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I want to thank my fellow writers in this series, Deb,
Dana, Linda, Kathryn and Jillian for their input and
support. It was fun working with you ladies.
Leah, Lissa and Melissa, I couldn’t have made
this book happen without your support and
encouragement. Thanks bunches!
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
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given
to Terri Reed for her contribution
to the A TINY BLESSINGS TALE miniseries.
Chapter One
“If I had that window in my office, I wouldn’t get any work done.”
Trista Van Zandt glanced up from her homemade turkey and cheddar sandwich to smile at her tall blond sister-in-law who’d entered her office.
Kelly Van Zandt, beautiful in a rust-colored maternity dress that made the November leaves outside look drab in comparison, sat in one of the straight-backed chairs facing Trista’s desk.
“It is lovely,” Trista agreed. “Much better than the view of the parking lot I had in Richmond.”
As a litigator for the law firm of Benson and Benson Trista’s office on the fourth floor was small but had a nice view of the James River.
“One more good thing about you and Aidan moving here.” Kelly smiled. “How is my nephew?”
Tenderness welled up in Trista’s chest at the thought of her seven-month-old son, Aidan, who at the moment was safely at Chestnut Grove Child Care Center. “Adjusting well to day care. But anxious to see his new cousin.”
Kelly rubbed her burgeoning belly. “Just a month to go.”
Trista was glad that her brother’s wife would have a calm and peaceful last month before giving birth, so unlike the final month of her own pregnancy. “Is everything okay?” she asked.
Kelly brushed back her thick blond hair and smiled. “Yes. I was out shopping for the baby the other day. I bought the cutest coming-home outfit in a neutral cream with bunnies, since I don’t know if I’m bring home little Carissa or little Cameron. I’m so tempted to find out now what we’re having.”
“Don’t. Believe me, the wait is worth it.”
“So, how are you doing?” Kelly asked.
Trista had been expecting the question. Ever since she’d arrived in town, her brother, Ross and his wife, Kelly, had made it their job to take care of her and Aidan. As if they had the time, what with running Tiny Blessings adoption agency, Ross’s private investigation firm and their own baby’s imminent arrival. Trista shrugged. “Same old, same old.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Kelly grumbled.
“Excuse me?”
Concern darkened Kelly’s brown eyes. “I’m worried about you. You’ve done nothing but work and take care of Aidan. Why don’t you let us babysit him this weekend while you go have some harmless fun?”
Trista mentally scoffed. Harmless fun wasn’t something she had much experience with. Growing up in Brooklyn with alcoholic parents, she’d spent too much time running wild and getting in trouble. She always relied on her big brother to bail her out.
Once she’d realized the only way to find the security she’d lacked growing up was through her own determination and work, she’d applied herself to her studies.
She had an aptitude for litigation, and becoming a lawyer had seemed the best way to provide a stable life for herself. She’d be in control of her circumstances and have a decent salary. What more could she ask for?
But then she’d met Kevin Hughes at the end of her second year of law school and that blew having a stable life to pieces. She’d fallen hard for his charm and charisma and married him against Ross’s advice.
Well, she’d learned her lesson.
Love and happily-ever-after, she decided, were unrealistic aspirations for her. Only a very few, like Ross and Kelly, ever obtained true happiness.
Now her life’s goal was to provide a stable and secure home for her son. No matter what.
“You and Ross are the ones who should be going out now while you have the time,” she stated. “Once the baby arrives, you’ll understand why I choose to stay home at night with Aidan rather than doing anything else.”
Kelly nodded in understanding. “Okay, then. How about joining Naomi’s project?”
“Who is Naomi and what is her project?”
Sitting forward with an eager expression, Kelly explained. “Reverend Fraser’s wife, Naomi, created a Christian friends Web site called The Kingdom Room for singles so people all over the state can connect via the Internet. That would be a perfect way for you to get to know someone without having to go on dates.”
Shaking her head, Trista stated, “I’m not looking for a relationship. Been there, done that and not doing it again.”
