Orchard Hill Volume Three

by Kara Lynn Russell

  “But this is where my birds are. They’re so used to being fed; I don’t know what would happen to them if I moved anywhere else.”

  He nodded. “What about the way it’s decorated? Most of the rooms I’ve seen look like they’re from the set of A Little Princess or some Victorian tale like that.”

  She shrugged, puzzled by this conversation. “My grandfather liked everything this way and I guess I’m so used to it. I’ve just never thought about changing anything since he died.”

  “But would you mind if it was changed? I mean, I couldn’t…that is, would it bother you?”

  Thoroughly bewildered by his behavior, Joy could only shake her head. He was pacing back and forth like a sentry again. She’d never seen him so agitated.

  Since Grace’s Christmas party the two of them had been practically inseparable. They worked together at the church office all day and then had supper together afterward. Over the weekend, he’d taken her Christmas shopping. Joy had never had so many presents to buy, but she wanted to say ‘thank you’ to all her new friends.

  He’d been the very embodiment of patience that day. She’d been slow and awkward on the crutches, indecisive over her purchases, and easily distracted by all the Christmas hoopla; but Isaac hadn’t complained once.

  Surely he couldn’t be nervous about the Christmas service? She’d seen him on Christmas day many times without a hint of this sort of behavior.

  “Isaac, is something wrong?”

  “Huh?” He looked up, and she realized he’d completely forgotten she was in the room.

  “Is there some reason you’re wearing a path through my rug there?”

  He looked sheepish as realization crossed his features.

  “Do you want to get going? It’s early yet, but if you have things to prepare…”

  “No, I came early because I wanted to spend a little time with you before the service. Once we get to church, I’ll be too busy.”

  “All right. Would you like some coffee? Something to eat?”

  Isaac shook his head. “No, I’m fine. I just want to be with you.”

  That statement was the best Christmas present she’d ever received. She hobbled to the sofa and sat down. “Then come and join me.”

  Instead he started pacing again. She didn’t think he was aware of it and decided not to say anything yet.

  “This has been a strange year in Orchard Hill. I’ve never seen so many engagements in such a short time. It was driving me crazy for a while.”

  “It does seem like there’ll be a stampede to the altar in this coming year.”

  “Yes.” He stopped moving, and she could tell he’d drifted away from her again. Then suddenly he turned to her and said, “How would you feel about joining the herd?”

  “What?”

  “It seems like there have been engagement announcements about every other week all year. Today, I’d like to take my turn to make an announcement.”

  Was he saying what she thought he was saying? “Isaac, can you please be a little clearer? What exactly are you asking me?”

  They stared at each other until he said, “I’m asking you to marry me, of course.”

  She put her hands to her suddenly hot cheeks. “Me?”

  “I’m certainly not talking to Mozart, and you’re the only other living being here.” His tone, sweet and loving, contradicted his flippant answer.

  “But…but Pastor’s wives are supposed to be friendly and outgoing…excellent hostesses…leaders in the church…” She didn’t think she could do all of that no matter how hard she worked to get over her social anxiety. In fact, by the way her heartbeat had sped up and her stomach was starting to knot, she could tell it hadn’t gone away at all.

  Isaac sat next to her on the couch. He reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear and caress her cheek. “Says who? I’ve never seen a handbook for the perfect pastor’s wife. All I know is that you’d be the perfect wife for me. Nothing else matters.”

  She felt her muscles tense and knot and it grew harder to draw in a breath. He couldn’t actually want this. She’d end up disappointing him, embarrassing him. If she really loved him she’d say ‘no’ right now.

  “Joy.” The gentle note in his voice broke through her racing thoughts. “Look at me.”

  Her gaze moved up to connect with his. “Don’t think about anything else but you and me. Do you love me?”

  “Of course.”

  “Do you want us to be together?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you believe God wants us to be together?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I do. We’ve had some long talks about this lately, and I’m very sure.”

  He should have stuck with his first assessment of her. She was crumbling, her anxiety destroying her from within. Isaac deserved someone so much better.

  He reached into his shirt pocket and handed her a slip of paper. “I thought this might happen,” he said. “I came prepared.”

  Joy read from the paper. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…1John 4:18.”

  “I’m not claiming to be perfect, but with His help, we can come close enough.”

  She stared at the slip of paper, reading it over to herself. The fact that he’d brought her this impressed her deeply. She realized he understood her. He knew who she was, and he still wanted to marry her.

  Love or fear? Would she follow her heart or succumb to her fear? The agitation he’d shown earlier seemed to have left, and he was now waiting patiently for her answer.

