Daniel Cooper walked slowly down the hill, oblivious to the sights around him.  His mind had but one thought in it, a thought that had filled it whenever it was not occupied with something else, and often even when it was.  That thought was of Alex.  Five days ago, he had kissed Alex Stone.  He could still feel that kiss on his lips.  He could still feel her within his arms.  Even now, every time he thought about that kiss, his heart rate would speed up and he’d experience the same warm glow that flowed through him when their lips met.  It had been amazing.  If she had not driven away, he would have kissed her again . . . and again.

Since their conversation at the Widow’s Walk the following day, they had not spoken of what happened.  Daniel had not seen much of Alex during these last few days.  He’d been too busy repairing the storm damage to the parish house and helping others in whatever way he could.  At least he didn’t have to worry about the church.  A smile came to the minister’s face as he remembered all the people who had come last Sunday to fix it.  He had been given the wonderful blessing of many friendships here on Hope, and he thanked God every day for it.  There wasn’t another place on Earth that he’d rather be.

That thought brought another one to the fore.  All his life, he had been seeking his father’s approval and respect.  More than anything in the world Daniel had wanted to hear his father say that he was proud of him, to show in some way that he needed his son.  How ironic it was that, when Cliff Cooper finally came to him for help, it was something that he could not give.  If Daniel had gone with him, if he had joined his father in Cooper Ministries, he would never have been happy.  His life and his future was here on Hope Island.

But was it also with Alex?  Was he ready to give his heart away again?

Pushing that thought aside, Daniel headed into town.  His first impulse was to go over to the Widow’s Walk, but, instead, he went to the Islander General Store.

“Why, hello, Reverend,” Ruby greeted.  “Don’t tell me you’re all out of nails already.”

The minister smiled at the comment.  Last week, after the storm, he’d bought enough nails to build a house with.  “Not quite.  I need another gallon of white paint.”

“Coming right up.”  Ruby went to fetch the paint.  “How are the repairs coming on the house?”

“Pretty good.  At least I’m able to sleep in my own bed now.”

“That certainly was nice of Alex to put you up at the Widow’s Walk while you were repairing your bedroom,” Ruby said, a knowing smile on her face.  She had suspected for quite some time that there were feelings of more than friendship between Daniel and Alex.  The few times that she had seen them together these last few days had confirmed it.  There was definitely an undercurrent between Hope Island’s minister and its only innkeeper.

“Yes, it was.”  Daniel paused.  “Um . . . maybe you can help me with something.  I want to get Alex a little thank you gift.  Would you have any suggestions?”

“Well, that all depends on how much of a ‘thank you’ you want to say.”  Ruby tried very hard to keep her smile from growing out of control.

“Nothing too extravagant.  I’d give her flowers, but this time of year, I’d either have to go to a florist on the mainland or order the flowers by phone.  I don’t have time for a trip to the mainland, and I don’t really like ordering flowers over the phone.”

“Hmm.  Let me think.”  Ruby wandered around the store, seeking inspiration.  Her eyes fell upon the jewelry case, and a smile returned to her lips.  “A few days before the storm hit, we got some new jewelry in.  Alex took a fancy to that choker there, the one made from paua shell.”

Daniel looked at the choker Ruby had pointed to.  Five teardrops hung from a silver chain.  The teardrops were made from brilliant blue paua shell, a type of abalone native to Australia and New Zealand.

“It’s beautiful, but, uh . . . jewelry wasn’t really what I had in mind.  I mean, that’s kind of. . . .”  Feeling suddenly embarrassed, Daniel halted.

Ruby moved her hand in a dismissing gesture.  “I wouldn’t worry about it being too personal, Reverend.  It’s not like you’re giving her a diamond ring.”

Daniel’s eyebrows rose at the comment, suddenly suspicious over the woman’s motives.  Just what did Ruby Vasquez have in her mind anyway?  His eyes went back to the necklace.  He had to admit that he liked the idea of giving the choker to Alex.  He also liked the idea of seeing her wear it.

His decision made, the minister said, “All right, I’ll take it.  Could you put it in a box and wrap it?”

“Certainly.  I can do it right now, if you like.”  Ruby was pleased to no end that Daniel was getting the necklace for Alex.  She just wished that she could be there to see him give it to her.

“I have some other things to do in town.  How about if I come back in half an hour?”

