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Waking up in CHARLESTON

SHERRYL WOODS
Waking up in CHARLESTON

Dear Friends,

Was there a doubt in your mind after reading Flirting with Disaster that Amanda and Caleb would have their own story? Certainly not in mine.

Amanda O’Leary is exactly the sort of woman about whom I love to write. She’s suffered through tremendous adversity and triumphed. On every page of Flirting with Disaster, she gets stronger. By the time she’s ready for her own story, she’s a more than even match for the wonderfully kind and protective Caleb Webb.

But naturally Amanda’s struggles aren’t over. All of her old issues with Big Max, her stubborn, difficult father, are about to surface in an unexpected way, and Caleb is right in the thick of it. When Amanda wakes up to discover the secrets he’s been keeping, will she ever be able to forgive him? And will she be able to make peace with her father before it’s too late? Just turn the page to find out.

In the meantime, welcome back to South Carolina’s Low Country, one of my favorite places in the world. I’ve loved sharing it with you.

All best,

Sherryl

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Epilogue

1

Sunday services were over and most of the congregation had gone home for the traditional midday dinner. Caleb, however, was still in the church office trying to feel his way through an unexpected and troubling counseling session. He studied the couple sitting across from him and wondered if he dared tell them what he really thought, that they were way too young even to be thinking about marriage. Mary Louise Carter was just a few months out of high school. In fact, with her stylishly short, sun-streaked hair, she looked even younger. Danny Marshall, every bit the preppy overachiever, was barely into his sophomore year at Clemson. In Caleb’s opinion, they were years away from knowing what they really wanted out of life.

Unfortunately, he could predict exactly how they’d reply. They’d remind him that they’d known each other since grade school, been sweethearts since Danny’s freshman year in high school. They both thought their marriage was inevitable. So what if having a baby on the way had kicked up the timetable by several years?

“It’s not the end of the world,” Mary Louise said, her adoring gaze on Danny.

Though she rarely looked away from her fiancé, she evidently didn’t see the barely concealed panic that Caleb spotted. He’d counseled enough couples during his ten years as a minister to recognize the signs of a man being pushed toward a commitment he wasn’t ready to make.

“Danny, is this wedding really what you want?” Caleb asked directly. Aware that Mary Louise’s eyes had widened with dismay, he quickly added, “I know you love Mary Louise and I think it’s wonderful that you want to take responsibility for the baby and do the right thing by Mary Louise, but there are other options.”

Danny squirmed uncomfortably and avoided Mary Louise’s hurt expression. “What kind of options?”

“You could acknowledge paternity and pay child support. Or you both could agree to give the baby up for adoption to a family more prepared to give a child the life he or she deserves,” Caleb suggested, careful to keep his tone neutral.

Even so, Mary Louise leapt up. “No way,” she said, quivering with outrage. She scowled at Caleb, then whirled on Danny. “This is our baby. How could you even think about giving away our baby, Danny Marshall?”

Danny gave her a sullen look. “I didn’t say I’d do it. I asked Reverend Webb what the options are. Jeez, Mary Louise, settle down.”

“I’m keeping the baby and that’s that,” she said fiercely. “If you don’t want to marry me, then don’t. I don’t want you if you can’t love both of us. And you can keep your stupid money, too!”

“I never said I didn’t want to marry you,” Danny said placatingly. “You know I love you, baby. It’s just…”

“Just what?” she asked.

“How are we going to make it?” Danny asked reasonably. “I can’t quit school. I worked too hard to get accepted and win a scholarship to throw it all away now. I don’t want to wind up in some dead-end job for the rest of my life, like my dad.”

“You won’t have to. I can stay with my folks for now and keep working. It’s only minimum wage, but I’ll get another job. I can handle two,” Mary Louise promised staunchly. “We can put all that money into savings so we’ll have it when I have to go on maternity leave. I won’t have to take off long. Once the baby comes, I’ll move to be with you. We can figure out a schedule so you can take classes when I’m home. Then you can watch the baby while I work.”

It was evident she’d already given this a lot of thought. Caleb admired her earnest conviction that she could handle a pregnancy and two jobs and that Danny could keep up with his classes and take care of the baby. But Caleb was more realistic. He knew the toll that would eventually take on the marriage and on Mary Louise and Danny individually. He also knew she’d never listen to him if he tried to tell her any of that.

However, he did know someone who might be able to get through to her in a way he couldn’t.

“Okay, you two, I think that’s enough for today,” Caleb said. The pair needed a cooling-down period. “I’m sure this has caught both of you by surprise. You need to spend some time thinking about what you really want and what will be best for the baby. Danny, can you get home from college again next weekend, so we can talk some more?”

“I guess,” Danny said, his reluctance plain, but the stoic lift of his chin told Caleb he would do it. He’d always been a good kid, one who took his responsibilities seriously. He’d worked hard to get a college scholarship, even harder to earn money to help with bills for meals and books.

“Great, then we’ll talk again next week right after church,” Caleb told them. “In the meantime, Mary Louise, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

She regarded him with evident suspicion, clearly not happy about the monkey wrench he’d thrown into her plans for a hasty wedding. “Who?”

“Let me speak to her first and get back to you,” he said.

“I don’t know why you’re so opposed to this wedding,” Mary Louise said to him plaintively. “You’ve known us forever. You know we’re in love.”

“I do,” Caleb agreed. “But I want your marriage to have the best possible chance to succeed, and the way to accomplish that is to make sure you’ve given this serious consideration from every angle before you rush into something. I’ve seen too many young people who start out crazy about each other wind up bitter and divorced because they did the right thing and then resented each other afterward. I really don’t want that to happen to you.”

