“Too bad you can’t be around all the time,”

Summer told David.

“Under the circumstances, I can’t stay here at night, but there is one solution. You and I could get married and all be one happy family.”

Summer’s heartbeat sped up at the suggestion, which surprised her, but she knew David was joking as he often did.

“I think we can manage better than that….”

She stood up, and in the darkness she didn’t see the stupefied look on David’s face. He was surprised at himself. What would he have done if she’d taken him up on his offer?

IRENE BRAND

Writing has been a lifelong interest of this author, who says that she started her first novel when she was eleven years old and hasn’t finished it yet. However, since 1984, she’s published twenty-four contemporary and historical novels and three nonfiction titles with publishers such as Zondervan, Thomas Nelson, Barbour and Kregel. She started writing professionally in 1977 after she completed her master’s degree in history at Marshall University. Irene taught in secondary public schools for twenty-three years, but retired in 1989 to devote herself to writing.

Consistent involvement in the activities of her local church has been a source of inspiration for Irene’s work. Traveling with her husband, Rod, to forty-nine of the United States, Hawaii excepted, and to thirty-two foreign countries has also inspired her writing. Irene is grateful to the many readers who have written to say that her inspiring stories and compelling portrayals of characters with strong faith have made a positive impression on their lives. You can write to her at P.O. Box 2770, Southside, WV 25187.

Summer’s Promise
Irene Brand

www.millsandboon.co.uk

But grow in the grace and knowledge

of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

—2 Peter 3:18

To the participants in

Harmony’s Thursday night special Bible study

and their continued spiritual maturity.

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

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Epilogue

Letter to Reader

Chapter One

Carrying one small piece of luggage, Summer Weaver deplaned in Scranton, Pennsylvania, hurried out of the terminal and hailed a taxi to take her to the hospital. Four hours earlier she’d learned that her sister, Spring Brown, had been in an automobile accident and was in critical condition. The hospital’s main reception area had closed at ten o’clock, and the driver took her to the emergency entrance. In an unsteady voice, Summer asked for directions to her sister’s room.

Summer took an elevator to the second floor and diffidently approached the nurses’ station. A few staff members worked intently at computers, but other employees leaned on the counter, chatting aimlessly. They ignored her.

In desperation, Summer stammered, “I’m Spring Brown’s sister. Where’s her room?”

That statement got their attention in a hurry, and a nurse rushed to her side. “Right this way,” the nurse said and hurried down the hall with Summer, suitcase rolling behind her, hustling to keep up.

“How is she?” Summer whispered.

The nurse shook her head. Her expression was grave. “Not good. No one knows what caused the accident but the car plunged over a steep embankment. They had to use Jaws of Life to remove your sister and her husband from the wreckage.”

When she entered the room, Summer couldn’t believe the patient surrounded by medical equipment and tubes was her sister. The woman’s head was bandaged until only the middle portion of her pain-marked, ashen face was visible, but a few tendrils of auburn hair, characteristic of the Weaver sisters, had escaped the bandages and identified the woman as Spring Brown. Her eyes were closed.

“She has severe head bruises and abrasions, as well as internal injuries,” the nurse explained as she checked the equipment. Spring’s breathing was uneven and labored.

“Is she going to get better?”

The nurse shook her head. “Not unless God sees fit to heal her. We’ve done all we can do. Perhaps you’d better pray and ask God for a miracle,” the nurse said, patting Summer’s shoulder as she left the room.

Summer stumbled to the nearest chair. If that’s what it took to save her sister, she wouldn’t be any help at all, for Summer had never asked God for anything.

She moved the chair close to the bed, and mindful of the tubes attached to Spring’s body, Summer gently lifted her sister’s hand.

“Spring,” she said, “can you hear me?”

The patient’s eyelids flickered and Summer raised her voice. “Spring. Talk to me.”

Spring’s eyes opened a slit, and she smiled. “Summer! How’d you get here? Are Mother and Daddy with you?”

“They’re at home in Ohio with the kids. Daddy telephoned and asked me to come since I’m close. It didn’t take long for me to get here from New York.”

Tears slipped from Spring’s eyelids. “Have you heard that Bert died in the accident?”

Summer nodded and squeezed Spring’s hand.

“I’m dying, too, but I don’t care. Without Bert, I don’t want to live.”

Summer had never been in love, and she couldn’t understand loving a man so much you’d not want to live if he died. Why wouldn’t Spring want to get well for her children?

“What about Nicole and Timmy? They need their mother.”

Spring shook her head and winced with pain. “You can take care of them.”

Impossible! Summer thought, but she wouldn’t argue with her sister now.

“I want to be buried at home,” Spring rambled on. “When we were on mission assignment in Bolivia, there was never a day I didn’t think about the green fields of Ohio. When I was a kid, I always thought of our large white house as a fortress guarding our family. And tonight, I’ve been thinking about the times when the two of us, and our little sister, Autumn, rode on the big black wagon when Daddy entered his Belgians in competition.”

“We did have lots of fun, but I never enjoyed the farm like you and Autumn did. I like living in a big city. I’d probably never go to the farm except to see our folks.”

Spring choked, and Summer started to ring for a nurse when her sister swallowed and coughed. Summer took a tissue from the table and wiped blood from her sister’s lips.

“You ought to rest now.”

“Will you take Timmy and Nicole?”

The words astonished Summer, and she felt as if a giant hand were strangling her. “What! I don’t know how to take care of children. Besides, you’re going to get well so you can look after them yourself.”

“Promise me!”

Summer was stunned to silence. She couldn’t have spoken if she’d wanted to.

“Promise me!” Spring’s voice sharpened. She sounded exactly like their mother, Clara Weaver, and Summer had never disobeyed that voice.

“All right,” she whispered reluctantly, hoping she wouldn’t be held to a promise made under such duress.

Spring smiled contentedly, then her feverish eyes dulled, and she seemed to have trouble focusing on Summer’s face. “Pray for me. I’m a little afraid.”

Summer gasped, but she was willing to try anything to ease her sister’s mental and physical suffering.

After a few false starts, Summer closed her eyes, and addressed God for the first time in her life. “God, you don’t know me for I’ve never talked to You before. I don’t even know how to go about this, but Spring needs You, God. Will You give her peace of mind and comfort of heart? I’m glad I’m here with her, but I don’t know what to do. Maybe I need You, too.”

Summer sensed another presence in the room, and embarrassed, she looked around to see who’d heard her praying, but she was still alone with her sister. Spring’s face, that had been distorted with pain, relaxed into a smile of contentment, and Summer thought she’d gone to sleep. Had God answered her prayer? Was His Spirit in the room comforting Spring? It was a startling thought!

Time passed slowly. Spring didn’t rouse, although the nurses checked her frequently, sometimes changing the IVs or adding medication to the tubes. The chaplain came in after midnight, and he held Spring’s hand and prayed. When Summer compared his beautifully worded prayer with her miserable effort, she wondered if her petition had done any good.

Spring’s breathing increased in irregularity, and Summer was afraid to be alone with her sister when she died, but she didn’t ask a nurse to stay with her. Thinking it might ease Spring’s mind and bring courage to herself, Summer picked up a pamphlet the chaplain had left and read aloud.

“‘Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”’

“‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.”’

If God was here for Spring as she went through the valley of death, wouldn’t He also be with anyone else in the room? Although Summer could only imagine what the presence of God could mean, she had observed the difference His indwelling Spirit had made in her sisters’ lives. For the first time, Summer coveted the peace Spring and Autumn had found.

If God was watching over Spring, she might as well try to relax, so Summer leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. She was startled when she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. Her eyes opened wide as she looked at the bed to see if Spring still lived before she turned to the man at her side. Expecting an aide or a doctor, she was surprised to see a lithe, wiry young man with short dark-brown hair and snappy brown eyes, dressed in a brown business suit. For a moment his identity eluded her, until a two-year-old memory flooded her mind.

David Brown—Bert’s brother!

“Summer?” David said.

“Yes, it’s me.” David was Spring’s brother-in-law, and since none of her immediate family was with her, Summer welcomed David. She pulled another chair close to the bed and invited him to sit down.

“I’m sorry about Bert,” she said.

Sorrow clouded David’s brown eyes. “He was my only brother.” He cleared his throat and spoke with difficulty. “Is Spring going to make it?”

“The doctors don’t expect her to live. She’s been getting worse since I got here about ten o’clock.”

“Any of your family with you?”

