by Debby Giusti
Eventually, she pulled back and giggled like a schoolgirl. “Simon will wonder what happened to us.”
“He’ll know something’s going on by the way you’re blushing.”
“And you.” She laughed. “You have the biggest smile I have ever seen.”
“That’s because you’ve made me the happiest man in the world.”
Arm in arm, they walked back to Simon’s room, to see their son. Tomorrow at Mattie’s house they would tell both boys about Noah’s desire to return to the Amish faith and their upcoming marriage. When the boys were older, they would tell them who Simon’s father really was. Ruthie felt certain the information would be well received.
As they stepped into Simon’s room, Ruthie glanced out the window. The rain had stopped and the sun was shining. In the distant sky, she saw the most beautiful rainbow as a sign from Gott that the storm had ended and the future would be bright and filled with love.
EPILOGUE
“Hurry, boys,” Noah called to Simon and Andrew. They both ran from the house wearing their new straw hats and athletic shoes. Andrew stopped on the porch to tie his laces, then hopped down the stairs and raced to the buggy.
“I can run so fast now.” His smile was wide and his eyes bright.
“Race you to Aunt Mattie’s mailbox and back,” Simon challenged.
Noah laughed as he watched the boys run. Andrew won but only because Simon slowed so his younger brother could pass by him.
Returning to the buggy, Simon winked at Noah, who winked back.
“Andrew’s growing so fast,” Noah said to Simon. “Soon he will be as tall as you.”
Andrew stood on tiptoe and came up to Simon’s chin.
“Yah.” Simon joined in the fun. “He is tall like a weed.”
“I am tall like a sweetgum tree,” the younger boy countered.
“Then you produce spiky seed pods that cause pain when I step on them,” Simon added.
Andrew shook his head. “Not with our new shoes. We do not have to worry where we step now.”
“As long as you remember to wear your rubber boots when there is mud,” Noah cautioned.
“Like after the flood?”
“Yah.” Noah nodded. “You were gut workers as we swept the mud from the old house.”
“Mamm said it still smells.”
“That’s why we’re building the new house.”
“Where we will live after your wedding.”
“Yah, Andrew.” Noah patted the boy’s shoulder. “That’s right. A new home for our new family.”
Simon rubbed Buttercup’s mane. “Andrew and I were talking about the wedding when we went to bed last night.”
“Oh?” Noah would have enjoyed hearing that conversation.
Andrew stepped closer. “We are both glad you are going to be our new datt.”
Noah’s heart warmed. “Thank you, boys. I’m glad, as well.”
“But,” Simon added, “it does not seem that you are a new datt.”
“Meaning what?” Noah asked, confused by the boy’s comment.
“Meaning it seems that you are our datt. Not a new one, but the one who we have waited for all our lives.”
Noah wanted to say something about Ben being a gut datt, but he was overcome with gratitude and did not want to change anything about the moment as he gazed at his son.
“You have always been in my heart, Simon.” He glanced at Andrew. “And you, as well, Andrew. So thank you for allowing me to have a place in your family. Thank you for allowing me to be your datt.”
He opened his arms and the boys stepped into his embrace. Noah’s heart soared with joy for these two sons of his. He had asked Gott to forgive him for leaving Ruthie so long ago. She had endured so much. The boys had, too. Now they were together as a family, which was more than Noah deserved and more than he had ever expected, but then Ruthie had assured him that Gott was a generous provider.
Ruthie stepped from the kitchen, carrying a basket filled with their picnic lunch. Simon ran to help her and placed the basket carefully in the rear of the buggy.
“Climb in, boys.” Noah motioned them into the buggy. “Let’s go to our new house and enjoy the lunch your mamm prepared for us.”
Aunt Mattie came onto the porch and waved. “Remember the bishop is coming for dinner this evening.”
“We’ll be home in plenty of time,” Noah promised as he flicked the reins and encouraged Buttercup up Amish Mountain.
The sun was bright and the air smelled sweetly of honeysuckle.
“It will be gut to move back to the mountain after the house is finished,” Simon said.
Noah reached for Ruthie’s hand. “Remember, Simon, home is anywhere as long as we’re together.”
Ruthie’s eyes beamed and her skin glowed. The lines of worry and concern that had weighed her down were gone, replaced with an infectious joy that he remembered from their youth.
The boys sang as they rode up the mountain, their voices harmonizing. Ruthie and Noah joined in, and between the songs, they laughed and joked.
Turning onto the farm, they passed the old house and headed to the new one, positioned higher on the rise and away from the river. Even if it flooded again, the water wouldn’t come into their new home.
The boys hopped down and raced along the meadow, chasing butterflies and enjoying the fresh air and the open spaces.
Noah pulled Ruthie close and pointed to the valley. “Castle Homes is gone and the area will soon bear new growth as the trees return.”
“It is like a distant memory that I do not want to recall.” She squeezed his hand. “All I want to think about is our wedding and our future together.”
