His True Purpose

by Danica Favorite

  At that moment, she forgave Alexander. And once again, it hit home just how much of this had been brought about by his mistakes.

  After they finished hugging, Janie turned to Alexander. “Thank you. When I first met you, I told you the story of Joseph, and I thought I understood it. But today I am living it, and feeling the fullness in my heart of knowing that all the bad things that happened to me over the past few weeks have come together to bring a beautiful restoration for our families.”

  Sam, Katie and Ryan came running over.

  “Okay, Alexander. I got Katie and Ryan here so they can hear it too. Are you going to ask my mom to marry you? Are you going to ask to be my dad?”

  Alexander’s face fell. “I would like nothing more than that, buddy. But I was mean to your mom, and I hurt her. And even though I am so sorry for everything I put her through, it’s going to take some time for her to forgive me. But when she does, I promise, not only will I ask her, but I’ll have you help me do it, okay?”

  Tears sprang to Janie’s eyes as she watched her son run to Alexander’s arms and hold him tight. How could she have doubted Alexander’s love for her?

  Yes, he had come here under all sorts of false pretenses. When he pressed her for the truth or facts on issues, instead of lying, he would tell her he couldn’t say much. And then there were all the times he had warned her, tried to protect her heart.

  He had sacrificed his job for her, the one thing that had mattered most to him in the whole world.

  Since that horrible night, Alexander had done everything he could to prove his love for her, and until now, she’d been too blind to see it.

  She looked over at Alexander. “I don’t need time. The past few days have given me all the time I needed. I’m ready when you are.”

  Sam tugged on Alexander’s pant leg, and Alexander bent down to listen to whatever Sam whispered in his ear.

  Alexander grinned, then stepped up to Janie. He got down on one knee. “Janie, I love you.”

  Then he looked back at Sam. “What was I supposed to say next?”

  Sam groaned and came and stood beside him. “I’ll whisper in your ear what you’re supposed to say next, okay?”

  “Good plan,” Alexander said.

  Sam whispered, and Alexander spoke. “You’re the best woman I’ve ever known, and I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life without you.”

  Once again, Sam whispered in his ear, and Alexander nodded. Something about the way Alexander was letting her little boy dictate how he got to propose touched her heart in a deeper way than she’d ever thought possible. It was obvious that Alexander didn’t just love her, but Sam as well.

  “And I love your son, and I want him to be my son. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife, and letting me become Sam’s dad?”

  Sam gave a nod and stepped away. But Alexander remained in his position.

  “I know this isn’t part of the script that Sam gave me, but I also wanted to say that I’m a better man because of you. You’ve taught me the value of the real things in life, the things that matter most to me. I thought I had my life planned out, but you showed me the life I truly wanted.”

  Sam groaned. “Enough with the speeches already. You are supposed to give her a ring, she is supposed to take it, and then you are supposed to kiss.”

  Alexander couldn’t help laughing as he stood. “I guess we should have practiced before I got here. I didn’t mean to ruin your plans.”

  He looked over at Janie. “I’m sorry. I don’t have a ring. I wasn’t that optimistic. I figured at best you would be frosty and polite, and at worst, you’d punch me in the nose, because that’s what I deserve. But we can go to Denver and pick out whatever you like.”

  Janie’s dad joined their group. “It might be presumptuous of me, but since Bette died, I’ve carried her ring around in my pocket. If it’s not too weird, I know she’d love for you to have it.”

  Tears had already been forming in Janie’s eyes, but the thought of wearing her mother’s ring, the symbol of a marriage she’d always admired and wanted for herself, brought them rolling down her cheeks. More than that, it meant a symbol of her mom would be with her always, and even though she was gone, it felt like she was present for the moment.

  As Janie nodded, her father handed the ring to Alexander. Alexander didn’t even look at it before offering it to Janie. “Okay. So now I have a ring, which means I’ve done everything that Sam wants me to do, but the question is what do you want? Would you take this ring and be my wife?”

  Janie was crying too hard to do more than hold out her hand, which Alexander seemed to accept as a yes. He slid the ring onto her finger, and at that moment, every broken piece of her heart felt restored.

  No, not restored—better than ever. Multiplied beyond her wildest expectations.

  Alexander leaned into her and whispered, “I think we’re supposed to kiss now, or Sam’s going to be mad. Is that okay?”

  Janie nodded as he brought his lips to hers, and in his arms, she felt the promise of hope in a future greater than anything they could have planned for themselves—but God had brought all these events of their lives together to make it so.

  Epilogue

  One year later

  The community resource center was booming with activity as Janie entered after picking Sam up from meeting with his reading tutor. Not only had the senator’s money funded a grant for the center, but as the new executive director, Alexander had secured several other grants to strengthen the community center and make it a hub of activity for the town’s rebuilding efforts.

  It had also been enough to give a generous salary to Janie, as well as a couple other full-time staff members, to keep up the work she’d been so afraid they’d have to discontinue.

