“You aren’t going to come to church with us, are you?”

The second the question was out of her mouth, she bit down on the inside of her cheek. She’d never confronted someone about not attending church. She didn’t confront anyone about anything, if possible.

Chance’s gaze narrowed on her face, every line in his body rigid. “I need to get settled in.”

Tanya knew from the expression on her new tenant’s handsome face that any further discussion was unwelcome. “I’m sorry I brought up the subject. I just assumed you believed.”

“Because I’m friends with Samuel?”

She nodded.

“I guess Samuel would say I’m the lost sheep he’s trying to bring back to the fold.”

THE LADIES OF SWEETWATER LAKE:

Like a wedding ring, this circle

of friends is never ending

MARGARET DALEY

feels she has been blessed. She has been married more than thirty years to her husband, Mike, whom she met in college. He is a terrific support and her best friend. They have one son, Shaun. Margaret has been writing for many years and loves to tell a story. When she was a little girl, she would play with her dolls and make up stories about their lives. Now she writes these stories down. She especially enjoys weaving stories about families and how faith in God can sustain a person when things get tough. When she isn’t writing, she is fortunate to be a teacher for students with special needs. Margaret has taught for over twenty years and loves working with her students. She has also been a Special Olympics coach and participated in many sports with her students.

Tidings of Joy

Margaret Daley

MILLS & BOON

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And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see

you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy

no man taketh from you.

—John 16:22

To my family—I love you

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

Epilogue

Letter to Reader

Questions for Discussion

Chapter One

Chance Taylor stepped off the bus and surveyed the town, which was nothing like where he’d spent the past two years. Yet, for a few seconds he fought the overwhelming urge to get back on the bus. Because no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t. Not until he’d paid his debt.

The bus pulled away from the curb, leaving him behind. No escape now. The beating of his heart kicked up a notch. Chance glanced up and down the street. Sweetwater. It was exactly as Tom Bolton had described it. Quaint stores lined its Main Street. A row of Bradford pear trees down both sides of the road offered shade in the heat of summer. Even though it was the end of September, the hot air caused sweat to pop out on his forehead.

He closed his eyes to the vivid colors spread out before him—a red sign above a door, yellow pansies about the base of the trees along the street. He’d lived in a world he’d thought of as black-and-white. Now every hue of the rainbow bombarded him from all sides. Opening his eyes to the new world around him, he wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, then grabbed the one duffel bag with all his earthly possessions and strode toward Alice’s Café.

Inside he scanned the diners, all engrossed in their food and conversation. People doing normal, everyday things with no idea how their life could change in a split second. But he knew.

Drawing in a deep breath, Chance took a moment to compose himself. Again the question flashed across his mind: why had he come to Sweetwater? Surely there was a better place, one he could get lost in. New York City. Chicago. Even Louisville would have been better than this small town, where according to Tom, everyone watched out for each other. He didn’t want that. Nosy neighbors had led to his destruction in the past. But Sweetwater was the only place where he could fulfill his promise to himself. He was stuck here for the time being, but once he had paid his debt, he would leave as fast as a bus could take him out of town.

Chance saw Samuel Morgan in the back booth and headed toward him. Aware of a few glances thrown his way, Chance hurried over, placed his duffel bag on the floor, then slid in across from Samuel, his back to the other diners.

Samuel grinned. “I didn’t think you’d come.”

“I said I would. About the only thing I have left is my word.”

“Tom’s death wasn’t your fault. He made his choice.”

“I have a chance to return a favor. I intend to. That’s the least I can do.”

A waitress with a pencil behind her left ear paused near Samuel and dug into her apron pocket for a pad.

“Want something to eat?” Samuel asked.

Chance shook his head, aware of the open curiosity in the older woman’s gaze. His stomach tightened. He should be used to people watching him, having spent the past few years with no right to any privacy. But he wasn’t. All he wanted when he was through with Sweetwater was to find a quiet corner of the world where he could put his life back together.

“Alice, I’ll take another cup of coffee.” Samuel pushed his mug toward the edge of the table.

“Sure, Reverend. Be right back.”

After Alice refilled Samuel’s coffee and left, he said, “Your timing couldn’t be better. Tanya Bolton has just converted the space over her garage into an apartment. She’s looking for a tenant and you need a place to stay. It’s perfect.”

Something in the reverend’s expression alerted Chance that there was more to it. “You wouldn’t have anything to do with Tom’s wife having an apartment, now would you?”

Samuel’s grin reached deep into his eyes. “I did mention it would be a great way for her to make some extra money. She took the suggestion and ran with it.”

“I can’t see the lady renting to an ex-con.”

“You aren’t an ex-con. Your conviction was overturned because you were innocent. The police have the right guy in jail now.”

The horror of the past few years threatened to deluge Chance with all the memories he desperately needed to forget. He refused to let them intrude, shoving them back into the dark corner of his mind. He didn’t have the emotional strength to return to the past. His wounds ran deep, to his very soul. “It doesn’t change the fact that I spent two years in prison. When she finds that out…” He couldn’t finish his sentence, the words clogging his throat. The knot in his stomach grew.

Suddenly he pictured a man he’d thought was a good friend, and his expression when Chance had seen him last week in Louisville. Fear had flitted across his so-called friend’s features before he could mask his reaction to seeing Chance. Although in the eyes of the law he had been exonerated, he had seen the doubt in the man’s gaze. Did they have the right guy this time?

Samuel leaned toward Chance and said in a low tone, “I’m not telling Tanya anything about your recent past. I’ll leave that for you to tell when you feel ready. But I am going to vouch for you. I know you’re a good, honest man, and what you’ve come to Sweetwater to do is important to you.”

Chance thought about being so near Tom’s wife on a daily basis. He wasn’t sure he could handle it, the constant reminder that he owed his life to Tom. “Is there anywhere else I can rent a room?”

“Probably. But not as convenient, that is if you really want to help Tanya. Or are you here to hide?”

Samuel’s question pierced through the layers of protection Chance used to shield himself from others. If he was smart, he would leave and do exactly that.

“Look you don’t have any way of getting around except walking, and Tanya’s house is close to downtown so you can get just about any place you’ll need to go from that apartment.”

Chance held up his hand. “Okay, Reverend. You’ve convinced me. I’ll see the lady about it.”

Samuel took a long sip of his coffee. “Good. I also have lined up the interview with Nick Blackburn for that job I told you about when we spoke last week on the phone. He’s looking for an assistant to help him with the part of his company he’s moved to Sweetwater. Still interested?”

“I need a job while I live here, so yes, I’m still interested. What does Mr. Blackburn know about me?”

“That you are a friend of mine, that’s all.”

“I’ll have to tell him where I’ve been.”

