by Delia Latham
Dawni made no effort to resist that beautiful kiss. Why would she turn away from Heaven?
When Gavin pulled back, just far enough to look into her eyes, she slid both hands around his neck. Drawing his face closer, she whispered against his ear. “Let’s go see our baby.”
****
Sunday morning found Dawni outside Angel Falls Tabernacle. One trembling hand held tight to Gavin’s strong, steady one. The other tugged gently at the pendant around her neck.
“Hey.” Gavin coaxed her chin upward and peered into her heart. “Relax. You’ll love this, I promise. And everyone here will love you.”
She grimaced. Her promise to Pia—that she would try to trust God—kept her from running away.
She’d spent all of the previous afternoon with little Guy, refusing to acknowledge the very real possibility that, come Monday, she’d have to say goodbye to him forever.
And here she stood, about to enter a church for the first time in her life. Gavin had asked her to come, and she probably would have done so just to make him happy, but Dawni also held to a small but persistent ray of hope.
Maybe in God’s house, she’d be able to see Him more clearly. Maybe she could make Him see how desperately she loved little Guy. Maybe within the sacred walls of His dwelling place, He’d be more prone to granting her this one, life-changing, heart-wrenching request.
No one could ever accuse her of not giving this trust thing a genuine effort. “Right.” She hiked her chin and straightened her shoulders. “Well, let’s do this.”
Chuckling, Gavin ushered her through the heavy oak entrance.
The door closed behind them and she wilted against his side. A sense of deep, unshakeable peace flowed around her entire being and poured into her soul…easing the pain that had threatened to choke her only moments before. She raised her gaze and gasped.
Angels. Everywhere.
They walked the aisles, weaving gracefully between rows of seated parishioners. Lovely wings spread, they hovered over groups of softly conversing church members. Two of the heavenly beings approached Dawni and Gavin. They extended their hands in welcome, while beautiful smiles—almost too beautiful to behold—lit their faces with indescribable glory.
“Dawni? Honey, what’s wrong?” Gavin’s voice was anxious, and vague—as if it came from a great distance.
Dawni slowly became aware that he was holding her up. She blinked, and the angels dimmed.
But they were still there. She saw them—they’d simply diminished their glory enough to allow her to function once again. She wasn’t delusional. The angels were real. And God. He was real, too. The Creator of those fantastic beings. How much more glorious…beautiful…all-powerful must He be?
“Dawni?”
She stood up straight, under her own strength—and perhaps a bit of power from Someone else—and smiled.
Something in Gavin’s face told her he saw much more in that little curve of her lips than she had time or opportunity to actually share in this moment.
“I’m fine, cowboy.” Her hands still trembled, but not because she was frightened, or even nervous. She didn’t know much about such things, but Dawni was pretty sure a heavenly encounter such as she’d just experienced would bring on a case of the trembles for any human being—even the strong, self-assured man at her side. Pure, raw emotion raged through her body and mind.
Gavin drew her close to his side and led her to a seat. Dawni glanced around the big room. Several familiar faces from the Heart’s Haven barbecue smiled her way. Hands raised in greeting, and a strong sense of welcome—unlike anything she’d ever experienced before—wrapped her in a holy hug.
She wanted to weep, but her face seemed frozen in a huge, happy smile. Somehow, these people she barely knew were like the family she’d never had.
Gavin leaned close after they were seated. “Are you sure you’re OK?”
She nodded once and spoke softly. “More than OK. Did you know there are angels all around this room?”
Gavin’s eyes widened. “You see them?”
“Oh, yes. I see them, and they’re glorious. Just….glorious.”
The first strains of music flowed over the sanctuary, and everyone found a seat.
From that moment, Dawni was caught up in the wonder of spiritual awakening.
Pastor David delivered a riveting sermon titled, of all possible subjects, “Trusting God is Easy. Just Do It.”
When he extended the altar invitation, Dawni didn’t experience even an instant’s doubt. She tugged at Gavin’s hand. “Come with me…?”
