A Mother's Strength

by Allie Pleiter

  Molly’s hands were shaking as she ended the call. Sawyer turned her to face him, taking her face gently in his hands. He wiped her wet cheek with one thumb, eyes full of the same relief sweeping through her. “I’d be beside you no matter what,” he said with the solemnity of a promise. “But I’m so glad you’re okay. Thank God.”

  How wondrous to know he truly meant those last two words. Molly always considered it a privilege to watch someone’s faith unfold, but how amazing to watch it in the man she had come to love.

  She leaned into the touch of his palm against her cheek. “I love you.” There had been a time when she wondered if she would ever say those words again. The surprise of saying them to Sawyer seemed nothing less than a gift from Heaven.

  His eyes took on a gleam she’d never seen in Sawyer. “Hey, I wanted to be the one to say it first.”

  Molly’s whole soul seemed to lighten with her laughter. “Beat you to it, I guess.”

  His grin faded into a serious look. “I’m so grateful you pushed yourself into my life. I love Zack. I love you.” He kissed her again, and then nodded back toward the church. “And they’ve figured it out.”

  Molly laughed, deeply this time. “Wander’s always watching. But I don’t think anyone would have to look hard. I think it was seeping out of my pores when I sang this morning.”

  “Have I told you how much I love your voice? It’s...there’s so much light in it. I don’t just hear it—” he put one hand to his chest “—I feel it.” He gifted her with the warmest of smiles. “I hear you even when I’m not with you.”

  Molly settled her arms around his shoulders, perfectly happy to stay close to him even if all of Wander happened to be watching. “You know, I think Zack feels the same way about your music. He had me download nearly every ragtime song we could find onto his music player. I hear him humming the tunes. So I guess I hear you even when I’m not with you, too.”

  “How do we tell him?” The nervousness in Sawyer’s eyes told her how big a step this was for him.

  Her heart glowed at his courage on her behalf. “Zack? I think he already knows. You said so yourself.”

  Sawyer pulled her a little closer. “I think this is a little more serious than ‘you like her and she likes you.’”

  “Zack’s a smart kid. I expect he’s already figured that out, too.” A sudden thought struck her. “Hey, I’m not going to have to take up golf or anything, am I?”

  “Only if you want to. I’m fine with it just being Zack’s and my thing. But if you got it into your mind to invite me to that choir breakfast of yours, I think I’m ready to take that up.”

  Sawyer? At the choir breakfast? God had truly exceeded every expectation in bringing Sawyer into this community. Molly was near dizzy with gratitude, relief...and love. Sawyer was here, holding her, making promises, making friends. “You should definitely join us for breakfast this week.” She leaned in. “You should join us for a lot of things.”

  “I plan to. Let’s go find Zack and your friends and tell them the happy news.”

  “The test results?”

  “That, too.”

  Molly took his hand and together they started walking back toward the church. “What do you say we walk over to the bakery and buy the biggest carrot cake they have. I’m in the mood to celebrate, and I want Zack to know cake means good things.”

  Sawyer laughed. It was the first full, rich, happy laugh she’d heard from him. And she knew it would not be the last.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Who knew I was such a fan of waffles?” Sawyer patted his stomach after a morning breakfast with the folks from the choir. He could be exhausted from a bad shift at the resort and still make sure he made this weekly meal with friends.

  Friends. He had friends—many of them—here in Wander Canyon. Almost every day it amazed him how he’d come here to hide and God worked it out so that instead he found himself. And love.

  The August sun was just starting to heat up the day as he motioned to one of the benches that lined the town’s main street. “Can you spare another few moments?” he asked Molly, knowing she was on her break from the coffee shop. “I’ve got something I want to show you.”

  “For you? Absolutely.”

  They sat down and Sawyer pulled a letter from his pocket. It had taken him four days to write it, and his trash can at the apartment was filled with crumpled versions. Still, he’d known this was something he had to do, and something he wanted to share with her.

  “This is to the surviving family of the mom and boys killed in the accident. It’s telling them how sorry I am and asking for their forgiveness.”

  She touched the envelope with reverence. She knew what a monumental thing it was. “Oh, Sawyer.”

  “I’d always thought the ruling by Internal Affairs would clear my conscience, but it never did. I need to do this. Thank you for showing me that.”

  She looked up at him. “I didn’t show you that, God did.”

  “Well, I’m not sure He would have gotten through without your help.”

  “Do you think they’ll respond?” she asked. “They said some pretty awful things.”

  Sawyer sighed and sat back against the bench. “I’m not sure it matters if they do. This was a step I needed to take. To make peace with what happened. To be able to move forward.” It stunned him again how easily a smile came to him when he looked at her. “I’m cooking up some big plans.”

  Her eyes widened. He loved surprising her. “Really?”

  He’d almost announced this at breakfast, but decided he owed a private reveal to Molly first. “Did you know there will be an opening in the Wander Canyon Police Department later his year?”

  Her eyes widened even more. Followed by that glowing smile he’d come to cherish. “No, I didn’t.”

