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Family Ever After
Margaret Daley
Three foster kids fell into Noah Maxwell's lap and turned his life upside down.The successful businessman knew nothing about children, so he hired single mom Cara Winters to help care for his new brood. Cara sensed that despite Noah's confident facade, old wounds troubled him. But he refused to discuss his past pain, despite her desire to help him heal.Perhaps her love could inspire Noah to relinquish his independence and give Cara and the children the fairy-tale ending they all deserved.
“Maybe this parenting thing isn’t so hard.”
Cara laughed. “Yeah, you keep thinking that, Noah.”
“I believe my new housekeeper is making fun of me.”
Arching an eyebrow, Cara asked, “You think?”
Amusement dimpled Noah’s cheeks. “I bow before your expertise in child rearing. Believe me, I’m in over my head and still wondering why I agreed to take in three kids.”
“Because you saw a need and wanted to help.”
“So you think you’ve got me figured out,” Noah said.
“No, I would never say that.” Cara blushed. “Now I need to get busy cleaning. If you stay, I’ll put you to work.”
“I’m all yours till I have to pick up the kids from school.”
I’m all yours. Cara couldn’t get past those words. But she had to remember that Noah was a self-proclaimed bachelor for life. And all she wanted was a family. She shouldn’t have taken this job. Noah wasn’t going to be an easy man to ignore.
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 has participated in many sports with her students.
Family Ever After
Margaret Daley
But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
— Psalms 37:39
To my new granddaughter
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
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
Questions For Discussion
Chapter One
A clap of thunder vibrated the air. Cara Winters jumped at the sudden sound. Staring out the windshield of her blue Chevy, she could barely see the front door of the restaurant ten yards away. Sheets of gray rain hammered the packed parking lot. With a glance at the clock, noting it was twenty minutes after noon, she grabbed her umbrella from the seat next to her.
She hated being late. Again she studied the distance to the restaurant and noted a lessening in the intensity of the storm. If she hurried, she shouldn’t get too wet.
Clasping the handle, she readied herself for the mad dash. She shot out of the car, opening the umbrella as she slammed the door closed with her foot. Then she rushed toward The Ultimate Pizzeria, her total attention on the entrance.
Halfway across the parking lot, a blaring horn froze her. She pivoted toward the noise, her eyes growing round. A red sports car swerved to avoid her and splashed a puddle of water down her front. The wind caught on her umbrella, and turned it inside out. What the puddle of water didn’t get wet, the pouring rain did.
She sidestepped another small lake and continued her sprint to the restaurant. Maybe they had a towel—or several—she could use. Being drenched was a fitting end to her horrible morning.
As she reached to open the door, out of the corner of her eye she noticed the red sports car park in the back. She thought about waiting to give the driver a piece of her mind, but that would take time and energy she didn’t have.
Shivering from being cold and wet, she welcomed the warmth in the pizzeria as she scanned the tables for her son and Laura Stone. Her friend waved from the other side of the restaurant, and Cara quickly made her way to the table beside one of the large picture windows that faced the street.
“I’m sorry I’m late. The second interview ran over, but I didn’t get the job. Either one.” Cara slipped into the chair across from Laura and smiled at Timothy, whose mouth was full of a bread stick.
Her friend’s gaze widened. “I’m sorry about the jobs, but what happened to you? Did you go swimming? I know you’re new to town, but it’s only March and still cold in Cimarron City.”
“Funny. I’m laughing on the inside.”
“Seriously, what happened?” Laura dumped a packet of sugar into her iced tea and stirred it.
“I almost got run over in the parking lot, and the guy didn’t even bother to check and see if I was all right. What has happened to chivalry in this century?”
Timothy swallowed his food. “What’s chiv-alry?”
“Hon, it’s about courage, honor and protecting the weak.”
“You aren’t weak, Mom.”
Cara chuckled. “No, but I am wet.”
She noticed her friend’s gaze shift to something behind Cara. Before she had a chance to peer over her shoulder to see what had captured Laura’s attention, a thick terry cloth towel was dropped onto the table in front of her. She must really look bad if a stranger was giving her something to dry off with.
Cara twisted around in her chair to thank her rescuer. A tall, lean man with shaggy dark brown hair filled her vision. Her gaze traveled up his torso and came to light on the somber expression of the man who had nearly hit her. All words fled from her mind as she stared into his hazel eyes.
“Noah, when did you arrive? When I came in, they said you had a business meeting and had gone to your office.”
Cara heard her friend speaking to the man, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away. From the distance in the parking lot and the heavy rain, she hadn’t really gotten a good, up-close look at him. Now she did, and he was probably the handsomest man she’d ever seen. Bar none!
Averting his gaze from her, Noah grinned at Timothy and then Laura as he sat in an empty chair. “I just got here. I see you’re with the woman I nearly ran down.” He gave Cara an apologetic look, the corners of his mouth curving up while dimples appeared in his cheeks. “I’m very sorry. I didn’t see you between the parked cars. I would have stopped, but I didn’t want you to get wetter than you already were.”
Heat seared her face. She lowered her gaze and fastened it upon the towel. “Thanks for this.” She lifted it and wiped her damp hair and face.
