“Mom!” Dylan ran up to his mother and was immediately engulfed in a big hug.  Unlike most boys his age, he didn’t complain about the show of affection.

“Ooh, I missed you!” Alex said, ruffling her fingers through her son’s hair.  She pulled back and smiled down at him.  “So, did you have a good time?”

“It was great!” Dylan replied enthusiastically.  “We learned all kinds of things about the ocean, and whales, and fish and stuff.  I got to pet a dolphin and a sea lion!”

“Wow, that’s cool.  I wish I could have gone with you.”

“That would have been great.  Mister Griffith said that, if things work out and the school is happy about how this trip went, we might do another summer field trip next year.  Maybe you could come then.  A couple of the kids’ parents came as volunteers to help out.”

“Yeah, that would be fun.  So, come sit down and tell me all about what you did.”

Mother and son went to a table and talked for the next half-hour about Dylan’s trip to the coast with his classmates.  The trip had been an idea of Marcus’s as a way to increase student interest in the ecology and the environment.  The school board had liked the idea but hadn’t wanted to schedule it while school was in attendance, not wanting to lose five days out of the class schedule, so they decided to have the trip during the summer.  The kids were taken to the coast, where they were taught about the ocean and its wildlife, in particular how pollution was taking its toll on the sea’s ecology.  All of the children who went on the trip were supposed to write a report about what they’d learned and saw, which was to be turned in on the first day of school.

“I’m going to start writing my report tonight,” Dylan said excitedly.

“That’s good.  You should write it while everything’s fresh in your mind.”

“Can I go see Daniel?  I want to tell him about the trip.”

“I’m not sure if today would be a good day.  As you know, he writes his sermons on Friday.  But he and I are having dinner tonight, so you can say hi then.  Maybe you and he can get together tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“Um, Daniel has someone staying with him right now,” Alex told her son.  “Her name’s Angie, and she’s been sick.  Daniel’s helping her until she is well enough to stay here, which we’re hoping will be on Sunday.”

“Who is she?  Is she a friend of his?”

“Well, yes, she is a friend, but they didn’t know each other before.  They met a few days ago when Angie came here on vacation.”

“Then why is Daniel taking care of her?  How come she doesn’t go back home so that her family can do it?” Dylan asked, puzzled.

“She has no family, Dylan, and she’s too sick to fly back to New York, which is where she’s from.  There’s a, uh . . . particular reason why Daniel is watching over her, but I can’t tell you what it is.  You need to ask him about it.”

Curious about the woman staying with the minister, Dylan asked, “Is she contagious?”

Alex laughed.  “No, she’s not contagious.”

“Does she have cancer?”

“No, it’s not cancer, Dylan.  I’m sure you’ll meet her tomorrow.  Then you can ask her and Daniel if they’ll tell you what it’s all about.”

“Okay.  I’m going to go start my report.  Then maybe Daniel could read it when he comes tonight.”

“That’s a good idea.  I’m sure he’d love to read it.”

Alex watched her son run off upstairs, then got back to work.

“Sounds like the trip was a success,” Molly said.

“Yeah, it was.  If they have another one next year, Dylan wants me to come along.”

“I think that would be a great idea.  It would be good for both of you to get away together, and when’s the last time you took any kind of vacation?”

“Oh, gosh.  Not since I came back to the island.”

“Well then, I’d say you’re way overdue for one.”  Molly smiled mischievously.  “Of course, by this time next year, there may be three of you going.”

Alex slapped her friend’s arm lightly.  “Will you quit it?” she said with a laugh.  Then she thought about what Molly said.  A trip together with Dylan and Daniel would be fantastic.  It would be even better if it was just the three of them, not a school field trip.  Maybe, someday, they could do that.

“So, you and Daniel are having dinner tonight?  Just the two of you?” Molly asked.

“Uh huh.  I’m really looking forward to it.”

Molly smiled.  “Shall I dig out the good china and candles?”

Alex laughed.  “No, that’s not necessary.  It’s not like it is our first dinner together or a special occasion.”

“So what?  Does it have to be a special occasion for it to be nice?”

“Well, no, but it’s really not necessary to go through the trouble.”

Molly shrugged.  “It’s up to you.  When is Daniel getting here?”

“Um, I don’t know.  We didn’t set a time.  After the main dinner crowd is gone would be best, maybe eight o’clock?”

“Sounds good.”

“I guess I should call Daniel and make sure that will work out for him.”

Molly nodded.  She watched Alex head to the phone.  She waited until she heard her friend begin talking to the minister, then went into the kitchen, heading over to Boris.

“Hey, Boris.  I have a special request for you.”

“Request?  What is this request?”

“Daniel and Alex are having dinner tonight at eight o’clock, and I want it to be special.  Could you fix something really nice for them?”

The big Russian smiled broadly.  “Is Daniel popping question of marriage to Alex?”

“No, I don’t think so, though that would be great.  I just want it to be nice.”

“Then Boris will fix very special dinner, one fit for czar.  How many courses?”

“Courses?  Uh, I think two is enough.  Start with a salad, then we’ll serve the main course.  I guess some kind of dessert would be good, too.”

“Boris will do this, then.”

“This is a secret, so don’t let Alex or anyone else know.”

The Russian winked.  “Boris’s mouth is glued.”

“Thanks.  Oh, one more thing.”  Molly told Boris the rest of the special preparations she had planned.

“This is good idea.  Will be very nice dinner.”

“Okay, I’d better get out there.  Alex is probably finished talking to Daniel.”

The rest of the day passed slowly for Alex, most likely because she was so eagerly anticipating her dinner with Daniel.  But, at last, it was eight o’clock.  Alex went into the foyer to await Daniel’s arrival.  Punctual as usual, he arrived right on time.  He came up to Alex and kissed her tenderly.

“You look beautiful tonight, Alex,” he murmured, seeing that she was wearing his favorite blue dress and had put her hair up.

“Thank you.”  Alex looked him over, seeing that he’d taken extra care with his appearance as well.  “You’re not so bad yourself.”

“Thanks.”  Daniel pulled his hand out from behind his back and handed Alex a bouquet of wild flowers.

“Oh, they’re beautiful.  Thank you, Daniel.”  Alex rewarded him with another kiss, this one a bit longer than the last.

“You’re very welcome, milady.”  Daniel grinned.  “I wonder what kind of kiss a dozen roses would get me.”

Alex smiled coyly.  “Well, that all depends.  Did you go out and pick these yourself?”

The minister nodded.  “Every one of them.”

“Then that’s better than a dozen roses.  I’ll give you a better kiss when we’re alone.”

“Ooh, can’t wait.”

Just then, they heard the sound of running feet and turned to see Dylan hurry down the staircase.

“Hey!  There’s my buddy,” Daniel said happily.  He gave the boy a one-armed hug.  “So, how did your trip go?”

“It was great.  We saw lots of cool stuff.  I already wrote my report on it, and I was wondering if you could read it.”

“Sure, I’d be happy to.”

Dylan handed him the paper.  Daniel carefully read the report, ignoring the spelling and grammatical errors for now and paying attention to the passion and detail that had been put into the report.

“This is very good, Dylan.  I like the facts you included in the report, especially this part about how Orcas aren’t really whales, even though they’re called killer whales, and explaining the difference between whales and dolphins.  That’s really interesting.”

Dylan nodded enthusiastically.  “And do you like the part about how pollution is messing up the whole ecology of the ocean and that it causes problems for people and animals on the land, too?”

“Yes, I like that a lot.  It’s a very important thing to talk about.”  He handed the papers back to the boy.  “You did a great job, Dylan.  You should be very proud of it.  You’ll have to let your mom read it.”

Dylan beamed.  “You really like it?”

“Absolutely.  I don’t think I could have done a better job myself.”

Dylan’s smile grew as big as could be at the heartfelt praise.  “Thanks.  Could you read it, Mom?”

“How about if we go over it tomorrow morning?” Alex suggested.  “Then we could sit down and talk about it.”

“Okay.  You guys going to have dinner now?”

“Yes, we are, and I, for one, am starving,” Alex replied.  “So, why don’t you head up to your room, and I’ll come in later to say goodnight.”

Dylan looked at his mom and Daniel.  He might be just a kid, but he could still figure out that the two of them wanted to be alone, which meant that this was another one of the dates that they had been going on for the past few months.  Dylan was delighted that his mom was dating the minister since it meant that they might get married someday.  That was something Dylan wanted more than anything.  He wanted Daniel to be his father.

Alex gave her son a kiss on the cheek and watched him go up the stairs to his room.  She then turned to Daniel, giving him an especially warm smile.

“What?” he asked, smiling back.

“You’re always so good with him, Daniel.  Thank you.  Your praise and approval mean a lot to him, you know.”

“I was just telling him the truth, Alex.  Dylan’s a great kid and very smart.  He should be praised for his accomplishments.  All children should.”

“Were you?”  The brief flash of pain that crossed the minister’s face made Alex regret her question.  “I’m sorry, Daniel.  Forget I asked.”

“No, it’s all right.  Mom was always giving me praise, making sure I knew it when I’d done well.  As for Dad . . . well, he wasn’t around much to hand out the praise.”

Alex gave his hand a squeeze.  “I’m sorry.  I wish things had been different for you.  But I’m very glad that you’re not like your father . . . or like Steve.  You’re going to be a great father.  I know that Dylan couldn’t ask for any better.”

“Thank you, Alex.  That means a lot to me,” Daniel said, deeply touched by her statement.  The fact that she was implying with her words that she’d like him to be Dylan’s father made him feel even better.

“So, you ready to eat?”

“You bet.  Where shall we sit?”

Alex looked around the restaurant, a little disappointed that there were still a lot of people there.  She had been hoping that they’d have a bit more privacy.  “I guess we could take the corner table over there.”

They began to walk over to the table but were stopped by Molly.

“Ah ah ah.  Not that way,” she said.  “I have a table prepared for you.”

“You do?” Alex asked in surprise.  “Where?”

“Follow me.”

Instead of going into the restaurant’s seating area, Molly led them to the stairs.

“Molly, what are you up to?” Alex asked.

“Who, me?  Why, nothing at all.  I just thought you two might like to have a little privacy.”

They went up the staircase and followed Molly down the hall to one of the unoccupied rooms.  Molly opened the door and motioned for them to go in.  Inside, they found the room glowing with candlelight, soft music playing on a stereo.  A table had been set up in the room, adorned with a floral centerpiece and Alex’s best china.  A bottle of wine was chilling in a bucket of ice.  Stunned, Daniel and Alex turned to Molly.

“Oh, Molly.  This is wonderful,” Alex said.  “But you really didn’t have to do this.”

“I know.  I just wanted to.”

The friends hugged.  “Thank you,” Alex whispered.

“Yes, thank you, Molly.  This is fantastic,” Daniel said, delighted by the turn of events.

The blonde nodded.  “Well, you two get comfortable, and I’ll go get your salads.”  She looked at the flowers in Alex’s hand.  “Shall I put those in some water?”

“Yes.  Thank you.”  Alex handed the flowers to her.

After Molly had left, Daniel pulled a chair out for Alex.  Once she was seated, he settled in the other chair, which was positioned next to hers.

“Wine?” he asked.

“Yes, please.”

Daniel popped the cork and poured some of the wine in each of their glasses.

“This was really nice of Molly,” Daniel commented.

“Yes, it was.  I wasn’t expecting it at all.  I’ll have to return the favor one of these days.”

