Somewhere along the line, she had begun to shiver-and laugh-and cry. "Yes! Oh, yes! I love you, too, Gabriel Devlin! More than life itself."
She surprised herself by leaning forward and kissing him first-on the mouth-and gave him quite a shock. But then he quickly reciprocated, lavishing her with another sweet kiss-and another-and another. She swiveled to face him on the sofa and doubled her arms around his neck, massaging the back of his head where his hair met his starched white collar, then moving her hands to his broad shoulders, kneading the muscles where his shirt pulled and stretched. They'd kissed before, of course, but then, she had kept her guard up, not sure how or what to feel. Now, she kissed him with selfassured fervor.
When the long kiss ended, Gabe drew her to his solid chest, and they sat, enfolded in rapt silence and sweet thoughtsuntil the front door opened and a flurry of activity and highspirited voices exploded through the still air.
"That was fun!" squealed Jesse. The whole family paraded through the door, removing coats and scarves and talking nonstop about the Bartons' new pump organ, their nicely decorated tree, and the delicious red punch that Norma Barton had concocted.
"I asked for that punch recipe, but do you think Norma would give it to me?" Helena was saying while handing off her coat to Jacob. "I swear she threw in a pinch of cinnamon,"
"And that wonderful nut bread," Jacob said.
"Well now, that recipe came from the Lewis sisters. They brought it to the church supper last summer."
"I wish we had one of those pump organs," said Maggie. "It would help my singing voice immensely."
"Sorry, Mags, but it'd take more than a pump organ to fix your vocal chords," Abbie said, bending to untie her snowy boots.
"And what is wrong with my vocal chords?"
"They're-slightly warped."
"What's warped mean?" Jesse asked. "Is that like cracked, or something?"
"Did you notice Norma's lovely new divan? They ordered it all the way from California," Helena interrupted, rubbing her palms together.
Gabe and Hannah sat in the shadows listening to the melange of conversation, Hannah covering her mouth to hold her giggles at bay.
Gabe cleared his throat, and the room momentarily stilled-then suddenly came to life with Jesse's shriek of delight. `Pa! Hannah! You're back," He skipped across the room, and Hannah scooted over, making a space for him to fit between them. It then occurred to Hannah what a fine little family they made.
"Well, my stars, you're sitting in the dark," Grandmother said, turning up the light on the sideboard.
"And awfully close," chimed Abbie with a devilish grin.
The entire family swept into the living room, their faces fairly blazing with expectancy.
"Well?" Maggie asked, hands clasped at her tiny waist.
"Yes, well?" Abbie echoed.
"Did you ask her, Pa? Did you?" Jesse's eyes lit like miniature firecrackers.
Over Jesse's head, Gabe and Hannah exchanged a loving glance, and, for the span of a few seconds, she doubted anyone even breathed, At last, Gabe nodded. "I did, and she said yes!"
Whoops of joy, hugs, and kisses, as well as hearty handshakes between Gabe and Jacob, went on for several minutes, with Jesse leaping around the room like a frenzied little frog, and all the ladies talking at once about wedding cakes, dresses, flowers, and colors. "This calls for a celebration," Jacob announced above the clamor. "Mother, didn't I see some pumpkin pies on the pie shelf?"
Helena smiled with a gleam in her eye. "You certainly did. I had a sneaking feeling there might be cause for celebration tonight, so I whipped up a batch of cream topping, as well. I'll put the kettle on for some tea. Girls, come and help me. Oh, my, just think-a wedding!" Helena bustled into the kitchen, all aflutter, while Maggie and Abbie bent to give Hannah and Gabe one last hug.
"Come on, little man," Maggie straightened and extended her hand to Jesse, who was spinning circles in the middle of the room. "Help Abbie and me get out Grandmother's finest china," He bounded off with them, leaving Gabe, Jacob, and Hannah in the living room.
Jacob sat down in the upholstered chair facing them, folded one leg over the other, and propped his elbows on the chair's arms, his thumbs circling one another as they often did when he was weighing important matters. "So, you're going to marry my daughter, are you?" Even in the low-lit room, his eyes flickered warmly.
"I'll treat her like a queen, sir," Gabe said, hauling Hannah's hand to his lap in a possessive squeeze. Then, looking directly at her, he added, "I love her." Just like that, Hannah's heart catapulted into a perfect somersault,
"I have no doubt you do," Jacob said. "That's why I'm happy to give you my blessing. Being that Hannah is my firstborn, I'm a bit partial, you see," This he whispered, even as his thumbs kept circling.
"Oh, Papa."
His gaze held steady on Gabe. "I had a strong feeling Ralston wasn't right for her, so I stepped up my prayers. My daughters don't know this, but I've made it my business to pray for their future husbands, and something about Ralston just didn't sit right with me," His eyes danced with merriment. "And then Gabriel Devlin rode into town,"
Hannah giggled. "Oh, Papa, you are the berries,"
His eyes roamed from one to the other, quickly sobering, and his thumbs quit circling. "And now there is this deep peace in my heart, and I have only the Lord to thank for putting it there."
Gabe nodded, Hannah's eyes welled up with joyful tears, and several moments of sweet, awe-filled silence passed between them-until Jesse's squeals of pleasure from the other room had them all smiling. They rose at the same time and Jacob stepped forward to clap Gabe on the back. "Welcome to the family, young man."
