“You’ve had a comfortable life. Some of us weren’t so lucky.”

Instead of revealing background information that was none of James Harris’s business, Megan merely said, “It’s not luck. It’s a choice. I look at life’s roadblocks as opportunities to triumph over adversity.”

Her smile grew to a full-blown grin as her glance traveled from his booted feet to the top of his head. “And you, mister, are about as big a roadblock as I’ve ever had to overcome. The time we’re about to spend working together with the camp children and my animals should be very challenging.”

“Now that we agree on.”

VALERIE HANSEN

was thirty when she awoke to the presence of the Lord in her life and turned to Jesus. In the years that followed she worked with young children, both in church and secular environments. She also raised a family of her own and played foster mother to a wide assortment of furred and feathered critters.

Married to her high school sweetheart since age seventeen, she now lives in an old farmhouse she and her husband renovated with their own hands. She loves to hike the wooded hills behind the house and reflect on the marvelous turn her life has taken. Not only is she privileged to reside among the loving, accepting folks in the breathtakingly beautiful Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, she also gets to share her personal faith by telling the stories of her heart for Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired line.

Everlasting Love
Valerie Hansen

Moreover, let us also be full of joy now! Let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patience and unswerving endurance.

—Romans 5:3

To Manda, whose trials have been many, especially lately, and who has all my love and prayers

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

Megan White was annoyed with herself for feeling apprehensive. This was the chance of a lifetime. She should be ecstatic. Appreciative of all the blessings involved. Thrilled to have the opportunity to help her teenage sister, Roxanne, as well as the homeless kids they were about to meet. And she was glad. Really. She just needed to keep reminding herself to be thankful for everything, even her brooding companion.

Sighing, she glanced over at Roxy. The fifteen-year-old had relaxed some since she’d picked her up at their mother’s house, but Megan could tell there was still a huge chip on the girl’s shoulder.

“Hey, look at this great weather,” Megan said cheerfully. “We couldn’t ask for a prettier day.”

Roxy merely grunted.

“And the beautiful dogwood trees. Wow! Don’t you just love the Ozarks?”

“I guess.”

Megan paused a moment, then plunged ahead, following her heart. “Look, Roxy, I know this trip wasn’t your idea, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make the best of it. It’ll be fun. You’ll see.”

The girl’s head whipped around. Her expression was half stoicism, half vulnerability. “You don’t have to do this, Meg. All I want is to get away from Dad’s new wife and her snotty kid for a little while. I could stay with Mom if she’d take me back. How long do I have to pay for going to live with Dad? All my life?”

“We can’t change the past, honey. I’m trying to make things better for you. So is Mom. It was hard on all of us when they got divorced.”

“Yeah, but you could go off to college. I was stuck.”

“I’m sorry if you felt I was ducking our problems instead of sharing them with you.”

Roxanne’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”

“I’m a psych major, remember?”

“You think that makes you smarter? You don’t have any idea what it was like for me after Dad decided to marry that witch. Her kid was supposed to be some kind of perfect angel. I couldn’t do anything right.”

“Remember those feelings when you’re talking to some of the kids we’re going to meet. Compared to the kind of stuff they’ve been through, you and I’ve had it easy. We started out with both parents and a nice place to live. Lots of them never had anything like that.”

“I won’t know what to say.”

“Just be kind. Be their friend. Working with my therapy animals should take care of the rest.” And maybe heal your broken heart the way they’ve healed mine.

Mulling over the events of the past few hectic days, Megan realized the answer to her concerns about her sister had dropped right in her lap. She just hoped she’d be able to properly fulfill her original objective while helping Roxy at the same time.

She smiled. Of course she would. It wasn’t chance that had brought her sister to her at such a perfect time, any more than it was an accident that a stray kitten had entered her life when she was a lonely, confused teen like Roxy. That sweet kitten had loved unconditionally and provided Megan’s first insights into the work she was now doing. All she had to do was continue to follow the good Lord’s leading and everything would turn out fine.

Such a lofty conclusion made her chuckle. The perfect Christian was yet to be found and she wasn’t even close. Knowing human nature, she’d be lucky to get through her short stint at Camp Refuge without making bunches of mistakes.

Good thing even the most fallible people got some things right, wasn’t it? Otherwise, nothing worthwhile would ever be accomplished.

Amazed and pleased that she’d located the camp so effortlessly, Megan pulled through the gateway. She slowed her pickup truck, peering out at the old wooden cabins and deserted play areas.

She’d chosen Camp Refuge because it reportedly housed only a few wards of the court at one time and she’d wanted to limit the number of children she had to chart for her thesis, but this place looked too desolate.

Roxy noticed, too. “Where is everybody?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I got the wrong camp.”

“Nope. The sign out front said this is it.”

“Okay, I’ll keep going.”

Following the dirt road deeper into the complex, Megan noticed a tall, dark-haired man standing in front of what looked like the main building.

He’d apparently been anticipating her arrival because he started to amble toward the truck before she’d come to a complete stop. Then he looked up, smiled slightly—and took her breath away.

It wasn’t an inappropriate smile. Certainly not a come-on. Yet the mountain air seemed suddenly insufficient. Megan had to work hard to appear unaffected.

Roxanne had no such qualms. “Wow. Maybe I am going to like it here.”

“Down, girl. This is strictly business, remember?”

“For you, maybe. I’m just along for the ride.”

“Oh, no, you’re not. I brought you because you’re a natural with animals. I really do need your help.”

“I know, I know. Don’t have a fit. I’ll be good, Meg. But I’m not dead. And that is one great-looking guy, even if he is way too old for me.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Megan said with a knowing grin. She put the truck in park and killed the engine. “Guess I’d better go introduce myself. You wait here.”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes. Until I explain who you are and why you’re with me, I think I should be the one to do all the talking.”

“Like, I can’t talk?”

“Nooooo. Like, I’m the adult.”

“Bossy, bossy.”

If Roxy hadn’t been smiling, Megan would have been more concerned about their sibling relationship. The younger girl had grown up a lot while Megan had been away at college and there were areas of both their lives that had changed.

She paused and tried to swallow past the dryness in her throat. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”

“You nervous?”

“Naw. I always shake like this.”

“How come you’re scared?”

“I’m not scared. Not exactly. It’s just that this project is very important to me. I want to make a good first impression.”

“You will. You’ve always been the brainy one. Go impress him, sis.”

“Thanks, I will…I hope.”

Comparing her equilibrium to that of a formerly sturdy table that had just had one of its four legs sawed off, Megan stepped down out of the truck, slammed the door, tossed back her shoulder-length hair and smoothed the hem of her T-shirt before she turned. Then she boldly stepped forward to meet the man she was to work with for the next two weeks.

