Texas Weddings 3 & 4

  TEXAS WEDDINGS

  BOOK THREE AND FOUR

  Sweet Charity

  &

  Banking on Love

  By

  Janice Thompson

  Dedication

  This fun-loving story about a young woman’s love for children is dedicated to my daughter, Megan, who works as a private nanny. Megan, your face lights up every time a child enters the room, and that warms my heart. May you always remember that each child is a special gift from God, even the ones who try your patience.

  Table of Contents

  Sweet Charity

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Epilogue

  Check out BOOK TWO: Banking on Love

  Sweet Charity

  one

  “Shauna, you’re going to be working with the two-year-olds.”

  “Two-year-olds?” Shauna Alexander gazed into the kind eyes of Mrs. Fritz, the day-care director.

  “How do you feel about that, dear?”

  Shauna hesitated a moment before answering. Caring for children that young didn’t exactly fit into her plan, but then again, how hard could it be? She tried to sound self-assured as she spoke. “I usually work with the older ones, but I’ll be happy to give it a try.”

  Her recently acquired degree in early childhood education had given her a well-rounded knowledge of children, but she had hoped to focus on four- and five-year-olds. Then again, maybe this was God’s plan. Surely she could handle toddlers—with a fistful of prayer and a good, positive attitude.

  “I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Mrs. Fritz said with a smile. “Children are children, regardless of their age. And you seem young at heart. That’s a quality the younger boys and girls will really relate to. You seem like a lot of fun.”

  “Thank you. That’s really sweet.” Shauna smiled as she pondered the director’s words of encouragement. Mrs. Fritz was not the first to make note of her youthfulness, and Shauna saw this quality as a potential asset. She hoped so, at any rate. Her experience had been limited, at least so far—though her hopes and dreams of working with children never wavered. Someday, she would have a day care of her own, if everything went as planned.

  “Let me show you around, honey,” the older woman said with a smile. “I just know you’re going to love our facility. And I’m sure it won’t take you any time at all to fall in love with the children.”

  Shauna couldn’t help but feel hopeful as she followed Mrs. Fritz through the halls of the child-care center. What an adorable facility. Despite its age, the Hiz-Kidz Christian Day Care proved to be quite colorful and creative. In fact, the sights and smells tickled her senses and caused her to want to be a part of this wonderful place. The rooms overflowed with active little ones. Their childish chatter, though loud, stirred Shauna’s imagination and warmed her heart.

  “This is our infant room.” Mrs. Fritz pointed toward a large room filled with uniform white baby beds. The walls, soft powder blue, were hand-painted with clouds and stars. The whole place was a dizzying mixture of aromas—some good, and others not so good. Shauna looked around curiously, wrinkling her nose. Ah. That would explain it. In the corner of the room, an older woman was changing a youngster’s diaper. The little one let out a squeal, fighting the routine.

  “We take them from six weeks up to about a year in here,” Mrs. Fritz explained, clearly oblivious to the noise. She pointed at one of the workers, who held a sleeping infant in her arms. “That’s Lila. She’s got three children of her own. And over there is Nora. She’s been with us for sixteen years.”

  Shauna nodded in the direction of the two women. Lila, a lovely young woman with olive skin and a broad smile, returned the gesture, but Nora, the older, diaper-changing woman, gave her a stern once-over that sent a little shiver down Shauna's spine.

  Goodness. I don’t want to get on her bad side.

  “We always use two teachers in the infant room,” Mrs. Fritz explained. “The babies are quite a handful.”

  So are two-year-olds.

  Shauna traipsed along behind Mrs. Fritz as they made their way to the kitchen. A young woman, probably in her early twenties, dished out plates of macaroni and cheese and green beans with an ice cream scoop. She had shocking red hair and earrings that lined each ear all the way up.

  Mrs. Fritz made the introductions, clearly not focusing on the girl’s appearance. “Ellen, I’d like you to meet Shauna. She’s going to be our new lead teacher in the two-year-old room.”

  Shauna groaned internally as the words were spoken. Two-year-olds. Help me, Lord. She smiled in the young woman’s direction, trying not to let her disappointment show.

  Ellen looked up from her work just long enough to verbalize a quick greeting. Her dazzling smile convinced Shauna they would be friends. Thank You, Lord. I needed someone my own age here.

  Mrs. Fritz led the way through the other classrooms, each ablaze with activity. A finger-painting project appeared to be underway in the four-year-old room. Messy paints in bright blues and reds adorned every chubby finger. The five-year-olds were out on the playground—some swinging, others arguing with one another over who would get the next turn on the slide. The older, after-school crowd was distracted by a video, though many of them seemed to be content to tease and torment each other instead of paying attention to the film. By the time they reached the two-year-olds, Shauna felt a bit dazed. Would she really be able to take this much activity?

