The Shadows Trilogy Box Set: A Christian Romance

by Juliette Duncan

  The job was perfect for him. He loved tinkering with things, but he also had plenty of contact with people. People who cared about him, especially Paul. Thank God for Paul. He always had time for Daniel. And Daniel always talked about Paul. Almost as if they’d known each other for years, not just a couple of months.

  Lizzy smiled at Dillon’s chuckles. He was growing so quickly. God had really blessed them with this little man. Her heart swelled with love for him.

  “Feel better?” Lizzy smiled at Daniel, her body unexpectedly tingling as he stood there in his work overalls looking spunky. A spark of life had returned to his eyes, much better than yesterday’s steely hardness.

  “Yes, thank you, love.” He bent down and allowed Dillon to grab his finger. “Hello little man. My, how you’re growing.” Daniel lifted the baby out of the bouncer and sat him in his lap as he ate breakfast.

  “You’re getting very skilled at that,” Lizzy said. “Watch out! He’ll steal your toast!”

  Daniel chuckled, a warm smile growing on his face. “He’s just got a good appetite. Here. Take this, little man.”

  “He can’t eat that yet, Daniel. He’s only three months old!”

  “He can suck on it if he wants to, surely. It won’t hurt him.” His eye twinkled with a hint of mischief.

  Lizzy shook her head and laughed. “How can I win against the two of you?”

  “You don’t need to, my love. You have us both eating out of your hand.”

  “If only…” Lizzy rolled her eyes, but the grin on her face reflected the joy in her heart at having Daniel almost back to normal.

  “Here, you’d better take him, and I’ll be off.” Standing, Daniel drained his mug, then passed Dillon over to Lizzy before placing both his hands on her shoulders and looking deeply into her eyes. “Lizzy, thank you. I mean it. I truly don’t deserve you.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. “I love you.” He pulled away slowly and held her gaze for a moment before leaving.

  Lizzy stood at the window and watched him walk to the shed. Normally he’d be whistling and have a spring to his step, but today he walked in silence with his shoulders slumped. Must have his Da on his mind. Poor Daniel. He climbed into the tractor, reversed it out, and then waved before trundling off down the track. Lizzy’s heart ached. How she hated to see him struggling like this. They’d been so happy since they’d been here. It wasn’t fair.

  With the tractor out of sight, Lizzy put Dillon down and picked up the phone to call Nessa. She let it ring longer than normal, but was about to hang up when Nessa finally answered.

  “Nessa! Lizzy here.”

  “Lizzy! Good to hear from you. I hope all’s well…”

  Lizzy inhaled deeply before relaying the events of the previous day and night.

  “Oh Liz, that must have been horrible for Daniel. We always wondered what happened to his father. I guess we assumed we’d never see him again. But now, to turn up like that, poor Daniel. He was such a mean man, Lizzy. No-one held any respect for him whatsoever. It’s a wonder I haven’t heard from my side about him turning up. But then, I haven’t talked to anyone for a while.”

  “I’m not sure how long he’s been back, but Daniel’s refusing to see him. Can’t say I blame him. He’s so upset about it all, but the best thing, Ness, when he went to town last night, he didn’t drink! I was so relieved when Paul brought him home, sober.”

  “Oh Lizzy, that’s wonderful! He’s making progress then.”

  “Yes, he is.” Lizzy smiled to herself as unexpected warmth flowed through her body. He really was making progress.

  She grabbed the receiver with both hands. “Ness, do you think you and Riley and the kids could come and visit over the weekend? It’s Daniel’s birthday on Sunday, and I thought we could surprise him. I know it’s short notice, but what do you think?”

  “Sounds great, Liz. I think we can manage it - we don’t have much planned, and it won’t be a problem to put off Riley’s work mate until next weekend. How about we come tomorrow morning? If we leave early, we should get there by about eleven.”

  “That’s perfect, Nessa. You’ll stay the night? There’s enough room for you all.” Just…

  “Yes, why not? That would be lovely. I’ve always wanted to see the Lakes District, so I’ll look forward to it.”

  “Great, Ness. We’ll see you tomorrow! Safe trip.”

