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Chapter 1

Thewalked past the nativity scene Providence Hospital put out every year, stopped, and stared The north wind cut through her like a boning knife as Leah studied the ramshackle stable, her heart heavy, her lifesince faded, she noted Joseph, leaning heavily against his staff, was slightly off-balance, and looked as if he’d topple in a stiff wind There seemed to be one less la It was a sht of the angel, yello instead of golden, nailed to the top Triulorious news of the Savior’s birth

The hospital had reconstructed the Christ before Leah was born, long before she realized an entire lifetile tattered soul

It was ironic that a woman who toiled as a nurse day after day on a maternity ould be childless herself Her ith laboring ift, they said, her special talent Women specifically requested that she be with the of their children

For whatever reason, Leah had been granted the touch, a gentle hand, and a sy, encouraging, and supportive Labor didn’t seem nearly as difficult when Leah ith a patient She’d heard it all before, countless tiratitude What most of Leah’s patients didn’t knoas that she, as an expert at labor and delivery, had never given birth herself

Her patients left the hospital with their arms and their lives full Each afternoon, Leah walked out of Providence alone And empty

Tears crowded her eyes and spilled unheeded down her cheeks She bowed her head and closed her eyes in prayer "Dear God," she whispered, choking down the eive me a child" It was a plea she’d whispered innumerable times over the last ten years So often that she was convinced God had long since given up hearing Or caring

Wiping the athered her coat more closely around her thin shoulders and headed for the staff parking lot She forced herself to smile It upset Andrew that she continued to dwell on their inability to have children, and she didn’t want hi

Her husband had accepted the neith littlehow desperately she longed for a baby, but it wasn’t nearly as earth-shattering to him If God saw fit to send children into their lives, then fine, if not, that was fine too

It wasn’t all right with Leah and she doubted that it ever would be

Leah’s prayer whistled in the breeze, up through the bare spindly arher until it had ascended the clouds and drifted into the inds of heaven It arrived fresh with the salt of her tears at the desk of the Archangel Gabriel The very angel who’d announced the news of the virgin birth to Mary nearly two thousand years earlier His responsibilities had been wide and varied through time, but he felt a certain tenderness for humans and their multiple problems He found earth’s population to be a curious lot They were stubborn, rebellious, and arrogant Their antics were a constant source of ahing at a group of people who heatedly declared that God was dead and clung to the belief that Elvis was alive?

"Leah Lundberg," Gabriel repeated softly, frowning The naes of a cu, he relaxed against the back of his chair and slowly shook his head Leah was one of his most persistent cases He’d heard her prayer often, had ushered it himself to the very feet of God

Gabriel had sent countless couriers to intercede on Leah’s behalf, but their efforts had been met with repeated failure Time after time, their reports came back virtually the same It was a familiar problem that blocked the answer to Leah’s prayer Herself

It would have been much easier if Gabriel could sit doith Leah and talk out this ain when doing exactly as required, but generally not when it ca prayer Humans tended to believe all that was required of them was a few mumbled words, then they were utterly content to leave the es humans had yet to discover what should have been obvious The answers to prayer required participation The people of earth expected God to do it all Only a shocking few realized they had their own role to perforood example was a request that had cohter Monica had asked for a husband Normally this wouldn’t be a problely attractive, or would be if she didn’t choose to disguise her natural beauty The whole process of attracting a young hteous attitude Fewto marry sanctimonious prudes

Gabriel hadn’t decided hoould handle Monica’s request or the prayer that had come in the unusual form of a letter from Timmy Potter Gabriel had a soft spot when it came to children’s prayers Timmy was nine, and had requested a father

Gabriel shook his head, needing to clear his thoughts He’d deal with one prayer at a ti, and thefor Monica and Timmy later

He stood and walked around his desk Gabriel thought best while on his feet It didn’t help matters that Leah chose Christmastime to issue her fervent prayer The busiest time of year, no less His best prayer an in experience

Of course there was always Mercy She possessed a heart of pure gold and was especially patient with huel

Mercy was enthralled with earthly things Mechanical things She seemed particularly fond of escalators and motor scooters and not even heaven knehat else Reports of her escapades circulated in both spheres

An angel, especially one under Gabriel’s command, simply did not hijack meter maids’ carts That business with the forklift on the San Francisco waterfrontwell, that didn’t bear thinking about

Gabriel’s s Mercy appeared bright-eyed and hopeful before him, her hands clasped in prayerlike fashion She was a dainty thing, petite in stature when compared to several of the other prayer ambassadors

"You wanted to see rinned He hadn’t sent for Mercy, but apparently God had