He inhaled deeply, then released it slowly. “I’m not very good at pouring my heart out. I hope practice makes perfect.”
A few seconds passed, and Zoey started to say something when Dane continued. “You’re aware that I had a little brother who died young, but I never shared with you how. In fact, I did my best to try and forget how. I think it’s about time I tell you since it’s the driving reason behind so much of what I’ve done.”
Dane searched for her hand resting between them on the bench and clasped it. Again he pulled a gulp of air into his lungs. “This isn’t easy for me, Zoey, but you need to know it.”
“Take your time. Mom’s got the kids.”
He squeezed her hand and brought it up to lay in his lap, cupping it between both of his. “I tried to protect Jacob the best I could from our dad. Most of the time I was successful, but occasionally Dad got ahold of him when he had been drinking and slapped him around. I was twelve when our mom died. That’s when Dad began to drink all the time. Before that, not too often. She seemed to have a calming effect on our dad that I never did.”
“That should never be a child’s job, Dane.” She’d seen this before in students she had counseled and it was never easy—the child becoming the parent.
“I know that in my mind but—” he brought their linked hands up so he could touch the place over his heart “—not in here. Whenever I couldn’t protect my little brother, I felt I had let him down somehow. I should have been able to protect him.”
“Did you have anyone you could tell?”
“I tried once to let my aunt know but she wouldn’t listen. Also, a teacher, but my dad had some influence in the town and people didn’t believe me. By the time I turned sixteen, Dad didn’t threaten Jacob or me any longer. I was bigger than my father by then. That’s why I didn’t go away to college. I needed to be there for Jacob.
“When our father died, I began to look after Jacob since I was twenty. Jacob was fifteen at the time.”
When Dane paused, his eyes sliding close, Zoey turned toward him, wanting to get as close to him as possible. “I’m so sorry about your father. No wonder Eddy’s plight got to you.”
“By the time Jacob was sixteen he was into drugs, but I didn’t know it. I was too wrapped up into going to college to be a counselor so I could help others who had gone through a similar situation like me. I was also working thirty-five hours a week so I could keep Jacob with me. By the time my father died, the family’s money was almost completely gone.” He paused for a few seconds, staring up into the tree above him. “I failed my little brother. The signs were there. I just didn’t want to see them. Where Jacob was concerned I had blinders on.”
“We never want to believe the worst of our loved ones.”
“He was crying out for help, and I wasn’t listening. He finally took an overdose and died on my bed when I was at the clinic at school running a counseling session. I was late getting home that night or I might have been there in time. Sometimes I wonder if he had really wanted to do it or was just trying to get my attention and it went too far. I’ll never know, but it has eaten at me for years. If I hadn’t stayed that extra half hour, I could…”
Zoey’s breath caught, the picture that popped into her mind sending a shudder through her. “Oh, Dane,” she murmured, her throat clogged with tears. Guilt drove people to do so many things.
“I tried to revive Jacob while I waited for the ambulance. He never regained consciousness. After that I changed my focus. I wasn’t going to let others go through what I did. I was in my last year of college and decided to use my psychology training to catch the people who prey on other’s weaknesses.”
The tremor in his voice misted her eyes. A lone tear slipped down her cheek.
“As you know, right out of college I joined the DEA and you know the rest. My life became a crusade against any person selling or manufacturing drugs. I was determined to rid the world of every drug dealer there was.” His body shook with his journey into the past. He slanted a pained look toward her. “Naive, wasn’t it?”
“If there weren’t people like you trying, the drug problem would be worse than it is.”
“After Jacob’s death I didn’t think I could counsel anyone. How could I when I let my own brother down? I tried once at the halfway house and failed miserably.”
“Is that why you refused Samuel’s suggestion to run the youth center?”
Dane nodded, visibly swallowing as he stared off into the distance. “Then Eddy came along and showed me there was a need in Sweetwater. Blake’s problems only confirmed the necessity for me to be around more than I have been. I haven’t been here for you or the children much, even before my disappearance. That’s gonna change now.” He slid a half grin toward her. “You all might get tired of me after a few months.”
