Cat was surprised when her daughter reached for the silver gift first.
“It’s from my daddy,” she whispered as though that explained everything. And maybe it did. Lara and Jake were inseparable these days.
“Ohhh,” Lara sighed when she pulled out a string of iridescent white pearls. “They’re pretty.”
“I thought they’d go with your dress,” Jake said, not quite suppressing his smile at Lara’s delight.
Lara lifted up the necklace to her mother. “Put it on me.”
“The pearls are very nice,” Cat said to Jake as she clasped the necklace around her daughter’s neck.
“And this one’s for you,” Jake said as he handed her the box wrapped in ivory paper.
“What is it?” Lara asked, her excitement apparent.
Cat slipped the paper off and then the lid of the box. “Oh, my! The goblets we saw. Oh, Jake, you went back in and bought them.”
He shook his head. “No, I bought them the day we saw them. I think even then I was hoping we could use them when we cut our cake.”
“They’re so lovely,” she said, blinking back tears. Then she turned, intending to kiss Jake.
But she was distracted by a rustling at her feet before she could meet his lips, and they both looked down. Lara was ripping the paper off the red box.
“Take it easy,” Cat said even though she had no hopes of slowing her daughter down.
Finally, the box was bare of wrapping and Lara stopped.
It was silent for a bit.
“What do you think it is?” their daughter asked, turning to Cat and Jake.
Cat felt her heart twist to see that her daughter was still uncertain about what lay ahead in her life. Hopefully, the years to come in Dry Creek would make her more secure. They had all joined the church here and were growing closer to God. In time, her daughter would be confident, but now she clearly wasn’t.
“We don’t know, sweetheart,” Jake said softly. “You’ll have to open it to find out.”
Lara slowly lifted the lid off the box and then gave a cry of joy as she pulled out what looked to Cat like a bunch of feathers. There were gray ones, white ones, and a few that had a beautiful lilac tinge to them. Then she saw a leather band with shiny lilac beads around it and saw that the rows of feathers were attached.
“It’s a chief’s headdress,” Jake finally said as he began to chuckle. “My mother’s reminding us that Lara is a princess, after all, because her great-great-something-grandfather was a big chief of the Cherokee. That makes her a real Indian princess.”
By now, Lara had put the headdress on and was looking around in delight.
Cat started to smile, too. “That is the best kind of princess to be.”
And then she looked up at the man who was going to be her husband. “And I guess that makes you a prince.”
He grinned at that. “A prince who—with God’s help—is going to do his best to see that we all live happily ever after.”
With that, he bent down to kiss her.
Cat couldn’t help but notice that her daughter nodded in approval.
* * * * *
Dear Reader,
It’s spring again and, if you’re like me, that signals a time for new hope. Something stirs in each of us when we see new green shoots of grass or plants come to life after a hard winter. On the family farm where I grew up in Montana, my mother had lilac bushes and, if my sisters and I left our bedroom window open at night, we went to sleep with the fragrance of the bushes all around us. Maybe that’s why spring, in my mind, always smells like lilacs.
I’m sure you have similar memories and I hope this book will remind you that new beginnings are still possible—whether it’s in a relationship or some other place that is broken in your life. Remember all things are possible with God’s help.
If you have a minute, I’d love to hear from you. Just contact me through my website at www.janettronstad.com. In the meantime, God bless you and keep you.
Sincerely,
Janet Tronstad
Questions for Discussion
What character did you most identify with in the book? Who and why?
Jake Stone longs for home and, at the same time, doesn’t want to go home. Is there something in your life that you long for and believe you will never see again, or find in the first place? If so, what words from God come to mind when you think of it?
Jake believes the fact that his father was an abusive man taints his own ability to be a good parent. Our parents influence us profoundly. In what ways have you parents influenced you?
Jake and his brothers couldn’t think of any words for their father’s tombstone. If you could write something for them, what would it be?
Jake’s mother lied to protect her sons from suspicion in the murder of her husband. Was she right to lie? How did it complicate things?
When his mother was sent to prison, Jake’s life abruptly changed. Who did he blame for the change in everything? If you were in his situation, who would you blame?
Jake couldn’t bring himself to write to his mother when she was in prison. Is there someone you wish you could write a letter, but can’t because you don’t know what to say? How would you counsel Jake if you could talk to him?
Jake had delayed going home when his mother got out of prison because he felt awkward for not writing. Have you ever delayed doing something because you felt like that?
Even though Jake sent his old friend, Cat Barker, money, he didn’t write to her. How would you interpret this if you were in her shoes? What did it really mean?
Cat Barker needed surgery and she was worried about what would happen to her daughter if she died. The chaplain at the hospital had been able to guide her back to God, but she still worried. Does God take away all our worry? Should He?
ISBN: 9781459223691
Copyright © 2012 by Janet Tronstad
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Lilac Wedding in Dry Creek Page 18
