Waking up in CHARLESTON

SHERRYL WOODS
Waking up in CHARLESTON

Dear Friends,

Was there a doubt in your mind after reading Flirting with Disaster that Amanda and Caleb would have their own story? Certainly not in mine.

Amanda O’Leary is exactly the sort of woman about whom I love to write. She’s suffered through tremendous adversity and triumphed. On every page of Flirting with Disaster, she gets stronger. By the time she’s ready for her own story, she’s a more than even match for the wonderfully kind and protective Caleb Webb.

But naturally Amanda’s struggles aren’t over. All of her old issues with Big Max, her stubborn, difficult father, are about to surface in an unexpected way, and Caleb is right in the thick of it. When Amanda wakes up to discover the secrets he’s been keeping, will she ever be able to forgive him? And will she be able to make peace with her father before it’s too late? Just turn the page to find out.

In the meantime, welcome back to South Carolina’s Low Country, one of my favorite places in the world. I’ve loved sharing it with you.

All best,

Sherryl

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Epilogue

1

Sunday services were over and most of the congregation had gone home for the traditional midday dinner. Caleb, however, was still in the church office trying to feel his way through an unexpected and troubling counseling session. He studied the couple sitting across from him and wondered if he dared tell them what he really thought, that they were way too young even to be thinking about marriage. Mary Louise Carter was just a few months out of high school. In fact, with her stylishly short, sun-streaked hair, she looked even younger. Danny Marshall, every bit the preppy overachiever, was barely into his sophomore year at Clemson. In Caleb’s opinion, they were years away from knowing what they really wanted out of life.

Unfortunately, he could predict exactly how they’d reply. They’d remind him that they’d known each other since grade school, been sweethearts since Danny’s freshman year in high school. They both thought their marriage was inevitable. So what if having a baby on the way had kicked up the timetable by several years?

“It’s not the end of the world,” Mary Louise said, her adoring gaze on Danny.

Though she rarely looked away from her fiancé, she evidently didn’t see the barely concealed panic that Caleb spotted. He’d counseled enough couples during his ten years as a minister to recognize the signs of a man being pushed toward a commitment he wasn’t ready to make.

“Danny, is this wedding really what you want?” Caleb asked directly. Aware that Mary Louise’s eyes had widened with dismay, he quickly added, “I know you love Mary Louise and I think it’s wonderful that you want to take responsibility for the baby and do the right thing by Mary Louise, but there are other options.”

Danny squirmed uncomfortably and avoided Mary Louise’s hurt expression. “What kind of options?”

“You could acknowledge paternity and pay child support. Or you both could agree to give the baby up for adoption to a family more prepared to give a child the life he or she deserves,” Caleb suggested, careful to keep his tone neutral.

Even so, Mary Louise leapt up. “No way,” she said, quivering with outrage. She scowled at Caleb, then whirled on Danny. “This is our baby. How could you even think about giving away our baby, Danny Marshall?”

Danny gave her a sullen look. “I didn’t say I’d do it. I asked Reverend Webb what the options are. Jeez, Mary Louise, settle down.”

“I’m keeping the baby and that’s that,” she said fiercely. “If you don’t want to marry me, then don’t. I don’t want you if you can’t love both of us. And you can keep your stupid money, too!”

“I never said I didn’t want to marry you,” Danny said placatingly. “You know I love you, baby. It’s just…”

“Just what?” she asked.

“How are we going to make it?” Danny asked reasonably. “I can’t quit school. I worked too hard to get accepted and win a scholarship to throw it all away now. I don’t want to wind up in some dead-end job for the rest of my life, like my dad.”

“You won’t have to. I can stay with my folks for now and keep working. It’s only minimum wage, but I’ll get another job. I can handle two,” Mary Louise promised staunchly. “We can put all that money into savings so we’ll have it when I have to go on maternity leave. I won’t have to take off long. Once the baby comes, I’ll move to be with you. We can figure out a schedule so you can take classes when I’m home. Then you can watch the baby while I work.”

It was evident she’d already given this a lot of thought. Caleb admired her earnest conviction that she could handle a pregnancy and two jobs and that Danny could keep up with his classes and take care of the baby. But Caleb was more realistic. He knew the toll that would eventually take on the marriage and on Mary Louise and Danny individually. He also knew she’d never listen to him if he tried to tell her any of that.

However, he did know someone who might be able to get through to her in a way he couldn’t.

“Okay, you two, I think that’s enough for today,” Caleb said. The pair needed a cooling-down period. “I’m sure this has caught both of you by surprise. You need to spend some time thinking about what you really want and what will be best for the baby. Danny, can you get home from college again next weekend, so we can talk some more?”

“I guess,” Danny said, his reluctance plain, but the stoic lift of his chin told Caleb he would do it. He’d always been a good kid, one who took his responsibilities seriously. He’d worked hard to get a college scholarship, even harder to earn money to help with bills for meals and books.

“Great, then we’ll talk again next week right after church,” Caleb told them. “In the meantime, Mary Louise, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

She regarded him with evident suspicion, clearly not happy about the monkey wrench he’d thrown into her plans for a hasty wedding. “Who?”

“Let me speak to her first and get back to you,” he said.

“I don’t know why you’re so opposed to this wedding,” Mary Louise said to him plaintively. “You’ve known us forever. You know we’re in love.”

“I do,” Caleb agreed. “But I want your marriage to have the best possible chance to succeed, and the way to accomplish that is to make sure you’ve given this serious consideration from every angle before you rush into something. I’ve seen too many young people who start out crazy about each other wind up bitter and divorced because they did the right thing and then resented each other afterward. I really don’t want that to happen to you.”

Danny gave him a grateful look. “Thanks, Reverend Webb. I’ll see you after church next week. Mary Louise, you ready to go?”

For a moment, based on her pouty expression, Caleb thought she might insist on having this out right here and now, but apparently she caught something in Danny’s steady, unrelenting gaze that told her to wait till next time.

“Remember, I want both of you to do some soul-searching this week. See if there are some other solutions that might make sense. If marriage is what you both want, then think about the best way to make sure you have plenty of support,” Caleb suggested. “And I’ll be in touch with you, Mary Louise, probably tomorrow.”

“Okay,” she said, and followed Danny from the room.

Just outside the door, Caleb saw Danny reach for her hand and whisper something in her ear that put a smile back on her face. Caleb sighed and reached for his phone to follow up on his brainstorm.

Okay, he’d been looking for an excuse to call Amanda all day. Ever since he and the other church volunteers had finished building her house two weeks ago and had held a housewarming party just yesterday, he’d been suffering some weird withdrawal symptoms.

He’d fought his feelings for Amanda O’Leary, struggled to pretend that she was just another member of his congregation in need of help, but the time he’d spent with her and her kids had fulfilled him in unexpected ways. He’d come to admire her strength, to enjoy her sense of humor.

Before he actually dialed her number, he gave himself a stern lecture on remembering that he was her pastor, not a would-be lover, much as he might wish otherwise. It wasn’t the first time he’d struggled to place duty above his needs as a man, but it was the first time he was right on the edge of losing the battle.

But the lecture didn’t seem to stop the jolt to his heart when she answered the phone, her voice soft and a little breathless.

“Amanda, you weren’t taking a nap, were you?”

“In the middle of the afternoon with three kids loose in the house?” she replied, laughter threading through her voice. “You must be kidding. No, if I sound out of breath, it’s because Susie, Larry and Jimmy insisted I play tag with them in the backyard. They can’t get over having so much room to run around in. I can’t get over it myself. Thank you again, Caleb.”

“Would you stop thanking me?” he pleaded. “Getting that house built for you was something the whole congregation wanted to do.” Well, except for a couple of obstinate holdouts, and eventually even they had come around.

“I just want you to know how much I appreciate it,” she said. “If there’s ever anything I can do to pay you back, let me know.”

It was exactly the opening Caleb needed. “Actually, there is something you could do.” He explained about Mary Louise and Danny. “I think Mary Louise needs to understand the realities of trying to work two jobs and care for a baby. Would you consider talking to her?”

“Of course I will,” Amanda said at once. “But maybe I should clarify something. Are you asking me to help you talk her out of getting married?”

He considered the question, then answered honestly. “I just want her to know what’s ahead. Right now she’s all caught up in this romantic notion of living with Danny and having his baby and being happy forever. She needs to know how exhausting it can be and what a toll it might take on their marriage. These two kids have been in love practically as long as I’ve known them. I don’t want them to lose that because this pregnancy has backed them into a corner.”

“Will their parents help them?” she asked, an unmistakably wistful note in her voice.

Caleb knew what it would have meant to Amanda if her father, Big Max, had stepped up when her life fell apart, but the divide between them had been too great. Amanda had made a tentative overture, but as usual Big Max had blown the opportunity. Sometimes Caleb wanted to shake the stubborn old man, but instead, he’d settled for trying to gently nudge them back together. So far, he’d made precious little progress. And if Amanda ever found out what he’d been up to, she might very well hate him for his interference.

“Actually, even though I haven’t spoken to them yet,” he said, “I think their parents would help as much as they can. They’re all good, decent people who want what’s best for their kids. Even so, it’s still going to be tough. Danny would probably have to give up his scholarship, quit college and come home.”

“He could go to college here,” Amanda reminded him. “It might take him longer, but he could do it.”

“I suppose,” he conceded, though he knew how much going to Clemson had meant to Danny. Caleb had made quite a few calls himself to assure Danny’s acceptance there. He’d even spoken to the scholarship committee on Danny’s behalf.

“And both sets of grandparents could help out with babysitting if they’re here,” Amanda continued. “Maybe Mary Louise and Danny could even live with his folks or hers for a while. It wouldn’t be ideal, but it might work. Have any of you considered that?”

“What are you saying?” Caleb asked, startled by the turn the conversation had taken. “Do you think I’m wrong for urging caution?”

“No, I think you’re being a responsible, compassionate minister who’s trying to make sure two kids get off to a good start, but sometimes things happen even when the timing sucks. Not every marriage is ideal at the beginning, but if the love is strong, a couple can weather almost anything.”

“The way you and Bobby did,” Caleb concluded.

“The way I thought we had,” Amanda corrected. “I lived the illusion right up until the day he died. Then reality set in.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Hey, I’ll make you a deal,” she said, a teasing note in her voice. “I’ll stop saying thank you if you’ll stop saying you’re sorry.”

Caleb chuckled. “I can do that.”

“So, knowing where I’m coming from, do you still want me to speak to Mary Louise?”

“Absolutely,” he said at once. “I think you’d be an incredible role model for any young woman. Will tomorrow afternoon work for you?”

“I’ll need to come straight home from work because of the kids,” she said. “Can you bring her by here, say, around six?”

“Will do,” he said at once, trying to keep the pathetically eager note out of his voice. “Goodbye, Amanda.”

“’Bye, Caleb. See you tomorrow.”

He hung up, a smile on his lips, then realized he was running very late for his standing Sunday get-together with Amanda’s father. Big Max hated to be kept waiting. On the rare occasions it happened, he blustered and carried on about Caleb’s impertinence and lack of respect.

Caleb had come to realize, though, that Big Max’s temper didn’t have anything at all to do with feeling disrespected. Big Max was simply impatient for every little tidbit of information he could get about the daughter he’d cut out of his life and was too proud to let back in. Caleb was simply the chosen messenger.

Still troubled by her conversation with Caleb and imagining the difficulties faced by the young couple, Amanda settled at her kitchen table with a cup of tea. It was the first time all day she’d been able to stop touching things—the shiny new appliances in the kitchen, the glowing oak cabinets, the sheer curtains that billowed at the windows, letting in the pleasant early November breeze and filtering the pale, shimmering late-fall sunlight.

Now she reached yet again for the cool metal key that proved this brand-new house was all hers. The overwhelming feelings that swept through her temporarily pushed aside her concern for the young woman Caleb was bringing by tomorrow afternoon.

She and the kids had moved in barely twenty-four hours ago and it still felt like a dream. The boys had spent the day going from room to room, touching things as she had done, rearranging the toys and furniture that had been given as housewarming gifts in one final burst of generosity that had filled Amanda’s heart with gratitude. The screen door to the new backyard with its brightly painted swing set had slammed a hundred times as the boys, trailed by their five-year-old sister, had gone out to explore this vast new space they had to play in, then rushed back in to tell her about everything they’d discovered.

Compared to the luxurious brick home they’d once had in an upscale Charleston suburb, or to Willow Bend, the gracious old plantation-style home in which she’d grown up, this three-bedroom frame house with its bright yellow siding could only be called cozy, and that was being generous. Even so, she loved every square foot of it with a passion she’d never felt for either of those other places, one that had been built on lies and deception and the other the home from which she’d been banished on her wedding day.

For one thing, she and the kids—even Susie—had poured their sweat and tears into building this home, along with the help of dozens of volunteers from their church and community. She’d made friends here, shared laughter. That counted for a lot. She viewed those exhausting but exhilarating days as a blessing, a promise that these rooms would always be filled with joy. She vowed she would never again take anything for granted as long as she lived in this house.

For another thing, she promised herself she would make this house into a real home, instead of the sham she’d unwittingly lived for years with Bobby O’Leary. Only when he’d died in a car accident had she learned the full extent of her husband’s betrayal. He’d pawned the few pieces of heirloom jewelry she’d owned and mortgaged their house and his business to the limit. Their credit card debt had been staggering. He’d cashed in insurance policies, too, so his death had left her no choice but to close the business and find work that could help her pay off the mountain of debt.

When she’d just about worked herself into exhaustion at two jobs to try to satisfy the creditors, and she and the kids were about to be evicted from their too-small apartment, she’d finally accepted that she had no choice but to declare bankruptcy if she was ever to regain some control over their financial future. A recent change in the law had made the process more complicated and dehumanizing than ever before, but Caleb had stood by her side every step of the way.

