Lenora Worth - Ben's Bundle of Joy

“I don’t want to disappoint you, but

I’m not sure that I can take care of a

baby,” Ben said.

Sara grabbed Ben’s shirtsleeve. “You’re not thinking of sending him away, are you? After all, they left the baby with you. You can’t send little Tyler away without even trying to help him.”

The doctor came in, smiled at them, then went right to Tyler’s bed. “Well, well, Reverend. Let’s have a look at your little bundle of joy.”

Ben glanced at his friend, then back to the red-haired, obviously determined woman flashing green fire at him. “I just don’t know…”

“I’ll help you with Tyler,” she offered. “You should keep him here, surrounded by people who care, until we can decide what to do.”

Ben could only nod. Sara certainly seemed determined to keep the baby nearby, but he wasn’t so sure. But God didn’t always send His answers in the easiest, most convenient packages. Sometimes they came in the form of an adorable baby and a red-haired woman with attitude.

LENORA WORTH

grew up in a small Georgia town and decided in the fourth grade that she wanted to be a writer. But first she married her high school sweetheart, then moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Taking care of their baby daughter at home while her husband worked at night, Lenora discovered the world of romance novels and knew that’s what she wanted to write. And so she began.

A few years later, the family settled in Shreveport, Louisiana, where Lenora continued to write while working as a marketing assistant. After the birth of her second child, a boy, she decided to pursue her dream full-time. In 1993 Lenora’s hard work and determination finally paid off with that first sale.

“I never gave up, and I believe my faith in God helped get me through the rough times when I doubted myself,” Lenora says. “Each time I start a new book, I say a prayer, asking God to give me the strength and direction to put the words to paper. That’s why I’m so thrilled to be a part of Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired line, where I can combine my faith in God with my love of romance. It’s the best combination.”

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For you were once darkness, but you are light in the

Lord. Walk as children of the light.

—Ephesians 5:8

To Anne Canadeo, with gratitude and appreciation

Dear Reader,

Being a part of this series was such a joy for me. At first it was hard bringing to life characters that someone else had created, but the more involved I became with Ben and Sara and little Tyler, the more fun I had.

I learned so much from this story and these characters. Being a Christian sometimes means that others think of us as picture perfect, almost above reproach. But we’re not. We’re just humans who struggle every day with right and wrong, good and bad, grief and joy. But we know that we have someone to turn to, in the good times and the bad.

Sara learned that lesson when she saw just how much she’d been missing without God’s guidance in her life, and Ben had to remember that not only was he a minister to serve God and others, but he had to also minister to himself. They both stepped out of the darkness and into the light, and together they found their joy. I hope this story brings you a little bit of lightness and joy.

Until next time, may the angels watch over you while you sleep.

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

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Deep within the still, peaceful confines of the old church, he thought he heard a baby’s soft cry. Glancing up, Reverend Ben Hunter decided he must be imagining things. He was alone in the church, alone with the brilliance of stained-glass windows on a crisp, sunny October morning, alone with his own unvoiced thoughts and unanswered prayers. It was too early in the day and way too quiet for any of his overly protective members to be paying a visit to the sanctuary of The Old First Church of Fairweather, Minnesota.

At least he hoped so.

Ben liked being alone. Not that he minded having to deal with his congregation and their joys and concerns on a daily basis, but he craved the peace and solitude of his private early-morning devotionals here in the church that he’d called home for the past three years. But was this really his home? Would it ever be?

He didn’t get a chance to ponder that particular prayer request. The cry came again, this time impatient and almost angry, but still soft, like the mewling of a kitten.

Lifting his athletic frame off the aged pine pew in the middle of the small church, Ben shook his head as he followed the sound toward the back. “Not another kitten. Emma, Emma, when will you stop trying to push pets off on me?”

He knew the church secretary, Emma Fulton, meant well. Emma was a social butterfly. She liked being the center of attention, and she liked having people and pets around all the time. So, naturally she thought Ben needed the same in his life—for companionship. Which meant she was constantly trying to fix him up with either blind dates or abandoned animals. Ben didn’t know which was worse—the setups never panned out because he usually never heard from the ladies again, and because he couldn’t turn the animals away, he was slowly collecting a small zoo. At least the animals took a liking to him, even if none of the single women in town did.

“I can’t take any more strays, Emma,” he said, his voice echoing over the cream-colored walls and vaulted, beamed ceiling of the antique church. He half expected the plump secretary to jump out from behind a pew, singing one of her favorite hymns. As he reached the back of the church, though, Ben stopped and stared into the sturdy cardboard box someone had left on the pew. This was no ordinary stray.

This one was human. A baby. A tiny newborn baby lay kicking and whining in the box, mounds of blankets encasing the ruddy little body.

“Well, hello there,” Ben said, glancing around to see if anyone would come out and lay claim to the infant. “How did you get here, little one?”

This time the baby’s cry grew louder, more demanding. Not sure what to do, Ben reached down and lifted the infant out of the box, careful to keep it wrapped in the protective blue blankets someone had left with it. As Ben lifted the child, a note fluttered out from the folds of the blanket.

Sweeping a hand down to catch the note, Ben held tight to the baby in his arms. “Let’s see what this says.”

Carefully Ben balanced the wiggling bundle in his arms, so he could unfold the note and read it over the cries of the baby.

“‘Reverend Ben, this is Tyler. He is one month old. I know you will take good care of him.’”

Stunned, Ben dropped the note back into the empty box, then stared blankly down at the little baby boy in his arms.

“Tyler?” The infant answered him with a lusty cry.

“You’re probably hungry…and wet,” Ben said as he shifted the child in his arms. “And I don’t have any food or diapers.” Then, in spite of his concern, he smiled. “But I certainly know someone who does.”

Sara Conroy glanced up just in time to see the tall man with the baby coming directly toward her. The man, handsome in a gentle kind of way, seemed frantic in his efforts to calm the screaming baby. Sara watched, somewhat amused, as he looked up, his incredible blue eyes latching on to her as he headed down the center of the tidy, colorful classroom. He walked carefully so as to avoid stepping on crawling toddlers in his haste.