A Husband Worth Waiting For

“I didn’t know Uncle Jed had a dog. Can I let him in?” Emma asked eagerly.

“Hang on,” Sarah said. “He didn’t take to me when I met him so I must see if I can make friends with him first.”

She opened cupboards, looking for dog food, and under the sink found a red bowl and a bag of dry dog food. After tipping a generous measure into the bowl, she carried the dish to the door.

Then taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

Max started to growl when he saw her, but she said, “Good dog!” in a confident, reassuring tone and held out the bowl.

He immediately ignored her and dove right at the food, almost knocking the bowl from her hand. She stepped back and he followed, his tail wagging like mad, his nose foraging in the bowl.

There, she thought with a chuckle, that wasn’t so hard. Setting the dish on the floor, she leaned back against the counter and glanced at the children.

“What do you think?” she asked. “Isn’t he beautiful?”

“Ooh, he’s cool!” Emma said.

Jamie, who was crazy about dogs, stared at Max in wide-eyed wonder. “Can we pet him?” he asked breathlessly.

“Not while he’s eating,” Sarah said. “Let’s leave him just now, and after your nap we’ll see if he wants to play.”

While searching for blankets the night before, Sarah had found there were five bedrooms upstairs. One was the master bedroom. The room next to it was apparently a guest room. The two across the way were unfurnished. And the fifth, at the end of the corridor, was a large room, decorated in yellow and furnished with twin beds.

It was to this room that she led Jamie and Emma when they went up for their nap. After tucking them in, she drew the curtains and made her way back along the corridor.

She paused at the master bedroom and tapped on the door. There was no response. Opening the door, she peeked in, intending to ask Jedidiah if he was ready for lunch.

He lay sprawled on the bed, out like a light.

And he’d probably remain that way for several hours, she reflected as she closed the door. And despite her distaste for his despicable attitude toward her, she felt a wave of compassion for him. He had, after all, undergone quite an ordeal. Sleep would do him good.

Jedidiah woke slowly.

To darkness.

And the sound of someone breathing.

Someone very close to him.

So close he could feel a warm breath fanning his cheek.

“Da-da?”

He turned his head. As his eyes adjusted, he saw Jamie standing by the bed, his small hands clutching the duvet.

“Hey, kid,” Jedidiah whispered. “How’s it going?”

“I’s lost.”

“Lost, huh?”

“Up!” The child stretched out his arms.

Jedidiah pulled him on board, and a second later the pajamaed figure was cuddled up beside him under the duvet. And in less than a minute, Jamie had drifted off to sleep.

Jedidiah peered at his watch. Almost nine.

Night or morning?

There was only one way to find out.

Easing himself carefully across the bed, he sat up, swung his legs over the edge of the mattress…

And winced.

A wild party had started up inside his head. The stereo beat throbbed against his temple with the insistency of a tom-tom calling a savage tribe to war.

He sat absolutely still till the pain subsided. Then slowly he got up and made his way to the window.

He edged back the curtain and saw that it was dark out.

Night, then.

Hauling on his jeans, he headed for the en suite bathroom—and it was only as he pushed open the door that he found himself wondering how he’d known it was there.

“Mom?”

Sarah looked up from the kitchen table, where she’d just emptied out her bag in a search for her antacid tablets. “Emma, what on earth do you want?”

“Isn’t it morning?”

“No, it’s not morning!”

“I woke up.” The child yawned. “And Jamie was gone so I thought it was morning and I came down for breakfast.”

Sarah frowned. “He’s not in his bed?”

“And he’s not in the bathroom.” Emma yawned again. “Where’s Max?”

“He’s dozing in the sitting room.” Sarah skimmed a glance at the monitor, which was lying on the countertop. She’d set it there after putting the children to bed…but darn it, with everything that had been happening, she’d forgotten to flick it on. She did it now.

“Let’s go upstairs,” she said. “I need to find him before he gets into mischief. I wonder if he went looking for that dog!”

When they reached the landing, Sarah noticed that the door to the master bedroom stood ajar. The room was in darkness, but she could see a pencil of light under the en suite door.

So…Jedidiah was up.

“C’mon, Mom, I want to go back to bed.”