Smile bright and eager, she offered her hand. “Hi. I’m Megan White.”

“James Harris,” he said pleasantly. “Welcome to Camp Refuge.”

“Thanks. I’m happy to finally be here and meet you face-to-face, Mr. Harris. After we spoke on the phone the other day, I wasn’t sure what kind of reception I’d get.”

“Really?” One dark eyebrow arched.

Oops. She chewed her lower lip, ruing her candid comment and wishing she could take it back. Oh, good one, Megan, she thought. Put him on the defensive right off, why don’t you? Way to go.

Questions remained in his deep brown eyes as he shook her hand. Megan was thankful their handshake was brief. A few more seconds of that man’s warm touch and she was afraid she’d have felt like a second table leg had been sawed off!

“Are you always so honest?” James asked.

“I hope not,” she said with a nervous chuckle.

His resulting laughter was hearty and genuine.

Megan’s stomach did an immediate flip-flop and landed in her throat where it could keep close company with her racing heart. Her project was already getting too complicated, thanks to the addition of a moody assistant. Finding that the camp director was neither old nor ugly, as she’d imagined, just added to her problems. Roxy was feeling abandoned and unloved. The poor kid was primed to develop a crush on the first good-looking guy who was nice to her, and in the case of this particular man, Megan could see how easily that could happen.

Well, there was nothing to do but forge ahead. “I brought my sister with me. She’ll be a big help with the animals. I hope you don’t mind.”

He leaned to peer past her into the truck. “Sister? I wasn’t expecting two of you.”

“I know. Sorry for the inconvenience. We’ll bunk together, of course. I’ll be totally responsible.”

“Yes, you will. How old is she?”

“Fifteen. She’s a great kid. You’ll like her.”

He looked again. “You’re not twins?”

Megan blushed under his steady assessment. “No. I assure you I’m much older.”

“Could have fooled me. Same dark hair, same pale skin. Don’t see that much around here, not with all the sun we get in the summer.”

“Our mom is light and Daddy is kind of dark,” she explained, nervously combing her hair back with her fingers and tucking the sides smoothly behind her ears. “Roxy can get a pretty tan. I always burn. But enough about us. I want to thank you for letting me bring my project here.”

“Don’t thank me,” James said. “Like I told you when you phoned, I think these kids have enough troubles already. They don’t need more grief.”

“I agree. But my animals have been chosen and trained to be particularly gentle and loving. What makes you think being around them will have a negative effect?”

“Experience,” he said flatly. “These kids are only here for a short time. They already get too attached to me and my staff for their own good. Imagine how hard it will be for some of the more sensitive ones to leave a favorite pet behind, too.”

This was the kind of unreasonable attitude Megan had battled more than once. “Have you bothered to read my formal proposal, Mr. Harris?”

“I scanned it enough to get the basics. I don’t need to read all the details to see it has problems you haven’t even considered. I know what’ll happen. I have plenty of firsthand experience working with troubled kids.”

“And I suppose they all respond to your methods?” she asked. “None of your students resist reform?”

The brief flash of emotion in his deep brown eyes took her aback. So did a surge of compassion. She hadn’t meant to belittle his work or hurt his feelings; she’d merely wanted to make him listen to reason and give her project a fair shake. She needed an ally, not an adversary.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” Megan told him. “I know this camp has done a lot of good. But there must be children no one’s been able to reach by normal methods. Kids who’ve been so battered by their pasts that they’ve withdrawn from everybody and everything. Isn’t that so?”

James gave a reluctant nod, shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Yes. Of course.”

“Then you should be glad to have me around. It’s not like it’s forever, you know. When I wrote my proposal for the grant, I designed it to cover a short period of time.”

“I know that. I also know these kids.”

“I can help them.”

“Can you? They come and go around here like they’re stuck in a revolving door. They need peace, not some do-gooder trying to run them through a maze like lab rats.”

Megan was appalled. “If you’d read my entire proposal you wouldn’t say that. All I’m planning to do is introduce a few docile animals into their lives, to give them a nonjudgmental friend to care for and confide in. You talk like I’m planning to throw defenseless kids to a pack of lions.”

“It could end up being the reverse of that,” James warned. “Have you stopped to consider the welfare of your animals? Or of your sister?”

“What do you mean?”

“This isn’t a church camp anymore. It’s a way station for kids who have no place else to go. They’ve been bucking the system for so long, they don’t know how to behave in a normal family environment.”

“I understand that.”

“Do you also understand how cruel they can be for no apparent reason? I can’t guarantee absolute safety.”

Megan huffed as she gave him a brief once-over. The man was obviously strong as an ox. Moreover, now that she’d had time to observe him, she’d noticed a hard, militarylike edge that gave him the kind of commanding presence few people questioned.

She, however, refused to be cowed. “You look like you can handle just about any situation, Mr. Harris. With your support, I’m sure we won’t have any trouble.”

“Exactly my point, Ms. White,” he said, raising an eyebrow and folding his arms across his chest. “I can’t be everywhere at once. And even if I could, I don’t have time to baby-sit you or your little sister. Bringing more unknown elements into these kids’ already-muddled lives is about the dumbest idea I think I’ve ever heard.”

Blinking in disbelief, she suddenly giggled. “Hey, don’t hold back, mister. Feel free to speak up. Give me your honest opinion.”

“I thought I just did.”

“That was a joke, Harris.” She shook her head and continued to chuckle. “Okay. Have it your way. I prefer to focus on the good stuff.”

“You would. You’ve had a comfortable life. Some of us weren’t so lucky.”

Instead of revealing background information that was none of his business, Megan merely said, “It’s not luck. It’s a choice. I look at life’s roadblocks as opportunities to triumph over adversity.”

Her smile grew to a full-blown grin as her glance traveled from his booted feet to the top of his head. “And you, mister, are about as big a roadblock as I’ve ever had to overcome. The time we’re about to spend working together should be very challenging.”

“Now that we agree on.”

It amused her to watch the corners of his mouth twitch while he struggled to stifle a smile. She laughed lightly, her mood beginning to confirm her innate spirit of joy. “I’ll want to speak to the rest of your staff, of course, but that can wait until I’ve brought my animals and set up their compound. First, I’d like to look the place over, pick out a cabin and start moving in.”

She gestured toward the back of her truck. A bright blue tarp was stretched over the bed to weatherproof it. “We didn’t bring much personal gear this trip because I didn’t know what was available up here. We mostly need a place with enough outside clearance to set up my portable corrals and a few smaller pens. Nothing fancy.”

“You’re really going to go through with this?”

“Of course, I am.” She shot him an incredulous look. “Was there ever any doubt?”

Starting back toward the truck to fetch Roxy, Megan sensed him following, then heard him mumble, “Apparently not.”

