Margaret Daley - Family Ever After

Cara laughed. “Yeah, you keep thinking that, Noah.”

“I believe my new housekeeper is making fun of me.”

Arching an eyebrow, Cara asked, “You think?”

Amusement dimpled Noah’s cheeks. “I bow before your expertise in child rearing. Believe me, I’m in over my head and still wondering why I agreed to take in three kids.”

“Because you saw a need and wanted to help.”

“So you think you’ve got me figured out,” Noah said.

“No, I would never say that.” Cara blushed. “Now I need to get busy cleaning. If you stay, I’ll put you to work.”

“I’m all yours till I have to pick up the kids from school.”

I’m all yours. Cara couldn’t get past those words. But she had to remember that Noah was a self-proclaimed bachelor for life. And all she wanted was a family. She shouldn’t have taken this job. Noah wasn’t going to be an easy man to ignore.

feels she has been blessed. She has been married more than thirty years to her husband, Mike, whom she met in college. He is a terrific support and her best friend. They have one son, Shaun.

Margaret has been writing for many years and loves to tell a story. When she was a little girl, she would play with her dolls and make up stories about their lives. Now she writes these stories down. She especially enjoys weaving stories about families and how faith in God can sustain a person when things get tough. When she isn’t writing, she is fortunate to be a teacher for students with special needs. Margaret has taught for over twenty years and loves working with her students. She has also been a Special Olympics coach and has participated in many sports with her students.

But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

— Psalms 37:39

To my new granddaughter

I love you.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Epilogue

Questions For Discussion

A clap of thunder vibrated the air. Cara Winters jumped at the sudden sound. Staring out the windshield of her blue Chevy, she could barely see the front door of the restaurant ten yards away. Sheets of gray rain hammered the packed parking lot. With a glance at the clock, noting it was twenty minutes after noon, she grabbed her umbrella from the seat next to her.

She hated being late. Again she studied the distance to the restaurant and noted a lessening in the intensity of the storm. If she hurried, she shouldn’t get too wet.

Clasping the handle, she readied herself for the mad dash. She shot out of the car, opening the umbrella as she slammed the door closed with her foot. Then she rushed toward The Ultimate Pizzeria, her total attention on the entrance.

Halfway across the parking lot, a blaring horn froze her. She pivoted toward the noise, her eyes growing round. A red sports car swerved to avoid her and splashed a puddle of water down her front. The wind caught on her umbrella, and turned it inside out. What the puddle of water didn’t get wet, the pouring rain did.

She sidestepped another small lake and continued her sprint to the restaurant. Maybe they had a towel—or several—she could use. Being drenched was a fitting end to her horrible morning.

As she reached to open the door, out of the corner of her eye she noticed the red sports car park in the back. She thought about waiting to give the driver a piece of her mind, but that would take time and energy she didn’t have.

Shivering from being cold and wet, she welcomed the warmth in the pizzeria as she scanned the tables for her son and Laura Stone. Her friend waved from the other side of the restaurant, and Cara quickly made her way to the table beside one of the large picture windows that faced the street.

“I’m sorry I’m late. The second interview ran over, but I didn’t get the job. Either one.” Cara slipped into the chair across from Laura and smiled at Timothy, whose mouth was full of a bread stick.

Her friend’s gaze widened. “I’m sorry about the jobs, but what happened to you? Did you go swimming? I know you’re new to town, but it’s only March and still cold in Cimarron City.”

“Funny. I’m laughing on the inside.”

“Seriously, what happened?” Laura dumped a packet of sugar into her iced tea and stirred it.

“I almost got run over in the parking lot, and the guy didn’t even bother to check and see if I was all right. What has happened to chivalry in this century?”

Timothy swallowed his food. “What’s chiv-alry?”

“Hon, it’s about courage, honor and protecting the weak.”

“You aren’t weak, Mom.”

Cara chuckled. “No, but I am wet.”

She noticed her friend’s gaze shift to something behind Cara. Before she had a chance to peer over her shoulder to see what had captured Laura’s attention, a thick terry cloth towel was dropped onto the table in front of her. She must really look bad if a stranger was giving her something to dry off with.

Cara twisted around in her chair to thank her rescuer. A tall, lean man with shaggy dark brown hair filled her vision. Her gaze traveled up his torso and came to light on the somber expression of the man who had nearly hit her. All words fled from her mind as she stared into his hazel eyes.

“Noah, when did you arrive? When I came in, they said you had a business meeting and had gone to your office.”

Cara heard her friend speaking to the man, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away. From the distance in the parking lot and the heavy rain, she hadn’t really gotten a good, up-close look at him. Now she did, and he was probably the handsomest man she’d ever seen. Bar none!

Averting his gaze from her, Noah grinned at Timothy and then Laura as he sat in an empty chair. “I just got here. I see you’re with the woman I nearly ran down.” He gave Cara an apologetic look, the corners of his mouth curving up while dimples appeared in his cheeks. “I’m very sorry. I didn’t see you between the parked cars. I would have stopped, but I didn’t want you to get wetter than you already were.”

Heat seared her face. She lowered her gaze and fastened it upon the towel. “Thanks for this.” She lifted it and wiped her damp hair and face.

“This is my friend Cara Winters, and her son, Timothy, from St. Louis. She finally decided to take me up on my suggestion to move here.”

After greeting her son, the man held his hand out for Cara to shake. “Nice to meet you. I’m Noah Maxwell, the proprietor of this fine establishment. I know my armor is a bit tarnished, but I hope the towel and apology restore some faith in chivalry.”

Timothy giggled.

She paused in an attempt to make herself more presentable and draped the towel over the arm of the chair. She clasped his hand and shook it once before releasing it. Her fingers tingled from the warmth radiating from his hand. “You’re a friend of Laura’s husband, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, we’ve known each other for years. Peter, Jacob and I were foster brothers.”

“Ah, yes. I met Jacob and his wife yesterday.”

“How long have you been here?”