Table of Contents

Cover Page

Excerpt

About the Author

Title Page

Epigraph

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Copyright

“Maybe God sent Adam Dalton for you, Mommy,”

little Heather said.

“No,” Angela responded with a soft laugh. “Mommy isn’t asking for a man in her life.”

“But you’ve been alone a long time. Wouldn’t you like somebody to keep you company?” the six-year-old persisted.

“I’m fine with just you and your brothers,” Angela told her small daughter. “Good night, sweetie.”

Angela closed Heather’s bedroom door and leaned against it. What would she do if someone like Adam Dalton entered her life now, threatening her newly found independence? She winced at the thought.

“Oh, Lord,” she whispered, half in humor and half in desperation, “please don’t send me another man…”

KATHRYN ALEXANDER

writes inspirational romance because, having been a Christian for many years, incorporating the element of faith in the Lord into a romantic story line seemed like a lovely and appropriate idea. After all, in a society where love for a lifetime is difficult to find, imagine discovering it, unexpectedly, as a gift sent from God.

Married to Kelly, her own personal love of a lifetime, Kathryn and her husband have one son, John, who is the proud owner of the family’s two house pests, Herbie the cat and Copper the dog.

Kathryn and her family have been members of their church for nearly five years, where she co-teaches a Sunday school class of active two-year-olds. She is now a stay-at-home mom who writes between car pooling, baby-sitting and applying bandages, when necessary.

A Wedding in the Family
Kathryn Alexander

www.millsandboon.co.uk

I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

—Psalm 121:1-2

To Mom, for her love and unending encouragement throughout the years, and to Grandma, for everything, always.

Chapter One

The ringing doorbell awakened Angela, more from its persistence than from its volume. She sat up on the sofa she had occupied almost from the moment she arrived home from work, and pushed her hair back from her forehead.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she called out with a cough to the unexpected visitor. The cold that had plagued her throughout much of the week had finally won the battle, forcing Angela to admit that she was sick and that, like it or not, she needed some rest.

The impatient ringing continued, even as she opened the front door.

“Yes, what is it?” she asked in a scratchy voice when she finally pulled open the heavy wooden door of her apartment.

“Mom?! Where were you?!” cried a little darkhaired girl who rushed immediately into Angela’s arms, burying her tearstained face in her mother’s soft sweatshirt.

“Heather? What’s the matter? What happened?” Angela quickly asked, looking from her six-year-old daughter into the frowning face of the tall, lean figure standing nearby. “What’s wrong with her? What did you do—”

“What I ‘did’ was bring her home safely to you.” His interruption was harsh, and his words spoken sharply. “I found her sitting on the curb in the dark outside the recreation center—all alone and crying. Is that your usual practice? To leave a little girl wondering if she’s going to have a ride home from her swimming lesson?”

“No, of course not,” Angela replied. “I couldn’t pick her up tonight because I’m sick, so I made arrangements—”

“Your ‘arrangements’ didn’t work out. No one showed up. I had just locked the office and was leaving for the night when I saw her sitting there, crying. Didn’t you notice it was getting late? Swimming lessons have been over for more than an hour. She should have been home long before this.” Eyes of gunmetal gray glared at her in bridled anger.

Who was this man who had delivered her child to her front door and now stood accusing her of negligence? Something about him seemed familiar.

“I was asleep…I’ve been sick—” Angela suddenly felt much sicker, realizing what might have happened to her daughter if this man hadn’t played the role of the Good Samaritan. And Eric—how could he forget to pick up his niece? She had asked him only hours earlier. “I did hear the phone ring a while ago, but I didn’t reach it in time. Maybe—”

“Don’t you own an answering machine?”

“Yes, but it’s broken. As of this morning.” When her son, David, had accidently knocked it off the microwave.

“Well, buy a new one. That call you missed was from Heather. I took her into my office to call you so she could tell you who was bringing her home. You know, it’s not a wise move to tell someone else’s kid to get into your vehicle so you can take them somewhere without the parent’s permission. I didn’t like the idea of the possible accusations you could bring against me if this whole thing ended in misunderstanding. If you’d had an answering machine on, she could have left a message—”

“Who are you, anyway?” Angela demanded between deep coughs, suddenly feeling defensive. “I don’t like the idea of my daughter getting into a car so willingly with a stranger.”

“Adam is not a stranger, Mom. He’s at swimming lessons every Thursday.”

That’s where she’d seen him. Once or twice when she’d picked up Heather after her class, this man had been there at the far end of the pool, talking with the children and watching their dives.

“I’m not a stranger to your daughter, Mrs. Sanders, but she really doesn’t know me well enough to have agreed to come with me as easily as she did. I think you need to discuss that with her. And if you and your husband can’t get your act together about transportation for her any better than you did tonight, then keep Heather home where she’s safe—not sitting alone at the center at 9:00 p.m.”

How could this woman have been so careless? Adam wondered as he stood looking at Angela. She certainly appeared to be the loving, motherly type.

“Her uncle should have picked her up. I’ll get in touch with him tonight to find out what happened.” She offered her remark quietly, humiliated and frightened to think that this had happened, that Heather had been in such a potentially dangerous predicament, that this man she didn’t really know had lashed out at her so contemptuously, so angrily…and so accurately. “Thank you, very much, for bringing her home, Mr….”

“Dalton. Adam Dalton. I’m the director at the center.”

Angela coughed again. “Well, thank you, Mr. Dalton. I’ve been ill this week, and I was asleep when you arrived, so I had no idea of the time. Hours could have passed before I realized that my brother hadn’t brought Heather home. If you hadn’t been there to help…” She stopped abruptly, gripped with the thought of some stranger taking her little girl away. Her eyes burned with tears and her congested head seemed to pound with the beginnings of a furious headache.

“You’re welcome, Mrs. Sanders. And I hope I never need to help you in this manner again,” he stated briskly, the chill in his voice not warming one bit. Then he turned to leave.

“Goodbye, Adam. Thanks for rescuing me,” Heather stated rather matter-of-factly, bringing the hint of a smile to Adam’s face as he looked and winked.

“See ya next week,” he said as he left.

“He did save you from a dangerous situation,” Angela commented, giving her child a fierce hug and ushering her inside the apartment. Angela locked the front door securely, suddenly very conscious of safety. “But we really need to thank the Lord, too. I pray for your safety every day, and I’m so grateful to Him for watching over you.” Angela walked into the kitchen and picked up the telephone receiver to dial her younger brother’s number. She wondered when she’d have time to buy a new answering machine to replace the broken one on the counter by her elbow. Maybe after school tomorrow.

“Do you pray for the boys, too?” Heather asked.

“Absolutely. You’ve prayed with me enough to know that I do.” Angela listened to the rings, waiting for Eric or Hope to pick up.

“Did you pray for Daddy?” came Heather’s next question.

Angela looked into the crystal-blue eyes of her inquisitive daughter, wondering how to give the complicated answer to such a simple question. Then the doorbell rang again. And again.

“Angela?” a voice called.

“It’s Uncle Eric,” Heather said, and rushed to open the front door.

“Heather! I’m so glad you’re home! What happened? Who picked you up?” Eric was inside the door, hugging his niece.

“What happened to you?” Angela asked. “How could you forget to—”

“I didn’t forget her,” Eric explained quickly. “I got stuck in traffic. A semi overturned causing a chemical spill on the highway, and they wouldn’t let anyone through. Finally, they rerouted us, and I went straight to the center—but Heather was already gone. Did you pick her up?”

“No, Adam Dalton brought her home. He works at the center, and he found her waiting alone on the curb.”

“I’m sorry, Angela, but there was nothing I could do—”

“It’s all right,” she assured between coughs. “Heather’s home. She’s fine.” Angela pulled a cough drop from the pocket of her sweatpants and popped it into her mouth. “I’m just so thankful Mr. Dalton cared enough to see that she made it home safely.”

“Adam is nice, Mom,” Heather commented.

“I’m sure he is, hon,” Angela remarked. Although he had certainly not exhibited that quality toward herself, she had glimpsed it when he’d said “goodbye” to her daughter.

“Well, again, I’m sorry, Angela. Hope and the girls are waiting in the car, and I want to get back out there to tell them Heather is okay. Hope is so upset with me for running late, you’d think I caused that chemical spill myself.”

