Love Lessons by Margaret Daley

I hope you’ll help us.”
    He glared at her, but kept his mouth shut because Jana came back into the den with the supplies. The young girl sat at the round game table by the bay window and spread the paper and pens out.
    â€œDad, you want to help us?”
    â€œSure, pumpkin. In fact, let me run off some more pictures of Sugar, and we can put a photo on each poster.”
    â€œGreat idea!” Jana picked up a black marker. “What should we put on this, Alexa?”
    While his daughter and Alexa sat side by side, Ian slipped out of the den and hurried to his office where he began running off copies of the photo he’d used earlier. He sank into his chair behind his desk while the printer churned out forty pictures.
    Anger surged through him. How could Alexa do that? Raise his daughter’s hopes only to have it dashed tomorrow or the next day when Jana realized the Lord wasn’t going to bring her pet home? He’d have to pick up the pieces of Jana’s broken heart, not Alexa, not God. Just like he had when Tracy had left them.
    He’d asked the Lord to bring his wife home, to help him make everything all right. But she hadn’t returned. His life had totally changed. And he’d had to deal with Jana’s pain, with his own pain.
    How was he going to make this better for his daughter? How was he going to fix this latest disaster? No matter how much he tried to control what was happening, it seemed to fall apart without a moment’s notice.
    His elbows on his desk, Ian removed his glasses and massaged the area between his eyes, then scrubbed his hands down his face as the sound of the printer reminded him why he was in his office.
    â€œIan?”
    He slowly raised his head and gave Alexa a piercing look.
    â€œI’m sorry.” Alexa moved into the office and stood before his desk. “I didn’t mean to make you mad or overstep my boundaries.”
    He gripped the arms of his chair. “Ever since you’ve come into my house, you’ve overstepped your boundaries. Why should this be any different?”
    His words hurt. She tried to squelch that feeling, knowing he was lashing out because he was worried about his daughter, but she couldn’t. She gritted her teeth, afraid if she spoke she would say something that would make the situation even worse.
    â€œWhat happens if Sugar never comes home?”
    â€œShe’ll be found.”
    â€œYou don’t know that.”
    â€œYes, I do. I just feel it.”
    Ian bolted to his feet. “I’m the one who’ll have to deal with my daughter’s tears and hurt, her disappointment in the Lord when He doesn’t bring Sugar home.”
    His furious words blasted her in the face although they were spoken in almost a whisper. “Why are you so sure He won’t?”

Chapter Six
    B alling his hands on his desk, Ian leaned across it. “Because He’s let me down. He doesn’t care about what we’re going through. I’m certainly not worth His attention.”
    â€œThat’s not true. He cares. He loves every one of His children.”
    â€œI haven’t seen any evidence of it lately. Praying didn’t help me. Now Jana will think all she has to do is pray and she’ll get what she wants.”
    â€œI’ve explained what I think praying is, and it’s certainly not getting your every heart’s desire.”
    Ian snatched up the stack of copies from the printer and headed for the door. “Let’s go make these posters.” His rigid posture, his long strides, attested to the anger that still seized Ian as he left his office.
    Alexa sighed. All she’d wanted to do was help Jana. Maybe she wasn’t the right person for this job. Doubts attacked her from all sides as she made her way toward the family room.
    â€œLook, Alexa, I’ve almost finished the first poster.” Jana took the top picture of Sugar from the pile Ian laidon the