Addy's Angels by Peg Sutherland

Author:Peg Sutherland [Peg Sutherland]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781459277755
Publisher: Harlequin

CHAPTER ELEVEN

DANNY HEFTED GABBY above his head so she could see over the others and wave goodbye as Elisabeth rode off in a dusty yellow sedan with her father, a young electrician with an adoring look in his eyes and a dimple to match his daughter’s. Her new family had hugged her enthusiastically, and Elisabeth already looked at home.

Although the occasion had started out buoyantly enough, with all the children nearly giddy with excitement, by the time Elisabeth’s father placed her small suitcase in the trunk of the car, the mood had begun to shift. Danny could see it on the faces of the six children left behind as the car door closed, leaving them on the outside again.

Terrell scuffed at the driveway with the worn toe of his sneaker. Casey wrinkled up his nose and screwed up his face the way he did sometimes when he was determined not to give in to the temptation to cry. Reno’s eyes grew red. Even David’s always-beaming face lost a bit of its glow.

Happy as they were here, all of them wanted their own families.

Lifting Gabby off his shoulders and allowing her to snuggle into the crook of his arm, Danny watched Addy turn her attention to the children. They huddled around her. She comforted them with a touch, a smile, a kiss from her fingertips to their cheeks. And he realized all over again what a gift Addy gave to these kids, and all the others who had come before. Without her giving heart, where would they be? What would they be learning about life?

She’s their angel.

The words in his head came to him in a sweet, tiny voice he didn’t recognize, and for a moment, he thought Gabby had spoken. Startled, he glanced at the little girl, whose cheek rested against his shoulder. She smiled as if they shared a secret. Danny opened his mouth to ask an absurd question, then clamped it shut. Of course she hadn’t spoken.

Still, wherever the thought had come from, it stuck. The truth of it couldn’t be denied.

Holding Gabby snuggly, he walked over to his wife, who was still surrounded by the children. Kissing the tips of his fingers, in imitation of her actions, he then pressed his fingertips lightly to her cheek.

“There goes one more you saved,” he whispered.

Addy’s cheeks grew rosy. “I didn’t do anything,” she protested.

Danny shook his head. “Hey, kids, who’s the best mom in Sweetbranch?”

A chorus of young voices shouted, “Addy is!”

“In the world!” Terrell added.

Not to be bested, David said, “In the universe!”

“Oh, pooh!” Addy pulled her glasses down from atop her head and hid behind them once again. “You’re all just trying to butter me up, thinking I’ll bake brownies.”

That, too, was met with a chorus of agreement. Addy laughed, darting a quick, uncertain glance in Danny’s direction as they started toward the house. Danny hung back, setting Gabby down so she could follow. He wondered if he should join the family and risk another scene with Addy, no matter how he ached to be with them.

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