“I think we’ll manage.”
He took her into his arms. “I won’t be an open book, but I’ll try to share my feelings more. Writing in that journal has helped. The psychologist I saw when I first came back from the Amazon suggested I do that. It was awkward at first, but now I actually look forward to it. I even think the journal has made telling you easier.” Cradling her head, he peered into her gaze. “I love you, Zoey. That’s an emotion I’m one hundred percent sure of.”
Tears of joy flooded her eyes. “I love you. That’s why everything hurt so much.”
“Your decision to move back to Sweetwater was a good one. When I was in Dallas at the office, all I could think about was something to do with this town. I haven’t been here two months and it’s already in my blood.”
“Sweetwater has a way of doing that to a person. Then you really don’t mind staying in a small town and not working at the DEA?”
“When I signed my resignation, I experienced a peace I never have before. Helping kids work through their problems is what I should do. I wasn’t there for Jacob, but maybe I can be for someone else. I can’t bring my little brother back, but I might be able to stop some other kid from going down that path. I’m certainly going to try.”
Zoey wound her arms around his neck, compelling him to look at her. “You did the best you could. You’re looking at the situation through hindsight. We can always see our mistakes then. You took your brother in, you provided for him and protected him as much as you could. Sometimes what we do isn’t always enough, but that doesn’t mean we spend the rest of our lives beating ourselves up over it.”
“I know that now. I figured if God can forgive me, I can forgive myself. Eddy has shown me a path I had forsaken in my grief and it feels right.”
Zoey tugged Dane’s head down, pressing his lips into hers. As his kiss deepened, he brought her up on his lap and cuddled her against him, the racing of his heart matching hers.
EPILOGUE
“Where in the world did you get these huge scissors?” Dane asked, taking the pair from Zoey.
“It wasn’t easy. But I wanted something special for this ribbon-cutting ceremony. It isn’t everyday my husband gets to open a youth center he’s going to run.” Zoey faded back into the line of people crowded around the entrance into the Sweetwater Youth Center.
Dane stood next to Samuel in front of the red ribbon slung across the double doors into the two-story building. He held the oversized scissors in position as Samuel quieted the throng of well-wishers.
“It’s been four months since Dane Witherspoon suggested this center for the youth in Sweetwater. A place for them to hang out after school and during the holidays. A place where they can come for help and guidance. A safe haven. Probably sometime in the future we would have finally gotten around to proposing the youth center, but it took this man beside me to prod us into doing it, not just talking about it. And the best part is he has agreed to run the center for us. His background in counseling made him an excellent candidate for the position, but mostly it is his caring nature that will make him a success. So without further ado, let’s go inside and see the new center.”
With flus
hed cheeks, Dane took his cue and snipped the ribbon, then stepped forward to open the doors for the crowd to enter. He stood on one side while Samuel was on the other, greeting everyone as they went into the building.
Zoey hung back and watched her husband shake hands with the people filing into the center. Her chest swelled with pride at how much Dane had come to fit into Sweetwater, as though he had grown up in the town. He’d even wooed Wilbur to his way of thinking.
Beth came to her side and leaned close. “You all coming to dinner tonight?”
“Of course. Anytime I don’t have to cook is great.”
“Good, because I had one of my nights where I cooked for hours and have way too much food. I’ve got to get rid of it.”
Zoey slanted a look at her friend. “What’s got you worried?”
“Craig and Blake’s band are playing this afternoon at the grand opening of the center. He doesn’t seem to get nervous whenever he plays, but I do enough worrying for every boy in the band.”
“They’ve done great at church. They’ve been practicing a lot lately. They’ll do fine.”
“That’s what Samuel and Dane keep telling me, but a mother’s job is to worry.”
Zoey noticed the crowd thinning out and started to move toward Dane. “Worrying will only give you gray hairs.”