  With that sorted, Lizzy began to plan for their visit. She’d have to squeeze them all into the spare room, but they wouldn’t mind. And she’d have to go shopping for extra food, and plan what they’d do. Maybe they could go on a boat ride on the lake. It was still cold, but it’d be fun. If they rugged up well, they’d be okay. The kids would probably like the Aquarium at Lakeside. She’d heard about it, but hadn’t been there. And then they could have a birthday dinner for Daniel. Lasagne. Yes, that’s what she’d make. His favourite. And a big chocolate birthday cake. She’d better get moving! This was going to be fun. And hopefully Nessa could talk to Daniel about his Da…

  Daniel arrived at work and went straight to the workshop. One of the generators had broken down and needed urgent attention. For some unknown reason, the College board wanted to keep the College as self-sufficient as possible, but the old equipment certainly provided a challenge. Not his problem, as long as they kept paying him.

  As Daniel worked, the phone call from Caleb played through his mind. He hadn’t seen his eldest brother for over ten years, and the unexpected call had scrambled his brain, that was for sure. How close he’d come to taking that drink. Truly amazing he’d baulked at the last minute… or maybe it had been God who’d stopped him? Either way, he hadn’t. But having his past dragged up…

  But what about Da? Maybe he should go? The churning in his stomach answered his question. But then, talking to Caleb had stirred something deep inside. As the two eldest boys, they’d been the ones who’d stuck together the most against Da, and had helped support Mam. It’d be good to meet up with him and Caitlin again, and meet their two little girls. But what about Da? Daniel thumped the generator. Why wouldn’t it do what it was meant to?

  Daniel glanced at his watch. Time to meet Paul. Need a break from that monster, anyway. He cleaned up and headed over to the main college building. Paul stood on the walkway outside a lecture room.

  “Hey, Paul.”

  Paul waved as Daniel took the steps two at a time.

  “Hey Danny. How are you today?” Paul clapped an arm around Daniel’s shoulder and smiled warmly at him.

  “Not too bad, considering Lizzy and I stayed up most the night talking.”

  “Glad to hear that, Danny. All okay, then?”

  Daniel shrugged and let out a small sigh.

  “Kind of. Still not keen about seeing Da.”

  “Let’s sit down and talk about it. I’ve got some coffees coming.”

  Paul’s office had a great view of the lake and mountains, but this morning Daniel didn’t pay any attention to it. He took a seat on the couch opposite Paul and leaned forward, his body tense.

  “I don’t understand how he has the gall to come back after all this time. Why couldn’t he just leave us alone?”

  Daniel fixed his eyes on Paul’s and tried to steady his breathing.

  “I feel your pain, Danny. But let’s talk about it. Maybe your Da wants to make amends before he dies. People often do that. The finality of death puts everything into perspective, and the need to apologise for wrong doings, to sort out relationships that have soured, especially with family, take on an urgency that was never there before.”

  Daniel gritted his teeth and folded his arms. He shouldn’t have come. Da had no right to intrude on his and Lizzy’s life. Even if he was dying. Why should he be allowed to feel better about everything when it was him who’d destroyed their lives? No, he really didn’t want to hear this. Not even from Paul.

  “Sometimes it’s selfish. They just want to feel better, to cleanse their consciences. But if the person’s genuine, it
can be a wonderful experience for everyone. Forgiveness is liberating, Danny. Yes, it’s challenging and confronting, but sometimes you only get one chance. Once he’s dead, it’s too late.” Pausing, Paul leaned closer. “Danny, if you don’t see him, you might regret it for the rest of your life.”

  Daniel narrowed his eyes. His chest heaved. How could Paul be talking about forgiveness? He hadn’t even decided to see Da, let alone considered forgiving him. And he seriously doubted there’d be any regret.

  “No. Can’t do it.”

  “Just think about it, Danny. And pray about it. Forgiveness won’t change what happened, but it will change your future. God can begin to heal you deep inside when you’re willing to let go of past hurts and forgive those who’ve wronged you, including your Da. You just need to be open to God and allow Him to do the rest. Will you think about it?”

  Daniel sighed heavily. How did Paul always manage to put the guilts on him? He didn’t want to hear what Paul was saying, but deep down, Daniel knew it to be the truth.

