Seb studied her with a long look.

  She was so different from him. “I think you’re hitting the high nineties—life-percentage wise—if it’s okay to say.” He watched a heat rise to her cheeks that had nothing to do with the Arizona sunshine. It felt good to compliment her, and she deserved it. “Kent’s a great kid and Kimmy is downright adorable. You’ll make it through fine.”

  She laughed. “Oh, I’ve heard so many versions of those words in the past year. I want to believe them, you know? But I’m not so sure.”

  It was so easy to see the strength in her she couldn’t see for herself. “I am.”

  “Why?”

  “Don’t know that I can say.” He let himself hold her gaze for a moment before adding, “It just is.”

  He pulled himself away from the warmth of her company and headed back to the safety of his kitchen. Kate Hoyle was getting to him, and he wasn’t sure at all what he ought to do about that.

  Allie Pleiter, an award-winning author and RITA® Award finalist, writes both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion for knitting shows up in many of her books and all over her life. Entirely too fond of French macarons and lemon meringue pie, Allie spends her days writing books and avoiding housework. Allie grew up in Connecticut, holds a BS in speech from Northwestern University and lives near Chicago, Illinois.

  Books by Allie Pleiter

  Love Inspired

  True North Springs

  A Place to Heal

  Restoring Their Family

  Wander Canyon

  Their Wander Canyon Wish

  Winning Back Her Heart

  His Christmas Wish

  A Mother’s Strength

  Secrets of Their Past

  Matrimony Valley

  His Surprise Son

  Snowbound with the Best Man

  Wander Canyon Courtship

  Visit the Author Profile page at LoveInspired.com for more titles.

  RESTORING THEIR FAMILY

  Allie Pleiter

  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

  —2 Corinthians 12:9

  To Amanda and Kyle

  All our love all your lives together

  Contents

  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

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Epilogue

  Dear Reader

  Excerpt from The Baby Proposal by Gabrielle Meyer

  Chapter One

  Kate Hoyle tried to ignore her son’s sour attitude as he carried their cooler toward the kitchen at Camp True North Springs. “Why do I have to come?” Kent moaned.

  “Well, we ought to meet the cook, and I can’t carry this all by myself.”

  “Is the cook lady nice?” Kate’s daughter, Kimmy, asked, picking raisins from the small box Kate had just given her.

  “The camp chef is a man. His name is Sebastian, I think.”

  Kent lugged the cooler like an annoyed gorilla. “Is he gonna get it? What Kimmy needs?” He nodded toward the little pink backpack Kimmy was wearing. The one that went with her everywhere. The one with the medical information and the EpiPen that always had to be nearby. Always.

  “I’ve already sent all our information on ahead and they sound very helpful. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

  Kent shot her a dark look far too grizzled for a ten-year-old. Everything left Kent unimpressed since Cameron had died. Grief over his father’s death seemed to have locked him into a permanent state of bad-natured apathy. Even the top bunk in their charming little guest room here at the camp left him unimpressed—and she’d thought he would love that.

  The one thing that had remained in Kent’s nature was the fierce way he protected his baby sister. In fact, that protective air had only strengthened since Cameron died. As if Kent had decided the world was out to do his family in and he’d better stand in the gap. That seemed too great a weight to hoist onto ten-year-old shoulders.

  And yet, it wasn’t so far from the truth. It wasn’t fair how some part of protecting Kimmy fell to Kent now, but what about their lives had been fair lately? Kate simply couldn’t do it alone. Most days she felt like she could barely do it at all. At three years old, Kimmy couldn’t spot dangers or advocate for her own needs. Kate sorely missed the second set of eyes and ears Cameron had been to keep his daughter safe. Guilt at having to lean on Kent pulled at her nearly every day, but what other choice was there?

  We can’t have lost the boy he used to be forever, can we? She missed the funny glint that used to shine out of his dark brown eyes. It had been so long since she’d seen the smile that used to show up so often between his freckled cheeks and above his father’s handsome square jaw.

  It isn’t just Kent, she thought as they reached the steps of the main house’s wide front porch. Camp True North Springs was built on the family estate of Mason Avery, with a collection of rebuilt outbuildings gathered around a big central house where the kitchen and dining room gathered everyone for meals. We’re all so far from who we used to be.

  Wasn’t that why she was here, at Camp True North Springs? To see if they could somehow find their way back to the people they used to be? Yes, she knew losing Cameron had changed them all forever, but there had to be a way for them all to feel more alive, less damaged beyond repair.

  “Are there ponies?” Kimmy asked as she worked her way up the stairs. She was small, even for a three-year-old, and the steps seemed almost half as tall as she was. She had her father’s intense eyes but Kate’s delicate features—all currently lit up with the optimism her son lacked.

  “’Fraid not.” A deep voice came from behind the screen door ahead of them. A tall man in a work shirt with a denim apron around his waist and a dish towel over one shoulder pushed open the door. “But we just had a litter of kittens.”

  Kimmy’s eyes popped wide open. “Kitties?”

