A Wedding In The Family. Kathryn Alexander

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      Who was this man who had delivered her child to her front door and now stood accusing her of negligence? Something about him seemed familiar.

      “I was asleep…I’ve been sick—” Angela suddenly felt much sicker, realizing what might have happened to her daughter if this man hadn’t played the role of the Good Samaritan. And Eric—how could he forget to pick up his niece? She had asked him only hours earlier. “I did hear the phone ring a while ago, but I didn’t reach it in time. Maybe—”

      “Don’t you own an answering machine?”

      “Yes, but it’s broken. As of this morning.” When her son, David, had accidently knocked it off the microwave.

      “Well, buy a new one. That call you missed was from Heather. I took her into my office to call you so she could tell you who was bringing her home. You know, it’s not a wise move to tell someone else’s kid to get into your vehicle so you can take them somewhere without the parent’s permission. I didn’t like the idea of the possible accusations you could bring against me if this whole thing ended in misunderstanding. If you’d had an answering machine on, she could have left a message—”

      “Who are you, anyway?” Angela demanded between deep coughs, suddenly feeling defensive. “I don’t like the idea of my daughter getting into a car so willingly with a stranger.”

      “Adam is not a stranger, Mom. He’s at swimming lessons every Thursday.”

      That’s where she’d seen him. Once or twice when she’d picked up Heather after her class, this man had been there at the far end of the pool, talking with the children and watching their dives.

      “I’m not a stranger to your daughter, Mrs. Sanders, but she really doesn’t know me well enough to have agreed to come with me as easily as she did. I think you need to discuss that with her. And if you and your husband can’t get your act together about transportation for her any better than you did tonight, then keep Heather home where she’s safe—not sitting alone at the center at 9:00 p.m.”

      How could this woman have been so careless? Adam wondered as he stood looking at Angela. She certainly appeared to be the loving, motherly type.

      “Her uncle should have picked her up. I’ll get in touch with him tonight to find out what happened.” She offered her remark quietly, humiliated and frightened to think that this had happened, that Heather had been in such a potentially dangerous predicament, that this man she didn’t really know had lashed out at her so contemptuously, so angrily…and so accurately. “Thank you, very much, for bringing her home, Mr….”

      “Dalton. Adam Dalton. I’m the director at the center.”

      Angela coughed again. “Well, thank you, Mr. Dalton. I’ve been ill this week, and I was asleep when you arrived, so I had no idea of the time. Hours could have passed before I realized that my brother hadn’t brought Heather home. If you hadn’t been there to help…” She stopped abruptly, gripped with the thought of some stranger taking her little girl away. Her eyes burned with tears and her congested head seemed to pound with the beginnings of a furious headache.

      “You’re welcome, Mrs. Sanders. And I hope I never need to help you in this manner again,” he stated briskly, the chill in his voice not warming one bit. Then he turned to leave.

      “Goodbye, Adam. Thanks for rescuing me,” Heather stated rather matter-of-factly, bringing the hint of a smile to Adam’s face as he looked and winked.

      “See ya next week,” he said as he left.

      “He did save you from a dangerous situation,” Angela commented, giving her child a fierce hug and ushering her inside the apartment. Angela locked the front door securely, suddenly very conscious of safety. “But we really need to thank the Lord, too. I pray for your safety every day, and I’m so grateful to Him for watching over you.” Angela walked into the kitchen and picked up the telephone receiver to dial her younger brother’s number. She wondered when she’d have time to buy a new answering machine to replace the broken one on the counter by her elbow. Maybe after school tomorrow.

      “Do you pray for the boys, too?” Heather asked.

      “Absolutely. You’ve prayed with me enough to know that I do.” Angela listened to the rings, waiting for Eric or Hope to pick up.

      “Did you pray for Daddy?” came Heather’s next question.

      Angela looked into the crystal-blue eyes of her inquisitive daughter, wondering how to give the complicated answer to such a simple question. Then the doorbell rang again. And again.

      “Angela?” a voice called.

      “It’s Uncle Eric,” Heather said, and rushed to open the front door.

      “Heather! I’m so glad you’re home! What happened? Who picked you up?” Eric was inside the door, hugging his niece.

      “What happened to you?” Angela asked. “How could you forget to—”

      “I didn’t forget her,” Eric explained quickly. “I got stuck in traffic. A semi overturned causing a chemical spill on the highway, and they wouldn’t let anyone through. Finally, they rerouted us, and I went straight to the center—but Heather was already gone. Did you pick her up?”

      “No, Adam Dalton brought her home. He works at the center, and he found her waiting alone on the curb.”

      “I’m sorry, Angela, but there was nothing I could do—”

      “It’s all right,” she assured between coughs. “Heather’s home. She’s fine.” Angela pulled a cough drop from the pocket of her sweatpants and popped it into her mouth. “I’m just so thankful Mr. Dalton cared enough to see that she made it home safely.”

      “Adam is nice, Mom,” Heather commented.

      “I’m sure he is, hon,” Angela remarked. Although he had certainly not exhibited that quality toward herself, she had glimpsed it when he’d said “goodbye” to her daughter.

      “Well, again, I’m sorry, Angela. Hope and the girls are waiting in the car, and I want to get back out there to tell them Heather is okay. Hope is so upset with me for running late, you’d think I caused that chemical spill myself.”

      “Can’t Cassie and Carrie come in for a while?” Heather asked.

      “Your cousins will probably catch my cold if they do,” Angela said.

      “Are you still feeling so sick? I talked to Mom and Dad, and they said they’re keeping the boys tonight so you could rest. I could take Heather home with me—”

      “No, thanks. We’ll be fine here together.” Angela slipped an arm around her daughter and pulled her close. After this evening, she wasn’t certain she’d ever let Heather out of her sight again. At least, not until the girl turned thirty. “We’ll see you later.”

      “Okay, good night,” he called as he left. And Angela, once again, locked the front door.

      “Time for bed, sweetheart,” Angela said. “Go get into your pajamas.”

      “But what about my bath?”

      “It’s СКАЧАТЬ