Showing Healing Autumn's Heart (Love Inspired) by Renee Andrews

To Make A Child Smile Little Autumn barely speaks--and rarely smiles. So as a fresh start for both himself and his daughter, widowed doctor Matt Graham moves to a small Southern town. There they happen across a lovely young woman named Hannah Taylor. Something about Hannah awakens the girl, and suddenly Autumn is full of sweet chatter and laughter. In remission from the very illness that took so much from Matt and Autumn, Hannah seems to understand what the family of two needs. She's healed his daughter's heart. But can he open his enough to accept her love?


Excerpt. All Rights Reserved.
The display area, which had seemed expansive all morning, suddenly grew smaller as Hannah realized that she and Dr. Matt Graham were now alone.

"Your name is Hannah?" he asked.

She was a little embarrassed at the fact that she hadn't thought to introduce herself."Yes, Hannah Taylor."

He shifted the curtain aside and glanced into the store. Then he let the thin navy fabric fall
back into place. "I didn't want her to hear," he said softly. "But I want to explain." He breathed in, let it out. "Autumn hasn't smiled and has barely spoken since we lost her mother. So when she smiled at you, when she spoke to you." He pulled the curtain aside and glanced at his daughter again, then turned back to Hannah. "It was like watching a miracle. It's been two years."

Two years.

"I look like her mother?" In Hannah's mind, that was the only reasonable answer for why the
child would have come out of her shell today.

But he shook his head. "No. Rebecca had long curly red hair," he smiled, obviously remembering his wife. "And lots of freckles." Then his eyes seemed to be drawn to Hannah's shirt or more precisely to the small pin on her left chest. "Rebecca had breast cancer."

Hannah swallowed past the lump in her throat, and her hand instinctively moved to the pink ribbon pin."You think she saw my pin from out there?"

"I don't know, but somehow you reminded her of Rebecca." He indicated the pin. "You're a survivor, aren't you? You've had breast cancer too."

"I am. Actually, my sister and I are both survivors," Hannah said.

He tilted his head, curiosity at Autumn's awareness still evident on his face. "Well, for some reason, she was drawn to you, and you got more words from her in the last ten minutes than three child psychologists did in two years." He paused. "Or than I have, since her mama died."

Hannah remembered her silent prayer, asking God to let her help this little girl. "Maybe because I'm meant to help her? God has His plans, you know."

That made him smile, and Hannah couldn't deny the impact that his smile had on her heart.

"Just now, when she told me that she loved me," he inhaled, let it out, and seemed too overwhelmed to finish.

"She hasn't told you that she loves you," Hannah said, "in two years?"

He shook his head, looked as though he wanted to say more, but remained silent.

"Bless your heart," Hannah whispered.

He stepped closer. "I know this will sound a little odd, but I think maybe the reason I picked this town, the reason Autumn and I are here is because of you."

Hannah's mind reeled with the statement. What was she supposed to say?

"I'm sorry.I can't imagine how that made you feel. It's just that I've been hoping for a breakthrough for so long, and then all of a sudden, here you are, and Autumn speaks. I'd have to say it's an answered prayer. And in all honesty, I haven't prayed a lot in the past two
years. Didn't have a reason to trust in the power of it anymore."

"But now?" she asked, still wondering what role God planned for her to have in his daughter's life. And, maybe, in this man's life?