Orchard Hill: volume Two

TITLE

Orchard Hill

Volume Two

by

Kara Lynn Russell

TITLE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business esta b lishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Orchard Hill Volume Two

COPYRIGHT © 2009 by Kara Lynn Russell

Keeping Faith : An Orchard Hill Romance

COPYRIGHT © 200 8 by Kara Lynn Russell

Enduring Hope : An Orchard Hill Romance

COPYRIGHT © 2008 by Kara Lynn Russell

Accepting Charity : An Orchard Hill Romance

COPYRIGHT © 2008 by Kara Lynn Russell

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or White Rose Publishing, a division of Pelican Ventures, LLC except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

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Cover Art by Nicola Martinez

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Publishing History

First White Rose Edition, 2009

Print ISBN 1-60154-563-0

Published in the United States of America

Keeping

Faith

Prologue: Pansy

Pansy Parker paused in pushing her cart down the grocery store aisle. She scanned the produce section in front of her, taking in the range of customers. She needed a new “project” to work on.

Pansy and Misty Green, her nemesis in matchmaking, were keeping track of all the matches they made this year. The one with the most matches at the end of the year would be acknowledged by the other as the best matchmaker in town. Pansy didn’t intend to lose.

Of course no one knew about this except for herself and Misty. But that was enough. No one else needed to know. She couldn’t wait to see Misty’s face at the end of the year when they totaled everything up and Pansy came out the winner.

Now, who needed her services?

Another cart turned in and crashed into her while she stood there lost in thought.

She was startled to see a stranger—a man of about her age—pushing the offending cart. Her heart skipped a beat.

“Excuse me,” he said, backing up. “I didn’t see you there.”

She smiled at him, noting his full head of gleaming silver hair. Not many men their age still had all their hair. Okay his hairline had receded a bit, but not much. “That’s quite all right. I was just sitting here wool-gathering. I’m Pansy Parker.”

The man returned her smile and extended his hand to her. “I’m Arthur Green. I’m in town visiting my daughter. I love her dearly, but she’s such a health nut. I’ve got to have some real food or I’m not going to last until I go back to Florida.”

“What a shame. Now I’ve always thought that a man needs the kind of food that sticks to his ribs. I’m making pot roast for myself and my son tonight.”

“Now that sounds heavenly.”

“Would you like to join us?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Not at all, we’d love to have you.”

“Well, in that case…”

It wasn’t until Pansy had given Arthur her address and told him to be there by six, that she realized his last name was Green. There was only one health food obsessed woman in town with that last name—Misty Green! She’d just invited her rival’s father to dinner.

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Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 1

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

—Hebrews 11:1 NIV

“Dad, you have to listen to me. You need to get out.”

“I get out,” Andrew Thomas protested, irritation lacing his voice. He didn’t want to spend this phone call with Robin talking about his social life—or lack of one.

“Sure you get out—to school board meetings and PTA potlucks.”

“What’s wrong with PTA potlucks? Besides, as principal of the elementary school, I really do have to attend.” He swore he could hear the nineteen-year-old’s eyes rolling.

“Dad, I really appreciate all the attention you gave me when I was growing up. I know being a single parent is tough. But now that I’ve moved out, don’t you think it’s time for you to find a new focus?”

Andrew frowned. “Like what? A hobby?”

“A date, Dad. Go on a date.” Robin sighed. “I know how much you loved Mom, but she’s been gone a long time. She wouldn’t want you to be alone.”

“So that’s what this is about? You don’t think the old man can take care of himself now that you’ve gone away to college.”

“I know you can take care of yourself,” Robin said, as if she were talking to a very slow child. Andrew’s annoyance meter went up a notch. “I just don’t want you to be alone. You deserve to get out, enjoy yourself a little.”

“I like my life the way it is.”

“Then why don’t you find someone to share it with?”

Exasperation mingled with affection filled him. Robin was a great kid, the best daughter he could ask for. She was only acting like this because she loved him, he reminded himself.

“Okay, if I promise to ask someone out on a date, can we talk about something else?”

“Will you really do it?”

Andrew shrugged. “Sure.”

“I think we both know who you should ask.”

“Really? I don’t have any ideas.”

“Oh, come on, Dad.”

“I’ll give it some thought.”

He was grateful when Robin allowed him to steer the conversation to more normal topics then, such as her classes, her grades and her social life. When he finally hung up the phone, he had a smile on his face.

He was so proud of his daughter. She’d hinted that he’d given up things for her, but Andrew couldn’t imagine anything else he’d have rather done than spend all the time he had with her. Now she was grown, and he’d probably only see her on holidays and over the summer. A wave of loneliness did sweep over him then.

Maybe Robin was right. Maybe he should try to develop a bit of a social life. A date, though? Well, he’d promised. She’d reminded him of it before they had said good-bye.

Now who was he going to find that would go out on a date with him? His administrative assistant, Faith Fielding flickered into his mind. Faith was far more than just a secretary to him. She’d come to him, a widow with a young son, trying to rebuild her life after her husband’s unexpected death in a work-related accident, and she’d been there for him when his own wife had died after a short illness. Over the years they had become close friends. She’d helped him out when he needed a woman’s perspective for Robin, and he’d helped her with her son, Kevin. She was, in fact, his best friend.

Yes, Andrew reflected, he should definitely talk to Faith. She’d know who he should ask.

****

On Monday morning, Andrew sauntered into the office, a mug of coffee in hand. Faith was already at her desk, going over the calendar for the week and putting together the morning’s announcements.

Soon, the halls of Orchard Hill Elementary would be filled with children—laughing, crying, shouting children. He thrived on it. But once the busy school day started, it would be difficult to have a personal conversation with Faith.

“Can you come into my office for a minute?” he asked.

She looked up at him and smiled. “Sure.”

Andrew loved her smile. Faith’s smile could light up a room. She was a pretty woman, with softly curling brown hair and friendly blue eyes. Her presence made the school office feel warm and welcoming. No wonder the children adored her.

He settled himself behind his desk, and Faith took a chair on the opposite side, a pad of paper and a pen in her hand.

“What’s up, Andrew?” she asked.

“Well, this is a personal matter,” he admitted. “Robin asked me to do something, and I need your advice.”

“Oh, how is Robin doing?” asked Faith eagerly. “I got an email from her last week, and it sounded like her classes were going well.”

“Yes, she’s fine,” Andrew told her. Normally, he would be happy to go on about his daughter. But now, he wanted to put this promise behind him.

“I’m so glad. I know she was nervous about going away this fall, but Robin’s got your charm, Andrew. She must have oodles of friends already.”

“And admirers lining up to carry her books,” Andrew added wryly. “But as I was saying, she made me promise something last night, and I want to take care of it.”

“Oh?” Faith tilted her head at him, curiosity in her eyes. “What did you promise?”

“I promised to go out on a date.”

Faith felt herself go still. A date? Her heart sped up. For years, she’d been hoping Andrew would ask her out. Was this it? Was it finally going to happen?

Wait a minute. Did she want him to ask her out just because Robin told him he needed to go on a date? But maybe it wasn’t that way. Maybe it was more that she’d given him her blessing. Faith knew Andrew would never get involved with someone Robin didn’t like.

Oh, who was she kidding? She’d take a date with Andrew any way she could get it. Even when she’d first started at the school, she thought Andrew was strikingly handsome. In the ten years they’d worked together, his salt and pepper hair had gone completely to silver. But she thought it looked great on him and made his gorgeous dark blue eyes stand out even more.

But, as handsome as she thought he was, physical appearance was the least of the reasons Faith loved him. His sterling character, charismatic personality and generous heart drew her to him. “So who’s the lucky lady?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Andrew leaned over the desk, and Faith found herself drawn to him as if he were a magnet and she a hunk of steel. “I wanted to ask you…”

“Yes?” Her voice came out barely louder than a whisper.

“I wanted to ask you…who I should ask.”

Faith leaned back until she felt the solid wood of the chair behind her. “You want me to tell you who you should ask out on a date?”

“Yes. Surely you have a friend or know someone…”

Why not me? Faith wanted to scream. But she couldn’t. Instead she rose and said, “Andrew, that is a decision you have to make for yourself.”

He had the nerve to look surprised. Faith was tempted to smack him over the head with her pad of paper.

“You mean you won’t help me?”

“No, Andrew. You’ll have to find your own date. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do to before the bell rings.” She strode out of his office, out of the school office and down the hall to the supply closet. Faith stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Then, she actually locked it.

She wanted to scream, but even here she’d be overheard. She’d have to wait until she was home, and then she could scream into her pillow until her voice was hoarse if she felt like it. She counted to ten and didn’t feel better. She counted to one hundred and still didn’t feel better. She paced furiously and even punched a roll of craft paper. Ouch. That definitely didn’t make her feel better.

Why should she be surprised that Andrew hadn’t thought of asking her out? When had he ever thought of her as a woman? When he’d needed someone to take Robin shopping for new bras or to give her the talk about the birds and the bees; that was when.

There was a mirror on the back of the door. Faith stared into it for a minute. She wasn’t a beauty queen, but surely she was still good looking enough for a man to notice that she was a woman, for crying out loud. Forty was looming on the horizon, and she knew her curves were a little fuller than before, and a few laugh lines were beginning to show, but still…

Faith turned away from the mirror. Whatever it took to catch Andrew’s eye, she didn’t have it.

Dropping her head, Faith said a quick prayer. “Lord, I don’t know what to do about all of this. Just help me hold it together today, and I’ll sort it all out with you later.”

Finally, she felt a little better. She took a deep breath and unlocked the door.

****

Andrew stared at the empty chair where Faith had been sitting. She’d left in a hurry. What happened? Was she mad at him? Had he done something lately that upset her? Maybe that was why she was refusing to help him find a date.

“Excuse me.”

Looking up, he saw a woman standing in the doorway. Her brown hair, highlighted with red, fell just past her shoulders. She smiled at him. “I’m here to speak to Mrs. Lindeman’s class. Can you tell me how to find it?”

Realization dawned. This was Harmony Solberg, the host of “At Home with Harmony,” a regional television program that was quite popular with Orchard Hill residents. She’d just recently moved into town.

“I’ll be happy to take you there myself.” Where was Faith? It wasn’t like her to leave her desk for long without telling him.

“Thank you.”

“What are you speaking about today, Ms. Solberg,” he asked as they made their way down the hall.

“Nutrition. I’m going to be explaining the food pyramid and giving the children a few simple recipes they can try at home.” She smiled at him. “With proper adult supervision, of course.”

Andrew returned her smile. “Of course. Do you speak at schools often?”

“Oh no. I’m not really experienced with children. But Mrs. Lindeman was very persuasive.”

“I’m sure she was. She’s extremely enthusiastic in pursuing anything she thinks will help her students. Are you very busy now? Are you taping a new season of ‘At Home with Harmony,’ perhaps?”

She shook her head. “I’ve retired from television, at least for a while. I’m writing a cookbook.”

“Really? That sounds wonderful.”

“I’m sure it would seem very boring to most people.”

Andrew felt an idea form. “Not at all. I’d love to hear more about it.”

“Really?” Harmony looked skeptical.

“Yes. Maybe I could take you out to dinner sometime.”

“Is this the way you treat all your guest speakers, Mr…?”

“Thomas. I’m Andrew Thomas.” He was botching this. It had been so long since he’d asked anyone out—more than twenty years. “And no, I don’t usually ask out guests at my school.” He thought about trying to play it cool and realized what a hopeless attempt that would be. “To be honest, I haven’t asked anyone out since before my daughter was born. She’s a freshman at college this year and thinks I need to get out more. She made me promise to ask someone out on a date.”

That’s right. He’d only promised to ask someone out. If Harmony said no, he’d still have fulfilled his promise and he’d be free.

“I assume you don’t have a wife? I wouldn’t think so, but it never hurts to check.”

“No, my wife passed away about eight years ago.”

“That’s a long time to go without a date.”

Andrew shrugged. “I was busy raising Robin. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you. It was inappropriate. Here’s Mrs. Lindeman’s.” He was about to open the door for her when she stopped him.

Harmony reached into her purse and pulled out a card. She handed it to Andrew. “I admire your honesty. I think I would like to have dinner with you, Andrew. Please give me a call—if you still want to, that is.”

When Andrew returned to the office, Faith was sitting at her desk again. “Where were you?” he asked.

“I had to…get something from the supply room. Where were you?”

“Harmony Solberg is speaking to Mrs. Lindeman’s class. I just showed her the way.”

“I’m sorry. I should have been here to do that.”

“No, no it worked out quite well.”

“What do you mean?”

Andrew rocked back on his heels, feeling pathetically proud of himself. “I asked her out, and she accepted. I guess I didn’t need your advice after all, Faith.”

Faith stared at him. “I guess you didn’t,” she echoed faintly.

“It’s time to do the announcements,” he said, glancing at the clock. “Are they ready?”

“Of course,” Faith replied, handing him a sheet of paper.

As Andrew took the paper he noted a bruise forming along Faith’s knuckles. That hadn’t been there before, had it? He took her wrist in his other hand. “What did you do?”

She tried to pull away. “It’s nothing. I…uh…fell and caught myself on my hand.”

“You must have landed in an awkward position. Did you sprain your wrist” he asked.

“No, it’s fine Andrew, really.”

Andrew studied Faith’s face. Something was wrong, but this wasn’t the time or the place to push her. He let her wrist slide through his fingers. “If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure.”

“Then let’s get to the announcements.”

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Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 2

After work that day, Faith stopped at The Green Scene Natural Food Market. She had started coming to Misty’s store years ago, after the doctor had determined that Kevin was allergic to milk. At the time, The Green Scene was the only place that sold soy milk and cheese. Now the local grocery store sold it, too, but Faith had become fond of the organic produce and the herbal teas Misty sold, so she kept shopping here.

“Faith Fielding, where have you been?” Misty called out as she walked into the store. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”

Faith attempted to smile back. “Spring is always busy at the school. Everyone is counting down to summer vacation. And there are all those ‘lasts’.”

“What do you mean ‘lasts’?” asked Misty.

“Oh you know, the last field trip, the last concert, the last art project, and so on and so forth. It keeps the calendar full. I think May is busier than December for us.”

Misty leaned forward and studied Faith’s face. “You look tired. I hope you aren’t letting yourself get run down.”

“No, I’m all right.”

“Well, just in case, you should pick up some of that immune system boosting tea.”

“Thanks, I will.”

“And how is your boss holding out through all this? I hope he’s not leaving you with all the work.”

She shook her head. “No, of course not. Andrew does more than all of us.”

“Hmm, maybe you’d better take some tea for him, too.”

“I’m not his wife. He’ll have to look after himself,” Faith said, a tinge of bitterness in her voice.

“Faith, what’s going on with you?”

“Nothing. Maybe I am tired.”

Misty studied her. “Is Andrew seeing anyone?” she asked.

“As a matter of fact, I believe he made a date with Harmony Solberg today.” Faith hoped she sounded nonchalant.

“Really.”

“I’ll definitely take some of that tea. Can you hold it up here while I look at your produce?”

“Of course, honey. You go look. I’ve got some early strawberries that are absolutely delicious.”

When Faith came back to the counter a little while later, Misty had the box of tea waiting. She placed her other items on the counter and Misty began to ring them up.

“You’ve worked at the school a long time, haven’t you, Faith?”

“Yes, this is my tenth year.”

“Maybe this tiredness isn’t physical,” Misty suggested as she weighed the strawberries.

“What else could it be?”

“Maybe it’s a tiredness of the soul.”

Faith looked at her skeptically.

“You know, maybe what you need is a change of scene, a new challenge.”

“Are you saying I’m in a rut?” she asked.

“Yes, I guess. Do you think so?”

Faith considered as Misty bagged the groceries. There was one thing she was definitely tired of—tired of waiting for something that was never going to happen. And she’d probably never move on while she spent every day with the object of her unrequited affection. “Maybe you’re right, Misty.”

****

That evening Andrew paced in his living room. The television was on, but he wasn’t paying any attention to it. Finally, he picked up the remote and muted it. Then he took Harmony’s card out of his pocket and looked at it.

She said she’d like to have dinner with him. Why should it be so hard to call and set up the details?

Andrew reviewed what he knew about the woman, which wasn’t much. She’d been the host of a regional cable show, she was writing a cookbook and she didn’t have much experience with kids. She was attractive and pleasant.

“What will we talk about all night?” Maybe he should invite her to a movie or something. Then he wouldn’t have to talk for at least an hour and a half.

“What am I thinking?” Andrew chastised himself. “I carry on conversations with people I hardly know all the time. What could be so hard about this?”

It was the whole date scenario that was throwing him. Though it had been more years ago than he wanted to think about, Andrew remembered feeling like this in junior high when he’d asked Emily Dubrowski to the 8th grade dance. Had he made so little progress in the three decades he’d lived since then? He’d experienced marriage, parenthood, and widowhood. He’d earned several degrees and built a respectable career.

Yet here he was, reduced to sweaty palms and a knotted stomach at the thought of calling a woman for a date. Where was the fairness in that? A lifetime of experience in maintaining poise in difficult situations surely must count for something?

Andrew wiped his moist hands on his pants. Apparently not.

The most ridiculous part about this whole fiasco was that he was only asking Harmony out because he’d promised Robin. It wasn’t as if he was attracted to her. At last, disgust with himself beat out anxiety, and he picked up the phone.

****

Andrew was feeling pretty pleased with himself as he walked into school the next morning. He’d called Harmony, and they’d made plans to go out for dinner that weekend. He’d done it. Robin would be proud of him.

Faith was already at her desk. “Good morning,” he called to her as he sailed through the office. Her response was less than enthusiastic.

Andrew paused. “Everything all right, Faith?” he asked.

Faith looked up from her work. Her eyes and nose were red. “I think I’ve picked up that cold that’s been going around. But I’m all right.”

“Are you sure? You’re never sick.”

“Yes, I’ll make it through the day.”

But by that evening, Faith knew she was done. Her throat hurt, her head hurt, her nose was running like a faucet, and all she wanted to do was curl up under a quilt and watch sitcom re-runs.

“You okay, Mom?” asked her son, Kevin, when he emerged from the cocoon he called his room in search of food, his dog on his heels, as usual.

“Not quite, I’m afraid,” Faith croaked. She hated being sick, but she had to admit this bug was getting the best of her. “Do you think you can make yourself some supper?”

“Well, sure. I can heat up some leftovers or something, but what about you?”

“I’m not hungry. I’ll have something later.”

Kevin was silent for a moment. Then, he came over to the couch and knelt down by her. “You wouldn’t let me skip supper if I were sick.” He placed a hand on her forehead. “I think you have a fever, Mom.”

“I’ll check it in a few minutes. I don’t feel like getting up now.”

“What about eating? I could make you some soup.”

“Thank you, honey, but I don’t think I could get it down.”

Kevin disappeared into the kitchen to make one of the soy cheese pizzas from Misty’s—and to sneak treats to the dog, she assumed.

About ten minutes later, the doorbell rang. Before Faith could convince herself to move from the couch, she heard Kevin open the kitchen door.

Did he invite a friend over when I’m sick? He wouldn’t do that to me, would he? Now she really had to get up and see what was going on. And she would. In just a minute.

“She’s in here,” Kevin said, and then Andrew’s face was in front of hers, concern written all over it.

“Faith?” he asked.

“Andrew? What are you doing here?”

“Kevin called me. He said you were sick.”

“You knew I had a cold. It’s no big deal.”

He knelt down beside her and laid his hand on her forehead. “Get the thermometer, Kevin.”

“I’ve got it right here.”

“I’m fine,” Faith protested weakly as Andrew popped the thermometer in her mouth. Well, maybe not fine, exactly, but surely not in need of this kind of attention. She just wanted to lie on the couch and relax. Was there a law against that?

“She asked me to make my own supper,” Kevin whispered to Andrew, as if that was a crime.

“But…”

Her protest was cut off by a stern look from Andrew. “Don’t try to talk.”

With a sigh, Faith sank back into the cushions. After a minute, Andrew checked the thermometer.

“What does it say?” Kevin asked, leaning over his shoulder.

“One hundred and one. It’s official. She’s sick.”

“Do we have to take her to the hospital?”

Andrew chuckled. “No, I think it’s just a virus. Your mom needs rest and a lot of fluids, mostly.”

“I need to be left alone,” she mumbled, but they ignored her.

“I offered to make her soup. She said she didn’t want anything.”

“Well, we can’t have that, can we,” Andrew said. “Let’s go see what we can do in the kitchen.”

Twenty minutes later, Andrew and Kevin were munching on pizza while Faith sat up on the couch staring at her unappetizing bowl of soup.

“Would you rather have some of the pizza, Mom?” Kevin asked.

“No. My throat’s too sore. But thank you, honey.”

Andrew moved over until he sat next to her on the couch. “I know it’s hard, but you have to eat Faith. You have to keep up your strength.” He put his arm around her and she, weak soul that she was, leaned her head on his shoulder, soaking up the comfort he offered.

“Take a bite,” he urged her.

Faith complied, saddened by her lack of willpower where Andrew was concerned. Maybe if she finished the soup he’d go away. She took another bite.

She couldn’t taste anything, and her throat burned. Why did he have to be here now, when she was a complete mess? Now, that would be a picture to compare to Harmony Solberg when they went out.

Harmony always looked perfect. Of course she looked perfect on TV, but even the few times Faith had seen her around town, she appeared to have just stepped out of a salon. Her clothes were pressed and perfectly fitted, never a hair out of place.

Faith sighed. And here she was—runny nose, red eyes and dressed in a ratty bathrobe that should have been thrown out years ago. Life was so unfair.

She leaned forward and plunked her bowl on the coffee table. “I can’t eat any more. I think I’ll just go to bed.”

To Faith’s horror, Andrew got up and followed her. “Well, take some cold medicine first. With juice maybe. And keep some water by your bed.”

Faith took the pills he offered because she didn’t have the strength to argue with him. She accepted the glass of water he gave her because she was too tired to complain, but she rallied when he tried to follow her into her bedroom.

“Andrew, you are not tucking me in,” she protested. “Thank you very much for your help, but I’ll see you tomorrow at work.”

He shook his head. “No way. You’re staying home tomorrow.”

“But I never miss work.”

“This time you will. And that’s an order.” Andrew put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead. “I need you. Get better.”

Faith slumped against her door as he walked back to the living room. He needed her. If only he wasn’t talking about someone to take his messages and keep track of his schedule.

This cold was making her overly emotional. Maybe she should stay home and sleep tomorrow. She certainly felt like she could sleep that long.

Back in the living room, Andrew sat down to finish his pizza. “Do you want to work with Davy tonight?” he asked Kevin.

Davy was the terrier-type dog Kevin had adopted recently. Andrew had volunteered to help train the dog. At first, Kevin had wanted to call him Goliath, but Andrew pointed out that since the dog was done growing, he would likely never fit that name. “He’s more of a David than a Goliath,” Andrew had said and the name stuck in slightly altered form—Davy.

“Nah,” Kevin answered. “He’s doing okay. Besides, what if Mom needs me?”

“I think she’ll be all right. You do understand it’s just a cold, don’t you?”

“I know…but Mom’s never sick. And Robin said…”

“Robin said what?”

“Robin said her mom got sick before…before she died. Maybe you should spend the night.”

Andrew studied the boy. These fears seemed a little childish for a thirteen-year-old, but then again Faith was remarkably good at avoiding sickness—a must for anyone who worked in a school—and Kevin had already lost one parent.

“That’s true. But Robin’s mother had a lot more than a simple cold. You just haven’t seen your mother much when she’s sick. Trust me, there’s a big difference between a cold and cancer.”

“Okay,” said Kevin. “If you’re sure you don’t want to stay.”

Andrew laughed. “I don’t think your mother would appreciate it.”

“I guess not,” he agreed. “Oh, I almost forgot. I have to tell Robin what you said.”

“Tell Robin?”

“Yeah, while I was waiting for you I IM’d her and told her about Mom. I have to tell her you said it was just a cold.”

“IM?”

“Instant Message. Geez, Andrew, you work with kids. You should know this stuff.”

Now that he was sure his mother wasn’t dying, Kevin was back in full teenage mode, Andrew noted, attitude in tact. He’d seen enough of that over the years that it didn’t faze him. “Sorry,” he chuckled. “I’ll try to stay on top of it. If you’re going back to the computer, I’m going to head home.”

“Do you think Mom will need anything tonight?”

“Probably not. But if she does, she should be able to get it herself. You can always call me if you need me.”

“I know, Andrew.” Accompanied with eye roll.

“Remember that I said she wasn’t supposed to come in to work tomorrow. Don’t wake her up when you leave for school.”

“I never have to wake her up. She’s always up before me,” Kevin protested.

“Well, don’t count on it tomorrow,” Andrew said before he slipped out the door.

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 3

The next morning Faith pried open her eyes to brilliant sunlight slanting through her bedroom. She grimaced and sat up. Her head felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. Obviously, it was well past the time she should be at work.

Slowly, she made her way into the kitchen and got a glass of orange juice. She winced as the cold liquid touched her raw throat. There was a note from Kevin propped up on the kitchen counter.

Mom,

Hope you are feeling better. Andrew said not to wake you.

Kevin

She tried to work up the nerve to be mad at Andrew for deciding for her that she needed to stay home. It took too much effort. She forced down the juice, took some more cold medicine, and headed back to bed.

****

At school, Andrew’s appreciation for Faith was renewing itself. Without her, nothing seemed to run smoothly. The morning announcements didn’t get prepared on time, the mail didn’t get sorted, the phone rang constantly, and he couldn’t find…well, anything. He wished there was a substitute he could call for school secretaries. At least it was Friday. Faith would have two more days to recover before he needed her back at school.

By the end of the day, Andrew was exhausted. He couldn’t wait to get home, turn on the TV and…get ready for his date.

During the chaos of the day, he’d forgotten that he was supposed to have dinner with Harmony Solberg tonight. He considered canceling, but he’d promised Robin and the sooner he actually went on the date the sooner this could be over. As Andrew shrugged into his suit coat and threw some papers in his briefcase, the phone rang. He thought about ignoring it, but then with a sigh picked it up.

“Orchard Hill Elementary. Can I help you?”

Kevin’s voice came across the line. “Andrew, I’m glad I caught you.”

“Is something wrong? Is your mom okay?”

“She’s still running a fever, and her throat’s real sore.”

“Rest and fluids, Kevin, just like I said last night. Anything else?”

“Actually, would you…could you…?”

“Spit it out.”

“Would you stop at The Green Scene and pick up some herbal tea. Misty has this kind for sore throats that’s really good. Mom gave me some this winter when I had strep throat, and it helped.”

“Why don’t you ride your bike over to the store?”

“Um…um…I wanted to stay with Mom. She’s really not feeling good.”

Andrew closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He sensed there was something more going on than Kevin had said, but didn’t have the time to pursue it. One more thing to do. “Sure Kevin. I’ll be by later.”

****

Before Kevin came home, Faith had managed to drag herself into the shower. The steam made her feel better and she lingered there. Then, she dressed in clean pajamas—the ones with the flying pigs on them that Kevin had given her for her birthday. She put her hair back in a scrunchy. No one but Kevin would see her, and he didn’t care what she looked like—as long as he wasn’t required to be seen with her in public, that is.

He was on the couch eating a bowl of cereal and watching TV, Davy curled up beside him. When they’d first brought the dog home, Faith had tried to keep him off the furniture. By now, she’d given in to the inevitable. Davy wanted to be wherever Kevin was, and Kevin had worked hard to train him. She could live with a little dog hair on the couch if the dog was well behaved in all other ways.

She sat down beside the pair. “Hey hon, how was school today?”

His eyes never left the TV screen. “Fine. Andrew’s coming over later.”

“Why?”

“I asked him to pick up some of that tea Misty sells. The stuff you gave me when I had strep throat.” He took a bite of cereal and crunched loudly.

“The immune system boosting tea? I just bought some of that.”

“Sorry, Mom. I didn’t know.”

“Maybe I should try to call him and tell him.”

“He’s probably already at Misty’s.” He reached for the remote and turned up the volume. “Now, if you don’t mind, this is the good part.”

So much for family communication. Faith wandered into the kitchen and wondered if she could eat anything. She hadn’t had anything other than the juice today, but she didn’t have any appetite, and her throat was still sore. Maybe she’d make herself some oatmeal later. Right now a cup of Misty’s tea sounded like a good idea.

After his show ended, Kevin abandoned the TV and took Davy out for a walk. Faith settled herself on the couch with her tea and turned the channel to reruns of what had been her favorite show when she was Kevin’s age.

****

Andrew went home and got ready for his date. He was just about to turn onto Harmony’s street when he remembered the tea for Faith. He turned off his blinker and drove ahead to the downtown area instead.

He stepped inside The Green Scene and felt instantly lost. He’d never been here before, and, as he gazed at the shelves packed with absolutely everything, he wondered how anyone found anything in the store. Where was the tea?

“Can I help you?” asked an older lady with long silver and blonde hair.

“I’m looking for tea.”

“Right this way.”

There was a whole section of shelves filled with different boxes and tins of tea. “Do you want loose tea or tea bags?” asked the woman.

“I don’t know. I’m supposed to pick up some kind of tea for sore throats.”

The woman smiled. “I’ve been expecting you.”

“Expecting me?”

“Yes. Kevin... um… called me. He said you were coming to pick it up for his mom.”

“Oh. Well, that’s right. Kevin’s mom is my secretary.”

“I know. Faith and Kevin have been good customers for years. I’m Misty, by the way. This is my store.”

“It’s good to meet you. I’m Andrew—”

“I know. Faith’s told me a lot about you over the years.”

“She has?” How come this woman knew all about him, but he didn’t know anything about her? He thought he knew everything about Faith, but she’d never said a word about this Misty.

“So, Faith is sick, and you’ve been called on to deliver tea for her.”

“Yes.”

“I’m guessing she needs a bit of comfort right now.” Misty was grinning at him. What was that all about?

“Possibly. How much is the tea?”

Misty told him, and they finished the exchange.

“Tell Faith I know she’ll be better soon,” Misty said, still sporting that Cheshire-cat grin, as he left. What was with that woman?

****

She woke to the sound of the doorbell ringing. It was dusk, and shadows darkened the room. Where was Kevin? Faith threw off the quilt she’d wrapped herself in and headed for the kitchen door. No one was there.

The bell sounded again, and Faith realized that someone must be at the front door—an oddity in Orchard Hill. She shuffled to the front and turned on the porch light.

Andrew was standing there, a box of tea in his hand and an impatient look on his face. Faith opened the door.

“Andrew, thank you for the tea, but you didn’t have to…”

“Where’s Kevin?” he barked.

“I’m not sure. He took Davy for a walk, but then I fell asleep and… Let me see if he left a note.”

In the kitchen, they found a note propped on the table. It said he went to supper at his friend Mark’s house and would be home at 9:00.

“He shouldn’t have left you alone,” grumbled Andrew.

“I was alone all day. At least he left a note.” Faith took the tea from him and went to put it in the cupboard. As she reached up to place it on the top shelf a wave of dizziness swept over her, and she staggered backwards.

“Faith, are you all right?”

Andrew caught her. He turned her gently as his arms steadied her and looked into her eyes. “What happened?”

“I just got a bit dizzy.” Her voice came out as a breathy whisper that had nothing to do with dizziness or sore throats and everything to do with the fact that Andrew had his arms around her.

“That’s it,” he said. “I’m not leaving you alone. You’re too sick.”

“I’m not that sick. I just haven’t felt up to eating anything today.” She desperately wished she weren’t sick because then maybe she’d be brave enough to reach up and kiss him. But if she weren’t sick, he’d never have put his arms around her in the first place, she reminded herself.

“I’ll make you some soup. Do you think you can eat that?”

“I was thinking oatmeal.”

There was a knock at the kitchen door. Faith looked over Andrew’s shoulder to see Harmony Solberg’s face framed in the window of her kitchen door.

“Andrew do you think you might have forgotten something—or someone?”

Andrew turned, keeping a hand on Faith’s arm, as if she needed the support. “Harmony! I forgot she was waiting in the car.”

Faith groaned. “I look horrible. I can’t ask her in now.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You just look like a beautiful woman who happens to have a cold.” He pulled out a chair for Faith and pushed her down into it, then he crossed the room and threw open the door.

“Harmony, I’m so sorry I’ve taken so long.”

“Is everything all right?” she asked, peering into the kitchen.

Just great. A Martha Stewart clone had to be checking out her kitchen now, when there were empty cereal bowls in the sink and crumbs on the counter and…

“Faith was feeling a little dizzy. I wanted to make sure she was all right,” Andrew explained.

Harmony looked elegant in an oh-so-simple but tastefully cut black dress. Her hair was caught up in a jeweled clip, and she held a slim black purse. Faith couldn’t stuff all her necessary items to fit into a purse twice that size. And she didn’t look that good on her best day, never mind for a casual dinner date. Who was she kidding? Why wouldn’t Andrew pick Harmony over a frumpy, single mom who…

Oh, good grief. She was wearing flying pig pajamas. And her old threadbare bathrobe. And she hadn’t even attempted to comb her hair today, never mind the Rudolph look-alike nose. ‘Beautiful woman who happens to have a cold,’ my foot, Faith thought. That’s it. They have to go. Now.

Harmony was looking at Faith with real concern. “Maybe we shouldn’t go tonight, Andrew. If you need to stay with your friend…”

“No, I’m fine,” Faith protested, mortified when her voice came out in a croak. She rose from the chair, desperate to show Andrew that she was not going to faint away the moment he left.

Andrew looked thoughtful for a moment. “Well, I guess if Kevin is going to be home by 9:00…”

“Yes, Kevin will be home. I can manage until then—really.”

“Okay,” Andrew agreed. “We’ll go. As soon as I make you that oatmeal.”

Oh joy. Not only was Harmony Solberg going to get to see her dirty kitchen, she’d also see that Faith bought the kind of oatmeal that came in little packets. She probably harvested her own oats from her garden to make oatmeal.

“I don’t think you two have met,” said Andrew as he pulled out a bowl and poured a packet of oatmeal into it. “This is Harmony Solberg. Of course you know who she is, Faith. Harmony this is Faith Fielding, my administrative assistant.”

“I’m pleased to meet you,” Harmony replied. “I’m only sorry it wasn’t under better circumstances.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Harmony. Please don’t be offended if I don’t shake your hand,” Faith responded with a graciousness she thought admirable under the circumstances.

Andrew slid the bowl into the microwave and started it. In passing, he pressed Faith back into her chair. “I have to make sure Faith gets better,” he explained. “After living without her for one day, I know I won’t make it a second.”

“I’ll have all weekend to rest. Of course I’ll be there on Monday. Was it really that bad?”

“Worse. I’ll spare you the details until you’re stronger.” Andrew smiled at her, and Faith wanted to melt. Then she wanted to smack him. How dare he do this to her?

The timer on the microwave went off, and Andrew grabbed a pot holder and pulled out the steaming bowl. “You really know your way around this kitchen,” remarked Harmony.

“Yeah. Faith and I have been together for years.”

“Together?” asked Harmony, raising one perfect eyebrow.

Faith stirred sugar into her oatmeal and remained silent. He put his foot in his mouth. Let him pull it out.

“Well, as coworkers. But we’re both widowed, and so we’ve helped each other out a bit over the years.”

Harmony was smiling, so Faith guessed she wasn’t jealous. Probably thought it was hilarious that Andrew made that little slip, as if he’d ever be “together” with someone like her.

“Would you like a cup of tea before we go?” asked Harmony. “I could make you one.”

“No! No thank you, that is. A glass of orange juice would be fine.”

As Andrew poured the juice, Harmony put her hand on Faith’s arm. “I hope you feel better.”

He set the glass of juice in front of her. “Maybe I should stop by later.”

Faith’s anger was rising to a level that was difficult to conceal. “No, don’t. I’ll probably be in bed long before your date is over.”

“Oh, we won’t be out late,” Andrew assured her.

“Perhaps a call in the morning would suffice,” suggested Harmony.

“Yes.” Why did she have to be so helpful? Not that Faith didn’t need an ally, but not Harmony, not Andrew’s date. “I hate being fussed over. I’d rather you just called tomorrow.”

He hesitated. “If you’re sure.”

“I’m positive.”

“All right. I suppose we should be going. Is there anything else, Faith?”

She took a big bite of oatmeal, to reassure him that she was eating, and shook her head.

“I don’t mean to make a big deal out of this, Faith. It’s just that you’re never sick, so…”

“It’s only a cold. Everyone gets one once in a while.”

“You’re right. Are you ready, Harmony?”

She was smiling that little smile again, as if something very amusing had just happened. “Yes, are you?”

“Sure. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

When the door finally shut behind them, and she heard Andrew’s car start up, Faith pushed away the bowl and laid her head on her arms. She wondered if she should laugh or cry. A tightness in her throat and a prickling behind her eyes told her which was more likely.

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 4

By the end of the weekend, Faith’s symptoms had lessened to the point where she felt she could go back to work. She was tempted to take Monday off just to spite Andrew. But even though he deserved it for showing up at her house with Ms. Perfect, Faith was too dedicated to follow through on that whim.

She’d done a lot of thinking over the weekend, and she was starting to agree with Misty. Maybe she did need a change of scenery. There was no way she could continue to work here and pine after Andrew if it was clear that he had no interest in her.

But what should she do? Where would she find another job? She’d never find one she enjoyed as much as this one. She loved all the children and knew each of them by name. If her husband hadn’t died, she was sure they would have had more children. But now she felt as if all the students were at least a little bit hers.

No, she really couldn’t quit. She’d just have to get over this silly crush she had on Andrew. But it wasn’t a crush, and Faith knew it. She loved Andrew, and that wasn’t so easy to get over when they were constantly together.

Like now. He sailed into the office, shrugging out of his suit coat and smiling at her. Her heart jumped at the sight of him.

“Good morning, Faith. Feeling better?” he asked.

“Since you called last night? Yes, a bit I think.”

“That’s good. I wasn’t looking forward to holding down the fort again.” Then he stopped in front of her desk. “But if you want to go home early…”

“I’ll be fine,” she hurried to assure him.

“All right. I’ll be in my office. Later today, we need to go over the list of things to do and to buy for the Memorial Day School Picnic.”

They had the picnic every year on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. It was the official end of the school year. “Sure,” said Faith. “I’ll pull the file from last year.”

The morning swept by, busy as usual. A small boy was sent in with a nosebleed. A teacher went home sick, and Faith sat with her class until a sub arrived. She spent an hour on the phone arguing with the supply company over an invoice. In other words, everything was pretty routine.

Shortly after lunch break, Andrew called Faith into his office. She grabbed the Memorial Day picnic file, knowing this was what they’d discuss. They’d worked together for so long, she often knew what Andrew wanted before he did.

Settling into the chair across the desk from him, Faith juggled the folder and a legal pad and pen. “Where do you want to start, Andrew?”

“With the food, of course.” He smiled at her, sending a jolt to her heart. How could he still do that after all this time? Did her smile ever affect him that way?

Faith looked up the amount of hot dogs, hamburgers and buns they’d bought the year before. “Will you do the grilling as usual, Andrew?”

“Yes. What else do we need?”

“Pickles, ketchup, mustard, carrot and celery sticks, chips and lemonade.”

“Our enrollment is pretty much the same as last year, isn’t it?”

“The kindergarten classes were a little larger this year, so I might order a bit more. But basically I think we can go by last year’s numbers.”

“What about dessert?” asked Andrew.

“The PTA members have offered to make bars.”

“Oliver Laurence will start a baseball game for any of the kids who want to play.”

“That’s a good idea. It will keep them out of trouble after they’ve finished eating.” Faith closed the folder. “I’ll get started on the ordering.”

She’d half risen when Andrew said, “Aren’t you going to ask me about my date?”

Faith fell back into her chair with a thump. “All right. How was your date?” She struggled to keep her voice neutral.

“It was great. I was afraid we’d have nothing to talk about, but we managed to keep the conversation going all evening. I did it, Faith. Now, I can tell Robin I kept my promise.”

“Well, congratulations,” Faith replied woodenly. “I’m sure she’ll be pleased.”

“It’s just that it’s been so long since I’ve been on a date, I wasn’t sure if I’d know how to behave any more. I wouldn’t tell this to anyone else, but I was scared.”

He looked so earnest, his eyes staring into hers. Faith’s heart melted, but her stomach twisted. If there was one thing she couldn’t handle, it was being Andrew’s confidante. This date was a success. That meant there would be others. Faith decided then and there, she wouldn’t be around to hear about them.

“Andrew, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

****

Andrew closed himself into his office that afternoon. He had work in front of him, but he hadn’t touched it in over an hour. He was still reeling from Faith’s announcement. She was quitting.

She said she’d stay until the end of the school year, but she wouldn’t be back in the fall.

That would leave him the whole summer to find a new administrative assistant, but Andrew didn’t want a new one. He wanted Faith. They were a team. They were friends—best friends. Nothing would be the same if she left.

Why did she want to leave anyway? She’d been very evasive about the whole thing, saying she just needed a new challenge, a change of scenery.

Andrew had been a principal for enough years to know an excuse when he heard it, and this one was about as good as “the dog ate my homework.” He had to find out what was going on.

Because he wasn’t going to let Faith quit. Whatever it took, Andrew vowed, he was keeping Faith.

****

“I did it,” Faith told Misty as she walked into the Green Scene after school that day. “I quit.”

“Well, that’s great honey.”

“No, it’s horrible,” moaned Faith, leaning on the counter and cradling her head in her hands. “Maybe I can plead temporary insanity and get my job back tomorrow. What was I thinking? I don’t even have another job lined up.”

“Don’t you have all summer to look for another one?”

“Well, I usually work with Andrew through July and just take August off, but I suppose we could make it through the summer if I didn’t work.”

“You’re a fabulous secretary with an impeccable track record. Andrew’s sure to give you a glowing recommendation. You’ll have a new job by the fall.”

“Maybe.”

“This is a step in the right direction,” Misty told her, with a funny little smile. “You’ll be glad you did this Faith.”

****

Kevin and Andrew were in the back yard working with Davy. He was learning to “stay” today. So far, they weren’t having much success.

“Patience,” Andrew encouraged the teen. “You need lots of patience to train a dog.”

“Yeah, I guess,” said Kevin, his frustration evident in his voice.

“Why don’t we take a break? Let’s see what your mom has for a snack.”

That perked Kevin up. “Okay. Come on Davy, let’s go.”

Andrew followed the boy to the house. He could see Faith moving around in the kitchen. That was fine with him. He wasn’t about to start avoiding her now. In fact, he was itching to talk to her.

“Hi Faith,” he said as he and Kevin came in from the back yard.

“Oh, hi Andrew.” She was putting groceries away and hardly spared him a glance. Kevin began to rummage around in a cupboard and pulled out a bag of chips. She didn’t say a word to him about ruining his supper. Andrew frowned.

“Faith, can we talk?”

“Now?”

“Yes, now. What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing.” She turned her back on him and continued putting boxes and cans in the cupboards.

“That’s not true. If nothing’s going on, then why did you quit your job today?

Kevin turned around so fast he spilled potato chips across the counter. “You did what?”

Faith shot Andrew an angry look. “I was planning to talk to you about that, Kevin.”

“What will you do if you don’t work at the school?”

“There are other jobs in Orchard Hill.”