Summer shook her head. “Spring and Bert left their kids with Mother and Daddy while they went on this fund-raising trip for their school in North Carolina, so my folks have to look after them. Mother isn’t able to travel anyway. My sister, Autumn, is expecting a baby any day, so she can’t be here. Daddy asked me to come and check out the situation. I live in New York, so it didn’t take long for me to get here.”

A half smile played around his generous, well-cut mouth. “I remember you intended to move to New York. How do you like living in a big city?”

“It’s great,” she said, and her blue eyes gleamed with delight. “I’ve been there almost two years, and I know it’s the place for me. I’m working in a Wall Street bank.” Her eyes darkened when she remembered the situation. “Did any of your family come with you?”

“No. My parents are really torn up by Bert’s death, and they asked me to come and help Spring make funeral arrangements. Is she able to make decisions?”

“She talked for a little while, and she said she wanted to be buried in the Weaver cemetery on the family farm in Ohio.”

Perhaps the sound of David’s tender, smooth voice had penetrated Spring’s subconsciousness and reminded her of her husband, for she opened her eyes.

“Bert,” she whispered weakly.

Summer quickly stood and put her hand on Spring’s shoulder. “Bert isn’t here, dear, but David came.”

“I remember now—Bert died in the accident.” Spring swallowed with difficulty, and although the Weaver family didn’t habitually display overt affection, Summer bent to kiss her cheek.

“Take Bert and me home to be buried.”

“Dad wanted me to bring Bert’s body to Tennessee,” David said quietly to Summer, “but I guess the decision should be up to Spring.”

“David,” Spring whispered in a faltering voice. He leaned over the bed. “Timmy and Nicole.”

“Yes,” David said, “what about them?”

“Timmy and Nicole,” Spring said again, agitation marking her voice.

“Your kids are in Ohio,” David said.

“No. North Carolina,” Spring insisted weakly, and she didn’t speak again.

The nursing staff had been in and out of the room all night, but David and Summer were alone when Spring breathed her last. A piece of equipment emitted a shrill whistle, shattering the quiet of the room, and Summer screamed. The pressure of the long hours since she’d learned of Spring’s accident had been too much, and she started trembling. When two nurses ran into the room, David drew Summer into the hallway and encircled her in the protective cover of his arms. He massaged her back lightly until she stopped trembling, then led her to a small waiting room near the elevator, sat down with her, his arm still around her shoulders.

For a moment she rested against his firm body, then she moved away from him. Her features were composed and she wasn’t crying, but David knew he had to take her away from this area before they removed Spring’s body.

“We’ve got to make a lot of decisions in the next few hours,” he said. “I’m not hungry, but it might be a good idea to eat breakfast before we tackle the difficult stuff.”

“I’ll have to call my family first, and I dread it,” Summer said wearily.

“Would you rather I talked to them?”

She shook her head. “I’ll telephone my sister and let her tell my parents. They’ve always been so proud of their three daughters, and I can’t stand to tell them there are only two of us now.”

Summer placed the call from a phone booth near the cafeteria. She was relieved when her brother-in-law, Nathan Holland, answered the phone rather than Autumn. Summer didn’t know Nathan very well, but he’d made Autumn happy, and Summer was sure he would break the news gently.

After she gave him the bad news, Summer commented on the emotional effect this would have on her parents.

“Landon and Clara will be okay,” Nathan assured her, “but I’m worried about the kids. How can we explain to Nicole and Timmy that their parents aren’t coming back? Who’s going to take care of them?”

Summer’s senses reeled when she realized they might be her children now. God in Heaven, if there is such a Being, what am I going to do with two children whom I’ve only seen a few times?

While David talked to his parents, Summer sat with closed eyes, her head in her hands. How could she be so selfish to worry about the effect Spring’s death would have on her? Waiting for David to finish, she sincerely mourned the death of her sister, remembering how Spring had looked after Summer on her first day in school—a role Spring had continued all the way through high school. If Summer needed any help, she could count on her older sister. Perhaps she’d partly repaid Spring if she’d made her dying moments easier by promising to look after her children. Summer had no idea how she could keep her promise, but she hoped she would have the courage to try.

When he walked away from the telephone, David took a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his eyes and blew his nose. From a face marked with sorrow, he gave her a twisted smile.

Summer placed her hand on David’s forearm. “It’s rough, isn’t it? Thanks so much for being here, David. I couldn’t have handled Spring’s death alone, but it’s been easier since you came. I’m just glad our parents didn’t have to experience this.”

David clasped her hand in both of his. “You’re right. I’ve been wondering why God would let this happen to two people who had dedicated their lives to His service. I still don’t know the answer to that one, but I am pleased I could be here for Spring’s last few hours. That’s what Bert would have wanted. But I wish she’d lived long enough to tell me what she was trying to get across about Nicole and Timmy.”

They entered the cafeteria where Summer picked up a bowl of fruit, a cinnamon roll and a glass of milk. David took scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, biscuits and coffee. When they were seated, Summer eyed his tray incredulously.

“How can you eat so much food and remain slender as a fence post?” she asked.

“Because I stay active. My job requires a lot of moving around and I work out in gyms regularly.” He looked admiringly at her blue eyes and reddish-brown hair. She was slender and petite, about five-and-a-half feet tall. “You’re not overweight.”

“It’s in our genes, I guess. None of the Weavers gain much weight. What job do you mean? Aren’t you still in the Air Force?”

“After ten years in the service, I’d had enough. I resigned last year. I’m a detective in Atlanta now.”

As David steered her through the next two days of signing documents relating to the deaths of their siblings and contacting a local mortician to arrange for shipping the bodies to Ohio by air, Summer wondered how she could ever have managed without him. She noticed things about David that she’d forgotten—his friendly personality, and his slim, vibrant body as he walked confidently through life as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

She was mentally exhausted by the time they boarded a plane for Pittsburgh, where they changed planes for a flight to the Columbus International Airport. She couldn’t imagine how difficult it would have been if she had endured the past few days alone.

She’d appreciated David’s company, but she had been on edge fearing he would mention their previous meeting or ask why she hadn’t answered his letters. It had been rude of her not to reply, but she’d been busy finishing her college education, and David was a complication she didn’t want to deal with. After her education had been delayed for several years while she cared for her mother, she had focused on her career. Should she apologize? As she looked out the window, catching an occasional glimpse of a small town or a farmstead surrounded by fields of corn, she recalled the first time she’d met David Brown.

Two years before when her sister, Autumn, had been married to Nathan Holland, Spring and Bert came for the wedding, and David had stopped by the Weaver farm to see his brother, whom he hadn’t seen for three years. When one of Nathan’s attendants had fallen sick, David was asked to take the usher’s place.

David made friends easily, and he’d enthusiastically joined in the wedding festivities. Summer and David had been thrown together during the rehearsal and plans for the reception, and they’d conspired to decorate Nathan’s truck with tin cans, old shoes and ribbons. Summer’s family couldn’t believe she’d assisted David in such a stunt, for by nature she was quiet and reserved.

David had stayed with the Weavers for one day after the newlyweds left for a short honeymoon in Niagara Falls and Bert and Spring started for North Carolina with their family. David invited Summer to spend the day with him at one of Ohio’s well-known amusement parks. She refused at first. She had enjoyed the prewedding days with David, but his vibrant, outgoing personality, so different from hers, often made her uncomfortable.

But David was persuasive, so she’d gone with him, and to her surprise, they’d shared a wonderful, exhilarating day. For the first time in her life, Summer felt happy-go-lucky. They took several turns on the roller coaster, rode the merry-go-round and other attractions in the children’s area. They strolled along the walk-ways, stopping to watch three blockbuster shows at open-air theaters. They ate hot dogs, french fries, ice cream and popcorn.

David’s jollity had brought unfamiliar laughter to Summer’s lips. She laughed at David when he won a cap in the shooting gallery, and laughed with him after the cap fell off when they were suspended upside down on a roller coaster. Summer hadn’t laughed that much before or since. It had been a thought-provoking day because she seemed like a different person when she was with David, and Summer liked herself the way she was.

Traveling homeward, David had lowered the convertible’s top, and after she tied a scarf around her short auburn hair, Summer luxuriated in the breezy ride. They watched the full moon rise above the horizon, and it was dark by the time they reached the farm. They’d stood for a few minutes on the back veranda, leaning against the rail, shoulders touching, looking toward the white gazebo where both Spring and Autumn had been married.

“I’ve enjoyed today,” David had said. “That will give me something to think about while I’m on duty in Germany the next few months.”

