“You’re a good father, Kurt Ryder. I love you so much and your children. I can’t wait to become Mrs. Kurt Ryder.”
He opened the velvet box and showed her the diamond engagement ring, a beautiful solitaire mounted on white gold. Simple in its elegance. “If you don’t like it, we can take it back for another one.”
“Oh, Kurt…” She covered her mouth with her hand.
“It’s perfect. More that I’d ever hoped for.”
Taking her hand, he slid the ring onto the third finger of her left hand and smiled, looking relieved. “You’re perfect, sweetheart. In every way.”
Epilogue
Saturday, early September
The heat of August had given way to the cooler temperatures of September and the flowers circling the gazebo in front of the ranch house were in full, magnificent bloom. The scent of the floral bouquet they created provided the perfect atmosphere for a wedding.
Both Kurt and Sarah had opted for a small wedding with only family and their closest friends attending. Pastor Hoffman would officiate and his wife, Alexis, would provide the music on a portable keyboard. Toby was to be the best man, Beth the junior bridesmaid and Grace the stand-in mother of the bride.
In the ranch house guest bedroom, Tricia Malone, CPA and maid of honor, fussed with Sarah’s hair and the short veil she wore. Both of them concentrated on Sarah’s reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of the bedroom door. Her simple wedding dress was street length with a high collar and long sleeves of white organdy over pale pink satin, camouflaging the scar on her chest.
“We really should have gotten you a hairpiece so we could pile it up on top of your head in a fancy do,” Tricia said.
“If we had, Kurt probably wouldn’t recognize me and he’d go running for the hills.”
“I doubt it. That man looks at you like a man head-over-teakettle in love. I should be so lucky.”
“You will be one day.” Tall and slender with incredible dark eyes, Sarah was surprised some fellow hadn’t already set his sights on Tricia.
When Sarah had called Tricia to let her know about the wedding and her plans to return to Seattle long enough to close down her business, Tricia had been more than a little surprised. She’d just learned that her mother had been diagnosed with cancer at the same time the high-powered accounting firm announced they wanted Tricia to start work at their Los Angeles office, not in Seattle.
Tricia couldn’t bring herself to leave her mother and move away when she was facing such a difficult time in her life. She’d been struggling with the career decision she’d have to make. Given Sarah’s news, Tricia knew it was a gift from God and instantly offered to buy Puget Sound Business Services from Sarah. A happy resolution for them both.
A knock on the door was followed by Beth’s voice. “Are you guys ready yet? Dad’s having a nervous breakdown waiting for you.”
Grinning, Sarah met Tricia’s gaze in the mirror. “Come on in, sweetie. We’re just finishing up.”
Beth opened the door and stood stock-still, looking adorable and almost grown-up in her sleeveless pale blue satin dress. She and Sarah had shopped for their dresses together, giggling as though they were both schoolgirls.
“Wow, Sarah, you look gorgeous. When Dad sees you he’s gonna drool.”
“Oh, dear, I hope not.” Tricia adjusted Sarah’s veil one more time. “The rental place will charge him extra for cleaning his tux.”
Beth sputtered a laugh. “I didn’t mean really drool.”
“She knows that,” Beth assured her about-to-be step-daughter. “Tricia has a rather dry sense of humor.”
“Okay, ladies,” Tricia announced. “It’s showtime.”
From calm one minute to being a nervous wreck the next, Sarah walked out of the bedroom to her future. Her hands shook as Beth handed her the small bouquet of mixed flowers they’d picked together that morning.
“You’re gonna be a great mom,” Beth whispered. “I think my mother would be glad Dad found you.”
Sarah’s heart seemed to expand with the love she felt for Beth as well as for Toby. Most of all for Kurt. Trying desperately not to cry, not before the service, Sarah kissed Beth on the cheek. “Thank you, honey. I’ll do my very best, I promise.”
Beth and Tricia preceded her out the front door.
When Sarah stepped out onto porch, her breath caught. Kurt, standing tall and strong in a Western-cut tuxedo, his son standing beside him, waited for her at the bottom of the steps. He extended his hand. Their eyes met and they both smiled.
All of Sarah’s jitters vanished in that moment. She knew from the depth of her soul this was why the Lord had sent her to Sweet Grass Valley. Not to find the donor family who had given her a new heart.
But to bring her to this place where her heart and Kurt’s could join in a love that would last throughout eternity.
Dear Reader,
Sarah’s story is purely a work of fiction; the need for organ transplants is all too real.
According to the Mayo Clinic, 101,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant, the gift of life, and the list grows by three hundred people every month.
Each day, approximately seventy-seven people receive an organ transplant. However, each day nineteen people die waiting for a transplant.
Becoming a donor is easy:
Register with your state’s donor registry.
Sign and carry a Uniform Donor Card, or indicate your willingness to donate on your driver’s license application
Talk to your family members about your wish to be a donor.
My driver’s license indicates I’m willing to be an organ donor, and I’ve talked with my husband about my wishes.
For more information about becoming an organ donor:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/transplant/organ-donation.html
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
Have you or anyone you know been a recipient of an organ transplant? If so, how is that person’s health now?
Do you think people who receive an organ transplant take on elements of the donor’s personality? Why or why not?
Do you or any of your friends have religious objections to giving or receiving an organ transplant? Why or why not?
Have you discussed with your family members your wishes about donating your organs should the situation arise? If yes, what was your family’s reaction? How do your family members feel about donating their own organs in a similar situation?
Do you think Sarah was right to contact the family of the woman she thought her new heart came from? Why or why not?
In this story, Sarah became a hospital volunteer in order to “pay forward” the blessings she has received. What motivates you and others to volunteer in your community?
Has guilt or loss of a loved one ever caused you to lose faith in the Lord? If so, how have you sought to restore your faith?
What strains exist in a marriage if one partner has a strong religious faith and the other doesn’t?
Would you enjoy living on a cattle ranch? Or in a small town? Why or why not?
The lovely poem “Footprints in the Sand” by Mary Stevenson has inspired millions of people since it was originally written in 1936. http://footprints-inthe-sand.com. What poem inspires you?
Sarah enlisted Beth in the effort to restore the garden her mother had loved. Have you used your love of gardening to touch the hearts of others?
Do you think it would be fun to entertain children as a ventriloquist? Or by doing face painting? What skills do you have that you’d like to share with children?
How would you feel if you had agreed it was necessary to take a loved one off life support? How would you reach the decision?
Montana is a land of blue skies and beautiful sunsets. Where were you when you saw your most memorable sunset?
The people in the fictional community of Sweet Grass Valley and the members of Good Shepherd Community Church were close to one another. What can you do to strengthen the ties within your communi
ty and your church family?
ISBN: 978-1-4268-7658-5
MONTANA HEARTS
Copyright © 2010 by Charlotte Lobb
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.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.
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Montana Hearts Page 17
