The Marine's Baby

by Deb Kastner

  “My family.” She said the words aloud, wondering how one human being could experience as much joy as was flooding from her heart at that moment. “God has blessed me with a family.”

  The next day, while the doctor signed Jess’s release papers, Nate stepped out of the room to call his brother to inform him of his plans.

  “Vince,” Nate said when his brother picked up the line. “Jess is being released from the hospital today. I was wondering if you could meet us at her cabin to help her get settled in?”

  “Of course,” Vince answered immediately. “How is she doing?”

  “Better,” Nate assured him. “But she has to rest and recuperate for a while before she’ll be all the way back to normal.”

  “I imagine so.”

  “Meet us at Jess’s cabin in an hour and a half?” Nate queried.

  “You got it, bro.”

  Nate clicked his cell phone off and stuffed it in his jacket pocket, but he didn’t immediately return to Jess’s room. He closed his eyes, savoring the excitement of the moment.

  He and Jess hadn’t yet told anyone of their engagement. Vince would be the first to know. And for some reason Nate didn’t really understand, he couldn’t wait to share his good news with his brother.

  Up until the day of the fire, Vince would have been the last person Nate would want to share good news with. There was still a niggling of doubt in his mind of whether or not Vince would approve of the engagement, and an even bigger uncertainty as to why that mattered one way or the other.

  Why did he care what Vince thought?

  But he did. Something had changed between him and his brother. It was small, but it was a start to rebuilding a relationship with him.

  At least, that was what Nate hoped.

  It was another half an hour before Nate had Jess strapped into his Jeep for the drive back up to Morningway Lodge. The road was bumpy even before they hit the washboard dirt, and Nate worried for Jess’s comfort. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw her clench her jaw a few times, but she never complained aloud.

  Still, she was looking fatigued by the time they reached her cabin. Vince’s SUV was parked in front, and he was leaning against the hood, waiting. As soon as Nate parked the Jeep, Vince moved to the passenger door to help Jess out of the vehicle.

  “Are you sure she should be out of the hospital already?” Vince asked Nate over Jess’s head. “She can hear you,” Jess complained playfully. “And trust me, I’m going to get a lot more rest in my own bed than I did at the hospital.”

  Vince scowled. “I still don’t like the idea of her—you—being alone up here.”

  “She won’t be alone,” Nate assured him, swiftly unbuckling Gracie from her car seat and lifting her into his arms.

  “I can check with the Rocky Mountain Rehabilitation Hospital to see if they have any nurses available. At least for the first few days.”

  Nate flashed his brother a wide grin. “Not necessary, bro.”

  “I just think that—”

  Nate held up his hand to stop Vince’s flow of words. “You’re going to have to put up with my presence here at Morningway Lodge for a little longer, I’m afraid.”

  Vince looked flustered. He shook his head. “You’re welcome to stay on here. The lodge is your home as much as it is mine.”

  Nate smiled at the unexpectedly welcome tone in Vince’s voice. “I’m glad to hear it. This may be permanent.”

  “Yeah?” Vince asked.

  “Yeah,” Nate agreed. “I’ll personally see to it that Jess isn’t left alone, and that she rests up according to the doctor’s orders. Believe me, no one is more worried about the health of my future wife than I am.”

  His grin widened at Jess’s surprised gasp of breath and the way Vince took a literal step backward, as if someone had punched him.

  “Your what?” Vince squawked, looking between Nate and Jess in disbelief. “Did I hear you right?”

  Nate experienced one brief moment of uncertainty about Vince’s reaction, but he quickly brushed it off.

  Did he really care how Vince took the news? Nate was marrying the most wonderful woman in the world. Life didn’t get any better than this, and Nate was going to enjoy every moment of it.

  “Jess has agreed to become my wife,” Nate announced, moving to Jess’s other side and draping his arm across her shoulder.

  Her answering smile meant everything to him.

  “Seriously?” Vince asked, his voice rising to an unusually high pitch.

  Jess’s smile didn’t change, nor did the love flowing from her eyes, but Nate felt her shoulders tense under his arm.

