Beautiful in the Lord's Eyes Read online

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Other books by Susan Kohler

  Note to Readers

  Back cover

  Beautiful in the

  Lord’s Eyes

  Sometimes, Real Beauty Shines After A Tragedy

  Susan Kohler

  CCB Publishing

  British Columbia, Canada

  Beautiful in the Lord’s Eyes:

  Sometimes, Real Beauty Shines After A Tragedy

  Copyright ©2015 by Susan Kohler

  ISBN-13 978-1-77143-231-3

  First Edition

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Kohler, Susan, 1950-, author

  Beautiful in the lord’s eyes : sometimes, real beauty shines after a tragedy / by Susan Kohler. -- First edition.

  Issues in print and electronic formats.

  ISBN 978-1-77143-230-6 (pbk.).--ISBN 978-1-77143-231-3 (pdf)

  Additional cataloguing data available from Library and Archives Canada

  Original cover art design by Ginny Glass: www.wordsugardesigns.com

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Extreme care has been taken by the author to ensure that all information presented in this book is accurate and up to date at the time of publishing. Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Additionally, neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

  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 the express written permission of the publisher.

  Publisher:

  CCB Publishing

  British Columbia, Canada

  www.ccbpublishing.com

  Dedication

  To the Lord God who saved and inspired me.

  To my friends from Connection Pointe Church who accepted me as one of them.

  To Mike, Sable and Oreo who put up with me.

  And to Paul and Jack for their help and advice.

  Introduction

  I want to put in a word about some of the characters in this book. They come from books I have published as Contemporary Romances. Although one of the books, Dreaming of Tomorrow, is based on my faith, it was not written as a Christian book but as a romance novel. Since Nicole was a secondary character in one of these books, I’ve used some of the characters from these books in this work.

  All Bible verses are taken from the King James Version, Copyright 1987, which is in the Public Domain.

  Chapter One

  “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which ye have to all the saints.”

  (Colossians 1:3-4)

  Nicole swirled around in the designer dress she was wearing, her long, blonde hair flowing with the rest of her body as she turned. The silky dress was floor length and flowing in bright yellows and pale greens. It had a dangerously low neckline, and a slit up the side. Personally, Nicole thought, she wouldn’t be caught dead wearing it. Designed by a top fashion designer or not, this dress was ugly with a capital U. It seemed the designer was relying on showing skin instead of talent with an intended attempt to get a man’s attention. She made a mental note to tell her manager not to accept any more assignments from this designer. Being able to choose assignments was one of the benefits to being one of the country’s top models. She gave the photographer a posed, fierce smile, with the light catching her high cheekbones, her blue eyes gleaming.

  “Great!” the photographer said sharply. “Go change and make it quick.”

  Without a word, Nicole changed into the next dress, an ugly blue sheath. Before the afternoon was over, she went through three more dresses. As she posed, she was hiding the boredom she felt. All she could think was: Home, tomorrow, I’ll be home. Just one more runway show to go and she could hit the plane. She had her flight booked to leave a few hours after the show and arrive at home late the next day.

  Runway shows were hectic, fast and furious. She changed into outfit after outfit not caring who was there or who saw her, man or woman. She dressed, walked, and dressed again. There was no time for modesty, no time for a sip of water, and no time to breathe.

  She wanted to get out of the business, but kept that thought to herself remembering the old saying: be careful what you wish for.

  Following the show’s finale, she pulled on her usual jeans and white T-shirt. As things began to wind down and everyone made their plans for after the show she turned down offers from the other models and stylists crowded in the dressing area. The offers included drinks, parties, drugs, and even some offers just to go out for dinner.

  “You all know how much I want to get home,” she said, then laughed with her usual good nature. “So I’ll skip the parties and dinner. Of course, I’ll definitely skip the drinks and drugs. You know they’re against my beliefs.”

  By that point, some male admirers had come in with their own sets of offers. She turned these down as well. She liked most of the women she worked with. Most of them were decent, hard-working, and intelligent. Of course, there were also the ones who used drugs or alcohol, and the ones who either used men, or let men use them. These types of women were found in every business.

  Nicole tried not to judge these women, it was not her place. Instead, she would try to find ways to offer advice or the word of God when she could, but she had to be very careful. It would take just one time of pushing too hard or offering a wrong word to send them running away from God instead of towards Him. It was hard to be a devout Christian in her line of work, but that’s what she was determined to be. Although she was ready to get out of modeling, she also believed there was something remaining for her to do. She felt the time was coming, but it was not there yet.

  As she was gathering her things in a well-worn duffel bag, one of the younger models came over to her with tears in her eyes. The young girl was barely eighteen, exotic looking with golden skin and cat-like green eyes.