  “Here are your little charges.” Mrs. Fritz entered a colorful room with pastel rainbows painted on the walls. From the rainbow hung an array of bright silver stars, each one printed with a child’s name. Shauna helplessly gazed around as she counted. One, two, three, four. . .eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve. Twelve? How can I manage with so many? Their voices rose and fell as the teacher, a young woman with a knotted brow, worked to calm them.

  “This is Julia.” Mrs. Fritz pointed to the frenzied-looking young woman with sheer exhaustion etched on her face. “She’s not able to teach after this week. You’ll be taking her place. That is, if you’re still interested.”

  Shauna looked carefully at the smirk on Julia’s face, trying to read her expression. The young woman seemed to be trying to tell her something with a glance, but what? Run as fast as you can from this place! Was that it? Then again, could she really base her decision on a look?

  Shauna glanced over the roomful of children. How difficult could they be, anyway? Most of them were absolutely darling with their colorful clothes and whimsical voices. She felt herself drawn to them immediately and could see herself here, in this place, teaching them and loving each and every one. After all, there was no obstacle so large that love could not overcome it.

  “Charity, turn back around!” Julia scolded a particularly beautiful little girl with blond curls who sat in the corner. “You still have three minutes left.” She tapped her watch, clearly for effect.

  “Three minutes in the corner?” Shauna asked, amazed. “What has she done?”

  “What hasn’t she done?” Julia mumbled as she reached over to pick up some toys from the floor. She shook her head and pressed a stray
hair behind her ear. “You name it, she’s done it.”

  “She’s a precious child.” Mrs. Fritz gave Julia a puzzled look. “One of God’s little blessings.”

  “Humph.” Julia turned the opposite direction.

  How awful! Shauna shook her head, suddenly determined. What kind of a woman would take an innocent little girl like that and glue her nose to the wall?

  “I’m still interested.” She faced Mrs. Fritz with a renewed anticipation. “And I’d be happy to start on Monday.”

  As they turned and walked from the room, she felt sure she heard Julia’s mumbled response: “Good luck. You’re going to need it.”

  ***

  Kent Chapman looked around the small church office, trying to take it all in. Nothing in his twenty-seven years of living could have prepared him for the challenge he now faced. And yet all of life’s many lessons, good and bad, seemed to have come together, forming a road that led him here—to the pastor’s office of Grace Community Church.

  Interim pastor.

  None of his friends from high school would believe it, even if they had sobered up a bit. After all, he could scarcely believe it himself, in spite of his radical conversion and years of working in public relations. Even his mother, his greatest fan, seemed a bit dubious at the prospect. Kent understood the uncertainty, especially in light of his years of rebellion as a teen. What in the world is God up to here? Why would He pick me, of all people?

  And yet here he stood, a nervous twenty-seven–year-old, in the tiny pastoral office of Grace Community, ready to—at least temporarily—fill the shoes of Pastor Meeks, a man of God the congregation had loved for thirty-five wonderful and fruitful years.

  “Just six months, Kent,” the board members had implored. “Six months will give us time to bring in a new man, someone who can put a fresh face on things. That’s all we need.”

  Kent had argued, as much with the Lord as with the leaders of the medium-sized congregation. How could he possibly fill the shoes of someone like Pastor Meeks? And how could these godly men overlook his years away from the Lord as a teen, entrusting him with the position of leadership? And yet they had. How could he argue with that? And why would he want to, when God so clearly laid the idea of ministry on his heart?

  “You’ve worked so well with the youth group.” Kent smiled as he remembered the kind words the men had spoken over him. “And you know so much about what draws them in. That’s what we need around here, at least for a while—a young fellow like you to bring us into the twenty-first century. We’ll find the man for the job, but in the meantime, you’ll more than do. Besides, we need a familiar face in the pulpit, someone the people can relate to. It’s going to be mighty hard to adjust to someone brand new after all these years. Transitions take time.”

  Yes, they do. If Kent understood anything at all, he understood that. This certainly wasn’t the first time he had been asked to take the reins and move into a new position of leadership. His mind reeled with all of the changes he’d been through over the past several years. . .transitioning into the role of “head of household” after his father died. . .opening himself up to a relationship with his stepfather, Andrew, after his mother remarried. . .entering into a relationship with the Lord after being away for so long. . .stepping into marriage with Faith at age twenty-three, and the birth of their daughter just a year and a half later.

  Transitioning. . .

  Kent shuddered, remembering. Accepting Faith’s death still presented the most challenging shift in his life. For months after the tragic accident that swept her away, he struggled to maintain his sanity, his love for life, his faith.

  Faith. . .

  If not for his daughter. . . He smiled, thinking of the beautiful little girl awaiting him at home. If not for her, he would surely have lost his reason for living. But she kept him going, day in and day out. And he had an obligation to raise her as Faith would have wanted—in the arms of her family and friends and in a strong church with plenty to offer its congregation.

  With renewed zeal, Kent gazed across the office once again. “I need to be positive. God has placed me here for some reason, and I’m going to give this my best shot.”

