his mouth pinched as though he wouldn’t say a word no matter what.
A chill swept her. Rebecca pulled her terry-cloth robe tighter about her and stepped to the side. “Please come in. I don’t want to discuss this out on the porch for the whole town to hear.”
Gabriel made sure that Peter entered the house before he came inside. “I’m willing to forget this incident. Since tomorrow’s Saturday Peter can come by my house to clean up the mess.”
“He’ll be there. And when he’s through cleaning up the eggs, he can do some other chores for you.”
“I’ll take care of my mess, but that’s all.” Peter crossed his arms over his chest, his features arranged in a stubborn expression.
Rebecca drew in a deep, bracing breath, so tired from no sleep and unpacking that all she wanted to do was collapse into a chair to have this discussion with her son. She gripped the banister, using it to support her weight. “That’s not debatable.” She looked toward Gabriel. “What time do you want us there?”
“Eight will be fine, if that’s not too early for you.”
“Are you kidding? I’m up at the crack of dawn with Josh.”
“You can’t make me!” Peter shouted, running up the stairs. “I won’t go!”
Rebecca’s first instinct was to hurry after her eldest, but when she heard his bedroom door slam shut, she winced and decided it wouldn’t do any good. She might say something she would regret, because at the moment her patience was worn thin.
“I’m sorry, Rebecca. I hated to have to bring him home this way and at such an hour.”
She shook her head. “You did the only thing you could. I didn’t even know he was gone. He’s never sneaked out before.” She attempted a smile that she knew faltered. “At least not that I’m aware of. I’m afraid lately I don’t know what my son is thinking or doing.” She ran her hand through her hair, suddenly conscious of the fact that she must look a mess.
Gabriel smiled. “He’ll come around when he gets used to Oakview. It’s hard moving to a new town.”
“We used to be very close until…” Rebecca couldn’t finish the thought. She was tired of thinking about the past and what used to be.
“You don’t have to come tomorrow morning. I’ll make sure Peter does what he needs to do and I’ll put him to work after he cleans up the eggs.”
Rebecca straightened from the banister. “Peter’s my problem, not yours. We’ll be there tomorrow morning at eight sharp.”
“If you need any help—”
“I appreciate the kind offer, but I’m fine.” Rebecca walked to the front door and opened it.
Gabriel paused in the entrance and turned to say something but stopped when he saw her standing so proud and untouchable. She didn’t know how to accept his help, and he wouldn’t make things worse by saying anything else to her. She had enough to deal with. But it didn’t stop his desire to wipe the sadness from her eyes.
He nodded, murmured, “Till tomorrow,” and strode away from her house.
He climbed into the squad car and sat for a few minutes staring at a light in one of the upstairs bedrooms. The silence of the night soothed him, and he bowed his head. “Please, Lord, give me the guidance I need to help Rebecca and her children.” He closed his eyes, drawing strength from the knowledge that He would be with him, that He would show him how to help Rebecca, Peter and Josh.
When Gabriel started the car, he felt calm, at peace as he always did after he communicated with God. He started to back out of the driveway when the radio sounded in the quiet. He responded to the call from the station, knowing it wouldn’t be good.
“Stone here.”
“There has been some vandalism at the school baseball field. Thought you might want to know, sir. I called your house, and when there wasn’t an answer, I thought you might be out.”
“Thanks, Bob. I’ll head over there and take a look.”
When Gabriel arrived at the baseball field, he immediately noticed the large window on the side of the main building was shattered. Taking his flashlight, he checked the area outside before shining the light through the smashed window, glass shards glittering on the concrete floor. Relieved to find the inside undisturbed, he headed for the front to have a closer look around. By the door he stepped on a broken egg in the gravel.
Peter Michaels. Of course, he had no proof the damage had been done by the boy, but he would stake his career on it. Peter might not realize it, but Gabriel could tell when someone was crying out for help and he intended to give the boy that help, starting first thing tomorrow morning.
Rebecca pushed the bell again and heard its blare so she knew it was working. Suddenly the door jerked open, and she automatically stepped back. Gabriel with messed-up hair and a day’s growth of beard greeted her with a puzzled look.
“What time is it?” he asked, combing his fingers through his conservatively styled black hair.
“Eight.” She curled her fingers around the handle of the stroller that held Josh, staring at the overpowering man who had haphazardly dressed in a pair of jeans, a white T-shirt but no shoes.
Gabriel glanced at his watch. “I must have slept through my alarm. Sorry. Got to bed later than usual last night. There was a break-in at the baseball field.” He directed his gaze toward Peter, who stood next to Rebecca.
She looked from the man to the boy, wondering if something was going on. Could Peter have been involved with the break-in? She hoped not, because if that was the case she had a bigger problem than her child not liking Oakview. “Peter, did you do anything else last night besides egg Chief Stone’s house?”
The boy’s bottom lip stuck out, and he stared at a point by his shoes. “What do you think I am? Stupid?”
“No. On the contrary, I think you’re very smart,” Rebecca replied, realizing her son hadn’t answered her question. From his expression she also realized she wouldn’t get an answer out of him.
“Come inside while I put some coffee on. I have to have at least a cup before I can start functioning in the morning.” Gabriel moved to allow them entrance into his home.
Rebecca hesitated. She had only come with Peter to make sure he showed up. After a confrontation in his bedroom, she couldn’t be sure of anything with her son.
“My coffee isn’t as good as Rose’s, but it’s not too bad.” Gabriel waved them inside.
Rebecca picked up Josh and followed Peter into the house, trying to dismiss her eldest son’s anger. When she’d grounded him for shouting at her earlier, he had laughed as though what she had said meant nothing to him.
“Have you all had breakfast?”
“Granny won’t let anyone leave without a proper start to the day, as she refers to breakfast.” Rebecca held Josh close, comforted by his presence.
“Has she fixed you her cinnamon rolls yet?”
