An Accidental Family

146 Pages·2011·0.86 MB·English

by  Lough Loree

“Do you believe this sky?”
Nadine pointed at the stars
above her and Lamont.
“I hope it’s this clear tomorrow tonight,” he said.
She looked at him, and sent his heart into overdrive. “Why?”
“Might be inclined to throw a couple of steaks on the grill…if you’ll share ’em
with me.”
Nadine turned to face him. “Lamont London,” she said, her blue eyes boring into
his, “are you asking me out on a date?”
Suddenly, Lamont stared at the floorboards beneath his boots, trying to make
sense of everything that was going on in his head and his heart.
“I like you, Nadine.”
She reached over and gently squeezed his forearm. “And I like you, too. You’ve
always been a good neighbor, and I count myself lucky to call you ‘friend,’ too.”
Friend? The term made him feel like a schoolboy, because he wanted this to be
so much more. He’d broken bones and tamed wild stallions. But something told
him trying to woo Nadine might be his greatest challenge yet….
Books by Loree Lough
Love Inspired
*Suddenly Daddy
*Suddenly Mommy
*Suddenly Married
*Suddenly Reunited
*Suddenly Home
His Healing Touch
Out of the Shadows
†An Accidental Hero
†An Accidental Mom
†An Accidental Family
LOREE LOUGH
A full-time writer for many years, Loree Lough has produced more than two
thousand articles, dozens of short stories and novels for the young (and young at
heart), and all have been published here and abroad. She is also an award-
winning author of more than thirty-five romances.
A comedic teacher and conference speaker, Loree loves sharing in classroom
settings what she’s learned the hard way. The mother of two grown daughters,
she lives in Maryland with her husband.
An Accidental Family
Loree Lough
And then I will welcome you, and I will be a father
to you, and you will be My sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.
—2 Corinthians 6:18
Every time I watch the Oscars,
I empathize with the actors who try—
in a very short time span—to thank everyone
who made their careers and awards possible…
without leaving anyone out! I pray you’ll
bear with me as I make the same attempt to
show my gratitude for the individuals
who helped Accidental Family come to pass:
My faithful readers (many of whom became
cherished friends over the years), my amazing
editor, Melissa (who knows a good story when
she reads one), the creative guys and gals at
Love Inspired (whose talents made this beautiful
cover possible), my real-life hero-husband
(whose support grows stronger and steadier
by the year), my loving daughters (for believing
in me even when I didn’t), and their kids
(who provide thousands of “braggy grandmom”
moments), and Katharine Grubb
(“The 10-Minute Writer,” who shared a few words
that sparked an idea and solved a problem for
the heroine). Last, but certainly not least, to our
heavenly Father, who blessed me with a career
that allows me to enjoy every working moment
and allows me to share His word!
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
Letter to Reader
Questions for Discussion
Chapter One
L
amont had never felt more alone in his life.
Strange, since the church bulged with longtime friends, family and
neighbors, here by invitation to witness his youngest daughter’s wedding.
They stood at the back of the church, just the two of them, waiting arm in
arm for their cue to march toward the altar. Lily smiled up at him through the
gauzy mist of her veil. “I love Max like crazy, Daddy,” she said, tears
shimmering in her big green eyes, “but you’ll always be my best guy.”
He wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked, that he was proud of the
woman she’d become, that her mama would have been proud of her, too, but a
sob caught in his throat. He patted her tiny, white-gloved hand and ground his
molars together as those first strains of “The Wedding March” came through the
closed chapel doors.
The roses and lilies of the valley in her bouquet began to quake, and he tried
again to come up with something, anything that might calm and comfort her. But
now the choking sob had made its way to his brain, making him feel just plain
stupid as he continued patting her hand.
Then the doors opened, and a couple hundred parishioners turned
simultaneously in their pews, smiling and craning their necks to get that first
glimpse of the bride and her dad. Evidently, his hearing was pretty good for a
guy in his fifties, because despite the window-rattling crescendo of the music, he
could make out “Isn’t she pretty?” and “He’s so handsome in a tux,” rushing
down the aisle like an ocean wave.
Next thing he knew, Lamont found himself at the altar, lifting her veil,
kissing her forehead…and handing her over to the young man who’d take care
of his Lily from this day forth.
“Who gives this woman?” the preacher asked.
They’d practiced this, just last night, but Lamont didn’t want to spout the
two simple, one-syllable words they had assigned him. “She’s not a woman,” he
wanted to shout instead, “She’s my baby girl!”
But after his mechanical “I do,” he walked woodenly to his seat, and sat
tugging at the stiff collar of the tuxedo’s white shirt, trying to pay attention as
Lily recited her vows and exchanged rings with Max, trying not to blubber like a
toddler when the bride and groom shared their first kiss as man and wife.
When they faced the congregation, Lily looked at him and sent a silent
reminder: “You’ll always be my best guy, Daddy…”
It put a lump in his throat and tears in his eyes, and Lamont tried to hide it
It put a lump in his throat and tears in his eyes, and Lamont tried to hide it
by lifting his chin. But Lily saw and knowing what it meant, blew him a little
kiss, the way she had since she was a toddler. And, as always, he pretended to
catch it and tuck it into his pocket.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the pastor droned, “I give you Mr. and Mrs.
Maxwell Sheridan.”
All in attendance stood and applauded, including Lamont—though his heart
wasn’t in it. Because this was it. The end. Tonight, he’d go home to that big
house, empty save the constant companionship of his ever-faithful mutt,
Obnoxious.
An usher led Lily’s mother-in-law to the back of the church. Georgia looked
gorgeous, more content than he’d ever seen her. And why wouldn’t she be, when
Max had come home to Amarillo—this time to stay—and brought with him his
formerly motherless little boy, Nate, and given her a daughter named Lily to
love. Lamont supposed Georgia’s new husband deserved some of the credit, and
it made him wonder—if his new son-in-law’s rough-around-the-edges mom
could find a second chance at love, was there hope for him, too?
He took his place in the receiving line as the pastor’s wife locked him in a
grandmotherly hug. “Beautiful ceremony.”
Behind her, his housekeeper, Peggy, said, “Beautiful bride!”
“Thanks,” he told them. “Good to see you.”
But not nearly as good as it was to see the pretty widow who owned the
ranch next to his.
“Hey, good-lookin’,” Nadine said. “I declare, you’re more gorgeous than the
groom.” She looked down the receiving line where Max stood smiling at Lily.
“And that’s saying something!”
“You clean up pretty good, yourself.” An under-statement, he thought,
admiring the knee-length azure sheath that accented her womanly curves and
brought out the pale, glittering blue of her long-lashed eyes.
“This old thing?” Clucking her tongue, she fluffed the ends of her shoulder-
length blond hair. “Why, I’ve had it for—” laughing, she stood on tiptoe to
adjust the knot of his bow tie “—for exactly one day. Big sale down at
Gizmo’s,” she added conspiratorially.
Nadine was nothing if not honest. Just one more reason to like her. Plus, she
was one of the few people in his life who, by her very presence, could lift his
spirits.
When she finished with the tie, she straightened the shiny black button-
toppers that had come with his tuxedo, then tidied the pocket square in his breast
pocket. It made him feel cared for and pampered, the way he had when Rose was
still—