“But you already have this one,” Andrew pointed out. “And we like you at the school. Why are you leaving?”

“We won’t have to move, will we?” asked Kevin.

“Of course not.”

“But why are you quitting?” Andrew pushed.

“Didn’t we have this conversation already?”

“Yes, but I didn’t get a satisfactory answer from you. What’s going on, Faith?”

“Andrew, it’s the only answer I have. I need a change of scenery. People change jobs all the time.”

“But not you, Mom. They love you at the school,” Kevin protested.

“We need you at the school,” Andrew stressed.

Faith threw up her hands. “Stop double-teaming me, you two. It’s my decision.” And, what was she supposed to say? I’m hopelessly in love with you and you don’t know I’m alive? Not as a woman, anyway. I’m just a comfortable and dependable friend.

“But who’ll help me with Davy if you and Andrew stop working together?” demanded Kevin.

“Your mother and I don’t have to stop being friends if she changes jobs.”

“Is that right, Mom?”

Faith swallowed. Great. She wouldn’t work with Andrew anymore. He’d just hang out at her house like an overgrown companion of Kevin’s. “Of course.” She hoped that didn’t sound as unconvincing as she thought it did.

“I have to go do something,” Kevin mumbled and headed for his room. Davy followed like a shadow.

“See how upset Kevin is,” hissed Andrew as the boy left the room.

“He wouldn’t be upset if I’d been able to talk to him about it instead of you just blurting it out!” She began cleaning up the potato chip mess Kevin had left.

“I still don’t understand why you’re doing this.”

Faith sighed. Andrew could be relentless. “You don’t have to understand it. Just accept it.” She threw away the spilled chips and closed the bag.

“I’m not ready to do that.” Andrew grabbed her arm and spun her around. There was a determined look in his eyes.

Anger burned in her chest. He couldn’t do this to her. She’d made her decision, and she wasn’t going to let him trample all over her heart anymore. Faith narrowed her eyes. “Go home, Andrew.”

“Not until we get to the bottom of this.”

“I refuse to stand here and argue with you.” If he wouldn’t leave she would. Stalking from the kitchen, Faith stomped down the hall to her bedroom and slammed the door in a fine imitation of Kevin in a snit. She leaned against the door and waited until she heard the front door slam, with twice the force she’d used, followed by the sound of Andrew’s car engine starting. Then, she went to Kevin’s room to try to repair the damage Andrew had wrought.

Knocking on the door, Faith called out, “Honey, can we talk?”

“Not now Mom. I’m talking to Robin online.”

“Well, later then, okay. Over supper let’s talk this out.”

“Whatever.”

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 5

The next few days were awful. Andrew was cold and distant, but Faith told herself it was better that way. There was no way she’d waver on her decision.

But she missed him. She missed telling him about what Kevin was up to, or laughing with him over the events of the day. She missed hearing about what Robin was doing at school.

Things were equally bad at home. Kevin was angry with her and treated her to an icy silence. It was so unlike him that Faith found it eerie. Shouting, stomping, snide comments, slammed doors—that she could live with—but not the quiet disapproval she was getting from him. She wanted to ask Andrew’s advice on how to handle the situation, but that was impossible.

On Friday, Faith asked two of her friends, Hope Velasquez and Sarah Rogers, to have coffee with her after school. They went downtown to the Grace Place, Orchard Hill’s only coffee shop. Grace herself was behind the counter, and took their orders.

Hope, the school librarian, was the exact opposite of the stereotypical frumpy, silence-loving librarian. She was tall, athletic and outgoing. Sarah Rogers was a speech therapist at the school. This was her first year in Orchard Hill, but she was already getting a reputation for helping her students make great improvements, not just in their speech, but also in their attitudes.

Once the three had their orders and settled at a table, Faith started to relax. She needed this, needed to escape from her problems for just a little while. But she was mistaken about being able to forget.

“Faith,” said Hope, never one to beat around the bush. “We’ve heard rumors that you won’t be back in the fall. What’s up?”

She took a long drink from her mug, buying a little time to put her thoughts together. “Yes, I’m leaving. I’ve been at Orchard Hill Elementary a long time. I need a new challenge.”

“This is so sudden,” Sarah piped in. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Yes,” answered Faith, even though she wasn’t as sure as she’d been at the beginning. What if she didn’t find a new job over the summer?

Silence fell over the table. The women sipped their drinks, lost in their own thoughts.

Predictably, Hope broke the silence. “Does this have anything to do with Andrew?”

“W—what?” sputtered Faith. “No, of course not. He’s a great boss.”

Hope and Sarah exchanged glances. “I’ve only been at the school a short time, but even I know you and Andrew have a thing for each other,” said Sarah.

Faith’s face burned. “That’s ridiculous. There’s nothing going on between us.”

“Well, we know that.” Hope rolled her eyes. “That’s why you’re leaving, isn’t it?”

“Of course not.”

“You can tell us,” Hope insisted. “We’re your friends.”

“Or you can just leave it to our imaginations,” suggested Sarah, with a little smile.

“Good heavens, no,” exclaimed Faith. “I don’t even want to think about what you two would come up with.”

Hope grinned. “So, spill it then.”

She glanced around, making sure no one was within earshot, and then confessed. “Yes, I’m in love with Andrew.”

“I knew it!” exclaimed Hope as she practically jumped out of her chair with excitement. “You two are perfect for each other.”

Faith glanced around again and hushed her friend. “That’s what I thought. But I’ve been waiting for years for Andrew to realize it. I have to accept that he doesn’t feel the same way about me.”

“Who says he doesn’t,” Sarah exclaimed. “If you knew the way he looked at you…”

“If he feels that same way I do, then he isn’t going to do anything about it. And I’ll never get over him if I stay at the school, working with him. I need a fresh start.” Faith felt tears threatening and ducked her head to hide them.

Sarah reached out and took one of Faith’s hands in her own. “We understand, but we’ll still miss you.”

“I’m trying to move on. I have to find something else to occupy my mind.”

“Or maybe someone else,” suggested Sarah.

“I have an idea,” announced Hope. “The church’s Spring Fling is coming up. I’m sure my brother would love to take you.” The Spring Fling was an annual fundraiser put on by the youth group.

“Oh, no,” protested Faith. “I’m sure he wouldn’t. If Joseph were interested in me at all, he would’ve asked me out long before this.”

“Don’t be silly. I told him you were taken because I thought you and Andrew…”

“Are you sure?”

Hope gave her a dazzling smile. “Positive. Plus you both have teens participating in the fundraiser. You’re obligated to go, so you may as well go together. In fact, Pansy Parker suggested it to me the other day.”

****

On Saturday morning, Andrew went running with Oliver Laurence, the phys’ ed’ teacher at the elementary school. Oliver was new in Orchard Hill, having come in at semester break. His predecessor had undergone emergency bypass surgery that fall and decided to retire. Andrew was helping Oliver transition into the community. Otherwise he’d never have tried to keep up with this much younger man, who had been a track star in college.

Sweaty and winded, they ended up back at Andrew’s house where they sat on the picnic table in the back yard, gulping water.

“So what’s up with Faith?” asked Oliver. “I hear she’s quitting.”

Andrew set his water bottle down. “Yes. She’s finishing out the school year, and that’s it.”

“So what happened? Did you guys have a fight or something?”

“No, I don’t know what the problem is. She won’t tell me.” Frustration made his voice rough.

“She won’t tell you? Aren’t you two a couple or something?”

“Of course not. I’d never date a coworker.” That was a rule Andrew had followed his whole life.

Oliver raised his eyebrows. “Really? You sure seem close.”

Andrew shrugged. “We’ve worked together for ten years. We’re friends.”

“Well, whatever.” Oliver wiped his face with the hem of his t-shirt.

“Have you…heard anything…about why Faith may be quitting?”

“Not really. I heard some of the women say something about her having problems with a man. Nothing definite.”

A man? Andrew considered this bit of gossip as he took another long drink of water. Was Faith dating someone he didn’t know about? No way. Kevin would have told him. So just what was going on?

Oliver drained his water bottle. “I guess I should get going. I told my neighbor, Mrs. Parker, that I’d help her with some yard work today.”

“Are you still going to help me with the grilling for the school picnic?”

“Sure thing. See you on Monday.”

When Oliver had gone, Andrew continued to contemplate the information he’d been given. He turned over all the possibilities in his mind as he showered and dressed for the day. What could a man do that would make Faith leave the school?

****

Faith hung up the phone. Joseph had called to invite her to the Spring Fling. Did she sense reluctance in his voice? She’d accepted, but wondered if she should call back and let him off the hook.

Before she could make up her mind, there was a knock at the kitchen door. Faith could see Andrew through the window. He had that determined bulldog look on his face. She groaned. She wasn’t ready to go another round with him.

But he could see her as clearly as she could see him, so she forced a smile on her face and beckoned to him to come in. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Faith. Is Kevin around?”

“Andrew, it’s nine o’clock on a Saturday. He won’t emerge from his lair until noon at least.”

“Good. I want to talk to you about something.”

Now what? “Can I get you some coffee or something?”

“No. Yes.”

“Which one?”

“Yes, coffee would be nice. Thank you.”

Faith filled two mugs from the coffee maker and set them on the table with a plate of muffins. They sat across from each other at the kitchen table. Andrew stared into his coffee and frowned, as if he may have found a bug swimming in it. She waited.

Finally his head rose and he looked her in the eye. “Are you having a problem with a man at school?”

Faith felt her jaw drop. Scrambling to regain her composure, she asked, “Why would you think that?”

“It’s just something I heard. Is it true?”

“Well, no, not exactly.”

He pounced on that. “Not exactly. So you are having trouble with someone. Is that why you’re leaving?”

Faith was lousy at lying. She decided evading the question was a better tactic. “Really, Andrew, I don’t know why you would think that.”

Andrew knew her too well. He’d seen her use that strategy before. “It is. That’s it. That’s why you’re leaving. Who is it and what did he do?”

Faith stared at him. Finally she replied. “I don’t have to tell you anything.”

He shoved his chair back and stood. “Why are you making this so difficult? Just tell me, and I’ll fire him.”

She gasped. “You’re offering to fire someone, and you don’t even know anything about it.”

“Then tell me. I want to know.”

Faith rose on shaky legs. “I’ve never seen you act like this Andrew.”

He rounded the table and grabbed her shoulders. “You’ve never refused to tell me anything before. I thought we were friends. You shouldn’t be keeping secrets, especially if they concern work.”

“No one did anything wrong.” Faith twisted out of his grip and took a step back. “If you were my friend, you’d believe that and let it go.”

“Why are you covering for this guy? He must have done something pretty bad if you’re quitting over it.”

“You don’t even know if there is a ‘guy.’ You’re just taking some gossip you heard at school and blowing it all out of proportion.”

“Then, why won’t you tell me why you’re leaving?”

“I did tell you.” Their voices had risen until they were both shouting. Then Kevin stumbled into the kitchen. He looked impossibly young and vulnerable with his tousled hair and sleepy eyes. “What’s going on? What’s the fight about?”

With an angry glare at Andrew, Faith moved to reassure her son. “It was nothing—just a silly argument. I’m sorry we woke you.”

“Yes, we’re sorry, Kevin. You can go back to sleep if you want.”

Her son stared at them both for a minute, then said, “I don’t know if I can get back to sleep.”

“Then, how about we take Davy to the park?” Andrew suggested.

“No thanks. I think I’m going to log on and see who’s online.”

After Kevin had shuffled out of the room, Andrew moved closer to Faith. His voice was low, but charged with an emotion Faith couldn’t identify. “I don’t know why you’re acting like this, Faith, but I’m going to find out. I can’t stand the thought of anyone hurting you.”

She tried to back away, but he caught her hands and held her there. “You don’t know anything about it,” she repeated.

“That’s because you won’t tell me.” He pulled her even closer, and Faith’s heart started to beat faster. “You’re important to me, Faith. I need you.”

She allowed her body to lean into his, and he let go of her hands to put his arms around her. They stood like that for a moment. Faith was sure Andrew was going to kiss her. He lowered his head and said. “You’re the best secretary I’ve ever had.”

Anger flared in Faith. She shoved Andrew away from her. “Go home! Nothing happened that you can solve. It’s my problem and I’ll handle it.”

“By running away?”

“I’m not running away. I’m starting over.”

They glared at each other for a few heated moments. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll leave.” At the door, he turned and added, “But I will find out, Faith. You can count on that.”

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 6

On Sunday, Kevin and Faith entered the narthex of the Orchard Hill Community Church shortly before the service was to begin. Misty Green caught her arm and whispered to her, “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Sure,” answered Faith. “Kevin, go ahead and find us a seat.”

“I heard you and Joseph Velasquez are going to the Spring Fling together.”

“Yes, Hope set it up.”

“But you’re on the rebound,” Misty whispered urgently. “Do you think it’s wise to start dating someone else?”

She shrugged. “It’s only one date. And to be honest, I don’t think he really wanted to ask me. I think he did it for Hope. But we both have to be there for our kids, so…”

“Just how did Hope suddenly think of setting you two up?”

“She said Pansy Parker had suggested it to her.”

Misty narrowed her eyes and mumbled, “I thought so,” as she strode away.

****

At work on Monday, Faith received a phone call from the junior high principal. Kevin had been in a fight—with Peter Velasquez, Joseph’s son. Faith had to leave the elementary and go to the junior high school to pick him up. Kevin and Peter were both being suspended for three days. They left with a pile of Kevin’s homework.

Faith held her emotions in check until they reached the car. Then she exploded. “I can’t believe you did this. You’ve never gotten into fights before.”

“I’ve never had to put up with Peter Velasquez saying things about my mother before.”

“What do you mean?”

“He says you and his dad have a date.”

Faith started the car and checked her mirrors. “Well, actually we do. We’re going to the Spring Fling together.”

“What? You’re really going out with him?”

“What’s wrong with Mr. Velasquez? I thought you liked him?”

“I do, but not as a new dad.” Kevin’s voice dripped with disapproval.

“A new dad! It’s only one date. We both have to go because you kids are helping, so we thought we’d go together.”

“Why can’t you go with Andrew?”

“Andrew doesn’t even go to our church!”

“Well, duh. But how many dumb youth things did we have to go to at their church when Robin was here.” Kevin slouched down in his seat and glared at her, his swollen lower lip making him look like a sulky toddler.

Faith glared right back at him. “This is all beside the point. You still shouldn’t have gotten into a fight.”

He had the sense to look guilty at that. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to happen. It just sort of did.”

“You’ll have three long days at home to think about it, won’t you?”

“I guess so.”

“And there’ll be a list of extra chores to do every day besides your homework.”

Kevin slouched lower in the seat, but didn’t answer.

Back at the elementary school, things got worse. Andrew was at her side the minute she stepped in the office door.

“What happened? How’s Kevin?”

“He has a fat lip, but other than that he’s fine.” Faith crossed to her desk and slid her purse into the bottom drawer.

“Who did he get into a fight with, and what was it over?”

“Andrew, don’t you have work to do?”

“Yes, and it’s not going to get done until I know about Kevin.”

Knowing there was no getting around Andrew’s stubborn streak, Faith gave in. “He got into a fight with Peter Velasquez about me going out with his father.” Faith held her breath and waited.

“What?”

“The boys got into a fight over…”

“I heard that part. Are you really going out with Joseph?”

“Yes. To the Spring Fling. We both have kids working,” she added defensively, then wanted to kick herself. There was no reason to feel defensive.

“Why didn’t you ask me? I would have taken you.”

“Well, Joseph offered, so…”

Andrew frowned. “I see. What’s Kevin’s punishment?”

“Three days’ suspension. And you can believe he won’t be spending it in front of the TV. Or that computer he loves so much.”

“Well…that’s good. I’ll talk to him if you want.”

“No thanks. I’ve got it all under control,” Faith said firmly.

Andrew seemed to be at a loss then. Finally he said “All right. I have work to do.”

He went into his office and shut the door. He didn’t exactly slam it, but he did shut it very forcefully.

****

Inside his office, Andrew paced. Questions chased each other inside his head. What was going on? Faith was quitting, Kevin was fighting, and now this! She had a date with Joseph Velasquez.

Not that there was anything wrong with Joseph. He was a good parent. Andrew remembered him well from when he’d had kids in the elementary.

But he was all wrong for Faith. How come she couldn’t see that? What if this was some kind of rebound thing from this mystery man she was supposedly having trouble with? She’d only get hurt all over again.

Well, that was her business. She was a grown woman after all. She could make her own decisions. Of course her last big decision had been to quit her job.

Wait a minute. Didn’t Harmony tell him she attended Orchard Hill Community Church? Andrew reached for the phone.

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 7

The Spring Fling consisted of a bake and craft sale, games for small children and a “café” run by the teens. The day finished with an informal worship service of skits and songs performed by the youth group. They used the money raised to send their members to bible camp in the summer.

The fellowship hall was lined with tables where local crafters displayed their wares. They each paid the youth group $15 to participate. In the gathering space off the kitchen, small round tables had been set up. The kids sold barbeques and hot dogs with chips, sodas, and pickles on the side. This was Kevin’s first year as part of the youth group, but they’d attended the event for the last several years now.

Faith and Joseph were choosing a table at the café after making the rounds in the fellowship hall.

“Thanks for coming to this with me,” Faith told him as they sat down. “It’s more fun with a friend.”

“Yes, I’m usually in the kitchen, but I decided to take this year off. I’ve got enough on my plate right now,” Joseph replied.

Hope had told her a little about the misfortunes that had plagued his family in the last few years, not the least of which was losing his wife.

“I thought you might want to back out after our sons got into that fight,” she admitted.

“And let them think they can get their way by acting like that? No way.” Joseph grinned at her.

He really was handsome. And charming, too. But he wasn’t Andrew. Faith decided that it was time to let him off the hook.

“I know you only agreed to come with me because Hope asked you to. And I want to be up front about the fact that I’m not harboring any romantic fantasies about the two of us.”

She could see the relief in his eyes, in spite of his response. “No romantic fantasies about me? I can’t believe it. I must be losing my touch.”

“Shall I start spinning some fantasies, then?” Faith teased.

His eyes turned serious. “No. I’m not ready yet.”

Faith put her hand over Joseph’s. “I know what you mean. It’s been over ten years since Kevin’s father died, and I’m just starting to think about it. Thanks for helping me dip my toes into the dating pool again. A practice date with a friend is a good place to begin, I think.”

Joseph turned his hand so that he captured hers and squeezed it gently. “Thanks for understanding. I get really tired of people telling me that I need to move on.”

****

When Harmony and Andrew stepped into the room, he searched for and immediately found Faith—holding hands with Joseph and looking into his eyes. His stomach twisted.

He watched as Misty Green appeared between the two then and they drew back, letting their hands slide apart. Misty said a few words to Joseph, and then he rose and followed her back to the kitchen.

At his side, Harmony said, “There’s your friend Faith. Let’s go sit by her.” She’d worn a ‘cat-who-ate-the-canary’ grin since he’d picked her up, and it was beginning to grate on Andrew’s nerves. But he was glad she’d suggested sitting by Faith. That meant he didn’t have to do it.

Faith seemed lost in her thoughts as they approached the table. She didn’t look up and see them until they were almost on top of her.

“Hey, Faith,” Andrew greeted her. “You remember Harmony, don’t you?” Was it his imagination or did she not look happy to see them?

“Yes, of course,” Faith said. The smile on her face seemed forced, and her posture suddenly became rigid. Maybe she resented the interruption of her date.

“It’s so good to see you again, Faith.” Harmony’s smile was big and bright and there was a secret lurking in her eyes. “I trust you’re feeling better now.”

“Yes, thank you for asking.”

“Where’s your date?” asked Andrew as he and Harmony sat down.

“The stove in the kitchen is giving them some trouble, so Joseph went to look at it. I think the pioneers cooked on it. We should really replace it.”

“So he’s good at that kind of stuff?”

“Well, he’s done more of these things with the youth, so he’s had to battle with that stove before.”

“But he skipped out this year. I wonder why?” Andrew could hear the sarcasm in his tone, but he couldn’t help it. Faith was making a mistake, and he couldn’t just sit back and watch.

Harmony suddenly bounced up from her chair. “You know what, Andrew? I think I am going to buy those embroidered dish towels we saw at the craft booths. I’ll be right back.” With a smirk at both of them, she turned and was gone.

Leaving him alone with Faith. Dropping any hint of subtlety, Andrew asked, “How is your date going?”

Faith narrowed her eyes at him. “Just fine. How’s yours?”

“How’s my what?”

“Your date. You know, Harmony.”

“Oh, yes. That’s going fine, too.”

“Now that we’ve established that, what will we have to talk about?”

Andrew leaned forward. “Joseph’s a nice guy, but don’t kid yourself that he’s ready to make a commitment.”

She gasped. “What makes you think I want one from him?”

“So this is just a fling?”

“It’s just a date. One date. I’m hardly going to start picking out china patterns. You’re worse than Kevin.”

“Kevin is upset about you seeing Joseph, isn’t he?”

“Andrew, this is none of your business,” she told him firmly.

None of his business. It seemed as if Faith was shutting him out all of a sudden, and he didn’t like it. Not one little bit. He stared at her, willing her to understand.

“You never used to say things like that to me. We used to share everything. What changed between us, Faith?”

“I think you’re mistaken.” Her voice was cold, and it shook a little. “We’ve never shared everything. You just didn’t notice before, and I don’t understand why you’ve suddenly started caring.”

“We didn’t share everything? I shared everything. What have you been keeping from me?”

“Why don’t you just go find your date, Andrew?”

Anger swelled in his chest, and he answered her in a mocking voice. “Go find your date, Andrew. Go home Andrew. Don’t you have work to do, Andrew? You keep pushing me away.”

She stood. “Then maybe you should take the hint.” Faith walked away, moving through the crowd to leave him stranded at the café table.

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 8

Andrew didn’t think anything could make him feel better. Even Harmony seemed somehow disappointed with him as he dropped her off at her house after the Spring Fling disaster.

But when he walked in the door at home, he was suddenly assaulted by a killer bear hug, and his heart soared again. Robin was home.

“Hey, I thought you weren’t going to get here for another week,” he exclaimed, hugging her back.

“We got the option of taking some of our finals early if we were prepared. And I was prepared, so I thought I’d go ahead.”

“You didn’t rush, did you?” he asked, setting her away and studying her. “You didn’t overdo things?”

She laughed. “No, Dad, of course not. Besides I had to get home and see what was going on.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, steering her toward the couch where they could settle in and talk.

“Kevin has been sending me frantic emails. What’s this about you asking out some woman named Melody?”

“Harmony. I promised I’d go on a date and I did.”

“But Dad, couldn’t you think of anyone else to ask?” Her blue eyes searched his earnestly.

“No, not really. I hadn’t thought about dating in years. But it wasn’t so bad.”

Robin rolled her eyes, as if he was being obtuse. “What. About. Faith?”

Andrew frowned. “Things haven’t been going so well between us. Did Kevin tell you she’s quitting at the school?”

“And just when did this happen, Dad? About the time you asked Harmony out?”

“Now that you mention it, it was. But I don’t see how that…”

“Why didn’t you ask Faith out?” Robin interrupted.

Andrew stared at his daughter, shocked at her suggestion. “Faith’s a coworker. I’d never date a coworker. You know that.”

Robin stared at him, sadness and disappointment reflected in those dark blue eyes that were so much like his. “In general I’d agree that’s a good policy. But you and Faith are different. You’ve been together forever. You’re a team. She loves you, and you just can’t see it.”

Andrew shook his head, trying to clear it. “What did you say?”

“Faith is in love with you, Dad.”

“Then, why is she quitting?”

Robin closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “You started dating someone else. She’s been waiting for you for so long, and then when you asked this Harmony out, she was hurt. I’d bet money she decided she’s not going to stick around to watch you fall in love with someone else.”

“She said she wanted a fresh start,” Andrew said quietly. “And that rumor that she was leaving because of a man.” Realization sunk in. “That’s me.”

Robin let out an exaggerated sigh. “Glad you finally caught up, Dad. Kevin’s been doing everything he can think of to get you two together.”

“Is that what the tea thing was about? He wanted me to play the rescuer, coming to take care of Faith?”

“Actually, I think Misty helped him set that one up.”

“But…but what am I going to do?”

“That depends. How do you feel about Faith? I thought you loved her, too, but didn’t want to do anything about it because we kids might be upset. Then Kevin and I talked it over before I left, and we decided it would be great if we all became one family.”

“You and Kevin actually agreed that you wanted to be brother and sister?”

She shrugged. “Why not? You’ve said yourself we fight like siblings.”

“That’s true,” agreed Andrew.

“Anyway, I thought if I made you promise to go out on a date, you’d ask Faith.”

“And I didn’t.”

“So, do you love Faith, Dad?”

Andrew sucked in a long breath. “I don’t know. I’ve never allowed myself to think about it before.”

“Well, think about it now.” Robin rose from the couch. “I’ve got unpacking to do. I’d better get started.”

****

It was her last week at school, and Faith wanted to cry every day. She wanted to cry when she thought about seeing the children for the last time, or leaving her friends, or never sitting behind her desk again. But she held it all in because she knew she would get hurt a lot worse if she stayed.

Andrew acted strangely. She often caught him staring at her. And he didn’t stop right away when he registered that she’d noticed. And when they talked, it seemed like there was something he wanted to say, but never got out.

Faith longed for the week to be over, and at the same time, wished it would never end.

****

On Thursday, after school, Andrew found himself sitting in his car, eyeing the door of The Green Scene. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing here. Well, he knew what, but he didn’t know if he should.

With a sigh, Andrew heaved himself out of the car. He’d run out of options and this Misty seemed to know a lot about Faith. What harm could it do to talk to her?

He didn’t see her when he first walked in the door, but he heard her cheerful greeting. Looking around, Andrew located Misty as she transferred brightly colored bottles of vitamins from a carton to the shelf.

“What can I do for you today, Andrew?”

She remembered him. That was good, but how could he just blurt out what he wanted to ask her?

“That tea that I bought for Faith—It worked so well for her that I thought I’d try some.”

“Oh, do you feel like you’re coming down with something?”

“No. I just thought…I’d have it on hand for next time.”

Misty raised an eyebrow. “Do you get a lot of summer colds?”

Andrew shifted uncomfortably. “Not really. It’s good to be prepared just in case.”

Misty led him to the boxes of tea again. “Here’s the one you bought for Faith. I could recommend some supplements that can boost your immune system if you’re interested.

“Thank you, but no. This is good for now.”

“Anything else I can help you with today?”

“No. This is it.”

Andrew followed her to the counter where she rang up the sale and bagged the tea. “You’re sure there isn’t anything else I can do for you?”

This was his opening. He had to say something. “You’ve known Faith for a long time, haven’t you?”

“Yes. She’s a great person. I enjoy having her as a customer.”

“My…my daughter thinks Faith is in love with me,” Andrew confessed, unable to meet her eyes.

“What do you think?’

“I’m not sure, but you seemed to know so much about her that I thought…”

“That I’d rat her out?”

Startled he looked up for a second and caught the amused expression on her face. She thought his situation was funny.

“No, of course not. I’d better be going.” He paid for the tea and grabbed the bag. As he turned to go, Misty spoke up.

“I think the real question is ‘do you love Faith?’”

Andrew turned back to the counter. “She’s my assistant. She’s also my best friend, the person who helped me raise my daughter, and the mother of a boy who’s very dear to me…”

“What else?”

“What else?”

“Don’t think about it. Just say what comes to mind.”

“Faith is…she’s the first person I look for every morning when I get to school. I can’t start my day without a smile from her. When something happens, good or bad, she’s the one I want to share it with. She’s a person of strong character and true virtue. She has the biggest heart of anyone I know. And…and she has legs that were made for skirts.” He mumbled the last part, but Misty caught it anyway, and smiled.

“That sounds like love to me.”

“But what if I tell her and she thinks I’m just saying it so she won’t quit.”

“I think that’s an extreme measure to keep a secretary. Andrew, you’re worrying too much.”

“Then what do you suggest I do?”

Misty cocked her head to one side and studied him. “Start small. How about you just kiss her?”

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 9

Friday. Her last day. Faith was late for work because she’d been crying, and she’d had to redo her make up. She vowed to keep it together today for the kids. She couldn’t let them see her tears.

Fortunately, the last day of school was too hectic to give her any time to wallow in her misery. She was busy with directing volunteers in setting up for the picnic. There were tables to be put up, covered with cloths and set, bars to cut, and food to put out.

“Do we have any more paper cups?” asked one of the parents who was helping. “I don’t think this will be enough.”

“What? Oh, I think there are more in the supply closet. I’ll check.”

Faith strode briskly to her destination, her mind reviewing a mental checklist for the afternoon. It didn’t register with her that someone else came in until she heard the rumble of a throat clearing.

She jumped, and the cups slipped from her hands. Seeing who it was, Faith let out a huff of exasperation and bent to retrieve the cups. “Andrew, what are you doing in here? You should be getting the grills ready.”

“I needed a quiet place to think.”

“About what?”

He took the cups from her and set them back on the shelf. “About you.”

“About me?” He was studying her intently, and Faith felt a jolt of awareness.

“Will you tell me why you’re quitting? For real.”

Her breath caught and she shook her head. “I can’t.”

“People are saying you’re in love with me.”

“What?” Faith felt her body heat with embarrassment. “Who told you that?”

He smiled. “A lot of people. Is it true?”

Faith wished she were better at telling lies. As it was, here in the dim room with Andrew standing so close to her, her eyes trapped by his, she could only nod.

“And that’s why you’re going away?”

Again she nodded. She couldn’t speak or the tears she’d kept at bay all morning would overwhelm her.

Andrew brushed her cheek with his fingers. She trembled at his touch. Clearing her throat, Faith choked out, “The picnic…there’s so much to do…we should get back.”

She backed up a step, but Andrew caught her wrist and pulled her back to him. “I didn’t know, Faith,” he said softly. “I didn’t know how you felt. I didn’t know how I felt.”

“What do you mean?”

He didn’t answer her. Instead he brought his hands up and cradled her face. She drew in a sharp breath, and then his lips touched hers.

It was wonderful, tender and warm, just as she knew Andrew’s kiss would be.

“If you have to leave the school, that’s fine but please, Faith, don’t leave me, too. My life would collapse without you.”

Her mind was whirling. This was the type of thing Andrew only said to her in her dreams. “Do you know what you’re saying? Do you mean it?”

“Have you ever heard me say anything I didn’t mean?”

“But why now?”

“I’m sorry I’ve been so blind. I didn’t realize how much you meant to me until you threatened to leave.”

“It’s not a threat.”

“I know. That’s what scared me so much. And even then I didn’t understand why I was scared. But I’ve finally figured it out.”

“You did?”

“I love you, Faith.”

A sob escaped her when she heard those words. Words she’d lost hope of ever hearing from him. “Andrew, what are you doing? We’re in a closet at school with kids, parents and teachers just on the other side. What if someone comes in? What if…what if…”

“What if you stopped worrying and let me kiss you again?”

“No, we can’t…” Her words were cut off, then, as he pulled her closer and kissed her again in spite of her protest. She couldn’t help herself. She flung her arms around him and kissed him back.

When he let her go, she gave a soft cry and fled from the room.

Andrew stared after her. He could feel the silly grin spreading across his face. He had no more doubts about his feelings for Faith.

For the rest of the day, he gave her some space. From the grills he watched her interact with parents and children.

“What’s wrong with Faith today?” asked Oliver as he flipped a row of burgers. “She seems as nervous as a long-tailed…what’s that expression?”

“As nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs,” Andrew reminded him.

“Does it have something to do with this being her last day, you think?”

He grinned. “No, I don’t. And I don’t think this will be her last day, either.”

Oliver shrugged. “Whatever you say. I’m going to have to turn the grill over to you so I can start the baseball game.”

“Go ahead. I think Hope Velasquez is getting the kids together now. She’ll help you.”

Andrew raised his eyebrows when Oliver muttered, “Hope. Great,” and stalked away. He didn’t waste time worrying about it though. He had much more important things on his mind.

****

Finally the day wore down. Happy, excited children went home with parents or on the bus, eager to enjoy their summer vacation. Volunteers and teachers stayed to help with clean up. It was late by the time Faith was back at her desk. For the last time.

“Hi Mom.” Kevin sauntered into the office and dropped a bulging backpack on the floor.

“What are you doing here?”

“I went to Tyler’s house after school and since it was close by, I thought I’d stop and see if you need some help carrying your things out.”

Faith studied her son. He’d been so set against her quitting, why was he offering his help now? “What do you want?”

She saw him trying to hold back a smile. “Nothing, honest. I just thought you’d like some help.”

“Hey, Faith.” Now Robin bounced in.

The sight of Andrew’s daughter had Faith on her feet. “You’re home!” She held out her arms for Robin’s hug. “Now, what are you doing here?”

“I thought maybe you and Dad and Kevin and I could go out to dinner,” she said. “I know neither of you had time to eat those burgers and hot dogs everyone else was stuffing themselves with.”

“Oh, honey, I don’t know. I’ve got so much to do here.” Faith looked down at the box. So far it held only a picture of Robin and a picture of Kevin.

“Well, I think it sounds like a wonderful idea.”

She looked up to see Andrew leaning on the doorframe.

“But…”

“Leave it, Faith. You can come in Monday and clear it out.”

“Come on, Faith,” pleaded Robin. “I haven’t had any time to talk to you since I got back.”

Kevin chimed in too, urging her to go.

She didn’t know what to do. Andrew telling her he loved her was a dream come true. In fact, it seemed too good to be true. She was afraid to believe it. It was too much, too fast. Now, she needed to stay far away from him until she figured out what was going on, but her will was wavering with the three people she loved most in the world begging her to go.

Finally, she surrendered. “All right. But I want to come back afterwards and finish.”

“Whatever you say,” said Andrew as he took her arm and led her toward the door.

“My purse…”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s my treat.”

Andrew drove them to the Apple-a-Day Café. It was a favorite spot for all of them. Faith noted that the setting sun turned the sky a vivid pink as they walked from Andrew’s car to the restaurant. Inside, the kids chattered happily. Robin told Faith about her finals and moving out of the dorm. Kevin was full of plans for the summer. Soon the waitress came and took their order and as she left the kids fell silent. They were looking at Andrew expectantly.

Oh no, thought Faith. What’s going on?

Andrew reached across the table and took Faith’s hands. She tried to pull back, but he held on to them. “Faith, we need to talk,” he said.

“Do you think this is the place?”

“It’s the right time and the right place. The kids and I have something to say to you.”

She glanced at them. What was going on?

“I told you earlier today that I loved you. I know it was a bit of a shock…”

“A bit?” She tried to pull away from him again, be he still held her hands firmly in his own. She noted that the kids didn’t look surprised. How did they know about this? She had a sneaking suspicion that she had been set up.

“All right, a big shock. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it, Faith. I just…I just never let myself think of you in that way. When you first came to work for me, I was married. And then, later, I couldn’t even think of anyone that way for a very, very long time.”

“I wanted Dad to go out on a date because I thought he’d ask you,” Robin broke in. “I didn’t think I’d have to spell it out for him. I couldn’t believe it when Kevin told me he’d asked out someone else.”

“Yeah, Robin and I have been IMing all year, trying to think of ways to get you together,” Kevin confirmed.

“And now Dad’s finally realized what we knew all along,” Robin finished up triumphantly.

Faith studied their faces. They all looked so pleased with themselves. They thought they had everything figured out. “I see. Am I supposed to fall at your feet and be grateful now, Andrew? You can’t just decide you’re in love because you don’t want to find a new assistant or because you want to make the kids happy.”

“That isn’t it at all,” he protested.

“Really? I’m sorry to disappoint you kids, but I can’t…This just won’t work.” She pushed her chair back and rose. “I apologize, but I don’t feel like eating any more.”

Andrew watched, dumbfounded, as Faith walked out the door.

“Dad, go after her,” urged Robin.

He handed her a few bills from his wallet and was gone.

Faith was halfway down the block when he caught up with her. “Stop, Faith.” He grabbed her arm and twirled her to face him. The pain in her eyes caused his heart to constrict.

“Let’s just let this go. Forget about it.”

“You’re pushing me away again. Why won’t you believe that I love you?”

“I’ve loved you for years, Andrew, and I got nothing back from you. It’s just a little hard to accept that your feelings have changed so completely so quickly.”

“My feelings haven’t changed. I’ve just been denying them. I thought it was…improper, I guess.”

“I think you’ve just realized how convenient this situation is for you. You say you love me, I don’t quit, the kids are happy, and you never have to face a first date again. But it’s not convenient for me. My heart is in pieces, and you’re walking all over them.”

Andrew groaned. How could he blame her for not believing in him? He’d failed her for so long. Now her heart wasn’t the only one that would be broken.

But then, in a flash of inspiration, he remembered Misty’s words—How about you just kiss her?

“I want to go now.” Faith’s voice broke into his thoughts, and he realized he was still holding her arm.

“One more thing.” He leaned in and kissed her. At first she stood rigid, but slowly she relaxed and allowed him to pull her closer. He breathed in her light, flowery scent and savored the feeling of her pressed against him. Her mouth was soft and warm on his. Kissing her was heavenly. Why had it taken him so long to think of it?

Slowly, he eased back. “Wow.”

“Yeah, wow,” echoed Faith in a breathy whisper.

“I could never kiss anyone that I didn’t love like that. Now do you believe I love you?”

She drew in a shaky voice. “I think so. Maybe.”

“I want to be with you, Faith. If you still want to find a new job, I don’t care. There isn’t much I can do about the kids being happy. Do you want me to try and convince them to protest our getting together?”

That made her laugh. “No, don’t bother.”

“Will you come back to the restaurant now?” he asked.

“I...I don’t know. What happens now? Where do I stand?”

His efficient, capable secretary looked so vulnerable that Andrew’s heart wrenched. He caressed her cheek and kissed her again quickly.

“How about you stand as my fiancée and then my wife.”

Faith gasped. “Did you just propose to me? In the middle of the sidewalk? What are you thinking? This is so sudden!”

“I may have been slow in understanding my own heart,” he told her, looking into her eyes to show his sincerity. “But now that I do, I know what I want.”

“That’s true.” She nodded. “Once you make a decision, you do follow it wholeheartedly. I know that about you.”

“You know everything about me. So what do you say?”

“About marriage? Oh, Andrew I don’t know. It’s just moving too fast.”

“I’ve been moving too slow. I need to make up for lost time.”

“Talk about shifting into the fast lane!” But she laughed and Andrew’s heart soared. He’d convince her in time.

Hand in hand they walked back to the café. Faith felt as if she finally understood the phrase “walking on air.” She’d put away her hopes and dreams, but they’d come true anyway. She sent a quick prayer of thanks heavenward.

Today, Andrew had told her he loved her, he’d kissed her, and he’d asked her to marry him. It was beyond comprehension. Of course she’d said no. She had to. One of them had to be sensible. For a little while anyway.

He paused at the café door and kissed her again.

“Andrew, everyone’s watching you kiss your secretary,” she chided him.

He smiled down at her. “Who cares?”

TITLE

Epilogue: Misty Green

“Dad, are you going out again tonight?” asked Misty.

On the other end of the phone her father answered, “Yes, I’m sorry honey, but a friend and I are going to a movie tonight. We’ll get supper afterward.”

“Well, all right Dad, but make sure you don’t order anything fried. It’s so bad for you.”

“Don’t worry about me, Misty,” he said testily. “I’ve been taking care of myself since before you were born.”

“I’m sorry Dad. I just worry about you.”

“I know, Pumpkin, and I appreciate it, too. I’ll see you later.”

“All right. Bye.”

Misty was glad her father had found a friend. She did wonder who he was spending all this time with though. Maybe Elmer Thorsen. He loved fishing. He and Dad would probably spend hours trading fish stories, each one less believable than the last.

Actually, she was sort of glad not to have her father underfoot tonight. It would give her a chance to plot her next match. There was no way she was going to let Pansy Parker win this contest. The woman would lord it over her until the end of time if she did.

With satisfaction, she remembered the conversation she and Pansy had at church last Sunday. They were in the church office, watching through the window as Andrew and Faith, along with Kevin and Robin, exited the building. She could feel a smirk take over her face, but she didn’t care. “That’s another match for me, Pansy. Now we’re even.”

“Not for long,” Pansy muttered. “I’ve got something in the works, too.”

“I don’t know what you were thinking, putting Faith and Joseph together. He’s really not ready for a relationship. He’s still mourning his wife.”

Pansy glared at her. “I think they would have made a wonderful couple. And he could use some help with all those kids.”

“He’s got Hope. She helps out a lot.”

“Hope needs a man of her own. We wouldn’t want her turning into an old maid, would we?”

Misty smiled, remembering Pansy’s implied insult about her unmarried status. She would never have thrown out a nasty barb like that if she weren’t worried.

As she was returning the phone to its stand, the bell on the front door of her shop jingled. It was a tall man who looked to be in his early fifties. His brown hair was thinning, but his coffee colored eyes were warm and the lines on his face looked as if they came from laughter.

Misty put on her best smile. “Hello. How can I help you today?”

He smiled back, showing white, even teeth. But not so perfect that Misty had to wonder if they were his own.

“I just want to pick up a few things. I’ve been staying with my Mom and she still cooks like it’s the 1950’s.”

Misty wrinkled her nose. “I know what you mean. My Dad has been visiting me and he still thinks there should be white bread and butter on the table at every meal.”

“Maybe we should get them together.”

They both laughed.

“My name is Perry Parker,” the man said.

“I’m Misty Green,” she replied.

“Is this your store?”

“Yes, it is,” Misty told him proudly. “Now what can I get for you today?”

“Let’s start with produce. Do you have organic?”

“Of course. You know, not many men your age eat this healthy, either,” she said as she led him over to the produce bins.

“My wife got me started,” the man confessed. “I protested at the time, but then I got used to it. Now I miss it.”

A wife. Drat. “Is your wife staying with your mother, too?”

“No. We’re divorced. To tell you the truth, I came back to Orchard Hill to get a new start.”

Hmmm, divorced. Misty didn’t usually date divorced men. But maybe she’d make an exception in this case. She had a good feeling about this man.

“I thought maybe I’d make myself a stir fry tonight,” Perry said as he examined the snow peas. “Mom is going out so I’m on my own. She doesn’t own a wok, though, so I’m not sure how it will turn out.”

“I have a wok,” Misty said. “My dad isn’t going to be around tonight either. Why don’t you come over to my house, and we can make it together.”

Perry smiled at her. “You wouldn’t mind?”

He really did have a nice smile, Misty thought. “No, I’d enjoy the company.”

It wasn’t until after his shopping was finished and he’d left that Misty figured out just who Perry Parker’s mother was.

Enduring

Hope

TITLE

Prologue

Summer had begun to make its appearance in Orchard Hill. Pansy Parker sighed with contentment as the porch swing rocked gently and the scent of lilacs washed over her. The lilacs were almost done blooming. She couldn’t believe it was June already.

The year was almost half over and she and her rival Misty Green were tied at two matches each in their contest to prove who was the best matchmaker. Misty had manipulated events to bring together Angel Marcel and Jeff Bradley, and just lately, Faith Fielding and Andrew Thomas. “While I,” Pansy said to herself, “facilitated the romance of Grace Randall and Riley O’Neil as well as that of Lily Robinson and Ian O’Neil.”