The couple lapsed into a comfortable silence, sipping on their wine.  Molly returned after a few minutes with the salads and a vase full of the wild flowers.  She set the salads in front of them and replaced the floral centerpiece with the flowers Daniel had picked.

“There you go.  I’ll be back with the main course in about twenty minutes.”

“But we didn’t order,” Alex said.

“No need.  Boris prepared something special for you.”  Molly smiled.  “I took a peek at it, and it looks and smells delicious.”

“Molly, you really shouldn’t have done this.”

Just giving them another smile, the blonde left, closing the door behind her.

As they ate their salads, Daniel and Alex exchanged small talk, wanting to save the more serious conversation until after the main course had been served and there would be no further interruptions.

When the main course came, both Daniel and Alex agreed that Boris had outdone himself.  They spent a few minutes just enjoying the food.  After a while, however, Daniel’s thoughts turned to something that had been bothering him for a while.  At last, he decided he had to approach Alex about it.

“Alex, I have a rather odd question to ask you,” he said a bit nervously.

“What’s that?”

“Have you, um, noticed anything . . . different about me the past three months or so?”

“Different?  In what way?”

“Like me saying or doing things that seemed out of character for me.”

“Uh, no, I can’t think of anything.  Why do you ask?”

Daniel shrugged.  “I got to thinking about what has been happening lately, these things I keep saying and doing that are like my brother.  He died three months ago, yet it seems like it’s only been since Angie got here that I’ve been displaying these changes.  I don’t understand that.”

“Hmm.  That does seem kind of strange.  Maybe what Rollie is mainly trying to do is contact Angie.  If so, he wouldn’t have had a reason to use you before now.”

“Yeah, there is that possibility.  But that brings up another question.  Angie has been having visions of Rollie more and more often.  Why now?  Why not throughout those first three months?  I know she had nightmares about him, but nothing like what has been happening since she got here.”

“That’s a good question.  Maybe something’s changed that gave Rollie a reason to try to contact her.” 

“I guess that could be it.  The question then is, what’s changed?  Why is it so important for him to reach her now?  Maybe it does have something to do with who killed him.”

Silence fell between them for a while as they resumed eating.  It was Alex who broke it this time.

“Um, Daniel.  I told Molly about what’s going on.  I hope you don’t mind.”

“How much did you tell her?”

“Just about Rollie.  I didn’t tell her all the details about Angie, and I didn’t say anything about these weird things that have been happening with you.  I only told her because I hated keeping a secret like this from her, especially since she was puzzled about why I didn’t have a problem with Angie staying with you.  She promised not to tell anyone else, and I trust her.”

“I trust her, too, Alex.  Come Sunday, though, it isn’t going to matter anyway.  Angie wants me to tell everyone the truth.”

“She does?” Alex asked, surprised.

“Yeah.  It’s because of the talk that’s been going on about her staying with me.  She wants everybody to know the facts.”

Alex smiled, grateful to Angie that she was concerned for Daniel’s welfare enough that she was willing to make public what she went through to protect him from malicious gossip.  “How do you feel about this?”

“I didn’t want her to do it just to protect me.”  He grinned.  “But she’s as stubborn as you are, so there was no talking her out of it.  I’m going to tell my congregation the story after services on Sunday.  They can spread the word to the rest of the island.”

“Well, with Callie, Ruby and Bonita there, you can bet that it won’t take long for the news to get around.”

Daniel smiled.  The smile then grew mischievous.  “You know, this reminds me of something I haven’t done.”

“What’s that?”

“I have failed to ask milady if she has been threatened by the terrible green-eyed monster lately.”

A sultry smile curved Alex’s lips.  “Ah, yes.  I must admit, Sir Knight, that the dreaded monster did make a brief appearance.”

Daniel’s eyes darkened, and he leaned forward.  “Well then, I must perform my sworn duty to slay the beast lest it return to trouble thee further,” he murmured.

Without further ado, he took hold of Alex’s face and brought their lips together.  He attempted to keep the kiss soft and gentle, but, soon, the passion took control, and the kiss turned hot and deep.  They both let out a moan and pulled each other closer.  Hampered by the table and the fact that they were sitting in different chairs, Alex slid off her chair and onto Daniel’s lap.  He tightened his hold on her, his hands caressing her body.  After what seemed like an eternity, his mouth left hers to travel down her throat.  Alex’s respiration instantly sped up even more.  She couldn’t stop the deep groan that came out of her throat as he took her earlobe into his mouth, then began running his tongue over the shell of her ear.  His name came out in a long moan.

“If you don’t want me to rip your clothes off, I think you’d better stop,” she whispered huskily.

Daniel pulled back slightly.  His eyes burned into hers, searching deeply.  Then he slid her off his lap and stood.  He held his hand out to her.

“Dance with me,” he murmured in a deep-pitched voice.

That voice and the way Daniel was looking at her almost turned Alex’s knees to jelly.  Feeling a tremor pass though her, she took his proffered hand and allowed him to lead her away from the table.  He took her back into his arms, and they began swaying to the music.  Alex rested her head on the minister’s shoulder, wrapped her arms around his waist and closed her eyes.

Daniel held Alex close against him, his eyes closed, letting the music and the feeling of her in his arms soothe away all his worries and cares.  At moments like this, it seemed that life couldn’t get any better.  But he knew it could.  He had a wonderful future with Alex to look forward to, a life spent with her and, hopefully, the children that they would have together.  He knew that there would be hard times, that the road would not all be smooth going, but, in a strange way, he was even looking forward to the arguments and disagreements they would have, because it would be as a family.  He would never be alone again.

Daniel lifted his cheek from where it had rested on Alex’s hair and looked down at her.  Her head rose from his shoulder, and she met his eyes.  He gazed at her deeply, his emotions overflowing.  “I love you so much, Alex.  I want to spend the rest of my life with you.  I want to marry you.”  He stilled in shock when he realized what he’d just said.

Alex gasped, staring at him, her own eyes also mirroring shock.  “You. . . .  Are you. . . .  I-is that a proposal?” she stammered.

Daniel thought about it for a brief moment.  When he came over here tonight, it hadn’t been with the intention of proposing, but now that the words had been spoken, they felt right.  They felt perfect.  “Yes, Alex.  Yes, it is.”

“I don’t know what to say.  I didn’t expect this.  I mean, we’ve been dating for less than four months.”

“I know.  To be honest, this took me by surprise, too.”  Daniel laughed.  “I was planning on waiting at least a couple more months before popping the question.”  He sobered.  “But I love you, and I want to be with you forever.  That isn’t going to change in two months, or two years, or fifty years.  I’ve decided that I don’t want to waste the time we could have together.  I’ve experienced personally and seen again recently the sorrow that can come from waiting for the right moment, only to have that moment taken away forever.”

Alex stroked Daniel’s cheek, knowing that he spoke of his own lost chance with Kate and Angie’s lost opportunity to be with Rollie.  “Then there’s only one thing I can say,” she murmured.  “Yes.”

“Yes?” the minister repeated in a hushed whisper.

“Yes.”

A brilliant smile lit Daniel’s face.  Then he was kissing her breathless, pressing her body close to his.  Alex threaded her fingers into his hair and held him to her, deepening the kiss even more.  Time slipped by unnoticed as they explored each other’s mouths insatiably.  At last, the need for oxygen broke them apart.

“Maybe this is a wise thing after all,” Alex gasped.  “Because I don’t know how much longer I’d be able to wait.”

“I know what you mean,” Daniel said.  “Of course, we haven’t set a date yet.  They say that it’s wise to be engaged for at least six months.”

Alex leaned into him.  “I can’t wait that long,” she breathed in his ear.

Daniel shuddered, pulling her tighter against him.  His eyes bored down into hers.  “Neither can I,” he confessed before claiming her mouth again.  “So, you think that twenty-four hours is too short a notice?” he asked as they separated.

Alex laughed.  “Yeah, I’m afraid so.”

Daniel grinned.  “You’re probably right.  It’ll take that long just for Dad’s shock to wear off.”

“Are you going to call and tell your parents?”

“Not yet.  I still haven’t figured out what I’m going to tell them about Rollie.  That’s not a conversation I’m looking forward to.  And I can’t really tell them until I know the truth about the adoption.”

Alex nodded.  “Then we’ll wait.  We don’t have to make the engagement official yet.  It can be just between the two of us for now.”

“And Molly.  I think she deserves to know since her little surprise was the catalyst for this.”

“Yeah, you’re right.  Are you going to tell Angie?”

“I’m not sure.  She’s still in so much pain over Rollie.  I’d feel kind of guilty talking about how happy I am.  On the other hand, she was the one who encouraged me not to wait to tell you that I love you.”

“And she was also the one who said we shouldn’t wait long before getting married.”

“Yeah.”

“I think you should tell her.”

Daniel nodded, agreeing.  “What about Dylan?”  He smiled. “Shall I ask his permission to marry his mom?”

Alex laughed.  “I don’t think you need to ask.  I’m pretty sure he’ll be delighted.  He loves you like a father already.”

“You don’t think he’ll be upset that I’m taking his real father’s place?”

“You’re not taking Steve’s place, Daniel.  He’s not here, and you are.  You’ve been here for us ever since you set foot on the island.  Steve was here for only a few days and wanted to go off again.  In the past fifteen months, you’ve been more of a father to Dylan than Steve ever was.  Dylan loves his father, but he needs a man in his life who’s not going to go off to another country and be gone for months or even years on end.  He needs you.”

Daniel kissed Alex, smiling into her eyes.  “Then let’s go tell him.”

Hand in hand, they went down the hall to Dylan’s room.  Alex knocked lightly, and they stuck their heads in the door, only to find Dylan sprawled across his bed, fast asleep.  Sharing a smile, they went in.  Daniel lifted the boy up into his arms as Alex pulled back the covers.  Placing Dylan back on the bed, he helped Alex remove the boy’s shoes and tuck him in.  They then quietly left the room.

“We’ll tell him tomorrow,” Alex said as they headed back down the hall to their room.

“Yeah.  In fact, why don’t you come up to the parish tomorrow.  We can all have a picnic together.”

“Oh, I’d love to, Daniel, but I can’t,” Alex said.  “Molly and Kevin are going to Seattle tomorrow to catch a play, and she asked today if it was okay if they left in the afternoon so that they could do some shopping.  I told her yes.  I couldn’t leave everything in Boris’s hands.”

“Oh.  Well, we can have a picnic together another time.  We’ll have plenty of opportunities for things like that.”

“That’ll be nice.”  Alex pulled her fiancé close.  “I’m looking forward to all those things, all the time we’ll be spending together, the days . . . and the nights.”

“Mmm, yes.  The nights.  I am very, very much looking forward to them, Ms. Stone,” Daniel said in a husky voice.  His mouth came down onto hers in a deep kiss.

They’d been at it for about a minute when they became aware that they were no longer alone.  They turned to see Molly standing a few feet away, a huge smile on her face.

“Better be careful, you two,” she said teasingly.  “The owner’s liable to catch you and tell you to get a room.”

Daniel looked down at the woman in his arms.  “Hmm.  You think she’d do that?”

“Catch us or tell us to get a room?” Alex asked.

“The second thing.”

“Well, I happen to know her personally, and I’d say that she would tell us to go right on kissing here in the hallway, if we felt like it.”

“Well then, I think I’d like this woman.  Sounds like my kind of lady.”  He backed up his statement with a hard, quick kiss.  He and Alex then turned to Molly.

“Hey, Mol.  Could you come in with us for a sec?”

“Sure.  I was coming up to clear away the dishes for you and to find out if you wanted dessert.”