“That would be fine.”  Ruby watched the minster leave, then clasped her hands together in delight.  If things were handled right, Hope Island’s minister would be leaving his bachelorhood behind before the year was out.

Ruby went in search of a box and some wrapping paper.  She was placing the choker in the box when Bonita returned from taking supplies to the Widow’s Walk.  She saw what her mother was doing and picked up her chalkboard.

“Somebody bought the paua shell necklace, I see.”

Ruby got her own chalkboard.  “Guess who?”

“Who?”

“Reverend Cooper.  He’s buying it for Alex.”  Ruby let a grin come to her face.

“Oh, REALLY.  And whose idea was that?”

“Well, I may have helped his decision a little bit.  He was looking for a thank you gift, and I mentioned that Alex had admired the choker.”

Bonita shook her head.  She had lived with her mother’s matchmaking tendencies most of her life and had learned a long time ago that there was nothing she could do to dissuade her mother once she had gotten it into her head to put two people together.  But that didn’t mean she couldn’t try.

“Mom, you should just let them be.  If Daniel and Alex are going to get together, they’ll do it at their own pace.”

“It took them a year just to get this far.  At that rate, they’ll break Kevin and Molly’s record for longest courtship.”

“Somehow, I doubt that.”

“All the same, it doesn’t hurt to give them a little nudge.”

Bonita sighed and shook her head, knowing there was no use in continuing the argument.

Daniel walked over to Brian Brewster’s office.  Ever since Brewster Estates was flooded in the storm and Brian lost his investors, he hadn’t been spending much time at the office.  With all the storm damage the island had suffered, the chances of people wanting to buy real estate was pretty remote.  Daniel wished that there was something he could do for Hope Island’s mayor.  He knew that Brian losing his house and being forced to stay with Molly and Kevin was hard not only on Brian, but also on the newlyweds.

Daniel stuck his head in the door and saw that both Brian and Nub were there.

“Hi, Daniel,” the younger man greeted.

“Hey, Nub.  Hello, Brian.”

“Reverend.  So, what brings you here?” the mayor asked.

Daniel came in all the way and shut the door.  “I was wondering how things were going.”

“Oh, things are going well.  I expect a turnaround any day now.  We’re just suffering a temporary setback right now,” Brian claimed.

The minister nodded, knowing that Brian was just putting up a brave front.  It could take months for the water to recede from the land Brewster Estates was going to be built on, and even after that, no investor would touch it.  Brian had put a lot into the estates.  Now that it was gone, there was nothing left.

“Well, I just wanted to tell you that if you ever need some place else to stay for a while, you’re welcome to stay with me,” Daniel told him.  “I don’t have a spare bedroom, but the couch is pretty comfortable.”

A look of surprise filled the mayor’s face.  “I . . . uh, thank you, Daniel.  That’s very generous of you.”

“Anything I can do to help.”  The minister turned to Nub.  “So, what have you been doing to keep yourself occupied now that the phone service is back up?”

“This and that.  I’ve gotten a few jobs cleaning debris off peoples’ property and some repair work.”

“That’s good.”  Daniel glanced at his watch.  “Well, I’ve got to get going.  I’ll see you later.”

Daniel’s next stop was the Catholic church.  He stepped inside and glanced around, not seeing Father Mac.

“Father Mac?”

The door to the confessional opened and the priest looked out.  “Ah, Daniel.”  He came out the rest of the way and approached the minister with a smile.  “What can I do for you?”

“This storm has really been tough on everyone.  A lot of the people I’ve been talking to are struggling because of damages to their houses and other property.”

“Yes, I know what you mean.  I’ve been seeing the same thing.”

“Well, I was wondering if we could put together some kind of potluck or something.  You know, something where the islanders could get together for companionship and to have a nice meal.”

“A potluck?”  The priest appeared to ponder the thought for a while.  “You know, that might not be such a bad idea.  The islanders need something to get their minds off their troubles for a while.  When do you think would be a good day for this?”

Daniel smiled, pleased that Father Mac liked his idea.  “I was thinking that a week from Saturday would be good.”

The priest nodded.  “Very well, then.  I’ll start spreading the word among my parishioners immediately.”

“Great.  One thing, though.  We should make it clear that those who can’t afford to bring a food item shouldn’t feel obligated to do so.”

“I agree.  And we should also encourage those who can afford it to bring something extra.”