  “I guess so, but to be completely honest, right now, I don’t want to.”

  “I know that Danny. But if you run away from this, you’ll miss out on a great opportunity to grow. Growing is never easy. All I’m asking is that you be open to God.” Paul looked up as a young girl with long, dark hair walked in with a tray laden with an array of sweet treats and steaming hot coffee.

  “Ah, thank you Alicia. Just put it on the table.” Paul smiled at her as she lowered the tray and then retreated towards the door. “Coffee smells great, Alicia. Thanks.”

  The girl smiled in appreciation and closed the door behind her. Paul offered the plate of fancy treats to Daniel. “They know I have a sweet tooth.”

  “So do I…” Daniel said as he chose a chocolate eclair and took a bite. Cream oozed down his chin.

  “These are so good.” Paul wiped his face and sipped his coffee before placing the mug on the table. He leaned back in his seat.

  “How are you finding it all, Danny? Are you enjoying living here?”

  Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. A change of focus was good. His head hurt with all the talk about Da and forgiveness.

  Placing his plate on the table, Daniel looked up.

  “Yes, it’s been great so far. Lizzy’s looking forward to the warmer weather so she can get out more, but she loves the cottage.”

  “She could get involved here. She’s always welcome to attend any lectures that interest her, and I’m sure Robyn would only be too happy to look after the baby.”

  “I’ll let her know. She might like that.”

  Daniel and Paul continued chatting while they finished their coffee. Returning to his generator soon after, Daniel tried to focus on the job, but after a while he got so annoyed with the voices in his head, he threw a spanner on the ground and stomped out.

  Standing outside the workshop, he reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out the packet of cigarettes he still hadn’t thrown away and lit one. He inhaled slowly as he gazed through the trees to the lake in the distance. The mountains from the other side of the lake reflected in the water, just like in the post cards at the local newsagent’s stands.

  As he leaned against the workshop wall, he exhaled slowly, his breath creating little puffs of cloud in the chilly air. He needed this moment - it was so peaceful here. If only his head would settle.

  He finished his cigarette and returned to the generator, pushing all thoughts of Da and God out of his mind.

  By mid-afternoon, Daniel had the generator re-assembled. He stood back and studied the beast which had tested all his mechanical know-how and pushed his patience to its limit. He had some basic mechanical knowledge, but wasn’t formally trained. Only what he’d picked up from some of the jobs he’d had whilst traveling, but it was enough to do the job. Daniel carried the generator to the side of the shed and tried it out on a pump. It worked.

  He cleaned himself up, tidied the workshop, checked that everything was in order, and climbed back into the tractor to head home. He stopped to top up the feed for the cows and the chickens, and then trundled back down the track towards the cottage. His stomach rumbled, reminding him he’d skipped lunch. He needed a good feed and a sleep. His body and mind were exhausted.

  Lizzy looked up as the tractor disappeared into the shed and her heart fell. Bother! She’d hoped to have finished cooking before Daniel got home. If only Dillon had behaved… She stood at the stove stirring the sauce for the lasagne. Why wasn’t it thickening? No time now either to tidy up. Dirty bowls, saucepans, bags of rubbish… how would she explain it all to Daniel without giving away her secret? At least the soup smelled good.

  Finally the sauce bubbled. She gave it one last stir and took the pan off the stove. A few seconds to clean up. She gathered the garbage and threw it in the bin, and stacked the dishes in the sink. Not great, but better.

  As Daniel took his boots off on the step, Lizzy patted her hair and pulled her apron off, planting a smile on her face as he opened the door.

  “You made it home early, Daniel.” She leaned forward and kissed him as he pulled her into his arms.

  He peered around her. “So what’s all this, Liz? I’m starving…” Pushing her aside, Daniel walked to the stove and lifted the lid on the soup. “What’s all this for?” He dipped a spoon in and brought it to his mouth.

  Lizzy sighed and folded her arms. “Just never you mind, Daniel O’Connor. There might be a little surprise happening for your birthday, but that’s all I’m saying. And don’t put the spoon back in! Who brought you up?!” She sucked in a breath. Why did I say that? A shadow passed over Daniel’s face.