Danny gave him a grateful look. “Thanks, Reverend Webb. I’ll see you after church next week. Mary Louise, you ready to go?”

For a moment, based on her pouty expression, Caleb thought she might insist on having this out right here and now, but apparently she caught something in Danny’s steady, unrelenting gaze that told her to wait till next time.

“Remember, I want both of you to do some soul-searching this week. See if there are some other solutions that might make sense. If marriage is what you both want, then think about the best way to make sure you have plenty of support,” Caleb suggested. “And I’ll be in touch with you, Mary Louise, probably tomorrow.”

“Okay,” she said, and followed Danny from the room.

Just outside the door, Caleb saw Danny reach for her hand and whisper something in her ear that put a smile back on her face. Caleb sighed and reached for his phone to follow up on his brainstorm.

Okay, he’d been looking for an excuse to call Amanda all day. Ever since he and the other church volunteers had finished building her house two weeks ago and had held a housewarming party just yesterday, he’d been suffering some weird withdrawal symptoms.

He’d fought his feelings for Amanda O’Leary, struggled to pretend that she was just another member of his congregation in need of help, but the time he’d spent with her and her kids had fulfilled him in unexpected ways. He’d come to admire her strength, to enjoy her sense of humor.

Before he actually dialed her number, he gave himself a stern lecture on remembering that he was her pastor, not a would-be lover, much as he might wish otherwise. It wasn’t the first time he’d struggled to place duty above his needs as a man, but it was the first time he was right on the edge of losing the battle.

But the lecture didn’t seem to stop the jolt to his heart when she answered the phone, her voice soft and a little breathless.

“Amanda, you weren’t taking a nap, were you?”

“In the middle of the afternoon with three kids loose in the house?” she replied, laughter threading through her voice. “You must be kidding. No, if I sound out of breath, it’s because Susie, Larry and Jimmy insisted I play tag with them in the backyard. They can’t get over having so much room to run around in. I can’t get over it myself. Thank you again, Caleb.”

“Would you stop thanking me?” he pleaded. “Getting that house built for you was something the whole congregation wanted to do.” Well, except for a couple of obstinate holdouts, and eventually even they had come around.

“I just want you to know how much I appreciate it,” she said. “If there’s ever anything I can do to pay you back, let me know.”

It was exactly the opening Caleb needed. “Actually, there is something you could do.” He explained about Mary Louise and Danny. “I think Mary Louise needs to understand the realities of trying to work two jobs and care for a baby. Would you consider talking to her?”

“Of course I will,” Amanda said at once. “But maybe I should clarify something. Are you asking me to help you talk her out of getting married?”

He considered the question, then answered honestly. “I just want her to know what’s ahead. Right now she’s all caught up in this romantic notion of living with Danny and having his baby and being happy forever. She needs to know how exhausting it can be and what a toll it might take on their marriage. These two kids have been in love practically as long as I’ve known them. I don’t want them to lose that because this pregnancy has backed them into a corner.”

“Will their parents help them?” she asked, an unmistakably wistful note in her voice.

Caleb knew what it would have meant to Amanda if her father, Big Max, had stepped up when her life fell apart, but the divide between them had been too great. Amanda had made a tentative overture, but as usual Big Max had blown the opportunity. Sometimes Caleb wanted to shake the stubborn old man, but instead, he’d settled for trying to gently nudge them back together. So far, he’d made precious little progress. And if Amanda ever found out what he’d been up to, she might very well hate him for his interference.

“Actually, even though I haven’t spoken to them yet,” he said, “I think their parents would help as much as they can. They’re all good, decent people who want what’s best for their kids. Even so, it’s still going to be tough. Danny would probably have to give up his scholarship, quit college and come home.”

“He could go to college here,” Amanda reminded him. “It might take him longer, but he could do it.”

“I suppose,” he conceded, though he knew how much going to Clemson had meant to Danny. Caleb had made quite a few calls himself to assure Danny’s acceptance there. He’d even spoken to the scholarship committee on Danny’s behalf.

“And both sets of grandparents could help out with babysitting if they’re here,” Amanda continued. “Maybe Mary Louise and Danny could even live with his folks or hers for a while. It wouldn’t be ideal, but it might work. Have any of you considered that?”

“What are you saying?” Caleb asked, startled by the turn the conversation had taken. “Do you think I’m wrong for urging caution?”

“No, I think you’re being a responsible, compassionate minister who’s trying to make sure two kids get off to a good start, but sometimes things happen even when the timing sucks. Not every marriage is ideal at the beginning, but if the love is strong, a couple can weather almost anything.”

“The way you and Bobby did,” Caleb concluded.

“The way I thought we had,” Amanda corrected. “I lived the illusion right up until the day he died. Then reality set in.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Hey, I’ll make you a deal,” she said, a teasing note in her voice. “I’ll stop saying thank you if you’ll stop saying you’re sorry.”

Caleb chuckled. “I can do that.”

“So, knowing where I’m coming from, do you still want me to speak to Mary Louise?”

“Absolutely,” he said at once. “I think you’d be an incredible role model for any young woman. Will tomorrow afternoon work for you?”

“I’ll need to come straight home from work because of the kids,” she said. “Can you bring her by here, say, around six?”

“Will do,” he said at once, trying to keep the pathetically eager note out of his voice. “Goodbye, Amanda.”

“’Bye, Caleb. See you tomorrow.”

He hung up, a smile on his lips, then realized he was running very late for his standing Sunday get-together with Amanda’s father. Big Max hated to be kept waiting. On the rare occasions it happened, he blustered and carried on about Caleb’s impertinence and lack of respect.

