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A Family for Thanksgiving
Patricia Davids
After a devastating tornado ripped through High Plains, a two-year-old was found wandering all alone. Foster mother Nicki Appleton took in the little girl, her heart bursting with love and prayers. Now the storm's aftermath has brought home the man Nicki once expected to marry, and Clay Logan claims to be a changed cowboy.But with her energy focused on a child she may not be able to keep, is there room for another kind of love in Nicki's heart this Thanksgiving?
“What will you do if you have to give up Kasey?”
A chill settled around Nicki’s heart. “I don’t know. I hope that I’ll rejoice because it means she’ll be reunited with her family.”
“But the truth is?” Clay prompted.
Nicki smiled sadly. “The truth is—it will break my heart into a million pieces.”
Glancing at Clay through suddenly tear-filled eyes, Nicki knew he’d heard the catch in her voice. She hoped he hadn’t seen her eyes mist over at the thought of losing Kasey.
He said softly, “You love her. You want what’s best for her—even if that isn’t a life with you.”
Meeting his gaze, Nicki realized the brash, reckless boy she’d known had changed in more ways than she’d given him credit for. He’d become an insightful man capable of understanding the feelings of others.
After the Storm:
A Kansas community unites to rebuild
Healing the Boss’s Heart—Valerie Hansen
July 2009
Marrying Minister Right—Annie Jones
August 2009
Rekindled Hearts—Brenda Minton
September 2009
The Matchmaking Pact—Carolyne Aarsen
October 2009
A Family for Thanksgiving—Patricia Davids
November 2009
Jingle Bell Babies—Kathryn Springer
December 2009
PATRICIA DAVIDS
Patricia Davids continues to work as a part-time nurse in the NICU while writing full-time. She enjoys researching new stories, traveling to new locations and meeting fans along the way. She and her husband of thirty-two years live in Wichita, Kansas, along with the newest addition to the household, a stray cat named Spooky. Pat always enjoys hearing from her readers. You can contact her by mail at P.O. Box 16714, Wichita, Kansas 67216, or visit her on the Web at www.patriciadavids.com.
A Family for Thanksgiving
Patricia Davids
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Patricia Davids for her contribution to the After the Storm miniseries.
Cast your cares on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
—Psalms 55:22
This book is dedicated with respect and deep
admiration to the people of Chapman, Kansas.
Go Irish!
Contents
Prologue
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
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Questions for Discussion
Prologue
July 10, 4:04 p.m.
“It’s only a thunderstorm. It’ll be over soon.”
Huddled in the basement of the High Plains Community Church with her preschool class and numerous townspeople, Nicki Appleton tried to maintain a brave front for her kids. The howling wind sounded as if it were trying to rip the building apart. The old wooden structure shuddered and groaned over their heads in protest.
The lights flickered. Some of the children around her whimpered with fear.
“Don’t be scared.” One of Nicki’s students, three-year-old Layla Logan, was patting the shoulder of a little girl sitting beside her.
Nicki couldn’t help but smile at the child’s motherly tone. Maya Logan would be proud of her brave little daughter.
Glancing at the small basement window near the top of the wall, all Nicki could see were the limbs of the nearby cedar trees thrashing wildly and the greenish-gray sky beyond. A flash followed by a deafening clap of thunder made her jump.
Suddenly, hail began pelting the roof and bouncing off the ground outside the window. In a matter of seconds, marble-size chunks of ice were filling the window well.
Even by Kansas standards, this was a wicked storm.
At least her car wasn’t getting hammered in the parking lot outside. Nicki breathed a quick prayer of thanks that she had chosen to walk to work leaving her car safely under the carport at her apartment.
Then abruptly, the wind and hail stopped. Nicki tensed. Something wasn’t right.
The thought had barely formed in her mind when a great roar began. Like a dozen jet engines bearing down on them, the sound filled the church basement, drowning out the frightened cries of the people sheltering there.
Tornado!
Nicki pulled the youngest children closer to her, sheltering them with her body. Her ears popped in the intense pressure change. Dust filled the air. The lights went out. People screamed.
