Table of Contents
She raised her hand to ring the bell, but the door opened and he was there.…
Andi walked insideand into his arms. No words were spoken, none needed. Her face was buried against his shoulder and neck, his cheek against her hair.
So this is what it’s like to come home to Keith.
She had no idea how long they remained like that. It was she who finally forced herself to draw away as his hands moved slowly down her arms, taking her hands in his.
How could I have let this happen? What have I done?
“I’m sorry…” She didn’t want to look into his beautiful brown eyes, which could show such tenderness.
He lifted her chin with one finger. “Look at me, sweetheart. Please…It’s all right. Don’t be afraid.”
It’s not you I don’t trust. I had no idea that in one short week I could fall in love! With a man whom there’s no chance of my marrying!
And I’ve been so completely dishonest with you!
EILEEN BERGER
has been writing for many years, mostly children’s stories and poetry when her daughter and two sons were small, before having hundreds of other manuscripts published. She had been happy growing up on a farm, then living for a time in two major American cities, but feels blessed to continue living in the same north-central Pennsylvania town, Hughesville, where she and her husband, Bob, raised their now-grown children.
She is active in writing circles as speaker, teacher, board member, panelist, conference director and contest coordinator, but is especially grateful for the West Branch Christian Writers, the wonderful critique/support group without which she says she might never have got even the first of her six novels published.
A Family for Andi
Eileen Berger
Ask and it will be given you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be
opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives;
he who seeks finds;
and to him who knocks
the door will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8
To Bob,
the man I love more than life itself.
No wonder I like writing romances!
Andrea Barker lowered the hood of her secondhand car, hoping she’d followed the mechanic’s instructions correctly. She knew little about motors, and her intention was not to fix this one but to make it break down.
She was limping more than usual, but should have expected that; she’d not tried driving long distances since the accident.
The trip from Chicago had been taxing, even though she stayed overnight in Ohio and stopped every few hours to walk a while. Now, getting back in the car, she massaged her right knee and leg before pulling the door shut, fastening the seat belt, and turning the ignition key.
The engine started, and Andi smiled. She was here in Pennsylvania. She took a moment to check her appearance in the rearview mirror before pulling out onto the highwayand resisted the urge to run a comb through her below-shoulder-length auburn hair or to apply color to her fairly full lips. The blue eyes looking back at her sparkled with anticipation.
There was a strange grinding sound, but the car handled fine, as the man who cared for their vehicles had promised.
Hurdle number one taken care of!
If only the rest would go this smoothly! Dad, though apparently understanding her concerns, had argued against her “harebrained scheme,” but she’d been adamant. “I really want to meet my