Summer gasped when he’d leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips, and the sudden surge of excitement she experienced was so unexpected that it startled her. She pretended not to be affected, and said, “Thanks for a nice time.”

Summer had been kissed often on high school dates, but not one of those kisses had even ruffled her composure. David’s kiss stimulated emotions new to her and had ignited a little spark in her heart that had kept her awake most of the night wondering where association with David might lead. When her sisters had fallen in love, they were willing to sacrifice their wishes to be with the men they loved. Summer knew what she wanted, and she didn’t intend to let David Brown or any other man interfere with her plans.

David had sent her two letters from Germany, but she hadn’t answered, and he hadn’t contacted her again. She wanted to put David totally out of her mind, but when she least expected it, she would think about the day she’d spent with David, ending with his gentle kiss.

When the passengers were asked to prepare for landing in Columbus, and David still hadn’t mentioned their previous meeting, Summer breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps their first encounter hadn’t impressed David as it had her. During his exciting life in the Air Force, he’d probably forgotten all about her until he saw her a few days ago. That conclusion should have pleased Summer, but somehow it didn’t.

Chapter Two

A week later, Summer peered out the window of another plane hovering over New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Like a robot, she fastened her seat belt for landing, closed her eyes and winced as she always did when the plane’s wheels hit the runway, took her bag from the overhead compartment and deplaned. She wasn’t in the mood to wait for a shuttle, so she took a taxi to her Manhattan apartment.

Summer was displeased with her behavior the past week. She wished now that she’d mentioned Spring’s request about taking care of the children.

Prior to the funeral, Summer had kept busy greeting family and neighbors who called at the Weaver home, and she had no time to consider how Spring’s death would change her life. But as she’d watched the children’s woebegone expressions and the fear in their eyes, Summer’s heart had been touched by their sorrow, and she’d made little exploratory gestures to see if she possessed any maternal traits. She’d taken them to the florist to choose flowers to put in their parents’ caskets, and on the way home, they’d stopped by Autumn’s farm so Timmy and Nicole could see the new baby boy, Lannie, born the day after Spring had died. Summer envied Autumn’s easy ways with the children, wishing she didn’t feel so inadequate when she was with them.

The night before the funeral, after the children had gone to bed, the Weavers and Bert’s family had met in the living room of the Weavers’ Victorian home to discuss the children’s welfare.

“We’ll take them,” Autumn had volunteered immediately, and Bert’s parents had also said they’d be glad to take Timmy and Nicole.

Forestalling any immediate arrangement, David said, “Shouldn’t we put off a decision until we learn if Spring and Bert made provisions for the guardianship of their children? If they made wills, I suppose they’ll be at their home in North Carolina. I’ll try to find out, if you want me to.”

“Yes, that should be checked out,” Landon Weaver had agreed. “And in the meantime, we’ll keep Timmy and Nicole with us. There’s no need to disrupt their lives more than necessary until we know what David learns.”

Summer opened her mouth to say something then, but if David was right and Bert and Spring had made other provisions for the children, perhaps her promise wouldn’t matter. Hopefully, Spring’s mind had been rambling when she’d made her request. Summer had volunteered to stay at the farm and help with the children until David could check out the will, but her mother had insisted that she go back to her job.

“You’ve already missed more than a week of work,” Clara Weaver said. “We’re getting along fine with the children. You’ve always sacrificed for your family, but it’s time for you to think about your own future. Don’t worry about us.”

Three days after the funeral, her father took Summer and David to the Columbus airport where David’s flight to Atlanta was scheduled an hour before she left.

After they checked in and cleared security, David said, “Let’s get something to drink before my plane leaves.”

Summer agreed, although she was eager to be rid of David as well as everyone else who distressed her. The first time she’d met David, it had taken months for her to erase his memory from her mind, and the longer she stayed around him now, the more difficult it would be to forget him.

At a small coffee shop, Summer found a table overlooking the runway while David brought coffee for himself and a glass of orange juice for her.

David was alert to Summer’s moods, and although he understood how the tragic events of the last week would have disturbed her, he sensed she was troubled about something else. She’d hardly spoken on the drive from the farm to the airport, and she’d given a sigh of relief when her father had told them goodbye at curbside and she had entered the airport. Why was she so eager to leave the farm?

She sipped on the glass of orange juice and stared out the window, but David didn’t think she was aware of the departing planes. He studied her face speculatively.

“Are you all right, Summer?” he asked at last. She turned her moody blue eyes toward him, as if she’d forgotten he was even there.

“What? Oh, yes, I’m all right. It’s been a bad week.”

“I couldn’t sleep last night, worrying about the kids. It’s a terrible experience for them to lose both their parents. I wish I could do something to help, but a bachelor doesn’t have any business trying to raise children.”

Summer opened her mouth to tell him about her dilemma, for she thought David would understand, but he heard an announcement on the loudspeaker and drained the last of his coffee. “My plane is boarding now. I’ll have to go.”

Summer walked to the gate with him. Before he got in line, he put his arm around her waist, and Summer’s body tingled at the contact. Grinning and arching his eyebrows teasingly, he said, “I’ve learned you’re not very good at answering letters, but how about phone calls? Will you answer if I phone you occasionally?”

Summer’s face grew warm to be reminded that she’d ignored his friendly overtures two years earlier.

“I’ll answer,” she said quietly.

His arm tightened around her waist. “Good. You’ll hear from me in a few weeks.”

Summer watched David’s plane take off before she moped down the corridor toward her boarding gate. She wished she’d had time to tell David what she’d promised Spring, but if he learned how she was fretting over her responsibility, he might be disappointed in her. She didn’t want David to have a poor opinion of her.

Back in her apartment sanctuary, Summer was ashamed that she’d even hesitated to do what Spring had asked her to do. She excused her attitude by claiming lack of experience in child rearing. She would make a lousy foster mother. But if she didn’t take care of the children, who would? Certainly, her mother wasn’t physically able to raise them.

Holding out hope that Spring’s mind had been wandering on her deathbed, and that she and Bert had made other arrangements for the future of Nicole and Timmy, Summer resumed her usual schedule. If only she could dismiss from her mind the scene she’d witnessed on the day of the funeral, she could get on with her life.

After the family returned from the cemetery, Timmy and Nicole had gone to the barn to look at the Belgian colts. Summer had watched from the dining room window as the two children returned to the house. Walking hand in hand, they’d stopped in front of the open window and didn’t see Summer, who was partially hidden by the draperies. Timmy was crying and Nicole put her arms around him.

“What’ll we do, Nicole? We’re too little to stay by ourselves.”

“Don’t cry, Timmy. God will take care of us. God still loves us even if He did take Mommy and Daddy away. He’ll send somebody to take their place. You’ll see!”

Timmy had looked up at his sister, and a timid smile brightened his tear-streaked face. “I’ll bet He will, too.” Then his smile faded. “But who else will love us like Mommy and Daddy did?”

Summer should have gone to the children right then and told them she’d look after them, but her feet seemed glued to the floor. The opportunity was lost when Landon Weaver came from the barnyard and invited the children to take a drive with him.

Summer forced herself to resume her normal work routine, and when she was at the bank, she didn’t think about the children. It was only when she went home and read e-mail messages from Ohio that her sister’s dying request destroyed her peace of mind. If only she hadn’t made that promise!

Summer was late getting home the following Friday evening, and the message light on the telephone’s answering machine was flashing when she entered the apartment. With a trembling hand, she pushed the play button.

“Summer, this is David Brown. I arrived in New York this afternoon, and I must talk with you.” He gave the name of a hotel and a telephone number, adding, “Please telephone as soon as you get home. I’m in Room 908.”

Retribution time had arrived. With bated breath, Summer dialed the number and extension.

“David,” she said, when he answered immediately as if he’d been sitting with his hand on the phone. “I worked late today—that’s the reason I didn’t call sooner.”

“Bert and Spring did make wills, and I need to discuss them with you. Could we meet for dinner this evening?”

Having a good idea what David would tell her, Summer didn’t want to be in a public place when they talked. “It’s been a long day, David, and I really don’t want to go out again. Why don’t you come to my apartment? I’ll order some food from the deli on the first floor.”

“Suits me. What time?”

Summer glanced at her watch. It was seven o’clock. “Give me an hour.” She told him the name of the apartment complex and her number. Replacing the receiver, she sat on the couch and lowered her head to her hands. She didn’t have time to mope if she wanted to be ready when David arrived, but she was scared. Surely if Spring had understood Summer’s situation, she wouldn’t have asked for that promise.

