Hope (28 page)

“Fifteen!”

Picking her up, he threw her up in the air, catching her about the waist, laughing and kissing her. “I was on my way to get you when you came flying back down the hill.”

“Rescuing me again?” She grinned down at him.

“No, loving you.” The devotion in his eyes overwhelmed her. “If John could make you happy, then maybe you might have made me go away—but I doubt it. I love you, Hope. I have from the first moment I set eyes on you.”

“John couldn’t make me happy,” she said softly.

“No?”

“Not the way you can. You make me happy. I’ve known that for weeks, and I didn’t know how I could ever marry John when I loved you so much.” She tilted her head to one side. “Well, I’m a free woman, Mr. Sullivan. Will you marry me?”

Aunt Thalia wouldn’t approve of her boldness, but then, what Aunt Thalia didn’t know couldn’t hurt her.

Dan grinned, his eyes dancing with laughter. “You’re asking me to permanently hook up with a woman with your kind of luck?”

She sobered. “I know that you don’t want any commitments, but I’ll try real hard to make you happy, and I would never break your heart like Katie Morris did. And ordinarily my luck isn’t that bad. It brought us together, didn’t it?”

“No,” he said softly, tilting her face up to meet his. “God brought us together. Haven’t you figured it out yet? It was his plan all along.”

She nodded, breathless from his nearness. “I know—I have so much to tell you.” Later, she would tell him of her revelation and of how God had been working in her life all the while she’d been yelling at him.

Brushing a tendril of loose hair away from her face, he smiled down at her. “How do you feel about moving to Virginia?”

She nodded solemnly. “I’d feel real good about it. Thank you.”

“Then I guess we ought to get married just about as quick as we can find a preacher.”

“Muddy Flats!” they chorused.

“Let’s hurry before trouble can find us again.” Hope hooked her arm into Dan’s, and they set off for the ferry.

“Dan?”

“Yes?”

“How far is Virginia from Michigan?”

“A long way. Why?”

She held on to his arm tightly, afraid he might get away. She’d been through too much to get him; she wasn’t about to lose him now. “I want to see my sisters, Faith and June. Faith’s in Texas, and June will be living in Seattle, but we could all travel to Aunt Thalia’s for Christmas. Would that be impossible?”

She longed to show off her handsome government agent and meet Faith’s and June’s new husbands, share her exciting adventure. Why, Faith and June wouldn’t believe what she’d gone through to get her husband!

“My love, we can go anywhere you want.” He bent over to kiss her. “A Kallahan Christmas family reunion. I like the idea.” When she would have walked on, he caught her back to him, and they tarried in the middle of the road exchanging long kisses.

Three horses galloped out of Medford and blew past them on their way down the hill. Jerking away, Dan started to yell at the inconsiderate horsemen when Hope quickly slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Mhdidhgy?”

Shaking her head, she pointed to the fleeing riders. The lead horseman had a chicken coop wedged between him and the saddle horn. Feathers flew as they galloped toward town.

“More trouble,” they murmured.

Dan and Hope swapped a silent look, then locked hands and bolted off in the opposite direction.

“Is this what our life is going to be like?” Hope puffed as they raced down the hill to the ferry. It didn’t matter, but she’d just like to be prepared for disasters on a daily basis.

“I hope not!”

Their feet flew over the ground in record fashion.

Throwing her arms in the air, Hope couldn’t contain herself any longer. She shouted and whooped, making a powerful noise. She was going to marry the man she loved! “I love you, Dan Sullivan!”

“I love you, Hope Kallahan!”

The boatman looked up, waving.

And somewhere above, their heavenly Father smiled down and said, “I love you, too.”

A Note to Readers

Dear Reader,

I hope you’ve had as much fun with the Kallahan sisters—Faith, June, and Hope—as I have had writing about them.

When God called me to write Christian romances, I reacted with trepidation. Maybe I felt I wasn’t worthy enough to minister through the written word; there are certainly others more qualified. Also, I’m a person who resists change, even though I believe that God will uphold his children wherever he puts them, if only they will follow him. A Scripture verse that means a lot to me is Matthew 8:26, where Jesus calms the storm: “And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.”

I’m happy to say my earlier trepidation quickly vanished, replaced with absolute certainty of God’s will. I’m thankful that God heard the desires of my heart. Writing Brides of the West has been an unparalleled blessing for me. What joy I’ve found in “letting go and letting God” do his work! Today I write with a smile and a song in my heart for my Savior, honoring the Lord Jesus Christ. How blessed can one person be?

I thank you so very much for accepting Brides of the West in such an overwhelming manner. If you haven’t read
Faith
or
June
yet, I hope you will put them on your must-read list.

In his name,

About the Author

Lori Copeland, Christian novelist, lives in the beautiful Ozarks with her husband and family. After writing in the secular romance market for fifteen years, Lori now spends her time penning books that edify readers and glorify God. She publishes titles with Tyndale House, WestBow, and Steeple Hill. In 2000, Lori was inducted into the Springfield, Missouri, Writers Hall of Fame.

Lori’s readers know her for Lifting Spirits with Laughter! She is the author of the popular, bestselling Brides of the West series, and she coauthored the Heavenly Daze series with Christy Award–winning author Angela Elwell Hunt.
Stranded in Paradise
marked Lori’s debut as a Women of Faith author.

Lori welcomes letters written to her in care of Tyndale House Author Relations, 351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188.