This, of course, made her even more attracted to Sam than she had already been. Her whole life she’d let her mother make her choices: friends, clothes, dates, and even her career path. All had been decided for her by mommy dearest.
But what about what Heidi wanted? She knew her mother wanted what was best for her, and most of the time she loved her life, whether or not it had been of her own making. She wouldn’t trade being a rabbi for the world, and Louise had been a great friend for her over the years. But her mother had tried at least a hundred—not exaggerating, a hundred—times to fix her up, and each time Heidi had failed to feel the connection.
And now with Sam, it was like magic, like God had shone his spotlight directly on the man and said, “Here, Heidi, this one is for you!”
When it came to finding a husband, Heidi needed to fight for her own opinion to matter, for her heart and her mother’s aspirations to sync up perfectly. There could be no compromise, not in this matter. And she wanted to at least see where things could go with Sam, to at least be able to decide for herself whether or not something special was there between them.
He’d said he would call her, but that felt like an excuse to make a quick getaway rather than a sincere promise. Would she ever see him again? If he didn’t call, maybe God would send him her way regardless. Their paths had crossed three times before, so perhaps they would cross again.
Meanwhile, she would be patient. She’d waited this long to find someone who sparked her interest, so why not wait a little bit longer to pursue this potential lead? Jeez, she made finding a husband sound like landing a new customer, but marriage had always seemed akin to navigating the job interview process with her mother at the helm. And wasn’t that kind of what first dates were—a series of questions and answers used to determine whether you were worthy of a callback?
It hadn’t felt like that with Sam. Each of their moments together had felt so perfectly awkward that they couldn’t be anything but natural. For the first time ever, it seemed like she could actually fall in love… rather than being pushed into it by her mother.
And as far as her mother was concerned, Heidi knew for a fact that she would adore Sam if she just took a moment to look past her prejudices and see into his heart. Yes, her mother tended to be Orthodox whenever it suited her, but Heidi had specifically signed on as a member of Reform Judaism. It shouldn’t matter whether someone was a gentile, as long as he was faithful and loved God with his whole heart. And Jewish or not, Sam clearly put God first in his life, which was much more than Heidi could say for a fair majority of the suitors Judith had sent her way.
Judith had come from the old generation, and try as she may—though Heidi doubted she did try at all—she could never fully understand this new world that Heidi had grown up in. Now as a member of the Reform faith, Heidi was taught to seek, to question, to explore, rather than to just blindly believe. Heck, not even all the rabbis she knew kept kosher—and that was totally okay. So questioning the world around her is exactly what Heidi did as part of living a faithful life.
Then again…
Maybe her mother was right. Maybe she was too picky. But now she’d met a man to whom she didn’t need to question her attraction. And if God had drawn her this strongly to Sam and him to her, didn’t that prove He was moving them both toward similar paths with the intent that they could one day share the journey?
Such were the questions that ran through Heidi’s mind as she headed toward that day’s charity event. She felt like all she did was volunteer lately, but that tended to be the way with summer, especially with all the community’s kids off school for the summer and needing to be kept occupied.
It was now Friday afternoon, and she had volunteered to take a group of the temple’s teens to tend to the gardens in a nearby park. She’d no doubt need a hefty dose of Benadryl when this thing was through, but such were the sacrifices she made for her kids and the Lord’s Earth.
When she showed up, several of her teens had already arrived. Several more kids from the local middle school she didn’t recognize were also there.
“Hey, Hei!” Judy, one of her favorites despite the fact that she shared a name with Heidi’s mother, trotted up to Heidi and handed her a bag of top soil. “Looks like we may have a bit of a turf war today. Another group showed up to weed and plant flowers, too. I told them that we always get the third Friday of the month, but I guess there was some mix-up since this month has five Fridays. Anyway, their leader wanted to talk with you. He’s over by the canopy there.”
Heidi followed the girl’s finger which led straight to Sam. He was squatting down to help one of the younger kids dig out a hole deep enough to plant a young Maple tree. When he saw her watching him, he clapped the kid on the back, said something she couldn’t hear, then rose to walk over to her.
“Greetings, Rabbi. A wonderful day to be out in the sun, wouldn’t you agree?”
Heidi swallowed hard. Would a relationship between her and Sam finally bloom? Could the fourth time be the charm?
How many more signs did God have to send before Sam accepted His will? He’d arrived to do some community service with the youth group, only to find that another group would be joining them as well—a group from the local temple.
Sure enough, Heidi had come with them, looking just as angelic as ever in her soil-stained blue jeans and oversized T-shirt, which sported a cartoon cat. She didn’t notice him at first, but when one of her students pointed him out, a huge grin pinched at the corners of her face before she could stop it.
And he was smiling a big goofy smile, too.
“Think you can manage from here, Tim?” he asked the twelve-year-old digging a hole beside him.
The boy glanced up and spotted Heidi staring their way. She smiled and waved.
“Sure thing, Pastor Sam.”
Sam slowly stood even though he wanted to leap into the sky and shout a thousand thank yous to the Lord.
“She’s really pretty,” Tim said with a knowing smile. “Good luck.”
