by Lyn Cote
He nodded. “It’s hard to talk about it.”
She touched a hand to his face. “One day, I want to hear all about them. Promise me that?”
“One day,” he said. “But not tonight.”
“No, not tonight,” she replied as she lifted her face to his kiss.
He held her there while the candlelight flickered a sweet, steady fire and the rain echoed a pure, cleansing drizzle that seemed to be telling them both to hold tight.
Chapter Ten
Somehow they managed to slide down to sit on the floor, Elizabeth curled in Jake’s arms as they leaned back against the old window seat. He held her there as the rain continued to fall like a soft and steady song outside.
“Are you cold?” he asked, his voice husky against her ear.
“No. I’m fine.” She wanted to stay right here forever, but she still had questions, lots of questions. And she knew she needed to tell him something. Lifting up, she looked into his eyes. “Do you know why I vowed never to fall in love?”
He gave her a twisted smile. “I think I’ve pretty much figured it out. Only because Bram’s filled me in on some stuff.” He shrugged. “I guess now is a good time to tell you the rest.”
“The rest? What are you talking about?”
“I know a lot more than I’ve let on—about that night.”
“Then you know about Johnny Harrison?”
He nodded. “I know he was Hannah’s boyfriend and that he died the night of the prom. I know that his older brother, Griff, was driving the car. And that after he died, you three decided you’d never find the perfect man. So you made this pact—”
“Never to fall in love, never to marry.” She sat up, her hand on his chest. “But it was more than just Johnny’s death. We’d all seen the worst of love and marriage with our parents. I think that’s the main reason we felt so determined to honor our pact.”
“You didn’t want to be hurt,” he said, his hand stroking her hair, his eyes soft with understanding.
She nodded. “But now, I see that you’ve suffered through the worst kind of hurt. How did you survive that, Jake?”
He let out a breath. “At first, I didn’t think I would survive. I just about went insane. I shut down to the point that I became physically drained. Then my daddy sat me down and gave me a good talking to. That man’s seen both good and bad in his day, but he always held fast to his faith. He reminded me that love endures all things.”
“But you lost everything you loved,” Elizabeth said, unable to grasp how anyone could endure that.
“But God’s love endures loss,” Jake explained, his tone gentle and full of hope. “God’s love can see us through the worst of times.”
“So that’s how you coped, by turning to God?”
He nodded, tugged her back into his arms. “I prayed for the pain to end, I asked God to give me a second chance. That and finding a good counselor to help me through it. Surprisingly, that person had been through the loss of a loved one, too.” He stopped, ran a hand through his hair. “That man was Griff Harrison, Lizzie. I met him through Bram.” At her gasp, he hurried on. “He really understood what I was going through. And he’s suffered just about as much guilt and self-condemnation as I have.”
She frowned, then sighed. “I never knew what became of him. We can’t tell Hannah about this. She hates him.”
“I know. But he’s my friend. And he’s been wronged.”
Elizabeth doubted that, and right now, she didn’t want to discuss it. “I don’t want to hear about Griff Harrison. Just tell me how you came to be the man you are today.”
He shook his head. “It wasn’t easy, but after the initial grief, I felt as if I had two special angels watching over me.” He stopped, his voice cracking. “And I couldn’t let them down.”
Elizabeth felt the hot sting of tears in her eyes. “I’ve never looked at it that way. I guess we’ve let Johnny down all these years by denying the love he felt for Hannah. Instead of celebrating that love, we turned away from it.”
“Johnny wouldn’t want that,” Jake said. “I mean, I didn’t know the fellow, but nobody would want the burden of misery you three placed on yourselves and on his memory.”
Elizabeth snuggled close in his arms. “So you think Johnny wants us to be happy?”
“Absolutely. And so does God. It took me a long time to see that, but once I came out of my grief, I decided to take life slow and easy, but never, ever to take one single minute for granted ever again.”
