Another Way Home

by Deborah Raney

  Danae tried her boys’ names on for size. “Austin Morrison Brooks and Tyler Morrison Brooks. They sound like good names to grow into.”

  Misty stared for a long while at the two boys sitting on her hospital bed as if she were memorizing them. But instead of tears—for now anyway—there seemed to be peace in her eyes.

  35

  Dallas? Do you know where the receipt for the infant swing is?”

  He appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. “It’s not in the medical folder?”

  “Why would it be in the medical folder?”

  He shrugged. “Because it helps us keep our sanity?”

  “Good point.” She laughed. That was certainly true. Tyler loved the mechanical swing and it had bought them many extra minutes of peace over the last six weeks. “But are you serious?”

  “Actually, I think I put a bunch of baby receipts in there the other day when I cleaned out that basket on the kitchen counter. I was going to sort them out later. Why do you need it?”

  “There’s a twenty dollar rebate for the swing that’s about to expire, but I need a copy of the receipt to send it in.”

  “Oh.” He had his head in the refrigerator, rummaging for an evening snack. “You want me to find it for you? Actually, I think that folder is in my nightstand drawer right now.”

  “No, I can get it. But there’d better be some of that salted caramel ice cream left when I get back down here.”

  No comment.

  She swatted his backside on her way past. “Did you hear me?”

  “I heard you. You want me to dish you up some?”

  “Sure. I’ll be back down in a minute.” She trotted up the stairs, but slowed her steps in the hallway, desperate not to wake the boys. They’d both taken too-short naps this afternoon and she and Dallas had declared an early bath and bedtime for them. The days had grown longer and now, even though it was almost eight thirty, the remains of an early June sun filtered through the windows on the stairway landing.

  She smiled at the thought of her boys asleep in their rooms. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to have those nurseries filled. She passed the door to Austin’s room, but did a U-turn and came back to open it. Even though she’d checked the baby monitor just before coming up, she couldn’t resist tiptoeing in to inhale his sweet baby shampoo scent and tuck him in one last time. She did the same with Tyler. She’d be up with him in a few hours for a two a.m. feeding—what had become her favorite time of the day.

  Thank you, God. It was a prayer she whispered a dozen times every day. A prayer that had replaced four years of Please, God. She was still in awe of all that had happened in the space of a few months. Amazed at how two small boys could change their lives.

  She found the folder in the drawer of Dallas’s nightstand and sat cross-legged on the floor beside their bed, sorting through the receipts until she located the one she needed. She was about to close the folder when she noticed an invoice sticking out of the top of the folder. She tried to tamp it down, but discovered it was a legal-size sheet, taller than the folder. She removed it and folded it to fit. The familiar logo at the top of the page whisked her back in time. It was from the fertility clinic.

  A strange rush of emotion filled her. She slipped the paper from the pile and studied it. The bill for their initial consultation with Dr. Gwinn, the fertility specialist. She smiled to herself. If he could only see them now.

  As she smoothed the creases from the thin paper, her hand slid across the top where the date was printed: August 11. Her breath caught. Was that actually the date of her appointment? She remembered how hot it had been that day. Almost four years ago. They’d about baked in the parking lot, standing outside the building, trying to muster the courage to go inside.

  But the significance of that date—August 11—made the tears come hot and fast.

  Austin had been born that day! The very day they’d started fertility treatments. Their boy had entered the world, and God had answered their prayers for a child that day. Even as they’d walked into that appointment so full of hope and desperate prayers, God had already planned not just one, but two sons for them.

  All those weeks and months and years when she’d thought it would never happen. When she thought God had forgotten their prayers, Austin had already been growing up.

  And time was all that had stood between them and a dream that’d already been fulfilled. In God’s perfect time.

  * * *

  “Happy Father’s Day, Dad! Sorry we’re late. Naps went long.”

  “Thanks, kiddo.” Her dad strode down the front steps of the inn and met Danae on the sidewalk. “I appreciate your contribution.” He pumped Dallas’s hand. “Happy Father’s Day, son. You waited a long time for this.”

  “It was worth the wait,” Dallas said. “Happy Father’s Day to you too.”

  They’d cancelled next week’s Tuesday dinner in favor of celebrating together on this Father’s Day Sunday.

  It was Dallas’s first, and Danae had played it up big, with his favorite breakfast, a homemade card from Austin, and a nice foot rub in his recliner after church. He’d sunk back into the chair, and sighed. “I could get used to this.”

  Of course, he’d given her her own first day in the sun on Mother’s Day. It had been a year of firsts, and there was so much more yet to come.

  Her dad gave Tyler a pat, and bent to ruffle Austin’s hair. “What are you up to, Texas?”

  Austin gave him a high five. “What’re you up to, Missouri?”

  Her dad had taken to calling Austin “Texas,” so Dallas taught him a quick comeback, which her boy took great delight in delivering.

