Love Inspired January 2016, Box Set 1 of 2

by Carolyne Aarsen

  What answer could Kimberly give? She made a face and hugged the girl tighter. “I don’t know. But we can pray for him, can’t we?”

  Amy bit down hard on her lip and nodded. She dipped her chin, praying silently, and the sight of this tough, precocious girl facing another loss broke Kimberly’s heart. She wanted to crumble, but another part of her longed to help Amy face whatever loomed ahead. She snugged her arm around the girl and prayed with her while Drew gave the receptionist the information she needed.

  And when he turned, his pallor made her want to help him, too. Her former misconceptions disappeared in the space of a heartbeat. This man—her brother’s partner and friend—had suffered a grievous loss when Dave died, and she’d been wrong and foolish to blame him, or think he didn’t care because the grief-stricken man before her cared a great deal.

  But when he caught sight of Amy’s sorrow, he calmed his gaze and moved their way with the face she’d seen at Dave’s funeral. Not him, not the real Drew, a man of deep emotion, but the face he laid carefully in place to help others in their time of need.

  “Hey.” He stooped low and took Amy into his arms while blinking back moisture in his eyes. “You praying?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Me, too.”

  She looked up at him, wanting reassurance, but read her father’s gaze and took a deep breath. “I don’t want to lose any part of Team Slade.”

  “Me, either.”

  Amy nodded, hugged him, then settled back into the chair, trying to be brave. “So we pray and put him in God’s hands.”

  “Every day,” Drew assured her, and took the seat on her other side. He took her right hand in his left and bowed his head, and the two of them sat, linked by hand and faith.

  Kimberly swallowed hard.

  Prayer came easy when she was young. And then she’d moved away, gotten busy, shrugged off church, time, prayer and God as if none of it was important.

  Of course it was. Why had she been so stupid?

  She kept Amy’s left hand lightly in her own, and joined with them in silent prayer.

  The door swung open across from them.

  Corinne came in with Callan.

  Drew looked up, and Kimberly watched as realization turned his expression to resignation. Somehow, reading Callan’s face and posture, he knew.

  Corinne drew Callan closer. “How’s Rocky?”

  Drew shook his head. “He’s badly injured. We don’t know anything yet.”

  She turned toward Callan and thrust him forward. “Tell him.”

  Kimberly wasn’t sure this was the right time or place, but she’d also figured out that parenting wasn’t a walk in the park. Corinne seemed to handle it with a strength Kimberly respected.

  Drew didn’t stand. He sat, Amy’s hand tucked in his, and faced the boy.

  “I let him out.”

  Drew’s color faded. “Why would you do that?”

  Callan cringed, not daring to look Drew or Amy in the eye. “I wanted to see him. Meet him. I didn’t know he wouldn’t stay right there—I thought a police dog would just listen to everything I said. Like he does with you. I’m so sorry.”

  Kimberly had been watching Drew, so when Amy hurled herself out of the chair, she sat back, surprised.

  “You stupid jerk!” Amy yelled, and when Callan took a step back, she followed. “You’re a jerk to me, and a jerk to my dad and now you might have killed Rocky! I hate you!”

  “Amy.” Drew reached out to tug her back, into his arms, but she whirled out of reach.

  Callan shrank back, as surprised as anyone; then he turned and ran out of the waiting room, into the night.

  Corinne went after him, Drew grabbed Amy and Kimberly sat still, shocked into reality for the second time in less than an hour.

  Should she go after Corinne and Callan? Or stay here with Drew and Amy?

  A plaque on the far wall gained her attention, Coleridge’s words of wisdom for all to see. “He prayeth best, who loveth best / All things great and small / For the dear God who loveth us / He made and loveth all.” A box of Golden Retriever pups peeked up between the vintage reminder, their wide blue eyes excited to climb out of the box, examine the world around them.

  She’d seen the anguish in Callan’s face, heard it in his voice, but he’d set the stage for Amy’s reaction with his continued bad behavior.