They all went into the room Molly had prepared.  Daniel and Alex exchanged a look, the minister asking silently if she wanted to give her friend the news.  Alex nodded slightly and turned back to Molly.

“We’ve got some news, Mol.”  She smiled, knowing what her friend’s reaction was going to be.  “Daniel and I are engaged.”

It took about a second for the smile of joy to beam across Molly’s face.  Laughing with delight, she rushed forward and engulfed them both in a tight hug.

“Oh, I am so happy for you!” she exclaimed.

“And you have yourself to thank,” Daniel told her, laughing.  “This little surprise of yours had me proposing to her at least a couple of months before I’d planned to.”

Alex looked at her friend narrowly.  “You didn’t have some sneaky plan for this happening when you set this up, did you?”

Molly held up her hands.  “I swear that was not my intention, though it did flit through my mind briefly.  So, have you set a date yet?”

“No, and we want to keep the engagement a secret for now, until we’re ready to make it official.”

Molly nodded.  “I promise I’ll keep it under my hat.  Can I tell Kevin?”

“Sure.  Just don’t tell your father.”

“Oh, don’t worry.  I won’t.”  She went over to the table.  “Let me get these dirty dishes out of your way, then I’ll leave you alone.  I’m sure you have lots more to talk about.  Oh, and I’m guessing that dessert is not something you’re really interested in.”  She gave them a wink, quickly gathered up the plates and glasses, then left.

“Yes, I guess we do have a lot to talk about,” Daniel agreed.  “One thing is where we’re going to live.  I was thinking about that just yesterday.  Being the only Protestant minister on the island, I really wouldn’t feel right living away from the church.  I like to be there in case someone shows up, needing to talk.”

Alex nodded.  “Then we’d have to live in your house.”

“Would you feel comfortable with that, living there at the parish and having to drive to work?”

“Well, it would take some getting used to, but I’d get accustomed to driving to work again.  I had to do it when I lived in Miami, and I drove a lot further than what I’d be doing here.”

“What about the part about living at the parish, right there where the church is?”

“I wouldn’t be living in the church, Daniel.  I don’t see why it would be a problem for me.”

The minister smiled in relief.  The smile was short-lived, however.  “Unfortunately, the house is way too small for the three of us.  It only has one bedroom, a small one at that.  There’s room to add on, but that would be expensive.  I don’t know how long it would take to get together enough money.”

“I’ve got a little saved up.  Not a lot, but it would help.”

“I don’t want to use up your savings, Alex.  I’m sure you had plans for it.”

“Well, it was to be the start of Dylan’s college tuition, but the last time I talked to Marcus, he seemed sure that, with Dylan’s grades and him being so gifted in science, he shouldn’t have any trouble getting a full scholarship.  So, the money is there for whatever I choose to spend it on.”  She put her arms around Daniel’s waist.  “And I can’t think of a better thing to spend it on than the house that I will be living in with my future husband.”

Daniel smiled down at her.  “I do so love you, Alex Stone.”

“Well, I should hope so!”  She pulled his lips down to hers for a long kiss.  “Don’t worry about the money for the additions, Daniel.  Between the two of us, we’ll figure out something.”  She grinned.  “We might have to put you on that budget that we set up a few months ago.”

“Oh, please.  Not that!  I couldn’t take wearing any more dinosaur band-aids or eating sourdough bread because they’re on sale.  And just the thought of clipping coupons makes me break out in a cold sweat,” Daniel responded dramatically.

Alex chuckled.  “Well, okay, so maybe we can up your weekly budget a few dollars.”

“My eternal thanks.”

“All right.  That’s one insurmountable object handled.  What’s the next one?”

“Well, it’s not an insurmountable object, but we do need to set a date sooner or later, definitely before we make the public announcement.”

Alex sat on the bed.  “Well, then.  I guess we’d better figure it out.”

Daniel sat beside her.  “I have no idea how long it’s going to take Angie’s friend, Leo, to find out the details of my adoption.  Hopefully, it won’t be more than a week or two.  Once I know what happened, I can talk to Mom and Dad about it.”

“Are you going to spring everything on them at the same time?”

Daniel’s expression turned thoughtful.  “That would be pretty overwhelming, wouldn’t it.  To be honest, I don’t know if it would be best to tell them about Rollie and the adoption or about the engagement first.  I know that they’re going to be really upset if it turns out that there was something illegal about the adoption, and I know that Dad’s going to want to have his own investigation conducted.  So, maybe it would be better to tell them about the engagement first, give them a while to get used to the idea, then spring the other thing on them.  Actually, I’d prefer to tell them about the adoption in person rather than over the phone.”

“Well, maybe you could talk them into coming here.  Your mom’s probably going to want to come anyway to start planning the wedding.”

“Yeah.  Okay, so how about if I call them tomorrow night to give them the good news?  Then we’ll wait until Leo gets all the info he can on the adoption before I tell them about that.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.  When should we make the official announcement?”

“Not until after the furor about Rollie and Angie dies down,” Daniel replied.  “I’d give it a week from the day I reveal the story.”

“Good idea.  So, a week from next Sunday?”

“Yep.”

“Okay, then.  Now for the date of the big day.”

“Do you have a calendar?”

“Yeah.  Let me go get it.”

Alex went to her room and fetched a calendar.  They sat and studied it in silence for a moment.

“I’ve always wanted an outdoor wedding,” Alex murmured.

“That would be nice, someplace where we have a view of the bay.  So, that means before the weather starts turning cold.”  He looked up at her.  “Um, I know it doesn’t give us a lot of time, but . . . August?”

Alex smiled.  “I’d marry you tomorrow if we could get away with it, Daniel.  How much time we have to prepare for the wedding is not something I’m worrying about.”

Daniel gave her a smile.  He pulled her close and began running a hand slowly up and down her back as the fingers of the other one brushed across her lips then traveled down her throat.  “My suggestion of eloping still stands,” he murmured in her ear.

Alex let out a deep sigh, her eyes closing with pleasure.  “If you keep that up, Reverend Cooper, I might just agree.”

Daniel’s smiled widened.  He gave her a kiss and released her.  “We’ll keep it as a backup plan in case we decide that we just can’t wait any longer.”  He looked back down at the calendar.  “I know that Dad’s going to be out of the country from August fourth through the eighteenth, so how about the twenty-sixth?  That gives us . . .” he made a quick count, “nine weeks for the preparations.”

“Nine weeks.  You think we can hold out that long?”

The minister grinned.  “It’ll be rough, but I’ll give it my best shot.”

“We’ll just have to be content with lots of kisses.”  Alex leaned over and gave him one of the aforementioned kisses.

“Lots and lots of kisses,” Daniel added, placing another kiss on her lips, and then a third.  Soon, the date of the upcoming wedding was forgotten as the couple expressed their passion for each other.  The fire burned high as Daniel and Alex let it consume them.  After long minutes, Daniel’s lips left Alex’s to go exploring across her neck, shoulders and upper chest.  Alex gave a deep, throaty moan and drug his lips back up to hers, taking possession of them feverishly.  Daniel groaned and clutched at her hips.  He buried a hand in her hair and slanted his mouth more fully over hers, deepening the kiss until every inch of her mouth had been mapped out by his.  Alex’s hands found their way up under his shirt to the smooth contours of his back.

It was that touch that jarred Daniel enough to clear his head.  He pulled his lips from Alex’s.  They stared at each other, seeing the fire in each other’s eyes.  A mutual agreement was reach, and they separated.

“Wow,” the minister gasped, trying to regain control of his respiration.

“I agree,” Alex said back, equally breathless.  She laughed nervously.  “We need to stop spending time alone in hotel rooms.  It’s dangerous.”

Daniel gazed at her.  “You’re the one who’s dangerous, Alex, at least to me and my sanity.  I dated Kate for three years, yet we never went past kissing and a little caressing.”

“So, you two never. . . .”  Alex left the question dangling.

“No,” Daniel replied, knowing what she was asking.

“In a way, I’m surprised.  In another, I guess I’m not.”

Daniel shrugged.  “Kate was very much Catholic.  As for me . . . well, I am the son of a minister and was studying to be one myself.  Besides, just being with Kate was more important to me than . . . that other stuff.”

“Was there anyone before her?”

The minister shook his head.  “Oh, I dated a little in high school and college, but nothing serious.”

“Then, uh, that means that Stella was, um . . . your first?”

Daniel blushed faintly.  “Yeah.  And I don’t even remember it all.”

Alex’s mouth quirked upward.  “Well, I have to say that I’m impressed.”

Daniel’s forehead knit in puzzlement.  “Impressed?  About what?”

Alex’s smile grew.  “Well, for someone with so little experience, you really know your stuff.”  She fanned her face as if trying to cool down.

The minister’s face turned scarlet, and he ducked his head.  Alex laughed in delight.

“So, where did you learn to kiss like that?” she asked.  “Or did you make all the college girls happy with your kissing prowess?”  Though she hadn’t thought it possible, she watched Daniel’s blush deepen even more, spreading outward to his neck and ears.  She nudged his shoulder.  “Come on.  What’s your secret?”

“I plead the fifth,” he mumbled, still not looking at her.

“Uh uh.  You’re not getting out of this, Reverend Cooper.  I want to know what girl taught you how to give kisses so great they’d make a nun reconsider her vocation.”

Daniel was silent for a long moment.  “Arnie,” he finally said, barely audible.

“What?”

“Arnie did,” Daniel repeated.

Alex stared at him in astonishment, remembering the Jewish rabbi who was Daniel’s best friend.  “Arnie taught you how to kiss?”

“Well, sort of.  He saw me kiss a girl once in the eleventh grade.  Afterwards, he pulled me aside and told me not to be afraid of a woman’s mouth, to just jump right in and go exploring, like I was Lewis and Clark and it was the American Northwest.”

Alex laughed.  “Arnie actually said that?”

“Yeah.  Let’s just say that he was never the shy, retiring type.  He could be pretty bold with just about everything.  Anyway, the next time I kissed a girl, I remembered what he said.  I was kind of nervous about it at first, but my date was happy, so I guess you could say that it was a successful experiment.”

“Wow.  Remind me to thank Arnie the next time he comes to visit.  So, does this mean that you kissed every girl since then like you kiss me?” Alex asked, not sure she liked that idea.

This time, it was Daniel who smiled.  “No.  I think I was saving up for you.”

“Oh, really.”  Alex put her arms around her fiancé’s neck.  “I’m very glad to hear that.  I want those kisses to be for me and me alone.”

Daniel pulled her close.  “Have no fear, milady.  You have an exclusive on them.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Angie looked up from the book she was reading to see Daniel come in.

“Hi.  Did you and Alex have a nice dinner?” she asked.

“Yeah, we did.  In fact, it was even nicer than I’d thought it would be.”  The minister told her about the surprise that Molly had waiting for them.

“Wow, that was really nice of her.”  She grinned.  “I bet you and Alex were happy about the privacy.”

“Yes, we were.  And it, um . . . turned out to be a very good thing.”  Daniel sat beside Angie on the couch.  He studied her silently for a moment.  “Angie, I proposed to Alex tonight.”

Shock left Angie speechless for several seconds.  Seeing her expression, the minister smiled faintly.  “I know.  I’m kind of in shock, too.  That was not my intention when I went there tonight.  It was just supposed to be a dinner date.  But we were dancing, and she looked so beautiful, and it felt so good to hold her, and . . . well, it just happened.  It shocked the heck out of Alex, too.”