  “Nicole,” she asked quietly, “can I talk to you?”

  “Sure, Natalia. I can tell you’re upset. What’s the problem?” She took the girl’s arm and led her to an out of the way sofa.

  “I’m pregnant!” If there was such a thing as a whispered wail, this was it. “I’ll have to have an abortion, and I know you don’t believe in them, but what can I do?”

  “First, are you sure? Have you taken a test?” Nicole put her arms around the girl’s shoulder.

  “I’m sure!” She sobbed. “I took the test.”

  “And is the father willing to be involved? Will he stand by you?” She reached over and grabbed some tissues.

  “I don’t know if he will or not, but I don’t want to trap him.” Natalia’s sobs quieted without ceasing. “I have to abort it.” />
  “Natalia, how would you feel if you gave someone very important to you a gift, one designed especially for them, and they refused it?” Nicole rubbed Natalia’s shoulder.

  “I’d be hurt and angry.” Natalia managed to eke out an answer.

  “What if the gift you gave her was alive, a puppy or a kitten, and they didn’t just refuse it, they killed it right in front of you?” She kept rubbing, her voice low and non-judgmental.

  “I’d be devastated.” Natalia looked up.

  “That’s exactly what you want to do with a gift from God,” Nicole said quietly. “So why don’t we look at some other options. You said the baby’s father might be willing to help, so first, if I were you I’d find out what he’s willing to do. Marriage? Child support? Would he want to be a part of this child’s life? You need to talk to him, regardless of what he says.”

  Nicole rose and got some cold water for Natalia before continuing. “And your parents, would they help you?”

  “They’d be ashamed of me,” Natalia admitted.

  “But would they help you?” Nicole persisted.

  “Yes, I think they would.” Natalia gave a hint of a smile.

  “So step two is talking to your parents.” Nicole sat down again and stroked the young woman’s hair. “And the next thing is to find a way to earn a living for when you stop modeling. Do you have any skills or education?”

  “I have a few semesters of college,” Natalia said. “I was studying Medical Transcription. I even had good grades.”

  “Do you see all the options you have?” Nicole asked. “Now my next question, are you a Christian?”

  “Not really, I have been to church but I never joined.” Natalia looked at Nicole. “Does it really matter?”

  “More than anything, ever.” Nicole looked her in the eye and said, “If you’ve been attending church for any length of time you have heard how Jesus came to earth to save sinners, and that he died, was buried and rose again on the third day for us. He offers salvation as a free gift to those who will simply ask him for it. He paid for our sins if we accept him. Do you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?”

  “Well, yes,” Natalia murmured.

  “Will you come to church with me when you get back to Southern California?” Nicole smiled.

  “Yes.” Natalia’s face expressed a genuine smile.

  Nicole took the girl’s hand and said a short prayer for her.

  “Are you all right for now? I have to either catch my plane or change my reservation.” Nicole stood up. “Call me anytime, okay Sweetie? If you don’t get back home soon, find a pastor here and talk to him.” She hugged Natalia.

  Nicole walked out to the already waiting cab and headed for the airport. It was a quiet flight home. She arrived at her home in Orange County, California in the late afternoon. She sat down with her family, her growing family, and relaxed for a while. She talked and ate a bite with her older brother David and his wife Emily, who was still nursing their baby, Pete. They were soon joined by Mae, Emily’s mother, who suffered from senile dementia and her nurse, Julia, who got some iced tea for herself and Mae.

  “Sister,” Mae said to Nicole, her pale blue eyes filled with sympathy, “you gotta get out of this house once in a while. You can’t just sit around here all day long.”

  “Mae, I just got home. I was gone for two weeks.” Nicole smiled.

  Mae was good-natured, even if she lived in a different world. “That’s you young people, always flitting around.”

  Nicole shook her head with a small smile, sometimes you just couldn’t win with Mae.

  David had to go to work for a late meeting in his law office while Emily went upstairs for a short nap with Pete. Julia took Mae back upstairs, leaving Nicole alone in the gleaming kitchen, so she decided to go outside for a while. She ran upstairs to get her bathing suit and a towel, and exchanged her shoes for some riding boots.

  She walked down the hill to the small barn and greeted all three horses, then saddled Burgie, her bay gelding. She rode him into the arena, working the arena gate while mounted on Burgie’s back. She side-stepped him up to the gate, reached down to open it, and side-stepped him out again, then she rode through and side-stepped him over to close the gate.

  The arena was fairly large, making it big enough to set up any of the gymkhana events. David kept the ground well-groomed to ensure good footing. The arena fences were solid and freshly painted, and best of all, someone had left the barrels set up. She carefully warmed up Burgie before turning him to face the barrels from the end of the arena. She gave him a quick nudge in his side, made a click of her tongue, and they set off. Burgie knew barrels really well, and enjoyed his run. He was fast, and had terrific turns around the cloverleaf pattern. As they finished the ride, Burgie slid to a stop at the arena fence, tossed his head and pranced.

