A Sheltering Love. Terri Reed

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      Do to others as you would have them do to you.

      —Luke 6:31

      To Robyn, friends forever. Thank you for all the times you listened. For all the times you were there when I needed you.

      Thank you to author and retired social worker Delle Jacobs for so patiently answering all my questions. Any mistakes are purely mine.

      Thank you to my editor, Diane Dietz, for believing in me and for the wonderful pep talk.

      Contents

      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

      Epilogue

      Letter to Reader

      Chapter One

      Here comes trouble.

      Maybe some kids were beyond her help.

      Claire Wilcox eyed the two teenage boys sauntering across the grassy park toward the shaded spot where she and fifteen-year-old Mindy were talking. Claire’s gaze zeroed in on the taller, dark-haired boy with scraggly, shoulder-length hair and a thin face. The early April sunlight splintered off the earring dangling in his left ear. In his hands he carried a golden retriever puppy.

      Behind the two boys, in sharp contrast, the purity of the majestic snowcapped peak of Mount Hood rose in the distance like a sentry, standing watch over Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

      She’d seen the dark-haired boy around town.

      Some locals blamed last month’s vandalism at the downtown theater on this kid. She didn’t know his story, but she would soon if the opening of the teen shelter went as planned this coming July.

      “Hey, Johnny, catch.” The dark-haired boy suddenly tossed the puppy to his blond companion, who awkwardly caught the small dog.

      Claire’s heart pitched. She stalked forward, her hands clenched at her sides. “Hey! Don’t do that!”

      Johnny shoved the dog back into the hands of the taller kid.

      “Do this?” He tossed the small dog back to his companion.

      The puppy yelped and Johnny caught the little fluff ball, then held it at arm’s length by the scruff of the neck. The kid’s gray sweatshirt and faded jeans were dirty, as if he’d rolled or slept on the ground. His gaze darted away from Claire, his face flushing guiltily.

      “Tyler, stop it,” Mindy wailed as she moved to the side of the taller kid.

      So this was Tyler.

      Claire scrutinized the dark-haired boy in his red T-shirt with some rock band’s logo on the front and ripped, dirty jeans. Mindy had said he was nice. He didn’t look nice. He looked downright nasty. The kind of guy she would have fallen for at Mindy’s age. The kind that would give any parent a heart attack.

      Not her. She knew better. Everyone deserved a chance.

      Claire understood the pain of the rebellious teens she was trying to help. She understood—had experienced the wounds of childhood. Wounds inflicted by those she should have been able to trust.

      Teens like Mindy and Tyler stood on the cusp of adulthood, where the choices they made would affect the rest of their lives. By the grace of God, Aunt Denise had stepped in and helped Claire when she’d been at the point of no return. Not every teen was as fortunate.

      If only Claire could get through to kids like these. Earning the right to be heard, to be trusted, would take time. Once The Zone officially opened, she hoped to make a difference in their lives. Give them a place to belong, to come to when it became too rough at home.

      A safe haven.

      But her only concern right now was for the animal.

      She flexed her hands and willed herself to stay calm. With as much control as she could muster, she said, “Give me the puppy.”

      Tyler snorted and grabbed the puppy back from his friend. “You ain’t the boss of me, lady.”

      “No, I’m not. You’re the boss of you. But I don’t СКАЧАТЬ