Mariah Stewart - Acts of Mercy

“His name is Ian, and he’s crying because he’s in a place that is strange to him,” Susanna told her. “He’s very unhappy right now and we’re not sure what to do to make him happy.”

“I know what will make him happy.” Chloe skipped across the kitchen floor. “Foxy will make him smile. She makes me smile.”

She went to Susanna and tugged gently on Ian’s foot.

“Do you want to play with the kitty, Ian?”

At the sound of her voice, Ian turned his head. She held up the bright red string and dangled it in front of him, and he stopped crying.

“See?” she said. “He wants to play.”

Chloe sat on the floor and wiggled the string in front of the kitten. It stood on its hind legs to bat at it, and Ian struggled to get down. He toddled to Chloe and plunked himself down on the floor.

“Here, Ian. Hold the string like this.” She held it between two fingers to show him. When he reached for it, she helped him to hold it, then told him, “Hold it up in the air. Yes, like that. See… Foxy likes playing with you.”

Ian laughed for the first time that day.

Robert came into the room, holding several stuffed animals, a ball, and a pile of books. “I wasn’t sure what he might-”

The sound of Ian’s laughter stopped him in his tracks.

“What happened?” he whispered to Susanna.

“Chloe.” She pointed to the floor where the two children sat playing with Foxy. “Chloe happened.”

“Do you think maybe if I sat down there with him…?”

“It wouldn’t hurt.”

“Chloe,” Robert said, “do you think I could play with you and Ian?”

“Sure, but you have to wait your turn for the string. Right now, Ian has it, then it’s my turn again. But then it could be your turn.”

“Okay.” He sat on the floor next to his son, not close enough to make the child move away, but near enough that he could catch the scent of him. “I don’t mind waiting my turn…”

“Am I too late for breakfast?” Kevin came into the kitchen from the front of the house.

“You’re right on time.” Trula pointed to a pile of waffles she’d just plated. “Grab a plate and help yourself.”

“Whoa.” Kevin stopped in his tracks and pointed out the window to the back patio.

Ian sat in the high chair they’d bought for him long ago, a bright blue sippy cup in one hand, a piece of waffle in the other. Susanna sat on one side, and Robert sat on the other.

“That’s quite a different scene from the one I left last night,” Kevin said.

“It was touch and go for a while,” Trula agreed, “but things have calmed down. There’s still a long way to go, but I think it’s going to work out okay in the end.”

“How’d things go last night? Did he sleep?”

“He slept between Robert and Susanna on Rob’s bed. On top of the covers, I should add.” She smiled slyly. “Not that I wouldn’t like to see that change. Your cousin is blind where Susanna is concerned. Anyone with a pair of eyes could see she’s in love with him.”

“Even I knew that.” Kevin nodded.

“Really? You saw it, too, all this time?”

“All this time.” Kevin helped himself to coffee. “Maybe he’ll wake up one of these days.”

“They make a beautiful family, don’t they?” Trula sounded wistful.

“They look like they belong together.”

“From your lips to God’s ears.”

“Exactly.” Kevin smiled and sipped his coffee. “Exactly what I was thinking…”

Mariah Stewart is the bestselling author of ten novels and three novellas. A RITA finalist for romantic suspense, she is the recipient of the Award of Excellence for contemporary romance, a RIO (Reviewers International) Award honoring excellence in women's fiction, a Reviewers Choice Award from Romantic Times magazine, and a two-time recipient of the Golden Leaf Award for contemporary romance. A native of Hightstown, New Jersey, she lives in a Philadelphia suburb with her husband, two teenage daughters, and two rambunctious golden retrievers in a century old Victorian country home where she's neglecting her garden and working on her next book.