“Oh, honey, don’t let what happened with Kevin sour you on love. I know God has someone in mind for you.”
Trista refrained from commenting on the ludicrous notion that God cared about her at all. If God thought anything about her it was that she wasn’t worth His time.
Putting away the remnants of her lunch, Trista came around the square glass-topped desk. “Don’t worry about me. I have Aidan and you and Ross. That’s all I need.”
Kelly sighed as she pushed up from the chair. “At least say you’ll come to dinner on Saturday.”
“Of course.” Trista gave Kelly a quick hug. “But I’ll cook for you.”
Kelly grinned. “Your lasagna?”
Trista grinned back, liking the sense of being valued coursing through her. “If that’s what you want.”
Kelly nodded eagerly. At the door, she paused. “Just think about The Kingdom Room. You might actually enjoy it.”
“I’ll think about it,” Trista said to appease her sister-in-law.
As soon as Kelly left, Trista returned to her desk and opened a file folder on a pending civil case, but her thoughts returned to Kelly’s words. God has someone in mind for you.
She ran a hand through her dark hair, which she’d worn loose today, and tried to concentrate on the papers in front of her. She hated to admit it, but deep down inside she wished what Kelly had stated about God was true.
But it wasn’t. Not for her.
She’d only leave herself open to hurt if she let such thoughts crowd her brain. Her gaze shifted away from the unread file and came to rest on her computer.
An online singles group? An interesting idea.
But please! Some lonely hearts club was the last thing she needed in her life.
The first week of November was a busy time for assistant pastor Scott Crosby. Organizing a toy drive with the youth of Chestnut Grove Community Church took a great deal of patience and perseverance. Two things Scott struggled with.
Not that he minded pinch hitting for the Youth Minister, Caleb Williams. After all, serving the Lord was Scott’s priority in life. And Scott didn’t begrudge Caleb taking his family on vacation until after Thanksgiving.
The Youth Center buzzed with activity. Normally, the center resembled the inside of a YMCA, complete with an exercise room, a television room sporting comfy secondhand couches and beanbag chairs, an arts-and-crafts room with tons of supplies for the many art projects offered and a small cafeteria.
Today, however, the center looked more like Santa’s workshop. The place was bursting with toys, wrapping paper, kids and…what was Naomi’s little dog doing?
Scott made a grab for the long-bodied, short-legged animal as it ran past him with a curly-haired doll hanging from its jaws. “Whoa, Buddy.” He scooped up the dachshund. “That’s not for you.”
Fourteen-year-old Tiffany skidded to a halt beside him. Her freckled nose wrinkled up in exasperation. “He’s such a rascal,” she exclaimed and took the squirming dog from Scott.
As she held the animal in her plump arms, Scott pried the doll out of Buddy’s mouth. Inspecting the doll, he shrugged. “Doesn’t look too bad. His teeth didn’t puncture the plastic.”
“Hey, Pastor Scott, should we put together the tricycle?” Jeremy, the star athlete of the local high school, called from across the room.
Leaving Buddy to Tiffany’s care, Scott waded through the mounds of toys and kids to where Jeremy and Billy stood beside an unopened box with the picture of a child’s red trike on the front. Both boys wore what seemed to be the fad of the day, long basketball shorts and hooded sweatshirts.
“Hmm. Good question. Let me ask Naomi if she has a specific child in mind for this and get back to you. In the meantime, I think the tire store downtown still has a box for us to pick up. Take some bags with you so you can leave the box there. That way people can continue to donate.”
Jeremy nodded and nudged Billy. “We’ll take my truck.”
Scott watched the boys leave. Pride filled his chest for the way the senior boy, Jeremy, was providing such a good role model for the younger, troubled Billy.
He glanced around and spotted the Reverend’s wife. Skirting the mayhem in the middle of the TV room, Scott headed toward where she sat on the floor putting the finishing touches on a wrapped gift. Naomi’s short-cropped red hair sported a paisley bandana that tied at the top, the ends of which poked straight up like dog ears. A few gray strands of hair reflected the overhead light.
