Her cheeks heated, and he was chuckling as he left her.
Hannah could hardly wait to tell Gideon about the conversation.
* * *
* * *
Gideon had no idea how Hannah managed to put such a fine meal on the table barely forty-five minutes after they returned to his house. Rebekah bustled beside her with increasing confidence. Even after the day of hard work, Zeb willingly helped his weary daad feed the animals and finish chores. Not all the chickens had returned to the coop yesterday evening, but all had tonight, a particular relief for Zeb, who took care of them and knew each individually.
Once they sat down at the table, Gideon’s prayer before the meal was heartfelt. How had God found him worthy of so many blessings? Once he cleared his throat, the others raised their heads as well.
He and Hannah had had less than a minute to talk privately this afternoon, but that was long enough. “Before we eat,” he said, “I have something important to share with you.”
Zeb had been reaching for a sourdough biscuit, but he stopped with his hand short of the basket. He and his sister both stared at Gideon, who looked at Hannah. The sadness seemed to have left her; her green-gold eyes brimmed with emotion.
“Important?” Zeb asked.
“Ja.” Gideon had to clear his throat. “Hannah is to be baptized, and she has agreed to be my wife.”
The stunned silence did not last long. As always, after swiveling in her seat to look at Hannah, Rebekah spoke up first.
“You’ll be our mammi?”
Joy and gentle love made Hannah’s smile beautiful. “Ja. I don’t want you to forget your own mother, but since she can’t be here, I hope I can be what you need.” She turned that smile on Zeb, too. “Both of you.”
Zeb whooped, and Rebekah flung herself at Hannah and burst into happy tears. Gideon gave his son a quick, hard embrace, and decided that this evening, he wouldn’t take Zeb out with him to harness Hannah’s mare. He had nodded stiffly while keeping his distance too many times. He was eager to hold Hannah close, to kiss her, and to start counting down the days until November.
Acknowledgments
I owe huge thanks to everyone I’ve worked with at Penguin, starting with my editor, Anne Sowards. Her insight and encouragement helped make writing this trilogy a real pleasure. The rest of the team, particularly Miranda Hill, Natalie Sellars, and Stephanie Felty, have been wonderfully positive as well, keeping me informed and staying patient with my more-than-occasional absentmindedness. Thanks are also due to my agent, Jill Marsal, for suggesting this project in the first place. And, finally, I don’t know what I’d do without my equally patient daughters, who have always believed in me.
About the Author
The author of more than a hundred books for children and adults, Janice Kay Johnson writes about love and family—about the way generations connect and the power our earliest experiences have on us throughout life. An eight-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America RITA award, she won a RITA in 2008 for her Superromance novel Snowbound. A former librarian, Janice raised two daughters in a small town north of Seattle, Washington.
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Finding Hope Page 31