“I’m still new at this mothering role. I wish I could be as laid-back as you.”
The sound of a popular song drifted to Zoey. “They’ve started. Let’s get inside. I don’t want to miss any of their performance.”
Samuel and Beth walked into the building ahead of them. Dane pulled Zoey against his side and slipped his arm around her shoulders. The chords on the keyboard Blake played filled the air with harmony while the sun shone down and the smells of summer laced the breeze.
“Thank you, Zoey Witherspoon, for making these past months the best ones I’ve ever had. I didn’t think it was possible for my love to grow but it has.”
Zoey stared into his dark gaze and realized all her dreams had come true. She had a family and a loving, caring husband, an equal partner who gave of himself.
* * * * *
Dear Reader,
This story about Zoey and Dane is about love, hope and second chances. Their faith was tested in When Dreams Come True. When life intruded, separating them, Zoey turned to the Lord and her faith to get her through the ordeal. Dane turned away, floundering on his own. Often in life we are given second chances. Sometimes we fail to make them work. Sometimes we are lucky enough to grasp them and reclaim what is precious. Dane had to learn to put trust in the Lord, himself and Zoey. He also had forgotten how to let go of the past and trust again. Trust is at the heart of most successful relationships, whether with the Lord or a loved one.
Another issue I dealt with in this story was learning when to get help. Eddy had trouble dealing with his situation concerning his father’s drinking. It is important for people dealing with a loved one who is an alcoholic to get help. There are organizations to help. One of them is Al-Anon. You can get information at www.al-anon.alateen.org.
I love hearing from readers. You can contact me at P.O. Box 2074, Tulsa, OK 74101, or visit my Web site at www.margaretdaley.com.
Best wishes,
SPECIAL EXCERPT FROM
Widower Caleb King is set on raising his two small children alone. But when he’s unexpectedly injured, Jessie Miller steps in to help heal this family—and find her own happily-ever-after.
Read on for a sneak preview of
SECOND CHANCE AMISH BRIDE by Marta Perry,
The first book in her brand new miniseries
Brides of Lost Creek
available now from Love Inspired!
The hospital van bounced over a rut in the farm lane, and Caleb King leaned forward to catch the first glimpse of his home. At last—those four weeks in the rehab hospital after his leg surgery had seemed endless, but finally he was coming back to his central Pennsylvania farm. If only he could jump down from the van, hug his kinder, and plunge back into the life of being a dairy farmer.
But he couldn’t. His hands tightened on the arms of the wheelchair, and he glared at the cast on his leg. How much longer would he have to count on the kindness of his family and neighbors to keep the farm going?
Caleb glanced toward the Fisher farm across the fields. The spot where the barn had been before the fire was cleared now, and stacks of fresh lumber showed a new barn would soon rise in its place. For an instant he was back in the burning structure with Sam Fisher, struggling to get the last of the stock out before the place was consumed. He heard again Sam’s shout, saw the fiery timber falling toward him, tried to dive out of the way…
He should have thought himself blessed it had been only his leg that suffered. And doubly blessed that Sam had hauled him out of there at the risk of his own life.
The van stopped at the back porch. Caleb reached for the door handle and then realized he couldn’t get it open. He’d have to wait for the driver to lower the wheelchair to the ground. How long until he’d be able to do the simplest thing for himself? He gritted his teeth. He was tired of being patient. He had to get back to normal.
By the time Caleb reached the ground, Onkel Zeb was waiting with Caleb’s two little ones, and his heart leaped at the sight of them. Six-year-old Becky raced toward him, blond braids coming loose from under her kapp, which probably meant Onkel Zeb had fixed her hair.
“Daadi, Daadi, you’re home!” She threw herself at him, and he bent forward to catch her and pull her onto his lap, loving the feel of her small arms around him.
“Home to stay,” he said, and it was a promise. He hugged her tight. His young ones had lost too much with their mother’s desertion and death. They had to know that he was always here for them.