Though the words were meant to sound grumpy, she could tell from his tone that he’d finally given in to the smile he’d been trying so hard to suppress. That was definitely a plus. As a mature woman, she was immune to his charms, of course. She just hoped he didn’t smile too amiably at her impressionable sister. At fifteen, a girl could fall in love in seconds—or at least believe she had.

Megan was far wiser than that. She’d had plenty of chances to find a mate in college, yet had managed to keep her distance. No way was she going to let fleeting romance jeopardize her opportunity for a formal education. That was what her mother had done, and look what had happened. The woman was alone, uneducated and working for minimum wage, while her ex was earning big bucks and starting a new family.

As Megan saw it, marriage was the least likely way to find bliss, whereas independence meant living life exactly the way she wanted. She was no starry-eyed kid who thought she had to have a man in her life in order to be happy. Her happiness came from using her God-given talents to help others. That was plenty.

Chapter Two

With Megan in the lead and Roxy hanging back to chatter at James, they passed cabin after cabin, standing vacant amid the oak, walnut and sycamore trees of the old-growth forest. The mountain air was fresh and clear. Birds sang and flitted above, and in the distance Megan could hear the soft rush of the Spring River. What she didn’t hear was children at play.

Shading her eyes with one hand, she paused to peer between the trees, then looked to James. “Where is everybody, anyway?”

“Inside, catching up with schoolwork they missed. Our census is down. We’re licensed to take up to thirty wards of the court at one time. Fortunately, there are only six boys in residence now.”

He pointed down the hill. “When we have girls to look after, they bunk in that cabin over there, usually with Inez Gogerty. She and her sister take turns cooking for us and staying the night if we need extra female chaperones. As long as there’s no open conflict between the boys, they all get to live in the same cabin.”

“Does that happen a lot? Fighting, I mean.”

“No. Not often. If it does, I take charge of the quarrelsome ones and assign the others to Aaron Barnes. He’s a college student who helps me out whenever I need him. I try not to call him too often, though. The more money I can save the taxpayers, the more kids I can afford to help.”

Megan arched her eyebrows. She didn’t doubt the man’s veracity. It was just that her grant was going to provide extra help, at no cost to Camp Refuge or the state of Arkansas, and yet he wasn’t willing to accept her with open arms. Figuratively speaking, of course.

“I want to help children, too, you know,” she said.

“I know you do. Why don’t you take your project and sell it to somebody who really needs it?”

“Like who?”

He shrugged his wide shoulders, reminding Megan of a high school football player Roxy had had a terrible crush on. Only, James Harris didn’t need any extra padding to make his frame formidable looking, did he?

Now stop that! Appalled at the way her thoughts kept straying to his physical attractiveness, Megan quickly reminded herself that appropriate Christian behavior did not include daydreaming about a man, let alone one she’d just met!

James drew her back into their conversation by asking, “How about handicapped children?”

“What? Oh…” She blinked rapidly to clear her head, happy to tell him more about her work. “Been there, done that. Actually, it was my undergraduate work with a special needs group that prompted me to do my thesis on using animals for emotional therapy. You may as well give it up, Harris. Your board of trustees is on my side, one hundred percent.”

“So I’ve gathered. Care to explain how you managed that? Those three idiotic old codgers haven’t agreed on anything in twenty years.”

“Thirty,” Megan said, watching the camp director’s face closely. “At least that’s what my college mentor told me when he suggested I propose my project to the other two.”

“Other two? Your mentor is on the board?”

“He sure is. Any more questions?”

“No, just give me a second to get my foot out of my mouth,” James said, ignoring Roxy’s giggling as he continued to address Megan. “I hope you don’t plan to tell the man I said he was an old codger.”

“I don’t intend to say one single derogatory thing about you or this camp. Not as long as you give me your full cooperation.”

“Blackmail?”

“Of course not,” Megan insisted with a wry look, intending it to be more telling than her denial. “We’re two intelligent adults who both want what’s best for some troubled kids. When I make my final report to the board, I’m sure they’ll be pleased at how well we’ve worked together.” She boldly thrust her hand toward him. “Shake on it, partner?”

Time crept by slower than an ant on an ice cube. There was clearly a dandy struggle going on in that good-looking head of his. When one corner of his mouth quirked with the hint of a smile, however, Megan knew she’d won.

Nodding, James grasped her outstretched hand and cupped his other hand over it. “Okay. Partners. As long as you don’t butt heads with me in front of the kids and undermine my authority, I’ll put up with you. Both of you. But one false move and you’re out of here. I don’t care if you have friends in high places all over Arkansas. Is that understood?”

“Uh-huh.”

Dumbfounded, she stared at their clasped hands. His touch was warm, comforting, gentle. Her skin was tingling worse than the first time they’d shared a handshake. Much worse. A shiver began at the nape of her neck and skittered along her spine, confirming the full extent of her reaction to James’s innocent touch.

This was more serious than her earlier tendencies to admire his looks. And a lot more scary. Emotions were her business. She recognized the signs all too well. Apparently, some of the uneasiness she’d attributed to simple nervousness when she’d first met him had had its roots elsewhere in her psyche.

Megan pulled her hand free. The effects of James’s touch lingered, making her pulse race. Worse yet, her impressionable sister was standing right there, watching the whole exchange and giving her the kind of look a parent gives a child who’s been caught raiding the cookie jar.

Embarrassed, Megan swallowed hard. This was not good. Not good at all. There was more at stake here than simply preserving her own peace of mind. Preaching to Roxy about virtuous behavior was not going to have any effect if she couldn’t set a good example, both in practice and in her heart of hearts.

Megan knew her actions were not going to be too hard to manage, especially if she relied on prayer for extra support. It was her errant thoughts that were going to give her fits. Thanks to meeting James Harris, wild notions were already spinning around in her head like dry leaves caught in a whirlwind.

The cabin Megan eventually chose was not among the ones James had hoped she’d pick. Naturally. He gritted his teeth. Leave it to her to fixate on a building that had stood empty for years. He’d been associated with Camp Refuge for nearly a decade, first as a part-timer, then as a counselor and finally as its director, and he couldn’t recall a time when anyone had occupied the small, outlying cabin. It certainly wasn’t appealing, yet the woman seemed unreasonably drawn to it.

“Are you sure?” he asked for the third time.

“Positive.” She led the way up onto the porch, looking down and frowning. “You’ll need to repair these steps. They feel wobbly. I hope the interior is in better shape.”

“I can’t promise a thing. We haven’t used this row of cabins for anything but storage for years. Why does it have to be this one? There are lots better choices closer to our main bunkhouses and dining hall.”

“Because I like this one,” Megan insisted. “It has a big enough yard for my horse pen. Plus, my rabbits will need plenty of shade. These trees will be perfect for that. Right, Roxy?”

