Entertaining Angels (34 page)

“I’m sure they’ll appreciate that.”

“Jesse also suggested that I talk to you about me speaking on behalf of the church at the next city council meeting, as well as any upcoming hearings. So all you need to do is say the word. During my transition, I’ll have a lot more time on my hands.”

“A respected attorney who knows how to make a convincing argument will be a valuable addition,” Craig said. “And as a side note, there’s a special meeting with the board of elders at five tonight. If you can join us, that would be great. But if not, I’ll fill you in when I get home.”

“I’ll try to make it.” Daniel strode to the sliding glass door that led to the patio and rolled open the shutters, letting in the morning sun. “I’m also going to meet with Todd Forrester this afternoon. He’s involved in a nonprofit group that encourages underprivileged kids to participate in sports. Most of their parents are incarcerated, so they’re all at risk. And by getting involved in that particular organization, I might be able to make a difference beyond the courtroom.”

“I’ve heard about that group,” Craig said. “There’s a baseball team in Fairbrook that’s part of the intercity league, and their first game is on Wednesday night. I’m probably going to help coach them.” Craig took a sip of his coffee. “That’s something else Jesse put into motion. He can be pretty convincing with his thought-provoking, heart-searching comments.”

“Jesse’s not the only one who tosses around things to think about,” Daniel added. “Thanks again for telling me to follow my heart. It’s made a big difference in my life.”

“You’re welcome, but it was just a comment.”

“People don’t always need a sermon, Pastor. Sometimes they just need somebody to listen and to care.” Daniel took a sip of his coffee. “We still have a lot to work through as a family, but I think we’re all on the same page now.”

“I’m glad.” Too bad Craig couldn’t apply that same follow-your-heart advice to his own life. He would, if he could, but he wasn’t sure what his heart was telling him to do. Each time he tried to examine what felt good and right and true, Kristy came to mind.

“Do you suppose you could find time to talk to Cassandra sometime this week?” Daniel asked.

“I’ve got some things to do this morning and I’m booked tight this afternoon, but I’m sure we can find time to talk after dinner.”

“Not here at the house,” Daniel said. “Cassie wants some pastoral counseling. She could make an appointment with George, but she’d rather talk to you.”

The fact that Cassandra would choose Craig over the senior pastor took him by surprise, but he nodded as though it made perfect sense.

“It’s not like she needs any long-term counseling,” Daniel said, “but I think a chat like the one you had with me would do her a world of good. She’s been living under her father’s thumb for years and needs to follow the beat of her own drum for a change. Besides, Jesse told her you’d be the perfect one for her to talk to.”

While Craig appreciated Jesse’s faith in him, he still couldn’t quite embrace it. For as long as he could remember, he’d been trying to live up to the larger-than-life standards his dad and his granddad had set, yet he’d somehow fallen out of step, and his heart just wasn’t in it. But that was his secret and not something he would or could admit to anyone.

“I’ll talk to Cassandra at dinner,” Craig said. “We can make an appointment to meet at the church whenever it’s convenient.”

“Good.” Daniel unlocked the door that led to the patio. “I’m going to drink my coffee outside. Do you want to join me?”

“Sure.” But before Craig could take two steps, his cell phone rang.

When he answered, he recognized Kristy’s voice on the line and found himself smiling.

“Is there any chance you could stop by the house today?” she asked. “My grandmother would really like to talk to you.”

“Sure. I’ll stop after I visit Renee at the hospital.”

“Good. How’s she doing?”

“I’m not sure. I think I’ll give Dawn a call. She’ll probably be able to give me an update.”

“Tell Renee that I’ll try to stop by this afternoon, if I can get someone to sit with Gram and Jason.”

“I will.” Craig glanced at the clock on the microwave. “But it probably won’t be until noon or later.”

“Thanks, Craig. I really appreciate that.”

When the call ended, he disconnected the line, yet his thoughts remained on Kristy.

He’d told Daniel to follow his heart. And Ramon seemed to be following his. Maybe Craig ought to do the same thing—but not in a selfish, I-want/I-need sort of way. Instead, he would listen to his conscience and trust the Word of God.

