Sam shrugged, as if he could have forgotten that one. “I was five, and he was chasing me with a crawdad.”
Jessica looked at the man she loved and tried to imagine him running from anything.
Colleen Montgomery turned from the table next to them. “I seem to remember Sammy giving me a gift once, a frog in my lunch box.”
“You liked frogs.”
“Not in my lunch box.” Colleen looked at Jessica and smiled. “Don’t worry, Jessica, the managers here are prepared for anything when our families walk through those doors. Looks like the next generation is ready to follow suit.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
By the time Sam dropped them off, Jessica’s sides hurt from the unbelievable stories she’d heard about her husband-to-be’s childhood antics.
She and Sam hadn’t seen each other all week. Partly to give each other space, and mostly because they both had so much to do to catch up at work. They had seen each other once since they’d returned, to finish filling out the reports on Amy’s case.
Deanne had been moved from a New Mexico hospital to a mental hospital in Colorado. Though Jessica had Amy at home with her, she knew they had a long, messy trial ahead. It would be months before she’d feel safe again.
To begin her own journey of healing, Jessica knew she would feel better with Amy away from the shelter. She’d interviewed and hired a licensed child-care provider who watched five children in her home. She had glowing recommendations from parents, and the home was still close to the shelter.
Sam had finally convinced her to drop the idea of finding an apartment. He wanted to know she and Amy were in a safe neighborhood, so they were moving Jessica and Amy into his house and he was moving temporarily to his parents’.
Jessica packed the pictures of Deanne and Amy into a box to stay in storage. She couldn’t look at them yet, but one day, she might be ready.
“How’s the packing coming along?” her dad asked, taping the box closed.
“Fine, Daddy. How was your trip to Cripple Creek?”
“Beautiful drive.” He filled her in on their day. “So when do we get to spend some time with you and Sam?”
“Tomorrow. I have dinner planned at his house tomorrow evening. Chicken cordon bleu, your favorite.”
“Sounds wonderful, honey.” While they packed, Jessica told them all about the Darling-Montgomery wedding and Amy’s introduction to the Vance family.
The next morning, Jessica directed her parents to the Good Shepherd Christian Church and introduced them to Sam’s parents, who were just leaving after the earlier service.
“We’d love to have you join us for dinner today,” Lidia said to them as the keyboard began playing inside.
Though Jessica had been generous with interviews during the week, she was surprised to hear Pastor Gabriel invite a journalist inside, and then call Sam, Jessica and Amy to the front. “This blessing shows the power of bringing community together in prayer. For the last two weeks, we prayed together for Amy’s safe return, and today, I’m praising the Lord that both Amy and Jessica Mathers are here with us.”
When the cheers quieted, Jessica stepped up to the microphone. “I can’t tell you how touched I was by the love I felt here after Amy’s disappearance. I accepted God as my Savior, and through this past two weeks when I normally would have fallen to pieces, I know it was the grace of God holding me together, carrying me through the rough times and over the pits of despair. Thank you for your prayers, and I look forward to joining all of you in fellowship and prayers for a long time.”
Amy saw Susan Carter and her friends Hannah and Sarah waving from the back of the room, and she waved back, then pushed herself from Sam’s strong hold to run to sit with her grandparents. Jessica laughed. “As you can see, Amy is just fine.” She paused and tears came to her eyes. “I’d ask that we pray for the kidnapper, Deanne Jones. I’m not going to pretend that I’ve overcome my anger enough to forgive her, but I am grateful that she didn’t hurt Amy in any way.”
Sam wrapped his arm around her and asked to be excused from leadership so that he could sit with Jessica and her family, bringing several smiles and even more raised eyebrows from friends and fellow worshipers.
When Sam and Jessica arrived at Max and Lidia’s house, they were surprised to see Travis and Lucia. Even Sam’s ex-sister-in-law, Emily Armstrong, his cousins, Michael and Holly Vance, and his Aunt Marilyn had come.
If Jessica’s parents felt uncomfortable or overwhelmed, it wasn’t obvious. Lidia enjoyed the chance to catch up on her native Italy with them, and Max seemed to find plenty to talk about with Jessica’s father, Donald.