The teenager shrugged. “Whatever.”

Frustrated, James stared at Megan. “Did you get up this morning determined to do everything the hard way? Or is it simply a talent of yours to be difficult?”

She laughed softly. “I have lots of special gifts, but I’ve never been told making trouble is one of them.”

“Well, let me be the first,” he said, turning the front-door key. “This lock is sticking, too. I’ll need to make a list of repairs. It’ll be a long one.”

“Don’t go to any fuss. I can take care of whatever needs to be done inside. Roxy can help me dust and sweep the place out. It’ll be fine.”

“I doubt that.”

Pushing open the door on creaking hinges, he stood back so the others could peek into the interior. As he’d suspected, the cabin not only smelled musty, it was chock-full of items that had been stored for so long, their value was nil. The stacks of cardboard file boxes were bad enough. Worse, extra cots had been piled along one whole wall. From the looks of the bundles of old mattresses, they’d been home to families of field mice for some time.

Megan made a face. Clearly ignoring her sister’s muffled squeal of protest she said, “Hmmm. This could take a bit more than dusting.”

“Exactly.” James started to pull the door closed. “So, what’s your second choice?”

“I don’t have one. I want this cabin.”

“You must be kidding.”

“No. Not at all. Like I said, it’s perfect for my needs. Think you can have the junk out of it by Monday?”

He rolled his eyes. This woman was not only stubborn beyond reason, she was also nuts. “Monday? Of next month, maybe. This is already Friday. There’s no way I can spare the time to do the hours of work this place will need. It’s impossible.”

“Nothing is impossible if you want it badly enough,” Megan argued. “And I want this cabin. If you can’t clean it out, we’ll do it ourselves.”

“No way! Not me.” Roxy retreated and scurried down the porch steps.

All James could do was shake his head. He’d never met anyone as inflexible as Megan White. Nor anyone so determined. How did all that stubbornness fit into such a compact package? When he’d been tossed out by his parents and shipped off to military school as a young teen, he’d thought those instructors were unbelievably rigid. But they’d been softies compared to this woman.

“I can’t let you do that.” He cast around for a plausible excuse, settling on “It’s against camp policy” before he realized she’d be privy to the details of actual camp policy through her mentor.

“I’m starting to get the idea you don’t want us here,” Megan chided, breaking into a silly grin. “Well, you can forget about scaring us off. Roxy and I are moving in on Monday, with or without your help. Now, where do you want us to put all this junk after we drag it out the door?”

He knew when he was licked. “Okay, okay. I’ll help you. Let me go get the old dump truck we use to haul trash. We can back it up to the porch and toss stuff into it from there so we won’t have to handle anything twice. I have a bad feeling this place is loaded with spiders, not to mention other crawly things.”

It pleased him to note Megan’s barely perceptible shiver. She’d listened to that warning, at least. He was in favor of anything that fostered caution and slowed her momentum. Which gave him another idea.

“You could be settled in one of the regular cabins down the hill in a few hours, you know. Today.”

When she whirled to face him, hands fisted on her slim hips, she didn’t have to say a word to inform him his sensible suggestion had been in vain.

He shook his head in resignation. “Okay, okay. You win. I’ll go tell Inez and Aaron to keep watching the kids for me and I’ll get the truck. Don’t try to move anything until I get back. Understand?”

“Perfectly.”

As he started away, Roxy hurried to match his stride. He slowed for her. “Aren’t you going to stay and help your big sister?”

“No way. That place is too creepy. I don’t do spiders. Or windows, either.”

“I don’t blame you for hating spiders,” he said soberly. “I’m not real crazy about them myself.”

“Are you married?”

James faltered and almost tripped. “No. Why?”

“Just wondered.”

“Are you asking for yourself, or did your sister put you up to it?”

“Her? Naw.” Roxy made a face. “Meg doesn’t care. She’s never had lots of dates like I have. I’m a cheerleader, you know. Varsity.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thanks. How old are the boys who live here?”

“Younger than you,” he said dryly. “And while we’re on the subject, I want you to understand something. These kids are already confused and worried when they come to camp. If you do or say anything to upset them further, I’ll have to end your sister’s project early and send you both away. Is that clear?”

Roxy shrugged. “Sure. It’s not my problem. I’m only here because my mother didn’t want to be bothered with me.”

“I thought you came to help Megan.”

“Whatever. It wasn’t my idea.”

Thoughtful, James refrained from further comment. He hadn’t been crazy about the idea of bringing animals into the camp in the first place. Now that Megan had added a troubled teen to the mix, he was even less inclined to endorse the project.

It’s only for fourteen days, he reminded himself. Two weeks. Surely, not much could go wrong in that short a time.

When James returned with the dump truck he was alone. He handed Megan some leather gloves and donned a matching pair. “Your sister decided to stay with Inez.”

“Not a big surprise.” The gloves were miles too big. Nevertheless, Megan expressed gratitude as she put them on. “Thanks. It was nice of you to think of bringing these for me. If I’d known I was going to be doing a lot of manual labor today I’d have come better prepared.”

“You’re welcome. There’s bottled water in the cab of the truck, too. I don’t want you using the taps in the cabin until I’ve had a chance to flush them out. Might make you sick.”

“Aren’t you sweet? Thanks.”

“Me? Sweet?” He chuckled. “You’re the first person who’s ever called me that.”

Slightly disconcerted, he reached for a stack of cardboard boxes, looking them over carefully while brushing away spiderwebs with one gloved hand. “All these old records are in our computer system so it’ll be okay to pitch them. I’d forgotten this stuff was still around.”

“You’ve worked here a long time?”

“On and off. I started volunteering when I was still in school. After I got my degree, I went into teaching but it wasn’t satisfying enough. I finally chucked it all and came back here to stay. Been here ever since.”

Megan nodded. “Why don’t you do the heavy work and leave those boxes to me? I can move them by myself if I only lift one or two at a time. I know I can’t handle the mattresses.” Pointing, she gifted him with her most convincing smile. “Please?”

“Okay.” James straightened. “Just keep your gloves on and watch out for spiders. We have a lot of brown recluse up here. I fight them all the time in the bunkhouses.”

“You be careful, too. Looks like the wasps have taken over that end of the cabin.”

“Mud daubers. They’re everywhere, especially in attics. Chances are they even managed to find a way into some of those boxes you’re about to handle.”

“Terrific.” She made a silly face at him.

“Hey, you’re the one who insisted on doing this. I’m still willing to be sensible.”

“No way.” It amused Megan to see him giving her a look that said he thought she was dumber than a post. She laughed softly. “I discovered a long time ago that the only way to be sure you’ll lose is to quit before you reach your goal. That’s why I never give up. It’s not in my nature.”

