Light in the Storm

Light in the Storm
Margaret Daley

Freedom! After raising her three siblings, high school teacher Beth Coleman was finally, at thirty-eight, responsible for herself alone. With her nurturing nature, she'd loved caring for her family, but now she could travel, see the world. Her only decision? Where to go. Yet as Beth pondered South America as her first stop, a troubled teen walked into her classroom, and with her, a single dad - a handsome, kind, caring man to boot.Though Beth tried to deny it, Samuel Morgan and his ready-made family began to win her heart. South America awaited, but so did Samuel…and the new family she wondered if she was willing to risk losing.

“Are you sure I can’t pay you

for tutoring Jane?”

“No. We’ve been through this before, Samuel. I don’t want your money. I’m doing this for your daughter.”

“Then at least let me take you out for dinner.”

“I don’t—”

“Please, Beth. I feel like I should do something for you.”

She paused on the porch, looking back at Samuel framed in the doorway with the light behind him and his features in the shadows. Dinner? Like a real date? The more she found out about Samuel, the more she liked him—and he didn’t fit into her future plans at all, especially with his ready-made family.

THE LADIES OF SWEETWATER LAKE:

Like a wedding ring, this circle of friends

is never ending.

GOLD IN THE FIRE (LI #273)

A MOTHER FOR CINDY (LI #283)

LIGHT IN THE STORM (LI #297)

MARGARET DALEY

feels she has been blessed. She has been married thirty-three years to her husband, Mike, whom she met in college. He is a terrific support and her best friend. They have one son, Shaun, who married his high school sweetheart in June 2002.

Margaret has been writing for many years and loves to tell a story. When she was a little girl, she would play with her dolls and make up stories about their lives. Now she writes these stories down. She especially enjoys weaving stories about families and how faith in God can sustain a person when things get tough. When she isn’t writing, she is fortunate to be a teacher for students with special needs. Margaret has taught for over twenty years and loves working with her students. She has also been a Special Olympics coach and has participated in many sports with her students.

Light in the Storm

With us is the Lord our God

to help us and to fight our battles.

—2 Chronicles 32:8

To my readers—I appreciate your support.

To my local RWA chapter, Romance Writers Ink—

You are a wonderful group of writers.

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed Beth and Samuel’s story in Light in the Storm. I am a high school teacher who has worked with students with learning disabilities. It is important to convey to them that they have strengths as well as weaknesses. Sometimes we dwell on our weaknesses and our self-esteem suffers for it. Yes, we need to be aware of what we need to work on, but no one is perfect. Jane needed to learn that in this story, as did Beth and Samuel.

Another aspect of my story was Beth’s battle with breast cancer. With it being one of the common forms of cancer for women, I wanted to stress the importance of early detection. One way is monthly self-examination. There is a Buddy Check program that advocates a woman forming a partnership with a friend or family member; each reminds the other to self-check monthly.

I love hearing from my readers. You can contact me at P.O. Box 2074, Tulsa, OK 74101, or visit my Web site at www.margaretdaley.com.

Best wishes,

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

Epilogue

Chapter One

With a huff Jane Morgan plopped into her desk. “I don’t see why I have to be here.”

Beth Coleman sighed, turned from watching the snow falling outside Sweetwater High School and said, “Because you’ll be the topic of conversation. It’s your future we’ll be discussing. I thought you should have a say in it.”

Flipping her long, dark brown hair behind her shoulders, Jane slouched in her desk, her arms folded over her chest, a pout firmly in place. “What future? Don’t you get it? I don’t want to be here.”

Beth again looked at the snow coming down and wondered if this was the best time to have a parent conference. Of course, when she had contacted Jane’s father yesterday, there hadn’t been any snow. “Does your father have a cell phone?” Maybe she should call him and cancel until the weather was better. She could drive Jane home.