Angie looked at the happiness on Daniel’s face.  Now that the shock was wearing off, another emotion began taking hold of her, one that made her feel ashamed.  Shoving it aside, she gave Daniel a smile, then a quick hug.  “Congratulations.  I’m happy for you.  I’m glad that you and Alex will be together.  I know you deserve it.”

“You didn’t ask if she said yes,” Daniel remarked with a laugh.

“Are you kidding?  She’d be nuts not to say yes.  Any woman would be lucky to have you.”

Something in the tone of Angie’s voice when she spoke the last sentence made Daniel look more closely at her.  Her eyes fell from his, and she stood, taking the book she’d been reading back over to the shelf it had come from.

“So, we should celebrate.  I think there’s still some of that ice cream left,” she said, her voice sounding cheerful on the surface, but with an underlying current of sorrow that Daniel did not miss.  He rose and walked up behind her.

“Angie, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.  Nothing’s wrong.  I’m just kind of tired.  Maybe I should take a rain check on that ice cream and just call it a night.”

Angie began moving past him, but was stopped by Daniel’s hand on her arm.  She closed her eyes at the gentle touch, fighting to keep from breaking down and crying.

“Please tell me, Ange,” Daniel murmured.

Hearing Daniel speak the shortened form of her name in that tone of voice was too much for Angie.  She felt her control cracking.  Fighting to keep hold of the last shreds, she kept her face turned away from him and whispered, “It’s just. . . .  I’m never going to have that, you know.  There’s never going to be a fiancé or a husband.”

“You shouldn’t think that, Angie.  You’re still young.  Someday, you could find some nice guy whom you’ll fall in love with and want to spend the rest of your life with.”

Angie shook her head.  “No.  I had my chance, and I let it get away.  Rollie was it for me.  He was the one.  You’re the--” ‘The only other one whom I could have loved like that,’ she finished silently.

Angie turned and finally looked at him.  The expression in her eyes broke Daniel’s heart.  She touched his cheek.  “I’m glad for you, Daniel.  I’m happy that you have love, that you won’t. . . .” ‘Die alone.’  Angie drew in a deep breath.  “I’m really tired.  I’m going to go to bed, okay?”

Not waiting for Daniel’s answer, Angie went to her room and quietly shut the door behind her.  Daniel stood unmoving for a long time, just staring at the closed door.  He wished more than anything that there was something he could do for Angie, some way that he could make her grief go away, but he knew it was beyond his power.

Feeling suddenly depressed when he’d felt so happy before, Daniel went into the kitchen.  Picking up the phone, he dialed Alex’s number, sitting down in the chair beneath the telephone.

“Hey,” he said when Alex answered.

“Hey yourself.  I didn’t expect to get a call from you tonight.”

“I told Angie.”

“Oh.  How did she take it?”

“She’s happy for us, but. . . .”

“It made her think of Rollie.”

“Yeah.” Daniel sighed.  “I wish so much that there was something I could do for her.”

“You already have, Daniel.  You’ve helped her a lot.  I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that she’s alive because of you.  You need to just give her time.”

“I know.  It just hurts to see her in so much pain.  It makes me feel . . . helpless.”

“All you can do is be a friend to her, Daniel, to give her the support that she needs and a listening ear when she wants to talk.”

“Yeah.”

“How about if you and Dylan go on that picnic you were talking about and invite Angie?  She’d probably like that.”

“I don’t know,” Daniel replied doubtfully.  “I’m not sure she would accept.”

“Just ask her.  She and Dylan would probably get along pretty well.  Dylan loves video games, and Angie told me that she plays them, too.  It’s worth a try.”

“Okay.  I’ll ask her in the morning.  Thanks, Alex.”

“For what?”

“Just for being you.  I love you.”

“Love you, too.  Goodnight.”

Daniel hung up the phone, but did not stand.  He remained in the chair for several minutes, thinking about Alex and Angie, two women who were alike in so many ways and different in so many others, both of whom he had come to love.

Rising to his feet, Daniel returned to the living room and to his bed on the couch.

Angie sat in the darkness, her knees pulled up to her chest.  The loneliness was back, and, with it, the hopelessness of her future.  She was trying very hard to be happy for Daniel and Alex, but all she could think about was what she was never going to have.  That was bad enough, but what made it many times worse was the jealousy she felt.  Alex was going to have a wonderful life with Daniel, while she would have nothing, just the cold, lonely nights stretching on forever and ever.

‘Stop it!  Just stop it!’ Angie screamed at herself, bitterly ashamed of her feelings.  Alex deserved the joy she would have with Daniel.  They were terrific people who belonged together.  Anyone could see that they were meant for each other.  She had to put aside her self-pity and selfishness and just be happy for them.

Angie decided that the time had come for her to go home.  Physically, she was getting to the point where she could take care of herself.  By Monday, she would certainly be well enough that, as long as she took it easy, she’d be able to handle things completely on her own.  Deep down inside, Angie knew that what she was really doing was running away, but it didn’t matter.  It was time to go home and try to build some kind of life for herself, though she knew that any kind of life she could find would really be only a shadow of a life without Rollie in it.

Her decision made, Angie wiped the wetness from her face and slid under the covers, the sound of the crickets eventually easing her into sleep.

Leo set aside the file he had been reading.  Since talking with Martha Cambridge yesterday, he and Frank had been exploring the new leads.  They’d learned that the employee Mrs. Cambridge had told them about was Don Patterson.  It turned out that Patterson had a criminal record for assault.  It would seem odd that an adoption agency would hire a man like that, but it was becoming more certain to the cop that the Carfields needed someone on the shady side of the law to do their dirty work for them.  Leo had no doubt that Patterson was directly involved in Daniel’s abduction.  And he was positive that Daniel had, indeed, been abducted from the Tylers, as certain as he had ever been of anything.  The feeling burned in his gut.  Rollie would have said that his cop genes were talking to him.

Leo looked off at nothing.  Rollie.  More than anything he’d ever wanted in his life, he wanted his friend to be there with him.  He could picture the Aussie’s reaction to finding out he had a brother, the surprise and joy.  He also knew that Rollie would have been as determined to find out the truth about Daniel’s adoption as Leo was.

If they’d found out about all this four months ago, he’d have been delighted for Rollie.  Now . . . now, he didn’t know what to feel.  It seemed a cruel irony that they would learn of this now, when it was too late for Rollie to get to know his brother.  Leo also didn’t know how to feel about the fact that there was someone in the world who looked exactly like his lost best friend.  No matter how much Daniel Cooper might look like Rollie, he wasn’t him and could never be him.  On the other hand, it was nice to know that someone with such a close connection to Rollie did exist.  But it didn’t make up for the fact that his friend was gone.

Pushing aside the thoughts that were bringing back his depression, Leo picked up another file.  This one was for Jessica Stein, the woman Mrs. Cambridge had recommended they talk to.  Mrs. Stein was still alive and living in Des Moines, Iowa with her daughter.  According to her employment records, she worked for Carfield for almost seven years in their accounting department.  Leo was now waiting for it to be late enough in Iowa to give the woman a call.

Frank came up with a box of pastries in his hands.  “Here you go, Leo.  Donuts fresh out of the oven.”

The senior detective took a bear claw and began munching on it.  He watched his partner as the younger man settled in the chair at his desk.  “Thanks for coming in on your day off, Francis.”

“I want to get to the truth about this as much as you do, Leo.”

“How does Sarah feel about this whole thing?  You did tell her, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.  She has mixed feelings.  She misses Rollie a lot, as do the kids.  He was sort of like an uncle to them.  You know, I think that was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, to tell the girls that Rollie was dead.”  Frank fell silent for a moment.  “When I told Sarah about Rollie’s brother, almost the first thing she said was, ‘Why now, when it’s too late for Rollie?  It’s not fair.’  But I think she’s kind of happy that there’s someone out there who is like a living piece of Rollie.”  He sighed.  “But it’s really not the same, is it.”

“No, it’s not.”  No longer hungry, Leo laid the pastry down and looked at his watch.  “You think that 7:30 is too early to call that woman?”

“Give it another half-hour.  You don’t want to tick her off by getting her up out of bed.”  Frank took a sip of his coffee, studying his partner over the rim.  “So . . . you going to go to Washington?”

“I’m not sure yet.  I have to admit that I’m curious about this Daniel Cooper, but. . . .”

“It’s going to be hard seeing him, what with him looking like Rollie.”

“Yeah.  But I think I owe it to Rollie.  He’d want me to know his brother.”

Francis nodded.  He looked at Leo closely.  “How are you doing?”

Leo did not answer for a while, just sat staring at the partially eaten pastry.  “I want to get them, Frank,” he finally said in a low voice.  “I want to get the person who killed Rollie.  He didn’t deserve to die like that.  He was a good guy, the best.  He deserved to get an Oscar or something for one of his movies.  He deserved to get married and have kids, and grandkids, and to die of old age.  He didn’t deserve to have everything taken away in one lousy tenth of a second.”  His voice wavered on the last few words.  He stopped for a moment to regain control.  “I’ve been seeing him in my dreams lately.  He’s calling out to me, but I can’t hear what he’s saying.  Then he’s gone, and I’m left with this terrible feeling that something important has been left undone.  When I wake up, I feel as if he’s haunting me, that he’ll haunt me forever.  Maybe that’s my punishment for what I did to him.”

Leo abruptly got up.  “I need to hit the head.  I’ll be back.”

Before Frank could say anything, the older cop was gone.  Frank stared in the direction his partner had taken and gave a sad sigh, wondering if there would ever really be an end to the grief.

When Leo returned a few minutes later, he spoke no more about their earlier conversation, and Frank was wise enough not to bring it back up.  At 9 a.m. their time, Leo called Jessica Stein’s number.  The call was answered by a woman who identified herself as Mrs. Stein’s daughter.

“What do you need with my mother?” she asked.

“We need to ask her some questions about a former employer of hers.”

“Okay, I’ll get her.”

Leo waited as the woman got her mother.

“Hello?” said a much older voice.  “Who is this?”

“This is Detective Leo McCarthy of the New York Police.”

“Police?  Did I do something wrong?”

“No, ma’am.  I want to ask you about the time you worked for Carfield Adoption Agency in St. Louis.”

“Carfield?  Oh, yes.  I remember them.  All those poor young girls who had to give up their babies.”

“Yes, that’s right.  I want to know some things about the agency, especially about the time shortly before they closed.”

“I was never quite happy working there,” Mrs. Stein told him.  “I didn’t think it was right for people to pay for babies, but the couples were always so happy when they got their new little ones, and the mamas were relieved that everything had been taken care of, so I guess no real harm was done.  And Mister and Ms. Carfield also paid well.  I had bills to take care of.  You understand, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do, Mrs. Stein.  Do you remember the last few weeks before Carfield closed, if anything strange went on?”

“Strange?  No, not really, though there was that case with the orphan baby.”

Leo’s attention sharpened.  “Orphan?”  He put the phone on speakerphone so that Frank could hear.

“Yes.  The sweetest little baby boy you’d ever want to see.  The poor thing was just crying and crying.  That big man with the scar on his cheek had him.”

“Don Patterson?”

“Yes, I think that was his name.  There was the strangest look on his face.  I’ll never forget it.  He was such a big, scary looking man that I’d never have thought to see something like that on his face.”

“What did you see?”

“Well, he looked to me to be terribly nervous, almost frightened.”

Leo exchanged a look with Francis.  “And you have no idea why he was nervous?”

“Heavens no.”

“What happened after that?”