The smile he gave her then made the angels’ smiles seem like a distant memory. Pure joy shone from his eyes in a beacon of…something Dawni was afraid to name.
Then he took her hand and led her to the front of the church. In a small group near the altar, a circle of newly familiar faces waited with Pastor David, eager to welcome Dawni into the family of God.
11
The next morning, Dawni didn’t bother with Designing Woman. She owned the company…why shouldn’t she take a day off now and then? Little Guy’s grandmother was scheduled to take him away today, but Dawni wanted to hold him in her arms every possible moment until then.
Staying away from the baby had grown increasingly difficult over the past weeks. Besides, Nonna and the rest of the staff clearly needed all the extra help they could get. Dawni’s being there, taking little Guy off their hands for a few hours, made their job easier.
Still, she owed her clients her best, so she’d been staying at her desk for the mandatory, self-imposed six hours every day. But she’d done it with one eye on the clock, and the moment she’d put in her time, she shut everything down and headed for the ranch as fast as she could make the wheels turn on her vehicle.
Today, she kept the car a mile or so under the speed limit, while she faced the truth. She adored Little Guy. The thought of losing him was killing her, and she’d fall apart if not for her newfound trust in God. But she had to face the truth. The baby wasn’t the only strong draw for her at the ranch.
Gavin was there too. He worked long, hard hours. Back at the cottage, she’d see him only rarely. Out at the ranch, however, he always found time to step in and see the baby—and yes, she knew his quick visits were for her, as well—a few times a day.
More and more, she’d come to look forward to those little interludes. But the trip-hammering of her heart when she looked up to find him lounging against the doorframe, watching her cuddle little Guy, set off a hundred warning bells somewhere in the region of her questionable good sense.
What was she thinking? She’d fought and clawed her way out of the judicial system, where she’d bounced from orphanage to foster home to orphanage countless times through the years.
The orphanage wasn’t an easy place to be, but she’d preferred it to the foster homes. At least she had a friend or two amongst the orphanage staff, who looked out for her as much as they were able.
Foster homes were dangerous. Some people fostered children for the right reasons…but a good many did not. She’d suffered more abuse within those supposedly safe confines than she’d ever shared with anyone. Shame and embarrassment kept her silent, but she’d determined early on to free herself of the system, no matter what.
And she’d done it, but her freedom came at the cost of any kind of social life, and a total lack of friends. She’d been too busy setting herself up to worry about those things. When she managed legal emancipation at sixteen, she’d immediately set about getting Designing Woman off to a strong start, and determined not to allow anything to get in the way of making it a success.
From the time she’d achieved that hard-won legal freedom until now…seven long years later…she’d worked with a single-minded determination. Once she had the business in the black, she’d finally found the courage to shake the dust of San Antonio off her feet and start a new life in a new location.
Maybe the move had been a mistake. She’d been here at Angel Falls less
than three months, and already her business was paying the price. Not that she’d let any clients down, but she’d always loved graphic design. Putting in her allotted hours each day had never been a chore…until now.
With Gavin’s crooked grin inserting itself into her mind at odd moments, she was more and more distracted—to say nothing of her constant yearning to see little Guy’s dimples and cuddle his soft, snuggly body against her heart.
Bottom line. Completely aside from setting herself up for heartbreak, which would come without doubt when the baby’s family took him home, she’d risked her livelihood—and that was unacceptable.
Designing Woman was rapidly becoming a respected and sought-out part of the graphic design industry, and she couldn’t afford to place that hard-won success in any kind of peril. She’d been an orphan since birth, but she refused to remain penniless and dependent on others all her life.
She wouldn’t…couldn’t risk the personal independence and career success she’d achieved with such stubborn will. No. She had to free herself of the emotional bonds she’d allowed to wrap around her heart since coming to Angel Falls.
And the sooner the better. She’d do it today, right after she watched little Guy disappear from her life. Might as well make the break clean and complete.
Both little Guy and Gavin. Today.