  There is no fear in love…There is no fear in love. The words swirled around in her mind and they sounded over and over again. She was not afraid of loving Isaac, only of disappointing him.

  But what was it he’d said to her on the night of the Christmas party? Something about it being better to risk making a mistake than to let life pass you by. How many years had she wasted, hiding in this house, while life passed her by? What was the point of trying to change, if she refused to accept the benefits of that change?

  “Joy,” Isaac prompted, “what are you thinking?”

  Like a key had turned in a lock, her muscles released their tension and a sense of peace and happiness flooded through her. “I think we should make that announcement.”

  “Can you be clearer? What exactly is your answer?”

  “My answer is…” She paused and looked up at him, knowing that she must be grinning like an idiot. “My answer is yes. I’ll marry you, Isaac.”

  He caught her up in a fierce embrace and kissed her. From somewhere, a ring appeared and Isaac slid it onto her finger. “This was my grandmother’s,” he told her. “I hope you like it, but if you don’t…”

  “It’s perfect,” Joy assured him.

  Joy went through the Christmas service feeling lighter and freer than she could ever remember. As she listened to the traditional reading from Luke, chapter two, she thought she’d never understood ‘the good news of great joy’ so clearly before.

  At the end of the service, just before the final hymn, Isaac declared that he had an announcement to make.

  Whispers rippled through the congregation. Not giving herself time to think about it, Joy stood from the organ. Misty slid onto the bench and whispered, “Go ahead. I’ve got this.”

  Isaac saw her and gestured that she should come and stand by him. She felt like she was floating, crutches and all. In front of the congregation, she and Isaac stood together, his arm around her shoulders. “Do you want to say it or should I?”

  For the first time in her life, Joy answered ‘I will’ to a question like that. Looking out over the sanctuary filled with people…no, with friends…Joy spoke out loud and clear. “Pastor Isaac asked me to marry him this morning, and I said ‘yes.’”

  The congregation’s response was deafening. They clapped and cheered, and Joy was certain such a ruckus was never heard before in a church. She didn’t mind though.

  When the noise had die
d down enough, Misty began the opening notes of the closing hymn, ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” Isaac insisted she stand with him to shake hands with the congregation and wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

  Joy was not foolish enough to believe her shyness had suddenly disappeared, but for right now she was free of it, and she intended to enjoy it while it lasted. She smiled and shook hands, and received congratulations and hugs and compliments on her beautiful antique ring.

  When it was Pansy’s and her family’s turn in the line, Joy saw that Pansy’s niece was still with them as well as a man she didn’t know. Delia introduced him as her fiancé. Joy noticed a look of surprise cross Isaac’s face, followed by suspicion. For some reason, he said to Pansy, “We’ll talk about this later.”

  The older woman beamed at him. “You mean you’ll thank me later. And Misty, too.”

  Isaac’s booming laugh rang out. “Maybe I will,” he agreed.

  Joy had no idea what that was all about, but she was too happy to care.

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  Orchard Hill: volume three

  Chapter 6

  Harmony was not in church the next day. Joseph tried not to feel disappointed. She hadn’t said anything about not returning his feelings. She’d said ‘you don’t need me.’ That was different.

  When a week had passed without a glimpse of Harmony, he began to feel concerned. Another week, and he was grouchier than a bear woken in midwinter, something Hope commented on one evening after the education committee meeting at church. The other members had gone, but Hope and Joseph lingered to talk.

  “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I’ve been putting in a lot of hours lately. I must be overtired.”

  Hope tilted her head, studying him. “Somehow I don’t think that’s it.”

  Joseph started to scowl, but stopped himself in time to attempt nonchalance as he said, “Why would you think that?”

  “Abby says she hasn’t seen Harmony around since the dinner party. You two were getting along so well. What happened?”

  Joseph shrugged. “She wasn’t interested.”

  “There has to be more to it than that,” Hope insisted.

  “Believe it or not, there are women out there who aren’t interested in a forty-something single father of three and guardian of the Terrible Trio.”

  She frowned. “Somehow I don’t think Harmony is one of them. She said something to Faith and me when we were doing dishes…Oh, maybe it’s nothing.”

  “What was it?” Maybe it could help him understand why Harmony was avoiding him.

  “I don’t know if it’s something she wanted repeated.”

  “Hope, you can’t leave me hanging now. You know I’ll keep whatever you say to myself.” He didn’t want to sound like it, but he was ready to beg. How had Harmony become so important to him in such a short time? He didn’t know, but there was nothing he could do about it.