“Can’t Cassie and Carrie come in for a while?” Heather asked.

“Your cousins will probably catch my cold if they do,” Angela said.

“Are you still feeling so sick? I talked to Mom and Dad, and they said they’re keeping the boys tonight so you could rest. I could take Heather home with me—”

“No, thanks. We’ll be fine here together.” Angela slipped an arm around her daughter and pulled her close. After this evening, she wasn’t certain she’d ever let Heather out of her sight again. At least, not until the girl turned thirty. “We’ll see you later.”

“Okay, good night,” he called as he left. And Angela, once again, locked the front door.

“Time for bed, sweetheart,” Angela said. “Go get into your pajamas.”

“But what about my bath?”

“It’s late, and I feel awful. Let’s skip the bath tonight.”

Within minutes, Angela and Heather were kneeling beside Heather’s bed with the colorful butterflydesign bedspread.

“We really need to thank the Lord for taking care of you tonight.”

Heather nodded. “‘When I am afraid, I will trust in you,’” she quoted. “Psalm 56:3. That’s my memory verse for Sunday School this week.”

Angela smiled, then sneezed. She grabbed a tissue from the flower-printed box at the side of the bed. “You trusted Him, and He did take care of you.”

“Yes. I prayed for God to send someone—someone I knew, not a stranger—to take me home. And he sent Adam.”

“Yes, He did,” Angela agreed, then added, “So, let’s thank Him for that.”

After several minutes of prayer, Heather climbed between the sheets and pulled her bedspread up to her chin.

Angela kissed her daughter’s forehead and turned to leave. “See you in the morning, sweetheart.”

“Mom?”

“Yes, hon?”

“You didn’t answer my question about Dad. Did you pray for him?”

Angela sighed. Sometimes the truth hurt. “I did in the beginning, Heather. A lot But towards the end…after he left, no, I guess I didn’t. At least, not much. And I regret that.”

“Do you think he is in heaven?”

“If he asked the Lord to forgive him for his sins, then he’s in heaven.”

“Sylvia, too?”

Sylvia. A woman Angela had every reason to hate, but never found it in her heart to do so. “Yes. God forgives everyone who wants His forgiveness.”

“Even if they didn’t want it until the last thing before they died?” At the sight of Heather’s doubting frown, her mother gave a smile of attempted comfort.

“Yes, even if it was the last thing they ever asked for, God wouldn’t say ‘no.’” She walked back over to Heather’s bed, leaned down and gave the girl another kiss—cold germs and all—on the forehead. “Don’t worry about Dad. He wouldn’t want you to do that. Now, try to get some sleep.”

“Mom?”

“Hmm?”

“Maybe God wasn’t just taking care of me tonight Maybe He sent Adam for you, too.”

“No,” she responded somewhere between a soft laugh and a cough. “God sent Adam Dalton for you. Mommy isn’t asking for a man in her life.”

“But you’ve been alone a long time. Wouldn’t you like to have somebody?”

“I’m fine here with you and your brothers. I do not need any more than that,” she stated emphatically. “Good night, Heather.”

Angela closed the door and leaned against it momentarily. “Oh, Lord, please don’t send me another man,” she whispered, half in humor and half in desperation. What would she do if someone like Adam Dalton entered her life now, threatening her newly found independence? She winced at the thought.

She had, only months earlier, received one of the surprises of a lifetime. Freedom. After nearly twelve years of a troubled marriage, her husband had finally chosen his alcoholic’s life-style over a future with her, and he had found someone named Sylvia to share it with him. So Angela was free. Suddenly and unexpectedly.

And she had been the one with the unpleasant task of explaining it all to the children: Nathan, 12, David, 10 and Heather, 6. Little did she know that her discussion with them concerning the divorce would be easy compared to the news she would have to deliver several weeks later. News that their father was gone—forever. A car accident had claimed the lives of both Dan Sanders and his girlfriend, Sylvia.

Angela thought briefly of how she had openly wept at Dan’s funeral. Several people had commented in surprise that after all that had happened she still loved Dan enough to cry for him. But she didn’t. She just loved her kids, and they had lost their dad. And those three sad faces broke Angela’s heart—more completely than all those difficult years with Dan had ever done.

She walked into the small kitchen area and opened the cabinet over the sink in search of cold medicine. She wanted to be able to work tomorrow—Friday. There was so much to do in her new job as principal, and she needed to be there—sick or not. She swallowed the medication and drank a large glass of water to get rid of the taste. Then she headed for her own bedroom.

Tomorrow would be a better day, she hoped. And, whatever happened, at least she wouldn’t have to answer to an angry Adam Dalton about it.

Chapter Two

“So you came to the Open House. Heather said you might,” a vaguely familiar voice commented. Angela stood up from adjusting her shoe to come face-to-face with Adam Dalton for the second time in one week. Only, this time he looked much friendlier—more like the man she remembered from the pool.

“Hello, Mr. Dalton,” she responded. “My kids wanted me to attend this function tonight. They enjoy the recreation center very much. And they have friends here they wanted to see.” She had been aware of the inevitability of running into him here, but she hadn’t thought he would look quite this appealing. Dark brown slacks, cream-colored shirt and a tie swirled with coordinating colors—all suited him well. As did the smile he offered, in place of the glare she remembered.

“Please, call me ‘Adam,’” he said quietly. “I’m glad you’re here. I owe you an apology.”

“No, you don’t You helped Heather out of what could have been a serious situation, and I appreciate that. I’m sorry if I was rude when you brought her home.”

“No, really, you weren’t. I was. I would never have made such a harsh remark about you and your husband…if I had realized the situation. I apologize for my comment.” He had regretted his thoughtless statement from the moment that he had learned of Angela’s recent loss.

Angela knew that he felt badly about his sharp words. She could see it in his eyes. “Apology accepted,” she said. “No harm done.”

“Good,” he replied, as a seriousness darkened his expression. “I didn’t know then that Heather’s father had died.”

“Yes, well, I suppose it’s unlikely you would have known. Heather doesn’t talk much about her dad.”

Adam nodded, and they stood in awkward silence for a moment. “I’m sure it’s been difficult”

“It’s been very hard on the kids. They were still trying to adjust to the idea of a divorce when Dan was killed, so it’s not been easy.”

“I didn’t realize you were divorced.”

“We were in the process…which gives me a rather unusual status. I’m not quite divorced, but I’m not really a widow, either. I haven’t figured it all out yet.”

One corner of Adam’s mouth curved upward in a brief acknowledging smile. “I’ve been in situations I haven’t been able to figure out, too. It’s not a comfortable place to be.”

“No, it’s not,” she agreed with a small smile. “So, maybe we should change the subject. Can you tell me about swimming lessons? How is Heather doing?”

“Well, she’s doing fine—basically—but I’m concerned about her not moving up to the next class.”

“She’s been stuck at this level too long, hasn’t she?”

Adam shrugged. “I don’t have a problem with children repeating lessons. That’s necessary sometimes. But Heather really needs only one thing more before she can move on.”

Angela nodded. “The dive.”

“Exactly,” Adam agreed. “She needs to go off the board into twelve feet of water. There will be an instructor in the pool waiting for her, but she just doesn’t want to do it.”

“That’s odd. She hasn’t said anything about it this time. During the summer session she was very anxious about that part. Then she decided she wasn’t ready to dive and just didn’t do it. I told her that was fine…to wait until she felt ready,” Angela explained and glanced around the reception area until she glimpsed her daughter.

“And it’s basically the same situation this fall,” said Adam. “I know she can do this. I think even she knows she can, too…but she won’t. And she’ll only get another certificate of participation instead of the certificate of completion she needs to go on. If she repeats this level again, she’ll be the oldest kid in the group, and I’m worried about what that will do to her self-esteem, Mrs. Sanders—”

“My name is Angela,” she corrected. “And I’ll speak to Heather about it again and encourage her, but I won’t tell her she has to dive. The whole learning-to-swim issue has been difficult enough.”

“She didn’t want to learn?” Adam asked.

“Not really. We finally talked her into it, but she was very ‘iffy’ about the idea.”

“Are you afraid of water, Angela?”

“No, I wouldn’t say I’m afraid of it, but I’m not a swimmer either, so I have a healthy respect for it.”