Reminding himself that whatever Alice’s sins, he must forgive her, he held out his hand to Timothy, who clung to Onkel Zeb’s pant leg. “Komm, Timothy. You know Daadi, ain’t so?”
Little Timothy was almost four, and his blue eyes had grown huge at the sight of the lift and the wheelchair. But at the sound of Caleb’s voice, he seemed to overcome his shyness. He scrambled into Caleb’s lap, managing to kick the heavy cast in the process.
Onkel Zeb winced at the sight. “Careful, Timmy. Daadi’s leg…”
Caleb stopped him with a shake of his head. “It’s worth it for a big hug from my boy.”
Nodding, Onkel Zeb grasped Caleb’s shoulder, his faded blue eyes misting over. His lean, weathered face seemed older than it had been before the accident, most likely from worry. “Ach, it’s wonderful gut to have you home again.”
The driver slammed the van door, smiling at the kinder. “Don’t forget, I’ll be back to pick you up for your therapy appointment next week.” He waved as he rounded the van to go back to the driver’s seat.
Caleb grimaced as the van pulled out. “I wish I could forget it. I’d like to be done with hospitals.”
“Never mind. You’re getting well, ain’t so? That’s what’s important.” Zeb started pushing the wheelchair toward the back door, where a new wooden ramp slanted down from the porch. “Sam Fisher and Daniel put the ramp in last week so it’d be all ready when you came home.”
“Nice work.” Of course it was. His brother Daniel was a skilled carpenter. Caleb tried to look appreciative, but it was hard when he kept seeing reminders of his helplessness everywhere he looked. “Is Sam still helping with the milking?”
“I told him not to come in the morning anymore. With Thomas Schutz working every day, we’re getting along all right.” Zeb paused. “I was thinking it might be gut to have Thomas stay on full-time even after you’re back on your feet. We could use the extra pair of hands.”
Caleb shrugged, not willing to make that decision so quickly. Still, Thomas seemed eager to earn the money for his widowed mother, and he was a bright lad. They could do worse than take the boy on until Timothy was of an age to help.
“At least for now we’ll keep him f
ull-time,” he said. “And we’ll have Edith Berger continue with the house and the young ones.”
Onkel Zeb stopped pushing when they reached the door. Caleb glanced up and was surprised at the look of discomfort on Zeb’s face.
“About Edith…her daughter has been having some health troubles and needs her mamm. So Edith had to go to her. She isn’t coming anymore.”
Caleb’s hands clenched again as the chair bumped over the doorstep into the house. He could hardly care for the kinder when he couldn’t even go up the stairs. “We’ll have to find someone…”
His words trailed off as they entered the kitchen. A woman in Plain dress stood at the stove, taking a pie from the oven.
“Here’s a blessing arrived this morning that we didn’t expect.” Onkel Zeb sounded as if he forced a note of cheerfulness into his voice. “Look who has komm to help us out.”
The woman turned as he spoke. Her soft brown hair was drawn back into a knot under a snowy kapp. She had on a dark green dress with an apron to match that made her hazel eyes look green. The woman wasn’t one of the neighbors or someone from the church. It was Jessie Miller, cousin of the wife who’d left him, and the last person he wanted to find in his kitchen.
For a long moment they stared at each other. Jessie’s oval face might have been a bit paler than normal, but if she was uncomfortable, she was trying not to show it. Caleb’s jaw hardened until it felt it might break. Jessie had offered her assistance once before, just after Alice left, and he’d turned her down in no uncertain terms. What made her think she could expect a wilkom now?
“Caleb.” Jessie nodded gravely. “I’m sehr glad to see you home again.”
He could hardly say that he was happy to see her, but a warning look from Onkel Zeb reminded him that the kinder were looking on. “Yah, it’s wonderful gut to be here.” Becky pressed close to the chair, and he put his arm around her. “What are you…how did you get here?” And why have you komm?
When Dreams Come True Page 19