A 'Touched By An Angel' story

By: Yvette Jessen

The early morning sun reflected off the gravestones of the local cemetery as Samantha Reynolds sat looking down at the stone with the name 'Molly Reynolds' engraved on it. The tall young woman usually came here on Sundays, and would simply sit in front of the gravesite for her aunt, sometimes crying, and sometimes simply staring off into space.

Samantha had lost her parents at an early age and had been raised by her aunt. She had lived with Molly for most her life and it was only last year that she suddenly was brought to the realization of just how alone she was after her aunt's tragic death. It had been over a year since this event, but the loss still haunted her, the pain would simply not go away.

She looked around the area and could see a man about her age walking by. She knew of him as well as his family, and she also despised him and instead of smiling, her face contorted to display the utmost hate and hostility.

Why did he have to come here today, when I all I wanted in my life was a little peace, she would ask herself, but the answers to this question would never come, nor would she even consider verbally raising these questions. Of all the people in this small town, she despised this man the most.

Unseen by her, three angels stood watching. "Is she our new assignment, Tess?" The younger woman asked, her lovely Irish voice filled with compassion as she watched as Samantha looked away from where the man was walking. The angels continued to watch as the young woman sat back down on the ground next to the gravestone, rub her face with her hands, and stare blankly at the name engraved on it. Monica could plainly see that the woman seemed to be fighting with her emotions as she pulled a tissue out of her pocket and started to shred it, the pieces falling onto the ground, her hands shaking.

"Yes, baby, that's Samantha Reynolds, but just about everyone who knows her calls her Sam. She's 25 years old, and she is Molly's niece as well as her only living relative," Tess explained. "She has yet to accept the fact that her aunt is gone, and that the pain is evident in everything she does."

"Are we here because she needs to grieve her loss before she can go on?" Monica asked.

"In part, you see baby, part of the problem is that Samantha will not allow herself to show people she's hurting. She'd prefer to show the world how tough she is. Suppressed grief is part of the reason we were sent, but also because Samantha has a very important lesson to learn about choices."

"I don't understand," Monica said softly.

"In this situation, every emotion that Samantha is feeling has more to do with the choices of others than it does with her own decisions. Choices in lifestyle are essentially what killed Molly and I suppose if we were to put this in proper wording, you could say that she committed a sort of slow motion suicide," Tess said sadly.

"I still don't understand," Monica said as she looked from Tess to Andrew and then back over at Samantha.

"Molly had a really bad bout with lung cancer, Monica, she didn't suffer long, but she died a little over a year ago," Andrew explained. "I was the angel who took her home."

"She smoked?" Monica asked.

"Oh yes, but even that is a blatant understatement," Tess replied. "She breathed more tar and nicotine than air, and ultimately, she left this poor baby behind without any sort of family or roots. The hotel Molly owned is actually the only semblance of a family that Samantha has left. She's the last living person in the Reynolds family. She has no grandparents, her parents are dead, she has no siblings, and her mother was also an only child. Her father had one sister, Molly. Samantha's simply a lost soul just wandering aimlessly."

"How sad," Monica said softly. "It's no wonder there seems to exist an incredibly harsh demeanor about her. She must be harboring a great deal of pain," Monica said softly as she watched Samantha stand up and begin to arrange the flowers on the grave.

"Yes there is," Tess said, "that harshness you describe is embodied in the fact that she cannot and will not forgive who it is she perceives to have killed her aunt."

"Who is it?" Monica asked.

"My assignment," Andrew said abruptly as he looked across the graveyard towards where a man stood. He was tall, good looking, and seemed to carry himself reserved, but also somewhat confidant. It was hard for any of them to determine what kind of person this man really was, simply because he seemed a mystery, even to himself. It was the same man they had seen Samantha regarding with distaste. "That's Hunter Livingston," he said as the man walked in the direction of where his car was parked.

The Angel of Death stopped speaking as Tess took up the story. "He's the next in line to one of the largest privately owned tobacco farms in this part of the country. Unfortunately, Hunter seems to be tuned in on a completely different channel than his family, because tobacco farming is the last thing that young man wants to do with his life."

"But why does he need an angel?" Monica asked.

"He needs an angel, because when it comes to his ability to tell his parents and older sister what he wants out of his life, he simply hasn't the courage to do so. The truth is, Angel Girl, Hunter was blessed with an amazing artistic talent, and the Father would like for him to become aware that his artistic talent was no accident. In fact, if the truth be known, that young man over there would rather become an artist in New York than to try and uphold his family traditions," Tess tried to explain. "There's also the well hidden fact that he has been secretly in love with Samantha Reynolds ever since they went to school together."

Andrew nodded, but he couldn't help but wonder why it was he had been assigned to Hunter. He could not detect any suicidal tendencies in the young man, but at the same time, he seemed to be contemplating whether or not he would be needed as someone's Angel of Death. Internally, he hoped not.

"As I was saying, angel babies, we're here because their lives are both about to collide, and the Father wants to make sure they don't kill each other in the process."

"But how can he love her if he wants to kill her?" Monica asked as she watched the young man get into his car. "Is it that bad?"

"Well, you tell me. With Mr. Halo also here on this assignment, we can only guess that a few sparks are going to start flying, and those sparks may ignite something neither of them have any control over."

*****

As Hunter walked back in the direction to his car after visiting his family gravesites, he remembered how things had been easier once upon a time in his life. Instead of going home, he decided to go out to the lake. This was where he had always gone when things were not going so well, and right now things were not. His father was sick with Alzheimer's and according to his mother, his condition was deteriorating with each passing day. Hunter never really thought much about his future until his father had gotten sick, and now he was almost obsessing about it. According to the lawyer, he was next in line for the farm.

Right now, his only problem was he just didn't want it anymore, but how does he tell his parents that he just isn't interested in raising tobacco? He was well aware of the fact that after over 200 years of the Livingston family owning this farm that it would never be an easy task to back out. He shook his head sadly as his thoughts continued to drift. Especially where his mother and older sister, Holly, were concerned.

"I just don't want to be the one who kills other people," he mused sadly to himself as he got in his car and closed the door with such a force that would indicate to anyone passing by that Hunter was angry. Before starting the engine, he turned on the radio and set the volume as the music filtered through the car.

He glanced over to where Samantha was still seated by the gravesite for her aunt and rather than start the car, he simply sat there waiting and watching her, but not really knowing the reasons why he was doing what he was doing.

"Excuse me," he could hear a voice and he looked up to see a tall, blonde headed man standing next to the car. He was now tapping softly on the passenger side window, and Hunter leaned over and turned the knob, which would lower the window.

"Yes?" he asked trying to keep the strain out of his voice.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I was wondering if you were going back into town and if you would mind giving me a lift?" the man asked. "I'd understand if you'd rather not, but I just checked the bus schedule and it doesn't seem to be running regularly today. In fact, the next bus doesn't run for another hour."

"That's pretty typical around here, I'm afraid," Hunter said. "Hop in, I was thinking about going to the lake, but I'll drop you off in town since it's not too far out of the way."

"Thank you," the man offered as he opened the door. Two notebooks fell out onto the ground and he bent over to retrieve them. "Sorry, I don't want to mess up your notes."

"Oh don't worry about it, just throw that junk in the back seat," he said and watched as the man placed the notebooks gently on the seat. He smiled ironically thinking how he would have loved to have thrown them over the nearest cliff.

"By the way, my name's Andrew," he said as he got in the car and reached for the seatbelt.

"Hunter," came the reply as he started the car. "So, you're not from around here, are you? I know just about everyone here in town, and since we've never met, it's a pretty safe assumption."

Andrew shook his head. "You're right, I'm not from around here. I'm just passing through."

"You a member of that carnival troop or something?" Hunter asked.

"No, why do you ask?"

"No reason really, but there's a carnival that comes through town each year, I've always taken my niece there. My older sister works for the family business, and she needs someone to look after her daughter every once in awhile, and usually I get to do it," he sighed deeply. "I guess this year I won't get to though." From his expression, Andrew could somehow tell that the young man was not all that happy about it.

"Why couldn't you?"

"Just because," he replied and pulled the car to the side of the road and turned to look at Andrew. "You see that windmill over there, it's just beyond those trees?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"It's the border to the land that my father owns. It's a family business, and it's been going on for over 200 years, it's the largest in this county. Anyway, those books you tossed back there, they're for the business, and even though I'm not all that keen on that stuff, my dad wanted me to take care of it for him."

"You do the bookkeeping?" Andrew asked.

"Well somebody's gotta do it, it won't get done by itself, but between you and me, I hate it. I never was all that keen on number crunching. I guess God has other plans for me," Hunter smiled.

"Such as?"

"I wanted to be an artist ever since I was a little boy, but 'dreams' and 'reality' are two completely different things," Hunter said simply he shifted the car into gear and pulled back out on the road. A few minutes later, they pulled into town. "Not a very big place, but this is it. If you need a hotel or something, there's a place I can recommend to you. It's called the 'Reynolds Inn', the rates are pretty decent, and the rooms are pretty nice, too. They also serve breakfast."

