Heart of Love

by Shanna Hatfield

  “It was lovely,” Anna said. “I’ve never seen a moon quite like the one out tonight.”

  Jake told Anna on the ride back to the house that his mom helped pick out the ring and couldn’t wait to make the news official. He wanted to tease his mom a little, so he hid Anna’s left hand with his, making it impossible to see if she wore the ring.

  “Yeah, it was pretty cool. Have you ever studied the harvest moon, Mom?” Jake asked innocently. “Did you know it only comes out between mid-September and early October and the reason it looks so big and orange is because…”

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake, I don’t care about the moon,” Maggie said, exasperated. “Did you ask her, Jake?”

  “Ask me what?” Anna asked naively, turning to stare at Jake. He thought she provided a stellar performance.

  “Oh, well, I was, um…” Jake stammered, further frustrating his poor mother. She grew quiet and looked like she might swallow her tongue or crawl under the table, whichever would end her suffering faster.

  Jake let a lengthy pause fill the kitchen before winking at Anna. She whipped out her hand and wiggled it in front of Maggie.

  Maggie let out the breath she’d been holding, jumped up, and hugged Anna with a squeal of joy.

  Tom hurried in from the living room. After spying the diamond on Anna’s hand, he slapped Jake on the back. “It’s about time you realized you’ve got the sweetest girl in the world. Congratulations, son.” He embraced Anna in a hug and welcomed her to the family.

  Jake hugged his dad and kissed his mom. Maggie hurried to the phone to call Bobbi with the good news.

  Still smiling over his mother’s antics, Jake walked Anna out to her car. Slowly swinging their joined hands, neither of them wanted the evening to end.

  Jake leaned against her car and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close. He lowered his head to hers and teased her mouth with his. She returned his affection, sharing a sweet kiss filled with promises and love.

  Anna sagged against him and clung to his jacket with her head beneath his chin, her breath warm on his neck.

  “I love you so much, Sugar. You mean the world to me and I’m the one who’s honored to have your love.” Jake rubbed her back and placed a kiss to the top of her head. “We’ll be so happy, Anna, just you wait and see.”

  “I don’t have to wait, Jake. I’ve never, in my life, been any happier than I am right at this moment,” Anna whispered, raising her head to look into his warm blue eyes. “You’ve already brought so many wonderful things into my life. Things I would never have known or experienced without you. Just like tonight. Until you, I’d never taken the time to stop and look at a harvest moon or gaze up at the stars. The gifts you give me are beyond measure and your love is the best of all.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Anna and her mom filled the last of a tray full of treat sacks with candy and tied them with orange and black ribbon as Jake tapped on the kitchen door and stepped inside.

  “Happy Halloween! It looks like the little goblins will get some great treats here.” Jake grinned, snagging a lollipop out of an open sack.

  Anna gave him an indulgent smile. When he reached for another, she slapped his hand. Sue took pity on him and gave him his own sack of candy.

  “At least your mom likes me,” he said, sitting down next to Sue and giving her shoulders an affectionate squeeze.

  “How’s my favorite future son-in-law?” Sue asked with a smile. She couldn’t wait for Anna and Jake to get married. If the two of them could just get around to setting a date, everything would be perfect. It had been three and a half weeks since Jake proposed, but he and Anna still hadn’t picked a date for the wedding.

  “Fantastic. I came to see if I could steal Anna away for a while to do a little trick-or-treating.” Jake gave Anna a wink, sucking on his lollipop.

  “Trick-or-treating?” Anna laughed in disbelief. “Are you serious? That’s the silliest thing I’ve heard all day. We’re way too old!”

  “Who says?” Jake teased. “Come on. Grab your coat and let’s go. It’ll be fun.”

  “Why do I think you’ve got something else planned besides ringing doorbells and snitching candy?” Anna rose from her seat at the table and disappeared down the hall. She soon returned wearing a warm sweater, jeans, and hiking boots with a jacket draped over her arm.

  Jake glanced at her with approval. “Ready to go?”

  “I’m as ready as I can get.” After walking with Jake out to his pickup, he held the door while she climbed in.

  He shut her door and ran around to the driver’s side, barely able to contain his excitement.

  “Where are we going, fancy boy? It’s not a Halloween party is it?” Anna looked panicked at the idea of a party as he pulled onto the highway and headed toward Tenacity.

  “No party,” Jake said flatly, remembering the fiasco that resulted from the last one they attended. Then again, maybe it didn’t turn out too badly, since it caused them to admit how much they loved each other.

  “Am I going to have to pry it out of you?” Anna gently twisted his thumb in her hand.

  “No, Sugar, just sit tight.” Jake laughed and brought her hand to his lips for a quick kiss. He needed to distract her and searched for a good topic. “What was your favorite Halloween costume when you were a kid?”

  They discussed fond Halloween memories and favorite treats before Jake turned off the highway halfway back to town. A few miles down the road, and he turned onto a narrow dirt road that wound around a little hill, ending in front of an English-style cottage. Twin lights blazed on the porch, throwing a warm glow out into the fading evening light.