As wrought iron scraped against concrete, Craig glanced outside and saw Daniel pulling out a patio chair so he could sit at the glass-topped table. Before joining him, Craig would call Dawn. If Renee had lost the baby, Craig wanted a heads-up before dropping by the hospital.

After three rings, Joe’s voice answered.

“Hey, it’s Craig. Is Dawn available?”

“Not at the moment. The obstetrician is in Renee’s room right now, so I stepped out to give them privacy.”

“How’s it going?”

“The doctor wants to keep her one more day as a precaution, but labor has stopped, thank goodness. And he said the baby is fine.”

“That’s good news. Tell Renee that I’m coming by to visit her later this morning.”

“By the way,” Joe said. “I’d like to thank you.”

“For what?”

“Working a miracle in our lives.”

Craig had no idea what he might have said or done that would cause Joe to make that kind of assumption. “What do you mean?”

“You told Dawn that the baby wasn’t the only one who needed a mother, and it set her to thinking. I’ve got a call into
Sam Dawson, the attorney who handled my uncle’s probate. We’re going to have him handle the legalities.”

“What legalities?”

“Dawn and I are going to adopt Renee, and we couldn’t be happier. It’s a dream come true for all of us. That poor kid hasn’t had a very good life so far, but Dawn and I are determined to give her the loving home she deserves. It’s a blessing for all of us.”

Craig could see why he’d consider that a miracle, but Craig had only made an observation. The miracle had happened when the Randolphs took his comment to heart and decided to do something about it. “I’m glad everything worked out.”

When the call ended, Craig no longer had a pressing reason to rush to the hospital. So, under the circumstances, if Lorraine wanted to see him, he probably ought to swing by her house first. At least, that’s the excuse he gave himself for bypassing the practice at Mulberry Park and altering the schedule he’d planned for today.

But there’d been no explanation for plucking a red rose bud from the bush in the Delacourts’ front yard and taking it with him.

Kristy ignored the doorbell the first time it rang and, expecting Jason to answer, continued to wash the breakfast dishes. When it gonged again, she called her son’s name, assuming that one of his friends wanted to play.

Still no response.

So she dropped the dishcloth into the sink full of warm, soapy water and headed to the entry.

She called Jason one last time, realizing he was probably in the bathroom and unable to hear her, and continued to the entry.

Needless to say, when she swung open the door and spotted Craig on the porch, her jaw dropped and her heart skipped a beat.

“I’m early,” he said.

He certainly was. She wished she’d done more than clip her hair up, that she’d put on something other than worn jeans and a faded yellow T-shirt. That she’d slipped on a pair of shoes. Dabbed a splash of perfume on her wrists. Swiped a bit of lipstick on her lips.

He held a rose in his hand, which she assumed he’d brought for Gram. It was a deep, burgundy red, and she suspected he’d gotten it from someone’s garden.

A boyish grin dimpled his cheeks, softening the sharp angles of a masculine jaw. “I had a change of schedule. I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course. It’s fine.” She stepped aside and allowed him into the living room.

He surprised her by handing her the rose. “I saw this growing in the Delacourts’ front yard and thought you’d like it.”

She took the stem, trying not to grab a thorn, and her pulse slipped into overdrive. “Thank you.”

The gesture was both unexpected and sweet, and on impulse, she took a deep whiff, savoring the heady fragrance.

“I’d still like to take you out to dinner tonight,” he said, “so I hope you’ve reconsidered.”

There were a lot of reasons why she should decline, but right this moment, with Craig’s gaze locked on hers and pheromones swirling overhead, she couldn’t seem to think of a single one.

“I know you’re concerned about what people might think or say, but I don’t care in the least. If anyone has any qualms about us dating, they need a refresher course in forgiveness and second chances.”

He made it sound so easy that she couldn’t help believing that it was. “I’d have to find someone to stay with Gram and Jason.”

“See what you can do. If no one is available, I’ll bring dinner here.”

“You drive a hard bargain.”

“I want to spend more time with you, Kristy, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.” He tossed her another grin, and her mind scrambled to think of someone she could ask, someone who wouldn’t think she was overstepping neighborly expectations.

Ellie Rucker, who lived across the street, might not mind, although it might be too much for her.

