Free His Holiday Family by Margaret Daley Page B

quality that Gideon’s dog responded to. He shifted until his face pressed against Kip’s leg. The boy stroked him, continuing to murmur reassurances.
    â€œI’m going to grab a couple of things. I’ll be right back.” Gideon left the two to bond and went down his hallway to his bedroom.
    He retrieved a duffel bag out of the closet and stuck in a high-powered flashlight and then went tothe garage for some tools he might need right after the storm. As he gathered his supplies, he thought back to that moment in the kitchen when he and Kathleen had looked at each other. For a moment he saw a future with her. Until he remembered that anyone he had really loved had been taken from him. Usually he could suppress the pain of a loss, but locking gazes with her made him remember the last time he’d seen his baby brother or his parents right before the fire that had taken their lives. His shoulders slumped and his head dropped as the memories washed over him.
    â€œGideon, Butch is ready to leave,” Kip said from the kitchen door to the garage. “I told him I would hold him tight and not let the wind get him.”
    Gideon sucked in a deep breath, zipped up his duffel bag and rotated toward the boy, forcing a look of reassurance on his face. “First, I need to disconnect some appliances since there’s a good chance the electricity will go off.”
    â€œThat happened in Denver to us during a snowstorm. It got cold in the house. We didn’t have electricity for a day.” Kip cradled Butch against his chest.
    â€œIt might be off longer than that here.” Gideon made his way through his house and unplugged various items like his computer and television set. When he was finished, he strode toward the foyer. “Let’s get back to your grandma’s.”
    â€œHow long?” Kip stepped out onto the porch, shielding Butch from the wind.
    â€œCould be a week. Could be shorter than that, but it could be longer.”
    â€œLonger?” Kip shouted over the howl of the wind and another clap of thunder.
    â€œThat’s why we have supplies for a couple of weeks.To be prepared.” Gideon hurried his pace, crossing Miss Alice’s yard and glancing toward her boarded front window. Light leaked out of the slits around the edges of the two-by-fours he found to cover it.
    When they reached Ruth’s porch, Gideon glanced down at Kip. He chewed his bottom lip and clutched Butch tight against him. Gideon put his bag down and clasped the boy’s shoulder. He lifted his gaze to Gideon’s.
    â€œIt’s always wise to prepare for the worst, but that doesn’t mean it will happen. Worrying won’t change what is to be. We’ll deal with whatever happens. The Lord is with us.”
    â€œMom used to say that. She doesn’t anymore.”
    The front door swung open, and Kathleen stood in the entrance. “I was beginning to worry about you two.”
    Kip entered, saying, “I had to coax Butch out from under the couch. He’s scared.” He kept going down the hall to the den.
    Gideon moved into the house. “Sorry. I also decided to turn off some of my major appliances in case there were electrical surges.”
    â€œIs everything all right? Kip was frowning.”
    â€œHe’s concerned about the electricity going out for a long time.”
    â€œThen I’d better not tell him I am, too. I try to reassure him as much as possible, but he worries about everything. It has gotten worse since Derek died. Whereas Jared is fearless, Kip is the opposite.”
    â€œI went through that as a boy when my parents died. I cried all the time. I didn’t understand why they weren’t coming back for Zach and me.”
    â€œWhen anything changes, he freaks out.”
    â€œI did, too. That’s probably why I didn’t do well ina lot of my foster care homes. Things changed all the time. When I couldn’t control my life, I