by Lois Richer
“Yes, I see that now. I’ve been so stupid.”
“Not stupid. Just wounded by our past. But trusting God is the beginning of healing. And forgiving Mac lets you start with a clean slate. You don’t have to do and be all. You only have to be the woman God wants you to be.”
With a pat on her shoulder, Gina went to make fresh coffee for the waiting searchers. Adele sat, heartsore and ashamed. She silently asked God’s forgiveness. The release of control felt light and joyful.
God would help Mac. She could trust that. God loved him more than she did. When the twins raced to her, weeping that Mac still hadn’t been found, Adele comforted them, teaching them to trust God for Mac’s safety. Finally she was no longer playing a part.
At the bedtime ritual with Francie and Franklyn, Adele spent a little longer on their prayers for Mac and the skiers. Then she went downstairs to wait. She was trusting God, but she wouldn’t rest until Mac returned.
But of one thing Adele was certain. If God gave her a second chance at loving Mac, she’d grab it, flaws and all. God is love, she said to herself. Now she had to trust in that love.
* * *
Mac forced himself upward through the snow until precious oxygen filled his lungs. As the last of the daylight waned he saw Gabe helping others emerge from where they’d been buried. Thankfully the cliff had protected them. No one needed rescue and there seemed to be no injuries.
But as he surveyed their surroundings, Mac’s heart sank. Their way out of the valley was now blocked by a huge mound of fallen snow. In daylight they might be able to negotiate a way around it, but not in the dark. They were going to have to camp here overnight.
After conferring with Gabe, they found a small opening in the granite cliff and huddled inside around a fire of brush they gathered so everyone could keep warm. The snow still fell and the wind still blew, but here in this tiny hollow of the cliff they were protected. There were enough leftovers from lunch for everyone to eat something and the kids generously shared what little hot chocolate they had left in their flasks.
“I’ve got a couple of water bottles in my pack. You?” Mac asked Gabe quietly.
“The same. And some chocolate bars. Thought I’d save them for breakfast.”
They discussed options.
“Let’s get them to sleep if they can,” Mac murmured. “They’ll need their strength in the morning to ski out.”
“They need something to calm them. Any ideas?”
“Story time?” Mac sat on a rock, his thoughts tumbling around. Those few moments, face buried in the snow, he’d accepted that although he loved Adele, God’s plan for him might not include that.
He hated the thought, wanted to rail against it. He loved her. She loved him. Why couldn’t... In the recesses of his mind, Mac heard the word trust. Trust in God’s plan for his life? But what did that mean?
He knew. No more pretense or running away, which he now accepted was what his risk taking had always been about. Time to stay on the ranch, buy out his parents and get on with doing whatever God sent his way. He’d never have his own children; he might never have Adele to love, either. Though he hated that thought, he would let God work it out.
“All things work together for good to them that love God.”
Never had the aunts’ verse seemed more apropos. How blessed he’d been to have them in his life.
As Mac glanced around the group of youngsters who’d come on this trek to escape their troubled lives, certainty filled him. This was God’s work for him. They were stranded and Mac’s phone didn’t work, but he wasn’t depending on himself or a phone. He was depending on God. God wouldn’t fail them.
“All things work together...”
Suddenly, above the crackle of the burning branches, with the world beyond the cave now completely dark, coyotes began to howl. The kids stared at each other, eyes wide with fear. Mac hesitated, unsure what to do next.
Okay, God. Help me calm them, let them know You are in control.
“You guys worried about that? Don’t be. Coyotes like to howl. That’s how they communicate. I’ve been listening to them do that for years. I grew up on a ranch next door to The Haven. Gabe works there, too. Coyotes are a fact of our lives, just like other problems.”
Somehow the words came, the story of his childhood, Carter’s death from brain cancer and his own need to run from life’s complications. And then he told them why he didn’t need to run anymore, how he’d realized that wherever he was, God was there, loving him, caring for him.
Frequently one of the youth would comment on something about his own life, draw a comparison or bring up a personal issue. Implicit in every remark was a plea for help, for understanding. And together Mac and Gabe strove to offer support, suggestions and always to draw the focus back to God’s love for each of them.
When the last kid fell asleep, Mac took first watch. He sat, back to the fire, and peered into the darkness, watching as the storm finally died away and peace descended. Sometime after midnight the northern lights began their blue-green dance over the mountaintops, swirling and spinning like an eerie ballet in the sky. Mac’s thoughts returned to Adele. He didn’t know God’s plan for her, only that He had one.
“Keep her and the twins safe. Comfort her heart. Let her know You love her.”
Now Mac would wait until God worked things out.
Chapter Fifteen
The whir of helicopter blades wakened Adele on Christmas Eve morning. She pushed away from the table and ran to the door, throwing it wide open as the chopper landed, uncaring that she was blasted by snow and wind from the whirring blades.
“Please, God, let Mac be safe.”
Search and rescue members rushed to the door of the machine and opened it. One by one the youth were helped from the helicopter, smiling and obviously thrilled with their ride back to The Haven.
