you met Rick,” he heard Laurel say.
“Yes.” Cassie’s low voice gave nothing away. Though her eyes widened when she saw him, her glance bounced off him, keeping his presence secret.
“He’s a great guy and an even better pastor,” Laurel said. Rick listened unabashedly while she spent several moments extolling his virtues. “You’ll never make a better friend than Rick.”
“Well, thank you, Laurel. I love you, too.” Rick grinned when the older woman squealed in surprise, turned and then hugged him, ruffling his hair.
Rick basked in the feeling of being cared for. Since a wife and family were never going to be part of his future, he cherished every friendship God brought into his life.
“It’s good to have you back, pal.” Laurel patted his shoulder.
“Thanks. Who’s this?” he asked, nodding at a boy who, like Noah, sat with earphones in his ears, swaying to music no one else could hear.
“This is Bryan.” Laurel nudged the boy’s shoulder.
In a desultory fashion, Bryan withdrew one headphone. “Yeah?”
“This is Rick, our pastor,” Laurel said.
“Dude.” Bryan slowly lifted his hand to shake Rick’s. His grip was weak, his palms sweaty. Duty done, he immediately replaced his earphone and closed his eyes.
“I’m overwhelmed by my welcome,” Rick joked.
“You got a better reception than I did,” Cassie complained.
“If he ignored a beautiful woman like you, I don’t feel so bad.” Surprised he’d spoken his thoughts aloud, Rick glanced at Laurel. The smug smile on her face bothered him, but Rick ignored it. He leaned nearer Cassie. “We’ll have to show him that we demand proper respect,” he whispered with a conspiratorial wink. Then he turned to Laurel. “On my way in I noticed George has already picked up Cassie’s things from the dock so I’m ready to leave here whenever you are.”
Noah and Bryan picked up some of the luggage. Rick took the rest. Somehow everything fit inside his small car. Laurel insisted Cassie take the front seat beside him so she’d have a better view of her new home, but Rick noticed Cassie sat just about as far away from his as she could.
“We’re off,” he said as he fastened his seat belt. He left the parking lot and turned the corner to the highway, noticing Cassie’s tight grip on her armrest when the tires slipped on a patch of ice before the treads caught.
“All this ice—” She made a quick glance over one shoulder at Noah.
“It’s okay, Cassie.” He smiled to reassure her. “Josephina will get us there safely. She isn’t the prettiest vehicle around, but she almost always gets where she’s going.”
“Josephina?” she said. One perfect eyebrow arched. “Why not Joseph?”
“Joseph was a truck, my last vehicle.” Rick made sad face. “He wasn’t reliable at all.”
“We won’t go there, then,” she said. The amusement on her face sent an unexpected quiver through him.
His brain instantly shot out warnings, reminding him to avoid entanglements. He was here to atone for his past, not get involved. That thought brought a tiny flicker of sadness that he fought to ignore.
“I promise you’ll arrive in one piece,” he said, noting her grip hadn’t eased.
“But which piece?” Cassie teased in a tight voice. Once they were on the highway, she seemed to relax. “Just before Christmas I was in a fender bender in Toronto on very slick roads. I guess I’m still a bit skittish.”
“We’ll be there soon,” he assured her.
Cassie glanced his way, her head tipped to one side. “Do you ever have doubts about anything, Rick?”
The question made him blink as memories from a host of very bad days from his past made him wince.
“You have no idea,” he muttered as guilt rolled in.
Cassie studied him, a tiny frown marring her beauty. After that she remained silent until they reached Lives. Rick didn’t mind. Her question had sobered him.
“We’re home,” he said as he turned off the motor.
“Finally.” Bryan quickly unfolded himself from the backseat.
“A tall guy like you, you’ll be glad Laurel has a van.” Rick watched him stretch. Something about the kid didn’t seem right. When Bryan headed for the house, Rick called him back.
“Your bag?” he reminded.
“What, no bell boys?” Bryan attempted a laugh but it fell short. He swiped a hand across his face to remove a sheen of sweat, which was odd given the frosty temperature.
Rick also noticed that Bryan’s hand shook when he reached for the suitcase handle. The boy seemed confused as he struggled to maneuver his way to the door. Several times he veered off the pathway into the snow. Concerned by Bryan’s unsteadiness, Rick moved to assist him. He arrived just in time to catch Bryan as he slumped.
“Cassie!” Rick yelled. She was there in a second with Laurel.
“Bryan’s just been diagnosed with diabetes,” Laurel said.
“Get him inside and lay him on the floor,” Cassie ordered after a quick look. “Laurel, we’ll need some orange juice or something sweet.”
Totally out of his depth, Rick appreciated Cassie’s orders. He carried Bryan inside then propped up the boy’s head as Cassie dribbled some orange juice in his mouth.
“What’s wrong with him?” he asked.
“I’m guessing his blood sugar’s too low.” Concern darkened Cassie’s eyes as she monitored the boy’s pulse and checked his pupils. “Bryan, when did you last test?” she asked loudly when his eyelids fluttered.
“Didn’t.” His head lolled into unconsciousness.
Cassie hissed out a sigh of frustration. She looked at Rick. “Can you go through his suitcase and find a small case? It would have test strips, syringes and a vial in it.”
Rick did as she asked. When he found the container, he unzipped it and held it open in his palm so she could easily get what she needed.
“Thanks.” With precise movements Cassie pricked Bryan’s finger and swiped it over a test strip, which she then stuck into the small monitor. She grimaced at the reading, measured out the correct dose from the vial and injected it into Bryan’s stomach. After a quick glance at Noah who stood watching, she offered him a smile then returned to monitoring her patient.
Rick noted the tender hand Cassie swept across Bryan’s forehead and the kindhearted words she spoke. To anyone watching, Bryan might have been her own child.
“Why didn’t he inject himself?”