“Not even if you’re fighting a losing battle?” James asked as he dragged a huge bundle of dilapidated mattresses toward the door.

“In whose opinion? Yours? Mine? That’s not nearly good enough for me.”

Watching him work, Megan couldn’t help continuing to appreciate his natural appeal. Not that she ever intended to reveal her thoughts. Or act on them. She simply had an ingrained admiration for all of God’s creatures. And she had to admit this particular creature was pretty close to perfect, at least on the outside. What was inside was the problem. He’d looked after her by providing gloves and drinking water, sure, but his lack of open-mindedness spoiled his overall image.

“So,” he asked, “what does it take to influence you? A lightning bolt from heaven?”

“Something like that.”

The dust they’d stirred up was making her nose tickle. She slipped off one glove and pressed her clean forefinger against her upper lip to stifle a sneeze. “Sometimes it feels like the good Lord has to drop a brick on my head to get my attention. Once He does, I try to listen before the second brick comes along.”

“Does that happen often?”

“Fortunately, no,” Megan said, “or I’d have to go into the chimney-building business.” She sneezed twice and sniffled. “As anyone will tell you, I’m just about flawless by now.”

Her quip, coupled with the look of disbelief on his face as he turned away, made her giggle.

James made it as far as the back of the truck before he, too, began to sneeze. Repeatedly. By this time, Megan had joined him on the porch with the first of the storage boxes.

Her next “Achoo!” blew a puff of fine dust off the top of the box and left them standing with their heads in a cloud of it. “Sorry. I guess I must be allergic to whatever’s in this dirt.”

“You and me both,” James said. “I should have thought of that. My allergies aren’t usually too bad this time of year. It slipped my mind.”

Heaving the bundle of mattresses into the truck bed he followed it with the box Megan had been holding, then jumped down off the porch. “Stay put. Don’t move anything else till I get back. I’ve got a couple of disposable masks left over from when I painted the dorm. Wearing those should help. Anything’ll be better than sneezing our heads off like this.”

“Bring a box of tissues, too. And if you run into my sister, tell her I’m just about ready to send her home to face the music.”

“She might like that. She said she didn’t want to come with you in the first place.”

“True.” Megan stifled another sneeze. “This trip was the best of her options though, even if she won’t admit it.”

“I don’t want any trouble here,” James warned.

“There won’t be. Roxy’s as sweet-natured as she is pretty. She just needed to get away from home for a while. I expect her to be a lot of help to me.”

James chuckled, glanced down the hill and said, between sneezes, “Oh, yeah? When?”

By the time James returned, Megan had discovered an abandoned mouse nest and had deposited it on the porch.

Handing her the box of tissues and one of the white paper masks, he scowled at the matted nest. “I told you to wait for me.”

“I did. Sort of.”

“Then what’s that?”

“Well, it’s not the latest in porch decor,” she quipped with a smile. “I prefer pots of petunias, myself.”

He eyed the jumbled mass of leaves, twigs, fabric and mattress ticking. “What’d you do with the mice that lived in there, make pets of them?”

There was something about his glib attitude that brought out her sense of rivalry, made her want to best him, wit to wit. “I would have, if they’d been around when I found their house. I thought I’d teach them to ride tiny bicycles and juggle little balls, maybe made out of dried peas. I could paint the peas bright colors. They’d be lovely. What do you think?”

James slowly shook his head and looked down to hide his smile. “Believe me, you don’t want to know what I think.”

“You’re probably right about that. So, shall we put on our masks and dive in again?”

“No. I’ll do it alone,” he said. “You just stand here and hold the door for me.”

“The door is fine. It doesn’t need holding.”

“Put on your mask so you don’t eat any more dust and do as I say.”

“In a pig’s eye.”

“Don’t tell me you have a pet pig, too.”

“Nope. Just a horse, a burro, a couple of rabbits, a herding dog and Rocky.”

James had already donned his mask, which muffled his reply, but Megan got a general idea of what he was asking so she explained, “Rocky’s a flying squirrel. I rescued him from a tree that had been cut down when he was just a baby. I’ve tried to release him back into the wild but he keeps coming home and sneaking into the house. Apparently, he likes living in my menagerie.”

“Guess there’s no accounting for taste.”

“When you’re right, you’re right.” Megan put on her paper mask and went back inside.

Removing the stored supplies didn’t take nearly as long as Megan had thought it would. Cleaning the cabin until it looked and smelled as fresh as a summer breeze, however, took her and James the rest of the afternoon.

Finished, she plopped down on the edge of the small porch and dangled her feet over the side. “Whew! I’m bushed. We used up all the cleanser you brought.”

“You should be tired. You worked hard.”

There was a tinge of admiration in his voice. She leaned her head back to glance up at him. “Hey, if I impressed you, it was worth it.”

“You did. So, what’s next? When are you going to bring the animals and set up your zoo?”

“It’s not a zoo.”

“Whatever. I’d just like to know if I should expect any other big surprises.”

“Big? Like what? An elephant?”

His eyes widened. “Tell me you’re kidding.”

“Okay. I’m kidding.”

James heaved a sigh and joined her. “That’s a relief.”

Pretending to make room for him, Megan inched farther away for her own sake and feigned a lighthearted attitude. “Sorry if I scared you. Guess you’re not used to my crazy sense of humor.”

“Guess not.” He took a deep breath and let it out with a whoosh as he stretched his arms and shoulders. “Why don’t you and Roxy stay and have supper with me and the boys? Inez always cooks extra.”

“Looking like this?” Megan eyed her dusty clothing. Her jeans and shirt were filthy. So were her bare arms. She hated to think what her hair looked like, not to mention the grime that had to be all over her face. “I don’t want to scare the kids, too.”

“They don’t scare as easily as I do,” James quipped. “These are tough little guys. I doubt they’ll even look at you funny.”

He gave her a quick once-over, then followed with a lopsided grin. “Well, maybe a little funny. I’ll get you a new camp shirt and shorts so you’ll have clean clothes. You probably should wash up before we eat, though. You must have rubbed your eyes when your hands were dirty. You look like a raccoon.”

“Since animals are my forte, I suppose that’s in character,” Megan replied. “I haven’t sneezed so much since I brought home a stray kitten and hid it in my bedroom when I was about Roxy’s age.”

“You’re allergic to cats? Hey, me, too.”

“And lots of other things, considering all the sneezing you did today. How can you work up here? I’d think all the tree pollen and weeds would finish you off.”

“I’m usually pretty careful,” James explained. “And a few headaches are a small price to pay for the privilege of helping these kids.”

Megan had been studying his expression, had picked up on the poignancy of his tone. “You can’t save them all, you know,” she said quietly. “All you can do—all any of us can do—is take one day at a time and give it our best. Then we have to let it go.”