“This is my friend Cara Winters, and her son, Timothy, from St. Louis. She finally decided to take me up on my suggestion to move here.”
After greeting her son, the man held his hand out for Cara to shake. “Nice to meet you. I’m Noah Maxwell, the proprietor of this fine establishment. I know my armor is a bit tarnished, but I hope the towel and apology restore some faith in chivalry.”
Timothy giggled.
She paused in an attempt to make herself more presentable and draped the towel over the arm of the chair. She clasped his hand and shook it once before releasing it. Her fingers tingled from the warmth radiating from his hand. “You’re a friend of Laura’s husband, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, we’ve known each other for years. Peter, Jacob and I were foster brothers.”
“Ah, yes. I met Jacob and his wife yesterday.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Just a few days.”
Noah transferred his attention to Laura. “Why didn’t you say your friend was moving here? I know how long you’ve been wanting her to come.”
Cara folded her hands in her lap—tightly—to erase the warmth of his fingers about hers a moment ago, but she still felt the touch. “Not her fault. She didn’t know until the last minute. I finally sold my house and had been planning to move into an apartment in St. Louis.” She glanced at her son. “Both Timothy and I decided since we had to move why not come to Oklahoma. He missed Laura’s boys. They were buddies. And I missed Laura.”
“Cara is a free spirit. When I asked her to come to Cimarron City, I extended an open-ended invitation, which I’m thrilled she accepted. I’d about given up on her moving here.” Laura leaned forward. “We want to keep her here, so she needs a job and a place to stay. Any suggestions?”
Noah scanned his restaurant. “Have you ever been a waitress? One of mine will be going on maternity leave at the end of this week.”
Cara shook her head. Like Laura, she had been a wife, mother and homemaker with no skills beyond that. Not very marketable, she’d realized after the fifth interview with no hope of a job. “Unless you count waiting on my family at mealtime.”
“Close enough. You’re hired.”
Her mouth fell open. “Just like that?” She snapped her fingers and her lips closed.
Noah’s laughter spiced the air. “I need a temporary waitress. You need a job.”
“Don’t you have to check my references?” Despite her lack of experience in the workforce, even she knew that much.
Noah turned to Laura. “Will you vouch for your friend?”
“One hundred percent. You won’t get a better worker than her.”
Noah then shifted his attention to Timothy. “What do you say about your mom? Is she a good worker?”
“She’s the best!” Timothy scooped up another bread stick and took a bite.
Noah’s sharp, assessing gaze swiveled back to Cara. “There. I’ve checked your references. Do you want the job? I know it probably isn’t what you’re looking for, but it’s temporary until my waitress comes back in six weeks. The tips aren’t bad here, and it’ll give you some time to look for a different job.”
Two warm patches continued to flame her cheeks. She wasn’t used to a man looking at her with such intensity. Married right out of high school, she’d basically led a sheltered life where men were involved. “As long as you know I’ve never done anything like this.”
Noah rose. “I’m a risk taker. I think I can handle it. Can you start on Friday? The weekends are very busy around here. You might as well plunge right in.”
Three days. “Sure.” Thoughts flew through her mind. She had so much to do before she started the job. Enroll her son in school. Start looking for a place to live. She didn’t want to live off Laura’s—or anyone’s—charity for long.
“I’ll see you at eleven then on Friday.”
The quick smile that graced his mouth made Cara’s heart palpitate. After he left, she said, “Once I get past the fact he almost ran me down with his car, he’s a charmer.”
“Noah is a dear friend. He’s very charming and kind, but he’s left a string of broken hearts in Cimarron City,” Laura said.
Cara straightened, lining up her fork and knife next to her plate. “You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Mom, I need to go to the bathroom.”
Cara began to rise.
“I’m eight. I can go by myself.”
“Sure, hon. You see where it is?”
He nodded and left.
When he disappeared inside the restroom, Cara swung back to her friend. “Just because I said Noah Maxwell was charming, doesn’t mean I’m interested, Laura. Being married once was enough for me. My son and I are happy the way things are.” If she said it enough, surely she would begin to believe it.
“It seems the last year I was in St. Louis all we talked about were my problems. You haven’t talked much about your marriage to Tim.”
Although the sentence wasn’t really a query, Cara glimpsed the question in her friend’s eyes. “It’s not a secret we were talking about divorcing before he became sick. I couldn’t leave him when that happened. I’m not even sure I could have if he’d remained healthy.” Her husband’s long illness had wiped out their savings and what little life insurance he had went to finish paying off his medical bills and to give her some time to figure out what to do with her life. But she still didn’t know what that was.
A waitress brought a large Canadian bacon pizza and placed it in the middle of the table. After she left with Cara’s drink order, Laura said, “I took the liberty of ordering. Timothy seemed to think you wouldn’t mind.”
The aroma wafting to Cara made her mouth water. “Not one bit. I’m starved. I got out of your house this morning so fast I didn’t even get a cup of coffee. Thankfully I didn’t yawn through the interviews.”
“Noah’s pizzas are fabulous even if I’m a little partial.”
