by Beth K. Vogt
But she forced herself to stand still. To not overreact. Just because Stephen was here didn’t mean anything had changed.
Haley turned back the cover and stared at the penciled sketch slipped into a clear protective plastic page. With her index finger, she traced the erased and redrawn lines, flipping the page over and reading the scribbled supply list.
“It’s the tree house—your and Sam’s tree house.”
“Exactly.”
“I told you I had the tree in the backyard cut down.”
“I know.”
“Seeing this makes me wish I still had that tree . . . I mean, a healthy tree for a tree house.”
“I may be able to help with that.” Stephen tapped the sketch with his forefinger. “Turn the page.”
Haley gasped when she saw the color photograph of the completed tree house, updated with prefabricated material that wouldn’t warp or dry out, with a sturdy ladder and a Plexiglas window instead of a crooked square opening in one of the walls.
“This is amazing. Who . . . who designed this?”
“I did.” The smile on Stephen’s face was reminiscent of the ten-year-old boy who’d helped his brother build a tree house in their backyard. “Well, Jared helped, too. And our team.”
“Y-your team? I’m confused.”
“I went into business with Jared.”
“I know you did—but I thought you were designing houses—I mean real houses.”
“Our clients consider these real houses. We’re building one as a guest room. The business we started is Family Trees.” He flipped through pages, showing different designs. “We create high-end tree houses.”
That’s why Stephen had come to see her, after three months? To talk about his new business venture? To show her photographs of tree houses? Haley swallowed the acidic taste building in the back of her throat. She wanted to be happy for Stephen—she would be happy for him. He was following his dreams.
“Thank you for showing these to me. They’re magnificent. I haven’t seen anything like them.”
“Do you have a favorite?”
Stephen slid even closer, distracting Haley’s attention from the photographs. “A favorite?”
“Yes.” He flipped the pages back and forth between different designs. “Which one would you want to build for Peanut?”
“Well, you know I love the original.” She turned back to the first photograph, the upgraded version of the brothers’ tree house, labeled PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM. She flipped back to another design, one with stairs winding around the tree trunk and a circular stained glass window. “But this one . . . it makes me think of all the stories I’ve read with adventures and a little bit of magic . . .”
“NEVERENDING STORY—that’s one of my favorites, too.”
“I’m just sorry I no longer have a tree—I’d want you to build this for Kit.”
“That’s the second thing I wanted to show you.” He turned to the middle section of the portfolio. “What do you think of this?”
Haley looked at the new sketch and back at Stephen. He wore the cologne that always made her want to lean into him. But obviously the man wanted to talk business. “This is . . . a set of house plans?”
“Right again.” Stephen pointed out different details. “Four bedrooms. Two and a half baths. Two-car garage. Unfinished basement. Half-an-acre lot—with trees. I’ve walked the property, and there’s a perfect one for the tree house.”
“It’s . . . wonderful, Stephen.” What was going on? Why did Stephen want to show her any of this? “But if I’m not mistaken, this house is located in Oregon.”
“True.”
“So you want to build a tree house for Kit in Oregon? What, is she going to play in it when—if—we come out to visit you?”
“Well, that question leads me to my third proposition.”
“Proposition?”
“Proposition. Point. Proposal.”
“You’re confusing me, Stephen.”
“Then I’ll speak plainly.” Stephen set the folder on the bench behind him.
“Stephen, what are you doing?”
“I’m being courageous. Your movie hero John Wayne said, ‘Courage is being scared to death . . . and saddling up anyway.’ ”
Haley leaned away from him, eyebrow lifted. “Did you just quote John Wayne to me?”
“Yes. And here’s another John Wayne truism for you: ‘Life is hard, but it’s harder when you’re stupid.’ Well, I’m not going to be stupid and walk away from the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I’m going to stop being so afraid of what everyone else might think if I fell in love with you. I never stopped and asked God what he thought. I didn’t see his hand in all this—that our loving each other could be good and right.” Stephen took her hand in his, holding it against his heart. “I know traditionally I should get down on one knee, but I want to look in your eyes when I say this.” His voice wavered for a moment, then strengthened. “Haley Ames, I love you. It’s crazy. But it’s the truth—and I want the joy of loving you and Kit forever—in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, until death parts us.”
Stephen’s declaration left her speechless.
Tree houses.
Real houses—in Oregon.
And now Stephen had come back for her. Quoted John Wayne as he confessed his love for her.
Stephen couldn’t know how many times Haley had dreamed of his kissing her, but the memory of those too-few moments when he held her evaporated as he pulled her close, the strength of his arms a welcome haven. He was going to kiss her again . . . finally.
She turned her face away, pressing both hands against his chest. “Stephen—stop!”
He stilled, his face turning pale. “What’s wrong?”
“You told me that you weren’t going to kiss me again until I admitted I wanted you to kiss me.”
His arms tightened around her again, and from the wicked gleam in the depths of his brown eyes, she knew there was no chance of escaping. “And do you want me to kiss you?”