Adam smiled and looked over at some children playing by the front door. “So that’s where Heather’s fear comes from.” Then his gaze returned to Angela’s face. This woman didn’t look as if she’d be afraid of anything. No, she seemed determined, set in her ways possibly. And she looked far more attractive in this stylish green suit than she had in a sweat suit.

“As a parent, I’d prefer to be thought of in some way other than the source of my child’s fears,” Angela stated bluntly. She looked straight into the charcoal-gray eyes that seemed to be amused by her—although his grin had faded.

“I wasn’t being critical. Just logical. Lots of kids’ insecurities can be traced back to the things their mothers are afraid of.”

“Or fathers, I would assume?” she added.

“Or fathers,” he agreed. “I stand corrected.” He knew they needed a change in conversation. “So, have you and your children used the rec center much over the years?” he asked, sliding one hand into the pocket of his dark slacks. “I’ve only been here about a year. I’m not really familiar with who the longstanding members are.”

“Heather has taken a number of classes here. My two sons also come occasionally.”

“Two? I thought Nathan was Heather’s only brother. I remember him from the summer session. He took karate, didn’t he?”

“Yes, and there’s David, too. He’s more into studying than anything right now. He wants to earn a college scholarship so he can go to law school and make a lot of money like his Uncle Rob used to do.”

“Used to do? Why? What happened to Uncle Rob?” Adam asked in sudden curiosity.

“He left the legal profession to enter the ministry.” Angela smiled. “I’ve never seen him happier.”

“The change agrees with him that much?”

“It probably feels good to stop running from God. He spent about a decade doing that. And it also helps that he now has the wife of his dreams and twins on the way.”

“The twins may be a bigger adjustment than the loss of income was,” Adam remarked, his eyes twinkling.

“Rob’s always been good with kids. Mine, especially. He’ll do fine.”

Adam nodded. “When it comes to dealing with children, you’re either good at it or you’re not. There’s not much gray area there, in my opinion. At least, that’s been my experience over the years—both at work and in real life.”

Angela was curious about his comment, but didn’t want to pry. “You work around kids here all day long. You must be very good with them.”

“Not having any of my own probably makes it easier to be with them so much here at the center.”

“You don’t have any of your own?” Angela repeated, surprised. He certainly looked like the family type.

Adam didn’t answer immediately, which puzzled Angela.

“No,” he said after a moment’s hesitation. “The only family I have is my brother, his wife and their daughter.” Abruptly, he looked toward the refreshment table. “Could I get you some coffee?”

“I’d like that,” she responded, and watched him leave to get their drinks. She glanced around the room to check on Heather, Nathan and David, all of whom she caught sight of over by the bleachers talking with friends.

Then Adam returned. She smiled as she accepted the foam cup. “Thanks.”

“It’s black. I didn’t know—”

“That’s fine…really,” she answered a little nervously. She would never have guessed that it would be so awkward—and yet so pleasant—to share a conversation with this man. She almost wished that it wasn’t pleasant.

“So…what do you think about Heather?” Adam continued, obviously not intending to return to the subject of his life. “Would you be willing to talk to her about going off the board? This session ends in mid-November. That’s not a lot of time.”

“I’ll discuss it with her. I’d like to see her advance in the series.”

“She could probably be on the swim team if she wanted to try,” Adam added.

Angela shook her head. “I don’t think she’d do that. She’s not as competitive as her brothers. Team sports haven’t interested her at all.”

“It was just a thought. You know, if you could come to a lesson or two and watch her, it might be just the encouragement she needs.”

“I’ll try. It’s difficult sometimes with my schedule to do little things like that, although I know it would mean a lot to her.” A familiar pang of guilt tugged at Angela. How would she ever have the time to do all the little things that would mean a lot to her kids?

“Where do you work?”

“I’m principal of a private Christian school on the west side of town. This is my first year at it, and I spend too much time there. I taught for so many years and now that seems almost easy compared to this job.”

“I was a teacher, too,” Adam remarked, watching some other parents and visitors enter the lobby. “Algebra…geometry…”

“Math? I’m envious. That was never my strong point. I taught primary grades. First grade for several years, then second for five more before I moved into administration.” She shivered slightly, appreciating the warmth of the cup in her hands. The cool night air of autumn blew in through the center’s heavy front doors that opened and closed as visitors came and went.

“There.” Adam, obviously noticing her shiver, pointed to an empty space near the drinking fountain. “You’ll be warmer over by that wall.”

When she turned to move, he cupped her elbow with his hand directing her to the spot that he had indicated. Angela was suddenly aware—too aware—of his momentary touch and it startled her.

“So we both left teaching for administrative jobs,” Adam remarked, taking a drink of his coffee. “Any regrets?”

“Regrets?” Angela thought for a moment. “I guess I have about a thousand of them, but none have to do with leaving teaching. I needed to make a change, and I needed more income, so…it’s a challenge, but one I enjoy.”

He nodded in recognition of her answer. “Me, too,” he agreed. “Teaching was great for a while, but I was ready to do something different. Then this job at the center came up. It seemed like the perfect solution.“

“Is it?” she asked.

“For now,” Adam responded. She saw him surveying the lobby, now filled with all age groups—from preschoolers to some senior citizens. “I suppose I should be mingling with the visitors, although that’s my least favorite part of this job.”

“Adam!” They both turned at the sudden sound of his name.

“Adam,” a young woman at his elbow repeated emphatically. “There are other people here you should meet,” she insisted with her brow creased in disapproval.

She was a beautiful young woman, Angela noticed, no more than college age, she estimated—at least a decade younger than Angela or Adam. She had gorgeous curly black hair and wore a short navy blue skirt and a sweater of deep red.

Adam nodded in acknowledgment. “Excuse me,” he said to Angela. “That’s my assistant.”

“Your assistant?” she commented quietly, offering a wry smile.

Adam frowned and glanced again at the woman who was already slipping back into the crowd of visitors. Then he returned his gaze to Angela. “Yes, well…” he began as an easy smile played at the corners of his mouth. “She’s very—”

“Young?” Angela finished.

And Adam chuckled quietly, tiny laugh lines crinkling around his eyes. “Yes, so she is. However, she’s also right. I should be mingling with the crowd since I’m the director.”

“True,” Angela said politely, and nodded toward the attractive associate. “You’d better go to…”

“Tiffany,” Adam responded, his gray eyes flashing with humor and a mischievous grin curving his mouth. He paused. “Actually, Tiffany is my brother’s stepdaughter. So…she’s my niece…”

”…sort of?” Angela offered.

Adam shook his head. “She’s as intelligent as she is attractive. And she’s engaged to the coach of the swim team.”

Engaged. Angela wondered how that felt. The thought made her feel even older than the lovely, raven-haired niece had managed to do. Engaged was an experience she’d never known. First, she’d been a college kid, living in a dorm. Then she was married and a mother—almost overnight, it seemed. And now, at 32, a parent of three—and widowed. Or almost divorced. Or whatever. Where had the years gone?

“Oh, to be young again,” she said more wistfully than she’d intended. She looked from Tiffany to Adam’s suddenly serious expression.

“Youth isn’t everything,” he remarked, seeming to sense the trace of heartache in her tone. “There’s a lot to be said for the wisdom that comes with the years.”

“Let’s hope so,” she replied. “I’d like to think something gets better with time.” She raised her cup. “Thanks for the coffee.”

He nodded. “You’re welcome. Are you free this Thursday to come to Heather’s lesson?”

“I’ll check my schedule,” she answered and then nervously cleared her throat. Suddenly she felt the need to find some conflict on her calendar. She’d seen enough of Adam Dalton for one week. The very last thing she needed was interest—however remote—in a man. Even if he did have the warmest eyes she’d ever seen.

“I’ve enjoyed talking with you,” he commented quietly. “Very much.”

The first part was an obligatory remark, Angela knew. The last part was not. She nodded her head slightly before acknowledging. “Me, too.”

“Maybe I’ll see you Thursday,” he said before excusing himself to join Tiffany and fulfill his role as the director.

Angela drank the last of her coffee, dropped the empty cup into the trash receptacle beside the door, and went in search of her children.

Heather saw her mother approaching and came to meet her. “We’ve been having fun, Mom. The boys are over here talking about video games.” She clasped Angela’s hand and led her to where Nathan and David sat, eating popcorn and talking with other youngsters.

