“Mind if we sit down?” Snake asked.
“Please,” Peter gestured toward the couch.
Emily couldn’t stop looking at Manuel. He was so beautiful. So little.
“I was wondering how you would feel about adopting Manuel,” Snake said, looking from Emily to Peter.
“What?” Emily asked concerned. “But you’re doing such a good job with him. He loves you, I can tell. He already recognizes the sound of your voice.”
“I love him, too,” Snake said. “And I want to do what’s best for him. I want to give him a real family, a happy home. You have that here.” He gestured toward the huge dining room table set for eight.
They did have a family, a large and loving family. “But, Snake,” Emily protested.
“I’m going back to Venezuela, and I don’t want to take him with me. I want a better life for him.”
“But why go back?” Peter asked. “My dad is having citizenship papers drawn up for the both of you. You can start a new life right here.”
“And always be looking over our shoulders, wondering when Baltasar would show up and steal Manuel? I can’t take that chance. I’m going after him. It’s the only way to keep Manuel safe.”
Emily understood his logic, but her heart broke for him. “I love this baby. You know that. You know I would never let anything happen to him.”
“I know,” Snake said. “That’s why I brought him to you. I know you can give him a good family.”
“We will never let him forget who his mother was or about his brave uncle Snake.”
Snake looked down and Emily could see he was trying to control his emotions. “Thank you both,” he rasped.
Max entered the room, and they explained the situation to him. He agreed to have the adoption papers processed and delivered by noon the next day. They invited Snake to stay, but he took one last look at Manuel and left.
Emily’s heart broke as she watched him go. He was such a good man, but he’d given Baltasar everything he’d had.
“This could be a problem,” Max said.
Emily’s heart sunk. “What?”
“Baltasar knows who you are. He knows you were with Rosalia. If he finds out she was pregnant and gave birth to Manuel, he will know where to find you and the child.”
Panic rose in her throat and she pulled the baby close to her. “Then what can we do?”
Peter smiled. “Dad, don’t scare Emily like that. I know exactly what you’re up to.”
“What?” Emily demanded, wondering if she should be scared or not.
“He has an assignment for us.”
“What kind of assignment?”
“A safe assignment. An information-gathering assignment. It’s in France. You can go as a family. We’d give you papers, change your names—there is no way Baltasar or anyone else could track you down.”
“For how long?” she asked.
“As long as it takes.”
Emily looked to Peter. “What do you think?”
“I think as soon as you complete your training, we get married and make this official.”
Laughter bubbled in her throat and she looked down into Manuel’s face. “Really?”
Peter leaned forward and kissed her long and hard. “Really.”
The doorbell rang again and Vance family members started pouring in. Emily sat on the couch looking stunned, holding tight to Manuel as Peter greeted his brother, Sam, and his new wife, Jessica, and Jessica’s adorable little girl, Amy.
The newlyweds were both beaming.
“What is it?” Peter asked.
“We’re expecting,” Sam said, and patted Jessica’s stomach.
Peter couldn’t have been happier for them. “That’s great,” he said, and hugged them both.
He turned to Emily, but she was still sitting on the couch staring at Manuel, as if she couldn’t believe he was really there, and really hers. Peter hoped everything would work out. He knew how much she loved that baby.
Max walked in from the kitchen, carrying a tray of mulled cider. “I thought I heard the sound of more Vances.”
“Yeah, and expect more in another eight months, Dad. Your Vance clan is growing.”
Max beamed. “Congratulations, both of you.” He thrust the tray into Peter’s hands and patted Sam on the back. “I knew you could do it, son. I had faith in you.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Sam said with a smirk.
“A toast,” Peter said, passing around the cider.
“To what?” Travis asked as he and his new wife, Patricia, walked through the door. The former college sweethearts had been recently reunited during their own Diablo/La Mano Oscura investigation.
“To dreams coming true,” Emily said from the couch. She stood and took her glass.
“Who’s that?” Lidia asked from the kitchen doorway.
Emily smiled and walked over to her. “This precious little guy is Manuel DeSantis-soon-to-be Vance.”
“What?”
Emily nodded, and tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks. Peter’s heart overflowed. His mother hugged her then held out her hands to the baby. Emily placed Manuel in her arms.
“He’s so beautiful,” Lidia cooed.
Peter turned his attention back to Travis as he heard him mention Jake Montgomery. “He’s working on the information you gave him now. The files you downloaded contain further evidence to cement the case against Alistair Barclay as the head of the Diablo crime syndicate.”