Scott smiled with affection at the woman he considered to be a second mother rather than his superior’s wife. “How are we doing over here?”
His gaze took in the stacks of pretty wrapped gifts surrounding Naomi and the two young girls sitting in a semicircle on the floor.
Naomi looked up, her vivid blue eyes twinkling. “Did you ever imagine we’d have this many gifts after only three days?”
Scott chuckled. “No. The generosity of this town is a blessing.”
They’d only distributed the donation boxes to the many willing businesses around the community of Chestnut Grove the previous Friday night. Now on Monday afternoon, the outpouring of donations surprised them all.
This was a community of friends and family who pulled together to take care of each other. Scott felt blessed to be serving the Lord in Chestnut Grove. Here, at least, he was accepted, flaws and all.
“At this rate we’ll be able to put a toy in every underprivileged child’s hand at Christmas for miles around,” Naomi stated and held out her hand to Scott.
He helped her to her feet. She shook out her legs. “Whew, sitting on the floor at my age isn’t a good idea.”
One of the teenage girls giggled.
“You’re not old,” another girl, Nikki, commented. “At least you don’t act old. Not the way my parents do.”
The compliment was as close as the girl had come to saying she cared. Scott knew Naomi had been doing her level best to break through the teen’s protective barriers. Nikki liked to dress in all black and considered herself an Emo. When Scott was younger the term had been Goth. But whatever the phrase of the day it still conveyed the emotional chaos and confusion he remembered.
Naomi touched Nikki’s blond head in affection. “You girls carry on while Scott and I have a chat.”
She led Scott to the vacant cafeteria where she poured herself a cup of coffee. Scott declined her offer and took a seat at the round eating table. “The kids were wondering what to do with the boxed tricycle.”
Naomi sipped her coffee. “Leave it for now.”
“Okay.” He trusted Naomi’s judgment. Reverend Fraser was blessed to have such a good wife. Scott hoped one day he’d find a soul mate, someone willing to serve the Lord along side of him. Someone who’d accept him as he was, without trying to change him the way Sylvia had. She’d been his one serious girlfriend from high school through college until he’d decided to go into the ministry.
She’d dumped him then, saying she wasn’t ready for a serious relationship. But Scott knew the truth. Sylvia hadn’t wanted to be a pastor’s wife.
Scott leaned forward to place his elbows on the table and press his palms together. “I just sent Jeremy and Billy to collect the toys from Paul’s Tire Emporium. I figure next Saturday should be soon enough to have the kids out collecting from the bins around town again. I can’t imagine we’ll get much more than we already have.”
Naomi gestured to him with her cup. “It was a brilliant idea on your part to start the drive early this year. We can get this done and out of the way so we can all enjoy the upcoming holidays ourselves.”
Sometimes his impatience paid off. “I’m firming up plans with the food bank for the Thanksgiving dinner the church will be hosting. We need more volunteers, so if you could get the word out that would be great.”
“I certainly will.” She set her cup down and leaned forward. “How’s your family?”
“Good. I talked to Mom yesterday. She made a point of telling me she expected me at the dinner table on Thanksgiving.”
Scott would rather spend the majority of Thanksgiving Day helping feed those less fortunate than himself. At least that was the best explanation he could give his family. But the main reason he had declined to spend dawn till dusk at his parents’ house was the constant teasing he took from his siblings.
Sometimes he could escape to the game room in the basement with all of his nieces and nephews, but even there he wasn’t safe. His sibs would hunt him down.
Growing up the youngest of four, he’d always borne the brunt of the jokes and pranks. He didn’t understand or appreciate the rough ribbing. He sometimes wondered if the taunting hid the fact that his brothers and sister hadn’t wanted another sibling. He’d been a surprise for his parents, a fact his siblings loved to remind him.
It didn’t help the family dynamics any that Scott wasn’t cut from the same cloth as the rest of the high-achieving Crosbys. His father had been disappointed that Scott hadn’t followed his siblings into a professional career. His mother clucked over him as if he was still in kindergarten.
All in all, spending time with his family was stressful for him.