“Oh, yes—”
With a husky laugh, Stephen fulfilled her request. Her arms slid up his chest to his shoulders, pulling him close. The echo of Stephen’s laugh intertwined with the familiar scent of him, the taste of his mouth, how he cradled her close, making her feel treasured. Even as he fulfilled her longing for him, he created a deeper desire, one that would take a lifetime to satisfy.
God had promised her more, and the chance to love Stephen Ames—to accept that he loved her—was abundantly more than Haley dared to ask for. But this moment wasn’t about asking. It was about saying yes to all Stephen was offering.
She allowed herself to respond without hesitation, without reserve. Let her kiss be her answer. When he started to end the kiss, she whispered, “Not yet,” and captured his lips again.
When he pulled away again with a low moan, Haley hid her face against his shoulder. Stephen’s breath rasped in her ear. “Haley . . . you can’t kiss me like that and not marry me.”
Haley caught her breath, running her fingers through the hair that curled just along the nape of his neck. “I love how you wear your hair long.”
Stephen pressed a kiss to the palm of her hand. “Thank you.”
“And I love the cologne you wear—it always makes me want to ask you to put your arms around me and pull me close.”
Another kiss—so warm—pressed to the pulse beating in her wrist. “I’ll wear it every day, then.”
“And I love how you protect me—and come back for me. No one’s ever done that for me—except my brother David, one time when I was bullied in school.”
Stephen’s laughter rumbled in his chest. “So you’re telling me I remind you of your brother?”
“No—not at all. When I look at you I see you—Stephen Rogers Ames.”
He cradled her face in his hands and pressed a kiss just at the corner of her mouth. “I love you, Haley. But you haven’t answered my question.”
“I never he
ard a question.” Haley tried to hide her smile by placing a quick kiss on Stephen’s lips.
“Then let me make myself perfectly clear: Haley, will you please marry me?”
“Oh, that’s what this is all about.”
“Haley . . .” Stephen’s arms tightened around her.
“Yes.” She traced the outline of his face. “I love you, Stephen. Now, please . . . kiss me again.”
acknowledgments
The catalyst for Somebody Like You was as simple as this: I am a twin—a fraternal twin. Growing up, my twin sister and I looked so unlike each other we had a difficult time convincing people we were sisters, much less twins. I took my real life and twisted and turned it into the premise for this novel.
What I didn’t know was that the thread of estrangement woven through Somebody Like You would become a real-life, “God, help me” experience. I’m thankful that while I was surprised by fiction becoming personal, God was not. He was faithful to help me write my novel—and He is faithful to help me walk out the realities of my life, day by day. He is trustworthy, compassionate, and patient.
Like most writers, I strive to balance my real life and my writing life. Sometimes real life wins, sometimes writing life wins, and most days are a glorious, haphazard mix of real life and writing life—and just enough sleep and never enough housework.
I am a better writer because of those who anchor me to the real world: my husband, Rob, and our children:
• Josh and our daughter-in-love, Jenelle
• Katie Beth and our son-in-love, Nate, and our first grandchild, Ali Beth
• Amy and our son-in-love, David
• Christa, our “caboose kiddo,” who is plunging us into the teen years again because, well, why not?
And what can I say except thank you, thank you, thank you to Sonia Meeter and Shari Hamlin, who have embraced the role of Preferred Readers? You’ve both jumped into the deep end of the imaginary world with me—and my novels are better because of your input. Thank you, too, for joining with Barbara Haynes and being my spiritual ground support and praying for me as I wrote Somebody Like You.
My writing life overflows with both imaginary people who interrupt my days and nights and very real people who helped me brainstorm, fast-draft, revise, and wrestle into submission Somebody Like You.
There are so many reasons why author Rachel Hauck is the 2013 ACFW Mentor of the Year—and I’m over-the-moon thankful that she pours her talent and her prayers into my life via Skype, texts, Instant Messages, FaceTime, and those oh-so-wonderful true face-to-face times. She and author Susan May Warren, also an ACFW Mentor of the Year, have both influenced me greatly as a novelist, but even more I follow them as they follow Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1) along the writing road.
The My Book Therapy Leadership Team—David, Edie, Alena, Lisa, Melissa, Michelle, Rachel, Reba, and Susie—keeps me sane. Every writer needs a “safety net,” and they are mine—a safe place to ask questions, request prayers, vent, and find wisdom and encouragement for this journey.
I will be forever grateful for the day agent Rachelle Gardner with Books and Such Literary Agency took me on as a client. She embodies all the best in the word “literary agent.”
Being a Howard Books author means working with such talented and supportive people as editor Jessica Wong, art director Bruce Gore, production editor Linda Sawicki, and Holly Halverson as a freelance editor. It doesn’t get better than this.
And a special thank-you to Nikki Carroll for helping me develop some of the basic details for Haley working at a gun range. Any literary misfires are mine.
