Arms of an Angel (10 page)

“
Nope,” he interrupted.
“It’s better. What a great way to use this place. You’re an angel,
Claire.”

She was already shaking her head before his
words faded. “No! But I’ve had my share to help me along the way.”
She looked up at Garrett and he kissed her. “I want others to have
that same opportunity.”

“
Horses!” Chloe squealed
pointing to a nearby pasture.

“
Yes Chloe.
Our
horses. Want to go and
see?” Garrett asked her. She nodded her head and squealed again.
“Come on, Grandpa,” Garrett said to his father. “Let’s go check out
your charges.” He kissed Claire’s head and handed her the car keys
before trekking off with his dad and Chloe to see the
horses.

Claire looked at the keys and bit her lower
lip, “Margarette, I don’t know how to drive,” she said in a quiet,
monotone voice. Living most of her life in the city, she’d never
needed to learn.

“
Guess you’d best learn if
you’re planning to live out here. No time like the present to
learn, my dear,” she chuckled and climbed into the passenger side
of the car.

“
Uh, Garrett. Has Claire
ever driven a car before,” James asked.

“
I… huh, I don’t know. Why?”
He straightened from the squatted position he’d used to look
through the fence with Chloe.

“
Well, I’m pretty sure your
future wife’s getting her first driving lesson.” James inclined his
head toward the car that kept easing forward and then stopping only
to begin again.

Garrett’s brows came down toward his
eyes.

“
Daddy’s mad?” Chloe’s voice
was filled with childish concern.

“
No. No, Baby. I’m not.” He
smiled to assure her. “Just realizing there’s a lot about a
beautiful lady with a huge heart that I really don’t
know.”

James chuckled. “You may never know all about
her, son. That’s part of the beauty of women. They’re like a sweet,
special surprise that reveals itself little by little each and
every day.”

The two men embraced and began to walk toward
the main building that would house the social activities of the
operations. Claire and Margarette had safely arrived and were
waiting inside.

Garrett hugged Claire as they walked in,
suddenly, overwhelmingly grateful Donna had canceled and Mr.
Ballard had mistakenly given his table away. He realized that
sometimes in life it seemed as if you were losing when, in fact,
you were being positioned to win bigger than you could ever imagine
possible. He knew life with Claire would be filled with the
unexpected. His future wife was, undeniably, a delightful package,
both inside and out. He smiled down at her, relishing the thoughts
of those promised surprises unfolding day by day. A lucky break…or
fate? Either way, Garrett knew he was right where he was supposed
to be - encircled in hope found only within the arms of an earthly
angel.

* * * * *

A Note From The Author

I’ve come across a lot of people I would call
earthly angels because of the way they have touched my life. It
would take a book to list them all, though I would like to
highlight two, in particular, who have been a source of strength
and ever-present: My dear friend, Patrick Sipperly; an author in
his own right and gentleman extraordinaire. You know how much your
friendship and encouragement means to me. Laura Miller, aka Jaimey
Grant, an angel with an edge, who has kept me going and growing.
Your talent as both author and artist is beyond compare and our
shared love of your Lord Heartless has been most delightful.
Revealing him will be delicious! Angel? Could that word be used to
describe him? I think his heart is not so dark as it may seem.
Perhaps we all play the part of an earthly angel at some point in
our lives… Perhaps we all need to check our wings!

* * * * *

Enjoy an Excerpt

A Marriage of Necessity

by

Linda Boulanger

Coming Soon to TreasureLine Books

35 year old Terry Calloway
looked out the window for probably the 18
^th
time that morning. She wasn’t quite sure what she was looking
for. Her visitors weren’t due to arrive for at least another 30
minutes, if they arrived at all. This time she paused as she pulled
back the curtains; the vibrant serenity of the day catching her
attention. Vibrant serenity? Was that an oxymoron? Could those
words walk side-by-side? They had in her life once upon a time. She
thought back to a day when all seemed as bright as the day that
swirled outside her window. She’d felt so peaceful then, as if the
world belonged to her. She thought of her dreams, her desires,
including a husband that loved her and a large family.