“Yeah, I know, but it needs to come from you. Nick will respect that.” Samuel sipped his coffee.

“When’s the interview?”

“Nine o’clock tomorrow morning. His office is two blocks down on Main. The brand-new, seven-story tall redbrick building. You probably saw it coming into town on the bus.”

“Yeah. He works Saturdays?” Everything was moving so fast. Was he ready to plunge back into the world of big business? Once that had been his life. Once he’d worked long hours to get ahead at his job. Now he wished he had that time back, that he’d spent it with the family he no longer had.

“Sometimes. Usually he spends his weekends with his family, but he knew you were arriving today and decided to do it tomorrow. He said something about having to be in Chicago early next week.”

“I’ve heard of Blackburn Industries. I didn’t realize he’d moved his corporate offices from Chicago to Sweetwater.”

Samuel shrugged. “Love is a strong motivator. His wife is from here.” Samuel finished his cup of coffee. “I’ll drive you over to Tanya’s.”

“No, I need to do this on my own. You can call her and give her a reference so she’ll open the door, but the rest will have to be up to me.”

“Fine, but Chance, you aren’t alone in this world. I told you that in prison and I’m telling you that now.”

“I know. I know, Reverend. God is with me. He stood by me while I watched my family taken from me and while I was on trial. He was there with me in prison when I was fighting for my life.” Chance saw the disappointment in Samuel’s eyes that his sarcastic words had caused.

“I know how you feel, but you didn’t give Him a chance to be with you.”

Chance slipped from the booth. He didn’t want to hear it. Samuel knew how he felt about the Lord who had abandoned him in his time of need. They’d even had a discussion about it when Samuel had come to the prison to minister to the inmates. “How do I get to Tanya Bolton’s house?”

Samuel wrote an address on a napkin and handed it to him. “Go three blocks north on Main to Second, then go five blocks east on Second and that’s Berryhill Road. Sure you don’t want me to at least drop you off?”

“No, the exercise will be good for me.” Chance turned from the booth and headed for the door. The very act of going anywhere he wanted was precious to him. He would never take freedom of movement for granted again.

Outside he relished the warmth of the sun on his face, the fresh air, laced with newly mowed grass and grilled meat from a barbecue restaurant on the next block. A slender man dressed in a suit passed him on the sidewalk and nodded a greeting. Automatically Chance returned it with his own nod. The sudden realization that for the next few months he would be thrust into the middle of life in a small town sent panic bolting through him. He’d grown up in a small town and knew that little was a secret for long. He didn’t want to see the doubt and possibly even fear in the eyes of the residents of Sweetwater when they learned he’d been in prison.

“I’ve got the sign out in front and I’ve advertised in the paper. Now all I need is someone to rent the apartment over the garage,” Tanya Bolton said as she switched the cordless phone to her other ear.

“You did such a nice job fixing the place up. I don’t think you’ll have any trouble finding a tenant.”

“I hope you’re right, Zoey, because I need the money. Having a teenage daughter who’s growing out of all her clothes is expensive.”

“Will I see you at Alice’s Café tomorrow?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss our Saturday get-together.” Tanya lowered her voice, cupping the mouthpiece closer to her. “I don’t know if I would have made it without you, Darcy, Beth and Jesse. You know I’ll be there.”

“See you tomorrow,” Zoey Witherspoon said as a beep sounded, indicating another call on the line.

Tanya pushed a button. “Hello?”

“This is Samuel. I’m glad you’re home, Tanya. I’ve got a friend coming over right now to see your apartment. He’s going to be here for a while and needs a place to stay.”

“A tenant! I was just talking to Zoey about not having shown the apartment to anyone yet.”

“Then this is your lucky day. He’ll be a great tenant. His name is Chance Taylor.”

The sound of the doorbell ringing drew Tanya’s attention. She walked toward the front door with the cordless phone still in her hand and noticed through the frosted glass a large man on her porch. “Looks like he’s here. Thanks, Samuel. I really appreciate the referral.” She laid the phone on the table in the small foyer, then hurriedly opened the door.

Before her stood a man several inches over six feet tall with broad shoulders, a narrow waist and muscular arms. His large presence dwarfed her small porch and blocked her doorway. Her gaze flew to his face, taking in his hard, square jaw, his nose that had been broken once, his vivid blue eyes and his short black hair. All his features came together in a pleasing countenance with just a hint of sadness in it. Surprised by that thought, Tanya wasn’t sure where the impression came from.

His neutral expression evolved into a half grin. “Tanya Bolton?”

His presence filled her vision. “Yes,” she managed to say, stunned by how overpowering Samuel’s friend was.

“I’m Chance Taylor. Samuel was supposed to call you about me. I’d like to rent your apartment.”

The deep, baritone of his voice flowed over her, smooth like a river of honey. Slowly his dark blue eyes lit with a gleam like periwinkles basking in the sunlight. Then his mouth lifted in a full grin, causing dimples to appear in both cheeks.

“Is it still for rent?”

She nodded, for some reason her voice still unable to work properly.

“How much?”

She mentally shook herself out of her daze. This was business. “Three hundred a month plus utilities.”

He dug into the front pocket of his black jeans and withdrew a wad of cash. After peeling off three one hundred dollar bills, crisp and new, he handed them to her.

She peered at the money, thinking of all the bills she needed to pay. Then common sense prevailed. “I don’t want to take your money until you’ve seen the apartment.”

“I’m not choosy about where I stay.”

“The apartment is open. It’s above the detached garage at the side of the house. Why don’t you go and take a look at it? I wouldn’t feel right if you didn’t do that. I’ll be along in a moment.”

After repocketing his money, he tipped his head toward her. “I’ll do that, Mrs. Bolton.”

She watched him descend the steps with duffel bag in hand, then head for the garage. When he disappeared from view, she went into the kitchen and grabbed the lease that Beth had insisted she needed a tenant to sign and left the house by the back door.

Her daughter would be home from school in half an hour, and she hoped to have this all settled by then. After she crossed the driveway, she climbed the stairs to the apartment over the garage at the side of the house. The door stood ajar.

Inside Chance slowly turned in a full circle, surveying the place, no expression on his face. When he saw her, he stopped, one corner of his mouth hitched in a half grin, dimpling one cheek. She was beginning to wonder if that was his trademark.

“This is nice.”

His compliment caused a catch in her throat. She’d worked hard on the apartment with some help from her friends and was proud of what she’d accomplished on a limited budget. “Thanks.”

He faced her, his large presence filling the small two-room apartment—much like her porch—his shoulders set in a taut line, his arms straight at his sides. His gaze lit upon the paper she held in her hand. “Do you want me to sign a lease?”

“Yes. This is for six months.”