Howard Books Reading Group Guide
somebody like you
Beth K. Vogt
Stephen and Sam Ames had big plans for their lives. Growing up as identical twins, they shared everything from toys to dreams of owning a Mustang. But the painful aftermath of their parents’ divorce and the reality of the war in Afghanistan set them on separate paths and changed their relationship forever. As Stephen begins a journey to make peace with his brother, he discovers one more thing they share, which will require him to step out in faith and trust God for the outcome.
Topics & Questions for Discussion
1. Based on the description in the prologue, how would you describe Stephen and Sam’s relationship when they were young boys? How would you describe Stephen? Sam?
2. What does Stephen’s conversation with his boss about the pending layoffs in chapter one reveal about his character?
3. How would you describe Haley Ames as she enters the story in chapter two? What did you feel toward her when you first met her?
4. What happened that created distance and tension in Stephen and Sam’s relationship? In what ways did each of them contribute to the rift in their relationship? Have you ever experienced a similar change in a close relationship? How did you respond?
5. Describe how Haley’s family of origin influenced the way she related to her femininity. What were the Jordan family rules? How do they compare with God’s design for Haley as his daughter?
6. What do you think Stephen was looking for when he went to visit Haley Ames after his brother’s death? Have you experienced the loss of a close family member or friend? What were some of the ways you expressed your grief?
7. In what ways did Stephen and Sam turn out to be identical? In what ways were they very different from each other?
8. What did Haley’s growing friendship with Stephen reveal about her marriage to Sam? How did she deal with her pain and disappointment during their marriage?
9. Do you think Stephen and Sam’s parents had any responsibility for the distance that developed in the brothers’ relationship? How might they have fostered a different outcome?
10. Why did Haley have her heart set on a baby boy? In what ways did baby Kit serve as a catalyst for change in Haley’s life?
11. How would you describe Haley’s relationship with God in the aftermath of Sam’s death? What shifted or changed as the story unfolded?
12. Haley says: “Praying feels like trickles of water coming out of a hose when someone has tied a big knot in it somewhere.” Have you ever related to this description of prayer? Explain.
13. What role did Lily, the childbirth instructor, play in Haley’s life?
14. What was the misunderstanding that created distance between Stephen and Haley before Sam’s memorial service? How could each of them have handled the situation differently? What got in the way of honest, direct communication?
15. What happened to Haley’s heart as she experienced Stephen’s consistent care? How is Stephen a Christ figure in this story? Describe Haley as the story finishes in contrast with the beginning.
16. How did you respond to Stephen and Haley’s developing relationship?
Enhance Your Book Club
1. Spend some time reflecting on your family motto or a friend’s family motto. Connections to think about might include money, conflict, gender roles, etc. Consider how your motto either reflects or contradicts God’s design for us as His children. Discuss what you learned with your book club.
2. Read Psalm 32. Think about relationships in your life that may have ended abruptly or with an unresolved conflict. Ask God for guidance about how to process any remaining grief or anger.
3. Think about someone within your community who is a widow or a widower (potentially a military widow or widower). Discuss ways to serve and encourage them and consider using the time of your next book club meeting to provide tangible help and encouragement to them.
4. Invite someone who is an identical twin to talk to your book club. Explore the differences between someone who grows up as a twin and others who have non-twin siblings.
A Conversation with Beth K. Vogt
You have said that your first novel, Wish You Were Here, took three years to write and your second one, Catch a Falling Star, took three months. How about this one?
Somebody Like You was also written in a shorter time frame—about three mo
nths. However, I tore this novel apart in the editing process in a way I’ve never done with any of my other books. I was challenged by both my mentor and my editors—but even more, the issues within this novel demanded a whole new attention to detail and a willingness to delve into emotion.
What was your inspiration for writing Somebody Like You?
The initial catalyst for this novel was the fact that I’m a twin. I took the basic twin storyline and turned it inside, outside, upside down and finally created the story of Haley, Sam, and Stephen.
You’ve indicated that you like to distill your stories down to questions. What was the main question for Somebody Like You?
I started with the question: Can a young widow fall in love with her husband’s reflection? Hidden within that is the novel’s story question, which is: Is it ever wrong to love someone?
How did your experience of being a twin influence the story line? Are you an identical twin?
I understand the experience of being a twin in a very different way from Sam and Stephen because my sister and I are fraternal twins. Growing up, we had a difficult time convincing people we were sisters, much less twins. My sister and I were very different and yet we experienced the pressure of comparison from teachers and friends, which pushed us apart for a lot of years. And so, because of that, I can understand the separation Sam and Stephen experienced.
Haley Ames struggles to open herself up to vulnerability and intimacy throughout the story. Why do you think this is such a common struggle for women today?
We each experience events in our lives that create wounds that tell us we aren’t good enough, we aren’t beautiful enough . . . we aren’t enough. And then we compare ourselves to others, believing other women have it all together and we’re the only one who struggles.