Rousing after a few minutes, Summer telephoned the deli and ordered large servings of chicken stir-fry and fruit salad, for she remembered David had a big appetite. She showered rapidly and put on blue cotton slacks and a white knit blouse. She didn’t take time to wash her hair, but she brushed it briskly. Although not given to taking medication, Summer suddenly realized her head was throbbing, and she took a couple of aspirin that she kept on hand for emergencies. If she’d ever faced an emergency, it was now.

She arranged floral-patterned mats on the small table and set two glasses in the refrigerator to chill. She checked to be sure she had enough cheesecake for dessert, and when the deli delivered her order, she put the food in the small oven to keep it warm. She had barely finished her preparations when a buzzer sounded. She pushed a button to release the door when she saw David’s smiling face through the peephole.

“Come in, David,” she said cordially, although her throat was dry. “Your telephone message surprised me.”

He took her hand and squeezed it gently. “Thanks for seeing me on such short notice.”

He wore a wine-colored blazer, gray trousers, a brick-striped dress shirt and a silk tie that matched his blazer. David had wide soaring eyebrows and a straight nose. A long profile kept him from being overly handsome, but Summer had never seen a better-groomed man. His short, straight hair, extending backward from a high forehead, was neatly trimmed to his nape. She understood why he would make a good detective, for his brown eyes, steady in their scrutiny, seemed to take in every detail of her apartment and her appearance with one swift glance.

“Can your business wait until we’ve eaten?” Summer asked. “I had a light lunch, and I’m hungry.”

David removed his coat and laid aside the briefcase he carried. “Sounds good to me. I had a meal between Atlanta and New York several hours ago. You’ve got a nice apartment,” he added, as she invited him into the kitchenette.

“My living quarters were pretty bleak when I first came to New York,” she answered with a low laugh, “but my recent job promotion came with a large increase in salary, so I moved into this apartment a couple of months ago. I like living here.”

David gave her a strange, pensive glance as they sat at the table.

“I hope you like chicken stir-fry,” Summer said as she took foil-covered containers from the oven, arranged them on a silver tray and placed it on the table. She set out bowls of fruit salad from the refrigerator. “Would you rather have iced tea or a soft drink?”

“Iced tea, without sugar, please.”

During the two days they’d spent together in Pennsylvania, David and Summer had discussed their respective jobs, so there didn’t seem to be much for them to talk about now. Suspecting why David had come to see her, Summer wanted to forestall the discussion as long as possible.

David couldn’t think of any subject except what he’d come to tell Summer, and how that news was going to burst the bubble she’d built around herself in New York. They’d already covered the weather, so David finally said, “Looks like you’ve adjusted to city life.”

“There really wasn’t much adjustment to make. I’ve always liked to be alone, and it’s easy to lose oneself in a big city.”

She served him a slice of cheesecake, but didn’t take any herself.

“We’re different in that way,” he said. “I want lots of people around me.”

“I learned to find happiness in my own thoughts and company when I was a child. I’m only a year older than Autumn, and she’s prettier and more friendly than I am, so she got most of the attention.”

Not a hint of jealousy in the statement, David noted, as if the favoritism to her sister hadn’t been a problem.

“Don’t you ever get lonely?” David asked. “I like people.”

“I don’t dislike people, but I can be happy alone.”

She stood up and said, “May I get you anything else to eat? More cheesecake?”

“No, thanks. I enjoyed the food. And the company,” he added with a wide smile. David knew she would be unhappy very soon, and he hoped a little levity might cushion the blow. Summer’s eyes were wary, and she didn’t return his smile.

After she loaded the dishwasher, Summer refilled David’s iced-tea glass and carried it to the coffee table. He sat on the couch and motioned for Summer to sit beside him as he picked up the briefcase and opened it. She perched on the couch, several inches from his side, resembling a fledgling about to leave its nest.

Expelling a deep breath, he said, “I got in touch with the supervisor of the school where Bert and Spring worked, and she found their wills. She mailed them to me, and I was so surprised at the contents that I couldn’t think straight for a couple of days. I started to phone you several times, but decided this wasn’t the kind of situation to discuss over the telephone, so I booked a flight to New York.”

He took two sheets of paper from a legal envelope and handed them to Summer. “This is Spring’s will. Since she survived Bert, her will takes precedence, but the requests are identical to Bert’s. You’d better read it for yourself.”

Summer held the document a few minutes before she unfolded it. David watched her compassionately, wondering what her reaction would be.

Summer waded through the first few paragraphs of the handwritten document, and since this was the only last will and testament she’d ever read, the wording seemed rather archaic.

I, Spring Weaver Brown, a citizen and resident of Madison County, North Carolina, being of sound and disposing mind, do make, publish and declare this to be my last will and testament, hereby revoking all other wills made by me at any time.

The will authorized the executor to pay all debts, then Spring bequeathed all of her estate, both real and personal, to her husband, Bert Brown, also named as her executor. Then the document further specified:

Should my husband predecease me, or die simultaneously with me, I hereby nominate my brother-in-law, David Brown, to be the executor of my estate, and in the event he will not or cannot serve, I hereby nominate my father, Landon Weaver, to serve in that capacity.

Should my husband predecease me, I hereby bequeath the care of my two children, Nicole and Timothy, into the joint guardianship of my sister, Summer Weaver, and my brother-in-law, David Brown. In the event that one of them will not or cannot serve, then I ask that the other one assume custody of my children. I request that all of my assets be placed in a trust fund to pass to the children, share and share alike, upon Timothy’s twenty-first birthday.

I further request that my sister, Summer Weaver, and my brother-in-law, David Brown, assume the leadership of The Crossroads, the school my husband and I established in North Carolina, and that they rear our children in that environment.

“Oh, no!” Summer muttered. In her wildest imagination, she’d never expected David to be appointed coguardian of the children. She broke out in a cold sweat, and the room swayed around her. When she rallied, David had his arm around her shoulders, supporting her and wiping her face with a cold, damp cloth. It seemed as if a giant hand had descended upon her chest, and she gasped for breath.

“Did I faint?” she muttered.

“Almost,” David said.

“I’ve never passed out before. Mother taught us that only weaklings fainted—we wouldn’t have dared faint around her.”

“You had a jolt that would make anyone black out,” David sympathized, and recalling the extremity of Spring’s request, Summer straightened up quickly.

“Is that paper binding? We don’t have to do what they asked, do we?”

“No, because I doubt these documents are legal. I’m sure no attorney would have drawn up wills like this.” He took a deep breath and worry lines formed around his eyes. “I haven’t thought about anything else for three days, and I’ve concluded that Bert and Spring discussed what would happen to Timmy and Nicole if something should happen to them. Perhaps they felt compelled to make some provision for their children before they left on that trip.”

“Maybe they’d already discussed asking us to be guardians or godparents.”

“That’s what I think, too, and the accident occurred before they got our consent.”

“Would you have agreed to their requests if you’d been asked?”

“I don’t think so,” he said slowly.

“So you won’t do what they’ve asked you to?”

“I didn’t say that. If they’d asked me in advance, I might have refused, but now that they’re gone, it’s a different matter.”

Summer stood, walked to the window and looked out over a small garden situated in the midst of the apartment complex. Several adults sat on benches watching the splashing fountain, a few children played miniature golf, and one young mother strolled along a path, holding her son’s hand.

If she didn’t keep her promise, who would hold Timmy’s hand?

“What’ll happen to Timmy and Nicole if we refuse to take care of them? There’s no provision for that.”

“Since we weren’t consulted about their requests, it’s my opinion that if we refuse, other guardians can be appointed by the court. I haven’t looked into it. I didn’t want to discuss their wills with anyone until I talked to you.”

Should she tell David that Spring had asked her to take Timmy and Nicole? No one except Spring had heard her agree to do it. Perhaps other family members would be more suited to look after Spring’s kids. As inexperienced as she was, if she assumed the care of two children, they’d be unhappy and she would be miserable. No one need ever know that, in a weak moment, she’d promised Spring.

Suddenly Summer’s thoughts reverted to the night Spring had died, when she’d had the overpowering sensation that the two of them weren’t alone in the room, that God’s Spirit had been there to smooth Spring’s move from earth to Heaven. If God had been present, He’d heard the promise!

Her decision to tell David was delayed for the time being when he stated, “I can understand their concern for the children, but why would Bert and Spring expect us to take over that school?”