  “I’m sorry, Daniel. I shouldn’t have said that.” Lizzy slid her arms around his waist, leaning her head on his chest. “Did you have that talk with Paul today?”

  Daniel sighed heavily. “Yes, I did, but Lizzy, I don’t want to talk about it right now. I’m tired and hungry. Can we leave it for now?” He pushed her away and held her at arm’s length. “I just want something to eat, and then chill out in front of a movie. Okay?”

  “Of course, Daniel. Have some soup now and I’ll get some dinner ready shortly.” She reached up and kissed him gently. He’d be asleep in front of the television within the half hour. Then she could finish everything in peace.

  Chapter Four

  When Lizzy rose the following morning, the clear sky warmed her heart. The world always looked better with blue sky. While Daniel slept, she’d finished preparing most of the food, including his birthday cake. All she needed do now was decorate it. Dillon also was in a much happier mood. Why wasn’t he like that yesterday? The challenge now was to get Daniel out of the house so she could finish the final preparations without him becoming too nosy. Maybe she could ask him to take Dillon for a long walk. It’d probably do them both good. Yes, she’d do that.

  To her surprise, Daniel happily agreed. Lizzy rugged Dillon up and sent them off soon after breakfast. She might have an hour or so before they returned. One hour… a lot could be achieved in that time without Dillon to care for. Retrieving the cake from its hiding place in the pantry, Lizzy mixed up the icing and decorated it with Daniel’s favourite sweets. That done, she made up the beds in the spare room and gave the bathroom a quick clean. Having guests was exhausting!

  The kitchen clock chimed. Lizzy stared at it. Surely it was wrong. How could two hours have gone, just like that? Lizzy’s hand flew to her chest. Daniel and Dillon should have been back. What if something’s happened to them? Lizzy opened the door and peered down the road but they weren’t in sight. Maybe they’d bumped into someone - Daniel was always up for a chat. Breathe, Lizzy. They’ll be fine. Why did she always think the worst?

  The kettle was still hot, so Lizzy made a cup of coffee and went outside. Sitting on the steps, she breathed in the clean, crisp air, shivering slightly as a cool breeze brushed her cheeks and neck. The lake would be glistening in the sunshine this morning. Pity the cottage was tucked in a hollow, hiding t
he lake from view. Never mind. At least she could see the mountains shimmering against the soft blue of the sky. Lizzy inhaled deeply, thankful for such beauty.

  A car approached in the distance. Lizzy turned her head. It had to be Riley and Nessa, but where was Daniel? Surely nothing bad’s happened? As the car came into view, Lizzy stood and waved. Moments later, Riley parked the car in front of the cottage, and he, Nessa and the two children piled out. Lizzy embraced them all warmly.

  “Great to see you, Lizzy. And what a lovely cottage!” Nessa pulled back a little to get a better view, and then called out to four year old Jake who was already running around, enjoying his freedom after being cooped up in the car for four hours. “Don’t go outside the fenced area, Jake.”

  Lizzy chuckled. All of this was ahead of her. But where were Daniel and Dillon? She peered back along the track, trying to cover up her concern, when she saw Daniel running towards them, pushing the pram.

  Nessa followed Lizzy’s line of sight and reached out her arm.

  “I meant to tell you we bumped into Daniel on the way in. No room in the car, so we had to leave him.” Nessa laughed as she glanced back over her shoulder.

  “Lizzy! Why didn’t you tell me we were having company?” Daniel asked when he finally joined them. Panting, he leaned over and rested his hands on his knees to catch his breath. “She’s a dark horse, that one.” He tilted his head to Lizzy, but his eyes held a twinkle.

  They all laughed, and then headed inside with their bags.

  Lizzy showed Nessa and Riley to their room, and suggested an early lunch to make the most of the day. They all agreed to her suggestion of a trip on the lake, and so, after a quick lunch of soup and bread, headed off to Ambleside to wait for the ferry.

  Lizzy had a quiet word with Nessa while they waited on the wharf. Daniel and Riley stood together with Jake and Cindy playing chasings around them. Nessa cuddled Dillon while she and Lizzy stood a little distance away from the men.