  “Cats,” Kent groaned. “Wow. We never see those at home.”

  Kate sent the stranger an “I’m so sorry” look, but Kent’s impolite crack didn’t seem to faze him.

  The man asked, “How about tarantulas? Got those back home?”

  That stopped Kent in his tracks. “Tarantulas? Like the giant spider kind?”

  The man reached his hands out for the large bag of groceries Kate was holding. He struck her as handsome enough to get away with the dark and dismissive air he carried—someone confident enough, or jaded enough, to not care much what people thought of him. “Relax,” he said to Kent’s startled look. “I’m just kidding you. Mostly. They’re around, but they’re way more scared of you than you are of them. They’re actually kind of interesting, once you get to know ’em.”

  Kent made short work of getting the cooler through the door. “No thanks.”

  “Sorry,” the man said, leaning in toward Kate. “I’ll dial it back from here on in.” Then he hunched down to Kimmy’s height. Kate thought she saw him flinch as he bent down, but that could’ve just been the physical therapist in her forgetting she was supposed to be on vacation. “I’m guessing you’re Kimmy Hoyle. I’m Chef Seb. We’re gonna take amazing care of you while you’re here.”

  “This is kinda heavy,” Kent reminded from ahead of them.

  Chef Seb rose again, and there was most certainly a flinch Kate saw. Leave your professional self in Pennsylvania, she chided herself. He pointed through a wide archway. “Dining room is in there, and the kitchen is beyond that.”

  Kate took a moment to look around as Kent disappeared through the arch, mumbling something she was probably glad she couldn’t hear. “What a pretty place.”

  “It is. We’ve got gardens and benches and a pond that’s just coming back from the long drought we had a ways back. There’s lots of stuff to do—or not do.” He added an over-the-top wink before saying, “And I hear the food is out of this world.”

  No shortage of confidence here. She gave Seb a tolerant smile. “I’m looking forward to our vacation.” Today was Sunday, and she had three weeks of someone else doing the cooking and housekeeping ahead of her. Not only that, but the chance to breathe while someone else gave Kent and Kimmy something fun to do. It sounded like just what she needed. And it didn’t matter much if the food was good. It mattered that they were taking her concerns seriously.

  That didn’t always happen. She wouldn’t have come if she’d felt they wouldn’t take Kimmy’s allergies seriously. It would be so very nice to be able to let down her guard—even just a bit—somewhere other than home. To trust someone else to cook for Kimmy. Forget any exotic vacations—if Camp True North Springs gave her a breather and just the tiniest dose of encouragement, she’d be thrilled.

  Kent came back to stand
in the archway, looking unhappy. Well, unhappier. “Mom, everybody eats all together.”

  “We do,” said Seb. “Mason Avery, the guy who owns this place—I’m sure you talked to him—thinks it’s important.”

  Kate could see where this was heading. She had to admit the idea rose a jolt of panic in her as well as in Kent. She kept a tight grip on Kimmy’s hand as they walked into the large room filled with big oval tables. Tables too big for a family to sit by themselves, which meant she’d be dining close to other people.

  “He didn’t mention this. I may need to talk to him.”

  Seb pushed out a breath. “Well, I have no doubt he’ll hear whatever you have to say, but I wouldn’t have that conversation...just now.”

  That didn’t sound very accommodating. “Why ever not?”

  The chef made an apologetic wince and scratched the tough-guy scruff on his chin. “Well, actually, he and Dana are sort of on cloud nine at the moment. We were expecting you two hours from now.”

  She didn’t see what that had to do with anything. “Cloud nine?” What was that supposed to mean?

  “Mason proposed to Dana about an hour ago. You’ll have to excuse them if they’re a bit smitten, but they’re amazing people. Everything will still run like clockwork even if they do have goofy grins on their faces. It’s sweet. I’m happy for them.”

  It was absurd—and rather small of her—to begrudge the two people who ran this camp such happiness. Still, the thought of being around all that love-struck optimism when this camp was all about healing from grief—could she handle it? Had she withered that much? Was she that petty a person now?

  Seb tried to salvage the awkward moment. “Mason built those tables. Made them especially for our dining room. Like I said, he feels eating family style is important. It pulls people together. And I really think we’ll do it in a way that makes you feel safe.”

  People didn’t understand how severe Kimmy’s allergies were. They didn’t understand how one small slip could create an emergency. “I don’t know...”

  “I got all your emails.” He was trying to reassure her, but it wasn’t working. “I read everything you sent. I’ve even done research on my own. We are peanut-free for your entire stay. Foods with eggs and milk will have special labels that should be easy to see since we serve family style. No shellfish, either. There will be Kimmy-friendly versions of everything. Even the ice cream. I had our supplier bring in a dairy-free version just for her.” He offered Kimmy a smile and then fixed Kate with a deep, steady look. “We’re going to take good care of Kimmy. And Kent. And you. You’ve got my word on that.”