  How could Drew and Amy ever forgive him? And how quickly could one event change a boy’s life?

  “I’ll talk to him when things calm down. When we know more,” Drew added.

  She turned and saw that Amy had climbed into her father’s lap. For this moment the rugged tomboy adventurer had turned back into Daddy’s little girl, and the sweetness of that melted her heart.

  “Mr. Slade?”

  “Yes.” Drew stood and carefully set Amy down at his side. “How is he?”

  “He’s in surgery. We’re lucky that the car missed full body impact, but he’s got a long recovery ahead of him. The damage is mostly to his hindquarters. I’ll have a more detailed list available later, but the operating doctor wants you to know he’s optimistic.”

  A rush of thankfulness flooded Kimberly. She reached over and grasped Amy’s hand. “You think he’s going to be okay?”

  “I do. He’ll need time, rest and daily care, but yes. We think so.”

  Kimberly wasn’t sure who grabbed who first, but she found herself hugging Amy and hugging Drew, and he was hugging both of them, as well. “Should we stay, Doctor?”

  The doctor shrugged. “That’s up to you. You won’t be able to see him until tomorrow. The surgery is going to take a while because of the amount of damage incurred, and if there’s any change in Rocky’s condition, I’ll call you right away. I’m on all night, so I’ll be with him throughout. I’m Dr. Towner, by the way.”

  “Can we stay, Dad?” Amy peered up at Drew and grasped his sleeves. “At least until his surgery is over? Like you’d do for me if I got hurt?”

  “Absolutely.” Drew reached out and shook the doctor’s hand. “Thank you, Dr. Towner. We’ll stay. Then I’ll take this one home to bed because it looks like our September isn’t going to be as laid-back as I thought a few hours ago. And that’s all right, as long as Rocky’s going to be okay.”

  The doctor went back to the surgical wing, and they retook their seats along the wall in the now-quiet waiting room.

  Kimberly took stock of the past couple of hours.

  They’d run the gamut, from highs to lows, but things could still come out all right. No matter what happened in the next few weeks, she’d realized something tonight.

  It felt right to share the ups and downs of life with Drew and Amy. As if she belonged there, with them. A part of them.

  Admit it. You’ve fallen head over heels for this guy again. Be honest with yourself—you loved him as a starstruck kid. Maybe you always have?

  Unlike Drew’s, her September schedule was crazy busy, but if Drew and Amy needed her to help with Rocky or baseball or talking girl stuff to an inquisitive eleven-year-old, she’d do it because somehow, someway, she knew that’s where God wanted her to be.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Jandro Gonzalez stopped by Drew’s apartment on Labor Day morning. “How’s Rocky doing? Any word?”

  Drew stepped outside and pulled the door shut behind him so Amy could sleep in. “Nothing further except that he did well during surgery and is expected to recover.”

  “That’s good to hear.” Jandro clapped him on the shoulder, relieved. “We received your application for the chief’s job, and it’s going through the usual channels. I wanted to thank you for sending it in.”

  He’d followed through and done it, but now, with this latest bend in the road, did he have the right to stay in Grace Haven and po
ssibly mess up Callan’s life?

  Maybe not, but that wasn’t something he could discuss with the lieutenant commander. “I’m grateful for the chance, of course. And Pete’s recommendation.”

  “Pete doesn’t offer kudos lightly. Never did. But he’s firmly in your corner, and with the work you’ve done downstate, the council would be foolish to pick someone else.”

  “And town councils never act foolishly, of course.”

  Jandro’s wince said otherwise, but he waved as he moved toward his car. “Keep me updated on Rocky’s condition. It’s a shame to have something like that happen.”

  It was, and Drew knew he’d have to face Callan this morning. That wouldn’t be easy for either of them.

  Kimberly came out of the house with two mugs, and the sight of her, bringing him coffee, hinted of sweet possibilities. “Please tell me one of those is mine.”

  “This one.” She held up her right hand and handed him the mug. “Any word?”