Without thought she tucked her sandy blonde
hair behind her ears and began to rub her bared arms as a shiver
ran up her spine. She wasn’t cold. She always kept the apartment at
a comfortable temperature. She had ever since…

No, she thought. I’m not going to think about
that today. Yet how could she keep it from her mind? It was the
very thing that had led her to this crazy meeting. Wrong choices.
Please God, she thought, please don’t let me make another one, and
especially for the wrong reason.

On the other side of town, 44 year old Mark
Reid was struggling to retain his composure as his younger brother
filled him in on an absurd plan he’d hatched. Mark fought
distractions as he listened. His mind ordered all the things he
needed to get done before his mother returned with his 5 children.
He didn’t have time for lunacy, not when he was battling the
challenges of keeping his family ship afloat.

“
You know,
Brad, if I had the money for a live-in nanny, don’t you think I’d
have hired one by now? Sara’s been gone for almost a year. Look
around, brother! It’s obvious I can’t keep up with all this.
I
do
need
help and desperately. But, hello! Taking care of 5 kids doesn’t
exactly come cheap!” Mark ran a hand through his disheveled, dark
hair that showed only the slightest signs of aging with a few wispy
grays at the temples.

Brad stared at him in
disbelief. “Have you been listening to me? She doesn’t need to be
someone’s nanny. She needs something permanent and you and your
kids need someone that’s going to stay. I’m not talking about
you
hiring
her.
I’m talking about you
marrying
her.”

Now it was Mark’s turn to stare. “Brad!
You’re an absolute idiot. Now why on earth would I marry some woman
I’ve never even met?” Mark’s jaw worked in a familiar manner that
told Brad his older brother was beyond irritation. If they’d been
kids still, Mark would have already jumped on him and allowed his
frustrations to flow out through his fists. Brad was glad he was
now the bigger of the two brothers.

“
No, Mark. I’m not an idiot.
But you are if you think you can continue with things the way they
are. You’ve admitted you can’t.” The younger man remained calm,
waiting for his older brother to come around. Mark didn’t leave and
he didn’t pummel him. Brad took that as a good sign and continued.
“Mom said she’d told you she’s scheduled her knee surgery. She’s
put it off for you for as long as she can. Brother, you’ve got six
weeks before everything falls squarely into your lap alone. You’ve
got to do something and fast.”

Mark took a deep breath as reality slapped
him in the face. He felt that familiar fist in his gut, the one
he’d felt near-continuously ever since they’d found out Sara was
sick. He put his hand over his eyes, squeezing his temples to stop
the throbbing as he thought. Sara, Sara…why? She’d been their
anchor, their captain, their figurehead spiriting them along. Their
whole lives had been built around her, by her. She’d taken care of
everything…and now she was gone. Mark was left to try to carry the
family on his own; a job he was ill-equipped to handle. He did need
help. He needed it desperately and he needed it now. He looked at
his brother. Hopeful blue-gray eyes looked back.

“
Marriage, Brad? People
don’t just get married…it’s like the middle ages. Surely she hasn’t
agreed to such a thing? Marriage?” he asked again as his mind tried
to search for alternatives. Maybe she would exchange room and board
for helping out or he could find some way to pay her something to
come in and help. He knew that wasn’t possible. He’d tried to find
the extra. There had to be a way...

“
Well, we both know you
can’t afford to pay her. You need something permanent. There’re tax
issues, gossiping neighbors, and…” Brad had kind of left out one
little element that had been the true motivation behind Terry even
considering what he was proposing, “she kind of has to be married
before she turns 36 or she loses her inheritance. Now it’s not
huge, mind you, but still she has no interest in seeing it get
shoved into someone else’s pocket.”

