Ben's Bundle of Joy

“No, but I’m glad you came by.”

“So, does that mean you’ll come for dinner?”

“I didn’t know nurses could cook.”

“We’re pretty handy with a microwave and a few written instructions,” she said, giving him an impish smile.

“I’ll be there,” he told her as he walked her down the short hallway.

“With Tyler?”

“With Tyler,” he said, then added, “if Richard Erickson doesn’t have him taken away before sundown.”

She heard the humor in his voice, but saw the concern in his eyes, too. “He wouldn’t do that, would he?”

“He would and he could. The man is very bitter right now and he’d do just about anything to have me removed from this church.”

“We’ll just have to say a prayer that he doesn’t follow through on his threats, right?”

Ben grabbed at his chest, an expression of mock surprise on his face. “You—you’re going to pray for me?”

“Hey, I still talk to God on occasion, even if I don’t think He’s really listening.”

Ben touched her arm then. “He always listens, Sara. You have to know that. After all, He sent you to rescue me this morning, didn’t He?”

“That was Emma’s doing,” she said, acutely aware of the clean, fresh smell of baby lotion mixed with aftershave that lifted out around him. “And remind me to thank her later.”

“Are you sure it was all Emma’s doing?” he countered, holding the door for her, but not letting her pass just yet.

“No, I’m not sure of anything right now, except that I need to get back to work. I’ll see you tonight, Rev.”

Ben watched her walk across the yard toward the day-care center, her straight skirt swishing, her long booted legs carrying her on her merry way. He didn’t know if God had sent Sara to him, but she had come just in time, he decided.

Because she was right. He could use a friend. He was blessed with several well-meaning friends here in the church and he appreciated how Emma and Betty stood by him and fought for him, but he needed someone to share quiet moments with, someone he could really open up to and talk with. And Sara Conroy fit the bill—almost too perfectly.

Yet, she’d set the ground rules, and as long as they stuck by them, they’d both be okay. She was willing to be his friend, and she was willing to help with Tyler. Surely there could be no harm in that.

Ben decided he did need her help—he needed Sara to show him how to be a good surrogate dad to Tyler. And he wouldn’t lose Tyler. Richard Erickson’s threats had made Ben even more determined to keep the baby safe and near. Somehow he had to show Jason’s bitter father that he was fit to take care of the little baby, and fit to take care of this congregation, too.

And somehow he hoped God would hear all of their prayers and show Jason Erickson the way back home again.

Chapter Four

“So, because you stepped in and tried to counsel this boy, his father now blames you for his running away?”

Sara held her fork on her plate, her gaze falling across Ben’s troubled face. He’d just told her, between bites of salad and spaghetti, about Jason Erickson and his prominent, immensely wealthy family.

“That about sums things up,” Ben replied as he snagged another crusty piece of French bread then dipped it into the sauce on his plate. “And maybe Mr. Erickson is right.”

“I see,” Sara replied, laying her fork down to stare over at him. “So now you’re beginning to blame yourself, too? Ben, from everything you just told me, it sounds as if you did all you could to help this boy. It’s not your fault he felt forced to run away from home.”

Ben dropped his bread on his plate, then sat back in his chair with a long sigh. “But did I cause this? I’ve asked myself that same question over and over in the last few months. I encouraged the boy to come out of his self-protective shell, to open up to me, and I also encouraged him to get involved with the church basketball team—something his father apparently didn’t approve of at all.”

“But you have to remember that by doing those things you opened up a whole new world to Jason. It sounds as if he needed an outlet—precisely to keep him out of trouble and give him some confidence, and you gave him that outlet.”

Ben gave a little nod of agreement and straightened up in his chair. “He loved the game and he had a natural talent for it. But he’d been struggling in school and I’m afraid all the practices and the heavy schedule did make matters worse. I tutored him, but—”

“But—nothing,” Sara said, getting up to refill their water glasses. As she walked by the coffeepot, she flipped the On button and started a fresh brew for later. “Something else must have triggered his leaving. I can’t believe a few bad grades would make him do something so desperate.”

Ben leaned back in his chair again, and Sara watched as he surveyed the quaint little kitchen decorated with various antique cooking utensils and dozens of potted plants which she hoped she could keep alive through the winter.

“His grades had actually improved a little. And he was trying so hard to please his father and still maintain his own identity. I just wish I knew what really happened.”

“When was the last time you saw him?”

“In April of this year. He came by the office to do some homework, but his mind wasn’t on it. He seemed distracted, worried. I tried to find out what was wrong, but he wouldn’t talk and I just thought he was nervous about the history test he had the next day.” Rubbing a hand across his chin, he added, “But I’ve talked to him on the phone a couple of times since then. He won’t contact his parents, so I’ve tried to encourage him to let me help him, but he refuses to tell me what’s going on. I should have tried to help him, make him tell me what was wrong, way back when I had the chance.”

“You had no way of knowing,” Sara said as she set a plate of cookies on the table, then indicated to Ben to take one. “Emma sends her love along with her special tea cakes.”

That perked Ben up. “I’ve had her tea cakes,” he said as he snared one and bit into it. “Mmm, good.”

“Let’s take these delicious cookies and our coffee into the den,” Sara told him, hoping to take his mind off Jason. “That way we can check on little Tyler, too.”

Ben followed her, carrying the plate of cookies. “He’s sleeping away. I think he likes the fire.”

Sara smiled down at the baby. They’d fixed him up a blanketed bed on a deep arm chair near the fire, safe with pillows all around. “He does look content. You apparently did a good job on your first day as his guardian.”

“I was a nervous wreck,” Ben admitted as he settled down on the matching floral couch, then glanced over at the sleeping baby.

As she sat down in another armchair, Sara had to admit it felt good, having them both here in her new home. It didn’t seem nearly as lonely tonight.

The room was long and narrow, with a dozen or so paned windows that allowed a sweeping view of the lake down below the tree-shaded hills. In the summer, the windows could be thrown open to the fresh country air, but tonight Sara had them shut tight against the approaching chill of winter.

Ben looked at Tyler, his expression thoughtful and hopeful. “I think that’s why I’m determined to help this child—after all of this with Jason, I mean. I let Jason slip away, but maybe this…maybe this is another chance for me, having Tyler to look after.”

Sara’s heart went into another telltale spin. Oh, she didn’t want to feel these things she was beginning to feel. But Ben Hunter looked so sweet, so scared, so lost, sitting there with the firelight reflecting in his blue eyes. Funny, how she’d always assumed ministers just had pat answers for every situation, that they coped above and beyond anything ordinary humans had to endure. But being around Ben Hunter had taught her that even a man of God was still a human being, with feelings and emotions just like anyone else.

Yet, this particular minister did his very best to shield the rest of the world from his own innermost thoughts and torments. Which was why she was worried about him now.

She could tell by the way he talked about the baby, that he was already forming a strong bond with little Tyler. What would happen when the authorities made a decision regarding the baby? What if Ben became too attached to the little boy?

“Ben, you realize you might not have Tyler for very long, don’t you?”

“Oh, sure,” he said, but it sounded hollow in the silent room. “Don’t give me that doubtful look. I know I won’t be able to keep him. But at least while he’s here, I can give him all the love and nurturing that I’ve got.”

“And you’ve sure got a lot, from what I can tell.”

He looked up at her then, his cookie in midair, his expression warm, his eyes questioning. “How do you know that? We’ve only known each other a couple of days now.”