“I guess now we just have to figure out where the best place to have it would be,” Daniel said.

“Hmm.  We may need quite a bit of room.  I wonder if they would be willing to host it at the school.”

“I don’t know.  It wouldn’t hurt to ask.  I’ll go over there tomorrow morning.”

“It’s all settled then.”  The priest studied Daniel’s face.  “How have you been doing lately?  I heard about your father wanting you to join his ministry.  I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it.”

The minister sat down, Father Mac settling beside him.  “I’m doing all right.  I really hated turning him down like that.  It’s the first time he’s ever come to me for anything, and I felt like I was letting him down.  But my ministry is here on Hope Island.  This is where I belong.  I think he understands that now.  I hope he does.”

“We can’t always follow the paths that others want us to take,” Father Mac told him softly.  “We must each find our own road in life.  It is a rare and fortunate man who finds his true calling, Daniel.  For your father, it is preaching to millions of people on television.  For you, it is being the minister for a handful of people on a tiny island in Washington.  You have both dedicated your lives to helping others and spreading God’s word.  That’s what’s important.  I’m sure your father knows that.”

Daniel smiled.  “Thanks, Father Mac.  I guess I needed to hear someone else say that.”  He stood.  “Well, I won’t keep you any longer.”

“Wait.  There is something else I think we should talk about.”

“Oh?”  Daniel sat back down.

“Yes.  It’s, um, about Alex.”

Daniel’s heart did a little flipflop in his chest.  “What . . . did you want to talk about?”

“During the storm, I overheard Alex tell you about her mother’s death.”

Daniel breathed a silent sigh of relief.  He had been afraid that the priest was going to bring up his and Alex’s relationship.  Though he had gone to Father Mac about his feelings for Alex before, it was not something he really wanted to talk about now.

“Yes, I gathered it was what made her leave religion,” he said.

“Before her mother died, they were both members of my church.  When she was young, she came to church regularly with her mother, who was a very devote woman.  I remember the day of her first Holy Communion.”  There was a fond smile on the priest’s face, which quickly faded.  “But as she entered her teens . . . well, things got difficult.  She became rather, um, rebellious.”

By the tone of the man’s voice, Daniel suspected that there was a lot more to the story than he was telling.  Father Mac looked more than a little uncomfortable about the subject.

“She ceased going to church entirely,” the priest continued.  “Then when she was seventeen, she left for college in Miami.  Alex didn’t come back until five years ago when I called and told her that her mother was ill.  It was her mother’s illness and death that made Alex lose her faith entirely.  She came to hate anything to do with religion.  Things were pretty bad between us for a long time, but it eventually got to the point where she tolerated me.  She has never again set foot in the church.”

“It was the same with my church, until a few nights ago.”  As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Daniel knew that he shouldn’t have spoken them.

“Alex came into the church?” Father Mac asked in surprise.

“Uh . . . yeah, the day my father asked me to join his ministry.  Alex found out and wanted to know my decision.”

“I see.  So, what was her reaction to the possibility of you leaving?”

Daniel shifted uncomfortably.  “She was upset.  She couldn’t understand how I could consider leaving Hope.”

Father Mac searched the younger cleric’s face.  He could tell that his fellow clergyman was holding something back.  Something had happened between Daniel and Alex that night, something that the minister was not ready to talk about.

“Daniel, I’ve watched your relationship with Alex go through a lot of changes in these past eleven and a half months.  I’ve seen your friendship grow from a rather rocky beginning to something very special, and I know that you want it to be more.  I think you now have to ask yourself if you’re ready for that.  Are you?”

Daniel sighed.  “I don’t know.  The last time I felt like this about someone, she died.”

“And is that all there is to it?” the priest probed.

The minister hesitated.  “It’s . . . my father.  I have a feeling that I know how he’s going to react when he finds out that. . . .”

“That Alex had a child out of wedlock,” Father Mac finished.

Daniel nodded.  “Among other things.  I don’t care about that.  It doesn’t matter to me.  But the last time I became involved with a woman my father didn’t approve of, we had a big argument over it, which led to a complete break between us.”

“Would I be stepping over the line if I asked why your father didn’t approve of this other woman?”