"Thanks for the tip," Andrew said as he got out of the car. " I'm really grateful to you for helping me out back there. Would you like to have a cup of coffee with me before you go?"

"Nah, you wouldn't want to be seen in public with me," Hunter said sadly.

"Why is that?" Andrew asked weakly.

"The Livingston family is the largest privately owned tobacco producers in this part of the country, Andrew, and as much as I hate to say it, I'm next in line for it, and if truth be known, I don't want to have anything to do with it."

"But this is a part of your family heritage, shouldn't that be important to you?" Andrew asked.

"Don't you get it? It's tobacco, they take this stuff and make cigarettes out of it, and then people smoke them, and they die," Hunter looked down at his hands. "These hands, will produce something that will hurt people or make them sick, and I just can't do it."

"But, the people have free will, Hunter, they chose whether or not to smoke. You're not at fault for that," Andrew said. "Think about it, if you were to make the choice for them, then it would stand to reason that you would feel badly for what happens to them, but they make the choice."

"Look, whatever you say isn't going to change my mind about it and the fact is, I do somehow feel at fault for it," Hunter said sadly. "Everyone here thinks that I have power to bribe politicians, but the fact is, I want nothing to do with it. How can I go against my family and their pride?" He shook his head. "Sorry, Andrew, but I have to decline your offer. Take care of yourself."

Before Andrew could say anything, Hunter started his car and drove out of the area. He watched as his car disappeared around a corner and he stood watching and wondering why he had been assigned to the young man at all.

In the back of his mind, he could not help but remember cases, which he had had with people who had suffered from lung cancer, and he could see the regret in each pair of eyes when that person suddenly realized that it was their decision or lifestyle that sealed their fate.

Taking Hunter's advice, he started to walk slowly towards the small motel, but as he did, he could see a small diner, and he decided to go there first to get something to eat.

*****

"So, you want to work here as a maid?" Samantha asked Monica later that afternoon.

"Well, yes, I saw your 'help wanted' sign," the younger angel said.

"You too?" She asked looking at Tess.

"Well if you have something for me," Tess said trying to offer the young woman a smile, but when the gesture was not returned, she looked at Monica completely uncertain if she really wanted to work near this woman who seemed to radiate a bad attitude. The younger angel had to take this job simply so she could be close to her assignment, but Tess was not so certain if she was really keen on hanging around someone like Samantha Reynolds.

"OK, I'll put you at the reservation desk, you can start tomorrow afternoon," She slid a sheet of paper across the desk towards Tess. "Just fill this out, and you can bring it in tomorrow." She turned her focus towards Monica. "Now as for you, Miss Perky, I'll let you work as a housekeeper. If that job doesn't cure you of it, than nothing will."

Monica looked at Tess with wide eyes, but as Samantha continued to speak, her attention refocused on the words of her assignment. "I have to tell you both that the pay's not all that hot, I can only pay minimum wage and you'll have to worry about your own insurance," Samantha said. "But otherwise, I'll need Monica from ten until three, and then Tess, I'll need you to come in and relieve my aunt's old friend, Sadie Monroe at five. Tess, you can start up front this afternoon at five. Monica, be here at ten tomorrow morning."

"I can start now if you would like," Tess said looking at her watch and noticing that she had about two hours before she was due to start working, but trying all the while to be helpful.

"That won't be necessary," Samantha said. "Although Sadie usually is here at this time, she's been sick, so that's why I'm here. I'll be here till five anyway to take care of some of the bookkeeping, so I think I've got things under control."

"It's not a problem, Miss Reynolds," Monica began.

"Let's get one thing straight before you do anything else around here, Monica. Everyone in this hole in the wall town calls me 'Sam', Miss Reynolds was my aunt, and she's been dead for over a year, so you can stow it with the formalities. Clear?" Samantha sat back down at her desk. It was obvious that Monica had inadvertently offended her.

"Yes, ma'am," Monica said as Tess looked at her and shook her head. The younger angel quickly recovered. "I mean, of course, Sam."

"Just get out of here," Sam said with some of the edginess still in her voice. As soon as Monica had left, she looked down at her notes. "Oh man, I hate perky people. Why can't they just be themselves, why all this stinking pretense?"

As she attempted to get comfortable in her chair, she could hear someone had rung the bell out in the lobby indicating to her that either a new customer had come in, or that someone was checking out. Sighing with a great deal of resolution, she stood up, walked out of her office, and towards the counter where she saw a man standing. "Yeah, what can I do you for?"

"Uh, yes, I need a room," he said unsure of what to say next, so he simply offered her a warm smile and introduced himself. "My name is Andrew."

"I don't care if you're the grim reaper, as long as you got the cash, I got the room," Samantha said irritably and it was clear that she was completely unaware of the horrified look that crossed the handsome man's face. She tossed a piece of paper on the counter before turning and walking towards the large bulletin board where the keys hung. "Just fill out this paperwork, and I'll get you a key." With her back to him, Andrew stared somewhat bewildered after her. At the large board, suddenly remembered something she turned back around. "You want a room for smoking or non-smoking."

"I'd prefer non-smoking if you have it," Andrew said looking up from the form he was filling out.

"We got it," Samantha said dryly. "Now, how many nights were you planning on sticking around this lousy town?"

"About a week or so," he said as he continued to fill out the slip of paper.

"I get it, you're one of these carnival types, right?" She said sarcastically. "What happen, did you escape from the clown theater?"

"I don't understand," he said handing her the paper.

"Oh never mind. Anyway, the room is number 23, and it's 30 bucks a night, breakfast included," she said and before he could ask her anything further, she turned away from the counter and disappeared through the doorway she had come out of moments before.

Andrew shook his head with profound disbelief as Monica came over to him. "I'd say she's got your number, Andrew, especially the 'grim reaper' part," her eyes sparkled with mischief as she regarded the shocked look on his face.

"Oh Monica, please, that's the last thing I need to hear right now," Andrew said weakly, his exasperation evident, and although he knew that she was trying to joke with him, he continued to stare at the doorway leading back into the office where she worked. At the same time, he could not help but wonder what Samantha may have said to Monica, because the young Irish angel was standing there with the same bewildered expression in her compassionate brown eyes. To anyone who would look at Monica, would be able to plainly see the evident worry on her face.

"Babies, we really do have our work cut out for us on this one," Tess said.

"I'll say," Andrew whispered. "She's got an even bigger attitude than you do."

Tess looked at Andrew with an expression that was a mixture between anger and shock. He smiled impishly, but when Tess glanced over towards Monica, she could see that the young angel held her hand over her mouth and was trying desperately to hide the giggles, which were emerging from between her pursed lips.

*****

Hunter Livingston arrived at the house where he lived. It was a small wood frame house, which was sectioned off from one side of his family's property. He had made it clear after he got out of college that he wanted to have some space to himself and even went as far as to threaten to move away from the estate if he didn't get it. This threat was taken seriously, and today, he had the cabin. This was actually the compromise he had reluctantly made with his father when the patriarch of the family expressed the hope that Hunter would make himself ready to take over the farm once Kyle had passed on.

Today, he spent much of his free time there. It was after all, his home; he ate there, he slept there, and even did a lot of his artwork there.

Unlike the rest of the estate, Hunter's cabin was filled with things that demonstrated that the young man liked the simplicities of life. In the kitchen he had a small stove, microwave, and refrigerator, but the rest of the kitchen did not even resemble a place to cook meals. He had a radio set up where he spent much of his time talking to people as an amateur radio operator. On the table in the other corner, he had magazines and newspapers about art history and architecture. In yet another corner, he had pencil sketches and notebooks filled with nothing but his hand drawn sketches.

All the dishes were on wooden shelves, which he had made when he was a teenager. His mother had thrown the shelf away when he went away to college, but when he found out about what she had done, he simply went and retrieved it from the dump and put it in the cabin. This sent his mother into a tirade, but one of the things she could not understand was that Hunter took pride in the things he built, and store bought things; although nice, gave him little if no sense of pride.

As he looked around the small cabin, he somehow believed that if there existed such a thing as the black sheep of the family, then he was apparently it.

"Hey Hunter!" Someone called out, and he immediately recognized it as the voice of his 30-year-old sister, Holly.

He tried to suppress a sigh, but eventually spoke. "Yeah, come on in, Holly; the door's open," he said as he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a can of tomato juice. Once he opened the can, he began to add pepper to the drink as his older sister came in the kitchen.

"You still drink that stuff?" She asked as she reached inside her purse and began to pull out a pack of cigarettes.

"No smoking in my cabin, Holly, you know the rules, so if you want to smoke, you have to do it outside," he said, the evident frustration in his voice.

"Since when have you been so sensitive about smoking?" She asked.

"Since always, you have just never noticed that I don't like it," he said and his voice softened considerably. "Listen, just don't smoke in here, OK? If you want to smoke, we can go outside on the porch and sit on the swing."

