Margaret Daley - The Courage To Dream and The Power Of Love

“I’m home,” Rebecca called as she walked into the kitchen from the garage.

Rose cradled Josh in her lap while she fed him.

Rebecca rushed to take Josh from her grandmother. “I’m sorry I’m late, but I was bound and determined to get all the folders logged on the computer and filed away.”

Rose waved her away. “I can handle this. You know I raised three children. Sit and relax. You’ve been working all day.”

Rebecca arched a brow. “And you haven’t?”

“Taking care of Josh isn’t work. It’s God’s gift to me. He keeps me young.”

Rebecca sank into a chair next to her grandmother and stroked Josh’s arm. His cooing eased her weariness. Her children were the reason she was working so hard. They were worth it.

“Where’s Peter?” Rebecca asked as she tickled Josh’s stomach and relished the sound of his laughter.

“He’s still at baseball practice, but he should—” The sound of the front door slamming interrupted Rose. “It looks like he’s home.”

“Or we have a very loud burglar.”

“My gosh, child, work at the police station one day and you’re already thinking the worst of the good citizens of Oakview.”

Peter entered the kitchen and headed for the refrigerator. “I’m starved. When’s dinner?”

“Six.” Rose placed Josh over her shoulder and patted his back.

“How was practice today?” Rebecca asked, watching her eldest son pour a large glass of orange juice and nearly down it in one swallow, then refill it.

He shrugged. “The usual.”

“Which means?”

“The team practices catching and batting.” Peter rummaged through the cabinets until he found a box of crackers.

“I don’t want you to eat too—”

“Mom, I could eat everything in this kitchen and still be hungry. Don’t worry. I’ll eat dinner. Have you called Dad yet?”

“No, I just got home myself.”

“Well, then, what are we waiting for?” Peter took the phone and punched in his dad’s number.

While Peter talked with his father for a few minutes, Rebecca steeled herself. She remembered the devastation she had experienced when she had discovered the note Craig left, saying he couldn’t take any more and he had to leave—for good.

“Mom! Mom!”

Rebecca blinked and focused on Peter, who was holding out the phone for her. Her hands shook as she took it. “Hello, Craig.”

“Peter said you had something you needed to talk to me about. I don’t have much time. What is it?”

Rebecca heard the impatience in Craig’s voice, and the sound of people’s voices in the background. She wondered what their call had interrupted. “Peter and I were hoping you could come up for his birthday next Saturday. He wants you to go fishing with him like you two used to.” A long pause on the other end sent her heart pounding against her chest. “Craig?”

“I’m thinking.” Another long pause, then he said, “Okay. I can come for a while. I’ll be there at seven in the morning. We can spend a few hours together before I have to get back to Dallas.”

“Peter will be glad to hear that,” Rebecca replied in the most cheerful voice she could muster, while inside she wanted to yell at Craig. Don’t put yourself out for your own son. After all, his feelings aren’t as important as yours. He doesn’t need to see his own father.

“I’ll have to leave by noon.”

“Fine. We’ll see you at seven then.” She hung up the phone.

“Dad’s coming?”

Rebecca nodded, her throat clogged with emotions she couldn’t express in front of her son. She laced her hands together to keep them from trembling.

“This is gonna be great.” Peter snatched up the box of crackers and the glass of orange juice and left the kitchen.

“Everything isn’t as great as Peter thinks?” Rose asked.

Rebecca took her son from her grandmother, needing to hold him close. Burying her face against his hair, she breathed deeply, relishing his baby scent. “No. There were other people at his place, and I could tell he wasn’t too pleased by our call.”

“Have faith in the Lord, child. Everything will work out.”

Rebecca remembered Gabriel saying those same words to her earlier that day. She wanted to believe them. “Granny, I’m trying.” She tightened her hold on Josh, drawing strength from her youngest who had been through so much in his short life.

“You haven’t told me about your first day on the job,” Rose said as she opened the refrigerator to remove some sliced chicken.

“Interesting and challenging.”

“Challenging?”

“Not the actual work so much as how to get along with my co-worker.” Rebecca started to tell her grandmother about Mabel when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get this then tell you.”

She swung the front door open and found Gabriel in cutoffs and a sweatshirt. He filled the entrance with his overwhelming presence. She greeted him with a smile, pleased to see him. Her spirits lifted.

“What brings you by?”

“I wasn’t there when you left today, and I wanted to know how the rest of your first day on the job went.” His gaze trekked down her.

“Checking for scorch marks from the Dragon Lady?”

He chuckled. “Are there any?”

“One or two. Come in.”

“I’d better stay out here. I’m in desperate need of a shower after running laps with the team.”

“How’s Peter doing? Giving you any trouble?” Rebecca came out onto the porch.

“No, he hasn’t complained since that first day. Actually he ran next to David today. For the first lap they carried on a conversation.”

“Good, because this morning I was concerned something happened at practice yesterday.”

“Why?”

“He came home and kicked his tennis shoes under the bed.”

Gabriel chuckled. “Probably because he’s done more work these past couple of days than he’s done in a month’s time.” He raked his fingers through his sweaty hair. “I have to give him credit. He’s done everything the team has done.” Leaning against the railing, he folded his arms across his chest. “Okay. How was your day?”

She sat in the swing and turned Josh in her lap so he could see Gabriel. “The job’s fine. I’ll win Mabel over. I think she was shocked that I wasn’t out the door right at four-thirty. I think I further shocked her by staying until all the files were logged and put away.”

“I bet you did. When I first came to work as the police chief, I had to win Mabel over, too. Just because I was the boss meant nothing to the woman.”

“Since you’re still the police chief, there’s hope for me.”

“There’s always hope, Rebecca. I think that’s one of the messages the Lord was giving us when He sent us His only son.”

Fear nibbled at her. Dare she have hope? Rebecca thought about Peter’s birthday. She prayed that Gabriel was right.

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