Caleb had come to realize, though, that Big Max’s temper didn’t have anything at all to do with feeling disrespected. Big Max was simply impatient for every little tidbit of information he could get about the daughter he’d cut out of his life and was too proud to let back in. Caleb was simply the chosen messenger.

Still troubled by her conversation with Caleb and imagining the difficulties faced by the young couple, Amanda settled at her kitchen table with a cup of tea. It was the first time all day she’d been able to stop touching things—the shiny new appliances in the kitchen, the glowing oak cabinets, the sheer curtains that billowed at the windows, letting in the pleasant early November breeze and filtering the pale, shimmering late-fall sunlight.

Now she reached yet again for the cool metal key that proved this brand-new house was all hers. The overwhelming feelings that swept through her temporarily pushed aside her concern for the young woman Caleb was bringing by tomorrow afternoon.

She and the kids had moved in barely twenty-four hours ago and it still felt like a dream. The boys had spent the day going from room to room, touching things as she had done, rearranging the toys and furniture that had been given as housewarming gifts in one final burst of generosity that had filled Amanda’s heart with gratitude. The screen door to the new backyard with its brightly painted swing set had slammed a hundred times as the boys, trailed by their five-year-old sister, had gone out to explore this vast new space they had to play in, then rushed back in to tell her about everything they’d discovered.

Compared to the luxurious brick home they’d once had in an upscale Charleston suburb, or to Willow Bend, the gracious old plantation-style home in which she’d grown up, this three-bedroom frame house with its bright yellow siding could only be called cozy, and that was being generous. Even so, she loved every square foot of it with a passion she’d never felt for either of those other places, one that had been built on lies and deception and the other the home from which she’d been banished on her wedding day.

For one thing, she and the kids—even Susie—had poured their sweat and tears into building this home, along with the help of dozens of volunteers from their church and community. She’d made friends here, shared laughter. That counted for a lot. She viewed those exhausting but exhilarating days as a blessing, a promise that these rooms would always be filled with joy. She vowed she would never again take anything for granted as long as she lived in this house.

For another thing, she promised herself she would make this house into a real home, instead of the sham she’d unwittingly lived for years with Bobby O’Leary. Only when he’d died in a car accident had she learned the full extent of her husband’s betrayal. He’d pawned the few pieces of heirloom jewelry she’d owned and mortgaged their house and his business to the limit. Their credit card debt had been staggering. He’d cashed in insurance policies, too, so his death had left her no choice but to close the business and find work that could help her pay off the mountain of debt.

When she’d just about worked herself into exhaustion at two jobs to try to satisfy the creditors, and she and the kids were about to be evicted from their too-small apartment, she’d finally accepted that she had no choice but to declare bankruptcy if she was ever to regain some control over their financial future. A recent change in the law had made the process more complicated and dehumanizing than ever before, but Caleb had stood by her side every step of the way.

That humiliating day at the courthouse had sickened her, especially when she finally understood that Bobby had spent all that money in a wasted attempt to prove to her father that he was good enough for Amanda. He’d given her a lifestyle they couldn’t afford and left her with debt she couldn’t manage.

Oddly enough, even now when she was still working the same two dead-end jobs—one at a lovely boutique, the other at a superstore, when she had to deny the children anything more than the basic necessities, she couldn’t hate Bobby. He’d made those misguided choices out of love for her and to counteract the sense of inadequacy her own father had instilled in him. No, she didn’t hate Bobby. It was her father she despised.

William Maxwell, known far and wide in South Carolina Low Country as the benevolent Big Max, had been anything but benevolent when it came to Bobby O’Leary. He’d seen him as a no-account loser from the day they’d met and made no pretenses about it. He’d had big plans for his only child and they didn’t include a blue-collar husband he believed would only hold her back. He’d done everything in his power to keep Bobby and Amanda apart, and when love had triumphed over his objections, he’d accused Amanda of squandering all the advantages he’d given her. He’d sent her packing with a warning never to look to him to save her from the mess she was making of her life.

Her father’s unstinting disapproval had been one of the hardest things Amanda had ever had to endure until she’d lost Bobby. She’d never known her mother, who’d died giving birth to her, so from the time she was a baby, she and her father had been inseparable. He’d doted on her, taken her everywhere. She’d grown up sitting quietly in the boardrooms of some of Charleston’s biggest companies, not coloring or reading as some children might have, but absorbing the atmosphere of power around her.

Given that, she supposed it wasn’t surprising that her father had held such high expectations for her. He’d anticipated her getting a business degree, then putting it to use and replacing him in many of those same boardrooms, maybe even getting into politics one day. He had the contacts, the will and the raw ambition to make it happen. There was no limit to what he thought she could accomplish. It didn’t seem to matter to him that she’d never shared that vision.

He certainly hadn’t expected her to throw his legacy back in his face by marrying a garage mechanic. It didn’t matter to him that Bobby thought big and already had the beginnings of a small chain of well-run auto shops in half-a-dozen communities too small to attract the national companies. What mattered to Big Max was the loss of Amanda’s potential to follow in his footsteps. He couldn’t conceive of her achieving anything by the side of a man with grease under his fingernails. Her lack of ambition had appalled him.

Remembering the fight they’d had on the morning of her wedding still brought tears to Amanda’s eyes. Her father had tried one last time to make her see reason and she’d tried harder to make him see Bobby in another light. In the end, it had all dissolved into bitter accusations and her father’s vow never to see her again. Amanda knew him well enough to take him at his word. Big Max was known throughout Charleston for his stubbornness and pride, a bad combination for any man, but especially for one who possessed a share of power to go with it.

