Hidden in a Whisper by Tracie Peterson

he had no desire to force her to remain, only to have an argument. Instead, he returned to his office and buried himself in paper work. He felt more frustration now than in the six years since they’d separated. He tried to pray, but in truth his frustration extended to God. Why would God bring them back together if humiliation and anguish were to be Braeden’s only reward?
    Finding no consolation in thought, prayer, or duty, Braeden finally gave up on his work. Glancing at his watch, he saw that two hours had passed since he’d encountered Rachel. Was time to be forever gauged by his last moment with her?
    Slamming his ledger closed, Braeden realized he could just as easily mope over lunch. Hotel staff were allowed to take part in the Harvey dining room and were, in fact, an intricate part of the preparations. All of the girls had received their month-long training in Topeka, and most of the girls had worked for months elsewhere on the line, but Casa Grande was a new layout for everyone, and it was imperative that the operation run smoothly. Especially once they were dealing with hundreds of guests.
    Grabbing his suit coat of worsted navy blue, Braeden made his way to the dining room. He had a chance of seeing Rachel here, but it was a slim one. She often saw him coming and would quickly exit to busy herself elsewhere. But sometimes he managed to catch her in the act of instructing one or more of the girls, and even watching her from afar made his meal more enjoyable.
    Braeden slipped into the coat, hating the added burden as the day warmed considerably. Fred Harvey kept a hard, fast rule that all men dining in his restaurants would wear suit coats, and staff members for the resort were no different. Stopping at the door, Braeden could see that the black-and-white-clad girls were already bustling around the room, and in the corner Rachel spoke intently with two of the waitresses. Smiling to himself, Braeden took a seat at one of the empty tables and watched as Rachel continued her instruction. She intrigued him as she always had—partly because she didn’t see herself as pretty and therefore it only seemed to add to her beauty, and partly because she was an extremely intelligent yet tenderhearted woman. She had a way about her that bespoke of her confidence, but in managing this group of girls, he saw an almost motherly side to her.
    He could see, however, that this moment appeared to present a confrontation of wills. The petite blonde on her left appeared anything but gracious in receiving direction. He could tell by the stance she took and the tilt of her chin that she was in complete disagreement with Rachel. The girl on Rachel’s right seemed far more interested in what the blonde had to say, and Braeden instantly felt sorry for Rachel.
    As if she could feel his gaze upon her, Rachel glanced up. She stiffened notably and squared her shoulders as if preparing herself to do battle. She refocused her attention on the job at hand, but it wasn’t another minute before the blonde was pointing out that Braeden was going unserved.
    Rachel nodded and instructed both girls to follow her to the table. Fixing her gaze somewhere above Braeden’s head, she said, “Welcome to the Harvey House.”
    â€œThank you,” Braeden replied, trying hard to keep a straight face. “I see today I will have three lovely ladies to wait upon me.”
    â€œWe’re in training,” the blonde replied with a flirtatious smile. “Miss Taylor says I need to improve my serving skills in order to better please everyone.”
    â€œHmm, that is a lofty task,” Braeden said, lifting his gaze to Rachel.
    â€œThe degree of difficulty depends on the customer,” Rachel replied curtly.
    â€œBut we have only the nicest customers,” the blonde interjected.
    â€œThere will be times, however,” Rachel said, turning her full attention on the young women, “when the customers will not