  “I’m going to apply for a lateral transfer. There’s a bunch of procedures and paperwork that needs to happen, and it’s no done deal, but I’m ready. I have an appointment with Chief Perkins to talk it over next week.”

  She threw her arms around him. “Sawyer, that’s wonderful. Day shifts?”

  “I can’t say for sure, but eventually, I hope.” It had been a feat of coordination to spend so much time together with him still on night shifts. Sawyer no longer needed the isolation of the solitary nights. He was ready to step into the daylight in more ways than one.

  “I can be patient.”

  He grinned. “Molly Kane, you’re the least patient person I know.”

  He’d never tire of her laugh. It was bright and musical and sounded like sunshine. “Well, okay, I can try.” She looked at her watch. “Time to get back to brewing up goodness for Wander folks.” She looked again at the envelope. “This is wonderful. Really. I’m so proud of you.” Thank You for this woman, Lord, he prayed as he walked her to The Depot as he had after every choir breakfast morning since joining the meal on the way home from Mountain Vista.

  She kissed him on the steps up to the red train car, as she had done every time. “Sleep tight.”

  He would. He’d slept soundly lately for the first time in years.

  * * *

  There probably were more elegant places for this occasion, but Sawyer couldn’t think of a better one than Cuccio’s Pizza. November had brought a solid chill to the air, and his weekly pizza nights with Molly and Zack were still one of the highlights of his week.

  Zack and Molly were already at their favorite table as he walked into the restaurant. “Hi, Officer Bradshaw!” a little girl called as he headed toward the booth. He’d made two classroom visits to Zack’s school since joining the Wander Canyon police force. Third grade school visits? Some days Sawyer didn’t even recognize the new person he was becoming.

  He’d never been this happy.

  He was pretty hopeful life was going to get even happier after tonight.

  �
��Sorry,” he said as he sat down. “I was running late and I didn’t have time to change out of uniform.” He leaned over and gave Molly a quick kiss. When had he become the kind of man to kiss so freely, and in public even? Love sure changed a guy.

  “You’ll get no grief from me,” she said. “You know how much I like you in uniform.”

  “Mom...” Zack moaned.

  “Someday you’ll eat that groan,” Sawyer teased.

  “I’d rather eat some pizza. I’m starved.” Zack clutched his stomach.

  “Me, too,” Sawyer admitted, “but midterm report card first. That was the deal.”

  Sawyer already knew the contents of the report. Molly had called him earlier this week, crying tears of joy for the compliments Zack’s third grade teacher had gone out of her way to relay to Molly. Zack was thriving. Some things were still a struggle, and he had days where he slumped back into his anxieties, but it warmed Sawyer’s heart to see the boy coming into his own.

  Zack grinned and produced the paper. Molly, who had already seen it and called for the celebratory pizza night, beamed. “You’ve put in a lot of effort. And look how it’s paid off. You’re a terrific third grader.” He made a point of catching Zack’s eye. “I’m proud of you.”

  The resulting look on Zack’s face was nothing short of a treasure. Every day Sawyer felt his affection for the boy grow.

  Of course, half the excited look on Zack’s face had nothing to do with the paper he held. It had a lot to do with the conversation they’d had on the golf course yesterday. To be honest, Sawyer was excited, too. Well, that and a little nervous. He was grateful for the encouragement in Zack’s bright eyes.

  They ordered their usual meal. They said hello to a couple of friends and neighbors eating at nearby tables or stopping in for carryout. After about ten minutes, Zack poked at Sawyer’s arm before slumping back in his chair and rolling his eyes. “C’mon. You’re not really going to wait all the way until after we eat, are you?”

  Molly gave the pair of them one of her looks. “What is up with the two of you? You’ve both been fidgety the whole time. You’re up to something.”

  Zack held up his hands. “Not me.”

  Sawyer pushed out a breath. He was wondering how he was going to down his usual four slices with the way his stomach was turning nervous somersaults.

  Molly raised a suspicious eyebrow, making an adorably clueless face. Sawyer said a quick prayer for courage and set down his root beer.

  He cleared his throat, his mind suddenly going blank of the speech he’d drafted four times last night. “I can’t think of a time when I’ve been happier,” he began, hating how his voice pitched tight with nerves. “These past seven months have been, well, amazing. Life-changing. I got my life back on account of you. You and faith and friends and all, but mostly you.” He cleared his throat again, suddenly terrified.

  Zack leaned over to Molly. “He wants to get married, Mom. He asked me if it was okay yesterday.”

  Sawyer’s hand went to his forehead. “Why is everyone in this family always beating me to the punch for the important stuff?”

  Molly stared at him, eyes wide in that look of wonder that could always melt him to nothing. “Because everyone in this family,” she used the word with a heartwarming emphasis, “already loves you.”

  Okay, this wasn’t anything close to how he’d planned this, but what in Sawyer’s life these past months had gone the way he’d originally planned? Life with Molly was a nonstop adventure. Why not this, as well?

  Sawyer got down on one knee in the middle of a crowded, noisy, pizza parlor and pulled a small velvet box from his pocket. He opened it to reveal the ring. “Molly Kane, will you marry me?”