If it hadn’t already been too late, she would have grabbed Bobby and eloped, but Bobby had spent a small fortune to make sure she had the wedding of her dreams, even if it was over her father’s vehement objections. Friends she’d grown up with had accepted the invitations. Most of her father’s friends had not.

Filled with her own stubborn Maxwell pride, even though her heart was aching, Amanda had gone to the church alone, walked down the aisle alone with her chin held high and her eyes glistening with tears. In front of the minister, she had clung to Bobby’s hand as if it were a lifeline.

Bobby knew her heart was broken, not just on her wedding day, but every day thereafter, and he’d done everything he could to mend it. He’d even gone to her father after their first child was born, taken pictures of Max’s new grandson, but her father’s heart hadn’t softened. He tore the pictures up in front of Bobby’s eyes and uttered words no grandfather should ever say about his own kin.

Looking back, Amanda realized that was when Bobby had started going overboard. He’d begun buying her things to make up for Big Max’s intractable attitude. It had become his obsession to see that she and the children wanted for nothing.

Since Bobby took care of their finances, Amanda hadn’t had any idea of the amount of debt they were accumulating. She should have paid attention to the mounting bills, questioned him more about their finances, but she hadn’t wanted to indicate in any way that she didn’t have total confidence in him. Maybe she should have reassured him more often that he and the kids were enough for her, that she didn’t need more things as proof of his ability as a provider, but she’d assumed he knew that. She took for granted that he knew how to manage money. He’d been smart enough to expand his business; surely he could balance their personal checkbook. And basically he had, but only by mortgaging their lives to the hilt.

If only Bobby had known what fate had in store, he might have made better choices. Instead, they’d lost it all. Worst of all, she’d lost Bobby.

Now, though, she and the children had a second chance, Amanda thought, feeling at peace for the first time since Bobby’s death. With the soft afternoon sunlight spilling over her, she smiled. This room would fit into the pantry at Big Max’s house. She had little doubt what he would think of it. He would treat it with the same disdain he had shown when she’d made a desperate attempt to reach out to him after Bobby’s death had left her virtually penniless. She’d made that attempt only for the sake of her children, but being rebuffed once more had convinced her that the father she’d once adored was now only a bitter old man incapable of compassion.

“Doesn’t matter what he thinks or what he does,” she told herself fiercely. “My kids are healthy and this house is mine. We’re getting back on our feet and that’s what counts.”

And if Big Max couldn’t see that all his wealth, all his power didn’t amount to a hill of beans without love, so what? Amanda had long since stopped caring what her father thought or how empty his life had become. She’d stopped because he’d given her no choice. If she hadn’t, she might never have stopped crying.

“They’ve moved in?” Big Max asked Caleb when the minister finally turned up for their regular game of cards. For once Max didn’t waste his breath complaining. He was too anxious to hear how things had gone with Amanda and the kids when she’d moved into her new house the day before.

Max and Caleb were an odd pair—the heathen and the man of the Lord, as Max liked to say. Maybe he was more worried about his immortal soul than he’d ever realized. He couldn’t see any other reason for having gravitated to this man whose unwavering faith Max couldn’t share. He’d lost his belief in God when he’d lost his wife, leaving him all alone to raise Amanda. For a man who’d never understood a thing about women, it had been a terrifying burden.

Yet, from the moment he’d gazed down into Amanda’s trusting blue eyes, felt her tiny fist close around his finger, he’d been totally smitten. That girl of his had filled his heart with so much joy, it had dulled the pain of losing his beloved wife.

Severing all ties with Amanda when she’d chosen to defy him and marry that no-account Bobby O’Leary had just about ripped his heart out. He’d taken what he’d considered to be a calculated risk that day and he’d lost. The memory of it haunted him.

Stubborn pride had kept him from reaching out to mend fences. When Bobby had tried, Max had turned him away, embarrassed and shamed to have the boy attempt what he should have been man enough to do himself. When Amanda herself had come to him after Bobby’s death, he’d been too quick to say hurtful, judgmental things guaranteed to turn her away. He’d lost a lot of sleep over the years knowing he was a damn fool and the price he’d paid for it.

“If you’re this curious about Amanda, why don’t you go and see for yourself?” Caleb asked. “Don’t you think this feud has gone on long enough? You love your daughter, Max. You need to get to know your grandchildren. You’ve lost too many years already. Don’t lose any more. Don’t wait until it’s too late.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Max snapped. “I’ve had more than one chance and I blew it. The girl hates me, and who can blame her?” He looked away. “Besides, if she ever found out…”

“Found out what?” Caleb prodded.

“Nothing. I don’t want to get into it.”

“Get into what? Don’t you know by now you can tell me anything and I won’t judge you?”

“You’re a real saint, all right,” Max said snidely, hoping to tick him off.

Caleb didn’t react. He just sat there with the patient expression that made Max nuts.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake, it was a slip of the tongue, that’s all,” Max grumbled.

“I doubt that,” Caleb said.

“Look, all I’m saying is it’s too late for Amanda and me.”

“It’s not too late until you’re in your grave,” Caleb retorted.

Maybe that was what Max liked about this young man. He didn’t wilt under Max’s scorn, didn’t turn away when pushed to do just that. Caleb was a man with staying power. Max admired that, even if he didn’t know how any man could devote himself to God’s work when there was evidence all around that God wasn’t paying a damn bit of attention to what was happening down here on earth.

“You gonna pray over me when I’m gone?” Max asked, taunting him.

Caleb grinned. “I pray for you every night as it is. If you weren’t so ornery, I think maybe my prayers would have a better outcome.”

Max regarded him with surprise. “I never asked you to pray for me.”