Adele searched each face, desperate to see the one she loved. But as the last youth straggled toward her, only Gabe emerged, his face revealing his exhaustion. Oh, no. He was waving over the men with the ambulance. For Mac?
Uncaring that she hadn’t combed her snarly hair or washed her face, or that she was wearing her rattiest robe and slippers, Adele burst from the house, racing past the startled youth toward the helicopter. Who cared what she looked like? It was Mac who mattered, Mac whom she adored and loved more than anything. And then she heard his voice coming from inside the chopper.
“I am not going to be carried out, Gabe. I can walk perfectly well. It’s just a spasm.”
“Mac?” Adele stopped at the door of the chopper and let her brain soak in all his beloved details. His face was haggard, his ski suit torn on one shoulder, and he was rubbing his leg. But he was here and he was alive.
Thank You, God.
“Hey, Delly. What’s for breakfast?” Mac scooted forward and, with Gabe’s assistance, stepped out of the chopper. “We’re starved.”
Adele couldn’t have cared less who was watching or how she looked. She stepped forward, threw her arms around him and said, “I love you, Mac McDowell.”
“Huh?” He stared at her, his meltwater-eyes wide. His hand lifted and touched her cheek in the most tender caress before he grinned and shook his head. “I think my hearing’s gone. Could you say that again? Please?”
“I’ll say it so often you’ll get sick of it,” she laughed. “I love you.” Then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him with every ounce of adoration that welled inside. And unbelievably, Mac kissed her back, his arm tight about her waist as if he’d never let her go.
“Uh, you folks want to take this show inside?” Gabe asked in a droll voice, barely concealing his mirth. “I, for one, am cold.”
“You go ahead, buddy. We’ll be there in a minute. I’ve got something to do first.” Mac nodded his thanks as one of the rescue squad threw a blanket over his and Adele’s sho
ulders before walking away. Then he tilted his head and kissed her again, more thoroughly this time, as if she was the most precious thing in his world.
“Mac, I’m sorry. I should never—” He placed a fingertip over her lips.
“I love you, Adele. More than anything. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the center—”
“It doesn’t matter, Mac,” she interrupted. “All that matters is that I love you. You’ve always been my best friend. I don’t ever want that to change.”
“I do.” He grinned. “I finally figured out God’s plan for my life. He wants me here, well, on the Double M. With you, if you’ll marry me. Together we’ll be part of The Haven’s ministry.”
“And help troubled youth while we raise Franklyn and Francie. Yes, I will marry you.” She giggled at his astounded look, then thrust out her hand. “I’m pretty sure that’s God’s plan for me, too. Do we have a deal?”
Mac frowned. “Your agreement feels a little—rushed. I might need some persuading.”
“My dear man, I love you very much. But it’s cold out here, my hair’s a mess, I have on no makeup and—”
“To me you’re the most beautiful woman in the world, Delly,” Mac said gallantly before kissing her again.
“Thank you, darling. But my feet are freezing.” She danced on the snow as if to demonstrate. “I know everybody’s inside and they’ll all be staring at us and smirking as if they already knew we loved each other, and I think I can stand that if you’re by my side. But I have to make breakfast.”
“Always practical Adele.” With a shout of laughter, Mac kissed her once more, then hand in hand they raced to The Haven’s back door and burst inside. Immediately everyone began to clap. Unabashed, Mac bowed.
“Thank you. And just so you know, Adele has agreed to marry me. We’re going to buy out my folks and run the Double M while we work with The Haven’s ministries.”
“And we’re going to have at least two children, Francie and Franklyn,” Adele added. Then in front of Mac’s parents, her aunts, Victoria and Ben, Gina, Gabe and Jake, the youth ski group, the rescuers, and her two children, she threw her arms around Mac and kissed him. “I’m so happy.”
Francie nudged Franklyn. “I tole you God’d give us a daddy for Christmas.”
“He’s early. T’morrow’s Christmas, silly.” Franklyn frowned. “I’m starvin’. When’s Delly gonna make breakfast?”
“I dunno.” Francie frowned. “She an’ Mac look dumb.”
“I’m never gonna look dumb when I get old,” Franklyn assured her.
“Me, neither.”
* * *
Adele Parker’s wedding to Mac McDowell took place at The Haven on New Year’s Eve. The locals weren’t surprised. The couple had known each other forever and with the twins’ upcoming adoption it was understandable that neither wanted to wait. Tillie and Margaret issued an open invitation to the wedding, which meant The Haven was packed—exactly what the Spenser sisters hoped for.
At exactly 7 p.m., Adele’s foster sisters and Gina, all wearing red velvet gowns with white feathered boa trim, led a procession down the stairs and into the family room. Flower girl Francie followed in a red sparkly dress that just grazed the tips of her new white patent shoes. Franklyn, wearing a dark suit and cowboy boots like Mac, walked beside her, carrying a white cushion with wedding rings tied on.
