“I know, but can’t we stay a little longer?” She never wanted this closeness to end. How blessed she was to have this second chance to love and be loved.
He looked over his shoulder. “I’m afraid we’re about to be interrupted. My brothers are coming this way.”
She took a step back and gave a small cry of pain.
He grasped her to keep her from falling and held her close. “Is it your knee?”
She nodded. “I reckon I’ve been up on it too long.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist. “Lean on me. I will help you back to your house, unless I need to carry you.”
She kept her face pressed against his shoulder. Breathlessly, she said, “I think you had better carry me.”
He swung her up into his arms. “This is getting to be a habit.”
She nuzzled his neck. “It’s a habit I quite enjoy.”
Levi stared into her eyes so full of love for him. “Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.”
Sadness filled her eyes briefly, but it faded as she looked up at him. “I know.”
“You haven’t asked me what sort of gift I might like.”
“Let me guess, a new rod and reel?”
“Not even close. All I want is your answer to a very important question, but I want it today, before Christmas. Will you marry me, Sarah Wyse?”
She bit her lip, then nodded. “I will.”
He swung her around as joy pushed aside the last doubt from his heart. When she shrieked, he stopped and kissed her again. “Thank you. That is truly the best Christmas gift I have ever received.”
“How soon are we moving to Colorado?” she asked with a grin.
He looked at her in surprise. “Just like that you’re willing to go to Colorado? To leave all your friends and family? It might be years before we can come back for a visit.”
“I know it will not be an easy thing, but I want you to follow your dream. You follow it. I will follow you.”
“The decision is that simple for you?”
“I reckon it’s as simple as can be. I want you to rise each morning and see God’s glory in the mountains from our front porch.”
He no longer needed to run away from the woman he couldn’t have. “I’ve changed my mind about that.”
“Really? Why?”
“Because God, in His goodness, has delivered to me something more beautiful than the highest mountains. I won’t even have to walk out on my porch to see it. My beautiful wife, my best Christmas gift, will be lying beside me in our bed each morning when I open my eyes. Wherever you are, Sarah Wyse, there is my heart, my dreams, my very life.”
He bent and kissed her once more.
Epilogue
When Sarah woke the morning of her wedding, she was tired but happy. Rushing to her window, she saw the sky outside was overcast with low gray clouds. The threat of snow hung in the air.
She crossed the room and opened her cedar chest. She took out the blue dress she had made with loving care years before. Her wedding dress. It would be the dress she would be buried in. She chose to wear it again for one simple reason. For Jonas.
He was the reason that she and Levi had fallen in love. If he hadn’t asked Levi to stay and watch over her, Levi would have gone to Colorado and she might never have grown to love him. By wearing her first wedding dress, she was acknowledging her first husband’s love and caring.
Her sprained knee had healed well enough in the two weeks since the accident that she could stand for small amounts of time and walk short distances. She was determined to stand unaided at her own wedding.
When she finally stepped down from her buggy at her aunt’s house, she couldn’t believe how nervous she was. Faith and Grace accompanied her. Sarah clenched her hands together and drew a deep breath.
“What’s the matter?” Grace asked.
“My hands are like ice. I have butterflies the size of geese flopping around in my stomach.”
Grace shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re nervous. You’ve done this before.”
Faith gave her a hug. “I understand exactly how you feel.”
Sarah knew that was true. Faith was also a widow who had found a new love in their small community.
“I think I’m more nervous than when I married Jonas. I don’t know why I’m scared. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with Levi.”
Faith gave her a tiny push toward the front of her aunt’s house. “That will not happen if you stand out here all day.”
Sarah said, “Wait. It’s starting to snow.”
Grace looked up. “It is.”
Flakes as large as duck down began floating to earth. They clung to Sarah’s coat and settled around her feet. More and more followed until the air was thick with them.
Faith said, “We should go in. Everyone is waiting.”
Sarah held out her hand and smiled at the white flakes sticking to her mittens. She looked out over the farm. The tall pine trees were catching the powdery fluff in their needles. She smiled at Grace. “Hear how quiet it has become? Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Yes, it is,” Faith agreed.
Jonas had loved the way snow turned the world into something clean and bright. Perhaps he had arranged this for her, a new start to her new life.
She said, “I used to hate the snow. There was snow on the ground when Jonas died, but from this day on, snowflakes will always remind me of my wedding day. I’m ready now.”
Inside her aunt’s home, the walls had been pushed back to open up the downstairs rooms. Benches were arranged in two rows, men on one side and women on the other just as they were for regular preaching services.