“The boys told me they’re glad I will be their new datt, then added that it seemed they had been waiting for me all along. I should have corrected them, but my heart was overflowing with love for both of them and I didn’t want to spoil the moment.”
“I told you, Noah, you have always been in my heart. They knew you because I carried you within me. My love for you never ended, and even the years when we were apart, you were with me.”
“You led me back to the mountain, Ruthie, and back to the Amish faith. I thank Gott for that.”
“You returned when I needed you most. You saved us from my uncle. I might have left my land, and look what I would have lost.”
They stared at the valley that stretched below and the gentle river that flowed between their properties.
“The new bridge looks sturdy,” Ruthie said. “You did a gut job rebuilding it.”
“The underpinnings survived the flood, and the bridge stayed intact long enough for me to save you. My father built that bridge soon after he and my mother married. I have been remembering those happy times when Seth and I were children.”
“You have forgiven your datt?”
“Yah, and that forgiveness has healed the wound within me that festered for so long.”
Ruthie smiled. “I found my father’s will along with a note he wrote to me explaining that he knew you and I were meant to be together, but he also knew the farm needed to stay within the family. Henry had convinced my father that he wanted to reconcile and be part of the family again so my datt arranged for the farm to go to him if I moved away from the mountain.”
“Your datt loved you, Ruthie.”
She nodded. “In his own way, he did love me.”
“Now, with my father’s land and your father’s land joined together, we will have a flourishing farm.”
“You will teach the boys to be gut farmers.”
Noah wrapped his arm more tightly around her waist. “There will be much to do, but they are hard workers, like their mother.”
She smiled and scooted closer.
“I am glad the new house will be ready before the wedding,” he said. “You
r aunt Mattie told me the boys can stay with her for a few days following the service so we can enjoy our new home together.”
“What do you plan to do when we’re alone?” Ruthie asked.
“Tell you how much I love you and have always loved you. I want to share every moment of every day with you, Ruthie. Together we’ll farm the land and help our boys grow into wonderful men.”
“And other children?” she asked, her eyes twinkling.
“That’s something I’m planning for. Little girls who look like you and boys who look like Simon. We can add on to the house, if need be. I also want to renovate my father’s home. It’s rundown and needs work, but someday Simon might want to live there.”
Ruthie nodded. “With his wife and children.”
“Our grandchildren.” Noah smiled. “We have a wonderful life ahead of us.”
She snuggled deeper into his embrace. “The future sounds better than I ever could have imagined, Noah.”
“I love you, Ruthie. I’ve always loved you. Thank you for forgiving me and inviting me back into your life.”
She shook her head. “Noah, I told you. You have always been with me. I never said goodbye, because deep down in my heart I knew you would come back to me.”
She raised her lips to his. “And you did.”
* * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from Canyon Under Siege by Valerie Hansen (Book One of Canyon Standoff).
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed this second-chance-at-love story. Ten years ago, Noah Schlabach left Amish Mountain and the woman he loved, never knowing she was pregnant with his son. Returning home, he finds Ruthie Eicher widowed and trying to care for her two boys, as well as maintain their farm. But someone is out to do her harm, and Noah will do anything to keep her and the boys safe.
I pray for my readers each day and would love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected], write me c/o Love Inspired, 195 Broadway, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10007 or visit me at www.DebbyGiusti.com and at www.facebook.com/debby.giusti.9.
As always, I thank God for bringing us together through this story.
Wishing you abundant blessings,
Debby
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Canyon Under Siege
by Valerie Hansen
(Book One of Canyon Standoff)
ONE
Storm clouds darkened the north rim of the Grand Canyon, casting ominous shadows into the abyss. Pounding desert rain was threatening to sweep across the miles of open canyon and deluge the south rim helipad before rangers of the Search and Rescue team could fully mobilize.
Holly trembled with trepidation. She knew what was going to happen when Gabe realized who she was. And then there he was, jogging toward her. The one person who set her nerves on edge while also bringing assurance of safety, even while dangling from a rope suspended below a helicopter or rappelling down a cliff. Except she was no teenage novice seasonal volunteer anymore, she was Agent Holly Forbes of the FBI. And she was there for one purpose: to do her job, not because she’d once had a foolish crush on National Park Ranger Gabe McClellan.
Wind was picking up, whipping strands of her long, dark hair across her face and stinging her cheeks, but that was the least of her worries. She stood tall and still, expecting some kind of reaction when Gabe recognized her. Instead, he passed by as if she were simply in his way and began shouting orders to his men—and one woman—as they stowed their gear aboard the chopper.
The vibration of her cell phone startled her. Pressing it to her ear, she tried to shelter it from the wind with her body. “What? I can’t hear you!”
A firm hand grasped her elbow. Her eyes locked with Gabe’s for an instant before he tapped the side of his flight helmet and shouted, “I just got the full report by radio, Agent Forbes. Let’s go.”
