Simple Choices (36 page)

Once again, everyone repeated the toast. I looked at Sam who had tears streaming down his face. This was a night neither one of us would ever forget. A look around the table didn’t reveal anyone else who felt the need to speak—or who wasn’t so moved they couldn’t even if they’d wanted to. When we sat down, almost everyone was in tears. After a few moments of silence, conversation began to break out once again. I gazed around the table and felt such deep gratitude to God for my good fortune. In Harmony, I’d found more than just a simple town full of loving people. I’d found my life, and I’d grown to know my heavenly Father more intimately.

Earlier in the day I’d experienced a tinge of melancholy knowing that Mama and Papa wouldn’t be sitting in the church on Saturday when I walked down the aisle. But I had a strong sense that somehow they were with me and it helped. Somehow I knew they would be watching when I said my vows to the man of my dreams.

It was another hour before guests began heading home. Sam and I stood at the front door to say good-bye and thank them for coming. The Muellers and Ida were the last to leave except for Pat and my parents.

“Oh Gracie, thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you’ve done for us,” Emily said as she came up to me. She put her arms around me and hugged me tightly. “God brought you to this town—and to me. I love you, and I will always be your friend.”

Emily’s sweet comments touched my heart. “And you’ll always be mine,” I whispered back. “Tell Hannah everyone is praying for her, will you?”

She let me go but kept her hand on my arm. “She knows that, and she wanted me to tell you that she will be at the wedding.” She looked at her husband. “Abel, will you go out to the car and get Hannah’s wedding present to Gracie?”

Abel nodded and went out the front door.

“I know wedding gifts are usually given after the ceremony, but Hannah asked that we give this to you tonight,” Emily said.

Ida, who had been waiting next to Emily, stepped up to me and opened her arms. “Oh, liebling,” she said softly, “I am so happy. The joy of the Lord wells up like rivers of living water in my spirit.”

I wrapped my arms around her and she stroked my hair. “God has used you in great ways in my life,” I told her. “I wish I had the words to tell you what you mean to me.”

Ida released me and chuckled softly. “Ach, Gracie. We do not need words. I understand because I feel the same way about you.”

She gazed up into Sam’s face and took his hands. “I know you will take good care of my Gracie, and she will take good care of you. I pray that you will know the kind of love my Herman and I shared. The same kind of love that Gracie’s grandparents had for each other. And the kind of devotion her parents feel for each other. If you will put God first and follow the words they spoke to you tonight, you will live with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Putting others first is the love of God, is it not? He gave everything for us. Now we follow His example and give our lives to each other.”

“Thank you, Ida,” Sam said, leaning down and kissing the old woman’s cheek. “And if I ever forget, even for a minute, I expect you to remind me.”

She laughed. “Ach, you can count on it, liebling.” She reached out and took Emily’s arm. “And now I must go back to my little house and rest. I must confess that the excitement of the last few days has made me very weary.”

Just then Abel came back into the house with a large wrapped gift in his hand.

“I’m going to help Ida to the car while you deliver Hannah’s present,” Emily told her husband.

He held the door open for the two women who made their way outside to the porch and down the stairs. I turned my attention back to Abel who handed me the large square-shaped package.

I grinned at him. “I know what this is. Why don’t we go into the living room where I have more room to open it?”

Sam and Abel followed me down the hall. Pat, Mom, and Sweetie were busy clearing dishes from the dining room. I put the package down on the living room table and started tearing off the paper, handing it to Sam. As I suspected, a large wood frame and canvas were revealed. After unwrapping it completely, I turned it over to reveal a beautiful painting.

“Oh my,” I said, tears once again filling my eyes. I’d need massive amounts of water to replace all I’d lost that night. I even felt a little dehydrated. “Sam, look.”

In the painting, a man and woman stood in the middle of an orchard. Although you couldn’t see their faces, it was clear the couple was Sam and me. We were surrounded by beautiful trees, full of ripened fruit. A golden light from above bathed us in a soft radiance. My head was on Sam’s shoulder, and his strong arm circled my waist. Even the ground beneath us glowed. It reminded me of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Written at the bottom of the canvas were these words:
And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful
.

