Terri Reed - Love Comes Home and A Sheltering Love - Love Comes Home / A Sheltering Love

As soon as possible, she would return to her life and Josh would stay here.

Now she was truly alone on this earth.

Rachel sat near the window and surveyed the crowded church reception room. Among the various flower arrangements and tables filled with food, there were so many people. So many lives touched by Mom G. Some of the faces she recognized, others were new to her. Everyone had expressed his or her grief over Mom G.’s passing and then wandered off to talk among themselves.

Her gaze dropped to the taupe carpet and the polite smile she’d worn all day faltered. She was out of place among these people. Without Mom G. she didn’t belong.

A slight film of dust covered her black pumps. Though she’d numbly stood by the grave with eyes blurry from tears, the graveside service had been beautiful. Pastor Larkin had delivered a lovely eulogy and Josh had spoken, giving a sentimental testament to Mom G.’s memory.

He’d grown so close to Mom G. while Rachel had been so far away. She was glad the funeral was over. After the reception, she would meet with the lawyer, Mr. Finley, to discuss Mom G.’s estate and then she wouldn’t have any reason to stay. She’d be free to return to the life she’d carved out for herself, the life God wanted for her. Strangely there was no peace in that thought.

Constrained laughter caught her attention and she looked up. Across the room Josh held a captivated audience as he talked.

She sighed. He looked handsome in his dark navy suit and tie, looking more like he belonged in a boardroom than out fighting fires. He stood tall and carried himself with a confidence that she envied. He was a part of these people. He belonged here. She didn’t.

A young boy moved to stand beside Josh. Shock momentarily wiped away the numb ambivalence that had taken ahold of her the moment Mom G. died. Rachel’s heart pounded as she looked from the boy to Josh and back to the boy.

Even as Josh put his arm around the child and hugged him, Rachel realized that this boy with his light-colored hair and expressive eyes could only be Josh’s son. The “they” Mom G. had been talking about.

The child could have been her son.

She blinked and turned to stare out the window at the little town of Sonora. The quaint, turn-of-the-century homes, the cute little café that hadn’t been there when she’d lived in the town and the gas station where Josh had worked during high school turned blurry through fresh tears.

Josh had a son. Why hadn’t Josh mentioned him?

Why did she care?

She realized she didn’t know that much about Josh and his life. She didn’t want to know, she told herself. She couldn’t change the past, could only accept it.

There was so much to accept.

The quicker she left Sonora and the memories behind, the easier the past would be to accept—and forget.

Josh hugged his son close. He was grateful his father had had the foresight to take Griff to the hospital before school the day before Mrs. G. died. He hated to think of the pain Griff would have suffered had he not had the chance to say goodbye to the woman who had helped raise him.

Thankfully Rachel had been able to say goodbye, too. He scanned the crowd. He’d seen her earlier talking with Mr. and Mrs. Poe, then he’d lost sight of her.

She was putting on a good show of strength. Though her complexion was ghostly pale and her eyes were a little glazed, she’d smiled and moved gracefully through the funeral service and the reception.

She looked very mature and womanly in her black tailored suit with her hair pulled up into a fancy twist. When they’d talked briefly at the cemetery, she’d been distant and polite, but he could see by the tiny lines bracketing her mouth and the way she had to blink constantly to fight tears, that she was struggling to keep her composure.

Where was she? He frowned. She shouldn’t have to deal with her grief alone. He started to usher his son toward the door in search of Rachel when he saw her sitting by the window. She looked composed and serene, but he knew inside she had to be crumbling. He steered Griff toward the window.

As they approached, she turned and he saw a flicker of an emotion he couldn’t identify in her eyes. But then it was gone and she smiled with distant, polite interest.

“Rachel, I’d like you to meet my son, Griff. Griff, this is Rachel Maguire.”

Rachel held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Griff.”

Griff took her hand. “You’re in the picture with my dad at Mrs. G.’s house.”

Her eyes widened with surprise. “Yes, I am. How did you know?”

“Mrs. G. takes care of me when Dad and Grandpa work.”

Rachel fought the burning behind her eyes at the boy’s use of the present tense. She could only imagine the grief the child would suffer when he realized that Mom G. wasn’t coming back.

Josh cleared his throat. She saw the same concern in his eyes.

“When you’re ready to leave, let me know and we’ll give you a ride to your hotel,” he said.

“That won’t be necessary.” She didn’t want to rely on anyone, especially Josh, for anything.

He gave her a pointed look. “Yes, it is.”

Annoyance arced though her. Their promise to Mom G. didn’t include his services as chauffeur.

He set his jaw and grated out a warning, “Rachel.”

From across the room, Rod called out Josh’s name.

Rachel turned her attention to Griff. “So who’s your favorite baseball team?”

“The Mariners.”

“Seattle fan, huh?” She nodded sagely. “I’m a Cubs fan myself.”

“They’re in Chicago.”

Rachel laughed softly. “That’s right, they are.”

Josh placed a hand on Griff’s shoulder. “Come on, Griff. Let’s give Rachel some space. Let’s go find Grandpa.”

Griff gestured with his thumb. “He’s over there.”

“I know he’s over there, son. I need you to come with me. We’ll come back and take Rachel home when she’s ready.”

Rachel ground her teeth, but didn’t say anything. She wouldn’t argue with Josh in front of his son.

“Aw, Dad. I wanna stay here and talk to her.”

“He can hang with me.” Rachel blinked up at Josh, half expecting him to say no way.

“Okay. Then we’ll take you home,” he said firmly.

Their promise didn’t give him a license to try to control her, but she didn’t have the energy to point that out to him. “Fine.”

Josh nodded and moved away, sapping the air of its heat and leaving her chilled.

“I have a baseball card collection.”

Rachel turned her attention back to Griff. “You do?” An unfamiliar yearning crowded her senses. She supposed she was drawn to him because this boy was so like his father.

“It used to be Dad’s, but he gave it to me. Now I collect them.”

“How old are you, Griff?”

“I’m eight.”

Rachel absorbed that information with a bit of shock. Josh and Andrea had waited before having a child. She’d expected them to start a family right away because that was what he’d wanted. “You look like your dad.”

Griff grinned. “Everybody says that.”

“I see your mother in you, too.” His hair was more the color of Andrea’s and the shape of his nose favored her, as well.

“You knew my mom?”

Rachel smiled compassionately. “We all went to high school together.”

“What was she like?”

She blinked. “Don’t you remember her?”

He shook his head. “She died in a car accident when I was a baby.”

This news carried the weight of a punch to the solar plexus. Andrea had died nearly eight years ago. Rachel had assumed because Josh was still grieving that she’d died fairly recently.

Griff had grown up without a mother. Josh had raised his son from infancy all by himself. She had no doubts that Rod helped, but that Josh took on the responsibility made her admire him in a way she hadn’t before. And made her ache for both Josh and his son. Ached for what they’d lost.