Holly, rather than starting an argument with him, nodded and they went outside. "So what's up with you? Mom said that she had given you the notes on the foreclosure. What ever happened with that? Have you told them that you're closing that dump down yet?"

"I can't," Hunter said as he sat down. "I don't know why, but I just can't go and tell that girl that we're going to bulldoze her hotel."

"It's business, Hunter, and after Dad dies, you're taking over this estate. You're the oldest boy in the family, that's your place, your responsibility," she said.

"First of all, I'm the only boy in the family, and secondly, maybe I don't want that responsibility," he mused. "Perhaps, I would like to go back to college and make a positive difference in this world. How much of a difference am I going to make producing tobacco?"

"You'd better get your head out of the clouds, bro', and realize that this is your responsibility to this family. You are about to be the head of it as soon as Dad dies," Holly said as she took a draw on her cigarette and blew the smoke out.

"Did you see the doctor?" Hunter asked.

"No, but Mom said that the Alzheimer's is getting worse. Dad lies in bed and talks about seeing angels," Holly said.

"Angels?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah, you know, fluttering wings, halos, and all that jazz?" Holly shook her head. "I think Dad's getting to the point where he's losing it. He told Mom that he saw some middle-aged guy in a white suit some time ago, but she seems to think that he's been hallucinating."

Hunter took a sip of his tomato juice and shrugged his shoulders.

"Do you have the books?" She asked changing the subject completely as she stubbed out her cigarette. "That's why Mom sent me over, she wanted me to pick them up."

"Yeah, they're in my car. Andrew threw them in the back seat when I took him into town," Hunter said.

"Who's Andrew?"

"One of the few people in this crummy town who can actually stand our family. Maybe it's just because he's a stranger and doesn't know how we always seem to throw our weight around. Anyway, he and I tossed the books in the back seat, you can get them out when you go, the car's still unlocked."

"What? You left them in an unlocked car? Anyone could steal them. What were you thinking?" Holly screeched her voice emerging between that of a screaming child and the cry of a buzzard.

"Look, we're out here in the middle of nowhere for one, and for another why would anyone want to steal that stuff? People these days are more interested in good literature than in that garbage, so don't get all self-righteous on me, I have already had my fill of that with Mom."

"You're 27-years-old, Hunter, it's about time you started listening to someone, not get yourself immersed in silly dreams. This is reality and I think maybe you should start listening to Mom for a change," she said.

"And let her control everything about me like she does with you? No thank you," Hunter said. "I have one thing left that no one is going to take away from me, and that's my pride."

"I suppose I should go before this turns into a full-fledged argument," Holly said and abruptly stood up. "Are you going to be up at the house tonight for dinner?"

"I might be up there, I don't know yet. It kind of depends, since I was thinking about going fishing this evening," he said and continued to sip his tomato juice.

Holly abruptly left and Hunter began to fan the air around. When his sister was smoking, she always reeked, and then on top of that, she wore expensive perfumes, which seemed to give her an air of being dominating, arrogant and incredibly annoying.

His sister was a lot of things, but overbearing was definitely at the very top of that list.

*****

The evening arrived leaving Samantha still sitting in the office going over the paperwork. As she sifted through the piles of paper on her desk, she found an envelope and opened it. After she read the form, the color drained from her face and she called out to the woman who was stationed at the front of the hotel. "Tess," she yelled, her voice somewhere between panic and anger.

"What is it?" Tess asked as soon as she came into the room.

"Did you get the mail today?" Samantha asked.

"Yes, I laid it up on the top of the shelf," Tess said and reached for an envelope. Once she held it, she handed it to the young woman.

Samantha snatched it out of Tess' hands and ripped it open. As she did, she became a ghostly white color and shook her head. "First my Aunt Molly, and now this," She looked at Tess helplessly.

"What's going on, Sam?" Tess asked.

"Those snobby Livingston's are what is going on. They're at it again, not that that is anything new. Now, they're talking about expanding their tobacco crop, and in the process they try to run me out of town," Samantha said bitterly.

"I don't understand why this effects you?" Tess asked.

"Easy, when my Aunt Molly got sick, she had to use whatever money we had for her cancer treatment. The hotel went out of business for a few months, and we had to sell the land to the Livingston family. Kyle Livingston is the head of the family, and he promised my aunt that they wouldn't foreclose on us. Well, now his health is starting to fail and his wife and daughter are doing just what he promised Aunt Molly he wouldn't do. Everything that they even said to my aunt about not pushing me out is simply baloney. They just want to take the land, and destroy the hotel so they can plant more tobacco," she said as she felt frustrated tears streaming down her cheeks. "Destroy the only thing left of my family."

"What can I do to help?" Tess asked.

"There's nothing anyone can do. I've long since given up on miracles. Besides, what would I say if I were to talk to them? I hate the whole lot of them. They don't care about anything, Tess; all they care about is power, and control of the little guy. Who cares how many people they kill off with their legalized drugs, just as long as they get their millions?"

"Maybe they're not all like that, maybe there is someone in that family who wouldn't want to do that," Tess said simply.

"Yeah right, and maybe Santa Claus exists, and the Easter Bunny, too. Please don't tell me another fairy tale. This is the real world, and in the real world, money talks and you know what walks. As long as people are able to bribe politicians, push people around, then it doesn't matter if I lose the only family I ever knew. So don't go telling me about someone in that family being different. They're all rich, they only care about power, and they…"

"…Have a patriarch who is dying from Alzheimer's," Tess finished.

"And I'm facing loosing my hotel, the last thing that I even have of my family," Samantha said bitterly. "I don't have the time to start feeling sorry for those misers. Hunter Livingston and I used to go to school together, and as far as I'm concerned he can take a long walk on a short peer. He's the one that's going to end up calling in the bulldozers and destroy everything."

"If you want to save your hotel, baby, you're going to have get over that attitude of yours and talk to the man," Tess said.

"Don't call me 'baby', and don't even think about trying to get me to talk to him, he'd just laugh in my face," Samantha said. "I'm at the low end of the totem pole, Tess, none of those people would even give me the time of day. If I even showed up at their house, they'd laugh in my face."

*****

The sun was setting behind the trees when Hunter arrived at the lake. He was still aggravated that his sister was giving him such a hard time about the foreclosure. Why did his mother and sister even want to go against the wishes of his father and take the land away from Samantha? He knew that he had feelings for the young woman, but he also knew that she hated him with a passion and there was really no point to him even trying to pursue those feelings.

"Hunter?" A voice broke into his thoughts and he looked up to see Andrew standing nearby. The angel held a fishing pole in his hand and was smiling warmly.

"Hi Andrew, what are you doing out here?" Hunter asked as he tried to bait the hook.

"I guess the same thing you are," Andrew said. "I was thinking about coming out here and maybe catching a fish or two."

"The fishing's not all that great out here, I'm afraid," Hunter offered. "In fact, since coming out here, I've only caught minnows." He took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. "I actually use fishing as an excuse, because usually when I come out here, I do it so I can have some time to think. I figure I should give my family a reason for these trips, and they wouldn't understand if I said I come here just to think, so I have to find something to do while I'm here to pacify them." He shrugged his shoulders.

"What do you think about when you come here?"

"Everything and nothing," he said taking a deep breath. "I guess, I wonder sometimes if I'm adopted because I'm nothing like any of my family. I think about that, or whether or not I have the courage to do what I want instead of what is expected of me, what I believe or think, how will I get along without my dad after he's gone, and so on."

"All those things get kind of overwhelming, don't they?" Andrew asked.

"I guess so, but you know, Andrew, I don't even know you, but yet, in a way, I feel like I do, like you're that friend that I had wanted as a kid that I had never really found. Like I told you earlier, everyone in this town hates my family. I mean; oftentimes I really don't blame them. The name Livingston strikes fear in the heart of the bravest man around here, and to some of the people, they think that all we care about is money and power, but for me I wish sometimes that I could be more like them. You know, free? Free to do and be able to choose, free to just be myself." He looked at the sky and sighed deeply. "You know, you can't buy your health with it. When it's time to go, you can't take it with you, so what's the point?"

"How is it that you feel this way and the rest of your family doesn't?" Andrew asked.

"I don't know, I sometimes think they take everything for granted. That what they want will be there when they expect it, but I just don't think that way, I guess." He reached over and picked up a large rock and threw it into the lake. "I guess I've felt this way for a long time, but it really started to come out in me about a year ago."

"After Molly Reynolds died?" Andrew asked, but the question appeared to be more of a statement of fact than a question.

"Yeah, I guess it occurred to me that people were getting hurt because of the way my family makes money. Andrew, the fact is, my dad is loaded, we've got more money than a pumpkin has seeds, but in my mind, it's blood money."

"What do you mean?" Andrew asked.

Hunter shook his head. He was unable to really offer a viable answer to Andrew's question, but at this moment, it really did not matter because both of them began to stare across the lake and could see a woman walking along the shore, her long brown hair flowing in the breeze, and her steps seeming to gravitate towards the icy cold water to her right.