That humiliating day at the courthouse had sickened her, especially when she finally understood that Bobby had spent all that money in a wasted attempt to prove to her father that he was good enough for Amanda. He’d given her a lifestyle they couldn’t afford and left her with debt she couldn’t manage.

Oddly enough, even now when she was still working the same two dead-end jobs—one at a lovely boutique, the other at a superstore, when she had to deny the children anything more than the basic necessities, she couldn’t hate Bobby. He’d made those misguided choices out of love for her and to counteract the sense of inadequacy her own father had instilled in him. No, she didn’t hate Bobby. It was her father she despised.

William Maxwell, known far and wide in South Carolina Low Country as the benevolent Big Max, had been anything but benevolent when it came to Bobby O’Leary. He’d seen him as a no-account loser from the day they’d met and made no pretenses about it. He’d had big plans for his only child and they didn’t include a blue-collar husband he believed would only hold her back. He’d done everything in his power to keep Bobby and Amanda apart, and when love had triumphed over his objections, he’d accused Amanda of squandering all the advantages he’d given her. He’d sent her packing with a warning never to look to him to save her from the mess she was making of her life.

Her father’s unstinting disapproval had been one of the hardest things Amanda had ever had to endure until she’d lost Bobby. She’d never known her mother, who’d died giving birth to her, so from the time she was a baby, she and her father had been inseparable. He’d doted on her, taken her everywhere. She’d grown up sitting quietly in the boardrooms of some of Charleston’s biggest companies, not coloring or reading as some children might have, but absorbing the atmosphere of power around her.

Given that, she supposed it wasn’t surprising that her father had held such high expectations for her. He’d anticipated her getting a business degree, then putting it to use and replacing him in many of those same boardrooms, maybe even getting into politics one day. He had the contacts, the will and the raw ambition to make it happen. There was no limit to what he thought she could accomplish. It didn’t seem to matter to him that she’d never shared that vision.

He certainly hadn’t expected her to throw his legacy back in his face by marrying a garage mechanic. It didn’t matter to him that Bobby thought big and already had the beginnings of a small chain of well-run auto shops in half-a-dozen communities too small to attract the national companies. What mattered to Big Max was the loss of Amanda’s potential to follow in his footsteps. He couldn’t conceive of her achieving anything by the side of a man with grease under his fingernails. Her lack of ambition had appalled him.

Remembering the fight they’d had on the morning of her wedding still brought tears to Amanda’s eyes. Her father had tried one last time to make her see reason and she’d tried harder to make him see Bobby in another light. In the end, it had all dissolved into bitter accusations and her father’s vow never to see her again. Amanda knew him well enough to take him at his word. Big Max was known throughout Charleston for his stubbornness and pride, a bad combination for any man, but especially for one who possessed a share of power to go with it.

If it hadn’t already been too late, she would have grabbed Bobby and eloped, but Bobby had spent a small fortune to make sure she had the wedding of her dreams, even if it was over her father’s vehement objections. Friends she’d grown up with had accepted the invitations. Most of her father’s friends had not.

Filled with her own stubborn Maxwell pride, even though her heart was aching, Amanda had gone to the church alone, walked down the aisle alone with her chin held high and her eyes glistening with tears. In front of the minister, she had clung to Bobby’s hand as if it were a lifeline.

Bobby knew her heart was broken, not just on her wedding day, but every day thereafter, and he’d done everything he could to mend it. He’d even gone to her father after their first child was born, taken pictures of Max’s new grandson, but her father’s heart hadn’t softened. He tore the pictures up in front of Bobby’s eyes and uttered words no grandfather should ever say about his own kin.

Looking back, Amanda realized that was when Bobby had started going overboard. He’d begun buying her things to make up for Big Max’s intractable attitude. It had become his obsession to see that she and the children wanted for nothing.

Since Bobby took care of their finances, Amanda hadn’t had any idea of the amount of debt they were accumulating. She should have paid attention to the mounting bills, questioned him more about their finances, but she hadn’t wanted to indicate in any way that she didn’t have total confidence in him. Maybe she should have reassured him more often that he and the kids were enough for her, that she didn’t need more things as proof of his ability as a provider, but she’d assumed he knew that. She took for granted that he knew how to manage money. He’d been smart enough to expand his business; surely he could balance their personal checkbook. And basically he had, but only by mortgaging their lives to the hilt.

If only Bobby had known what fate had in store, he might have made better choices. Instead, they’d lost it all. Worst of all, she’d lost Bobby.

Now, though, she and the children had a second chance, Amanda thought, feeling at peace for the first time since Bobby’s death. With the soft afternoon sunlight spilling over her, she smiled. This room would fit into the pantry at Big Max’s house. She had little doubt what he would think of it. He would treat it with the same disdain he had shown when she’d made a desperate attempt to reach out to him after Bobby’s death had left her virtually penniless. She’d made that attempt only for the sake of her children, but being rebuffed once more had convinced her that the father she’d once adored was now only a bitter old man incapable of compassion.

“Doesn’t matter what he thinks or what he does,” she told herself fiercely. “My kids are healthy and this house is mine. We’re getting back on our feet and that’s what counts.”

And if Big Max couldn’t see that all his wealth, all his power didn’t amount to a hill of beans without love, so what? Amanda had long since stopped caring what her father thought or how empty his life had become. She’d stopped because he’d given her no choice. If she hadn’t, she might never have stopped crying.

“They’ve moved in?” Big Max asked Caleb when the minister finally turned up for their regular game of cards. For once Max didn’t waste his breath complaining. He was too anxious to hear how things had gone with Amanda and the kids when she’d moved into her new house the day before.

Max and Caleb were an odd pair—the heathen and the man of the Lord, as Max liked to say. Maybe he was more worried about his immortal soul than he’d ever realized. He couldn’t see any other reason for having gravitated to this man whose unwavering faith Max couldn’t share. He’d lost his belief in God when he’d lost his wife, leaving him all alone to raise Amanda. For a man who’d never understood a thing about women, it had been a terrifying burden.

Yet, from the moment he’d gazed down into Amanda’s trusting blue eyes, felt her tiny fist close around his finger, he’d been totally smitten. That girl of his had filled his heart with so much joy, it had dulled the pain of losing his beloved wife.

Severing all ties with Amanda when she’d chosen to defy him and marry that no-account Bobby O’Leary had just about ripped his heart out. He’d taken what he’d considered to be a calculated risk that day and he’d lost. The memory of it haunted him.

Stubborn pride had kept him from reaching out to mend fences. When Bobby had tried, Max had turned him away, embarrassed and shamed to have the boy attempt what he should have been man enough to do himself. When Amanda herself had come to him after Bobby’s death, he’d been too quick to say hurtful, judgmental things guaranteed to turn her away. He’d lost a lot of sleep over the years knowing he was a damn fool and the price he’d paid for it.

“If you’re this curious about Amanda, why don’t you go and see for yourself?” Caleb asked. “Don’t you think this feud has gone on long enough? You love your daughter, Max. You need to get to know your grandchildren. You’ve lost too many years already. Don’t lose any more. Don’t wait until it’s too late.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Max snapped. “I’ve had more than one chance and I blew it. The girl hates me, and who can blame her?” He looked away. “Besides, if she ever found out…”

“Found out what?” Caleb prodded.

“Nothing. I don’t want to get into it.”

“Get into what? Don’t you know by now you can tell me anything and I won’t judge you?”

“You’re a real saint, all right,” Max said snidely, hoping to tick him off.

Caleb didn’t react. He just sat there with the patient expression that made Max nuts.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake, it was a slip of the tongue, that’s all,” Max grumbled.

“I doubt that,” Caleb said.

“Look, all I’m saying is it’s too late for Amanda and me.”

“It’s not too late until you’re in your grave,” Caleb retorted.

Maybe that was what Max liked about this young man. He didn’t wilt under Max’s scorn, didn’t turn away when pushed to do just that. Caleb was a man with staying power. Max admired that, even if he didn’t know how any man could devote himself to God’s work when there was evidence all around that God wasn’t paying a damn bit of attention to what was happening down here on earth.

“You gonna pray over me when I’m gone?” Max asked, taunting him.

Caleb grinned. “I pray for you every night as it is. If you weren’t so ornery, I think maybe my prayers would have a better outcome.”

Max regarded him with surprise. “I never asked you to pray for me.”

“You didn’t need to. It’s what I do. I see a need and I jump in.”

“Well, you’re wasting your breath,” Max replied irritably.

“It’s mine to waste,” Caleb responded. “Besides, I think one of these days even someone as cantankerous as you will wake up and admit he’s made a dreadful mistake and reach out to the one person on earth he cares about. In fact, you and I know you’ve already done that in a way. The only one who doesn’t know and should is Amanda.”

Max scowled at him. “You tell her I bought that land her new house is sitting on and she’ll move out by morning,” he said with absolute conviction. “That girl got my stubbornness and doubled it.”

“Maybe,” Caleb said. “But maybe she’d see it as a gesture that’s been too long coming.”

“Stay out of it, Caleb. You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” He frowned at the pastor. “And don’t go dropping any hints to her, either. You and I made a deal. She’s never to know about me buying that land. You spill the beans to her and I will see your sorry butt in hell.”

Caleb’s steady gaze never wavered. “You don’t scare me, Max. Don’t you know that by now?”

Max was flustered by the amusement in Caleb’s voice. Most men in Charleston would have been quaking in their boots. Most men understood that he never made idle threats.

“Well, I should terrify you,” he said testily. “Now, are we going to play cards or are we going to sit around here all night gabbing like a couple of old women?”

“Bring it on, old man.” After he’d dealt the cards, Caleb pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and smoothed it out. “Let’s see here. You already owe me $7,403.62.”

Max chuckled at the precise accounting. “Just think what kind of stained-glass window you could have bought for the church by now if we played for more than small change.”

“And isn’t it lucky for you that I don’t approve of gambling except for a worthy cause?” Caleb retorted. “The stained-glass windows can wait. This money will come in handy at the church’s food bank. I think when we get to a nice round ten thousand, I’ll ask you to cut me a check.”

Max looked at the hand he’d been dealt and muttered an oath. “Sure as hell looks like I’m about to make another contribution tonight.”

Caleb laughed. “Who’re you kidding, old man? It looks that way every time we play.”

“True,” Max conceded. It was a small-enough price to pay, though, for some decent company. Add that Caleb kept him abreast of what was going on with Amanda without gloating about it, and Max was perfectly content to lose a few dollars once a week. Hell, he’d give up his entire fortune for the chance to go back in time and do things differently. So many things. Some that only a small handful of people knew anything about.

Since going back wasn’t possible, he’d have to make do with the way things were.

2

Amanda was rushing to get out the door at the boutique where she worked when Maggie Parker halted her exit.

“Hey, where’s the fire?” Maggie asked. “I came to see if you and the kids would like to have dinner with me tonight. Josh had to run over to Atlanta to take a look at that historic renovation project he and Cord are starting next month.”

Amanda regarded Maggie with surprise. Though she’d been a bridesmaid in Maggie’s wedding to Josh, she’d always thought Maggie had made the gesture to appease Josh. While Maggie had never been outright rude to her, the wedding was just about the only occasion she had been openly friendly. Maybe now that she and Josh were married, she was putting aside the irrational jealousy she’d once felt toward Amanda and turning over a new leaf. Still, Amanda couldn’t help being skeptical.

“You want to have dinner with us?” Amanda said. “Me and the kids?”

Maggie shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”

“Maybe because a part of you still wonders if there wasn’t something going on between me and Josh,” Amanda said candidly. “I know it bothered you that there was a bond between us when he was in charge of the crew building my house.”

Maggie winced. “Okay, I acted like an idiot. I took my insecurities out on you.”

Amanda grinned at the admission. “Yes, you did, especially since Josh could barely untangle his tongue whenever you were around.”

“I guess I missed that, at least at first,” Maggie conceded. “I swear to you I’m over it. Come on, Amanda. I know you’re not the type to hold a grudge.”

“Not usually,” Amanda agreed. “Something tells me, though, that this was Josh’s idea, not yours.”

“It most certainly was not,” Maggie declared with a pretty good show of indignation, then sighed. “Okay, maybe it was, but he’s right. It’s past time for me to get over that ridiculous jealousy, especially now that he and I are married. I really do want us to be friends, Amanda. You and the kids mean a lot to Josh and to his mother. We’re bound to be thrown together from time to time. Can’t we get past my bad behavior?”

Amanda could see her obvious discomfort. Maggie Parker was the most self-confident woman Amanda had ever met, with the possible exception of Maggie’s best friend, Dinah Beaufort. Amanda envied them, and she was still a little astounded that Maggie had thought even for a second that Josh was interested in her, not Maggie.

“I’d like that,” Amanda told her sincerely. Real friends had been in short supply since her marriage to Bobby. And since his death, there hadn’t been time to make new ones. “But I can’t tonight. I have to get home.”

“The kids are invited, too,” Maggie reminded her.

“I know, but actually I already have plans. Caleb’s coming by.”

Maggie’s expression immediately brightened with curiosity. “Really? Do tell,” she said.

Amanda shook her head. “Stop that. It’s not what you think.”

At the quick denial, Maggie grinned. “Then, please, tell me what it is.”

“He wants me to talk to someone. He thinks I might be able to offer a perspective that he can’t. That’s it.”

Maggie regarded her with blatant skepticism. “So, this seasoned minister who’s counseled who knows how many people about every problem under the sun is turning to you?”