  Molly was in tears even before he finished the question. “Absolutely!” she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing him.

  Somewhere on the edges of his bliss, Sawyer was vaguely aware of applause coming from the crowd, punctuated by a groan of “Ugh. More kissing!” from Zack. He couldn’t bring himself to care. Molly was going to be his wife. Zack would be his son. The very thought made his chest want to burst with happiness.

  When Molly finally let go, he slipped the ring onto her finger and felt the whole of his life slide into place.

  “Told ya she’d say yes,” Zack said with astounding confidence. Sawyer had been rather nervous Zack would find such a large-scale change in his life daunting. He’d been almost as apprehensive about asking Zack as he was about asking Molly. In truth, it seemed more like Zack was wondering what took Sawyer so long.

  “It’s not too soon?” Sawyer whispered to Molly. He’d been worried the leap forward might test even her legendary impatience.

  Her face beamed. “Officer Bradshaw, I can’t marry you soon enough.”

  Zack suddenly pointed to the far end of the room. “Pastor Newton’s right over there, you know.”

  Molly laughed. “That might be a bit too soon. What do you say we do a bit of planning and do it up right?”

  Sawyer slipped the hand of his bride-to-be into his, marveling at the glittering diamond now gracing her fingers. A gush of gratitude flew up from his heart to God, who had surprised him with so much joy. “Make me coffee every morning for the rest of our lives?” he asked, feeling as if the smile on his face would never leave.

  “I love my new family.” Her eyes glistened every time she said the word. “Nothing would make me happier.”

  Arturo Cuccio came over to the table. “Our first proposal ever! Pizza’s on the house.”

  “Cool,” Zack said, licking his lips.

  “More than cool,” Molly added. “Absolutely wonderful.”

  Sawyer couldn’t agree more.

  * * *

  If you enjoyed this story by Allie Pleiter,

  be sure to check out her

  other Wander Canyon books

  Wander Canyon Courtship

  Their Wander Canyon Wish

  Winning Back Her Heart

  His Christmas Wish

  Find these and other great reads at

  www.LoveInspired.com

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Lost and Found Faith by Laurel Blount.

  Dear Reader,

  I’ll never be able to explain where some stories come from. They leap out of nowhere to capture your heart and demand to be told. Molly, Sawyer and precious little Zack showed up in my brain one day and begged me for their happy ending. In a world where there is so much sadness and struggle, I was glad to be able to craft their story. If their path to joy gives you hope in your own struggles, then know my prayers for these words have been fulfilled.

  You’ll be pleased to know more visits to Wander Canyon are in the works. Tessa gets her own happy ending in the next book—and what you discover about cranky old Norma Binton will surprise you indeed!

  I always love to hear from readers. You can find me at alliepleiter.com or on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and P.O. Box 7026 Villa Park, IL 60181.

  Blessings,

  Allie

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  Lost and Found Faith

  by Laurel Blount

  Chapter One

  “Car keys aren’t in here, either.” Neil Hamilton pulled his head out of the clothes dryer and banged the metal door shut. He sat back on his heels and ran a hand through his hair. “That takes care of all the usual places. Where’d I leave them this time?”

  “Meow.” The skinny orange cat who’d taken up residence at the rented cabin thumped his striped tail against the laundry room floor.

  He shot the animal a narr
ow glance. “I wasn’t talking to you. I don’t talk to cats.”

  At least, he never had. Of course, before this stray had turned up last week, he’d never fed one or let one in the house, either.

  He glanced at his watch and winced. This cabin was perched on the outskirts of Cedar Ridge, Georgia, and the drive down the mountain to the high school took exactly eighteen minutes. If he didn’t leave soon, he’d be late for his meeting with Principal Audrey Aniston. She’d hinted that there was some issue with the summer school classes he was scheduled to teach, and Neil was determined to find out exactly what the problem was—and to solve it.

  He was counting on those classes. Teaching history to hormone-distracted teenagers could be frustrating, but since the accident three years ago, his strict routine was the only thing that kept him sane. He had to teach summer school. Otherwise he’d have nine empty weeks stuck out here on this mountain with nothing to do but remember.

  That wasn’t an option. The two-week break he was suffering through now was bad enough.

  Frustrated, Neil massaged his temples. His brain had won him all sorts of lofty academic awards, but it was worse than useless when it came to keeping track of keys. Or reading glasses or important papers or pretty much anything else.

  Laura would’ve laughed at his predicament. The absent­minded professor. You’re such a stereotype, Neil! Then his late wife would have unearthed his keys in the vegetable crisper or some other unlikely spot and presented them to him with a kiss.

  He jerked away from the thought as if he’d touched a hot stove and tried to focus.

  Had he left the keys in his Jeep, maybe? He hadn’t considered that because he knew he’d have needed them to unlock the cabin. But, of course, if he’d forgotten to lock the front door—again—he might not have noticed.

  His phone alarm beeped as he stepped out onto the front porch. He paused in the fragrant shade of the climbing summer roses to silence it. Leave for Meeting NOW flashed on the small screen. He fought the urge to throw the phone in the blooming bushes, shoving it back in his pocket instead.