She turned her face up to his. “I’ve wasted so much time wallowing in grief and self-pity. Why did it take me so long to let go?”
He grinned, then touched a finger to her nose. “Maybe you were waiting for me.”
Elizabeth sighed, then offered him a quick peck on the cheek. “Well, if all that suffering and waiting had to bring me to this moment, then I say it was worth the wait.”
His eyes light up. “Do you mean that?”
She nodded. “Sure. I get praline cheesecake out of the deal.” At his groan, she added, “I’m getting soft in my old age.”
“You’re not old. But I want to be right here with you when you do grow old.”
The familiar fears came back to haunt her. “But what if—”
“Love endures all,” he reminded her, his finger on her lips. Then he kissed her again. “I can’t speak for all those hurt souls out there who’ve loved and lost, Lizzie. But I can tell you this—if I make a commitment to you, I will do my best to honor that commitment, because I have faith that God will be showing me the way.”
“Do you think God will allow me back into his fold?” she asked, her smile bittersweet. “I haven’t exactly been a card-carrying member of His fan club, you know.”
“You don’t have to carry a card to get back in,” Jake said. “You just have to turn everything over to Him.”
“That might be hard. I’m used to doing things my way.”
“And how’s that been working for you?”
She slapped him lightly on the arm. “Not so great.”
“We’re going to be okay, Elizabeth.”
Jake kissed her again, holding her tightly to him there in the candlelight. Then he remembered he hadn’t even shown her what he’d found in the attic.
“Okay, this had better be good,” Elizabeth told him a few minutes later. She polished off her slice of cheesecake, then turned away from the table.
He watched as she paced around the roomy parlor, her eyes still misty with unshed tears, her bravado back in place. He watched her and his heart surged with a joy that he hadn’t experienced in a very long time.
Is this it, Lord? Is this why you brought me here?
Jake thanked God for Elizabeth Sinclair. And he thanked God for the opportunity to share his faith with her, to help her find her way back to the Lord. But mostly, he thanked God for allowing him to find love again.
“I told you, you’ll be glad you stuck around, trust me,” he said as he urged her to sit down on the window seat. “Here, let me bring one of the candles so you can see.”
“What do you have there, anyway?” she asked, fluffing her skirts as she waited for him.
“Hold your horses. You’ll see.”
“Okay, I’m still learning that patience is a virtue.”
“And I’m going to have fun teaching you all about that,” he replied, a surge of longing making him feel as if he had indeed been reborn.
Then he sat down beside her and opened the worn, tattered book he’d found in an old trunk. “This, my dear Lizzie, is proof positive that you were right about this house all along.” He handed it to her. “Just take a look.”
She opened the book, then gasped as she turned the pages. “Oh, my goodness. It’s a scrapbook—it’s a history of the Lockwood family.”
“That’s right. And as you can plainly see, there were many happy memories in this house. Birthdays, weddings, christenings, holiday get-togethers.” He squeezed her shoulder as she continued to
turn the pages. “Newspaper clippings, announcements, and oh, I saved the best part for last.”
“What?”
He took the book and turned to a page where a yellowed family tree had been pasted. “Look right up there in the far corner. You see that name?”
He pointed, his finger on the page, and watched as her face split into a beautiful smile. “Serena Sinclair. She married a Lockwood around the turn of the century. Anybody you know?”
“I’m not sure.”
Jake traced his finger down the page. “If I’m not mistaken, I think dear Serena was your great-aunt.”
“What?” She stared down at the page. “Are you telling me that one of my relatives married into the Lockwood family?”
“Yep. And had six children. And lived happily ever after with her husband for over sixty years. In this very house.”
“Oh, wow. My wayward father never had much to do with his distant relatives.” Then she dropped the book on the window seat and leapt onto Jake’s lap. “It’s a sign.”
He steadied her, then grinned. “A good sign, I hope.”
She was crying again. “It’s more of that divine intervention you’ve told me about.”