“It’s—it’s incredible,” I said, my voice catching from the emotion that overtook me. “Abel, tell her this picture will be have an honored place in our home forever.”

“I will.” The big pastor smiled. “I thought you’d like it. We gave Hannah permission to paint again, and this is what she chose to do. Her mother and I have agreed that she has been given a gift from God that must be used for His kingdom. When you’re ready, we’d like you to start Hannah’s lessons again.”

Sam stuck his hand out to Abel who grabbed it. “It’s an awesome gift,” he said after clearing his throat. “Please tell Hannah how precious she is to us.”

Abel shook Sam’s hand with vigor. “Why, Sam. She already knows that.” He smiled at both of us and left the room. Sam and I remained, staring at the painting. The style made me think of Thomas Kinkade. The scene absolutely glowed with almost unearthly light. It took everything I had to tear my gaze away.

“We’ve got to find a wonderful place for this,” I said to Sam. He started to answer me when Sweetie’s voice interrupted.

“Gracie? Sam? Where are you two?”

Sam put the painting on the coffee table. “We’re in the living room, Sweetie,” he called loudly.

“Well, get into the kitchen. Pat has something to talk to us about.”

Sam and I looked at each other. “Wonder what this is about?” he said.

“One way to find out.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the hallway.

When we reached the kitchen, we found everyone gathered around the table except for Sweetie who was rinsing dishes at the sink.

“Please, sit down,” Pat said in a solemn tone. The expression on his face was one I’d seen before, and every time it had preceded bad news. But that couldn’t happen tonight. Hannah was home, C.J. was locked up. What could he possibly say that could make a dent in this perfect evening?

“Sweetie, I need you to sit down, too.”

Sweetie started to argue with him, but she was trying hard to turn over a new leaf with Pat, so she put her dish towel down and came over to the table. She plopped down next to my mother. Sweetie was quiet, but her frown expressed her irritation. She couldn’t abide a dirty kitchen.

All eyes were fixed on Pat, who cleared his throat and rubbed his hands together before finally speaking. “Right before dinner, I got a call from a detective friend in Colorado.” He hesitated again.

“Well for cryin’ out loud, Pat, spit it out!” Sweetie declared. “Ain’t nothin’ you can’t say. We’re family now, remember?”

He nodded. “Yes, I know. And this is family business. That’s why I waited until everyone else left.”

“What is it, Pat?” I asked. “Is something wrong?”

He shook his head. “No. I mean, I don’t believe anyone will feel that way. Anyway, I hope not.”

Sweetie glared at him. If he didn’t get to the point soon, that family feeling she had could be in serious jeopardy.

“Terry called to tell me that he’s located Bernie.”

A small bomb exploding in the middle of Sweetie’s kitchen table couldn’t have produced more shocked expressions.

“Bernie who?” Dad asked.

“Bernice Goodrich,” I said quickly. “Sam’s mother.”

“Oh my,” Mom said breathlessly.

I grabbed Sam’s arm. His face had gone white.

“Where is she?” Sweetie asked.

“She’s in a hospital in Wyoming. She’s been there over a month,” Pat said.

“Is—is she all right?” Sam choked out.

Pat shook his head. “No, not really. She’s pretty sick. Hepatitis.” He gazed into his son’s eyes. “But she’s clean. I wish I could tell you more about her condition, unfortunately I just don’t know. I called the hospital, but they wouldn’t tell me anything since I’m not family.”

“Well, I’m sure as shootin’ family,” Sweetie barked, standing to her feet. “You give me the number of this place, Pat. I’ll call them right now.”

He reached for his wallet, pulled it out of his pocket, and opened it. Then he removed a folded piece of paper and handed it to Sweetie. “That’s it. Sure would appreciate it if you’d let me know how she is.”

Sweetie took the paper from his hand and stared at it for a moment. Then she came around the table to where Pat sat. She put her hand on his shoulder. “I’ll make sure you know all about how Bernie’s doin’, Pat. Thank you for bringin’ her back to me. I’ll never forget it. Never.” She patted his shoulder then left the room. Sam sat silently. He looked stunned.

“How do you feel about this, Sam?” my father asked.

“I—I don’t know,” he said softly. “To be honest, I never thought I’d hear from my mother again.”