  * * *

  Seb caught his breath. Wow. Despite her small size and delicate features, this mom was fierce. She probably had to be, the way her guard went up like a castle wall at the thought of eating near another family. He had to respect that, even though it probably made his job that much harder.

  And still, that was the whole point, wasn’t it? All the families at this first trial run of the camp—and probably all the families to come—needed special care. It struck him that this one was going to need an epic level of special care. It ought to have irked him, but instead Seb found it pulled a determination from somewhere deep inside him. Helping others was a crucial piece in the addiction-recovery process. He’d come far, but he had a ways to go. Going the extra mile for Kate Hoyle and her children wasn’t just for her good, but hopefully for his as well.

  And for the good of the curly-haired cutie currently staring up at him with eyes as sweet as her mother’s. Seb’s back told him he shouldn’t attempt another hunch down, but he did give her another grin. “Strawberry’s your favorite, right?”

  The sound of her giggle was downright adorable. “Yup.”

  “I’m not comfortable eating at a table with other families.” The mom’s tone was miles from calm. He had little hope of diverting her off whatever threat she viewed family-style dining to be.

  Someone with your history of recklessness has no business judging wounded people, he reminded himself. Mason had told him he could never forget that, and to reflect a respect for the enormity of their losses in everything he did. People didn’t come here because they were okay. They came because violence and tragedy had hacked their life to bits, and they were struggling to pick up the pieces. They were here to rediscover their true north after grief and loss knocked them far off course.

  And he, of all people, knew what it was like to stray so far off course you weren’t sure you could find your way back. So that epic level of compassion had better start now. He put all the warmth in his tone he could muster. “It’s Kate, right?”

  He was glad to see her face soften a bit. “Yes. And that’s Kent.”

  “Kate, Kimmy and Kent. That’s a lot of Ks.” He regretted the attempt at humor immediately. Hello? Tone it down, Costa.

  “Our dad was a C,” Kent defended. “His name was Cameron.”

  Seb noted how Kent used “was.”

  Each of the four families coming today had a loss in the family. So for this family, it was Dad. “We lost him a year ago January,” Kate explained. Her voice had a heartbreaking mix of fresh grief and been-at-it-far-too-long endurance. She was what most people would call naturally pretty, with light blond hair in a short cut he normally wouldn’t find attractive, but it showed off a pair of spectacular dimples and stunning eyes. She had the kind of creamy skin that didn’t need makeup, but whatever glow she’d once had was dragged down by weariness. “It’s why we’re...here.”

  She said it like an apology, as if she hadn’t earned the respite Seb and the whole staff were ready to work so hard to give her. To all of them. They’d earned it with the highest price possible, hadn’t they? He’d driven himself off track in his life, but they’d made no such choice. Life yanked them off without asking permission.

  “It is why all of you are here,” Seb said, trying to voice the compassionate mission that had drawn him to Camp True North Springs in the first place. “And I mean it. I’m gonna take good care of what Kimmy needs,” he repeated.

  “You have to,” Kent practically commanded.

  Unlike his mother and sister, Kent must have favored his father, because the boy had dark hair and deep brown eyes. And eyebrows that rarely did anything but furrow in annoyance. His all-too-young bleakness struck a sympathetic chord with Seb. Been there, kid. Crawling back out of it is no picnic.

  Seb turned to face the boy. “I get it. And I will.”

  Looking at the sharp set of Kent’s shoulders, Seb found himself wondering what it was like to be the “other” child in this family. The one who didn’t require a battalion of accommodations. It must be hard under good circumstances, and Kent Hoyle didn’t look like he’d seen much in the way of good circumstances lately. Start here, start now. “But you get to eat, too,” he said to Kent. “What do you like?”

  “Me?”

  It cut into Seb’s chest that the boy looked surprised to be asked. “Yeah,” he replied. “We can’t let Kimmy have all the fun. What should I cook for you?”

  Most kids could name their favorite foods in a heartbeat. This one had to think about it. That said a lot, didn’t it? “I dunno... Pizza? Only...the cheese...”

  “Oh, I hear you,” Seb replied. “Some of that dairy-free stuff tastes more like Styrofoam.” He’d tried a few in preparation for Kimmy’s needs and found them sorely lacking. “But since I have to make lots of pizzas, I can make sure we have a few you like. Let me guess—pepperoni?”

  Kent brightened a little. “Yeah.”

  “And I’m guessing mushrooms are a no go.” Seb loved mushrooms on his pizza, but most kids wouldn’t dream of it.

  “No, sir.” Kent let loose something close to a laugh at that. There you go. There’s a kid in there somewhere.

  “Just Seb’ll be fine. Or Chef Seb—I like that, too. So...” He rubbed his hands together in a “let’s get started” gesture as he led them toward the kitchen. He wanted to show Kate the supplies he’d brought in and the precautions he’d put in place in the kitchen. “Pizza’s your favorite? No others?” He pushed open the double swinging doors that stood between the dining hall and the house’s newly expanded kitchen. He hoped the gleaming clean of the place impressed this mom. It was important she felt safe—she and her daughter.