A Family of Their Own(36)

Ross drew her into his arms. “What you did seems natural to me. Don’t fault yourself. A father of any worth would insist on being with his daughter. You couldn’t stop him if you wanted to.”

Though he was right, Kelsey questioned her reaction, in retrospect. “Maybe a little urging would have gotten some action. Lucy would have known her father better than she does now.”

He pressed his cheek to hers. “It’s so hard to do the right thing when you’re wounded, and you were, Kelsey.”

He kissed her cheek and drew her closer. She felt her heart beating against his chest, his strong arms protecting her.

“I wish I could be there with you when you talk to Lucy, but I know I can’t.” He tilted her chin and looked into her eyes. “I want to be here for you, Kelsey, in any way I can. Just ask.”

Tears bubbled to the surface and rested on her lashes. His kindness overwhelmed her. She’d never experienced that kind of caring, and all her questions about their fated relationship seemed pointless now, and they vanished with his touch. “Thank you. Really. But talking to Lucy is something I have to do alone.”

“I know it is.”

She stood in his arms, dreading the moment that Lucy came home and dreading Ross leaving. When she faced her singleness, she often wondered what the future had in store for her—what God had in store for her—and she’d been taunted by the Bible verse that rang in her head. Two are better than one. She had become a one, but today the words held a different meaning. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. She clung to Ross’s muscular frame, knowing that she wouldn’t fall with him at her side.

Thank You, Lord.



Ross stood in the doorway of the MOSK meeting, gathering courage. Kelsey had been correct. He needed to be here, so he’d pushed away the negative talk in his head and forced himself to attend. When he came through the door, he faced a group of women. No other men were in attendance—he’d hoped that maybe one other brave soul had decided to take advantage of the organization’s new policy…to open the group to male members on a trial basis.

The word trial irked him, but he had to be grateful they were willing to try, and he had to admit, he could have easily passed up the offer himself without Kelsey’s encouragement. She thought he was strong. He wasn’t. His strength came from prayer and common sense. Men were expected to handle things.

Kelsey smiled and patted the seat next to her.

He wandered to her side, curious about her discussion with Lucy. She hadn’t called, and he decided to give her time to deal with the difficult situation that he’d witnessed. He settled into the chair beside her and studied her face before asking. “How’s Lucy?”

“She’s okay. It was hard to tell her. She cried a little. I knew she would. Lucy has a soft, forgiving heart. Lucy talked about her dad’s neglectful ways, but always with words of forgiveness. She offered reasons. He traveled so much and he lived quite a long distance away. I let her talk without comment. I knew not to put down her dad, even though I felt so much bitterness.”

“Good for you. That’s not easy.”

Kelsey eyed her watch. “Time to start.” She rose and faced the women. “Today I’d like to introduce you to a good friend of mine.”

Ross’s chest ached, holding back his anxiety. The muscles in his neck had become iron rods, and though he tried to relieve the tension, he couldn’t do it without making it obvious. “This is Ross Salburg, and he’ll be joining us based on our vote that we’ll open our meetings to men and see how it goes.”

Ross wanted to escape, but he grasped the chair seat and forced himself to smile and give the women a wave.

Diane Dodge raised her hand. “Welcome, Ross. I’m so glad you’ve finally made it. Now that you’ve appeared, I can get my husband to come. He’s been waiting.”

Ross chuckled. “So he didn’t want to be the first guy to attend?”

“Right. I told him he was cowardly.” She tittered. “He’s not, but I thought the comment would motivate him. Obviously it didn’t.”

Some women chuckled.

“We’ll look forward to him being with us next week, Diane. Tell him he’s welcome.”

Kelsey waved her finger from one side of the room to the other. “So let’s get in our circle and begin.”

Chairs scraped as the women shifted into a circle and once everyone was settled, Kelsey opened the meeting. “Since you shared the news about your husband, Diane, tell us how everything else is going.”