“Well, I’d heard the crying and peeked out of my office to see what was going on.  He saw me and all of a sudden just thrust the baby into my arms and told me to hold him.  Then he kept right on walking down toward Mister Carfield’s office.  I tried to soothe that poor little sweetheart, sang to him and everything, but it took a long time before he finally quieted down.  Just about that time, Ms. Carfield showed up.  When I asked her about the baby, she said that his mama was one of the girls that they’d been helping out, but she died due to complications from childbirth.  Ms. Carfield told me it would be best if I didn’t tell anyone about it since it might scare the other girls.  I took the hint and kept my mouth shut.  I didn’t want to lose my job.”

“Do you remember how long it was before Carfield closed that this happened?” Leo asked.

“No.  Not long, though.  I’m sure glad that little one went to a nice family.  A minister and his wife, you know.  I was very surprised at the amount of money the Carfields took for the baby, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it was much less than what it normally was.  There’s no way it would have paid for all the expenses the Carfields would have had taking care of the mother’s medical bills and such.  But I didn’t ask about it.  I didn’t want to get into trouble.”

“Is there anything else you can remember about that incident?”

“No, not really.  Well, except for one thing, that is.”

“What?”

“Well, the baby wasn’t a newborn.  He was a good seven or eight weeks old.  I always wondered where he’d been all that time if his mama died when he was born.  Funny thing about Mister Patterson.”

“What’s that?”

“I didn’t see much of him after that day.  I heard through the grapevine that Mister Carfield was mad at him over something and almost sacked him.  Well, a couple of weeks later, he came rushing down the hallway like the devil was on his tail, scared as could be.  Sometime later, he came back down the hall with Mister Carfield.  I had never seen Mister Carfield looking so mad, and he was scared, too.  I never saw Mister Patterson again.  I’m sure he got fired.  Why, now that I remember, it was the very next day that Mister Carfield told everyone that the agency was closing.”

Leo looked at Frank again.  “Did he give a reason why?”

“He said that he’d suffered a personal financial setback and needed to liquidate everything.”

“Thank you very much, Mrs. Stein.  You’ve been a big help.  I’d like to give you my phone number in case you remember anything else.”

Leo gave the woman his cell phone number, then hung up.

“So, what do you make of it, Leo?” Frank asked.

“Well, for one thing, we now know, without a doubt, that Daniel was abducted.  They wouldn’t have made up that whole story about the mother dying in childbirth if everything was on the up and up.  What I’m really wondering about is what happened two weeks later.  Is there any connection to Daniel’s abduction?”

“And what about the fact that Daniel was sold to the Coopers for a lot less than the normal amount?”

“Yeah, that too.  We might have to talk to Daniel’s adoptive parents about that.  They may be able to shed some more light on it.  The person I really need to talk to, though, is Dingo.  Why didn’t he or Rollie’s mother ever tell Rollie that he had a twin brother who was kidnapped?”

“Maybe they didn’t want to upset him.”

“Maybe.”  Leo fell silent.  “I think I need to make that trip to Washington,” he said after a minute or so.  “I want to discuss this whole thing with Daniel and Angie in person.”

“When will you leave?”

“I’ll take an afternoon flight out tomorrow, spend the night in Seattle.”

“What are you going to tell the captain?”

“I’ve got some vacation time saved up.  I’ll tell him that I need to take some personal time.”  He smiled at his partner.  “I’m sure you can handle things while I’m gone.”

Leo went to VanDuran’s office.  The captain was surprised when he put in the request for a few days off.  Looking at the detective’s pallid skin and the dark smudges under his eyes was enough, though, to convince the man that Leo needed to get away for a while.  He was aware of how hard Rollie Tyler’s murder had hit Leo and had been tempted several times to order the detective to take a vacation since it was clear that McCarthy’s effectiveness as a cop was being hindered.  At least he wouldn’t have to order it now.

“All right.  Effective today, since it is supposed to be your day off, you’re on vacation for the next two weeks,” he said.

“Two weeks?  Captain, I only want a few days, maybe a week.”

“Nevertheless, you’re getting two weeks, and I don’t want an argument.”

“Yes, sir.  But what about our caseload?”

“I’ll assign someone to help Detective Gatti.  I think the New York Police Department can survive without you for two weeks, McCarthy.”

“Yes, sir.”  Leo turned to leave.

“Oh, and McCarthy?”

Leo looked back at the captain.  “Yeah?”

“I miss him, too.”

The eyes of the two men met for a long moment.  Then Leo nodded and left.

“What did he say?” Frank asked.

“I’m on a two-week vacation starting today.  No negotiations.”  Leo ran a hand through his hair.  “You might as well go home.  I’m just going to gather up this information I got so that I can take it with me and make a few phone calls, book my flight.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“No.  Go be with your family, Frank.  Give Sarah and the kids my love.”

After his partner had left, Leo sat back down and started making phone calls.  His first call was to get information on transportation to the island.  He found out that the only way to get to the island was by ferry, which left from a small city north of Seattle.   He then called the airline and booked himself on the 12:40 flight out of Kennedy, which would arrive at 7:20 Pacific Time at the Seattle/Tacoma airport.  He wasn’t thrilled about the longer travel time because of the layover in Phoenix, but the only available alternates were to take an early morning flight or leave from Newark, neither of which he wanted to do.  Leo’s next call was to make hotel reservations.

Gathering up all the information he had on Carfield, Leo headed for home.  As he passed by a liquor store, he was tempted for a moment to stop and get something.  Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, he drove on past.  He hadn’t taken a drink since finding out about Daniel Cooper, and he was not going to let himself slip now.

Waiting until 8 a.m. Pacific Time, Leo called the number he had for Daniel Cooper.  The cop was again hit by the familiarity of the minister’s voice when he answered the phone.

“This is Detective McCarthy.  Is Angie there?”

“Sure.  Just a sec.  Angie?  Detective McCarthy is on the phone for you.”  After a brief pause, Angie got on the phone.

“Hey, Leo.  What’s up?  Did you find out anything?”

“Yeah, I did.  I want to come out there to show you what I’ve found and decide what we’re going to do next.”

“Oh, um . . . okay.  When are you coming?”

“Would Monday be too soon?”

“I don’t think so.  Let me check with Daniel.”  Angie covered the mouthpiece with her hand, and Leo could hear a muffled conversation.  “Daniel said that would be fine.”

“Good.  I’ve booked a flight that will get into Seattle Sunday night.  I’ll stay the night there and head over to the island first thing Monday morning.”

“Do you have the ferry schedule?”

“Yeah, I got it.”

“All right.  We’ll see you Monday then.  Oh, wait.  Daniel wants to talk to you.”

The minister took the phone from Angie.  “Hi.  Um, I wanted to know if. . . .”  There was a brief pause.  “Was I stolen from my parents, Detective McCarthy?”

“Yeah, I’m afraid you were.  There’s no doubt of it.”

“I . . . I see.  I, uh, guess we’ll see you on Monday then.  Goodbye.”

Daniel hung up the phone and sat down heavily.  Concerned, Angie sat beside him.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“No, not really.  A big part of me kept hoping that I was given up for adoption willingly.”  He sighed sadly.  “But I guess I knew in my heart all along that wasn’t the case.”  He looked at Angie.  “What am I going to tell Mom and Dad, Angie?  How am I going to break this to them?”

Angie took his hand.  “I don’t know, Daniel, but I know that you’ll find the words.  It won’t be easy, but you’ll do all right.”

Daniel squeezed her hand.  “Thanks, Angie.”  He gave her a smile, though there was a touch of sadness in it.  “I’m glad you’re here.”

Angie returned the smile.  She hadn’t told Daniel that she’d been intending to go back to New York on Monday.  Now that Leo was coming, though, she would have to change her plans.  She couldn’t leave now.  She had a feeling that Daniel was going to need her, and she also wanted to be here in case there was anything she could do to help the investigation.

“Angie?  You know that Alex’s son, Dylan, is home now, right?” Daniel said, breaking into her thoughts.  “Well, I was thinking that maybe the three of us--you, me and Dylan--could go for a picnic or something.  I really think you’ll like Dylan.  He’s a great kid.  And I think that both you and I need some time to relax and just have a good time.”

“It’s nice of you to offer, Daniel, but it should be Alex who goes on the picnic, not me.”

“Well, to be completely honest, it was Alex I originally intended to take, but she can’t go anywhere tomorrow since Molly will be gone for the day.  But, now, I think that her not being able to go is a good thing.  I want to take you, Angie.  I want . . . I want to see you happy.”

Angie felt tears prick her eyes.  She gave him a tremulous smile.  “Okay,” she said quietly.

Daniel smiled at her gently and gathered her to him.  Angie wrapped her arms around his waist, trying to ignore how good it felt to be held by him.  She felt him place a kiss on her hair.  Then he drew back and pressed his lips against her forehead.

“We’ll always be a team, Ange,” he murmured.

Angie stilled at his words, then slowly lifted her head to stare at him.

“What?  What is it?” Daniel asked.  Then he thought about what he’d just said.  “I did it again, didn’t I.”

“Yeah.  Rollie told me that once, years ago.  And he kissed me just like you just did.”

Daniel released her, running a hand through is hair.  “I was hoping that it wasn’t going to happen anymore.”

“I’m sorry.  I wish I knew the reason for it.  I know there has to be a reason.”

“Apparently one he didn’t have before.”

“What do you mean?” Angie asked.

“I asked Alex if she’d noticed anything odd about my behavior over the last three months, changes in my personality or mannerisms, and she said no.  Everything seems to have started when you came to the island.”

“Well, if Rollie is just trying to reach me through you, that would make sense.”

“Yes, I suppose, but why is it only now that you’re having all these . . . visions of him?  I mean, I know you had the nightmares before, but they’re different now, right?”

“Yeah, they are.  Before, they were mostly about the explosion.”

“So, what changed?  Why is he so urgently trying to get through to us now?”

Angie thought about the question.  She couldn’t answer it.  It was true that, ever since she set foot on the island, things had been dramatically escalating.  How far would it go?  To what extent would Rollie go to make them hear him?  One thing was for certain.  If Rollie was as determined in death as he was in life, he wouldn’t stop until he’d gotten what he wanted.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

When asked if he’d like to go on a picnic, Dylan had readily agreed.  Daniel and Angie went into town to get the needed supplies.

“Good morning, Daniel,” Bonita greeted.  She turned to the woman with the minister.  “And you must be Angie.  I’m Bonita.  My mother and I run the store.”

“Hi.  I met your mother a few days ago.”

Bonita nodded.  Ruby had told her about the meeting with the New Yorker, how sad and pale the young woman had appeared.  Looking at her now, Bonita could also see what her mother had, but there seemed to be at least a bit of color in Angie’s face, though she was terribly thin.

“So, what can we get for you today?” she asked.

“We’re going on a picnic with Dylan,” Daniel replied.  “We need some lunch meat for sandwiches and some chips.”

“That sounds nice, and it’s a perfect day for a picnic.  Well, you know where everything is, so feel free to get whatever you need.”

As Daniel went to get the food, Angie began wandering around, looking at the gift items.  Bonita watched her, curious about the New Yorker.  What tragedy had brought the woman to the state she was in now?  There was an air about her of someone who had suffered pain too terrible to bear.  Someone had mentioned hearing as they passed the clinic the sound of a woman sobbing in grief-stricken anguish, calling out a name.  Whatever the horrible thing was that had befallen Angie, Bonita hoped that the woman found a way to get through it.

