“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.” Gabriel murmured the Lord’s Prayer. It should be a guide to him in his forgiveness of the man who had killed his wife and child. “Please, dear Lord, give me the strength to do what I must.”
* * *
“Mom! It’s after seven,” Peter called from the living room.
Rebecca cleaned Josh’s face after more of his breakfast ended up on him than in him. She placed him in his swing and went into the living room. “It’s only fifteen minutes after seven. Your dad lives several hours away. He’s just late. Relax, Peter. Watch some TV until he comes.”
Peter gave her a look that said she must be crazy, which might be true. She didn’t like him to watch much television, and here she was encouraging him to.
“I don’t want to miss him when he pulls up.” Peter turned to the window and stared out.
Rebecca saw her son’s new fishing gear—a gift from Craig—stacked in the corner by the front door. She noticed he had on his lucky fishing jacket. Worry nibbled at her composure. If Craig didn’t come, she didn’t know what she was going to do.
When she walked into the kitchen to clean up the breakfast dishes, she glanced at the clock over the stove. Craig had often been late. She hoped this was one of those times.
But twenty minutes later, she resolved to call him. At least that would end her son’s ordeal.
Quietly she lifted the receiver and punched in Craig’s number. On the third ring he picked it up, and Rebecca’s grip tightened on the phone until her knuckles were white.
“You haven’t even left yet?” she asked, instead of saying hello to his greeting.
“Sorry. I overslept.”
Rebecca heard no remorse in his voice. She inhaled a deep, fortifying breath, then blew it out through pursed lips. “Are you coming?”
“Nah. Too late. I have to be back this afternoon. I have plans.”
“Plans that are more important than being with your son on his birthday?”
“Tell Peter I’ll call him later. Did he get my present?”
“Yes. He has all his gear packed in the new tackle box and it’s by the front door while he waits at the window for you. Please talk to him.”
Craig mumbled something under his breath, then said, “Put him on.”
Rebecca went to the door to the living room and said, “Your dad wants to talk to you.”
Peter frowned. “Is he on his cell phone? Did his car break down?”
To spare her son’s feelings, for a second she thought about lying. “No, he’s at home.”
“But—” Peter hung his head and shuffled into the kitchen to pick up the phone.
Rebecca listened to her son’s one-word replies, watching his shoulders sag. She put her arms around him and held him against her while he mumbled goodbye to his father. Peter dropped the receiver, missing the cradle. She tightened her arms about him. When a beeping sound blared, Rebecca put the phone where it belonged.
“He’s not coming. He doesn’t know when he can see me,” Peter finally said, his body shaking.
Rebecca kissed the top of his head. “He’ll come as soon as he can. We’ll have a great day, anyway.”
Peter wrenched himself from her embrace. His face turned red, and his eyes narrowed. “My birthday is ruined! I don’t want to do anything!”
He raced from the room, and Rebecca heard him run up the stairs and slam his bedroom door. She sucked in deep gulps of air, trying to calm the thundering beat of her heart. Lord, why are You doing this to my family? Peter is an innocent. He doesn’t deserve this from his father.
When the sound of Josh’s swing stopped, she started toward it to take Josh out but halted halfway across the room. Her youngest son had grasped the bar and stalled its movement. He held his grip for a good twenty seconds before letting go, the swing falling backward.
Tears flowed down Rebecca’s face. In the midst of Peter’s disaster, Josh had done something he never had before. Even though tears streamed down her cheeks, she smiled and picked up her youngest son. Maybe God hadn’t deserted her family, after all.
“Where did you learn that, my man?” she asked, surprised by the strength he’d shown. She hugged Josh to her, listening to his cooing, relishing his baby scent.
She held him in front of her, staring into his sweet face. “Your big brother isn’t happy. What do you think we should do?”
Josh made some more sounds, his eyes bright.
The puppy! She would ask Gabriel to bring it over early. Maybe that would take Peter’s mind off his father.
With Josh in her arms Rebecca placed a call to Gabriel, realizing as she listened to his line ring that she hadn’t seen him since he walked away from the restaurant the night before. She started to hang up when his gruff voice said, “Hello.”
“Gabriel, is this a bad time?”
“Rebecca? No, I was just working out. A little out of breath. What’s up?”
“Peter’s dad backed out of coming today. Is there any chance you could bring the puppy over this morning?”
“You bet. I’ll shower and be right over.”
As she put the receiver in its cradle, Rebecca wondered what Gabriel needed. When she had last seen him, he had been devastated by the news of George’s release. That had been twelve hours before. He was always coming to her aid. Today she was determined to come to his and help him. If he would let her.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Rose let me in,” Gabriel said as he entered the kitchen and placed a cardboard box on the floor.
“Thanks for bringing the puppy. I know it’s early. I probably interrupted you, but—” The words died in Rebecca’s tight throat. She swallowed, but the dry ache deep inside her threatened her fragile composure.
“Don’t you worry about interrupting me. That’s what friends are for. To be there when others need them.” He studied her from across the expanse of the kitchen.
She saw the evidence of his sleepless night in his face and suddenly wanted to comfort him. “Gabriel, about last night at the pizza place.”