“That’s a lot easier said than done.”

“Yes, I know. I’ve been praying for the wisdom to stop feeling accountable for everybody else’s failings for years. I’m still having trouble.”

“Praying?” James gave her a contentious look.

“Why not? I need all the help I can get.” Megan paused, wondering if she should go on. “Don’t you believe in God?”

“Sure. I just can’t see where He’d be interested in hearing from me. I learned to handle my own problems a long time ago. I don’t need any outside source telling me what to do. I make up my own mind.”

“My father feels the same way,” Megan said. “I never was able to convince him to trust the Lord.”

“So?”

“So, I failed.”

James reached over and sympathetically patted the back of her hand. “Hey, like you said, let it go. People do things that disappoint us all the time. It’s not your fault. You can’t be responsible for their choices.”

Yes, I can, she told herself. Logic had nothing to do with her feelings about her parents. Not a day went by that she didn’t wonder what she could have done—should have done—to somehow keep her fractured family together. Such thoughts might not be sensible, but that didn’t keep them from haunting her.

Chapter Three

While Megan took a shower in the girls’ dorm and got herself spruced up for supper, Roxy helped Inez in the kitchen and James supervised his resident campers’ evening chores. Tonight, he’d assigned them to tidy up the area in front of the dining hall.

Several of the boys weren’t thrilled to be outside at all, let alone doing yard work, but when James led by example they all pitched in. It was hard to keep any kid interested in a task for long, and he was glad to have genuine outdoor projects for them to do. Learning to work together and respect authority was crucial for their rehabilitation. So was receiving praise when it was due.

“Super job, Mark,” he called. “Now give the rake to Bobby Joe and let him finish up all the way to the big tree. Kyle, those dead branches go in the wheelbarrow. That’s right. Great.”

James let his thoughts drift to Megan as he worked, and he found himself picturing her in surprising detail. Her hair and eyes were dark, like his, but that was where the similarity ended. He already sported a summer tan. She had skin so fair, it would surely burn after only a few hours under the clear Ozark sky. And she was so small that any kid older than nine or ten was probably going to laugh at her if she made any attempt at discipline. The woman was a hard worker, true, but she didn’t look as if she could handle a good-sized dog, let alone a horse.

He gritted his teeth. It had been ages since he’d thought about how much he hated horses. The first time he’d seen one up close had been when his parents had sent him to military academy at the age of thirteen. His initial experience in horsemanship had been so traumatic it had left him with a broken arm and a deep-seated loathing of the stupid beasts.

Even before his arm had healed, he’d been assigned to help clean the stalls in the horse barn, which was apparently his instructor’s way of pushing him to face his childish fear. Instead, that impossible task had been the equivalent of aversion therapy. If he never touched another horse for the rest of his life it would be fine with him. Two weeks of having one in camp was going to feel like two years.

One of the boys squealed, pointing at the door to the women’s dorm. “Here she comes!”

The youngest pair, John and Robbie, began jumping up and down hollering, “Yeah!”

James smiled. Megan was wearing the official Camp Refuge T-shirt and shorts. She’d apparently picked the largest of the shirts he’d laid out for her and it was way too big. That, combined with her wet, slicked-back hair, made her look about Roxy’s age. Or younger. If didn’t know better, he’d doubt she was even old enough to be out of high school, let alone a grad student.

“Okay,” James shouted, gesturing to the boys with a sweep of his arm. “Everybody line up over here with me and I’ll introduce you. You, too, Bobby Joe. That’s good enough for now. You can finish raking later.”

When the youngster hesitated instead of obeying, a wiry, older boy grabbed the rake handle. A tugging, screaming match ensued.

“Zac! Bobby Joe! Knock it off.”

James pushed the two apart. They immediately dove at each other. He grabbed them both by the back of the waistband of their jeans to keep them separated.

Zac, whose reach was longer, took immediate advantage. Before James could stop him, he swung his whole body, fist first, and hit Bobby Joe in the face. The little blond urchin let out an earsplitting wail that sounded powerful enough to shake leaves off the trees.

Letting Zac go, James lifted Bobby Joe higher to protect him from further injury. Blood was already dripping from the child’s freckled nose and trickling down his face. The minute the boy saw blood on his hands and realized he’d been injured, he began to sob.

Megan hurried to join the group, greeting everyone with a cheery “Hi, guys!” in spite of the racket. Her eyes widened when she saw Bobby Joe. “Ooh. What happened?”

“It’s a long story,” James said. “Aaron’s busy in the office. Watch the other boys for me while I take care of this, will you?”

“Sure.”

As James walked away, she smiled at the remaining youngsters. They didn’t look so bad. A little withdrawn, maybe, but certainly not malicious. Wanting to initiate a conversation and also demonstrate how open-minded she was, Megan asked lightly, “So, who threw the first punch?”

No one answered. Moreover, all but one of the boys looked away.

“What’s your name?” Megan asked him.

The slightly built teen leered at her, then raised his eyebrows and gave her a blatant once-over. “Zac,” he drawled. “What’s yours, sweet thing?”

Megan managed to stifle her surprise enough to answer, “You may all call me Miss Megan or Miss White,” then switched her concentration to the others to avoid further eye contact with the outspoken boy.

“My sister and I’ve been invited to eat with you tonight,” she told the group. “If you’ll lead the way, I’d like to see the dining hall.”

“Can’t,” Zac announced. “We gotta wash up first or the old man’ll have our hide. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.” He then rounded up the smaller boys as if he were their scoutmaster and herded them toward their dorm.

It had occurred to Megan that James might expect her to accompany them but she decided that that much close observation wasn’t necessary. Or wise. The boys were just taking a short detour on their way to supper. Besides, she didn’t want to give Zac another opportunity to taunt her until she’d learned more about his background. Sweet thing, indeed!

She wandered in the general direction everyone else had gone, still chuckling about Zac’s ridiculous remarks. Imagine, calling James Harris an old man! If there was ever a guy who didn’t look or act old, it was the camp director. Then again, he had to be eight or ten years her senior. Making him maybe midthirties.

Which was far from ancient, Megan mused, although right at the moment, her overworked muscles were insisting she was at least ninety…and counting.

She rubbed her sore back through the T-shirt. Dressing everyone alike had its advantages, though she would have preferred a color brighter than sky-blue. Oh, well, at least she was clean. The jeans she’d worn during their refurbishing project were so filthy she couldn’t have tolerated them much longer.

A melding of wonderful aromas identified the camp kitchen. Looking for her sister, Megan peered through the screen door before opening it. Inside, a middle-aged, obviously harried woman with bright red hair was dashing back and forth between the stove and dining area. Roxy was nowhere to be seen.

