Instant Father
One minute, Caleb Mast is an oil-rig roughneck who answers to no one but himself. The next, heâs the father of a special-needs child he never knew existed. What kind of home can a man like himâwithout faith or communityâprovide for an eight-year-old girl? For little Joyâs sake, Caleb returns to the Amish community he left behind years ago. His daughter bonds with Amish schoolteacher Leah Belier, and Caleb feels hopeful for once. But Leah blames Caleb for dashing long-ago dreams and canât bear to trust him. With Christmas weeks away, one special girl just may bring two heartsâand an entire communityâtogether.
Brides of Amish Country: Finding true love in the land of the Plain People.
Leah laid a protective hand on Joyâs head.
âPatience and kindness are the keys to raising a special child,â she told Caleb. âAll children are gifts from God, but we believe a child such as Joy is one of His most cherished gifts.â
Calebâs hands dropped to his sides. He lookedâ¦defeated. âI know what the Amish believe. Thatâs why Iâm here. The only reason Iâm here.â
She didnât understand. He tipped his head slightly. âThe prodigal son has returned. You donât look happy to see me.â
She wasnât. She didnât care if he knew it. He had changed a great deal in the past nine years. The wild, handsome Amish boy she had known had matured into a tall, rugged-looking man with a muscular frame and deeply tanned skin. He wore his dark hair cut short in the Englisch way, not in the bowl-cut style the men of her community wore.
Leah realized he was studying her, too. Watching her with hard, piercing gray eyes that gave away little of what he was thinking.
Chapter One
Loud pounding pulled Caleb Mast out of the first good nightâs sleep heâd had in a month. He squinted at the clock on his bedside table. Who was beating on his door at three-forty in the morning?
Staggering out of bed, he made his way through his condo. After four weeks on an oil platform in the Gulf, he was ready for some downtime. Heâd stayed twice as long as his normal rotation to cover for an injured crewmate. The twelve-to thirteen-hour shifts seven days a week were tough. Lousy weather and a shorthanded crew made the extra two weeks a killer. All he wanted was to crawl back in bed.
If some of his crewmates were looking to celebrate on their first night in, they could have fun without him. He didnât do the party scene. Not since... He dismissed the thought without finishing it. He didnât look back. The pounding resumed.
He yanked open the front door. âIf this building isnât on fire youâre in trouble. What?â
A woman stood on his doorstep. She had a little girl beside her. Thunder rumbled in the distance. A fine mist was falling, scenting the air with rain and making a shimmering halo around the streetlamp across the roadway. A yellow hatchback with a dented door sat parked beneath it.
The woman pushed back her frizzy blond hair. âYouâre a hard man to find, Caleb.â
The voice belonged to a bad memory from his past. âValerie?â
She gave a halfhearted smile. âYou remember my name. Thatâs something.â
Was she kidding? He had turned his life upside down, cut bone-deep family ties and moved halfway across the country with Valerie Perry. A year later, she left him a goodbye note with no forwarding address and an empty bank account. Now, after nearly nine years, she was back. Why?
There were dark circles under her eyes and a droop to her full lips. She was thin as a rail. Her once-thick brown hair was bleached a brittle white-blond. It made her look cheap. Even at this hour, she wore heavy eye makeup. She licked her dry, cracked lips.
He folded his arms over his chest. âWhat do you want?â
âYou could pretend youâre happy to see me.â
âIf youâre here to repay the money you stole, then Iâm thrilled.â
She dropped her gaze. âIâve come for...another reason.â
âMama, Iâm tired,â the girl whined. She peered at him through a mop of blond hair, straight and pale as wheat straw. He was stunned to see the characteristic round face, small upturned eyes and slightly flat nose that indicated she had Down syndrome.