He gave her one last beautiful hug. “All we need now is us, darlin’. And we’ve got that. Let’s transfer the gifts to my SUV. I’ve got some tucked there, too. I don’t want to drive separate if we don’t have to. Are you on call?”
“I’m off until eight o’clock tomorrow night.”
“Perfect.”
And it was. Far more than she had ever expected. They crossed the bridge with the girls singing carols in the back seat, and with Renzo, her love, behind the wheel. And it wouldn’t matter if they ran out of eggnog or the cookies were a little stale or they had to add extra potatoes to make the small turkey stretch.
They were together as a family and that made it the best Christmas of all.
Epilogue
“A summer wedding.” Lindsay clipped the veil she’d worn at her wedding into the back of Sarah’s hair and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. “A son-in-law I love, three beautiful granddaughters and the blessing of having you all living nearby. I couldn’t ask for anything more.” She hugged Sarah lightly. “You made our lives complete the day they put you into my arms, darling. And not one thing has changed since. We love you and we couldn’t be more proud of you.” She leaned down and kissed Sarah’s cheek as a soft knock came at the door.
Her friend Felicity was the matron of honor. She moved to the door and drew it open. “Gina. Come in.”
“It’s all right?” Gina peeked around the door, saw Sarah and smiled. “I could not imagine a more wonderful bride for my son or a more perfect mother for those girls, Sarah.” She crossed the room quickly and gave Sarah a light embrace. “Let me say just two things,” she told them. “I was scared last year. You know that. I was in danger of losing my husband and I thought in danger of losing the girls. I wasn’t myself,” she added. “I wasn’t thinking right, because when I finally paused to talk to God, to give it up to Him, my eyes weren’t just opened. They were opened to the joy it all brings. I know what the agency did was awful.”
She gripped Sarah’s hands and included Lindsay with a look. “But while it was awful, it also did an immense amount of good. You and Jenn brought great happiness to your parents. If Jenn hadn’t been there, Lanny would have gone through life alone after losing his wife. There wouldn’t be three beautiful girls all dressed in white, waiting to walk down the aisle. I would never have known the joy of them or you. I forgot to trust the plan,” she admitted. “I like to run things, and when everything fell apart last November, it all spun out of control. But not now,” she reaffirmed. “Now Valerie is expecting a Valentine’s baby, my son is marrying a wonderful woman and the girls will be blessed with family. And I can devote my time to helping Roy continue his recovery. It all worked out perfectly, and we have you to thank for that. Because you never gave up. Even when my stubborn son and his equally stubborn mother got in your way.” She held out a beautiful necklace that featured golden brown stones, unlike anything she’d ever seen before. “For you,” Gina told her. “It was my mother’s and she gave it to me. And now I want to pass it on to you.”
“It’s beautiful, Gina. Thank you.”
Renzo’s mother smiled. “Much like the bride, I’d say.”
“You could wear it today,” suggested Lindsay. “It goes beautifully with your eyes.”
“It’s stunning.” Sarah touched Gina’s arm gently. “Can you put it on me, please?”
“With pleasure.”
Lindsay lifted the veil. Gina affixed the delicate chain, then stood back and smiled. The soft tones of a prelude began.
“It’s time.” Sarah’s father, Kevin, came to the door. “They’re waiting to escort two mothers down the aisle. And I’m waiting for one incredible daughter.”
Lindsay and Gina hurried toward the center aisle. Sarah looped her arm through her father’s and stretched up to kiss him on the cheek. “I figured out why I waited so long to fall in love,” she told him.
“Yeah?” Kevin smiled. “Why’s that?”
“Because it took me this long to find a man as wonderful as you.”
Her father’s eyes filled. He clutched her arm a little tighter. “I said no tears. Yours or mine. Save the sentimental stuff for later, all right?”
She laughed because it was more than all right.
As the notes of music signaled the mothers’ entrance, three little loves dashed her way.
“Auntie, you look like the most beautiful person ever!” Wide-eyed, Kristi paused and clasped her hands together as if afraid to touch Sarah. “Better than a princess, even.”
“And we look like you!” Naomi twirled in the full-skirted white flower girl gown. “Like we’re all supposed to be together because we match! This is so very special, Auntie Sarah! I love it so much! And I love you so much!”
“Me, too,” she told Naomi as she opened her arms to welcome them with a hug. “I love that we’re all going to be family together.”
Chloe had hung back slightly. She came forward for the hug, but when the music changed, indicating the girls turn to process, she reached for Sarah’s hand and pressed a small envelope into it. “Grandpa wanted me to give this to you,” she whispered. “He said to tell you he loves you and he’s sorry he can’t be here and he’s so glad we found you.”
Sarah looked down. Printed on the outside of the envelope were three small, shaky words. “Your mother’s letter.”
Funny.
She’d wondered about her mother, about the choices made for so long, and now—
It wasn’t that it didn’t matter.
It just didn’t matter as much because they were all here together, as family. And that’s what she had gone to Golden Grove to find.
She bent low to hug Chloe. “Thank you for being Grandpa’s messenger, Chloe. I’ll treasure this forever.”