“Time to go, gang. We’ve got things to do,” she announced. After some stalling, her children had found their jackets, said goodbye to friends and were on their way out the front door.

Against her better judgment, Angela did not resist glancing back into the thinning crowd to the spot where she’d last seen Adam speaking with an older gentleman. And he stood there still, listening to whatever the man was saying. But, to Angela’s surprise, his gaze returned to her at that moment

She wasn’t sure who smiled first, but she hoped it was him. Otherwise, she was openly flirting, and she hadn’t meant to do that. What would come next? she wondered miserably. She saw Adam give a slight nod of farewell before she returned her attention to the matter at hand—getting three children home.

Later that evening, all homework done, prayers said and children asleep, Angela finally sank into the comfort of her own bed. And that’s when her thoughts returned to Adam just as surely as his gaze had returned to hers when she was leaving the center.

“Lord, I’m too old for a silly schoolgirl crush and too new at this sort of thing to know how I should feel. I’m not ready for an Adam Dalton in my life. Let someone else have him.” She murmured the words before the sleep she needed finally came.

But Adam was not quite as quick to turn his back on new feelings. It had been such a long time since he’d felt this pang of interest in anyone, and he was relieved to know that he was still capable of it. Angela Sanders. She was pretty, independent, strong but still a little unsure of herself at times. And her eyes…Adam poured himself a cup of decaf and walked toward the window, where he stood staring out at the few stars shining in the September darkness. Those eyes of light blue were filled with a tenderness he’d not seen before tonight. Intelligence, humor, vulnerability, caution—all that and more lay in those depths, he felt certain. Suddenly, Adam wanted to know all the thoughts behind those eyes and the soft angular lines of Angela’s lovely face.

It had actually been difficult to walk away from her this evening. There was a sense of familiarity with her that far exceeded any earned by their brief and unpleasant encounter the night he’d taken Heather home. It was more than that, more than anything he could explain. He wondered, for the first time in years…if he made the effort to get to know this woman better…if he gained her trust, however long it took…would she be willing to accept him for what he was—just the way the Lord had done years earlier?

Chapter Three

Thursday came quickly. As the afternoon hours advanced to evening, Angela weighed her excuses to miss Heather’s swimming lessons—and avoid Adam Dalton—against her daughter’s need for support and encouragement.

“Oh, all right, I give up.” She spoke aloud to herself as she gathered up her coat and purse and shut off the lights in her office. “I’ll go. I dread seeing Adam Dalton, but Heather needs me. I’ll go.”

And Heather was delighted. After eating a quick dinner at the children’s favorite fast-food restaurant, Angela dropped the boys and their homework at her parents’ house. Then she and Heather headed for the recreation center.

Soon Heather had changed into her hot-pink swimsuit, and Angela had looked over her own dusty pink skirt and jacket and ivory blouse in the mirror in the women’s locker room. They looked a little wrinkled and weary from the day—both she and the clothes, Angela mused. But maybe that was a good thing. She didn’t need any further interest from Adam Dalton, and he surely wouldn’t take notice of her—not looking like this. And not with all the young female employees in and out of the center daily. And maybe he hadn’t had any interest in her in the first place. Maybe it had all just been her imagination. But still, the way he had looked back at her as she was leaving the Open House that night…

“Mom! Let’s go!” Heather exclaimed, cutting into her mother’s thoughts. She draped a towel around her bare shoulders.

They hurried to the pool area, and Heather quickly joined her group of a dozen or so boys and girls at the shallow end. Angela turned to take a seat in the nearby bleachers to watch the two young women who were coordinating the class as they began working with the children.

Angela glanced around briefly and saw no sign of Adam. That was good, she thought. Easy. Simple. And she must have been wrong about his interest in her. After all, he hadn’t said that he would definitely be here on Thursday for Heather’s lesson. She’d assumed more than she should have and, she thought with a sigh, it certainly hadn’t been the first time in life she’d made that mistake.

Angela leaned back against the bleachers and enjoyed her daughter’s antics in the water. Heather was swimming very well, just as Angela knew her girl could do—if she wanted to. But getting Heather to “want to” had been the struggle all along. Angela waved when Heather looked up a couple of times for Mom’s approval. It certainly appeared to Angela that Heather was more than ready to move on to the higher level with the rest of her class. She followed every request of either instructor without problem or hesitation.

The door opened at the side of the pool, and Angela looked over her shoulder to find Adam walking toward her. He smiled before he spoke.

“I’m glad you could come. You’ve been watching her?” He sat down beside Angela.

“Yes. She seems to be doing everything they ask,” Angela remarked, turning her attention to her little girl.

Adam nodded his head. “She can do everything needed to complete this level—including the dive. But she needs more confidence…maybe some more encouragement.”

Angela agreed. “I’ll talk to her again, but I won’t force her to dive. She has to want to do it herself.”

“Fair enough,” Adam commented. “But maybe if she believed in her abilities a little more strongly, she would want to try.”

“Maybe. You did say someone would be there in the water waiting for her, right?” Angela asked.

“Yes, there’s nothing to be afraid of,” he assured her.

“Maybe she needs to trust her instructors more. I’ll ask her. Maybe that’s what’s holding her back.”

“Maybe you’re right. Could be she doesn’t have enough confidence in the instructors.”

Angela smiled. Heather was too much like her. “Trusting people doesn’t come easily to her.”

“Did she learn that from her mother, too?” Adam asked quietly, the warmth in his eyes never wavering. A warmth she’d never seen in Dan’s gaze.

But Angela looked away without answering. Uneasiness settled over her. It had been a long time since she’d really trusted anyone except family members. And she hadn’t planned to allow herself to be in such a vulnerable position again. Ever.

“Mom!” Heather climbed out of the pool and reached for her towel.

“Hi, hon!” Angela waved. “I’ll be right there.” She glanced back at Adam to say goodbye, only to find him looking over at her daughter.

“Good job, Heather.” He stood up, walking with Angela around to the other side of the pool where Heather was drying her face and hair with a beach towel. “Would you and your mom like to go out for some ice cream?” Adam asked the young swimmer.

Heather’s face lit up, just as Angela frowned.

“That would be great!” the child responded. “Can we, Mom? It’s not very late and I don’t have any homework to do when we get home.”

Angela looked from Heather’s bright eyes to Adam, who stood studying her thoughtfully.

“Think you can trust me enough for that?” he inquired with a half smile. He was not at all certain she’d agree.

“Do I have a choice?” she countered as Heather wrapped her arms tightly around Angela’s waist.

“Can we, Mom? Please?”

“I guess we could go for a little while,” Angela replied. She regarded Adam’s expression of satisfaction with irritation. “You cheated.”

“Next time, I won’t need to,” he responded, and reached for Heather’s hand as they headed toward the door. “I want to lock up my office. When Heather is changed, meet me at the front door.”

“See you in a minute,” Heather said, pulling free from Adam’s grasp and running into the locker room.

“All right?” He tilted his head to the side, awaiting Angela’s reply.

She nodded. “See you in a minute,” she echoed her daughter’s comment. “Ready or not.”

“I’ll be ready,” he responded, then disappeared through the door to his office.

But would she ever be ready to have another man in her life after living through twelve years of the mistake she’d made in marrying Dan Sanders? Was her judgment of men good enough that she’d ever take another chance with one? “No,” she reminded herself, “no, no, no.” She wouldn’t risk making the same error again, wouldn’t even come close to it…or to any man who might interest her enough to threaten her freedom. No one could be worth that Not even this guy.

Heather dried her hair quickly and changed into her jeans and a T-shirt. “Mom, I’m ready. Let’s go!” she said, motioning Angela toward the door. “Adam’s waiting.”

“Yes, he is,” Angela sighed, and they headed for the lobby.

“Mint chocolate chip.” Heather gave her order to Adam. “Two scoops. It’s my favorite.”

“And what is your mom’s favorite?” Adam asked Heather, but looked over at Angela for a reply.

“A small chocolate milk shake would be great,” Angela said immediately, hoping to squelch Heather’s probable response.