Before dinner was served, Sam was able to find time to speak privately with her parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Owens, I apologize for the crowd and lack of privacy. I’d hoped to do this a little differently, but…”
“We feel right at home, Sam. Please, call us by our first names.”
“Evelyn, Donald, as you’re aware, I first met Jessica at the accident that killed her husband. When we met again a couple of weeks ago, it was more than fate bringing us together—it was as if God had been working overtime to open our eyes.” He looked at them, his hands shaking and his voice threatening to give out. “The kidnapping gave Jessica and me a lot of time to be together, and…we’ve fallen in love. I’d like to ask your permission to marry Jessica.”
“Do you know the meaning of the name Samuel?”
Sam looked at Evelyn, feeling more than a little puzzled. What did that have to do with his request? “No, I guess I don’t.”
She listed the prophet Samuel’s lineage. “Hannah had been barren, and asked the Lord to bless her with a child to fill her heart. When she finally conceived, she named him Samuel because she’d asked the Lord for him. We’ve prayed that God would bless a man to love Jessica as much as we do.”
“We would be honored to have you as a son, Samuel. I can’t tell you how long it’s been since we’ve seen such a beautiful smile on our daughter’s face,” Donald said, then offered his hand. “And what a comfort it will be to know that she’ll have lots of family around, too.”
After shaking his hand, Sam hugged Evelyn and thanked them for their blessing. “If you’ll excuse me…”
Their smiles showed their approval. “Go ahead. When things quiet down, we’ll visit.”
“Oh, I should probably mention that we’d like to tie the knot before you return to Italy.” The Owens expressed their delight.
He found Jessica and Amy playing outside on the tire swing with his brother Travis. Travis saw Sam, and headed inside. “Need me to stall dinner for you?”
Sam laughed. “No, we shouldn’t be very long.”
Jessica looked up with a smile. “How’d it go?”
“If we want to make an official announcement we’d better hurry. Once word gets out here, it’s as good as gospel.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a diamond solitaire. “Jessica, I can’t imagine going through another week without you and Amy next to me. God has richly blessed us, and I know He’ll continue to do so, if you’ll be my wife.”
She answered his proposal with a slow, thoughtful kiss. “I finally realized why you’re in such a hurry to get married. It’s not that you’re impatient, you’re just trying to get out of the bachelor auction.”
Sam blushed. “Fine, we can wait until after the auction if you want—just so you understand, there’s only one woman I’m taking on that date. Unless, of course, you’d like to look at it as a honeymoon package.”
“I think it’s going to be too late for that.” She extended her hand to him and gazed at the brilliant diamond. “Sam, this is too much, you shouldn’t have…”
“Ooh, pretty ring, Mommy.”
Sam picked up Amy and leaned close to Jessica. “Beautiful, Jessica, simply beautiful. Just like you. This was my great-grandmother’s ring.”
They kissed again, a roar from inside the house cheering them on. Jessica glanced at the crowd gathering at the wi
ndow, then looked up to Sam. “Okay, so you were right about that one. As long as they’re in such a festive mood, maybe we should get started planning.”
Sam intertwined his fingers with hers. “With this crowd, you’re going to have no problem with just two weeks’ notice.”
“Good. They can plan the wedding, we’ll plan the honeymoon.”
Dear Reader,
Thank you for choosing to read Finding Amy. Hopefully you’re enjoying the entire FAITH ON THE LINE series from Book One through Book Six. Writing this has been a great challenge, coordinating with other authors, attempting to portray our characters in the same image and telling a good story at the same time. Finding Amy will always be a special book to me. When the editors asked me to write it, I was thrilled to find out that it included all the things I know: cops, mothers, children (yes, I even have a personal relationship with back pain) and the challenge of loving and trusting God through crises. After fifteen years, and caring for over a hundred children, this book tested my writing skills. Talk about a true test! I hope that I’ve done the story justice and portrayed it realistically.
For those who would like to find out more about my writing, please visit my Web site at www.carolsteward.com.
In His Love,
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Carol Steward for her contribution to the FAITH ON THE LINE series.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0728-8
FINDING AMY
Copyright © 2004 by Steeple Hill Books, Fribourg Switzerland
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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Finding Amy Page 20