  Drew’s phone buzzed just then. He took the call with his free hand, and smiled at Kimberly. “He’s doing okay, as expected, no surprises.”

  “I’m so glad.” She set her coffee down on the picnic table and hugged him, and when he returned the favor, he realized how wonderful it would be to share this woman’s life and love for the rest of his days. Being with Kimberly felt good and right, when she wasn’t reaming him out over something, of course, but even that seemed delightfully normal, because that was Kimberly. Strong, assertive and a little bossy. Like him.

  “I like hugging you,” he whispered. She tried to pull back, and he laughed and snugged her closer. “Ten seconds more, okay? Then I can get through today.”

  She hugged him for longer than ten seconds, then moved back. “You’re going to see Callan?”

  “Yes.” He took a long drink of coffee. “Do you mind keeping an eye on Amy for me?”

  “Glad to. We were thinking of putting all the summer stuff away and putting the boat in storage. It’s early, but I don’t see when we’ll have time to do it later on, and once the weather changes, it’s a lot more work. And with Dad not here...” Her voice trailed off, and Drew understood. Things were different with Kate and Pete so far away.

  “Amy would love a fall boat ride.”

  “She would, wouldn’t she?” Kim swept the lake a glance. “But with school and her fall baseball league and homework, will there be time before Shelby’s wedding? And after the wedding, you’ll be gone.”

  Did she choke up just a little?

  She did, and then she turned away to cover it up.

  “Will you miss me? Us?” He looked toward the carriage house apartment behind him.

  “Yes. Jerk.”

  He laughed, then sighed. “It should be easy, shouldn’t it? You meet someone, fall in love and live the prescribed happily-ever-after you see on every princess movie known to man.”

  “In those scenarios, the prince is crazy rich. All he has to do is have his minions run the kingdom—”

  “And slay the occasional dragon.”

  “I’ll grant you that,” she noted. “But essentially, other than the dragon killing, the prince isn’t bogged down by life in the movies. Real life is a whole different thing.”

  “Well.” He drank the rest of the coffee and moved toward the car. “I’m going over there now. Waiting only makes it worse.”

  “Bless you.”

  She said it as if wishing she could help him, and she was helping him by watching Amy. Facing Dave’s son and dealing with years of deep-seated anger was all on him. He climbed into the car, backed around and headed west toward the small cape-style house Dave and Corinne had bought years before. And on the way, he prayed for the right words and that this meeting wouldn’t make things worse. At this moment, he wasn’t sure they could get worse.

  * * *

  Kimberly saw her mother’s number and picked up the house phone. “Hey, Mom. What’s up? It’s morning. Is everything okay?”

  “It’s me, Kimber.”

  “Dad.” Kimberly sank into a kitchen chair and motioned Emily and Rory to come over. “Hey, can you hear me okay if I put you on speaker? Em and Rory are right here.”

  “I’d like that.”

  Flanked by her sisters, she hit the speaker button. “Okay, Dad. We’re all here.”

  “First, there’s no emergency.”

  The girls exchanged a look of relief because if Dad was talking cop talk, he was doing all right.

  “So you just called because you miss us, right?” Rory teased. “Or to see if the roof’s leaking, gutters have been cleaned, lawn mowed et cetera because you know who does all that stuff around here. Surprisingly, your daughters have risen to the task, and, aside from roof stuff, all is well.”

  “You’re amazing!” piped their mother’s voice from the background. “I’m so proud of you girls!”

  “Well, if you’re that proud, stop sugarcoating things for us,” Emily answered smoothly. “I got thrown overboard by my supposed-to-be-forever husband. I’m doing a real good job here, according to my bossy big sister, and I’ve survived nicely. Therefore, you and Dad need to be straight with me and Rory, all the time. Got it?”

  Pete laughed, and it sounded so good, so normal to hear him laugh at their mother. “They’ve got your number, Kate. All right, I’ll reinforce your dictate here—I promise. But that’s not why I called.”