"Oh my God," Hunter muttered when he recognized who she was, and instead of answering Andrew's question, he stood up. "That's Samantha, but what the heck is she doing out here?" Both of them continued to watch from where they had been fishing.

Hunter suddenly was brought crashing back down to Earth as he watched her actions. He could see that she had removed her sandals and was walking slowly towards the edge of the lake. Once she had waded out into the water, and the chilling water was up to her waist, she allowed herself to sink down into the water. "Andrew," he shouted over his shoulder. "There's a reason why there are no real fish in this water, it's not safe to swim in." As his eyes met those of Andrew he could see that this man had somehow changed, he seemed to be radiating light and was dressed in an elegant beige suit instead of the jeans and T-shirt he had been wearing earlier.

White suit, just like Dad described to Mom, Hunter's thoughts reeled as he took off running towards the side of the lake, where Samantha was now floating in the water. Oh my God, it's true, what Dad said. It was no hallucination, Andrew is an Angel of Death, Hunter thought as he took his shoes off and threw them on the sand. His thoughts continued to whirl, but without considering his own life, he quickly dove into the freezing cold water and swam over towards Samantha while Andrew stood in the cove waiting and watching.

She's trying to kill herself, Hunter thought desperately, his prayer screaming in denial of what was currently happening. Dear God, no this can't be happening. Please let me save her.

As soon as he reached where she was, he could see that her body was shivering and her face looked a pale shade of blue. She was still moving somewhat around in the water and that gave him a bit of encouragement in knowing that she was still alive. He glanced up and could see that Andrew was still standing near the cove, and it was apparent that the angel was unable to move.

Hunter took the now shivering woman in his arms and tried to propel them both towards the edge. When he got there, he could see that Andrew was still there, still glowing, but had reached out to help him lay her gently on the sand. The angel then crouched down beside them as Hunter began to speak. "She needs a blanket, there's one in my car," he said. "Please, Andrew, could you get it?"

Andrew went quickly, retrieved it, and was back within moments. He could hear Hunter pleading with the young woman, the angel's tender heart going out to both of them.

"Come on Sam, wake up," Hunter pleaded with her. "I love you, I'll do everything for you to help you keep your hotel, I swear by God, that I will save that place, just please wake up."

The woman remained unconscious, and Hunter tried in desperation to remember the lifesaving techniques he had learned in school. Once he could vaguely remember, he began his attempt to resuscitate her using mouth-to-mouth. As he did, he noticed that Andrew was once again on the ground next to them, and he was no longer glowing. For some reason, this gave Hunter the added hope he needed. When he could suddenly hear her starting to cough up the water, he looked down at her as he brushed his hand through her hair. After a few moments, she managed to slowly open her eyes.

"What happened?" She whispered hoarsely. "Who's there?"

"Friends, Samantha," Andrew offered.

"You nearly drowned," Hunter answered, but his next question emerged filled with frustration. "Are you crazy? Don't you know that the lake is not environmentally sound and added to that, it's freezing cold?"

Upon recognizing the voice, and was able to focus her blurry vision, she looked at him. "Like you care about the environment, Hunter Livingston. If you were so worried about the temperature, then why did you go in it?" She sat up somewhat and eyed him suspiciously.

"I went in to pull your butt out of there," he said, his voice filled with anger. "What did you think I was just going to sit there and watch you kill yourself?"

"Well, what are you doing here anyway?" She asked, her voice lowering considerably.

"My dad owns this lake," he said softly. "So I suppose I should be asking you the same question."

The young woman reached up to touch her forehead with her hand, her body continuing to shiver. "Oh God, please tell me this is a nightmare," Samantha covered her face with her hands and shook her head.

Andrew remained on his knees and continued to watch over her. He could see that Monica had just appeared and was coming towards them as well, her brown eyes filled with shock and regret. Rather than say anything to her, he offered her a gentle but encouraging smile.

When Hunter said nothing further, Andrew realized that perhaps he should say something. "Are you OK?" He asked the young woman.

"I think so, but what happened?" Samantha asked.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Andrew finally spoke. "Hunter saved your life just now."

"Yeah, uh huh, well, I guess he's trying to get brownie points with the man upstairs then, because he ruined my life, too," Samantha said as she tried to stand up and walk away. With Andrew's help, she managed to get on her feet, and eventually, she looked at Hunter with all the hate she could muster. "If you wanted to make a difference to me, then you shouldn't have killed my aunt."

She stalked away and Monica had no choice but to follow her. She offered Andrew an encouraging smile and walked quickly after Samantha.

Upon hearing Samantha's outburst, Hunter was left with tears in his eyes, but after a few moments, he stood up and grabbed the blanket and began to wrap it around himself. "The last thing I need to do is catch pneumonia," he muttered as he sat back down on the ground and watched as the sun set behind the trees.

After a few moments of silence, the young man finally looked at Andrew. "You knew, didn't you?"

"Knew what?"

"That Sam was going to do something stupid tonight," Hunter said.

"Actually, no, I didn't," Andrew whispered.

"But, you're an Angel of Death, right?" Hunter asked, but the question emerged as a statement of fact rather than an inquiry.

"How did you know that?" Andrew asked.

"I put two and two together," Hunter began. "I saw you after Sam decided to go for a swim and I remember a conversation that I had with my sister this afternoon. She had told me earlier that when my mother talked to my dad, he had said some off the wall things about seeing a man in his room wearing a white suit. Holly said that Dad had been mumbling about angels as well, so after Sam jumped in that water, I remember looking over at you and shouting something about the water, and I noticed that you had….changed."

Andrew nodded, his voice soft, but filled with honestly as he answered Hunter's question. "Yes, I am an Angel of Death, Hunter; but, the reason I was sent to you is not because of death, but because you need help in dealing with life. God has two important messages for you, and the first one is simple, God loves you, Hunter, regardless of what the people around here think, He loves you very much. The other message has to do with an agreement your father and Molly Reynolds made before she died, a promise that could be destroyed in one single night."

"I seem to remember that Dad had promised Molly Reynolds that as long as he was in charge of the family business, we would never foreclose on the hotel," Hunter said.

Andrew nodded. "That's right, and did you know specifically what your sister and mother are now trying to do to Samantha?"

"Not really," Hunter said softly. "But I always thought they would keep the agreement that my father had arranged, you know out of respect to him."

"They're not doing that, Hunter, and you know it, you've just been running away from the truth rather than having the courage to face it. Why else do you think Samantha tried to end her life tonight?"

"Because of the books, it wasn't Dad who wanted them, it was Mom," Hunter looked angry as the pieces to the puzzle began to come together.

"Hunter, this isn't about a heritage or a family, it's about choices, and about making the right ones. The choices God hopes people will make, but He would never force His will on his children. Right now, there's a choice for you to make, and it's not about how many years the Livingston family have grown tobacco. It's about your path and where you wish for it to lead you, it's about promises that were made and now may not be fulfilled. You know in your heart what you want to do, now you must trust in God, and allow His loving words to resonate in your words and actions."

"How can I do that?" Hunter asked. "How can I tell my family, Andrew?"

"It's hard to do, I know, but it has to be your choice. It isn't just a matter of whether or not you could take over this farm and continue the business; it's about two people who are intent on ruining the life of someone you love. Hunter, if you want to have a life with Samantha Reynolds, then it will be up to you to show her the depth of your love for her, not just in words, but also in actions. You have to tell your family the truth, and you have to do it tonight. If you don't, you will probably lose Samantha."

"Why so soon?"

Andrew looked at him. "Because tomorrow the farm will belong to you, but before any paperwork is signed, or a will is read, your mother and sister will destroy the Reynolds Inn along with the only connection Samantha has to her family. She will lose everything she knows, and to her, her Aunt Molly will die all over again."

"You mean?" Hunter looked at Andrew somewhat shocked.

The angel nodded. "My friend Adam is with your father as we speak, Hunter, and I'm afraid the time is drawing near."

The young man nodded as Andrew's words rang true in his heart. "I'll do as you suggest, but can I ask one thing of you?"

"Yes, of course you can," Andrew said gently.

"Would you please come with me? I don't know why, but something tells me I'm going to need all the moral support I can get," Hunter said softly.

"I'll come with you," Andrew said simply.

*****

Samantha got in her car, her clothing wet and she looked around the dark area surrounding the lake. She had tried to end her life, but then Hunter Livingston had pulled her out of the water. She shook her head in utter disbelief as she recalled what had happened and how she had nearly died. While she had been in the lake, she could have sworn that she heard a voice in her head, an angel speaking to her, but what he said, she consciously could not recall.

"Samantha?" a voice entered her mind and she glanced over to see that Monica was standing next to the car, and was smiling warmly at her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked weakly.

"I went for a walk," Monica said simply.

"You must have walked a long way, because you're pretty much out in the middle of nowhere," Samantha said.

"You must have fallen in the lake, because you're all wet. Do you even have a blanket to wrap up in? You'll catch a cold out here," Monica said.

"Yeah, I lost my footing," Samantha lied.

