“We sure do.” He lowered his head one more time as the children’s voices echoed through the entry hall. “I guess it’s time to get this show on the road.”
Soon, they were standing in front of the castle with Mackenzie, David, Molly and Jared, waving as townsfolk flooded through the gates. Since they were expecting a large crowd, residents were instructed to park at the high school then brought to the castle via school bus. It took a while to get everyone inside the castle walls, but once they did, Paisley, Crockett and the rest of them moved to the terrace to address the crowd and invite them to tour the castle.
“Hello, Bliss!” Crockett bellowed into a microphone just before three o’clock, setting off a round of thunderous applause.
Paisley stood to his right while Mackenzie and David were beside and in front of her wearing the biggest smiles ever. By the grace of God, Crockett’s daughter had readily forgiven Paisley for breaking her promise, and their relationship—which included regular shopping trips—had continued to grow since.
Once the throng of people quieted, Crockett reached for Paisley’s hand, and she proudly took hold. “This lovely lady and I would like to thank all of you for joining us to celebrate the new Bliss Texas History Museum and Event Center at Renwick Castle.”
More applause erupted, infused with a few whistles.
“You know, this old castle has been sitting here forgotten and overlooked for a long time, but Paisley and I had a dream. Not the same dream, mind you—” he winked at her, making her heart flutter “—just something that had each of us contacting the Renwick family.” Letting go of her hand, he motioned Molly and Jared forward. “Y’all give a big Bliss welcome to Mr. Jared Renwick and Mrs. Molly Renwick Simmons.”
The cousins waved as people cheered.
“Thanks to the generosity of the Renwick family,” Crockett continued, “Paisley and I, along with a host of helpers—” he pointed to Wes, who was holding four-month-old Wyatt “—have managed to breathe new life into this spectacular piece of Texas history.”
Glancing at Paisley, he went on. “For those of you who know Paisley and me, you’re aware what an unlikely pairing we were. Yet with a common goal of giving this castle a new lease on life, we made it work. What we hadn’t expected was that it would be the beginning of something new in our lives.”
He again reached for Paisley’s hand, drawing her closer. “Paisley, I want to thank you for partnering with me on this adventure. It turned out better than I could have imagined, and that’s only because of you.” His expression turned serious as he twisted toward Molly and held out the microphone. “Would you hold this for me, please?”
As a breeze sifted across the castle grounds, sparking chill bumps on Paisley’s arms, Crockett shoved a hand into his pocket. Before she could wrap her brain around what was happening, he dropped to one knee in front of her.
A few whoops came from townsfolk before everyone went silent.
With a wide smile, Crockett looked up at her. “Paisley Wainwright, will you marry me?”
She didn’t have to think. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she wanted to share her life with this man and his two beautiful children. “Oh, yes!”
Applause, whoops and whistles filled her ears as Crockett stood and slid the cushion-cut diamond on her left hand as Mackenzie and David moved beside them.
“This is so cool!” Mackenzie hugged her.
David wrapped his arms around Paisley’s waist and peered up at her. “Does this mean I finally get to have a mom?”
Tears pricked her eyes as she hugged Crockett’s son. “Darlin’, I would be honored.”
Crockett teasingly nudged his children out of the way. “Hold on, guys. I’ve still gotta seal this deal.” His arm snaked around Paisley’s waist and pulled her close. “I love you, Paisley. You’ve shown me the true meaning of love and made me believe that I might actually be worthy of it.”
Laying a hand on either side of his face, she couldn’t seem to stop smiling. “My sweet Crockett. You are worthy of so much love. I will cherish you always.”
Finally, he kissed her. This misunderstood man who’d unexpectedly captured her heart.
Five years ago, Paisley never imagined her life could be this full again. But God had a plan to bring two wounded hearts together and make them one. To teach them that love really does conquer all and grant them a second chance at forever. Together, they’d learned to face their fears, overcome obstacles and, ultimately, discovered an abiding love and respect for one other.
Through the fog of euphoria, she heard Molly say, “I think I might know of a great place for a wedding.”
* * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Missionary’s Purpose by Kat Brookes.
Dear Reader,
There’s something very satisfying when people find love again after having lost a spouse, either through death or divorce. It’s almost as if they have a deeper appreciation for a romantic relationship, even though they may be reluctant to give in to it. Paisley and Crockett deserved to find each other. She was worthy of a happily-ever-after, and Crockett needed to experience unconditional love. to know he was loved and believe he was worthy of it.
And what better way to bring these two unlikely souls together than a castle. The idea came when someone reminded me there had once been a castle on the banks of the river in our little town. Sadly, that castle is no more, having been compromised by a flood in the late 1800s, but, as often happens with writers, I began to think, What if? What if that castle had survived? There are actually many castles throughout the United States. And so, Renwick Castle was born.
Thank you for joining me on this third pass through the town of Bliss, Texas. Laurel’s and Christa’s stories were books one and two in the series. Our fourth and final story belongs to Rae. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the sweet café owner with a heart as big as Texas.