  “Where’s my girls?” Austin asked him.

  Her dad gave a broad wink. “Sorry, Texas, the big girls aren’t here yet. But the twins are in the backyard. Gram wants to eat outside again.”

  Austin made a dash for the porch.

  “I’m on it.” Dallas trotted after him.

  Danae gave her dad a questioning look. “It’s not like Jesse and Corinne to be late. You don’t think they went to the hospital, do you?” Corinne’s due date had been Friday, and her doctor planned to induce her if she wasn’t in labor by Tuesday.

  Dad shrugged. “We haven’t heard anything. Here . . . let me take this one off your hands.” He lifted little Tyler from her arms.

  “Hang on. He needs his hat if you’re going to be outside with him.” She searched the diaper bag on her shoulder until she came up with the little baseball cap Chase and Landyn had given him.

  She plopped it on his head, and they laughed as the hat fell over Tyler’s nose and almost engulfed his entire head.

  “That ought to do it,” Dad said. He started bouncing the baby on his shoulder.

  Danae pulled a burp rag from the bag. “If you’re going to bounce him, you’ll want this.” She tucked it under Tyler’s still-wobbly head.

  Dad resumed bouncing and turned to follow Dallas and Austin to the backyard.

  “Be sure you support his head,” Danae called after him.

  He turned back to her with a wink. “I think we’ll be OK. I’ve done this a time or two.”

  She managed to look sheepish and waved at her boys before going inside.

  Stepping into the house, the place she’d spent her own childhood, a rush of emotions washed over her. She’d spent so many years longing to fill a void, longing to fit in with her sisters, to give her parents grandchildren. She finally felt like God had made a home for her—for them—and had given them a full-blown family in a way she’d never expected.

  No, it hadn’t been an easy road. But when she looked back, she realized that if God had answered her prayers the way she’d so desperately hoped, she and Dallas would not have their precious boys.

  She watched her father carry Tyler around the side of the house. Her boys would be a part of this amazing family. They would climb the same tree in the meadow that she had climbed as a little girl, and sit around the Whitman family table a
nd create memories that would carry them through every storm. Her boys would be loved—and sometimes disciplined—by a whole crew of Whitmans. And they would learn, as she had, that they could take their deepest needs to a good and faithful God who would answer their prayers. In His own time, which was always perfect.

  She was a slow learner. But she was discovering that sometimes life’s greatest adventures—and greatest blessings—were found by taking another way home.

  Group Discussion Guide

  Keep in mind that discussion questions contain spoilers that may give away elements of the plot.

  1. In Another Way Home, Danae—the second daughter of the Whitman family—and her husband, Dallas, have struggled with infertility for several years. She is growing depressed and even a little desperate, and it is beginning to take a toll on her marriage. Have you or anyone close to you struggled with infertility or secondary infertility (being unable to become pregnant again after giving birth to one or more children)? How did that struggle affect the marriage?

  2. Another way that Danae’s childlessness affected her was extreme jealousy of her friends and two sisters who had no trouble conceiving; in fact, her sisters experienced pregnancies that were unplanned, and initially, unwanted. Can you relate to the frustration and the sense of unfairness Danae felt? Have you ever been the object of a person’s envy where some aspect of your life is concerned? Have you ever felt guilty for something that was beyond your control?

  3. Dallas was adopted as an infant, but a humiliating experience as a teenager caused him to shut his heart to the possibility of Danae and him adopting a baby. Were you adopted, or have you adopted children, or had other close experiences with adoption? Are there prejudices against adopted children and adoptive parents? Why? What is the biblical perspective on adoption?

  4. Danae decides she’s tired of feeling sorry for herself, and when she hears of a women’s shelter needing volunteers, she feels compelled to become involved. But her husband and her father are both concerned about the danger she might be putting herself in. Do you agree with the way Danae responded to those men’s concerns? Have you ever felt torn between obeying something you felt God was asking you to do, and heeding the concerns of people whose opinions you respect? How did you respond and what was the ultimate outcome? Have you ever been mistaken about something you thought God was calling you to do?

  5. Danae, and to a lesser extent, Dallas, become involved in the life of Misty, one of the abused women at the shelter. They are especially drawn to her three-year-old son, Austin. Do you think they overstepped conventional boundaries in their level of involvement? If given a similar opportunity to babysit a child like Austin for a few days, would you agree to do so? Why or why not?

  6. Did you see warning signs that Misty was planning to commit the crime she did? Were you sympathetic to her reasoning that she was protecting her son and herself by her actions? If Misty had confessed her plans to Danae or someone else at the center, what actions do you think they might have taken? What options did Misty have?

  7. Once it became clear that Misty would likely go to jail for her crime, Dallas and Danae faced a huge decision, one for which they could not possibly see all the future repercussions. They made a decision, knowing that it might bring them great heartbreak in the future. What were the heartbreaking possibilities they faced? What was the best case scenario? Do you think they made the right decision? Do you think you would have decided the same way they did?