  They’d expanded into an empty storefront next door to have classrooms to help the locals, particularly those whose jobs had been lost as a result of the fire, gain new skills to help them find better employment. They’d even partnered with a college to allow people to take classes online so they could either get or finish their degrees.

  Thanks to encouragement from Alexander and her father, Janie would be using that tool as a way to finish her own degree.

  She paused at the entrance to Alexander’s office. The senator was in there, and it looked like they were having an important meeting, but just as she started to turn away, Alexander waved her in.

  As soon as Sam saw the senator, he ran to his arms. “Grandpa!”

  It was still weird to see that interaction, but it felt good to know that Sam had some connection to his entire family, that missing piece he’d always longed for. They’d all mutually agreed that now was not the time for Bucky to meet Sam, especially since Bucky still wanted nothing to do with him. But Anne was making up for the lost time of not getting to be a grandmother, and Janie’s biggest challenge was not letting the two of them spoil Sam too much.

  “The senator was just coming in to tell me that he has dropped his bid for the United States Senate, and when his seat in the Colorado Senate comes up for reelection next year, he won’t be running.”

  The senator nodded. “I lost sight of what’s important to me. Between you and Alexander, I realized so much of what I’ve been missing in life. Because of it, I failed my son. I failed to be a good example, and I failed to see what he’d turned into.”

  He gave Sam another squeeze. “Our visits to Columbine Springs have shown me the value of working directly with the people, and my dreams of helping others. Anne has me going back to church, and we’re going on a mission trip next month.”

  Sam glared at him. “You’re not going to miss my birthday, are you? You’ve never been to one of my birthdays, and my mom makes the best cake.”

  The senator smiled and ruffled Sam’s hair. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. We leave the day after.”

  His
answer satisfied Sam, who tugged at his hand. “Cool. Are you done talking about grown-up stuff? I just got a new book from my reading teacher, and she said I have to practice reading it to people. Since I’m going to read it to Mom later, we should go read it now.”

  The senator shrugged as he looked back at Janie and Alexander. “I guess I’ve been told.”

  Alexander grinned. “He does think he’s the boss around here. I’m not sure what he’s going to do when he becomes a big brother and isn’t the focus of everyone’s lives.”

  The senator stared directly at Janie’s midsection. “You’re not expecting already, are you?”

  Janie laughed. “No, not yet. We want to wait a while before bringing a baby into the mix.”

  Then Alexander pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Now shoo, so I can spend a little quality time with my wife.”

  The senator chuckled as he let Sam drag him out of the office. She could hear her son chattering down the hall, telling the senator that since he liked Katie so much, he was already asking God for a sister, but Ryan was okay, too, so he wouldn’t mind a brother.

  When they were finally alone, Alexander closed the door to his office. “Since Jim and Anne are in town, they wanted to take Sam for the evening, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to have some quality husband-wife time on our own. What do you think?”

  As he gently trailed kisses down her neck, Janie smiled. “You know, just because people tell you we should do things doesn’t mean you have to listen. You could have some ideas of your own about our marriage, you know.”

  Alexander pulled away, then smiled at her. “Why do you think Jim and Anne are here in the first place?”

  The look he gave her made her feel warm and loved.

  But then he pulled away.

  “While I would like to continue this discussion, I did want to show you something else before we got too distracted. William brought me the preliminary drawings for rebuilding your mother’s rose garden, and I can’t wait to show you what he’s come up with.”

  They’d talked about redoing the rose garden, but with the town still rebuilding, and everyone’s funds so tight, Janie had let it take a back burner, as much as she hated to do so. But the love in her husband’s eyes reminded her that the things that mattered to Janie were just as important to him.

  Once again, Janie thanked God for bringing her the man she needed when she needed him the most. She might joke about how Alexander followed people’s ideas about their marriage, especially since he’d practically been forced to propose to her by Sam, but she loved that their relationship was completely about them, and that their love for one another—and his heart—was big enough to include everyone else who cared about them as well.

  When he rolled the drawings out on the table, Janie gasped.

  “My mom always wanted a fountain in her garden, but my dad always said it was impractical.”

  “Who said love was supposed to be practical?” Alexander asked, pulling her into his arms again. “Sometimes you have to follow your heart, even if it doesn’t make sense.”

  * * *

  If you enjoyed this story, be sure to pick up the

  previous book in Danica Favorite’s

  Double R Legacy miniseries,

  The Cowboy’s Sacrifice!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from A Home for Her Daughter by Jill Weatherholt.

  Dear Reader,

  Living in Colorado high country means that we always face the danger of wildfires. It’s amazing how quickly people’s lives can change with the simple shift of the wind. My friend Shelley lost her home several years ago in the Hi Meadow fire, and while I didn’t know her at that time, our years of friendship have been full of stories of how that fire impacted her family. When I thought about putting a wildfire in my book, I knew that Shelley would be both my inspiration and resource.

