The Unexpected Gift
by
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"My Mommy doesn't know me since I went blind. Sometimes, I can't remember what she looked like." Her voice held a definite tremor.
Shannon put her arms around the child, as Rachel turned her face into Shannon's shoulder and sobbed. Able to stand it no longer, Scott was beside them in three long strides, his annoyance with his daughter's rudeness melting into heartache for her grief. Bending down, he laid a hand on Rachel's dark curls. "Come here, sugar." He lifted Rachel from Shannon's arms and settled her on his lap. "Shannon is right, you know. Your Mommy was a teacher. She loved teaching, and she loved learning. She would have wanted you to learn to read and write as that will open all kinds of doors of learning for you."
"I know," Rachel said, the tears threatening.
"As far as what she looked like ... well .... You look very much like her. Same dark, curly hair. Same round little face. When you are a little older, you will be almost a carbon copy of your Mommy I think. Except you have blue eyes like mine, and hers were brown. Your stubborn streak now, that's probably from me." He tickled her under her chin.
Rachel smiled a little, then became serious again. "Daddy, I wasn't very nice to Shannon tonight."
"Then, I think you owe Shannon an apology. She's only trying to help you."
"I'm sorry, Shannon," Rachel whispered, turning toward her.
"It's all right, sweetie. I forgive you. If you want to keep trying, I have a couple of ideas."
"Like what?" Rachel wanted to know, and Scott was curious as well. …
After returning home from studying at Aunt Gina's that night, Kara quietly closed and locked the front door of her grandmother's double wide behind her. She laid her keys on the counter and tiptoed down the hall so as not to wake anyone. Just before reaching her room, she noticed there was a light coming from under the door, and she thought she heard someone inside. Was Steve raiding her CD collection again? "Steve?" she called softly, turning the door knob.
She heard a gasp as she pushed the door open. "Jill! What are you doing?" Kara stepped into the room, drawing in her breath in a gasp. Her dresser drawers and jewelry box were emptied onto the bed, and one of the crates in the closet was dumped on the floor.
"Where is it?" Jill demanded. "I know she gave it to you. I asked her for it today, and she said she gave it to you. It's rightfully mine. I'm the oldest daughter and next in line. Where is it?"
"Where is what?" Kara knew what Jill wanted, but she had no intention of giving it to her.
"The locket, stupid! Where is it? Where have you hidden it?"
"I don't have it," Kara lied glibly. "I lost it."
"How could you lose it? It's a family heirloom! It's real gold! What were you thinking?” …
"Watch your right foot now on the wall," Scott instructed.
Just in time, Shannon removed her right foot from the stirrup, but her boot still scraped the wall. Then she was through, and they were moving down the hill.
"Now, we head for home!" Shannon smiled broadly. But as she spoke, the report of pistol shots echoed somewhere in the woods. …
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About the Book
The Unexpected Gift tells the story of two families whose lives are shattered by two tragic events occurring within a few months of each other. Despite his shaken faith, Dr. Scott Benson, local veterinarian, strives to guide his daughter Rachel in her adjustment to blindness and short-term memory loss resulting from an auto accident that kills her mother. Shannon Martin, who now volunteers at a local therapeutic riding center, struggles with learning to trust again after the suicidal death of her fiancé, Todd Trent. When Shannon, who is blind herself, begins tutoring young Rachel in braille, romance between Scott and Shannon blossoms.
Meanwhile, a web of suspicion and turmoil comes to light involving Jill Trent, the oldest of the Trent siblings. Jill’s children do not know their biological father, so Mark Trent, their uncle, helps the now nearly grown children as they struggle to live a different kind of life despite their mother’s choices.
The fledgling romance between Scott and Shannon and the Trent family’s battle with Jill’s drug addiction collide in a series of shocking events that reveal deception, blackmail, and murder. Who is behind the crimes? Will the romance between Scott and Shannon last? Can the Trent family finally experience reconciliation? Find out how each character learns to rely on God for direction.
About the Author
Berna King is a rehabilitation counselor, assisting people with visual impairments to return to the workforce. Visually impaired herself, she grew up in rural northeast Ohio, riding horses and meeting life’s challenges head-on. A graduate of Western Michigan University, she holds a Master of Arts in rehabilitation counseling. Assisted by her Seeing Eye dog, Berna currently lives and works in Canton, Ohio.