Pulling her attention away from her own thoughts, she noticed that Angie was now looking through a display of named keychains.  The keychains had a photo of a lighthouse in the background that bore a striking resemblance to Hope Island’s lighthouse, which was the reason why they’d chosen to stock them.

As Angie browsed through the keychains, she abruptly stiffened.  With a hand that was now trembling, she pulled one of the keychains off the rack and just stood staring at it.

“Hey, Angie,” Daniel called.  “Do you want ham or turkey for your sandwich?”  When he got no reply, he turned to his companion.  He took one look at her and immediately put down what he was carrying and went to her.  His gaze turned to what she held in her hand.  Very gently, he took it from her and hung it back on the rack.  Then he put his arms around her.  She pressed her face into his chest for a long moment, then she drew away.

“I’m, uh, going to go wait outside, okay?” she said in a small voice.

Daniel stroked her hair.  “Okay.  I’ll be just a few minutes.”  The minister watched her leave, an expression of deep concern on his face.

“Is she all right?” Bonita asked.

Startled out of his thoughts, Daniel turned to her.  He gave a sad sigh.  “No, not really.”

“I hate to pry, Daniel, but what’s wrong with her?  I’ve never seen anyone look so . . . desolate as she did just then.”

Daniel’s eyes closed for a brief moment.  “She lost someone, someone she loved very much.  I’ve been trying to help her, but there’s only so much I can do.”  He searched Bonita’s face.  “I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t spread this around.  I’m going to be making an announcement after services tomorrow, but, until then, I’d prefer that what’s going on remain private.”

“Of course, Daniel.  I understand.  I hope that Angie will get over this.  I know what it’s like to feel your life crumble about you,” Bonita said, remembering how her husband running out on her with another woman had nearly destroyed her and sent her spiraling deep into alcoholism.

“Thanks, Bonita.”

Daniel hurriedly got what they needed and purchased the items.  After he’d left, Bonita went to the keychain rack, her eyes immediately going to the spot that held the keychain that had distressed Angie so.  The name on it was Roland.

Wondering who Roland had been, Bonita turned away and got back to work.

Daniel quietly approached Angie, who was at the far corner of the general store’s veranda, leaning on the railing and looking up at the mountains.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured as he came up behind her.

“For what?”

“For going to pieces like that.  It was stupid.  I can’t keep doing that.  It was just his name.  A million other guys have that name, and it wasn’t even the name he went by.  He hated Roland.  He once said it sounded like some stuffy Pom’s name.”

“Pom?”

“Yeah, short for Pommy.  It’s a derogatory slang word the Australians and New Zealanders often use for someone who’s British.  He was never Roland.  He was always Rollie.  Rollie.  When you think about it, it’s kind of a silly sounding name, but it suited him.  He was so full of life, so goofy and funny at times.  He loved to kid around, and he could be such a ham.  So often, he was like a big kid just having fun and enjoying life.  He loved to play practical jokes, especially on Frank Gatti, Leo’s partner.  He also loved to take on other personas, become someone else.  He did that a lot when he was helping the cops.”  She smiled.  “You should have seen some of the getups he dreamed up.  He even pretended to be Elvis once.”  Her smiled faded.  “He drove me crazy sometimes, but he was absolutely amazing in so many ways.”  Her eyes fell to the railing.  “I never truly appreciated that until after he was gone.”

Unable to think of anything to say in reply, Daniel just laid his hand over hers.  “Do you still feel up to going on the picnic?” he asked after a while.

Angie paused a moment, then nodded.  “I don’t know if I’m going to be very fun company, though.”

Daniel put an arm around her shoulder, giving her a smile.  “I will make it my mission in life to make sure you enjoy yourself.”

Angie’s arm slid around his waist.  “Thanks, Daniel.”

“Don’t mention it.”

They returned to the house and got busy making the sandwiches for the picnic.  Then they put the sandwiches, along with fruit, chips and drinks, in a cooler.  Daniel grabbed a blanket from the linen closet, and they put everything in the car.  A few minutes later, they were pulling up to the Widow’s Walk.  They both went inside.

“Hi.  Got everything you need for the picnic?” Alex asked.

“Sure do,” Daniel replied.  “Though, if you just happen to still have some of that chocolate cake I spied in the case yesterday, I wouldn’t say no to adding it to the menu.”

Both Alex and Angie laughed.

“You’re teetering on the edge of sin again, Reverend,” Angie snickered.

Daniel gave her a sarcastic smile.  “Very funny, Angela.  Keep it up and I’ll eat all the cake myself.”

Angie’s smile disappeared abruptly, an expression of surprise and a faint look of pain replacing it.

“What?  What did I say?” Daniel asked.  He turned to Alex, who was staring at him wide-eyed.  “Okay, is somebody going to tell me what’s going on?”

“You don’t know?” Alex asked.

“Know what?”

“Daniel, you just spoke with a perfect Australian accent.”

Stunned, Daniel sat down on a barstool.  “That’s the second time that has happened.  I had no idea.  I was totally unaware of it.”  He looked at Angie.  “I’m sorry.”

Having recovered from the shock, Angie shook her head.  “It’s not your fault, Daniel.  I know you didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Is it Rollie?” Alex asked, still reeling over actually being a witness to one of the incidents Daniel had told her about.

“Yes, I’m sure of it,” Angie replied.  “He’s still trying to contact us.”

Further conversation on the matter was suspended with the arrival of Dylan.  He came running up to them.

“Hey there, buddy,” Daniel said, shoving aside his thoughts of what just happened.  “You ready for our picnic?”

“Uh huh.”  The boy turned his attention to Angie.

“Dylan, this is my friend, Angie Ramirez,” Daniel told him.  “She’s been staying with me for the last few days.”

“Hi, Dylan,” Angie said.  “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Hi.  Mom said that you’re sick.”

Daniel and Angie exchanged a look.

“Yes, I have been sick, but I’m getting better,” Angie responded.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Why don’t we discuss it later, Dylan,” Daniel suggested.

“I’ll go get some of that cake,” Alex said, knowing that Daniel wanted to distract Dylan away from any awkward questions.

With the cake added to the picnic supplies, Daniel, Angie and Dylan headed off in the car to a place on the beach that was a favorite of the minister’s.  The walk from where they parked the car was quite a distance, and Angie began feeling a little tired.  Daniel had been watching her like a hawk the entire way.

“Are you okay, Angie?” he asked in concern about three-quarters of the way there.

“Yeah, I’m all right,” she replied.

“You sure?  If it would help to lean on me, please do.  I’m sorry about the walk.  It’s farther than I realized it was.  It never seemed all that far to me before.”

“No, I’m fine, Daniel.  And the walking is good for me.  I need to build up my endurance.”

Daniel gazed at her tenderly and brushed his hand through her hair.  “Well, you’re doing great, a lot better than just a couple of days ago.  We’ll have you up to full speed in no time.”

Angie smiled at him gratefully, then turned her attention to the path before them.

Dylan had been watching the whole exchange closely.  At first, he was just really curious about what was wrong with Angie, but, as he watched her and Daniel together, he became less interested in that and more interested in the way they were acting toward each other.  He wasn’t too young to notice the expression of love and tenderness on Daniel’s face nor the love and gratitude that Angie’s features revealed when she looked at Daniel.  Seeing that, Dylan decided that he didn’t like it, not one bit.  Daniel wasn’t supposed to be looking at any girl like that except Dylan’s mom.  Ever since his mom and Daniel began dating, Dylan had been hoping that, someday, they’d get married.  But, now, this new girl was here, and it looked like Daniel was interested in her.  A new emotion began growing in the boy: resentment, not toward Daniel, but toward Angie.  He began wishing that she wasn’t here.

When they finally reached the chosen spot on the beach, Daniel led Angie to a low boulder and insisted that she sit down and relax while he laid out the blanket and got the food out.  Once everything was set up, Angie settled beside him on the blanket.  They all dug into the meal.

“Mmm.  I’m hungry,” Angie commented.

“Well, that was quite a walk for you,” Daniel responded with a smile, happy to see her eating well.

“So, what’s wrong with you?” Dylan asked.

Daniel looked sharply at the boy, surprised by the hint of anger in his voice.  “Angie has been going through a very rough time the past few months, and it affected her health.  She’s improving now, but it’s taking some time.”

“How come she didn’t stay home instead of coming here if she’s so sick?”

Frowning, Daniel opened his mouth to reply and to rebuke Dylan for his tone of voice, but Angie answered first.

“I came here for a vacation, hoping it would make me feel better, but I suddenly got a lot sicker and ended up in the clinic.  Daniel is now taking care of me until I’m well enough to be on my own.”

“Then you’ll go back home?” Dylan asked, hoping she’d say yes.

“I don’t know yet what I’m going to do.  I haven’t decided.  There are reasons why I don’t really want to go home, but other reasons why I know that I should.”

Startled by her answer, Daniel stared at her.  “What are the reasons why you should go home?”

Angie shook her head.  “We’ll talk about it later, Daniel.”

Starting to get a bad feeling, Daniel fell silent and looked down at his food, taking a few more bites but not really tasting what he was eating.

Dylan could tell that Daniel was upset by Angie’s answer, and that made him even madder.  It was clear that the minister wanted Angie to stay on Hope Island.

“How come Angie is staying with you?” he asked.  “Mom said that you didn’t even know each other before.”

Daniel looked up at Dylan, even more puzzled by the anger in the boy’s voice.  He had been intending to tell Dylan about Rollie, but he was now having second thoughts, thinking it would be best if the boy learned about it tomorrow at church--and after he’d had a chance to talk to him in private about his attitude.  “It’s complicated, Dylan.  Angie didn’t want to stay at the clinic any longer, and I didn’t want her to either.  She was still too sick to go to the inn, so I offered to let her stay with me.”

For the rest of the meal, Daniel and Angie just made small talk as Dylan ate in silence.  Daniel’s attempts to improve the boy’s mood failed.  Not even the news that Angie played video games succeeded.

“I’m going to go look for shells for my mom,” Dylan announced once he was finished eating, putting an odd emphasis on the word ‘mom’.

With a frown marring his forehead, Daniel watched the boy walk off.  He turned to his other companion.

“I’m sorry, Angie.  I really don’t know what’s gotten into him.  He’s never like this.”

Angie smiled.  “Oh, I think I know exactly what’s wrong with him, Daniel.”

“You do?”

“Uh huh.  He resents me.”

“What?  But why?”

“Because he thinks I’m a threat to your relationship with his mother.”

Daniel blinked in surprise.  “A threat?”

“Sure.  You’ve been dating Alex all these months, and Dylan has probably been hoping that you two will get married.  But then, all of a sudden, here I am, a new woman whom he can see you care about and who is staying with you.  He may be just a kid, Daniel, but he’s smart enough to figure out that I might be competition for Alex.”

The minister’s mouth fell open, and he looked over at Dylan.  “I’d never have even considered he’d think that.”

Angie chuckled.  “No, of course you wouldn’t.  You need to straighten him out on this.”

Daniel nodded.  “Yes.  Alex and I were going to tell him about the engagement last night, but he was asleep.  We’ll have to tell him as soon as we get back to the Widow’s Walk.”

“Good idea.  But don’t be surprised if he asks about me when you do.”

Daniel turned back to her.  “Okay, so that solves that mystery.  Now, I want to know what you meant by your earlier comment, about the reasons why you should go home instead of staying here.”

“Please let’s not talk about it now, Daniel.  It’s not the right time.”

The minister sighed.  “All right.  But we are going to talk about this.”