"And your shoes?" Monica finished and held up the sandals Samantha had left near the lake.

"How did you do that? I didn't even see you out there," Samantha asked.

Monica smiled weakly, but looked at Samantha. "What really happened out there Sam? It was a lot more than just loosing your footing, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess it was," she mused. "I tried to kill myself, Monica. The fact is, I see no point to this anymore. After tomorrow my life will be over anyway, so I figured I could go out something other than a looser."

Monica got in the passenger side and looked at Samantha. "You're not a looser, Sam, you've been through a lot, but in God's eyes, you're certainly not a looser. In His eyes you'll always be his beautiful child. But, to give up on life isn't a part of the plan, and to give up without a fight is not what your aunt would want you to do."

"How do you know what she would want?"

"Tell me this, what was her favorite quote?" Monica answered her question with one of her own.

"Don't give up without a fight," Sam said.

"And what do you think suicide is?" Monica pressed. "If you end your life, you might as well have thrown in the towel, because the Livingston family would have won, and before you even started giving your all to save the heritage of your family. You cannot allow this to happen, and that would mean, you have to be alive and well in order to give it your all."

"Then what, face these people and have them tell me that my family isn't important?" Samantha asked.

"No, you have to get right in there, and tell them that your aunt made an agreement with Kyle Livingston, and that was that they would not foreclose on your hotel. Let them know that, and the truth, regardless of how hard it will be to face, will come out. But, it will be up to you to tell them this, and to stand by your convictions," Monica said gently. "If you want me to, then I'll be with you when you do tell them, but you must also know that God will be with you, Samantha and the spirit of your Aunt Molly will also be with you. Allow the love of God to be your guide, not your anger and hurt. We already know that you're angry and hurting, but through your willingness to accept the truth, you will be encased in truth, and that is what will set your soul free."

Samantha looked at Monica with wide eyes. "After everything that happened to me these last few days, I thought I had seen everything. Then tonight when I was in the lake, I saw an angel, he stood on the shoreline and I could see love in his eyes, but I couldn't really see him, because the light was so bright. I had never seen such a beautiful light in my life, and after I woke up, I saw Hunter looking down at me."

"What did you see in his eyes?" Monica asked.

"He was worried," Samantha said and shook her head. "I never thought I would ever see worry in his eyes. Then I remembered after I walked away that Tess had told me that I needed to try and talk to him."

"And?" Monica asked.

"I think I will go to their house and try," Samantha said.

"Maybe you should get changed into some warm, dry clothes first," Monica suggested.

Samantha nodded and started the car. Together, she and Monica drove back to the hotel so that she could change clothes. As she drove, Samantha could not help but ponder what had actually happened. Had Hunter Livingston really risked life and limb to pull her out of the water? Had she really seen an Angel of Death standing on the shoreline bathed in a glorious light?

Although she knew that this was a last gasp attempt at saving her hotel, she was somehow convinced that tomorrow her entire world would turn upside down and she was still alive to watch it happen.

*****

Hunter stormed inside the house. "Mom! Holly!" He thundered as he pulled off his denim jacket and led Andrew through the foyer into the house.

"Wait, Hunter," Andrew said stopping him. "I think you should go up and see your father first."

Hunter nodded and as they walked towards the stairs leading up to Kyle Livingston's room, his mother Katherine came out into the large hallway and intercepted them en route to the staircase.

"What business do you have storming in here and disrupting things?" Katherine demanded. "You know perfectly well that your father needs quiet."

"I want to know why it is that you and Holly see fit on going back on a promise Dad made to Molly Reynolds before she died," Hunter said sarcastically. "Dad is still alive, and your going against his wishes is not right."

"Your father is a vegetable, Hunter, and I am doing something that is the best interest of the family," Katherine said.

"You call your husband of 40 years a vegetable?" Hunter was exasperated. "I can't believe this. Andrew," he spoke to the angel. "How do you think you'd feel if you were married to someone for 40 years and she suddenly called you a vegetable?"

The angel looked sad as he regarded the exchange. "I think it would make me very sad," he offered weakly.

"And this is none of your business," Katherine said as Holly came out into the room.

"It's my business," Hunter said sternly. "And I'm going to tell you this right now. You want me to be ready to take over when Dad dies, then fine I will, but there's one thing that is going to stick, and I will do everything in my power to make sure it does. You will not touch the 'Reynolds Inn', you will leave Samantha Reynolds alone, and you will not foreclose on that girl." He looked at his mother, his eyes shooting fire. "There is something else you don't know, Mom, I have a lawyer who will look this case over backwards and forwards, and before you or Holly hire anyone to bulldoze that place, he will make sure that this agreement between Dad and Molly is taken out and gone over. In other words, you have no power to have anyone come and level anything."

"What happened to family loyalty?" Holly asked as she looked at her brother's determined face.

"Family loyalty is a two way street, Holly, and as long as all members of a family understand that, then it can be a wonderful thing. You two have only done things with the business in order to destroy the little guy. You use the business as a means to do whatever damage you can to those who have done nothing to hurt you. How can you even expect me to go along with that? I want to make a positive difference here. Haven't you ever wondered if of what you are doing is something Dad would be proud of? Or better yet, would God be happy to know that you're just out to have more and more without looking at the consequences?"

"How dare you speak to me this way, I'm your mother," Katherine said pointedly.

"I think somebody has to speak on Dad's behalf, you or Holly aren't going to do it," he said simply and brushed past her and walked towards the stairs leading up and into his father's room.

Andrew remained standing in the hallway, and after a few moments, Katherine looked at him. "What are you staring at?" She demanded.

"I was just wondering if you believe that God would be proud of you two for trying to destroy Samantha's family?" Andrew asked.

"We didn't do anything of the kind," Holly said defensively. "And even if we did, she's a nobody with a bad attitude."

Andrew shook his head. "No, she's a young woman who is hurting, and afraid. In God's eyes, and the eyes of your brother, she is anything but a 'nobody'. None of God's children are considered by their creator to be a 'nobody'. Everything that He makes is beautiful, special and unique. Monetary worth means nothing to Him, but what does mean something is love, unconditional love. To God, the love that Hunter has for you, his father, and to Samantha Reynolds are the most precious gifts of all." As the light of God's love encompassed him, he regarded them with love and compassion in his eyes. "How many times have you done something in the name of love and not in the name of greed?"

The two women seemed unaffected by what Andrew was saying and even Holly turned away from him in order to look at her mother. "Mom, what are we going to do?"

"I'll get on the phone with your father's lawyer, tomorrow at this time, that dump will be nothing but a pile of rubble," Katherine said matter-of-factly. Both women brushed by Andrew and he was left staring after them.

"Father they won't listen, what should I do?" Andrew whispered under his breath.

Within seconds, he was told to get upstairs and support Hunter as he was going to be speaking to his father for the last time. With a great deal of resolution, he walked towards the stairs.

*****

Hunter walked slowly inside the room where his father was. The old man's face was pale and shadowed with weariness and his son could not remember a time in his life when his father looked so bad. He sat down next to the bed and looked down at the figure on the bed.

"You know, you were right about the angels, Dad," Hunter said. "I never thought I would believe it, but it's true. I met one, and now he's the best friend I ever had."

The man in the bed looked up, his wise old eyes speaking volumes, the understanding which emanated from them a mixture between comfort and surprise to Hunter.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around much to see you these last days, I guess I was trying to run away from what was happening here, what Mom and Holly were trying to do. You know, Dad, I always admired how much you were willing to help the little guy, like Samantha's aunt," Hunter's voice was filled with sadness as he spoke. "I can't get into producing tobacco, Dad, I always wanted to be an artist, and you're probably the only one left who could understand that. What should I do?"

When no answer emerged from the bed, he sighed deeply, closed his eyes, and sensing that someone else was there; and he knew that for some reason, he needed some help. As he sat there, he began to speak to the stillness. "Adam? Is that you? Andrew said that was your name, and I really could use a little bit of help."

The Angel of Death appeared suddenly and smiled gently at Kyle's son. "Hello, Hunter. What can I do to help you?"

"You can talk to my dad, right? I mean, you communicate?" Hunter asked, somewhat overwhelmed to be speaking to the angel his mother and sister did not believe existed.

"Yes, we do," he smiled.

"Then, can you ask my dad if he had signed an agreement with Molly Reynolds about the hotel? I need to have proof that this agreement was made, and without it, I'm doubtful if I can do anything to stop my mother and sister from destroying that hotel." His words were rushed, and as he spoke he could see that Andrew had come into the room.

Adam leaned down and whispered something into the ear of the man. After a few moments, he raised his head and smiled gently at Hunter. "He did make an agreement, and there's a copy of it at his lawyer's office, as well as in the nightstand next to you."

Hunter frantically opened the drawer and pulled out a handful of papers. "Oh my God, what is all this stuff?" He glanced around nervously and finally his gaze came to rest on Andrew, but then he looked down at the papers he held and began to read them aloud. "Government sponsored anti-smoking campaigns, prevent children from smoking by removing smoking ads from radio and television, and receipts from donations given to the Lung Cancer Society. Andrew, he really did care for the people, even though it was this family that helped produce this stuff."