Amanda frowned at the hint of amused disbelief in Maggie’s voice. “In this particular situation, apparently I’m the one with firsthand experience,” she said.

“Of course you are. And Caleb’s sudden recognition of your expertise doesn’t have anything at all to do with the fact that he has the hots for you?” Maggie inquired.

Immediately Amanda’s cheeks flooded with color. “Maggie!” she protested weakly. “You can’t say things like that. Caleb’s a minister.”

“I know. I worried about the same thing when Dinah pointed out that Caleb practically salivates when you’re nearby, but then I caught on that he’s a man, not a saint. It’s not as if either one of you is off-limits in any way. The only shocker is that in his seven years here in Charleston some woman hasn’t already snapped him up.”

Amanda had had similar thoughts from time to time. Aside from being gorgeous, Caleb was the kindest, most decent man she’d ever known. It didn’t make sense that he wasn’t married. She, however, wasn’t the woman to change that. She was just beginning to get back on her feet emotionally. She needed time to prove to herself that she was strong and capable. She was not about to let some man promise to bail her out, only to have him abandon her. She’d learned to prize her independence. If her life ever fell apart again, it would be her own doing, not someone else’s.

“That woman won’t be me,” she told Maggie emphatically.

“Then you don’t see what a catch he is?” Maggie asked skeptically.

“Of course I do.”

“Well, then?”

“I’m not looking for a catch, even one as terrific as Caleb,” Amanda insisted. “Now, I really do have to go.”

Maggie stepped aside. “We’ll do the dinner thing another time, okay? Maybe later in the week when Josh gets back. I’ll ask Nadine, too, though these days Josh’s mother rarely goes anywhere without George Winslow in tow. Would that be okay with you?”

Amanda considered the question seriously. George was one of her father’s best friends, and initially he’d been one of the most outspoken critics of the church’s plan to build her house. That was the downside. On the upside, since he’d gotten involved with Nadine, he’d mellowed.

“I can tolerate George,” Amanda said eventually. “Nadine’s pretty good at keeping him in check.”

“Okay, then, I’ll be in touch with the details,” Maggie said, a faint hint of relief in her voice.

Once again Amanda was astounded by the trace of vulnerability in a woman whose strength and self-confidence she admired. Maggie had faced down a madman who’d trapped her in her art gallery not that long ago, but she seemed to be genuinely uneasy around Amanda.

“Maggie, can I ask you a question? Why is this so important to you?”

Maggie looked disconcerted by the direct question. “I told you. I know I misjudged you and I want to make amends. You’re important to Josh and to Nadine and other people I admire and respect, so I’d like us to be friends, too.”

“Then we will be,” Amanda said. “If I’ve learned nothing else since my husband died, it’s that friendship is important.” Impulsively, she reached out and gave Maggie a hug. “Besides, as far as I’m concerned we’ve been friends since the minute you showed up to help build my house. That was an act of kindness I’m never likely to forget.”

Maggie regarded her with surprise. “You really mean that, don’t you? Even after everything I did to keep you at arm’s length?”

“Believe me, I understood what that was all about. You were protecting your turf, even though you had nothing to fear from me. I knew in time you’d figure out that I wasn’t a threat to your relationship with Josh.”

“Well, I’m sorry just the same. We’re starting over right now, okay?”

“Okay,” Amanda agreed at once.

Maggie gave her a conspiratorial grin. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

“What?”

“I get to have free rein to meddle in your relationship with Caleb.”

Amanda gave her a horrified look. “I don’t have a relationship with Caleb.”

“You will when I’m through,” Maggie said cheerfully. “Enjoy your evening.”

She was gone before Amanda could formulate a reply. This wasn’t good. Not good at all. Maggie meddling all on her own would be bad enough, but if she brought the romantically irrepressible Nadine into it—and she very well might—who knew what mischief they could stir up for Amanda and Caleb?

Caleb took in Amanda’s flushed cheeks and too-bright eyes and tried to figure out what had brought on this sudden attack of nerves. It couldn’t be because he and Mary Louise were the first official guests at her new home. Amanda had grown up entertaining for Big Max. She’d been hosting dinner parties for Charleston’s power brokers by the time she was thirteen. So why was she fluttering around the living room, fussing over a plate of cheese and crackers and a couple of soft drinks?

He captured her hand as she was about to take off for the kitchen once again. “You okay?” he asked.

“Fine, just fine,” she said too cheerfully. She turned to beam at Mary Louise. “Just let me get some napkins and we can talk.”

“There are napkins on the table,” Caleb pointed out.

Her good cheer evaporated. “Oh, of course there are. What was I thinking?” She sat down on the edge of a chair. “Mary Louise, why don’t you tell me a little bit about you and Danny?”

Mary Louise, who’d been tense ever since Caleb had picked her up and hadn’t said a word on the ride over, launched into a dreamy description of their relationship. If it had been written down, it would have been punctuated by hearts and flowers.

Amanda grinned at the romantic picture the girl was painting. “Then you’ve been in love with him practically forever?” she summarized.

Mary Louise nodded. “That’s why I don’t understand what all the fuss is about us getting married a little sooner than we planned.”

Caleb was about to explain when Amanda asked, “What’s Danny studying at Clemson?”

“Architecture,” Mary Louise said.

“Is he excited about it?” Amanda asked.

“He loves it. Who could live around here and not care about all these historic old buildings? He really wants to find ways to preserve them.”

“I have a couple of friends who do historic preservation work,” Amanda told her. “It requires a real passion and understanding to do it right. How are you going to feel if Danny has to give that up?”

Mary Louise looked startled. “Why would he have to give it up?”

“Supporting a family means bringing in a paycheck and putting food on the table,” Amanda explained. “It means doctors for you and the baby. It means paying rent for someplace to live.”

“I can work,” Mary Louise said staunchly.

“For a while,” Amanda agreed. “What about once the baby comes?”

“We can manage,” Mary Louise insisted.

Just then Larry, Jimmy and Susie raced in from the backyard demanding Amanda’s immediate attention. In Caleb’s opinion, their timing couldn’t have been better.

“Mommy, they wouldn’t let me swing on the swing,” Susie said, tears rolling down her cheeks. She cast an accusing look at her big brothers. “They’re mean and I hate them!”

“Susie!” Amanda said. “You do not hate your brothers.”

“Do, too,” she said with a sniff.

“She’s just a big ole baby,” Jimmy countered.

“Am not,” Susie retorted.

Before the battle could escalate, Amanda scooped up Susie, then directed a forbidding look at the boys. “Come with me,” she said.

“I can take them,” Caleb offered.

“Not this time,” Amanda said tersely, heading to the back of the house.

“But it’s not fair,” Jimmy wailed just before one bedroom door slammed shut.

“They were being mean,” Susie repeated, her voice thick with tears. “How come I have to go to my room?”

Caleb couldn’t hear Amanda’s murmured reply, but then a second door closed. She came back, looking faintly harried.

“Sorry. Where were we?” she asked Mary Louise.

“I was telling you that Danny and I can figure all that out,” Mary Louise said, though her gaze seemed to be drawn in the direction of the unmistakable sobs coming from down the hall. She looked shaken.

“You’ll need to get used to that,” Amanda told her mildly. “Kids cry, especially babies. It’ll make it tough for Danny to study, at least at home. Next thing you know he’ll either have to drop out of school or spend all his free time in the library so he can keep up with his classes.”

Mary Louise reacted with dismay. “It’s one little baby,” she protested.

Amanda smiled. “You have no idea what a ruckus one little baby can create, especially if he or she happens to be colicky. Jimmy didn’t let me get a decent night’s sleep for months.”

“Didn’t your husband help?”

“Some, but he was working. He needed his sleep, just the way Danny will need his if he’s going to keep up with his studies.” Amanda’s expression turned sad. “Bobby and I fought all the time during those months.”

“How come?” Mary Louise asked.

“He thought I ought to be able to do something to stop the crying. It was like he was accusing me of being a bad mother. It tapped into every one of my insecurities, so I lashed back.”

The memory still seemed to touch a raw nerve and Mary Louise seemed to get that. “How old were you when you got married?” she asked.

“I was nineteen, just a year older than you,” Amanda told her.

“But your husband wasn’t in college, right?” Mary Louise said, seizing on some slim difference between him and Danny. “He was working.”

“Right. He was getting his business off the ground. He was gone all the time, so everything at home was up to me.”

“If you were in love, though, I’ll bet it was worth it,” Mary Louise said, her expression hopeful.

“In many ways, yes,” Amanda agreed. She exchanged a look with Caleb. “But I won’t lie to you, Mary Louise, the exhaustion and stress pretty much sucked the romance right out of it. Bobby and I were lucky, though. No matter how tough things got, no matter how many fights we had, we stuck together. We both knew we didn’t have anybody else to fall back on. We had to make it work. It might have been easier, though, if we’d waited.”

“But Reverend Webb told me your husband died,” Mary Louise said. “What if you hadn’t had that time together? Aren’t you glad you had that?”

Caleb saw the unmistakable sadness in Amanda’s eyes. It was always there when Bobby’s death was mentioned. It was always there, as well, when anyone mentioned her father. That loss ran just as deep.

“Yes,” Amanda whispered. “I’m glad for every minute we had. No one can live their life, though, based on what-ifs. You have to be smart and base your decisions on what is.”

“Danny and I are having a baby,” Mary Louise said. “That’s what is.” She aimed a fiercely determined look at Caleb. “And I’m not giving the baby away. It might be hard and scary, but this is what I’m doing and nothing you say will talk me out of it.”

Caleb recognized that level of determination and knew that Amanda had hit the nail on the head. He, too, had to deal with things the way they were.

“Okay, then,” he said. “I’m going to see you and Danny again on Sunday and then afterward I’m going to ask your folks to join us. Let’s see where we stand and what we can do to make sure this baby has not just two parents who will love it, but a whole support system.”

“Really?” Mary Louise said, her eyes wide. “You’re going to marry us?”

“One step at a time,” Caleb warned. “Let’s get Danny and your folks on board first. You don’t want Danny to feel like he’s been backed into a corner, do you?”

“No, of course not. He wants this as much as I do. You’ll see,” she insisted.

Caleb had his doubts about that, but maybe there was a way to bring him around, especially if he could come up with some way to ensure Danny didn’t lose his career dream in the process.

Once Amanda had gotten over her case of the jitters, thanks to that untimely and provocative conversation with Maggie, she’d been able to focus on the young woman Caleb had brought over. She’d totally empathized with Mary Louise’s unshakable optimism in the face of an unexpected pregnancy that threatened to change her life forever. She’d done what she could to explain the harsh realities of marrying and having a family too young, but a part of her had been rooting for Mary Louise to stick to her guns and fight for what she wanted. It was that sort of spunk that would be needed if she and Danny were to have even half a chance of making it.

As soon as Mary Louise and Caleb had left, she’d wilted as she considered the confrontation that awaited with her own squabbling children. With no siblings of her own, she was always taken aback by the battles among her three children. She’d always had this rosy picture of them loving one another through thick and thin. The reality was that there were plenty of times when they barely tolerated one another.

Before she gave them permission to leave their rooms, she fixed a quick dinner of spaghetti and meat-balls, one of the few meals they all loved. Maybe that would facilitate peace.

When the food was on the table, she went to the boys’ room first. “Okay, you two, dinner’s ready, but I want you at the table only if you can promise me that there will be no fighting with your sister. You know how I hate it when you gang up on her.”

Larry and Jimmy regarded her with tear-reddened eyes.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” Jimmy said first.

“Me, too,” Larry added. “We really weren’t being mean. We were scared she’d fall out of the swing like she did yesterday.”

Amanda’s mouth gaped. “Susie fell out of the swing yesterday?”

Jimmy nodded. “Twice. She made us promise not to tell, ’cause she was afraid you wouldn’t let her get on the swing anymore.”

Amanda sighed. “Then you were trying to protect her?”

Both boys nodded solemnly.

“Then I’m the one who’s sorry,” she told them. “I should have given you a chance to explain.”

They wrapped their arms around her waist and leaned into her.

“It’s okay, Mom. You were kinda busy with Caleb and that lady,” Larry said.

She looked down into their upturned faces. “How about I make it up to you with ice cream after dinner?”

“We have ice cream?”

“No, but we’ll take a walk and get cones,” she said.

“Susie, too?” Larry asked indignantly.

“Something tells me she’s learned her lesson,” Amanda said. “She was sent to her room, too.”

Both boys seemed to consider that for a moment.

“Okay,” Larry said eventually. “But we get double dips and she only gets one, ’cause we’re bigger.”

Amanda laughed at the twisted logic that gave them a triumph over their little sister. “That sounds fair.”

Caleb returned to Amanda’s just in time to meet her and the kids on the sidewalk.

“We’re going for ice-cream cones, Mr. Caleb,” Susie announced, holding out her arms to be picked up. The red band holding her hair in a ponytail had slipped and curls were poking out in every direction. There was a streak of spaghetti sauce on her cheek and another on her purple T-shirt.

He scooped her up just as Larry tugged on his shirtsleeve.

“We get two scoops, but she only gets one,” he told Caleb.

“Because you’re older,” Caleb guessed.

“And because Mom’s’ pologizing to us,” Jimmy added.

Caleb glanced at Amanda. “Oh?”

“Long story,” she said. “What brings you back?”

“I was hoping we could talk some more about the Mary Louise and Danny situation.”

Amanda looked vaguely uneasy. “Sorry I wasn’t more help.”

“Actually you were a huge help.”

She seemed startled by that. “Really?”

“Seems I’m the one who came away from the talk with a whole new perspective,” he admitted. “Have you ever considered going back to school and getting a degree in psychology, so you could counsel young people?”