  “You really like Harmony, don’t you?”

  “Is that so hard to believe?” Joseph grumbled.

  “Yes! Joseph, you haven’t given any woman a second glance since…”

  “Since Cheryl died, I know.”

  Hope wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “Are you all right?

  He hugged his sister back. “Yeah. I don’t even feel guilty about it. Is that bad?”

  A soft, brief laugh escaped her. “No, Joseph. Cheryl would be the first to tell you that.”

  “So, will you tell me what Harmony said?”

  “All right.” Hope filled him in on the conversation between herself, Faith and Harmony and then concluded with Harmony’s statement.

  “Sometimes a little mess is a blessing,” he repeated. “Thanks Hope. I’m going to talk to her.”

  ****

  Harmony hit the send button and her finished manuscript was on its way to her editor, via her new email account. She’d gotten so tired of deleting email from Blake that she’d switched to a new account and given the address only to her editor and her parents.

  The “message sent” flag came up, and that was it. Her baby was gone.

  For the last two weeks Harmony had worked almost non-stop to finish her cookbook before the deadline. Her freezer was completely full. The dishes were done, and now, the manuscript was sent. No more work to distract her from her troubles.

  The cloud of depression that had hovered over her since Joseph had kissed her, now threatened to descend and smother her. All the prayer and devotions in the world wouldn’t be able to hold it back now, she feared. She’d just have to hold on to her faith and weather the storm.

  She shut down her laptop and stared around her. The kitchen was immaculate. Her whole house was immaculate. What would she do tomorrow? Where would she find a reason to get out of bed?

  Lost in her own gloomy thoughts, Harmony didn’t hear the knock on her door at first. When she realized someone was practically pounding at her kitchen door, she got up to answer it. As she reached for the doorknob, she saw with horror that it was Blake’s face framed in the window. She backed away, but the door wasn’t locked. He opened it himself and walked in.

  ****

  Joseph parked his truck in his own driveway, but walked over to Harmony’s before going home. There was a light on in the kitchen, so he went around to the back.

  The door was ajar. He stepped in, and then took a step back in surprise when he saw Harmony in the arms of a strange man. He froze in the shadows of the doorway. But once his brain began processing the scene in front of him, he realized that Harmony was fighting to free herself from his embrace.

  She twisted away. He barely had time to take in her distraught expression and tear-stained cheeks before she cried, “Stop it, Blake. You know it’s over between us. Why are you here?”

  “I had to talk to you, and you won’t answer my emails.” He spoke in a soothing tone and advanced toward Harmony again. “I need you, baby. You have to come back.”

  Harmony shook her head violently. “You know I won’t do that. You aren’t really interested in me anyway. It’s the television show you care about. You…you tried to control me by romancing me.”

  “How can you say that?”

  Joseph couldn’t see the man’s face but he sounded sincerely hurt by Harmony’s accusation.

  “Would I follow you all the way out to this Podunk town if I didn’t love you?” he asked.

  “If there was something in it for you, you’d follow me to Mars.”

  “I admit that I want you to go back to work, but that’s not the only reason I want you back. You believe that, don’t you?”

  “No.” The single word was saturated with bitterness.

  “All right. The Home and Garden Network has shown an interest in the show. This could be a great opportunity for both of us. You have to come back. I promise I’ll make everything all right.”

  “You’ve lied to me before.”

  “I’m sorry about that, really, but it doesn’t have to be a problem. There’s no reason why we can’t still see each other.”

  “Not a problem? Is that how your wife sees it, Blake?”

  Silence followed. Apparently Blake had no answer to that. Instead he stepped toward her and reached out as if to take Harmony into his embrace again. Joseph decided it was time to make his presence known. He stepped in front of Harmony, saying, “You’ve been asked to leave. It doesn’t sound like you’re welcome here.”

  The man paused, obviously surprised by Joseph’s sudden appearance. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Harmony’s neighbor.”

  “This is none of your business,” he snarled at Joseph.

  “I’m making it my business. Now, Harmony asked you to leave.”

  Blake eyed up Joseph, as if judging what his success might be if it came to a fight. He was obviously someone who sat at a desk all day while Joseph earned his living through physical labor. There was no doubt of who was in better shape. Blake snapped, “Harmony, tell your friend to go.”

  She mo
ved forward to talk to Blake over Joseph’s shoulder. He could feel her trembling and his anger at the intruder deepened.

  “I don’t want him to go, Blake. I want you to go.”

  “If you’d just let me explain…”

  “You’re married. You can’t explain that away.”

  “She’s got a point,” Joseph said, grimly.