  To his surprise, she winked at him before turning to Vince. “Seriously.”

  “W-well, then,” Vince stammered. It was the first time Nate could remember seeing his brother lose his self-possession. He waited, holding his breath, to find out whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

  “I see,” Vince continued, his expression still deadly serious. “You’re sure about this? Hitching yourself up to this fellow?”

  Jess beamed. “More sure than I’ve ever been about anything in my whole life.”

  “Even though he has a baby?”

  “Especially because he has a baby,” she assured him with a laugh. “Who could resist this gruff marine when he’s holding that cute little baby girl in his arms?”

  Vince pressed his free hand to his hip and cocked his head to one side, sizing Nate up as if considering whether or not Jess’s words were true.

  Nate stared at the pair, speechless, feeling as if he were a zoo animal on display.

  Suddenly, Vince’s face split into a grin. “You’ve got a point there.”

  “Of course I do.” She wrapped her arm around Nate’s waist and squeezed him hard, then winked at Vince. “Honestly, I couldn’t possibly love your brother more than I do. And I love Gracie as if she was my own daughter.”

  Her eyes misted, but only for a moment, and then she smiled radiantly.

  Vince shrugged and chuckled. “In that case, let me be the first to welcome you to the family.”

  He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Jess’s cheek, then reached around her to slap Nate on the back. “Well done, little brother.”

  “I’ll say,” he agreed, pulling Jess even closer against him. With Gracie in one arm and Jess in the other, he turned them all toward Jess’s cabin.

  “Come on, now,” he murmured, his heart welling with so much love he wondered how he could bear the weight of it. “Let’s go home.”

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for sharing in Nate and Jessica’s journey at Morningway Lodge with me. As Nate and Jessica discovered, we can always depend on God. He is ever-present and unchanging.

  Are you facing a tough period in your life, or are you desperate to put the past behind you? It is my prayer that you will discover God’s loving presence in whatever part of the journey you currently find yourself.

  I always appreciate hearing from my readers and try to respond personally to everyone. I can be reached by e-mail at DEBWRTR@aol.com, or look me up on Facebook. I look forward to hearing from you!

  By Him and In Him and Through Him,

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  Throughout the story, Nate struggles with feeling he has let everyone in his life down, including God. Have you ever felt this way? Can we earn God’s love?

  Jessica built a fortress around her heart because she was afraid to be hurt by losing someone again. How did this affect her relationship with Nate? With God?

  What are the major themes of this novel? Which one strikes closest to your heart?

  Jessica lost her baby to SIDS. Do you know anyone who has recently lost someone to illness or accident? How can you extend God’s love to this person?

  Nate is raising his best friend’s baby as his own. Would you raise someone else’s child?

  Nate is a fixer. He doesn’t want to pray, he wants to act. But sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is pray.
Describe a situation in your life where the power of prayer was your most valuable weapon.

  Which character do you most identify with? Why?

  It was Jessica’s witness of her own tragedy that led Nate to a better understanding of his relationship with God. How can you use the trials you’ve endured to witness Christ’s love to others?

  Nate has a strained relationship with his brother Vince. What, if anything, do you think he can do to bridge the gap between them?

  Morningway Lodge is a retreat from everyday life, a quiet place for people to go and reconnect with God. Is there a special place you like to go to fill up your spiritual tank?

  Nate finally realized God loved him, not for anything Nate had done, but despite it. Do you recognize God’s unconditional love for you?

  Even though she risked her own heart, Jessica self-lessly gave of her time and attention when Nate and Gracie needed her most. Has someone ever done that for you?

  Nate wants to be in control of his life. It is only when he realizes he is not that his relationship with God can grow. What areas of your life do you need to hand over to God?

  Jessica lives in fear that the past will repeat itself. How can she conquer her fear?

  What do you think of Nate and Jessica as a couple? Do they belong together?

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-6938-9

  THE MARINE’S BABY

  Copyright © 2010 by Debra Kastner

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

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

  This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.

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