"Your father cared very much, Hunter, and he still does. It does frighten him to think that your mother and Holly are willing to hurt other people for the sake of this business," Adam said gently. "He shared these concerns with me about what was happening in your family and how much he hates being unable to say what he feels to his wife and daughter about it. He told me that he does not want you to fall into this trap. He said that he never gave up on making a positive difference, and that he hopes that you won't either."

Hunter looked at his father's still body. "Dad, why didn't you ever tell me about this yourself? I grew up thinking falsely that you didn't care. That you used everything as a sort of investment strategy." He could feel the tears beginning to stream down his cheeks. "I judged you falsely, Dad. Please, forgive me?"

Adam nodded. "He does, Hunter, and he knows that this was all very difficult for you to come to grips with. He never was angry with you, in fact, he knew that you were different than Holly and your mother, and he was always so proud of you, and he still is."

"You know something else, Hunter, he wanted you to know about all of this, but he got sick before he could tell you," Andrew said and rested his hand on Hunter's shoulder. "Your father had some of the same feelings you now have, and he was once a boy very much like yourself. He was forced into this life just like your mother and sister are trying to do with you."

"Dad," he reached out and took his father's limp hand, his quest for the agreement forgotten as he felt the tears streaming down his cheeks. "I'll continue your work, but this time, I'm going to include some of the things I want in this, and not just what Mom and Holly want."

"The agreement, Hunter," Andrew reminded him gently.

Hunter began to dig through the papers on his lap again, and eventually, he had emptied the drawer. When he finally found the form, he handed it to Andrew. "Would you please hold this for me, I don't want it to get lost in all of this stuff?" He asked weakly.

Andrew nodded and accepted the form as the young man returned all the papers to the drawer and closed it. He looked down at his father. "I never had the courage to stand up to Mom and Holly before, Dad. I don't know if I can do this without you being here."

A few seconds passed, and Adam looked at him. "Hunter, Kyle just now asked me to tell you that when he inherited this estate some 35 years ago, he had the exact same fears and uncertainties you do. He wanted me to ask you if you ever contemplated where your creative talents partially come from. If you haven't, he said that after you say 'good-bye', that you should go into his office downstairs and look at the paintings on the walls there. Your talent was no accident, not by any stretch of the imagination and that once you understand that, you will be able to balance your creativity with the business of keeping the Livingston family afloat."

"You had the same fears, Dad?" Hunter asked.

"Your father had those exact same fears when he inherited this estate. Today, Kyle is confident that you will do a wonderful job, and that you will never forget what it is that is important."

"What is that?" Hunter asked the angel.

"Love," Adam said simply. "Your father loved his life, but he also loved people, and he knows that you inherited this from him as well as from God. He knows that this means far more to him than the business, because he knows that he can't take the material things with him when he goes home, but he can leave them with someone who will carry on in his place."

Hunter looked at his father, a new respect filling his being. He looked at Andrew and after a few moments, he could see that Adam was glowing even brighter. "It's time, isn't it?" he asked looking at Andrew.

The angel nodded and Hunter reached down and squeezed his father's hand for the last time. "I love you, Dad, I'll make you proud."

As Hunter watched his father take his final breath, he glanced up to see Adam and Kyle disappear. The young man could tell that his father was now gone, but he looked at Andrew. "I just want you to know that I'm really grateful to God that he sent you and your friend to us. I don't know what I would have done without your support; Andrew, you've been a real friend, a better friend than just about anyone."

"It's part of my job," Andrew said softly and smiled. "You learned a great deal about your father tonight, things you never knew before, didn't you?"

Hunter nodded numbly as Andrew handed him the agreement that would seal the fate to Samantha's hotel. "I guess I did, but did he know that I love Samantha?"

Andrew nodded and smiled gently, "he does now."

*****

Samantha arrived at the front gate of the Livingston house. Through Monica's persuasion she had gone back to the hotel, changed clothes, and the two of them drove to the large estate. At the gate, they gave the guard their names, but when they were refused access, Samantha almost got angry, and if not for Monica's reassuring hand on her shoulder, she probably would have said a few things she would later have regretted.

"My friend Andrew is visiting the Livingston family," Monica said after a few moments.

The guard checked his list, and as he recognized that Andrew and Hunter had arrived there, he waved them through without any further questions.

"How did you do that?" Samantha asked as she pulled the car into the circular driveway and got out.

"I told him the truth, Andrew and I are friends," Monica said.

The two of them walked towards the door, but when it opened Monica and Samantha were looking into the cold gray eyes of Katherine Livingston. "What are you doing here?" She demanded when she recognized who was about to ring the doorbell. Her eyes landed on Monica, but she said nothing to the angel.

"I'm here to see Hunter," Samantha said, as if propelled by adrenaline. "I have a few things to discuss with him."

"You're not welcome here," Katherine hissed. "I'm in charge here, as long as my husband is sick."

Samantha looked at her and pulled a sheet of paper out of the bag she carried, "Then I need to find out specifically why it is you want to go against the wishes of your husband and foreclose on my aunt's hotel."

"Your aunt is dead, Miss Reynolds, and as long as she is no longer in the picture, we have the right to take the land and all that is on it back because it now belongs to our family," Katherine said simply.

Samantha shook her head. "My aunt said that that agreement that Mr. Livingston made did not just include through her life, she did it because she wanted to have the security that I would be provided for, so essentially this agreement also include me."

Katherine shook her head. "My husband's lawyer will make sure that that dump is closed down. So, I'd like to suggest that you clear your junk out of there tonight. I have already made the arrangements with the wrecking crew and they will be coming there tomorrow afternoon and once they are there, your hotel will be reduced to a pile of rubble."

Monica watched in horror as Katherine spoke to Samantha in tones indicative of someone trying to frighten another, and when she looked at the younger woman, she could see that this tactic was, in fact, working. Samantha looked at Katherine and then back at Monica. After a few moments of silence passed, she could feel the tears brimming underneath her eyes, and it was obvious to the angel that the woman was beginning to feel the grief inflicted upon her by the rich woman's words. These threats went straight to the core of her being.

"Now, I would suggest that you get off our land or I'll call the guards and have you and your friend thrown out of here."

With that, Katherine Livingston turned and walked back through the doorway she had emerged from leaving Samantha staring after her.

After a few moments, the angel looked at the young woman as she rested her hand comfortingly on Samantha's shoulder.

"It's hopeless, Monica," Samantha finally said as she shook her head. "I've lost everything. I mean, they have no qualms about taking everything away, so why should I even try? Who was I kidding in trying to fight the rich? They have lawyers in their pockets, and I couldn't even afford to get anyone to represent me. It just doesn't work for me."

"No, it will work, you just can't give up," Monica said comfortingly. "God wouldn't want you to give up."

"Who cares what He would want? I've lost everything, and nothing, not even God is going to bring back what I have lost," Samantha snapped. "There's no one left who can help me now, everything is falling apart and I know, I've lost."

"You haven't," Monica said as she started to glow, the light of God's love encompassing her being as she looked at Samantha, her eyes filled with love. "If you had completely given up hope, Samantha, then He wouldn't have sent me."

Samantha turned back around and looked at Monica with wide eyes. She shook her head, but after a few moments, she spoke, her words emerging soft and filled with complete disbelief. "I must be dreaming."

"No, you're not dreaming, Samantha, I'm an angel, sent from God," Monica said softly. "Tess is as well, and neither of us want to see you give up. Most importantly God wouldn't want to see you give up. Put all your trust in Him and He will see you through."

After a few moments, she glanced up and could see that Hunter was now coming outside and Andrew was following him.

"Sam?" The young woman turned away from Monica to see that the young man she had spent much of her time hating and treating badly was now standing on the large concrete walk in front of the mansion, his eyes filled with sadness as he regarded her.

"You pulled me out of the lake?" She asked him weakly, almost feeling sad about making that statement.

"Yes, but why are you here?" He asked, his voice soft.

"It was a mistake for me to come here," she said simply as she walked towards her car.

"No, it wasn't," he reached out and gently took her arm in his hand and turned her around to face him. His first impulse was to kiss her, but ignoring the impulse, he simply smiled at her. "Are you OK?" He finally asked her.

"Sure, I'm fine," she said as she jerked her arm away.

"Maybe it's good that you decided to come here because, I wanted to talk to you about something important. I would have told you at the lake, but I was a coward, and you had left the lake so quickly that I didn't get the chance to even start telling you what it was I wanted to say," he said sadly.

"You wanted to gloat about making a fool of the orphan girl down the street?" She asked weakly, her voice, instead of being laced with bitterness, he could see that her words were filled with sadness, pain, and defeat. "Your mother already made that point perfectly clear."

"What did she say to you?" He asked. "Tell me, Sam, and don't lie to me, I want to know specifically what she said to you."