“Good,” Peter said, but he wished he felt like he’d accomplished more. He wished Baltasar was the one in custody, the one facing trial. As long as he was out there, none of them were safe.
“They’re gearing up for Barclay’s trial in the next couple weeks,” Travis said.
“This will be a big one for Jake,” Sam added. “It will be his biggest case to date, and it will help him launch that political career he’s been dreaming about.”
“What Jake needs is a good woman by his side,” Lidia said, giving Emily a warm smile. “With a good woman, a man can accomplish anything.”
“You’d better believe it,” Max agreed, wrapping his arm around Lidia’s waist and giving her a squeeze.
“Come to the table, dinner is almost ready.”
“Smells good, too, Mom,” Travis said with a large smile.
They all chatted as they headed to the table, but Emily hadn’t budged. Peter went to her. “Is everything all right?”
“Not yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because you haven’t held your son.”
Peter stared at the baby in her arms and realized she was right. He hadn’t wanted to think of Manuel as his, he hadn’t wanted to believe that everything was coming together for them. That finally they’d get everything they’d always longed for. He held out his arms and stiffened when she placed the baby into his hands.
“He’s so small,” he said, looking down into the baby’s eyes.
“And strong. Relax, he won’t break.”
Peter smiled, as joy filled him. “Our son,” he said, a little awestruck, and when he looked up into Emily’s eyes, they held a fine sheen of happy tears. They walked into the dining room and stood at the head of the table. “We have an announcement of our own we’d like to make,” Peter said. “The Lord has sent us a message.”
“Oh, yeah. Now he talks to God,” Travis said, laughing.
“He has,” Peter insisted. “He has made my life—”
“And mine,” Emily added.
“Miserable,” Peter finished. “Because we didn’t stay on His path.”
“And if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the last few weeks,” Emily reiterated, “it’s to never veer too far off the cobblestone path.”
Peter smiled, and pulled Emily close. “So now that we’re back on track, Emily and I are getting remarried.”
“Hear! Hear!” Sam said.
“It’s about time,” Travis agreed.
“Not only that, but Travis, I’m g
oing to have to turn down your job offer, because Emily and I are going to be working for the CIA, together.”
“What!” Lidia cried, standing. “What about the baby?”
“Yeah, what about the baby? Who is it?” Travis asked.
Peter turned his son to face his family. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Manuel DeSantis-soon-to-be Vance.”
“But if you take him with you, when will I see him?” Lidia demanded.
“You’ll see him. I promise,” Emily said, and hugged Lidia close. “Bonjour, Mama,” she whispered in her ear.
Lidia smiled, understanding Emily’s unspoken words. “Then I have an announcement I want to make, too.”
“Oh, no,” Max groaned.
“I’ve decided I want to go to Europe for the summer holidays,” she announced and smacked Peter’s hand as he tried to reach around her to steal a roll. “France,” she said as she looked at Max. “What do you think?”
Max sighed. “I think a Vance has to do what a Vance has to do.”
“But if at all possible,” Peter prompted and gave Emily a quick kiss, “never do it alone.”
Dear Reader,
I truly enjoyed writing this story because it’s about forgiveness and having faith in God’s plan. Emily has forgotten that the Lord knows her better than she knows herself. Even though she feels alone in the world, the Lord hasn’t forsaken her. “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.” (Isaiah 54:7).
Her journey through the Venezuelan jungle is filled with obstacles and hidden dangers, but along the way she renews her faith. She and Peter rediscover their love for each other and realize that all that is missing in their lives is faith—faith in the Lord and faith in each other. They find their way back to each other by staying true to God’s plan and by not letting fear push them off course—“blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.” (Proverbs 16:20).
I hope you enjoyed reading Emily and Peter’s journey in book five of the FAITH ON THE LINE series. Be sure to look next month for the final story, Protecting Holly, by Lynn Bulock.
I’d like to thank the other authors in this series, Gail Gaymer Martin, Carol Steward, Felicia Mason, Kate Welsh and Lynn Bulock, for their support and guidance on this project. I’d also like to thank Jeff Sweetin, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for his expertise. All exaggerations and inaccuracies are mine.
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to
Cynthia Cooke for her contribution to the
FAITH ON THE LINE series.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0474-4
PETER’S RETURN
Copyright © 2004 by Steeple Hill Books, Fribourg, Switzerland
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.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.
® and TM are trademarks of Steeple Hill Books, used under license. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.SteepleHill.com
Peter's Return Page 18