The bride descended the stairs looking beautiful in a chicly elegant white satin gown that emphasized her lovely figure and the sheaf of dark red roses she carried. At the bottom of the stairs, her aunts, Tillie and Margaret, took their place on either side to walk Adele to her groom. After kissing her cheek, they placed her hand in Mac’s.
The groom’s turquoise gaze, brimming with love, met Adele’s.
“Are you sure, Delly?” he whispered.
“Uh-huh. You?” She held his gaze.
“Positive.” There was no doubt in the words or on his face.
With the pastor’s leading they repeated the vows that would join them together, pledging to honor each other and God, trusting Him with whatever their future brought.
Franklyn heaved a sigh of relief when the platinum bands were no longer his responsibility.
“Are me ’n Francie gonna marry somebody someday?” he asked Victoria as Mac slid the platinum circlet on Adele’s finger.
“I hope so,” she whispered.
“Do I gotta kiss some girl like Mac’s kissin’ Delly?” he asked, face screwed up in dismay.
“Trust me, sweetheart, when the time comes, you’ll like it,” she assured him with a loving glance at her husband, Ben.
“May I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Mac McDowell. I hope you’ll support and pray for them as they look to God for their future together,” the pastor said.
“I love you, Mac.” Adele had never felt more confident about love than now.
“I love you, too, Mrs. McDowell.” Mac’s gaze moved to the twins, then slid to her face. “You won’t—”
“I’ll rejoice in having whatever God gives me,” she told him honestly. “It’s all about trust, Mac.”
“Perfect. Let’s celebrate, my darling.”
And celebrate they did, with friends and family. By the time the clock ticked down the last few minutes of the old year, Francie and Franklyn were asleep on the aunts’ chairs in front of the fireplace, wedding cake icing and happy smiles on their faces.
Adele excused herself from some friends and found her groom. “You ready to leave soon?” she whispered, loving the way his arm curled around her waist.
“Right after midnight. We start our new life at The Haven and soon we’ll leave for our honeymoon.” He watched the clock as they counted down with everyone else. “Happy New Year, my darling Delly.”
“Happy New Year, Mac.” She savored his kiss, the first in a year that brimmed with promise. Thank You, Lord. What more could I want?
Half an hour later they’d changed and were almost out the door when the aunts called them back.
“There’s a phone call,” Tillie said, brow furrowed. “Someone called Enid insists on speaking to you.”
“What could the twins’ social worker want now?” Adele grabbed Mac’s hand and held on, trying to prepare for bad news as she picked up the phone. “Hello?”
“Congratulations, Adele. I hear you’re newly married. Sorry to interrupt the proceedings but I have a problem I hope you can help with.”
“We were just leaving for Edmonton for our honeymoon, Enid.” Adele clung to Mac’s hand as her heart prayed.
“Then my timing’s perfect. Can you call me tomorrow? I need someone to foster a newborn boy whose mother died today in a car crash. I know you are the perfect person for him.”
“Oh, I’m far from perfect,” Adele assured her as she tossed a smirk at Mac, who grinned. “But my husband and I would be delighted to foster this child. We are ready, willing and able to be used however God wants.”
“Good. Call me tomorrow. Congratulations again and happy New Year!”
Adele hung up, her heart thrilling. She and Mac snuck out of the house and drove toward Edmonton.
“You’re very quiet. What’s going on in that lovely head?” he asked.
“I was just wondering. Do you think our life on the Double M and at The Haven with Francie and Franklyn and now fostering this little boy will be enough excitement for you?”
Mac pulled over, drew her close and kissed her. Then he laughed.
“My darling Delly, I’m positive that marriage to you, running the ranch, parenting the twins and whomever else God sends will provide all the excitement I’ll ever need.”
“Then everything will be perfect,” she said.
“Absolutely perfect.”
Then they drove off, toward their future.
* * * * *
If you enjoyed this s
tory, pick up the first
Rocky Mountain Haven book,
Meant-to-Be Baby
and these other stories from Lois Richer:
The Rancher’s Family Wish
Her Christmas Family Wish
The Cowboy’s Easter Family Wish
The Twins’ Family Wish
A Dad for Her Twins
Rancher Daddy
Gift-Wrapped Family
Accidental Dad
Available now from Love Inspired!
Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com
Keep reading for an excerpt from Amish Christmas Memories by Vannetta Chapman.
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Dear Reader,
Welcome back to The Haven, a refuge hidden in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies where foster kids come to find hope.
I hope you’ve enjoyed Adele Parker’s journey toward motherhood and love as she learns that God doesn’t expect perfection. He expects our trust. After Mac lost his hand in an airplane crash he caused, his struggle to learn God’s plan for his future got tied up with guilt. Mac doesn’t get a list of “next steps” from God, but he, like Adele, learns that if he keeps seeking God’s will, Our Father will point the way. As they travel that path, best friends Mac and Adele realize that friendship has changed to love.
I hope you’ll visit The Haven again to read how grief and loss bring Olivia joy and love.
Until we meet again may you find abundant faith, infinite peace and the love that comes from God.
Blessings,
Lois Richer
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.
