A Wonderful Love by Linda Wood Rondeau

Author:Linda Wood Rondeau [Rondeau, Linda Wood]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781938499432
Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas
Published: 2016-08-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Another Sunday and late for church again. Mom waited by the vestibule door, her eyes wide with concern. “Anything wrong, Dorie? This is getting to be a habit.”

Dorie blew out her frustration. “I overslept and the car wouldn’t start. The neighbor jumped it for me. I take it Gabe isn’t here?”

“He’s waiting for you downstairs. He tried the house and then the cell. He said he’d go get you if you didn’t arrive within the next five minutes.”

Dorie checked her cell. “I must have powered down.” She took Emma’s coat off while Josh shed his. He held it out like a silent command to wait on him. When no one took it, he dropped it to the floor and dashed for the steps.

“Joshua Devon Fitzgerald. You get back here this instant.”

He obeyed with pouted lips and shrugged shoulders.

“Hang that up, then take your sister downstairs for practice.” Dorie placed her hands on her hips for emphasis.

Josh picked up his coat. “Sorry.”

Obedience without lip.

Mom beamed with grandmotherly pride as Josh and Emma took the steps at breakneck speed. “You’re doing a fantastic job with them. I know it’s hard being both mom and dad. Children will test your mettle right into their twenties and beyond.”

Instead of rehashing a daughter’s poor choices, Mom hid her condemnation within a pseudo-stream of challenging children, thus removing the criticism with a hundred degrees of separation. “I’ll take that under advisement. I wonder sometimes if a father figure would be best for them.”

“And you think Dr. Wellington would be that father figure?”

“Could be.”

“Don’t settle for the first man to come along, dear. Trust God to choose a good husband for you. And if you have to go it alone, He’ll give you the strength and wisdom you’ll need.”

“You’re right.” Dorie collected a hug for reassurance. “You usually are.”

Mom glanced at the clock. “We probably haven’t missed anything yet. I don’t know why Pastor Dave can’t get to the lesson first thing. All this ‘caring and sharing’ before Sunday school is a waste of time. If Frank Burgess gives one more account of last year’s foot surgery, I think I’ll walk out.”

“Mom? What’s really bothering you?”

“I worry about you. Can’t a mother do that?”

Dorie kissed her mother on the cheek. “I’ll be okay.”

When they reached the Sunday school room, Dorie faked a smile and his icy glare sent shivers up her spine. She took the expected seat next to him. He leaned over and whispered, “Car trouble?”

“I got here, didn’t I?”

Gabe scowled, but before Dorie could ask him to explain his coldness, Pastor Dave distributed a pre-printed lesson on Genesis 17 then led the group in prayer.

Dorie scanned the scripture references. Who would even want a first baby at Abraham and Sarah’s ages? She certainly didn’t want any more children. Her two presented enough challenges. If she married a childless man, wouldn’t he want children of his own?

She glanced toward Gabe. Do you want babies? If she and Gabe were destined for the altar, adding more children into the mix would be a necessary topic before long.

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