“But Mom, you always have that big caramel sundae with the peanuts and all that whipped cr—” Angela’s hand moved deftly to cover her daughter’s open mouth—a move it had made numerous times in six years. She caught the smile of amusement on Adam’s face. Angela had eaten only one sundae like that in the past six months, but Heather made it sound as though it was a part of her daily diet. She started to explain, but suddenly it was their turn at the counter.

“Mint chocolate chip, double-scoop cone and two large caramel sundaes with nuts and whipped cream,” Adam requested.

“The milk shake would have been fine,” she said, and released her hold on her child.

Adam’s laugh was gentle. “There’s no need to settle for ‘fine.’ This will be better.”

“That’s true,” she admitted, her mouth curving into a reluctant smile. Oh, well, she knew she’d never have a figure like Tiffany’s. Not even if she gave up eating altogether.

Soon they were seated at a table, enjoying the desserts. Conversation flowed between Adam and Angela, more easily than it had at the Open House. They discussed some activities at the center, and Angela’s job as principal. Heather added some thoughts of her own along the way. Then the youngster had a serious question for Adam.

“Are you a Christian?” They were the blunt words of a six-year-old.

Angela cringed. She would have asked him, too, but not quite so openly or loudly.

“Yes,” Adam answered easily, “I go to First Church on Third Avenue.”

“That’s where my sister-in-law attended before she and Rob moved away,” Angela said, suddenly distracted from Heather’s tactlessness.

“Lots of people go to church,” Heather continued. “But I mean are you really a Christian?”

“Yes, I accepted Christ into my heart over seven years ago,” he explained to Heather before turning his attention back to Angela. “You mean Rob, the lawyer turned minister? His wife?”

“Yes, Micah Granston. Shepherd was her last name before she married my brother. Do you remember her? She had very long reddish hair then. It’s much shorter now. She’s a teacher and an artist.”

“I’ve only been going there since I moved to this area about a year and a half ago. She may have left before I joined that church. How long have they been married?”

“About two years. A little more than that, actually,” Angela said. “So she would have been gone by the time you started there. But she always liked that church.”

“I do, too. It’s just what I was looking for,” Adam added. “Where do you attend?”

“Mount Pleasant on Oakwood Avenue,” Heather answered for her mother. “We’re Christians, too, you know.”

“I know,” he answered.

“How?” Heather asked, a frown scrunching up her freckled face. “How could you know without asking?”

“I guess…,” he began, “it’s just something I sensed.” His eyes rose to meet Angela’s and, for a long moment, held them. She couldn’t remember a look feeling any more intense than the heart-stopping gaze she now shared with Adam. Did he feel it, too?

But interruption came swiftly. Heather had more ground to cover. “My brothers are Christians, too, and Grandma and Grandpa, and so are Uncle Rob and Aunt Micah and Uncle Eric and—”

“I think he gets the picture, hon,” Angela interjected before glancing back at her daughter. “Heather may become the next preacher in the family.”

“She’d be good at it,” Adam said. “She could have a lot of converts under her direct style of witnessing.”

“Right, she’ll either have a lot or know the reason why not,” Angela replied with a laugh. She allowed herself to study Adam’s face. Touches of humor lingered around his mouth and eyes, but something about the set of his jaw made him, at times, she thought, look rather stubborn.

“Are your mother and father Christians, too?” Heather continued her quest for knowledge. She had inherited that quality from her grandfather, the snoopy one in the family, Angela thought with relief. There’s at least one flaw she hadn’t directly inflicted on her offspring. It was one generation removed.

“No, my parents weren’t saved. They weren’t interested in religion of any kind,” Adam stated. “In fact, I can’t remember being in a church with them for anything other than a wedding or two.” He glanced at Heather’s suddenly startled expression.

“Wow!” she exclaimed. “That must have felt weird. I mean, what did you do on Sunday mornings and Sunday nights?”

“We slept late in the mornings, and on Sunday evenings we…probably watched a lot of television if it was bad weather, and played outdoors if it was nice. It seems like such a long time ago,” he added.

Living under their parents’ roof had happened a long time ago for both of them, Angela thought His eyes met hers again with a contemplative look, and she wondered about the thoughts behind it.

“And they still don’t go to church?” Heather persisted.

Adam shook his head without looking away from Angela’s steady blue gaze. “They’ve both died. My father had a heart attack when he was only fifty-four.”

“So young?” Angela asked.

“That’s not young,” Heather informed them. “Mom, you know Grandpa is fifty-four!”

Adam and Angela both laughed a little. Then Adam offered, “I guess it depends on your perspective.”

Their perspectives both came from the thirty-something bracket. Angela guessed probably thirty-four or thirty-five for Adam as she glanced at his dark blond hair, cut short and tapered neatly to the collar of his plaid shirt. She particularly liked the crinkly laugh lines at the corners of his eyes when he smiled. That gave him a friendly, appealing look that Angela was certain she wasn’t the first female to notice.

She realized Adam was assessing her, too, from across the table, and wished for a moment that she could read his mind. Then she decided that it was probably better that she couldn’t. She might be disappointed. However, in the smokey gray of his eyes, she saw what she was sure was a gleam of interest.

Eventually they finished their ice cream and made the short walk to Adam’s silver pickup truck for the ride back to the center. Heather climbed into the middle of the front seat; Angela joined her on the passenger side, and Adam shut the door. Then he drove back to the large parking lot where he pulled the truck up next to Angela’s very used, dark green van. The wear and tear of three kids and their friends over the years had a way of aging anything. Including moms.

Heather hopped from the truck to her seat in the van, and Angela and Adam walked across to the driver’s door.

“How was your ice cream?” he asked as they lingered a moment.

“Never better,” she answered honestly. And it had little to do with the caramel or the peanuts, she thought.

“My thoughts exactly.” Adam smiled, but a sudden seriousness stole over his expression. Angela lowered her eyes to look at his hand where it rested on the door handle. But the door remained closed. “Will you go to dinner with me sometime? We’ll take the kids with us.”

“I don’t know, Adam,” she said cautiously. “It’s been a long time…I’m not very good at this sort of thing.” She didn’t glance up. She didn’t need the encouragement of a tender look.

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I think you handled that sundae about as well as any other woman I’ve been out with in the last few years.” He opened her door, and she got into the driver’s seat—which, she thought ironically, was exactly where she was in the relationship. It could go forward…or die right here and now in this parking lot. It was her call.

“Your kids can even pick the restaurant,” he offered, “as long as it’s something other than fast food.”

Sure, Angela argued with herself, she liked him, but she could be wrong about him the same as she’d been wrong about Dan. She didn’t want another “unhappily ever after” relationship. Solitude—even loneliness—sounded better than that. But turning him down now might make him more determined to win her over. Maybe she could make a date with him to show him how wrong it could be for them. What could she invite him to do that would discourage any interest that had been kindled? Then she remembered the church cookout.

“Why don’t you go to dinner with us?” she asked with a smile. “There’s a church cookout a week from Saturday that starts in the afternoon and lasts until dark. The kids and I are going. So are Mom and Dad. It’s for the church family and their guests.” Most of whom Adam couldn’t know—certainly a daunting enough invitation for a man.

Adam looked away from her for a moment Then he looked back into her eyes. “What time should I pick you up?”

Angela blinked. She hadn’t even thought that far ahead. “I guess…around three…would be good.”

The door to the van closed securely. “I’ll see you then,” he stated. “Be careful driving home. ‘Bye, Heather.” He paused. “Angela, I’m glad you went with me tonight. I know this is…awkward for you.”

She nodded and smiled. He understood her better than she wanted him to. Then she said good-night, and drove away, exhaling a deep sigh.

“What’s wrong, Mom? Didn’t you have a good time?” Heather asked.

Angela felt her daughter studying her frowning profile. “I don’t know enough about Adam Dalton to have as good a time with him as I did.”

“How can you ever get to know him if you don’t spend time with him? He’s a really nice man. You’ll see.”

But Angela had already seen…and she was beginning to feel, too. That was the part she hadn’t expected. He seemed kind. Overall, he appeared to be one of the new “sensitive” type of men she’d seen over the years but had not experienced for herself. She thought briefly of her brothers: Rob and Eric were both better husbands than any she knew—including her own father. Now, here was Adam. Was he really the way he appeared to be and, if so, why hadn’t he already met the right woman and settled down with a family? Why would he want to consider being involved in her life…with her children? And why couldn’t she just send him away instead of playing with fire?