So
that
was the answer. It wasn’t that
there was necessarily anything wrong with her that would cause her
to potentially agree to take on someone else’s brood of five,
although that in itself might qualify her for the asylum. He needed
help. She didn’t want to lose her inheritance. Was that enough for
a marriage?

“
Just come and meet her
Mark. Please? For your kids and for her…” Brad pleaded.

The two brothers stared at one another for a
couple of silent minutes. Mark looked around at all he needed to do
knowing he couldn’t possibly get it done anyway. “All right, but
this is insane, brother. Insane!” Mark blurted out at last causing
Brad to leap to his feet and pull his brother into a rough hug.

Thus Mark found himself in the passenger seat
of his brother’s car going to a place where it would be determined
if a modern-day marriage of necessity could be arranged. As they
drove to her little apartment for Mark to meet her for the first
time, he questioned his brother as to what might be wrong with
Terry Calloway that she couldn’t find anyone else to marry her,
especially if there was money involved. Better yet, why would she
want to marry a guy with five children? They overwhelmed him. Think
of what they would do to someone who was unaccustomed to kids.

“
Look Mark. The department
she’s in is closing. There are no openings for her within the
company and you know what the job market’s like these days. I think
that in itself would be scary enough. Then the thought of losing
something that should be rightfully hers on top of that… Her dad
put the clause in as a joke never believing it would be an issue,
but since it is, the trust company is being a stickler. Somebody
wants what’s not theirs.” Brad also told Mark how he felt somewhat
responsible since he’d urged Terry to come to work for Time Safety
many years before. He also put in that she was a great gal with a
gentle soul and skirted around the fact that life had handed her a
bit of a raw deal which had made her gun shy of men.

Oh great! A woman who thought men were all
rotten. Like she wouldn’t end up feeling used! It was hard enough
dealing with the issues his teenage girls brought to the table on a
daily basis, let alone those of a jilted grown woman. That was just
what he needed. Well, he did need someone to help, but at what
price? He decided to sit quietly through the remainder of the
drive. He’d appease his brother with this one meeting and then
politely walk away. Surely he could figure out something.
Surely…

“
Brad! Hi!” The
not-half-bad-looking woman greeted his brother a bit too
enthusiastically, belying her nervousness. Her light blue eyes
tentatively appraised Mark. They were kindly eyes with perhaps a
hint of fear and skepticism. Mark suddenly felt as if he were on an
audition. He knew the doubts that swirled in his mind. Surely they
were also firmly implanted in hers, if she had any sense. From what
he could tell in that first impression, he was sure that she did,
which made him even more surprised that she would even agree to the
meeting. Standing in her doorway, he found his interest in the
potential of the situation piqued even though this was all so
crazy.

“
Terry, this is my brother
Mark. Mark, Terry Calloway,” Brad introduced them then looked from
one to the other when neither moved. “Uh…the one’s I’ve been
telling you each about?” The two just stared at Brad, briefly
glancing at each other. “Hello!” Brad said impatiently.

“
Right, right, uh, hi!” Mark
blurted out as she raised her hand to him and they awkwardly
shook.

“
Uhm…won’t
you come in.” Terry motioned for them to move further into the
small living area. It was clean and cozy, Mark thought. She’d made
the best possible use of every available space and she seemed
extremely organized. He was impressed. Though how difficult could
it be for a woman alone? Wait until his three girls and twin boys
were thrown in. Not to mention the cat.
Cat
s
, he
corrected as a fluffy whitish feline pranced into the room and
jumped up right where he’d been about to sit.

“
Shaw!” Terry scolded as she
walked toward the cat. “Oh, I’m sorry. She’s used to being the
queen. You’re okay with cats? I mean, Brad said you liked cats.”
She seemed suddenly apprehensive as she had to brush by him to
scoop up the cat.

“
Oh, no. I love cats. We
have a cat. He thinks he rules too.” They laughed awkwardly. Mark
did note that her laugh was light, sweet. He added without thought,
“He was my wife’s baby…” His words trailed off and silence
ensued.