“How do you feel about that, Lizzie?”
She grinned, then touched a hand to his face. “I think it’s…simply divine.”
“You look so beautiful, honey,” Aunt Becky told Elizabeth a few weeks later as they stood in front of an antique mirror at Mimosa Manor. “You are a lovely bride.”
“I’m a nervous bride,” Elizabeth responded, checking her hair and dress for the tenth time. After making sure her pearls were straight and her hair was in place, she whirled in a flurry of white satin and lace to hug her dear friend. “Oh, Aunt Becky, what if I mess up?”
“You’re not going to mess up,” Hannah said from the doorway. She was wearing a shimmering bridesmaid gown of amber shot with gold. “Besides, how can you go wrong with a man like Jake?”
Elizabeth rushed to hug Hannah close. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
“I’ll be just fine,” Hannah replied, but Elizabeth didn’t miss the worry and determination in her friend’s eyes. Hannah’s worry was fueled with a trace of anger that shimmered just as brightly as her gown. Elizabeth knew the anger wasn’t directed at her, though.
Jo came bustling in then, her matching amber-and-gold dress falling around her trim waist. “Everyone’s here. It’s about time to get started.”
“Is he here?” Hannah asked, her fingers gripping her bouquet of fall mums and baby’s breath.
“If you mean the best man, Griff Harrison, yes, he’s here,” Jo said as she shot Elizabeth a confused look. “I still can’t believe Jake asked that man to stand up for him.”
“I’m sorry,” Elizabeth said. “I didn’t even know they were friends until that night in the house, when Jake told me. He was Jake’s counselor in Fort Worth, and both Bram and Jake wanted him to be here. I was fit to be tied when Jake told me Griff was going to be his best man, but I didn’t want to have a fight with Jake right before our marriage.”
“It’s not your fault,” Hannah said, going to the window to stare down into the garden where the ceremony was about to take place. “I’m sure Jake means well. I’m sure he hopes that I’ll forgive Griff for what he did, but that can’t happen.”
Elizabeth touched a hand to Hannah’s shoulder. “Jake said Griff helped him through the bad times after he lost his family. Maybe he’s changed, Hannah.”
“Some people can’t change,” Hannah replied. Then she turned, took a breath, smiled. “Now, hush up about Griff Harrison. This is your day. Let’s go get you married, before Jake storms the gates and kidnaps you.”
Elizabeth nodded, gathered her bouquet of mums and roses, then waited as her mother greeted her at the top of the stairs. “This is it, Mama.”
“I’m so proud of you, honey,” Phyllis said, her eyes misting with tears. “And I want you to be happy.” She glanced down at Hannah and Jo. “I want all of you to be happy.”
Hannah sent them a wistful smile. “Well, two out of three ain’t bad.”
Elizabeth waited to hear “The Wedding March,” and while she waited she said a prayer for her friend.
“Lord, you brought Jake to me, and I thank you. You’ve made Jo so happy with Bram, and I thank you. Now please help our friend, Hannah. She deserves someone special, Lord. She deserves a good man.”
As she passed the window in the hallway, Elizabeth glanced down to find Griff Harrison staring with open interest as Hannah took her spot in the wedding procession.
“Hmmm,” Elizabeth said, her head spinning with what ifs and maybes.
“Are you all right, Elizabeth?” her mother asked.
“I’m great,” she replied. “I’ve found my dream man and we’re going to live in my dream house. I could just burst with joy.” She kissed her mother on the cheek. “Thank you, Mama, for agreeing to give me away.”
Then they reached the back steps and saw Jake standing there in his suit and tie in the golden-hued garden, the fall leaves glistening with sunshine and breathtaking beauty all around him. He smiled at her. Elizabeth smiled back and accepted the blessings God had given her.
As Jake opened his arms to her, she opened her heart to God’s promise of enduring love—and made her own promise. Somehow, she’d see Hannah happily married very soon, too.
