Daniel sat down heavily on the couch, rubbing his hands over his face. He and Nub had gone all over the island telling the people who couldn’t be contacted by phone about the impending storm. Many of the islanders had taken the news with weary acceptance, others with fear. Daniel had done a lot of praying as he went from house to house. If this one turned out to be as bad as the last one, he feared that some islanders would be left homeless, and the danger of someone being seriously hurt or even killed was constantly in his mind.
For the first time since finding out about the storm, Daniel began to think about what Father Mac had said. He couldn’t bear the thought of hurting his father, but there was no denying what he felt toward Alex. In spite of all the times he’d told himself that they weren’t right for each other, despite his stubborn refusal to give into what had been growing within him almost from the day he met her, he had fallen in love with Alex Stone. And now he had to make a choice. He had to choose between the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and keeping his father’s reputation from being ruined.
The minister rose and went out onto the deck. Night was rapidly falling. He looked up at the first stars of the evening. There had to be a way that he could be with Alex without endangering his father’s ministry. He couldn’t lose another woman that he loved. Daniel knew that he needed to talk to his father. He had to tell him about Alex. But he was afraid of what would happen.
Knowing that there was no use in putting it off, Daniel went to the phone and dialed the number. A familiar female voice answered.
“Mom? It’s Daniel.”
“Daniel. It’s good to hear from you. How are you doing?”
“All right. I’m afraid that we’ve got another storm on the way, though. It’s not supposed to be as bad as the other one, but it’s still going to be rough on everybody coming so soon after the last one.”
“Oh dear. That’s terrible. Are you going to be all right?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine, Mom.” Daniel paused. “Is Dad home yet?”
“Yes, he is. He just arrived in fact. Daniel, is there something wrong? You sound troubled. Or is it just the storm that’s worrying you?”
“I . . . need to tell Dad something. It’s about Alex and me.”
There was a moment’s silence. “Is it a situation like with Kate?”
“In a way, yes.”
“I see. Let me get your father.”
Daniel waited as his mother went to fetch Cliff Cooper. As the seconds passed, his nervousness and tension increased.
“Daniel! How are you doing, Son?” his father said upon picking up the phone.
“I’m doing good. Dad, I . . . we need to talk about something.”
“What is it?”
“It’s about Alex, the woman who runs the inn.”
“Ah yes. The redhead. What about her?”
“She’s, um, more than a friend to me, a lot more. I want us to be together, if she’ll have me.” Daniel cleared his throat nervously. This was proving to be even harder than he had thought it would be.
“I’m happy for you, Daniel. Alex struck me as being a fine young woman.”
“She is. She’s the best.” Daniel paused. “Did you know that she has a son?”
“No, I didn’t, though, thinking about it, I did see a boy around ten or eleven a few times at the inn. In fact, it was the same boy you played basketball with.”
“That’s Dylan. He’s a great kid.”
“Are you sure you’re ready to have a relationship with a woman who already has a child?” Cliff asked. “That’s quite a responsibility to take on all at once.”
“I know, but I think I’m ready for it. I know I want to try. But there’s . . . there’s something you need to know.” Daniel took a deep breath. “Alex wasn’t . . . married to Dylan’s father.”
Daniel’s announcement was met with silence. That silence confirmed what he had feared.
“The boy’s illegitimate?” Cliff finally asked.
“Yes. Alex and Steve were going to get married, but then he went off on a job in another country, and it never happened. Dad, I know what you're going to say, but please hear me out. Yes, she had a child out of wedlock, but she is a wonderful person, and I know now that she is the right woman for me.”
“Daniel, you know how I feel about these things.”
“Yes, I do. I also know that Alex shouldn’t be condemned for a mistake she made back when she was nineteen years old. I don’t care what she did in the past. She’s caring, and decent, and full of life, and the best mother a child could have. That’s what’s important.”
“I’m not condemning her, Daniel. That’s isn’t within my right. But you have to think of how this will affect your future. You’re a minister and the son of a minister. As such, you need to maintain a high level of conduct. Having a relationship with a woman with an illegitimate child can only cause trouble for you.”
