Vanessa Miller - Angels Working Overtime

Angels Working Overtime

Anthology

Edited by

Vanessa Miller Pierce

Published by Praise Unlimited Enterprises, LLC

Charlotte, NC 28278

Copyright 2018 by Vanessa Miller

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written consent of the publisher, except for brief quotes used in reviews.

PUBLISHERS NOTE

This anthology is a work of fiction and true life testimonies. All names, characters, places and incidents in the short stories are either the product of the authors healthy imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons living or deceased, business establishments, events or locations are entirely coincidental. Each testimony is based on true life situations the author experienced or has personal knowledge of. Each author is individually responsible for any known inaccuracies.

C over designed by Tyora Moody

Content editors: Vanessa Miller

Line editor: Angela Anderson

Table of Contents

B each Baby 8

Linda Leigh Hargrove

He Watches Over Me 25

Vanessa Miller

Angel On My Tail 41

Robin R. Pendleton

Dream Angel 55

Karen Deslandes

In Defense of Love 72

Pat Simmons

You Cant Stop My Destiny 75

Alicia Fleming

The Cost Of My Daily Bread 84

Demetria Aries Mitchell

On An Angels Wing 94

Sandra Boykin

Other Books by Vanessa Miller

Family Business Book I

Family Business II - Sword of Division

Family Business III - Love and Honor

Family Business IV - The Children

Family Business V - The Atonement

Family Business VI - Servant of Good

Spirit of Christmas

Sunshine and Rain

Rain in the Promised Land

After the Rain

How Sweet the Sound

Heirs of Rebellion

Heaven Sent

Feels Like Heaven

Heaven on Earth

The Best of All

Better for Us

Her Good Thing

Long Time Coming

A Promise of Forever Love

A Love for Tomorrow

Yesterdays Promise

Forgotten

Forgiven

Forsaken

Through the Storm

Rain Storm

Latter Rain

Abundant Rain

Former Rain

Anthologies (Editor)

Keeping the Faith

Have A Little Faith

This Far by Faith

Love Hope Faith (Volume 1, 2 & 3)

Angels Working Overtime

Novellas

Love Isnt Enough

A Mighty Love

The Blessed One (Blessed and Highly Favored series)

The Wild One (Blessed and Highly Favored Series)

The Preachers Choice (Blessed and Highly Favored Series)

The Politicians Wife (Blessed and Highly Favored Series)

The Playboys Redemption (Blessed and Highly Favored Series)

Rain for Christmas (Rain Series)

Tears Fall at Night (Praise Him Anyhow Series)

Joy Comes in the Morning (Praise Him Anyhow Series)

A Forever Kind of Love (Praise Him Anyhow Series)

Ramseys Praise (Praise Him Anyhow Series)

Escape to Love (Praise Him Anyhow Series)

Praise for Christmas (Praise Him Anyhow Series)

His Love Walk (Praise Him Anyhow Series)

Could This Be Love (Praise Him Anyhow Series)

Song of Praise (Praise Him Anyhow Series)

The Christmas Wish (The Spirit of Christmas Series)

The Gift (The Spirit of Christmas Series)

The Promise of Christmas (The Spirit of Christmas Series)

Beach Baby

Linda Leigh Hargrove

T his is a short story I wrote for the 2018 Christian Book Lovers Retreat Anthology. I am a North Carolina native, born and raised in a coastal community in the northeastern corner of the state. Im also a mother. My journey to motherhood included healing from endometriosis, fibroids, and miscarriage. I became a mother to my three wonderful kings through three separate adoptions. Over the past 20 years through many trials and triumphs, Ive seen the hand of Almighty God at work. I have been blessed and restored in ways I would not have imagined 27 years ago when I stood at the altar, eager to say, I do.

I dedicate this story to all the women who have longed for a baby to grow within their womb. May God give you the answers, healing, and wholeness you seek. May He redeem what the locusts of stress and self-hate have eaten.

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten. Joel 2:25a KJV

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11 KJV

A bove the sounds of crashing waves and the screeching cackle of seagulls, Sherrie Patterson heard the distant peal of laughter. Strangely, it sounded like her husbands laugh. He sounded happy, really happy.

How could he be laughing, after the awful things hed said to her this morning?

The heat of the day and noise of the waves had lulled her to sleep despite the floppy beach umbrella. Usually, she enjoyed her time on the beach, sipping a cold drink and reading a paperback alongside her beloved. But not today, the sand and sea had not brought her any joy. The recent weeks had been especially difficult and joyless.

Her grief therapist had told her to find joy, loosen up, laugh more. Instead of laughing together, all she and Drake had done was fight.

Itll happen in Gods time, her therapist said. Stop trying so hard.

If someone told her to stop trying so hard one more time, shed ... well, she didnt know what shed do really, but it wouldnt be pretty.

While shed dozed, the wind had pushed her floppy beach umbrella to the side. Sand had formed a drift along one edge and wedged the bright yellow nylon against her head. Goodness, she must have really been tired. She hadnt felt a thing until the laughing woke her.

She pushed herself out from under the cock-eyed umbrella and squinted in the brightness of the sun. Dozens of scantily-clad people gallivanted on the toasty sand between her and the waters edge. Hundreds more, it seemed, splashed in the distant ocean. So many happy, splashing, sand-castle-building, suntan-lotion-wearing people. And apparently, someone in this throng sounded just like her husband when he laughed.

Sherrie took in the beachscape. Big people. Skinny people. And kids, tons of kids. Seeing the little ones only magnified the gnawing desire that had plagued her for months. She groaned, whose idea was it to come to the beach during the height of the season?

She glanced at her cell phone. There was a text from her husband. He probably felt guilty for making her angry. Shed check his message later. It was 11:11am; shed been here for two hours. No wonder she was thirsty and hungry. She shoved her paperback and phone back into her beach bag. It was time to head back.

Maybe he had cooled off by now. Maybe hed apologize to her face to face for the things he said. Yeah right, during the three-hour trip from Raleigh, Drake Patterson had said less than 10 words to her. Then, on the other hand, having silence would be better. Could they make it through the week like that? No more talking about anything. Especially not about trying again.