Darla, honey, I didn’t mean—”
“I promise I won’t be bad anymore. I won’t yell or break things or be nasty, if we could have Susannah look after me. Please?” She stood in her white cotton nightgown, a penitent child where a woman should have been. She’d lost so much.
His heart ached to make her world better. But not this way.
“Sweetie, I don’t think Susannah is going to be able to work. I think she’ll have to rest and get well.”
“For a little while, till she’s not sick. But then Susannah will want to work. She told me she came to see if Connie could help her get a job.” Darla dragged on his arm. “Ms. Evans said she isn’t ever coming back here to stay with me again, so we have a job, Davy. Please, could we get Susannah?”
David had never been able to deny his sister her heart’s desire. Not since the day she’d been born. Certainly not since her accident. But David couldn’t promise this. Darla took every spare moment he had and then some. He had to be her buffer, protect her and make sure her world was safe and secure. He couldn’t take on the responsibility for a pregnant woman, too. He just couldn’t take on another obligation for anything or anyone else.
Can’t or won’t? his conscience probed.
“Please, Davy?”
“I’m not saying yes,” he warned. “I’m saying I’ll think about it. But don’t get your hopes up, Darla, because I don’t believe Susannah will want to do it.”
And I don’t want her here. I don’t want to be responsible if she works too hard or you cause her problems and that child is jeopardized. I don’t want more responsibility.
“Thank you, Davy.” Darla flung her arms around him and hugged him as hard as she could.
“I haven’t said Susannah can come, remember.”
“I know.” She tipped her head back and grinned like the old Darla would have. “But I’m going to pray God will change your mind.” She kissed him, then raced toward the kitchen. “I didn’t have dinner. I’m hungry.”
Darla’s faith.
David wished his own was as strong.
Chapter Two
“So you thought you were married to this man?” Connie said.
“Nick. Yes.” Susannah nodded.
“But—”
“I know it sounds stupid and gullible,” Susannah muttered and hung her head. “He said he didn’t want a fuss, that he wanted our wedding to be just us, private and intimate.”
“But to lie about marriage—I am so sorry.” Connie touched her hand in wordless sympathy.
“So am I—sorry that I was so dumb. Nick arranged everything that I asked for—the minister, the church, everything. But it wasn’t real. None of it was.” Susannah pushed away the rest of the soup David had brought. She shook her head. “I thought Nick loved me. I guess I should have known better.”
“Why? When you’re in love, you do trust the one you love.” Connie’s fingers smoothed hers. “That’s natural, exactly how God meant love to be.”
“Only God didn’t mean love for me.” Guilt settled on Susannah for ruining her friend’s party. “Shouldn’t you go back to your guests?”
“I told them an emergency had arisen.”
“I’m an emergency? Yuk.” Susannah made a face.
“Just like the old days, huh?” Connie teased. She shook her head. “Don’t worry. They’re friends and well used to my ‘emergencies.’ Wade will take care of them.”
“Is he nice?” Susannah asked softly, studying her friend’s glowing face with a twinge of envy.
“Wade is—wonderful.” Connie’s face radiated happiness.
“How did you meet?”
“Silver is Wade’s daughter. Wade had to leave her here while he worked in South America. David was her guardian. He hired me to be Silver’s nanny.”
“How romantic. Like Cinderella.” Susannah thought Darla would have loved that.
“Not at first. When Wade came home he was nothing like I expected. But God knew what he was doing when he put us together. We were married a year ago.” Connie held out her hand. “My engagement ring was Wade’s mother’s.”
“It’s beautiful.” Susannah thought of the cheap gold circlet she’d tucked into her bag. Nick had promised he’d get something nicer later on. Another lie. “Nick died and I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Oh, Suze, I’m so glad you came here. You were only seventeen when you ran away from our foster home. What have you been doing?” Connie asked, her voice grave. “I called home several times, but Mom said she didn’t know where you’d gone.”
“I got in with the wrong group and went to Los Angeles. It took me a while to get my head on straight, but eventually I got a job in a nursing home. That’s where I met Nick.” She inhaled to ease the constriction in her throat. No more tears.
Connie squeezed her fingers. “How did you find me?”
“I finally phoned Mom day before yesterday.”
“She misses you.” Connie’s eyes blazed with sympathy.
“I miss her, too.” Susannah sniffed. “I was stupid to run away. So stupid.”
“Everybody makes mistakes.”
“Even you?” Susannah asked, glancing around.
“Especially me.” Connie laughed. “I’ll tell you later about my mistakes.” Her voice grew serious. “But what about the baby, Suze? When are you due?”
“April. Around Easter.”
“An Easter baby.”
Susannah gulped. “I’m on my own and I have about two nickels to rub together. I guess, first of all, I need to find a job. Do you know of any?”
“First of all you need to get better,” Connie said in her familiar “mother” tone. “Do you want to keep your baby?”
“I don’t think any child would want a mother like me.” She deliberately didn’t look at Connie.
“But you’d make a wonderful mother!” her friend protested.
“Hardly,” Susannah scoffed. “Look how I messed up my own family. I’m so not the poster woman for motherhood.”
“You were nine the day they brought you to our foster home. I told you then and I’ll tell you again, you did not break up