He surely felt lucky, but he also knew it was part of God’s plan—a blessing earned rather than random luck. And now that he had been convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that this is what God intended for him, Heidi was who God intended for him, he no longer felt shy or nervous, but rather overwhelmed with joy and gratitude.
“Greetings, Rabbi. A wonderful day to be out in the sun, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Absolutely gorgeous,” she answered, touching her hair.
Now that he realized God was on his side when it came to Heidi, the words came surely and easily. “Would it be too presumptuous of me to invite you to come work beside me? I’d love to chat more if you’re up for it.”
Heidi, on the other hand, still seemed a bit nervous. “Yes. I mean, no. Not presumptuous, and I’d love to join you.”
What could he do to put her at ease? An idea came to him, and he rather liked it. “First,” he began. “I’d like you to meet my kids. I don’t know about you, but I feel a dozen sets of eyes on us right now.”
Heidi whipped around in a circle, and sure enough, all activity had stopped as the young adults watched one trusted advisor speak to another.
Sam laughed, then raised his voice to shout across the park. “Get over here, you guys. Let’s meet the competition.”
Heidi’s voice wavered as she repeated, “Competition? Who said anything about a competition?”
“I did, of course. I bet you dinner that my kids will finish their half of the park first.”
“Oh, really?” Heidi quirked an eyebrow. “Because nobody works as hard as my kids. What do we get if we win?”
Ahh, so he had made the right call. He had a feeling Heidi sported a competitive streak and was glad to see that his instincts had been right.
“Same. Let’s do pizza. The winning team gets treated, the losing team pays, but we’ll all go together and celebrate a job well done after. What do you say?”
“I say make that pizza kosher,
and you’re on.” She reached out and shook his hand to seal the deal.
“You heard her, guys. It’s officially on!”
The kids clamored to gather their supplies, an excited energy passing over both groups.
“Wait a sec,” Heidi said. “How will we know who wins?”
Sam laughed. “We’ll all win, of course, but mostly me because I’ll get to have a meal with you, and this time I won’t let anything come between us.”
Heidi fished her phone out of her pocket and held it up. “I’m already putting this thing on silent. Now what?”
“Now, let’s race to see whose group can get the most flowers planted. The faster we finish up here, the sooner we’ll get to dinner.”
“Hey, I thought you said we’d be working together,” she reminded him.
Sam grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the gazebo. “Oh, we are. I wouldn’t let you get away again for all the pizza in the world.”
Heidi didn’t let the thick gardening gloves she wore stop her from occasionally nudging Sam’s hand with her own as they dug in the dirt and planted young blooms. As much as she’d liked him every other time they’d met, his sudden surge of new confidence had her even more smitten than before.
She liked that he had challenged her and the kids to a friendly competition, and made a big show of rushing to finish the work even though she kind of wanted to stop and smell the flowers, so to speak. But she knew that Sam had promised them a dinner afterward, so hurrying here didn’t mean saying goodbye. And she so wanted her kids to win.
In the end, Heidi’s kids won by a hair, probably in part because they were all high schoolers, and Sam’s kids were younger, ganglier middle schoolers. Still, everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves, and most stuck around to join them at the pizza parlor afterward.
“I wouldn’t have let you pay anyway,” Sam admitted as they took their seats at a long row of several tables the restaurant staff had pushed together for them.
“Hey, Pastor Sam!” a boy named Tim shouted from the far end of the table. “Are you going to let us be in the wedding?”
“Ha ha,” Sam responded sarcastically before secretly squeezing Heidi’s hand under the table.
“Actually,” she said, dipping her crust in a ramekin of marinara sauce. “That sounds like a fabulous idea. Can you make it next week?”
Everyone laughed, even Sam—though he turned as red as the sauce.
“I’m just kidding,” she assured him. “If they’re going to tease you, I don’t want to miss out on the fun!”
“So that’s how you’re going to play it, huh? Well, all right then.” He shot her a mischievous grin, then raised his voice to speak to the whole group. “So, guys, what can you tell me about Rabbi Gold here? Got any juicy secrets to share?”
Heidi dropped her jaw and looked around, daring her kids to join in on poking fun at her.
Judy took the bait, hook, line, and sinker. “I know everything about Hei, but you've gotta ask the right questions to find out,” she teased.
“Hmmm.” Sam rubbed his chin and looked from Judy to Heidi and back again. “How about… What’s her favorite food?”
“That’s easy! Butternut squash bread pudding! At least try to make your next question better than that!”
Sam drummed his fingers on the table and asked the next question in a rhythmic beat. “What kind of music does she like?”
All of Heidi’s kids rushed to answer, but it was Judy again who won out. “Hip hop, duh!”
Okay, that answer surprised him, but he had another question he needed to ask before he could explore that one any further. “Does she have a boyfriend?”
Sam’s middle schoolers giggled, and Heidi’s high schoolers rolled their eyes.
“Yeah, you,” Heidi answered for herself.
And when Sam responded by squeezing her hand again and caressing her palm with his thumb, she knew that it was true. Heidi and Sam were officially an item, and that thrilled her to no end.
