He laughed, joy brightening his features. “I see no other way. I love you. You love me. I’m a logical kind of guy and the logic says we need to get married soon.”
“I accept.” She kissed him hard and quick. “And soon doesn’t sound bad.”
Seriousness leaked through his happiness. “We need to talk with your children. I want them to be okay about this. How do you think Sean will take the news?”
“Two days ago I would have said not well. Before I came this morning, I talked with Sean. I told him how I felt about you and that I hoped we could have a future as a family. He said fine then went back to caring for your animals in the backyard. I had planned to have a long discussion with him and that was all he said. When I didn’t leave immediately, he glanced back at me, said that you know how to treat a woman right, then asked me what was keeping me from going to the ranch. I got the point and left.”
“How about Alexa, Joshua and Matthew?”
“Are you kidding? You’ll hear their cheers all the way out here when I tell them.”
“Can we tell them together? I want to be there if they have any questions. Do you think they’ll be okay with living out here at the ranch? Will you be okay with it?”
“I love your ranch, and Alexa will have her bags packed the second I tell her we’re getting married. Horses and my daughter go hand in hand.”
“Thank goodness all the horses were recovered last night.”
“To give you credit, I think she would come if you didn’t have any horses.”
“Good.” He snuggled close. “We’re going to make two old ladies happy.”
She chuckled. “It’s gonna make their day.”
Epilogue
“Mom, the show is almost on.”
All the way into the kitchen Laura heard Alexa’s shout from Peter’s den. Laura hurriedly grabbed the bag of potato chips and made her way toward the room where her children, Aunt Sarah, Alice, Noah and Jacob were situated around a large television waiting for the More Than Dreams show to come on.
She put the potato chips on the coffee table next to the dip and other assorted food for this little celebration, then sat in the only available place left in the den, the ottoman to the chair where Peter was comfortably situated. Right where she wanted to be. Leaning back, she relished his arms around her, hugging her against him. Every day during the past weeks since Labor Day, she counted her blessings in having Peter in her life, in her children’s lives.
“The next month is going to be busy. Are you ready for it?” Peter whispered into her ear, his breath tingling her skin beneath her ear.
“Let’s see, there’s the grand opening of the two cottages in a week and—” she tapped her finger against her chin “—I seem to have forgotten what else we need to do.”
He nibbled on her ear, then murmured with a chuckle, “Nothing too important. Just a little wedding ceremony to go to and then the best part, the honeymoon.”
“Oh, yeah. It must have slipped my mind.” She shifted so she was face-to-face with him. “Why do we always plan everything important so close together?”
His love twinkled in his eyes. “Because your kids and I decided we didn’t want to wait any longer than that and fall break is the third week in October. Besides, when you get back from your honeymoon, you’re going to have your hands full managing the Henderson Foundation. You don’t mind not working at the high school?”
“Not one bit. Managing the foundation is my dream come true.”
“The donations have been pouring in, and after this show, I can’t imagine them stopping. We’ve got plans to make.”
She smiled, winding her arms around his neck. “A third house?”
“Then a fourth one. We’ve got the room.” He kissed her lightly, then nipped at her lower lip.
“Hey, you two lovebirds, the show is starting. This will be your fifteen minutes of fame,” Alice said, sitting near the TV set in her favorite lounge chair from her apartment.
Peter looked around the room. “We’re going to have to add rooms to this house. Alice told me today she’ll stay as long as I want her. Secretly, I think she’s thrilled to be in the middle of all the kids. She loves children and yours are special to her. She once told me they make her feel young.”
“That’s wonderful. If Aunt Sarah ever decides not to live alone, we could build a little cottage out back for them.”
“Shh, Mom.” Sean took the remote and increased the volume.
“Peter, there you are!” Joshua yelled, waving his arm toward the television.
Laura settled back to watch the show, Peter’s arms around her again, her head cushioned by his shoulder. She scanned the faces of her friends and family sharing this moment with her and Peter. Contentment flowed through her. She’d never felt more at home.
Thank You, Lord.
Dear Readers,
God knew what He was doing when He created animals. Of course, He always knows what He is doing. When I’ve had a particularly hard day, all I have to do is come home and hold my cat for a few minutes to feel better. The power of animals to heal is part of what this story is about. In Once Upon a Family Peter uses animals to help reach at-risk children, having been one himself. He rescues abandoned animals and uses them to rescue abandoned children. The other message in this book is about the critical need for quality foster care for children in need of a nurturing and loving place to live. Children are one of our greatest resources. We need to cherish and protect them.
I love to hear from readers. You can contact me at P. O. Box 2074, Tulsa, OK 74101, or visit my Web site at www.margaretdaley.com.
Have a blessed day,
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
Nowadays being a single parent is difficult. How did Laura deal with being a single parent? How could her faith have helped Laura raise her four children alone?
Laura felt the Lord had abandoned her because of what had happened in her marriage and after her husband’s death. Instead of turning away from her faith, how could it have helped Laura if she had turned to God for comfort and guidance in her time of need?
In the end Peter felt that Laura didn’t trust him enough to make a relationship with her work. How important is trust between two people in love? Is that different from two friends? How?
Laura endured verbal abuse for years in her marriage. When the verbal abuse turned physical, she finally got the courage to get out. How could her faith have helped her through the ordeal? Have you ever been verbally or physically abused? How did it make you feel? What did you do?
What is your favorite scene in the story? Why?
Forgiveness is important to our Lord. It is addressed in the Lord’s Prayer. Laura and Peter both had to learn to forgive someone who had done something bad to them. Have you forgiven someone who did you harm lately? How do you feel about it? Do you feel free from your anger?
“Then said Jesus, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” This verse from Luke 23 is so powerful because it tells us how Christ forgave us as he hung on the cross, waiting death. What does this mean to you? How has this shaped your faith?
Peter is divorced because his wife betrayed him by having another man’s baby. Have you ever been betrayed by a loved one? By a friend? How did you deal with it? Were you able to forgive them?
Both Laura and Sean felt guilty because Stephen had killed himself. They had thought they could have done something to change that. Blame can be devastating to a person. Has guilt ever affected you? How did you get over it? Did your faith help you work your way through the guilt?
God’s plans for us aren’t always the same as ours. Peter had always wanted to be a father, but he discovered he couldn’t have children. Have you ever wanted something badly and couldn’t have it? What did you do about it? Did your faith help you or did you turn away from the Lord?
ISBN: 978-1-4268-8592-1
ONCE UPON A FAMILY
Copyright © 2007 by
Margaret Daley
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.
® 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
*The Ladies of Sweetwater Lake
**Fostered by Love
Once Upon a Family Page 20