“Forget last night. This is about you. About Peter.”
The gruffness in his voice, the pain that briefly flashed in his eyes closed off that topic of conversation. He could comfort, but he didn’t want comfort. A seed of hurt buried itself in her, and she had to shut it down before she was caught up in a different kind of pain.
“Did Craig say anything about why he couldn’t come?”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand how he can do this to Peter. He’s just a little boy.” Tears glistened in her eyes, blurring her vision.
He came to her and drew her into his embrace. “I’m sorry, Rebecca.”
She had done so well until he touched her and held her close. The comfort of his arms, his soft, soothing words, opened the dam holding her tears. They spilled out unchecked. She cried, soaking his shirt, the faint thump of his heartbeat close to her ear, a rhythmic sound enticing her to find peace. She felt the calming stroke of his hand on her back and couldn’t shake the sensation that she had come home, that this man would protect and support her.
When there was nothing left inside her, she pulled back slightly and looked into his face. It was filled with compassion, and there was a touch of sadness in his eyes. She smiled.
“You seem to be coming to my rescue a lot lately.” A whimpering sound came from behind Gabriel. Rebecca peered around him and saw the white and brown puppy trying to get out of the carton.
“What do you think? Will Peter like her?”
“She’s beautiful.” Rebecca disengaged herself from Gabriel’s arms and knelt next to the box, scratching behind one of the puppy’s ears, which flopped over.
“Beautiful? More like a funny mix of several breeds that
weren’t meant to go together. But if she’s anything like Lady, she’ll be perfect as a boy’s pet.”
“It’s all in the eye of the beholder.” She lifted the puppy out of the box and held her up. The whimpering stopped. Big brown eyes stared at Rebecca, and she was lost. She hugged the warm, cuddly animal, finding its scent as appealing as a baby’s. “If she doesn’t help Peter forget his troubles, I don’t think anything will.”
“Where is he?”
“Upstairs in his bedroom.”
Gabriel swept his arm out. “Lead the way. We have some cheering up to do.”
Cradling the puppy in her arms, Rebecca walked through the living room, checking to make sure Josh was asleep in the swing. As she climbed the stairs to the second story, she sensed Gabriel’s gaze on her, and a blush flamed her cheeks. She remembered the feel of his arms about her, and the blush deepened. A warm, tingling sensation left goose bumps all over her body. If she wasn’t careful, she would come to depend on him too much.
She knocked on her son’s door, waited for him to say come in, and when he didn’t, she eased it open a crack. “Peter? Someone’s here to see you.”
Peter leaped off his bed. “Dad?”
Her smile died. “No, honey, you know he won’t be able to come. Chief Stone is here with something to show you.”
“I don’t wanna see anyone.” He plopped down on the bed and turned his back to her.
She opened the door wide and entered. “He brought you a gift.”
“I’m not—” The puppy made a noise, and Peter twisted around to look. His eyes widened, but he stayed on the bed, almost as though he were afraid to move for fear the puppy would vanish. “Whose dog is that?”
“When Chief Stone heard you always wanted a pet, he thought you might like one of Lady’s puppies.” Rebecca approached the bed and sat, extending the animal toward Peter. “That is, unless you don’t want her.”
Something snapped in her son’s eyes. He swung his legs around and sat up, taking the puppy into his arms and burying his face against her small body. “She’s mine?”
“She’s yours if you promise to take care of her,” Gabriel said, coming into the room. “I don’t give just anybody one of Lady’s litter.”
Peter looked at him, a serious expression on his face. “Oh, I’ll take great care of her. I promise.” A beaming smile split his face as he focused his attention on the puppy wiggling in his arms.
“What are you gonna name her?” Gabriel asked.
“I don’t know. I have to think on that,” Peter answered as though it was a grave matter. The puppy licked his finger, then began to gnaw on it.
“It took me a week to decide on Lady’s name.”
“It did?” Peter got on the floor with his new pet and let her waddle around.
“Hon, she isn’t housebroken.”
“She won’t do anything, Mom.”
The puppy proceeded to urinate on the throw rug. Rebecca watched Peter wince as he snatched his pet in midstream and got wet.
“Ugh! Mom!” Peter threw her a beseeching glance.
“I’ll go get something to clean up both of you.”
Rebecca left the room. Gabriel knelt on the floor next to Peter, who held the puppy at arm’s length. “You know animals, like people, don’t always do what we want.”
“Yeah, I see.”
“They can disappoint us.” Gabriel removed a handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to Peter.
The child wiped his arm and hand. “Tell me about it.”
“Do you want to talk about your dad not being able to make it this morning?”
Peter frowned. “No, there’s nothing to talk about. My dad was too busy to come see me. It happens.” Shrugging, he brought his pet to his chest and stroked her.
“Yeah, it happens, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt us when it does.”
“I’m okay. It was just a dumb old fishing trip. I didn’t want to go that bad, anyway.”
“That’s a shame. I was hoping you wanted to go fishing. I know a great place we could all go. We could take a picnic lunch, do some fishing and go hiking in the woods. There are several nature trails we could take.”