Summer had been so preoccupied over custody of the children that the second provision of the will had slipped her mind. She turned toward David and said in a raspy voice, “I absolutely will not be a part of that. I don’t know how to mother two children, to say nothing of operating a school. I couldn’t work with a group of wayward teenagers, and that’s the purpose of their school. I won’t do it.”

“That was my initial reaction, too, but let’s give it some thought before we make a definite decision. Will you be working tomorrow?”

“No.”

“I’m not scheduled to return to Atlanta until Sunday. Let’s sleep on it and talk again tomorrow.”

“Yes, let’s do. I want to get this settled as soon as possible, so I can go on with my life.”

“Will noon be okay? I’ll bring a pizza for lunch, and we can go out for dinner. Perhaps to a seafood restaurant?”

“Twelve o’clock will be fine,” Summer answered, without commenting on his dinner invitation. She didn’t want to get personally involved with David, but when he closed his briefcase and stood, Summer still quivered inwardly with shock and anger. Not willing to face the four walls of her apartment alone the rest of the evening, she said, “Unless you have other plans, you might as well stay for a while. I don’t want to discuss those wills, but we can watch a movie or something else on television.”

Accustomed to Summer’s standoffish manner toward him, her request startled David until he realized that Summer was struggling with an uncharacteristic emotion. She didn’t want to be alone! He remembered how shaken he’d been when he read his brother’s will. He’d had three days to become reconciled to the requests, but Summer hadn’t had time to get over her shock.

“Yeah, I’d like that. Thanks for asking,” he said, settling back on the couch.

She handed him the remote. “Why don’t you run through the menu and find a movie? Make sure it’s a comedy or something light. I’m not in the mood for intrigue and drama. While you do that, I’ll fix some snacks.”

She poured a jar of cranberry-orange juice over ice and emptied a package of Hawaiian trail mix into a bowl. She placed napkins, glasses, and plates on the coffee table while David glanced at her home. If all of Summer’s life was as ordered and organized as this apartment, David understood why she had almost fainted when she’d read her sister’s will. On the point of being protective of Summer, David wasn’t pleased that his sister-in-law had handed her such a dilemma.

They didn’t talk much during the rest of the evening as they enjoyed the antics of a lovable dog that wreaked havoc in the household of his human family. It was after midnight when Summer walked with David to the door.

“Try to sleep,” he said tenderly. “I know this has been a terrible blow to you—losing your sister was bad enough, without having to decide how to act upon her requests.”

“Especially when I feel guilty about not wanting to do what she asked me to.”

As he shrugged into his coat she’d taken from the closet, he said, “Don’t lose any sleep over it. We’ll work something out tomorrow.”

“You’re taking this calmly enough. Aren’t you upset about what they’ve done to us?”

“Sure. But I’ve had longer to get used to the idea than you have, and staying awake all night fretting about it won’t change things.” She drew back quickly in surprise when he brushed a light kiss across her lips as he eased out into the hallway.

“Under the circumstances, don’t you think we’re at least kissing kin?”

David smiled into her surprised blue eyes and strode rapidly down the hallway. In spite of the sorrow over the death of his brother and the disturbing contents of the wills, David was delighted to have a reason to see more of Summer. After she hadn’t answered his letters, he’d decided to forget her, but when he least expected it, Summer’s image had infiltrated his mind, and he wondered if he’d ever see her again. He was attracted to Summer’s beauty, but he was more intrigued by her quiet nature that he believed concealed hidden fires waiting to be ignited. He wanted to be around when that happened.

Chapter Three

After David left, Summer drank a cup of hot herbal tea to settle her nerves. She’d calmed down somewhat during the movie, but David’s caress had disturbed her. He’d been bestowing lots of affection on her the past two weeks, and to her dismay, she realized she liked it. Summer had many reservations about agreeing to Spring’s request, and not least among them was her hesitancy to be thrown into frequent companionship with David. He was an attractive man, and he was good company, but she had her future mapped out. There was no place in it for David Brown.

Summer changed into a nightgown and went to bed, but sleep eluded her. When she did doze, she dreamed—mostly of Timmy and Nicole and how forlorn they’d looked during their parents’ funeral. In her dreams, the children stood with outstretched arms, looking at her with beseeching eyes. After the secure home life she’d known as a child, she couldn’t imagine what it would be like to suddenly lose your parents.

Awakening at an early hour, anger and defiance replaced the compassion of her dreams. Summer could empathize with her sister’s concern for her kids, but she considered it inexcusable for Spring and Bert to saddle her and David with the responsibility of a school in the hinterlands of North Carolina.

David’s bright and cheerful manner, when he breezed into the apartment at noon, irritated Summer. She’d tried to cover up the ravages of a sleepless night with makeup, but she hadn’t succeeded for David was unkind enough to say, “I told you to get some sleep.”

Lack of rest had made her grouchy, and she said, “Let’s get down to business. What can we do about this dilemma we’ve had dumped in our laps?”

He sat on the couch and stretched his neatly clad legs out in front of him. “What do you want to do about it?”

“I want to ignore it, but I know we can’t.”

“I’ve wondered why Spring kept repeating the children’s names at the hospital. I’ve decided she was trying to tell me the provisions of their wills, but she was too far gone to express herself. If we don’t accept the responsibility, the decisions are going to boomerang to our parents, none of whom are able to take over.”

Stalling for time, Summer walked around the room, adjusting items on the tables. She paused to straighten a wall collage of framed photographs featuring the Weaver sisters and her father’s prize-winning Belgian horses.

“David,” she began earnestly, “listen to my side of the situation. I wanted to come to New York when I graduated from high school, but my parents wouldn’t let me. When I was of age and ready to strike out on my own, Mother had a stroke, and I went home to take care of her. I was there six years, and now, at long last, I’m in New York with my parents’ blessing. I have a good job and a bright future in the financial market. Do you think it’s right for my sister to ask me to give up my life to take on her family, her dreams and her ambition? Surely it’s time for me to live the way I want to. It isn’t fair!”

The forlorn faces of Timmy and Nicole flitted into Summer’s mind, but she willed the images into the background.

“Life often isn’t fair,” David answered in a compassionate tone, “and I do understand your position. As a matter of fact, I’m pleased with my life the way it is now. I don’t want to change, either.”

She glanced at David quickly. If he felt that way, maybe she wasn’t as selfish as she thought she was. “Then you’re willing to refuse their requests?” she asked eagerly.

“Maybe. Since I wasn’t consulted about being the executor, nor either of us about their other requests, I don’t feel we’re obligated. But if I’d told them I’d do these things, I wouldn’t back out.”

David breathed deeply, looked at her with troubled eyes, and spoke in a resigned, yet compassionate, tone. “But I can’t make this decision on what is legally right or wrong. Love for my brother motivates me more than legalities. If the situation were reversed, and Timmy and Nicole were my kids, would I want Bert to abandon them? It’s not an easy decision, Summer.”

The time had come to be honest or live a lie the rest of her life. She leaned against the latticed divider between her kitchen and living area, and after a long pause, Summer looked him squarely in the eyes and said, “It’s not that simple for me. I promised Spring I’d take care of her children.”

David stared at her, and despite the stress of the moment, she was slightly amused to see his surprise. He was usually on top of every situation.

“In the hospital before you came, Spring asked me to look after her kids, and she was so insistent and troubled, I finally agreed.”

“Why didn’t you say so when we were at the farm discussing guardianship of the kids?”

“I intended to, but when you mentioned that they’d probably made wills, I hoped that Spring hadn’t been rational when she made the request and that they’d made different arrangements for the children. That’s the reason I left and came back to New York as soon as I decently could. Every time I looked at Timmy and Nicole, I felt like bolting. I know absolutely nothing about rearing children. I’m not sure I even like children—I haven’t been around them enough to find out. David, I can’t do it, and if I don’t, it will torment me the rest of my life.”

She sat down again, leaned her head on the arm of the sofa and burst into tears. David hadn’t had any experience with crying women, so he didn’t know what he should do. He went to the kitchen and rummaged around in the cabinets. Everything was marked and in place, as he should have known it would be. He heated hot water, poured it into a cup and dangled a bag of a spiced tea blend in it.

He placed the cup on the coffee table and went to the bathroom and dampened a washcloth. He sat beside Summer and touched her shoulder. “Stop crying,” he encouraged. “I’ll help you through this.”

“But I don’t want my family to hate me!” she wailed.

“Wipe your face and drink your tea. We’ll figure out something.”