“You didn’t need to. It’s what I do. I see a need and I jump in.”

“Well, you’re wasting your breath,” Max replied irritably.

“It’s mine to waste,” Caleb responded. “Besides, I think one of these days even someone as cantankerous as you will wake up and admit he’s made a dreadful mistake and reach out to the one person on earth he cares about. In fact, you and I know you’ve already done that in a way. The only one who doesn’t know and should is Amanda.”

Max scowled at him. “You tell her I bought that land her new house is sitting on and she’ll move out by morning,” he said with absolute conviction. “That girl got my stubbornness and doubled it.”

“Maybe,” Caleb said. “But maybe she’d see it as a gesture that’s been too long coming.”

“Stay out of it, Caleb. You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” He frowned at the pastor. “And don’t go dropping any hints to her, either. You and I made a deal. She’s never to know about me buying that land. You spill the beans to her and I will see your sorry butt in hell.”

Caleb’s steady gaze never wavered. “You don’t scare me, Max. Don’t you know that by now?”

Max was flustered by the amusement in Caleb’s voice. Most men in Charleston would have been quaking in their boots. Most men understood that he never made idle threats.

“Well, I should terrify you,” he said testily. “Now, are we going to play cards or are we going to sit around here all night gabbing like a couple of old women?”

“Bring it on, old man.” After he’d dealt the cards, Caleb pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and smoothed it out. “Let’s see here. You already owe me $7,403.62.”

Max chuckled at the precise accounting. “Just think what kind of stained-glass window you could have bought for the church by now if we played for more than small change.”

“And isn’t it lucky for you that I don’t approve of gambling except for a worthy cause?” Caleb retorted. “The stained-glass windows can wait. This money will come in handy at the church’s food bank. I think when we get to a nice round ten thousand, I’ll ask you to cut me a check.”

Max looked at the hand he’d been dealt and muttered an oath. “Sure as hell looks like I’m about to make another contribution tonight.”

Caleb laughed. “Who’re you kidding, old man? It looks that way every time we play.”

“True,” Max conceded. It was a small-enough price to pay, though, for some decent company. Add that Caleb kept him abreast of what was going on with Amanda without gloating about it, and Max was perfectly content to lose a few dollars once a week. Hell, he’d give up his entire fortune for the chance to go back in time and do things differently. So many things. Some that only a small handful of people knew anything about.

Since going back wasn’t possible, he’d have to make do with the way things were.

2

Amanda was rushing to get out the door at the boutique where she worked when Maggie Parker halted her exit.

“Hey, where’s the fire?” Maggie asked. “I came to see if you and the kids would like to have dinner with me tonight. Josh had to run over to Atlanta to take a look at that historic renovation project he and Cord are starting next month.”

Amanda regarded Maggie with surprise. Though she’d been a bridesmaid in Maggie’s wedding to Josh, she’d always thought Maggie had made the gesture to appease Josh. While Maggie had never been outright rude to her, the wedding was just about the only occasion she had been openly friendly. Maybe now that she and Josh were married, she was putting aside the irrational jealousy she’d once felt toward Amanda and turning over a new leaf. Still, Amanda couldn’t help being skeptical.

“You want to have dinner with us?” Amanda said. “Me and the kids?”

Maggie shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”

“Maybe because a part of you still wonders if there wasn’t something going on between me and Josh,” Amanda said candidly. “I know it bothered you that there was a bond between us when he was in charge of the crew building my house.”

Maggie winced. “Okay, I acted like an idiot. I took my insecurities out on you.”

Amanda grinned at the admission. “Yes, you did, especially since Josh could barely untangle his tongue whenever you were around.”

“I guess I missed that, at least at first,” Maggie conceded. “I swear to you I’m over it. Come on, Amanda. I know you’re not the type to hold a grudge.”

“Not usually,” Amanda agreed. “Something tells me, though, that this was Josh’s idea, not yours.”

“It most certainly was not,” Maggie declared with a pretty good show of indignation, then sighed. “Okay, maybe it was, but he’s right. It’s past time for me to get over that ridiculous jealousy, especially now that he and I are married. I really do want us to be friends, Amanda. You and the kids mean a lot to Josh and to his mother. We’re bound to be thrown together from time to time. Can’t we get past my bad behavior?”

Amanda could see her obvious discomfort. Maggie Parker was the most self-confident woman Amanda had ever met, with the possible exception of Maggie’s best friend, Dinah Beaufort. Amanda envied them, and she was still a little astounded that Maggie had thought even for a second that Josh was interested in her, not Maggie.

“I’d like that,” Amanda told her sincerely. Real friends had been in short supply since her marriage to Bobby. And since his death, there hadn’t been time to make new ones. “But I can’t tonight. I have to get home.”

“The kids are invited, too,” Maggie reminded her.

“I know, but actually I already have plans. Caleb’s coming by.”

Maggie’s expression immediately brightened with curiosity. “Really? Do tell,” she said.

Amanda shook her head. “Stop that. It’s not what you think.”

At the quick denial, Maggie grinned. “Then, please, tell me what it is.”

“He wants me to talk to someone. He thinks I might be able to offer a perspective that he can’t. That’s it.”

Maggie regarded her with blatant skepticism. “So, this seasoned minister who’s counseled who knows how many people about every problem under the sun is turning to you?”

Amanda frowned at the hint of amused disbelief in Maggie’s voice. “In this particular situation, apparently I’m the one with firsthand experience,” she said.

“Of course you are. And Caleb’s sudden recognition of your expertise doesn’t have anything at all to do with the fact that he has the hots for you?” Maggie inquired.

Immediately Amanda’s cheeks flooded with color. “Maggie!” she protested weakly. “You can’t say things like that. Caleb’s a minister.”