“Why don’t you like him?” Heather persisted.

“I do like him, Heather,” Angela said. “But I don’t know if I want to date him…have a relationship with him. Do you understand what I mean?”

“You mean like be his girlfriend?”

“Exactly. I don’t think I want to do anything like that right now. I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

“You are getting older all the time, Mom. When do you think you might be ready for that?”

Angela laughed more from surprise than from amusement “So I’m getting older. That doesn’t mean I need to rush to find a husband so I’ll have someone to grow old with. Being alone would be better than being with the wrong person.”

And how can I know? she asked inwardly. Lord, how can I be sure seeing Adam is a wise choice? I can’t endure another mistake. Not now—not with the kids to consider. Still she couldn’t deny the feeling that stirred deep inside when their eyes had met in a lingering gaze.

“How do you know Adam is the wrong person for you?” Heather asked.

“How do you know he’s not?” Angela countered.

“He has friendly eyes.”

“Eyes?” Angela repeated. “You noticed that, too?”

“Sure. Maybe we have friendly eyes, too. Maybe that’s what made him think we were Christians before he knew for sure. You think so, Mom?”

Angela smiled and reached over to squeeze Heather’s left hand. “Could be, honey. I’ve not really thought about that before.” There were lots of things she’d not considered before now. Like wanting another man in her life…like imagining that man might be Adam.

More than a week passed before the cookout, and they were days filled with life—the dailiness of it—school, work, housecleaning, cooking, laundry, church attendance, appointments, nightly homework. Then Thursday-night swimming came around again.

Heather remained reluctant to dive despite her mother’s encouragement, and Angela couldn’t go to lessons with her due to a meeting at the school. When she picked up Heather at the center that evening, Adam was not around. Much later that evening, long after the kids were in bed, Angela sat down in the quietness of her kitchen with a cup of tea. She hoped Adam wouldn’t forget about Saturday. And then, she hoped that he would. If he was going to hurt Heather’s feelings, or anyone else’s, she’d rather it happened now—early in the game.

The phone rang, startling Angela in the near darkness of the room. Maybe it was Adam calling to cancel. Or to confirm. She picked up the receiver, but the voice on the other end of the line was the soft voice of a friend.

“Micah! I haven’t talked to you for days! How are you?”

“Tired. And fat. You can’t believe the weight I’ve gained,” Micah answered. “I had never thought of myself as vain but now, all of a sudden, I can’t stand to walk past a mirror.”

“You’re having twins. You can’t expect to weigh your usual amount—which is…what? About 100 pounds at most?”

“No, more like 120, but I can’t believe the numbers on the scales—numbers Rob has to read to me because I can’t see past my belly,” Micah complained with a sigh.

“Micah—”

“I know, I know. This is a lesson in self-pity. You’ll have to forgive me. I’m in the everything-makes-me-want-to-cry stage.”

“I’ve been there. Three times, remember?” Angela said gently. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. At least you’ve got a good reason for your clothes to feel snug. I’m sitting here, trying to figure out how to drop five pounds by Saturday so I can find something in my closet to wear for a date.”

“A date? That’s fantastic,” Micah replied. “With who?”

“Just some man I met. I’m sorry now I ever agreed to it.” Angela lamented. “How could I be so foolish? I have kids, a new job to learn, rent to pay—”

“What’s his name?” Micah cut short Angela’s list of responsibilities. “Where did you meet him?”

“It’s kind of a long story, but his name is Adam Dalton. He’s the director at the recreation center where Heather takes swimming lessons.” Angela sighed, almost relieved to actually be saying aloud the thoughts that had been running through her mind. “He’s…different. Kind, funny, good-looking, interesting…and, apparently, interested.”

“Hmm, all of those qualities rolled up into one package? I thought I’d grabbed the only one of those on the market.”

“No, there’s at least one more, and he’s just what I don’t need.”

Micah laughed. “Don’t be so pessimistic. This could be the guy for you. Hold on a second.”

Angela listened to Micah talking to her husband and to what she could hear of Rob’s voice in the background. She knew he’d have something to say on the subject—once he knew the subject existed.

“Angela’s met somebody…of course, I mean a man…yes, I’ll ask her.” Micah directed her voice into the phone again. “Angela, Rob wants to know—”

“Tell my brother that Adam is a Christian, has been for seven years and attends First Church where you used to go.”

Micah relayed the message to Rob before apologizing to Angela. “He’s just concerned about you, you know that.”

“Well, I’m concerned about me, too. And I’m not a naive college student about to make another blunder with my-life, if that’s what he thinks,” Angela said.

“Listen, Rob loves you and you love him. And I’m not foolish enough to get caught in the middle of a sibling quarrel. You can talk to him about this later. Right now, I want you to forget you’re my sister-in-law. Just be my friend and tell me about this great guy.”

“I don’t know, Micah. He makes me wish I were younger…prettier—”

“So this could be serious then,” Micah commented. “Have you gone out with him yet? I mean, been alone with him?”

“Yes. No. We went out one evening for ice cream. Heather was with us,” Angela explained.

“You are going out with him again, aren’t you? I mean, Rob and I could watch the kids—” Micah stopped. “Hold on, Angela…Rob, you’ll have to tell her that yourself. You can talk to her as soon as I’m finished. Sorry, Angela. Anyway, as I was saying, we’ll watch the kids for you.”

“He’s going to a church cookout with us on Saturday. I don’t need a sitter for that. And tell Rob that the kids, Mom and Dad, and about 200 other church members will be there to chaperone.”

“Not exactly a romantic setting,” Micah replied. “But it might be a good way to get to know him better. When I first met Rob…well, I remember wanting to kiss him long before we actually did. And once that happened, then I knew.”

Angela waited. “You knew…what?”

“That I would want to be with him forever,” Micah said with a sigh and then a gentle laugh. “Angela, I think I’m supposed to hang up now. My husband is…making funny faces…” Micah laughed. “Rob, stop it—”

“All right, you two. Call me tomorrow. ‘Bye.” Angela hung up the receiver and walked into the darkened living room. She sank wearily onto the sofa. The kids were asleep. The house was quiet And she’d never been in love the way Rob and Micah were. Or Eric and Hope. Or even her own mother and father. She was genuinely glad for the happy marriages in the Granston family, and, at the same time, so jealous that she could almost have cried.

Chapter Four

Three o’clock loomed near that Saturday afternoon, and Angela looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror hanging on the back of her bathroom door. Her jeans were rather old and faded—just the way she liked them. And her white shirt and colorful vest looked acceptable, she thought as she viewed the patchwork of rich browns, rusts and tans. She pulled on her saddle-colored boots and frowned. Acceptable, yes; attractive, not particularly. But her dark hair looked good with its new layered cut, and her bangs weren’t too long or too short for a change, so that pleased her. What difference did it really make anyway? It was just a church outing—and probably the only date she’d ever have with Adam Dalton.

“Mom, I’ve put the cooler and the basket in the back of the van. Are you almost ready?” Nathan called to her from the living room. “David and Heather are goofing around out back. Should I tell them it’s time to go?”

“No, wait until Adam gets here.”

“Maybe he won’t show,” Nathan offered with a hopeful smile when he appeared in the bathroom doorway.

Angela shot a look of obvious irritation in the direction of her son before walking past him to find the sweater she wanted to take along. “Maybe he won’t,” she agreed, “but maybe he will. Either way, you’re still going to this cookout. Tell your brother and sister to get their jackets. You’ll all need them before this is over.”

Nathan was not enthusiastic over this new development in her life—in all their lives, Angela reminded herself. Everything she did affected the kids one way or another, and her involvement with Adam was no different. That’s why this relationship would probably go no further than sharing a hamburger with him today in the presence of her children, her parents and dozens of other people. People, people everywhere. Why had she invited him to this gathering, anyway? What was she thinking? They’d spend hours together in a crowd when all she really wanted was five minutes alone with him.