“Grab my biscuits out of the oven, will you?” the woman hollered as soon as she spotted Megan. “There’s a hot pad over there, on the counter.”

“Sure. By the way, I’m Megan White, Roxy’s sister. Is she around?”

“In the bathroom primpin’, last I saw her.”

“That figures. You must be Inez Gogerty.”

“In the flesh,” the older woman said. “Forgot my manners for a minute there. Sorry. I got behind when the boss showed up needin’ ice.”

“For the little boy’s nose? How is he?”

“Fine. Mostly hurt his pride, I ’spect. That kind of thing happens all the time ’round here. You’ll get used to it.”

“I’m hoping it won’t happen as often after I get my project going.”

“The critters? Yeah, I heard. Ol’ James’s not exactly tickled pink about that. Course, I ’spect you know that.”

Megan smiled. “He did mention it.”

“I’ll just bet he did.” Inez looked her over and chortled. “You must be a lot tougher than you look.”

“I have my moments,” Megan answered. “Have you known Mr. Harris a long time?”

“Since he was knee-high to a grasshopper.”

“What was he like?”

“Oh, he was okay.” The cook scooped hot biscuits into a bowl, covered it, then handed it to Megan. “That goes next to the green beans. I hope everybody gets here before the fried chicken gets cold.”

“The boys are on their way,” Megan said. “Zac took them to wash up first.”

Inez nodded, her short, henna curls bobbing. “That should be interesting. You want to know what James was like as a boy, you just look at that there Zachary.”

“Oh, my.”

“Yup. He was a little smart aleck all right. Good-hearted, though, in spite of all the fixes he got himself into. His folks gave up tryin’ to cope with him and packed him off to boarding school just in time to avoid a set-to with the law. Nobody heard from him for years. When he finally showed up back in Serenity, he was all growed up.”

“Are his parents still around?”

“Nope. Whole family left town after they sent him away. Far as I know, he lost touch with everybody, even his brothers. Course, that wasn’t no accident.”

Megan was appalled. “You mean, he doesn’t want to find them? Why not? They’re his family.”

“He told me they’d disowned him, not the other way around. That’s good enough for me,” Inez said flatly. “Just because somebody’s born into a family doesn’t mean they have to stay in it if they’re not wanted.”

“Don’t you think they’re worried about him?”

From behind her a deep voice said, “No.”

Startled, Megan whirled. James was standing in the doorway, a clean-faced Bobby Joe half-hidden behind him. She forced a smile. “Hi. We were just talking about you.”

“So I gathered.”

“I wasn’t being nosy,” Megan explained. “I just wanted to understand what motivates you, what makes you the person you are.”

“Hard knocks,” he said. “Any other questions?”

“Only why you choose to hold a grudge and cut yourself off from your family,” she blurted, before taking time to fully censor her thoughts.

James huffed. “It wasn’t my decision to go away in the first place, and it wasn’t me who didn’t leave a forwarding address. If my folks don’t care, why should I?”

“How about your brothers?” Megan asked. “Have you done a search on the Internet? I’ll be bringing a laptop with me when I move in. You’re welcome to borrow it if you want.”

“Believe it or not, Camp Refuge not only has electricity, a telephone and indoor plumbing, it also has its own computer system. Your notion of us being dumb, backward hillbillies is outdated, Ms. White.”

“I didn’t mean anything like that. I was just trying to make a sensible suggestion.”

“I know.” He spoke with resignation and a quiet sigh. “That’s a big part of our problem. You’re determined to help me in spite of everything I’ve told you, and I don’t need or want any help. It’s as simple as that.”

“I’d hardly call my work simple,” she countered. “You may not take this project seriously, but I do. I don’t care how long it takes. I’m going to convince you I’m right and you’re wrong.” In the background, Megan heard the cook’s quick intake of breath.

James, however, began to laugh and shake his head. “I don’t suppose it’s occurred to you that we might both be a little right, has it? No, I didn’t think so.” He glanced past her into the dining hall. “Where are the rest of the boys? Did you leave them with Aaron?”

“No. Zac took them to wash up,” Megan said. The moment the words were out of her mouth and she saw the look of disbelief on James’s face, she knew she’d made a mistake.

“What? I told you to watch them.”

“You don’t have to raise your voice. They’re fine. They just went to wash their hands, that’s all.”

“You’d better hope that’s all.”

Stomping past her on his way out the front door, James was mumbling to himself. Megan couldn’t make out most of what he was saying but she did manage to catch a word or two. That was plenty.

Chagrined, she looked around the kitchen for something to keep her busy till he got back. “Can I help you with anything else?” she asked Inez.

“Nope. Everything’s ready. Why don’t you take Bobby Joe into the dining room?”

“What a wonderful idea.” Megan crouched down to be on the child’s eye level and asked, “How about it? I don’t know how you do things around here. Will you show me?”

To her delight, the fair-haired boy nodded.

Straightening, Megan took his hand. “Good. Let’s start with where we’re supposed to sit to eat, shall we? I want to be ready when Mr. Harris comes back.”

“Zac hit me,” Bobby Joe said.

“I know. That was too bad. You look fine now, though.”

“I bleeded on my shirt,” he announced, sounding proud. “Bunches. It was gross.”

“I saw. Why were you fighting with Zac?”

“’Cause he’s mean. I hate him.”

“That’s too bad. Well, maybe you’ll get to go home soon and you won’t have to see him anymore.”

“Uh-uh.”

Megan suddenly realized she’d gotten so caught up in their conversation, she’d spoken out of turn. To glean the most from her project, she knew she’d have to rely on facts, not supposition. Like James Harris, some of the children she’d be working with would never be welcomed at home—if they even had a home. Perhaps Bobby Joe was one of those.

Rather than make things worse, she tried to change the subject by pointing to one of the long tables. “So, do we sit here?”

“Yeah.” He clambered onto the bench and folded his hands while Megan joined him. Then he said, “Zac gave me a swirly yesterday.”

“A what?”

“He dunked me. My hair got all wet.”

“Oh.” Megan was starting to relax till the child added, “Yeah. Then he flushed.”

By the time James returned with the other five boys plus Aaron and Roxy, Megan had had time to imagine lots of scenarios, most of them bad. She breathed a sigh of relief. Clearly, her previous work hadn’t prepared her for the challenges she was going to encounter here.

She glanced down at the angelic little boy seated beside her and smiled. He was a doll, the kind of well-behaved, eager-to-please child who brought out her maternal instincts and made her want to protect him. Too bad the would-be hood who had clobbered him hadn’t had the same kind of good upbringing.

The other boys marched up to the table and quickly took their places while Roxy flirted with Aaron in the background.

James remained standing and glared down at Megan. “Don’t you ever do that again.”

“Do what?”

“Leave the boys unsupervised. When I tell you to watch them, I mean watch them.”