“I don’t know how long I’ll be here. I’ve got an interview with Nick Blackburn about a job, but nothing’s definite.”

Tanya glanced at the standard lease and folded it several times. “Then we won’t use the lease. Where did you come from?”

“Louisville.”

“Why did you come to Sweetwater? Because of the possibility of a job with Nick?”

“No, actually Samuel has always talked so highly of Sweetwater that I decided to come pay him and the town a visit. He knew I was looking for a job and mentioned the one with Blackburn Industries.” Again Chance withdrew the wad of money from his pocket and unrolled it. Covering the short distance between them, he thrust the rent toward her. “Three hundred. Do you require a deposit?”

Deposit? Tanya bit her lower lip. She hadn’t thought about that. Having never been a landlord before, she realized how new this all was to her. “I guess a hundred. That should cover minor damages if there are any.”

“There won’t be.”

“Not from what Samuel says. He basically told me I couldn’t go wrong with you being my tenant.”

Chance glanced away for a few seconds as if embarrassed by what Samuel had said. Clearing his throat, he returned his attention to her. “Samuel does have a way about him.” He gave her the money for the deposit, then immediately stepped back as though he was uncomfortable getting too near her. He looked toward the kitchen area in one corner with a two-burner stove, a sink and a small refrigerator. “Can you give me directions to the nearest grocery store?”

Tanya thought of the bare kitchen and blurted out, “Why don’t you have dinner with me and my daughter tonight? That’s the least I can do for someone new to Sweetwater and a friend of Samuel’s.”

Chance plunged his fingers through his black hair, then massaged the back of his neck. “I don’t want you to go to any trouble, Mrs. Bolton.”

“My name is Tanya and it isn’t any trouble. I have to warn you, though, it won’t be anything fancy.”

“I’m not used to fancy.”

The tight edge to his words made her blink in surprise. “Well, then you’ll fit right in. Sweetwater’s pretty laid-back. We only have one expensive restaurant that I’ve never seen the inside of.”

“What time is dinner?”

Tanya checked her watch and realized that Crystal would be home from school soon. “Give me a couple of hours. Say six.” She backed toward the door, a sudden, awkward silence electrifying the air. “See you then.”

Out on the landing she breathed deeply. Chance Taylor wasn’t a chatty person. She would have to quiz Samuel about him. For some reason she didn’t think her new tenant would tell her much about himself. The click of the door closing behind her penetrated her thoughts. She couldn’t shake the feeling his life hadn’t been easy. The sight of the school bus coming down the street sent Tanya hurrying down the stairs.

Even though Crystal was fifteen now and a freshman in high school, when her job allowed her, Tanya liked to be there when her daughter came home from school, especially lately. Something was bothering Crystal and her daughter wouldn’t talk to her about it. Maybe today Crystal would say something that would reveal what was going on. She rounded the side of the garage when the bus stopped and the driver descended the steps to man the lift.

While Crystal powered her wheelchair up the driveway, the small school bus drove away. If the frown on her daughter’s face was any indication, today had not been a good one. Tanya sighed and met Crystal halfway.

“We have a tenant for the apartment,” Tanya said, forcing a light tone into her voice to cover the apprehension her child’s expression raised.

Her daughter didn’t say a word. She maneuvered the wheelchair around Tanya and kept going toward the ramp at the back of the house. Tanya followed, trying to decide how to approach Crystal about what was happening at school. This year when she had begun at Sweetwater High, she’d quickly started trying to get out of going, even to the point of making up things that were wrong with her. Tanya had talked with her teachers, but no one knew what was going on. She had seen her usually happy, even-tempered child become someone else, someone who was angry and resentful. Was it the typical teenager angst of going through puberty? Or was it something else? Had Crystal’s father’s death finally manifested itself in her troubled behavior? Tom had died almost five months ago, and their daughter had gone through the usual grief associated with death but had seemed all right as her summer vacation had come to an end. Now Tanya didn’t know. Maybe Crystal had suppressed her true feelings.

In the kitchen Tanya called out to Crystal before she wheeled herself through the doorway into the hall, “Our new tenant is joining us for dinner.”

Crystal continued to remain quiet as she disappeared from view. Perplexed, Tanya stared at the empty doorway, wondering if Zoey, a high school counselor, or Beth Morgan, Crystal’s English teacher, knew what was going on with her daughter at school. She made a mental note to call her friends later to see if anything had happened today to warrant this sullen demeanor.

Chance descended the stairs to his apartment over the garage and headed across the yard toward the back door. He noticed the ramp off the deck and remembered Tom talking about his teenage daughter who was in a wheelchair. Until he had seen the ramp, however, he hadn’t really thought about the implication of having a child who was physically disabled or the fact that he would be eating with a young girl who would only be a year or two older than the age his own daughter would have been if she had lived.

He stopped his progress toward the deck, indecision stiffening his body. He’d seen plenty of teenagers since his daughter’s…death. Surely he could handle an hour in the same room with Tanya’s child. How difficult could it be?

Chance discovered a few minutes later just how hard it would be when Crystal opened the door to his knock, a smile on her thin face, a black Lab standing beside her. He sucked in a sharp breath and held it. Staring up at him with open interest was a young girl who had dark brown hair and hazel eyes, so very reminiscent of his daughter’s. She even had a sprinkle of freckles on her small upturned nose as Haley had.

He cleared away the huge knot in his throat and struggled against the urge to run as far away as he could. His legs refused to move forward into the house even though Tanya’s daughter opened the door wider for him.

“Come in before all the insects do,” Tanya said, approaching them.

He shook off the panic beginning to swell in his chest and shuffled into the kitchen. Turning to shut the back door, he took a few precious seconds to compose his reeling emotions at the sharp reminder of what he’d lost. When he pivoted back toward the pair, his feelings were tamped down beneath all the defensive layers he’d created over the past few years. Under closer inspection of Tom’s daughter, he saw no real similarities between Haley and her, other than their coloring.

If he was going to repay the debt, he had no choice but to learn to deal with the teenager—and the mother. I can do this, he told himself and forced a smile to his lips. “I’m Chance, the new tenant,” he said to Crystal, realizing he was probably stating the obvious.

The teenager’s smile grew. “I’m Crystal. Welcome to Sweetwater.”

“Thanks.” He inhaled the aroma of ground beef that peppered the air. “It smells wonderful. What are we having?”

“As I told you earlier, nothing fancy. Just tacos. I hope you like Mexican food. Crystal and I love it.” Tanya gestured toward the counter. “Everyone’s going to put their own together.”

“I like anything I don’t have to cook.” He took another few steps farther into the kitchen, committing himself to spending some time with his landlady and her daughter.

Tanya handed him a plate with big yellow and blue flowers painted on it. “You don’t cook then?”