“I know. I worried about the same thing when Dinah pointed out that Caleb practically salivates when you’re nearby, but then I caught on that he’s a man, not a saint. It’s not as if either one of you is off-limits in any way. The only shocker is that in his seven years here in Charleston some woman hasn’t already snapped him up.”

Amanda had had similar thoughts from time to time. Aside from being gorgeous, Caleb was the kindest, most decent man she’d ever known. It didn’t make sense that he wasn’t married. She, however, wasn’t the woman to change that. She was just beginning to get back on her feet emotionally. She needed time to prove to herself that she was strong and capable. She was not about to let some man promise to bail her out, only to have him abandon her. She’d learned to prize her independence. If her life ever fell apart again, it would be her own doing, not someone else’s.

“That woman won’t be me,” she told Maggie emphatically.

“Then you don’t see what a catch he is?” Maggie asked skeptically.

“Of course I do.”

“Well, then?”

“I’m not looking for a catch, even one as terrific as Caleb,” Amanda insisted. “Now, I really do have to go.”

Maggie stepped aside. “We’ll do the dinner thing another time, okay? Maybe later in the week when Josh gets back. I’ll ask Nadine, too, though these days Josh’s mother rarely goes anywhere without George Winslow in tow. Would that be okay with you?”

Amanda considered the question seriously. George was one of her father’s best friends, and initially he’d been one of the most outspoken critics of the church’s plan to build her house. That was the downside. On the upside, since he’d gotten involved with Nadine, he’d mellowed.

“I can tolerate George,” Amanda said eventually. “Nadine’s pretty good at keeping him in check.”

“Okay, then, I’ll be in touch with the details,” Maggie said, a faint hint of relief in her voice.

Once again Amanda was astounded by the trace of vulnerability in a woman whose strength and self-confidence she admired. Maggie had faced down a madman who’d trapped her in her art gallery not that long ago, but she seemed to be genuinely uneasy around Amanda.

“Maggie, can I ask you a question? Why is this so important to you?”

Maggie looked disconcerted by the direct question. “I told you. I know I misjudged you and I want to make amends. You’re important to Josh and to Nadine and other people I admire and respect, so I’d like us to be friends, too.”

“Then we will be,” Amanda said. “If I’ve learned nothing else since my husband died, it’s that friendship is important.” Impulsively, she reached out and gave Maggie a hug. “Besides, as far as I’m concerned we’ve been friends since the minute you showed up to help build my house. That was an act of kindness I’m never likely to forget.”

Maggie regarded her with surprise. “You really mean that, don’t you? Even after everything I did to keep you at arm’s length?”

“Believe me, I understood what that was all about. You were protecting your turf, even though you had nothing to fear from me. I knew in time you’d figure out that I wasn’t a threat to your relationship with Josh.”

“Well, I’m sorry just the same. We’re starting over right now, okay?”

“Okay,” Amanda agreed at once.

Maggie gave her a conspiratorial grin. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

“What?”

“I get to have free rein to meddle in your relationship with Caleb.”

Amanda gave her a horrified look. “I don’t have a relationship with Caleb.”

“You will when I’m through,” Maggie said cheerfully. “Enjoy your evening.”

She was gone before Amanda could formulate a reply. This wasn’t good. Not good at all. Maggie meddling all on her own would be bad enough, but if she brought the romantically irrepressible Nadine into it—and she very well might—who knew what mischief they could stir up for Amanda and Caleb?

Caleb took in Amanda’s flushed cheeks and too-bright eyes and tried to figure out what had brought on this sudden attack of nerves. It couldn’t be because he and Mary Louise were the first official guests at her new home. Amanda had grown up entertaining for Big Max. She’d been hosting dinner parties for Charleston’s power brokers by the time she was thirteen. So why was she fluttering around the living room, fussing over a plate of cheese and crackers and a couple of soft drinks?

He captured her hand as she was about to take off for the kitchen once again. “You okay?” he asked.

“Fine, just fine,” she said too cheerfully. She turned to beam at Mary Louise. “Just let me get some napkins and we can talk.”

“There are napkins on the table,” Caleb pointed out.

Her good cheer evaporated. “Oh, of course there are. What was I thinking?” She sat down on the edge of a chair. “Mary Louise, why don’t you tell me a little bit about you and Danny?”

Mary Louise, who’d been tense ever since Caleb had picked her up and hadn’t said a word on the ride over, launched into a dreamy description of their relationship. If it had been written down, it would have been punctuated by hearts and flowers.

Amanda grinned at the romantic picture the girl was painting. “Then you’ve been in love with him practically forever?” she summarized.

Mary Louise nodded. “That’s why I don’t understand what all the fuss is about us getting married a little sooner than we planned.”

Caleb was about to explain when Amanda asked, “What’s Danny studying at Clemson?”

“Architecture,” Mary Louise said.

“Is he excited about it?” Amanda asked.

“He loves it. Who could live around here and not care about all these historic old buildings? He really wants to find ways to preserve them.”

“I have a couple of friends who do historic preservation work,” Amanda told her. “It requires a real passion and understanding to do it right. How are you going to feel if Danny has to give that up?”

Mary Louise looked startled. “Why would he have to give it up?”

“Supporting a family means bringing in a paycheck and putting food on the table,” Amanda explained. “It means doctors for you and the baby. It means paying rent for someplace to live.”

“I can work,” Mary Louise said staunchly.

“For a while,” Amanda agreed. “What about once the baby comes?”

“We can manage,” Mary Louise insisted.