  8. How did you feel about the entire Whitman family’s involvement in the decisions about Austin? How much input should extended family have in an individual’s or a family’s decisions?

  9. When Misty revealed that she was pregnant and desired for Dallas and Danae to raise her baby along with Austin, how did that affect their decision? Did it make it easier or more difficult? What new questions did Misty’s revelation raise for the family?

  10. Everything changed when Misty’s sister decided she wanted Austin. What do you think Misty’s reason was for changing her mind to allow Charity, her sister, to take Austin? Do you think there is merit to a child being raised by blood relatives instead of unrelated “strangers”?

  11. After things worked themselves out, what do you think about Misty’s decision to ask Dallas and Danae to legally adopt her infant, but not Austin, since Misty didn’t want him feeling as if his mother had rejected him after knowing him? What challenges did this present for Dallas and Danae? What is your opinion about the children having an ongoing relationship with Misty? What are the advantages and challenges of open adoption?

  12. What did you think about the mutual decision Misty and the Brookses made about the children’s surname? How important is a name? How important is it to share a name with the family you live with? What kinds of issues might their decision bring about in the lives of Austin and his brother in years to come? How would you have handled this decision in Dallas and Danae’s place? In Misty’s place?

  13. Misty decided to see Austin one last time since she could see him in the hospital, instead of in jail. What do you think about her decision? How difficult would a good-bye like that be? Do you see Misty as a hero, a villain, or something in-between?

  14. What kind of issues do you think Austin might deal with as he grows up? How can the Whitman family help Dallas and Danae navigate the uncharted waters of raising two children in an open adoption when the birth mother is in prison for life?

  15. How did the scene where Danae comes across the receipt from the fertility clinic make you feel? Has God ever given you such a glimpse of His perfect timing—only after the fact?

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  About the Author

  DEBORAH RANEY dreamed of writing a book since the summer she read all of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books and discovered that a little Kansas farm girl could, indeed, grow up to be a writer. After a happy twenty-year detour as a stay-at-home wife and mom, Deb began her writing career. Her first novel, A Vow to Cherish, was awarded a Silver Angel from Excellence in Media and inspired the acclaimed World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Since then, her books have won the RITA Award, the HOLT Medallion, the National Readers’ Choice Award, as well as being a two-time Christy Award finalist. Deb enjoys speaking and teaching at writers’ conferences across the country. She and her husband, Ken Raney, make their home in their native Kansas and, until a recent move to the city, enjoyed the small-town life that is the setting for many of Deb’s novels. The Raneys enjoy gardening, antiquing, art museums, movies, and traveling to visit four grown children and a growing brood of grandchildren, all of whom live much too far away.

  Deborah loves hearing from her readers. To e-mail her or to learn more about her books, please visit www.deborahraney.com.

  We hope you enjoyed Another Way Home, the third book in Deborah Raney’s Chicory Inn series. Here’s a sample of the fourth book, Close to Home, which will be available in June 2016.

  Chapter One

  Can I bother you for a minute, Bree?”

  Bree Whitman looked up from her desk to see Aaron Jakes standing in the doorway to her cubicle. Popping her earbuds out, she motioned to him. “Sure. What’s up?” She tilted her computer screen downward so he’d know she was listening—and so she wouldn’t be tempted not to.

  “Do you mind coming down to my office for a minute?”

  She laughed and stretched to peer over the half wall dividing the cubicles. His was two “doors” down. “This better be important if you’re going to make me walk all the way over there.”

  “I
t’s important.”

  She shot him a questioning look. Except for Wendy, the college girl who served as front-desk receptionist for all three companies officed in their complex, Bree and Aaron were the only two still in this wing.

  Aaron had already turned and headed back to his cubicle.

  She glanced at the clock on her computer. She needed to leave in fifteen minutes. She’d promised Audrey she’d stop at the bakery for some rolls on her way to Tuesday family dinner tonight, and she was supposed to pick up Grandma CeeCee in Langhorne on her way out to the Chicory Inn.

  Sighing, she slid from behind her desk and went to Aaron’s cubicle. She glanced across the office through the plate glass

  window that faced the street. The time-and-temperature sign on the bank across the street flashed from 101 degrees to 102. “Are we seriously in triple digits again?” She lifted her long brown hair off her neck, twisted it into a bun, and held it in place for a few seconds before letting it fall to her shoulders.

  “Well, it is July,” he said without looking up. Standing beside his desk, his expression said he was agitated by whatever was on his computer screen.

  “Okay, so what’s up?” she asked again, suddenly nervous about being alone in the office with him.

  Aaron leaned over his desk and pulled up a spreadsheet on the computer, then pulled out his desk chair and stepped aside, indicating she should have a seat.

  “What’s this?” She sat down and looked at the screen. “Oh

  . . . the Broadhogan conference? I thought you had that all worked out.”