The man sitting next to her on the swing reached over and took her hand. Pansy smiled at him. Who would have thought the two of them would have found romance at their ages, which were…Well, let’s just say beyond the normal retirement age, Pansy told herself.

Arthur was retired in fact, and lived in Florida. Pansy still worked as a secretary for the Orchard Hill Community Church. She loved her job and couldn’t see any reason to retire.

Unless Misty won their little matchmaking contest. Pansy could never stand it if that woman managed to weasel out a victory there. Misty was the choir director and chair of the worship committee so she was always at the church, it seemed. If Misty won, Pansy thought she’d have to retire just to get away from the woman’s bragging. She couldn’t believe that annoying woman was Arthur’s daughter. They were nothing alike. Maybe Misty was adopted, thought Pansy.

But she had to get busy and put together another match. She leaned her head on Arthur’s shoulder. He had definitely been a distraction to her, but she didn’t mind. No one had made her feel this special since her husband had passed away so many years ago.

As she and Arthur sat together, and the sun began to set, she pondered the Orchard Hill singles. Who needed her talents? She heard a door slam and saw her neighbor, Oliver Laurence, coming down his porch steps. When he saw them, he raised a hand in greeting before getting into his car and driving away.

Arthur and Pansy returned the wave, and Arthur remarked to her, “I’m glad you have such good neighbors, Pansy. I’d worry about you living alone otherwise.”

“I don’t live alone,” she reminded him. “I have my son here.”

“That’s right,” agreed Arthur, “but that’s only temporary, and he’s never home anyway. We’ve been dating for weeks now, and I’ve never met him.”

Dating. Pansy wanted to laugh at that. It sounded like they were teenagers. But sometimes, with Arthur, she felt like a teenager again. “He’s been working a lot lately. I know he’s anxious to get established here.” And get out of my house, she added silently. She loved Perry as only a mother could, but she couldn’t believe she’d raised such a slob! Lately she’d begun to sympathize with his ex-wife, even if the woman had run off with another man and divorced Perry.

But she was getting distracted again. She had to find two people who needed each other. Wait a minute. Oliver. He was single and new in town. Who could she match him up with?

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” said Arthur, breaking her concentration.

“Oh, what’s that?”

“Are you avoiding me at church?”

Uh-oh. “Well, not exactly.”

“That sounds like a ‘yes’ to me.”

Pansy pulled back from him a little so she could see his face. “I haven’t wanted to tell you this, but…but your daughter and I don’t exactly get along.”

“That’s silly. Misty has her faults, of course, but she’s a lovely woman. I’m very proud of her.”

“She does a very good job of directing the church choir,” Pansy offered. That was true, even if Misty sometimes picked that awful contemporary worship music rather than the traditional hymns Pansy loved.

“I’m sure you two could get along. Maybe we should all have dinner together some time.”

“That would be…um…nice, dear.” Pansy leaned back and laid her head on Arthur’s shoulder again. “Let’s not talk anymore. Let’s just enjoy this beautiful evening. The stars will be out soon.”

He squeezed her hand gently and fell silent again. Pansy began thinking about a potential girlfriend for Oliver. She had to get going if she wanted to stay ahead of Misty Green.

****

“Your back door is all fixed,” said Perry, coming from the back room to the front of Misty Green’s health food store, The Green Scene. “It won’t stick any more, and the squeak is gone.”

“Thank you, Perry. What can I do to pay you back?”

He set his tool box on the counter. “I know a good place to start.”

Misty couldn’t hold back her own grin. “And where would that be?”

Leaning down, Perry kissed her. “How about right there.”

She giggled. No woman her age should giggle, but she couldn’t help it. Perry made her so happy. “I was thinking I could take you out to dinner or something.”

It warmed her heart when he answered, “Let’s cook something together at your house.” There weren’t a lot of men in Orchard Hill who appreciated her style of cooking. The idea of eating Tofu, alone, had them running the other way.

“Then later,” Perry added, “I could take you to the movies.”

“No, let’s at least go Dutch. You can’t afford it.”

He leaned down again and kissed her nose. “Yes, I can. I’ve been getting a lot of work lately, and I’m up for a steady job with a construction company.”

Misty’s eyes widened, and she bounced a little where she stood. “That’s wonderful! I hope you get it.”

“Me, too. So what do you say to a movie?”

“All right.”

“And then…”

“And then what?”

“How about you sit with me and my mother in church tomorrow?”

Misty’s enthusiasm deflated. Luckily she could avoid that one. “The choir is singing. I’ll be with them.”

“OK. I’ll meet you in the gathering space for coffee afterward.”

Misty faked a smile. There was no way she was getting near Perry if his mother was around. Pansy would probably have a heart attack if she knew they were dating. “That sounds great. I’ll find you after church, OK?” And as soon as I find you, I’m going to avoid you, she added to herself.

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 1

Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering,

persevere in prayer.

—Romans 12:12 NRSV

Oliver’s gaze followed Hope as she crossed the room.  She was everywhere. Everywhere he went, she seemed to show up. How could he have forgotten that Orchard Hill was the name of her hometown? How could he have known she would move back, or that she would be working at the same school where he’d signed on as a physical education teacher, or that she would be a member of the church his neighbor had invited him to attend?

Her bubbly personality, her frequent laugh, her constant chatter, all grated on his nerves. And that smile. Definitely too toothy for his taste. Then there was…there was…Oh, who was he kidding?

Right now, he was inclined to believe in the reality of fate and the likelihood that it found tormenting him to be good fun. Hope Velasquez was the only woman who had ever come close to winning his heart, and that was a prize he wasn’t planning on giving away—ever.

So, naturally, he had to pretend to dislike her. It allowed him to keep his distance. Getting close to Hope was dangerous for him—and for her, because he knew he’d end up breaking her heart. He didn’t want to do that, even if it meant this  constant torture of seeing her everywhere and not approaching her, not talking to her, not knowing how she was really doing, and not ever, ever touching her.

But he was doing the right thing, and that had to count for something, didn’t it? He watched as someone said something to her that made her laugh. Her face lit up, her big brown eyes sparkled, and he felt a sharp pain in the region of his heart. Apparently it didn’t.

“There you are, Oliver.”

He turned at the sound of his neighbor’s voice. “Thank you for inviting me today, Mrs. Parker. I enjoyed the service.” That was true. He didn’t want to admit to how long it had been since he’d stepped into a church, but he was glad to be back. Thinking of joining a church made him feel settled, as if he belonged somewhere.

”I hope I’m not jumping the gun, but I was wondering...”

“Yes, Mrs. Parker?”

“I was wondering if you might be interested in playing on the church softball team.”

“How often do they play?”

“Just once. The team enters in the Fourth of July tournament sponsored by the elementary school. The money raised is used...”

“For the summer rec’ program. I heard about that. Thank you, Mrs. Parker, I think I would like to join. It’s a worthy cause.” He had been thinking about finding a way to become involved in that because it funded the tee ball program he headed. Oliver would have volunteered to be on the planning committee, but it was full by the time he’d found out about it.

Pansy Parker led him to a table at the side of the narthex. It held several clipboards with pencils attached by strings. She handed one of them to him. “Here’s the softball team sign up.”

He accepted the clipboard and checked the names carefully. There wasn’t a single Velasquez  among them. He  was safe. Oliver signed his name just as he heard a voice calling, “Aunt Hope, will you sign up for the softball team with me, please?”

It was a different Hope. It had to be. But when Oliver turned around, it was her standing there with a teenage girl at her side, waiting for their turn with the clipboard.

He stifled the urge to erase his own name and handed it to her. In spite of his efforts to avoid her, Oliver realized he would have to endure spending some time with Hope this summer. Fate again?

“Thank you, Oliver,” she said, her voice as soft and sweet as always.

“Sure,” he mumbled without meeting her eyes. Then, he walked away.

Hope felt her smile falter, but only for a moment. Then, she signed her name and gave the clipboard to Abby. She didn’t know why she let Oliver bother her, but he did. She went out of her way to be friendly to everyone. She didn’t understand what Oliver had against her.  They had been friends for a while in college, but one day, he had started to avoid her—and he hadn’t shown any signs of warming to her since he’d moved to Orchard Hill.

Hope shook her head. There was something wrong with her, that she should care so much about his opinion. But she really liked Oliver. She found him an admirable teacher with a true affection for his students—for all his students, not just the athletically gifted ones. He was great with the special ed’ class—filled with a seemingly endless patience for those students. He was encouraging to the book worms and the klutzes. He challenged the sports crazed kids. Plus, he had manners that came from an earlier generation. Oliver was one of the few men she knew that she truly considered a gentleman.

So what was it about her that turned him cold? She didn’t know, but his attitude really hurt.

She knew through the ever-active grapevine that he’d been helping Pansy Parker with her yard work since he’d moved next door to her. Today, he’d even attended church with her. What kind of young man had time like that for old ladies? Especially a man who looked like him? He had hunk written all over his 6’ 2” frame. He was tanned and toned from all the running he still did. Add in broad shoulders, close cropped blonde hair, a strong jaw and crystal blue eyes and his physical appeal couldn’t be denied.

Orchard Hill’s single women were all ready to fall for the new gym teacher—though he hadn’t thrown out so much as a crumb of encouragement to one of them.

“Thanks for doing this with me, Aunt Hope,” said Abby. “I know the team is supposed to be co-ed, but there are usually so many more guys than girls.”

“It’s no problem, Abby,” Hope assured her, her eyes still on Oliver’s retreating back. “I love to play. It’ll be fun.”

****

Later, at home, Oliver sat on the edge of his bed and held the Bible in his hands. His mother had sent it to him last week, and he hadn’t opened it yet. It was well worn, with faded gold edging on the pages and a broken spine. If he opened the book, Oliver knew he would find many passages underlined in black or red ink and the margin filled with notes.

It had belonged to his uncle.

Uncle Gabe had come to live with him and his mom the summer before Oliver started junior high. He rarely saw his dad. The man was divorcing wife #2 at that time. His mom was working long hours to make ends meet, and when Uncle Gabe moved in, Oliver had been starving for some adult attention.

He ran his hands over the Bible. It was Uncle Gabe who had first taken him to church, who made him go to confirmation classes and join the youth group. It was also Gabe who had taught him how to hit a baseball, throw a football, and had taken him running—laying the foundation for his success in track, success that had earned him a scholarship.

But, Gabe died five years ago, and even though his mom’s note said she’d only just found the bible during some spring cleaning, it was strange that she would send it now at the exact time Mrs. Parker had asked him to go to church when he hadn’t been in years.

There wasn’t any special reason that he hadn’t gone to church in so long. He was so busy in college, and in the years following that, he just hadn’t taken the time to find a church. Somehow it hadn’t seemed important then.

But now, Oliver felt like he wanted more stability in his life. He wanted a home that he could call his own and a community that he could be part of. Church represented a part of that community. He’d been telling the truth when he said he was glad Mrs. Parker had asked him to come.

But he still hadn’t opened the book. He hadn’t stopped missing his uncle in the years since his death. Opening the book, seeing Gabe’s handwriting and reading his notes, it would bring back the fact that Gabe was gone.

Oliver put down the book and decided to go running instead.

****

Hope’s brother, Joseph, was a very traditional person. He saw himself as head of the family since their parents had retired to Florida, and that meant a family dinner around his table on every Sunday. Everyone had a job for Sunday dinner. Hope’s job usually was to bring a salad. Joseph made the main course. His teenage kids, Noah, Abby and Peter took turns clearing the table and doing dishes as well as helping make side dishes.

Recently, their Sunday dinner crowd had expanded by three, Hope’s nieces Dorinda, Lucinda and Belinda. They were her sister’s six year old triplet daughters. Today, Hope was attempting to teach them how to set the table. It wasn’t going well.

“Why do we have to do this anyway?” whined Dori.

“Yeah,” Lucy chimed in. “Why can’t we just use paper plates? That’s what we always do at home.”

Hope tried not to think about what their home life had been like for the last few years. She should be glad Theresa had kept the children fed, and not worry about what they were eating from, but the constant ache of guilt in her heart increased every time she thought of her sister. She should have known Theresa wasn’t all right and should have gone to be with her. But she hadn’t, and now her sister, after years of using alcohol to numb her own grief over her husband’s death, was in a treatment facility as required by her sentence from one too many drunk driving charges.

Joseph, himself widowed, insisted on taking the girls. It was that head of the family thing again, Hope knew, although she thought she should have been the one to provide for them. Joseph already had three kids. Hope was alone. She’d be able to give more time to them. But Joseph had insisted, and she’d lost that battle.

“We use paper plates once in a while,” Hope explained to the girls. “But for Sundays especially, your Uncle Joseph likes to use the real dishes. OK?”

Dori gave a loud huff. “I guess so. Let’s put them on the table.”

“I think the dishes are pretty, Aunt Hope,” said Belle in a quiet voice.

“Once we have the plates on, we’ll put on napkins, silverware and glasses.”

“This would be a lot easier if Uncle Joseph would just get lunch at the drive through on the way home from church.” Dori was definitely a handful. Hope reminded herself—yet again—that the girls had been neglected for the past couple of years, and that moving to a strange town to live with relatives who were practically strangers had to be difficult for them.

“Uncle Joseph’s dinner will be way better than anything you could get from a fast food place,” Hope said firmly.

Dori shrugged. “Whatever.”

No less than five arguments later, the table was set and dinner was ready. The food was brought out and everyone took their places at the table. Joseph sat at the head, Hope at the foot. The triplets lined one side of the table and the teens the other. Noah, Joseph’s oldest, was seventeen, Abby was fifteen and Peter had just turned fourteen.

Hope caught Lucy’s hand as she grabbed for a roll. “Remember, we say grace first.”

“There are too many rules in this place,” Lucy grumbled. But she folded her hands and bowed her head with the rest of the family, so Hope let it slide.

Once the prayer was said, everyone filled their plates. While they ate, Hope debated about the best way to bring up her idea to Joseph. She found her opening when he asked, “How is your summer going?”

“So far so good. The summer rec’ programs have started.”

“Right. What did you say you were doing for that?”

“A story time for the younger kids and a reading group for the older ones. The older kids bring a lunch, and we read and discuss books while we eat. It’s a good way to keep the kids reading over the summer.”

“Do you think I could help with story time?” asked Abby.

“Sure, why not,” Hope replied. “I could always use an assistant.”

“You should enjoy your summers while you still can,” Noah broke in. He was working his first job this summer to save for college.

“I am enjoying it,” Abby told him, unruffled. “I like helping Hope.”

“Anyway,” Hope said, feeling the need to steer the conversation back on track, “the rec’ program doesn’t take up much of my time, so I was thinking…”

Joseph, as if he sensed what was coming, set his fork down with a sigh. “You were thinking what?”

“Maybe the triplets could stay with me over the summer.” She held her breath, hoping he would agree.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“They’ve had enough disruption in their short lives. I don’t want them moved again.”

“I want to live with Hope,” complained Dori, although Hope wasn’t sure if it was because she really wanted Hope or for the sake of starting an argument.

Lucy, forever following Dori’s lead, added, “Yeah, we wouldn’t have to share the bathroom with so many people there.”

Belle spoke so quietly that Hope almost missed her comment. “But I like being with Abby.”

Ignoring the comments from the peanut gallery, Hope said, “It’s not like they’re moving across country. I only live a few blocks away, for crying out loud.”

“I don’t care, Hope. That’s my decision. Kids, if you’re finished you can start clearing the table. We’ll have dessert later.”

Hope fumed as she started to stack plates. He hadn’t even considered her offer. She had the least responsibility of the two, why shouldn’t she take the triplets?

“Let the kids do that, Hope. It’s a beautiful day. Come and sit out on the deck with me.”

She put the plates down and followed her brother through the house and out onto his deck. He settled in a chair, but Hope leaned on the railing and stared off into space.

“I can certainly see where Dori gets her stubbornness from,” he said lightly.

Hope turned around. “What do you mean?”

“I wish you’d stop asking to take the girls.”

“I just don’t feel like I’m helping enough.”

“They spend the night with you at least once a week. You’re playing softball with Abby. All the kids adore you. You help out a lot.”

“I could do more.”

“I know how good you are with children, but you’ve never been a parent. It’s different. Plus Abby and the boys are old enough to give me a hand with—what do they call them at school?—‘The Terrible Trio?’”

“Don’t call them that,” she snapped. “If they hear that enough, they’ll start trying to live up to that title.”

“I think they already have,” said Joseph with a sigh that attested to the storms he’d already weathered with them.

Hope began to pace back and forth on the deck. She was so frustrated with the situation. “Maybe I should move in with you.”

“What?”

“I’d be here, then, when the kids need me.”

“This house is bursting at the seams as it is. You’d have to sleep in the bathtub. And believe me, that wouldn’t help the bathroom situation any.”

“The house wouldn’t be so crowded if you let the triplets come and live with me.”

“Hope…”

There really wasn’t any more she could do about it. Officially, Theresa had left her daughters in Joseph’s care.

Joseph got up and crossed the deck to put his arm around her. “You have to stop feeling guilty about Theresa. She created her own problems.”

“I could have spent the whole summer with her after Jamie died…”

“You offered. She said ‘no.’ Hope, you can’t just steamroll people. Sometimes they need help, but they don’t want it.”

Hope turned into him, and he gave her a hug. “You’re the baby of the family. Aren’t you supposed to be the spoiled, irresponsible one?” he teased.

“My big brother would never let me get away with being spoiled or irresponsible,” she mumbled into his shoulder.

“No, I guess you turned out all right, thanks to me.”

Hope pulled away from him and punched him on the arm. “Just all right?”

“Better than all right. Let’s go see if those dishes are done. Maybe we can get a game of monopoly going.” Joseph steered her back into the house, and Hope had to admit she’d lost another battle.

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 2

“Girls, grab your stuff, it’s time to go,” called Hope, anxiously checking her watch. She couldn’t be late for softball practice again, or Oliver would explode. It seemed he had a thing for punctuality. She peered into her living room where her six year old nieces had been watching television a few minutes ago while she paid bills in the office. The TV was on, but there was no one watching it.

“Where can they be?” Hope muttered to herself. She went to the window and quickly scanned her backyard. No sign of them.

She then conducted a room to room search. She was glad they weren’t in the bathroom. There was way too much mess potential there. Then she checked the dining room, the kitchen…

Hope gasped when she saw her kitchen. Drifts of flour covered the counter. She stepped into the room and slid across the floor, crashing into the fridge. Hope looked down and saw that she’d slipped on a broken egg.

She heard three giggles and found her nieces on the floor on the other side of the kitchen island, sharing a bag of chocolate chips. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “They’re children,” she reminded herself. “They’re children who have been deprived of attention and discipline. Theresa is counting on you to help take care of them until she’s well.”

Opening her eyes, Hope said in the calmest voice she could muster, “What are you doing in the kitchen? I thought you were going to watch TV.”

“We were,” said Dori, with a smile that was awfully close to a smirk. “But we got hungry. So we came into the kitchen to get a snack.”

“Let’s cut to the part where you destroyed my kitchen.”

Dori shrugged, as if it should be obvious. “You didn’t have any cookies. So we decided to make our own.”

“Only it was harder than we thought,” Lucy added. “And so we thought just plain chocolate chips without the cookies would be fine.”

“We didn’t mean to make a mess,” whispered Belle, the sensitive one. She looked sorry, but she had chocolate smeared across her face just like the other two.

“OK, you three know you are not allowed to make anything in the kitchen without an adult.”

“Yes, Aunt Hope,” agreed Dori, nodding in apparent agreement. “Should we use the dining room next time?”

Another deep, calming breath. “Dori, you and your sisters will not prepare any food in any room—or outside—without adult permission and help. Got it?” She gave them her best ‘I mean business’ look. It had, at times, reduced even fifth grade boys to tears. It was one of the most powerful weapons in her arsenal.

It didn’t daunt these three in the least. Lucy looked up at her with wide, deceptively innocent eyes. “Uncle Joseph told us the same thing last week.”

Hope stifled a groan. “Then you knew you were breaking a rule.”

“Oh no,” insisted Dori. “He only meant at his house.”

“That’s a poor excuse. You three are going to have this kitchen spotless in record time,” said Hope, glancing at the clock and deciding that there was no chance of getting to softball practice on time now. She was glad Abby had decided to visit a friend and then walk to practice today. Now, at least, they wouldn’t both be late. Teaching her nieces about discipline was more important than a game anyway.

“Belle, you put away everything you girls took out. Lucy, you wipe down all the cupboards. And Dori,” she held the girl’s defiant gaze, “you will mop up the eggs on the floor.”

****

“Well, look who finally decided to grace us with her presence,” grumbled Oliver as Hope’s car pulled into the parking lot. He hated that she was always late. He couldn’t concentrate on the game when he was waiting for her show up. He knew it was stupid, but he always worried that she’d had car trouble or something.

Andrew, the principal of the elementary school, was sitting next to him on the bench as they waited for their turn at bat. “I don’t know what you have against Hope,” he said.

“I don’t have anything against her,” Oliver protested. “It’s just rude to be late when your teammates are depending on you to be at practice.”

“She definitely adds something to the game—even before she steps onto the field.”

Oliver glanced at the man lounging down the bench a ways. Jordan Schmidt, a lecherous look in his eye, was definitely checking out Hope as she walked in. He never failed to voice his opinions on a woman’s attributes, often in far cruder language. How did a guy with a mouth like that ever get on a church team?

He decided to ignore the comment.

Hope arrived, breathless and apologetic. “Sorry to be late again, but...”

“Save the excuses,” Oliver snapped. “Just get here on time next practice.”

“I have a perfectly good reason…”

“It doesn’t matter what your reason is. You were still late.”

Hope pressed her lips together and sat on the bench next to Andrew. The team had been split in half so they could play a practice game. Pastor Isaac headed up the team whose members included, besides Hope, Oliver, Abby, Jordan Schmidt, Andrew Thomas, Kevin Fielding, Sarah Rogers, Riley and Ian O’Neil, and Jeff Bradley. Hope’s niece was up to bat. Oliver watched as she earned two strikes. He got up from the bench and jogged up to the plate. Signaling to the pitcher to wait, Oliver helped Abby adjust her stance and her grip on the bat. “That should help.”

On her next try, Abby got a hit and made it to first base. She gave Oliver a thumbs up and a big grin. This was the kind of thing Oliver lived for—helping kids succeed. Succeeding in sports gave them confidence and skills they could use in real life. He should know. His uncle having coached him had saved Oliver from sitting at the nerd table in the lunchroom throughout junior high. It was Oliver’s personal goal to make the nerd table—which was really nothing more than an island for the outcasts of the school—nonexistent in lunchrooms everywhere. Not necessarily by getting all kids into sports, but by helping kids to find confidence in themselves and showing them that everyone had value.

Of course Abby wasn’t technically a kid anymore. She was a beautiful young woman just like her aunt.

And there he was, back to Hope again.

She was up to bat. She passed him on his way back to the bench and gave him a luminous smile. “Thanks for helping Abby.”

Were any of God’s angels as beautiful as she was? “No problem,” he mumbled and kept going.

People had shuffled around since he got up and the only place left to sit was the end of the bench—by Jordan Schmidt. Reluctantly, Oliver sat down.

Jordan elbowed him in the ribs and said out of the side of his mouth, “Aren’t you going to help her with her stance? I’d take any excuse to put my arms around her. Hope Velasquez is one hot babe.”

Oliver didn’t have a civil answer to that comment, so again he said nothing, hoping his silence would give Jordan a clear message.

Unfortunately picking up on the subtleties of interpersonal communications was not one of Jordan’s strong points. “Too bad she’s so stuck up. We went to high school together. I must have asked her out a dozen times. She always turned me down.”

Oliver bit his lip to prevent himself from saying that this only proved she had good judgment, not that she was a snob.

“But we’ve been out of school a long time. Maybe she’s come around since then.”

There was a crack as the bat connected with the ball and Hope ran for first base. Oliver wondered if he should offer Jordan a towel to catch the drool as he openly ogled her.

She made it to first without being tagged, and then turned back toward the team and smiled again. Oliver thought she could make a fortune doing toothpaste commercials.

“Hey, you two work together, don’t you?”

He almost groaned aloud. Would this oaf ever shut up? “Yeah.”

“Maybe you can give me a few pointers, tell me what she likes. I just might have a shot with her this summer.”

This guy was dreaming. The only thing that would give him a shot with Hope was a heavy duty attitude adjustment. “I don’t really see her that much.”

Jordan’s face drooped with disappointment. “I guess you wouldn’t. She’d be cooped up in the library all day. Can’t imagine why a woman like her would want to spend all her time with books.” He said the word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.

Oh, yeah, he had a shot with Hope this summer, all right. Librarians were always hoping to snag a guy who thought the best use for books was to prop up the coffee table. Oliver guessed this guy had never read anything more involved than the back of a cereal box.

Jordan stood up, scratched his stomach, adjusted his baseball cap and spit on the ground. “Well, I guess I’m up next.”

Prince Charming personified, thought Oliver.

He managed to avoid any more conversation with him for the rest of practice. While everyone was gathering the equipment, he overheard Jordan asking Hope if she wanted to get some ice cream on the way home.

“Sorry, Jordan, but I need to take Abby home.”

“Maybe another time. I’d love to take you out.”

Hope raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

He leered back at her. “Yeah, really.”

Oliver’s jaw dropped when he heard her say, “That’s great.”

She batted her eyelashes at Jordan and continued. “There’s a book discussion group meeting at the library every week this summer. I was thinking of joining, but I don’t want to go alone. How about it?”

Oliver found it hard not to laugh out loud as Jordan tried to maneuver out of that one.

“Um…Um…I don’t think I’m free that night.”

“But I didn’t say what night it was.”

“Oh…well, I’ve been putting in a lot of overtime lately.”

“Gee, that’s too bad. I hear they’re reading Pride and Prejudice now.” She was all wide-eyed innocence. Oliver wondered if she’d ever been on the stage.

“Well, that sounds…interesting. I guess I’d better get going. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”

“More overtime?”

“More…? Oh, yeah. I have to go.”

Jordan fled the scene. So much for his shot with Hope, thought Oliver with satisfaction.

She must have noticed he’d been eavesdropping because she turned and winked at him before she sauntered away.

His heart lurched and butterflies started catapulting around in his stomach. She was beautiful. She was smart. She was too nice to hurt the feelings of someone like Jordan. Oliver sat down on the bench and let out a breath of frustration. He needed to remember the reasons he had for keeping away from her. But right now all he wanted to do was catch up to her and tell her he’d love to go to that book group, even if it meant reading Dante’s Inferno—in Latin.

****

Abby chattered happily as Hope backed out of her parking spot and left the lot. She wasn’t really paying attention until she heard Oliver’s name. “It was really nice of him to help me. Don’t you work with that guy, Hope?”

“He’s the gym teacher at the elementary.”

“I think he’s gorgeous. Do you think he’ll ever ask you out?”

Hope wanted to laugh at that. “Probably not. I don’t see him much at school anyway.”

The fifteen year old sighed. “Do you think he has a younger brother?”

Hope did laugh then. “Why don’t you ask him next practice?”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t.” If Abby’s face turned any redder, she would have been mistaken for a tomato. “Besides, Dad says I can’t date for another year anyway. I told him everyone else in my grade can date and you know what he said?”

“Hmmm, let me guess. He said, ‘I’m not everyone else’s father.’”

Abby’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”

“Because your grandfather used to say that to us all the time.”

“Grandpa said that? No way!”

“He totally did.” Hope pulled into the driveway at her brother’s house.

“Can you come in for a while, Aunt Hope?”

“I’d love to, but I have to go home and re-clean my kitchen.”

“I thought you made the Terrible Trio do that.”

Hope frowned at her niece. “Don’t call them that. Yes, I made them clean it, but they are six year olds. Their cleaning skills aren’t fully developed yet.”

“You should tell Dad what they did.”

“Don’t worry. I can handle them.” All she needed was for Joseph to decide she couldn’t give her nieces proper supervision. Then she wouldn’t even have them once a week.

“They’re such pains. I wish they didn’t have to stay with us.”

“Abby, they’re family…”

“And you never turn family away. I know, I know. Did Grandpa say that, too?”

“Fortunately I don’t think he ever had to.”

Abby stood in the driveway and waved as Hope pulled back out into the street. She couldn’t blame Abby for being unhappy. What teen would want her house invaded by three little cousins who had a total disregard for rules and a talent for making a house look like a tornado had gone through.

They needed so much guidance, so much love…She thought of the sticky kitchen waiting for her. They needed so much discipline.

Home once again, Hope turned off her car and rested her head on the steering wheel. Her family had gone through so much in the last few years—Theresa and Jamie’s struggle to have children, Jamie’s death, and then the death of Joseph’s wife. Now they were dealing with Theresa’s alcoholism and her wild children. In a way, Hope was glad her parents had retired to Florida. They were spared from the brunt of these problems. But things had to get better soon, didn’t they? “Please God,” she prayed.

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 3

Later that week, Oliver watched from outside the elementary school library as Hope led a story time. He assumed the theme had something to do with fairy tales. Hope was wearing one of those ridiculous cone hats with the scarf on the end as princesses wore in storybooks. A couple of little boys and one little girl had knight’s helmets on. He also saw a few crowns and wizard’s hats throughout the audience.

Hope had an open book in one hand, but he could tell the kids weren’t really looking at the book, because Hope was so much more interesting. She put everything she had into telling the story. Her face was animated and her free hand gestured repeatedly. He had no doubt she’d developed a different voice for each character. The kids really loved her, and Oliver understood why.

He turned away from the library and saw Andrew coming toward him. The men exchanged greetings. Oliver fell into step with Andrew, and they continued on down the hall. “How do you think the softball team is doing?” asked Andrew.

“Great, but I was surprised to see you there. I didn’t know you attended Orchard Hill Community church.”

“I’ve only started there recently. It’s Faith’s church, and since Kevin is still in confirmation I thought it would be easier for me to switch.” Andrew was referring to his secretary Faith and her son. He and Faith had started dating at the end of the school year when Andrew realized how much he cared for Faith.

“Are you two getting serious?” asked Oliver.

A big grin split Andrew’s face. “Definitely. I’m going to marry her as soon as I can convince her to have me.”

“That’s moving kind of fast, isn’t it?”

“Not really. You know we’ve been close friends for years. We don’t have all that ‘getting to know you’ stuff to take care of. I know exactly who Faith is, and that’s why I know I love her.”

The L word, thought Oliver, amazed at how easily Andrew could say it. “You were married before, weren’t you?”

“Yes. You would have liked my first wife. She was a beautiful person. She liked Faith, so I know she would approve.”

“Your wife passed away?”

“Yes, years ago. Didn’t you know?”

Oliver shook his head. “I thought you were divorced.”

“Thankfully, that’s one experience I haven’t had. I know they say people can divorce amicably, but I’ve never seen it.”

You can say that again, thought Oliver. Aloud, he said, “I don’t think I’ll ever get married.”

“You’re young, don’t give up hope, yet,” Andrew chided him.

Oliver didn’t say so to Andrew, but he’d given up any hope of marriage a long time ago. That was a trap he wasn’t falling into.

****

“I was mowing my lawn, Mrs. Parker, and I saw yours needed trimming, so I just went ahead and did it. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Mind? Of course not. It’s very nice of you.”

Oliver shrugged. “I like working outside. It’s no big deal.”

“I thought that my son would take over the yard work while he’s here, but he’s been putting in a lot of hours recently. I didn’t think he’d get much business just advertising for odd jobs, but he has more than he can keep up with these days.”

“That’s good.”

“How are things going with the softball team?”

Oliver shifted his feet. He had other things to do today, but his mother would have his hide if she knew he was rude to an elderly lady. Not that she’d ever find out, but her rules were ingrained in him by now. “Softball is fine.”

“I heard that Hope is having some trouble making it to practices. Is everything all right with her?”

“I guess so.” Like it was his job to check up on her.

“I can imagine it’s frustrating when people don’t show up on time.”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe she just needs a bit of help,” Pansy suggested.

“What do you mean?”

“Wouldn’t it be nice if a teammate picked her up?”

“I suppose so.”

“So why don’t you?”

“Why don’t I what?” He had a bad feeling he knew where this was going. Over the years, he’d learned to pick up on the intentions of certain people to pair up everyone in the known universe.

“Pick up Hope for the next practice. That way she’d be on time.”

“Or we’d both be late.”

“At least you could see why she’s always late.”

That was an idea, but not one he was going to follow up on.

“Thank you again for mowing my lawn. Can I get you some lemonade before you go?” she offered.

“No thanks, Mrs. Parker. I’ve got a few other projects to take care of today.”

“Goodness, you’re a busy bee, aren’t you? And I’m keeping you standing here with all my chatter.”

“That’s all right. I don’t mind.” He was finally going to get away. He backed up so she could close the screen door and was just about to step off the porch when he heard her say, “Now don’t forget about picking up Hope next practice.”

Oliver ground his teeth. “I won’t.”

There was no way he was going to pick her up, he told himself. It wasn’t his job to make sure she was on time for softball practice. So why did he feel so guilty?

It must be because Mrs. Parker reminded him of his mother, an older version, but essentially the same lady. He pulled into the parking lot of the field where they practiced and scanned the cars there. Hope’s wasn’t one of them.

He slammed his head back against the headrest and ran his hand through his hair. Why couldn’t this be the one night when she was early? Now, it was either go pick her up or look at his watch every ten seconds and wonder where she was.

This was ridiculous. Hope was probably just one of those people who was perpetually late. Chances were she was waiting for her nail polish to dry.

A few minutes later, he pulled up in front of her house. He knew it was her house because, when he’d first moved into town and found out she was here, he’d looked up her address in the phone book and had driven by one day.

OK, so normally, it was something only a lovesick teenager or a really creepy person would do, but he was curious. Besides, it would be easier to avoid her if he knew what neighborhood she lived in. He was just renting his house now, but he hoped to buy one soon and settle down. With his luck, he’d end up buying the house next door to Hope.

Oliver braced himself for seeing her, and then got out and walked up to her front door. He rang the bell and waited. Footsteps sounded on the other side of the door and suddenly it was flung wide open.

Hope stood there, looking unusually pale and her eyes were wide with—what? Fright? Panic?

When she saw Oliver she slumped against the door frame and covered her face with her hands. “I thought—I hoped—you were the girls.”

“What girls? What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find them anywhere. I’ve looked and looked.”

Her body was shaking, and when she dropped her hands, he saw she was crying.

He’d never seen her cry before. Hope was normally up for any challenge, always sure of herself. If Hope was crying, something bad must have happened.

“Start from the beginning, Hope. Who are you looking for?”

“My nieces, Dori, Lucy and Belle.”

“The Terrible Trio are your nieces?” Even at school they were famous—or infamous—for their bad behavior.

“D—Don’t…call…them that.”

“Let’s go inside where you can sit down. You have to calm down before I can help you.”

They entered into the living room, and Oliver sat her on the sofa and then stepped back, resisting the urge to hold her. Hope had grabbed a box of tissues from an end table and wiped her eyes. She took a few deep breaths and, with visible effort, brought her emotions under control. “The girls were with me today. Mostly they live with Joseph, but I try to take them as much as I can. They were playing in the yard. They promised they wouldn’t leave the yard.”

“All right. Then what happened.”

“I was getting ready for softball practice. I was going to drop the girls off at Joseph’s house, pick up Abby and then go to the field. But when I went outside, I couldn’t find them. I must have called them a hundred times, and they didn’t answer.”

“Have you checked inside the house?”

“I checked every room—twice. I even looked under the beds and in the closets. And before you ask, I’ve checked at the neighbors’ houses, too.”

Oliver thought about what he knew about the triplets. They had started late in the year at Orchard Hill elementary so he hadn’t gotten the chance to know them well. One thing he did know was that the teachers complained about the children’s talent for sidestepping rules without really breaking them.

“Where’s the door into the back yard, Hope?”

“Through the kitchen.” She waved her hand in a general direction.

He made his way through the house and into the back yard. Standing on the deck, he surveyed the area. They must be in the yard, because they promised they would stay here.

Could they have crawled under the deck? No, he was sure Hope would have thought of that. There were lots of flower beds filled with colorful summer blooms but there was nothing big enough to conceal three little girls. In one corner of the yard stood a large, leafy maple tree. Hmmm.

Oliver jogged across the lawn and over to the tree. He looked up into the branches. Nothing. But something told him this was the right spot.

Standing under the tree, he said in a loud voice. “Hope was going to take the girls for ice cream, but she can’t find them. I wonder where they could be? Oh well, we can just go without them. I’ll have to eat their ice cream.”

Silence. Just when he was about to give up, a little voice said, “Is there really ice cream?”

“Belle, shut up,” hissed another voice.

“I don’t care,” said the first girl, apparently Belle. “I’m tired of sitting in this stupid tree and besides, I have to go to the bathroom.”

Branches shook and soon a pair of feet came into view. Belle climbed down to where Oliver could reach her, and he swung her down from the tree.

“There isn’t really any ice cream, is there?”

“Nope, sorry. That was just a trick to get you down here.”

“I figured.” The little girl kicked at the dirt beneath the tree.

That was quite a bit of cynicism from a six year old. “You tricked your Aunt Hope, and she’s very worried about you. She’s in the house crying.”

“She is?” Belle looked surprised.

“Yes. I think you’d better go inside and apologize.”

“I will,” Belle promised, “just as soon as I use the bathroom.”

Oliver watched her until he was sure she was going into the house and not taking off to hide somewhere else. Then, he called back up into the branches above, “Come on down. You’ve been discovered.”

“Belle ruins everything,” grumbled a voice. In a few seconds a body to match the voice came down the tree, with the last triplet close behind.

“I meant what I said about scaring your aunt,” he told the girls in a firm voice. “She was very upset. You need to apologize to her.”

“We did what she said,” one girl sassed back to him. “We stayed in the yard.”

“But you didn’t come in when you were called,” Oliver reminded her. “That’s breaking the rules even if climbing the tree isn’t.”

The little girl didn’t have an answer for that. She turned on her heel and stomped across the yard, into the house.

Oliver regarded the last triplet.

“Belle was right. It was boring in that dumb tree. I’m glad she gave us away.”

“Then let’s go apologize to your aunt.” He wished he’d learned to tell the triplets apart before the end of the school year. He took a guess, “Lucy.”

Apparently he was right because she didn’t correct him. The other two thirds of the trio met him on the deck.

“Lucy,” said Belle, “we really did make Aunt Hope cry.”

Lucy’s eyes widened. “No way.”

“Uh huh. Her face is all red and everything,” said the last triplet, who must be Dori.

“Did either of you apologize yet?” asked Oliver.

Dori shook her head. “When we saw she was crying we were afraid to go in. Aunt Hope never cries.”

Oliver knelt down so he was at eye level with the girls. “When she knows that you three are all right, she’ll stop crying. So let’s go in and tell her.”

The girls nodded solemnly, and he rose to lead them into the house. Belle—at least he thought it was Belle—grabbed his hand and looked up at him with big brown eyes that reminded him of Hope’s. “You’ll come with us, won’t you?”

“Of course.”

“That’s not another trick, is it?”

“No. I only tricked you the first time because I wasn’t smart enough to figure out another way to tell if you were in the tree.”

Dori—there was no mistaking that attitude—snorted at him. “You could have just climbed up.”

“I could have, but it would have been awfully crowded then. And I was in a hurry because I wanted your aunt to stop crying, which she won’t do until she sees that you three are all right.”

“Let’s just get this over with,” said Lucy, opening the door. “Come on.”

Oliver followed the little girls into the house and waited while they made their apologies. Hope hugged all three at once and expressed both relief that they were safe and disappointment for their behavior.

Dori protested that they weren’t the only ones who’d misbehaved. “Mr. Laurence told us we were going for ice cream.”

“Maybe Mr. Laurence and I can take you for ice cream another time, when you’ve behaved better,” Hope replied with a frown. “He shouldn’t have tricked you, but I think you’d be better off improving your own behavior instead of worrying about his. Now why don’t you three go get washed up and gather your things so I can take you back to Uncle Joseph’s—and no more tricks.”

The triplets left the room without argument and Oliver again found himself alone with Hope. Her eyes were still red and swollen from crying, which should have cut some of the attraction he felt for her, but instead, increased it. Hope was one of the strongest women he knew. He’d never seen her so vulnerable before, and the urge to take her in his arms and comfort her was strong, but he wouldn’t give in to it.

“Thank you, Oliver. I should have thought of them being in the tree. It’s just that they’re so...so... wild that I can never guess what they’ll do next. My sister would never forgive me if anything happened to them. I panicked.”

He wondered why Hope and Joseph were caring for the children in the first place if their mother was still living. But he wasn’t going to ask, because then he would become involved, and that was the last thing he needed. “It’s understandable. I have to go.”

Her eyes widened as she remembered. “Softball practice. Oh no, now not only am I late, but I’ve made you late, too. I’m sorry.”

“I’ll just get going then. You can skip tonight if you want. I’ll tell Pastor Isaac what happened.”

“No, when I drop the girls off I’m supposed to pick up Abby. If I miss then she will, too. I’ll be just a few minutes behind you.”

Oliver sidled toward the door. “OK. I’ll get going then.”

She laid her hand on his arm and stopped him dead in his tracks. “Thank you again. I really appreciate the help.”

He tried to brush her hand away. “It’s nothing.”

A frown creased her brow. “Why were you here in the first place?”

Because Pansy Parker is an interfering busybody, he wanted to say. But instead, he told her, “I thought maybe you could use some help getting to practice on time.” That didn’t come out right.

“Oh.” She looked down at the floor, and he couldn’t tell how she took his comment, then after a moment she looked up again. She had that fabulous smile on her face but Oliver knew it was fake.

Before he could anticipate what she would do, Hope put her arms around him and hugged him. “I guess it doesn’t matter why you were here. I’m just glad you were.”

Without thinking, he put his arms around her. For a few seconds he felt the warmth and softness of her body held against his. She smelled like sunshine and flowers. Her cheek rested on his chest, and for just a moment, Oliver considered lifting her chin and discovering the feel of her mouth beneath his. His hand was actually moving up to her face when he suddenly realized what he was doing.

He took a quick step back, breaking away from her as though she were on fire. “It’s no problem. You’d do the same thing for me. If I had nieces. And I was looking after them. And they were hiding. I’m really going to be late. I have to go.”

Oliver bolted out the door without so much as a look back.

****

Hope stared as he drove away. Could you die of embarrassment? If so, she’d been mortally wounded. Did Oliver think she was throwing herself at him or was her body just so repugnant to him that he couldn’t stand to touch her?

They’d been friends once, in college. They were both on the track team and had a lot of their education classes together. She’d never admit it to anyone but herself, but she’d had a crush on him back then. Their friendship seemed to bloom for a while, and just when she had hopes of it turning into something more, Oliver began giving her the cold shoulder. She had no idea what she’d done to offend him. But obviously whatever it was, he hadn’t forgiven her.

With a sigh she shut the door that Oliver hadn’t taken time to close in his flight, and then went to check on the girls. They were, for once, doing as they were told. The bathroom was a mess, with soap bubbles smeared on the mirror, water dripping from the counter and crumpled towels strewn across the floor. But at least they’d washed up as she’d told them to.