Daniel grew silent, his eyes drifting to the cross mounted on the wall.  “She was Catholic.”  He glanced at the priest in apology, even though none was owed by him.  “Dad refused to even consider allowing me to have a relationship with someone of a different faith.  I wanted so much to please my father, to make him proud of me, but I loved Kate too much to stop seeing her.  We kept dating, despite my father’s efforts to put an end to it, all the while with me hoping that Dad would have a change of heart.  Finally, I proposed to Kate and she accepted.  When I told my father, we got into a huge fight.  And then . . . the accident happened, and I lost it.  I ran off to Las Vegas, went on that bender, and ended up marrying a woman who was almost a complete stranger--and a showgirl, no less.  That was the last straw for my father.  He completely disowned me.  Until I called him a few months ago, we hadn’t spoken a word to each other.”

“And now that your relationship with your father has been mended, you’re afraid of it happening again.”

“Yeah.”  Daniel straightened his shoulders.  “But I’m not going to let that stop me from having a relationship with Alex.  If my father and I have another falling out over her, then that’s the way it will be.  But there’s more to it than that.  The media keeps a very close eye on Dad.  They’re always hunting for dirt on him.  I guess it’s that way with all public figures.  But with my father, a stain on his image could destroy all that he’s spent his life building up.”

Father Mac nodded.  “And the news that Cliff Cooper’s son is having a relationship with an unwed mother would be just the thing that they’d zero in on.”

Daniel laughed somewhat bitterly.  “Under most circumstances, many people would barely give something like that a second thought nowadays, but for the minister son of a world-renowned televangelist, it would become a huge scandal.”

“Sad to say, I think that you’re right.  The media does seem to love tearing down the reputation of good people.”  Father Mac laid a hand on the younger man’s shoulder.  “I can’t tell you what to do, Daniel.  Only you can decide what is the best thing for everyone involved.  But I think you need to ask yourself a question.  Can you leave things as they are?  Can you stay just friends with Alex?”

The door of the church opened, and one of the priest’s parishioners came in.  Father Mac stood.  “Perhaps it’s time for your father to decide what’s most important to him,” he murmured, then headed for the confessional.

Alone, Daniel sat staring at nothing.  After a few moments, he rose and left the church, heading back over to the general store.

Ruby smiled when she saw Hope Island’s minister walk in the door.  The smile turned uncertain as she looked at him.  He was a great deal more subdued than he had been earlier.  In his eyes, she saw a troubled frown.

“Is everything all right, Reverend Cooper?” she asked in concern.

“Hmm?  Oh.  Yes, everything’s fine, Ruby.  I just have some things on my mind.”  Shaking off his mood, Daniel smiled.  “Did you get it wrapped?”

“Sure did.”  She pulled the brightly-wrapped present out from underneath the counter.

“Great.  So, how much do I own you for this and the paint?”

Ruby totaled up the purchases.  As she did so, Bonita came out from the storeroom.  “Hello, Daniel,” she greeted cheerily.

“Hi, Bonita.  How are things going at the salon?”

“Good.  I’m having to do hair mostly by appointment now since I have to split my time between here and there.”

“That must be quite a load on you.”

“It gets a bit tiring at times, but I’m doing all right.”  She looked at the minster’s hair with a critical eye.  “You should come in for a trim soon.  How about if I make an appointment for you?”

“Uh. . . .”

Bonita smiled.  “I promise I won’t use the hair gel this time.  A few other male clients let me know what they thought of it.”

Daniel smiled in relief.  The first time he let Bonita cut his hair, she used something on it that had made some of his hair stick tightly to his scalp while other strands stuck up like porcupine quills.  Once he’d washed the gunk out, his hair looked fine, but he’d gotten some interesting comments until he did.

“A trim would be great.  Would Saturday be all right?”

“Um, sure.  I have a space free at two o’clock, if that will work.”

“That’ll be fine.”

Hiding Alex’s present in his coat, he went over to the Widow’s Walk, telling Ruby that he’d pick up the paint before heading home.  When he stepped in the door and saw Alex, he couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face.  The redhead saw him and returned the smile.

“Hi, Daniel.  We haven’t seen very much of you these last few days.”

“Yeah, I’ve been spending pretty much all my time fixing the house and visiting people around the island to see how they’re doing.”

Alex shook her head.  “You need to take a break more often.  You’re working too hard.”  Even as she said it, she knew that he wouldn’t take her advice.  Daniel Cooper was completely dedicated to his parish and the people of Hope.  He would do anything in his power to help those in need--and she’d never want him to change.  It had been his selflessness and warmth of spirit that cracked through her instinctual hostility toward him as a member of the clergy and a mainlander.

