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A Sheltering Love
Terri Reed
Who was the handsome stranger who'd saved her life - twice?That was what Claire Wilcox wanted to know, especially after she'd impulsively invited the man to stay at her shelter for runaways. She sensed there was more to handyman Nick Andrews than met the eye - there was a great loss this loner was trying to run from. Claire knew what running was all about. A former runaway herself, she'd established a haven for troubled teens.As Nick earned his keep repairing damage to the shelter, he grew closer to Claire, to the kids she cared for…and to the God he'd shut out of his heart. Could Claire's faith begin to fill the spiritual void in his life and give him a new reason to love?
Claire turned to thank the stranger, but he’d walked away.
The pocket-size Bible sticking out of his back pocket snagged her attention. Interesting.
She hurried after him, not wanting him to disappear without thanking him. In this day and age, not many people would have come to her aid.
“Hey, wait,” she called.
He paused, glancing over his shoulder. When she caught up to him, he arched a black brow. His expression was less intimidating now, more playful. She swallowed.
Her first impression that he was good-looking had been marred by the anger hardening his features. She realized he was beyond good-looking and sliding straight toward gorgeous. Everything inside went on alert, like the quills of a porcupine sensing danger.
TERRI REED
grew up in a small town nestled in the Sierra Nevada foothills. To entertain herself, she created stories in her head and when she put those stories to paper her teachers in grade school, high school and college encouraged her imagination. Living in Italy as an exchange student whetted her appetite for travel and modeling in New York, Chicago and San Francisco gave her a love for the big city, as well. She has also coached gymnastics and taught in a preschool. She enjoys walks on the beach, hikes in the mountains and exploring cities. From a young age she attended church but it wasn’t until her thirties that she really understood the meaning of a faith-filled life. Now living in Portland, Oregon with her college-sweetheart husband, two wonderful children, a rambunctious Australian shepherd and a fat guinea pig, she feels blessed to be able to share her stories and her faith with the world. She loves to hear from readers at P.O. Box 19555, Portland, OR 97280.
A Sheltering Love
Terri Reed
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
—Luke 6:31
To Robyn, friends forever. Thank you for all the times you listened. For all the times you were there when I needed you.
Thank you to author and retired social worker Delle Jacobs for so patiently answering all my questions. Any mistakes are purely mine.
Thank you to my editor, Diane Dietz, for believing in me and for the wonderful pep talk.
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
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
Letter to Reader
Chapter One
Here comes trouble.
Maybe some kids were beyond her help.
Claire Wilcox eyed the two teenage boys sauntering across the grassy park toward the shaded spot where she and fifteen-year-old Mindy were talking. Claire’s gaze zeroed in on the taller, dark-haired boy with scraggly, shoulder-length hair and a thin face. The early April sunlight splintered off the earring dangling in his left ear. In his hands he carried a golden retriever puppy.
Behind the two boys, in sharp contrast, the purity of the majestic snowcapped peak of Mount Hood rose in the distance like a sentry, standing watch over Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
She’d seen the dark-haired boy around town.
Some locals blamed last month’s vandalism at the downtown theater on this kid. She didn’t know his story, but she would soon if the opening of the teen shelter went as planned this coming July.
“Hey, Johnny, catch.” The dark-haired boy suddenly tossed the puppy to his blond companion, who awkwardly caught the small dog.
Claire’s heart pitched. She stalked forward, her hands clenched at her sides. “Hey! Don’t do that!”
Johnny shoved the dog back into the hands of the taller kid.
“Do this?” He tossed the small dog back to his companion.
The puppy yelped and Johnny caught the little fluff ball, then held it at arm’s length by the scruff of the neck. The kid’s gray sweatshirt and faded jeans were dirty, as if he’d rolled or slept on the ground. His gaze darted away from Claire, his face flushing guiltily.
“Tyler, stop it,” Mindy wailed as she moved to the side of the taller kid.
So this was Tyler.
Claire scrutinized the dark-haired boy in his red T-shirt with some rock band’s logo on the front and ripped, dirty jeans. Mindy had said he was nice. He didn’t look nice. He looked downright nasty. The kind of guy she would have fallen for at Mindy’s age. The kind that would give any parent a heart attack.
Not her. She knew better. Everyone deserved a chance.
Claire understood the pain of the rebellious teens she was trying to help. She understood—had experienced the wounds of childhood. Wounds inflicted by those she should have been able to trust.
Teens like Mindy and Tyler stood on the cusp of adulthood, where the choices they made would affect the rest of their lives. By the grace of God, Aunt Denise had stepped in and helped Claire when she’d been at the point of no return. Not every teen was as fortunate.
If only Claire could get through to kids like these. Earning the right to be heard, to be trusted, would take time. Once The Zone officially opened, she hoped to make a difference in their lives. Give them a place to belong, to come to when it became too rough at home.
A safe haven.
But her only concern right now was for the animal.
She flexed her hands and willed herself to stay calm. With as much control as she could muster, she said, “Give me the puppy.”
Tyler snorted and grabbed the puppy back from his friend. “You ain’t the boss of me, lady.”
“No, I’m not. You’re the boss of you. But I don’t think you’re cruel, either, Tyler. Just let the pup go.” Though she’d gentled her tone, anxiety wavered in her voice.
Tyler flipped his unwashed hair over his shoulder as his eyes narrowed. Claire met his challenging gaze dead-on. He wanted attention, wanted someone to trust, somebody to care. Well, she’d show him she cared and that she wasn’t afraid or intimidated by him.