While Summer alternately sniffed and drank the tea, he tried to formulate a plan of action. How could he advise her when he didn’t know what to do?

“You’re not the only one who’s troubled about this situation,” he said at last. “I’ve got my life ordered the way I want it, and I’ve had a few bitter thoughts about a brother who would write such a will and not even mention it to me. I’m not good at administration, but the thing that bothers me more than anything else is that I’m not spiritually competent to take on Bert’s job.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You know the kind of school they operated, don’t you?”

“Of course. It’s a school for underprivileged and troubled teenagers.”

“But it’s also a Christian school, and while I was a practicing Christian when I was a boy, I’m not now. I haven’t read the Bible for years. I can’t be an administrator at a Christian school without a solid spiritual commitment. What about your faith? Are you qualified for this kind of work?”

Summer leaned back and rested her head on the couch. “My folks didn’t take us to church, so I have very little knowledge of Christianity. Spring became a Christian when she met Bert, and Autumn and Nathan are active in church affairs. I’ve always been the oddball in the family, and it’s the same with spiritual matters. I’d have no idea how to work with teenagers in a mission school.”

“And that may be our way out of this situation,” David said. “Just because Bert and Spring wanted us to take over their school doesn’t mean we can. They were serving under a mission board, and I doubt very much that the board members would allow us to take over the school even if we wanted to.”

Summer brightened, and then her spirits drooped again. “But we’d still be stuck with the kids.” She gasped and covered her face with her hands. “What a terrible thing to say! Don’t I have any compassion at all?”

David sympathized with Summer. When he’d been around the Weaver family, he’d gathered that Summer hadn’t received as much attention as the other two daughters. When she’d been a quiet child, it was easy for her to escape notice.

“I haven’t told your parents or mine about the contents of the wills, but I’d like to go to North Carolina and look over the situation before I turn thumbs down on it. Will you go with me? What we find there may make our decision easier.”

Summer sighed. “When I’ve just gotten that good job at the bank, I hate to ask for any more time off. But I suppose you’re right. Hopefully, my employers will be patient a little longer.”

“Let’s take a plane to North Carolina, rent a car and drive up in the mountains where the school is located. I’ve already established contact with the school’s supervisor, and after we talk to her, she may make the decision for us. I’ll cancel my flight for tomorrow, and we can leave on Monday.”

“That might take care of the school problem, but that won’t solve the guardianship of the children.”

He moved closer to her and stretched his arm around her shoulders. She welcomed his touch as he said sympathetically, “I won’t tell anyone what Spring asked you to do. If you decide you can’t take on the care of Nicole and Timmy, no one will ever know about your promise.”

“I will,” she said drearily. “So I’ll make arrangements to go to North Carolina Monday morning.” She drained the last of her tepid tea and lifted the cup. “Bon voyage.”

On Monday morning when they landed at the Winston-Salem Airport, David arranged for a rental car, and they headed westward on Interstate 40.

“From what I gathered by reading Spring’s letters, this school is located in the boondocks,” Summer said.

“Yes, that’s true. I’ve seen pictures of the place. There are two schools in the compound that’s located near Mountain Glen, a little town in a remote area of Madison County. An elementary school that’s been operating fifty years or so, and The Crossroads, the school Bert and Spring started. Edna Stollard, the woman I talked to, supervises both schools. The mission board that supported Bert and Spring while they were in Bolivia wanted to establish a facility for troubled teenagers, and they asked Bert and Spring to assume the responsibility. It took them almost a year to erect buildings and get the school in operation. I don’t think they have many students yet.”

As they approached the Blue Ridge Mountains, Summer delighted in the awesome scenery and momentarily forgot the decisions facing them.

David was amused at her alternate alarm when they climbed a long steep mountain to her delight when they reached the divide, and Summer clapped her hands like a child, exclaiming over the beautiful vistas before them.

“I’ve seen lots of mountain scenery on television, but you get a whole new perspective when you’re right in the middle of the mountains. Our family’s traveling revolved around horse shows, mostly in the Midwest. I’ve never seen anything as spectacular as this,” she added, peering out the window at the mountain ranges surrounding them. “Have you?”

He smiled affectionately at her. “Traveling with the Air Force, I’ve seen lots of mountains—the Alps and the Andes, and even Fujiyama in Japan. Besides, I grew up in Nashville, and our folks took us to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park almost every summer when we were kids. I like the mountains, too.”

In David’s company, she saw things she never noticed when she was alone, like the flowers along the roadside, cloud patterns, a majestic rock formation or the color of a bird’s feathers. She felt alive when he was around. Why was she a different person when she was with David?

While they had waited in the New York airport, she took a book from her purse to read as she always did, but David struck up a conversation with the people around them, and before they boarded the plane, he’d made himself and several others happy by showing a genuine interest in them. Although Summer hadn’t said a word, she’d laid aside her book to watch David and the people he’d befriended. With David, she realized there was another world beside the one she’d built around herself. If they accepted the provisions of the will, she would be with David most of the time. Glancing at his serene profile, and remembering how she enjoyed his occasional touches, Summer both dreaded and delighted in the possibility of being David’s constant companion.

Observing Summer’s enjoyment of the scenery as they quickly covered the miles, David became more and more infatuated with the person behind the quiet facade Summer normally exhibited. What was there about this reserved, serious woman that drew him to her? Although he didn’t want to act on the request made by their siblings, he would welcome an excuse to see Summer often.

When they neared Asheville, David fished in his coat pocket and drew out a piece of paper. “Here are the directions I got over the phone from Edna Stollard. We travel northward out of Asheville until we come to Mars Hill. From there, you’ll have to guide me.”

Several miles beyond Mars Hill, they traveled westward and upward for a few torturous miles on a narrow road until they reached the small town of Mountain Glen. As the altitude increased, and the trees pressed closely on both sides of the road, Summer stopped talking and a look of panic overspread her face.

Located on the side of a mountain, the town contained several houses and a small business section. David drove carefully along the main street until he saw a sign that pointed to Mountain Glen School. Soon they came to an unpaved road that wound uphill for about two miles before they reached a secluded valley. David stopped abruptly at a dead end marker beside a rustic sign marking the border of Pisgah National Forest. The compound consisted of several buildings. To the left was Mountain Glen Elementary School, a two-story brick building at the base of the mountain with two dormitories behind it. To their right, surrounded by a rail fence, stood three frame buildings with a placard reading The Crossroads over the gate.

“The Crossroads!” Summer said quietly. “There aren’t any roads here to cross. They should have named it the jumping-off place.” Although it wasn’t yet four o’clock, the sun had already dipped behind the heavily wooded mountains, and Summer pulled at the collar of her blouse. The mountains she’d admired so much when they were traveling, dwarfed and suffocated her now.

David’s spirits weren’t as animated as usual either, and he gave Summer a weak smile. “Looks like we’ve reached our destination.”

“Why would anyone want to live here?” she said in a shaky voice. “I thought it was bad enough when Bert and Spring moved to South America. Bolivia couldn’t be worse than this.”

“You’d probably change your mind if you saw Bolivia.”

“I can’t understand why anyone would establish a school in this out-of-the-way place. The reality is worse than I expected.”

David took her hand and gripped it tightly. “I don’t think either of us can understand it. As I told you, I haven’t given any thought to my spiritual self for a long time, but I did attend the service when Bert and Spring were commissioned as missionaries. When Bert gave his acceptance speech, he made a statement I’ve never forgotten. With tears running down his face, he said, ‘I didn’t choose to be a missionary. In fact, I didn’t want to be one. It’s not the life I would have chosen for myself or my family. But one day, the Lord Jesus appeared to me, much like He did to Paul the apostle. As He said to Paul, He spoke to me, ‘I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you.”’

David swallowed convulsively and his voice was hoarse. “Bert said, ‘I couldn’t argue with a call like that and responded in the words of Isaiah the prophet, here I am, Lord, send me. Wherever You lead me, I’ll go without question.”’

Hot tears stung Summer’s eyelids. “You’re right. I don’t understand it.”

“We never will unless we receive a similar call, but as I look around here, I don’t see much likelihood of that happening.” He turned off the car’s engine. “We might as well check out the place.”

David stepped out of the car and breathed deeply. “Well, I’ll say this, I haven’t inhaled such fresh air since we used to vacation in the Smokies.” When Summer still sat in the car, he walked around and opened the door for her.

“Let’s go,” he said gently, taking her hand, “it won’t be too bad. Remember, we just came to look.”

