shook her head. “No… no… Ken. I am staying right here.”

  He huffed playfully. “Okay, then. Anyway, we need to set a date for the wedding.”

  “What about three months from now? I think that might be enough time to find Rafael. Also, Trisha would have given birth to her baby by then and we will be able to plan the kind of wedding we want . . .”

  She shrugged when he raised his brows at her. “Okay, the kind of wedding I want. But just like you said, I want it to be memorable… though, I would marry you tomorrow if it wasn’t for the fact that we need to find my brother now.” Audrey frowned as a thread of worry went through her. For a long moment, she hesitated to say what was on her mind, and then she spoke. “What… what if he’s… dead, Ken? I’ve been thinking about that for a while. Even though I didn’t know he existed until a few weeks ago, the thought still terrifies me.”

  Ken gave her a sympathetic smile and said, “I think he’s alive. And I think God wants us to find him. But you can’t worry about things you have no control over. Just trust that it will all work out for good in the end.”

  She tried to smile, but she couldn’t. “He could be in prison. All my life, I’ve been hauling others off to jail, but my own brother could be…”

  “Stop, Audrey! Stop worrying. We’ve hired the best investigator, after all. He’ll find Rafael in no time. You’ll see.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come over and give you a comforting hug?”

  She shook her head quickly. “You know where that hug might lead. We are trying to prevent that from happening. ‘Sides, weren’t you the one who told me to sit here?”

  He groaned. “That I did.”

  She got up. “I’m hungry. Let me go get dinner. We can continue to talk about the wedding while we eat.” He started to get up to follow her, but she shook her head and he sat back down.

  She hurriedly rustled up some spaghetti and meatballs and brought it to the dining table.

  They sat facing each other as they ate and talked about the wedding and their trip to Spain.

  “I booked rooms for all of us at the Citadel Hotel Madrid,” she told him excitedly. “I can’t wait for the trip. We’ll have such a great time.”

  An hour later, she drove him back to Hattie’s Bed & Breakfast.

  He kissed her before opening the car and getting out.

  She smiled as he stuck his head back in the window for another kiss. When he straightened, he tapped her nose and said, “See you tomorrow, sweetie.”

  She waved to him and watched him walk into the bed and breakfast. When he was out of sight, she exhaled and started the car. As she drove home, she prayed that the months before their wedding would fly by quickly, because it was getting harder and harder to wait.

  Her heart thudded as she prayed. Hopefully, they would make it to their wedding night with no
regrets.

  *****

  Faizan stood up after his morning prayers and turned to look at the men beside him. They’d all just finished their prayers as well—two dozen men side-by-side. They were all his men now. Since Mustafa had died a month before, he’d taken over as leader of their group, Al-Muharib. He was eager to prove himself a capable leader. He would carry out the final wishes of his mentor. All infidels would feel the wrath of God.

  He picked up his prayer mat from the hard, rocky ground, folded it, and said to the lean, muscular man next to him, “Are the men ready to leave Algeria for Spain as soon as possible?”

  Hassan, his second in command, answered, “Yes, and all the weapons are ready to be carried onto the plane.”

  “And are the men ready to give their lives for the cause if need be?”

  “They are.”

  Faizan smiled. “Good.” He waved over one of the men and handed him his prayer mat. Turning back to Hassan, he said, “Come and show me the weapons. We will carry them onto the private plane once it arrives from our sponsors . . .”

  “Who are these sponsors, Faizan?” Hassan interrupted. “I would like…”

  Faizan turned on him with a cold stare, and he immediately stopped speaking. “Don’t ever interrupt me when I am speaking! Is that understood?”

  “I’m sorry, Faizan. It will not happen again.”

  Faizan glared at him for a few seconds and then said, “It had better not. Now, show me the weapons.”

  Hassan led the way out of the massive cave that was the operation center of their group. The cave, located amidst cavernous mountain ranges and surrounded by the Arabian Desert, also served as a temporary residential space for members of the group.

  They passed some of the men guarding the vicinity, and Faizan made a mental note to place more guards around the area. They walked for a long time until they came to a spot where three trucks were parked. Hassan opened the trucks, and Faizan smiled. Their sponsors had come through, providing everything they would ever need for this mission in Madrid.

  He hefted one of the rifles and inspected it closely. Hassan lifted another.

  Two men approached them carrying a big box. They placed the box in the back of the truck and Faizan opened it. He nodded with satisfaction.

  The bombs. Good. This was what he’d been preparing for ever since his mentor, Mustafa, had told him about his plan for a huge attack, starting with Spain. Unfortunately, Mustafa had died prematurely, but Faizan had been glad to finally take his place. He’d gone on a few of the jihad missions, but they were small. This was big and might be his last. If it turned out they needed it to be a suicide mission, he was ready to give his life for the cause of the group— to make Allah’s name feared amongst the infidels.

  Hassan asked, “Have you finally decided on the specific targets?”

  Faizan nodded. “I have.” He started to make his way back to the cave, dust swirling around his feet, while Hassan followed from behind.

  Entering the cave, he led the way to a section where only leaders of Al-Muharib were allowed. He opened a small map and pointed at a spot which he had circled with a red pen. “This is the first train station where we are going to detonate a bomb,” he said. He pointed at another spot, also marked in red. “This is the second one. We are also going to position men in these two hotels,” he pointed at two spots on the map. “And we will be planting bombs in them. The Regal Hotel, here, and the Citadel Hotel Madrid, right here.”