****
Nonna rushed across the room when Dawni entered the children’s facility. Her hazel eyes reflected the green in her top, and glowed with…something good, because she also wore a huge smile. “I thought you’d never get here.” She reached out without warning and pulled Dawni into a tight hug. “I have wonderful news.”
Dawni caught her breath, surprised by the woman’s uncharacteristic display of emotion. She disentangled herself from Nonna’s arms and took a step backward. “What is it?” Her heart pounded hard in her chest.
Only one thing could make Nonna so over-the-top excited. The grandmother had been approved to take Little Guy. He had a home.
Despite the hearty pep talk she’d given herself on the way over, Dawni was a long ways from ready. She waited for the director’s answer, and darkness teased at the edges of her vision. The whole plan she’d come up with on the way over—to sever every bond—was pure nonsense.
She could no more free herself of her attachment to little Guy than she could rip out her own heart. He was hers! The angel had given him to her. Surely God wouldn’t take him away now…would He? Her faith was so new, so untested. Still she clung to it, refusing to feed on the little seeds of doubt that inserted themselves into her spirit.
Nonna’s brow creased. “Sweetie, you’re white as a sheet. Here, sit down.” A chair bumped the back of Dawni’s knees, rendering her powerless to disobey. She sank onto the offered seat and closed her eyes.
“When is she coming for him?” Her eyes flew open at a sudden, horrible thought. “She hasn’t taken him already, has she?”
“Oh, Dawni. I’m sorry…I so did not mean to scare you half outta your wits!” Nonna took a seat next to her and grasped both of her hands. “Little Guy is right back there in his room, waiting for his mommy to take him home.”
Dawni bit her lip, but managed to hold it together. “You mean his grandmother, of course—not his mommy. When is she coming, then?”
“No, I meant his mommy. The grandmother can’t have him.”
“She…what?”
Gavin appeared and knelt at her side, a huge grin stretched from one ear to the other. “She can’t have him, honey. Little Guy’s mother came forward and admitted that her mother abused her all her life—extreme emotional cruelty and severe physical beatings—and the girl bears the evidence in horrid scars on her back. She admitted everything to keep her mother from getting little Guy.” He wrapped Dawni in a quick, tight hug. “Granny’s not gettin’ our baby.”
“Oh!” Dawni breathed the word, hardly daring to believe she wasn’t dreaming. “Oh, that poor girl!”
“Yes. Her world hasn’t been much fun. But Susanna has found an aunt—the girl’s father’s sister. She lives somewhere out in California, and is apparently a wonderful Christian woman who wants Tina—the baby’s mommy—to come live with her.” He squeezed Dawni’s hands. “I believe God is bringing about a miracle for Tina—and for us.”
Puzzled, Dawni frowned. “Us?”
“Uh-huh.” Gavin stood and pulled her up beside him. “Come on. Let’s go see the baby, and I’ll explain.”
Little Guy was awake, kicking and playing. When Dawni bent over his crib, he let out a burst of baby laughter that wrapped around her heart in a knot too tight to ever be undone. In the next instant, he reached both little arms upward in an awkward plea to be picked up.
Dawni sucked in a breath. “Did you see that?”
“Sure did. He reached for his mommy. Go ahead, honey, take him.”
She didn’t need to be told twice. Hugging the baby to her heart, she met Gavin’s bright, excited gaze over little Guy’s curly head. “You were going to explain…?”
“I was, wasn’t I? And here you are holdin’ a kid. Oh, well, he’s a part of this too.”
Gavin stepped close and pulled both of them into his arms. “Dawni Manors, this cowboy has taken a real bad tumble. So bad, in fact, I’m pretty sure I’m never going to be able to get over it.”
“What in the world are you talking about, cowboy?” Dawni stepped backward, freeing the squirming baby from his pinched position between the two of them. “Did your horse throw you?”
Gavin laughed. “Well, no. But my heart threw me good and proper.” He stepped close and slipped an arm around her waist, then lifted her chin and held it in place, so she couldn’t look away. “Don’t you know I’ve fallen in love with you, Dawni? Head over heart over heels in love.”