Faith took a few minutes to wash her own face in cold water, hoping it would hide the fact that she’d been crying. There was no point in putting makeup on to cover up the evidence if she would sweat it all off playing ball.

The girls behaved like angels all the way back to Joseph’s. Hope knew it wouldn’t last, but she’d take it while she could get it, because her head was pounding, she was late for practice again, and she didn’t know what to do about Oliver.

She’d just quit the team and avoid him, but if she quit, then Abby probably would, too. Her niece was having so much fun that Hope hated to disappoint her.

Practice was in full swing when they arrived. That night they were just taking turns batting while everyone else fielded the balls. Pastor Isaac pitched to each person until he was satisfied they had the hang of things. Then, he sent that person back to the field and called someone else up to bat.

Abby was chosen to bat right away, and Hope was sent out into right field—with Jordan and Oliver. Could this evening get any worse? She was stuck between the creepy guy that liked her and the dreamy guy that didn’t.

Oliver merely acknowledged her with a nod, but Jordan flashed her a big, cheesy grin and said, “Hey there, Hope. I’ve been waiting for you.”

She said nothing and gave him what she hoped passed for a smile.

No one was hitting any balls out their way, and after a few minutes, Jordan began to pace back and forth on the grass. “I hate being stuck out here. Nothing ever gets this far. How about we just skip this practice, Hope, and go get something to drink?”

“No thanks.” She really wished someone would hit a ball out here so Jordan would concentrate on the practice more.

“What about after practice then?”

Hope noticed Oliver turn toward them slightly. Was he listening in? “I don’t think so, Jordan. You wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had. I just want to go home and get ready for bed.”

Jordan responded with a smirk. “Going to bed early, huh?” He looked like he was going to say more, then stopped. Hope followed his gaze and saw Oliver glaring at them. What was his problem?

“Maybe another time then,” Jordan finally said. “That book club isn’t my thing, but we could do something else, couldn’t we?”

Hope pretended to consider. “I don’t know. Oh, yes, I’ve got it. I’ve been meaning to take my nieces to see that new kid’s movie. You know, the one with the pink flying ponies. We could do that.”

She had to stifle a giggle when she saw Jordan’s reaction. He was even more horrified by this suggestion than her last. She really didn’t want to go out with him, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Hope decided the nicest thing she could do was to point out how unsuitable they really were for each other.

“I need to get some water,” mumbled Jordan as he sprinted off the field. Boy could she make them run today, Hope thought.

When he was gone, Oliver jogged over to her. “Why did you do that?” he asked, scowling.

“Do what?” She had no clue what he was mad about now.

“Let him down so easy when he asked you out. You’re going to have to give him firm ‘no’ or he’s never going to leave you alone.”

Hope narrowed her eyes at him. “This way he’ll figure out that we have nothing in common. No one gets hurt then.”

“Believe me, Hope, that guy doesn’t care whether you have anything in common or not. Just tell him ‘no.’”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Listen, I appreciate you helping me out with the girls, but don’t tell me who I can and can’t date. Or are you just surprised that someone out there actually wants to spend time with me? Not every man finds me as repulsive as you do.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. You do everything you can to avoid me. Today you practically ran out of the house when I hugged you to say ‘thank you.’”

Oliver opened and closed his mouth several times, but no words came out. She thought he was repulsed by her?

Isaac called him up to bat, and he didn’t have to explain himself to her. “Just watch yourself around Jordan,” Oliver told her before he ran in. “He’s not a nice guy.”

****

Oliver couldn’t sleep. Insomnia was a problem that rarely bothered him, but tonight his mind just wouldn’t shut off. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Hope’s face, streaked with tears, eyes filled with panic. He’d always seen her as so together, so in control. For the first time, he considered that her life might not be as perfect as it seemed.

He hadn’t heard about her dating anyone since he’d moved to Orchard Hill. Why was that? Why was a gorgeous, sweet woman like Hope still single? And why were she and her brother taking care of their nieces?

He wasn’t likely to get answers to any of those questions at this time of night. Oliver sat up and turned on his bedside lamp. He picked up his uncle’s Bible from the nightstand and traced the letters of Gabe’s name embossed on the cover. The gold leaf that had once highlighted them was long gone. He still hadn’t opened it. Part of him wanted to open the book, hoping that Gabe had left some sort of message for him, some sort of sign. But the rest of him dreaded the possibility that there would be nothing, that the book would be as empty of Gabe as this world now was.

He wasn’t ready, Oliver decided, and tossed the Bible back onto the nightstand. Some folded sheets of paper fell from the book, and he leaned down and picked them up. It was a church bulletin. Oliver opened it, noting the date. He skimmed through the order of service and realized the bulletin was from his confirmation. Gabe had kept this?

Was this the message he was looking for? If it was, what did it mean? He supposed it meant that his uncle loved him, but he already knew that. Oliver took a closer look at the bulletin. A favorite verse was listed for each student. His was from Ephesians, but he didn’t remember what it said.

He rose from the bed and rummaged around in his bookcases until he found his own neglected Bible. He looked up the passage, Ephesians 1:18 and 19.

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”

He read the verses several times, then read the preceding verses and the following ones as well. What special meaning had this verse had for him when he was a teen? He didn’t even remember choosing it. Had he just picked a verse randomly? That was something a boy of that age would do.

Oliver stuck the bulletin into his own Bible, marking the place, and then put the book on top of Gabe’s Bible on the nightstand. This wasn’t getting him anywhere, and sleep still eluded him. He had a group of young tee-ball players to face in the morning, so he better try to get what rest he could. As he finally drifted off, the words of the verse echoed in his head. ‘The eyes of your heart may be enlightened,’ ‘the hope to which you have been called,’ and ‘the riches of his inheritance’ were the last things he thought of.

****

Hope had the odd feeling that she was being watched. She looked around the gathering space of the church where the congregation met for coffee and fellowship after the service. She didn’t see anyone looking her way. Maybe she was imagining things.

“We haven’t done anything together this summer,” said Sarah, another newcomer to Orchard Hill. Though they’d only known each other since the beginning of the last school year, Hope and Sarah had quickly bonded. They made an odd pair from a visual perspective. Hope was tall and lean with long brown hair and classic features. Sarah’s short stature, generous curves and carelessly styled short red hair was a contrast. But the women shared a love of books, a faith that sustained them, and a passion for helping children—plenty of common ground on which to build a friendship.

“I know. I’ve been trying to put in some extra time with Dori, Lucy and Belle. But I’m sure we can plan something. What do you want to do?”

“How about a picnic and swimming? Know any good spots?”

The crawly sensation of being watched returned. She scanned the room.

“Is something wrong?” asked Sarah.

Hope shook herself. “No, I guess I’m just imagining things. You were saying…?”

Before Sarah could repeat herself, Misty Green elbowed herself between them. “Good morning girls. How are you today?”

Hope and Sarah responded politely and Misty continued. “Hey, Hope, you aren’t seeing anyone now are you?”

“Well, no.”

“Then I have a marvelous idea for you.”

“You do? What?”

“You’re on the softball team with Pastor Isaac, aren’t you?”

Hope shot a puzzled look at Sarah and said, “Yes, I am.”

Misty put her arm around Hope. “I was thinking in church today that you two would make just the cutest couple. Have you ever thought about him?”

“About Pastor Isaac?”

“About dating Pastor Isaac.”

Hope felt her jaw drop open in shock. She snapped her mouth shut, and then choked out, “No, of course not.”

Misty winked at her. “Well, maybe you should. He’s quite a catch, you know.”

“Misty, really, I’m not interested…”

“Now, don’t say that until you’ve given it some thought.”

Hope was horrified, but Sarah laughed. “Misty, if you want to play matchmaker, see if you can find someone for me. Hope doesn’t need any help.”

The older woman studied Sarah thoughtfully. “Hmmm. I’ll see what I can do.”

A tall man with a fringe of brown hair waved from across the room and began to move toward them.

Misty’s eyes widened in alarm. “Umm, I’ve got to check on the coffee, see if we need more. If you’ll excuse me…” She slipped away from them and through the crowd.

Hope let out a sigh of relief. “Of all the embarrassing…”

“Oh, don’t let her bother you, Hope. She just wants to make people happy.”

“Then let her make someone else happy. I don’t have time to worry about whether or not I’ve got a date for Saturday night.”

“With all you have on your plate right now, a Saturday night date may be just what you need,” teased Sarah.

“Very funny,” Hope responded with uncharacteristic sarcasm.

Refusing to be daunted, Sarah elbowed her in the side. “It might sweeten your disposition a little.”

Actually, Hope was known for her sunny disposition. There weren’t many people she allowed to see her “down” side. “Maybe we should find a date for Oliver, then,” she told Sarah. “Now there’s someone whose disposition needs some sweetening.”

“Has he been giving you a bad time at softball practice again?”

“Yes. It wasn’t enough to yell at me every time I was a minute late, now he’s started screening my potential dates for me. Not that I need any help to see that Jordan Schmidt doesn’t even make the ‘potential’ list.”

“Jordan Schmidt asked you out?”

“Twice. How do you know him?”

“I went out on a blind date with him a few months ago. I’m sure I told you about it. Maybe you’ve just forgotten because it was the most boring date on the planet. We spent the entire evening discussing him. He didn’t ask me out a second time. I got the feeling I didn’t meet his standards.”

“If Jordan Schmidt has standards, he certainly keeps them a secret,” Hope replied sourly.

“My, you are a grump this morning. Who’s got you in this mood?”

“Men. Two men. Oliver and my brother Joseph.”

“We’ve already discussed Oliver. What’s up with Joseph?”

Hope blew out a breath of frustration. “The usual. He won’t let me take more responsibility for the kids.”

“He seems to be handling everything OK.”

“Of course, he seems that way. He’s too proud to ever admit he needs help.”

“It must run in the family.” Sarah laughed again, and Hope reflected that she seemed to be giving her friend an awful lot of amusement this morning.”

“Enough of this,” Sarah declared. “We can’t solve any of those problems here and now. Let’s get back to planning a picnic.”

Before the women could set any details, Pansy interrupted them. “Hope, I’ve heard that you’re a pretty good gardener.”

She shrugged. “I like to garden. I don’t know that I’m especially good at it.”

“She’s being modest,” Sarah insisted. “She has beautiful flower beds in her yard.”

“I knew it,” exclaimed Pansy, as if she’d just uncovered some deep, dark secret. “I’d like you to come over and have a look at my hollyhocks, if you don’t mind.”

“Why? What’s wrong with them?” asked Hope.

“They’re positively droopy this year. Maybe you can suggest something.”

“You may have to tie them—”

“And my delphinium. You should see them. They’re looking so faded this year.”

“Maybe you should try—”

“Not to mention the hostas. I really wish you’d come over and look at them. Maybe Tuesday afternoon.”

“Well, I guess—”

“Wonderful. I’ll be expecting you at two o’clock.”

Sarah, not being included in the conversation, had begun to look around. “Isn’t that Misty’s father coming this way? I thought he was only staying for a couple of weeks.”

“Good gracious, it is,” cried Pansy. “You’ll have to excuse me girls. I need to…to…see if there’s enough coffee.”

“Misty already checked on that,” Sarah told her.

“Well, then I’ll just go check it again,” said Pansy and hurried away.

Sarah shook her head. “Those two sure are acting strange. I wonder what’s up.”

Shrugging, Hope replied, “Who knows?”

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 4

On Tuesday Hope went to look at Pansy’s plants, as they’d agreed. Pansy took her all over her yard. The flowers looked fine to Hope, but she gave whatever suggestions she could. They were just finishing up when she saw Oliver striding across the lawn toward them.

“Hello Mrs. Parker, Hope,” he greeted them, barely looking in her direction. “Here’s the hammer you asked for.”

Pansy accepted the tool he held out to her. “Thank you, Oliver. You’re such a good neighbor.”

“It’s no problem, but I don’t understand why you need it. Isn’t your son a carpenter?”

“Yes, well…he’s been working so much lately that I hate to ask to use his tools. He’s very busy.”

“OK,” Oliver replied. “I’ll see you…”

“No, no,” insisted Pansy. “Let me get some lemonade to repay you, Oliver. And you, too, Hope. It’s comforting for an old lady like me to have young people to call on when in need.”

Oliver was the last person she wanted to sit around sipping lemonade with. “I really should go.”

“Nonsense. Lemonade and cookies will only take a minute. You two go sit on the patio. I’ll be right back.” Before either of them could protest, Pansy hurried away, into the house.

Hope looked at Oliver, who was looking away from her. This was going to be one awkward half hour or so. “I’m going to sit,” she said and walked over to the patio. Oliver followed her but still didn’t speak.

She sank into one of the lawn chairs and was surprised when Oliver did, too. She thought he would have taken the opportunity to bolt for his own place.

More uncomfortable silence. Where was Pansy with the cookies and lemonade? Was she making them from scratch or something?

“I guess I owe you an apology, Hope,” said Oliver abruptly, breaking the silence.

She was stunned. “You…you do? What for?”

“I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression the other night. You don’t repulse me.”

“I just wanted to thank you. I hope you don’t think I was coming on to you or something.”

“No, I know you wouldn’t do something like that. Besides, you’d hardly need to resort to such extreme measures. You must have guys lining up to take you out.”

Now she was beyond shocked. “Me? You’re kidding, right? You’re just trying to make me feel better.”

“No, I’m not. I honestly can’t imagine that you’d ever have trouble finding a date.”

“I suppose I wouldn’t, if I wanted to date guys like Jordan.”

At the mention of his name, Oliver’s face darkened. “I still think you should tell him to get lost.”

“Look, I accept your apology. Let’s not argue again. Let’s talk about something else.”

“Like what?”

Hope cast around in her mind for an idea. “How about…how about you tell me about your family? I’ve never heard you talk about them.”

Oliver considered. “OK, I’ll tell you about my family if you tell me about yours.”

And he surprised her yet again. “You already know my family.”

“Not really. What’s the story with your nieces? Why are they staying with you and Joseph?”

That was a subject she didn’t care to broach. “No way; you first. Do you have any siblings?”

He hesitated and then replied. “No, I’m an only child.”

Hope frantically tried to think of something to ask him that would keep his mind off the triplets. “Oliver is an unusual name. Is it a family name?”

He grimaced. “Actually, my name is a mistake.”

“What do you mean?”

“My mother loves Charles Dickens. She wanted me to be named David, for her favorite Dickens character, David Copperfield.”

“So what happened?”

“I’m told that my father was so excited when I was born, that he couldn’t remember which Dickens book was her favorite when it was time to fill out the birth certificate. He named me after Oliver Twist instead of David Copperfield.”

“Couldn’t they change it?”

“My mother refused. She said what was done was done. Besides, it gave her something to hold over my dad’s head. She claimed he did it on purpose.”

“Do you think he did?”

Oliver shrugged. “Maybe. My parents never got along very well. They divorced when I was little.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. How horrible for you.”

“My dad married again twice. Neither of those marriages lasted either.”

“What about your mother?”

“She was soured on the idea of marriage. As far as I know, she’s never even had a date since the divorce.”

Hope couldn’t think of what to say in response to this. She felt terrible for even bringing it up.

“My Uncle Gabriel moved in with us when I was twelve. It was the summer before I started junior high, and I was really dreading it.”

“Why?”

“I was, to put it simply, a geek. I was a bookworm with zero coordination and possibly less than zero social skills. My mom lived in the world of books and rarely socialized after the divorce. My Dad didn’t really have a lot of time to spend with me in between marrying and divorcing his two other wives.”

“So what did Gabriel do to help you?”

“Lots of things. For one, he paid attention to me. For another, he taught me about sports. If it weren’t for Gabe I wouldn’t have even been on a sports team in high school, never mind have won a scholarship in track. Sports helped me in a lot of areas of life.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Being on a team taught me all the usual things like cooperation and responsibility, but it also gave me a chance to learn and practice social skills and gave me confidence.”

“Is that why you became a gym teacher?”

He nodded. “I love being able to teach kids the same things that Gabe taught me.”

“Your uncle must be so proud of you. You are an absolutely wonderful teacher. Anyone can see how much you care about your students.”

“I hope Gabe is proud of me. He passed away several years ago.”

“Wow. I’m sorry Oliver.” This was the longest conversation they had shared since college. And even then, Oliver had never said anything about his family. Hope was touched that he chose to confide in her. She reached over and took his hand.

The moment she touched him, Oliver stiffened. Hope quickly snatched her hand away. Their eyes locked and he held her gaze for a long moment before he said, “My uncle came to live with us because his wife kicked him out. The thing about my family, Hope, is that they’re all lousy at marriage. But I don’t intend to follow in their footsteps.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not going to get married. Not ever.”

He was warning her off, that was plain. Hope rose, intending to leave, but just then Pansy appeared with the lemonade and cookies. She sat back down and allowed Pansy to serve her, not even offering to help. Choking down the lemonade and cookie as fast as she could, Hope made her excuses and left.

Oliver watched Hope’s back as she fled from Pansy’s yard. He quickly finished as well and retreated to his own house. Once inside he wandered around aimlessly. He’d hurt her. He thought he’d make things better if he apologized. But then she’d drawn him into conversation, and he’d ended up telling her things he hadn’t told anyone in years. Like the story of how he got his ridiculous name. She was so easy to talk to that he hadn’t realized how much he’d said until she touched him. Then, he knew they were connecting on a far too intimate level. To stop it, he’d ended up hurting her.

Oliver reminded himself that it was for her own good. But still, he hated himself for slipping up and causing her pain. Maybe he should start looking for another job. Maybe Orchard Hill wasn’t the right place for him. Because it seemed like no matter what he did, he couldn’t stay away from Hope, and it was becoming clear to him that he didn’t have the willpower to resist her forever.

****

The following Saturday the entire softball team was invited to Andrew’s for a cookout. Hope went reluctantly, with Sarah and Abby. Her heart had felt heavy since her conversation with Oliver.

She didn’t want to admit it to anyone except herself, but her crush on Oliver had never gone away. In fact, the more she got to know him, the more her feelings for him grew. It would be better if she just kept her distance from him, which she couldn’t do until after the softball tournament at least, which meant a couple more weeks of suffering. She couldn’t let Abby or the team down by quitting.

The food was good and plentiful. The rest of the group was happy and energetic. Laughter filled the air, along with the smell of grilling brats and hamburgers. Hope just couldn’t seem to get into the spirit, though.

After a while, tired of pretending to be carefree, she slipped away from the crowd, to a secluded corner of Andrew’s yard. There, behind the cover of a lilac tree, she settled on a bench and gazed up at the stars.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been there when she realized she wasn’t alone. At some point, Oliver had come over. He stood by the tree watching her.

Hope quickly wiped at her face, hoping he hadn’t noticed the stray tear there. “What do you want?”

He came forward and joined her on the bench. “I wanted to apologize for the other day.”

She turned away from him a little. It was dark, but she was still afraid he’d read the emotion in her eyes. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You very politely warned me away. I got the message, and it’s all right.”

She figured he’d get up and leave then, but the silence stretched between them.

Finally, he said, “Hope, I don’t think you understand.”

“What’s not to understand? You don’t want a relationship with me. I can handle that. It’s not like…” her words almost choked her, but she forced them out, “not like I’m in love with you or something.”

“Stop making it sound like it’s your fault.”

She turned farther away from him. “There’s nothing more to talk about. I’m fine. You can go.”

“Hope, you think I told you that I don’t intend on getting married because I don’t like you. That’s not true.”

“Isn’t it?”

He took her shoulders and turned her toward him. “No. I told you that because I do like you. I like you way too much.”

“How can you like someone too much?”

“Because…” His hands tightened, almost painfully, on her shoulders, and his voice grew rough. “Because if I let you get close, I’d do this.” He cupped the back of her head in his hand and brought his lips to hers. Surprised, Hope froze as his mouth moved against hers. He brought his free hand up to caress her cheek.

“I would kiss you like this,” he whispered against her mouth, “and I wouldn’t want to stop, ever.”

Hope found herself slowly relaxing, responding to his kiss, her passion as great as his. She didn’t protest when his hands slid around her waist and he pulled her closer, kissed her harder.

Finally with a shudder, he broke the kiss. “I can’t do this, Hope. It’s wrong. I know I’ll end up hurting you.”

Hope slid away from him, her mind whirling with questions. “Why do you say you’d hurt me?”

“I’m serious about my family being bad at marriage. I’ve never had good role models for it, and I don’t think I’d be any better than my parents were. It would be wrong of me to…to get involved with you, knowing this about myself.”

“So, you’re trying to be noble and save me from falling in love with you?” Of all the stupid, egotistical…

“Yes, now you understand.”

“I understand that you’re a coward. It’s not me you’re trying to protect. The way you just kissed me…Well, let’s just say that I hardly think your own heart is unaffected.”

“I shouldn’t have kissed you, but that doesn’t change anything.”

She shoved his hands away from her. “You’re certain I’d fall in love with you? What if you’re wrong and I don’t care about you at all?”

“You aren’t going to convince me of that after the kiss we just shared.”

“So you’re going to do the noble thing and just bow out now.”

“What’s wrong with that?” They were speaking in whispers so the others couldn’t hear, but there was no mistaking the anger in their voices.

“What’s wrong with that, Oliver, is that you’re giving up on something without even trying. There’s always risk involved with anything worth having or worth doing. I didn’t take you for the kind of man that shied away from a challenge.”

Hope rose to leave him, but then she stopped, leaned down, and kissed Oliver just as ardently as he’d kissed her a few moments before. She stepped back just as his hands came up to rest at her waist.

“I’m sorry you don’t think I’m worth it Oliver,” she whispered, and then walked away.

****

While she and Oliver had been talking, something had happened, Hope realized. There was an excited buzz going through the crowd and people had gathered around Andrew and Faith.

“There you are,” said Sarah, popping up in front of Hope and making her jump. “Where did you disappear to?”

“I just…just needed a little quiet. What happened?”

“Andrew and Faith have announced their engagement.” Sarah’s face was lit up with excitement for her friends.

“What? That was fast.”

“Not if you remember all the years Faith spent pining for the big dummy,” Sarah replied.

Normally Hope doubted if anyone would refer to Andrew that way, but it seemed where Faith was concerned, he’d been pretty slow on the uptake.

“You’re right. I’m happy for them.”

“Let’s go congratulate them. I’m dying to see Faith’s ring up close.”

“You go ahead. I’m going to grab another soda first.”

She was happy for Faith and Andrew, but right now she was also in grave danger of feeling sorry for herself. It was best if she took a few moments to get it together. There were coolers filled with ice and drinks, but Hope slipped into Andrew’s kitchen and took a soda from the refrigerator instead. Closing the door, she leaned her forehead against the cool metal and took two deep breaths. Then she prayed for strength.

She didn’t feel better, but she felt like she could face someone else’s happiness while her own seemed unattainable.

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 5

Regret filled Oliver’s chest and made it hard for him to breathe as he lay staring at the ceiling. Yet another sleepless night because of Hope Velasquez. What was he going to do? He should never have kissed her. Why had he kissed her? He certainly hadn’t intended for that to happen. Now, he couldn’t deny, even to himself, that he was in love with her.

He’d never had a problem keeping his promise to himself that he wouldn’t marry. He’d dated often, but never anyone who was a threat to his vow. Hope was more than a threat. She was a major stumbling block, the spear that had found the chink in his armor.

He thought about the kiss, momentarily distracted by the sweetness of the memory in spite of the turmoil in his heart. He couldn’t go back and change things, so he promised he would never forget kissing her—or her kissing him. Maybe the memory would lessen the pain.

He looked at the clock and decided it was time for an early morning run. Four o’clock was very early, but there was no use trying to sleep, so he might as well be up doing something.

He reached over and turned on the bedside lamp, and as he did so his gaze fell on Gabe’s Bible. He hesitated, but didn’t pick it up. Instead, he got out of bed and rummaged in the dim light for his running clothes.

As his feet pounded along the dark pavement, he thought about Hope’s accusation of cowardice. Did she have a point? Having seen firsthand the pain and heartbreak that came with divorce, he felt he had a right to be wary, especially if it was on her behalf as well as his own.

He ran until his mind was blissfully silent, and then went home to get ready for church.

At the beginning of worship, Pastor Isaac went over the announcements. He drew special attention to the prayer requests, asking everyone to participate in praying for those in need. Oliver read over the list and was glad he didn’t recognize any of the names. Maybe he should pray for them anyway. It had been a really long while since he’d said a prayer for anyone, and he wasn’t even sure if God would listen to his prayers. Maybe it was better to leave the praying to someone who knew what they were doing. Flipping the bulletin back to the order of the service, he forgot all about the prayer requests.

After the service, he waded through the crowd and out into the gathering space for the usual round of coffee and bars. He was getting to know some of the regulars. Playing on the softball team helped with that. Making a circuit of the room, Oliver stopped and talked with Riley and his brother, Ian, and Jeff Bradley. He spoke to Andrew briefly, offering his congratulations on the engagement, and then stepped aside so that others could offer their good wishes.

As he moved away, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning, he saw that it was Joseph, Hope’s brother. Joseph indicated that he wanted Oliver to follow him into an empty classroom off of the gathering space.

He didn’t really know Hope’s brother, didn’t think they’d ever had a conversation. He wondered what Joseph wanted to talk about, but wasn’t kept in suspense very long. As soon as the door closed behind them, Joseph confronted him. “I want to know what’s going on with you and my sister.”

Oliver raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Nothing.” He thought about adding that they were just friends, but that wasn’t really true.

“I heard that the two of you were seen making out at Andrew’s party last night.”

“Who did you hear that from?” Oliver seriously doubted that Hope had told him.

“Let’s just say you weren’t as secluded as you thought. So what are your intentions toward my sister?”

“I have no intentions toward Hope. The kiss was a mistake. It won’t happen again.”

Joseph crossed his arms over his chest. “Somehow I’m not comforted by that statement.”

“Look, I know you don’t know me, but what can I do? There’s no way I can prove anything to you this instant.”

“I guess you can’t. But listen, Hope doesn’t need someone who’ll make empty promises to her and break her heart. She’s dealing with enough already.”

“Believe me, I didn’t make any promises to her.” Oliver met Joseph’s angry stare with a steady gaze and refused to back down.

****

Hope cruised the refreshment table, looking for something that would awaken her absent appetite. After last night’s debacle, her stomach seemed to be filled with lead.

Jordan Schmidt oozed up beside her. “All alone this morning, Hope?”

She tried to move away without revealing how uncomfortable Jordan made her feel. “No. I’m here with my family, as usual.”

“So where’s Oliver?”

“I don’t know. Do you need to talk to him?”

Jordan laughed in a way that rose goosebumps on her arms. “I think maybe your brother needed to talk to him.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I told Joseph about you two off smooching in the shadows last night.”

Hope felt her mouth drop open. “You did what? How did you know? Wait, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.” Of all the people who could have seen them, why Jordan Schmidt?

“I’ve been trying to get Oliver to give me some tips that would get me a date with you. I guess he wouldn’t help me because he had ideas of his own.”

“So you told my brother? Jordan, you seriously need to grow up. Where are they?”

He shrugged and grinned at her, infuriating her even more. Without wasting another word on the imbecile, Hope pushed him aside and went looking.

It didn’t take much searching to find them. They were in the first vacant room off the gathering space. When Hope swung open the door her brother and Oliver were engaged in some ridiculous macho stare down.

“What’s going on in here?” She tried to sound calm, but her voice had an alarmingly shrill tone in it, a tone that carried, no doubt.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” replied Joseph, without looking her way.

“Your brother and I are just having a friendly conversation,” Oliver added, eyes still locked on Joseph.

Hope moved between them, breaking their line of sight. “A friendly conversation? Yeah, you two look like best buds.”

“Go round up the kids, Hope,” Joseph told her. “We’ll leave in a few minutes.”

“I’m not leaving you two idiots in here alone.”

“What do you think we’re going to do, Hope?” asked Joseph. “We’re in a church.”

“Look, I know you were talking about me, and the conversation is over. Joseph, this is none of your business.”

Her brother switched his gaze to her. “I think it is. But you’re right, the conversation was over. Let’s go.”

“In a minute.”

“What?”

“In a minute. I have something to say to Oliver.”

“Well, make it quick. I’m expecting you at my house in fifteen minutes.” With that, he turned on his heel and left.

Hope took a deep breath to steady herself. Lately every time she thought she had hit the ceiling on embarrassment, she found new heights, and Oliver always seemed to be involved. “Look, Oliver, I’m sorry…”

He cut her off. “Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you have someone looking out for you.”

OK, she was going to let that pass because she wanted to avoid an argument. “Jordan Schmidt told Joseph about…about what happened. I guess he thought he was getting back at you for not helping him get a date with me.”

“So that’s how he found out.”

“Yes, and I doubt very much that Joseph will be the only one he’ll tell. I’m so sorry Oliver.”

“I told you he was trouble. You should have listened to me and told him to get lost.”

“I’ve known Jordan since we were kids. He doesn’t discourage easily.”

Oliver’s face darkened. “He’d better be discouraged now. If he bothers you…”

“If he bothers me, I’ll handle it myself. Remember, you don’t want to get involved.”

“Don’t worry, Hope. I may have gotten a little carried away last night, but I’ll never forget that I don’t want to be involved with you.”

Stunned at the harsh tone and the hurtful words, Hope could only stare at him. She tried to respond, but the words were stuck in her throat, so she just turned and left.

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 6

He didn’t know what he was doing here. It was the last place he should be. He’d hardly be welcome. But his conscience insisted he make sure Hope was all right. He didn’t mean to hurt her feelings, but that’s how it always seemed to turn out. So he lifted his hand and rang the bell on Joseph’s house.

There was no answer, and the summer breeze carried voices from the back yard to him. He rounded the house and, pausing for a moment before anyone saw him, Oliver took in the happy family scene. The triplets were playing on an old swing set, probably left over from when Abby and her brothers were little. The boys and Joseph were playing basketball in the driveway while Abby and Hope chatted on the deck.

As a child, he thought this sort of scene only existed on television. Of course, he knew everything wasn’t sunshine and roses for the Velasquez family, but at least they liked each other enough to spend a Sunday afternoon together. He thought of the last few family days he’d spent with his parents, when they’d all but given up on their marriage, and suppressed a shudder.

Abby spotted him first, and told Hope. Hope looked around, and he moved toward her. There was no sense in holding back. He knew when Joseph and the boys saw him, because the sound of the basketball bouncing on blacktop ceased. Though they were probably staring, Oliver didn’t so much as glance at them as he climbed the steps to the deck.

Hope stood up as he approached her. She was obviously shocked to see him, but trying not to show it. It alarmed him slightly to know he could read her so easily. You couldn’t do that with a person unless you really cared about them.

She spoke first. “Hello, Oliver. What…er, why are you here?”

“I need to apologize to you.”

“Again?” she said, a mocking tone creeping into her voice.

“Yes. It seems I’ve been making a habit of it, so what’s one more time. Can I talk to you alone?”

Hope shot a look toward Joseph, and Oliver knew she was wondering if her brother would let her go without a scene. Fortunately Abby intervened.

“You and Hope can talk here. I’ll go check on the triplets.”

“Thanks.”

When she clamored down the steps and off the deck, Oliver said, “Hope, I really do care about you, but you see how things are between us. No matter what I say or do, it seems like I end up hurting your feelings. That’s why we shouldn’t be together.”

She leaned back against the deck railing and crossed her arms over her chest. “First of all, I never asked for us to be ‘together.’ Secondly, maybe if you stopped fighting your feelings you wouldn’t be hurting mine all the time.”

OK, so maybe Hope was a little tougher and a little less sweet than he thought. She wasn’t going to let him get away with anything.

“You’re right. I’ve tried to avoid you, but it just doesn’t work. Maybe I should start looking for a new job.”

“What? But you just started!”

He shrugged. “I just don’t think it’s going to work out, Hope.”

“What about the next girl you meet that you lo—that you like. How will you handle that?”

He started to pace in the limited space on the deck. “It won’t be a problem. You’re the only one that…that this has happened with. I knew it even back in college.”

“That’s why you stopped being my friend. Oliver, I’ve spent years thinking I did something wrong.”

“Listen, I know you think I’m being a coward, but seriously, Hope, you don’t know my family. Every single relative I have has a horrible track record when it comes to relationships. I would screw things up eventually, and then I’d lose you.”

“So it’s better to not even try?”

“Yes!”

“Maybe you’re taking this too seriously. For all you know, we could go out on one date and be sick of each other.”

He stopped pacing and turned to her to tell her he knew better. But before he could say another word, they were surrounded by small, giggling bodies. The triplets had ambushed them.

They started chanting, “ice cream, ice cream, we want ice cream.”

Oliver groaned. He wished he’d have found another way, any other way, to get the girls out of the tree that day.

“Girls, girls, calm down.” Hope knelt down to their level. Once the three had stopped bouncing and chanting, she told them, “Uncle Joseph has ice cream in the freezer. I’ll get you some of that.”

“No way,” cried Dori, assuming a belligerent stance. “You said if we were good, you and Mr. Laurence would take us out for ice cream. We’ve been good for almost a whole week now.”

Hope looked up and offered him a half smile. “It’s true; they have been angels for almost a week. I think that may be a record.”

Oliver looked down at their faces, two pleading and one demanding. They could each be miniature Hopes. And with that realization, he lost all resistance to them.

He smiled at them. “All right. We’ll go for ice cream.”

Shouts of joy erupted from the girls and the bouncing began again. Hope raised her eyebrows, throwing him an incredulous look. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I guess I do owe them.”

“I’ll just go tell Joseph and grab my purse from the house.”

Joseph was less than thrilled with the idea.

“What’s he doing here?” he asked as Hope approached him.

“He came to apologize to me.”

“Did he apologize?”

“Yes.”

“Then why is he still here?”

Hope sighed. She appreciated her big brother’s concern, but he was blowing things out of proportion. “We’re taking the triplets for ice cream.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“What could happen with those three as chaperones?”

“You’ve got a point, but…”

“Joseph, do you want to tell those three little girls they can’t go?” She pointed at the triplets, still bouncing with excitement.

She knew he didn’t have it in him. “All right, but don’t keep them out too long,” he grumbled.

“Seriously, you’d like Oliver if you got to know him. Aren’t you going a little crazy over one kiss?” Actually two, but she wasn’t about to tell him that.

“Maybe. I just have a feeling about that one.”

Hope threw back her head and laughed. “Don’t be such an old mother hen. I’ll be fine. Get back to your basketball game.”

“All right, all right.” He waved her away and turned back to where Noah and Peter were waiting.

The ice cream shop was crowded, so Oliver, Hope and the girls took their cones outside to eat at one of the picnic tables set up around the building. The girls licked their treats contentedly. Dori had strawberry ice cream, Lucy had chocolate, and Belle had vanilla—with sprinkles.

Hope smiled watching them. They really were wonderful children. How much would they improve if they continued to receive adequate guidance? That thought led her to wondering about her sister.

Something in her face must have changed, because Oliver said “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts Hope said, “Nothing. Thank you for the ice cream, Oliver. Girls say ‘thank you’ to Mr. Laurence.”

“Thank you Mr. Laurence,” they chorused sweetly. If she didn’t know better, she’d think they were angels.

“You’re welcome girls. I’m glad you’ve been good lately. Let’s keep it up.”

They answered him with giggles. Probably not a good sign. And worse, it didn’t distract him from his original question. “What were you thinking about just now?”

She shrugged and took another lick from her cone. “Nothing important.”

He caught her free hand. Oliver so rarely touched her that it made her look up in surprise. “Tell me,” he said gently, his blue eyes clouded with concern.

Oh help, thought Hope. Her mouth just took off without further instruction from her brain. “I was thinking about my sister.”

“The girls’ mother?”

“Yes, that’s the only sister I have.”

“Are you ever going to tell me where she is?”

“Why should I?” she asked, but her voice was gentle. “Wouldn’t that make you involved? Sorry, but I thought you didn’t want that.”

“I don’t. I just…just want to make sure you’re all right.”

Hope gave him a little smile and answered. “You can’t have it both ways, Oliver. Either you’re in my life or you’re out. You’ve already opted for out.”

“You know, you’ve got everyone fooled, Hope. You act like you’re so sweet. Does anyone realize how stubborn you are?”

His comment was so unexpected, she laughed just as she was about to take a bite, almost knocking her ice cream off the cone. She rescued it, but was left with ice cream smeared all over her hand. This made Oliver chuckle, and soon they were both laughing together. It felt good to see Oliver laugh. Hope had the feeling he didn’t do it nearly often enough.

He grabbed some napkins from the dispenser on the table. He took her hand in his and wiped it clean. Laughter died in Hope’s throat as she stared at her palm, enveloped in his hand.

“I should go wash up,” she said, her voice coming out rough. “My hand will still be sticky.”

“Your ice cream will melt before you get back.”

“That’s OK. I’ve had enough.” She’d throw out the cone on her way to the ladies’ room.

“All right.” Oliver let go of her hand, her smooth skin sliding across his rough palm. She shivered, even though it was a warm day.

“Be right back.”

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 7

There was no summer rec programming during the week of July 4th. It drove Hope crazy. She had too much to think about and not enough to do. She decided that Joseph’s house needed some belated spring cleaning and with Abby, Noah and Peter’s help, she started tearing apart closets, emptying drawers and cleaning out under beds.

Hope knew Joseph was home and had seen the chaos when she heard him yell her name.

She appeared from the hall closet, popping out practically under his nose. “Hey, Joseph, you don’t have to yell. I’m right here.”

“What are you doing to my house?”

“Cleaning. You said you needed more space. I thought it would help if I did some organizing. I already have a carload for Goodwill. Don’t you ever throw anything away?

Joseph stared at her. “There’s only one thing that makes a woman clean like this.”

“I can’t think what you mean,” she replied innocently.

“I bet you can’t,” mumbled Joseph as he stepped over a pile of coats that didn’t fit anyone. “Don’t throw anything out without checking with me first, all right?”

“Of course not,” Hope called after him, smiling because she knew she’d throw out whatever she wanted, and he probably wouldn’t even notice.

“Stay for dinner,” he called back. “I need to talk to you.”

“As long as it isn’t too late. Abby and I have softball practice tonight.”

Supper was simple, a casserole and rolls. Once it was finished, Joseph led Hope off to his study. He shut the door behind them.

“What’s up?”

Joseph sat in his desk chair. He looked tired—really tired. “Theresa called me today.”

“She did?” Excitement fizzed up inside her. “Is she coming home soon?”

“No,” Joseph answered flatly.

The excitement went flat. “When?”

“Maybe not for a long time. She’s being released from the treatment center, and she’s going back to her home in Madison, but she said she doesn’t want the girls with her yet. She wants to make sure she can stay sober before she takes them back.”

“What? But she can come here. We’ll help her.”

“I think this is something she has to do for herself, Hope.”

“But the girls…They need her.”

“I can take care of the girls. She’s doing the right thing for them.”

Hope’s chest tightened until she couldn’t breathe. “But they miss her. They need to know she loves them.”

“They do. Calm down.” Joseph stood up and tried to put his arm around her, but she moved away.

“Hope, don’t you realize that she’s got to know she can make it before she takes the girls back. If she fails, then they’ll suffer.”

“We have to think positive…”

“We have to be practical. Theresa may be leaving the treatment center, but she’s still got a rough time ahead of her. The girls will be better off here.”

Hope tried to force air into her lungs. “Maybe I should go and stay with her for the rest of the summer.”

“Theresa thought you’d say that. She said not to.”

“Why? I want to help, Joseph.”

He gripped her shoulders. “You are helping. I need you here.”

“No, you don’t. You hardly let me do anything.”

“I’m letting you tear my house apart, aren’t I?”

This wasn’t a good time for joking. Hope pushed him away. “I’m going home.”

“What about practice?”

“I’m not going.”

Hope managed to slip out of the house unnoticed. She knew Joseph would give Abby a ride to practice, and she didn’t care if she left a mess from the closets all over. She just needed to be alone.

****

“So Oliver…”

He felt his shoulders tighten as the sound of Jordan’s voice grated over his nerves.

“Did you have a nice talk with Hope’s brother?” Jordan snickered and slapped Oliver on the back. “I hope there’s no hard feelings. Remember, all’s fair in love and war.”

“Yeah, sure Jordan.” Oliver moved away, hoping to avoid further conversation.

“I can’t blame you for wanting Hope for yourself. She is hot.”

“Jordan, just drop it,” he warned.

It seemed he wasn’t getting the message because Jordan went on to describe Hope’s assets in crude language. Feeling his temperature rising, Oliver retorted, “Knock it off. Those kinds of comments are inappropriate.”

“Maybe, but they’re true.”

Oliver swung around to confront Jordan. “That’s enough.”

Jordan stepped closer to Oliver, until they were almost nose to nose. “Come on, you can’t tell me you never think of Hope that way. I saw you kiss her.”

“That’s none of your business.”

“So, don’t tell me you don’t think about—”

Oliver was usually a laid back sort of person. It took a lot to make him angry, but right now he was full blown furious. He shoved Jordan. Jordan staggered and came back with his fists raised.

There would have been a real fight then, but Andrew and Riley stepped in, pulling the men apart.

“What’s the matter with you two?” Andrew was using his principal voice, Oliver could tell, and Jordan reacted, relaxing from his fighting stance. “Who wants to tell me what the problem is?”

“He’s the one with the problem,” Jordan retorted.

“I took exception to certain inappropriate remarks he made about another team member,” Oliver admitted.

“Well, both of you knock it off. Let’s get started with practice. Isaac got held up, so I’m in charge. Jordan you can go cool off in the outfield. Oliver, you’re up to bat.”

With the confrontation with Jordan still weighing on his mind, Oliver didn’t notice at first that Hope wasn’t at practice. Abby was there, but her aunt was nowhere in sight.

Later, he overheard Sarah ask Abby where Hope was. Oliver recognized the concern in Abby’s voice. “I don’t know,” she confided to Sarah. “She and Dad had an argument or something, and she left. Dad gave me a ride to practice but he wouldn’t tell me what happened.”

He wondered if she and Joseph had fought over him. Whatever had happened, Hope must have been really upset if she had skipped practice. She’d been late plenty of times, but she’d never missed a practice all together—not even the night the triplets had scared her half to death by hiding.

“Hey Oliver,” called Riley. “We’re going out for pizza. Want to come along?”

“No thanks. I’ve got to get home.” He should go home, but he knew he wouldn’t.

Hope’s house was dark, but her car was in the drive, so he figured she was there. He leaped up the steps to her porch and rang the door bell.

“I’m right here, Oliver.”

He turned to see her seated on a bench at the end of the porch. He hadn’t seen her there because the light wasn’t on.

“What do you want? I’m not really in the mood for another discussion with you.”

“I was just worried about you. You missed practice.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I’ll be there next time.”

He couldn’t see her face, so he walked closer.

“Are you all right?”

She laughed. “Sure. You can go home Oliver. I’m fine.”

“I don’t believe you.”

She was sitting with knees pulled up to her chest, hugging her legs. Her head rested on her knees. He sat down next to her. “What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

He put his arm around her. “Come on. I want to hear.”

Hope pushed him away. “No. There’s nothing you can do to help.”

He’d offered to help, and she’d refused. He could leave now without the least hint of guilt. But he didn’t want to. Instead he scooped her up and set her on his lap.

“What are you doing?”

“I don’t know,” he said, drawing her close. “I just want to be here for you.”