Naomi’s gaze turned speculative. “Scott, when are you going to find a nice girl and settle down?”
Scott coughed at the unexpected question. “I beg your pardon?”
“I worry that you work too hard. A young man should have some fun in his life. And you won’t be young forever.”
He didn’t need the reminder, but hearing it stated out loud accentuated the mortality of life. His parents would be celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary soon. A rarity in this day and age. A feat Scott could only hope to replicate one day.
“Time flies, and if you aren’t careful, you’ll be wishing you’d spent a bit more time on yourself than on others,” Naomi added.
Scott bristled. “I don’t think serving the Lord is a waste of my time.”
She gave him an indulgent look. “Don’t put words in my mouth. Serving the Lord is wonderful, but a man of God like you needs a helpmate in life. God doesn’t want all of us to be alone.”
Uh-oh. Scott blinked. He knew the youth of the church had played matchmaker with the Youth Minister, Caleb, and Anne, the former church secretary, now Caleb’s wife. It sounded as if Naomi wanted to pick up where they’d left off. Better put a stop to this pronto. He held up a hand. “I’m content with my life. Besides, I have so much on my plate with Caleb on vacation I think I should wait until the time is right.”
“That excuse will only last so long you know,” she commented with a gleam in her eyes.
Scott stood and backed away as if putting space between them might stop Naomi from whatever was going on in that head of hers. “I better get back to the kids.”
He didn’t want to give Naomi any chance to try to fix him up with someone in the congregation. That could jeopardize the acceptance he enjoyed in Chestnut Grove. Besides, he hadn’t lied when he’d said he had too much on his plate right now. But he also hadn’t wanted to admit he didn’t know if the time to find a wife would ever be right. He would hate to disappoint another person that he loved.
Naomi watched Scott shoot out of the cafeteria as though the Hound of the Baskervilles was on his heels. The man certainly was gun-shy of relationships.
As far as she’d seen, Scott kept everyone at an emotional arm’s length, even while he’d bend over backward to be of help. She understood how hard his decision to follow God’s call into ministry was on his relationship with his family and knew there was a rift or something that needed healing. But she sensed loneliness and a deep hurt in Scott, as well.
“Lord, how would You have me help this young man?”
Naomi waited a beat. An idea formed in her mind. “Ah, yes. Thank You, Lord.”
She knew what to do.
After washing her cup out and putting it on the drain pad, she went to her office where she fired up her computer. With a few clicks and some creative thinking, she added Scott anonymously to the growing number of members in The Kingdom Room.
“Sometimes people need a little help recognizing that the right time is right now,” she stated aloud and sat back. Now all she had to do was wait and watch the fun happen.
“Go to sleep and good night, my sweet prince,” Trista cooed softly to Aidan as she gently laid him in his crib. The teddy bear motif on the bumpers and mobile included little cubs frolicking in the grass and always made her smile. She’d found the crib and bedding at a secondhand store in Richmond. They were perfect for her little boy.
She tucked the blanket more securely around Aidan. Heartbreaking joy squeezed her chest, bringing tears to her eyes. She touched the downy softness of his dark hair. If anything were ever to happen to him, she didn’t think she could take it.
“Oh, God, if You’re real, please watch over this little life,” she whispered with a small hiccuping sob.
Aidan stirred. She quickly backed away to keep from disturbing him further. He needed his sleep. She did, too, but sleep had become hard to find ever since Aidan’s birth. She was terrified he’d need her in the middle of the night. She’d read all the baby books she could find and still feared that something bad would happen.
Being a parent was the most nerve-racking thing she’d ever experienced and she could only imagine that her anxiety would grow along with Aidan.
The sound of the phone ringing in the living room made her wince. Quickly, she left Aidan’s room, keeping the door cracked open, and rushed to answer the phone.
“Hello?”
Silence greeted her.
Trista frowned. “Hello? Is someone there?”
Straining to listen, she swore she heard the sound of muffled sobs as if the person on the other end of the line were trying to keep their tears quiet. Then the line went dead.