SMALL-TOWN WEDDING
Penny Richards
This book is for Billie and Barbara, wonderful Christians, wonderful friends. I’m blessed to have you in my life.
Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
—Ephesians 4:32
Chapter One
“Fancy meeting you here.”
The words, spoken in a deep, familiar voice, stopped Hannah West where she stood, directly in front of the A&P’s tomato display, smack dab between the lettuce and the bell peppers. Her hand tightened involuntarily around the tomato in her hand.
Griff Harrison. A quicksilver river of emotions washed through her. Disbelief. Pain. Fury. And something else, something she couldn’t name. She gripped the tomato tighter to still the sudden trembling in her hands and pressed her lips together to stop the torrent of angry words threatening to spew out. How dare he act as if everything were all right? How dare he even have the nerve to speak to her?
Don’t make a scene, Hannah. Just say something polite and leave. Oh, but she wanted to make a scene. She wanted to tell Griff Harrison exactly what she thought of him. Wanted to scream out her fury and frustration and heartache at him. Instead, she carefully laid the bruised tomato back on the pile, lowered her clenched hand to her side and turned to face the man who had destroyed her dreams, robbed her of her youth and broken her heart beyond repair.
Seeing him face-to-face for the first time since her friend Elizabeth had gotten married two months earlier, Hannah couldn’t stifle the little gasp of surprise that escaped her. At thirty-four, Griff was even better looking than he had been in their youth, more handsome than she remembered as he’d stood up as best man to Jake Clark. His looks were the rugged, masculine type, with something that shouted Danger to any woman with her wits about her.
The problem was, most girls had been all too willing to throw caution to the wind when it came to Griff Harrison. She’d been tempted once, herself. Lean and broad-shouldered, he had a square jaw, a nose that had been broken a time or two, a shock of thick coffee-brown hair, cut stylishly short and left slightly messy, and eyes so deeply blue you could drown in them. He wore faded jeans and a shirt that matched his eyes beneath a brown leather jacket, a devastating combination.
Hannah took his stock in seconds, registered her reaction and hated herself for finding anything attractive about him. Her voice was as cold as a December day as she said, “I suppose in a town of four thousand people, it was inevitable that we run into each other sooner or later.”
“I
was beginning to think it would be later,” he told her. “I’ve been in town almost five weeks and haven’t seen you around, except at a distance.”
“I’ve been very busy,” she said in a prim voice as she shoved a head of lettuce into a plastic bag.
“So I hear. You do showers and parties and things in the old Carmichael house, don’t you?”
Hannah moved to the green beans without looking up. “Yes.”
“I haven’t seen you at church much.”
That made her look at him. “I’ve been there,” she said, defending herself. “But I haven’t been sticking around to visit when the service is over. I’ve—”
“—been busy,” he interrupted. “So you said.” Their gazes clashed for a few seconds longer. “You’re looking extremely well.”
For a thirty-year-old spinster. Hannah added the words in her mind while she resisted the urge to swipe back a tendril of her dark hair that refused to be tamed by her hair clasp.
“I didn’t have a chance to tell you at the wedding.”
How like him to bring up the wedding, something Hannah didn’t like to think about. To her mixed joy and dismay, her friend, Elizabeth, had been married in mid-September. As the caterer, Hannah had been too busy refilling the hors d’oeuvre trays to mix much with the wedding party, and she had avoided all contact with Griff…until the moment Elizabeth had singled her out to catch the bridal bouquet.
“Hannah? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she snapped. “But I’m catering a birthday dinner tonight, and I don’t have time for idle chitchat.”
“Especially not with me.”
The words were softly spoken, and Hannah thought she heard a hint of resignation in them. “That’s right,” she told him, punctuating the statement with a short nod. She shoved a couple of handfuls of green beans into another plastic bag and turned to put them in her buggy. She’d taken no more than two steps when she felt hard fingers close around her upper arm. Griff spun her around to face him.