Just then Larry, Jimmy and Susie raced in from the backyard demanding Amanda’s immediate attention. In Caleb’s opinion, their timing couldn’t have been better.

“Mommy, they wouldn’t let me swing on the swing,” Susie said, tears rolling down her cheeks. She cast an accusing look at her big brothers. “They’re mean and I hate them!”

“Susie!” Amanda said. “You do not hate your brothers.”

“Do, too,” she said with a sniff.

“She’s just a big ole baby,” Jimmy countered.

“Am not,” Susie retorted.

Before the battle could escalate, Amanda scooped up Susie, then directed a forbidding look at the boys. “Come with me,” she said.

“I can take them,” Caleb offered.

“Not this time,” Amanda said tersely, heading to the back of the house.

“But it’s not fair,” Jimmy wailed just before one bedroom door slammed shut.

“They were being mean,” Susie repeated, her voice thick with tears. “How come I have to go to my room?”

Caleb couldn’t hear Amanda’s murmured reply, but then a second door closed. She came back, looking faintly harried.

“Sorry. Where were we?” she asked Mary Louise.

“I was telling you that Danny and I can figure all that out,” Mary Louise said, though her gaze seemed to be drawn in the direction of the unmistakable sobs coming from down the hall. She looked shaken.

“You’ll need to get used to that,” Amanda told her mildly. “Kids cry, especially babies. It’ll make it tough for Danny to study, at least at home. Next thing you know he’ll either have to drop out of school or spend all his free time in the library so he can keep up with his classes.”

Mary Louise reacted with dismay. “It’s one little baby,” she protested.

Amanda smiled. “You have no idea what a ruckus one little baby can create, especially if he or she happens to be colicky. Jimmy didn’t let me get a decent night’s sleep for months.”

“Didn’t your husband help?”

“Some, but he was working. He needed his sleep, just the way Danny will need his if he’s going to keep up with his studies.” Amanda’s expression turned sad. “Bobby and I fought all the time during those months.”

“How come?” Mary Louise asked.

“He thought I ought to be able to do something to stop the crying. It was like he was accusing me of being a bad mother. It tapped into every one of my insecurities, so I lashed back.”

The memory still seemed to touch a raw nerve and Mary Louise seemed to get that. “How old were you when you got married?” she asked.

“I was nineteen, just a year older than you,” Amanda told her.

“But your husband wasn’t in college, right?” Mary Louise said, seizing on some slim difference between him and Danny. “He was working.”

“Right. He was getting his business off the ground. He was gone all the time, so everything at home was up to me.”

“If you were in love, though, I’ll bet it was worth it,” Mary Louise said, her expression hopeful.

“In many ways, yes,” Amanda agreed. She exchanged a look with Caleb. “But I won’t lie to you, Mary Louise, the exhaustion and stress pretty much sucked the romance right out of it. Bobby and I were lucky, though. No matter how tough things got, no matter how many fights we had, we stuck together. We both knew we didn’t have anybody else to fall back on. We had to make it work. It might have been easier, though, if we’d waited.”

“But Reverend Webb told me your husband died,” Mary Louise said. “What if you hadn’t had that time together? Aren’t you glad you had that?”

Caleb saw the unmistakable sadness in Amanda’s eyes. It was always there when Bobby’s death was mentioned. It was always there, as well, when anyone mentioned her father. That loss ran just as deep.

“Yes,” Amanda whispered. “I’m glad for every minute we had. No one can live their life, though, based on what-ifs. You have to be smart and base your decisions on what is.”

“Danny and I are having a baby,” Mary Louise said. “That’s what is.” She aimed a fiercely determined look at Caleb. “And I’m not giving the baby away. It might be hard and scary, but this is what I’m doing and nothing you say will talk me out of it.”

Caleb recognized that level of determination and knew that Amanda had hit the nail on the head. He, too, had to deal with things the way they were.

“Okay, then,” he said. “I’m going to see you and Danny again on Sunday and then afterward I’m going to ask your folks to join us. Let’s see where we stand and what we can do to make sure this baby has not just two parents who will love it, but a whole support system.”

“Really?” Mary Louise said, her eyes wide. “You’re going to marry us?”

“One step at a time,” Caleb warned. “Let’s get Danny and your folks on board first. You don’t want Danny to feel like he’s been backed into a corner, do you?”

“No, of course not. He wants this as much as I do. You’ll see,” she insisted.

Caleb had his doubts about that, but maybe there was a way to bring him around, especially if he could come up with some way to ensure Danny didn’t lose his career dream in the process.

Once Amanda had gotten over her case of the jitters, thanks to that untimely and provocative conversation with Maggie, she’d been able to focus on the young woman Caleb had brought over. She’d totally empathized with Mary Louise’s unshakable optimism in the face of an unexpected pregnancy that threatened to change her life forever. She’d done what she could to explain the harsh realities of marrying and having a family too young, but a part of her had been rooting for Mary Louise to stick to her guns and fight for what she wanted. It was that sort of spunk that would be needed if she and Danny were to have even half a chance of making it.

As soon as Mary Louise and Caleb had left, she’d wilted as she considered the confrontation that awaited with her own squabbling children. With no siblings of her own, she was always taken aback by the battles among her three children. She’d always had this rosy picture of them loving one another through thick and thin. The reality was that there were plenty of times when they barely tolerated one another.

Before she gave them permission to leave their rooms, she fixed a quick dinner of spaghetti and meat-balls, one of the few meals they all loved. Maybe that would facilitate peace.

When the food was on the table, she went to the boys’ room first. “Okay, you two, dinner’s ready, but I want you at the table only if you can promise me that there will be no fighting with your sister. You know how I hate it when you gang up on her.”