Unable to locate her sweater, she pulled a corduroy jacket from where she’d left it on the corner of her dresser and paused to look one last time into a small mirror that hung on her bedroom wall. Five minutes alone with him? Where had that thought come from? she wondered suddenly. Then she remembered Micah’s comment about wanting to kiss Rob. But it had been years since Angela had felt that way—so many, in fact that she couldn’t clearly remember ever having had that feeling. And now, to feel this way about a man she hadn’t heard from in a week and a half, a man who might not even remember he made this date with her, a man who might not be any more reliable than her husband had been…

Then the doorbell rang. Angela breathed a sigh of relief; Nathan groaned quietly, then went to answer the door. Maybe Adam was different, she thought. The possibility existed, didn’t it? Otherwise, what was the point in trying?

“Hi, Nathan.” She heard Adam’s familiar voice greet her less-than-enthusiastic son. This would be trying for Nathan. There was no doubt about that. He was a sensitive kid who had taken the idea of being “man of the house” too seriously, for too long. He’d seen more clearly than his siblings the effect his father’s problem with alcohol had had on the family, and he’d probably be suspicious of any possible intrusion on their now-pleasant home life. For that matter, so was Angela. So what was she going to do about this man standing in the middle of her living room?

“Hi,” she said as she came forward to greet Adam. “Ready for a cookout?” She thought she detected a slight ready-as-I’ll-ever-be set to his expression.

“Guess so. Want me to carry anything to the van?”

“I already took care of that,” Nathan interjected and grabbed his school jacket from a hook by the door. “I’ll tell the others it’s time to go.” He exited without further comment.

They both watched him go; then Adam looked back at Angela. “This is difficult for him,” he commented.

She nodded. “He’ll feel better once we’re there and he sees his friends,” she replied.

There was silence between them for an awkward moment. Then Adam spoke. “I brought a case of soda and put it in your van. I thought I should contribute something to this outing.”

“The kids will like it. I’m taking potato salad, baked beans and some cookies I bought at the bakery. Mom is bringing a cake, a relish tray and iced tea. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of everything. We always do,” she explained with a smile. “If there’s anything our church excels at, it’s carry-in dinners. We like to eat.”

Adam grinned. “You’ve changed your hair.”

“Just a little,” she said, thinking how much she liked his easy smile. “It was overdue for a cut, and I can’t stand my bangs down around my eyes.” She reached for her car keys on the nearby end table and, amazingly for a change, they were actually where she’d left them.

“It looks good,” Adam complimented as he opened the door for her, realizing the remark about her hair seemed lackluster, but he couldn’t tell her how pretty he thought she was. In jeans and a plain shirt, in a skirt and a jacket, in whatever she chose to wear. That might be too much too soon. It would be the absolute truth, but she probably wouldn’t believe him. And he needed her to believe him. Now, and later. “You look great every time I see you.”

Angela cocked her head to the side, eyeing him with skepticism. “Especially with a runny nose and wearing that old sweat suit I had on the first night we spoke.”

“Yes, well—” he remembered that encounter with clarity “—you looked very…”

“Very?” she said, knowing he was struggling for a descriptive, but safe, word. “I’m waiting.”

“I’m thinking,” Adam replied with a smile. “Can I say ‘motherly’? ‘Cautious’? ‘Protective’ maybe?”

“Nope,” she answered as she walked toward and then past him. “You could say ‘awful.’” He was close enough to touch, and Angela was fighting the urge to do exactly that when Adam extended an arm, clasping her hand warmly in his own.

“How about ‘cute’?” he suggested.

“Sorry, but ‘cute’ is not acceptable at thirty-two,” she replied, holding tightly to the strong hand she had welcomed.

“Then let’s go with ‘promising,’” he said, with a gentle squeeze to her fingers.

Promising. What a lovely thought. But she didn’t dare say that. Not to this man she knew so little about. “I wasn’t sure you’d come today,” she admitted suddenly.

“Why?” he asked, studying the contemplative blue of her eyes. “I told you I’d be here at three.”

“I know, but…” How could she tell him the reasons behind her doubts? Did she really want to explain the years with Dan?

“You can’t tell me you’ve had that happen with many dates before. Being stood up,” he added as they stepped outside into the sunshine and made their way toward the van. The children were already climbing in.

No, she thought, the problem had never been with a date. It was only when matrimony entered the story line that keeping commitments had become an issue. Marriage and responsibility had not sat well with her husband, and she had grown to expect broken promises. “I guess I’m just pessimistic by nature.” And experience.

“Maybe that can be changed,” he suggested.

Maybe it could, but at this point in her life, Angela had her doubts.

“Is the truck okay parked off to the side like that?” Adam asked. “I knew we’d need to take your van.”

She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the afternoon sun. “That’s fine.” Then she held up her keys. “But would you mind doing the driving?”

He opened the passenger door for her. “Not at all.” He let go of her hand, and she climbed in.

“You ready, kids?” she asked, glancing back at two excited faces—and Nathan’s frown.

“It’s about a mile farther down this road. Then make the next left” They were nearing their destination as Heather asked for the third time how long this trip would last

“Just a few minutes more, hon. Are you getting hungry?” Angela inquired.

“No, but I want to play ball. My Sunday School teacher told me we would.”

“If Mrs. Fletcher told you that, then I’m sure you will,” Angela responded with a certainty about another human being that she rarely displayed. She glanced at Adam, and wondered if she’d ever be able to trust him that way. What a refreshing possibility.

What she couldn’t know was that Adam was wondering the same thing. Only he suspected that earning her trust now would require more truth from him than he was ready to reveal. And what did the Lord require from him so early in this relationship? Honesty, he knew, but in how large a dose at a time?

Soon they arrived and parked in the gravel alongside her parents’ car. Judging from the vehicles already there, it was a good turnout, as usual. Adam helped Angela unload the items she had brought, as well as the case of soda he had placed in her van. Before long, the kids were engaged in a softball game and it was time for Adam to meet Angela’s parents.

“Mom. Dad. This is Adam Dalton,” Angela introduced her date. She had advised them earlier of this impending meeting.

Smiles from Grace and Ed Granston did little to ease the tension of the moment. No man would easily receive the approval of this older couple where their daughter was concerned. Angela was no kid, but she would always be their child. Exactly who was this Adam Dalton who threatened their daughter’s freedom and peace of mind in the wake of her unhappy marriage? They both prayed Angela would find a loving man and marry again someday—but the right man.

“Hello, Adam.” Grace spoke first, but Ed did extend a hand in an almost friendly fashion. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s good to meet both of you, Mr. and Mrs. Granston.”

“The name’s Ed and this is Grace,” Angela’s father answered in a somewhat gruff voice. “Let’s find a seat around here somewhere.”

They unfolded the lawn chairs they had brought with them and, after greeting and speaking with some of their friends from church, settled into a comfortable place to watch the kids play ball. And to talk. Adam hadn’t needed to meet anyone’s parents like this since—he couldn’t even remember the last time. Unless, maybe with Patty…But that had been years ago.

So the long day began with introductions and discussion about everything from Ed’s real estate business to Adam’s log home that his brother had helped him build last year.

“I didn’t know you were good with carpentry work,” Angela stated. “How did you get started with that?”

“When I was a teacher, I spent part of my summers helping my brother with his home-remodeling business. I’ve even been on a few missionary trips to South America to help build churches and parsonages for the nationals there.”

Ed’s face lit up on that comment. “I’ve been on a couple of those trips myself, Adam,” he began. And Angela and Grace shared a secret smile and both leaned back in their chairs. Once Ed started reliving his travels, it would be a while before he stopped. Fortunately, Adam could relate to many of the stories and seemed to enjoy the lengthy conversation.

“Mom!” Heather called when, nearly an hour later, she ran over to where Angela sat. “We need another player. The other team has two grown-ups on it, and we’re getting pounded out there. Could Adam play?”

“What? You mean you don’t want me?” Angela asked.

“Get real, Mom. You know you can’t pitch.” She looked over at Adam, who had already stood up to join her. “Can you?“

“Yep, let’s go,” he replied. “Excuse us, we’ll be back after we win this game.”

Angela watched them cut across the playing field. She saw Adam touch Heather’s shoulder and then point her in the direction of first base.

“I like him, Angela,” Grace stated quietly and with a confirming smile. “Very much.”

Ed cleared his throat roughly. “I have to agree with your mother. I like him, too, but it will take you a while to really get to know him. Probably a year or two.”

Angela looked over at her father instantly. “A year—” She stopped speaking when he laughed affectionately at her surprised expression.

