A Child Shall Lead Them. Carole Page Gift

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СКАЧАТЬ promised to find the starving pup a good home; the home turned out to be Andrew’s. Now Ruggs was as much a part of the family as anyone. The girls adored the ungainly pooch and forgave his every vice, including chewing Andrew’s leather shoes to shreds and pilfering steaks from the backyard grill.

      With much howling, Ruggs announced Andrew’s presence in the dining room. Andrew took his place at the head of the table, flashing an apologetic smile at his two daughters. “Hope I’m not too late,” he said as he fastened Bree’s hand-stitched, terry-cloth bib around his neck. Bree had made him the enormous bib several years ago as a practical joke. Andrew was known far and wide for his clumsiness; he could never maneuver his way through a spaghetti dinner without strategically positioning a dollop of tomato sauce on his best dress shirt. So the bib was a welcome defense against all the loose spaghetti strands that threatened to attack.

      Oddly, the bib idea caught on, and soon everyone in the family wanted one. Then guests who came to dinner began to expect them, too, so Bree gladly stitched a stack of them, customizing each one. The bibs became wonderful conversation pieces, always good for a laugh.

      And a laugh is just what we need these days, Andrew mused to himself as he smoothed his bib over his starched white shirt. “Looks good,” he told Frannie as she set heaping bowls of pasta and spaghetti sauce on the linen-draped table beside a tossed salad and a platter of garlic cheese toast.

      “Your favorites, Daddy,” she said, sitting down.

      “You bet.” He reached for his daughters’ hands, bowed his head, and asked God’s blessing on the food, adding softly, “Lord, take special care of Cassie and Antonio, wherever they are tonight. Give them a wonderful life together. And fill this empty house with lots of life and laughter again.”

      As they ate, Brianna gave Andrew several curious glances, as if she had something to say but didn’t know quite how to say it.

      “What is it, Bree?” Andrew prompted. “Got something on your mind?”

      Bree twirled a spaghetti strand on her fork. “I was just thinking, Daddy…”

      “Thinking?” He chuckled knowingly. “Why does that sound like you’re about to spring a momentous announcement on me?”

      “She’s probably bringing home another stray animal,” said Frannie lightly. “What is it this time, Bree? A wounded platypus? A homeless carrier pigeon? A dispossessed gopher?”

      Bree scowled. “Don’t make fun of me, Fran. I’m serious.”

      “Serious?” Andrew echoed guardedly. “How serious?”

      “Just a little bit serious,” Bree said evasively.

      Andrew looked her square in the eye. “Tell me, what are you cooking up, my darling daughter?”

      “Nothing, Daddy. It’s just…this house has been so empty since Cassie moved out. All three of us have been feeling lonely, restless, at loose ends. It just doesn’t feel right, all these rooms with nobody to fill them.”

      “And just who do you have in mind…to fill these rooms?” asked Andrew, helping himself to the garlic bread.

      “Nobody in particular,” said Bree, “except maybe…”

      “You might as well tell us,” said Frannie. “Just say it, and we’ll tell you if it’s one of your crazy, impossible ideas.”

      Bree drew in a sharp breath. “There’s a girl I’ve been counseling at the clinic—”

      “Oh, no!” cried Frannie. “Last time it was a woman with a bunch of rowdy kids. They invaded the sunroom, helped themselves to my paint and pelted one another with wet clay. They made my bust of Cicero look like Donald Duck! In ten minutes they nearly destroyed my entire art studio.”

      “That was an unfortunate incident,” Bree acknowledged in a regretful voice. “But this client has no children…yet.”

      “Yet?” quizzed Andrew. “Yet, as in…?”

      “Three months.”

      “She’s three months pregnant?” asked Frannie.

      “No, her baby is due in three months.”

      “What’s her story?” asked Andrew. “Her husband desert her?”

      “Not exactly,” said Bree. “She’s a teenager. Almost nineteen. Her boyfriend broke up with her when he found out about the pregnancy, and it appears her parents want nothing to do with her. She’s all alone in the world…and she won’t admit it, but I know she’s scared. You should see her, Daddy. Trying to act like it’s no big deal when her world’s caving in. She needs a place to stay where she feels loved and accepted.”

      Frannie poked at her spaghetti. “Can’t she stay at the shelter, Bree?”

      “It’s mainly for battered wives. Besides, it’s full.”

      Andrew cleared his throat. “Of course, the girl can stay here…if you think this is the place for her, Bree.”

      “I do, Daddy.” Bree’s voice rose with excitement. “I really feel I can help her. We can help her. She may act blasé, even flippant at times, but I know she’s hurting inside. She thinks everyone has condemned her.”

      “Well, then, let’s pray we can show her the love of God.”

      “And she needs a job,” said Bree. “Something to make her feel better about herself.”

      Frannie shook her head. “Who’s going to hire a woman about to give birth?”

      “I thought of that,” said Bree. “That’s why I was thinking that maybe we could—”

      Andrew smiled grimly. “Oh, oh, I’m not sure I like that look in your eyes, daughter.”

      “But, Daddy, it’ll be perfect. I’ve got it all figured out. Marnie can work for you.”

      “Marnie?”

      “That’s her name. Marnie Smith—although I think she made up the Smith part.”

      “What do you mean, she can work for me? I already have a secretary. You mean, work at the church?”

      “No, Daddy. She can work right here. You’re always saying you wish you had someone here at home to help with clerical work—correspondence, filing, research for your sermons. If she’s staying here, anyway, she’ll have time on her hands, waiting for her baby to come. She can earn money to give herself and her baby a fresh start. Please say you’ll give her a chance.”

      Andrew reached across the table and patted his daughter’s hand. “You win, dumpling. Have I ever said no when you’ve come home with one of your pet projects, your abandoned critters, your lost causes? Tell your young friend she has a home with us.”

      But even as Andrew said the words, a niggling worry crept in. He had an uneasy feeling that this needy young girl might change their lives in more ways than any of them expected.

      Chapter Two

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