  “Okay, Dad.” Kimberly softened her tone. “It’s your turn.”

  “I’m leaving the force.”

  Their dad hadn’t planned to retire for at least another five years. “You’re retiring? For sure?”

  “Yes. And not because I’m sick right now, although that’s been a wake-up call. I realized that your mother and I haven’t had time alone in three decades. Time to just be. To travel. To meet new people. There’s something real comfortable about Grace Haven, and it will be a great place to come home to, but if I get through this treatment all right, then I want to see some things before God calls me home. And if I don’t come out all right, I still want to see some things, but I wanted you girls to know first.”

  “So...” Kimberly picked her words carefully. “Does that mean Mom’s retiring, too?”

  “Yes.”

  The girls exchanged looks of wonder.

  “What about Kate & Company? Is there a plan?”

  “Well, that depends on you girls,” Pete answered smoothly. “Your mother worked hard to build that business, and it’s brought us a lot of joy and a lot of income, but if it’s not what any of you want to do with your lives, Mom will either sell it or close it once the current commitments are made.”

  Close the business.

  Kimberly couldn’t imagine such a thing; Kate & Company had been a mainstay in the town for decades. And yet...

  Did she want to stay in Grace Haven and run the business? Did Emily?

  One look at Rory’s face said she wasn’t interested. “Well, that’s amazing news.” She half croaked the reply, and her father’s reassuring laugh said he understood.

  “I wanted to call today because I want to go into this procedure knowing I’ve got everything taken care of.”

  Tightness grabbed Kimberly’s throat. Her father was taking care of business today because he wasn’t sure if he’d be around—or cognitive enough—to take care of things in the future.

  “That’s perfect timing, Dad.” Rory jumped in to save the moment. “We’re going to pray you and that surgeon right through this.”

  One way or another this surgery would launch a new chapter for the Gallagher family. Instead of plunging into the unknown, their father was taking steps to ease the transition, no matter what happened.

  “Dad, you guys have given us a lot to think about and pray over, and I expect you’ve got a few more phone ca
lls to make,” Emily added.

  “I do, honey, but you guys needed to be brought on board first. And...” This time it was his voice that choked. “I love you, girls. Every one of you. You and your brother are the best things that ever happened to Mom and me, and I just wanted you to know that.”

  Worry shook Pete Gallagher’s voice.

  The girls exchanged concerned looks.

  Kimberly refused to think that he might not be here. They’d gone to Houston for a cure, and that’s what she intended to focus on. “Stay in touch as things happen, but, Dad, I totally believe you’re going to be just fine.” It took all her strength to pull out her tough, pragmatic voice, but she did it. “We’re going to let you go so Emily and I can decide who gets Mom’s business in a tug-of-war. I’m bigger, so I expect to win.”

  She winked at Emily as they hung up the phone, but then all three girls sat, staring, wondering what the future would bring.

  “Well.” Rory stood up and dusted her hands together. “The new school year starts in forty-eight hours, and I’ve got kids to prep for. You’ve got to keep Amy busy once she’s up, and Emily said she wanted to organize Mom’s computer files.”

  “They are a mess,” Kimberly agreed. “I spend way too much time searching for names and then opening and closing files to figure out which one I want. If you can make that easier, that would be a wonderful thing.”

  “I can and will.” Emily heaved a breath, still looking at the phone. “And it’s a nice quiet job that lets me pray the whole while. If you need me, guys, I’ll be over in the office.”

  “Em?”

  “Hmm?” She turned, read Kimberly’s look and shrugged. “We’ll figure out what to do with the business once we know what we’re dealing with concerning Dad and Mom. Because while none of us wants to face the possibility of Dad not being here, what if he doesn’t make it through? Would Mom still want to give up the business she loves and travel places alone?”

  She made an excellent point. Kimberly shook her head. “No.”

  “So we wait. And because neither one of us has a host of other offers sitting on the table, it’s okay to take some time.”