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He stilled. Looked at the twinkling heavens.Hey, God?
An owl’s long, mournful hoot broke the silence. Something rustled in the top of a nearby tree. A gust of wind rippled coolness up his spine—and common sense to foolish dreams.
He shouldn’t be attracted to her. She was the daughter of a church minister, and obviously innocent—she’d always be too good for him. Nope, it could never work, for so many reasons. He’d need to treat her as a friend.
He dragged in a breath of night-cooled air, then slowly exhaled. He could do that. How many times had John spoken about exercising self-control? It mightn’t be easy, but he couldn’t fail God again. Dan gritted his teeth.Wouldn’tfail God again.
That night, after he’d finished his book and turned off the light, thoughts about his neighbor refused to stay neatly locked away. For all her issues, Sarah had a fun sense of humor. And she wasn’t shy of asking the difficult questions either, like that one tonight.
God,how long must I wait for the right woman to appear?He rolled over, shifting the pillow.Lord, help me trust You.He punched the pillow into shape.And help me not to think about her.He closed his eyes.Or that smile.
Chapter 5
“Morning.”
Sarah looked up from her alfresco breakfast to check out the clear blue sky, which made Lake Muskoka gleam like a newly cleaned mirror. “Look at that! So it is.”
Daniel’s lips lifted. “How’s the headache?”
“Better, thanks. Sleep always helps.”
“I’m glad.” His expression lit as he offered a twin-dimpled grin.
Her heart fluttered. So he was good-looking. That was no reason to act like a hormonal teenager. “Um, John called earlier. They’re staying in the city for a few more days.”
He nodded, his gaze dropping to the table. “Your Bible, huh?”
“That it is.”
The chair screeched as he pulled it out and sat. “What are you reading?”
“One Thessalonians.” Where the old koala-shaped Sunday school bookmark had been. Maybe it was time to give the Bible reading another go.
“Where are you up to?”
Dusting the crumbs off the pages, she slid the Bible toward him, pointing at chapter five while she swallowed another piece of blueberry jam-covered toast. Mmm. This stuff tastedsogood.
He glanced up at her again, eyes lit with amusement. “You like that, eh?”
A sip of tea cleared out the crumbs. “What?”
“You moaned.”
It was way too early in the day to begin this blushing business. “No, I didn’t.” Had she? The jam wasreallygood. And it wouldn’t be the first time she’d become overly excited about food.
“You did.”
“Are you gonna poke fun all day, or will you let me finish my brekkie?”
“Finish away, then.” He waved a hand at her while he started reading.
She concentrated on slowly eating like an adult and not a ravenous wildebeest. Best not to think about why she cared.
“I like this part about being joyful always,” he said. “Giving thanks in everything.”
Memories rose of the hospital ward, when she’d been told to be thankful she’d been unconscious while the emergency crews extracted her from the wreck, thankful she hadn’t seen Stephen’s horrific injuries, him broken and bloodied against the windscreen. Thankful? How could she thank God? Her fiancé was dead, her injuries so extensive she hadn’t known about his funeral until weeks later.
She dragged herself from the mental abyss. “Life is a little more complicated than simply believing everything I used to as a child.”
