Ready-Made Family

Ready-Made Family
Cheryl Wyatt

Amelia North needs refuge, and finds it–in Refuge, Illinois.Stranded there after a car wreck, the single mother expects to be cold-shouldered. After all, she's already been rejected by her parents, her church and her daughter's father. Instead, she finds a town full of people with open hands and open hearts…including pararescue jumper Ben Dillinger.Ben wants to help Amelia and her daughter find safety and stability. Instead, he finds himself freefalling–right into love with the ready-made family.

“Who are you?”

Amelia fought against the urge to demand to know why he held her daughter in his arms. Reece didn’t warm easily to anyone. Strangers terrified her.

The man cradled Reece’s head in a tender way that made Amelia’s heart dip. Child in arms, he rose on powerful legs and approached. As a priceless jewel set in precious metal, he placed Reece beside Amelia on the hospital bed.

“My name’s Ben Dillinger. Your daughter found me in the parking lot of the mall where you fainted.” Questions sparked deep in his brown eyes. “Why did you faint?”

“That isn’t any of your business,” she whispered.

“When I see a life in jeopardy, it becomes my business. You were driving when you passed out, and your car crashed into a pole. You nearly died today.”

Amelia had always faced life head-on without backing down. But suddenly, the pressure threatened to do her in. “What am I gonna do?”

“Let me help you, Amelia.”

“But why?”

“Because I care.”

CHERYL WYATT

An RN turned stay-at-home mom and wife, Cheryl delights in the stolen moments God gives her to write action and faith-driven romance. She stays active in her church and in her laundry room. She’s convinced that having been born on a naval base on Valentine’s Day destined her to write military romance. A native of San Diego, California, Cheryl currently resides in beautiful, rustic Southern Illinois, but has also enjoyed living in New Mexico and Oklahoma. Cheryl loves hearing from readers. You are invited to contact her at Cheryl@CherylWyatt.com or P.O. Box 2955, Carbondale, IL 62902-2955. Visit her on the Web at www.CherylWyatt.com and sign up for her newsletter if you’d like updates on new releases, events and other fun stuff. Hang out with her in the blogosphere at www.Scrollsquirrel.blogspot.com or on the message boards at www.SteepleHill.com.

Ready-Made Family

Cheryl Wyatt

Published by Steeple Hill Books

I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them.

—Hosea 11:4

To my church family at The Vine in Carbondale,

Illinois. I’ve fashioned Refuge Community Church

after everything you are. Thank you for teaching me

how to love God and live out my faith. Thank you

for embracing ethnicity, and for stretching wings of

refuge across every socioeconomic barrier to serve the

community without agenda. Thank you for being a

place where people can come as they are and be loved.

Dear Jesus, this one’s for You.

Help me always write as worship.

Melissa Endlich, every reader touched by these stories

is because you and the Steeple Hill Books team took a

chance on an unknown, unpublished, unproven author.

Thank you from the depths of my heart.

Acknowledgments

Thank-you to Gretchen Reynolds for help with research for Carolina’s outer banks.

Huge thank-you to to Donna Fleisher for all your Air Force assistance. Thank you also to Amn Nolan, Pennock and “BH,” as well as Nancy Barnes, her squadron commander husband and the PJ community at Hurlburt Field who input ideas and answered my gazillion research questions. I appreciate your help with all things pararescue! May God watch over you and keep you safe while you do these things, “So others may live.”

Congratulations to Connie Kuykendall, who won the opportunity to name a character in my book. Gus Johnson is the perfect name for Refuge’s lovable hillbilly mechanic!

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