She stared at him as if he’d grown two heads. “Me? No way. I barely have my own life together. I certainly don’t want to tell anyone else what they ought to be doing.”

“That’s just it, you weren’t telling Mary Louise what to do at all. You were showing her what lies ahead and letting her draw her own conclusions.”

“She came to the wrong one, according to you,” Amanda reminded him.

“No, I suspect she came to the right one for her. Or, if she didn’t, at least she’s moving ahead with her eyes wide open. That’s the best we can hope for.” He met her gaze. “I’m serious, Amanda. I think you could do this. I could certainly use someone like you to work with the kids at church. Maybe you could do that on an informal basis.”

“How?”

“Just be one of the sponsors of the youth group, sort of a mentor. You wouldn’t need formal training for that.” And, he thought, it would mean they’d be working together on a regular basis. He recognized that God would probably find some way to slap him silly for the ulterior motives behind his pitch.

“I don’t know,” she said doubtfully. “I really don’t have that much time.”

“You’ve been looking for a way to give back to the church for helping you get a house,” he said, forcing aside the instant twinge of guilt that assailed him for playing that particular card.

“I’ll think about it,” she promised.

“Seriously,” he pressed.

She regarded him with amusement. “Yes, Caleb, I promise I will think about it seriously. I will not crack up laughing at the mere idea of turning myself into anyone’s mentor.”

Before he could respond to that, Susie patted his cheek to get attention.

“Mr. Caleb, what kind of ice cream are you gonna have?”

“Strawberry fudge,” he said at once, knowing it was her favorite.

She grinned. “Me, too!”

He feigned shock. “Really?”

“I’m gonna have one scoop of chocolate and one of cherry vanilla,” Larry said enthusiastically.

“I want two scoops of chocolate,” Jimmy said.

Caleb turned to Amanda. “What about you? Is this a plain old vanilla night or are you going to live dangerously?”

He saw the precise instant when she rose to the dare in his voice. Her eyes began to shine with a rare sparkle.

“I am having,” she began, pausing for drama, “a banana split.” She looked each one of them in the eye, saving Caleb for last. “And I am not sharing.”

He laughed. “Not even one little bite?”

“Not even if you beg,” she declared.

Caught up in the moment, he locked his gaze with hers. “Bet I can make you change your mind.”

Bright patches of color rose in her cheeks, but she didn’t blink or look away. “Bet you can’t,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Caleb once again admired her willingness not to turn away from something that so clearly scared her. He could have let the whole thing die right there, satisfied with the response he’d managed to stir in her, but he, too, was feeling just a little bit reckless and daring tonight.

With her steady gaze still even with his, he leaned slowly down and brushed a daring first kiss across her lips. When he pulled away, she looked shaken, but undaunted.

“You think that will change my mind?” she scoffed. “We’re talking a banana split here.”

He grinned. “That might not change your mind,” he agreed. “But how about if I tell you that if you don’t share, there’s a whole lot more where that kiss came from.”

She faltered for just a second, then chuckled. “You know, for a minister, you certainly know how to play dirty.”

“It would be wise, Amanda, if you’d remember that when it gets right down to it, I’m a minister, not a saint. Trust me, there’s a difference.”

“Yes, I’m beginning to get that.”

Oddly enough, it didn’t seem to scare her half as much as he’d expected it to.

And that gave him unexpected hope for the future.

3

Mary Louise had worked a double shift at the Stop and Shop and her feet were killing her. She was determined, though, to show Danny that she was willing to make good on her word to earn all the money they would need to get by once they were married.

“Is Danny coming home again this weekend?” Willie Ron asked as she closed out for the evening and he prepared to take over.

Willie Ron Dupree was only twenty-six, but he had been working the graveyard shift for ten years to help support his disabled mother. He never talked about whatever hopes and dreams he’d had before his mother’s illness had made her unable to work. If he’d had to give up college or anything, Mary Louise had never heard him complain about it.

Willie Ron was one of the nicest guys she’d ever known, always willing to come in early if she needed to take off, always ready to listen when she had a problem. And he always asked about Danny. She wondered what he’d have to say if he knew about her pregnancy, if it would make him think less of her, or of Danny, for that matter.

“Hey,” Willie Ron said, concern in his voice. “You okay? I asked about Danny and for once you didn’t launch into a full-scale recitation of all the guy’s good points.”

Mary Louise shrugged. “Guess my mind wandered,” she said. “He should be here any minute. He was driving over from Clemson after his last class today. He promised he’d be here in time to pick me up after my shift.”

“Girl, you got that boy wrapped around your finger,” Willie Ron teased, his smile showing off a row of glistening white teeth. “No woman’s ever going to tie me up in knots like that.”

“Just wait till the right one comes along,” she goaded him. “You’ll treat her like a queen, the same way you do your mama.”

“My mama’s raised eight of us, and done a good job of it,” Willie Ron said, his expression turning serious. “She deserves being spoiled. Haven’t met anyone yet who’s her equal. Even when she was laid low by a bad heart, my mama kept her spirits up. She raised all of us to count our blessings and not be crying over things we can’t fix.”

“You’ll find someone just like her someday,” Mary Louise told him. “I know for a fact that Li’l Bit Gaines comes in here just to see you.”

If it was possible for a black man to blush, Willie Ron’s cheeks would have been flaming. “Li’l Bit just likes her nightly candy fix. She comes in here for a Snickers bar. Got nothin’ to do with me.”

“Yeah, right,” Mary Louise responded. “I know better. How many people rush out to indulge a chocolate craving after eleven o’clock at night?”

Willie Ron frowned. “Maybe instead of messin’ in my love life, you ought to be checking your lipstick before that boyfriend of yours gets here,” he said. “Though I don’t know why you’d bother since he’s likely to kiss it right off. I haven’t seen you two make it to the car yet before that man’s sneakin’ himself some sugar.”

Ignoring the taunt, Mary Louise hurried to the back of the convenience store to put on another coat of Sugar-plum lip gloss. But even as she locked the door to the restroom she kept spotless, she wondered just how much kissing she and Danny were likely to do. He’d gone into a hands-off mode the minute he’d heard about the baby. Kinda like shutting the barn door after the horse has gone, in her opinion. Seemed like they ought to be taking advantage of this time, since any fooling around they did couldn’t lead to another pregnancy. They were already in as much trouble as it was possible to get.

When she emerged from the back, Danny was standing at the counter talking to Willie Ron. She took a moment to admire the way Danny looked in his carefully pressed chinos and dark green polo shirt. It was her favorite because it made his eyes look even greener than usual. He looked like the fancy college boy he was, and she was amazed that she’d been lucky enough to be the girl he’d fallen for.

“Hey, handsome,” she called out. “Did you come straight from the fraternity house?”

“You know I’m no frat boy,” he chided, then gave her an appreciative once-over. “But you could put most of those sorority girls to shame, Mary Louise.”

It was a sweet thing to say, especially since he knew she sometimes felt inadequate because college had been beyond her family’s reach. Until she’d gotten pregnant, she’d been hoping to put enough money aside to take some classes here in town so Danny wouldn’t be ashamed of her lack of education.

“You two have big plans for tonight?” Willie Ron asked, regarding them like an indulgent big brother.

“Actually we have some talking to do,” Danny said, his gaze locked with Mary Louise’s. “I thought we could take a drive or something.”

Willie Ron didn’t look as if he believed for a second that they’d be driving around all evening, but he kept his comments to himself for once as he shooed them out the door. “I’ll see you on Monday, Mary Louise. You say a prayer for Mama in church on Sunday, you hear.”

“I always do,” she said, then grinned. “And I ask God to find you a girl worthy of you.”

“You go on now,” he said with a roll of his eyes.

Mary Louise turned to find Danny grinning at her. “You like embarrassing that man, don’t you?” he asked as she slipped her hand into his and headed for the car.

“Embarrassing him how?” she asked. “He needs a girlfriend and a life. All he does is work and look out for his mama.”

“I think he’s old enough to find his own woman.”

“But Willie Ron’s shy. He needs a nudge,” she protested as Danny held the car door for her the way he always did. His folks had taught him manners, that’s for sure. It was one of the first things she’d noticed about him.

“Don’t you think your time might be better spent figuring out what we’re going to do, instead of worrying about Willie Ron?” Danny asked, a sudden edge to his voice.

Fortunately before she could respond, he closed the car door, then went around to get behind the wheel. It was just enough time for her quick flash of temper to cool. There was no point getting into some silly argument right off the bat when they had more important things to talk about.

“I have been thinking about our future,” she said calmly. “All week long, in fact. What about you?”

He sighed. “It was the only thing I could think about. Jeez, Mary Louise, this couldn’t have happened at a worse time.”

“Well, I’m sorry as hell about that, but it’s not like I planned it, Danny.” She scowled at him and noted the faint flicker of doubt in his eyes. “You don’t believe me, do you?” she demanded in a shocked tone. “You think I planned this.” Her temper shot right back into high gear. “Well, you can just think again, Danny Marshall. This messes up some things I’d been counting on, too.”

“Such as?”

“Taking college classes right here in Charleston. I never intended to just drift along working at the Stop and Shop for the rest of my life. I might not have had the grades to win a scholarship to Clemson, but I’m smart. I have dreams, too. You should know that. We talked about them enough.”

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I do know that,” he said eventually. “I’m sorry. It’s just that everything is such a mess. I flunked an important math test this week because I couldn’t concentrate. I can’t help thinking that’s what it’s going to be like from now on.”

“It’ll get better once we make some decisions,” she consoled him. “It’s the worry that’s distracting you.”

“And you think that’s going to stop just because we get married?” he scoffed. “That’ll just be the start.”

His words echoed the warning Amanda O’Leary had given her and that scared Mary Louise. Desperate to reassure him—and herself—she reached for his arm, then massaged the tight muscle until it began to relax. “I swear I didn’t mean for this to happen,” she whispered. “I never wanted to ruin things for you.”

He faced her, his expression earnest. “Then let’s think about what Reverend Webb said. Let’s at least consider the possibility of having the baby adopted,” he pleaded. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. Let somebody who desperately wants a baby give ours a good home. We’re not ready to do that, Mary Louise. At least, I’m not.”

Tears welled up in Mary Louise’s eyes. A part of her wanted to go along with him, if only to make his life easier. Heck, it would make her life easier, too. She wasn’t holding out because of stubbornness, either, though she knew that’s what Danny thought. How could they give up their baby and ever have any chance at a future? Every baby that might come later would be a bittersweet reminder of the one they’d given up. Sooner or later that loss would eat away at them. The way she saw it, giving up this baby would be a sure way to end things between them forever.

“Do you love me, Danny?” she asked, her heart in her throat.

He took his eyes off the road and glanced at her. “You know I do,” he said with unmistakable sincerity.

“Then how can you not love our baby?”

He didn’t answer for the longest time, but when he did, he said, “Because it’s not real to me, I guess. And I’m scared, Mary Louise. Really scared.”

“Of the baby ruining your life?”

“There’s some of that,” he admitted. “And I know it’s selfish, but there’s more, too. I’m afraid it will come between us, that I’ll resent you, just the way Reverend Webb said, and even worse that I’ll resent the baby and won’t be able to love it the way a baby deserves to be loved.”

He gave her a sad smile. “I used to think about what it would be like when we finally had our first baby. I could imagine holding that little guy or girl in my arms, teaching it stuff, reading stories. Now all I can think about is how exhausting it would be to cope with middle-of-the-night feedings and all the crying and stuff when I’ve got exams coming up and studying to do.”

Maybe because Amanda had helped open her heart to it, Mary Louise heard the depth of his emotional struggle in his voice. In that instant she knew that she really did have to consider Danny’s point of view and not just her own blind optimism that everything would be fine.

“Will you take me home?” she said, her voice tight.

“Don’t be mad at me, Mary Louise,” he begged. “I’m just trying to be honest.”

“I know, and I’m not mad, really I’m not,” she said sadly. “That’s why I want to go home. I need to think about what you said before we meet with Reverend Webb again on Sunday.”

“Do you want to get together tomorrow and talk some more?” Danny asked.

She shook her head. “No, you’ve given me some more to think about and I need to wrestle with it on my own. I’ll call you if I change my mind. Otherwise I’ll see you when you pick me up for church on Sunday.” She lifted her gaze to his. “Have you talked to your folks at all?”

He shook his head. “Not yet. You?”

“No.”

“Do you think we should tell them before Sunday?” he asked. “If Reverend Webb wants to see them, too, we should probably give them time to absorb all this.”

“I want this to be our decision,” Mary Louise argued. “You know they’ll get all weird, and the next thing we know, they’ll be making all the decisions.”

“I suppose you’re right,” he admitted. “But it’s not really fair for them to be blindsided.”

“Maybe we can just meet with Reverend Webb and decide what we’re going to do, then go tell them together,” she suggested. “First yours, then mine.”

“Why mine first?” he asked.

“Because mine might kill us,” she said, only partially in jest. “Or you, anyway.”

Danny pulled the car to a stop in front of her house and cut the engine, then rested his head on the steering wheel. Mary Louise sat beside him, fighting tears. When Danny finally turned toward her, his eyes were damp, as well.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I wish I were as excited about this as you are.”

“I wish you were, too,” she said, reaching for him. “But we’re going to figure this out, Danny. I know we will. And when we do, it will be what’s best for all of us.”

Amanda was pretty sure a person could go straight to hell for having the kind of thoughts she was having on Saturday afternoon as she watched Caleb struggle to wrestle the armoire she’d bought at a flea market into her new bedroom. What kind of joke had God been playing when he’d created a minister with broad shoulders and rock-solid abs that belonged on the cover of a fitness magazine?