Peter continued to pet his puppy, but his movements slowed as though he was thinking on what Gabriel had said.
“Of course, this is my own special place. You’ll have to swear to keep it a secret. I don’t want too many people knowing about it, or all the good fish will be gone.”
Peter slanted a look at Gabriel. “Where?”
“I have to show you.”
“Can Josh and Mom come, too?”
“Yeah, sure, even Rose.”
Peter tilted his head and thought for a long moment. “Can I bring my puppy?”
“I don’t see why not. If she’s like Lady, she’ll love the outdoors.”
Peter scrambled to his feet. “Then let’s go. Before it gets too late.”
Gabriel laughed. “How about this?” He gestured toward the wet spot on the throw rug.
“Oh.” Peter grinned as Rebecca came into the room, carrying a spray bottle, paper towels and a sponge. “Mom will take care of it.”
Rebecca thrust the cleanup items into her son’s hands while taking his pet. “No, Mom will not. You might as well learn now how to do it.”
“But we—”
“No buts, Peter Michaels. If your dog messes, you clean up.”
Peter knelt and placed a paper towel over the puddle, muttering something about not having the time.
While her son worked on the mess, Rebecca looked toward Gabriel. “What’s going on?”
“We’re taking his birthday party to a little spot I know. How quickly can you prepare a picnic lunch and get ready to enjoy yourself outdoors, fishing, hiking and whatever else we fancy?”
“Where?” Rebecca asked, never one to go blindly anywhere without details.
“Mom, it’s a secret. Coach won’t say. He has to show us his special place,” Peter said, spraying the spot on the rug with half the bottle’s contents.
“Hon, I think that’s enough.” Rebecca took the cleaning liquid from Peter.
“We need to get moving. I want to show Mrs. Wiggles the outdoors. I know she’s gonna love going on hikes with me.”
Rebecca held a squirming Mrs. Wiggles for Peter to take. “It might be a while before she can go on long walks. I don’t think her legs will take her very far.”
“I’ll be her legs until she can follow me.” Peter slapped on his ball cap and started out the door.
Rebecca stared after her son. “What happened here?”
“I made an offer he couldn’t refuse?”
Rebecca folded her arms and quirked one brow.
“Okay. People love other people’s secrets, and I told Peter I would show him where my secret place was.”
“How secret?”
“Oh, probably only about half the county knows.”
“Only half? So how many others are going to be joining us at this secret place?”
“No one, at least I hope not. It’s on a piece of property I own outside of town.”
“I didn’t know you owned land in the country.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Rebecca Michaels.”
“Aren’t you the man of mystery?”
“There’s a lot I don’t know about you, too.”
“True.”
“But that’s the fun of new friends. Getting to know them.” Gabriel walked past her and out the bedroom door.
She followed, watching the casual way he moved, not a wasted motion. Friends. That’s what they were. Nothing else, Rebecca thought, trying to ignore the bittersweet pang piercing her heart.
* * *
Rebecca used her body to shut the door on Gabriel’s four-wheel drive, then lugged the two bags of food they had brought on to the plaid blanket spread on the ground. She set the food beside a cooler that was filled with soda and ice. Surveying all they had brought, she had to laugh. Jo
sh sat propped in his swing so he could see his surroundings. Granny sat in her lounge chair, and Gabriel and Josh headed for the stream with their tackle boxes and fishing poles.
Rebecca adjusted the awning on Josh’s swing. “I think we have half our house here,” she said, sitting in the chair between her youngest and Granny.
Her grandmother patted the arm of her lounger. “All the comforts of home. That’s the way I like to commune with nature.”
The sound of the stream flowing over rocks and the birds in the nearby trees soothed Rebecca, and she closed her eyes and let the sun bathe her face. She inhaled a deep breath, the scent of the woods behind her filling her nostrils with pine and earth, a potent reminder of the man responsible for them being here.
Gabriel had given her son a reason to celebrate on his birthday. Peter’s laughter filled her with joy. “This is heavenly.”
“That it is, child. God knew what He was doing when He created this spot.”
Mrs. Wiggles yelped. Rebecca opened her eyes to find the puppy trying to escape the leash that confined her movements. Her son’s new pet saw him on the bank, casting his line, and wanted to be with him. “Getting Peter a dog was the best thing I’ve done in a long time.” She rose and untied Mrs. Wiggles, who scampered after Peter.
“I can think of a few more things you’ve done that were just as good.”
“What?”
“Becoming friends with Gabriel. Letting him help you. Child, you don’t let people help you often.”
“Why, Granny, that’s not true. I came to live with you.”
“But you insist on doing everything. I have to practically arm wrestle you to hold Josh, to feed him.”
“I don’t want to be a burden to anyone, especially you, after you were so gracious in opening your home to me and my children. Besides, you’re taking care of Josh while I work—at least until I can come up with a more permanent solution.”
“You’re family. Family is meant to rely on each other. Don’t you know that?”
Rebecca found her floppy white hat and put it on. “I suppose I do in here—” she touched her head “—but not in here.” She laid a hand over her heart.
The Power of Love Page 9