No Safe Haven (36 page)

Cole took the hand Bill held out to him and shook it. Bill was right. It really was like becoming part of a family.

Bill leaned his elbows on the arms of his wheelchair. "So, what's up next for you, Maddox?"

Cole smiled. God had taken care of everything. "I've been given a second chance. The FBI has asked me to help the military with AMI and all its components. And I have to fill them in on everything Viper and the group did. Any contacts or information I can supply will help them shut down other covert groups. I'll be writing sworn statements until I die."

The guys guffawed. None of them liked paperwork. Cole's wheelchair was between his girls' hospital beds, so he reached for Andie with his bandaged hand, and Jenna with the other. "And"—he met Jenna's eyes—"I've been given a second chance. At love." He turned to Andie. "And at being a dad. If, that is, you two will have m—"

Andie was hugging him before he finished talking. "Will we? You better believe it!"

He wrapped his arms around this precious girl who'd given him so much. "You know, Squirt, from the day I lost my family, I haven't had a safe haven to run to. Didn't have peace . . . didn't have joy. Every mission kept me in the danger zone, relying on myself. Because it hurt too much to care. About anyone." He took a deep breath. "Then you came busting into my life." He touched her damp cheek. "And my heart. You showed me I've only been hurting myself. Thanks, Squirt."

"For what?"

"For telling me like it is. And showing me God's love in a way I couldn't ignore."

"I love you, Cole."

"I love you, too, Einstein."

Andie leaned back, and her smile slid into a frown. "But there is one thing I have to say, Mr. Cole Maddox."

Uh oh. This sounded serious. Was she having second thoughts—

"I'm not
ever
climbing a mountain with you again. Ever." Andie sat back and crossed her arms.

The room erupted in laughter.

Cole clutched his chest with his bandaged hand. "Oh, you've wounded me! Why not?"

"Because you snore." Those cute dimples winked at him from her cheeks. "A lot."

Jenna leaned forward to take Andie's other hand. "We'll just have to get you some earplugs, kiddo."

"Yeah, but what about you, Mom?"

Jenna cocked her head. "Me?"

"Well, if you and Cole are gonna get married, you'll have to listen to him snore every night. Yuck."

Jenna's cheeks went pink, but the smile she directed at Cole was full of mischief. "We'll think of something . . ."

Cole let a slow smile ease onto his face. Indeed they would. "So, is it safe to assume, Jenna, that your answer is
yes,
as well?"

Jenna leaned in and planted a kiss on his lips. He wrapped her in his arms, prolonging the contact, lost in the feel, the gift, of her.

"Come on, you two."

Cole pulled away, but kept his arms around Jenna. No way he was letting go now. Or ever.

Andie made a face at him and rolled her eyes.

Cole grinned. "Get used to it, Squirt. You're gonna be seeing a lot of that."

Andie's grin stretched from ear to ear. "I guess I can deal." She came to join their hug, wrapping her arms around him. "Welcome to the families, Cole." She peeked up at him.

"'Families?'"

"God's . . . and ours."

Cole leaned his forehead against Jenna's. Two families in one day.

It didn't get any better than that.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Thank you so much for traveling this exciting journey with us. Our characters, Jenna and Andie, mirror a lot of the real-life Kim and Kayla, but not all. It is, after all, a work of fiction.

Research is no important in novel writing. Many thanks go out to all the experts who helped along the way. Any errors are purely our own.

In crafting
No Safe Haven,
we used real-life medical issues that Kayla and other HSAN patients have so that you could understand this fascinating nerve disorder. While Andie has the same rare conditions as Kayla—both HSAN and Chiari—there are still differences. HSAN (some are diagnosed CIPA) is extremely rare, and doctors are constantly learning and making discoveries to help the few dozen patients in the world living with it. But so few people truly understand the intricacies. (Including us! And we live with it every day.)

Through this story, we hope we've given you a glimpse into our special relationship as mother and daughter, what it feels like to be a twelve-year-old who has HSAN, and what it's like to be the mom of a child with a rare disorder. We had a blast writing
No Safe Haven,
and hope you'll join us for more of Jenna, Andie, Cole, Zoya, and Anesia in
Race Against Time
—where Zoya is a champion sprint-dog racer.

Please let us know what you think. We love to hear from our readers!

Kim and Kayla

www.kimberleywoodhouse.com

www.kimberleyandkaylawoodhouse.com

www.kaylawoodhouse.com

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. In the beginning of
No Safe Haven,
the flight is going smoothly, life is finally looking up for Jenna and Andie, and then suddenly things turn to disaster. When has your life been interrupted unexpectedly? How did that affect you?

2. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace the mind that is dependent on You, because it is trusting in You.” Have you experienced that kind of peace of the Lord? What are some ways to put this verse into practice, especially when life takes unexpected—and difficult—turns?

3. Andie wakes up after the plane crash and discovers she’s all alone. Fear threatens to overtake her. When in your life have you felt this alone? How did you move past that feeling?

4. Trust in others is a struggle for the characters of
No Safe Haven.
Do you find it easy to trust people or are you more guarded? How does this affect your ability to trust God?

5. Cole has a hidden past of family pain. When Jenna and Andie start to trust him, that slowly breaks through his wall. What one event in your life has most impacted you. Does it continue to do so?

6. How can we, as Christians, move beyond the painful parts of our pasts? How do you reach out to people who have deep pain like Cole’s?

7. In the beginning, Jenna fights Cole every step of the way—until the avalanche, when she realizes if they’d done things
her
way, they would have been buried. Why does Jenna have such trouble letting someone else—even someone with more experience than she—be in control?

8. If you were stuck on a mountain in a blizzard, what supplies would you like with you? How would you handle the fear and despair that inevitably come with being stuck in a desperate situation?

9. Jenna realizes that her husband hid important information from her and she feels betrayed. How can we, as believers in Christ, handle betrayal from people who are close to us?

10. How can we resolve situations where we are the ones who have betrayed others?

11. James 1:2–3 says, “Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” How do you apply this verse when encountering trials? What does joy look like in the midst of pain and suffering?

12. While on the mountain, Cole, Jenna, and Andie use humor to relieve some of the tension of their serious situation. How do you find humor in the hard times in life? Think back on a time where humor relieved the tension in a situation. How did that change your outlook?

13. Andie has to ask Cole for forgiveness after she gets angry at him through a misunderstanding. Why is it so difficult to ask others for forgiveness? Have you ever had to do so? How did you approach the person you wronged? How did this experience change you?

14. Scripture commands us several times to not fear. Is this an easy command for you to obey? Do you tend to worry? How do you turn your fear over to the Lord? Discuss situations where there has been fear and the Lord has intervened.

15. Andie and Jenna have close friends in Anesia and Zoya. Who are your closest friends? What circumstances brought you together? Name qualities that you appreciate most about your closest friends.

16. Toward the end of the book, Hank, who had attempted to kill Andie and Jenna in the beginning, ends up trying to save them. How did you feel about the change in him? Were you angry that he seemed to “get away” with what he’d done? Many times we judge people by the sin in their lives, rather than seeing them with the love of Christ. Think of a time when you thought a person you knew was one way and their behavior ended up surprising you in a positive way.

17. If you had to pinpoint your favorite part of the story, what would it be? Why?