In the meantime, I would love to hear from you. You can contact me via my website, mindyobenhaus.com, or you can snail-mail me c/o Love Inspired Books, 195 Broadway, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10007.
Wishing you many blessings,
Mindy
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The Missionary’s Purpose
by Kat Brookes
Chapter One
“Aunt Addy!”
Addy smiled as her foster sister’s son, Finn, came racing toward her. Opening her arms wide, she accepted the nine-year-old’s warm, welcoming hug. Needing it more than she had realized until that very moment. She’d spent the drive back to Sweet Springs and Mama Tully mulling over her current job situation. Or jobless situation, as was her case.
Days earlier, Addy had learned her position as head pastry chef for a privately owned hotel had been terminated. A larger chain had bought out the hotel and was bringing in its own staff. That meant her time back in Sweet Springs was not only going to be spent visiting with her foster mother, Mama Tully, and helping Lila with preparations for her upcoming wedding to Mason Landers. She would also spend it searching job listings for her chosen career in the Atlanta metro area. Maybe beyond that area, as jobs in her field weren’t all that plentiful. The thought of starting over again career-wise was daunting. Not that she’d have to begin at the bottom. She was good at what she did, had years of professional experience behind her. It was more the thought of forming new professional relationships, workplace friendships, when her past had left her more guarded when it came to those things. But she would push through and find a spot for herself once again.
“Well,” she said, giving Finn one more affectionate squeeze before releasi
ng him, “if it isn’t my little sweetie pie, Finn Gleeson.”
“Not for much longer,” he replied excitedly as she set him back down onto his feet.
She looked down at him with a tender smile. “I like you just the size you are, but even when you grow to be big and strong, you’re still going to be my little sweetie pie,” she teased, giving the dark curls at the top of his head a playful tussle. She knew full well Finn wasn’t referring to his height when he’d said not much longer, but she wanted it to be his news to tell.
“I’m not talking about growing bigger,” he said, shaking his head.
“You’re not?” Oh, how she adored this little boy. One she had helped Lila to raise for the first few precious years of his life, until he and Lila had moved from Atlanta to Alabama. While she and Lila had talked often since her best friend and foster sister moved back to Sweet Springs, it was actually seeing the true happiness on both her and Finn’s faces that told Addy happily-ever-afters really did exist. But did they for everyone?
“Didn’t Momma tell you?” he asked. “I’m getting my daddy’s name! I’m going to be a Landers!”
“You are?” she said, feigning surprise. He was referring to the changes Lila was having made to her son’s birth certificate.
His head bobbed up and down. “Yep. I get to be Finn Landers!”
She would never forget the day her foster sister, only seventeen at the time, had shown up on Addy’s family’s doorstep, pregnant and distraught over the decision she’d made to run off from Sweet Springs. Addy had made a promise that day to keep Finn’s existence a secret. It hadn’t been easy keeping the truth from Mama Tully and Mrs. Landers. Two very special women who had so graciously taken her under their motherly wings, showing her nothing but kindness and love. It felt like such a betrayal to them both, but just as Lila had her reasons for leaving Sweet Springs without telling Mason about the baby, Addy had her own for keeping Lila’s secret. She’d feared Lila running off again and ending up living on the streets like Addy and her momma had for so many years.
“It does have a good ring to it,” Addy agreed, forcing her smile to remain intact.
The door to the old Victorian that had once been their foster home flew open. “Addy!” Lila exclaimed and flew across the porch with Mama Tully right on her heels.
They embraced, squeezing each other tight.
“Why didn’t you call to tell us you were coming?” Lila asked with a bright smile. “I would have had Finn moved out of your room and had your linens washed before you got here.”
If she had told Lila over the phone about the loss of her job, Lila would have spent time worrying over her. “I wanted to surprise you,” Addy said. It was also because she’d needed to prepare herself mentally. Returning to Sweet Springs meant facing those she’d hurt by having kept Lila’s secret all those years. She would take a day or two to mend her relationship with Mama Tully before doing the same with the Landers. “And I’m good with sleeping on the couch for a night or two.”
“Well, you certainly did surprise us,” Mama Tully said as she joined them. “And it won’t take any time at all to get Finn moved in with Lila.” Her expression softened, and she spread her arms wide. “Welcome home, Addy.”
Addy smiled, a sheen of tears filling her eyes. “Mama Tully.” She stepped forward into the embrace of the woman who had taken on the role of mother to a disenchanted young teen who had only seen the harsher side of life. A girl who had learned how to become a survivor the hard way, having spent part of her childhood on the streets of Atlanta, living in a beat-up old car with her momma. Her daddy, not a family kind of man, had taken off the moment he’d learned her momma was with child. When Addy was little, life had taught her to trust her instincts when it came to survival, and to always be strong no matter how scared she might be inside. Then, at thirteen, after child services had taken her from her momma because of her inability to provide a stable home for Addy, she’d been placed with Mama Tully, who had shown her what it was like to feel safe, to be able to trust in others, to trust in the Lord when times were hard. She had shown her there was more than one path to choose to travel in life. If not for Mama Tully and Mrs. Landers, her neighbor and close friend, helping to guide Addy, believing in her, she had no idea where she might have ended up in her life. Certainly not working in a field where she got paid to do what she loved. It was Mrs. Landers who had helped Addy discover her passion for baking, helping to pave her way to a career she loved. And how had she repaid her? By keeping Finn’s existence from her all those years. She didn’t deserve Mrs. Landers’s forgiveness, but she’d received it all the same.