Hope dropped her head to his chest and cried her heart out. If this were any other woman, he wouldn’t be able to get away fast enough. But for her, he wanted his shoulder to be the one she cried on.

Finally the sobs slowed and subsided altogether. Hope reached for a box of tissues sitting on the bench. She must have brought them out with her. “I’m such a mess. I’m sorry.”

“Abby told Sarah you and Joseph had a fight. It wasn’t about me, was it?”

Hope let out a muffled chuckle. “Oliver, you really have to do something about your ego. Of course it wasn’t about you.”

That was a relief, in spite of the jab about his ego. “Then tell me what happened.”

“My sister isn’t coming home.”

“The triplets’ mother?”

She nodded. “Theresa has been at a treatment center for alcoholism. She’s being released but she isn’t coming back for the girls. She doesn’t think she’s ready to have them yet.”

“Don’t you think she should be sure she can take care of them?”

“Yes. But I also can’t imagine why she wouldn’t want the support of her family at this time. I offered to spend the rest of the summer with her, but she refused.”

“Sometimes it’s hard to have our family see us when we’re at our lowest.”

She sniffed. “I suppose. I just feel so helpless. I want to do something to make it better. I guess the only thing I can do is pray. My mom would say that’s enough.”

They didn’t talk anymore. Oliver just held her until he realized that Hope had fallen asleep. He stood, still cradling her in his arms, and managed to nudge open the door to the house. He set her on the couch and covered her with an afghan from the back of a chair.

There was just enough light for him to see her tear-streaked face and swollen eyes. Without a doubt, Hope looked awful. And he felt how much he loved her with every single beat of his heart. He was in trouble. Big, big trouble.

When he got home, Oliver went straight to his bedroom and picked up Gabe’s Bible. When he’d been younger, his uncle was always the person he went to for help. The only possible chance of connecting with him now was through this Bible.

Taking a deep breath, Oliver opened the book. It was as he remembered it. The book was well used, with passages underlined, notes written in the margins and papers tucked between the pages.

Oliver flipped through the pages. He took all the papers out and opened them. They were mostly church bulletins from significant services in his uncle’s life. Among them he found the bulletin for Gabe’s own confirmation, the funerals of his parents and Oliver’s baptism. The bulletins for his mother’s and Gabe’s weddings were there, too. Oliver thought he would have thrown them away after they ended in divorces.

This was all very interesting, but not helping. He remembered that he’d left the bulletin for his confirmation in his own Bible and decided that he should put it back with the others.

Out of curiosity, Oliver compared his confirmation service with Gabe’s. They were pretty much the same. The members of his uncle’s confirmation class all had favorite verses listed, too. He recognized the one beneath Gabe’s name. It was the same as the one he’d chosen.

Oliver remembered. It was his uncle’s favorite verse. He’d chosen it in Gabe’s honor. He flipped to Ephesians in his uncle’s bible. The verse was underlined in red and a box had been drawn around it. Oliver read, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”

He put the Bible and the bulletins down and lay back on his bed to think. What had Hope said tonight? She wanted to do something, but all she could do was pray. “My mom would say that’s enough,” she’d said.

Oliver hadn’t said a prayer, at least not one of his own, in years. He didn’t like the idea of turning over his problems to God. He wanted to take care of them himself. But he acknowledged that the problem with Hope was bigger than he could handle.

He closed his eyes, right where he was and spoke to God. “I love Hope. I’m afraid if I let myself become a part of her life, I’ll end up ruining her life. And my own. I don’t want us to be like my parents. Would it be better to give Hope up, or do I dare to try?”

****

The phone ringing woke Hope the next morning. With a groan she rolled over—and almost off the couch. She sat up, suddenly remembering where she was and what had happened.

She dove for the phone and picked it up. “Hello.”

“So you are home.”

It was Sarah. “Yes. Where else would I be?”

“I don’t know. This is the third time I called this morning.”

“Sorry. I must have slept through the other ones.” Hope pushed her hair back out of her face. “What time is it?”

“It’s almost nine thirty. I can’t believe you were still asleep. You’re usually such an early bird.”

Hope was beginning to feel her body’s protest from sleeping on her lumpy couch. She winced at the twinge in her neck. “Did you want something Sarah?”

“Yes. I want to know where you were last night. Abby was very upset. She said you and your brother had a fight.”

“Sort of. It was more like he gave me some bad news, and I didn’t take it well.” She briefly explained about her sister, but left out everything about Oliver. The situation with him was too confusing to share with anyone. She wouldn’t know how to begin to explain it.

“Why don’t you call your sister and talk to her?” suggested Sarah. “Maybe if you hear her reasons for not coming back, you’ll feel better.”

“That’s a good idea. I think I will do that.”

“In the meantime, I’ll say a prayer for both of you. Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Yes. I crashed on the couch last night, and I ache all over. But a hot shower will take care of that.” Like right now. She hoped Sarah would take the hint.

“Are you coming to practice tonight? You know it’s the last one. Everyone is going out for pizza afterwards.”

“I’ll be there,” Hope replied, a bit of enthusiasm breaking into her voice. “I never turn down a chance for pizza.”

“Great, I’ll see you tonight.”

****

That morning Oliver went for a run and ended up on Andrew’s front porch. Andrew opened the door with a smile, scolding, “Don’t you know that no one uses the front door in Orchard Hill. Well, unless they’re running for office or selling something. Friends always come to the back.”

Smiling, Oliver told him, “I’ll remember that.”

“Come on in. Have you had breakfast yet?”

“No, but I didn’t come to mooch food from you.”

“I know that. How do you like your eggs?”

Oliver followed Andrew to the kitchen and sat at the counter while he made eggs, bacon and toast. He observed as Andrew cooked. From their first meeting, Oliver had pegged him as an upbeat person. But since he and Faith had gotten together, the man fairly shone with happiness. Oliver felt a rare moment of jealousy.

Andrew set a plate and a glass of orange juice in front of Oliver, and then brought the same for himself to the counter. They said grace, and began to eat.

He wanted to talk to Andrew about his problem with Hope, but he didn’t know where to start. “Have you and Faith picked out a wedding date yet?”

“We’re starting to narrow it down,” Andrew replied. “Maybe sometime around Christmas.”

“Oh, that’s good.” Well that didn’t open an avenue for his questions. Oliver pushed his eggs around on his plate and tried to think of another way to bring it up.

“Why don’t you just ask me whatever you want to ask?”

He looked up. “What do you mean?”

“You obviously have something on your mind. Just say it.”

“How…” Oliver stopped and frowned. He hadn’t had a confidante since his Uncle Gabe had died. It was hard to open up when you were used to keeping your own counsel.

He drew in a long breath and continued. “How do you make things work with…with someone you love.”

“That’s a bit of a complicated question. Do you want to elaborate?”

“My…my parents divorced when I was a kid. My uncle got divorced. I have a couple of aunts who just drift from one relationship to another and their kids seem to be following their lead. I don’t want to do that.”

“Of course you don’t.”

“I know all about lousy relationships. I don’t know anything about creating a good relationship that will stand the test of time. How do you do it?”

“It’s a good thing you came over early. An answer for that could take all day.”

“I decided a long time ago that I would never marry. But…there’s someone I care about. I don’t want to get together with her and then end up making her miserable. I wanted to be noble and give her up. But I can’t seem to do that. I can’t go back to not caring about her, and I don’t know how to go forward.”

“First of all,” Andrew said gently, “there are no guarantees when you love someone. Either of you could mess it all up at any time. No one wants that, but it happens.”

“Then why bother?”

“Because you might get it right. Because no one wants to be alone.”

Oliver sighed. “Maybe it’s not worth it.”

“Yes, it is. My first wife died. You don’t know what a painful loss that was. It’s like having your soul ripped in two. But I still have no regrets about marrying her.”

“How do you make it work, though? What about…what about bad moods and crazy little habits and…and Monday night football?”

Andrew laughed so hard he almost fell off his stool. “Sorry, Oliver. You have a good point, so I’ll try to answer you as honestly as I can. The truth is, if you get married, there are times when your wife will really bug you and you feel like there can’t possibly be a more annoying person on earth. And then there are times when she’ll feel the same way about you.”

“Now I’m just more confused.”

“Let me finish. There’s a very important ingredient that every good marriage needs.”

“Love? Trust?”

“Well, of course you need that. But something else. Commitment. Because no matter whom you marry, they won’t be perfect. And you never will be either. You have to be committed to sticking it out through the bad patches—and don’t take the good times for granted, either. Hold on to God and each other and you’ll make it through. Does that help you?”

“I’m not sure. You gave me a lot to think about though. Thank you, Andrew.”

“Do you want to tell me who it is that has you doing all this soul searching.”

“Um, not really.”

“That’s OK. I have a feeling I’ll know soon enough.”

****

When Hope hung up the phone after talking to Theresa, she felt much better. She was reassured that her sister really was all right. She would be staying with friends to start with, so she wouldn’t be alone.

And Theresa had also explained that the reason she didn’t want Hope to come and stay with her was because she wanted her to be with Dori, Lucy and Belle. “I know Joseph thinks he can do it all,” Theresa confided, “But even he needs help. I know with you there, he’ll get it, even if he won’t ask for it.”

“But are you sure you’ll be all right?”

There was a pause and then Theresa’s voice, thick with emotion, came over the line. “I’m closer to being all right than I have been in years. My greatest regret is failing my children. I can’t put them through that again. That’s why I need you and Joseph to be there for them.”

“We’ll take good care of them, I promise. You just work on getting better.”

Knowing that Theresa was counting on her to take care of the girls made her feel less helpless, more useful. Hope was also reassured that Theresa actually was getting better. Not long after Hope hung up, Joseph came over. She knew he must have been worrying about her, because it was difficult for him to get away from the construction business he owned.

She met her brother at the door with a smile, and was gratified to see the relief in his eyes.

“You look better today,” he said.

“Yes. I talked to Sarah this morning, and she suggested I call Theresa and talk things through with her. I did and it helped.”

“That’s good. I don’t suppose you have anything to make a sandwich out of?”

“Of course. Have a seat, I’ll make it.”

Hope took out bread and then opened the refrigerator.

“Noah’s car broke down,” Joseph said, pulling out a chair by her kitchen table.

This was a regular occurrence. The car was a real clunker, but Noah was proud of the fact that he’d bought it with his own money. “Do you think you could lend him yours so he can get to work tonight? I’ll take you and Abby to softball practice.”

“No problem. I’m sure Sarah or someone will be happy to give us a ride home.”

“Thanks.”

A companionable silence fell over the room.

“I heard that that Oliver guy was over here again last night.”

Did the Orchard Hill gossip mill never rest? How could he possibly know about that? “Yeah. He stopped to ask why I wasn’t at practice.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all. We sat on the front porch the whole time.” In full view of the neighbors. That’s probably how they knew. Her across the street neighbor, Cora Applebaum was the biggest gossip in town.

“What exactly is going on between the two of you?”

“Honestly, Joseph, I have no idea.”

****

That evening the members of the Orchard Hill Community Church softball team gathered for their final practice. The tournament was coming up in only two days, and the team was pumped and ready to compete. The downtown had been decorated with red, white and blue for the coming holiday. Everyone was keeping a close eye on the weather forecast, hoping for sunshine.

During practice, Sarah sprained a couple of fingers and had to go home to ice them. Then, Abby chose to go to friend’s house rather than go for pizza, so Hope found herself alone and without a ride.

As everyone began gathering their things after practice, she announced that she needed a ride home and hoped that Oliver would offer. Instead, Jordan Schmidt eagerly declared he’d give her a ride home. When no one else said anything, she reluctantly agreed.

Hope was confused, wondering what had happened to the man who’d held her while she cried and then tucked her in on the couch? He’d hardly said two words to her since she’d arrived—on time—at practice.

Laughter echoed through the building as team members spilled into the Big Apple, Orchard Hill’s only pizza parlor. Hope thought the name of the restaurant was clever—chosen because they served New York style pizza and had used the city’s nickname to tie their restaurant to Orchard Hill–and she loved the food, but tonight she was uncomfortable. From the point that Jordan had agreed to give her a ride home, he seemed to think she was his date. He put his arm around her as they walked into the pizza parlor and steered her to a chair, then sat down next to her. Other team members filled in around them. As the evening wore on, Hope became more and more uncomfortable about being with Jordan. His chair seemed to keep creeping closer to hers. She tried to inch away, but he always adjusted his chair to match.

After a while she had no more room to move over if she still wanted to be at the same table as everyone else. She thought about getting up and moving over to the counter where a few other members had gathered, but then she’d be by Oliver, and she didn’t want him to think she was chasing him. If he wanted to go back to ignoring her, she wasn’t going to do anything to stop him.

Then, under the table, she felt Jordan put his hand on her leg.

Oliver sat at the counter with Riley, Ian and Jeff. They were all talking about the current baseball season and the teams they favored. He hardly heard a word of the conversation, because he was preoccupied with watching Hope.

He’d wanted to keep his distance from her until he could figure out what he was going to do. But maybe this hadn’t been a good plan, because she’d ended up accepting a ride home from Jordan. And apparently, Jordan was reading a whole lot more into that than she’d intended.

He noticed the little dance with the chairs and saw how she ended up with Jordan practically on top of her.

“Hey, Oliver, what’s up tonight?” asked Riley. “It’s like you’re on another planet. I just asked you what you think about the Brewers chances for the play-offs.”

“What? Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something else.” He made an attempt to contribute to the conversation because he liked these three men and hoped they’d be friends after the softball tournament, but it was hard to concentrate on anything except Hope and Jordan. What was going on with those two? Hope’s face was flushed with… Embarrassment? Anger? He wasn’t sure.

Then Jordan rose and came over to the counter to ask for more soda. He passed the cup to the waitress and then turned to Oliver, a leer on his face. “Too bad you weren’t fast enough when Hope asked for a ride home. I’ll be taking over that duty tonight. And I plan on getting more than a good night handshake in return.”

That did it. Oliver stood up so quickly the stool he was sitting on wobbled and threatened to tip over. Pushing past Jordan, he strode to their table, grabbed Hope’s arm, and hauled her out of her chair.

Shock registered on her face. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking you home.”

“But I’m not finished…”

“Hope, we’re leaving now.” Oliver pulled her along behind him, oblivious to the questioning looks from his teammates.

As they passed Jordan, he opened his mouth as if to protest, but Oliver glared at him, and Jordan didn’t say a word.

They came out into the fading light in the parking lot. Oliver opened the passenger door of his car and handed Hope in. Then, he went around to the driver’s side and slid into his seat.

“Oliver, what…”

“Save it,” he growled and backed out of the parking space.

Hope was silent during the entire drive to the house, but he could tell she was angry. He didn’t care. He was angry, too.

When they arrived at her house, he went around to open her door again, but she’d already left the car and was halfway up the walk. He caught up with her and followed her into the house.

Two steps inside she rounded on him and shouted, “Why did you do that?”

“Because Jordan started telling me his plans for your ride home, how he’d be taking the ‘scenic route’ and such. How could you accept a ride from that jerk?” Oliver yelled back.

“I didn’t want to, but no one else offered.”

“He was all over you from the minute you said ‘yes.’”

“I can handle guys like Jordan. It’s you that I don’t know what to do with.”

He’d never seen her so angry before. Her eyes were dark and stormy, her hands clenched into fists at her side, and her whole body shook with emotion. She was beautiful that way, filled with fire and passion.

She may not know what to do with him, but he knew exactly what he wanted from her. He took a step toward her, and she backed up, bumping into the wall behind her. He moved closer, until his body was pressing her against the wall. Then his mouth captured hers.

She gave a little cry, almost a sob, and then her arms went around him and pulled him even closer yet. The satisfaction of victory surged through him, and he deepened their kiss.

Oliver felt like he could go on kissing her forever, but she was already pushing him away. He eased back from her, dropping kisses on her eyelids.

“Oliver, this is insane. We can’t keep going on this way.”

“I agree.” She looked so serious and troubled, he couldn’t help kissing her again, briefly this time.

“I mean, what do you want from me?”

He knew in his heart that it was time to declare himself. He never thought this day would come for him, but now that it was here, he felt no fear, no nervousness.

“I love you, Hope.”

Her eyes widened with surprise.

“And I want to marry you.”

She gasped.

“I’ve told you all about my family, so I’d understand if you thought I was too much of a risk…but if you do marry me, I promise to be the best husband I possibly can.”

“Oliver, we’ve never even gone on a date.”

“I’ve dated lots of women. I don’t want to date you, Hope. I want to marry you.” He leveled his gaze at her and looked intently into her eyes.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’ll consider it. That’s all I ask.”

“But you said…”

“I said a lot of stupid things.”

“But then, how…why…?”

“I changed my mind—you changed my mind. Hope, you’re the only person I can imagine wanting to share my life with—forever.” She looked a little dazed, but what did he expect? She had no way of knowing that he’d been reconsidering his position on marriage. Especially since he’d been trying so hard to convince her he wasn’t interested in it. “Look, I know this is sudden. But, just…please, say you’ll think about it.”

She stared at him for a moment, and then slowly nodded her head.

“I should go now.” He’d said what he needed to say. A gentleman would retreat and give her time to consider his offer. But in spite of his good intentions, it took another twenty minutes and a dozen or so kisses before he made it out of the house. It had felt so good to let go, to admit to his feelings. He didn’t have to deny how she affected him any more. Finally, he was free to touch her, to hold her and kiss her as much as she allowed. The last kiss, in the doorway, was particularly long and steamy. “Let the neighbors talk about that one,” he thought as he backed out of her driveway.

With a smile, Oliver remembered his uncle’s favorite verse: “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you…” The eyes of his heart had been opened and he definitely knew the “Hope” to which he had been called.

****

What was she going to do, Hope wondered as she sipped her morning coffee. Part of her wanted to say ‘yes’ to Oliver’s proposal. She did love him. But it was a new, fledgling love. Did they know each other well enough to make this sort of commitment?

Did they have the same goals? The same values? What was his family really like? Did he prefer paper or plastic bags at the grocery store? Feeling restless, she put down her coffee and wandered through the house, watering her plants and pinching off brown leaves.

They did have a lot in common. They were both teachers. They worked at the same school. They attended the same church. They both liked sports and books. He said he’d been a bookworm as a child. He must still like reading, right?

But seriously, unless you counted taking the triplets out for ice cream, she and Oliver hadn’t been on a single date. Was that important? What was the point of dating? To get to know someone, she supposed. Which brought her back to her original question—did she know Oliver well enough to know if she wanted to marry him?

She knew his kisses were divine, but you couldn’t base a marriage on kisses, could you? Maybe…She shook her head. No. Definitely not. What was she thinking? Oliver had her all confused.

Later that morning, Hope called Sarah. “How are your fingers and what are you doing for supper tonight?”

“Still sore and nothing special,” she replied. “Why?”

“I need you to come to Joseph’s with me for moral support.”

“You’re having supper at Joe’s tonight?”

“He hasn’t asked me yet, but if the Orchard Hill grapevine is up to its usual speed he’ll be calling me soon.” Once the glow of receiving Oliver’s proposal had worn off, she realized that the scene in restaurant was going to cause talk.

Sarah’s giggle sounded across the line. “It is. I already heard about your abrupt departure from the party last night.”

“You haven’t heard even half of what happened last night. That’s why I need you to come with me.”

“All right. I won’t turn down a home cooked meal. But you have to tell me what’s going on before I find myself in the middle of it.”

“I’ll tell you. Can you meet me at Grace’s in an hour?”

Just as she was getting ready to step out the door, Hope’s phone rang. As she had predicted, it was Joseph. “I want you to come over for supper tonight,” he said, not bothering with a greeting.

“Let me check my social calendar. I think I’m free.”

“Are you going to come or not?”

“What will you do if I don’t?” Hope knew she shouldn’t tease Joseph, because he truly was concerned for her, but on the other hand she was a grown woman and perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

“I’m not in the mood for jokes. Just give me an answer.”

“Sure, I’ll come if I can bring someone.”

Silence. After a minute Joseph asked, “Who would that be?”

Stifling a giggle, Hope replied “Just Sarah. That’s OK, isn’t it?”

“I suppose.”

“Do you want me to bring anything?”

“No, I’ve got it covered.”

****

“Oliver,” Misty Green hailed him from her store. He stopped on the sidewalk and waited for her to catch up with him. “I need you to do a favor for me.”

Now what?

She handed him a sheet of paper. “This is the altar guild’s schedule. I think Sarah Rogers left it in the store. Do you think you could return it to her, since you’re both on the softball team?”

Oliver accepted the paper. “Sure.”

“You and Sarah must have a lot in common,” Misty continued.

“Like what?”

“You two are the newest staff members at the school. I bet you two could be a real help to each other. You could get to know the town better together. Maybe you and Sarah should spend an afternoon seeing the local sites together.”

Was she suggesting what he thought she was suggesting? “I’ll get this to Sarah as soon as I can.”

“I’m sure you will.” Misty winked at him before she went back into her store.

Shaking his head with disgust, Oliver folded the paper and slipped it into his jeans pocket. Then, he continued down the street toward O’Neil’s Handy Hardware. As he passed The Grace Place, he noticed Sarah sitting alone at one of the tables.

Oliver backtracked to the door and went in. “Sarah,” he said as he walked up to her table, “Misty Green asked me to give this to you.”

She accepted the paper he held out and glanced at it. “Why would she want me to have this? I’m not on the Altar Guild.”

Oliver shrugged. “She said she thought you left it in the store.”

“No, it must have been someone else.” Sarah stooped to put the paper in the tote bag at her feet. “I’ll take it back.”

“Great,” Oliver said. So much for Misty and her matchmaking. “I’m going to get going then.”

“OK. I’ll see you tomorrow at the tournament.”

Just as Oliver was turning to leave, Hope walked in. He was torn between wanting to greet her with a kiss and wanting to make himself scarce. He didn’t think he wanted to see her before she made up her mind about his proposal, nor did he want to seem like he was pressuring her. Plus, he was scared to death. He’d been on cloud nine last night when he’d tumbled into bed and fallen asleep. He’d dreamed of Hope, and it was great, but then he’d woken up and thought about her saying ‘no.’ That scared him.

He decided to say another prayer or two. It couldn’t hurt, could it?

“Hi Sarah, Oliver,” Hope called to them. “I’m going to get some coffee and I’ll be right over.”

He stood there frozen until she joined them. “Hi Oliver,” she said, that million dollar smile lighting up her face.

“Um…hi, Hope. Sorry, I can’t stay. I’m on my way…that is, I have to… I’ll see you tomorrow at the tournament,” he said, and then hurried out, leaving a very confused Hope with Sarah.

“Okay, it’s just us,” said Sarah as Hope slid into the chair across from her. “What’s up with you two?”

“After the way Oliver just ran out of here, I’m not sure you’ll believe me.”

Hope tried not to worry about Oliver’s strange behavior at Grace’s, but she couldn’t help it. Had he changed his mind? Did he regret his impulsive proposal?

She couldn’t forget the incident, and after a while, she decided to call and confront him about it. She wasn’t going to wait around until he got up the courage to tell her he’d changed his mind.

When he picked up the phone, Hope took her cue from Joseph and charged ahead without wasting time on small talk. “I need to know if you’ve changed your mind about wanting to get married.”

“What? Hope, is this you?”

“Of course it’s me. How many women have you proposed to recently?”

“Only you.”

“Why did you run out on me this morning at the coffee shop? Have you changed your mind?”

“No. It’s just that I…I didn’t know what to say to you. It feels weird being together when I’m still waiting for your answer, and I didn’t want to push you. But if we’re together I’m afraid I will.”

“So you aren’t withdrawing your offer?”

“No, of course not.” Hope felt a little thrill at the force he put into that statement.

“I have to go to my brother’s for supper tonight. I’m sure he’s heard about what happened at the pizza place last night and wants to have a ‘talk’ with me.”

“Do you want me to talk to him?”

“No, it’s not necessary. He’s really a teddy bear. Even if he’s an annoying teddy bear who keeps butting into my life.”

“You’re lucky to have Joseph. I’m an only child. I never had anyone who watched out for me like that.”

Hope had a sudden insight into Oliver’s childhood. No siblings, parents who were wrapped up in their own problems. No wonder he’d become so attached to his uncle. No wonder marriage was such a difficult step for him to contemplate. “What made you decide to ask me to marry you?” she asked softly.

“Well…I love you. I thought I could avoid you, and it would go away. But then I couldn’t stay away from you. Every time you were late for practice, I worried that something had happened to you.”

“Oh no. You aren’t going to be like Joseph and spend your whole life trying to keep me safe, are you?”

Oliver actually laughed at that. “Believe me, I don’t want to be your big brother.”

“Well, that’s reassuring.”

“I thought you were such a together person and your life was so perfect. Then, I found out about your sister and the triplets and…well, suddenly I felt like maybe you could use someone like me in your life. But not to take care of you. Just to be there with you. To stand with you in the tough times.”

“What about the good times? There will be good times, won’t there?”

“Of course. Then, I’ll enjoy your smile and…”

“And what?”

“And I’ll definitely enjoy kissing you.”

Hope’s breath caught as she remembered how last night had ended. “I’ll enjoy that, too.”

“I should hope so,” he mumbled, and Hope knew that this very personal conversation must be difficult for the usually reserved Oliver. It was an indication that he trusted her—truly trusted her with his heart, and that was an awesome gift.

“I have to go now,” she said. “I…I have a lot to think about.”

“I really don’t want to push you. Take whatever time you need.”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow after the tournament,” Hope promised.

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’ll be ready.”

****

Supper at Joseph’s house was a very entertaining affair. The teenagers joked and kidded around as usual, and the triplets tried to get out of both helping set the table and eating their vegetables. Sarah was already well known by her family and they felt no need to put on company manners around her.

But Joseph. Joseph glowered like a bear with a toothache all through supper. Hope could tell he couldn’t wait for the meal to be over so he could corner her and interrogate her about last night. He was going to give himself indigestion.

Finally the meal was over, and while the kids and Sarah cleared away the supper dishes, Joseph indicated that Hope should follow him into his office.

Once the door was closed behind them, he didn’t waste any time. “Just how long,” he asked, “do you think you and that Oliver guy are going to keep feeding material to the gossipmongers in Orchard Hill?”

Hope felt a smile twitching at her lips. “Not too much longer.”

“What was this last stunt all about?”

“You remember that I lent my car to Noah? Well, I asked everyone if I could get a ride home, and Jordan Schmidt was the first to offer. Oliver said that Jordan was hinting that he…that we…well, that he was planning on more than just dropping me on my doorstep.”

“He told Oliver this?”

She nodded. “And I guess Oliver lost his temper and decided that he would take me home instead.”

“He lost his temper? He didn’t do anything to hurt you, did he?”

“No, of course not.” It was strange that Oliver dragging her out of the Big Apple seemed funny now; last night she’d been furious. A marriage proposal from the right guy sure changed your perspective. “It was just what you would have done if you’d have heard Jordan say those things about me.”

Joseph thought for a moment. “Maybe. What happened when you got home?”

“That is personal, dear brother.”

His face darkened. “Hope…”

“I promise that nothing inappropriate happened, but you can forget about any details.”

Joseph began to pace. “Are you and this Oliver ‘together’ now?”

“Yes, I guess we are.”

“Then I’m going to have to get to know him better,” he muttered.

“Don’t say it like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re going to break his legs for messing with your little sister.”

He stopped his pacing to stand in front of her. “Hmmm, that’s a thought.”

“Joseph…”

“But maybe we can start with Sunday dinner.”

Hope threw her arms around him and hugged him. “Thank you, Joseph. You’re really going to like Oliver, I promise.”

“Yeah, we’ll see.”

****

On the way home, Sarah looked over from the driver’s seat and said, “I guess things went well with Joseph. You sure seem happy.”

“Yeah. He wants Oliver to come over for Sunday dinner.”

“You do know that an invitation to dinner and accepting Oliver as a brother-in-law are a long way apart, don’t you?”

“I didn’t say I was accepting Oliver’s offer.”

“You don’t have to. I can see it in your eyes. You’re in love.”

“I was thinking that maybe, instead of giving Oliver a yes or no answer, I would simply say ‘not now.’ That will keep the option open and we won’t have to feel rushed.”

“Do you really think that’s going to work?”

“Why wouldn’t it?”

“From what you’ve told me, I’m guessing that it took a lot for Oliver to ask that question once. I don’t think he’s going to do it again.”

“Not even if I explain to him that we should take more time to build the relationship?”

Sarah shrugged. “You know him better than I do, but I doubt it.”

Sarah might be right. Hope had a lot of praying to do.

****

The Fourth of July dawned bright and clear. It was a perfect summer’s day; the sun shone in a deep blue sky with only a few white, puffy clouds gracing it. It was warm—but not too warm—and there was a hint of a breeze. A perfect day for picnics and softball.

The tournament was being held at a county park that had three softball fields and lots of room for picnickers and fireworks later. As the teams were gathering, Oliver searched for, and found, Hope.

She was walking by herself to the field where their first game was going to be held. He caught up with her, grabbed her hand and pulled her to the side, behind a stand of trees.

“Oliver, you scared me!” But she looked happy to see him so he didn’t mind the complaint.

“I just wanted a minute alone with you before everything starts.”

“We’re alone, so what’s up?”

“Want to meet somewhere after the tournament? We can have supper and watch the fireworks.”

“That sounds good. How about we meet by that big oak tree in the picnic area?”

“All right. I’ll wait for you there.”

“OK. I guess we’d better get going then so we have time to warm up before the game.”

“One more thing.”

Taking her hands in his, Oliver pulled Hope close and kissed her. “I won’t be able to do this all day.”

Hope kissed him back. “This had better hold you until tonight then.”

Oliver wanted to say ‘forget about the tournament’ and take Hope somewhere that they could spend the day alone together. But other people were depending on them.

****

The Orchard Hill Community Church team did pretty well. Oliver knew he hadn’t played his best today. His mind tended to wander to what Hope would say to him later. But they’d taken third place, and that wasn’t bad, he supposed. The important thing was that the stands had been full, and the PTA must have raised enough money to fund the summer recreation program for another year.

He made a fast trip to his car to stow his gear. On his way to the big oak to meet Hope, Oliver ran into Joseph.

“I think we need to have another little talk.” The look on his face was not friendly.

Oliver didn’t want to do anything to antagonize Hope’s family. He decided to stop and talk to Joseph, even if it meant being late. Maybe he could clear the air between them. “Sure. What do you want to talk about?”

Joseph motioned him over to a quieter spot where it was unlikely they’d be overheard. “I don’t like my sister being the object of gossip.”

Oh no. The other night at the pizza parlor and then later, the kiss at her front porch. “I never intended for that to happen.”

“Yes, but it did and more than once. Hope says the two of you are an item now. How do I know this kind of thing won’t happen again?

Oliver held back a groan. This was going to be harder than he thought.

****

Hope stood under the oak tree, watching for Oliver, but trying not to look like she was looking for someone. Where was he? He wouldn’t forget, would he?

Just her luck, Jordan Schmidt found her before Oliver did. “Hey, Hope. We didn’t do too badly today, did we?”

She forced a smile and tried not to make it look too obvious that she was watching for Oliver over Jordan’s shoulder.

“Are you on your own now? How about getting something to eat with me? Then we can watch the fireworks together later. I know a great spot.”

“No thanks. I’m meeting a friend.”

“Who are you meeting? Sarah? I could find a friend for her.”

“No, it’s not Sarah.”

“Is it Oliver?” Jordan asked. The abrupt change in the tone of his voice startled Hope, and she tore her attention away from the crowd to look him in the eyes.

“Jordan, I’m sorry, but you and I have nothing in common. Believe me, you’d be bored with me.”

“I don’t think so. He convinced you of that, didn’t he?”

“No, no. There are lots of girls out there that you’d like better than me, I’m sure.”

“Why don’t we give it a try, and see if you’re right? Maybe we won’t get bored.”

Jordan was starting to make her nervous. He was proving to be just as stubborn as Joseph and started pouring on his version of charm. Hope had her back to the oak tree, but Jordan was still too close for comfort. She wished Oliver would come.

****

“I would never do anything on purpose to hurt Hope,” Oliver assured Joseph. “I care about her a lot.”

“You have a funny way of showing it,” he countered. “I heard you practically dragged her out of the pizza place the other night.”

“OK, I admit I lost my temper, but not with Hope. Someone else was…was not treating her with respect. I didn’t think she should put up with that.”

“Did you treat her any better?”

Oliver sighed and rubbed his face. “No, but Hope and I have resolved everything between us. It’s not an issue anymore.”

“It is to me.”

Oliver was torn between wanting to placate Joseph and needing to meet Hope. How long would she wait for him?

“Joseph, if you knew me, you’d know that those incidents with Hope were not typical.”

“But I don’t know you, do I?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Oliver saw Sarah approaching with Abby and the triplets. Sarah knelt down and said something to Dori, Lucy and Belle. Suddenly they let out whoops of excitement and ran to Joseph, jumping up and down, giggling and chattering. As they closed in around him, Abby joined in the chaos, with a wink to Oliver. Sarah grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the melee.

“What did you say to the Terrible Trio to make them do that,” he asked her.

She smiled and shrugged. “It may have had something to do with you buying them ice cream if they distracted Joseph.”

“Definitely. I owe you all.”

“Just get going.”

Oliver jogged away, weaving in and out through picnic tables and people. Before long, the oak tree came into sight—along with Hope and Jordan.

He slowed as he took in what was going on. Jordan had her cornered, an arm on either side of her and the oak behind her. She looked up, over his shoulder and their eyes met.

Hope she saw Oliver’s face and knew he was going to lose it.

As he started toward them, she could visualize the scene. Oliver was definitely ready to punch something—or more likely, someone. Jordan could never turn down that kind of a challenge and the last thing they needed was a wave of gossip about the brawl caused by two Orchard Hill Community Church team players.

She didn’t know what to do to stop this, but she had to think fast, because she saw Joseph coming up right behind Oliver, and he looked pretty unhappy, too. She knew it was stupid, but she couldn’t think of anything else, so she curled her hand into a fist and…

Everything seemed to happen all at once. Her fist connected with Jordan’s jaw with a jolt of pain that she felt all the way up to her shoulder. Jordan went down like a ton of bricks. His hands, that had been resting on either side of her, caught at her and pulled her down with him. She heard people shouting and tried to get up, but her limbs were tangled with his. Then, someone was pulling her to her feet, and she was up and in Oliver’s arms.

“What in the world did you do that for? Are you crazy?” he shouted.

She winced at the volume he used, right next to her ear.

Joseph was helping Jordan to sit up. “What’s going on here,” he demanded.

“I…I don’t know.” Jordan looked dazed.

Hope attempted to school her face into a look of innocence. “Jordan was coming on to me. I told him to leave me alone, and he wouldn’t.”

“She’s right,” called a lady from the small crowd that had gathered. “He was all over her. This is supposed to be a family event.” Several others added their agreement.

Joseph speared Hope with an angry look. “You,” he said, pointing to her, “stay right there. I’ll be back.” He hauled Jordan to his feet and began to lead him away. “Let’s get you to the first aid station.”

She took a deep breath and allowed Oliver to help her to a bench as the people who’d gathered began to drift back to their picnic tables.

Oliver sat down next to her on the bench. “Hope, what were you trying to do? I saw that look on your face just before you hit Jordan. That punch you threw was premeditated.”

A man came over and offered them some ice wrapped in a towel. Oliver thanked him and put the ice on her hand. Hope tried to pull away, but Oliver pressed it back down, gently. “You’ll be sorry if you don’t leave that on. Now tell me what that was all about.”

“OK. I didn’t want to hit Jordan, but it was the only thing I could think of.”

“What do you mean?”

“I saw the look on your face, too, you know. You were going to cream him.”

That look returned to Oliver’s face. “He was draped all over you. I’ve warned him off enough times.”

“So that’s why I…I hit him.”

“Are you sure you didn’t whack your head when you fell? You aren’t making sense.”

“Yes, I am. It would have been worse if you hit him. It would have become an all out free-for-all then. But he can’t hit me back. I’m a girl.”

“You’re lucky he remembered that. When he could think straight that is.”

“I can’t believe he went down like that!”

A hint of a smile formed on Oliver’s mouth, and she knew she was out of trouble with him. “He has a glass jaw. Who would have thought? I doubt he’ll be bothering you again.”

She offered a tentative smile. “You told me to give him a firm ‘no.’”

A full blown laugh escaped from Oliver then. “That was definitely firm.”

His smile turned quickly to a scowl. “But don’t try that again. You could have gotten hurt—I mean, worse than you did.”

“I wouldn’t have had to hit Jordan if you’d have been on time. Where were you, Mr. Punctuality?”

“I was having another talk with your brother.”

Hope rolled her eyes. “Not again. He told me he was going to get to know you. I should have guessed something was up when I saw him so close on your heels. Getting into a fight with Jordan would have been bad, but if Joseph had seen it…”

“So you thought you’d solve everything by socking Jordan? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of.” Oliver put an arm around Hope and pulled her close. “Did you really do it for me?”

She looked up at him and nodded. He looked away.

“No one’s ever looked out for me like that before,” he admitted in a soft voice.

“I’ll always look out for you.” She put her hand on his cheek and turned his head so she could see his eyes. “If your offer still stands, that is.”

“The offer still stands. I know I don’t deserve you, Hope, and…and I have a lot to learn about relationships—long term ones anyway. I’ll probably make lots of mistakes.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve already made a lot of mistakes with you.”

“And yet I’m still here.”

“Are you going to marry me?”

“Yes, Oliver.”

She lifted her face and kissed him. His arm tightened around her shoulder, drawing her closer.

The sound of a throat being cleared made them stop. Joseph was standing over them. “Now that you two have all that straightened out, would you like to join the family to watch the fireworks?”

Hope realized that Abby, Noah, Peter and the triplets were all standing behind Joseph with lawn chairs, blankets and a cooler.

“Go ahead,” said Oliver. “I’ll see you later.” He rose and turned to walk away.

“Where are you going?” asked Joseph.

Oliver shrugged. “Probably home.”

“You just asked my sister to marry you, didn’t you?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“And she accepted, didn’t she.”

Oliver couldn’t hold back a little smile. “Yes.”

“I have news for you. If you marry her, the rest of us are part of the deal. Grab some lawn chairs and let’s go.”

Joseph headed off toward the open field where people were gathering. The kids followed.

Hope and Oliver hung back. She looked anxiously up at her new fiancé. “You don’t mind, do you?”

A huge grin split Oliver’s face. “Mind? I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.”

The rumble of the first rocket sounded, calling them to hurry. But Oliver took one more moment to kiss Hope again. She left the now wet towel and melting ice on the picnic table and took Oliver’s hand—in her non-bruised hand—and they set off together.

TITLE

Epilogue

Misty looked at the crowd surrounding Hope and Oliver in the gathering space waiting to congratulate them on their engagement. She’d never seen Oliver look so happy, and Hope was positively radiant. She hated it.

Well, she was happy for them, of course. But she hated that Pansy Parker had completed another match. She was one behind now, and even from across the room she could feel the smugness coming off Pansy in waves. It was time to get busy.

Misty scanned the room, trying to think of whom she could help. Her gaze rested on Joy, the organist. She was standing alone at one side of the room, holding a paper cup full of lemonade. When Ian O’Neil stopped to talk to her, she jumped and spilled lemonade down the front of herself. Joy was such a shy, timid person that it would probably take years to get her together with someone. Misty didn’t have that much time.

Then she saw her. Sarah Rogers was standing to one side of the crowd of well-wishers. She and Hope were good friends, but Sarah was still relatively new in town and didn’t know a lot of people. And she’d even given Misty permission to find her a date. This was perfect.

Who could she match Sarah up with? Hope’s brother Joseph came to talk to her. Now, how about that—Sarah and Joseph? Misty discarded that idea almost immediately. Joseph was still mourning his wife. She thought he was probably the kind of guy who would never re-marry but stay true to the memory of his first love his whole life.

Very touching, but no help for her. Who would be right for Sarah Rogers?

She was so deep in thought that Misty lost track of her surroundings. She didn’t even see Perry coming until he was right next to her. Before she could stop him, he put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. “Morning, hon. The choir sounded great.”

Misty looked over to Pansy. Their eyes locked. Her secret was out.

Accepting

Charity

Prologue

Pansy stared across the gathering space at the Orchard Hill Community Church as her son put his arm around—of all people—her arch rival, Misty Green. He even kissed her on the cheek. This couldn’t be happening. It was like a nightmare that she couldn’t wake from.

Misty’s father, Arthur, walked over to the pair. When Misty introduced Perry, Arthur’s eyes lit with recognition, happy no doubt, to be meeting Pansy’s son at last. She had to step in and take control of the situation before Arthur gave away the fact that he and she were also a couple.

“Hey, Mom,” said Perry as she crossed the floor to them. “I didn’t know you knew Misty’s father.”

Oh no. Was she too late?

“Yes, we met at the grocery store.” She refused to show any sign of discomposure.

“That’s nice.” He couldn’t know. Perry would have a much bigger reaction if Arthur had told them.

“So tell me, Perry, how long have you and Misty been seeing each other?” Pansy pasted a bright, cheery, totally false smile on her face.

“Hmmm, how long has it been? Since before Easter?”

Misty giggled nervously. “Has it been that long? Gee, time flies…”

“Yes, it certainly does. Before you know it, the year will be over and some people will wonder where the time went and why they didn’t get more done.”

That had been vague, but Misty had gotten the reference to their little wager. She kept smiling, although her eyes narrowed slightly. “Then again, some people seem to be able to get lots done and still have time left over.”

“Those people better make sure they’re concentrating on the right things.”

“You’re absolutely right, Pansy. You know, I have something I need to talk to you about. Can we go into your office for a minute?”

“Certainly.”

Pansy and Misty kept up their stiff pretense of being friendly until the door closed behind them. Then, their affected politeness dropped like masks, and Pansy pounced. “What do you think you’re doing, dating my son? He just broke up with his wife. He’s very vulnerable right now.”

“I happen to care about Perry very much, and I don’t think he’s still pining over his ex.”

“I know what this is really about. You’re angry because I’m ahead of you in this contest. You’re hoping to distract me.”

“I don’t need to resort to tactics like that. I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back.”

“Hmmph,” sniffed Pansy. “I don’t think much of a matchmaker who’d put herself together with someone who’s obviously so wrong for her.”

“Oh really? Did you know that Perry loves my cooking?”

Pansy gasped. They both believed that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. “Fine, you go ahead and work your wiles on my son, but don’t think it will do you any good. He’s too smart to be taken in by you forever!”

With that, Pansy stalked from the room, almost slamming the door before she remembered where she was. She caught herself just in time to shut the door noiselessly.

Perry and Arthur were still talking. Without acknowledging Arthur, she grabbed her son’s arm and began pulling him toward the door. “Let’s go, Perry. I’m planning a big Sunday dinner. You’ll love it.”

Misty smiled at the picture Pansy made. If she were any madder, steam would be coming out of her ears for sure. Still, she hoped the woman didn’t give her Perry too much of a hard time over this.

One thing Pansy had said was correct anyway. Misty had been neglecting the matchmaking contest lately. It was time for her to get busy and make some matches. After all, she’d already decided on her next project. She just had to get started.