Chapter 8
Sam returned from the pizza party to find a battered envelope waiting for him on his front stoop. Judging by the insane number of stamps and stickers on the thin package, this parcel had come a very long way—and he had a pretty good idea who had sent it. After tearing it open, he shook loose the neatly folded letter from inside and immediately recognized Pastor Dan’s writing.
Hey, Sam.
I got your letter and wanted to write you back right away with the hopes that my advice will still be timely. The phone here has been out for days, and I couldn’t risk my message not reaching you in time, so here we are. And let’s face it, I know you better than pretty much anyone else, and I know you’ve probably been overthinking this thing to death. Consider this a friendly intervention.
See, regardless of what people may feel about God and His wishes, He loves us—and that’s all there is to it. He’s not a vengeful or angry God. He’s a kind and loving Father who only wants what’s best for His children. All of His Children. Let me say that again for you to make sure it really sinks in, GOD LOVES ALL OF HIS CHILDREN. And he wants each of us to be happy, to live our lives to the fullest, and to experience this beautiful world He’s created for us.
Our lives aren’t stuck on some escalator to Heaven. Instead, God gives us glimpses of our paths to Him. It doesn’t matter so much how we get there, just that we do eventually get there. If you’re feeling strong pangs of love within your heart, He put them there for a reason. Stop asking why He sent you this beautiful gift of love and accept it!
Let love in and watch how your life will change for the better. That’s a lesson I’ve recently learned and one I can’t wait for you to experience as well. Stop questioning, stop fighting, and just let it happen the way God intended. You deserve this!
Your friend in Christ,
Dan
P.S. I expect to meet this Heidi when I return. See you in a few weeks!
Feeling more encouraged than ever, Sam placed a call to Heidi as he fiddled with his key in the door. She picked up on the first ring.
“Hey, I’ve got you on my car’s Bluetooth. What’s up?”
“Sorry to call so soon after we said goodbye, but I have a special request for you.”
“Oooh, really? What is it?”
“Since we’re now officially an item, I need to show you something that’s important to me. Would it be okay if I picked you up tomorrow around two?”
She hesitated for a moment. “I can’t at two, but how about three?”
“I have to move a few things around, but sure. I’ll pick you up then.”
They hung up, and Sam set to making arrangements.
The following afternoon Heidi greeted Sam, wearing a pair of khakis and a tank top with pretty sequins along the neckline. “I wasn’t sure where we were going or how I should dress, so I figured this outfit ought to cover most places you could take me. But just in case…” She held up the bag she’d brought with her and situated it in her lap for the ride. “I have a couple extra items in here. So where are you taking me anyway?”
Sam loved how prepared she was but realized he should have at least let her know where they’d be going. He reached out to hold her hand after making a quick turn onto the highway. “To church. Is that okay?”
Part of him still worried she’d find their different faiths too much of a burden to overcome, that she would change her mind and tell him goodbye at any moment. But she didn’t do that. Instead she squeezed his hand, smiled, and said, “Better than okay! I can’t wait to see it!”
When they pulled into the church parking lot a few minutes later, Heidi couldn’t hide her surprise. “This is your church? It’s humungous! And so gorgeous!”
“Yeah, I think we’re just a few hundred members short of mega church status. But I don’t maintain this entire congregation myself. I’m one of many. Actually I’m still a junior pastor, but I love it here and plan to make it my permanent home if I can.”
“Well, I don’t
blame you. It’s really stunning, and I bet you have so many opportunities since you’re so big. I mean, since the Church… you know. C’mon, let’s go inside.”
Sam gave her the grand tour, starting with the grounds, then moving onto the main sanctuary, and finally his own office.
“I love it,” she said. “Thank you so much for bringing me here. Will I get to hear you preach someday, too?”
“Actually,” Sam said with a smile. “I do much more counseling than preaching, and I was hoping you wouldn’t mind joining me for a session this afternoon.”
“Join you? But won’t your patients—er, sorry I’m not sure what to call them, friends?—wouldn’t they mind that I’m here listening in?”
“Of course we wouldn’t mind! It was all my idea!” Louise said, walking in through the door hand-in-hand with her new husband.
Heidi rushed to give her a hug and the two women squealed at the joy of seeing one another for the first time since the wedding.
“You look so tanned. You’re glowing! Wait… you’re not…?”
“Shut your mouth, Heidi Gold. At least give me some time to enjoy married life before you go making a mommy out of me.”
“Well, I would think that would be Brady’s job rather than mine,” Heidi teased. She playfully knocked her friend on the shoulder and their conversation quickly dissolved into a bout of giggles, as they hugged over and over again.
Sam took a seat in his armchair; Brady sat on the loveseat and waited for his wife to join him.
“So this was your idea?” Heidi asked once the two had sobered up a bit.
And Louise’s whole face lit up with pride. “Yup, when Brady told me about you and Sam being an item now, I thought what better way to… Wait a sec, I think maybe Sam should tell you the plan instead.”
The Alaska Sunrise Romances: A 9-Book Sweet Romance Collection Page 54