She got to her feet to face him on more equal ground. “Oh, come on. They were just washing their hands. Zac said he’d take care of the littler ones, and it looks to me like he did a fine job.”

“That’s not the point. You didn’t follow orders.”

“I’m sorry, okay. I guess I wasn’t thinking.”

“You can say that again.”

“You don’t have to yell at me.”

“I’m not yelling.”

“Well, you sure could have fooled me.”

Inez was entering the room, bearing a platter heaped with crispy fried chicken. Megan let her pass, then grabbed James’s arm and tugged him toward the kitchen. When he resisted, she scowled. “Come with me. I want to settle this in private. It won’t take long.”

He gave in reluctantly and followed her through the door. “It better not.”

Megan whirled, her voice husky, her eyes blazing. “Don’t you dare threaten me.”

“I wasn’t. I didn’t.” James gestured back toward the dining room. “What do you have to say to me that couldn’t be said just as easily in there?”

“Plenty.”

She couldn’t believe he didn’t realize what he’d done, what he was still doing by not lowering his voice and confronting her as quietly as possible, so she set an example by rasping at him in a near whisper, “You told me not to question your authority in front of the kids, yet you just made me look like a fool in front of those boys—and my sister.”

“I did not.”

“You most certainly did,” Megan insisted. “Everybody makes mistakes. Even me. I was joking when I told you I thought I was perfect. From now on, if you have anything derogatory to say to me, I’ll expect you to say it in private.”

One eyebrow arched. He gave a slight shrug and spoke more softly. “All right. I’ll spell it out for you. These kids may look angelic but many of them are seriously disturbed. One at a time they’re usually pretty agreeable. In a group, anything can happen—and often does.”

“You mean I’m supposed to treat them like they’re in jail?”

“Not exactly. When one of them merits trust we give it, up to a point. Next time you’re not sure whether or not to permit something, ask me or Aaron about it first and we’ll avoid problems like this.”

“That sounds reasonable enough.” Megan chanced a slight smile. “I’m sorry I caused you extra worry. I thought my decision to let Zac take them to wash up was perfectly logical.”

“I know. It’s partly my fault, too. I should have warned you these kids would try to bamboozle you big-time. You’ve learned that on your own, I take it.”

“No kidding. Talk about a trial by fire.”

“Everything turned out okay. We’ll forget it ever happened. Now, let’s go eat before the kids get so hungry we have a mutiny on our hands.” He pushed open the swinging door between the kitchen and dining room and held it politely. “After you.”

To Megan, the most amazing thing was his apparently complete change of mood. In the blink of an eye, James Harris had gone from delivering angry retorts to being a gracious host. She frowned at him as she passed, unsure if she was reading him right. While her stomach was still tied in knots and her hands were trembling from their encounter, he seemed calm, totally in control.

Everyone stared at them as they left the kitchen together. James headed for his normal spot at the head of the table, escorting her as he went.

Megan slid into the place where she’d been sitting, directly to James’s right, because it was the only available space. There was no gracious way to move away from him as she had on the porch. Therefore, she figured she’d better follow his example and start acting more normal or the boys might get the idea they could pit them against each other again.

Seated beside Aaron and Roxy at the opposite end of the long table, Inez quietly bowed her head. Megan was expecting someone to say a blessing on their meal but no one spoke. They simply observed a quiet moment while she used the time to pull herself together.

When everyone suddenly looked up and began talking, she felt much better, much more at ease. She decided to break her silence and let James know she’d simmered down by asking him a question. “You don’t say grace?”

“Can’t. Separation of church and state,” he said. “The silent prayer was Inez’s idea. So far, nobody’s questioned us about it. Most folks are pretty tolerant out here in the sticks. It’s when the kids go home that we may hear complaints.”

“I see.” Megan lowered her voice for privacy, though she wasn’t too worried about being overheard above the boisterous conversation going on at the table. “Speaking of home, tell me about Bobby Joe. What’s his situation?”

“He’s temporary, like all the others. I’ll give you access to our files as soon as you set up your computer.”

“What about Zac? Why do you let him pick on Bobby Joe so much?”

James chuckled. “Let him? Not hardly. I do my best to keep them apart. Being brothers, they naturally gravitate to each other.”

“Brothers?” Megan was flabbergasted. “Those two are related? They’re not a bit alike.”

“Lots of siblings aren’t,” he said, offering her the platter of chicken before taking any for himself. “My brothers are far different than I am.”

“Oh? How so?”

Passing the mashed potatoes and picking up the bowl of green beans, he spooned some onto his plate. “They were always perfect saints. Sons to make their parents proud.”

“And you weren’t?”

James chuckled. “According to my folks I was the exact opposite. I got tired of not being able to live up to their ideals, gave up trying and let them think what they wanted.”

“I’ll bet they’d be proud of your work here.”

“I don’t care one way or the other. It’s enough to know I’m doing the right thing. I don’t need validation from them or anyone else.”

Nodding, Megan sighed. At the far end of the table, her sister was carrying on an animated conversation with Aaron Barnes, leaning close and fawning over him. The poor guy was blushing, obviously embarrassed by all the extra attention.

Megan shared the young man’s discomfort. Though she felt sorry for James because of his estrangement from his family, there were times, like now, when she wished she didn’t have to worry about anyone but herself, either. To make matters worse, James was also watching the young people. Judging by the look of consternation on his face, he wasn’t any happier about their interaction than she was.

Softly, Megan said, “I’ll take care of that as soon as Roxy and I are alone. She’ll back off. I promise.”

James, who had been taking a sip of ice water as she spoke, looked incredulous, burst into laughter and promptly choked.

Megan slapped him on the back. “Serves you right. It wasn’t that funny.”

“Yes, it was,” he managed, while coughing into his napkin. “I can just picture that little sisterly talk.”

“I’ll expect you to speak to your helper about it, too,” Megan added. “We can’t put all the burden of good behavior on my sister.”

James coughed again, finally getting his irritated throat under control. When he lowered the napkin he was grinning like he’d just heard the best joke of his life and was still chortling over the punch line.

“Okay,” Megan said, “what’s so amusing?”

“You are. Anybody who thinks she can convince a fifteen-year-old girl to stop making eyes at a good-looking college boy is out of her ever-lovin’ mind.”

Chapter Four

The remainder of the meal passed rapidly for Megan. She took part in the boys’ lively discussions as much as possible, hoping to gain insight into each of their characters, while trying to keep an eye on her sister, as well.

By the end of the evening she had decided that all but the two littlest boys were better actors than most Academy Award winners—and those two were strong runners-up. Listening to them chatter, observing their innocent expressions, she would never have guessed that their short lives had been filled with enough trauma and adversity to overwhelm most adults.

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