“Are you sure?”
His dark eyes narrowed slightly as he nodded but that was the only sign he was perturbed. If she hadn’t known him so well in the past she’d have missed the reaction.
“Yes.” Keeping temporary hold, he urged her toward the chopper. “I’ll give you a headset and brief everybody once we’re in the air. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a storm brewing.”
“Well, yeah.” Holly had to hustle to keep pace with him. “It’ll be safer below the rim.”
“Usually is.” Gabe handed her up to two other rangers, who hoisted her aboard and made room for her. “Belt in.”
Still, he’d given no indication that he remembered her, whereas she would have been able to pick him out of a crowd of thousands. So much for the way he’d made her feel so special when she’d worked in the park. Their brief summer acquaintance had obviously meant a lot more to her than it had to him.
The whomp of the blades sped up until the sound was a deafening roar. They were airborne. Holly felt an imaginary hole in the pit of her stomach and grabbed the edge of the seat as the pilot banked to the left before straightening out. Then the loaded chopper passed over the edge and dropped into the magnificent canyon.
She’d often wondered how something so beautiful could claim so many lives, and she’d come to the conclusion survival depended on respect. If hikers or other visitors to Grand Canyon National Park paid attention to the rangers, stayed on the trails and were properly equipped and hydrated during the blazing summers, they lived.
She shivered. Disregard the warnings or wander from safe trails and the canyon was apt to swallow you up. She’d seen it happen. And she never wanted to witness that kind of pointless death again.
Her gaze darted from the scenery outside to Gabe’s face. Stoic and fully in control, he epitomized the perfect park ranger. How he could work Search and Rescue and keep his cool despite the fact they couldn’t hope to save everyone was more than amazing to Holly—it was terribly, terribly sad.
* * *
Gabe tried to stay focused on the task at hand, yet something about the serious FBI agent kept niggling at his subconscious. The park was very attractive to athletic young people looking for a challenge or just unwinding after rough college finals, so there was a chance this agent reminded him of one of those green kids. It had surprised him when she hadn’t balked at climbing aboard the chopper with his team. It would have pleased him more to have made this rescue without extra baggage but that couldn’t be helped this time. Orders to include her had come from above.
Gabe tapped the side of his helmet again and began talking to his SAR team. “The latest news from Spirit Ranch Station is bad. We have one ranger down and two missing.” He had to hold up his hand to stop questions. “I haven’t been given particulars that make a lot of sense. We have conflicting reports, at best.”
“What are our plans?” someone asked.
“Rescue, above all.” He eyed the FBI agent. “After that, maybe our ride-along FBI agent can fill us in.”
“Armed and dangerous to begin with,” Holly reported. “At least three men plus their driver fled Las Vegas after a drug cartel meeting went bad.” She paused and sobered even more. “They took out two of my fellow agents. One of them is clinging to life in a hospital right now.”
“How did they end up here?”
“That’s unknown. It’s believed they commandeered a boat and were into the canyon before they realized their mistake. We were setting up to capture them, as you probably heard, when they went ashore at Spirit Ranch Station and took hostages.”
“I’m glad your bosses were smart enough to pull the FBI and sheriff’s helicopters out when they did,” Gabe said sagely. “A pilot who isn’t familiar with air currents and the heat index inside the canyon is a real risk.”
“I know.
” A slight smile lifted the corners of her mouth. Recognition dawned on Gabe as she said, “You can thank me for that one.”
“That is where I know you from!” Gabe grinned over at her. “People, Agent Forbes was one of our summer interns.” Her first name remained elusive, so he paused in the hope she’d provide it.
“My nickname was Christmas when I worked here. You can all call me Holly if you want.”
“That’s right. Holly Forbes, aka Christmas.” How could he have forgotten? Perhaps it was less a matter of forgetting than of not recognizing the woman she had become. The laughing, lighthearted temp he’d met nine, maybe ten years ago bore only a faint resemblance to the somber person she was now. Had life hardened her that much? he wondered. It was possible. It was also possible she was the kind of agent who could focus so well on the job at hand she was able to set aside personal feelings. That could be a valuable asset.
Gabe was jarred from his thoughts by a sudden banking of the chopper. The pilot yelled, “Taking fire!”
* * *
Holly instinctively ducked while the armed rangers went into action. Rifles appeared. Men took up positions at the open side door, waiting for their pilot to give them a target. She, too, was armed but not with anything that would reach the ground accurately. Considering the evasive action the helo was taking, she doubted anybody was going to be able to successfully return fire.
Gabe shouldered her away from the door. “Stay back.”
“I am.” She eyed him critically. “Anybody who takes his safety harness off at a time like this is a fool.”
Scowling, he broadcast, “Anybody hit?”
A garbled chorus of assurance was a relief. Holly took a second to assess herself. She’d been slightly wounded several times in the line of duty and knew the shock of a bullet could dull the pain enough that an injured person might not realize damage had been done right away.