She’d noticed the man’s muscles far more than she should have during the months they’d worked side by side to build her new home. He had a very dangerous habit of stripping off his shirt when the sultry Charleston temperatures climbed. She wasn’t the only woman working on the house whose mouth had gaped at the vision of male perfection he’d presented. Add in Maggie’s taunting remarks just the other day, and Amanda’s imagination had traveled in a very steamy and unsuitable direction. Just last night she’d had a dream about him—about the two of them—that had left her lying awake, restless and hot.

Amanda figured it was ironic that she felt such stirrings of desire only when she was around the most inappropriate man in all of Charleston. Then, again, maybe this was God’s way of showing her she wasn’t dead, after all, without putting her heart at risk in the process. Being attracted to Caleb was safe, thanks to his profession. He certainly wouldn’t be trying to tempt her into some casual liaison, that was for sure, and a fling was all she could imagine for herself for the foreseeable future.

And when it came down to it, she was the last woman on earth any minister would want. She didn’t really believe in God, at least not a benevolent one, mostly because of the way she’d been brought up. Her father’s bitterness over her mother’s death had instilled the impression that only an uncaring God could have allowed such a thing to happen. Even as she’d grown up and started thinking for herself, Amanda couldn’t disagree. As much as she’d loved her father, she’d missed having a mother. She’d felt cheated out of something important. With no one else she could think of to blame, she’d pointed her anger toward God and kept her distance.

Despite her apathy, Bobby had insisted they make at least perfunctory appearances at church for the sake of the children. She’d gone along with it, using the quiet time to reflect on things. The hymns had been lovely, a few of the prayers meaningful, but she’d made little attempt to absorb the messages in the sermons.

Ministers had come and gone, and she’d paid scant attention—until she’d had to make arrangements for Bobby’s funeral. That was when she’d seen the compassion in Caleb’s eyes and felt a much-needed steadiness in him that had gotten her through those first awful months when everything in her life had unraveled.

It had been his idea that the church come together to build this house for her. And, remarkably, as the weeks had passed and she’d seen her home taking shape, her life had come together, as well. She’d felt stronger, more capable of facing an uncertain future.

And when they’d handed her the keys on that last day, she’d looked around into the faces of her new friends and felt whole again. Despite all the adversities she’d faced, her life truly was blessed. She’d looked across the room and met Caleb’s gaze and knew that he’d understood all along how desperately she needed what she’d found in this house and the building of it. She’d reclaimed her self-respect.

“Thank you,” she’d mouthed.

To her utter shock, he’d winked. That tiny, flirtatious wink had rattled her so badly she’d turned and fled. For months she had tucked Caleb into a nice, safe niche in her life. After the turmoil of living with Bobby and the chaos after his death, Caleb epitomized a quiet serenity she craved. That wink, however, had suggested there was another side to him, a human and very male side she wasn’t ready for.

But even though he continued to disconcert her, for some reason she hadn’t been able to insist he stay away. The stakes escalated more every time they saw each other. She knew it and she was pretty sure he did, too. That kiss the other night had been as innocent as a peck on the cheek between friends, but way too much passion had simmered just below the surface. The depth of it had shaken her. Yet when she’d needed help transporting the armoire today, Caleb was the first person she’d thought of. And he’d agreed readily in fact, with an eagerness that told her he’d missed her during the week as much as she’d missed him.

Amanda felt a tug on her sleeve and looked down into the too-serious face of her five-year-old daughter.

“Hey, baby, what’s up?” she asked Susie, relieved by the distraction.

Susie frowned. “I’m not a baby.”

Amanda scooped her up and tickled her. “You’re my baby. You always will be.”

“Even when I’m ten?” Susie asked in a dismayed voice.

“Even when you’re thirty,” Amanda replied.

“How old is thirty?”

“Almost as old as me,” Amanda said.

“But you’re not a baby,” Susie protested.

Amanda knew she was in one man’s eyes, or had been, anyway. Sometimes knowing she’d lost that relationship hurt more than she could bear. Knowing that her once-beloved father had willingly tossed it aside hurt even more.

“No, I suppose not,” she said, biting back a sigh. In fact, she was the only grown-up these children had. Sometimes the pressure of that was overwhelming. It would have meant the world to be able to lean on her father from time to time, to share the joy of her three kids with him. But there was no point in wishing for things that simply couldn’t be.

“So can he?” Susie asked, apparently completing an entire line of conversation Amanda had missed.

“Can who do what?”

“Can Mr. Caleb stay for dinner?” Susie asked impatiently. “We could have pizza, like last time.”

“You have to stop thinking that we’re going to have pizza every time Caleb comes over,” Amanda told her daughter.

“Why is that?” Caleb asked, coming back into the living room, wiping away his sweat with a towel, which only drew attention to those fabulous abs again. It was all Amanda could do not to sigh.

“I love pizza,” he declared. “And who wants to order a large pizza just for one person? You guys give me the perfect excuse.”

Susie’s eyes glowed with excitement. “See, Mommy. Mr. Caleb likes pizza as much as I do. So can he stay?”

Amanda gave Caleb a look of mock severity. “Did you put her up to this?”

He winked at Susie. “Absolutely not,” he swore solemnly. “I just figure that a man who’s risked his back to haul furniture for you ought to get something out of the deal.”

“And you want to be paid in pizza?” Amanda asked doubtfully.

“Actually, I’m buying the pizza. Your company is enough payment.”

Amanda regarded him warily. “You can’t keep doing this,” she said.

“Doing what?” he asked, his expression all innocence.

“Dreaming up excuses to feed us.” She set Susie down. “Go get your brothers and tell them to wash up for dinner.”

As soon as her daughter was gone, she faced Caleb, determined to set some long-needed parameters. “You’ve done enough, Caleb. I won’t let you go on treating us like your pet charity. My budget’s not that tight. I can afford to pay for pizza once in a while. And now that we have this brand-new kitchen, I can even cook a meal for all of us.”

“But why should you cook after working hard all day or pay for pizza when I can?” he asked reasonably.

“Because getting back on my feet means being on equal footing with my friends. I need to do things for you once in a while. Otherwise, I’ll start feeling indebted to you. I don’t think that sort of thing is good for a friendship, do you?”

He nodded slowly at that. “Point taken. You can buy the pizza tonight.”

“And next time,” she said firmly, knowing there would be a next time, no matter what excuse he—or she—had to dream up to make it happen.

“We’ll table that discussion till the next time,” he said just as firmly. “We men have our pride, too, you know.”

Amanda had lived with two males who’d had it in spades. She gave Caleb a wry look. “Believe me, I know. It’s not something I’d brag about, if I were you.”

He regarded her with understanding. “Lumping me in with Bobby or your father, Amanda? Do you really think there’s any comparison?”

“Not yet,” she replied. “But you could be standing on the edge of a slippery slope. Now seems like the time to drag you back.”

He laughed at that. “You go set the table. I’ll call for the pizza,” he said, then added, “Paper plates will do.”

“Not in my house,” she called back. “Not for guests.”

She was in the kitchen distributing plates and silverware when Caleb joined her, his expression oddly troubled.

“Don’t tell me the pizza place is closed,” she joked lightly.

“No, the pizza’s on the way. I got a salad, too.”

“Then what’s with the somber look? Bad news?”

“No, it was something you said.”

She tried to recall what might have put that look on his face. She couldn’t come up with anything. “What?”

“You still think of me as a guest,” he said.

Amanda didn’t see the problem. “Isn’t that what you are?”

He shrugged. “I guess I was sort of hoping by now you’d start thinking of me as part of the family, or at least as the kind of friend who doesn’t require going to any trouble.”

There was no mistaking the genuine dismay in his voice, so she guided him toward a chair. “Sit.”

A grin tugged at his lips. “Bossy, aren’t you?”

“You have no idea,” she said dryly. She might be out of practice, but she’d once excelled at getting things done to her satisfaction. It was a trait she’d learned at her daddy’s knee.

“Now, you listen to me, Caleb Webb,” she lectured sternly. “You’ve been the best friend this family has ever had, which is exactly why I want to show you some respect when you come here. Maybe in your world that means eating off paper plates and not going to any trouble, but in mine it means observing some of the niceties.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, his eyes twinkling despite the meek tone.

She frowned at the interruption. “I might not be able to pour fine wine into crystal goblets in my house,” she continued. “I can’t serve you on bone china that came over from England a couple of centuries ago for my great-great-grandmother’s wedding, but I can at least treat mealtime as an occasion.”

His grin spread as she spoke. “Okay, then. Guess that means I ought to at least put my shirt back on.”

“You should,” she said, though not without regret. “And wash your hands.”

He snapped a salute and started toward the bathroom, then came back and dropped another one of those sneaky, sizzling little kisses on her mouth.

“Have I mentioned how adorable you are when you get up on your high horse?” he asked.

Her gaze narrowed. “That sounds suspiciously close to telling me I’m cute when I’m angry.”

He held up his hands. “Not a chance, darlin’. I know better than that. The last thing I want to do is set off World War III around here right before dinner. It’s bad for the digestion.”

She gave him a wry look. “I think the pizza will take care of that, especially if you ordered pepperoni, jalapeños and onions again.”

“Only on my half,” he reassured her.

Amanda shuddered. “Who would have thought a preacher would have a cast-iron stomach?”

He gave her an amused look. “Did you think we lived on oatmeal or something?”

“I think I always imagined you lived on Sunday dinners of fried chicken, peas, mashed potatoes and apple pie at some parishioner’s home. Beyond that, I guess I never gave it much thought. The burgers we consumed while we were building the house should have been a clue. You put jalapeños on those, too, didn’t you?”

“Every chance I got,” he told her. His gaze met hers, then held it. “What can I say? I like a little spice in my life.”

He’s talking about food, Amanda reminded herself sternly when he walked away, his lips twitching. He had to be. Preachers surely didn’t flirt so outrageously.

Or did they? How on earth was she supposed to know what preachers did? Caleb was the only one she’d ever known beyond the most casual greeting at some function or another. Amazingly, he suddenly struck her as someone who was all too eager to break a few rules, or at least to bend them.

Was she ready to do the same? She tried to imagine opening up her heart again and she couldn’t. Not even to a man as rock-solid and dependable as Caleb.

For one thing, it was becoming clear that under that steady, staid exterior beat the heart of a man capable of a few surprises, and Amanda had had all the surprises in life she could handle. She’d vowed on the day they’d put Bobby in his grave that she’d never risk another one, not for herself, not for her children.

For another, there was the whole independence thing. She still needed to prove to herself that she had what it took to make a success of her life, to give her children what they needed to become good people. Her father had been so sure she couldn’t do that, not with Bobby by her side and certainly not on her own.

She sighed at the thought. And wasn’t it ironic that even after all this time and all her disclaimers to the contrary, her father’s opinion still drove some of her decisions? Obviously she still had some work to do to claim that independence she prized so much.

4

As he dutifully washed his hands as ordered, Caleb thought about the twists and turns his life had taken. He wasn’t entirely sure when he’d fallen for Amanda with her chin-up pride and stubbornness and her sad, vulnerable eyes, but the knowledge of the attraction had been eating at him for a long time now. There were so many things wrong with it, he couldn’t begin to count them all.

She was a member of his church for one thing. For another, after her husband’s death, she’d needed his counseling and his comfort. He couldn’t do that objectively if his own emotions kept getting in the way.

And then there was Max. There were times when Caleb thought he’d made a deal with the devil when he’d agreed to Max’s scheme to help his daughter get out from under the mountain of debt she’d been left in after Bobby’s death. He’d known buying the land for her house anonymously was the only way Max could make himself reach out, but Caleb had done everything he knew how to do to convince the stubborn old coot to go about helping in a more straightforward way.

His entreaties had fallen on deaf ears, and now Caleb was burdened with this secret that stood squarely between him and Amanda. If she ever discovered what he’d been keeping from her, he doubted she’d forgive him. The animosity between her and Max ran too deep. She wouldn’t take kindly to the fact that Caleb had been in cahoots with him behind her back, even with the best intentions.

But despite the potential for heartache, Caleb couldn’t seem to stay away from this woman whose strength he’d come to admire. Nor could he seem to keep himself from stealing an occasional kiss, just as he had earlier. He knew it disconcerted Amanda. Heck, it disconcerted him. He wasn’t in the habit of tossing out innuendoes and hoping for a quick rise of color in a woman’s cheeks. In his own way, he was every bit as skittish about love and commitment as Amanda. He believed in it in the abstract. He preached about its importance in church and counseled couples on ways to make the love stronger in their marriages. But he doubted he’d ever take another chance on it himself.

All that sage advice and supposed wisdom hadn’t done a thing to keep his own marriage from crumbling. Feeling like a fraud after the divorce, he’d kept to himself, deftly avoiding all the attempts by friends and parishioners to do any matchmaking on his behalf. He’d cut back on premarital counseling, then seven years ago he’d changed churches to get away from all the reminders of his failed marriage and especially anything that reminded him of why it had fallen apart. He wasn’t sure he would ever come to terms with that.

Nor would he ever do anything that might lead to another devastating rejection. Watching his wife walk out on him over something that was beyond his control, losing her and, maybe worst of all, not really blaming her for her choice had nearly destroyed him. He’d been devastated, but so had his wife. He couldn’t bear hurting Amanda in the same way.

For a time he’d lived by one principle, guiding his congregation, offering solace when needed, but pretty much keeping everyone at arm’s length. When he’d gotten to know Amanda after Bobby’s death, he’d recognized a kindred spirit, a lost and wounded soul. And somehow his own resolve to remain uninvolved had melted. During the building of her house, he’d forged real friendships, just as she had.