Daniel felt the old anger return at his father’s words. Once again, it was like a year ago, and he was fighting to defend his love for a woman. “Trouble for me or for you?” he asked, his voice trembling. “This is just like it was with Kate. She doesn’t fit your idea of the proper woman for me, and you’re afraid of how it will look to everyone. You’re afraid of what the media will make of it, that it will hurt your image.” His voice caught for a moment, then he rushed on. “I love Alex, and I want to be with her. Doesn’t that matter to you at all?”
“Of course it does. You’re my son, and I love you. But I’m also a minister, as you are. You know how important our work is. We can’t jeopardize that. Kate was not of our faith. You know that marrying her would have been a mistake. How would you have raised your children? What religion would you have taught them?”
“I don’t know what we would have done, but we would have worked it out together. We would have found a way,” Daniel said, his voice raw with emotion. “But you never wanted to give us that chance. And then I lost her.” He took a ragged breath. “Well, I’m not going to lose Alex too. I don’t want to hurt your image, but I can’t shut out what I feel for her. I can’t pretend that I don’t think of her every day or ignore the fact that I dream about her and about spending my life with her. Please don’t ask me to, because I just can’t do it.”
“Daniel, I’m only thinking of what’s best for everyone.”
“What’s best for me is to be with Alex. Nobody here cares that Dylan is illegitimate. My congregation doesn’t care. They know Alex, and they know that she’s a good person. That’s all that matters to them.” Daniel felt the bitterness rise in him, and along with it came the answer he’d been seeking. “If you’re worried about the press finding out and what they’ll do, then don’t. They never found out about the marriage to Stella. All they know is that I was seen with her. And they still don’t even know where I’m living now. None of them will ever know about Alex. Your reputation and Cooper Ministries will be safe.”
“Daniel, listen. You’re upset and not thinking things through. We need to talk about this face to face. Come home. Then we can sit down and discuss it properly.”
His heart clenching painfully, Daniel replied, “I think we’ve said all there is to say, Dad. I was hoping that you would understand, but I can see now that we’re never going to see eye to eye on this. Give Mom my love.”
Hanging up the phone, Daniel sat down, closing his eyes against the tears that were threatening to fall. He had prayed that his father would be different this time, that their reconciliation had changed him, but, in this way, nothing had changed. Cliff Cooper’s first thought would always be of Cooper Ministries.
Leaving the house, Daniel walked over to the church. He sat down on one of the pews and bowed his head. As he prayed, the tears began to fall.
The morning dawned clear and bright, making it hard to believe that a bad storm was on the way. As the morning customers arrived, Alex took care of them with only a portion of her mind on the task at hand. Last night, her thoughts had been filled with two things: the impending storm and what had almost happened between her and Daniel. If Nub had knocked just a couple of seconds later, Daniel would have kissed her again. She would never forget the look in his eyes as their gaze met. It had sent a tingling throughout her entire body. She wanted him to kiss her again. Sometimes, it was all she could think about.
“Earth to Alex,” Molly said, waving her hand in front of the redhead’s face.
“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I kind of spaced off there. Did you say something?”
“Only that Dylan had grown an extra pair of eyes and little green aliens had landed on the roof to beam us all to Venus.”
“Oh boy. I must really have been someplace else.”
“The question is where? Never mind. I think I already know. Alex, when are you going to stop thinking about Daniel and go talk to him?” She fingered the new necklace around Alex’s neck. “It’s pretty obvious that he shares your feelings. Most men aren’t going to go out and buy jewelry for a woman just to say thank you if they don’t feel more than friendship for her.”
Alex sighed. “I just don’t want to make another mistake.”
“Daniel’s not going away, Alex. He isn’t going to leave you. He’s here, and he’s going to stay here. Hope has become as much his home as it is yours. You know that.” Molly searched her friend’s face. “I asked you this before and you didn’t answer. I’m going to ask it again. I know that you care about Daniel a lot and that you’re attracted to him . . . but do you love him?”
For several moment’s Alex didn’t speak. “I don’t know,” she finally said. “I feel things like I felt with Steve, but it’s different somehow.”
“Alex, could it be that you don’t know what you’re feeling because you’re afraid to love him?” Molly asked gently.