  Anna could make out a barn, shop, and other buildings in the background. Picture perfect, the buttery yellow house bore a fresh coat of white trim. Six white posts held up the wide porch, fronted by pretty balustrade that curved around and down the front steps.

  “Who lives here, Jake?” Anna asked. He opened her door and took her hand, leading her down the sidewalk and up the wide porch steps. “What a beautiful house.”

  Jake rang the bell then patted his pockets, acting as if he’d forgotten something. He backed down the steps, and instructed Anna to wait. He pretended to go to his pickup, but as soon as Anna turned to study the house, he ran around to the back door.

  Annoyed with Jake for ringing the bell then running off, Anna pasted on a smile to greet whoever lived at the house. She detected hurried footsteps approaching the front of the house and stared in shock when Jake opened the door with a broad grin.

  “Trick-or-treat!”

  “Jake, what are you doing?” she asked as he opened the door wider and gave her a goofy grin. She started to take a step inside, but Jake scooped her into his arms and swung her around as he walked into a well-lit foyer.

  Anna glared at him, trying to figure out what had come over Jake. “What are we doing here? Whose house is this?”

  “Ours.” He looked deep into her eyes, overcome with emotion at finally having Anna in the house. “It’s ours. Welcome home, Anna.”

  Anna looked around the foyer then back at Jake as he slowly set her down.

  “Ours?” Confused, Anna was uncertain she’d heard him correctly.

  “This will be our home. Once we’re married, I want to spend the rest of forever here. With you.” Jake wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his cheek against her temple.

  “Oh, Jake,” Anna whispered, turning so she could see his face. “You mean it? It’s really ours?”

  “Yep.”

  Anna threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. “Has anyone ever mentioned that you’re the most wonderful man in the world?”

  “Not for at least a day or two,” Jake teased, kissing her again.

  “Tell me everything. How did you find the house? How old is it? What’s outside? Tell me everything.”

  Jake told Anna how he came to own the house, about all his friends and family giving of their time and talents to hel
p renovate it, even about how he had her pick out things for the house without her knowing she chose for herself.

  As they walked hand-in-hand through the house, Anna couldn’t hide her pleasure or excitement.

  From the outside, she thought the cottage style home with the wrap-around porch and dormers appeared charming.

  Inside, she couldn’t have loved the house more if she had designed it herself. Hardwood floors ran throughout, doorways were wide and curved, and unique architectural touches provided a reminder that the home was originally constructed in an era nearly forgotten.

  The foyer offered a coat closet to her right and a doorway into what would be the dining room to her left. Straight ahead, she could see into a great room with a large fireplace and a bank of windows that overlooked the backyard as well as a door leading out to the porch. A short hallway to the right led to a bathroom and two bedrooms. A hallway to the left led to the kitchen, across from the dining room, and continued on to two other closed doors.

  Jake knew she’d love the breakfast nook with bay windows and the configuration of the cabinets in the kitchen. A walk-in pantry sat next to a doorway that opened to steps going both up and down, a small mudroom and outside entry. A trip upstairs revealed another bedroom and bathroom, two large storage closets and an open gathering area. Anna could envision an office there, with light from the dormered windows spilling across the space, creating a sunny and airy atmosphere. There would also be plenty of room for bookshelves.

  Down in the basement, Anna discovered a large open room that Jake thought would work well as a family room, and a place to put his gym equipment. Back on the main floor, Jake opened a doorway just down the hall from the kitchen to reveal a laundry room with a large sink and a set of shelves. There were also several storage closets and cupboards tucked into nooks and crannies throughout the house.

  The rooms still needed to be painted, the floors finished, and there wasn’t a stick of furniture in the house except for a card table and four chairs. Regardless, Anna could picture the haven this home would become for them in the years ahead.

  Jake stopped outside another door at the end of the hallway. “Anna, I… umm… well, this wasn’t…” After a deep breath, he started again. “This room wasn’t part of the original house. We added it on. I wanted it to be special for you, for us.”

  He opened the door and Anna walked into a spacious room. French doors opened out onto the porch and a fireplace marked the corner of one wall, highlighted by a beautiful carved mantle. A smaller doorway on the other end of the room opened into a wonderful bathroom complete with a walk-in shower, deep garden tub, double vanity, and a walk-in closet with built-in shelving.

  She turned back to Jake and gave him a warm smile while tears formed in her eyes. “How did you know? How could you choose everything so perfectly, Jake? It is so much better than anything I could ever have dreamed.”

  Jake hugged her tightly to his chest. “You’re better than anything I could ever have dreamed. I can’t wait to marry you and get started on our forever.” As they walked back into the bedroom, Jake offered her the smile he knew made her knees go weak, then dropped his voice to a husky rumble as he bent close to her ear. “And get started on a few other things as well.”

  “Jake…” Anna blushed and slapped playfully at his chest. He engulfed her in a bear hug, tickling her sides until she begged for mercy.

  After wandering through the house again, Anna didn’t want to leave. Jake ordered take-out and ran into town to pick it up while Anna stayed behind, admiring every inch of sweat and labor Jake, along with his friends and family, put into the house. Overwhelmed by what they’d accomplished, she bowed her head and said a prayer of thanks for the wonderful man God sent into her life. She brushed away a tear and glanced up to find Jake watching her, smiling.