An eerie chill crept up Trista’s spine as she replaced the receiver. She didn’t know who had her number other than Kelly, Ross and her office. Fearing something had happened to her brother or his wife, she quickly snatched up the receiver and dialed their home number.
“Hi,” her brother’s booming voice intoned.
“Is everything okay?” Trista asked, skipping the pleasantries of greeting. She noted the blinking light of the answering machine. She’d forgotten to check it again when she’d come home from work.
“Yes. Why?”
She could hear the wariness in his voice. She couldn’t blame him with all the problems that had plagued the adoption agency of late. First the discovery of so many adoption records having been falsified over the years. Then Kelly received that threatening note at the Fourth of July celebration, and less than three weeks later the offices had been broken into and set on fire.
And just last month, Ross’s SUV’s front windshield had been shattered and another note left behind, demanding they stop investigating the phony records. “Is Kelly there? Is she okay?”
“She is. Trista, what’s going on?”
“Nothing.” She rolled her tense shoulders and shifted the receiver to the other side of her head. Her sweatshirt bunched up as she moved. She tugged at it. “I just received the strangest call. When I answered, there was no response, but I’m sure I heard crying.”
“Hmm. Do you think Mom could have called you?”
Trista scoffed. “No. She can’t even remember my name. How would she know where to call me?”
“I have no idea. But Alzheimer’s is a strange disease.”
A disease that was hereditary. A knot formed in her stomach. “Yes, well…be that as it may, I don’t think it was Mom.”
“It was probably a wrong number. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Whoever it was will call back if it was important,” Ross commented. “Kelly says you’re coming over Saturday to cook dinner.”
“Yep. Kelly requested lasagna. Will you make one of your killer salads?”
“Of course. Hey, I was thinking of driving out to visit Mom on Sunday after church. Will you come?”
Trista closed her eyes as guilt and resentment warred in her heart. Ross was so good at visiting their mother in the nursing home outside of Richmond. For Trista, the visits were torture. Michelle Van Zandt barely recognized her only daughter.
The last time Trista had gone to the home, Michelle had become so upset because she’d thought Trista was there to steal her husband away.
Henry Van Zandt had died from liver failure years ago. That their mother still worried her husband was cheating on her only served to instill in Trista a loathing to ever go down the matrimonial road again.
After her disaster of a marriage to Kevin and watching her mother’s decline, Trista vowed to concentrate on her son to make sure he didn’t grow up making the same mistakes his family made. She’d even bought a book on how to prevent Alzheimer’s, for herself and Aidan.
“Trista?”
“Uh, I don’t know. We’ll see.” That was as much commitment as she could give at the moment.
Ross sighed. “We can talk about it more on Saturday.”
Perfect. Now she was going to have to endure his lecture on how she should forgive their parents for the past and how their mother needed them now. She was well practiced in tuning out her brother’s lectures. “I’ll see you Saturday.”
She hung up and pushed the play button on the answering machine.
“Hi, babe. I need to talk with you. Call me, okay?”
Her ex-husband’s voice filled the room and she clenched her teeth. With a sharp jab of her finger she deleted the message.
What did he want now? He’d given up total custody of their son in the divorce, in exchange for the condo and all their possessions. She didn’t have anything else for him to take.
Restless and edgy, she cleaned the updated kitchen, straightened up Aidan’s plethora of toys strewn around the apartment and channel surfed on the twenty-inch TV that Ross had bought for her as a welcoming gift. When that didn’t relax her, she pulled out her laptop and set it on the pine coffee table. She could at least work.
Once the computer was ready she stared at the screen. She didn’t want to work. Instead, she surfed the Internet looking for fun things to do with Aidan around town.
A local farm had a pumpkin patch and hayride day coming up. That would be good.
Hmm. Story time at the new bookstore downtown. Aidan loved listening to stories.
She drummed her fingers on the table. Ugh! She needed a manicure.
Maybe Kelly was right. She’d been working too hard and not taking care of herself. She wished she had a friend in town but that was another thing her marriage to Kevin had ruined.