Levi, looking remarkably handsome in his new black suit, white shirt and black bow tie, waited beside his brothers at the front of the room. The look in his eyes said everything she wanted to hear. Her nerves quieted and she walked toward her place at the front of the house beside Levi.
Sarah reached for Levi’s hand. He gave her fingers a quick squeeze. Soon they would be joined as husband and wife.
As Sarah stood before Bishop Zook with Levi at her side, she knew the questions that would be asked of her.
Looking at them both, the bishop said, “Do you confess and believe God has ordained marriage to be a union between one man and one woman? And do you believe that you are approaching this marriage in accordance with His wishes and in the way you have been taught?”
She and Levi said, “Yes,” in loud, clear voices.
Turning to Levi, the bishop asked, “Do you believe, brother, that God has provided this woman as a marriage partner for you?”
“Yes.” Levi smiled at her and her heart beat faster.
The bishop then turned to her. “Do you believe, sister, that God has provided this man as a marriage partner for you?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Levi, do you also promise Sarah that you will care for her in sickness or bodily weakness as befits a Christian husband and do you promise you will love, forgive and be patient with her until God separates you by death?”
“I do so promise,” Levi answered solemnly.
“Sarah, do you promise the same, to care for Levi in bodily weakness or sickness, as befits a Christian wife? Do you promise to love, forgive and be patient with him until God separates you by death?”
The question gave her pause. She knew it was coming, but she was still unprepared for the shaft of fear that hit her.
Would she someday be called upon to watch Levi die? Could she go through that agony again?
“Sarah?” the bishop prompted gently. He was waiting for her answer. The sympathy in his eyes said he understood her hesitation.
She focused on Levi. He was waiting, too.
Taking a deep breath,
she nodded. She would be blessed to care for this man no matter how many or how few days were given to them. She raised her chin and said, “I promise.”
The bishop smiled and nodded. He took her hand, placed it in Levi’s hand and covered their fingers with his own. “The God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob be with you. May He bestow His blessings richly upon you through Jesus Christ, Amen.”
She smiled brightly at Levi as he squeezed her hand. That was it. They were man and wife.
When the ceremony ended, the festivities began. Levi had but a moment to realize he was the luckiest man alive before he was quickly led away by his groomsmen. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Sarah being shepherded away by his sister and Faith Lapp.
The women of the congregation moved to the kitchen and started getting ready to serve dinner. The men arranged tables in a U-shape around the walls of the living room.
In the corner of the room facing the front door, the honored place, the Eck, meaning the corner table, was quickly set up for the wedding party.
When it was ready, Levi took his place with his groomsmen seated to his right. Sarah was ushered back in and took her seat at his left-hand side. It symbolized the place she would occupy in his buggy and in his life. Her cheeks were rosy red and her eyes sparkled with happiness. They clasped hands underneath the table. She was everything he could have asked for and more.
There would be a long day of celebration and feasting, but tonight would come, and she would be his alone.
Moses elbowed him in the side. “Put your tongue back in your head bruder, you look like a panting dog. Greet your guests.”
Still unable to believe how blessed he was, Levi released Sarah’s hand and began to speak to the people who filed past.
The single men were arranged along the table to his right and the single women were arranged along the tables to Sarah’s left. Later, for the evening meal, the young, unmarried people would be paired up according to the bride and groom’s choosing.
Levi leaned over. “You will have a chance to sharpen your matchmaking skills this evening.”
“My skills are sharp enough. I found you a wife, didn’t I?”
“Ja, and a right fine wife she is.”
“I wonder who would do for Joann?”
“Look for a fellow with his own fly rod and a full tackle box.”
Sarah rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Men are so limited in their thinking when it comes to matters of the heart.”
“Are you saying I don’t have matchmaking skills?”
“Let us see. Who do you want to pair with Amos Fisher?”
“Leah. I think she could make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”
“No. Leah needs someone quite special. I’ll have to think on that one. Oh, I see Roman Weaver coming this way.”
The pale young man stopped in front of them. He wore a sling. A thick cast covered his right arm. Sarah had heard he would never recover the full use of it. He said, “I wanted to thank you and your brothers for helping my family with my hospital bills.”
“It was our pleasure, Roman,” Sarah assured him.
“You would do the same for us,” Levi added.
As Roman walked away, Sarah said, “I wonder if he and Joann know each other?”
“Ah, Sarah, one thing I know for sure. My life will never be boring with you by my side.”
She smiled brightly and his heart turned over with happiness. “Say it again, my wife.”
“Levi.” She blushed and looked to see who might have noticed.
“Say it, Sarah, please.”