Angie smiled faintly at the stubbornness in Daniel’s voice.  It reminded her of Rollie.  “I know.  And we will.  I promise.”

Daniel looked off in the distance and saw some dark clouds amassing on the horizon.  “It looks like we might be in for some rain.  I guess we’d better head back.”

Calling to Dylan, Daniel began gathering up the stuff with Angie’s help.  The minister insisted that they take the trip back at a slower pace for Angie’s sake, for which she was grateful.  By the time they reached the car, she was quite tired.

“Dylan, I’m going to take Angie back to my house first, then I’ll take you home,” Daniel said.

When they got to the parish house, Daniel went with Angie up the steps, his hand under her elbow for support.

“Do you need anything before I go?” he asked.

“No, I’m fine, Daniel.  Really,” Angie insisted.  “I’m just going to lie down for a little while.”

“All right.  I’ll be back within the hour.”

“Don’t rush back on my account.  You stay with Alex and Dylan as long as you like.”

The drive back down the hill was made in silence, Daniel occasionally glancing at Dylan, who sat staring out the window.  When they got to the Widow’s Walk, the boy when straight up to his room.

“Hey there.  Did you enjoy the picnic?” Alex asked.  Then she got a better look at the minister’s face.  “What’s wrong?”

Daniel told her about what happened.

“Oh, boy.  I have to admit that this didn’t even cross my mind,” Alex said.  She started chewing on her lip.  “So, what do you suggest we do?”

“We need to tell him about the engagement as soon as possible.”

The redhead nodded and glanced about the restaurant.  “Okay.  Everyone here now already has their food.  I’ll make the rounds with the coffee pot, then we can go upstairs.”

A few minutes later, they were knocking on Dylan’s door.  They found the boy at his computer, blasting aliens with a vengeance.

“Dylan, your mom and I need to talk with you,” Daniel said.  “Could you please turn off the game?”

Once the boy had turned his attention to them, Daniel sat on the bed, Alex settling beside him.  Looking at the boy’s expression, the minister made a sudden decision.

“I need to explain something to you, Dylan, something about Angie,” he said.  “Three months ago, something happened that hurt her deeply.  She lost someone she loved very, very much, and it hurt so much that she stopped eating and sleeping.  That’s why she got sick.  But there’s more to the story than that, a lot more, the main reason why Angie is staying with me.  Tomorrow, after church services, I’m going to make an announcement about it.  But, for now, there’s something you need to understand.  I care a great deal about Angie.  I’ve come to love her, but only as a friend, Dylan.  She is nothing more to me than that.”

“She isn’t?” Dylan asked, hope growing in his eyes.

“No.  There is only one woman I love in the way that a man loves and woman,” his eyes went to Alex, “and that’s your mom.”  When he turned back to Dylan, it was to see a smile on the boy’s face.  “And, now, I have an extremely important question to ask you.”

“What?”

The minister sat up a little straighter.  “I would like to ask your permission to marry your mom,” he said, completely serious.

Dylan’s smile instantly grew into a huge grin.  He let out a whoop of delight, jumped out of the chair, and began hugging them both.

Alex started laughing.  “I think you can take that as a yes,” she told the minister.

He grinned.  “I think you’re right.”

Dylan looked up at him.  “If you marry Mom, you’ll be my dad, right?”

“Your stepfather.”

“And you’ll come live with us?”

Daniel met Alex’s eyes.  “Well, we’re still trying to figure out the living arrangements, but we will all be living together.”  Daniel smiled happily.  “We’ll be a family.”

“So, when are you getting married?”

“We’ve sort of decided on late August.  But we want to keep this a secret for a while.  Only Molly, Kevin and Angie know about the engagement right now.  Do you think you can keep it a secret?”

Dylan nodded.  “Sure.  I’m good at keeping secrets.”

“Then let’s shake on it.”  Daniel held his hand out to the boy, who took it in a firm handshake.

“All right.  Now that that’s been straightened out, we have something else to discuss,” Daniel told Dylan firmly.  “You owe Angie a big apology for the way you acted on the picnic.”

Ashamed, Dylan dropped his gaze to the floor.  “I’m sorry.  I thought. . . .”

“I know what you thought, Dylan, and you should have asked about it instead of making an assumption like that.  Angie has been through a terrible time lately, and she needs all the friends she can get.  Do you think you can be a friend to her?”

The boy nodded, still not looking at Daniel.

“That’s good.  Tomorrow at church you can apologize to her.”

“Okay.”

Alex ruffled her son’s hair.  “I need to get back downstairs.  Are you headed back home, Daniel?”

“Yeah, unless you’d like a hand here.  I could bus tables for you.”  He smiled.  “I promise not to break too many dishes, and I work really cheap.”

Alex’s eyebrow lifted.  “Oh?  And what will it cost me?”

Daniel leaned over and kissed her.  “I’d say a few of those would cover it.”

“It’s a deal.”  Alex gave him another kiss.  “Consider that an advance on your pay.”  She got up and headed out of the room.  “See you downstairs,” she said over her shoulder.

Daniel rose to his feet.  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Dylan.”  He moved toward the door.

“Daniel?”

The minister turned back to the boy.  “Hmm?”

“Who was the person that died?”

Daniel froze, his heart constricting.  For a moment, he didn’t answer.  “Someone . . . very special, Dylan.  He was the man that Angie loved.”  The minister turned away and left the room, but not before Dylan caught a glimpse of tears in his eyes.

Puzzled and concerned, Dylan sat on his chair.  Why was Daniel so sad about this man who died?  It was almost as if . . . as if he had known him, too.  Daniel had said that there was more to the story.  Was that it?  Was that what he was going to tell everyone in church?

Curious about who the man that died had been, Dylan turned his chair back to his computer and resumed playing his game.

When Daniel got back to the house, everything was quiet.  Assuming that Angie was asleep, he fixed a cup of tea and made himself comfortable on the couch.  He’d taken only a few sips when a sound from the bedroom drew his attention.  Setting his cup down, Daniel went to the bedroom and opened the door.  Angie was on the bed, moving restlessly.  The covers were tangled about her.  As Daniel got closer, he realized that she was crying.

“No.  No, Rollie,” she mumbled.  Then she began to sob.  “Oh, God, no.  Please, no.”

Daniel immediately knelt at the side of the bed.  “Angie?  Wake up, sweetie.  You’re having a nightmare.”  He laid a hand on her shoulder.  The instant he touched her, Daniel abruptly found himself in a maelstrom of pain and fear.  Agony ripped through him, shattering his senses.  With a cry, he fell to the floor, but the pain did not stop.  Just at the moment when Daniel thought he was going to pass out, the pain faded away to a strange sensation of peace unlike anything he’d ever felt before.  Then, that, too, was gone.  But, just as it was disappearing, he thought he felt something touch him deep inside and heard the faint whisper of his name being called.

“Daniel!  Daniel, what’s wrong?!” came another voice, one full of terror.

The minister blinked his eyes open to see Angie bending over him.  “Angie?”

“What happened?  Are you sick?  Are you hurt?” she asked frantically.

“I . . . I don’t know what happened.”  The minister struggled to a sitting position.  “You were having a nightmare, and I tried to wake you up.  But when I touched you. . . .”  He closed his eyes for a second.  “I felt pain and fear and. . . .”  He ran an unsteady hand through his hair.  “I don’t know what caused it.  I thought I was going to pass out.  But then, everything changed, and I experienced this feeling of . . . of peace.”  He shook his head.  “I can’t explain it.”

Angie stared at Daniel, unable to understand what had happened.  “I was having another nightmare about Rollie.  He was in terrible pain, and he was scared, and I couldn’t get to him.  Then, for a second, it was ten times worse.  God, it was like it was happening to me, like it was my pain.  I heard a scream, and it woke me up.  Then I saw you on the floor.”

“I think the scream was mine.”  Daniel got shakily to his feet, one of Angie’s hands wrapped around his upper arm, the other on his back.  He sat on the bed.

“You okay?” Angie asked in concern.

“Yeah.  Just give me a minute.”

“Daniel, what’s going on?  I don’t understand what’s happening.”

“Neither do I, Angie.  It makes no sense to me.”  He looked at her.  “Are we . . . are we experiencing Rollie’s death?”

Angie’s eyes closed tightly.  “I don’t want that to be it.  I couldn’t take it knowing that he suffered like that.”  Her eyes opened, tears of torment in them.  “But what if that is it, Daniel?  What if he didn’t die instantly like everyone thinks?  What if h-he felt the fire b-burning him a-and--”  her voice choked off on an agonized sob.  Daniel pulled her into his embrace.

“Shh.  Don’t think about it, Ange.  Just don’t think about it.”

“My father died in an explosion,” Angie whispered.  “It was on a set for a movie we were filming.  I saw it happen.  One minute, he was alive, and the next, there was fire everywhere.  Rollie.  He . . . he had to identify the body.  I saw the look in his eyes afterwards.”  Another sob welled out of her.  “Oh, God.  Why did Rollie have to die that way?  Why?”

Daniel held onto Angie more tightly.  “Shhhh.  Angie, listen to me.  You remember what I said I felt after the pain?  I felt peace, Angie, a sense of peace and tranquility.  If what I experienced was Rollie’s death, then I believe that peace was God taking his soul into heaven.  He’s not hurting anymore, sweetie.”

Angie clung to him.  “I hope you’re right.”  She looked up at him.  “Do you think he’s with my dad?”

Daniel smiled.  “I’m sure he is, just like I know that they’re both looking down on us now.”

“And . . . and Mom too,” Angie whispered.

Daniel stroked Angie’s hair.  “Yeah.  Your mom, too.  They’re all together in God’s kingdom, with . . . with my mother, too.”  The mother he never knew.

Angie’s hands clutched his shirt.  “I have nobody left, you know.  They’re all gone.”

Daniel lifted Angie’s chin so that he could look into her eyes.  “That’s not true, Angie.  You have me, and you have your friends.”  He caressed her cheek.  “You won’t ever be alone, Ange.  There will always be someone here who loves you.”  He pressed his lips to her forehead.

Angie gave a long, shuddering sigh.  “I love you, too, Daniel.  You’re the best friend I have left in the world.”

Angie’s words brought tears to the minister’s eyes and a lump to his throat.  He pulled her close to him.  They stayed like that for a long, silent moment.  Angie was the first to break the embrace.

“I think I’m going to go take a shower.”

“Okay.  Would you like some tea?”

“Yeah.  That sounds good.”

“What kind?  Earl Grey is my particular favorite.”

Angie smiled very faintly.  “That was Rollie’s favorite, too.  I usually preferred camomile.”

“Then camomile it is.”

A while later, as Daniel prepared the tea, he sent up a silent prayer.  ‘Rollie, I pray that whatever the reason is that you’re trying to contact us, it will be resolved soon, for Angie’s sake.’

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Hi, Mom,” Daniel said into the phone.

“Daniel!  It’s good to hear your voice,” Bonnie Cooper exclaimed.  “How are you doing, honey?”

“I’m doing good.  Is Dad around?”

“He’s in his office.  Do you want me to get him?”

“Yeah, I need to talk to both of you.  It’s important.”

“Is there something wrong?”

“No, I just have something to tell you.”

“Okay, I’ll go get him.”

As Daniel waited, he tried to calm his nerves.  It wasn’t telling them he was engaged that was twisting his stomach into a knot.  It was what his father’s reaction would be if he found out that Alex was an unwed mother and didn’t go to church.  Daniel had made the decision not to tell his parents about that right now.  He would have to tell them eventually, but he knew it would be better if done in person, after they were used to the idea of him getting married and had accepted Alex as a future part of the family.