“Let me take a look at you,” Mama Tully said, taking a step back. “You’re still as pretty as ever.”
While Lila hadn’t spoken to anyone after leaving Sweet Springs until returning recently Addy had remained in contact with Mama Tully and the Landers family, mostly over the phone. Her job kept her too busy to do much traveling, but more than that kept Addy from coming back as often as she might have liked to. It was the guilt of keeping Lila’s secret from those she cared about, the fear of letting something slip. She missed her occasional visits back to Sweet Springs so very much. It had been a hurt she’d learned to live with for Lila’s sake.
When the truth finally had come out that past summer, Addy had made her own heartfelt apologies to all involved. Everyone had eventually expressed forgiveness—except for Mason’s younger brother, Jake. Addy had built a special friendship with him through their many phone conversations and her occasional visits over the years. She mourned the loss of their bond more than she would have ever thought possible. If he weren’t away on a mission trip, one he’d gone on in Mason’s place so that his brother could remain in Sweet Springs with Lila and his son, she would have sought him out. Done whatever she could to earn his forgiveness and rebuild their friendship.
“Addy?” Lila prompted.
Mentally shoving her troubled thoughts aside, she said lightheartedly, “The wonders of makeup.” But it was true. Between the few fine lines that being almost thirty brought and the shadows beneath her eyes that came from several sleepless nights mulling over her future, she needed all the help she could get.
“And you’ve cut your hair.”
“It was time for my long hair to go.” She reached up to touch the dark, shoulder-length strands. “It’s an A-line bob. Shorter in the back, longer in the front.”
“It looks lovely on you, honey.”
“I agree,” Lila said. “It really goes well with the shape of your face.”
“Thank you,” she told them. “Mama Tully, you look wonderful. How are you feeling?”
“She has more energy than I do,” Lila said.
“I was so weak from being in that hospital and during my recovery afterward,” Mama Tully explained. “I don’t ever want to feel that way again. So I intend to keep moving and doing whatever it takes to keep my body strong.”
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to make it here to be with you sooner,” Addy said with an apologetic frown. To think of all the time she’d wasted hiring and then training an assistant to cover for her, only to end up not having a job at all.
“I know you would have been here if you could have been. Not to worry. I was in good hands,” Mama Tully assured her, looking to Lila and Finn.
“My daddy helped, too,” Finn stated proudly.
“Yes, he did,” Mama Tully agreed. “Now grab your suitcase and we’ll take this reunion inside. I’ll pour us some sweet tea to sip on while we catch up.”
“Suitcases,” Addy clarified with an apologetic smile. “I’ll be staying longer than I had originally planned to. That is, if it’s okay with you, Mama Tully.”
She scoffed. “As if I’d have any objection to your staying on longer.”
“I’m so happy to be able to spend more time with you and Lila and Finn. And I’ll be abl
e to help Lila with anything and everything she still needs help with for the wedding.” She looked to her friend. “Your big day is going to be here before you know it.”
“Um… Addy,” Lila began uneasily, something very akin to worry replacing her warm smile, “there’s been a change of plans for the wedding. I was going to call to let you know, but Mason and I are still ironing out the details.”
“The wedding’s still on, though?” She looked from Lila to Mama Tully, trying to read their expressions. What she saw there was masked unease.
“We’ve decided to push the wedding back until spring,” Lila explained.
“So Uncle Jake will be out of his wheelchair and can dance, too,” Finn happily supplied.
Addy’s heart gave a start at his words. She whipped her gaze back to Lila. “Out of his wheelchair?” she said in what came out as a panicked demand.
Her friend frowned. “Jake encountered a bit of trouble while he was building that schoolhouse in the Republic of Congo.”
Addy felt her heart pounding in her chest. “What kind of trouble?” she asked, not sure if she really wanted to hear the answer. The thought of Jake having an accident serious enough to land him in a wheelchair was almost too much for her to bear.
“He got shot,” Finn said matter-of-factly.
“Finn,” Lila said in gentle warning.
“Shot?” Addy croaked, her hand flying to her mouth. That went far beyond her imagining.
“And broke his leg,” Finn added with a nod, clearly not picking up on his mother’s desire for him to remain silent on the matter.
“Jake was shot?” Addy replied, shock at the news muddling her thoughts.
“He’s going to be okay,” Mama Tully said, giving Addy a soothing pat on the arm.
Lila nodded. “The doctor expects him to make a complete recovery physically.”
Physically? Why did that word have to stick out like a sore thumb? Then another word shoved that one aside. Shot. Addy glanced worriedly in the direction of the Landers place, which lay just beyond the orchard that lined Mama Tully’s side yard.
A Future to Fight For Page 19