“What did your grandmother want to talk to me about?” Craig asked.

“She said she has a message for you.”

“From whom?”

“An imaginary Jesse, I think. He was here one evening, but she’d been asleep when he arrived, and he left before morning. She mentioned a dream she’d had about a bearded stranger, so I think she must have really talked to him that time. But since he hasn’t been here since then, last’s night’s visit must have been a dream. When she woke up, she insisted upon talking to you. So humor her, okay?”

“All right.”

Kristy nodded toward the hallway. “Come on, I’ll take you to her.”

As they approached her grandmother’s bedroom, Kristy called out, “Gram? Pastor Craig is here to see you.”

Gram turned her head and looked toward the doorway. She brightened when she spotted the handsome minister enter behind Kristy. “Thanks for coming.”

“How are you feeling?” Craig asked.

“Tired of being in bed and unable to move, but I’ve come to realize my dancing days are over.”

Kristy moved to the foot of the bed, allowing Craig to stand at Gram’s side.

“You might think I’m daffy,” Gram told the man, “but I can’t help that. I’ve been having this recurring dream, and last night it was especially real.”

“Kristy mentioned that. So why don’t you tell me about it.”

“All right. The strange thing is that each time I’ve had the
dream I was lying in this very bed. It’s almost as if a longhaired, bearded man really is standing at the foot of my bed, just like Kristy is now.”

“What did he look like?” Craig asked.

“His hair and beard were stringy and mostly gray. And his eyes were the color of a summer sky. He wore old clothes, but he had on a new blue jacket that looked a lot like the one I’d given my late husband before he died.”

“Did the man tell you his name?”

“He never introduced himself. Why do you ask?”

Craig glanced at Kristy, then back at Gram. “I was just wondering.”

“Anyway, when he came to me again last night, he had a message for you.”

A hint of skepticism clouded Craig’s eyes, but Kristy could understand why. If Jesse really had a message, he would have come right out and told Craig face-to-face.

“He had a message for me?” Craig asked.

Gram nodded sagely.

“What was that?”

“He said to tell you that you’ve been following in the wrong footsteps.”

Craig stiffened. “That’s an odd thing for him to say.”

“I thought so, too,” Gram said. “So I quizzed him, and he said that your grandfather had a path to follow. Your father had one, too. But that you needed to blaze your own trail.”

“Thanks for passing on that message,” Craig said. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

“He also insisted I tell you something else,” Gram said. “You weren’t just called, Craig, you were chosen. And you’re right where you need to be.”

The skepticism in Craig’s eyes gave way to surprise, yet he didn’t respond.

Surely he wasn’t taking those words seriously.

“I think it’s scriptural,” Gram added. “You know, many are called but few are chosen?”

Craig crossed his arms and sobered, clearly pondering what Gram said, yet appearing to be confused by it, too. “Is that all he said?”

“For the most part, yes. He also mentioned that he’d been called home.”

A bevy of goose bumps fluttered along Kristy’s arms. Going home was the terminology Gram had always used when she’d wanted to die.

This was all too weird, but the imagination, especially while the body slept, could be amazing.

“That man said my job on earth wasn’t over yet,” Gram added. “But it would be one day soon. And at that time, he would see me again.”

Kristy had asked Craig to humor Gram, and he seemed to be doing just that. If she didn’t know better, she’d suspect he truly believed he’d been given some kind of message via a dream.

They chatted a few more minutes, then Craig glanced at his watch and told Gram he had to take off.

“Thanks for coming by,” she said.

“No problem. I’ll see you later this evening.”

Gram arched a brow. “Tonight?”

Craig grinned. “Kristy is going out to dinner with me.”

“Well, now. Isn’t that a lovely surprise.”

“Isn’t it?” His gaze locked on Kristy’s again, turning her inside out. And she had to admit that, yes, it was a nice surprise.

As she walked Craig to the door, he paused in the entry.

“If I didn’t have my doubts, I’d think she really had talked to Jesse last night.”

“Why?”

“Because Jesse always has a way of knowing things no one else knows. And because I’ve been struggling with my call to the ministry. I’d made a promise to God and felt bound to keep it. So my decision to attend the seminary had been an obligation I owed, not a true calling.”