The Family Man

The Family Man
Irene Hannon

THE DAVIS LANDING OBSERVER THE GOSSIP GURU has more scandalous news about the beleaguered Hamilton family:Seems patriarch Wallace had an illegitimate child with someone well-known within the community. Does Mrs. Hamilton know about this? In other Hamilton news, daughter Amy recently hired old flame Bryan Healey to write for Nashville Living.Wonder how gracious the single dad will be in taking orders from the woman who broke his heart? But what eldest daughter wants, she gets. And Amy wants this family man to be hers .

“You’re attending church again?” Bryan’s voice was cautious, as if he still couldn’t quite believe it.

“Yes.”

Bryan was tempted to ask Amy how she’d found her way back to God. But that was too personal. And their relationship was strictly business now.

“Well, I need to get back to work,” he said.

“And I need to get home and have some dinner.”

Without waiting for a response, Amy left. She was still trembling when she stepped off the elevator. She wanted to attribute her reaction to the shock of being startled in the deserted office, to the fear that an intruder had trespassed onto family property, but she knew better. She trembled now from fear of another kind, sparked by the knowledge that an intruder had, indeed, trespassed tonight. Onto her heart. And that he’d taken something of great value, something she desperately needed for peace of mind. For survival, even.

Gone was the last illusion that Bryan Healy was history.

DAVIS LANDING:

Nothing is stronger than a family’s love

IRENE HANNON

is an award-winning author who has been a writer for as long as she can remember. She “officially” launched her career at the age of ten, when she was one of the winners in a “complete-the-story” contest conducted by a national children’s magazine. More recently, Irene won the coveted RITA

Award for her Love Inspired book Never Say Goodbye. The RITA

Award, which is given annually by Romance Writers of America, is considered the “Oscar” of romance fiction. Irene, who spent many years in an executive corporate communications position with a Fortune 500 company, now devotes herself full-time to her writing career.

In her spare time, she enjoys performing in community musical theater productions, singing in the church choir, gardening, cooking and spending time with family and friends. She and her husband, Tom—whom she describes as “my own romantic hero”—make their home in Missouri.

The Family Man

Irene Hannon

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Irene Hannon for her contribution to the Davis Landing miniseries.

To Tom…always.

And to Carolyn…one more time!

I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be hindered.

—Job 42:2

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

Letter to Reader

Questions for Discussion

Chapter One

“I have a résumé for the freelance position that you might find interesting. The writer seems to have a lot of expertise in family issues, just like you wanted.”

Amy Hamilton spared her sister a quick, distracted look, then went back to reviewing the layouts for the next edition of Nashville Living magazine. “I don’t need to see it. You’re the features editor. Just weed through the applicants and find some good people for us to interview.”

Heather tucked a soft wave of long brown hair behind her ear, took a deep breath and stood her ground. “I think you should look at this one.”

Stifling a sigh, Amy prayed for patience—a virtue she sometimes found in short supply. Always driven, always a high achiever, she hated to waste time. As managing editor of Hamilton Media’s popular lifestyle magazine, she didn’t need to be involved in the nitty-gritty of sorting through applications. She trusted Heather to select the best candidates. Maybe more than Heather did, Amy reminded herself. In recent years Amy had come to realize how difficult it had been for Heather to live in the shadow of her successful and popular oldest sister, with the inevitable comparisons—and insecurity—that brought. So more and more she tried to factor that into their relationship, taking extra time to let Heather know that she was appreciated and respected.

“Okay. What have you got?” Amy pushed the layouts aside and gave her sister her full attention.

The rigid line of Heather’s shoulders eased, and she entered the office, handing Amy the résumé as she spoke. “It came from a recruiter. I have a feeling the candidate may not even know it was forwarded to us.”

Planning to give the résumé only a quick perusal before passing it back to Heather, Amy focused on the section delineating the applicant’s experience. Impressive, she noted, as she scanned the credentials. An eight-year stint at a daily paper, most recently doing feature work—much of it family related.

“Sounds promising.” Amy held out the résumé to Heather. “I assume you’re going to call her for an interview?”

“It’s a him.”