natural.â
â Accept it? Iâll never accept it. There was no reason for them to die.â
âYou did everything you could toââ
âBut the Lord didnât!â Furious, he rose.
âWe donât always understandââ
âIâve heard it all before. And I donât want to hear it again.â
Gordon sighed. âThis boy is another chance for you, son. The Lord knows of the hole in your heart.â
âA replacement?â Evan laughed bitterly. âA cosmic reparation? No. I lost the only son Iâll ever have.â
âEvan, youââ
âIf you persist in having them stay here, heâs your responsibility.â
âSon, it doesnât do you any good to be angry at the Lord.â
Sadness and pain settled in Evanâs heart. âIâm not angry at Him. Iâm disappointed. And that wonât ever change.â
Â
âAll the grades go together?â Jimmy asked in a hushed voice, tightening his grip on Chloeâs hand as they stood in the main hall of Rosewood Community Churchâs school.
âNot in the same room,â Chloe explained, although she wasnât certain just how the school was organized.
Gordon nodded. âThatâs how it was when I was a boy.â
Jimmy looked at him in awe, as though the older man had said he had attended school with the dinosaurs. â You went to school here?â
Chloe and Gordon both chuckled.
âYep. Weâd invented fire by then.â Gordon clapped onehand on Jimmyâs shoulder, giving him a small hug while he exchanged an amused glance with Chloe.
Just then a pretty woman walked out of the office.
âWell, hello, Grace.â
âGordon!â She smiled, a generous smile that lit up her blue-gray eyes. âI heard the hunting went very well.â
He turned to Chloe. âAh, the bane of small towns. Canât get by with much that everybody doesnât know about.â
âAfraid thatâs true,â Grace agreed.
âIâm forgetting my manners. Grace, this is Chloe Reed and Jimmy Mitchell.â
âSo good to meet you,â she said to Chloe, then extended her hand to Jimmy. âAlways glad to meet another Mitchell man.â
Pleased, but shy, Jimmy grinned.
âI donât have a class this hour,â Grace continued. âCan I help you find anything?â
âThought itâd be nice to show them around. You know, a little tour, before they meet the principal,â Gordon explained.
âIâd be glad to help. I teach part-time in the upper grades, but I know all the buildings.â She leaned down slightly toward Jimmy and confided, âThe kids call me old lady Brady. â
Chloe couldnât restrain her laughter. âWeâre probably close in age. Didnât realize I was in that category yet.â
Grace laughed with her. âCame as quite a shock to me, too. Teaching is my second and best career. Didnât realize it would age me so!â
Gordon groaned. âYou kids are killing me.â
âYou are a sweetheart,â Grace declared as she turned to Chloe. âSee why I love the Mitchell men?â
Chloe had seen plenty of reasons, even in Evan. Because for all his protests, she suspected he was covering a deep and grievous hurt.
Grace led them down the main hall. âWeâre in the administration building. Besides the office, the cafeteria, library and auditorium are in this building. There are separate buildings for elementary, junior high and senior high. Since itâs a church school, weâre not funded by the government but we have private donors. I imagine youâd like to see the elementary building.â
The cheerful building was filled with colorful banners and posters. âKindergarten through fifth-grade classes,â Grace explained as they passed individual classrooms. âThereâs also a smaller, all-purpose room for the