âAre you sure I canât pay you
for tutoring Jane?â
âNo. Weâve been through this before, Samuel. I donât want your money. Iâm doing this for your daughter.â
âThen at least let me take you out for dinner.â
âI donâtââ
âPlease, Beth. I feel like I should do something for you.â
She paused on the porch, looking back at Samuel framed in the doorway with the light behind him and his features in the shadows. Dinner? Like a real date? The more she found out about Samuel, the more she liked himâand he didnât fit into her future plans at all, especially with his ready-made family.
THE LADIES OF SWEETWATER LAKE:
Like a wedding ring, this circle of friends is never ending.
GOLD IN THE FIRE (LI #273)
A MOTHER FOR CINDY (LI #283) LIGHT IN THE STORM (LI #297)
feels she has been blessed. She has been married thirty-three years to her husband, Mike, whom she met in college. He is a terrific support and her best friend. They have one son, Shaun, who married his high school sweetheart in June 2002.
Margaret has been writing for many years and loves to tell a story. When she was a little girl, she would play with her dolls and make up stories about their lives. Now she writes these stories down. She especially enjoys weaving stories about families and how faith in God can sustain a person when things get tough. When she isnât writing, she is fortunate to be a teacher for students with special needs. Margaret has taught for over twenty years and loves working with her students. She has also been a Special Olympics coach and has participated in many sports with her students.
With us is the Lord our God
to help us and to fight our battles.
â2 Chronicles 32:8
To my readersâI appreciate your support.
To my local RWA chapter, Romance Writers Inkâ
You are a wonderful group of writers.
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Beth and Samuelâs story in Light in the Storm. I am a high school teacher who has worked with students with learning disabilities. It is important to convey to them that they have strengths as well as weaknesses. Sometimes we dwell on our weaknesses and our self-esteem suffers for it. Yes, we need to be aware of what we need to work on, but no one is perfect. Jane needed to learn that in this story, as did Beth and Samuel.
Another aspect of my story was Bethâs battle with breast cancer. With it being one of the common forms of cancer for women, I wanted to stress the importance of early detection. One way is monthly self-examination. There is a Buddy Check program that advocates a woman forming a partnership with a friend or family member; each reminds the other to self-check monthly.
I love hearing from my readers. You can contact me at P.O. Box 2074, Tulsa, OK 74101, or visit my Web site at www.margaretdaley.com.
Best wishes,
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
With a huff Jane Morgan plopped into her desk. âI donât see why I have to be here.â
Beth Coleman sighed, turned from watching the snow falling outside Sweetwater High School and said, âBecause youâll be the topic of conversation. Itâs your future weâll be discussing. I thought you should have a say in it.â
Flipping her long, dark brown hair behind her shoulders, Jane slouched in her desk, her arms folded over her chest, a pout firmly in place. âWhat future? Donât you get it? I donât want to be here.â
Beth again looked at the snow coming down and wondered if this was the best time to have a parent conference. Of course, when she had contacted Janeâs father yesterday, there hadnât been any snow. âDoes your father have a cell phone?â Maybe she should call him and cancel until the weather was better. She could drive Jane home.
âYes.â
As with Janeâs performance in class the past few weeks since the teenager had enrolled at the beginning of the second semester, Beth realized she would have to ask what the number was, because Jane wouldnât give any information unless she absolutely had to. âWhat isââ
âSorry Iâm late, but as you can see, the weather is getting bad.â A large man with blond hair and brown eyes stood framed in the classroom doorway.
Speechless for a few seconds, Beth just stared at Janeâs father. Samuel Morgan wasnât anything like her image of him when sheâd talked to him briefly the day before. His voice was gruff and deep, but his looks were refinedâhandsome but not ruggedly so. More along the lines of a male model sheâd seen in a magazine selling cologne. Whoa! Why in the world had she thought that?
Beth mentally shook her head and crossed the room. Presenting her hand, which he took in a firm grip and shook, she said, âIâm Janeâs English teacher, Beth Coleman. Please come in and have a seatâunless youâd rather reschedule this meeting because of the snow. It doesnât look like itâs going to let up any time soon.â