Larry and Jimmy regarded her with tear-reddened eyes.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” Jimmy said first.

“Me, too,” Larry added. “We really weren’t being mean. We were scared she’d fall out of the swing like she did yesterday.”

Amanda’s mouth gaped. “Susie fell out of the swing yesterday?”

Jimmy nodded. “Twice. She made us promise not to tell, ’cause she was afraid you wouldn’t let her get on the swing anymore.”

Amanda sighed. “Then you were trying to protect her?”

Both boys nodded solemnly.

“Then I’m the one who’s sorry,” she told them. “I should have given you a chance to explain.”

They wrapped their arms around her waist and leaned into her.

“It’s okay, Mom. You were kinda busy with Caleb and that lady,” Larry said.

She looked down into their upturned faces. “How about I make it up to you with ice cream after dinner?”

“We have ice cream?”

“No, but we’ll take a walk and get cones,” she said.

“Susie, too?” Larry asked indignantly.

“Something tells me she’s learned her lesson,” Amanda said. “She was sent to her room, too.”

Both boys seemed to consider that for a moment.

“Okay,” Larry said eventually. “But we get double dips and she only gets one, ’cause we’re bigger.”

Amanda laughed at the twisted logic that gave them a triumph over their little sister. “That sounds fair.”

Caleb returned to Amanda’s just in time to meet her and the kids on the sidewalk.

“We’re going for ice-cream cones, Mr. Caleb,” Susie announced, holding out her arms to be picked up. The red band holding her hair in a ponytail had slipped and curls were poking out in every direction. There was a streak of spaghetti sauce on her cheek and another on her purple T-shirt.

He scooped her up just as Larry tugged on his shirtsleeve.

“We get two scoops, but she only gets one,” he told Caleb.

“Because you’re older,” Caleb guessed.

“And because Mom’s’ pologizing to us,” Jimmy added.

Caleb glanced at Amanda. “Oh?”

“Long story,” she said. “What brings you back?”

“I was hoping we could talk some more about the Mary Louise and Danny situation.”

Amanda looked vaguely uneasy. “Sorry I wasn’t more help.”

“Actually you were a huge help.”

She seemed startled by that. “Really?”

“Seems I’m the one who came away from the talk with a whole new perspective,” he admitted. “Have you ever considered going back to school and getting a degree in psychology, so you could counsel young people?”

She stared at him as if he’d grown two heads. “Me? No way. I barely have my own life together. I certainly don’t want to tell anyone else what they ought to be doing.”

“That’s just it, you weren’t telling Mary Louise what to do at all. You were showing her what lies ahead and letting her draw her own conclusions.”

“She came to the wrong one, according to you,” Amanda reminded him.

“No, I suspect she came to the right one for her. Or, if she didn’t, at least she’s moving ahead with her eyes wide open. That’s the best we can hope for.” He met her gaze. “I’m serious, Amanda. I think you could do this. I could certainly use someone like you to work with the kids at church. Maybe you could do that on an informal basis.”

“How?”

“Just be one of the sponsors of the youth group, sort of a mentor. You wouldn’t need formal training for that.” And, he thought, it would mean they’d be working together on a regular basis. He recognized that God would probably find some way to slap him silly for the ulterior motives behind his pitch.

“I don’t know,” she said doubtfully. “I really don’t have that much time.”

“You’ve been looking for a way to give back to the church for helping you get a house,” he said, forcing aside the instant twinge of guilt that assailed him for playing that particular card.

“I’ll think about it,” she promised.

“Seriously,” he pressed.

She regarded him with amusement. “Yes, Caleb, I promise I will think about it seriously. I will not crack up laughing at the mere idea of turning myself into anyone’s mentor.”

Before he could respond to that, Susie patted his cheek to get attention.

“Mr. Caleb, what kind of ice cream are you gonna have?”

“Strawberry fudge,” he said at once, knowing it was her favorite.

She grinned. “Me, too!”

He feigned shock. “Really?”

“I’m gonna have one scoop of chocolate and one of cherry vanilla,” Larry said enthusiastically.

“I want two scoops of chocolate,” Jimmy said.

Caleb turned to Amanda. “What about you? Is this a plain old vanilla night or are you going to live dangerously?”

He saw the precise instant when she rose to the dare in his voice. Her eyes began to shine with a rare sparkle.

“I am having,” she began, pausing for drama, “a banana split.” She looked each one of them in the eye, saving Caleb for last. “And I am not sharing.”

He laughed. “Not even one little bite?”

“Not even if you beg,” she declared.

Caught up in the moment, he locked his gaze with hers. “Bet I can make you change your mind.”

Bright patches of color rose in her cheeks, but she didn’t blink or look away. “Bet you can’t,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Caleb once again admired her willingness not to turn away from something that so clearly scared her. He could have let the whole thing die right there, satisfied with the response he’d managed to stir in her, but he, too, was feeling just a little bit reckless and daring tonight.

With her steady gaze still even with his, he leaned slowly down and brushed a daring first kiss across her lips. When he pulled away, she looked shaken, but undaunted.

“You think that will change my mind?” she scoffed. “We’re talking a banana split here.”

He grinned. “That might not change your mind,” he agreed. “But how about if I tell you that if you don’t share, there’s a whole lot more where that kiss came from.”

She faltered for just a second, then chuckled. “You know, for a minister, you certainly know how to play dirty.”

“It would be wise, Amanda, if you’d remember that when it gets right down to it, I’m a minister, not a saint. Trust me, there’s a difference.”

“Yes, I’m beginning to get that.”

Oddly enough, it didn’t seem to scare her half as much as he’d expected it to.

And that gave him unexpected hope for the future.