  The gas fireplace in their future bedroom was functional, so they sat on folding chairs and ate Chinese food in the warm glow from the fire, talking about their dreams and making plans for their home.

  As he drove Anna home, Jake didn’t know if he could handle any more of her gratitude. She thanked him repeatedly, chatting animatedly about making the house their home.

  “Tell you what, Sugar,” he teased as he walked her to the back door. “I plan on you thanking me properly just as soon as our wedding is a done deal.”

  Anna flushed a becoming shade of pink as she tugged him inside the house, calling for her mom. “You’ll never believe the treat I got, Mom. Jake gave me a house!”

  Any spare moment they had, Anna and Jake worked at The Cottage, as Anna decided it would be called. She was not impressed with the “dung heap” name Jake had given it and everyone agreed it was no longer Grammy’s place.

  Both her family and his stopped by to help when they could, wielding paint brushes, making repairs to the out buildings, anything that needed to be done.

  The prospect of furnishing each room proved challenging. Jake and Anna stood in a furniture store, unable to decide on colors and styles. Anna finally turned to Jake, fatigued and deflated.

  “Jake, do you think Callan would help us? I know she’s an event planner, but she has such beautiful taste,” Anna asked as they made another circle around the store.

  Jake pulled out his phone and placed a call. Callan immediately agreed to help with the project and offered to meet with them the next day to discuss details. Jake didn’t really care what Anna selected. “You and Callan can decorate the house however you like, Sugar, except the master bedroom. When you get ready to do it, let me know.”

  Anna laughed at him and gathered more samples.

  Callan and Anna worked well together. Jake suspected it was the fact that they had so much in common with similar tastes. Anna was impressed with all the information and resources Callan provided and how easily she pulled the details together.

  First, she and Anna worked through everything on paper. They matched up fabric and color swatches, cut out pictures of furniture and décor styles they liked and created a file for each room. Once they had everything in the folder they thought they needed, they used grid paper to lay out the room design to visualize how everything would work together. They researched the furniture options, measuring each piece, making sure every selection would fit perfectly.

  Jake was amazed at how fabulous their home was going to look, at least on paper. For now, they had the folding table and chairs and an old couch his mom had stored in the garage, so they could at least have somewhere to sit when they needed a rest.

  A few days before Christmas, Jake bought a little tree and set it up in front of the great room windows on the card table. Anna was thoroughly surprised and insisted on putting a gift under it for Jake. He shook the box so many times, he decided if it was breakable, it was probably in a hundred pieces. However, Anna wouldn’t relent and let him open it. He returned the favor and stuck a box under the tree for her.

  Christmas Eve day they spent some time alone, enjoying the peace and quiet of their home before they headed off to family gatherings. As they sat in the great room on the old couch, in front of a crackling fire, Jake handed Anna her gift. She opened it and stared at a John Deere tractor ornament. She turned a puzzled look to Jake.

  His warm gaze made heat pool in her belly and her heart race while his words turned her into a sappy mess. “I fell completely in love with you the day you jumped off the tractor in those purple boots and ball cap. You walked straight into my heart.”

  Anna couldn’t speak around the lump in her throat. She hugged Jake tightly and thanked him with a kiss.

  She handed him the little box from under the tree and he opened it, revealing an ornament of an open book. Squinting, he read the tiny letters written on the book’s page.

  He bumped into my world,

  Knocked it all askew,

  But one look in his eyes

  With certainty I knew,

  To the hidden places of my heart

  He held the only key,

  And
opened up the door

  By simply loving me.

  Deeply touched by the poem, Jake turned to look Anna. “Did you write this?”

  She nodded her head.

  “It’s wonderful, Sugar.” Carefully holding the ornament in his hand, Jake tamped down his emotion. Anna thought he had done so much for her, but she was the one who’d given his life a new meaning.

  “Do you have any idea what a very special person you are?” She blushed, but her eyes glowed with love. Jake leaned over and kissed her cheek. “You are a blessing to me, Sugar. I don’t want you to ever forget it.”

  By January, Anna and Callan planned the entire house décor. Anna located a warehouse furniture store in Portland that offered discounts for large orders. She and Jake made the hour-long trip to the city with Clay and Callan and turned it into a fun Saturday outing.

  Although Jake and Clay pretended to be uninterested in picking out the furniture, appliances and accessories, they offered good opinions, asked thoughtful questions, and helped the girls decide on what would be the best selections.

  Callan thought it was wonderful that Jake and Anna were able to start out with a newly remodeled house full of new things. Not every newlywed couple would be that fortunate, but then again, not every couple had pinched their pennies and saved their earnings like these two, either.

  Jake and Anna had such similar ways of thinking about some of the things most couples could never agree on like finances, domestic responsibilities, and religion. Callan was especially pleased with the topic of religion. Jake regularly attended the little country church with Anna. For the first time in his life, he seemed to enjoy what he learned. That was no small miracle. They could all thank Anna for Jake turning aside from his partying friends and growing up.

  As they walked around the store, Callan and Anna referred to the details they’d labored over for the past couple of months and collected in a binder.