She stood on trembling legs and pressed close to him. He put his arm around her waist. “I have the strangest feeling that the mountains are closing in on me, blocking my escape, and that I’ll never get out of here. That road was terrible. Think what it would be like in winter. I’m afraid.”

David laughed at her. “What would your mother say to you if she were here?”

Summer grinned wryly. “She’d say, ‘Stop being so foolish and do your duty. Remember you’re a Weaver.”’

David reached in the car and picked up his cell phone. “I’ll telephone your mother and have her talk to you.”

Summer slapped his hand, took the phone and laid it back on the seat. “Stop picking on me.” Looking up at the mountains, she added, “I doubt very much if you could make a call out of this valley. Which way?”

David nodded toward the elementary school. “Miss Stollard’s office is in that building. We’ll soon learn what she can tell us.”

With heart pounding, knees shaking and a sinking sensation in her chest, Summer turned toward the brick building facing a decision that would chart her course for the rest of her life. She dreaded the outcome.

Chapter Four

A car drove into the compound and stopped behind David’s vehicle. The driver honked her horn.

“I’m parked in the middle of the road. I’d better move,” David said. With a wide smile, he waved genially to the woman, hopped in the car and moved it closer to the rail fence that surrounded The Crossroads.

By the time they started up the steps, a half-dozen cars had entered the area. A bell rang, the clatter of feet sounded inside the building, and David and Summer hurriedly stepped to one side as twenty or more children ran out the door and down the steps.

A tall, angular woman appeared in the doorway behind the departing children, and she smiled when she saw David and Summer.

“Sorry you got caught in the stampede. I’m Edna Stollard. Are you Mr. Brown?”

David stepped forward and shook hands with her. “Yes, I’m Bert’s brother. This is Summer Weaver, Spring’s sister.”

“I’m pleased to meet you,” Miss Stollard said, “but not under these circumstances. The Browns’ deaths have been a blow to the staff and students of The Crossroads. Let’s talk in my office.”

They entered a narrow hallway, where many students were standing beside their lockers, and Edna said, “Most of our students live on campus. The ones you saw leaving live in Mountain Glen, and their families transport them back and forth to school.”

The building had a scent that Summer associated with schools—dust, chalk and stale food—reminding her of the elementary school she’d attended in Ohio. Edna motioned them into an office at the rear of the hallway. It was a crowded room with many filing cabinets, but she moved papers from two chairs to provide a place for David and Summer to sit.

Edna Stollard had a round, rosy face, devoid of makeup, and the kindest brown eyes Summer had ever seen. Her straight hair had been dark-brown at one time, but now it was streaked with gray, parted in the middle and pulled back into a tidy bun at her nape. Edna wore a dark-blue cotton shapeless dress and a white sweater. She obviously didn’t give much thought to current fashion.

“I’d expected some of the family to come and gather up the Browns’ belongings,” she said to David, “but I concluded from your phone message that there’s another reason for your visit.”

David took Bert and Spring’s last wills and testaments from his briefcase and handed them to Edna. “As you know, since you witnessed their signatures, Bert and Spring wrote these before they left here a month ago. Did they discuss the wills with you?”

Edna shook her head. “No. The Browns were in a hurry to leave and they asked The Crossroads’ cook and me to witness their signatures.”

“The contents certainly came as a surprise to us, so please read one of them. Bequests are the same in each will.”

David didn’t watch Edna as she read. He stood and looked out the window to the campus. Two adults monitored the activities of students playing basketball on an outdoor concrete court, while other children walked toward the dormitories. The buildings were plain, but the natural beauty was hard to surpass. The school compound was situated in a large alpine valley. High mountain ranges surrounded the valley, and yellow and reddish hues tinged the trees at the highest elevations.

Edna cleared her throat, and David returned to his seat. Summer sat quietly, a resigned expression on her face, hands clenched in her lap. She looked vulnerable and uneasy, making David wish he could shelter her from the fallout of their siblings’ requests.

Edna glanced at the papers again. “They made some highly irregular requests,” she said.

“That’s the way it appears to us, too,” David agreed. “Except for the children, it seems that Spring and Bert weren’t at liberty to make the requests they did.”

“No, of course not. Appointments to work at this school are made by our mission board. I’m really surprised, for it isn’t like Bert to make such an erroneous move.”

“We’ve figured out that Bert and Spring may have been worried about what would happen if they did die,” Summer said, “and they wrote these documents before they started on their trip. They probably thought they’d have plenty of time to discuss the provisions with us.”

“Assuming the mission board would appoint you to take over The Crossroads, what qualifications do you have to handle this work?”

“Perhaps we should make it plain, Miss Stollard,” Summer said, “that we aren’t interested in doing what Bert and Spring requested. We’re not suited to fill these positions, and they should have known it.”

David chuckled. “Summer does have a Master’s degree in Business Administration, but we’ve never worked with children. Both of us have jobs that are important to us, and frankly, we don’t want to disrupt our lifestyle.” He hesitated before he added, “And neither of us have the necessary spiritual qualities.”

“You aren’t like your brother and sister?” Edna questioned in her deep, calm voice.

David and Summer shook their heads emphatically.

“Not spiritually,” Summer said.

Edna glanced out the window. “Are you planning to spend the night here?”

Summer’s face blanched at the thought of negotiating that winding road after dark, but she didn’t want to stay here, either. The surroundings intimidated her and she wanted to leave. What had they accomplished by coming to North Carolina?

David looked at Summer for a decision, and she said, “What’s the purpose in staying? We aren’t interested in coming to The Crossroads even if the mission board would appoint us.”

“Miss Weaver,” Edna said, “something has to be done with the Browns’ belongings. The house belonged to them. It’s not part of the school property.” She looked at David. “Since you’re the executor, you’ll have to settle their affairs here.”

“I didn’t know they owned the house,” David said. “Did you?” he asked Summer.

“I’d forgotten about it, but I believe Daddy did buy the property and finance building the house. He wanted the kids to have a home of their own, rather than to live in a mission house as they had in Bolivia.”

“Wherever they got the money, the house and a half-acre lot belonged to Bert and Spring,” Edna said.

“It looks as if we will have to stay overnight,” Summer reluctantly agreed. “I don’t want to return to Asheville for the night and have to ride up that mountain again in the morning.”

“Our return plane reservations aren’t until day after tomorrow anyway.”

“Where are your homes?” Edna asked.

“I live in New York City,” Summer said. “David’s home is in Atlanta.”

“Then I can see why Mountain Glen doesn’t appeal to you,” Edna said, an amused expression on her face. “Let’s go to The Crossroads’ cafeteria and eat supper. Although Bert was the administrator over there, I’m supervisor of both schools. I’ve lived here in Mountain Glen for over forty years.”

Summer regarded the woman in amazement. How could anyone have survived forty years’ living in this secluded area and still radiate such serenity and optimism? In Edna’s character, she detected the same inner strength Bert and Spring had possessed. Whatever made them different, Summer knew it was something she lacked.

As they walked toward The Crossroads, David said lightly, “We wondered where the school got its name since there aren’t any roads to cross.”

“The name has nothing to do with the location. Bert chose the name because every teen attending this school comes with difficulties—a broken home, a police record, rejection and many other problems. At this point, they reach the crossroads of their lives, and they either profit by our instruction and trust God to help them live productive lives or they continue to go downhill.”

“What’s the percentage of success or failure?” David asked.

“The school has only been operating one year, so it’s rather soon to determine success or failure. The enrollment is limited to thirty on-campus students. We’ve had two boys who wouldn’t accept our strict rules, so they left. We count those as failures.”

The students were already seated at tables when the three adults entered the noisy dining hall, but talking ceased abruptly as curious eyes turned in their direction. More than curious, the residents seemed frightened as Edna said, “Let me have your attention a minute. We’ve got company—Summer Weaver and David Brown, relatives of Spring and Bert. They have some business to take care of here. I invited them to have dinner with you and to stay overnight.”

One boy lifted his hand. “You anything like Mr. Brown, sir?” he said to David. The boy’s face spread in a wide smile, but behind the smile lurked a hint of uneasiness. “We’re brothers,” David said easily, walking to the table and putting his hand on the boy’s shoulder, “but I’m not the great guy Bert was.”

“You gonna come here to stay? We’re afraid we’ll get somebody who won’t understand us like Mr. Brown did.”

“We’re just visiting today, but don’t worry. Miss Stollard will see that you get a good replacement for Bert.”

The boy shook his head. “Nobody could take his place.”

