RAINBOW’S END: FOUR-IN-ONE COLLECTION Read online

  INTRODUCTION

  Topaz Treasure by Valerie Comer

  Lyssa Quinn volunteers at the Rainbow’s End geocaching hunt hoping she can point folks to the true treasure found in Jesus. She’s not expecting her former prof to be there, too. Kirk Kennedy’s treasure hunt takes him down a path he hadn’t intended when he is captivated by Lyssa’s intriguing sparkle. Can he convince Lyssa that there is more than one kind of treasure? Can Lyssa remind him of the greatest prize of all?

  Beneath the Surface by Annalisa Daughety

  Madison Wallace isn’t the most outdoorsy girl in the world, so spending two months traipsing around the Ozarks isn’t her idea of fun. Especially when her sister backs out at the last minute. Grant Simmons loves the outdoors, but when his grandfather’s health takes a turn for the worse, Grant is without a partner. When these polar opposites find themselves teamed up, will they find common ground and a love worth treasuring?

  Love’s Prize by Cara C. Putman

  Reagan Graham has never been one to tempt fate. But after four years of making numbers match as an accountant, she’s ready for a break. Colton Ryan is spending the summer before law school trying to relax. His plan doesn’t include falling in love. But the more time he spends with Reagan, the more he can’t remember why. Will Reagan and Colton risk their safe plans and their hearts to take a chance on love?

  Welcome Home, Love by Nicole O’Dell

  After winning her lifelong battle to get fit, Hadley Parker signs up for the annual Rainbow’s End Treasure Hunt as a gift to herself. Once there, she begins to fall for the syrupy compliments of an ill-intentioned womanizer. Hunt director Noah Templeton tries to warn Hadley before things go too far. But will he manage to remind Hadley that the treasures she truly seeks are already within her … and right in front of her?

  Topaz Treasure © 2012 by Valerie Comer

  Beneath the Surface © 2012 by Annalisa Daughety

  Love’s Prize © 2012 by Cara C. Putman

  Welcome Home, Love © 2012 by Nicole O’Dell

  Print ISBN 978-1-61626-686-8

  eBook Editions:

  Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-60742-848-0

  Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-60742-849-7

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.

  Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.

  Cover and interior design: Kirk DouPonce, DogEared Design

  Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, OH 44683, www.barbourbooks.com

  Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.

  Printed in the United States of America

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Topaz Treasure

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  About the Author

  Beneath the Surface

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  About the Author

  Love’s Prize

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  About the Author

  Welcome Home, Love

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  About the Author

  TOPAZ

  TREASURE

  by Valerie Comer

  Dedication

  For my dad, Aaron Friesen, who was a bold yet tactful man of God. Thank you.

  For my husband, Jim, and our kids and grandkids. Thanks for believing in me. You are my anchor and my treasure.

  Many thanks to my coauthors, Nicole, Cara, and Annalisa. Working with you gals has been an awesome privilege. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

  Hats off to Margaret McGaffey Fisk, Maripat Sluyter, and Nicole O’Dell. Without you, I wouldn’t be here today. We all know it!

  Thank You, God, for loving me and nurturing this dream within me. You are my everything.

  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

  JOSHUA 1:9

  Chapter 1

  Lyssa Quinn clutched a bright-pink folder stuffed with advertising forms against her chest and squeezed her eyes shut. Please God. Help me be brave. She squared her shoulders and released each cramped finger individually. She could do this.

  Frigid air conditioning laced with the odor of new carpet blasted into the Missouri humidity as Lyssa shouldered open the glass door of Osage Beach’s newest shop. This looked like the kind of corporate sponsor the Rainbow’s End Treasure Hunt needed, with a name like Communication Location: Home of Gizmos, Gadgets, and More—gadgets that included cell phones and GPS handhelds, if the posters plastering the windows were to be believed. Along with a smaller sign that announced OPENING SOON. Well, she didn’t have time to wait, not if she was to have all the advertising and sponsorship in place before the middle of June. Only a month to go.

  At least the door was unlocked and the fluorescents blazed down. Stacks of cardboard boxes lined the aisles next to partially filled shelves. Somebody must be around. If she was lucky, somebody sympathetic.

  But what if they weren’t? Maybe she should come back another day. Or never. How had Noah talked her into this? She glanced at the folder in her hands, covered with decals from her third-grade class. Cute stickers with chalkboards and apples. #1 TEACHER. If she could face twenty-nine kids five days a week, surely she could face one manager.

  A guy in jeans strode out of the back room, his face and upper body obscured by the box in his arms. “Good morning, and welcome to Communication Location. How can I help you?”