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 1

Let the little children come to me , and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

—Mark 10:14, NIV

Sarah Rogers walked toward The Grace Place in Orchard Hill. The July sun was warm, and she looked forward to stepping into the air conditioned coffee shop. This was the only thought on her mind as someone grabbed onto her from behind.

Sarah turned in surprise, and a smile lit up her face when she saw Charity Daniels standing there. She knelt down to the three-year-old’s level, using both sign language and speech to talk to her. “Good morning, Charity. How are you?”

The little girl stared back at Sarah solemnly and said nothing.

“Who are you with?” Sarah knew that Charity’s mother had passed away recently, but not who was taking care of her now.

“She’s with me. Charity, you can’t just run off. I need you to stay close to me.”

Sarah looked up when she heard the deep masculine voice. The man seemed to tower over her from where she knelt on the sidewalk. She tilted her head back to see his face and nearly tipped over.

He offered a hand and helped Sarah to rise, but once on her feet she still had to look up to meet his eyes. “Do you know Charity?” he asked in a tight voice.

Sarah had learned to read people quickly. It was a survival skill for a kid being bounced around in the foster care system. He was upset, but not angry. “Yes. She and her mother belong to my church. Or at least they used to before…I’m Sarah Rogers.” What was she saying? Could she be more awkward? Handsome men always had this effect on her. And this man definitely ranked in the handsome category, with thick wavy hair the same shade as his chocolate brown eyes. The view didn’t deteriorate below that, either.

“I’m David Daniels. Charity is my niece.”

“Then I’m very sorry for your loss, Mr. Daniels. Maggie was a beautiful person.” That sounded lame, but what else did you say when meeting the relatives of the recently deceased?

“Thank you.” He looked as uncomfortable as she felt.

Charity saved them from their discomfort by tugging on the hem of Sarah’s shorts. “What is it, honey?”

Charity signed, “Mom.”

Sarah’s heart ached for the little girl. “You must miss your mom,” she said and signed back.

“Why are you using sign language with Charity? She’s not deaf.” He was trying to ask politely, but there was an edge to his voice.

“I know that. She has dyspraxia, so it’s difficult for her to coordinate the sounds and movements necessary for speech. Sign language reinforces spoken words and gives her another option for expressing herself.” Sarah tried to put a soothing tone into her own voice.

“She does speak, doesn’t she? She hasn’t said a thing since I got here.”

“Strong emotion can make speech more difficult, and I’m guessing she’s been dealing with some pretty big emotions.”

The man’s eyes attested to his own emotions. He looked tired, overwhelmed and sad all at once. “Yes, I’m sure she is,” he replied.

“I’m sorry; I must be keeping you from something.” She took a step back, intending to exit gracefully from the scene.

“No, not really. You seem to know Charity pretty well.”

Before she could answer, a fourth person joined their little group on the sidewalk. “Hello Sarah, Charity. Hello David,” she said offering him her hand. “I don’t know if you remember me or not. I’m Misty Green. We met a couple years ago when you were here visiting your sister.”

He shook her hand. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember you.”

“That’s all right. We only met briefly before. I’m so sorry about Maggie’s death. What a shock. Are you Charity’s new guardian?”

“Thank you. It seems that I am. Charity’s guardian, that is.”

“And how’s that going?”

Sarah’s mouth dropped open, and she forgot about leaving. She couldn’t believe Misty could just barge right into the conversation and ask personal questions like that.

“I have a lot to learn,” he admitted. “I didn’t know Maggie had named me as guardian in her will.”

“Well you’ve definitely found the right person to help you then,” declared Misty.

“What do you mean?”

“Isn’t Sarah helping you out?” Misty elbowed her in the side and whispered, “Close your mouth, honey.”

Sarah snapped her mouth shut, but she was sure her eyes were still as big as saucers at Misty’s audacity.

“No, we just met when Charity went up to her to say hello,” David explained.

“Sarah is a speech therapist at Orchard Hill elementary. She’s great with kids.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Is she really?”

Sarah hated being in the spotlight, even if it was only for two people. Misty and David were both staring at her now. She dropped her gaze to the sidewalk. “I do work with kids.”

“I have to get back to my store.” She pointed across the street to The Green Scene, the health food store she owned. “I just wanted to say ‘hi’ to you, David, and offer my condolences.”

“Thank you, Ms. Green.”

“Oh, just call me Misty, honey,” she said. “Stop in and see my store sometime. I have the best organic produce around.”

“Um. Thanks.”

Misty patted Sarah’s shoulder. “And hang on to this one. She’ll be loads of help with Charity.”

David’s eyes followed Misty for a minute as she walked away. She didn’t seem to quite fit in, here in Orchard Hill, with her gauzy skirts and long silver and blonde hair. But even though she didn’t fit the mold, he could tell what her type was—church busybody. He’d gotten off lucky. She hadn’t even invited him to dinner.

His gaze moved back to the other woman—Sarah. Dressed in denim shorts and a loose fitting t-shirt, she looked a bit younger than he was and a little shy. He guessed she was the type of person who related better to children and animals than to adults. And he thought Misty might be right about her being helpful—and right now he needed all the help he could get. He flashed her his best “close the deal” smile.

“Charity really does seem to like you. Can I buy you a coffee or something? Maybe you can give me a few tips.”

Sarah looked undecided. He thought she might refuse, but then Charity reached up and took her hand. He saw Sarah’s face soften as she looked at the little girl and she nodded. “All right.”

“I’m a stranger here, so you’ll have to suggest a place.”

“There’s only one coffee shop in Orchard Hill, and it’s just down the street a bit here.”

“Then lead on.”

Charity clung to Sarah’s hand all the way to The Grace Place. David opened the door to let the ladies precede him. Before Sarah reached the counter someone called her name. Her head turned and she smiled and waved at a couple seated in a corner.

“What do you want? I’ll order and you can go talk to your friends.”

“Oh, you don’t have to…”

“And you don’t have to sit with me while I pump you for information on Charity.”

“I guess not.” She gave him her order, made a suggestion for Charity, and then excused herself.

“Hi Hope, Oliver,” Sarah greeted her two friends who were still acting annoyingly lovey-dovey after recently becoming engaged.

Oliver acknowledged her with a nod, but Hope gushed. “Who’s the hottie, Sarah? Do you have a boyfriend you haven’t told me about?”

Sarah felt her face grow warm and she struggled for a bit of composure. “No, nothing like that. He’s Maggie Daniel’s brother, and Charity’s new guardian, I guess. He wanted to ask me a few questions about her speech difficulties.”

Hope took a second look. “I didn’t even see Charity there, poor kid. I guess I was distracted by her handsome uncle.”

Oliver pretended to take exception to this. “Hey, I’m right here. You shouldn’t be looking at other men.”

Hope laughed. “I’m only looking at him, but I’m going to marry you.”

There they went again, all mushy. Sarah decided it was time to make an exit. “I should go, so…”

“Wait a second.” Oliver momentarily turned his attention back to Sarah. “How is Charity doing?”

Sarah shrugged. “I just ran into them a few minutes ago. Misty told David I could help him.”

“Call me and give me a report later,” Hope demanded. “I want to hear all about Charity and…” she winked, “her uncle.”

“I saw that,” protested Oliver.

Sarah slipped away while they were in the middle of another mock argument that would end up in kisses, no doubt.

Not that she wasn’t happy for her friends. She was. But right now, she preferred to be happy for them from a distance.

David had found a table and was getting Charity settled with a glass of milk and a big oatmeal cookie.

Sarah joined them, but they couldn’t seem to get another conversation started. Sarah sipped at her drink and David stared into his. An uneasiness descended over the table.

Finally, David said, “I don’t understand why Maggie left Charity to me. I’m single, no kids, I travel a lot for my job. Maybe…Maybe I should find someone else to adopt her. Someone who can really give her the time and attention she deserves.”

A familiar anxiety stirred within Sarah. “Is there anyone in your family that might take her?”

He sighed. “I’m thinking. I thought maybe our sister Karen would, but she says she can’t handle the three kids she has now. So I’ve been going over all our cousins and aunts and uncles in my head. I don’t know.”

“Does Charity know any of these people?”

Shaking his head, David replied, “Not really. I don’t think she met any of them more than once or twice in her life.”

“Think very carefully before you place Charity in foster care. It’s rough for most kids, but for one with a disability…it can be a nightmare.” She knew it wasn’t her place to say so, but Sarah couldn’t hold back.

“You sound like you know from personal experience?”

Sarah shrugged. She wasn’t about to get into that.

“Besides, I never said anything about foster care.”

He hadn’t. But she felt she had to speak up, just in case. “For right now, you are caring for Charity. What can I tell you that will help?”

David leaned forward and rubbed his temples. Again she was struck by how tired he seemed. “Have you been handling everything since your sister’s death?”

He nodded. “My mom couldn’t cope so I had to step in. She’s not in the best of health. I guess that’s why Maggie didn’t leave Charity with her.” His gaze slid to his niece, quietly eating her cookie, bit by bit. He reached out and stroked her head. Charity didn’t respond. “What do I do with her?”

“Well, you feed her, dress her, bathe her, give her plenty of hugs. You love her, that’s all.”

A corner of his mouth twitched. “That’s all.”

“Pretty much.”

“How do I communicate with her? It’s so frustrating that she won’t or can’t talk to me. I don’t know if I’m doing things right, if I’m giving her what she needs…She’s probably scared to death, and I don’t know how to comfort her.”

Sara had always been a sucker for a sob story. One look into David’s troubled eyes, and she knew she was hooked. She should have run when she had a chance, before Misty dragged her into it.

“Let me explain a few things to you. First of all, Charity’s receptive language skills are exceptionally good. She understands what you’re saying to her. Second, you’ll have to let her show you some things, like what cereal she wants for breakfast. Ask her to get it, and she will. Third, you’ll just have to be very observant. Watch her reactions to find out how she’s feeling or what she’s thinking.”

David nodded. “That makes sense. Can you explain a little about this thing she has.”

“Charity has been diagnosed with developmental verbal dyspraxia. Dyspraxia indicates a neurological problem. Her brain isn’t sending her body the right signals, or her body isn’t interpreting them correctly. This makes it difficult for Charity to coordinate the sounds and movements necessary for speech. It doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have something to say. She just can’t always get it out.”

“That must be incredibly frustrating. But is it treatable?”

“Yes. The amount of success depends on how much the individual is affected, what kind of help he or she gets, and of course family support. It was lucky that Maggie realized there was a problem and got Charity help early on. She’s already been enrolled in the early childhood class for this fall.”

“Early childhood?”

“It’s a class for three- and four-year-olds with significant developmental delays. I work with a lot of kids in that class. In fact, I did Charity’s evaluation when she was referred.”

David raised his eyebrows. “I guess we were lucky to find you.”

Sarah, always uncomfortable with compliments, looked down into her coffee cup. “I’m happy to help.”

Charity started to cough and choke on her cookie, distracting them. Sarah held her glass of milk while the little girl took a drink. David hovered uncertainly until the coughing stopped.

“She does that a lot,” he admitted. “Is that part of the dyspraxia? Not being able to coordinate the movements for chewing and swallowing?”

“It can be. You catch on quick.”

“Not quick enough.” He was back to brooding, staring into his coffee cup. “Sarah, I hate to be a pain, but would you…would you mind giving me your phone number, so I can call if I have any more questions?”

“I guess that would be all right.” Sarah pulled a pen from her bag, wrote her work number on a napkin and slid it across the table to him.

“Thanks,” David said. “I really appreciate this.”

****

David spent the rest of the day attending to the details of Maggie’s estate. He was so tired of dealing with all of this. Part of him still couldn’t believe that Maggie was gone. He knew he’d see her again someday in heaven, but for now, her absence left a gaping hole in his heart.

Charity sat quietly and colored while he talked to the lawyer. This bothered him. No three-year-old should sit so quietly for so long. Was this normal behavior for her? Or was this a reaction to the chaos caused by her mother’s death?

Then, it was back to Maggie’s house. He didn’t plan on staying in Orchard Hill forever, but he thought for Charity’s sake, he might as well stay here until Maggie’s estate was wrapped up.

Then supper and bedtime. Remembering what Sarah had said about Charity, he asked her to pick out a book for story time instead of just grabbing one. She quickly went to the bookshelf and brought back a worn, well-used book. This must be a favorite, he thought.

When Charity was finally sleeping, David headed back to his computer and worked on a couple of projects that had deadlines looming. It was well after midnight by the time he shut down his laptop.

Tired, but still restless, David settled himself on the couch with the remote and turned on the TV. He surfed the channels for a while and finally settled on a late night interview show. The wise-cracking host failed to distract him from the many problems twisting themselves about in his brain.

First and foremost was the problem of what to do with Charity. He loved his niece, but a heavy work schedule had prevented him from visiting often. Truthfully, he hardly knew her, and he had great doubts about his ability to be a decent parent to her.

He traveled a lot in his job as a computer systems consultant. He was good at his job, and always in demand. He supposed he’d reached the point where he could probably afford to hire a nanny, but was that really what Maggie would want?

He mentally reviewed the list of relatives that could possibly take Charity. In the end, he thought that Maggie had probably appointed him as Charity’s guardian because there really was no one else. But accepting Charity would mean some major changes in his life.

Maybe a close friend of Maggie’s would be willing to care for Charity. He tried to remember the people who’d attended her funeral, but it was all a blur. David lay back against the cushions and rubbed his face. He needed to sleep, but sleep had eluded him lately. He felt so clueless where Charity was concerned, so afraid he’d let Maggie down after she’d entrusted him with her greatest treasure. He’d been praying for guidance and he was hoping that Sarah Rogers might be the answer to those prayers.

Hey, he thought suddenly. Maybe she’d know who Maggie’s close friends were and if any of them would be suitable for Charity. Maybe she would even be a candidate. Charity was comfortable with her and seemed to like her.

He liked her, too. He thought of how her expression softened when she looked at Charity. She wasn’t pretty in the conventional style. But behind her shaggy bangs she had marvelous blue eyes that changed colors as her emotions changed. There would never be any question of how she was feeling. Her eyes were more telling than a mood ring.

It was while he was thinking of Sarah’s eyes that David slipped into slumber, and that was probably why he saw them in his dreams. No other reason.

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 2

“Kit did great today,” Sarah told the child’s mother after her therapy time. “She’s really improving on using complete sentences.”

“That’s great.” The woman held out her hand to her ten-year-old daughter, a dark haired girl with a sweet face. “Ready to go, honey?”

The girl smiled and, with a look to Sarah, replied carefully, “Let’s go home.”

Sarah’s duties as a speech therapist included seeing some of the students over the summer. The ones who needed the most help would regress if she didn’t work with them. This had been her last appointment for the day, and after Kit and her mother left, Sarah moved around her tiny room, tidying up.

“Hey there,” Hope called from her doorway. “What’s up?”

Glad to see her friend alone for once, Sarah responded with a smile. “Not much. I was just about to go home and have some lunch.”

“How about we stop at the Apple-a-Day Café? I’ll buy.”

“Great. What’s the occasion?”

Hope came all the way into the room. “I plan to pump you for information on how things went yesterday.”

“Yesterday?” asked Sarah, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb with me,” Hope shot back. “I mean with the cute guy you were with at The Grace Place.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t ‘with’ him. He had some questions about how to handle Charity’s disability. That’s all.”

“Maybe that’s how it started, but wouldn’t it be great if it led to something else.”

Sarah bit her lip. “Nothing happened. You don’t have to buy me lunch. There’s no news to pry out of me.”

“I’ll still buy you lunch. I just thought…I guess, I mean I hoped…”

“You hoped you could match me up as neat and tidy as you and Oliver. Look, Hope, I’m really happy for you guys, but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen for me.”

“I’m sorry Sarah. I didn’t think…” Hope looked truly contrite.

Sarah was prepared to swallow her irritation and forgive her, but the phone rang first.

She turned back to her desk and picked up the receiver. “Hello.”

The voice of school secretary, Faith Fielding, came across the line. “Hi, Sarah. I’m glad I caught you. I have a phone call for you from a David Daniels. I’ll transfer it.”

“Oh, OK. Thanks.” What could this be about?

“Hello, Sarah.”

“Hi David.” She turned her back to her friend as a smile suddenly burst across Hope’s face. “What can I do for you?”

“I hate to impose on you, but…I need a favor.”

“What kind of favor?”

“It’s a little complicated. Can you come over, and I’ll tell you about it?”

“Are you at Maggie’s?”

“Yes.”

“I’m just finishing up here. I’ll be right over.”

She turned and gave Hope a stern look as she hung up the phone. “Not a word.”

“I won’t say anything, I promise.”

“I’ll have to take a rain check on lunch. I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay. Just call me later and give me a report.”

“Forget it,” Sarah grumbled, but even that didn’t wipe the cat-that-ate-the-canary smile off of Hope’s face as she sailed out of the room.

Sarah shook her head at her friend’s retreating back. Then, she grabbed her things and set out.

Maggie’s house was a little white cottage in the older part of town. Sarah loved the full, shady trees that lined the street. The way the houses were tucked back from the street under the sheltering limbs, gave her a safe, cozy feeling.

She hurried up the walk and knocked on the door. Sarah was glad she was dressed a little nicer today, in a full skirt and loose summer sweater. Maybe she wouldn’t feel so out of place with the handsome David.

He answered the door and even in a t-shirt and jean cut-offs, she knew he was still way out of her league. But that didn’t matter, because she was only here for Charity.

“Thanks for coming, Sarah,” David said, stepping back so she could precede him into the house.

“No problem. I was just finishing up for the day when you called.”

Charity was in the living room, sitting on the floor by the coffee table. She looked up when Sarah came in with David. “Hi,” said Charity softly.

“Hi yourself.” From the corner of her eye, she saw David’s mouth gape and hoped he would follow her lead and not make a big deal out of Charity talking. She dropped down on the carpet next to the little girl. “What are you coloring?”

Charity pointed to the picture of a kitten on the page of her coloring book. “I like it,” Sarah said and signed to her. “You’re doing a good job.”

“Yes, Charity, you are,” David chimed in. “Do you want to keep coloring while I talk to Sarah?”

Charity nodded and turned back to her colors. Sarah scrambled to her feet, ignoring the hand that David offered. She wasn’t a little old lady for heaven’s sake. She spent half her day on the floor with the children at school.

“The kitchen is through here,” he said, ushering her through the doorway into a sunny room filled with the smell of fresh coffee.

Heavenly.

David indicated that she should sit at the counter, and went to pour them both mugs of coffee. “I hope you don’t mind, but I only have milk, no cream.”

“That’s okay.” He remembered how she liked her coffee. How sweet. “Now what about this favor that you need.”

He settled onto the stool next to hers, a wide grin on his face. “A woman that knows how to get down to business. I like it.”

“A man who knows how to flatter,” she shot back. “I’m starting to worry about how big this favor is.”

His countenance sobered. “You should worry. I hate to do this, and I wouldn’t ask if I weren’t in a real bind, but…”

“But what?”

“I got a call from a client today. I need to go out of town. Could you…could you take care of Charity until I get back. It’s just for a couple of days—three, tops.”

Sarah was stunned. She didn’t know what to say, so she took a sip of coffee to give herself time to think.

David must have taken her hesitation for reluctance, because he hurriedly continued. “I’m not the sort of person who would leave a child with a stranger, but I called Pastor Isaac today, and he vouched for your character. And I know it’s asking a lot, but honestly, there’s no one else to ask.”

“What about your sister?”

“I called her. Two of her kids are sick with the flu. I’m an independent consultant, and I can’t afford to turn down business.”

His eyes pleaded with her. She was such a pushover. She was going to give in, and she knew it. But she wasn’t going to make it easy on him. “What about your mom?”

“I can’t ask her to come back here so soon. She’s too fragile.”

“When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning. I’d be back as soon as possible. I’ve worked with this client before, and I know their system pretty well.”

“Would you want me to stay here or take Charity to my place?”

“I think it would be better for Charity if you stayed here. Does this mean you’ll do it?”

“Well…..” She drew out the word, keeping him in suspense. Then she took pity on him and answered. “All right, I’ll do it.”

“Thank you, Sarah, thank you.” She hadn’t anticipated that his happiness would be expressed in a hug, but suddenly she found herself crushed to his chest, his arms tight around her.

She felt her heartbeat speed up and her face flush with warmth. She wasn’t used to hugs, except maybe from her girlfriends or her brother. And she certainly wasn’t used to bear hugs from thoroughly attractive men, that inexplicably made her feel…what did she feel? Like Alice, she thought it was “curiouser and curiouser.”

He released her too soon for her to identify the feelings he’d stirred up. “Sorry, Sarah, I didn’t mean to get so carried away, but you’re an angel. How much do you want?”

“What?”

“For a salary. I wouldn’t dream of not paying you.”

She considered. Her meager bank balance could use some assistance. But she wouldn’t feel right about it. “No, that’s not necessary. I’m happy to do it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” She finished her coffee with one long drink and took the mug to the sink. “I’d better go home and pack a few things.”

“Why don’t you come back for supper? That way you can see Charity’s routine.”

“That’s a great idea. Can I bring something?”

“No, it’s my treat. I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

“It’s no big deal.”

But it was, she admitted to herself later that afternoon while packing a bag. She was taking on responsibility for a child that wasn’t her own. She could never resist a person in need. That was going to get her into trouble some day.

****

David decided to make lasagna for supper. He and Charity made a trip to the grocery store, for supper ingredients and to stock up on food so Sarah wouldn’t have to worry about running out of anything while he was gone. Charity shadowed him in the store, quiet and solemn.

Again this bothered David. Shouldn’t a three year old be way more trouble than this? Was this a natural reaction to her mother’s death or was he doing something wrong?

When they got home, the light on the answering machine was blinking. David hit the button to play the message. A woman’s cool voice spoke. “Hello. This is Beverly Van Huesen. I’m the sister of Charity’s father, and I’d like to speak to the executor of Maggie Daniels’ estate.” The voice went on to recite the phone number where she could be reached.

“Now what could she want?” Charity’s dad had never even seen her. He had wanted Maggie to have an abortion and refused to have anything to do with Charity once she was born. Instead of asking for child support, Maggie had asked him to relinquish his rights as Charity’s father. He’d been only too happy to agree.

David thought his sister was crazy for letting the guy off the hook like that, but she said she didn’t want anything from him except a total absence from their lives. Should he call this woman back or not? He didn’t know anything about Charity’s father or his family. David debated this while he put away the groceries and made the lasagna, and in the end, it was curiosity more than anything else that made him dial the number she’d left.

“Hello, this is Beverly Van Huesen.”

“Ms. Van Huesen, I’m David Daniels, the executor of Maggie’s estate.”

“Thank you for returning my call Mr. Daniels.” Her voice was smooth and cultured.

“You’re welcome. What can I help you with?”

“I wanted to inquire about my niece.”

“Charity? What about her?”

“I would like to adopt her.”

David’s jaw dropped. “You would? Why?” He realized that wasn’t the most tactful way to reply, but he was so surprised the words just slipped out.

Beverly’s voice didn’t change from its calm, cool tone. “I realize that may be surprising, since my family has not been involved before this. I assure you that was Maggie’s choice, not mine.”

That could be true. Maggie had never said anything about it one way or another.

“Do you mind,” Beverly continued, “if I ask who the appointed guardian is at this time?”

“I am.”

“I thought so. You are, I believe, an independent consultant.”

How would she know that? “Yes, I am.”

“And single. No wife.”

“I’m not married.” Where was this going?

“So I can imagine that it would be difficult for you to take on the responsibility of a child.”

“It will require some lifestyle change, yes.”

“It would be so much easier for me to take Charity. My husband and I are quite well off. We don’t have any children of our own, and I don’t work, so I can devote lots of time to her.”

“Really.”

“So what do you think, Mr. Daniels. Will you allow me to adopt Charity?”

Would he? Would this Beverly and her husband be better parents for her?

“I don’t know. That’s a big decision to make.”

“Yes, of course. How about we start with a meeting?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“I could come to Maggie’s house on Friday afternoon. I’ll drive up from Chicago.”

“I guess that would be all right. Do you need directions?”

“No, that’s been taken care of. I’ll see you Friday afternoon, Mr. Daniels.”

David pondered the situation as he finished making supper. Maggie had definitely wanted nothing to do with her ex-boyfriend’s family. There had to be a reason for that, didn’t there?

On the other hand, this could be an answer to his prayers. If this woman and her husband could make a loving home for Charity, then maybe he should let her have custody. He certainly wasn’t going to be voted parent of the year any time soon.

The bell rang, breaking into his thoughts. David hurried to let Sarah in.

“Hello. I hope I’m not late. How’s Charity? Has she said anything else? Oh, it smells wonderful in here. What are you making?”

He laughed. “Slow down a bit so I can keep up with you.”

“Sorry.”

She’d changed into khaki capris and an oversized button-down shirt the same blue as her marvelous eyes.

“Let’s see now, first, you’re not late, second, Charity is fine, but she hasn’t spoken again, and finally, supper is lasagna with a salad and rolls.”

“That sounds great.”

“Good, because everything is ready. Let’s eat.”

They ate in the dining room. Sarah brought Charity to the table and lifted her into her booster seat. David brought out the salad and a basket of hot rolls. Then he went back to the kitchen and came out again with a steaming pan of lasagna.

“You made it from scratch?” exclaimed Sarah. “I can’t believe it.”

“What did you expect?” asked David, puzzled.

“I thought it would be take out or that you’d just heat up a frozen lasagna from the store. That’s what I’d do anyway. I’m hopeless in the kitchen.”

“I used to be that way, too. But after being on my own and on the road so much, I got so desperate for a home cooked meal that I bought a cookbook and taught myself.”

“You taught yourself?”

“Well, I may have had some help from my mom, but mostly she just gave me advice over the phone.”

“Still, I’m amazed.”

They said grace, and then David served the lasagna. It had turned out well, and he was feeling a little proud of it, but he feared Sarah’s praises put him in danger of getting a big head. She ate two helpings.

Sarah offered to do the dishes. David refused, but she helped anyway. Luckily Maggie had a dishwasher, so there wasn’t a lot to do. He gave her a tour of the kitchen, glad that he had bought a lot of convenience foods today, now that he knew Sarah couldn’t cook. Then they went over Charity’s daily routine and David gave her a copy of his itinerary with cell phone number and email address listed.

There was no reason for her to stay any longer, but David was in a good mood. He’d been dealing with Charity and his sister’s estate for too long. The pleasure of adult company, especially that of an adult as sweet and fun as Sarah, was too good to give up so soon.

“How about we get some ice cream?” he suggested. “I know there’s a place within walking distance, and it’s a nice night.”

“You should have told me this before I had that second piece of lasagna,” lamented Sarah. “But I’ll tag along if you don’t mind.”

They talked about his business and his upcoming trip as they strolled along, Charity between them. The ice cream was good, and Sarah coaxed Charity into signing ‘thank you’ to him. It was a small success, but it made him even happier to be with Sarah.

Just as they were about to leave, a car pulled up and three excited little girls spilled out and ran straight to Sarah, surrounding her with chatter. Charity shrunk back and hid behind him. He reached around and picked her up, hoping she’d feel more secure that way.

“Hello girls,” Sarah responded, unruffled by their antics. “Let me guess. You talked your uncle-to-be into ice cream again.”

“They certainly did,” said the tall brunette who got out of the car next. “It’s getting to be a thing with us.”

From the driver’s side a man emerged, supposedly the uncle-to-be. David recognized them as Sarah’s friends from the coffee shop.

“Hi Hope, Oliver, this is Charity’s uncle, David. David, I work with Hope and Oliver at the elementary school. And these wild girls are Hope’s nieces Dori, Lucy and Belle.”

“Nice to meet you,” said David, offering his hand to Oliver and then to Hope. The girls, having greeted Sarah, ran ahead to the counter.

“We’d better follow,” said Oliver, “or they’ll order everything on the menu. It was nice to meet you, David.”

“We’re sorry about your sister. You’re doing a great thing by taking Charity,” Hope told him.

“Thank you.” He hated receiving condolences. He never knew what to say.

When Sarah saw Dori, Lucy and Belle running toward her, her heart sank. If the triplets, known as the terrible trio, were around, it was a good bet that Hope was there as well. And sure enough, she and Oliver climbed out of the car a few seconds behind the girls.

Sarah knew what Hope would be thinking--that she and David were on a date. She willed herself not to blush, a sure sign of guilt, as she handled the introductions. As Oliver and Hope moved past them and to the counter to order, Hope winked at her and elbowed her in the side. Sarah felt her cheeks grow warm. So much for not blushing.

But by the time they’d walked back to Maggie’s house, she felt like she’d regained her composure. “Thank you so much for dinner, David,” she said as they reached the drive.

“It was nothing. Thank you for taking care of Charity.”

“When did you say you’d be back?”

“I have to be home by Thursday. I have a visitor coming on Friday.”

“A visitor?”

“I can’t believe I forgot to tell you! I got a phone call from Charity’s father’s sister. She wants to adopt Charity.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“I hope so. She said that she’d be able to stay home with Charity.”

“Oh. Well, that sounds good.”

“I’m only meeting her on Friday. I haven’t agreed to anything, you know.”

She felt a flash of relief. “Of course. I knew that.”

To cover her embarrassment, Sarah turned to Charity to say good night. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning bright and early,” she told the little girl. “We’ll have lots of fun.”

Sarah was rewarded with one of Charity’s rare smiles and then the little girl ran up the drive and into the house.

David stepped closer to her. “Thank you again, Sarah, for all your help. I’m so glad Charity found you the other day.”

“I’m glad, too.” And she meant it.

“Thank you for having supper with us, too. This is the best evening I’ve had since…since I got the call about Maggie.

“Oh David.” Impulsively she reached out and hugged him.

And he hugged back. He leaned down and pressed his face into her shoulder. She could feel his warm breath tickling her neck. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She’d meant the hug to comfort him, but it was doing something entirely different for her.

He loosened his hold on her, but before letting go, David kissed her briefly, sweetly, on the lips. “Sarah, you’re an angel. What would I do without you?”

“Oh, you’d do just fine.” Was that her voice? Why did it sound so squeaky?

Somehow she managed to say good night and walk to her car. With one last wave, David slipped back into the house.

Driving home, Sarah wondered what had happened. Surely he hadn’t meant anything by the kiss. It was a thank you, nothing more. She could handle that.

But it would probably be best to avoid hugging David in the future. She could definitely fall for the guy if she wasn’t careful.

****

While David was gone, Sarah and Charity kept busy. They did craft projects together and went to the park. Sarah even managed to sneak in a little speech therapy here and there.

David called every evening. On Thursday he told her “There’s a problem, and I won’t be able to leave as early as I thought,” he said. “Charity’s aunt is supposed to arrive tomorrow. Can you explain things to her? I’ll be back by late afternoon.”

“Sure,” Sarah assured him. “What time will she be here?”

“She didn’t say exactly—just in the afternoon. She’ll probably call when she gets into the area.”

Shortly after noon the phone rang. Sarah picked it up. “Daniels’ residence.”

A low, cultured voice came over the receiver. “May I speak with David Daniels please.”

“He isn’t here right now. Can I help you?”

“When do you expect him to return?”

“He was delayed by business, but he assured me he would be home before this evening.”

“This is very inconvenient. I had an appointment with him.”

“Is this Ms. Van Huesen?”

“It is.”

“David said that you could still meet Charity.”

“Very well. I should be at the house in another fifteen minutes or so.”

Sarah looked around as she hung up the phone. She’d cleaned this morning so the house looked good. Charity was wearing an adorable blue and white sundress, and her hair was in pigtails.

Sarah had changed into one of her “teacher outfits”—a knit shirt and royal blue jumper—hoping to make a good impression on Charity’s aunt.

In almost fifteen minutes exactly the bell rang. Through the window, Sarah could see a silver BMW parked at the curb. This had to be Ms. Van Huesen. No one in Orchard Hill had a car like that.

She took a deep breath, pasted a bright smile on her face and opened the door. An elegant looking blonde in a chic beige suit stood on the porch.

“Good afternoon. You must be Ms. Van Huesen.”

“I am. And you are?” She didn’t return Sarah’s smile.

“I’m Sarah Rogers.”

“Are you the nanny?”

No wonder she was being so abrupt. Obviously Ms. Van Huesen wasn’t going to waste any of her charm on the help. “No, I’m a friend of David’s. Won’t you come in?”

“Thank you.” She sailed past Sarah and into the foyer.

“Charity is in the living room.” Sarah gestured for Beverly to precede her into the room.

The woman’s cold silver eyes quickly traveled over the room and settled on Charity, who was coloring at the coffee table.

Sarah was getting a very bad feeling here. She almost wished she’d asked the woman to come back when David was here. But she hadn’t, so she went over to Charity and knelt beside her.

“Charity, someone is here to see you.”

The little girl looked up.

“Let’s say hello.” Sarah rose and pulled the little girl to her feet as well.

The woman approached them with quick, measured steps. “Hello, Charity. I’m your Aunt Beverly.”

Charity studied her for a few moments with wide eyes. Then she turned and buried her head in Sarah’s skirts.

“A shy child, apparently,” said Beverly disapprovingly.

Sarah gently disentangled Charity from herself. “Your Aunt Beverly has come a long way to meet you, honey. Can you say ‘hello.’”

Charity raised a hand in an obedient but unenthusiastic greeting.

“Come now,” replied Beverly. “Has the cat got your tongue? Can’t you give me a proper greeting?”

Sarah tensed. Did this woman have any sensitivity at all? “Ms. Van Huesen, perhaps you didn’t know, but Charity has some speech difficulties.”

“Difficulties? Like what?”

At least the woman was focused on her now and not on Charity. “She has a condition known as Developmental Verbal Dispraxia. If you’d like to stay, I can make some coffee and we could discuss it.”

“What rubbish. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Sarah stifled a gasp at the woman’s rudeness. “I am a speech therapist, and I can assure you that Verbal Dispraxia is very real.”

“Of course you would think so. Otherwise you’d be out of a job.”

Sarah stepped back. She felt as if she’d been slapped. She was speechless with shock and anger.

Unfortunately, Beverly had plenty to say. “When I have Charity, I’ll soon sort out this no talking nonsense. No child of mine is going to get away with that. She’s not bad looking though. With a little effort she could be quite pretty.”

“When you have her? Don’t you think you’re getting ahead of yourself?” asked Sarah.

“Of course not. Obviously Mr. Daniels is not in a position to care for her. He’s a single man who travels for his work. The poor child would end up being raised by a nanny,” she glanced at Sarah, leaving no doubt in her meaning, “or worse.”

A wisp of doubt entered her heart then. What if David did give Charity to this horrible woman? She couldn’t let that happen. Without really thinking it through, Sarah started talking. “David isn’t alone. He has me.”

Beverly raked Sarah with a contemptuous glance. “You? What are you to him?”

“I’m his fiancée.” It was a huge lie and she said it while looking Beverly right in the eye.

Beverly narrowed her eyes. “His what?”

“Fiancée. David and I are getting married, and we’re going to raise Charity together. We’ll be a great family.”

“Oh really.”

Raising her chin, Sarah replied, “Yes, really.”

“I had Mr. Daniels checked out very thoroughly before I contacted him. There was nothing in my information about a fiancée.”

“The engagement is recent. We haven’t even bought a ring yet.” She was certain Beverly would notice her bare left hand. She hadn’t lied in years. Funny how easily it came back.

Beverly glared at her. Sarah met her gaze and held it. Finally, Beverly snapped, “Tell Mr. Daniels I’ll be in touch.”

She put a hand on Charity’s shoulder and the child shrunk back against Sarah. “I’ll be seeing you soon, Charity.”

Then she whirled around and left, slamming the door behind her.

Sarah hugged Charity to her.

“Sweetheart, why don’t you go play with your dolls,” she suggested. Charity nodded and headed for her room. Sarah sank into a chair. Her hands were shaking. What would David say when he found out what she’d done?

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 3

“You told her what?”

“I told her that we were getting married, and we were going to raise Charity ourselves.”

“I know I kissed you before I left, but aren’t you reading a bit much into that?”

Sarah winced at that, causing him a moment of guilt, but she answered him with a steady voice. “It had nothing to do with that.”

David took a deep breath. He had to calm down and try to figure out what happened.

“I know it was the wrong way to handle things, but…” Those big blue eyes gazed up at him, begging him to understand.

“But what?”

She dropped her gaze and said softly, “She scared me.”

“Scared you? What do you mean?”

“She…she just waltzed in here and assumed that she was getting Charity. She talked about her like she was a piece of furniture rather than a child.”

“Surely you’re exaggerating.”

Sarah shook her head at him emphatically. “I’m not. She was awful. She even had the nerve to say that there was no such thing as dyspraxia.”

David ran a hand through his hair. It was obvious that the woman had upset Sarah, but she still might be the best choice for Charity.

“Was Ms. Van Huesen the last person who called?” he asked.

Sarah nodded. She looked very pale and she held her arms over her stomach as if she was going to be sick. Why was she reacting to this so strongly?

He flipped through the caller ID to the most recent call. It was a cell phone number that had to be her. He dialed it.

“Beverly Van Huesen.”

“Ms. Van Huesen, this is David Daniels.”

“Mr. Daniels, I’m sorry I missed you this afternoon. I did meet your charming fiancée however.”

“I’m sorry I missed you, too. Can we set up another appointment?”

“I’ve decided to stay the weekend. Will you let me take you out to dinner tonight?”

“Dinner would be excellent, but it will be my treat. I insist.”

“Very well. What restaurant do you recommend?”

“Just a minute.” He covered the phone and asked, “What’s a good restaurant around here.”

“The Lake View is about the best place locally. It’s a supper club.”

“How about the Lake View?”

“That will be fine,” Beverly replied. They set the details and then hung up.

David turned to Sarah. “That’s settled. Dinner at six tonight. And you’re coming, too.”

Sarah’s eyes widened. “What? Why?”

“I want you to tell Ms. Van Huesen the truth—and explain Charity’s disability to her.”

“Can’t you tell her? I really don’t want to see her again.”

“I think you should do it. You created the situation, now you have to fix it.”

She slumped in defeat. “All right. I’ll go.”

She looked so despondent, he couldn’t help but put an arm around her and give her a quick hug. “Don’t worry. It will be fine.”

****

Sarah stared at the clothes hanging in her closet. She hated dressing up but something told her she’d need all the confidence she could get to face Ms. Beverly Van Huesen again. Feeling underdressed wouldn’t help.

She pulled out a soft yellow sun dress with a fitted bodice and flared skirt. It had been hanging in her closet ever since the wedding she’d bought it for. That was a couple of years now. Sarah also pulled out a white sweater that should keep her from getting too cool in the air conditioned restaurant.

Sarah supposed she’d have to go all the way, with nylons and heels and nail polish. She’d better get started.

But first, she’d check her email. She hadn’t been able to do that at David’s house. A message from her brother Jacob popped up, and she smiled. He made a point of checking in with her at least once a week, even though his messages were usually brief.

He was studying to be an architect. That was pretty ambitious for a kid who had almost flunked out of elementary school. Then someone had figured out that Jacob wasn’t hearing the teacher. Frequent ear infections, that their mother neglected to treat, had caused permanent damage to her brother’s hearing. Hearing aids had helped his grades, but not his social standing. The other children teased him mercilessly.

When they were in foster care, the teasing only got worse. Sarah had quickly learned to defend her brother, often getting herself into trouble in the process. Jacob was the reason she’d become a speech therapist, to help kids like him. It hadn’t been easy. She’d worked full time and carried a full load of classes. Now she was helping Jacob with living expenses and tuition so he didn’t have to work quite so many hours outside of school.

Sarah wrote a quick reply to him. She didn’t mention David or Charity because she didn’t want him to worry. If he got worried, he’d spend money he couldn’t spare to come up to Orchard Hill to check on her.

Once she’d sent the email, Sarah bathed, did her nails and hair and got dressed. Her transformation seemed fairly successful, although she knew she’d never be a beauty. She was as ready as she’d ever be to face that woman again.

****

The Lake View Supper Club was a popular spot even though it was out in the country a bit. As its name indicated, the restaurant was on a lake. On the lake side there were large picture windows, offering patrons a spectacular view.

As David and Charity stepped into the supper club, he scanned the room for Sarah. She’d promised to meet them there, but he wasn’t sure she’d really come. Something about Beverly Van Huesen had spooked her and made her skittish.

The hostess led them to a table where the lady in question waited—not Sarah, but Beverly. He guessed that she was in her early forties, but it was hard to judge. Her make-up and platinum hair were flawless, possibly disguising her true age. She wore a discreetly elegant pantsuit that David guessed cost more than a month’s pay for him.

“Good evening Ms. Van Huesen,” he said as they reached the table. He shook her hand before helping Charity into the booster seat the hostess had slid onto one of the chairs.

“Please call me Beverly.” Her voice was cool and smooth as marble. “I hope you won’t mind if I call you David. We’re practically family after all.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far, but I don’t see any need for formalities.”

“Good. Then we think alike. Will your fiancée be joining us tonight.”

Her tone of voice left no doubt of her opinion of his supposed intended. “Sarah said she’d meet us here.”

“I hope she isn’t too long. I do hate to be kept waiting.”

“Since we are waiting, why don’t we take the opportunity to get to know one another?” suggested David, although he was starting to see why Sarah hadn’t warmed up to this woman. He was beginning to think there was more about her that reminded him of marble than just her voice.

“What a good idea. Do you have any questions for me?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact. You said that you weren’t involved with Charity because Maggie didn’t want you to be. Why was that?”

“I don’t know really. Perhaps after my brother…broke things off with her…she thought the whole family felt the same way.”

“Your brother certainly had no interest in being a father.”

Beverly looked annoyed by his statement, but went on civilly, “I’m afraid I must admit he behaved badly. That’s part of the reason I want to adopt Charity—to make up for her father’s neglect.”

“Is your brother interested in taking up his fatherly duties?”

Her cheeks reddened, but she kept up her serene appearance. “I don’t believe so. However, my husband and I are more than capable of raising Charity.”

Before he could ask another question, David spotted Sarah at the hostess stand. The moment she stepped around it, every intelligent thought David had flew out of his head.

So far he’d only seen her in casual clothes, and she seemed to favor baggy, shapeless styles. But tonight…

Sarah’s dress revealed a classic hourglass figure that movie starlets from a bygone era would have envied. It hugged curves he hadn’t known existed under those oversized shirts she wore. He rose as she approached the table.

“I’m sorry I’m late. I got a phone call as I was on my way out of the house,” she apologized.

“Isn’t that what answering machines are for?” Beverly asked. Her marble façade was cracking a bit, David thought. He ignored it while he helped Sarah with her chair. He had to get his thoughts back on track. He couldn’t afford to be distracted by a pretty…um…face…tonight.

While he took his seat again, Sarah leaned over and took a moment to greet Charity, something Beverly had neglected to do, he noticed.

Signaling the waitress, Beverly said, “We should order now, or it will be midnight before we eat.”

“Sarah hasn’t had a chance to look at the menu,” David protested.

“It’s all right. I know what I want.”

He studied Beverly as she gave her order. She gave precise directions for how she wanted her salad served and her meat cooked. She was definitely used to getting what she wanted.

When the waitress came to Charity, Sarah asked her to wait. Then she recited the choices from the children’s menu. Charity gave no response. Patiently Sarah repeated them until when she said spaghetti, the little girl nodded.

“Good job,” Sarah praised her.