"What does it matter, as far as your whole family is concerned, tomorrow my hotel will be a pile of rubble, and I will be without everything. Oh, but what does it matter if the Livingston family can produce another crop of tobacco?" She asked bitterly as she walked over towards her car.

"Wait a minute, OK. I know you hate me, but there's something I want you to know. Out at the lake I made some promises to you and Andrew was there when I did." She looked at him and the angel nodded as Hunter continued to speak. "One of the promises I made while you lay on the ground nearly drowned was that with God as my witness I would do everything I can to save your hotel, but that means that we're going to have to work together and get over all this hostility." He grabbed her hand firmly but gently in his and this time he noticed that she did not pull away. "I want you to keep your hotel, I know it's important to you, and I want you to know that if it's important to you, then it's important to me as well. I'm not going to spend my life destroying the things other people have built, that's not the way I am, that's what I wanted to tell you out at the lake."

"He's telling the truth," Andrew spoke as he came over to where they were standing. "I know, because I was there as well, and you do remember what happened, don't you?"

Samantha looked at him, and then at Hunter. "Y-you saved my life."

"And I'd do it again if I had to," Hunter said softly as he leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Sam, I care about you and I know that my family hurt you a lot, but I want to have the chance to make things right again. Please give me a chance."

The young woman looked from Monica, to Andrew and finally her eyes landed on Hunter. "You really care about me, but why? I've been nothing but cruel and nasty to you. Why do you even care for someone like me after what I've said and done to you? I mean it doesn't make any sense." As much as she tried, she could not stop the tears from spilling down over her cheeks.

"Because I'm not like the other members of my family," Hunter said. "My father died tonight, but for the first time in my life, I've discovered that I do take after someone in my family, thus giving me a positive impression of the family I grew up in instead of this junk I've been carrying around. For a long time I honestly felt like I was an oddity, I thought I was alone and that I didn't belong. The only reason I felt this way was because I wasn't willing to destroy things or hurt people. Now I know that my father actually did care as much about other people as I do, it's just that my family was given the negative reputation because of the hate and bitterness my mother and sister successfully established here." He shook his head. "Tomorrow, I'll be the head of this estate, and I was so scared of it, of being a leader, and not being as strong as my dad was. Just ask Andrew, he'll tell you; he was there."

Samantha looked at Andrew and he nodded. "It's true, Samantha. Hunter has been having internal battles with this situation for a long time now and most of it is centered around your situation and the agreement his father made with your Aunt Molly."

"Andrew and I were there when he died this evening and you may think I sound crazy, but there was someone else with him and he helped me to find this," he handed the agreement to Samantha. When the young woman gave him a puzzled look, he smiled gently. "This is the signed agreement that your Aunt Molly and my dad made over a year ago. My dad said that this agreement should still be legally valid regardless of what had happened to him, and I think the best thing you can do is to take this to a lawyer and make sure you have legal representation in this matter. No one has the right to destroy your hotel, but you need to see the lawyer as soon as possible to prevent it from happening."

Samantha took the piece of paper from Hunter, disbelief written all over her face. "Why do you do all of this?"

Hunter smiled weakly. "Because while you were unconscious, I made a promise to you that I have every intention of upholding."

"A promise?" She whispered and looked at Andrew.

After Hunter nodded in his direction, Andrew began to speak. "He said, and I quote, 'I love you, I'll do everything for you to help you keep your hotel, I swear by God, that I will save that place, just please wake up'."

"You really love me and you're going to help me?" She asked weakly.

"Yes, to both questions," but as he spoke, his mother came out of the house, a guard following. Before he could say or do anything, his mother began to speak harshly to the guard, thus leaving the young woman and the two angels open prey to her wrath.

"I want you to escort the three of them off this estate, Gordon," she began, her voice filled with anger. "None of them are welcome here and if they come back again, I'll have them up on trespassing charges."

"On the contrary, Mother, Samantha is most certainly welcome here. I will not have anyone kicking my friends out of here." He looked at Monica and Andrew; the two angels were now standing nearby each one looking at the other in confusion. "Gordon, Andrew, and this young woman are my guests," Hunter said simply. He was still standing next to Samantha and he put his arm gently around her shoulders. "I think our family has done enough damage to Samantha Reynolds, and now as the head of this family, it is my responsibility to make restitution to her. Wouldn't you agree, Mother?"

The look Katherine gave him was without any emotion, but she stormed inside the house leaving them alone and Hunter could only wonder what his mother was planning to do now. The guard reluctantly followed her back inside. Hunter shook his head and looked apologetically at his friends.

*****

Once Katherine and the guard were gone, Hunter looked at Andrew. "You know, I didn't think I had it in me."

"That's how honesty works," Andrew said softly.

"Are you an angel too?" Samantha asked looking at Andrew. When she got a nod, her face turned a ghostly shade of white as she recognized him not only being the man who had checked into the hotel earlier that day, but the same man she had seen out at the lake. He was the man in white, the one she saw after she tried to end her life.

As the color drained from her face, she sat down on the stairs and rested her face in her hands all the while shaking her head. It was bad enough that she had called Monica 'Miss Perky' but that she called him the 'grim reaper' suddenly came back, and she was left regarding the Angel of Death with fear and sadness. This was the first time she had actually been given the chance to look at him since he and Hunter had come outside. "It was no mistake, you were at the lake earlier when I tried…" her voice broke.

"Yes, I was there, Samantha," he said and sat down next to her. "I would have stayed with you had you drowned out there, but I was grateful that I didn't have to take you home, you're just a young woman, with so much potential."

"Oh my God," she looked at Hunter, then at Monica and finally at Andrew. Her expression was filled with shame as she looked at him. "All those things I said to you at the hotel. How on earth could I have known?"

"You were still grieving," Monica said gently as she sat down next to her. "We both understand that you were hurting, Sam. In fact, I would bet that you still have a great deal of pain still left inside."

"You don't understand, I said some horrible things…" She looked at Andrew. "You helped me, and I was so unfriendly to you. I said that I didn't care of you were the grim reaper, and that it didn't matter to me who you were, but…" She swallowed as she realized why it was the handsome man had reacted with shock and suppressed pain after she had spoken to him. She looked at him shaking her head, the words simply not coming and the guilt remaining.

"Samantha, it's OK, you have no reason to feel badly," Andrew said gently as he reached over and rested his hand gently on her shoulder. "I really do understand and all is forgiven. Believe me, in my work, I hear a lot more than just that from people."

The young woman nodded numbly, but her eyes never left the compassionate green eyes of the Angel of Death. "I'm sorry," she whispered shaking her head sadly. "I'm so sorry."

"Andrew's a great guy, Sam, I think he's OK with what happened," Hunter offered. "He's a really good friend, so if he says 'all is forgiven', then I think he means it and you shouldn't worry anymore about it."

"Yeah, OK, then I guess I should get home and find those things to take to the lawyer, that is if I can actually afford one," she said softly, but it was obvious to Andrew that she was feeling a bit nervous in his presence.

"I'll make sure you get good legal representation," Hunter smiled and nodded. "Other than that, do you need help with anything else?"

She shook her head, "No, I think you have helped me enough, Hunter. I'm grateful to you for it."

"That's what friends are for," he said.

Samantha stood up and went to get into her car. Monica looked at Andrew and Hunter. "I think I should go with her, Andrew. Is everything under control here?"

"I think so, but I'll see back at the hotel later," he said.

Monica offered Hunter a smile and left. Once she got into the car with the young woman, they drove away. Hunter looked at Andrew. "You were right about a lot of things, thanks."

"You know, you said when you were talking to your father that you weren't very much of a leader, but I think you underestimated yourself. When you talked to Sam earlier, and then your mother, you did handle things as a leader would," Andrew said with a smile.

"Well, I guess I did learn something else from my dad then," Hunter shrugged his shoulders.

Suddenly, as if by impulse the angel glanced over in the direction of the town. "Hunter, is there some kind of bonfire going on tonight?"

"No, why?"

Before Andrew could say anything, Tess appeared out of nowhere and stood next to Andrew in angelic form. "Angel Boy, you and Hunter need to get to the hotel, immediately, Sam is going to need the support of all of us when she and Monica get there."

"The hotel?" Andrew whispered and Hunter shook his head in disbelief as he watched the orange red hues in the distance. "Hunter, I think the hotel is on fire."

The young man nodded. "It looks to be coming from that direction. You're probably right, we'd better get going, something tells me that Sam is going to need a lot of help after tonight. Something is happening, I've had this strange feeling since we pulled her out of the lake that this was far from being over."

The compassionate Angel of Death nodded, he knew what was happening and though he wished that he had been wrong, he knew that Sam would somehow relive the death of her aunt all over again that night, and this time, it would be manifest in the loss of her hotel.

The two of them took off and got into Hunter's car and sped down the driveway in the direction of town. As they drove, Hunter kept his eyes on the road in front of him, but he sighed deeply. "I can't believe they would stoop this low," he grumbled under his breath.

"What makes you think that Holly and your mother are responsible for this?"