She didn’t even pretend to misunderstand. Leaning close, she whispered in his ear. “I love you, Levi Beachy, for now and for always.”
It was exactly what his heart needed to hear.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt of Montana Dreams by Jillian Hart!
Dear Reader,
I hope you have enjoyed A Hope Springs Christmas. I was happy to help widow Sarah Wyse and Levi Beachy find the love they so richly deserved. I’m a big believer in love. Not just the love that makes a person go weak in the knees when they kiss. That kind of love is a wonderful way to start a relationship, but the love that grows over time and endures trials and challenges, that’s the love I want my characters to find.
A Hope Springs Christmas is the seventh book I’ve written about the Amish in this fictional town. I feel as if I’ve come to know them, their funny quirks and their deep abiding faith. I hope you feel as if you know them, too.
Will there be more Hope Springs stories? I hope so, because Leah deserves to find her one true love, and I know that Joann could hook a winner if she used the right bait. Mary Shetler had such a troubled start to motherhood. She needs to find a young man who can see past her mistakes and be a father to her child. And Sally? That girl has secrets and doubts that she hides behind her endless questions. She’ll need a strong man of faith to match her strong will. I’m not sure who it will be. I do know this, love springs eternal in Hope Springs, Ohio.
Blessings,
Patricia Davids
Questions for Discussion
Sarah used her devotion to her job to keep from facing the sadness she felt each holiday season. Are the holidays difficult for you or someone you know? What can you do to help?
Grace was so worried about how her family would manage without her that she put her own happiness on hold. Do you sometimes feel smothered by the demands of your family? How can you make time for yourself?
Sarah discovered something she didn’t know about Levi in chapter three. What was it? Why was it important?
Was Sarah right or wrong in her attempt to show the twins she disapproved of their behavior toward Henry? Should she have left it to Levi? What was it about his relationship with his brothers that began to change when Sarah refused to have them over to lunch?
Levi believes Gideon is mistaken when he suggests Levi is harboring deeper feelings toward Sarah. Have you seen two people you sense are falling in love? What gives them away?
Levi doesn’t feel he fits in with the people around him at the church service even though he’s known them all his life. Was it because he had to grow up too soon? What is one way we can foster a feeling of togetherness in people so that they don’t feel excluded in our churches?
The stunt the twins pulled with Dan and Susan Hershberger was funny, but it could have turned to be a tragedy. Have you ever done something you thought would be funny only to have it backfire? What happened?
Do you know a prankster like the twins? What would you like to say to them?
Sarah worked hard at matchmaking for Levi, but to no avail. Have you ever tried your hand at matchmaking? Have you set up a family member or friend with someone you thought they would like? How did it go? Would you try again?
I love fishing. I would choose fishing over almost any activity. What is your favorite pastime? Are you a quilter? A baker? What would you do if you were faced with engaging in an activity you didn’t like, but had to do it for a friend?
Sarah was afraid to love again because she feared losing that person. Have you or someone you know suffered the “death” of love through divorce or loss of a spouse? How difficult is it to overcome the doubts that follow such an event? How does a person begin to believe in love again?
The gathering of women for a quilting bee or frolic is one of the iconic images we think of when we think of the Amish. Are the quilts made by many hands less valuable than the quilts made by a single person? What determines the value of a quilt in your eyes?
What passage or phrase in this story resonated the most with you? Why?
Which characters would you like to revisit and why?
What did you like the most about this story?
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Chapter One
“You always were good for nothing, girl.” Her father’s bitter voice grumbled through the small, unkempt house. “Get the lead out of your lazy butt and fetch me something to eat. I’m gettin’ hungry.”
Millie Wilson straightened up, mop handle clutched in one hand, closed her eyes and prayed for strength. The Lord had to help her because she wasn’t sure she could do this without Him. The call in the middle of the night, a doctor’s voice on the other end of the line, her father’s collapse and terminal prognosis. If only there had been anyone—anyone at all—to take over his care. “I have to go to the market, Dad.”
“You should have thought of that earlier,” he barked from the other room.
And I came back, why? She swished the mop into the sudsy bucket, wrung it out and scoured the last patch of kitchen floor. Marginally better, but it was going to take more than one pass over. She didn’t want to think how long it had been since the floor had a proper cleaning—it would take a scrub brush and a lot of elbow grease to get out the dirt ground into the texture of the linoleum—a job for another time. Her back ached just thinking of it.
“Millie?” A knock echoed above the hum of the air conditioner. A familiar face smiled in at her, visible through the pane of glass in the door. The foreman tipped his Stetson and rolled the tobacco around to his other cheek while he waited for her to open the door.
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