“If the child can’t speak for herself, she shouldn’t get a choice,” Beverly declared after the waitress had left with their orders. “I can’t believe you’d be so rude as to make the rest of us wait like that.”

All right, David was definitely beginning to see Sarah’s point about Beverly.

“Charity has a disability,” Sarah replied. “A little extra help now, leads toward her eventual independence.”

Beverly frowned, revealing lines in her face that the makeup had formerly hidden. “I thought I’d made my feelings clear on that matter. Charity needs a little guidance and discipline. She doesn’t need someone like you catering to her every whim.”

“I’m not catering to her. I’m just giving her a chance to express herself.”

She sniffed. “When I have Charity I’ll put a stop to this sort of coddling.”

David broke in. “Ms. Van Huesen, I’m beginning to see why Maggie didn’t want any interference from your family.”

Beverly’s head whipped around to face David. Her mask slipped back into place. “I only want what’s best for the child,” she insisted. “I’m sorry if I’ve offended.”

“Apology accepted. Let’s talk about something else.” David said this for Charity as much as anyone else. He didn’t think she understood the argument, but she had definitely picked up on the tension between the adults. She looked as though she’d happily slide out of her seat and hide under the table.

“All right. What can we talk about?” Beverly put a finger to her cheek, as if thinking. “I know. Why don’t we discuss your engagement?”

Sarah and David exchanged looks.

“When did you propose David? It must have been recently because Sarah doesn’t have a ring yet. Or have you been too busy traveling to get her one?”

The waitress came then with their salads, so he was saved from answering. He had misjudged Sarah. Clearly she knew an unfit guardian when she saw one.

The woman was a scorpion waiting to strike. The idea of Beverly Van Huesen raising Charity sent chills up his spine. There was no way he’d allow it.

He’d never enjoyed a dinner less. He wanted it to be over so badly, he had to force himself to eat normally, instead of wolfing down his food so the torture could end. The only bright spot in it was looking across the table to Sarah. She was gorgeous tonight. Discovering that her outside was as beautiful as her inside was a gratifying experience.

Sarah was great. She helped Charity cut up her food and showed her how to place her napkin in her lap, just as Maggie would have.

While they ate, Beverly told them about the life she had planned for Charity. She was going to enroll her in a highly regarded pre-school, and then an exclusive private school. In fact, Beverly had her academic career planned all the way through college. She also had the details on her formal debut into society covered as well.

David decided it was better to just let her talk until the meal was over. Then he’d tell her he’d decided to turn down her offer. But before that time could be reached, disaster happened.

Charity began to choke and cough. She reached for her milk, but accidentally knocked it over. When the half-full glass tipped, a river of liquid headed right for Beverly’s lap.

She shrieked and jumped up before the milk ruined her ridiculously expensive suit. Sarah grabbed her water glass and helped Charity to drink from that.

“This is ridiculous,” she spat at David. “That child needs a firm hand.”

David rose to look the woman in the eye. “Beverly, you don’t have a lot of experience with children, do you? She’s three years old. Three-year-olds spill their milk sometimes. It was an accident.”

Some of the milk had spilled on Charity, too. While Beverly threw a tantrum, Sarah was wiping the child’s dress and speaking words of comfort to her.

“I can assure you,” Beverly ranted, “that when I have Charity…”

“Hold that thought,” interrupted David. “Sarah, will you do me a favor and take Charity home and help her get ready for bed? I’ll finish up here with Beverly.”

“All right,” Sarah agreed. She grabbed her purse and took Charity’s hand. “We’ll see you back at Maggie’s then.”

When they had gone, Beverly said, “I can’t believe you’ve relied on that woman to take care of our niece. I suppose you had no choice with all the traveling you do. I hope I won’t have to see her again when we go through the adoption process.”

“You won’t need to see Sarah again and there isn’t going to be any adoption.”

“What?”

“I would rather let Charity be raised by wolves than by you.”

“I suppose you think you can do better.”

“I already have. Sarah is great with Charity.”

Her lip curled into a sneer. “So you expect me to believe that the two of you are actually engaged, that you’re going to get married and raise Charity yourselves.”

“Yes, we are. We won’t need any assistance from you.”

“Fine. If that’s the way you feel, you’ll be hearing from my lawyer.”

“Your lawyer? Why?”

“I intend to prove that you are an unfit guardian for Charity and then apply to adopt her.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“I don’t make empty threats, Mr. Daniels.”

“Why is this so important to you? You never cared about Charity before.”

“That is private. Thank you for dinner.” Beverly gathered her composure and her purse. Head held high, she exited the restaurant.

****

There was a light on in the living room when David pulled up to the house. He found Sarah sitting on the couch alone, waiting for him.

“How’s Charity?” he asked as he came into the room.

Sarah gazed up at him. “She’s fine. She’s sleeping already.”

She’d pushed her hair back with a headband, so for once he got the full force of those big, expressive eyes. It was devastating. He felt like he could fall in and drown in those pools of blue.

He paced back and forth in front of her. “What a disaster. You were right about that woman.”

“I guess you had to see for yourself. I know you only want to do what’s best for Charity.”

He stopped in front of her. “There was one bright spot in the evening.”

“Really? I must have missed it.”

“I got to see you dressed up. I didn’t know what a knock out you are.”

“You’re trying to make me feel better. You don’t have to.”

“No, I’m not. Can I ask you something?”

She shrugged. “I guess so.”

David reached out and pulled her to her feet. “Why do you hide a figure like that under all those shapeless clothes?”

She frowned. “I know I need to lose a few pounds, so…”

“What are you talking about?” he objected. “You’re perfect, just the way you are.”

She smoothed her dress down, unconsciously outlining her generous curves.

He’d never been so tempted to take a woman into his arms and kiss her senseless. But he couldn’t right now. He had to tell her about Beverly and how he’d backed up her lie about them being engaged. If he kissed her, she might get the wrong idea. Especially if he kissed her the way he wanted to.

So he forced his gaze to move away from her neckline and put his hands in his pockets until he could trust himself to behave.

“We have to talk.”

“I thought we were talking.”

A rueful smile crossed his face. “About something other than how great you look.”

“Yes, let’s move on from that nonsense.”

He shook his head. “You don’t believe me.”

“Let’s just say I own a mirror. I know my limitations.”

“It must be a fun house mirror.” He started to pace again. “Some day I’ll convince you otherwise, but for right now we need to talk about Beverly.”

“Ugh,” Sarah visibly shuddered. “Do we have to?”

“I’m afraid so. And I’m afraid you may be angry with me.”

“Why?” Panic flashed into her eyes. “You didn’t agree to give Charity to her.”

“Of course not,” he exclaimed. “In fact I told her there was no way I would ever agree to let her have Charity.”

“And?”

“And she questioned my ability to raise Charity so I…”

“You what?”

“I sort of told her that we were engaged.”

Sarah slapped a hand over her open mouth. Then suddenly her shoulders shook and a giggle escaped. “You didn’t.”

“It’s not funny,” he protested.

“Yes, it is.” She could barely speak through her laughter. Sarah dropped back onto the couch and laughed until tears ran down her cheeks.

David sat down next to her. “Are you finished?”

“I think so.” One last weak chuckle escaped her.

“Because there’s more.”

“More? Like what?” Sarah sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes.

“She’s going to take the matter to court.”

“What? How can she do that?”

“She’s going to try to prove that I’m an unfit guardian for Charity.”

Sarah stared back at him, eyes wide. “What are you going to do?”

“That depends on you.” He turned toward her and took her hands in his. “Will you continue with the pretend engagement?”

“You’d be a great parent on your own, David.”

“Yes, but the question of my traveling so much will come up. I’d have a better chance if it appears that there’s going to be someone there for Charity when I’m gone.”

“Oh. That’s true.”

“And you’re truly wonderful with her. I know what a huge favor this is, and I’ve already asked a lot of you. I wouldn’t do this to you, except…”

“It’s for Charity,” she finished for him. “Yes; I’ll be your pretend fiancée until this is over, but let’s try to keep it quiet.”

“Right. That way it won’t be so hard for you—I mean the gossip and all when it’s…when it’s over.” For some reason he didn’t want to think about that. And he didn’t have to. There was too much to do before then.

“Tomorrow’s Saturday. Let’s go shopping for the ring.”

“David.” Sarah gasped. “You don’t have to buy me a ring.”

“Yes, I do. You saw how Beverly jumped all over that tonight. If you don’t have a ring, people will question the engagement right away. You wouldn’t have to wear it all the time. Only when we’re going to see Beverly or the lawyers.”

“I guess you’re right, but you don’t need to spend a lot of money.”

“Don’t worry about it. What time should I pick you up?”

After they’d finalized the details, Sarah declared that she was tired, and was going home. David saw her to the door. He realized that he wanted to kiss her good night, but he restrained himself. She’d just agreed to a totally phony engagement with him. If he kissed her, it would just confuse things. So he said good night to her like a perfect gentleman and let her go. Maybe when this was all over, he could ask her out for real.

Then he shook his head. When this was all over he was going back to his apartment in Chicago. It would be too late to start a real relationship with Sarah then. He’d better just forget it.

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 4

Sarah got up reluctantly the next morning when the alarm went off. For a moment, she couldn’t remember why she’d set it for such an early hour. Oh yes. She had to go shopping for an engagement ring.

Hitting the snooze button, she snuggled back under the covers. She needed a moment to think. Why did I say I’d do this? It was silly to ask herself that because she already knew the answer. She was doing it for Charity. She just couldn’t stand by and let that woman have her.

And, to be honest, she was doing it for David, too. It was easy to see that he really loved Charity. He wanted to know how to be a better parent, how to help her. Even if he didn’t have confidence in himself, Sarah knew he would be a great guardian for his niece. He just hadn’t figured it out yet.

Of course, the traveling would still be a problem, but not an insurmountable one. And, maybe he’d get a different job.

But enough about them. She had to think of herself, too. What was playing this part going to cost her? If she was honest with herself, she’d admit to being totally in love with Charity and more than half in love with David already. But, this was a temporary arrangement. When it was over, he’d be gone. Could she keep her heart safe until then?

Maybe just as important, could she keep the whole thing a secret from her friends? Somehow she doubted it. Their happiness for her would be hard to take, knowing that she was deceiving them. Their pity later would be even worse. Well, she’d have time to come up with a good excuse for the broken engagement. Hopefully one that didn’t make her look like a pathetic loser, abandoned by her boyfriend.

The alarm sounded again, and Sarah hit the off button. But before she got up, she took a few minutes to talk things over with God. She knew He’d be there for her no matter what. If her heart got broken, He’d sweep up the pieces. Sarah truly believed that helping David and Charity was the right thing to do. She’d do her part and leave the rest in God’s hands.

****

Sarah turned her attention to the ring David was looking at. It was huge. Every single diamond he’d looked at since they’d started their search had been huge. Why in the world would he want to spend that kind of money on a ring she’d only be wearing for a few weeks at most—and not wearing all the time either. She still hoped that she could hide this from her friends.

But it was beautiful as well. If this engagement were real, it was just the kind of ring she would love to receive, a simple gold band with a square cut diamond. Regretfully, she pushed the ring away.

“I don’t know, David. It seems a little…flashy. How about something simpler?”

“Sarah, it’s a band and a stone. How much simpler can it get? And what’s wrong with flashy?”

“It means more people will notice,” she whispered. “I thought we were going to keep this quiet.”

This was the third jewelry store they’d visited and Sarah was beginning to get impatient. She thought this would be simple. They’d go into a store, look at the rings on the low end of the price range, pick one and be done with it. But David refused everything she suggested. And she turned down everything he suggested.

“What are you trying to do? Go bankrupt?” she whispered to him.

“No, it’s just that…” He reached up to cup her cheek with one hand. “Sarah, listen, you’re a beautiful woman and you deserve a ring that doesn’t look like it came from a crackerjack box.”

“I hardly think…what did you say?”

“I said I don’t want to give you…”

“No, before that.”

“You’re a beautiful woman?”

“You don’t have to keep saying that to get my help.” What did he have to gain by flattering her like this?

“I’m not…”

“Well, fancy meeting you here.”

Sarah jerked her head around. Misty Green was standing right beside her. The plush carpeting in the store must have muffled her footsteps.

“Misty, what are you doing here?”

“The same thing you are, honey. We’re looking for a ring.”

Sarah saw that Misty wasn’t alone. Perry Parker, Pansy’s son, was standing with her.

“You’re engaged?”

Perry looked slightly embarrassed but very happy. “Yes, we are.”

“I know I’m a little old to be a bride, but Perry just swept me off my feet.”

“Don’t be silly.” Perry gazed at Misty with puppy dog adoration. “You’ll be a beautiful bride.”

Sarah was so surprised she didn’t know what to say. She looked around for David, but he was talking to the saleslady. With a deep breath, she pulled her thoughts together.

“Misty, Perry, I’m so happy for you. I’m sure your parents must be thrilled.”

They exchanged guilty looks. “We haven’t exactly told them yet,” Misty admitted.

“My mother and Misty don’t get along very well,” added Perry. “But we’ll tell them soon. We intend to make an announcement in church tomorrow.”

Oh no. They were sure to tell everyone they’d seen her and David today. How could she stop this? “We…we’re trying to keep things quiet, too. You know, David’s sister just passed away and this is sort of sudden…”

“I understand.” Misty patted her arm. “Your secret is safe with us.”

“Thank you.”

David joined her. He greeted Misty and Perry briefly and then turned to Sarah. “I think we’re done here. Let’s go.”

Sarah hoped Perry and Misty wouldn’t notice their hasty exit, but they were so besotted with each other she doubted they’d notice if the building fell down around them.

David took her arm and steered her into a coffee shop. “Let’s take a break.”

“Okay, but I don’t want to take too long. I told Hope we’d be back early.” Sarah’s friend was watching Charity.

Soon they were sipping their coffees in a quiet booth at the back of the shop.

After a few minutes of silence, David put his mug down. “There’s something I have to ask you.”

“OK. Go ahead.”

“Are you sure you want to go through with this engagement thing. You don’t have to, you know. There’s still a chance that I could win the custody case without you.”

A chance. That wasn’t very reassuring. “No, I want to do this.”

“What exactly is it that makes you feel so compelled to keep Charity out of Beverly’s grasp.”

“Isn’t that what you want, too?”

“Of course it is. And, excuse me for saying this, but Charity is nothing to you. You hardly knew her before Maggie died. I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me.”

Sarah stared at him for a moment, and then dropped her gaze. She supposed it was a reasonable question, but the answer was difficult for her.

“I was a foster kid, on and off, for most of my childhood. I didn’t have a father and my mother…well, she has emotional problems. Sometimes she’d be fine, but then she’d get depressed and not get out of bed for days. Stuff like that.” She spoke mechanically, not allowing any emotion to color her words.

“And you didn’t have a good experience, I take it.”

“I had a lot of experiences, some good and some bad. But I’ve seen Beverly’s type before.”

“And what type is that?”

“She’s not doing this out of any love for Charity. She wants to adopt her because it will make her look good. She wants to be able to parade Charity around as an example of her goodness and generosity or something like that.”

“Before you got to the restaurant last night, I asked her some questions about why she wanted to adopt Charity. It sounded to me that she was embarrassed by her brother abandoning his child.”

“I believe that with help and nurturing, Charity will be able to overcome her disability and lead a normal life. But someone like Beverly will try to hide any weakness rather than encourage Charity to overcome it. She won’t hold up under all the demands Beverly would make on her.”

“That’s why this is so important to you? You can relate to what she’s going through.”

Sarah nodded, still not meeting his eyes. “I can’t allow that to happen to any child if I can do something to stop it.”

“Sarah, you are a remarkable woman. I’ve never met anyone so generous, so willing to go out of her way for others.”

“Oh, David, stop. You don’t need to flatter me to get my help.”

“Will I ever get you to accept a compliment?” He shook his head at her and then drew something out of his pocket. It was a small, velvet covered box. He opened it, revealing the ring with the square cut diamond.

It looked even bigger than it had in the store. That had to be a two carat stone at least. “Where did that come from?”

David reached across the table for her hand. “I bought it while you were talking to Misty and Perry. I could tell you liked it.” He slid the ring onto her finger.

“No, I didn’t. I told you it was too flashy, remember.”

“I know you just said that because of the price.”

She started to take the ring off her finger, but David stopped her. “It’s bought and paid for, Sarah. It’s your ring.”

She pulled her hand away from him. “I can’t accept this.”

“Why not? I can afford it.”

“That’s not the point.” She was so agitated that it was difficult for her to remain in her seat.

Again David reached out, this time capturing both her hands. “It would mean a lot to me if you accepted the ring.”

She searched his eyes and saw nothing but sincerity in his warm gaze. “What if I lose it or something happens to the ring?”

“Don’t worry. Insurance will cover it.”

“I’ll…I’ll give it back after everything’s cleared up.”

He didn’t reply to that statement, just took a long drink from his coffee mug, draining it. He set the mug down and asked, “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes, I suppose we should head home.”

“Who said anything about going home? We have more shopping to do.”

David insisted on dragging her to the mall where they bought some new clothes for Charity. Mostly fall stuff because David said what she had from last year was a size smaller.

“I can’t believe you even thought to check that, David. Most guys I know wouldn’t.”

“Well, I probably wouldn’t have either, but I was going through Charity’s things to see how much would need to be packed for when we…leave.” Funny how he was having such a hard time talking about that. It hadn’t been so long ago that he couldn’t wait to leave Orchard Hill behind.

Before they checked out, David stopped at a sale rack to look at some of the summer clothes. He was examining a cute denim dress, with a high waisted blue gingham bodice and princess seams, when one of the sales clerks stopped and told him, “There’s a matching mom’s dress that goes with that.”

“There is?” This caught David’s interest right away. He’d been wanting to suggest a few new things to Sarah as well, but didn’t know how. The way she camouflaged her beauty behind a frumpy wardrobe bothered him.

The sales clerk looked Sarah over with a practiced eye. “I think we have one in your wife’s size,” she said.

Sarah opened her mouth—to protest, no doubt—but he cut her off. “We’d love to see it.”

She frowned at him and whispered, “I don’t need a new dress.”

“Mother-daughter outfits would really impress the lawyers. You and Charity would look like you belonged together.”

His argument seemed to work. Sarah tried on the dress, which looked even better than he thought it would, and then even allowed him to pay for it. David realized he’d found the secret to getting Sarah to do what he wanted—make her think it was for Charity’s sake.

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 5

The next morning, David picked up Sarah for church. They’d decided it would be good for them to be seen together, but that as far as her friends were concerned, she was just helping David with Charity. It sounded like a good plan.

Sarah grabbed a t-shirt and jumper from her closet. The new dress was hanging there. She wished she could wear it today, but if she and Charity showed up wearing matching dresses, no one would believe there was nothing going on between her and David. The dress would wait for their first visit with Beverly’s lawyer.

After she’d dressed, Sarah examined herself in the full length mirror on her closet door. David had said that she was hiding a great figure behind shapeless clothes. She’d always thought she was concealing a few extra pounds. Sarah pulled the excess fabric to the back of the dress and considered the result.

Her waist was small, which pleased her, but she thought that everything else was too big. With a sigh, she released the fabric and let the jumper drape back over her figure.

Then there was the ring. It made her nervous to have such an expensive piece of jewelry lying around. But she didn’t want to wear it. Last night she’d placed the box in her top dresser drawer. She thought about it, nestled among her socks there. What if someone broke in while she was gone and the ring was stolen? How would she ever repay David?

“Okay, now Sarah,” she said aloud, “you aren’t exactly living in a high crime area. And if someone in Orchard Hill suddenly decided to pursue a career in burglary, he certainly wouldn’t start with your apartment.”

But she couldn’t stop worrying about the ring, so in the end, she tossed it into her purse before she left the house.

In church, she loved sitting with Charity and David. She almost felt like they were a real family, the kind she’d always dreamed of being a part of. During the service, her attention drifted as she allowed herself to spin a little fantasy.

As the worship service drew to a close, Pastor Isaac called on Perry Parker to make an announcement. He stood and made his way to the front of the church, where Misty sat with the choir. He took her hand and drew her to her feet as he said, “I’ve asked Misty to be my wife, and she’s said yes.” A few people began to applaud, but then Pansy Parker fairly flew out of her seat.

“You…you asked her—Misty Green—to marry you?” Pansy looked as if she was about to explode. Before she could launch herself into a tirade, Misty shouted out, “Perry and I haven’t been the only ones shopping for rings.” She mouthed ‘sorry’ to Sarah and David, and then continued. “While we were picking out our own ring, we ran into Sarah Rogers and David Daniels.”

Applause broke out again, covering Pansy’s rage. Before she could recover, the congregation began to file out of the pews and into the gathering space.

Sarah couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Misty had gone back on her promise. Yes, it was to prevent her future mother-in-law from making a scene, but still…

Before Sarah could gather her wits, there was a crowd of people around them, offering good wishes. While she sat there stunned, David was shaking hands and smiling at everyone. He pulled her to her feet and started them moving toward the door. All she could think of was escape, but she knew there was no chance of leaving without—

“Sarah,” hollered Hope as she launched herself at her friend. She braced herself just in time to keep the energetic Hope from knocking her to the floor. “I knew there was something going on that you hadn’t told me about.”

“Um, well, we just weren’t ready to go public about this,” mumbled Sarah.

“Where’s the ring?”

“The ring?”

Hope laughed. “Misty said you were shopping for a ring. Did you find one?”

“Oh, yes, the ring.” Sarah rummaged in her purse and came up with the little velvet box.

“What’s it doing in there?”

“I said we weren’t ready to make an announcement.”

Hope took the box from her and opened it. Her mouth dropped open in astonishment. “Oh, Sarah. This is beautiful.”

“What it is, is huge. I didn’t want David to spend the money…”

“But he can afford it, so why not,” David interrupted. “I’ve been working so much the last few years that I haven’t had a chance to spend anything I made. I figure this is a good place to start.”

He took the ring from Hope and slid it onto Sarah’s finger.

“Aaawww,” sighed Hope.

Oliver, who’d been standing next to her, put out a hand to David. “Congratulations.”

“It looks like we’ll both be up to our eyebrows in wedding preparations soon. Maybe we can commiserate,” offered David.

“Maybe. Hope and I were going out for brunch with a couple of other friends. Would you like to join us?”

“Who…” Sarah began to ask, but just then Andrew Thomas and Faith Fielding stepped up to offer their congratulations. Andrew was the school principal and Faith had been his secretary for many years before he realized that he was in love with her. Now, they were also planning a wedding.

“Oh great,” grumbled Andrew. “Brunch is going to be like a bridal convention.” A smile lurked in the corners of his mouth, softening his comment.

Andrew’s daughter Robin, a college freshman, stepped in and offered to watch Charity while the three couples had brunch. “I sat for her a few times when I was in high school, so she knows me.”

Charity did seem to like Robin, so David made arrangements to pick her up at Andrew’s house after brunch.

“What about Kevin?” asked Andrew, referring to Faith’s thirteen year old son.

“He’s spending the afternoon with Peter Velasquez,” she explained, referring to Hope’s nephew. “They’ve already left.”

“If all the kids are taken care of, let’s meet at the café,” suggested Andrew.

A few minutes later, David and Sarah were alone in his car.

“I can’t believe this happened,” wailed Sarah. “Why did we ever think we could keep this a secret? We didn’t even make it one day.”

“I’m sorry,” David apologized. “I guess I should have gotten the ring by myself.”

“It’s not your fault. I agreed to everything.”

“When we break up, feel free to blame it all on me. You can make me a huge villain,” he insisted.

“What difference will that make?”

“Then everyone will be talking about me and not you. Really, you can say whatever you want. Tell everyone I ran off with my secretary to Tahiti.”

“Do you have a secretary?”

“No.”

“And where’s Charity while you’re romancing your nonexistent secretary?”

“Um…They have nannies in Tahiti, don’t they?”

Sarah stared at him for a minute, and then she started to laugh. David felt a smile spreading across his own face. He’d do everything he could to protect Sarah from being hurt when the engagement was called off. The last thing he wanted was for her to worry.

They found a parking spot down the street from the Apple-a-Day Café, and David shut off the car.

“Now that our secret is out, we should talk about how we’re going to handle things,” Sarah suggested.

“What things?”

“Like, where we met for one thing. I don’t think we can tell people we only met a couple of weeks ago. They’ll think we’re insane.”

David thought for a minute. “We can say we’ve been chatting online for months. We used screen names so neither of us realized who the other was at first.”

“Then when we figured it out, we were so overcome with joy that we ran out and bought an engagement ring?”

“That’s the spirit,” he said. “What else can you think of?”

“I suppose we can make it through brunch,” Sarah responded, “but we’d better spend the afternoon telling each other our life stories. That way we should be prepared for any questions.”

Sarah reached for the door handle, but before she opened it, David spoke again. “One more thing.”

“What?”

“What about physical stuff.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, engaged people hold hands and hug and…”

“And kiss.” Sarah groaned. “How did everything get so out of control?”

David knew he was treading on dangerous ground, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. “Maybe we should practice?”

“Practice?”

“Yeah. I think we should try a practice kiss, so the first time we have to kiss in public, it won’t be so awkward.”

“Why would we have to kiss in public?”

“Because that’s what people who are in love do, Sarah. I’m not saying we have to put on an exhibition, but we should at least kiss each other hello and good-bye.”

Sarah looked doubtful. “I suppose.”

“So I think we should practice.”

“When?”

“How about right here, right now.”

“Are you serious?”

“Totally. Trust me, this is the best thing to do. We’ll just get it over with and then the next time won’t be so awkward.”

Sarah considered. “Maybe you’re right.”

“I know I am.” He reached across the seat and took Sarah in his arms.

She giggled nervously. “This is ridiculous.”

“Usually I get to kiss a girl before she laughs at me.”

“I’m not laughing at you. Just the situation.”

“Enough talk. How about some action?” he teased.

David’s only intention had been to steal a simple kiss, but the moment his lips touched hers, he knew nothing would ever be simple between them. Instead of letting go, he pulled her even closer. She felt perfect in his arms.

The world faded away, and he was aware of nothing but Sarah. He felt her heart beating against his chest, her form filling his arms, her lips moving against his. The word ‘home’ drifted into his mind.

From what seemed like a long way away, there was a sharp knocking sound. Suddenly Sarah shoved him away. Confused by the abrupt shift back to reality, David blinked and the world swam back into focus. Sarah’s friend Hope was knocking at the window.

“Come on, you two,” she shouted. “You’ll have plenty of time for that later. I’m starving. Let’s go eat.”

Sarah opened the door a crack and said, “We’ll be right there.”

“No way,” Hope insisted. “If we leave, you’ll just go back to what you were doing.”

Oliver stepped in and pulled Hope away. “We’ll be inside,” he called back.

Sarah turned back to David and speared him with a sizzling glare. “Got any more bright ideas?”

He grinned back. “No, but I like Hope’s. Let’s go back to what we were doing.”

“David, please be serious.”

“I got a little carried away, but you can’t ask me to apologize because I liked kissing you.”

“You…you…”

He wanted to laugh at her confusion, but that would be mean. After all, he was feeling a bit confused himself. “If you don’t want to continue with the kissing, I suggest we follow Hope and Oliver into the restaurant.”

“Yes, let’s do that,” she replied, much to his disappointment.

It turned out to be a good thing that they’d discussed the details of their supposed relationship before coming into the restaurant. Hope and Faith were intent on grilling Sarah about every detail of her secret romance.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us about this,” Faith scolded. “After all, I divulged to you my secret crush on Andrew.”

“And I told you all about Oliver just up and proposing from out of the blue,” Hope added. “Why didn’t you tell us you’d met someone?”

“Oh, well,” Sarah told them, surprised that she could sound so nonchalant when her heart was still racing after David’s kiss. “It was just an online friendship. I had no idea it would actually lead to…to this.”

“It’s so romantic,” Hope sighed. “Who would have thought that Charity’s uncle would be your internet boyfriend?”

Faith laughed. “Who would have thought that all three of us would be engaged before the end of the summer? Certainly not me!”

Suddenly the whole charade was too much for Sarah. She excused herself to the ladies’ room, where she locked herself into a stall and leaned against the door. Sarah noticed that she was shaking and she hugged herself, in hopes of stopping it.

Things had certainly spun out of control today. To have everyone else find out about the engagement was bad enough, but she should never have let David kiss her. The first time he’d kissed her had been little more than a peck, and that had been enough to send her heart into cartwheels. When he’d suggested a practice kiss in the car, she’d expected the same thing, a quick peck, and that was it.

She’d never anticipated a kiss like that or the tornado of emotion it released inside her. She had a sudden urge to take off the engagement ring and flush it down the toilet, despising the lie that it represented. She was in way over her head here, and no matter what happened she knew her heart would be broken now when David left.

Charity. She had to think of Charity. If she could save Charity from the clutches of Beverly Van Huesen, it would be worth nursing a broken heart.

Actually, Sarah realized that she didn’t know if David planned to keep Charity or if he was still looking for a suitable guardian to step in. Maybe she could be that person. David was way out of her league, she knew that. But maybe she could be a mother to Charity, maybe she could be the one who made sure the little girl got the love and attention she needed.

Sarah took a deep breath, feeling better now that she’d found her focus again. She heard the door to the ladies room creak open.

“Sarah?” Hope’s voice drifted in. “The rest of us are ready to order. Are you coming back out?”

“Yes, I’ll be right there.”

She whispered a quick prayer, asking for composure, but not sure if she deserved to have it answered. She was in the middle of a major lie, after all.

She made it through brunch, but asked David to drop her off at her house afterward. “There are a few things I need to get done,” she told him.

“All right. How about supper at my place, later. Remember, you wanted to go over our life stories.”

Oh yeah, she had said that.

“Plus I have to go out of town again next week. Can you stay with Charity?”

“Sure, I guess. Do you usually travel this much?”

“Yes. Now do you see why I need some help with Charity? I’ll have to hire a nanny if she’s going to stay with me.”

“Maybe you’ll still find someone who wants to adopt her. Besides Beverly I mean.”

“Maybe. It would have to be someone I really trust.” He looked thoughtful for a moment, and Sarah wondered if she should ask about adopting Charity. Before she could decide, David turned back to her.

“Anyway, supper at my house. Six o’clock all right?”

“Six is fine. I’ll see you then.”

Sarah was about to get out of the car when David leaned over and kissed her quickly.

“What was that for?”

He smiled and winked at her. “Just in case the neighbors were watching. I can do it again if you think that was too quick.”

“No.” Sarah scrambled out of the car so fast that she almost fell. “No, that’s just fine.” She slammed the door shut and hurried into the building and up to her apartment.

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 6

David left on Tuesday. Charity was Sarah’s shadow again for the week. She went with Sarah to school and played with the toys in the classroom while Sarah worked with students. Sarah took Charity for ice cream and to the park. One evening they watched the latest Disney movie. Sarah was becoming more and more sure that she would like to be Charity’s mother.

But this was a big step. She had to look at every aspect of joining her life with Charity’s before she proposed it to David. The first thing she did was look over her bank balance. Could she afford to feed and clothe a child?

Sarah’s apartment was small, with only one bedroom. She’d have to find an apartment with two bedrooms. Could she afford the increase in rent? Maybe if she decreased the amount of money she sent to her brother. He’d found a good job this summer. Maybe he could get by.

There was one other thing Sarah felt she needed to do before making a final decision. She needed to ask God what he thought. Sarah spent every morning in prayer, asking Him to show her His will concerning herself and Charity.

On the morning of the day David was to return, Sarah found a letter in the mailbox from a Chicago legal firm. She looked at it with dread. It must be from Beverly’s lawyers.

What if Beverly was successful in winning her case against David? Sarah wasn’t going to allow herself to think about it. Instead, she planned dinner for David’s return.

Knowing that cooking wasn’t her strong point, she spread her collection of take-out menus on the kitchen table. Granted, in Orchard Hill there wasn’t as much variety as she would have had in the city, but it was enough.

There was a tavern that offered broasted chicken and fish for take out. Then there was a pizza place, a sub place and a Chinese restaurant. What sounded good?

Before she could decide, David was at the door, home early.

He greeted Charity with a hug and a kiss. Sarah thought he might do the same to her and sent him a warning look. Either he had no such thought or her glare had stopped him. Instead he leaned over her and picked up a menu.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a take-out menu.” She refused to acknowledge the disappointment she felt when he didn’t kiss her hello. “I didn’t think you’d feel like cooking tonight.”

“Are you kidding? I’ve been eating this junk all week. I’m going to have to teach you to cook, Sarah.”

“You wouldn’t want me as a student. I’m hopeless in the kitchen.”

“We’ll see about that. Let’s get started.”

“Now? Tonight?”

“Yes. Lesson number one is ‘how to grill a steak.’”

“We don’t have any steak.”

“Then I guess we’re going to the store.” He lifted Charity off the chair she was sitting on and set her on the floor. “Go find your sandals, kiddo.”

Charity giggled, a rare and welcome sound, and then hurried off to get her shoes. It was so different, coming home to Charity—and Sarah. Before this, David really didn’t care how much he was on the road. Now, he found himself putting in extra hours so he could return to ‘his girls’ as he had come to think of them.

All week, the kiss from the parking lot had played over and over in his mind. He’d known he was attracted to Sarah before this. Now he was sure there was something between them—something real—in spite of their fake engagement.

But he knew it would take some convincing for her to believe that what he felt was unrelated to his need to keep Charity safe.

Charity came running, her shoes in hand. He set her back on the chair and helped her slip on her sandals. She smiled at him, something David hadn’t seen since Maggie passed away. When Charity smiled, he realized with a jolt that she looked exactly like his sister. Suddenly, he was very thankful that Maggie had left Charity to him. He’d been so worried about taking care of her that he hadn’t thought—Charity was his only link to his sister now.

“David, is something wrong?”

Sarah was looking at him with concern. “When we were kids,” he said, “Karen was the boss while Mom was working. We’d get home from school and there’d be a list of chores on the table. Karen would divide them between Maggie and me and then go plant herself in front of the television. Maggie was really the one who was there for me. She used to help me with my homework when I was little and then gave me tips on dating when I was older.”

“It sounds like you were very close. You must miss her.”

“I do. I just realized that I’m glad she left Charity to me. I’m glad she thought she could count on me for this.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “Oh, David.”

He quickly rose, intending to comfort her. It was just like Sarah to cry for someone else’s pain.

She held out an envelope to him. “This came today.”

He took it, noted the return address. “From Beverly’s lawyers, no doubt.”

“That’s what I thought, too.”

He grabbed a letter opener from the counter, slit the envelope and quickly scanned its contents. “It’s a formal request to adopt Charity and states their intent of pursuing the matter to court, if necessary.”

David shrugged and threw the letter on the counter. “It’s what we expected.”

“I know, but now that it’s happening…”

“Now that it’s happening, it’s even more important for us to stay together, Sarah. Do you still think you can handle it?”

She glanced over at Charity, then back to him and nodded.

“Good. Because I’m hungry. Let’s go to the store.”

Over the next few weeks they fell into a routine. David was generally gone several days during the week, often the whole week. While he was gone, Sarah stayed at Maggie’s house with Charity. She grew to love the little house filled with pictures of Charity, lovely green houseplants and many cozy handmade quilts. During the day, she took Charity with her to school. The beginning of the school year was coming up fast and Sarah needed to get her room ready.

On the weekends, when David was home, Sarah went back to her apartment, but every day they did ‘family things.’ They went to the N.E.W. Zoo near Green Bay and to Bay Beach Park, where David took Charity down the huge slide while Sarah watched and waved at them. At home they watched videos, played Candyland with Charity, and cooked up a storm. David was determined to teach Sarah to cook. They went to church every Sunday and gave the impression of a happy family in the making.

It was always time for David to leave before Sarah was willing to see him go.

David handled all the details of the case with Beverly and refused to let Sarah worry about any of it. As the case progressed, the court appointed a representative for Charity. David and Sarah both met with the guardian ad litem, a lawyer who was to be an advocate solely for Charity, without any partiality toward either of the parties who wanted to adopt her. This was standard procedure during any custody case, David assured her. Beverly and her husband were required to meet with the guardian as well.

One sunny morning in August, when Sarah was staying with Charity, the doorbell rang. Opening the door, she found Hope and Faith, and Robin, Faith’s stepdaughter-to-be, on the steps. “Hey everyone, what’s up?”

“This is a bride’s day out,” exclaimed Hope.

Faith chimed in. “No excuses this time. I know your schedule. You have no appointments today. And I’ve brought you childcare.”

“That’s me,” Robin said. “I have a great day planned for Charity. We’re going to the lake for a picnic and swimming.”

Hope and Faith had been trying to get Sarah to spend the day shopping for wedding dresses. She’d been so busy that it hadn’t been difficult to put them off. But she certainly didn’t expect a sneak attack like this.

“She’s speechless,” Hope crowed. “Let’s grab her before she can gather her wits.”

Faith and Hope each grabbed one of Sarah’s arms and pulled her out of the house.

“But, but…”

“Is the stove on?” asked Faith.

“No.”

“Water running in the sink?”

“No.”

“Then let’s go. Robin will take care of everything,” Faith assured her.

“All right. Just let me say good-bye to Charity.” What else could she do? Certainly now wasn’t the time to give away her secret. Shopping for wedding dresses it was.

The trip to Green Bay was fun. The three of them hadn’t done anything together since before school ended. As the miles flew by, Sarah enjoyed catching up with her friends.

Once they hit the first wedding boutique, everything changed. All the focus was on the upcoming ceremonies. “Really, Sarah, haven’t you and David talked about anything? You don’t even have a date set,” scolded Hope.

She shrugged. “We’ve been too worried about the custody case with Beverly to think about wedding stuff.”

“Even if you haven’t discussed it with David, haven’t you thought about what you’d like your wedding to be like? Don’t you have any ideas?” asked Faith as she examined a white tea length dress.

“What do you two have planned?” Sarah picked through the rack of dresses half heartedly. It wasn’t much fun when you knew your engagement wouldn’t end at the altar.

“Andrew and I just want a small ceremony,” Faith began. “It’s the second wedding for both of us. My first had all the pageantry you could want. This time I just want to enjoy having all my family and friends around me for our special day. I’m keeping everything simple.”

“Don’t mention family,” groaned Hope. “I still haven’t met Oliver’s, and after what he’s told me, I’m not sure if I want to.”

“Oh, don’t say that,” Faith interjected. “Oliver turned out to be a great guy, so they can’t be that bad.”

Sarah listened to her friends debate the merits of a small ceremony versus a large one, what should be served at the reception, and what kind of cake was best. She was glad to fade into the background. She was examining the intricate beading on a tiny evening bag when Hope called out, “Sarah, come here.”

“What?”

“This dress is perfect for you.”

****

In his hotel room late that night, David closed the program he was working on and took one last look at his email. There was a message from an hvelasquez. He didn’t know anyone with that address, did he? Then, he remembered Sarah’s friend Hope. Suddenly worried that something was wrong, he opened the email. The message said simply, “We took Sarah shopping today. What do you think of this?”

David clicked on the attachment, and a picture opened on his screen. His breath caught. It was Sarah in a bride’s dress. The bodice was fitted, and the skirt fell fairly straight until it flared out at the knees. It was simple, understated and feminine. It was perfect for Sarah.

He clicked on the button that enlarged the picture. Poor Sarah. She must have hated that her friends did this. She had a definitely guilty look on her face, as though she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

Why had they sent him this picture? Wasn’t the bride’s dress supposed to be a secret? Then it came to him. Knowing Sarah as he did, he guessed she’d refused to buy the dress. This was probably her friends’ way of getting him on their side.

He took one last look at the picture of Sarah and then shut down his computer. This whole mess with Beverly would be over soon, and then he could think about a real relationship with Sarah.

He went over the situation in his mind, as he had constantly since Beverly had delivered her threat. What could he do to resolve this situation more quickly?

There was one thing he could do, but he was afraid it might make things worse rather than better. Still, he didn’t have any other ideas. With a sigh, David reached for his cell phone. He was about to call in a favor.

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 7

The picture of Sarah in the wedding dress stuck in David’s head all through the week, but it had nothing to do with his decision to catch an earlier flight back. At least that’s what he told himself. He drove into Orchard Hill in the wee hours of the morning. The house was dark when he pulled into the driveway, but he noticed a flickering blue glow that told him the television was on.

He slipped into the back door quietly and set down his luggage and laptop case. Moving into the kitchen, he saw Sarah sleeping on the couch, the TV remote still clutched in her hand.

He tugged on the remote, planning to turn off the TV, but the movement disturbed Sarah. Her eyes popped open and she sat bolt upright.

“Sarah.”

She blinked a couple of times. “David? What time is it?”

“I didn’t mean to startle you.” He took the remote from her and shut off the television. “Why aren’t you in bed?”

“Aren’t I?” She still seemed dazed.

He rested his hands on her shoulders. “Sarah, are you awake?”

She stared at him for a few moments, and then shook her head. “Yes, I’m awake. What are you doing home already?”

“Can I help it if I missed my girls?” She looked adorably cute, all rumpled and sleepy-eyed. He squeezed onto the couch next to her.

“You missed who?”

“My girls. You and Charity.”

“I’m your girl? I mean…”

Unable to resist, David put his arms around her. “Yes, Sarah, you’re my girl.” He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. She snuggled up to him in a way he was sure she never would if she were fully awake. This was bliss.

But it was also temptation. “Sarah, I think you should go to bed. We’ll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow. Later today, actually.”

“Aren’t I in bed?”

“No, you’re on the couch.”

“What am I doing here?”

He couldn’t help it. He laughed at her confusion. “I have no idea. You were sleeping here when I got home.”

“Why are you home?”

David wondered if she was always this hard to wake up. “Come on, I’ll help you to your room.” He stood and pulled her up off the couch.

Putting an arm around her, he steered her down the hallway.

“Now I remember,” she mumbled. “I had a bad dream. I didn’t want to go back to sleep. Came out to watch TV.”

“What was the dream about?”

“Beverly took Charity. She found out about me.”

David’s arm tightened around her shoulder. “There’s no way she could find out about the engagement.”

“Not the engagement. About me.”

They’d reached the little room that Sarah used when she stayed with Charity. She dropped down onto the bed and David sat beside her. “What about you?”

“I got into trouble when I was 14. My little brother is hard of hearing. He always got picked on in foster care. I tried to take care of him when Mom was sick. I lied to the social worker and told her everything was all right. We didn’t want to go back into foster care. But the kids in school picked on him, too. I got into a fight and they called my mom. They found out about everything.”

“What happened?”

She shrugged. “I got suspended from school and they split us up. So I ran away.”

“That’s awful. I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”

“They wanted to send me to juvenile hall.”

“Why didn’t they?”

“My foster mother at the time spoke up for me. She told me she’d take both my brother and me. But I had to promise—no more fighting and no more lying. I kept that promise until I told Beverly we were engaged.”

“Did you like this foster mother?”

Sarah nodded. “Yeah, she was the best one. I still write to her. She took us to church. It was the first time I ever went.”

“But you know that this won’t affect our case against Beverly.”

“I didn’t think so either, at first. I guess I’m just a worrier at heart.”

“That’s because you try to take care of everyone. You need someone who’ll take care of you for a change.”