There was a faint click, then Cliff Cooper’s voice came on the line.  “Hello, Daniel.  So, are you calling to tell us you’re coming home for a visit?”

“No, I’m afraid not, though I would like to do that one of these days.”

“Well, we’d love to have you,” Bonnie said.  “We both miss you around here.”

“So, what did you have to tell us?” Cliff asked.

“Um, you remember Alex?”

“Yes.  The innkeeper.”

“Uh huh.  We’ve been dating the past few months, and, um, well . . . we’re engaged.”  There.  He’d said it.

There was silence on the phone for a couple of seconds, then, “Oh, Daniel.  That’s wonderful news,” Bonnie said happily.  “Though I have to admit that I’m surprised.  When we were there in March, you didn’t give any hint that you two were dating.”

“We weren’t.  We had our first date not long after you guys left.”

“But that isn’t even four months, Daniel,” Cliff said.  “Do you think it’s wise to become engaged so soon?”

“We may have only been dating for four months, but I’ve known Alex for well over a year.  I love her, more than I’ve ever loved any woman.  I know that she’s the right one for me.  I hope that you can be happy for me.”

“We are, Daniel,” Bonnie assured him quickly.  “We just want to make sure you understand the seriousness of this decision.  Marriage is a lifetime commitment, or at least it’s supposed to be.”

“I know, Mom, but I’m prepared to make that commitment.  I am ready for it, and I’m ready to be a father.”

“A father?” Cliff asked sharply.

“Alex has a twelve-year-old son.  Dylan.  He’s my acolyte.”

“Ah, yes.  I remember the boy.”

“He’s a great kid, Dad.  The best.  We’ve grown very close.  I want to be his father, and I want to be Alex’s husband.  I do know what I’m doing.  I have thought about it.  Please trust me that I’m making the right decision.”

“Well, then we’re happy for you, Daniel,” Bonnie said.  “I am so pleased that you’ve found someone you want to spend your life with.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Daniel said, hearing the genuine note of happiness in his mother’s voice.

“Have you discussed a date yet?” Cliff asked.

“Well, that’s probably going to be another shocker for you.  We want to get married on August 26th.”

“Oh, but that’s so soon.  It hardly gives you any time to prepare,” Bonnie said.

“We know.  But neither of us wants a big, fancy wedding.  We’re going to have it outdoors, where we can overlook the bay.”

“That sounds simply lovely.”

“Dad, I’d, um . . . I would be honored if you’d perform the ceremony.”

“It would be my privilege, Son,” Cliff responded, his voice low and full of emotion.  He laughed.  “It’s been a few years since I performed a wedding ceremony.  I hope I remember how to do it right.”

Daniel chuckled.  “I did one not all that long ago.  It didn’t end up being a, um, normal kind of wedding, but I can give you a few pointers, if you’d like.”

Father and son laughed together.

“Well, now that everything’s settled, I’m going to have to make arrangements to come to the island to help with the preparations,” Bonnie said.

“Don’t worry about that, Mom.  I know you’ve got your hands full with the ministry.  We have lots of friends to help with the wedding.”

“Nonsense!  My only son’s getting married.  You’re not about to deny me the fun of getting involved in the preparations.”

“You might as well let her, Son,” Cliff said, amused.  “Once your mother has her mind made up, you can’t change it.”

“Okay, I give in,” Daniel said with a laugh.  “Actually, it would probably be a big help if you could see about things like the invitations, though we obviously don’t need them quite yet.  Alex and I would have to go into Seattle for stuff like that, and between her work and mine, we don’t have a lot of chances to get over there.”

“Certainly.  I’ll go around to some of the printers and get samples, then mail them to you.”

“Um, there is, uh . . . the matter of money, though.  We can’t afford anything fancy,” Daniel revealed uncomfortably.

“Daniel, don’t worry about the wedding costs,” Cliff told him.  “We’re going to take care of it.”

“No, I don’t want you to do that, Dad.  We’ll manage.”

“Please, Daniel.  Let us do this for you.  Like your mother said, you’re our only child.  We want your wedding to be as nice as it possibly can be.  You can consider it to be our wedding gift to you, if you wish.”

Daniel swallowed the tightness in his throat.  “Thanks, Dad.  I’ll need to discuss it with Alex first.”

“Of course.”

“What about Alex’s parents?” Bonnie asked.

“They’re both gone.  Her mother died a few years ago, and her father left when Alex was a child.  She doesn’t know what became of him.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.  Then she has no family at all except her son?”

“She has a sister, Laura.  I think she lives in Chicago.  She’s a lawyer.  Other than that, I don’t think there’s anyone.  But Alex has a lot of people here who are like family to her.”

They continued to discuss the wedding plans.  Though Bonnie wanted to go to a professional florist for the floral arrangements, Daniel insisted that the flowers come from Kenny, the mentally challenged man whom he had helped get a job as Hope Island’s official gardener.

“You should see his garden, Mom.  It’s amazing, just as good as any I’ve ever seen.  Kenny might need to be shown how to do some things, like the corsages and boutonnieres, but I think he’ll do great.”

“I’m sure he will, Daniel,” Bonnie agreed, proud of her son’s open and caring heart.

“There’s one thing I should tell you.  We’re not going to make the official announcement for another week.  There are some . . . personal reasons for the delay.  I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t let any of your friends know until after we announce it to the islanders.”

“Of course.”

Daniel sighed.  “I guess this leads us to something else, namely, the press.  The last thing we want is to be mobbed by reporters.  Up until now, they haven’t found out where I’m living, and I’d like it to stay that way, for . . . obvious reasons.”

“I completely agree,” Cliff said.  “We’ll keep this as quiet as we can.  We won’t tell anyone except the friends we know we can trust to keep it confidential.  And, of course, we won’t have an announcement published in the paper.”

“Good.  Any friends off the island that I want to tell, I’ll contact by phone.  There aren’t that many.  I’ve lost contact with most of the friends I had in California.  Arnie’s really the only one that I still talk to.  Most of my friends now are right here on the island.”

They talked a while longer, then Daniel bid his parents goodnight.  After hanging up, he called Alex.

“So, how did it go?” she asked.

“Good.  They were both concerned at first about the fact that we’d been dating for so short a time, but once that was settled, everything went great.”

“Did you, um, have to tell them about Dylan being illegitimate or about my . . . religious standing?”

“No.  Fortunately, it didn’t come up.  Like I told you, I don’t want to tell them on the phone.  It would be much better in person.  Mom is going to come to the island in a couple of weeks, and Dad said he’d try to get over here at the same time.  We can tell them then.”

“I just hope that it’s not going to ruin everything,” Alex murmured, worried.

“I’m not going to let it, Alex,” the minister told her.  “I really think that Mom will accept it, no matter what.”

“And your father?”

Daniel paused before answering.  “I don’t know.  Things between us are a lot better now than they were when I was dating Kate, but I can’t say for sure how Dad’s going to react, though I have a feeling it’s going to cause a problem.”  His voice firmed.  “If he can’t accept it, then so be it.  No matter what, I am going to marry you Alex Stone.”

Alex smiled joyfully.  “I do love you, Daniel Cooper.”

“And I love you.  I’d show you how much if I was there.”

“Well, I’ll just have to take a rain check until we see each other again.”

“Yeah.  Um . . . Alex, I’d very much like it if you could come to the church after services tomorrow.  It would mean a lot to me if you could be there when I make the announcement.”

“Oh, Daniel.  I would like to be there for you, but I don’t know if I can.  Molly will be there, and I’d hate to leave Boris here alone to take care of everything by himself.”

“Of course.  I understand,” Daniel said, fighting to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

“Let me see what I can arrange, okay?  I’ll make a few phone calls.  Perhaps I can get somebody to come in for a little while.”

“Thanks, Alex.  I’d really appreciate it.”

“Either way, I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

“Yep.  I’ll be bringing Angie down after everyone’s gone.”  Angie was going to be moving back to the Widow’s Walk in the morning.  Though a big part of Daniel wished that she was staying with him longer, he knew that she was well enough to be on her own now.  In fact, she and Alex had made plans to go for a walk together.  After Angie’s experience with the walk to their picnic spot, she had insisted that it was time for her to actively start building up her stamina.  Alex had volunteered to be her companion.  Fortunately, the clouds had bypassed the island, and there was no rain in the forecast.

After saying goodbye to Alex, Daniel hung up, then remembered that he hadn’t told her about his father’s insistence on paying for the wedding.  Deciding it would be better to tell her in person, he got up and went to the bedroom, knocking on the door.

“Come in,” Angie said.  Daniel found her sitting on the bed, her back propped against the headboard, a book on her bent knees.  Laying down the book, she studied the minister’s face.  “So, I’m guessing that things went all right.”

“Yeah, they did.  The plans are underway.”  Daniel sat on the bed.  “It’s strange, but it’s only just now that it is really hitting me.  I’m getting married.  In just a few weeks, my life as a single man will be over.  I’ll be a husband and a father.  Wow.”

Angie smiled at him.  “Kind of mind-blowing, huh?”

“You can say that again.  When I arrived on Hope Island fifteen months ago, I’d never have dreamed that I’d meet the woman I’d spend the rest of my life with and be getting married before a second year was out.  It’s absolutely amazing how fast your whole life can change.”

“Yeah,” Angie said quietly, her eyes dropping from Daniel.

Hearing the change in her voice, the minister looked at her.  “Angie, I--”

“No.  Please don’t say anything, Daniel,” she interrupted quickly.  “This is a happy time for you, and I don’t want it ruined because of me.  You’ve already spent too much time worrying about me.  You need to concentrate on Alex and Dylan and the new life that you’re going to be starting soon.”

The minister took her hand.  “Angie, you’re a part of my life too, a big part.  You are my friend, and I love you.  I’m not going to just forget about you and what you’re going through.  That isn’t going to happen.  I want you to be happy, and I won’t be completely happy until you are.”

Blinking away her tears before they could fall, Angie laid her hand over his.  “I know, Daniel.  I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have you.  I just don’t want you to keep having to worry about me so much.”  She put on a smile.  “You’re going to have enough to worry about with all the preparations for the wedding.”

“You got that right.  Just talking with Mom and Dad about all the stuff that has to be done made my head spin.  It’s a wonder more people don’t just run off to Nevada and get married.”

Angie laughed.  “Well, you could always hold that option in reserve in case you and Alex start going off the deep end with all the things that have to be done for a proper wedding.”

Daniel grinned.  “Actually, I already suggested we elope . . . twice.  If we could do it, I’d marry her tomorrow.  I really would.”

A wicked smile curved Angie’s face.  “Ah.  A little impatient for the wedding night, eh?”

“Angie!” Daniel exclaimed in shock, his face blushing scarlet.  “I can’t believe you said that.”

Angie laughed in delight.  “Hey, I call it as I see it, Reverend Cooper.”

Still blushing, Daniel stared at the floor between his feet.  Thinking she might have stepped over the line, Angie touched his arm.

“I’m sorry I embarrassed you.  I sometimes don’t think before I say things.”

Daniel shook his head.  “No, it’s okay.  You are right, you know.  I want to be with her like . . . like that.  Some nights, it’s, um . . . hard not to think about it, if you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do.  I thought about it a lot after I realized that I was in love with Rollie.  Even before then, I’d find myself thinking about it, wondering what it would be like.  It’s natural to have those kinds of thoughts.  You are human, after all, even if you are a minister.”  Angie gave a small laugh.