  Nicole knew he wanted to run again but she was tired from her trip, so she took Burgie over and unsaddled him. She hosed him off and snapped his halter to the hot walker.

  She cleaned the stalls, put up her tack and straightened up the tack room, using it to change into her bathing suit. It was weird to be wearing a bathing suit with her boots, but she did. She went out wearing the suit and turned off the hot walker. After unsnapping Burgie’s halter from the machine she pulled his halter off and let him find his own way into his stall. She closed his stall door, gathered her jeans and T-shirt, and headed across the lawn for the pool.

  The pool was longer and thinner than most. It was designed more for laps than recreation. There was a fence around the pool, tall and sturdy enough to keep kids and Mae out. There were hedges outside the fence, and a few taller trees spaced here and there. Nicole put her clothes on a lounge chair, pulled off her boots, and jumped in.

  She swam laps for about half an hour, then got out and soaked in the hot tub for a few minutes. Finally she stretched out on a lounge chair and took a nap. She woke up soon and realized she’d better get back inside. She sighed, a model could not afford a tan or tan lines. She watched TV for a while, and then went up to bed around 9 PM.

  Nicole woke up early and just laid there for a moment, feeling lazy and reflecting on her life. She knew she had it remarkably easy. Her career as one of the world’s top models was at its peak, and she already had plans in place for a new career that was based on more than her looks. She planned to open a gym for women who were what the rest of the world called imperfect.

  Most of the women she wanted to help were overweight by today’s standards. They were women who felt insecure or lacked self-confidence. She had a requirement for women who wanted to join her gym because of their weight: they had to be at least 50 pounds overweight. Her goal was to help them become healthy and gain confidence, not to lose weight. She felt so strongly about this because she had a friend who had died from an eating disorder while trying to be what the world called perfect.

  Nicole had covered all the bases. She had a crew of make-up people and hairdressers on hand to give them makeovers. Dietitians and doctors were also on call to make sure the women were healthy. She planned to give them monthly photo sessions in order to show any improvement and to help them see the genuine beauty they had inside, the way she saw them. Her favorite photographer, Hans, would shoot the pictures. He had shot the world’s top models, and knew how to bring out the best in a subject. She had counselors who would meet with anyone who wanted to build their self-esteem. She also had two pastors available for those who needed or desired spiritual counseling.

  Nicole knew she was blessed, but she also knew she was more than a pretty face and wanted to help women learn how to get the most out of their lives.

  Her world was not perfect, however. She thought of her brother David who had gotten married just over a year ago. Nicole loved her new sister-in-law, Emily, and her brand new nephew, Pete. She was envious of them and their love and joy in each other, and the baby. Their happiness brought one thing home to her, she was tired of her single state, and she hated being j
udged and pursued by men who only saw her face, her body, or her bank account, sometimes all three. She wanted to find someone who loved her for herself and marry him. Still, she couldn’t think of a real problem in her life. She put everything in the hands of God. She smiled to herself and said a prayer of thanks before getting out of bed.

  Since it was her turn to care for the horses, she pulled on her sweats, and wandered out to the barn to feed the horses and clean the stalls. She walked over to her horse, Burgie, a half-quarter horse half-Arab gelding and gave him a good morning rub, stroking his velvet nose, before turning him out into the arena. She moved on to her brother’s horse, Target, a heavily muscled black quarter horse, giving him the same greeting before turning him out. Finally, she gave the same treatment to Emily’s sorrel quarter horse gelding, Raider. She gave each horse a few bites of a carrot before letting them run. She went from stall to stall, putting their hay in the feeders, and adding their portions of grain and vitamins. She checked the automatic waterers in each stall and then when all of this was done she got a wheelbarrow and pitchfork and mucked each stall, laughing to herself as she thought of how her fans probably envied her glamorous life. Well, they did have the horses, she mused. That was glamour and luxury to most people, even with shoveling the manure.

  She caught all three horses easily by just opening their stall doors and letting them walk in. They were hungry for their hay.

  She scraped her boots off before she walked back up the hill to the house. She changed her boots for sneakers and made her way downstairs to the gym for a workout. She grunted her way through her daily routine, which included free weights and aerobics. Sometimes she would put in a workout video and do that routine. Today, she skipped that and just took a quick swim. She went back upstairs to her room, laying out her clothes for the day before taking her shower and washing her hair. She pulled on her customary jeans and a soft blue T-shirt. Finally she was ready to face her day. She grabbed her keys and headed downstairs.