“Not unless you call heating up a can of spaghetti cooking.”

Crystal giggled, patting her dog. “Even I can do that.”

“My daughter’s taking a Foods and Nutrition class this year. Hopefully she’ll learn more than heating up what’s in a can.”

Chance noticed the instant school was mentioned that Crystal’s cheerful expression vanished and the young girl dropped her head, her attention glued to her lap. Did she struggle with schoolwork? He made a note to find out. Maybe he could help her with her homework, then he would be one step closer to being able to leave Sweetwater, to appeasing his guilt.

“You go first.” Tanya swept her arm across her body, indicating he prepare his tacos.

Chance took two large empty shells and filled them with the meat sauce, cheese, lettuce and diced tomatoes. His mouth watered in anticipation of his first home-cooked meal in years. After he doused his tacos with chunky salsa, he made his way to the round oak table in the alcove with three large windows overlooking the deck and backyard.

He sat at one of the places already set with utensils, a blue linen napkin and a glass with ice in it. When he noticed a pitcher on the table, he poured himself some tea, then doctored it with several scoops of sugar.

Crystal positioned herself next to him and put her plate on her yellow place mat. “Mom said you’re from Louisville. I went there once, when I was nine, and took a riverboat up the Ohio River.”

As Tanya settled into the chair across from him, Chance said to Crystal, “I’ve never ridden on a riverboat. Did you like it?”

“Yeah! I’d like to take one all the way to New Orleans. I’ve never been to New Orleans. I haven’t seen very many places.” She glanced down at her wheelchair, then fixed her large hazel eyes on him as though that explained why she didn’t go places.

A tightness constricted his chest. He couldn’t imagine being confined to a wheelchair, every little bump in the terrain an obstacle, not free to move about as you wanted. He knew about that and had hated every second of his confinement. “You’ll have time,” he finally said, feeling a connection between him and Crystal that went beyond her father.

“That’s what Mom says.”

“I promised her a trip when she graduates from high school.” Tanya poured tea for herself and her daughter. “She’ll get to pick where, depending on my budget.”

“Mom’s got a saving account for the trip at the bank where she works.”

“That’s a good plan.” After he picked up his taco carefully so as not to make a mess, he took a big bite, relishing the spicy meat sauce. “Mmm. This is good.”

Tanya smiled. “Thanks.”

She and Crystal bowed their heads while Tanya said a prayer.

When she glanced up at Chance, he’d put his taco back on his plate, a look of unease in his expression. “I don’t have the time to cook like I want to, but I do enjoy getting into the kitchen when I can,” she said, hoping to make him feel comfortable.

“I’m glad you invited me.” Chance caught her gaze and held it for a long moment. He realized he meant what he had just said. The warmth emanating from both the mother and daughter spoke to a part of him that he thought had died in prison.

Finally Tanya dropped her regard and ran her finger around the rim of her glass. “What kind of job are you applying for with Nick?”

“As an assistant for his office in Sweetwater.”

“Nick said something to me about expanding his company’s presence in Sweetwater. I guess this must be the beginning. Since he and Jesse got married, I know he doesn’t like to travel to Chicago as much as he used to. What have you done before?”

Tension knifed through Chance. He should have expected questions about his past. That was the last thing he wanted to discuss. “I was a financial advisor.”

“Was? Not anymore?”

“I’m looking for something different. That’s why this assistant’s job interests me.” That and the fact Samuel paved the way for him with Nick Blackburn. But even with Samuel’s reference, the job wasn’t a sure thing. He would have to convince Mr. Blackburn he could do the work, definitely a step down from what he’d done in the past where he’d had his own assistant.

“What happens if you don’t get the job?”

“I’m still staying for a while. I’ll just look for another one,” he quickly said to ease the worry he heard in her voice.

He needed the conversation focused on someone else. Angling around toward Crystal, he asked, “Besides Foods and Nutrition, what else are you taking?”

The teenager downed a swallow of tea. “I’m taking the usual—U.S. history, English, algebra and biology. I’m also in the girls’ choir.”

“In high school I was in the show choir. I enjoyed it.” Chance felt Tanya’s puzzled gaze on him and shifted in his chair, feeling uncomfortable under her scrutiny as though she could see into his heart and soul. Their emptiness wasn’t something he wanted exposed to the world. He busied himself by taking another bite.

“I sing in the choir at church. We can always use another man to sing.”

He heard Tanya’s words of encouragement and gritted his teeth so hard that pain streaked down his neck. Church. Religion. God wasn’t for him. He’d believed once, and his whole life, his family, had been taken away from him. He stuffed the rest of the taco into his mouth and occupied himself with chewing—slowly. Averting his gaze, he stared out the window at the backyard and hoped the woman didn’t pursue the topic of conversation.

“I thought about auditioning for the show choir, but I didn’t. I can’t dance very well in this thing,” Crystal slapped the arm of her wheelchair, “and you have to be able to sing and dance to be in it. If I can’t do it right, I don’t want to do it at all.”

The teenager’s words cut through the tension gripping Chance. He looked back at her and managed to smile, hearing the need in the child’s voice that twisted his heart. “Besides singing, what else do you like to do?”

“I like to draw.”

“Why aren’t you taking art in school?”

“I can’t take everything. I’ll probably take it next year.” Crystal shrugged. “Besides, Mom’s teaching me. She’s very good.”

Chance swung his attention to Tanya who looked away when his gaze fell on her. “What do you like to draw?”

A hint of red tinged her cheeks. “People mostly.”

“Portraits?”

“Nothing formal like that.”

“I’d love to see your work sometime.”

Tanya started to say something when Crystal chimed in, “I’ll go get her sketchbook. It’s in the dining room.” She backed up her wheelchair, made a one-hundred-eighty-degree turn, and headed for the door with her service dog following.

“I get the impression you don’t show many people your drawings.”

She shook her head, swallowing hard. “I’m not very good. I draw for myself.”

When Crystal came back into the kitchen with the sketchbook in her lap, Chance wanted to make Tanya feel at ease so he said, “I don’t want to intrude on—”

“Mom, doesn’t think she’s good. I do. Here, see for yourself.” Crystal opened the book and showed Chance.

He wasn’t sure what to expect after Tanya’s reluctant reaction, but what he saw was an exquisite portrait of Crystal sketching something. The drawing captured the teenager’s love for art in the detailed expression on her face. The pen-and-ink picture was as good as any professional artist would have done. “I’m impressed, Tanya. This is beautiful.”

“You think so?”

All the woman’s doubts were evident in her wrinkled forehead, the hesitant expression in her eyes and the hidden hope that he might really be telling her the truth. As before it was important to Chance to make Tanya feel comfortable. “Yes. I’m honored to have seen this. You should show your drawings more often.”