  That voice. Lyssa froze. Even muffled by cardboard, it shot her straight back to her college days. But it couldn’t be. There was no reason her humanities professor would be here in Osage Beach, stocking shelves.

  He slid the box across the countertop and appeared from behind it. Dark curly hair and deep blue eyes, just like Lyssa remembered. A dimple appeared as he grinned.

  No way. Lyssa sucked in a ragged breath as she white-knuckled the folder. When her good friends, who just happened to be the youth pastor and her roommate, had bullied her into seeking patrons for the church o
utreach event, this scenario had not remotely elbowed its way into her nightmares. She pivoted and forced herself to take even steps toward the door. No bolting like a frightened deer.

  “Hey, I’m sorry. I was practicing my welcome line. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Scare her? Yep, shaking. Lyssa halted in her tracks. This was ridiculous. She was a grown woman of twenty-six, for heaven’s sake. And just the sight of one of her professors made her flee?

  But not just any college professor.

  Muffled footsteps approached on the carpet. “We’re not open for business yet, but I might be able to help you anyway. Is there anything in particular you’re looking for? If it isn’t unpacked yet, I should at least know when it’s coming.”

  Lyssa forced herself to face him. The temptation to ask for comparisons of various GPS units rolled over her. But no, she had a reason for being here, and that wasn’t it. She braced herself and looked up.

  His intense blue eyes crinkled around the edges as he smiled encouragingly. And waited.

  “My name is Lyssa Quinn, and I’m here on behalf of Osage Beach Community Church.” She paused for a split second, but his grin didn’t waver—to her shock—so she plunged on. “We’re hosting our first ever geocaching event this summer, and we’re looking for donations and corporate sponsors. Being as you sell global positioning systems and cell phones, both useful in geocaching, we thought you might be interested in sponsoring our event.”

  There. She’d gotten all the words out and publicly aligned herself with the church.

  He didn’t laugh, though his eyebrows angled down.

  Lyssa pulled a sheet of paper from the folder and shoved it at him with trembling fingers. “If you want any further information, please call the number listed.” She started to turn away. Why didn’t it have the church number on it instead of her cell?

  “Just a moment.”

  The floor gripped Lyssa’s sandals like Velcro.

  He glanced over the paper then met her gaze.

  She tried to wrench her eyes free but couldn’t. In humanities, four years ago, she’d found him mesmerizing. Even after he derided her roommate in front of the entire class.

  He held out his hand.

  Lyssa reached out and clutched it like a drowning woman, sweaty palm notwithstanding.

  “I’m Kirk Kennedy, just in town to help my brother get his new business off the ground. Your name is Lyssa?”

  She nodded and tugged her hand free. Also her gaze. The arrogant professor she’d once known didn’t seem the kind to help out a sibling. Had she judged him too hastily back then? Not likely.

  “Why don’t you come sit down and tell me more about this event? I could use a break. I’ll grab us each a cola, if you’d like.”

  Lyssa found her voice. “No, thanks. To the cola, I mean.”

  Kirk—no longer her professor—grinned and ushered her toward the door he’d come out of a few minutes before. “We’ve got ginger ale and root beer, too. Just name your addiction.”

  Her wooden legs propelled her to the back of the small shop. “I stay away from the stuff. I’ve seen kids in the classroom who drink soda for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, whose baby brothers and sisters get it in their bottles. So unhealthy, with all the sugar and chemicals.” To say nothing of making a teacher’s job more difficult.

  He chuckled behind her. “Well then. Water?”

  Lyssa hesitated. Probably all he had was bottled, and then she’d feel obligated to get into issues like plastic in landfills and how recycling didn’t work as well as everyone had been led to believe. “I’m good, thanks.”

  Kirk ushered her into a brightly lit room. “Have a seat.” He pulled a soda out of the bar fridge and saluted her with it. “I hope you don’t mind if I indulge.”

  Not like her opinion would matter, and why should it? In a few minutes he’d taunt her for being on church business and send her on her way. Might as well get it over with. She laid her papers on the table and perched on the edge of a padded red seat.

  He straddled the other chair and popped the tab on his can. His chin jerked toward her pocket folder. “So, what’s the purpose of this event?”

  Here it came. She believed in God just as much as she believed in healthy food and drink choices. Why was it so difficult speaking up about her faith? Mentioning that the hunt was a church function shouldn’t be a big deal. Dad would have managed to get in an entire sermon by now—not that she wanted to follow in his tracks. But polar opposite wasn’t healthy either. Noah and Jeannie figured working this event would be a good first step to coaxing Lyssa to bravery, but they hadn’t counted on Professor Kennedy.

  Neither had she. Lyssa breathed a quick prayer. “Um … our new youth pastor wants to do a big event to get more community interaction. He’s a fan of geocaching and thought it would be fun to do a summer-long treasure hunt.”