  I would not be who I am or where I am without the amazing community around me, and I believe that the best way we can all make a difference is by loving and helping those around us. We can all have a positive impact on our world, and it starts with loving our neighbors. You don’t have to be rich or powerful to do that. It can be as simple as a shared meal with a friend or a phone call to let them know you care. Your genuine compassion means more to people than you can possibly know.

  Let’s all spread the love, one person at a time.

  Danica Favorite

  I love hearing from my readers! Visit my website at DanicaFavorite.com to stay in touch!

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  A Home for Her Daughter

  by Jill Weatherholt

  Chapter One

  Early Tuesday morning, Drew Brenner sat in the reception area of the Caldwell and Richardson law firm, one of two firms in Whispering Slopes—not exactly where he wanted to be on his day off. He hadn’t stepped foot inside this office since the day after he buried his family. It hadn’t changed a bit. A light coating of dust covered the artificial ficus tree in the corner. A stack of outdated magazines fanned the top of the cherry coffee table.

  A shudder rippled through him. Thankfully, Mrs. Wingo’s mahogany desk, with a blank sign-in sheet on top, sat empty this morning. He wasn’t in the mood for small talk. The ticking pendulum clock on the wall struck nine o’clock and within seconds the door behind the receptionist’s desk opened.

  “Drew, it’s good to see you.” Larry Caldwell, a portly, elderly man strolled across the hardwood floor with his hand extended. “It’s been a while. How are you doing, son?”

  Larry had been a close family friend. As a little boy, Drew’s parents often invited him and his wife over for Sunday dinner. He’d always worn a suit and today was no different. Did he ever dress in casual clothing?

  “I can’t complain.” Drew removed his hat and shook the wrinkled yet strong hand. He found comfort in the man’s presence.

  The lawyer gave Drew a once-over. “Since it’s obvious by the uniform that you’re working today, we’ll take care of this as quickly as possible. Go ahead and take a seat in the conference room. The other party should be here shortly. I’ll go see if I can figure out the coffee maker. Mrs. Wingo is coming in late today, so I’m all out of sorts.” He scurried off toward the small kitchenette, and wooden cabinets opening and slamming closed echoed down the hall.

  Typically, Drew didn’t wear his ranger uniform outside of the park, but he had a tight schedule this morning. There’d be no time to go home and change before his shift. He headed toward the conference room, pulling a peppermint from his pocket. After removing the wrapper, he popped the mint into his mouth. The cooling sensation always settled his nerves.

  Who else in Whispering Slopes had been named in Mary Applegate’s will? When the sweet lady had passed away last month, she’d left instructions that there would be no funeral or service. Drew only learned about her death when he’d received a certified letter in the mail informing him he’d been designated a beneficiary in her will.

  The bell over the front door chimed, and voices carried down the hall and into the conference room. Larry spoke, but Drew couldn’t make out what was being said as the discussion grew closer.

  When the new arrival entered the room, Drew looked up from the certified letter resting in front of him and did a double take. His breath caught in his throat. Janie Capello. He hadn’t seen her since her family moved to Chicago their sophomore year in high school, but he’d never forgotten her. Those sparkling green eyes and rich caramel hair were a dead giveaway. His mouth felt like asphalt under a blazing late-August sun as her eyes met his. Of course Mrs. Applegate would name Janie in
her will. It made perfect sense. She’d been like a mother to Janie.

  “Drew, you remember Janie Capello—sorry, it’s Edmiston now—don’t you?”

  Stunned, Drew nodded.

  “I’ll go check on the coffee while you two get reacquainted.” Larry shuffled out the door.

  Janie’s fingers touched her parted lips. “Drew? I didn’t expect to see you here.” She glided across the room, glancing toward the hardwood floor.

  Drew stood to greet his old friend. She briefly stepped into his embrace, but when her body tensed, he retreated. “It’s good to see you, Janie.” He smiled.

  “Let me take your jacket,” he offered.

  “No! I’m fine.”

  Drew didn’t respond to Janie’s curt reply. “So who is this?” He glanced down at the child holding Janie’s hand and his heart squeezed. Her blond hair and pixie cut sparked a memory of his own little girl.

  “I’m Riley Edmiston.” She grinned, revealing a missing front tooth. “I just turned seven. Do you have any kids my age?” She looked up, her almond-colored eyes full of hopefulness.

  Gazing downward, he could only shake his head.

  “Oh rats. I was hoping to meet some new people. I had lots of friends when we lived in Maryland. I didn’t want to move, but Mommy said we had to.”

  Drew turned to Janie as though looking for confirmation.

  “That’s right. My brother finally convinced us to move. You’re looking at the two newest residents of Whispering Slopes.” Janie glanced at Riley. “Until I find a place for us, we’ll be staying at Nick’s house.”

  Drew had always liked her brother Nick. He had been a senior in high school when her family moved, but he’d returned to Whispering Slopes to start a new life after losing his first wife. “I don’t see much of Nick and his family. How are they doing?”