Tanya straightened in her chair, her head cocked. “Samuel tried to get me to have one in the Fourth of July auction this year at church. I told him I would donate my time or something else.”

Chance captured Tanya’s regard. “Next year take him up on the offer.”

She slid her gaze away and started gathering up her plate and utensils. “I’ll think about it.”

“Which means she won’t do it,” Crystal interjected and put her dishes in her lap then wheeled herself toward the sink.

Chance followed them with his place setting. “I hope you’ll let me help you clean up after being gracious enough to invite me to dinner. I might not cook very well, but I can rinse and put them in the dishwasher.”

“Yeah, Mom. Let him.”

Tanya laughed. “You’re agreeing because you’ll get out of your part of cleaning up.”

“I’ve got homework to do.”

“On Friday night?”

Crystal lifted her shoulders. “What else is there to do?”

“Fine.” Tanya watched her frowning daughter and the black Lab disappear into the hallway. “Something’s bothering her. I wish she would tell me.”

“She’s what, fifteen, sixteen?”

“Fifteen.”

“Did you tell your mother what was going on with you at that age?”

“Good point. But still we’ve been through a lot. I…” Her voice quavering, Tanya twisted away so her face was hidden as she stacked the dishes into the sink and turned on the water.

Chance heard the thickness lacing each word and wished he could help her. But he discovered that helping her was going to be harder than he’d thought. Actually he’d had no plan in mind other than to assist Tom’s family. But how? Maybe he could reach Crystal. He had to try something or he would never be able to get on with his life—what was left of it.

Tanya handed him the first plate to put in the dishwasher. “You should come hear us sing in the choir at church this Sunday. As I’m sure you’re aware, Samuel gives great sermons.”

Chance gripped the glass she passed to him. “I’ll think about it.”

Chapter Two

Chance’s clipped words caused Tanya to step back, strained uneasiness pulsating between them. She got the distinct impression thinking was all he would do about going to church.

Without really contemplating what she was saying, she asked, “You aren’t going to come, are you?” The second the question was out of her mouth, she bit down on the inside of her cheek. She’d never confronted someone about not attending church. She didn’t confront anyone about anything, if possible.

His gaze narrowed on her face, every line in his body rigid. “I need to get settled in.”

By his tight tone, evasive answer and clenched jaw, Tanya knew that any further discussion was unwelcome. “I’m sorry I brought up the subject. I just assumed you believed.”

“Because I’m friends with Samuel?”

She nodded.

“I guess Samuel would say I’m the lost sheep he’s trying to bring back to the fold.”

“So you’ve heard him speak before?”

“Yeah. But it’s not going to change how I feel. Simply put, God wasn’t there for me when I needed Him the most.”

His statement piqued her curiosity and made her wonder even more about Chance Taylor’s past. She handed him another dish and let the silence lengthen while she decided how to proceed with the conversation when tension crowded the space between them. “What happened?” She realized she was pushing when she never pushed.

“Nothing I want to revisit.”

His answer hadn’t surprised her. She didn’t think he shared willingly much of himself with anyone. She’d seen that same defensive mechanism in Tom, especially after the riding accident that had left Crystal paralyzed. “You said you were a financial advisor. I wish I had a knack for figures. My budget’s in a terrible mess. I work at a bank, but finances aren’t my strong suit.” There, that should be a safe enough subject for conversation.

“What do you do?”

“I started out as a receptionist, but I’m a teller now. I can count money, just not manage my own very well. There never seems to be enough to go around. I’m still paying off Crystal’s medical expenses.” And her deceased ex-husband’s lawyer’s bill, she added silently, not wanting to go into what happened with Tom. How do you explain to a person you just met that your husband was sent to prison for burning barns in retaliation for their daughter’s accident?

“When was the last time you redid your budget?”

“I don’t exactly have one that’s written down. I pay the most important bills first, then as much as I can on the ones left. That’s the extent of my budget. Some months I do better than others.” She could remember her spending spree several years back where she had bought unnecessary items—expensive clothing, inessential furniture. Thankfully she had been able to take a lot of them back—but not all. She’d finally paid off those bills a few months ago. So long as she stayed on the medication she took for manic depression, she shouldn’t get herself into a bind like that again. She couldn’t afford to.

After he put the last glass on the top rack, Chance closed the dishwasher. “Maybe I can help you with that.”

“Would you? That would be great! If the job with Nick doesn’t work out, I may be able to help you find one. I can ask around.” There was something about Chance that drew her to him. She wanted to help him, especially in light of him offering to assist her with her budget.

He frowned, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. “You don’t—”

“Mom, I’m going out on the deck to do my homework. Now that the sun’s going down behind the trees, it’s cooler outside.” With a book and pad in her lap, Crystal wheeled herself toward the back door.

Chance hurried to open it before her daughter could. “What subject are you working on?”

“English. I have an essay to write. I do my best thinking outside.”

“So do I.”

When Crystal was out on the deck, Chance turned toward Tanya. “I’d better go. It’s been a long day, and tomorrow I have that job interview, then I need to buy some supplies.”

“Pretty much whatever you need can be found on Main Street or right off it. There’s a grocery store four blocks from here on Third Avenue.”

“Is that right after Second?”

“Yep.”

“Then I think I can find it on my walk,” he said with a smile.

“You don’t have a car?”

“No, I came on the bus.”

“I’m going to Alice’s Café tomorrow at ten. What time is your interview?”

“Nine.”

“I can give you a lift, if you’d like. I have a few errands I need to run before I meet my friends.”

“Thanks, but I can walk. I like the exercise.”

His half grin appeared, and for a few seconds Tanya’s heart responded by quickening its beat. Her physical reaction took her by surprise. After her ordeal with Tom, men hadn’t interested her—until now.

Chance left and stopped next to Crystal to say a few words to her, then proceeded toward the detached garage at the side of the house. Tanya came out onto the deck and watched him. While he’d talked with her daughter, Tanya had glimpsed a vulnerability leaking into his expression. He had managed to cover it quickly, but she had seen it.

“What do you think of our new tenant?” Tanya asked when she noticed her daughter watching her staring at Chance.

“What do you think?”

“He seems nice. Kinda lonely.”

“Yeah.”

“What did he say to you?”

Crystal tilted her head, screwing up her face into a quizzical expression. “He offered to tutor me in math if I needed it.”

Tanya laughed. “Did you tell him you had a ninety-eight in Algebra I and that you’re taking Algebra II?”

She nodded. “I wonder why he offered.”

“Did you ask him?”

“He left before I could. Maybe I will tomorrow.”

“Speaking of tomorrow, I’d better get a load of laundry done tonight or neither of us will have anything to wear.”