Most people in Pineridge would just as soon lock up these kinds of teens. The “throwaways.” But Claire had different ideas. They needed help and understanding. And she could give that to them.
Tyler dropped his gaze first, affirming to Claire that he just needed some guidance, some boundaries. But when he lifted his gaze back to hers, she sucked in a breath at the malicious intent in his gray eyes.
“You want the dog?” His mouth curled up in a sneer. “Then you catch the dog.”
Tyler flung the puppy upward. Fear clamped a steely hand around Claire’s heart. The dog yelped again, its legs flailing in the air. She lurched forward, her arms outstretched, her hands ready to catch the dog. But she was too far away. Her feet stumbled on a rut in the grass. Her pulse pounded. The teens’ snickering echoed in her ears.
Dear Lord, help!
A shadow crossed her peripheral vision. The air swirled with a rush of heat as a dark shape overtook her, passed her. She skidded to a halt.
A man.
He deftly caught the small pup and cradled the trembling dog against his black leather-clad chest. His big hands gently soothed the puppy with long strokes down its back.
The man was tall, well over six feet, wearing black leather down to his heavy boots. The ebony hair curling at the edge of his collar needed a trim and a few days growth of beard shadowed his square jaw. Tiny brackets edged his mouth and weathered little creases outlined his eyes.
But it was those dark orbs that sent her pulse into shock.
Though he stared down Tyler, she saw the hard glint of rage shining from the fathomless depths of his black eyes.
Tall, dark and dangerous. Nothing but trouble there.
Claire resisted the urge to back away. She’d learned long ago that she was susceptible to the kind of guy that sent good girls scrambling for cover. Claire wasn’t a good girl; she’d done some horrible things in the past. Things she was ashamed of. But she’d turned her life around and wasn’t about to backslide.
Tyler scowled. “Hey, mister, that’s mine.”
“Not anymore.” Anger punctuated the stranger’s words. His accent wasn’t from the Pacific Northwest.
He thrust the butterball of a dog into Claire’s arms. His gaze flicked over her before once again settling on Tyler. Claire shivered at the fury in those impenetrable eyes.
She cuddled the puppy close. Its heart hammered against its little ribs. She met Tyler’s fierce glare. Animosity glowed bright in his eyes. She wasn’t winning any points with the kid. A long, tough road stretched ahead if she wanted to help him. But she was up to the challenge.
“Time for you to leave, little boy,” the man said. A command, not a suggestion.
She groaned into the puppy’s fur. Not the thing to say to a teenage boy who was trying to grow up too fast. Was the man deliberately trying to provoke Tyler? A quick glance at the tall stranger confirmed what she feared. His expression dared Tyler to react.
Tyler’s chin jutted out in a mutinous gesture. “Who’s going to make me?”
The man didn’t move a muscle, didn’t say a word, but the charged silence crackled with suppressed hostility.
He’d have no trouble taking on an undernourished fifteen-year-old, even one with the attitude of Godzilla. Why was the man still so enraged now that the puppy was safe?
Beside her, Mindy shuffled her feet, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. Wide-eyed, Tyler’s friend looked between the intimidating man and Tyler. His hunched shoulders and the way he edged away from Tyler told Claire that the blonde would bolt at the first sign of a fight.
The fire in Tyler’s eyes slowly turned to fear as the man stood there waiting, his expression intense and unyielding. She held her breath, hoping Tyler would take heed of his own internal warning system and leave.
He didn’t.
“I’m not going. Not without the dog.” Tyler’s voice quivered slightly.
“You might want to rethink that idea.”
The steely edge in the man’s voice sent a ripple of concern down Claire’s spine. Time for damage control. She couldn’t let this male posturing go any further. Tyler was just a boy trying to survive in the world.
She stepped toward the stranger and laid a hand on his arm. The leather-clad muscles of his forearm bunched beneath her palm and shot little sparks of heat up her arm to settle in the middle of her chest.
Her hand tightened.
For a tense moment she thought the man wouldn’t back down, but then he turned his gaze on her. The burning anger in his eyes slowly drained. Stark, vivid torment filled his expression.
Aching compassion welled within her, making the need to heal, to offer comfort, tangible. She’d seen the haunted expression before, in the faces of teens who’d confronted the unimaginable and survived. But glimpsing the wounded soul of this man made tears sting the back of her eyes.
His eyes widened slightly, giving her the distinct impression that he’d somehow glimpsed her thoughts. Invaded her mind. She blinked rapidly, using her unshed tears as a shield against the threat of this man who twisted her up inside and made her forget to breathe.
Abruptly, he turned away, fixing his attention back on Tyler and giving her a moment to catch her breath. His body language relaxed slightly, giving her the signal that she could remove her hand from his arm. She did, her hand immediately turning cold.
“Go. Just go.” The tired, ancient sound of the man’s voice gave testament to the pain she’d seen in his eyes. “And don’t come back.”
Claire opened her mouth to protest, to say she wanted the teens to come, to know that they’d always be accepted at The Zone. But she met Tyler’s gaze and the words died in her throat.
Hatred gleamed from his gray eyes. He brought his hand up and made a slicing motion across his throat. The stranger stiffened, all semblance of relaxation vanishing.
Tyler curled his lip and backed up. “Come on, let’s blow this dump,” he said, his chin jutting out once again.
Relief showed on the other boy’s face. “Yeah, this is boring.” He didn’t waste time retreating, gaining a large lead on Tyler as he headed west toward one end of the park.
Tyler kept backing up, his gaze darting between the man and Claire. “Mindy, let’s go.”
