by Janette Oke
Father was pacing anxiously when Beth emerged, and they hurried into the waiting automobile. The short drive up the hill toward the church was accomplished before she was able to fully answer his questions, to tell him that things had gone well.
“I’m proud of you, darling. I truly am.” Then he shook his head again in disbelief. Julie had finally found her tongue, and she put an arm around her sister. “Bethie, I can’t believe you did this! You are so brave!”
Beth laughed. “That means so much coming from you, darling.”
At the church, Beth took Father’s offered arm, and Julie again lifted the skirt as they moved across the grass. Beth stepped into the foyer and allowed Julie to quickly adjust the folds. She could hear Rose Shaw beginning Wagner’s Bridal Chorus on the organ. It’s time. This is it.
Soon Julie was moving forward with Will Thornton. Then Marnie followed on Roland’s arm. Beth glanced up at Father, and he patted her hand.
She took her first steps into the doorway of the sanctuary and gasped. There, centered on the platform, Beth saw a lovely white arbor made of silver birch boughs. At the base on either side was a cluster of small birch stumps bound together, anchoring the archway. “Father?”
He lingered in place for a moment longer, allowing Beth to take it in. “Frank got us all involved in making it. He was sure you’d think it was just right,” he murmured.
“Oh, Father, it is. It truly is.”
CHAPTER
28
BETH’S EYES FOCUSED on Jarrick throughout the ceremony, as if there were no one else in the sanctuary. She listened breathlessly as he pledged his love to her and then repeated her own promise back to him. It seemed that in no time they were walking down the aisle, this time together. Together. For the rest of our lives, her heart sang, as she smiled at her family and friends on each side who were celebrating with them.
Since there was no other place to hold such a large reception—not even the school classrooms—the church women carried in coffee and cake and laid it all out on tables in the back for folks to serve themselves. A second table was set up on the platform, where Jarrick, Beth, and their wedding attendants were seated in front of the lovely silver-birch arch. Beth kept a hand around her new husband’s elbow, not willing to let him go even for a moment. We’re married now! she thought every time their gazes met.
Looking out at the assembly of well-wishers seated in the pews, she noticed Robert and Ivy slip in among them. Discreetly raising a hand to them, Beth caught Ivy’s eye and smiled. Ivy waved back, nodding her message that all had gone well. Oh, thank You, God. Beth sighed with relief.
Marnie walked past on Harold’s arm, wearing the bridesmaid’s dress that also had served her as a wedding gown, clearly flourishing in her new role.
Face after familiar face emerged from the crowd as Beth considered the women here whom she had grown to cherish. Eliza sitting next to Dillard at the front—actively working in ministry alongside her husband in Lethbridge and opening her home graciously to strangers. And in the same row, Esther with her husband, Bardo, their three children beside their new papa. Esther, who had found a new life after the heartrending loss of the first man she loved. Esther, who had once thanked Beth for being used by God to renew her own faith through acting out stories with the children during Bible club.
Seated in the row behind, Beth noticed that Kate had come with Edward. Kate, the quiet china doll so enraptured by her boisterous fiancé, would clearly follow him anywhere. And Beth noticed Ruth and Abigail standing at the food table, serving once again. Beth contemplated the teahouse, which no doubt had not been Abigail’s first choice of occupation, and yet the resolute woman was bearing up well in her entrepreneurial endeavor, continuing to serve and to love in her community.
The thought brought Beth’s attention to Molly, who had lived through the death of her beloved Bertram and then moved forward with strength to become the stand-in mother for Teddy and Marnie, as well as a wide-eyed young teacher new to the West. Molly’s marriage to Frank would have seemed unbelievable just two short years ago, and yet they had each seen past cultural differences and become a tender couple, caring for one another in these later years.
Beth whispered to Jarrick that she would return very soon, a promise with a smile. She rose and went first to her mother, offering a long embrace with words of thanks for all she and Father had done in raising her to know God. Then Beth approached Jarrick’s mother. “Mother Thornton,” she said, “I wanted to thank you for your wonderful son—for all you’ve done to train him up in the way he should go.” Surprised, the woman accepted Beth’s warm embrace.
Wending her way farther through the crowd, Beth spoke words of gratitude to various others for sharing this ceremony with Jarrick and her.
Soon she and Molly were hugging, crying a little, then laughing because they were crying. Beth told her again how much her friendship meant to “an entirely inexperienced young woman with a call to teach in the West.”
Joining Jarrick at the table on the stage again, Beth was thrilled to take his hand once more. She brushed away a tear, casting another look around the room. These women—so varied in personality but similar in the difficult lives they shared—would continue to nurture and care for their families and, each in her own way, their community.
And now, with unrestrained joy, Beth would remain in the West, able to consider herself a woman of the Canadian frontier. She knew it would not be a glamorous role, sometimes stretching her beyond what she thought she was capable of, and yet she was honored to take up the mantle, following her new husband, who was following their heavenly Father—wherever He would lead them.
About the Authors
Bestselling author Janette Oke is celebrated for her significant contribution to the Christian book industry. Her novels have sold more than thirty million copies, and she’s the recipient of the ECPA President’s Award, the CBA Life Impact Award, the Gold Medallion, and the Christy Award. Her novel When Calls the Heart, which introduces the elder Elizabeth Thatcher and Wynn Delaney, was the basis for a Hallmark Channel film and television series of the same name. The RETURN TO THE CANADIAN WEST series tells even more of the Thatcher family’s story. Janette and her husband, Edward, live in Alberta, Canada.
Laurel Oke Logan, daughter of Edward and Janette Oke, is the author of Janette Oke: A Heart for the Prairie, as well as the novels Dana’s Valley, Where Courage Calls, and Where Trust Lies, which she co-wrote with her mom. Laurel’s growing family includes six children, their spouses, and three grandsons.
Books by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan
RETURN TO THE CANADIAN WEST
Where Courage Calls • Where Trust Lies • Where Hope Prevails
Dana’s Valley
Also look for Janette Oke: A Heart for the Prairie by Laurel Oke Logan
Books by Janette Oke
Return to Harmony* • Another Homecoming* • Tomorrow’s Dream*
ACTS OF FAITH*
The Centurion’s Wife • The Hidden Flame • The Damascus Way
CANADIAN WEST
When Calls the Heart • When Comes the Spring
When Breaks the Dawn • When Hope Springs New
Beyond the Gathering Storm • When Tomorrow Comes
LOVE COMES SOFTLY
Love Comes Softly • Love’s Enduring Promise • Love’s Long Journey
Love’s Abiding Joy • Love’s Unending Legacy • Love’s Unfolding Dream
Love Takes Wing • Love Finds a Home
A PRAIRIE LEGACY
The Tender Years • A Searching HeartA Quiet Strength • Like Gold Refined
SEASONS OF THE HEART
Once Upon a Summer • The Winds of Autumn
Winter Is Not Forever • Spring’s Gentle Promise
SONG OF ACADIA*
The Meeting Place • The Sacred Shore • The Birthright
The Distant Beacon • The Beloved Land
WOMEN OF THE WEST
The Calling of Emily Evans • Julia�
�s Last Hope • Roses for Mama
A Woman Named Damaris • They Called Her Mrs. Doc
The Measure of a Heart • A Bride for Donnigan • Heart of the Wilderness
Too Long a Stranger • The Bluebird and the Sparrow
A Gown of Spanish Lace • Drums of Change
* with Davis Bunn
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
Facebook: Bethany House Twitter: @Bethany House