Alex didn’t reply. She just stared at the floor. Just then, one of the customers asked for more water, and Alex went to fetch it. Knowing that their conversation was over, Molly went into the kitchen to check on the food.
The breakfast rush was over, and Alex was cleaning the last table when Dylan came down.
“Mom, can I go riding?”
“No, Dylan. I don’t think that would be a good idea. The storm is supposed to hit us this afternoon.”
“But I’ll be back before then. Please, Mom? I promise I’ll be home by lunch.”
“I don’t know, Dylan. Let me see what it looks like out there.” Alex went with her son outside. Other than a few fluffy white clouds, the sky was still clear. She turned to Dylan. “All right, you can go, but if you’re not back by noon, you’ll be in big trouble, mister.”
“Thanks, Mom!” Dylan ran off to get his bike.
Smiling faintly, Alex went back inside.
Daniel finished nailing the last piece of plywood on the windows. He wasn’t going to take any chance of flying debris smashing a window.
The minister looked up at the sky and was surprised to see ominously dark clouds filling the horizon. A short time ago, it had been almost completely clear. He looked at his watch. It was only 11:30, but by the looks of the sky, the storm would be fully upon them within the hour. So much for it not hitting until late afternoon.
Daniel gathered up his tools and went inside. He’d done everything he could to prepare the house and church for the storm. Whether or not it was enough remained to be seen.
The minister fixed some tea and went back outside. He watched as the clouds advanced toward Hope Island, approaching like an invading army. He had intended to stay and weather the storm at home, but now, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to. He felt like he needed the company of others. Besides, it was possible that something would happen and they’d need him in town.
Gathering a few things he thought might be needed, Daniel headed down the hill. By the time he got into town, the wind was whipping the branches of the trees about and the sky was black with clouds.
The minister went into the Widow’s Walk and was surprised to see it was empty. “Alex? Molly?” he called.
The kitchen door swung open to reveal Alex. There was worry on her face.
“Where is everyone?” the minister asked her.
“It’s the storm. It came on so quickly and so much sooner than it was supposed to. Everyone ran home to take care of their houses and be with their families. Molly left to help Kevin finish covering the windows. Boris is in the kitchen hoping the power doesn’t go out before he finishes fixing lunch.” Alex walked past him and went to a window, wrapping her arms about herself.
“Alex, what’s wrong?” Daniel asked.
“It’s Dylan. He went riding this morning. He was supposed to be back by now. The storm wasn’t supposed to be here this soon.” The worry was evident in her voice. She shook her head. “I should never have let him go out.”
Daniel looked outside at the quickly deteriorating weather conditions. It wasn’t the kind of weather anyone should be out in, let alone an eleven year old boy. He placed a comforting hand on Alex’s arm. “I’m sure he’s fine, Alex,” he said. He looked at the expression on her face. “I’ll go find him, okay? I know the area he usually rides in.”
“Thanks, Daniel,” Alex said gratefully, knowing that the minister would find her son.
With thunder rumbling through the sky like a giant freight train, Daniel quickly made his way to the trail that Dylan often rode on. “Dylan!” he shouted, raising his voice above the wind and its attempts to snatch his words away. Not hearing an answer, he continued up the trail, calling the boy’s name repeatedly. The wind howled through the trees, making them bow from the force of it. Fallen limbs were everywhere, and Daniel kept getting pelted by tiny branches and pine needles. Afraid that Dylan would get hurt from the flying debris, the minister quickened his pace.
He’d been searching for nearly twenty minutes, when he saw movement up ahead. Breaking into a jog, Daniel headed toward it. Dylan was coming down the trail on foot, pushing his bicycle, which appeared to have a flat tire.
“Dylan!” Daniel sped up his pace even more, quickly closing the distance between them.
The boy saw him and smiled in relief.
Suddenly, Daniel heard a groaning and cracking sound. In horror, he saw an ancient oak tree shudder and begin to tip over, falling right toward Dylan.
“Dylan, watch out!” the minister screamed. He sprinted toward the boy, who was frozen in terror.
Daniel grabbed hold of Dylan. He threw the boy to the ground, covering him with his own body as the huge tree came crashing to the earth.