Maybe it was because of Amanda herself or maybe it was because she had the family he’d always wanted for himself, but he’d gravitated to all of them and now couldn’t seem to make himself pull back. They represented his dream, the one he’d thought gone forever. In them he saw that hope for a warm and loving family in all its tempting glory. In many ways, though, it was still oh-so-sadly out of reach.

Aside from his own fears and reservations, the biggest obstacle to making this family a real part of his life was the way Amanda danced so skittishly away from him. As she had yet again tonight, she repeatedly told him what a wonderful friend he was, how lucky she was to have such a good friend come into her life when she needed one so desperately. He was growing weary of the word.

One of these days, she was going to start to utter it and he was going to cover her mouth with his just to silence her. This time it wouldn’t be one of these quick little pecks he was stealing, but a full-fledged, no-holds-barred kiss that he figured would pretty much destroy the whole friendship masquerade she was so determined to cling to. It would also end the illusion that he had tight control of his own emotions.

Of course, she might very well kick him to the curb in the process. That was the one thing that had made him keep his distance.

For now. And, if wisdom overcame need, forever.

Caleb walked back into the living room just as the pizza arrived. He had his wallet halfway out of his pocket when Amanda shot a warning look in his direction and grabbed her purse.

“Sorry,” he murmured. “I lost my head there for a minute.”

“Don’t let it happen again,” she said, handing him the boxes of pizza, then turning to pay the delivery boy.

“Are the kids at the table?” he asked. “Or do I need to chase them down?”

“They have sensors when it comes to pizza delivery,” she assured him. “I’m sure they’re already on their way.”

Sure enough, all three of the children were seated at the kitchen table when Caleb arrived with the two pizza boxes. He’d wound up ordering two mediums, rather than a large, so there would be leftovers for the kids and Amanda tomorrow.

“I want pepperoni, jalapeños and onions, like Mr. Caleb,” Jimmy announced.

Amanda frowned at her towheaded son. “I don’t think so.”

“How come?”

“Remember last time?” she asked.

Jimmy’s eyes widened. “Oh, yeah. I hurled.”

“Exactly,” Amanda said. “You stick with the plain pizza. One slice.”

“But I can eat at least two,” Jimmy argued. “Maybe even three.”

Amanda shook her head at the boast. “We’ll see.”

“What about me?” Larry asked. “I didn’t get sick.”

“Then you may have one piece of Caleb’s pizza,” Amanda conceded. “If he says it’s okay.”

Caleb grinned. “Hey, I’m all about sharing.” He handed a piece to Larry, then looked at Susie. “You having plain, young lady?”

She nodded. “That other stuff’s yucky. Only boys would eat that.”

“You’re just a baby,” Jimmy taunted.

Amanda scowled at him.

“Sorry, Susie,” Jimmy said meekly.

Caleb bit back a grin. Despite all they’d gone through, all the things they’d lost and continued to be deprived of, these three kids were as normal as any he’d ever met. They squabbled among themselves, but if any outsider threatened any one of them, they united. Amanda had done a fantastic job with them. Caleb admired the strength it must have required for her to do that, especially on days when a lesser woman would have caved in under all the pressure.

“Hey, Mom,” Larry said. “Me and Jimmy have this really cool idea.”

“Jimmy and I,” Amanda corrected.

Larry stared at her blankly.

She sighed. “Never mind.”

“Anyway, that tree out back is really, really big, so we were thinking it would be just right for a tree house,” he said enthusiastically, his pizza momentarily forgotten. “So, can we build one?”

“I don’t know,” Amanda began, casting a worried look in Caleb’s direction.

“Maybe we could take a look after dinner,” he said, treading cautiously. He knew the kids turned to him when they sensed their mother’s disapproval. They hoped that as a guy he’d be an ally. His gaze on Amanda, he said, “There might be some sturdy branches not too high off the ground that would hold one. I think that would put your mom’s anxiety to rest.”

Larry regarded him gratefully. “Then would you help us build it? Not just some platform, but a real house with walls and everything,” he said excitedly. “Maybe Mr. Josh would help, too. He did a great job on our house. And I’ll bet he has some extra wood and stuff he could give us.”

Caleb caught Amanda’s frown, so he took a step back. “Let’s see what the tree looks like before we get too carried away. Remember, when it comes down to it, it’s your mom’s call.”

“She’ll say yes,” Larry said confidently, giving her a huge smile. “I know she will.” He put down his barely touched slice of pizza. “I’m done. Can we go look now?”

“Other people haven’t finished eating,” Amanda said at once. “And neither have you from the looks of that pizza slice.”

“I’ve finished mine,” Jimmy said loyally, stuffing the last bite in his mouth.

“I’m not finished, but I’m all filled up,” Susie added, clearly determined not to be left behind.

Amanda sighed. “Then you three can go outside. Caleb and I will be out later,” she told them. “And do not, under any circumstances, climb that tree. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Jimmy said dutifully. Larry reluctantly echoed the promise.

As soon as they’d raced outside with a slam of the screen door, Amanda turned to Caleb. “What are the odds we’ll find them up in the tree?”

He grinned. “If I know those two, it depends on how long it takes us to get out there. Maybe we ought to go now. We can warm up the pizza later.”

She looked relieved. “Do you mind?”

“Not if it’s in the interest of preventing broken bones,” he said.

Sure enough, they found Jimmy and Larry at the foot of the tree studying it in a way that suggested they were plotting which way would give them the best access to the lower branches. At their first glimpse of Amanda and Caleb, they stepped back guiltily.

“What do you think, Mr. Caleb? Can we build one?” Larry asked.

Caleb glanced at Amanda, then turned his attention to the old pin oak. There were some branches that appeared solid enough to hold a tree house big enough to accommodate these two without putting them at too much risk.

“It could be done,” he said carefully, his gaze on Amanda. “What do you think? A tree house would be pretty cool. I had one when I was their age. There was nothing better than going up there to read a book or hang out with my friends. I thought I could see the whole world from up there.”

Amanda winced, probably at the reminder of the tree house’s height off the ground.

“It wasn’t that high,” he told her. “I had a vivid imagination.” He grinned. “And I never fell out.”

“Never?” she asked.

“Not even once. Not even a scratch on me from climbing up there.”

“And you’d help them build it?” she said.

He knew what lay at the heart of her concern—not just the prospect of the little daredevils tumbling out of the tree, but helping themselves to dangerous tools in their eagerness to get the tree house constructed. “Absolutely,” he assured her. “They’d never touch a tool without me around, right, boys?”

Both of them nodded solemnly.

“And you wouldn’t go up in it without an adult around?” she asked.

They looked a little more hesitant over that one, but Caleb gave them a surreptitious nod.

“Sure, Mom,” Jimmy said.

Amanda clearly caught the lack of enthusiasm for that particular rule. “That one’s a deal breaker,” she said adamantly.

“Okay, okay,” Larry grumbled. “We’d never go up there without a grown-up around, right, Jimmy?”

“Right,” he said.

Susie had listened intently to the whole exchange. “What about me?” she asked. “I wanna go up, too.”

“No girls,” Jimmy said fiercely. “It’s only for boys.”

“That’s not fair,” Susie protested, near tears.

Amanda picked her up. “Trust me on this one, you don’t want to go up there, anyway. Trees are all full of bugs and stuff.”

Susie didn’t look convinced. “I’m not scared of bugs.”

“Snakes can climb up there, too,” Jimmy exaggerated. “And big ole birds can swoop in and carry little kids away.”

Susie’s eyes widened. “You’re not that much bigger than me. How come they won’t get you?”

“’Cause we’re tough,” Larry said.

“And we’re boys,” Jimmy added. “They only come after girls.”

Caleb listened to the exchange with amusement, then waited to see what Susie’s response would be.

She hugged Amanda a little tighter, then announced imperiously, “I don’t want to be in your ole tree house. Mr. Caleb and me are gonna build a playhouse down here and I’m gonna have tea parties and cookies and you can’t come in, so there.” She gazed into Caleb’s eyes. “Is that okay?”

“Absolutely, short stuff. It’ll be the best playhouse in all of Charleston,” he promised.

“And only me and you and Mommy can come inside,” she added emphatically.

“Seems fair to me,” Caleb said.

“Okay, now that we’ve agreed to all these building plans, I think it’s time for you guys to take your baths and get to bed. Scoot,” Amanda said, setting Susie back on her feet.

All three kids headed for the house, but Susie ran back and held her arms out to Caleb. When he’d picked her up, she kissed him. “I love you, Mr. Caleb,” she said.

“Love you, too, little one.”

He put her down reluctantly and watched her run off.

“I’m sorry you’ve gotten dragged into yet another housing project for this family,” Amanda told him. “You don’t have to do it, if you don’t have time.”

“Nothing would give me greater pleasure,” he assured her. “I like your kids.” He hesitated, then added, “I can think of someone else who might want to help.”

She studied him with a narrowed gaze. “Oh?”

“Why don’t you give your father a call? I’ll bet he’d enjoy giving the boys a hand.”

“Are you crazy?” she retorted bluntly. “Why on earth would I call my father under any condition? And what makes you think he’d even take the call, much less come over here?”

“A lot of time has passed, Amanda.”

“Not since the last time I reached out to him. He all but laughed in my face when I tried to turn to him for help after Bobby died. I swallowed my pride then, Caleb. I won’t do it again.” She studied him with undisguised dismay. “Why would you even suggest such a thing?”

He regarded her somberly. “Because I know a day will come when it’s too late and you’ll regret it with all your heart that you didn’t try harder.”

Her expression remained stoic and determined. “I’ve long since learned to live with regrets. My relationship with my father is what it is. There’s nothing I can do to change it.”

“Amanda, surely you know better than that,” he chided. “Aren’t you even willing to try?”

“Stop pushing me on this, Caleb,” she responded heatedly. “Stop trying to make it sound as if I’m throwing some stubborn little snit. It was my father’s decision to cut me out of his life. He’s going to have to be the one to reach out. I’m done.”

Caleb heard the unyielding tone in her voice and decided it would be prudent to back down. Otherwise she might start asking a whole lot of questions he didn’t want to answer, such as when he’d become such an advocate for Big Max.

“Okay, you’ve made your point,” he said quietly, trying to hide his disappointment.

She frowned at him. “Don’t you dare look at me like that,” she snapped.

“Like what?” he asked, genuinely puzzled.

“As if I’m disappointing you.”

“Sorry. It’s the circumstances that disappoint me, not you specifically. Nothing is more important than family, and I hate seeing people turning their backs on the ones they have.”

“Then go have this chat with Big Max. He’s the one who’s raised rejection to a whole new level.”

“Maybe I will,” he said mildly, wondering if she hadn’t inadvertently given him the perfect excuse to do what he’d already been attempting to do—build a bridge between these two.

She seemed startled by his response, but then her shoulders squared stiffly. “Just don’t bother reporting back to me. I don’t want to hear anything you might have to say about my father.”

Caleb sighed. “Look, I’m sorry I brought it up, okay? Let’s get back to the tree house for a minute. Maybe the boys are right and Josh will help. I can probably put it together, but it’s bound to be sturdier with an expert on the premises. He’d be a help with Susie’s playhouse, too. And he may well have leftover supplies, so there won’t be many expenses. I’ll give him a call.” He forced a smile and moved on. “Did you see the look in your sons’ eyes when you agreed to let them do this? They’re over the moon.”

Amanda’s anger visibly faded and she smiled slowly. “They were, weren’t they? For the first time in I can’t remember how long, it feels good not to have to deny them something they want.”

“A little denial isn’t bad for a child,” he reminded her. “It helps them learn that sometimes you have to work hard to earn the things you want.”

“I know, but I would give them everything if I could,” she said.

He understood the sentiment, but he couldn’t help reminding her, “That’s how Bobby felt, and look where it led.”

“Believe me, no one is more aware of that than I am,” she said soberly. “And if I forget it from time to time in my desire to make up to them for the bad times, I hope you’ll bring me back in line.”

“You’re a good mother, Amanda. I don’t think you need me to tell you what’s right.”

A part of him wanted to tell her, though, that he’d always be around if she needed him to fall back on, but it was the wrong thing to say, the wrong time to say it.

“I should go,” he said instead. He needed to remind himself that this wasn’t his home, wasn’t his family and that he’d already overstepped the boundaries tonight.

“But you barely ate any of your pizza,” she protested.

“I’ll take a couple of slices home with me. I can eat while I’m going over my sermon for tomorrow.”

He thought he detected disappointment in her expression, but she was quick to recover and offer a bright smile.

“I’ll wrap it up for you,” she said. “I wouldn’t want you to stand up there in front of the entire congregation and have to wing your way through a sermon, though something tells me you could do it. You have quite a way with words.”

“It’s probably best if we don’t put that theory to the test,” he said.

Inside, he accepted the pizza from her, then headed for the door. “Good night, Amanda. Thanks.”

She regarded him with surprise. “For what?”

For sharing your family, he wanted to say, but he doubted she’d understand how much it meant to him. It was probably best if she didn’t even try.

“The pizza, of course.”

“Thank you for hauling that armoire in for me.”

Caleb looked into her eyes and couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away. There was a time in his life when he would have responded to the need that was so plain in her eyes, when he might have reached for her, kissed her thoroughly and left wanting more. Now he simply left.

No, he thought as he got into his car. It hadn’t been that simple. Even without the kiss, he still wanted more.

Mary Louise hadn’t heard a single word of Reverend Webb’s sermon. Instead, she’d been clutching the prayer book in her hands so tightly it had carved lines in the palms of her hands.

Beside her, Danny was staring straight ahead, his shoulders slumped, looking miserable. It made her heart ache, seeing him like that.