"Thank you, sir. I'll be proud to be a part of it."
In the kitchen, Abbie's giggles nearly raised the roof when Maggie's off-key rendition of "Deck the Halls" splintered the air.
Jacob shook his head and angled Gabe an admiring look. "You're a brave man."
Reverend Cooper married them on a sparkling Saturday in early March. A layer of fresh snow blanketed the earth, coming on the heels of a winter thaw, and nearly half the town had trudged through it to get to the one o'clock ceremony, Gabe's entire family included. Of course, Hannah had met them in January, when Gabe took her and Jesse to Ohio by train, so the initial awkwardness had passed, if ever there was any. Right from the start, the family welcomed them. The adults treaded gently with Jesse, knowing his history; the children, on the other hand, saw him as one more cousin, and practically threw themselves on him with eagerness. And Hannah-my, how they lavished her with love and acceptance, not one of them stingy with embraces.
The Devlin ranch was anything but lowly, with barns aplenty, a two-story guesthouse and servants' quarters, and acres of land that stretched further than the eye could see. But the folks who lived in the main house, Joseph and Thelma Devlin, were some of the sweetest and most unassuming Christians Hannah had ever met.
Hannah's Tambour lace dress and long train had called up a number of oohing murmurs from admiring women as she made her way down the church's center aisle on Jacob's steady arm, her sisters already standing at the front next to Gabe, Jesse, and Samuel, Gabe's brother. The pipe organ shook the floor with Mendelssohn's Wedding March. At first, she had trouble deciding where to plant her eyes, loving both Gabe and Jesse so much, but in her final steps to the altar, just before her father handed her off to her groom, it was Gabe who won her full attention.
"Beloved, we are gathered here together in the sight of God..."
Both longed to look at each other, but they had to content themselves with the warmth of clinging, squeezing hands while Reverend Cooper performed his part and they theirs. Off to the side, Jesse shifted in place, scratched his neck, and pulled at his starched collar. At last, the reverend issued permission for them to turn and face each other. They did so with tender smiles and sighs of great relief. "Repeat after me," he said, and so they did.
"Do you, Hannah Grace Kane, take this man?"
"Do you, Gabriel Devlin, take this woman?"
"...to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse..."
"I now pronounce you man and wife."
"With this ring, I thee wed..."
It seemed forever and a day before Reverend Cooper finally announced, "You may kiss your bride." And what a kiss it was, done to the greatest satisfaction of everyone present. Gabe's hands gently framed Hannah's face, and he mouthed the words "I love you," easily discernable to those seated in the first three pews on the bride's side. Even Dr. Ralston Van Huff, who sat on the aisle, fourth pew from the back, nodded a semblance of approval when the couple finally came up for air and faced their guests.
"My, she's a beautiful bride," Norma Barton said in whispered awe to her husband, Ambrose, when the happy couple swept down the aisle past them. Jesse was in the middle, linking hands with his new parents, followed by a procession of Maggie, Abbie, Samuel, and the reverend. "Which daughter do you think Jacob will give away next?"
Ambrose gave a thoughtful shrug and leaned down. "Maggie Rose is off to New York to work at some orphanage, and Abbie Ann's still on the young side, don't you think?"
Norma nodded and smiled for the length of five heartbeats, then looped her arm through his. "You're probably right. It'll be a good long while."
Outside, balmy sunshine did its job of melting the snow on roof peaks and sidewalks, turning Water Street into just that-a pool of water and slush. Out of nowhere, a brave, lone robin alighted on a branch just outside the church doors and chirped a hopeful tune.
There was no doubt about it. Winter in Sandy Shores had met its end-a sure sign of new beginnings.
orn and raised in west Michigan, Sharlene MacLaren attended Spring Arbor University. Upon graduating with an education degree, she traveled internationally for a year with a small singing ensemble, then came home and married one of her childhood friends. Together they raised two lovely daughters. Now happily retired after teaching elementary school for thirty-one years, "Shar" enjoys reading, writing, singing in the church choir and worship teams, traveling, and spending time with her husband, children, and precious grandchildren.
A Christian for over forty years and a lover of the English language, Shar has always enjoyed dabbling in writingpoetry, fiction, various essays, and freelance work for periodicals and newspapers. She remembers well the short stories she wrote in high school and watched circulate from girl to girl during government and civics classes. "Psst," someone would whisper from two rows over, always when the teacher's back was to the class, "pass me the next page."
Shar is an occasional speaker for her local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) organization; is involved in KIDS' HOPE USA, a mentoring program for at-risk children; counsels young women in the Apples of Gold Program; and is active in two weekly Bible studies. She and her husband, Cecil, live in Spring Lake, Michigan, with their lovable collie, Dakota, and Mocha, their lazy fat cat.
The acclaimed Through Every Storm was Shar's first novel to be published by Whitaker House, and in 2007, the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) named it a finalist for Book of the Year. The beloved Little Hickman Creek series consisted of Loving Liza Jane; Sarah, My Beloved; and Courting Emma. Faith, Hope, and Love, the Inspirational Outreach Chapter of Romance Writers of America, announced Sarah, My Beloved as a finalist in its 2008 Inspirational Reader's Choice Contest in the category of long historical fiction.
To find out more about Shar and her writing and inspiration, you can e-mail her at [email protected] or visit her Web site at www.sharlenemaclaren.com.
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