"Come on Andrew, one doesn't have to have celestial powers to acknowledge this as the truth. What's the chance that this could happen right now, so soon after the falling out with my mother and Holly?" Hunter said softly. "My mother and sister would do anything to get their way, and this is just the type of thing that they would do to put Samantha out of commission."

Andrew couldn't deny the truth in Hunter's words, but the pain in the young man's face was almost too much for him. He could only pray that he would not be needed that night as someone's Angel of Death and that if there were any people in that hotel; they would get out before the entire place would be engulfed in flames.

"Listen, if your job requires you to help people, then something tells me that you'd better find a quicker way to the hotel than you would find with a measly Jeep Cherokee," Hunter glanced over at his friend.

Andrew smiled gratefully and disappeared.

*****

By this time, Monica and Samantha drove towards the hotel and could see the murky gray smoke engulfing the area. Samantha pulled the car to the side of the road and cut the engine, as she looked at the burning hotel in shocked disbelief. "Monica," she finally managed to speak, her voice breaking as she looked at the angel who sat next to her.

The young angel could only shake her head sadly as Tess came running towards them. "The place is engulfed," she said her voice emerging out of breath once she reached where they were parked, "but thank God there was no one inside when it happened."

"What happened, Tess?" Monica asked.

"The fire department suspects arson, someone said that there were traces of dynamite in the soil, but they are sending it to Atlanta to be analyzed," Tess replied. "We won't find out anything until tomorrow."

Sam quickly got out of the car and ran towards the burning building the tears falling from her eyes as she screamed the name of her aunt. Before she had reached the building, she could feel a pair of hands from behind. They were holding her shoulders firmly but gently and preventing her from going inside. When she eventually turned around, she could see that Andrew had appeared from out of nowhere and was now standing beside her.

"You shouldn't go in there, Samantha," he said gently.

"My aunt…everything I ever owned is in there, I'll lose everything," she screamed as she tried to get away from him.

"I know, and I can't stop you, but please, don't go in there," he said gently as he lowered his hands from her shoulders.

She noticed the fire behind him, and she could see that the flames silhouetted him. Although he looked serene and peaceful, she could not deny that he also looked saddened by her actions. Instead of running inside, she slid to the ground, her hands covering her face as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

Andrew crouched down so that he would be eye level with her. "Samantha, I know that this is going to be hard for you to understand, but you have to believe me when I tell you that going in there isn't going to change the reality of what is happening here. I think you know that, because you chose your life over the objects inside, which if you had chosen to go in there, you would never have been able to salvage." He spoke gently and as she turned her head around to look at him, he could see the pain that was now prevalent in her eyes. "If you go in there, you will die and now, unlike what you may have believed in the past, there will be someone who will miss you terribly." He spoke gently as Monica and Tess approached, and some steps behind them, Hunter was following.

"Everything is gone," Samantha looked at Andrew, her sad eyes filled with lost hope.

"Oh, Sam, not everything is lost," Andrew said and tipped her face up so she would be looking into his deep green eyes. "You're alive, and the memories of Molly will live on in you. Give all your pain over to God, Samantha, and He will help you through everything. He loves you so much."

"T-then, why did He t-take her away from me?" Samantha could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks. "S-she was all I had."

"I know, I was the one who took her home," Andrew brushed her hair from her face so that she would be able to look at him. "But, God didn't take your aunt away from you, He had me bring her home so she wouldn't suffer anymore. He hates to see His children hurting, Samantha, but maybe the reason this happened is because you never had the chance to grieve what you lost. Give yourself the chance to do so, not with anger or blame, but with your own feelings." He brushed the tears from her eyes and smiled gently at her. "You're never alone, God's always with you, and now you are among friends, and we all want to help you work through that grief you feel now. Will you let us?"

Samantha looked at him, and as she felt the grief overcome her, she could see Monica and Tess now standing next to her. She could feel the tears continuing to stream down her face, and as she did, she could feel Andrew's strong arms wrapping around her and holding her. This if anything allowed her to cry, and within moments, she felt herself collapsing in his arms, the tears finally falling.

By this time, Hunter had reached them. "Sam?" He called out her name and when he reached where she and Andrew were now on the ground and he could see that she was weeping bitterly in the angel's arms.

Monica and Tess remained with the two humans, but Tess placed a motherly hand on Hunter's shoulder. Within a few seconds Hunter beheld the smoldering hotel, and he shook his head sadly, as he looked down at Andrew and Samantha. "I think we should get out of here before we breathe too much of this smoke."

Andrew nodded and together they managed to get Samantha to her feet.

Monica looked at Tess, "what now, Tess?"

"You guys need a place to stay?" Hunter asked as he began to feel the first drops of rain. Once the three angels nodded, he continued. "I don't have a very big place, but it'll keep us all dry and you're all welcome to stay. Maybe tomorrow morning things will look better for all of us."

"Nothing will," Samantha managed to utter, but in her fist, she held the signed agreement between her Aunt and Kyle Livingston, but before she could wad up the piece of paper and throw it towards the inferno, Hunter pried the piece of paper out of her hand and stuck it in his pocket. The five of them went and got into Hunter's car and they drove out to his cabin.

*****

Samantha woke up the following morning. She could not remember where she was, nor could she remember the events of the night before. She crawled out of bed and looked around the room. She pulled her long brown hair away from her face and went to the window and looked outside. The area all around the cabin was green and lush, almost like something out of a dream.

"Good morning," a gentle voice was heard and she turned around to see Hunter standing in the doorway.

"Hi," she whispered.

"How did you sleep?" He asked.

"I guess OK," she said softly and went back over to the bed to sit down. "Where are we, anyway?"

"My cabin," he said simply. "I live here."

"I thought you lived in a mansion on a hill," she said somewhat jokingly, but as she recalled what had happened the night before, her smile faded and she looked down at her lap unable to meet his gaze.

He sat down next to her. "No, I've lived here for about five years now. Moved out here after I finished up at the university."

"Why?" She asked weakly glancing up only slightly.

"Well, because I like simplicity," he began as he shrugged his shoulders. "You know, I can't get into fancy parties and shopping sprees, it's just not me. I guess that's why I've always envied you."

"Me? Why on Earth would you envy me? I'm a nobody, I'm an orphan with no family left," she whispered.

"You're free to do and choose as you wish. For a long time, I couldn't do that," Hunter shook his head. "Besides that, I wouldn't let our friends in there hear you say that, you might just get a lecture or two. And I honestly don't think you would want to cross Tess, she's a pretty tough customer." He smiled gently at her as he continued to speak. "Let me ask you something. Did you ever hear the saying 'the apple doesn't fall far from the tree'?"

"Yeah, I've heard it probably too often," she said softly.

"Well, in some cases it's pretty true. I've seen people in town, they see my sister and my mother and they automatically think that I'm just like them or that my life is a breeze. But, do you know what? It's not; all that that means to me is that I was born into this family, and I guess I always thought I was an outsider, but last night I discovered that I'm more like my dad than I even stopped to consider."

"Is that such a bad thing?" She asked weakly.

"No, I don't think it is, but I did envy anyone who didn't feel tied to their family like I did. Last night when I said good bye to my father, I realized that I had more in common with him than I even was willing to admit."

"How is it that we both met angels?" She asked softly.

"I don't know, but after I met Andrew and talked to him, I realized that he had taught me a profound lesson about making choices. He told me that it was always my choice whether or not to allow my family to control me, and he was right. I had been allowing my family to dictate to me what my choices were, and right now I can only thank God that I've broken free from that."

"I didn't realize it was so hard for you," she said softly. "I guess I thought that you had it made, just like the rumors said."

He shook his head sadly. "You wouldn't have talked to me if you didn't have to."

"Maybe I should have, you know Tess told me that I should talk to you," Samantha said softly. "But, I guess I should have done it sooner. I should have realized that…"

"What?"

"That you're not as bad as I thought, in fact, I think you're a pretty unique kind of person," she shrugged her shoulders and looked up at him. For the first time instead of seeing an enemy, she saw a valued and trusted friend. She reached out to him with her hand, and when he took her outstretched hand, she smiled weakly. "Will you forgive me?"

Hunter sat down next to her. As he did, he smiled gently at her and wrapped her gently in his arms. "I want you to know that we will get through all of this together. I won't leave your side Sam, I love you more than anything."

She glanced down at her lap unable to control the butterflies, which were now in her stomach. Her head was now resting against his chest, but instead of backing away from him, she could feel his fingertips brushing against her face, his hands cupping her chin gently as he tipped her face up to meet his waiting lips. She closed her eyes as his lips met hers and she hesitantly wrapped her arms around him and allowed the kiss to deepen.

Suddenly, in the middle of the kiss, she could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks, and when his hands felt them, he broke the kiss, his hands brushing the tears from beneath her eyes. An instant later, she had started to weep bitterly and he looked at her somewhat bewildered. "What is it, Sam? Tell me, did I hurt you?"

"No," she cried shaking her head, as she tried to assimilate everything that had just happened. "I just never thought you would love me. It hurt s