She knew what she had to do this afternoon after church. As much as it was going to hurt, as furious as her parents were going to be, she had to let Danny go. She loved him enough to do that. She wanted him to be everything he’d dreamed of becoming, a brilliant architect and historical preservationist. She couldn’t stand in the way of that. She couldn’t let one mistake change the course of both their lives.

She reached over and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. In less than an hour, they would be in Reverend Webb’s office and she would be giving Danny his freedom. She didn’t know what would happen to her after that, but she knew it was the right thing to do. If Danny wanted to be a part of his baby’s life, well, they’d find a way to make that work, even if it just about killed her to see him and know it was over between them.

The sermon ended, the collection plate was passed and then there was one last hymn and the recessional. It all went by in a blur. It all happened too fast.

Danny looked over at her. “You ready?”

Mary Louise nodded.

Instead of going out the front door where they’d have to speak to everyone, they slipped out a side door and went straight to Reverend Webb’s office. He came in right behind them and closed the door.

“Will your folks be joining us later?” he asked.

“We decided against asking them to come,” Mary Louise said. “We needed to make this decision on our own. Once we’ve talked it over with you, we’ll tell them what’s going on.”

“Don’t you think they might have been able to offer some sound advice?” Reverend Webb asked.

Mary Louise gave him a wry look. “You mean after they stopped yelling at us and calmed down?”

He laughed at that. “You might have a point, though I’m not sure you’re giving me much credit. I might have been able to keep the yelling to a minimum.”

“Not with my folks,” Mary Louise said, resigned to the explosion that lay ahead. “They’re going to have a hissy fit.”

“Mine, too,” Danny said bleakly. “Especially when they find out I’m going to be blowing off a college scholarship.”

“Then you’ve decided to move back here and get married?” the minister asked, his tone pretty even for a guy who’d been advocating against that.

Mary Louise shook her head. “Actually, that’s not what we’ve decided,” she said, proud that her voice hardly wavered at all. She met Danny’s startled gaze and held it. “I think getting married is a bad idea. It’s not what Danny wants, not now, anyway, and I don’t want to live with knowing that I ruined his chance to go for his dream.”

There was no mistaking the relief in Danny’s eyes, but he asked quietly, “Are you sure about this, Mary Louise? I’ve given it a lot of thought, too. We could make it work if we had to.”

If we had to. That grudging phrase told the whole story. “No, we couldn’t.” She avoided Danny’s gaze and faced Reverend Webb. “You see, I really did listen to what Mrs. O’Leary said the other day, and I saw how frazzled she was when the kids started acting up. I know we’d only have one baby, but even one would probably make a lot of noise. Danny would wind up being tired all the time and missing classes and stuff or failing tests. It’s not fair. Sooner or later, he would resent me and the baby. I get that now.”

“It’s not fair that you’ll have to cope with all that alone, either,” Reverend Webb said gently. “Is that what you’re suggesting? Do you still plan to keep the baby?”

Mary Louise nodded emphatically. “I want this baby. I won’t give it up, but this is my choice, not Danny’s.”

Reverend Webb turned to Danny. “This girl of yours is pretty amazing.”

Danny’s eyes glistened with tears. “I know that. And she shouldn’t be the only one making a sacrifice. We made this baby together.”

Mary Louise saw that a part of him wanted still to do the right thing and she loved him for it, but she couldn’t do this by half measures. “Danny, this is what I want. That’s the difference between you and me. You see what you’d be giving up and I see what I’m getting. It’s my decision to keep the baby and it’s my decision to let you go. We can decide later about custody and stuff. I’ll never keep you from the baby, but I won’t expect you to be a part of its life, either. That’s up to you.” She managed to get the words out without a single tear leaking out. She was proud of herself.

“I’ll make support payments,” Danny said, sitting taller. “That’s only right. It might not be much at first, but we can set it up so it’s more later, once I graduate and get a halfway decent job.” He looked toward Reverend Webb for support. “Is that fair?”

“I think so,” the minister said.

“And the baby?” Mary Louise asked, her heart thumping unsteadily. “Will you want to see the baby?”

Danny hesitated, his eyes filled with uncertainty. “I…I don’t know,” he whispered. “Can we decide that later?”

The last shred of hope inside Mary Louise died. Their baby still didn’t matter to him, not the way it did to her. “Sure,” she said stoically. “Later’s good.”

Maybe later her heart wouldn’t ache as if Danny had just stuck a knife into it.

5

Amanda’s backyard was crawling with people. Okay, there were only six adults besides herself, but the way the kids were scurrying around and getting in everyone’s way, it felt like more. Maggie had called Saturday morning and announced that she and Josh were coming by to help with the tree house construction and they were bringing Dinah and Cord, along with Josh’s mother, Nadine, and George Winslow.

“I take it Caleb recruited you all,” Amanda said.

“He mentioned it to Josh, who called Cord,” Maggie said. “I’m the one who decided the guys shouldn’t have all the fun. You, Dinah, Nadine and I can make curtains and stuff for Susie’s playhouse, which I gather is the next construction project. Something tells me these kids are going to be the envy of the whole neighborhood, if not most of Charleston. Our men must have had very deprived childhoods. They’re really getting into this. I haven’t seen Josh this excited about building something in ages.”

“And you’re not as into it as he is?” Amanda teased. “It sounds as if you’re already working on an interior-design plan for the playhouse.”

“It’s curtains,” Maggie protested. “I can whip those up with my eyes blindfolded.”

“I can’t get over the fact that you sew, too,” Amanda said, feeling instantly inadequate. Maggie seemed to possess all sorts of skills Amanda didn’t have. She’d even worked right alongside the men on the construction of Amanda’s house.

“In my world, little girls learned to paint and sew,” Maggie admitted. “Some of it took before I rebelled and learned how to use a hammer and saw. I much preferred playing with boys to doing sissy stuff with girls.”

“I’m in awe.” Amanda’s father hadn’t pushed her to learn any of the so-called feminine pursuits. He’d steered her toward his own interests. Instead of a little patent-leather purse, he’d given her a custom-made miniature briefcase. She’d had to beg for a doll, and then he’d managed to custom order one dressed in a designer business suit.

“I can barely hem the kids’ clothes, much less make something from scratch,” she told Maggie.

Maggie laughed. “Hey, don’t get the idea I’m on a par with a professional seamstress. The curtains will be frilly and they’ll do the job. They won’t be perfect.”

“Susie will love them no matter what,” Amanda said. “Now, what can I do for this gathering? It’s short notice, but I can whip up some hamburgers and potato salad for lunch.”

“Not necessary,” Maggie said. “Caleb said he’d have that covered. He’s going to be running late, so he’ll bring lunch for the whole crew with him. And Nadine said she’d make some lemonade and pick up sodas.”

A part of Amanda chafed at the generosity. It smacked of more charity. “I should be doing something,” she protested.

“Paper plates and napkins,” Maggie suggested. “Or maybe once the guys get there, you and Susie would like to meet Dinah and me at the fabric store. Susie might like to choose the material.”

Amanda declined. She’d wanted to make sure the house was spotless before her first impromptu party. She didn’t want any of these people to think she didn’t prize the home they’d built for her and couldn’t care for it properly.

Of course, the men had barely spared the inside of the house a glance as they’d headed straight for the backyard. And the women had immediately congregated in the kitchen, which had been turned into a sewing room and was now covered with yards and yards of pink eyelet fabric.

“I had curtains made out of material just like this when I was six,” Dinah said, her expression nostalgic. “It was the prettiest room I ever had. When I have a little girl, I’m going to do her room exactly the same way.” She scowled as the needle she was using to sew a hem pricked her finger. “Of course, someone else is going to make the damn curtains.”

Maggie regarded her with interest. “Any timetable for the arrival of this girl?” she inquired.

To everyone’s surprise, Dinah blushed. “Could be sooner rather than later.”

“You’re pregnant?” Maggie asked delightedly. “Does Cord know?” She shook her head. “Of course he does. You’d tell him first, wouldn’t you? When’s the baby due? How soon will you know if it’s a boy or a girl? Oh, Lord, this is going to give Josh ideas.” She sat back, looking stunned.

Amanda laughed. “I have never heard one woman’s good news cause such commotion for someone else before.”

“Then you haven’t spent nearly enough time around Maggie,” Dinah said dryly. “Trust me, she is not worried about this giving Josh ideas. She’s the one who’s always had to do everything I do and twice as fast.” She grinned at Maggie. “Sorry, sweetie. Not this time. I’ve got an insurmountable head start.”

Maggie’s gaze instantly narrowed. “How much of a head start?”

Nadine draped an arm around her daughter-in-law’s shoulders. “Maggie, honey, when it comes to babies, it’s all but impossible to make up any kind of a head start. Nine months is pretty much the rule. You can’t set out to have your baby in eight, though I for one would certainly like to see you try. I’m ready to be a grandmama.”

“But with those early pregnancy tests, Dinah could be only a few days pregnant,” Maggie argued. “If I take Josh home right this minute—”

“Give it up, Magnolia,” Dinah said. “This is one contest I’m going to win. Do you think I’m stupid enough to tell you news like this when you might have time to catch up?”

“So when is the baby due?” Maggie asked. “It’s November now.”

“I’m not telling,” Dinah said, her lips twitching with amusement.

Maggie headed for the door. “Cord will tell me. I always could wrap that man around my finger.”

“Not this time,” Dinah retorted. “I’ve put him on notice that he is not to tell you a blessed thing about this baby’s due date.”

Amanda listened to the two of them sparring as only best friends could and regretted that she’d never had a friendship that ran that deep. Her father had been her best friend, and then Bobby had taken his place. Now with both of them out of her life, she recognized the foolhardiness of not making more of an effort to surround herself with women like these.

“Hey, you okay?” Nadine asked, studying her worriedly.

Amanda nodded. “Just feeling a little envious, I guess.”

“Because of the baby?” Dinah asked. “Would you like to have another one someday?”

“Sure,” Amanda said without hesitation. “I loved every second of being pregnant, even the morning sickness. I loved it when the baby started to move inside me. I can’t say I was crazy about the pain of getting those little monsters into this world, but holding them in my arms for the first time was amazing. When they call it one of God’s greatest miracles, they get it exactly right.”

No sooner had she spoken than she looked up and spotted Caleb standing on the other side of the screen door. He looked as if someone had just delivered devastating news.

“Caleb?” Amanda asked, regarding him with concern. “Are you okay?”

He smiled, but she knew him well enough now to recognize that it was forced.

“I’m great. Just loaded down with all this food,” he said, juggling several bags. “Can somebody get the door for me?”

Nadine sprang up to do it. Maggie and Dinah immediately began poking in the bags to see what he’d brought for lunch, pulling out huge containers of coleslaw and barbecue and potato salad.

“Pickles?” Dinah queried. “Where are the pickles?”

“Right here, little mother-to-be,” Maggie responded, retrieving a plastic container of dill pickles. “I imagine you think they’re all for you.”

“Of course,” Dinah said, reaching for them.

During the exchange Amanda kept her gaze on Caleb. She’d never seen him looking quite so out of his depth before. She crossed the room. “Can I get you something to drink? A soda, maybe? Or the guys have beer in a cooler outside.”

“No, I’m fine,” he said with another of those halfhearted smiles.

“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” she pressed, keeping her voice low while Maggie, Nadine and Dinah chattered on.

“Nothing’s going on,” he said more tersely than he’d ever spoken to her before. He immediately winced. “Sorry. Bad morning, I guess. I’ll go outside and take out my foul mood on some wood. Hammering a few nails should make me feel better.”

Amanda reluctantly let him go. How could he claim that the two of them were friends when it was apparently so one-sided? He was always there for her, but the one time he looked as if he needed a friend, he shut her out.

She might not have a lot of experience with friendship, but she knew that wasn’t the way it was supposed to work, which meant that the minute this crowd dispersed, she and Caleb were going to have a chat. She was going to get to the bottom of whatever had put that lost and devastated look on his face.

Caleb wanted to kick himself for betraying even a hint of his reaction to Amanda’s comments about having another baby. Thankfully she’d only picked up on the fact that there was something wrong, not what had triggered his mood. He had a hunch, though, that he hadn’t heard the last of it. She was going to get in his face the very first chance she had.

Which meant, of course, that he needed to be away from her house one step ahead of everyone else. The minute the food had been served and the kids had gone inside for their naps, he made his excuses and started around the side of the house. Even though it made him feel like the worst sort of coward, he did it while Amanda was inside.

Unfortunately, the woman apparently had radar. She met him the second he turned the corner into the front yard.

“Going somewhere?” she inquired sweetly, her expression knowing.

“I have an appointment,” he said. It was only a slight stretch of the truth. He was going over to Mary Louise’s later to talk to her parents about the baby. She’d called that morning and asked him to be there when she broke the news. She’d sounded so nervous and uncertain, he’d agreed immediately.

There it was again. The whole baby thing. It seemed like everywhere he turned these days people were talking about babies. It was beginning to take a toll.

“Oh?” Amanda said, her expression skeptical. “Anything you’d care to talk about?”

“Sorry, it’s confidential,” he said evasively. “And I really do need to get going.”

She studied him with apparent disappointment. “I thought you trusted me more than this.”

“I told you, this appointment is confidential.”

“I’m not talking about that,” she said impatiently. “I’m talking about the fact that you’re obviously upset and you’re trying to hide the reason from me.”

“I can’t talk about it, Amanda. I really can’t.” He’d never discussed it with anyone, and Amanda was the last person with whom he’d share it. He hated the idea that it might change the way she looked at him.

“Then it’s all part of this confidential meeting you’re going to?” she asked.