Dawni sucked in a breath. “You…uh. No, Gavin. You’re being silly. Don’t do that.”
“Nothing silly happenin’ here. I meant every word. Head. Over heart. Over heels. I love you, city girl. You’re the first thing I think about when I open my eyes in the mornin’. And I go to sleep at night with the vision of your beautiful face on my mind. You’ve turned my life upside down and inside out—and I’m lovin’ it.”
Dawni swallowed hard. Dared she believe a man like Gavin could really love her?
“If you don’t say somethin’ soon, I’m gonna fall apart.” Gavin pulled a tiny box from his pocket and flipped it open.
Dawni gasped, staring down at the most beautiful diamond she’d ever seen—not that she’d seen many at the orphanage.
“Tell me there’s a chance—even a small one—that you’ll let me put this ring on your finger and make you my wife.”
Little Guy grabbed at the pendant around her neck, and she gently pried his little fingers loose…and then wrapped her own trembling ones around the jewelry. A zing of something electric shot from Pia’s gift, all the way up her arm and straight to her heart. Dawni pulled in a sharp breath. Yes, this was right.
“Dawni?” For the first time ever, Dawni heard a hint of something less than assured in Gavin’s voice, and she ached to take it away.
She loved her cocky cowboy. She loved him. Dropping the pendant, she reached around the baby and ran a hand down one side of Gavin’s oh-so-perfect face. “Yes.”
“Y-yes?” His eyes widened, and he wrapped a big hand around each of her arms. “Does that mean…?”
“It means yes, cowboy. I love you too…with all my heart—even though I sure didn’t mean to take that fall. So yes, Gavin Sampson.” Tears streaked her face, and she didn’t care in the slightest. “I’ll wear that ring with pride.”
“Yeeeee-haw!” Gavin jerked off his Stetson and tossed it in the air. “The lady loves me!”
Dawni couldn’t stop laughing, even as tears continued a steady stream down her cheeks.
Gavin drew close and dropped a kiss on little Guy’s red-gold curls. “Sorry, little fella, but I really need to kiss your mommy. You’re going back into the crib for a minute.”
Dawni giggled. “Shame on you.”
“I ain’t ashamed. Put that kid down. He’s in a dangerous spot right now.”
“OK.” She kissed the baby’s cheek and gave him a gentle pat on the back.
Little Guy responded with a good, strong burp.
Dawni’s eyes widened.
Gavin laughed out loud. “I’d say we’re off to a fine start as a family, wouldn’t you? You’ve learned how to burp the baby.”
She laid the infant in his crib and turned around to find herself in Gavin’s arms. He lowered his face and moved his lips over hers in a slow dance that robbed her of strength and breath. She could live happily ever after right where she stood at this moment.
After some time, he pulled away. “Can we make it official really soon, or are you hung up on havin’ a great big, fancy-schmancy wedding?”
“Are you kidding? I’d be scared to death of a big, fancy wedding. All I need is a simple ceremony. Really.”
“Well, good. Because, you know, the sooner we get married, the sooner we can take our baby home.”
She gasped. “Really? You’d be willing..?”
“Willing?” Gavin laughed and pulled her closer, tugging her head onto his shoulder. “Honey, I love little Guy as much as you do. I’m not about to risk losing him to anyone else. That grandmother thing scared me plumb silly. Let’s not let it happen again, OK? I’ve already looked into adoption, hoping and praying you’d say yes.”
Dawni stepped out of his hold and held out her hand, wiggling her fingers, one eyebrow lifted high.
A grinning Gavin slipped the sparkling diamond on her finger.
She attempted a sultry wink. “Deal, cowboy. You’ve got yourself a bride and a little cowpoke.”
Laughing, he turned her to face the crib, pulled her against him, and slipped both arms around her waist.
They drank in the sight of little Guy’s happy kick-fest.
He would soon be theirs—by faith in the God who loved them all.