Daniel grinned at Alex’s comment.  For just a moment, she’d sounded exactly like his mother whenever she told his father that he needed to slow down.  “Yes, Mother,” he murmured.

Alex made a face at the comment, then walked with him to an empty table.  The minister told her what he wanted, and she went off to give the order to Boris.  As she disappeared from view, Daniel heard the sound of running feet on the stairs, and Dylan came into the room.

“Hey, buddy.  Why aren’t you in school?” the minister asked.

“The power went out.  One of the water pipes broke and sprayed water all over the, uh. . . .”

“Fuse box?”

“Yeah.  The whole thing sorta blew up.  They’re not going to get it fixed until tomorrow afternoon.”

“Ah, so no school tomorrow either, huh?”

“Uh uh.  Can we go riding tomorrow?” the boy asked eagerly.

“I wish I could, but I have to finish the repairs to my house.  How about Saturday?”

“Okay.”  Dylan sat down.  “I saw your dad on TV once.  I didn’t know he was your dad.  Is he really famous?”

“In some ways, but not like movie stars are.”

“Have you ever wanted to be on TV?”

“No.  I’d rather talk about God to people I can see, people whose names I know.”

Alex stood behind the bar and watched Daniel talk with her son.  A stranger watching them would think that they were father and son.  There was a strong bond between them, stronger in many ways than what Dylan had with his father, which wasn’t surprising.  In the past year, Daniel had spent more time with Dylan than Steve had throughout the boy’s life.  The minister would make a wonderful father, someone who would never put his job ahead of his family.

As they had many times in the past several days, Alex’s thoughts drifted to that night in the church.  Every time she thought about Daniel kissing her, she was filled with an incredible feeling of warmth and happiness from deep within her.  No one but Steve had ever made her feel this way.  But, unlike Steve, whenever she thought of Daniel and the kind of man he was, she felt this tenderness and deep respect.  Yet, other times, he could drive her crazy.

Molly came up to Alex, noticing the direction of the redhead’s gaze.  “He’s a wonderful man, Alex.”

Alex turned to her friend.  “I guess I’m not doing too good a job hiding my feelings, am I.”

“Not from me.  I’ve never seen you look at anyone like that before, not even Steve.”

“He’s nothing like Steve, is he,” Alex remarked.  “When I talked to Daniel about Steve’s proposal, he asked me what I wanted in a man.  I told him that I wanted someone who was sensitive, honest, and responsible.  Even as I was saying it, I knew that, while Steve didn’t fit that description, Daniel did.”

“So, what’s holding you back?”

The redhead shrugged.  “I don’t know.  He’s a minister, for one.  I never imagined that I could feel this way toward a clergyman, not with how I feel about religion.  I’m afraid that it will cause problems.”

“Alex, I’ve gotten to know Daniel pretty well, and I know that he would never try pushing you into anything.  He respects your beliefs.”  Molly looked at Alex closely.  “Is that all there is to this or does Steve have something to do with it?”

Alex sighed.  “You know me too well, Mol.  I guess it’s that old saying ‘once burned, twice shy’.  I don’t want to get involved with someone again and then have something happen that will ruin everything.  It really hurt when Steve chose his work over Dylan and me.  What if something happens and Daniel loses the church like he almost did before?  He told me then that if he had to leave Hope Island to continue his ministry, he would.”

“I don’t think that will ever happen, but if it did, I guess you’d have to ask yourself if you love him enough to go with him,” Molly said quietly.  “Do you love him, Alex?”

Just then, two people walked in the door and headed to an empty table.  Not answering Molly’s question, Alex went to give the new arrivals menus.  The blonde watched her friend walk away.  Until Alex found the courage to take a chance again, her relationship with Daniel would never grow into what Molly knew it could be.

Molly heard the bell ring that signaled an order was up.  She got Daniel’s lunch and took it over to him.

“Hey there, Molly,” the minister greeted with a smile.  “So, how’s married life treating you?”

“Pretty good, though Kevin and I are still finding it a challenge to . . .” she glanced quickly at Dylan, “um, find time to be alone, what with Dad living at the house.”

A broad smile spread across Daniel’s face.  “Well, maybe you should check in at the Widow’s Walk a couple of nights a week.  You’d probably have a bit more . . . privacy.”