Chloe met her gaze. And then, with a gesture of unscripted love, she reached for Sarah’s hand and gripped it tight. “I love you, Aunt Sarah. And I will always be happy that you never gave up on us, like ever, because that’s kind of what a mom does, isn’t it?” Three pairs of golden-hazel eyes sought hers as Chloe continued. “They try to never, ever give up because they love you so much.”
Oh, her heart. She reached out and hugged them one more time while she exchanged a watery look with her father. “That’s exactly what moms do. And now there are three girls who better walk down the aisle, because it’s time, darlings.”
They scooted away and took their place in front of Felicity. The gathering of wedding guests made a soft collective gasp as they spotted the three girls coming their way.
“Our turn.” Her father propped his arm for her to grab hold.
“It is.” She smiled up at Kevin, then looked toward the altar where her love waited.
He’d been whispering something to Kyle. When he looked up—saw her—he stopped talking. For a few beautiful seconds it was just the two of them, in love, beginning not just a new chapter, but a whole new book.
And she couldn’t ask for anything more.
* * *
If you loved this story,
be sure to pick up the other books in
Ruth Logan Herne’s Golden Grove miniseries
A Hopeful Harvest
Learning to Trust
And check out the titles from her previous series Shepherd’s Crossing
Her Cowboy Reunion
A Cowboy in Shepherd’s Crossing
Healing the Cowboy’s Heart
Available now from Love Inspired!
Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com
Keep reading for an excerpt from Alaskan Christmas Redemption by Belle Calhoune.
Dear Reader,
I absolutely loved writing this book. I fell in love with Renzo in Learning to Trust and couldn’t wait to tell his story. Setting it at Christmas just made a great story better, don’t you think?
We’ve experienced b
oth sides of adoption in my family. There have been babies given up and children brought in, so seeing this issue wasn’t hard, but it is emotionally draining. What if Sarah and her sister Jenn had gone to one family? Would the other family ever have gotten a child to love?
As the popularity of DNA testing increases, more and more families are connecting with people they didn’t know, and maybe didn’t even know existed. Things have changed and we change with them, don’t we?
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year. God bless you! Email me at [email protected], visit my website ruthloganherne.com and friend me on Facebook! You can also find me serving up food in the Yankee Belle Café every Thursday, or with a great group of folks in Seekerville!
And thank you so much for making this beautiful Christmas story part of your holiday season!
Ruthy
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Alaskan Christmas Redemption
by Belle Calhoune
Chapter One
Piper Miller placed a Closed sign on the front door of the diner and locked up. She let out a heavy sigh as she rested her back against the frame and pressed her eyes shut. “No rest for the weary,” she muttered as she stood up straight and began walking around the place, making sure it was tidy for the morning rush. She’d been going full speed since 5:00 a.m. with no end in sight.
All she wanted to do at the moment was to head home and crawl under the covers where it was nice and warm. Sleep was the only time she ever got a break from all her troubles. Being the owner of the Snowy Owl Diner meant she bore the full responsibility of the establishment’s success or failure. At the moment there really wasn’t anything to cheer about. The restaurant was knee-deep in financial trouble, and it wouldn’t be much longer until she would be forced to close its doors. Everyone in her hometown would be disappointed in her.
It was a crushing feeling to know how badly she’d messed up her dad’s legacy.
She looked up and met her father’s gaze in the black-and-white photo she’d lovingly hung above the cash register. With his dark brown skin, wavy hair and dimples, Jack Miller had been a charismatic and unforgettable man. To her he’d been Papa. Father, friend, boss. She couldn’t quite escape the shame she felt in having failed to turn things around at the diner she’d solely inherited. After conducting a thorough review of the books, she’d discovered the diner had been bleeding money for quite some time. Shockingly, her father had kept it to himself.
If something drastic didn’t happen soon to increase revenue, she would have to close the place or sell it. Harboring this secret was stressful. She had confided in her best friend, Rachel Lawson, and her sister-in-law, Sage Crawford, about the financial strain she was under, but neither knew the severity. Both women had promised to keep her situation in confidence at her request. She wasn’t sure it had been fair to hold Sage to the vow now that she was married to her older brother, Hank.
Even though Piper was single, she knew married couples ought not to keep things from one another. Sadly, her father had kept everything hush-hush, not even confiding in his own wife. She didn’t have the heart to tell her mother or Hank the truth about the diner’s finances. The loyalty she felt toward her father prevented her from doing so. She didn’t want either of them to think less of him. Jack Miller had been such a proud, hardworking man. It seemed almost inconceivable he’d been struggling for years to keep the diner afloat. At the moment everything appeared to be bleak. Hopelessness wasn’t an emotion she had ever imagined experiencing during Christmas. This holiday season might prove to be the worst of her entire life. If she lost ownership of the diner, it would be a catastrophic blow, one she might never recover from.
Piper walked toward the kitchen and began collecting the trash to put out back. Normally it was her employee Jorge Vega’s job to do so, but with a pregnant wife ready to deliver their first child, Piper had sent him home hours ago. She felt a pang in her heart at the realization that she might have to let Jorge go if things at the diner didn’t improve. That would break both of their hearts. He was such an outstanding employee and an even better human being.
