“Where are the horses?” Trevor asked his dad.
Clint did a half turn and gestured with his hand. “They’re all over the place.”
The child saw a group of mares in one of the pastures and whooped with excitement. “Can I pet one, Daddy?”
“Pet one?” Clint chuckled. “Is petting one all you want to do? How about riding one?”
In the recent past Trevor would have looked to his grandparents for permission, but now he looked only to his father. “Can I, Daddy? Really?”
“I think we can arrange it. Your boots are over at the arena. We’ll need to get those on you first. A proper horseman always wears a Stetson and riding boots.”
Trevor’s eyes went round. “You got me a Stetson, too?”
“You’re my boy now, aren’t you?” Clint replied with a chuckle. “I can’t have you looking like a city slicker.”
At precisely that moment Hannah lumbered out from behind the house. When she saw her canine friend Nana whom she’d met the previous weekend in Sweet Home, she gave a happy bark. Within seconds the two huge dogs were tumbling over the grass, a gigantic blur of yellow, white, and brown fur.
“I think Nana has finally met her match,” Sharon observed as she approached the porch. “She’s never been around another dog big enough to play with her until now.”
“Hannah definitely isn’t lacking in size,” Loni said, laughing at their antics.
“Can I ride a horse now, Daddy?” Trevor cried. “Please, please, please?”
Loni was delighted by the child’s enthusiasm. “And you were worried?” she called to Clint. “I told you horses are in his blood.”
Clint beamed a proud smile. “Maybe so.”
Loni gestured to the child’s grandfather. “Please do come in, Jacob. I’m sure you’re weary after the long drive. I just pulled a coffee cake from the oven.”
“Oh, that sounds lovely,” Sharon replied. “But first let us get a look at the ranch.” She ascended the steps to stand with Loni on the veranda. “My goodness, it’s big. And so beautiful.” She smiled happily. “Trevor will be so happy here. You just can’t know how glad that makes me feel.”
If all went well during this visit—and Loni felt certain it would—future visitations would take place at the ranch throughout the winter, preparing Trevor to come live with Clint and Loni on a permanent basis when school was out in June.
“I think I’ll go with Clint and Trevor to see the horses,” Jacob told them. “I’ll only be gone for a few minutes.”
“No hurry!” Sharon called. “Just be really careful so you don’t get hurt.”
“He’ll be fine,” Loni assured the older woman. “Clint’s horses are big loves. Neither of your fellows will be in any danger.”
“That’s good to know,” Sharon said with a laugh. “It’ll be a wonderful place to raise children then. Surely you and Clint plan to have more.”
“Oh, yes. Clint wants a whole baseball team.”
“Good heavens. I hope you’ve gotten that notion out of his head.”
“We’re still negotiating.”
Gazing after Clint as he walked with Jacob and Trevor toward the arena, Loni smiled dreamily. Life had been so busy since Trevor’s rescue in June, with Loni and Clint rushing through marriage preparation classes with Father Mike, having their wedding in August, and also traveling so often to visit Trevor, that she hadn’t made an official announcement about her pregnancy yet. She and Clint wanted to hold the joyful secret close to their hearts for a while, with only Father Mike and her and Clint’s family sharing the knowledge.
In a precognitive vision, Loni had seen Trevor leading his baby sister by the hand across the stable yard next winter. Aliza Candrima, whose first and middle names meant “joyful light of the moon,” would have her father’s dark skin and jet-black hair, but she would take after her mother as well. In the vision Loni had seen a deep crimson birthmark on the nape of her daughter’s neck.
“Look at that child run!” Sharon cried.
Loni nodded. “He’s so excited he can barely contain himself.”
“Clint is good for him,” Sharon observed. “When Clint is with him the sadness goes out of Trevor’s eyes.”
Clint was good for everyone, Loni thought. Being with him was her lifelong dream come true.
“Can I help with your suitcases before we go in?” Loni offered. Sharon and Jacob planned to spend the night so Trevor would experience no separation anxiety. “Then we’ll sit down at the table with fresh coffee and some of that cake.”
After helping Trevor’s grandmother get settled in the guest room, Loni hurried to the kitchen, still smiling secretly over her vision of Trevor and his baby sister. A few months ago Loni would not have been happy to know that her daughter would inherit “the sight,” but now she was absolutely thrilled. Annabel MacEwen had been right all along: Having the sight was a very special blessing. It had just taken Loni a while to come to that realization. Her gift had not only enabled her to help save Trevor’s life but had led her straight into the arms of her dream cowboy.
“My goodness! That cake does smell good.”
Loni gestured at the table. “Have a seat. Which do you prefer, coffee or tea?”
“Coffee, please. I missed my second cup this morning.”
