The Courage To Dream and The Power Of Love: The Courage To Dream / The Power Of Love. Margaret Daley

      Praise for Margaret Daley and her novels

      “Margaret Daley writes an entertaining story with believable characters in The Power of Love.”

      —Romantic Times BOOKreviews

      “Margaret Daley takes a candid and inspiring look at a child severely wounded and the two people who’d do anything to make her happy in A Family for Tory.”

      —Romantic Times BOOKreviews

      “When Dreams Come True has a unique plot with realistic dilemmas. Margaret Daley gets to the heart of family issues and Dane’s struggle to reconnect with his wife and children.”

      —Romantic Times BOOKreviews

      “Many romances deliver basic love-at-first-sight plots, but nuance is key in Margaret Daley’s Tidings of Joy. Chance and Tanya gradually discover friendship and love in a book that offers strong family values.”

      —Romantic Times BOOKreviews

      The Power of Love

       & The Courage To Dream

      Margaret Daley

      CONTENTS

      THE POWER OF LOVE

      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

      THE COURAGE TO DREAM

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Epilogue

      MARGARET DALEY

      feels she has been blessed. She has been married more than thirty years to her husband, Mike, whom she met in college. He is a terrific support and her best friend. They have one son, Shaun.

      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 isn’t 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 participated in many sports with her students.

The Power of Love

      And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

      —1 John 4:16

      This book is dedicated to the staff at Jenks High School and all the students I have had the privilege of teaching.

      Chapter One

      “What now?” Rebecca Michaels pulled back from the peephole, a frown marring her tired features.

      When she opened her front door to the large policeman, tension whipped down her length. Standing next to the stranger was her son. The policeman’s solemn expression told her the next few minutes wouldn’t be a welcome-to-the-town exchange. She braced herself. “Is there something wrong, Officer?”

      “Ma’am, is this your son?”

      She nodded, her throat tightening.

      “I found this young man behind the grocery store, loitering. He should be in school.”

      “That was where he was supposed to be.” Rebecca directed her attention to her nine-year-old, whose features were set in a sullen expression. “What happened, Peter? You left an hour ago for school.”

      He dropped his gaze. “I didn’t wanna go.”

      “That’s not an option.” Rebecca looked toward the policeman. “I’m sorry to have inconvenienced you. I’ll make sure he gets to school when my baby wakes up.”

      The man stuck out his hand. “I’m Gabriel Stone. I haven’t had the opportunity to welcome you to Oakview yet. Sorry it had to be this way.”

      Rebecca shook his hand, comforted by the firm feel of his fingers around hers. His handshake conveyed an impression of directness and no-nonsense that was refreshing. “I’m Rebecca Michaels.” She relaxed the tense set of her shoulders.

      “Well, ma’am, if you don’t mind, I can take your son to school for you.”

      “I wouldn’t want to put you out.”

      “No problem. That’s part of my job, making sure the kids stay in school.”

      Grateful for his offer, she smiled. “Then great. My other son, Josh, just went down for a nap, and I hope he sleeps for a while.”

      The policeman returned her smile, the lines at the corners of his eyes deep as if he smiled a lot. “If you need any help, don’t be a stranger. I live on the next block. I’ve known your grandmother for years.”

      As her son and Gabriel Stone turned to leave, Rebecca called, “Come right home after school, Peter. We need to talk.”

      The pout that graced her son’s mouth made her wonder if she would have to go out looking for him after school. She started to say something further when Gabriel Stone said, “He’ll be here. I’ll make sure of that, ma’am.”

      Rebecca leaned against the doorjamb and watched her son and the policeman walk to the squad car. Gabriel Stone might bring Peter home this afternoon, but who was going to give her the strength to deal with this new problem? She squeezed her eyes closed and wished for the wisdom she would need to handle her eldest. He hadn’t wanted to come to Oakview. He’d let her know that he hated his new school and wanted to go back to his old school in Dallas.

      Had she made a wrong decision about coming to her grandmother’s to live? She hadn’t had much choice after her husband walked out on her and the children. Taking a deep breath of the spring-scented air, she relished the quiet of the moment, only the occasional sound of a bird in her grandmother’s large oak tree breaking the silence.

      “Rebecca, who was that?”

      “Gabriel Stone.” She closed the front door and turned toward her grandmother, who came from the back of the house, her cane tapping on the hardwood floor. She stopped, and with her shoulders hunched leaned on her cane, something she only did when she was really tired. Granny had been up part of the night with her and Josh. The doorbell must have awakened her. “Everything’s okay. You should go back to sleep, Granny.”

      “I needed to get up. I never sleep past seven, and here it is nearly nine.”

      “You probably never stay up to all hours of the night, either. I’m sorry Josh was so fussy.”

      “My