  In the meantime, potty training awaited. Kent glanced at his watch then raced to pack his briefcase and head home.

  two

  Shauna left the day-care center after the brief tour, content to believe the Lord had just offered her an amazing new opportunity. She pressed aside any fear. If Daniel could face a den of angry lions, surely she could face a roomful of toddlers.

  After all, she had prepared for this day for years. Why begrudge it just because the Lord had shifted gears a little? Two-year-olds couldn’t be that difficult, after all. And besides, in no time she would start her own center—in God’s timing, of course. Until then, she would use every moment to acquire practical knowledge, which she would some day put to use with her own little ones.

  As she crossed the parking lot, Shauna felt her lips turn up in a playful smile. Could life get any better than this, really? “Thank You for the job, Lord!” Surely He had provided it, just as He had provided the direction she needed during her freshman year in college. No one could have been more surprised than she when the Lord gave the instructions to settle into an elementary-education degree program. But now, years later, she could certainly see God’s hand at work in every detail, including this new position at the day care. Two-year-olds or no two-year-olds.

  Shauna climbed into her white Saturn, deep in thought. Just as she started to turn the key in the ignition, her cell phone rang. She scrambled through her cluttered purse to find it. “Hello?”

  “Shauna Alexander?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is Bill Conner from Computers Unlimited. You left your PC with us a couple of days ago?”

  “Yes, that’s right.” Shauna turned the key, and the engine started smoothly. She balanced the phone on her shoulder as she pulled away from the Hiz-Kidz Day Care. “Is it ready to be picked up?” I need to send Joey an E-mail. Thoughts of her boyfriend suddenly made her sad. She missed him so much.

  “Yes, ma’am,” the voice on the phone continued. “We replaced the fan. The machine had been overheating, causing it to lock up on you. But it’s all taken care of now. Good as new.”

  “How much?” The dreaded question.

  “Twelve dollars for the part, but then there’s the labor charge of seventy-nine ninety-five to put it in.”

  “Naturally.” Shauna sighed as she pulled onto the busy street. “How late are you guys open?”

  “We’re here till five.”

  She glanced down at her watch, nearly driving the car off of the road. 4:36 p.m. “I should be there just in time,” Shauna said, as she fought to steady the wheel. “So don’t close without me, okay? I really need my computer tonight.”

  “We’ll be here,” he said. Then, with a click, he disappeared.

  Shauna tossed the phone into her purse and headed out onto the interstate.

  ***

  Kent Chapman pulled his Jeep Cherokee onto Interstate-45 on Houston’s north side, headed toward home. When his cell phone let out a loud ring, he struggled to pull it from his pocket.

  “Hello?”

  “Kent?”

  He recognized his mother’s voice immediately. “Hey, Mom. How are you?”

  “Fine now,” she said. “But I’m glad you didn’t ask me that an hour ago. We ran into a little dilemma at the bookstore this afternoon.”

  “What happened?” Kent knew his mother’s love for Bookends, the store she had managed for the past several years.

  “One of our coffee shop customers carried a cup of coffee out into the store and had a spill. She managed to wipe out an entire shelf of inspirational fiction. Took us nearly an hour to figure out which books we could save and which had to be tossed.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that.” He was sorry, for several reasons—but primarily because he knew his mother would have to b
ear the cost of the books.

  “It’s not really that big of a deal.” She sighed. “To be honest, I was more worried about being late to pick up that beautiful granddaughter of mine.”

  Kent could hear his daughter in the background, chattering away. “Sounds like you got her.”

  “Yep. She’s chattering my ear off right now.”

  He glanced at his watch. “Well, I’m on my way to your place now. I know you’re probably worn out.”

  “I am, but I love spending time with her. You know that.” She disappeared for a moment then returned with laughter in her voice. “She’s telling me what she wants for dinner. Chicken nuggets.”

  Kent groaned. “Not again.” Just then, another call beeped in. “Hang on a minute, Mom.” He switched to the other line and tried to figure out who it might be before giving a curious “Hello?”

  “Mr. Chapman?”

  “Yes?”

  “This is Bill Conner from Computers Unlimited. We’ve finished upgrading your computer. You can pick it up at any time.”

  Ah-ha. Finally. “How late are you open?” Kent glanced at the clock.

  “Five o’clock.”

  “Okay.” He sighed and attempted to change lanes. “I’ll be there in just a few minutes.”

  Kent clicked back to his mother. “Still there?” He could hear his daughter in the background, chattering away.

  “I’m here.” His mom sounded a little weary. “She’s wearing me out with a speech about some movie they watched in school. Something about a whale.”

  “Ah.” Kent hesitated a moment, trying to exit the freeway. “Mom, I hate to ask, but. . .”

  “You’re going to be late?”

  “I just got a call from the computer store. They’re finished with my PC.” Kent managed to work his way through the afternoon traffic as he headed onto the feeder road. Once he reached the intersection, he headed for the U-turn lane. “I guess it could wait till Monday, but I’d rather get it now. I sure could use it to get ready for Sunday’s sermon.”