When Tanya entered the kitchen, her gaze fell on the table where Chance had sat for dinner. He was a puzzle. And one of her favorite things to do was put together jigsaw puzzles, the more pieces the better. She had a feeling there were a lot of pieces to Chance Taylor.

“Have a seat.” Nick Blackburn indicated a brown leather chair in front of his large desk.

Chance quickly scanned the spacious office as he sat. The rich walnut tones of the furniture with a navy-and-brown color scheme lent a refined elegance to the room. He’d been in many offices that conveyed power and wealth. This one ranked near the top.

Mr. Blackburn perused the application Chance had filled out, and he knew the second the man read about his time spent in the state penitentiary. To give Mr. Blackburn credit, he finished the application before he glanced up at Chance and asked, “What did you do time for?”

“Murder.”

The man’s eyes widened slightly before he put the paper down, a bland expression veiling his curiosity. “You only served two years?”

“My conviction was overturned when the real murderer was apprehended last month.”

“So you served two years for a crime you didn’t commit.”

Even though it really wasn’t a question, Chance said, “Yes.”

“That’s where you met Samuel?”

“Yes, sir. He took an interest in me and we became friends.”

“You know you’re overqualified for this job. You have an MBA from Harvard. You’ve worked for several top money-managing companies in the country and were on the fast track.”

“Were is the operative word here. That was in my past. Besides—” Chance grinned “—Blackburn Industries is well respected and a multimillion dollar business. I consider this job an opportunity to do something different.”

“Because you don’t see people letting you manage their money after spending time in prison?”

Chance leaned forward. “To be frank, I don’t want to be reminded of the life I once had. I need to start over in something totally different. What are the duties of the job?”

After Mr. Blackburn listed them for Chance, the man said, “Do you think you can handle those?”

In his sleep, Chance thought and nodded.

“There will be some traveling to my Chicago office. The dress is casual here but not in Chicago.”

“I understand.”

Nick Blackburn pushed back his chair and stood. Offering Chance his hand, he said, “Then you’ve got yourself a job. I’ve never known Samuel to be wrong about a person, and he thinks you can do this job.”

“When do I start, Mr. Blackburn?”

“It’s Nick, and you can start Wednesday morning when I get back from Chicago. Be here at nine and I’ll show you around and introduce you to the staff here in Sweetwater.”

A few minutes later as Chance left the building, he couldn’t resist turning his face to the sun, relishing its warmth as it bathed him. He would never tire of doing that.

He had a job. That was one worry taken care of. Now all he had to figure out was how to be there for Tanya and Crystal without them knowing why. After spending time with them the night before, he wasn’t sure he wanted them ever to know his involvement in Tom’s death.

“Okay, you have to tell us about the guy renting your apartment.” Jesse scooted over in the booth at Alice’s Café to allow Tanya to slide in beside her. “We’ve all been waiting with bated breath.”

“Jesse Blackburn, don’t you get any ideas. No matchmaking! He’s only my tenant. Just passing through.” Taking a sip of her coffee, Tanya looked around the group and added, “How did you know I have a man renting my garage apartment?”

Beth Morgan grinned. “Samuel told me. Do you think there are any secrets among us after all these years?”

“What else did your husband say?” Tanya thought about all she wanted to know concerning her tenant, especially what or who was responsible for the pain behind his half smile that never quite reached his eyes. She hadn’t slept much the night before, her mind insisting on playing through all kinds of scenarios.

“Not much. Samuel just told me you rented your apartment to Chance Taylor, a friend from his past. You know my husband. He doesn’t say much about a person he knows. He always likes people to make up their own mind. So spill the beans. What’s he look like?”

An image of the first time she had seen Chance on her porch flashed into Tanya’s mind. Even from the beginning she’d been drawn to his eyes where she’d seen a shadow of sadness in their depths. “He’s very tall, dark hair, blue eyes, nice build, probably in his late thirties. He had an interview this morning with Nick about the assistant’s job.”

Surprise widened Jesse’s eyes. “He did and Nick didn’t tell me.”

“This isn’t a secretarial-type position, is it?” Zoey Witherspoon asked.

Jesse shook her head. “More like Nick’s right hand. Someone he can train to take over part of his duties that demand he travel to Chicago.”

“Chance’s background is in finance so he should be qualified,” Tanya said, glad she knew at least that much about her new tenant.

With her elbow on the table, Darcy Markham rested her chin in her palm. “Mmm. He sounds promising.”

“Hey, you’re married to a very nice, good-looking man. And you’re expecting your third child,” Zoey said, gently punching Darcy in the arm. “Between you and Beth we’ll be spending a lot of time at the maternity floor of the hospital in a few months.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t look at a handsome man because that’s as far as it goes. No one will take the place of Joshua in my heart.”

Tanya listened to her friends talk about their husbands, their children, the babies Darcy and Beth were expecting. She was the only one not married in the group, and she felt the loneliness of her situation more now than ever. A few years ago—first with Crystal’s riding accident, then Tom’s arson conviction that led to him divorcing her and ultimately his death in prison—her whole life had fallen apart. She was still trying to put the pieces back together and keep her manic depression under control. And she would because she had no other choice. Crystal depended on her.

“Samuel said Chance wasn’t sure how long he would stay in Sweetwater,” Beth said, drawing Tanya back into the conversation.

She blinked, focusing on the group of women who had been there for her through all the tragedies. “Yeah, he said he wasn’t sure how long he’ll be here, especially if he doesn’t get the job with Nick.”

“So Nick’s job brought him to Sweetwater?” Zoey took a sip of her iced tea.

“I think it was more than that. I think Samuel and his description of Sweetwater had a lot to do with it.” Samuel was a great counselor, and Tanya wondered if that had something to do with Chance coming to town. She just couldn’t shake the feeling he was hurting inside and needed help healing. She recognized the signs because she was in the same situation.

“Where’s he from?” Darcy asked.

“Louisville.”

“Well, it’s perfect timing. You’ve got a tenant and some extra money when you needed it the most. Nick might have his assistant. God works in wondrous ways.” Beth wiped her mouth and put the napkin beside her empty plate. “Samuel’s certainly glad Chance decided to come, even if it’s only for a while.”

Jesse leaned close, covering Tanya’s hand. “Just remember you’re not alone. Nick and I can help you financially if you need it.”

Overwhelmed by all their love, Tanya smiled, fighting the lump rising in her throat. “I know. You’ve mentioned it half a dozen times. But as I said before, Jesse, I have to stand on my own two feet. No more handouts.”

“Even with Samuel’s stamp of approval, I think we should take this meeting over to Tanya’s house and check this guy out.” Zoey gathered up her purse as though she was preparing to leave.

“And scare him off? No way! If you all descend on him, he won’t know what hit him. Remember, I need the extra money.”