“You know, I didn’t think of that.  I’ll suggest it to Kevin.”

Daniel grew serious.  “I stopped by to see Brian earlier.  How are things going for him?”

“Nothing’s changed.  He doesn’t talk very much about it, but I know that this has been really hard on him.  It broke his heart to sell the El Dorado.  He loved that car.”

“I had no idea he sold it.”

Molly nodded.  “He had no choice.  He needed the money.”

“I wish there was something I could do,” Daniel said sadly.  Though he and Brian had often not seen eye to eye, the minister liked the man and knew that he was a good person at heart.

“I know you do, Daniel.  Thank you for caring so much.  Well, I’d better get back to work.”

“Oh, before you leave, Father Mac and I are planning on putting together a potluck a week from Saturday, sort of as a way to get everyone together and cheer up the people who are having a tough time because of the storm.  I’m going to check into having it at the school.  You might want to pass the word around.”

“What a wonderful idea,” Molly said.  “Of course, when Boris finds out, he’ll want to make a dozen or more Russian dishes for it.”

Daniel laughed.  “I don’t doubt it.”

Dylan kept Daniel company for a while as he ate, then Rebecca and Dylan’s new friend, Sue, showed up wanting the boy to come out and play.

His eyes twinkling, Daniel leaned over and whispered, “Careful, Dylan.  Dating two girls at the same time can get you into deep trouble.”

The boy blushed and quickly escaped.  Chuckling, the minister resumed eating.  As he finished, he glanced about the Widow’s Walk.  Seeing that there weren’t very many customers now, he put the money to cover the check on the table and went over to Molly.

“Where’s Alex?” he asked.

“I think she went up to her room for something.”

“Thanks.”  Daniel went upstairs.  He hesitated a moment before knocking on the door to Alex’s private quarters.  A few seconds passed, then the door opened.

“Oh.  Hi, Daniel,” the redhead said, surprised.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Uh . . . yeah, sure.  Come on in.”  She moved aside to let the minister pass.

“I wanted to thank you for putting me up here while my bedroom was occupied by that tree.  I really appreciate it.”

“It’s the least that I could do.”  She smiled.  “After all, we can’t have Hope Island’s minister sleeping out on the streets.”

Daniel grinned.  He reached into his jacket and pulled out the gift.  “I, um, got something for you, just as a way to say thank you.”

“Daniel, you didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to.”

Smiling somewhat shyly, Alex took the present from his hand.  “Thank you.”  She sat on the bed and unwrapped the box.  A small gasp escaped her lips when she saw what lay inside.  “I don’t know what to say.  This is beautiful.  How did you know I liked this necklace?”

Daniel grinned again.  “A little birdie told me.”

“Thank you so much.”  She took the choker out of the box and began putting it on.

“Here, let me help you with that,” the minister offered.

Pausing only a moment, Alex stood and handed the necklace to Daniel, then turned her back to him, holding her hair up out of his way.  The minister placed the choker around her neck.  Alex shivered as she felt Daniel’s fingers brush her neck.  She suddenly felt extremely aware of his closeness.  Trying to get control of her emotions, she closed her eyes for a moment.

His hands shaking slightly, Daniel fumbled with the clasp for a few seconds before managing to close it.  He abruptly found himself fighting the urge to place a kiss on the nape of Alex’s neck.  Swallowing, he dropped his hands.  Slowly, Alex turned around and lifted her gaze to his, and in her eyes, he saw the same emotion that he was struggling with.  Losing the battle, Daniel lowered his lips toward hers.

A knock on the door startled them both.  They hastily put a few feet between them.  Clearing her throat, Alex went to see who was at the door.  It turned out to be Nub.  By the look on his face, he was not there to give good news.

“Hey, Nub. What is it?” Daniel asked.

“We just got word that there’s another storm on the way.  This one was supposed to miss us, but it changed directions suddenly.  It isn’t as big as the other one, but they say it could bring some pretty strong wind gusts.”

“Oh no.  That’s all we need.  When is it going to be here?”

“Late tomorrow afternoon.  There’s always a chance that it could change directions again, though.”

“Do you need help spreading the word around the island?” Daniel asked.

“That would be great, Daniel.  Thanks,” Nub said in relief.

His eyes meeting Alex’s for a moment, Daniel left to join Nub in telling the islanders the bad news.

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