Edna directed them to the serving window, where she introduced the cook, Hallie Blackburn, and Anita Bailey, a student, who gave each of them a filled tray.

“You look like your sister,” Anita said to Summer. “She was neat and pretty, too.” She eyed Summer’s pink pants set. “I like your outfit.”

“Thank you,” Summer said, warming to the girl’s admiring glance. “Spring and I do…did,” she corrected herself with a pang in her heart, “look alike.”

They took their trays to a vacant table, where Edna bowed her head and gave thanks for the food. The tray contained a slice of ham, sweet potatoes, green beans, vegetable gelatin salad, two cookies and a carton of white milk. The food tasted good, but the servings were small, and Summer wondered if this was enough nourishment for teenage boys. None of the students seemed overweight. No doubt the school operated on a limited budget.

As they ate, Edna explained that Bert had been the administrator and the chaplain, and Spring had taught and helped in the office. Two retired couples served as supervisors of the dormitories. Two women and one man took care of the teaching. The older students did the cleaning and yard work.

“All of these positions are volunteer,” Edna said, “except for Bert and Spring who were paid a small salary. The cook is also paid, but otherwise, the staff comes on a six-month or one-year volunteer basis.”

“So there isn’t any continuity in the educational program,” David said.

“More than you might imagine,” Edna answered, “as long as we had a good administrator.”

It was almost dark when they left the dining hall, and Edna said, “Would you like to go to the Browns’ home now?”

Summer and David exchanged uncertain glances. Summer wasn’t sure she was ready for that, but the sooner they settled their business here, the sooner they could leave Mountain Glen and hopefully never return.

“Maybe we should,” Summer said.

With Edna in the lead, they walked along a narrow forest path with huge rhododendrons and evergreen trees making a canopy over them. Summer experienced claustrophobia again, and she pressed closer to David. He took her hand and held it until they came to a rustic cabin near the mountain’s edge. Before they went inside, Edna led them to the front of the cabin where they overlooked a spectacular view to the southwest. A smoky haze hung over range after range of mountains that seemed to extend into infinity. With the exception of a few lights sparkling in the distance, marking the existence of a town, the area appeared as it had before settlers reached the mountains.

“Bert and Spring wanted to bring up their children in this rural setting,” Edna said sadly, “but God had other plans for them.”

Two rustic rockers, with a table between them, stood on the porch. An unwashed coffee cup was on the table, just as Bert or Summer might have left it. Inside the house was further evidence that their loved ones didn’t know they were leaving home for the last time. A package of cookies lay on the table. Dishes had been washed and placed on a drying rack. Several large logs in the fireplace waited for a spark to ignite them.

The front half of the house contained a combination kitchen and living area. A narrow hall, with a bathroom at the end, divided the rear of the house into two bedrooms. One room held a double bed and a chest. The other room across the hall had twin beds. Stuffed animals were scattered on one bed, which Summer surmised was Nicole’s side of the room, for posters of dinosaurs and football players decorated the other corner. The wooden headboard was cluttered with a small collection of dinosaurs.

“One of you can stay here tonight, or we can offer two guest rooms in the dormitory,” Edna said.

Reluctantly, Summer agreed to spend the night in the house.

“David,” Edna said, “I’ll show you to a room in the boy’s building.”

“I’ll bring your suitcase from the car after I move in to my room,” David said, closely eyeing the pallor of Summer’s face.

She nodded, pulled out a chair from the table and sat down wearily. When he returned a short time later, Summer still sat at the kitchen table, a frightened look on her face.

“It’s so dark,” she complained. “And I can’t hear a sound.”

Sitting across from her, David answered with a note of levity in his voice, “That’s supposed to be one of the benefits of country living.”

“Perhaps so, but I’m not keen on country living. At the farm, we had several dusk-to-dawn security lights. It never got completely dark except on those times when the power was off, and even then, Mother always had lots of lamps and candles on hand.”

“I’ll exchange places with you if you like,” David volunteered, “but I think you’ll get more rest here. The dormitory walls are paper thin, and the boys are rather noisy. I figure I’ll want a little peace and quiet before morning.”

“I’ll be all right.” She got up and paced the floor for a few minutes, then she looked in the refrigerator and some of the cabinets, where there was a good supply of food. In spite of the wills they’d left behind, it was obvious that Bert and Spring had intended to come home again.

“You might as well come here for breakfast. There are tea bags in the cabinet and frozen juice and a loaf of bread in the freezer.” Her eyes flitted around the room. “David, what are we going to do with their things?”

David shook his head and surveyed the cabin’s furnishings. One wall cabinet contained mementos that Bert and Spring had brought from Bolivia. A small television was centered before the couch and a deep lounge chair. An open Bible lay on a desk. Had Bert and Spring sat at that desk when they’d written their wills?

“If I’m the executor of the will, I suppose I can make the decision of what to do with everything, but it won’t be an easy task.”

David hated to leave Summer alone, but he knew he should leave. In spite of his good intentions, he figured Edna wouldn’t approve if he spent the night in the house with Summer, even if Summer would allow it. He laid a tender hand on her shoulder.

“Try to sleep. I’ll be here early in the morning.”

When he stepped off the porch, Summer opened her mouth to ask him to stay longer, but she didn’t speak. She had to stop depending on David’s presence to calm her fears.

Summer showered in a thin stream of tepid water and changed into her nightgown and robe. She couldn’t bring herself to sleep in Spring’s bed. She picked up a blanket and went into the living room.

She laid the blanket on the couch, wandered around the room and picked up the Bible lying open on the desk. Several lines were highlighted, and she read aloud, “‘For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”’

The minister who’d preached their funerals had read the same passage, and Summer considered it a fitting epitaph for Bert and Spring. She turned the pages of the Bible wondering if it contained any words to guide her in the decisions she must make.

There were many underlined passages, and she paused at one verse marked in Psalm 144, “Happy is that people, whose God is the Lord.” Accepting someone as Lord meant He would be the ruler of your life. If she took that step, could she more willingly carry out her sister’s request?

Chapter Five

When David approached the cabin the next morning, Summer sat on the front porch wrapped in a blanket staring toward the distant mountains. Her face was unreadable, but he sensed the indecision and the fears she faced. If she moved to Mountain Glen with the children, would it make or break her? She looked so innocent, and he wondered what would happen to her if she chose The Crossroads.

David hadn’t slept much because he was fighting his own battles. He didn’t want to leave his job, although he felt duty-bound to do what his brother had requested, but only if Summer would partner with him. He believed there was a warm, vibrant person behind the quiet facade she exhibited. If he could be with her a few months, he was certain he would discover the personality she’d displayed when they’d spent the day at the amusement park.

Being in this isolated area, where his brother had chosen to serve the Lord, had caused David to realize how far he’d wandered from God and the spiritual values his parents had taught him. In addition to furthering his relationship with Summer, David longed to find the peace and security he’d once known when he came into God’s presence without guilt. He believed he could find it at The Crossroads. David hadn’t lived a bad life, but he remembered a Bible verse he’d memorized as a child. “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” So he’d erred, not by the sins he’d committed, but by what he hadn’t done.

David deliberately stepped on a twig, and when it snapped, Summer’s startled eyes turned in his direction. When she started to stand, the blanket wrapped around her legs and she stumbled. He vaulted up on the porch and took her hand.

Clasping the blanket around her shoulders, she said as she entered the cabin, “I’ll dress and then we can have breakfast. I have coffee ready. Help yourself.”

When she returned to the kitchen, David had poured cups of coffee and glasses of juice.

“I made some toast and found a jar of jelly in the cabinets. No butter,” he said.

She sat at the table and spread jelly on the slice of bread. “How’d you sleep?” David asked.

“Didn’t sleep at all! There were too many memories floating around in my head. I kept thinking about Spring and her family, and their association to this cabin. It’s still hard to accept she’s gone.”

“I know what you mean. After Bert left for college and then the mission field, we didn’t see much of each other, but we were good buddies when we were kids. We didn’t fight like a lot of brothers.”

A faraway gleam crept into Summer’s eyes, and she smiled weakly. “You’ve met my mother, so needless to say, there wasn’t any fighting in the Weaver household.”

After they finished eating, Summer took the dishes to the sink. “Let’s get started with whatever we need to do today. I hate indecision.”

David inclined his head cautiously. “I have a feeling we aren’t going to have all our problems settled when we leave here today.”

She hurriedly washed the dishes, while David dried them and put them in the cabinet.

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