“Okay, we won’t go over all at once. But I’ll be there later this afternoon.” Zoey rose.

Jesse slid from the large booth next. “I’ll come over after church tomorrow.”

“And I’ll see you tomorrow evening,” Beth added. “Samuel told me to tell you to bring Chance along to the barbecue.”

Darcy, the last to exit the booth, lumbered to her feet, putting her hand at the small of her back. “That leaves Monday after you get off work. I’ll come over after I visit my doctor.” She patted her round stomach. “Twelve weeks to go, but then who’s counting?”

“Certainly not you,” Tanya said with a laugh. Standing in the midst of her circle of friends, she shook her head. “You all are gonna scare the man away, so I don’t want any unexpected visits.” She started for the café door. “You’ll see him soon enough. Give him a chance to settle in.”

Her friends’ chuckles followed Tanya outside. She wouldn’t put it past each one of them to ignore what she’d said and show up right on time. She was lucky to have friends like them.

Tanya slid into her six-year-old white van, equipped with a lift for Crystal’s wheelchair, and backed out of her parking space. Turning down Third Avenue a few minutes later, she spied Chance, dressed in tan slacks and a black short-sleeved shirt, walking toward Berryhill Road with three large bags in his arms.

She pulled over to the curb and rolled down the window. “Want a ride?”

For a brief, few seconds he hesitated before he made his way toward the vehicle and placed one sack on the ground, then reached for the handle. After he climbed in, he settled two bags at his feet and one in his lap. “Thanks.”

Did he get the job? Tanya wondered but didn’t say anything. Instead, she drove in silence, aware of every minute movement Chance made. Even his clean, fresh scent saturated the air in the van.

Searching her mind for something to say, she dug her teeth into her bottom lip, painfully aware of one of her shortcomings. She wasn’t good at small talk, especially with strangers. Finally she lit upon a subject as she turned onto Berryhill Road. “It’s been unusually warm for even the end of September. I love winter and cold weather, but I’m afraid if this keeps up we won’t have much of one.” Boy, you would think she could come up with a better topic than the weather!

Silence.

Okay, maybe she should try a question. “Which do you prefer?” She threw a glance toward Chance.

His brow creased. “Prefer?”

“Cold or hot weather?” Why couldn’t she think of something better to talk about? Next, she would hear him snoring because she’d put him to sleep with her scintillating conversation.

“Cold.”

“Oh, then we have something in common.” The second she’d said the last sentence she’d wanted to take every word back. What she really wanted to talk about was the interview with Nick. But what if Chance hadn’t gotten the job?

She slid another look toward him as she pulled into her driveway. The neutral expression on his face told her nothing of what he was thinking. She decided she couldn’t wait for him to say anything about the interview. “Did Nick hire you?”

“Yes. I start Wednesday.”

“That’s great!” Why wasn’t he more excited?

When she switched off the engine, Chance opened his door and hopped out. Before he had an opportunity to escape upstairs to his apartment, Tanya hurried around the front of the van and took the bag he’d set on the ground.

“I can come back for it,” he said, striding toward the stairs.

She thought about her conversation with her friends at the café and the fact she wanted to get to know him better, not because she was interested in him as a man but because she needed to know more since he was her tenant. Yeah, right, Tanya, she silently scolded herself, knowing in her heart that wasn’t the real reason.

“Nonsense. That’s what neighbors are for—to help,” she hurriedly said as he put half the length of the driveway between them.

She saw him flinch when she’d said neighbors and wondered about his reaction. Somebody had hurt him. A neighbor? When he shifted at the top of the stairs so he could unlock his door, she glimpsed that haunted look again that aroused her compassion and her curiosity.

Chance disappeared inside as Tanya put her foot on the first step. Quickening her pace, she half expected him to return to the landing and take the bag she carried, then bar her from entering his apartment. But when she reached the threshold, she found him across the room. He stood stiffly at the kitchen table, staring at the floor as though a memory had grabbed hold of him and wouldn’t let go. The look that flashed across his face tore at her heart.

A board creaked as she moved inside. His head snapped up, his gaze snaring hers. A shutter descended over his expression, and he turned away and busied himself by emptying his bags.

“Are you all right?” she asked and crossed the large room. His expression earlier had for one brief moment reminded her of Tom’s that first time she had gone to the prison to see him.

Chance stiffened, stopping for a few seconds before resuming his task. “I’m fine.”

Although the words were spoken casually, she knew something she’d said had upset him. “I’m sorry if I—”

He pivoted toward her and took the sack from her. “Thanks for helping. I can take it from here.”

In other words, get lost, Tanya thought but wasn’t ready to take the not-so-subtle hint. She didn’t totally understand why, but she needed to help him, as though God was urging her to be there for him. Something in his past had caused him to stop believing. Her faith was the only thing that had held her life together over the past few years. Without Christ she would never have been able to piece the fragments together into a whole—albeit a fragile whole.

“That’s okay. I don’t mind helping. Crystal’s at church at a youth group activity, and I don’t have to pick her up for another twenty minutes.” She began removing the groceries from the paper bag she’d brought in, ignoring the scowl on his face.

While she put the food on the table, Chance took the items and shelved them, each movement economical. The short sleeves of his black cotton shirt didn’t hide the fact the man had well-defined muscles. This prodded the thought she should do something for exercise other than walking to and from the van.

He froze in midmotion. Her gaze lifted to his, and she saw a question in his eyes as he noted her interest. Heat scorched her cheeks. She didn’t usually stare at anyone, least of all a man. And then to be caught doing it mortified her.

She averted her head and asked the first thing that popped into her mind, “Did you mean it when you said you’d help me with a budget?”

“I never say anything unless I mean it.” He continued putting away his food, though thankfully his back was to her now.

If she’d had to look into his face, she would have fled the apartment. She couldn’t believe she had openly stared at him again and then worse been caught doing it. She really had no experience when it came to men. The only one she had seriously dated had been Tom her senior year in high school. Not long after she’d graduated, they had married. Crystal had been born two years later.

“I could use your help,” she murmured, surprised at her boldness in asking him for help.

“I can come over later tonight.” He paused for several heartbeats. “Unless you have other plans.”

Like a date, she thought, then nearly laughed out loud. There were some people in town who still thought she might have known about what Tom had been doing after Crystal’s accident. If it weren’t for her church and circle of friends, she would have left Sweetwater rather than endure their silent accusations that she had known Tom had been setting fire to all those barns. She’d never dreamed that her husband’s rage at Crystal’s accident and her paralysis would manifest itself that way. She’d been so wrapped up in dealing with Crystal’s recovery and her own manic depression she hadn’t seen the signs. Guilt still gnawed at her insides over not being there for Tom when he’d needed her the most. That guilt had plunged her into some dark times once, but she wouldn’t allow it to again.