“I wouldn’t want you to rush into anything,” he added before squeezing her arm lightly, “but maybe a year or two would be asking a lot.”

“Anyway, Dad, I’m just trying to decide whether to continue seeing him—not whether or not I want to spend the rest of my life with him.”

“But you shouldn’t date him unless he is a man you could spend the rest of your life with…if you chose to,” Grace commented. “Don’t let yourself fall in love with someone you’re going to have to say goodbye to in the end.”

“Find out about his past and what his plans are for the future,” Ed added. “I don’t want to see you hurt again.”

“Dad, I’m not sixteen. I know the risks.” As Angela watched Adam in the distance with her children, those risks didn’t seem to loom so dangerously. She liked nearly everything about him, regardless of how much she didn’t want to. Angela was beginning to wonder how it would feel to be with him, not just the way they were today—awkward, uncertain—but rather, how it would feel to belong to him with familiarity, confidence. How would it be to sit next to him tonight without wondering if she’d ever sit next to him again? Did she trust the Lord enough to allow Him to give her this new possibility? Could she trust Adam?

“Dinner!” The loud announcement brought the players in from the field and most everyone else to their feet. Soon the crowd gathered around the tables that had been set up and covered with paper plates, napkins, plastic forks and spoons, bottles of condiments and bowls of potato chips and other side dishes. There were coolers of soda pop and pitchers of iced tea. The children were hungry, and they came running to meet Angela and get into the line for their sandwiches, hot off the grill.

Adam walked up to stand close by Angela as the pastor announced loudly that it was time for a prayer to thank the Lord for their meal and this day. Adam reached for Angela’s hand, linking his fingers through hers. She looked up, surprised—but pleasantly so—by his action. His smile in return was warm and gentle…and brief as he lowered his head and closed his eyes for the prayer. Angela did the same with a heart filled with gratitude. She’d seen other couples holding hands like this during prayer. In earlier years, she had been a little envious. Then she had either stopped noticing or stopped caring. But this time was different. It was her turn, it was Adam’s hand—and something felt very right about his touch.

Soon they were eating hamburgers that were overcooked and baked beans that were barely warm. The kids opted for hot dogs, which seemed to have been the wiser choice since they ended up going back for seconds.

When the meal was finished, David, Nathan and Heather all headed in the direction of their friends, and Angela and Adam sat down once again with the Granstons. That’s when Ed’s questions became a little unnerving for Angela: he asked Adam about previous marriages. Adam had one, he explained without hesitation. It had ended in divorce.

“And children?” Ed inquired.

“No children,” Adam answered quietly and more politely than Angela thought her father deserved. She decided that it was time to take action.

“Okay, guys, it’s getting late and, Dad, you’re getting a little too personal. Help me round up my kids before it gets dark so we can head home.” She leaned near Adam and whispered, “Save my place. I’ll be right back.”

Adam offered, “I’ll go—”

“No, please, stay here. Let Dad help me find them. I want to talk to him about his investigative work,” she remarked.

His mouth curved into a smile in response to her comment Then he squeezed her hand before letting her go.

“It’s hard for Ed not to nose into his children’s business,” Grace stated after Angela and Ed were out of hearing range.

“I understand,” Adam responded. “I’d be the same way if I had a daughter.”

“I believe you would. And I say that as a compliment, you know.”

“I know,” he replied. “And I want you to know that I really like Angela. It’s been a long time since I’ve had anyone significant in my life, but Angela…”

”…could be significant?” Grace suggested with a mother’s smile.

“Yes,” Adam concurred and studied the gentle face of this older woman across from him—a face much like Angela’s might look twenty years from now.

“You’re a wise man, Adam Dalton, and you have great taste in women.” Grace stood up, and Adam did, too. “I’m going to try to catch up with those two and help with the children. Thanks for coming here tonight. I’m sure you could have done something more enjoyable than being at this church gathering of people you don’t know, meeting us, eating hamburgers that tasted like lighter fluid.”

Adam laughed. “Mine wasn’t so bad.”

“Well, mine was,” Grace remarked, “but fortunately, I wasn’t very hungry. They never seem to get someone to grill the meat who actually knows what they’re doing.” She reached out and touched Adam’s cheek. “We hope to see you again soon.”

“You will,” he answered.

Grace nodded, and left him to join her husband and daughter.

Adam stood at the edge of a group of people gathered around the bonfire, and watched Angela cross the grassy area toward him. She hugged her corduroy jacket closer as the chilly air of the early October evening settled in.

“Where are the kids?” he asked when she neared.

“Mom and Dad offered to take them for a while.” She looked toward the dwindling crowd. “And they all wanted to go.” Then Angela raised her gaze to study the shadows falling across Adam from the roaring fire close by. His eyes seemed more distant than she’d noticed before, and she looked away.

“The temperature has dropped since the sun set,” he remarked. “Do you want to walk up where it’s warmer?” He touched only her coat as his hand moved to her arm.

“No,” she said a little too quickly, and then paused. She wanted to say it right “I…I’d like to leave now.” Her cautious blue eyes returned to meet his dark gaze.

Adam searched her face in the flickering firelight, then responded with no more than a slight nod. He clasped her hand in his and gave an easy tug.

They walked hand in hand across the gravel parking lot. Angela kicked up some pebbles with the toe of her boot, while Adam slid the key into the lock, and opened her door. She smiled up at him through the twilight Even in air rendered smokey from the bonfire, she was close enough to enjoy the spicy scent of his cologne, and it filled her with unfamiliar longing. As she moved past him toward the passenger seat, her right arm and shoulder brushed against his chest in an unintentional contact that jolted her. Her hand flew up spontaneously, involuntarily to touch the front of his shirt. Never before could she remember wanting anyone’s kiss as much as she wanted Adam’s in that solitary moment And it took all her willpower to pull away from him and climb into the van.

Adam looked away from her toward the subdued light of sunset in the western sky, giving no indication that he had noticed the awkward moment Then he shut the door and walked slowly around to the driver’s side to join her in the vehicle.

Angela looked straight ahead, staring steadily out the window. If she so much as glanced his way, he would read these emotions in her eyes. No feelings this strong could be hidden for long, she knew, but if they could get away from here—all the people, cars coming and going, the kids, her parents…If they could be alone, some place, any place, private—even if only for a few minutes…If he kissed her, she’d know how he felt about her. She closed her eyes momentarily at the thought of Adam not kissing her, and sighed audibly. That couldn’t happen. Surely he felt something similar for her, didn’t he? These feelings in her didn’t arise out of nowhere. Their beginning was with him, in him, from him.

Adam drove in silence for several minutes. Then when they did speak, they did so sparingly. Had she enjoyed the evening? Would he join her for another cookout? Mostly they rode silently in the hush of evening for the quarter of an hour it took to reach the large white garage directly behind Angela’s apartment. But to Angela, it seemed her heart had been racing for far longer than fifteen minutes.

When the ignition was switched off, Adam got out of the van, walking around the rear of the vehicle toward the passenger side to open her door—as she knew he would. Angela’s teeth sank into her lower lip at the sound of his footsteps against the concrete and the lowering of the garage door which shut them off from the rest of the world. What if he didn’t feel as attracted to her as she did to him? What if she moved first…reaching for him when his heart was not reaching for hers? Then her door came open. She turned to step out but found Adam leaning in, his hands catching her around the waist as she eased off the seat and into his arms. And for the first time since they left the cookout, she looked directly into his face and discovered the very tenderness she had feared she wouldn’t find, waiting there in his eyes.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you all day,” Adam admitted in words that fell gently across her lips. His hands cupped her face, drawing her to him, and his mouth met hers, moving against its softness. She returned his kiss with equal longing. Never in her life had she felt so alive, so wanted. Now. Here. Amid paint cans and bicycles in a cold, dark garage.

But much too soon he let her go.

“I was afraid you didn’t feel what I was feeling.” The admission rushed from her when she had caught her breath enough to speak. “I didn’t know, I couldn’t tell—”

“You’re driving me crazy, and you don’t even know it, do you?” He gave a hint of a smile as he studied the beautiful blue eyes that had so easily captivated him.

“What are you talking about? I’m not doing anything.”

“You don’t need to ‘do’ anything, Angela. Just be near me,” he explained quietly. “That’s becoming difficult enough to deal with.”

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