Pat stood up. “I should have given you this before,” he said to Sam. “Just wasn’t sure you’d want it. But now I think you should have it.” He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled something out. “It’s Bernie’s letter. The one she sent me when she told me about you.” He held it out toward Sam who only stared at it. “She writes about you, son. About how much she loves you and how she only left you because she was afraid of ruining your life. Maybe she made the wrong choice, but she made it out of love. I think if you’ll read this, you might understand her a little better.”

Sam’s gaze seemed locked on the letter, but he still didn’t reach for it. I was about to grab it for him, when he suddenly took the folded paper from Pat’s hand. “I can’t promise I’ll read it right away, but I will when I’m ready.” His own eyes sought his father’s. “Guess I’m learning that forgiveness and understanding brings peace. Holding a grudge only causes pain.” Sam and Pat stared at each other for several seconds. Then Sam said, “Thanks … Dad.”

Pat hung his head, nodded quickly, and mumbled something about having to get home. For just a second I thought about following him, but then I realized the tough lawman needed to be alone. Sam and I heard the front door close.

“Good for you,” I said.

“You know what?” Sam said, sliding the letter into the pocket of his slacks. “It
is
good for me. I’ve wanted to call someone ‘dad’ my whole life. It feels absolutely fantastic.” His smile lit up his face.

“I think Pat feels just about as good as you do.”

“I hope so.” Sam yawned and stretched his arms behind his head. “I could use some coffee. How about you?”

“Sounds good.”

Mom and Dad begged off, deciding to go home. Dad’s leg was bothering him and they were both tired. I kissed them good-bye and promised to let them know about Bernie. It was hard to watch them leave without me. Frankly, I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go home and fall into bed. But even more than I wanted sleep, I needed to know what Sweetie found out about her sister. We’d just poured our coffee when Sweetie came into the kitchen.

“I called the hospital and told ‘em who I was. They’re gonna check with Bernie before they’ll tell me anything.”

“Will she let them speak to you?” I asked.

Sweetie sighed deeply. “Land sakes, I hope so. Wish I could predict what Bernie will do, but I just can’t. All we can do is sit and wait.”

Sam got up and poured Sweetie a cup of coffee. We all sat at the table until the phone finally rang. Sweetie jumped up and answered it. She was silent for quite some time, listening to whoever was on the other end. Finally she said, “Tell her I said not to worry. I’ll take care of it. I’ll call her back tomorrow. You tell her that, hear me?” Seemingly satisfied with the answer, she said good-bye and hung up. Sam and I stared at her expectantly as she came back to the table and sat down.

“Well, she’s sick, but there’s hope. She’s gonna need a liver transplant. She’s on a list, and her chances look okay. Nothing for certain, but if she can last long enough for a liver to become available, she might actually pull through.”

Sam let out a deep breath. “Can we talk to her?”

His aunt stared at him for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then she smiled at both of us. “She’ll certainly be talkin’ to me, son. I’m goin’ up there to be with her until she’s well.”

Sam’s mouth dropped open. “What do you mean? You can’t leave.”

Sweetie reached over and took his hand. Then she grasped mine. “You two have each other now. Bernie has no one.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Lord knows I love you both so much it hurts, but you don’t need me no more.”

Sam started to say something, but she hushed him.

“When you was a little boy, you needed me real bad,” Sweetie said gently. “And I loved bringing you up. I loved every single moment of it. But now you got Gracie.” She moved our hands together and took hers away. “You gotta be able to see this as clearly as I do. My sister is all alone, and you both could use some time together without someone else hangin’ around. It’s the perfect solution.” She chuckled. “Don’t be thinkin’ you’re gettin’ rid of me though, Sam Goodrich. You have my word. If Bernie gets better, I’ll bring us both back here.” She rubbed her eyes. “And if she don’t, well I’ll come back alone. But either way, I’ll come home one of these days.”

“I can’t imagine living here without you,” Sam said in a choked voice.

“I know,” his aunt said softly. “But this is my choice, son. And I need you to support me.”

Sam didn’t speak, but he nodded slowly. At Sweetie’s suggestion, we all went outside and sat on the porch, rocking quietly until the sun went down and the air cooled. No one said it, but we all realized it would be the last time the three of us would be alone together for a long, long time.