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

“Even when you’re able to take care of yourself, it’s nice to know someone is there for you.”

“I don’t need nobody,” Peter said, the strength in his voice lessening slightly.

For a brief moment Gabriel felt himself hurled back twenty years. He had declared that same thing to his mother after his father had died, leaving him the man of the house with three younger siblings. In his anger he had nearly lost his way until his grandfather had shown him the power of the Lord’s love. That power had been strengthened when Gabriel had lost his wife and son—a son who wouldn’t be much older than Josh. Emotions he thought were behind him surfaced, knotting his throat. He had so wanted a family.

“It can get mighty lonely going through life by yourself,” Gabriel finally said, twisting his wedding ring as memories of the day Judy had slid it on his finger seeped into his thoughts. He had never taken it off.

“But at least no one can let—” Peter snapped his mouth closed.

“Let you down?”

In the moonlight Peter tensed, his jaw clamped tight.

“Who let you down, Peter?”

“Nobody!” Peter shot to his feet. “I can find my own way home.”

Gabriel rose. “No, I told your mother I would bring you home, and I’m going to do what I promised. You’ll find that I always do.”

“Fine!” The child shoved past him and hastened to the squad car.

Gabriel peered heavenward, noting the clear sky, the stars glittering in the blackness. The spring air was warm, the light breeze carrying a hint of honeysuckle. Perfect—except for the storm brewing at the Michaels’s house. He felt Peter’s anger as though it were a palpable force, reaching out to push everyone away. The child was determined to stand alone no matter who got in his way.

When Gabriel slid behind the steering wheel, he turned to Peter and asked, “Why did you come to the field tonight?”

The boy shrugged.

“Have you been thinking about my offer to join the team?”

“No way.” Peter answered so fast Gabriel knew the opposite was true.

“If you don’t want to play, I could use an assistant.”

“I’m sure I won’t be able to do anything for a while. Mom’s gonna ground me longer for leaving the house. I’ll probably not be able to do anything till summer.”

“Then why did you do it?”

“’Cause I felt like it.”

Gabriel heard the pout and stubbornness in the child’s voice and again thought of how he had been after his father’s death, so angry at the world. “What if I can get your mother to let you come out for the team?”

“Sure, why not. It beats staying in that old house. But I ain’t gonna play.”

Gabriel started the car, careful to keep from grinning. Once he had Peter at the baseball field, he would get the boy involved in the team as more than an assistant. Of course, he had to convince Rebecca to allow Peter to practice after school. Normally he wouldn’t think that was a problem, but with Rebecca, he didn’t know what to expect.

Rebecca answered the door on the first knock, throwing her arms around Peter’s stiff body and pulling him against her. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.” She stood him away from her and inspected him as though afraid he had been hurt. “Why did you leave?”

Her son shuffled back a few steps and looked at his feet. “I needed some fresh air.” He lifted his head and fixed his gaze on her.

Rebecca wanted to shake some sense into him but knew anger wouldn’t bring about the peace she so desperately needed. She balled her hands at her sides and counted to ten. When she still wasn’t calm, she started for one hundred. “We’ll talk about this in the morning.”

Peter’s chin went up a notch. “Why not now? You’re just gonna ground me.”

Her fingernails dug into her palms. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I do know that I need to calm down first or I might regret what I say.”

“Tell him—” Peter nodded toward Gabriel “—that I’m grounded and won’t be able to help with the baseball team after school.”

“Why, that’s a great idea, Peter. You should become involved with a sport.”

“Oh, good grief.” Her son tramped across the entrance hall.

“Peter, I’ll see you Monday right after school at the field. Wear your tennis shoes,” Gabriel called as the boy fled up the stairs.

At the top her son stopped. “I might be busy. Mrs. Harris wants to see me.”

“Then come as soon as you can.”

Peter frowned, started to say something else, then stalked toward his bedroom.

“Mrs. Harris wants to see him?” Rebecca stared at the place her son had been standing. “That’s the first I heard of it. Of course, that doesn’t surprise me. Lately, there’s a lot I don’t know about my son. We used to be so close.” She massaged the muscles in her neck and shoulders to ease the tightness. “I can’t believe you talked Peter into going out for the baseball team.”

“I didn’t, exactly. He’s going to be my assistant.”

“Assistant? That’s even more of a surprise.”

Gabriel chuckled. “I sort of backed him into a corner.”

Rebecca slanted another look up the stairs, her heart beating normally again. Her vivid imagination had conjured up all kinds of trouble for Peter. “Did he say anything to you about why he left the house?”

“No, not exactly. For a second I thought he was going to tell me about someone letting him down.”

“No doubt me for moving here.”

“I think it’s someone else. Talk to him tomorrow. Maybe he will be ready to tell you.”

“Maybe,” she murmured, knowing in her heart that her eldest wouldn’t talk to her about what was troubling him. In the past year their relationship had unraveled, and she didn’t know how to stop it from coming completely apart. “Thanks again for all your help.”

“It’s part of my job. I’m just glad it ended okay.”

“Yeah, but you’ve lost several nights of sleep because of my family.”

“I wasn’t in bed yet. I was trying to read a book and not getting very far.” He started to turn away and stopped. “I was going to call you anyway tomorrow.”

“You were?”

“Jenny, our file clerk at the station, decided to elope last night. I got a call from her late this afternoon. She and her new husband are going to live in Oklahoma City. We could use a new file clerk, sometimes a dispatcher. It doesn’t pay much, but I hope you’ll apply.”

“File clerk? I think I can handle that.”

“There’s some computer work involved, too.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. If I don’t know your programs, I should be able to pick it up quickly.”

A smile flashed across his face. “Then call the station and set up an interview with my secretary, Mabel.”

Rebecca watched Gabriel stroll away, both elated and apprehensive. With a job on the horizon, she had to work out child care for Josh. She didn’t want to leave him, and yet she had to earn some money to support her family, to pay the bills. Craig wasn’t reliable, and Josh’s care was expensive. If she got the job at the police station, at least she would be staying in Oakview. As she closed the front door, she pushed her doubts to the background and made a promise to herself. Gabriel Stone would not regret giving her this chance.

Rebecca heard the back door slam. Peering into the kitchen, she saw Peter go to the refrigerator. He took a jug of ice water out and poured himself a tall glass.

“How was practice today?” Rebecca came into the room, hoping that her son would finally say more than two words to her. She’d never had the talk with Peter because he’d avoided her, and she knew the uselessness of having a conversation with him when he was in a rotten mood.