She pushed the back door open and lugged the plastic bag outside, then deposited it in the large metal container. The scent of pine and peppermint hung in the air. Every time she stepped outside it smelled like impending snow. Although the blessed holiday was weeks away, everyone was full of expectation. All the storefronts in town were gaily decorated with mini Christmas trees, tinsel and presents.
How she wished that she could be excited about the most sacred and wonderful time of the year. In Christmases past, Piper’s head had been filled with snowmen and sleigh bells, Christmas carols and nativity scenes. She wasn’t sure if she could even celebrate this year with so much hanging over her head.
A sudden noise startled her, and she jumped as a dark figure appeared in the glow of the back door light. Who on earth would be lurking out here at night?
“Braden!” She raised a hand to her chest and let out a relieved sigh at the familiar sight of the brown-haired, green-eyed man. Although his hair had grown a bit too long and he looked like he hadn’t shaved in days, he still looked like her Braden North.
Well, he hadn’t exactly been her Braden for quite some time.
“Hey, Piper. I hope it’s not too late to stop by.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his booted heels. His hunter green parka—his favorite color—almost matched his extraordinary eye color. With his winter hat and jeans, he looked rugged and masculine. He was a welcome sight, considering how rarely she laid eyes on him.
“For you? It’s never a bad time,” she said lamely, trying not to sound awkward.
On impulse she threw herself against his chest and wrapped her arms around him. No matter what had gone wrong in their friendship, Braden was still her best friend. They had been besties since preschool. She felt his body tense up before he broke away from her, then watched as he took a step backward. Hurt washed over her. It pained her deeply to have such a rift between herself and someone she cared so much about.
“Come on inside,” she said, beckoning him to enter through the back door. Braden followed behind her, reaching for the door and holding it open as she walked through it.
Once they were inside, Piper flipped the lights back on above the booths. Now that Braden was here, she wouldn’t be leaving for a bit. She had something pretty heavy to discuss with him—her predicament regarding the diner. Truthfully, she wasn’t feeling very confident about sharing her troubles with him, considering the fact that he hadn’t been interacting with her in any meaningful way in a very long time.
There was a reason she had reached out to him a few days ago. Hadn’t she always been able to lean on him when she was afraid or troubled? After her father’s death, Braden had been a rock, until he’d abruptly left town to chase danger all over the world as an adventure junkie. It still didn’t make sense to her. Braden had always loved Owl Creek, Alaska. He’d said time and again there was no finer place to live. But then he’d disappeared and stayed gone for the last three and a half years. It had broken her heart to lose her best friend. And even though he was back in Owl Creek, he still didn’t feel present. Things between them were tense.
It was all so strange, especially when she had no idea what she’d done to make him so cold and aloof toward her. Perhaps their friendship had just run its course and Braden didn’t have the heart to tell her. Instead, he’d been giving her the brush-off for years.
“I got your message. Sorry it’s taken me so long to get over here,” he said, sounding sheepish.
“It’s all right. I know yo
u must be getting readjusted to life here in town, not to mention spending time with Sage.”
Recently, Sage Crawford, now her sister-in-law, had arrived in Owl Creek harboring a huge secret. She had been stolen at three months old from Braden’s family, the Norths. After Sage had recently been reunited with the North family, Braden had returned to Alaska to celebrate the good news and to connect with his long-lost sister. Although he’d been back in town for weeks after being gone for such an extended period of time, he hadn’t done a single thing to reconnect with Piper.
“So, what’s up? It sounded pretty important.” He wasn’t quite looking her in the eye, she realized. He seemed fidgety. She stuffed down the hurt. It was important to focus on the matter at hand—telling Braden about her predicament with the diner.
“Why don’t we sit? I’ve been on my feet all day.” Being a restaurant owner meant she was in a constant whirl of motion, which took a toll on her legs and feet.
Braden nodded and went toward the nearest booth. She sat down across from him, letting out a sigh of relief. She watched as he removed his hat, then ran his hand through his shoulder-length hair. It looked good on him in a way most men couldn’t get away with. But he’d always been easy on the eyes, the guy most likely for all the other girls in their class to have a crush on.
For Piper, he’d always been more than a good-looking guy. He’d been home, her soft place to fall. She would give almost anything to go back to those carefree days when they had been able to finish each other’s sentences.
“I’ll cut to the chase,” she said, locking eyes with him. “I wanted to ask for your help. It’s about the diner.” Although she was trying to keep her composure, her voice cracked. “It’s in big trouble, Braden. If I don’t do something very soon, I’m going to have to close the Snowy Owl.”
* * *
Braden North wasn’t sure he quite understood what Piper was telling him. The expression stamped on her face was one of intensity. And panic. With her tawny-colored skin and wide-set eyes, Piper was adorable. Most would say beautiful, but it was hard for him to think of her in those terms. For so long now, she’d been his closest friend. Until he’d ruined everything.
Finding Her Christmas Family Page 17