The roar went on and on until Nicki thought she would scream, too. It seemed like forever but, in reality, it only lasted a few minutes. Finally, the noise died away, and the sounds of the children’s crying rose in volume.
“I’m scared.”
“Turn on the lights, Miss Appleton.”
“It’s okay.” Nicki used her calm teacher voice, although she felt anything but. Her heart was hammering hard enough to jump out of her body.
Close by in the darkness, Josie Cane added her reassurances to her daycare group. “It’s fine. Everyone sit quietly, please.”
Nicki fumbled, with shaking hands, for the flashlight in her emergency kit. Locating the plastic cylinder, she snapped it on.
The sudden bright circle of light showed her a dozen frightened, tear-streaked faces looking to her guidance. A sweep around the room revealed neighbors and friends taking stock of themselves and each other. Josie had her arms around her eight-year-old niece, Alyssa, planting a kiss on the girl’s cheek.
Everyone seemed okay.
Thank You, dear Lord.
Nicki forced herself to smile at her class. “Wow! That was scary, wasn’t it? Is everyone all right?”
Most of the children nodded. Layla, her brown eyes wide with fright, had her arms clasped around her crying friend. The Baker twins were still covering their ears with their hands. Together, they sobbed, “I want Mommy. I wanna go home.”
Josie’s flashlight snapped on next. She said, “We need to stay here a little longer.”
The two women exchanged knowing glances. They didn’t dare lead the children upstairs until they were sure it was safe. Nicki had no idea what awaited them.
The church’s minister, Michael Garrison, quickly assumed charge. “Everyone stay put until we check things out.”
He headed for the stairs followed by two other men. After several long, tense minutes, Michael returned and approached Nicki and Josie. His face registered such shock that Nicki bit her lower lip in trepidation. “How bad is it?”
“Really bad. The town took a direct hit, but at least the church and school building are intact.”
Nicki stood on trembling legs. “Do you think it’s safe to take the kids to their classroom? I think they’ll be more comfortable in familiar surroundings.”
“That’s a good idea. We’ll need this space to set up an emergency shelter.”
“Why not use the carriage house?” she asked, knowing the building behind the church had been converted into a family shelter for emergencies several years ago.
“It’s gone. Completely destroyed.”
Her mouth fell open in shock. “But it’s only a dozen yards from here.”
“We were spared by the grace of God. There’s no doubt about that.”
Pressing a hand to her forehead, she started to turn away, but he grasped her arm. “Nicki, I know you must be worried about your home and your mother, but I need you to stay with the children—I don’t know for how long.”
Understanding all that he didn’t say, she nodded. “My mother is out of town, thank Heaven. I’ll stay as long as any of the kids need me.”
Once upstairs, Nicki and Josie struggled to keep the scared children calm in the preschool room until their parents came for them. Nicki’s friend, Maya Logan, was among the first to arrive. She snatched up Layla and covered her face with kisses.
Although Nicki was happy to see Maya was safe, the damage she described made Nicki sick to her stomach. It seemed that much of the downtown was in ruins.
With each new arrival, Nicki learned more about the destruction. Nearly half of High Plains had sustained serious damage. Power lines were down, even the cell-phone towers were off-line. Many streets were blocked by debris, including the bridge over the river, the main highway into town. Rescue teams had to travel miles out of their way to reach the stricken area.
The one bright note she heard was that the area of town where she lived had been spared.
Nearly two hours after the tornado struck, Reverend Michael found time to check on Nicki and her charges. Noting his disheveled appearance as he entered the preschool room, she asked, “How’s it going?”
“Outside help is beginning to arrive. We’ve got a medical triage tent set up on the lawn. There are a lot of injuries.”
“Any fatalities?” she asked softly, not wanting the children to overhear.
“Not so far, but some of the town and outlying areas haven’t been searched. Apparently, there was more than one twister in this storm.”
“Have you seen Josie? Alyssa and her little friend, Lily Marstow, slipped away from us. Josie went to look for them.”