  Kirk took a big gulp from the can and swallowed. “Geocaching? I’m new to this business. It’s really more my brother’s thing.” He pointed at Lyssa’s folder. “Explain, please.”

  There he went, sounding like an authority again, just when she’d almost managed to regain confidence. “People hide small containers called caches, containing trinkets and a logbook, and then they load the GPS coordinates to the Internet.”

  “Lats and longs?”

  She nodded. “Then other people can search for the caches and sign in when they find them.”

  “So the prize will go to the person who finds the most the fastest?”

  “That’s part of it, but in order to make the event last two months instead of two weeks, we’ve added other ways for participants to gain points, such as discovering certain tokens and planting more caches. There will be riddles and puzzles that need to be solved. And”—Lyssa poked her toe at the metal table leg—“they’ll get additional points for coming to rallies at the church.”

  “I see.”

  Here’s where that once-familiar sneer would cross his face. She peeked up at him through her lashes, but instead he looked thoughtful. “So any gadget that operates on satellite locators works for geocaching?”

  No comment on the church affiliation? That was a shock, after all her recollections of sitting in his class. “Well, yes. There are dedicated satellites only for global positioning, just as there are dedicated GPS units to use them. But a lot of the newer cell phones have the capability as well.”

  Kirk tilted his head as he considered. “Would a 10-percent-off coupon for registered participants be helpful? Or are you looking for other kinds of sponsorship?”

  Lyssa jerked her head up and stared at him. He was actually volunteering? “Um … that would be cool, but to be listed in our brochure, we need donations of cash or prizes. The advertising price list is on that sheet.”

  He glugged the rest of his soda as he glanced over the page. “A coupon might help get some folks started that wouldn’t otherwise, and be great advertising for Communication Location at the same time. We’ll participate. How much for the premier spot, or is that already taken?”

  She struggled to her feet. “No, it’s still available.” Along with most of the other spaces, other than those church members had signed up for. “Th–thank you. Do you want the coupon to be valid on any units, or are there specific ones you’d prefer to include? Maybe something your supplier could discount?”

  “That’s a good idea. I’ll ask.” Kirk picked up the paper she’d handed him earlier. “Is your phone number on here? I’ll get back to you with the details in the next day or two.”

  “I’m only available evenings and Saturdays until the school year is over, though I’ll be in the church office late some afternoons.” Her face burned. Sounded like she was encouraging him to call for social reasons. Attractive as he was, that was not an option, though she was certainly curious what had caused the change in him. Nah, she was probably imagining it.

  He flashed her a grin. “Saturday, then? Count me in.”

  Kirk strode into
Osage Beach Community Church, shaking his head. Whoever would have thought he’d enter a place of worship when there wasn’t a wedding or a funeral? He didn’t really want to think about Dale’s wife’s death, but it was hard since Kirk was spending the summer with his brother. The store had diverted much of Kirk’s attention from deeper thoughts until Lyssa had walked in the door, but it wasn’t just her pretty face reeling him in. Debbie’s faith had been real. Was Lyssa’s?

  The woman at the church’s reception desk definitely wasn’t Lyssa. Maybe he’d arrived too late. Maybe she’d gotten tired of waiting for him and gone out to solicit another vendor for the inside flap of the brochure. Maybe …

  The middle-aged woman glanced up. “Hi, can I help you?”

  Kirk shifted from one foot to the other. “I’m looking for Lyssa Quinn. Is she in?”

  “Down the corridor, second doorway to the left.”

  He turned the direction she’d indicated, nearly tripping over a sandwich board with an arrow pointing out Rainbow’s End Treasure Hunt. Had the thing appeared out of thin air?

  He let out a whoosh of breath. Just dropping off the ad copy. That’s all. And maybe checking to see if Lyssa wore any rings. He didn’t remember any, but he’d had no clue at the time that he wouldn’t be able to get her out of his mind all week. Plenty of attractive girls crossed his path, both at the college and elsewhere. But her soft brown eyes struck a chord he hadn’t been able to shake.

  The second door on the left stood ajar.

  Kirk peered around then tapped on the open door. “Lyssa?”

  She jumped when she saw him, sweeping her shoulder-length brown hair away from her shoulder with one hand. Away from a shimmery top with short flouncy sleeves. Feminine. Pretty.

  Wow.

  “K–Kirk.”

  He stepped through the opening. “Is this a good time? I wanted to show you what I’ve been working on.”

  “Um, sure. Come on in. Have a seat.” She straightened a stack of papers. “Sorry for the decor. They just found a semi-vacant corner to stash me in.”