For the first time since he’d known her, Caleb lied. “Yes,” he said. He could live with the lie far more easily than he could live with Amanda ever knowing the truth.

She regarded him sadly. “I wish I believed you.”

She turned and walked away, leaving him standing there knowing that he’d just lost something that really mattered. He’d lost her trust, something he’d spent months and months trying to earn. He couldn’t help wondering if, once all the truths started coming out, he would ever get it back again.

Mary Louise wished her mom and dad weren’t looking at her like that, as if she were such a terrible disappointment to them. The minute she’d told them about the baby, her mom’s eyes had filled with tears and her dad had looked as if someone had punched him in the stomach.

“Where the hell’s Danny?” her father asked furiously. “Why isn’t he sitting here beside you? What kind of coward leaves his girl to break this kind of news alone?”

“I didn’t want him here,” Mary Louise said, looking to Reverend Webb for support. He gave her an encouraging smile. “Danny and I talked about this and we’ve met twice with Reverend Webb. We know what we’re going to do, or I guess I should say what we’re not going to do.”

Her mother’s hand covered a gasp. “Please don’t say he’s not going to marry you, Mary Louise.”

“Mom, it’s for the best,” she said urgently. “Getting married now would ruin all of Danny’s plans for the future, and sooner or later he’d come to hate me and the baby. That’s the last thing I want.”

Her father rose to his feet, his face red. “You’re going to sit here and tell me that boy is not willing to make an honest woman of you? We’ll see about that. I have a shotgun in the other room that says otherwise.”

“That’s not an answer, Chet,” Reverend Webb said mildly. “Forcing two kids to get married when they recognize all the pitfalls won’t help anyone, least of all your grandchild.”

Her dad scowled at Reverend Webb. “At least my grandchild would have its daddy’s name.”

“And now it will have mine…and yours,” Mary Louise stressed with a touch of defiance. “And that’s okay. I’ve made my peace with raising this baby on my own.” She gave her father a hard, unyielding look. “And I can do it completely on my own, if that’s the way it has to be.”

“Oh, Mary Louise,” her mother whispered, her voice thick with tears. “Are you sure you want to do this? You could…” Her voice faltered.

“What? Have an abortion? Give the baby away?” Mary Louise said. “No way. Neither of those is an option. This is Danny’s baby and I want to keep it.”

Her mother turned to Reverend Webb. “Talk to her. Tell her how difficult this is going to be.”

“I think she knows,” he said gently. “Your daughter is very mature. You should be proud of her. She hasn’t come to this decision lightly. Neither has Danny. I can vouch for that. In the end, they made the decision together. He’ll acknowledge the baby and pay what he can in support.”

“Well, that’s mighty damn big of him,” her father blustered. “Seeing as how he’s the one who got her into this fix.”

“We made this baby together,” Mary Louise corrected him staunchly. “Don’t blame it all on Danny. He’s a good guy. He’s just not ready to be married or to be a father.”

“Well, ready or not, it looks as if he’s about to be a daddy. He ought to be man enough to be a husband, too,” her father insisted. “I don’t care what the rest of you say, I’m going over there to talk some sense into him. I imagine his folks will see my side of it, especially when I ask ’em how they’d feel if it was that little princess of theirs. I imagine if Cindy came to them with this news, they’d want the boy to do the right thing.”

He stomped out of the room. Mary Louise sent a pleading look toward Reverend Webb. “Please, talk him out of this. I don’t want it to get ugly.”

He gave her hand a squeeze. “I’ll do my best,” he promised, heading after her father.

Mary Louise turned to her mother. “Please don’t hate me, Mom.”

“Oh, sweetie, we could never hate you. It just makes me sad to think of all the difficulties you’re bound to face. There will be talk, you know. That’ll be hard on you and on the baby. And being a single mom might be common these days, but it’s not easy.”

Mary Louise crossed her arms protectively over her still-flat stomach. “I don’t care about ‘easy.’ I already love this baby. I can’t wait for him or her to get here. It’s seven more months, but I already wish it were tomorrow.”

Her mother gave her a watery smile. “My first grandbaby,” she said. “You know once your father gets over the shock, he and I will do anything we can to help you.”

“Do you think Daddy will calm down and leave Danny alone?” Mary Louise asked, worriedly glancing toward the door. She could still hear her father’s raised voice and Reverend Webb’s quieter responses outside.

“You’re his little girl. He only wants what’s best for you,” her mother said. “He’ll settle down once he accepts that this is the way you want it.” She studied Mary Louise’s face intently. “It is the way you want it, right? Because your daddy will change Danny’s mind if you still want a wedding.”

Mary Louise regarded her mother sadly. “I do, but not if it means being divorced a year from now. I think this is the only way Danny and I might eventually have a real chance.”

Her mother crossed the room and sat next to her, then drew her into a fierce hug. “Reverend Webb’s right. You’re wise beyond your years, Mary Louise, and I am very proud of you.”

Tears, never far from the surface these days, spilled down Mary Louise’s cheeks and mingled with her mother’s. Being wise pretty much sucked.

“What put you in such a sour mood?” Big Max asked Caleb when he showed up on Sunday evening. “If you’re going to sit there looking as if you just lost your best friend, you might’s well go on home. Things get gloomy enough around here without you adding to the misery.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Caleb retorted heatedly, his patience worn thin by too many people poking into his business the past couple of days. “You could change the way things are around here with one phone call.”

“We were talking about you, not me,” Big Max responded. “Don’t try to twist it into another one of your pitches for me to crawl back to my daughter.”

“It wouldn’t hurt you to grovel, Max. You could use a healthy dose of humility in your life.”

“I’ve got plenty to keep me humble,” the old man said. “And I’m sure you’ll see to it that I’m brought down a peg or two when I need it. Now, what got your knickers in a knot? There’s no point playing poker if your mind’s not going to be on the cards. What happened in church today? Did somebody tell you your sermon stank like day-old fish?”

Caleb bit back a laugh. “My sermon was just fine. Several people said so.”

“Did somebody dump a problem in your lap that you can’t solve?” Big Max pressed. “You’re not the Lord Almighty. You can’t fix everything. To tell you the truth, it seems to me He’s at a loss from time to time, too.”

Caleb thought of how ineffective he’d been yesterday when he’d been trying to help Mary Louise’s parents cope with the news of her pregnancy and guide them toward a workable solution they could all live with. Chet Carter had been all for taking his shotgun over to the Marshalls’ and using it to nudge Danny down the aisle. Eventually, Caleb had been able to make him see that a forced marriage wasn’t a good solution to anything, but Caleb wasn’t convinced Chet wouldn’t go back to his plan before all was said and done. He was still mad as hell that his daughter was facing this pregnancy alone.

“I do have a parishioner in need of some help,” he told Big Max, hoping to throw him off the scent. “I suppose that’s why I’m so distracted tonight.”

Big Max studied him skeptically. “That’s it? That’s all you’re going to tell me?”

“That’s all I can tell you,” Caleb said.

“Well, hell’s bells, if you can’t do better than that and you can’t concentrate on poker, get on out of here. You’re wasting my time.”

Relieved by the prospect of an early end to the uncomfortable evening, Caleb was about to take him up on it when Big Max suddenly looked a whole lot less feisty. “Is everything okay?” Caleb asked him, worried by the sudden uncertainty he saw in the older man’s eyes.

“Sure. Why wouldn’t it be? You’re the one acting crazy tonight,” Big Max grumbled. “Don’t know why you showed up here in the middle of the week, anyway.”

Caleb regarded him with real concern now. “Max, it’s Sunday night, same as always,” he said gently. “You asked me about church not two minutes ago.”

Big Max looked flustered, but he covered it with anger. “Of course it is. Stop trying to confuse me. Go on, now. I’m going to bed.”

Caleb wasn’t about to leave, not unless there was someone else around. “Is your housekeeper here?”

Max glowered at him. “Why do you care about that? You hoping Jessie will send you home with another piece of pie?”

“Exactly,” Caleb said, unwilling to admit that he wanted to be sure that there would be someone nearby in case something really was wrong.

“Well, I sent her home, so you’re out of luck,” Max said ungraciously. “Now, stop dillydallying and go.”

“I wouldn’t mind staying for a while,” Caleb offered. “That drink you made went to my head. I’d like to make myself a cup of coffee.”

Though the old man would never admit it, Caleb thought he detected relief in Max’s expression.

“Knew you couldn’t take a real drink,” Max gloated. “Stay here. I’ll make the coffee. I know my way around the kitchen.”

He left Caleb sitting alone, staring after him, concern suddenly eating away at him. Tonight wasn’t the first time Max had seemed a little…off-kilter. Caleb had chalked up all the other incidents to mere forgetfulness, but tonight he had to wonder if it might not be something more.

Then again, Max insisted on living out here all alone. He rarely ventured into town anymore, not even for the board meetings he was expected to attend. He’d turned into a recluse, but most people in town talked about his behavior as nothing more than the eccentricity of a wealthy man.

George Winslow ignored Max’s bad temper and lack of welcome and continued to visit from time to time. Caleb came by regularly, but if others dropped in, Caleb didn’t know about them. It was little wonder Big Max occasionally lost track of what day of the week it was. He supposed that the real surprise was that it didn’t happen more often.

When Max came back, he brought a Coca-Cola loaded with ice. “Here you go,” he said. “That ought to fix you up.”

Caleb accepted the cold drink and dutifully took a sip, trying his best to hide his shaken reaction. Had Big Max concluded that coffee was too much trouble? Or had he simply forgotten why he’d gone into the kitchen in the first place?

6

Amanda rarely set foot in Caleb’s office, mostly because there were so many other opportunities to see him. Unfortunately, ever since that Saturday when he’d been so obviously upset, he’d been avoiding her and the kids. Afraid that she’d inadvertently said or done something to offend him or that he was going through some sort of personal crisis and needed help he’d never ask for, she concluded it was time to take action.

As soon as she left her job at the boutique, she set off for the church. Nadine and George, who’d unexpectedly turned themselves into surrogate grandparents for Susie, Larry and Jimmy, were taking the kids to a movie, so Amanda had the entire evening to wrangle the truth out of Caleb.

On her arrival and drawn by some emotion she couldn’t quite explain, she wandered into the church, rather than going in search of Caleb. Only dim lights near the altar lit the way. She liked it in shadows like this. It felt peaceful and oddly welcoming to someone like her, someone not sure she had any right to be there, given her history and lack of faith.

She slipped into a pew toward the front and let the serenity steal over her. After the past couple of weeks, she needed a few minutes of solitude to gather her thoughts before facing Caleb and whatever secrets he was hiding from her. The kids had been a handful for days now. Even their teachers had called to complain, wondering if there might not be something wrong at home.

The only thing unusual that Amanda could point to was Caleb’s absence. Maybe this was a warning that her children were growing too dependent on him, expecting him to fulfill their need for a father. That was a burden he shouldn’t have to shoulder. Perhaps he’d sensed that himself and that was why he’d pulled back. It was something they needed to discuss.

As she wrestled with that, a side door opened softly, letting in a shaft of brighter light.

“Amanda!” Caleb said, obviously startled to find her there.

She jumped up guiltily. “I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t be in here.”

He frowned at her reaction. “Why on earth shouldn’t you be here? The church is open to everyone. Sit back down. I can leave you alone, if you’d prefer.”

There it was, she thought, that compassionate tone that made her long for things she hadn’t had in a long time. She’d missed having someone to share her day with. She and Bobby had talked about everything after the kids were in bed, or at least she had assumed they had. It turned out she’d been wrong, but at the time, those talks had been the best part of her day.

More and more lately she’d looked to Caleb for that kind of sharing. Maybe she’d been leaning on him too much. That was something else they should discuss.

She looked into his worried eyes. “No, stay, please,” she said. “Actually I came to see you. I walked in here on impulse and it was so peaceful, I stayed.”

Caleb crossed to sit beside her. “What brought you here to see me? You don’t usually stop by the church.”

She gave him a wry smile. “Because you’re usually underfoot at the house. You haven’t been by for a while now.”

“I should be flattered that you’ve noticed,” he said, though he sounded anything but pleased. In fact, he looked uneasy. “I’ve been busy.”

“You’re always busy,” she noted. “That’s never kept you away before.”

He sighed, then looked directly into her eyes. “It’s not my absence that’s on your mind, is it? It’s something more specific.”

She thought about the question before answering. “The kids do miss you,” she said honestly. “They’ve been acting up in school this week. I think it’s because they’re feeling abandoned. Frankly, so am I.”

His expression troubled, he murmured, “I’m sorry. I should have thought of that and explained to them.”

Amanda regarded him with frustration. “Don’t you dare apologize, Caleb. You don’t owe us anything. You’ve already been more than generous with your time and everything else.” She studied him intently, then forced herself to ask him directly, “Are you afraid we’re all getting too attached to you, Caleb? Is that it? Because if it is, I understand. I’ll make the kids understand, too. We can’t rely on you to fill the void Bobby left in our lives. You’ve already done more than we have any right to expect.”

He frowned at her. “You and the kids haven’t expected anything from me that I haven’t been more than willing to give,” he said with unmistakable sincerity. “I’m not sure I can explain this so you’ll understand, but there have been some things going on that I needed to deal with.”

“Personal things?” she asked, watching him closely.

He never once met her eyes, but he nodded. “At least some of it. The rest has to do with other people.”

“And you couldn’t share with me whatever it is that relates just to you?” she asked. “I thought friends were supposed to be there for each other, the way you’ve been there for us. I told you that at my house before you ran off the other day. I guess you still don’t get it.”

“If this were just about me, you’d have a point,” he said. “But it’s not. Can you try to accept that? There are going to be times when I simply can’t talk to you about what’s on my mind.”

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