“I don’t have any plans except picking Crystal up and then doing the chores that I leave for the weekend.”

His gaze fixed on her. “I’ll come over around eight then.”

“That’s fine.” His loneliness, a palpable force, reached out to her and drew her to him.

She took a step toward Chance, grabbing a can of green beans and thrusting it at him. Her hand trembled as he took it, his fingers brushing against hers. Her breath caught in her throat as his look delved beneath her surface as if he searched for her innermost thoughts.

He opened his mouth to say something but instead snapped it close, spun around and placed the can on a shelf. “Great, then I’ll see you later.”

She was being dismissed again, but for some reason she didn’t want to leave just yet. Even though tension vibrated in the air, a strong need to comfort—again she had no idea what or why—swamped her. She curled her hands into tight fists to keep from touching his arm.

“Listen, if there’s anything—”

“Thanks, for helping me put my groceries up. If you’re gonna pick up Crystal, you’d better get going.” He turned his back to her and opened another cabinet door.

Tanya backed up several paces, saying, “You’re right. I’d better leave.” She whirled around and hurried from the apartment.

Out on the landing she paused and stared down at her driveway and the back of her house. She couldn’t shake the feeling that God was pushing her toward Chance Taylor, that he needed a friend, someone to show him the power of the Lord. With quivering hands, she gripped the wooden railing.

Lord, how can I be Your instrument when my own life is so messed up?

No answer came to mind, leaving her feeling as though God was saying everyone can help another in need. Is that true? There was only one way to find out. She would be Chance’s friend because she knew what it was like not to have one. She also knew the difference her friends had made in her life. No one should go through life without people to care about him, and for some reason, she sensed Chance was totally alone.

With a glance at her watch, she noted the time. She had to pick up Crystal in less than five minutes. Rushing down the stairs, she withdrew her keys from her jeans pocket then climbed into the van.

Ten minutes later she pulled into the parking lot next to the church and jogged toward the back door that led into the classrooms. Usually Crystal was waiting for her by the entrance, but today she wasn’t around. As Tanya headed down the long hallway, she heard voices coming from the last room on the left where the youth group met.

She started to enter when her daughter’s words halted her.

“I don’t know what to do about them, Sean.”

“Ignore them. They aren’t worth your time.”

“I wish I could.”

The sob in Crystal’s voice contracted Tanya’s heart. She hurried inside. “Honey, are you all right?”

With her daughter’s back to her, she couldn’t see Crystal’s face as she answered, “Yeah, sure.”

“I’m sorry I’m late.” Tanya took a step forward.

“You aren’t that late. Sean’s been keeping me company.”

A strange expression flitted across Darcy’s son’s features before he pulled himself together. “Yeah, Mrs. Bolton. Crystal’s been receiving a lot of spam lately on the Internet.”

If Tanya hadn’t sensed the seriousness of the situation, she would have choked on her laughter. “Spam?”

Crystal finally swung her wheelchair around. “Yeah, I went to the wrong web site by mistake and now I’m getting all kinds of spam.”

Tanya knew that probably wasn’t what Sean and Crystal had been talking about, but she also knew by the tilt to her daughter’s chin she wouldn’t get it out of her until Crystal was ready to tell her. Her daughter had been keeping a lot of secrets lately. But that didn’t mean Tanya wouldn’t do some more checking around. When she had talked with Zoey and Beth earlier about this, they hadn’t known what was going on but said they would look into it for her. “I guess I can take a look at it, but I don’t know much about computers.”

Sean shot to his feet. “That’s okay. I’ll come over tomorrow after church and see what I can do.”

“That’s great. See, Crystal, how easy the problem can be fixed? From what Darcy says, Sean can do anything with a computer.”

“Yeah, Mom,” her daughter mumbled with her head down, her hands twisting together in her lap. “This may not be that easy to take care of.”

The sound of his feet pounding against the pavement lured him into a rhythmic trance as Chance ran down Berryhill Road, heading toward his temporary home. Sweat drenched his white T-shirt and face. He almost went past the one-story older house with a detached garage and apartment above it. He jogged a few yards beyond, slowed and circled back around.

Freedom, as he hadn’t experienced in years, called to him. He wanted to keep going, but his body screamed with exhaustion, not used to this form of exercise—not for the two years he’d spent incarcerated.

He came to a stop at the end of the driveway and bent over, drawing in lungfuls of rich oxygen, the air scented with the smells of the clean outdoors, nothing stale and musty about it. The rich colors that surrounded him no longer threw him.

He had dreamed for so long about running with the wind cooling his skin and the sun beating down to warm his chilled body that he could hardly believe he was finally doing it. He’d taken so much for granted before—not any more, not ever again. He cherished each fresh breath of freedom, each precious day he could walk out of a place unhindered, each time he could close his eyes and not worry about whether he would wake up the next morning or not. His life began the day he’d walked out of prison.

Was his new job thrusting him back into a world he didn’t want to be in? He needed a job and had been glad for a reference from Samuel, but the more he thought about the duties Nick wanted his assistant to do the more he felt as though he was being thrust back into the corporate life he’d wanted to avoid, that very life that had required hours and hours of overtime. If he had been with his wife and daughter when they had come home to find a stranger in their house, then maybe they would be alive today.

Still he needed the job. He would just have to take it one day at a time and not let his job consume his whole life. Not ever again.

With his heartbeat slowing, he strode toward the stairs that led to his apartment. A quick look toward the left halted his progress. Crystal sat on the deck, drawing something on a pad. Suddenly she threw down her pencil, tore off the sheet and crunched it into a ball. She tossed it into the yard where several other similar papers lay crumpled.

The frustration and anger that marked the teenager’s face drew him toward her. If his daughter were alive, he would want to be there for her. That was impossible, of course, but he could help Tom’s daughter.

“Nothing working out?” Chance gestured toward the wadded-up papers in the grass.

Crystal took the pencil her service dog had retrieved for her and looked up at him. “What’s the use? I’m not any good anyway.”

He descended the two steps to the yard and smoothed out one of the sheets. He whistled. “If this isn’t good, then I hate to think what you consider bad. Who is this?” He came back to sit in the lounge chair next to her.

“Just a guy. No one important.”

“Are all those attempts of him?”

Crystal nodded, peering away.

“Do you always waste your time drawing someone who isn’t important to you?”

She sighed, then shook her head. “He doesn’t know I’m alive.”

The anguish that wrenched her voice did the same to him. He cleared his throat and asked, “How do you know?”

“I just do. I might as well be dead for all he cares.”

The pain her words produced stole his breath. “I’m sorry. I…” Words failed him.

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