Loni had just served her guest when the phone rang. After drying her hands on a towel, she hurried across the kitchen. “Excuse me for a moment, Sharon,” she said after glimpsing the caller ID. “This may be important. I need to take it.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Sharon said. “If I want seconds I’ll just help myself.”
“Hello, Jim,” Loni said when she answered the phone. “You have something for me again today?”
The Crystal Falls police detective wasted no time on pleasantries. “A baby just went missing in Denver, Colorado. Six months old, female, Caucasian.”
Loni’s hand tightened over the receiver. Thanks to Clint’s family connections with law enforcement and his exhaustive efforts to create channels of communication, she now worked frequently with the FBI, enabling her to take cases across state lines. “Do you have a photo for me?”
“I do. I’m e-mailing it to you in an attachment as I speak. Can you take a look ASAP and get right back to me?”
Loni understood that the survival rate of missing children greatly increased if they were found within twenty-four hours. “You got it.” She ended the call. “Sharon, I’m sorry, but I’ve got an important e-mail that I need to go open.”
“Stop apologizing. I’m happy as a clam.”
Loni rushed to Clint’s downstairs office. Now that the FBI often called upon her for help, she was using her gift more than she’d ever dreamed possible. Over the last week she’d helped pinpoint the whereabouts of six small children before their abductors could harm them. One little boy had been as far away as Portland, Maine, a distance that would have been a major stumbling block for Loni only a few months ago. But with a lot of prayer, practice, and unfailing support from Clint, she had strengthened her abilities. Regardless of distance, she was now able to home in on a child’s location simply by gazing at a photograph.
When cases went badly, which they sometimes did, and Loni felt devastated because she’d failed to save a life, her husband was always there to hold her in his arms and remind her of her successes and of the victories that still lay ahead. You can’t save the whole world, only one tiny corner, he would say, and then he would point out that most people went to the grave without ever saving anyone.
Slowly but surely Loni was learning to put the failures behind her and focus on the joyous successes. The nightmares still came to haunt her sometimes. Loni couldn’t honestly say that her gift had suddenly become a walk in the park. But with Clint beside her and his strong arms around her, she no longer felt quite so devastated when things went wrong. She was becoming adept at blocking signals now, picking and choosing the times when a vision would come. That had helped immensely, because sh
e was able to brace herself, step back emotionally, and control the vision instead of allowing the vision to control her.
Do your best, Clint always said. Give it all you’ve got, trust in God, and then don’t dwell on it. Loni was getting there.
Within seconds she was printing out a picture of an adorable baby girl with big blue eyes, chubby cheeks, and a ribbon around a shock of black hair that poked straight up from her head. Loni couldn’t help but smile as she took the picture into her hands. After making the sign of the cross, she prayed fervently for God’s help before allowing herself to focus on the baby’s face.
White light flashed, obscuring her vision. The next instant Loni was there with the child. A thin woman with brown hair sat in a rocker with the baby in her arms. As she pushed with her feet, she hummed a lullaby. Loni was learning how to glean as much information as quickly as possible during a vision, so she fastened her gaze on the window. Through the glass she saw shrubbery, a maple tree that had lost almost all its leaves, and also a hedge that divided the woman’s yard off from the one next door. Beyond the hedge Loni saw police cars and a television news van parked in front of a home across the street.
Tossing the picture aside, Loni called the detective back. “Hi, Jim. A neighbor woman has the child. Brown hair, green eyes, very thin. She lives across the street and about three houses down from the parents. The yard is surrounded by a privacy hedge, and the window trim I saw looked dark blue.”
“That’s amazing, absolutely amazing. Thanks, Loni.”
“When you connect with whoever’s in charge at that end, tell them to be careful. I think the woman may be delusional. She’s totally oblivious to what’s going on outside her house. They don’t want to startle her. She might panic and accidentally hurt the baby.”
“I’ll pass it on,” Jim said. “Thanks, doll.”
When Loni returned to the kitchen, Sharon had helped herself to a second piece of cake. “This is delicious.” She tipped her head to study Loni’s face. “You look happy. Things must have gone well.”
Loni grinned. “Exceedingly well. A baby in Denver this time. A crazy neighbor woman took her.”
“It must be so rewarding to have such a wonderful gift and be able to save innocent children.”
“Yes, it is rewarding,” Loni replied, meaning it with all her heart.
Stepping over to the window, she gazed across the pastureland that stretched endlessly in all directions. Home. She had such a fulfilling life to look forward to now with her wonderful dream cowboy, their son, and their little girl. Loni felt as if her cup were brimming over.
At peace with whatever might come, she turned to join her guest at the table and enjoy a piece of that coffee cake.
Catherine Anderson, Morning Light
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