  Hassan nodded. “So, the men taking out the trains will be giving their lives?”

  “Yes, the others will be waiting at strategic points close to the hotels. Anyone who survives the bomb blast will be shot by our men.” He looked at Hassan. “It goes without saying that none of the men can leave this place until we are ready to go on the mission. And none of the men can breathe a word of our plans to anybody outside this place. Anyone who does will be shot immediately. Is that understood?”

  Hassan nodded. “Definitely.”

  Faizan waved his hand dismissively, and once Hassan left, he went to the chamber that had been his private sanctuary since they’d moved there two years previously. Al-Muharib had been a part of a larger group, but Mustafa had chosen to leave because they were straying from the cause. He had followed Mustafa, of course, as he owed his mentor his life.

  He picked up a jug of water, poured it into a wash bowl, and washed his hands and face. He ran his fingers through his beard as he sat on a mat on the floor and thought about his life. Soon, he would start the true mission for which he had been born. He was thirty-four years old and it was about time. If he died while carrying it out, he would be a martyr and his death would be a worthy one.

  *****

  Trisha placed the dishes she’d just finished washing on the drying rack. She picked up a clean kitchen rag and began to wipe down the cabinets.

  Her cell phone began to ring, and she quickly dried her hands on her apron and picked it up from the kitchen island. When she saw it was her lawyer calling, she clicked the answer button.

  “Hello,” she said, her heart thudding. Hopefully, the woman was calling with good news.

  “Hello, Trisha,” her lawyer said chirpily. “I’ve got great news for you.”

  “Yes, I’m listening.” Trisha held her breath.

  “Stan has finally relented and agreed not to delay the process any longer. In a few days, you will be a single woman.”

  Trisha lifted her hands and gave a happy yelp. At last, the news she’d been waiting to hear for months now. This long drawn out divorce would finally end. She would be free from Stan.

  She exhaled. A small part of her was sad. She’d put so much into her marriage; plus, their unborn child would not be raised with both her parents present in the same home. She shrugged. There was nothing she could do about that now.

  “Trisha, are you still there?”

  “Yes. Thank you so much.” She breathed a deep sigh of relief. “I’ll finally be at peace. This divorce has taken so much of my strength and peace of mind.”

  She talked with her lawyer for another minute and then ended the call. She dialed Audrey’s number, her heart soaring with happiness, and waited as it rang.

  “Trish?” Audrey said as her voice came on the line.

  “Hey, Audrey! I have good news.”

  “What is it?”

  “I’ll share when I get to your house. When did Sienna say she was coming?”

  “Umm… she and Bryan said they would leave Green Valley at about three o’clock. That’s an hour from now. They should be here in two hours or so. Ken will also come about that time.”

  “Okay… I’ll be there in two hours. I’ll see you then.”

  The call ended, and she continued cleaning the kitchen. She smiled as she imagined being at Audrey’s with her sisters and their partners. Unfortunately, she would be the odd woman out, with no spouse of her own. However, that wasn’t terribly important right now. All she wanted was freedom and a new beginning.

  She finished with the kitchen, went to her room, and shed her clothes. Entering the bathroom, she went into the shower.

  For a long time, she stayed under the shower’s flow, reminiscing about her life with Stan. She felt as though the water pouring over her was washing her from within; washing away her past. For a long time after she’d found out about Stan’s adulterous relationships, she’d felt unclean. She had been sharing him with many other women. Now, she felt whole again. She smiled, took a deep breath, and exhaled.

  She stepped out of the bathroom about thirty minutes later, cradling her belly. At eight months pregnant, her belly was huge. She put on a pair of loose jeans and an old T-shirt and put her hair in a messy bun. She grinned as she looked at herself in the mirror. One of the perks of not living with Stan anymore was that she was free to let herself go… at least for a while. Stan had wanted her to look good at all times, and she had constantly made the effort to please him. But that had not kept him from bedding other wome
n.

  She sighed and went to the kitchen to make a dill pickle sandwich for herself. She carried the sandwich to the living room and ate while she read her new novel. Like her sisters and their significant others, she’d taken a long break from work. The money they had inherited from their late father afforded them the opportunity.

  None of their lives had really changed because of the money. They hadn’t splurged on anything except, of course, for the lavish vacation they were planning to take to Spain, which was also a search mission. She’d decided for now to stay in the home she had shared with Stan for over a decade. Audrey had decided to continue to keep their parents’ home as hers. When she and Ken got married, they would start to look for a bigger house, but for now, she was still living there.

  Bryan and Sienna still lived in their tiny new home in Green Valley. They planned to stay there until they both graduated from the Bible school and then they would move to a bigger house.

  Trisha gradually became absorbed with her novel. After some time, she glanced at the clock on the wall and her eyes widened in surprise. It was almost four o’clock. Time to go to Audrey’s. She slowly got up from the couch.

  She went into the bedroom, slipped on a pair of ballet flats, and picked up her purse. She grabbed her car keys from the bedside table and left the house.

  Bryan and Sienna’s blue Honda was parked in front of Audrey’s when she got there. She parked beside the car and exited hers. Ken was probably here, too. Their evening would most likely be spent talking about plans for their trip. But first, she would share her good news with all of them.

  She walked up the stairs and opened the front door. Just as she’d guessed, Ken had arrived. He was sitting beside Bryan, and both men were chatting about something. Sienna and Audrey had their heads together, laughing and whispering. They all looked up and smiled as she entered.

  “Hey, Trish!” Audrey and Sienna chorused.