David thought he was exactly the right person for the job. He started by tucking her back into bed. “No more bad dreams, Sarah. Dream something good now.” He couldn’t help adding a quick good night kiss. Then he left, shutting the door behind him.

While he got ready to climb into his own bed, he thought about what Sarah had told him. It certainly explained a lot about her. Without anyone to encourage her as a child, she’d never realized her true worth. She’d found faith and doubtless that was responsible for a lot of her success, but David guessed that inside she was still a scared child trying to hold her family together and blaming herself when she failed.

****

In spite of the late hour that he went to bed, David was up early the next morning. He made a couple of phone calls and then, satisfied, sat down to enjoy a cup of coffee and the paper.

Sarah stumbled into the kitchen not long after. She stared at him. “What are you doing here?”

Choking back a laugh, David answered, “I got in last night. Don’t you remember?”

“Why would I remember?”

“You were sleeping on the couch. I woke you up. Or at least I thought I did. We had a whole conversation.”

Sarah’s brow creased as she searched for the memory. “Sorry, I don’t remember. Is there any more coffee?”

In response he got up and poured her a cup. “You don’t have much time. You’d better drink this quick before Hope gets here.”

“Before Hope gets here? Why is she coming over?”

“Because I asked her to.”

“And why would you do that?”

“You’ve done so much for Charity and me; I wanted to give something back.”

“So you’re giving me Hope?”

“No.” David let out the laugh he’d been holding in. “I’ve arranged for the two of you to spend a day at a spa, near Green Bay.”

“What? I can’t possibly accept something so extravagant.”

David pulled out his trump card—Charity’s welfare. “We go to court with Beverly this week. Don’t you want to look good for that? Not that you don’t look good already, but doing something special like this will make you feel more confident. We need all the help we can get to win this case.”

She hesitated. “I don’t know.”

David turned her around and gently pushed her out of the kitchen. “I do. You’ve earned this, Sarah. Just go get ready.”

She stared at him for a few more seconds and then nodded. “Okay. I mean, since you’ve already got it arranged.”

“Yes. I want you to enjoy yourself. Make sure you get my money’s worth out of it.”

“Maybe I could pay you back.”

He gave her a severe look. “No way. Now quit yakking and go get ready.”

She took a few steps and then turned back again. “What does one wear to a spa?”

David rolled his eyes. “You’ll be wearing your pajamas if you don’t get going!”

“All right, all right.” Sarah hurried down the hall to her room, grabbed her towel and rushed back to the bathroom.

As she hurried to get ready, she tried to remember talking to David last night. She had a hazy memory of him sitting next to her on the bed. Had he tucked her in? Didn’t he say something about her needing someone to take care of her? She wished she could remember.

Hope arrived just as Sarah was running a brush through her hair.

“Sarah,” called David. “Your ride is here.”

“Coming.” She threw the brush on her bed and hurried to the kitchen. David was just letting Hope in. “Good morning,” Sarah greeted her friend.

She saw that Charity was up now, sitting at the kitchen table and eating a bowl of cereal.

Sarah stopped to give her a quick hug and kiss. “What are you two going to do all day?” she asked David.

“Oh, I don’t know. Just hang out, I guess.”

“Don’t let Charity watch too much TV.”

“I won’t.”

“We made some play dough this week. It’s made with peanut butter, so it’s okay if she eats some.”

“Fine.”

“There’s sun block in the bathroom. Make sure she puts it on if you go outside.”

“Sarah, I’m not an idiot. Maggie trusted me enough to make me Charity’s guardian. You could at least consider that I can take care of her for one day.”

Hope, who had watched the exchange in silence, now broke in with her laughter. “You two sound like you’re married already.”

David grinned back at her and casually looped his arm around Sarah’s waist. “I can hardly wait until we are.”

Sarah’s face warmed. Did he think he had to keep convincing Hope that their relationship was real? “Well, we’d better get going.”

“All right.”

When Sarah stepped away from him, he pulled her back. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“No, I don’t think so. I’ve got my purse.”

David took it away from her. “You don’t need this. They’ve got my credit card number and orders to use it. But I need something from you.”

“What?” She was truly puzzled.

“Just this.” Sarah had time just to take in the mischievous smile on his face before he leaned down and kissed her hard on the mouth, swallowing her gasp of surprise. He pulled back just enough to say, “Aren’t you glad I reminded you?”

Sarah couldn’t move. Did he know what he was doing to her with these kisses? Fortunately, Hope caught her arm and pulled her away. “All right you two. Save something for after the wedding.”

Sarah managed to stammer out “B-bye, Charity. Be good for your uncle,” before Hope had dragged her outside. She caught one last glimpse of David, looking supremely pleased with himself.

“You guys are so cute,” Hope gushed.

“Yeah, right,” mumbled Sarah.

“And to think it was only weeks ago that you said this would never happen for you. Now you have a fiancé that just about worships the ground you walk on.”

“You exaggerate. Who’s driving?”

“I am. David insisted that today was your day. And you don’t think he adores you. He was so cute on the phone this morning, setting this up.”

Sarah wished one more time that she could remember what she’d said to him last night. Had it been the catalyst for this sudden trip? Or maybe he just didn’t think she’d look presentable without professional help.

“What exactly did David say this morning?”

“He said that you needed to do something just for you, that you’ve been spending a lot of time taking care of Charity lately.”

That didn’t sound too bad. “So what did you two set up?”

“Just a few things. Facial, massage, manicure and pedicure. Oh, and hair. He said he wanted you to stop hiding those beautiful eyes.”

“David said I had beautiful eyes?”

“Yeah, he kind of went on about them,” Hope admitted, with a little smile.

Sarah put her head back against the seat. She didn’t know what to think. Could David’s feelings for her go beyond their arrangement to save Charity? No, she couldn’t start thinking like that. The higher she let herself soar now, the farther she’d have to fall when David left. She just had to hold on to the hope that she could convince him to let her keep Charity if he still wanted someone else to adopt her.

In spite of her misgivings, a day at the spa turned out to be a blissful experience. It was difficult at first to sit and do nothing. But Hope convinced her to relax. “David will be so disappointed if you don’t enjoy this.”

And she did enjoy it. By the end of the day she had looser muscles, tighter pores, a very classy French manicure and a new hairstyle with short, feathery bangs that didn’t cover up so much as an eyelash.

“You’re gorgeous,” squealed Hope, when she saw her new ’do.

“Thanks. You’re looking pretty radiant yourself.”

When they went to change out of their spa robes, Sarah got another surprise. Instead of the capris and t-shirt that she’d arrived in, there was a dress hanging in the cubicle and a pair of leather sandals tucked beneath the chair. The dress was a soft coral, with a belted waist and a full skirt.

“There must be some mistake,” Sarah told the attendant. “This isn’t mine.”

“It was delivered for you,” she explained.

“But…but…” Sarah sputtered, unsure of what to do.

Hope took her firmly by the shoulders and pointed her back to the dressing room. “Go get changed. I think you have a hot date tonight.”

“But how did he know what size to get?”

“He asked me and I told him.”

Sarah gasped. “You didn’t.”

“Tell him your dress size? Why not?”

“Well, if I was a size zero like you…”

“A size zero? Hardly. What difference does it make what your dress size is? David loves you, Sarah.”

Sarah bit her lip and stepped into the cubicle to change. What else was she going to do? Admit that her engagement was a charade? It seemed as if her spa day was to make her look presentable after all. She blinked back tears.

The dress was beautiful though, and it fit perfectly. The color looked great on her, too. She could hardly believe that David chose something that suited her so well. The tags had been removed, but the label displayed the name of a popular designer, so Sarah knew the dress wasn’t cheap.

Hope was waiting to ambush her when she stepped out of the door. “You look great, Sarah. You’re fabulous.”

Sarah laughed. “You’re exaggerating, but thanks.”

All the way home, Hope talked about wedding plans. She told Sarah what she had planned for music, scripture, flowers and decorations. She asked about Sarah’s choices for these same things, but Sarah only gave vague answers. She’d be glad when she didn’t have to pretend to be planning a wedding any more.

Hope dropped her off at the house and waved as she backed down the driveway. Sarah waved back and then slipped into the house.

Charity came running for a hug. Sarah picked up the little girl and held her tightly. When she put her down, David was standing in the doorway, looking at her.

She twirled around in the dress so he could see. “Thank you very much, David, but you didn’t have to do all this.”

He was strangely quiet and serious-looking. No teasing remarks or jokes. Maybe he didn’t think he’d gotten his money’s worth.

David cleared his throat. “You look beautiful, Sarah.”

“Will I be presentable in court, then?”

“There’s no way you could not be presentable, sweetheart.”

Her heart did a funny little jump when he called her that. “I’ll just go hang the dress up. I don’t want it to get wrinkled.”

“Wait a minute. The dress is for tonight.”

“Tonight? Surely you don’t want me to wear this for another cooking lesson?”

He smiled, looking more like his usual self. “Of course not. We’re going out tonight.”

Charity tugged on Sarah’s skirt and she looked down to see her holding out the skirt of her own new dress. “I see I’m not the only one you went shopping for, David. Charity, you look very pretty.”

Charity nodded her agreement. Then she said, “Uncle David,” meaning, Sarah supposed, that the dress had come from him. These short bursts of speech were starting to become more common. Sarah thought it meant that Charity was adjusting to her situation. What a shame everything would soon change again.

“Yes, Uncle David picked out that pretty dress. He has good taste, doesn’t he?”

Charity nodded again.

“I guess,” David said, “that I need to make myself look worthy of being seen with you two belles. I’ll be ready in half an hour at most.”

While David got ready, Sarah asked Charity to show her what she’d done today. Charity showed her some pictures she’d colored, and she made the sign for “doll.”

Then, she and Charity started a make believe tea party with several stuffed animal guests. Not long after, she looked up to see David, freshly shaved and showered, standing in the doorway of the living room, watching their party.

He’d put on a well-tailored charcoal gray suit with a royal blue dress shirt. His collar hung open and his tie was draped around his neck. His hair was still damp and a few tendrils curled at his neck. There was a hint of a smile about his lips, revealing the dimple in his cheek. Sarah could smell his aftershave, a clean woodsy scent.

She couldn’t hold back a sigh of longing. He was gorgeous—and when he did decide to settle down, it wouldn’t be with someone like her.

“May I come to your party, Charity?” he asked.

Charity nodded and a few seconds later added, “Yes.”

Sarah tried not to laugh as David struggled to sit on the tiny chair, knees sticking up above the table. “How can you look so natural sitting there,” he asked. “The table isn’t your size either.”

“Experience,” replied Sarah. “Remember, I work at a school.”

Charity handed David a plastic tea cup.

“Thank you, honey,” he said. The cup looked ludicrously tiny in his hand. “This would be like drinking out of a thimble,” David complained. “If there were anything in here to actually drink, that is.”

Sarah gave in and let out the giggles she’d been holding. “Maybe we should go to dinner. I don’t think this tea party is working for Uncle David. Next time we’ll have it at the kitchen table.”

“Certainly not.” He assumed an air of offended dignity that made Sarah giggle again. “In the parlor or perhaps the dining room, but never in the kitchen. Do you think we’re peasants?”

Sarah almost laughed herself right off her miniscule chair. Charity looked back and forth between them with a gravely puzzled expression.

Rising, David said, “Thank you, Charity, for allowing me to attend your tea party. But now it’s time for supper.”

Charity nodded. “Yes.” She was a regular Chatty Cathy tonight. Sarah’s heart swelled with affection and pride.

“I would have asked Robin to stay with Charity tonight,” David whispered to her as they were walking out the door. “But then I realized I’d probably need a chaperone.” He put an arm around her waist and kissed her neck.

“David, behave.” His casual affection unnerved her.

He grinned at her, showing no sign of remorse. “I told you I needed a chaperone.”

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 8

They returned to the Lake View supper club, where they had eaten with Beverly, but this time they were a much happier group. At least they were until they reached the hostess’ stand. Sarah looked past David and suddenly froze. “She’s here.”

David turned to see whom she meant. Beverly Van Huesen and a gentleman of about her age, probably her husband, were sitting at a table across the room.

“What’s she doing here?”

“Beverly and her husband are joining us for supper tonight.”

“What? How did this happen?”

“I called a friend who knew Mr. Van Huesen. He arranged an introduction.”

“Why would you do this?” Sarah felt panic threatening and tried to breathe normally, but she couldn’t seem to get any air into her lungs. He didn’t really expect her to sit down to a meal with the people who wanted to take Charity away from them, did he?

David put an arm around her shoulders. “I wanted to try and settle this outside of court. I thought bringing Beverly’s husband into it may change things a little. I talked to him on the phone and he seemed very reasonable.”

“You have dinner with them. I want to go home.” She would have turned and left then, walked home carrying Charity if she had to, but David had a firm grip on her shoulders and wouldn’t allow her to bolt.

“It’s going to be all right,” he told her. “We can do this, Sarah.”

She was tempted to make a scene and demand to be taken home. But that wouldn’t look very good for them in court, so she allowed David to lead her and Charity to the Van Huesen’s table.

The gentleman rose and extended his hand to David. “I’m John Van Huesen, Beverly’s husband.”

David shook his hand. “I’m David Daniels. Nice to meet you, sir.” He then introduced Charity and Sarah.

Sarah studied Beverly’s husband instead of her menu. John Van Huesen was nothing like his wife. His manners were pleasant and informal. He seemed genuinely interested in everyone at the table. Although he made a point of saying hello to Charity and telling her that he was her uncle, he was unconcerned with her lack of response. After asking Sarah a few questions about her job, he and David settled into a conversation about business. While the men were occupied, Beverly spoke to Sarah. “I see you finally got your ring.”

“Yes.” Sarah promised herself that she would say as little as possible to this woman.

“It’s quite…noticeable. Is the stone real?”

She gritted her teeth. “Yes.”

“You know I had doubts that your engagement was real, but I guess there’s been greater mismatches.”

“What do you mean?”

Beverly lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. “David’s handsome, outgoing, and obviously moving up through the business world.”

“And how am I a mismatch to that?”

“Well, dear, you are a quiet, small town teacher. Not exactly living life in the fast lane, are we?”

“I’m a speech therapist,” Sarah reminded her.

Beverly waved her hand dismissively and took a sip of her wine. “Whatever. He spends his days rubbing shoulders with captains of industry and you spend yours with grubby little children who don’t talk.”

The intimidation Sarah had first felt when she’d seen Beverly had given way to irritation that was quickly growing to anger. “So I work with children. You spend your days at the beauty parlor and the country club. Which of us is more qualified to raise a child, do you think?”

“I can offer Charity opportunities that you can only dream of—an exclusive private school, lessons in riding or dance or anything she chooses, an entrance into society, and her pick of universities.”

“Which I’m sure you’ll be happy to do as long as she meets your standards and jumps through all the right hoops in front of your friends.”

The women stared at each other for a few moments, and then Beverly returned to her wine. The waitress came to take their orders. Sarah went through the menu options with Charity, as she had the last time they’d been here. After Charity chose, Sarah hardly knew what to order for herself. She didn’t know how she’d force anything down in Beverly’s presence.

David and John seemed to be having a great time. Sarah and Beverly barely said ten words to each other or anyone else. Sarah busied herself with helping Charity and Beverly stared fretfully at her plate. Neither woman ate more than a few bites.

“I know I don’t have a lot of experience with children,” Beverly said softly, breaking their silence. “But Charity is more to me than just a…a trophy to show off. She’s my brother’s child.”

“Your brother doesn’t seem the least bit interested in her,” Sarah pointed out.

“He isn’t the least bit interested in anything other than where the next party is. He drifts from place to place, dodging responsibility like a bullet.” There was no mistaking the bitterness in her voice.

“Why do you really want Charity?” asked Sarah as gently as she could manage.

“My brother is as lost to me as Maggie is to David. Charity would at least be a link to him. You’d never know it now, but we were quite close as children.”

Sarah had nothing to say to that. She could feel a bit of sympathy for this woman, now that she understood her better, but she still couldn’t approve of her adopting Charity. It wouldn’t bring her brother back, and Beverly didn’t seem to have a maternal bone in her body.

Noticing Charity’s head beginning to bob with drowsiness, she took the opportunity to break into the men’s conversation and say to David, “We should get Charity to bed. She’s about to fall asleep in her plate.”

David looked at Charity and then nodded. “I think we should call it a night. Are you finished, Sarah?”

“Yes, I’m ready to go.”

“I’ll take care of the bill,” said John. “You just get the little angel home.”

“That’s very generous of you, sir,” David answered.

“Not at all. I’m glad to have met you all tonight.” He turned to his wife. “Beverly, I believe you have misrepresented these people to me. I know how much you wanted Charity, and if she had no one else to take her, I would surely welcome her into our home. But it seems to me that she already has a family that loves her and takes good care of her. We decided a long time ago, Bev, that we didn’t want children. Do you really think we can change our lifestyle enough to be good parents to Charity?”

“It wouldn’t take that much change,” she protested.

“I think you know it would,” he admonished her. “I’d like to propose a different solution. Let’s drop the case against David. David and Sarah should keep Charity. But Beverly and I don’t want to be completely left out.”

“How would you expect to be involved in Charity’s life?” asked David, and Sarah approved of the note of caution in his voice.

“I think Beverly and I would like to be able to spend some time with our niece on occasion.”

“What were you thinking?” asked David.

“We’d like to be included in the major events of her life such as birthdays, confirmation, piano recitals and that sort of thing. We’d also just like to visit with her occasionally. As Charity is so young, and doesn’t know us well,” John replied, “I think we’d visit her here. When she gets older, perhaps she could visit us in Chicago, maybe during school breaks.”

David glanced at Sarah and to her own surprise, she nodded in agreement. “That sounds reasonable,” he told John. “If you’ll allow us to be present during your visits until Charity is comfortable with you.”

“But, John,” cried Beverly. “What about…”

He put a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “You’ll have plenty of time to spoil your niece. Then you can send her back to David and Sarah and let them deal with the temper tantrums, the homework, and eventually, the boy problems. We’ll have the best part of the deal.”

She still looked unconvinced. “I don’t know, John.”

“Once you think about it, you’ll see that I’m right.” To David and Sarah he said, “You’d better get the little lady home. We’ll call you.”

Sarah gathered up Charity, who was now more than half asleep, while David and Mr. Van Huesen shook hands.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Van Huesen,” he said. “I’m sure we can work something out.”

“Call me John. It was nice meeting you, Sarah.”

Sarah felt stunned as they left the restaurant. It was as though she’d walked out of a dream.

“That was quite a surprise,” said David as he opened the car door so that Sarah could slide Charity into her car seat. “I hoped that things would go better, but I didn’t expect to resolve everything tonight.”

“I was just expecting supper. Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“Because I knew you wouldn’t come.”

He was probably right, so she didn’t say any more.

After buckling in Charity, Sarah backed up. David shut the door, grabbed Sarah around the waist and spun her around. “We’re going to keep Charity.”

He set her down, and then kissed her there in the parking lot, gently and tenderly. Maybe she was still dreaming.

TITLE

Orchard Hill

Volume Two

by

Kara Lynn Russell

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 2

After work that day, Faith stopped at The Green Scene Natural Food Market. She had started coming to Misty’s store years ago, after the doctor had determined that Kevin was allergic to milk. At the time, The Green Scene was the only place that sold soy milk and cheese. Now the local grocery store sold it, too, but Faith had become fond of the organic produce and the herbal teas Misty sold, so she kept shopping here.

“Faith Fielding, where have you been?” Misty called out as she walked into the store. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”

Faith attempted to smile back. “Spring is always busy at the school. Everyone is counting down to summer vacation. And there are all those ‘lasts’.”

“What do you mean ‘lasts’?” asked Misty.

“Oh you know, the last field trip, the last concert, the last art project, and so on and so forth. It keeps the calendar full. I think May is busier than December for us.”

Misty leaned forward and studied Faith’s face. “You look tired. I hope you aren’t letting yourself get run down.”

“No, I’m all right.”

“Well, just in case, you should pick up some of that immune system boosting tea.”

“Thanks, I will.”

“And how is your boss holding out through all this? I hope he’s not leaving you with all the work.”

She shook her head. “No, of course not. Andrew does more than all of us.”

“Hmm, maybe you’d better take some tea for him, too.”

“I’m not his wife. He’ll have to look after himself,” Faith said, a tinge of bitterness in her voice.

“Faith, what’s going on with you?”

“Nothing. Maybe I am tired.”

Misty studied her. “Is Andrew seeing anyone?” she asked.

“As a matter of fact, I believe he made a date with Harmony Solberg today.” Faith hoped she sounded nonchalant.

“Really.”

“I’ll definitely take some of that tea. Can you hold it up here while I look at your produce?”

“Of course, honey. You go look. I’ve got some early strawberries that are absolutely delicious.”

When Faith came back to the counter a little while later, Misty had the box of tea waiting. She placed her other items on the counter and Misty began to ring them up.

“You’ve worked at the school a long time, haven’t you, Faith?”

“Yes, this is my tenth year.”

“Maybe this tiredness isn’t physical,” Misty suggested as she weighed the strawberries.

“What else could it be?”

“Maybe it’s a tiredness of the soul.”

Faith looked at her skeptically.

“You know, maybe what you need is a change of scene, a new challenge.”

“Are you saying I’m in a rut?” she asked.

“Yes, I guess. Do you think so?”

Faith considered as Misty bagged the groceries. There was one thing she was definitely tired of—tired of waiting for something that was never going to happen. And she’d probably never move on while she spent every day with the object of her unrequited affection. “Maybe you’re right, Misty.”

****

That evening Andrew paced in his living room. The television was on, but he wasn’t paying any attention to it. Finally, he picked up the remote and muted it. Then he took Harmony’s card out of his pocket and looked at it.

She said she’d like to have dinner with him. Why should it be so hard to call and set up the details?

Andrew reviewed what he knew about the woman, which wasn’t much. She’d been the host of a regional cable show, she was writing a cookbook and she didn’t have much experience with kids. She was attractive and pleasant.

“What will we talk about all night?” Maybe he should invite her to a movie or something. Then he wouldn’t have to talk for at least an hour and a half.

“What am I thinking?” Andrew chastised himself. “I carry on conversations with people I hardly know all the time. What could be so hard about this?”

It was the whole date scenario that was throwing him. Though it had been more years ago than he wanted to think about, Andrew remembered feeling like this in junior high when he’d asked Emily Dubrowski to the 8th grade dance. Had he made so little progress in the three decades he’d lived since then? He’d experienced marriage, parenthood, and widowhood. He’d earned several degrees and built a respectable career.

Yet here he was, reduced to sweaty palms and a knotted stomach at the thought of calling a woman for a date. Where was the fairness in that? A lifetime of experience in maintaining poise in difficult situations surely must count for something?

Andrew wiped his moist hands on his pants. Apparently not.

The most ridiculous part about this whole fiasco was that he was only asking Harmony out because he’d promised Robin. It wasn’t as if he was attracted to her. At last, disgust with himself beat out anxiety, and he picked up the phone.

****

Andrew was feeling pretty pleased with himself as he walked into school the next morning. He’d called Harmony, and they’d made plans to go out for dinner that weekend. He’d done it. Robin would be proud of him.

Faith was already at her desk. “Good morning,” he called to her as he sailed through the office. Her response was less than enthusiastic.

Andrew paused. “Everything all right, Faith?” he asked.

Faith looked up from her work. Her eyes and nose were red. “I think I’ve picked up that cold that’s been going around. But I’m all right.”

“Are you sure? You’re never sick.”

“Yes, I’ll make it through the day.”

But by that evening, Faith knew she was done. Her throat hurt, her head hurt, her nose was running like a faucet, and all she wanted to do was curl up under a quilt and watch sitcom re-runs.

“You okay, Mom?” asked her son, Kevin, when he emerged from the cocoon he called his room in search of food, his dog on his heels, as usual.

“Not quite, I’m afraid,” Faith croaked. She hated being sick, but she had to admit this bug was getting the best of her. “Do you think you can make yourself some supper?”

“Well, sure. I can heat up some leftovers or something, but what about you?”

“I’m not hungry. I’ll have something later.”

Kevin was silent for a moment. Then, he came over to the couch and knelt down by her. “You wouldn’t let me skip supper if I were sick.” He placed a hand on her forehead. “I think you have a fever, Mom.”

“I’ll check it in a few minutes. I don’t feel like getting up now.”

“What about eating? I could make you some soup.”

“Thank you, honey, but I don’t think I could get it down.”

Kevin disappeared into the kitchen to make one of the soy cheese pizzas from Misty’s—and to sneak treats to the dog, she assumed.

About ten minutes later, the doorbell rang. Before Faith could convince herself to move from the couch, she heard Kevin open the kitchen door.

Did he invite a friend over when I’m sick? He wouldn’t do that to me, would he? Now she really had to get up and see what was going on. And she would. In just a minute.

“She’s in here,” Kevin said, and then Andrew’s face was in front of hers, concern written all over it.

“Faith?” he asked.

“Andrew? What are you doing here?”

“Kevin called me. He said you were sick.”

“You knew I had a cold. It’s no big deal.”

He knelt down beside her and laid his hand on her forehead. “Get the thermometer, Kevin.”

“I’ve got it right here.”

“I’m fine,” Faith protested weakly as Andrew popped the thermometer in her mouth. Well, maybe not fine, exactly, but surely not in need of this kind of attention. She just wanted to lie on the couch and relax. Was there a law against that?

“She asked me to make my own supper,” Kevin whispered to Andrew, as if that was a crime.

“But…”

Her protest was cut off by a stern look from Andrew. “Don’t try to talk.”

With a sigh, Faith sank back into the cushions. After a minute, Andrew checked the thermometer.

“What does it say?” Kevin asked, leaning over his shoulder.

“One hundred and one. It’s official. She’s sick.”

“Do we have to take her to the hospital?”

Andrew chuckled. “No, I think it’s just a virus. Your mom needs rest and a lot of fluids, mostly.”

“I need to be left alone,” she mumbled, but they ignored her.

“I offered to make her soup. She said she didn’t want anything.”

“Well, we can’t have that, can we,” Andrew said. “Let’s go see what we can do in the kitchen.”

Twenty minutes later, Andrew and Kevin were munching on pizza while Faith sat up on the couch staring at her unappetizing bowl of soup.

“Would you rather have some of the pizza, Mom?” Kevin asked.

“No. My throat’s too sore. But thank you, honey.”

Andrew moved over until he sat next to her on the couch. “I know it’s hard, but you have to eat Faith. You have to keep up your strength.” He put his arm around her and she, weak soul that she was, leaned her head on his shoulder, soaking up the comfort he offered.

“Take a bite,” he urged her.

Faith complied, saddened by her lack of willpower where Andrew was concerned. Maybe if she finished the soup he’d go away. She took another bite.

She couldn’t taste anything, and her throat burned. Why did he have to be here now, when she was a complete mess? Now, that would be a picture to compare to Harmony Solberg when they went out.

Harmony always looked perfect. Of course she looked perfect on TV, but even the few times Faith had seen her around town, she appeared to have just stepped out of a salon. Her clothes were pressed and perfectly fitted, never a hair out of place.

Faith sighed. And here she was—runny nose, red eyes and dressed in a ratty bathrobe that should have been thrown out years ago. Life was so unfair.

She leaned forward and plunked her bowl on the coffee table. “I can’t eat any more. I think I’ll just go to bed.”

To Faith’s horror, Andrew got up and followed her. “Well, take some cold medicine first. With juice maybe. And keep some water by your bed.”

Faith took the pills he offered because she didn’t have the strength to argue with him. She accepted the glass of water he gave her because she was too tired to complain, but she rallied when he tried to follow her into her bedroom.

“Andrew, you are not tucking me in,” she protested. “Thank you very much for your help, but I’ll see you tomorrow at work.”

He shook his head. “No way. You’re staying home tomorrow.”

“But I never miss work.”

“This time you will. And that’s an order.” Andrew put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead. “I need you. Get better.”

Faith slumped against her door as he walked back to the living room. He needed her. If only he wasn’t talking about someone to take his messages and keep track of his schedule.

This cold was making her overly emotional. Maybe she should stay home and sleep tomorrow. She certainly felt like she could sleep that long.

Back in the living room, Andrew sat down to finish his pizza. “Do you want to work with Davy tonight?” he asked Kevin.

Davy was the terrier-type dog Kevin had adopted recently. Andrew had volunteered to help train the dog. At first, Kevin had wanted to call him Goliath, but Andrew pointed out that since the dog was done growing, he would likely never fit that name. “He’s more of a David than a Goliath,” Andrew had said and the name stuck in slightly altered form—Davy.

“Nah,” Kevin answered. “He’s doing okay. Besides, what if Mom needs me?”

“I think she’ll be all right. You do understand it’s just a cold, don’t you?”

“I know…but Mom’s never sick. And Robin said…”

“Robin said what?”

“Robin said her mom got sick before…before she died. Maybe you should spend the night.”

Andrew studied the boy. These fears seemed a little childish for a thirteen-year-old, but then again Faith was remarkably good at avoiding sickness—a must for anyone who worked in a school—and Kevin had already lost one parent.

“That’s true. But Robin’s mother had a lot more than a simple cold. You just haven’t seen your mother much when she’s sick. Trust me, there’s a big difference between a cold and cancer.”

“Okay,” said Kevin. “If you’re sure you don’t want to stay.”

Andrew laughed. “I don’t think your mother would appreciate it.”

“I guess not,” he agreed. “Oh, I almost forgot. I have to tell Robin what you said.”

“Tell Robin?”

“Yeah, while I was waiting for you I IM’d her and told her about Mom. I have to tell her you said it was just a cold.”

“IM?”

“Instant Message. Geez, Andrew, you work with kids. You should know this stuff.”

Now that he was sure his mother wasn’t dying, Kevin was back in full teenage mode, Andrew noted, attitude in tact. He’d seen enough of that over the years that it didn’t faze him. “Sorry,” he chuckled. “I’ll try to stay on top of it. If you’re going back to the computer, I’m going to head home.”

“Do you think Mom will need anything tonight?”

“Probably not. But if she does, she should be able to get it herself. You can always call me if you need me.”

“I know, Andrew.” Accompanied with eye roll.

“Remember that I said she wasn’t supposed to come in to work tomorrow. Don’t wake her up when you leave for school.”

“I never have to wake her up. She’s always up before me,” Kevin protested.

“Well, don’t count on it tomorrow,” Andrew said before he slipped out the door.

TITLE

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 1

Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering,

persevere in prayer.

—Romans 12:12 NRSV

Oliver’s gaze followed Hope as she crossed the room.  She was everywhere. Everywhere he went, she seemed to show up. How could he have forgotten that Orchard Hill was the name of her hometown? How could he have known she would move back, or that she would be working at the same school where he’d signed on as a physical education teacher, or that she would be a member of the church his neighbor had invited him to attend?

Her bubbly personality, her frequent laugh, her constant chatter, all grated on his nerves. And that smile. Definitely too toothy for his taste. Then there was…there was…Oh, who was he kidding?

Right now, he was inclined to believe in the reality of fate and the likelihood that it found tormenting him to be good fun. Hope Velasquez was the only woman who had ever come close to winning his heart, and that was a prize he wasn’t planning on giving away—ever.

So, naturally, he had to pretend to dislike her. It allowed him to keep his distance. Getting close to Hope was dangerous for him—and for her, because he knew he’d end up breaking her heart. He didn’t want to do that, even if it meant this  constant torture of seeing her everywhere and not approaching her, not talking to her, not knowing how she was really doing, and not ever, ever touching her.

But he was doing the right thing, and that had to count for something, didn’t it? He watched as someone said something to her that made her laugh. Her face lit up, her big brown eyes sparkled, and he felt a sharp pain in the region of his heart. Apparently it didn’t.

“There you are, Oliver.”

He turned at the sound of his neighbor’s voice. “Thank you for inviting me today, Mrs. Parker. I enjoyed the service.” That was true. He didn’t want to admit to how long it had been since he’d stepped into a church, but he was glad to be back. Thinking of joining a church made him feel settled, as if he belonged somewhere.

”I hope I’m not jumping the gun, but I was wondering...”

“Yes, Mrs. Parker?”

“I was wondering if you might be interested in playing on the church softball team.”

“How often do they play?”

“Just once. The team enters in the Fourth of July tournament sponsored by the elementary school. The money raised is used...”

“For the summer rec’ program. I heard about that. Thank you, Mrs. Parker, I think I would like to join. It’s a worthy cause.” He had been thinking about finding a way to become involved in that because it funded the tee ball program he headed. Oliver would have volunteered to be on the planning committee, but it was full by the time he’d found out about it.

Pansy Parker led him to a table at the side of the narthex. It held several clipboards with pencils attached by strings. She handed one of them to him. “Here’s the softball team sign up.”

He accepted the clipboard and checked the names carefully. There wasn’t a single Velasquez  among them. He  was safe. Oliver signed his name just as he heard a voice calling, “Aunt Hope, will you sign up for the softball team with me, please?”

It was a different Hope. It had to be. But when Oliver turned around, it was her standing there with a teenage girl at her side, waiting for their turn with the clipboard.

He stifled the urge to erase his own name and handed it to her. In spite of his efforts to avoid her, Oliver realized he would have to endure spending some time with Hope this summer. Fate again?

“Thank you, Oliver,” she said, her voice as soft and sweet as always.

“Sure,” he mumbled without meeting her eyes. Then, he walked away.

Hope felt her smile falter, but only for a moment. Then, she signed her name and gave the clipboard to Abby. She didn’t know why she let Oliver bother her, but he did. She went out of her way to be friendly to everyone. She didn’t understand what Oliver had against her.  They had been friends for a while in college, but one day, he had started to avoid her—and he hadn’t shown any signs of warming to her since he’d moved to Orchard Hill.

Hope shook her head. There was something wrong with her, that she should care so much about his opinion. But she really liked Oliver. She found him an admirable teacher with a true affection for his students—for all his students, not just the athletically gifted ones. He was great with the special ed’ class—filled with a seemingly endless patience for those students. He was encouraging to the book worms and the klutzes. He challenged the sports crazed kids. Plus, he had manners that came from an earlier generation. Oliver was one of the few men she knew that she truly considered a gentleman.

So what was it about her that turned him cold? She didn’t know, but his attitude really hurt.

She knew through the ever-active grapevine that he’d been helping Pansy Parker with her yard work since he’d moved next door to her. Today, he’d even attended church with her. What kind of young man had time like that for old ladies? Especially a man who looked like him? He had hunk written all over his 6’ 2” frame. He was tanned and toned from all the running he still did. Add in broad shoulders, close cropped blonde hair, a strong jaw and crystal blue eyes and his physical appeal couldn’t be denied.

Orchard Hill’s single women were all ready to fall for the new gym teacher—though he hadn’t thrown out so much as a crumb of encouragement to one of them.

“Thanks for doing this with me, Aunt Hope,” said Abby. “I know the team is supposed to be co-ed, but there are usually so many more guys than girls.”

“It’s no problem, Abby,” Hope assured her, her eyes still on Oliver’s retreating back. “I love to play. It’ll be fun.”

****

Later, at home, Oliver sat on the edge of his bed and held the Bible in his hands. His mother had sent it to him last week, and he hadn’t opened it yet. It was well worn, with faded gold edging on the pages and a broken spine. If he opened the book, Oliver knew he would find many passages underlined in black or red ink and the margin filled with notes.

It had belonged to his uncle.

Uncle Gabe had come to live with him and his mom the summer before Oliver started junior high. He rarely saw his dad. The man was divorcing wife #2 at that time. His mom was working long hours to make ends meet, and when Uncle Gabe moved in, Oliver had been starving for some adult attention.

He ran his hands over the Bible. It was Uncle Gabe who had first taken him to church, who made him go to confirmation classes and join the youth group. It was also Gabe who had taught him how to hit a baseball, throw a football, and had taken him running—laying the foundation for his success in track, success that had earned him a scholarship.

But, Gabe died five years ago, and even though his mom’s note said she’d only just found the bible during some spring cleaning, it was strange that she would send it now at the exact time Mrs. Parker had asked him to go to church when he hadn’t been in years.

There wasn’t any special reason that he hadn’t gone to church in so long. He was so busy in college, and in the years following that, he just hadn’t taken the time to find a church. Somehow it hadn’t seemed important then.

But now, Oliver felt like he wanted more stability in his life. He wanted a home that he could call his own and a community that he could be part of. Church represented a part of that community. He’d been telling the truth when he said he was glad Mrs. Parker had asked him to come.

But he still hadn’t opened the book. He hadn’t stopped missing his uncle in the years since his death. Opening the book, seeing Gabe’s handwriting and reading his notes, it would bring back the fact that Gabe was gone.

Oliver put down the book and decided to go running instead.

****

Hope’s brother, Joseph, was a very traditional person. He saw himself as head of the family since their parents had retired to Florida, and that meant a family dinner around his table on every Sunday. Everyone had a job for Sunday dinner. Hope’s job usually was to bring a salad. Joseph made the main course. His teenage kids, Noah, Abby and Peter took turns clearing the table and doing dishes as well as helping make side dishes.

Recently, their Sunday dinner crowd had expanded by three, Hope’s nieces Dorinda, Lucinda and Belinda. They were her sister’s six year old triplet daughters. Today, Hope was attempting to teach them how to set the table. It wasn’t going well.

“Why do we have to do this anyway?” whined Dori.

“Yeah,” Lucy chimed in. “Why can’t we just use paper plates? That’s what we always do at home.”

Hope tried not to think about what their home life had been like for the last few years. She should be glad Theresa had kept the children fed, and not worry about what they were eating from, but the constant ache of guilt in her heart increased every time she thought of her sister. She should have known Theresa wasn’t all right and should have gone to be with her. But she hadn’t, and now her sister, after years of using alcohol to numb her own grief over her husband’s death, was in a treatment facility as required by her sentence from one too many drunk driving charges.

Joseph, himself widowed, insisted on taking the girls. It was that head of the family thing again, Hope knew, although she thought she should have been the one to provide for them. Joseph already had three kids. Hope was alone. She’d be able to give more time to them. But Joseph had insisted, and she’d lost that battle.

“We use paper plates once in a while,” Hope explained to the girls. “But for Sundays especially, your Uncle Joseph likes to use the real dishes. OK?”

Dori gave a loud huff. “I guess so. Let’s put them on the table.”

“I think the dishes are pretty, Aunt Hope,” said Belle in a quiet voice.

“Once we have the plates on, we’ll put on napkins, silverware and glasses.”

“This would be a lot easier if Uncle Joseph would just get lunch at the drive through on the way home from church.” Dori was definitely a handful. Hope reminded herself—yet again—that the girls had been neglected for the past couple of years, and that moving to a strange town to live with relatives who were practically strangers had to be difficult for them.

“Uncle Joseph’s dinner will be way better than anything you could get from a fast food place,” Hope said firmly.

Dori shrugged. “Whatever.”

No less than five arguments later, the table was set and dinner was ready. The food was brought out and everyone took their places at the table. Joseph sat at the head, Hope at the foot. The triplets lined one side of the table and the teens the other. Noah, Joseph’s oldest, was seventeen, Abby was fifteen and Peter had just turned fourteen.

Hope caught Lucy’s hand as she grabbed for a roll. “Remember, we say grace first.”

“There are too many rules in this place,” Lucy grumbled. But she folded her hands and bowed her head with the rest of the family, so Hope let it slide.

Once the prayer was said, everyone filled their plates. While they ate, Hope debated about the best way to bring up her idea to Joseph. She found her opening when he asked, “How is your summer going?”

“So far so good. The summer rec’ programs have started.”

“Right. What did you say you were doing for that?”

“A story time for the younger kids and a reading group for the older ones. The older kids bring a lunch, and we read and discuss books while we eat. It’s a good way to keep the kids reading over the summer.”

“Do you think I could help with story time?” asked Abby.

“Sure, why not,” Hope replied. “I could always use an assistant.”

“You should enjoy your summers while you still can,” Noah broke in. He was working his first job this summer to save for college.

“I am enjoying it,” Abby told him, unruffled. “I like helping Hope.”

“Anyway,” Hope said, feeling the need to steer the conversation back on track, “the rec’ program doesn’t take up much of my time, so I was thinking…”

Joseph, as if he sensed what was coming, set his fork down with a sigh. “You were thinking what?”

“Maybe the triplets could stay with me over the summer.” She held her breath, hoping he would agree.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“They’ve had enough disruption in their short lives. I don’t want them moved again.”

“I want to live with Hope,” complained Dori, although Hope wasn’t sure if it was because she really wanted Hope or for the sake of starting an argument.

Lucy, forever following Dori’s lead, added, “Yeah, we wouldn’t have to share the bathroom with so many people there.”

Belle spoke so quietly that Hope almost missed her comment. “But I like being with Abby.”

Ignoring the comments from the peanut gallery, Hope said, “It’s not like they’re moving across country. I only live a few blocks away, for crying out loud.”

“I don’t care, Hope. That’s my decision. Kids, if you’re finished you can start clearing the table. We’ll have dessert later.”

Hope fumed as she started to stack plates. He hadn’t even considered her offer. She had the least responsibility of the two, why shouldn’t she take the triplets?

“Let the kids do that, Hope. It’s a beautiful day. Come and sit out on the deck with me.”

She put the plates down and followed her brother through the house and out onto his deck. He settled in a chair, but Hope leaned on the railing and stared off into space.

“I can certainly see where Dori gets her stubbornness from,” he said lightly.

Hope turned around. “What do you mean?”

“I wish you’d stop asking to take the girls.”

“I just don’t feel like I’m helping enough.”

“They spend the night with you at least once a week. You’re playing softball with Abby. All the kids adore you. You help out a lot.”

“I could do more.”

“I know how good you are with children, but you’ve never been a parent. It’s different. Plus Abby and the boys are old enough to give me a hand with—what do they call them at school?—‘The Terrible Trio?’”

“Don’t call them that,” she snapped. “If they hear that enough, they’ll start trying to live up to that title.”

“I think they already have,” said Joseph with a sigh that attested to the storms he’d already weathered with them.

Hope began to pace back and forth on the deck. She was so frustrated with the situation. “Maybe I should move in with you.”

“What?”

“I’d be here, then, when the kids need me.”

“This house is bursting at the seams as it is. You’d have to sleep in the bathtub. And believe me, that wouldn’t help the bathroom situation any.”

“The house wouldn’t be so crowded if you let the triplets come and live with me.”

“Hope…”

There really wasn’t any more she could do about it. Officially, Theresa had left her daughters in Joseph’s care.

Joseph got up and crossed the deck to put his arm around her. “You have to stop feeling guilty about Theresa. She created her own problems.”

“I could have spent the whole summer with her after Jamie died…”

“You offered. She said ‘no.’ Hope, you can’t just steamroll people. Sometimes they need help, but they don’t want it.”

Hope turned into him, and he gave her a hug. “You’re the baby of the family. Aren’t you supposed to be the spoiled, irresponsible one?” he teased.

“My big brother would never let me get away with being spoiled or irresponsible,” she mumbled into his shoulder.

“No, I guess you turned out all right, thanks to me.”

Hope pulled away from him and punched him on the arm. “Just all right?”

“Better than all right. Let’s go see if those dishes are done. Maybe we can get a game of monopoly going.” Joseph steered her back into the house, and Hope had to admit she’d lost another battle.

Table of Contents

Orchard Hill: volume Two

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 2

Chapter 1