The Trouble with Angels (Angels Everywhere #2)(2)

"Dear God,” she prayed, whispering like her grandma had done, only louder. "It’s me, Karen Woods. How are you? I’m fine. Well, sort of. I have bad dreams. Actually I don’t mind the dreams so much, ’cause if you’re listening, I’d rather ask for my mom. You see, she and my dad got a divorce. It was a messy one. But that was over two years ago, and my mother still hates my dad. And now my dad hates my mom. She’s mad because, well, because my dad left us. Could you help Mom not hate my dad so much? And God,” she said, speaking faster now, thinking she’d better cram in everything she could while she had his attention, "I’d really, really, really love it if you could see fit to give me a horse.”

"A horse?” her grandmother echoed, sounding surprised.

Karen opened her eyes and nodded enthusiastically.

"What in the name of heaven would you do with a horse?”

"I want to learn to ride,” Karen supplied eagerly. The answer should have been obvious, one would think. "Horses are the most beautiful creatures on earth. More than anything in this world, I want to ride like the wind.”

"Does your mother know about this?”

Karen lifted one shoulder. "I talk about horses, but all she says is that we live in the city and there’s no possible way for us to own so large an animal.”

"That’s true enough.”

"But Mom’s told me a thousand times that where there’s a will there’s a way.”

"That’s true, too,” Beverly Shields agreed.

"Mom thinks if she gets me a cat, I’ll forget about wanting to learn to ride, but she’s wrong. I don’t even like cats all that much.” Karen yawned when she’d finished. "Well, I do, but I like horses a whole lot better.”

"You’ll sleep now?” Grandma shields asked.

Karen thought she would. She scooted down into the thick blankets, and her grandmother covered her shoulders. After a moment, Karen closed her eyes. She did feel better. Maybe she ought to talk to God more often.

Karen’s prayer intertwined with that of her grandmother and drifted effortlessly heavenward, steered by love, directed by divinity, toward the splendor of paradise, ushered into the very throne room of God. It arrived fresh with the sincerity of a child’s heart, weighted with unspoken pain, and bright with honesty.

"Karen Woods,” the Archangel Gabriel murmured, writing the twelve-year-old’s name in the cumbersome Book of Prayer. He ran his finger down the brittle antique white pages until he found Beverly Shields’s name, sighed heavily, and leaned back on the high-backed chair.

Beverly had prayed often for her daughter, Maureen Woods. The thirty-three-year-old woman had been trapped in a bog of bitterness since her divorce. Beverly’s prayers had been stymied by Maureen’s stubbornness and pride. The woman’s resentment of her ex-husband had festered into a wound that had infected her entire life.

Gabriel was concerned about Karen and the girl’s repeated nightmares. Setting aside the large quill pen, he closed his eyes in an effort to think of the best way to help Maureen Woods.

"I don’t think we should disturb him.” The soft, lilting voice belonged to Shirley, a prayer ambassador and former guardian angel.

"Don’t be ridiculous. He’s probably just resting, waiting for us.”

Gabriel kept his eyes closed. This was Goodness. A delightful emissary and known troublemaker.

"I do hope he’s considering sending us on another mission. It’s been almost a year since our last one.”

Mercy.

December was the busiest month of year. Gabriel should have anticipated meeting up with these three. If anything, he should have been surprised it took them this long to make their appearance.

"You did mention that we were most interested in working in Los Angeles this year, didn’t you?”

"Ah, not exactly.”

There was no help for it. Gabriel opened his eyes and looked up to find the trio standing on the opposite side of the table, their wings folded back neatly, looking as perfect as a Christmas card.

"We’re back,” Mercy said excitedly, flinging her arms enthusiastically into the air.

"So I see.” Gabriel wasn’t one to reveal much emotion. For one thing, he couldn’t offer them prayer assignments. The truth was, he didn’t trust the trio to stay out of trouble. What had happened the previous year was a prime example of the kind of mischief they got themselves into. Goodness didn’t think Gabriel knew of her little shenanigans, but he did. The prayer ambassador had given in to her penchant for technical things. More than once.

He cringed every time he thought about Goodness giving advice to a human through the screen of a television set. That wasn’t the worst of it, either.

Gabriel had heard plenty about Mercy on the escalators in Nordstrom’s department store. And Shirley, the one he considered the most responsible, why, even the former guardian angel had become involved in a few escapades of her own.

"We understand you’re shorthanded again this year.” This was Goodness, excited as a child about the possibility of returning to earth.

"Things aren’t as hectic as last year,” Gabriel informed the trio, not allowing any emotion to steal into his voice. Despite all the hassles they’d given him, the archangel had a soft spot when it came to these three.