Baby Makes a Match. Arlene James

her hands. “That’s right next to the master suite where Bethany and Garrett are staying.”

      Chandler raised his eyebrows. Evidently, the aunties were going all out in their support of the Willows siblings. Well, it was no skin off his nose, especially when they were willing to house him, too. But not for long, God willing, not for long. In fact, with single, pretty Bethany in residence, the sooner he got his business in order and moved out of Chatam House, the better.

      It was all he could do to keep from looking at her one more time before he stepped out into the corridor and strode toward the library.

      “I’ll give you a hand.”

      Chandler glanced over his shoulder at Bethany’s brother.

      “That’s not necessary.”

      “No, I insist.”

      O-o-o-kay, Chandler thought, wondering if Garrett was about to warn him away from his sister. Not that Garrett had anything to worry about. The very last thing Chandler needed in his life right now was a woman, especially a pregnant woman.

      “Your breakfast will be waiting in the kitchen when you’re done,” Hypatia called.

      Chandler brightened, thinking of Hilda’s excellent cooking. “A ray of light in an otherwise dim world,” he retorted drolly.

      “If that means Hilda’s cooking is the best, I couldn’t agree more,” Garrett said, lengthening his stride to bring himself even with Chandler.

      Chandler shook his head. “First you try to beat me down and then you jump over into the amen corner.”

      “For the record,” Garrett retorted, keeping pace with Chandler, “I did beat you down.”

      “In your dreams, brother.”

      “I’m not your brother.”

      Chandler snorted. “You could be. Neither of them can throw a decent punch, either.”

      “Now you’ve gone from dreaming to sheer insanity,” Garrett said drily, and for some reason they were both suddenly grinning. “You handle yourself pretty well, too, though.”

      “Thanks,” Chandler drawled.

      “So where’d you learn to fight like that, anyway?”

      “I rodeo for a living,” Chandler replied. “There’s always some drunk cowboy wanting to take you down a peg.” The truth was that he hadn’t been in a real fight in ages, but early on the occasional fracas into which Kreger had dragged him had almost seemed, well, fun. “How about you?”

      Garrett paused just outside the library door and met Chandler’s gaze. “Prison,” he answered grimly.

      Chandler rocked back. “Yeah? How come?”

      Garrett sighed. “Like I said, I’ve been known to be a little overprotective of the women in my family.”

      “Do my aunts know about this?”

      “Absolutely. I just thought you should know, too.”

      Chandler folded his arms. “Suppose you clue me in, then.”

      “Okay, but let’s do it while we’re working. Breakfast is calling me.”

      Chandler could find no argument against that, and later, having heard the full story, he could find no quarrel with Garrett’s presence in the household, either. In fact, in his opinion, though he didn’t know Bethany’s story, the Willows siblings appeared to have gotten a pretty raw deal in life so far.

      “God allows nothing into our lives without a reason,” whispered his father’s voice then, and right behind it came Hypatia’s. “Do you not realize that for God’s children, there are no coincidences? Only plans.”

      Chandler supposed that one’s actions and decisions played into what God allowed and planned for a believer. Everyone had free will, after all. Still, a loving, omniscient God could be trusted to have reasons and plans, which meant that whatever was going on with him now, God had allowed for His own purposes. Chandler believed that those purposes would ultimately work for his benefit, for God did not curse his own children; He blessed them. Chandler knew that his life had been greatly blessed, especially compared to the lives of Garrett and Bethany Willows.

      As he sat down with Garrett at the battered table in the warm, spacious kitchen to eat Hilda’s fluffy scrambled eggs and crisp bacon, his situation suddenly looked a lot better than it had only last night, and Chandler determined to move forward prayerfully. With that in mind, he took the time to give silent thanks.