Chapter 45
Kate had spent two days preparing her usual traditional Thanksgiving meal, much to the delight of her family. Grandpa Buck ate a second piece of pumpkin pie and finally pushed back from the table, not to be outdone by Jesse, who had eaten a slice each of Dutch apple, black bottom, and pumpkin pie.
“Aren’t you miserable yet?” Hawk said to Jesse, a grin twitching his cheeks.
“No, I’m just right.” Jesse patted his middle and then started laughing. “Just don’t stick me with a pin or I’ll explode.”
Abby stood and tapped her water glass several times with a spoon. “Attention, everyone. It’s time to give Mama our surprise.”
Riley reached down and picked up something and then handed it to Abby under the table.
“What’s going on?” Kate said.
“As you know,” Abby continued, “we unanimously decided that your pasta sauce was the best and should be sold in the gift shop here at Angel View, paired with a cookbook of your pasta recipes. Our goal was to have it in our gift shop and the shops around Foggy Ridge in time for Christmas. You agreed to let us have the fifty jars of pasta sauce you canned last summer if we designed the cover and handled all the details. I’m happy to announce that the first fifty books arrived yesterday. Mama, we present to you Secrets from Kate’s Kitchen.”
Kate took the thin hardback book, about the size of a novel, from Abby and couldn’t stop looking at the full-color glossy cover, which featured a flattering image of Kate standing at her stove, wearing her red bib apron and tasting her pasta sauce with a spoon. “This is really nice! Who took this picture—and when? I have no recollection of it.”
Elliot raised his hand. “Guilty. I used my telephoto and shot it from the living room. You didn’t even know what I was up to. But look closer. Jay painted that cover image from the photo and then painted the red-and-white checked border.”
Kate smiled. “Goodness. It’s so perfect I almost can’t tell. Jay, this is beautiful. Your talent never ceases to amaze me. This is absolutely going to pop on the shelf.”
“We all thought it turned out very cool,” Jay Rogers said. “I’m glad you like it.”
“Like it? I love it.” Kate thumbed through the pages of her fifteen best pasta recipes. “I never envisioned anything quite this beautiful. So well done. Thank you all. And thank you for believing my pasta sauce was worthy of such recognition.”
Abby held out her palm. “Wait, there’s more. We ordered self-adhesive labels that match the cover design to stick on the front of the pasta jars, and those have come in. Jay and I also found a source for really cute white cotton mesh bags to hold each cookbook and jar of pasta sauce. Just close the drawstring at the top, staple the product ingredients tag we also had printed, and we’ve got attractive, see-through, reusable, and inexpensive packaging. And since we already have fifty jars of pasta sauce, all we have to do is get a family assembly line going and we can have the gift sets packaged and ready to go in a day.”
Grandpa raised his hand. “I volunteered for that.”
“However, there is a hitch in the plan we didn’t anticipate,” Abby said. “According to the Arkansas Cottage Food Law, we’re allowed to home-can the pasta sauce and sell it here at Angel View, at farmer’s markets, and at special events. But in order to sell it to retailers, we would have to be licensed by the health department and go through a lot of hoopla, which we might want to revisit later. But to start, we can sell the gift sets here at Angel View.”
Kate laughed. “Honestly, I’m fine with just selling it here. Oh dear! My business head is spinning. So is someone making sure everything’s compliant with state law? And tracking expenses? And figuring out how we’re going to handle our cash flow?”
Elliot tapped his water glass. “As a matter of fact, I am. Kids, your mother and I have been waiting to tell you something. But first I have a surprise for her.” Elliot got up and knelt next to Kate’s chair.
Kate sucked in a breath, her hands to her cheeks. Was he really going to do this now? In front of the entire family?
“Darling,” Elliot said, “there is nothing on earth I would rather do than spend every moment with you and this beautiful family. But honestly, I’ve been a freeloader long enough.” He took a small black box out of his pocket and opened it, displaying the most beautiful halo diamond ring Kate had ever seen. “Marry me, Kate, and let me start giving back. I love you more than words can express. And I love each person in this family as if they were my own flesh and blood. I don’t want to change anything. I just want to be a part of everything for the rest of my life. So, my darling Kate … will you be my wife, my life partner, the other half of my heart—and let me start pulling my weight around here?”
Kate laughed. “Well, when you put it that way, yes!”
Elliot slipped the ring on her finger, a perfect fit, and kissed her tenderly.
“Way to go, Elliot,” Jesse said, his face beaming. “Took you long enough.”
“Yay!” Riley clapped her hands. “I’m going to have a daddy.”
All the kids sprang to their feet and rushed over to Kate and Elliot.
Abby held Kate’s cheeks and looked into her eyes. “Mama, I’m so happy for you—for all of us!”
“Me too.” Kate reached for Jay’s hand, streams of joy trickling down her face. “When we say family, that includes you. You know that.”
Jay nodded, his cheeks suddenly pink. “When the time is right for me and Abby to get engaged, I hope she looks as happy as you do.”
Hawk shook hands with Elliot and then pulled him into a hug. “I couldn’t be happier, man. You two were obviously meant to be together.”
From across the table, Grandpa Buck caught Kate’s gaze and nodded, his eyes glistening.
“Mama, I’m so jazzed you said yes!” Jesse picked up her hand and looked closely at her engagement ring. “It’s humongous because that’s the way Elliot loves you … Do you think it would be okay if I call him Dad after you get married? I mean, would that be too weird?”
Kate smiled, her heart pounding and thoughts racing with images of past, present, and future. “Not at all. I’m sure your father would be happy that a fine man like Elliot wants that responsibility. And I promise you, Elliot will be thrilled.”
“Hey, everybody,” Riley hollered, “look outside. It’s snowing!”
Kate grabbed Elliot’s hand and hurried over to the giant living-room window that looked down over Beaver Lake. Snow had nearly covered the ground. And as far as they could see, huge white flakes were falling from the sky.
Elliot flashed a toothy grin. “Okay, coats and boots, everyone. The way this is coming down, I see a snowball fight just waiting to happen.”
The kids raced for the coat closet, Riley’s unmistakable squealing a happy contrast to the silence of those empty years when laughter had lost its voice.
On his way to the back door, Jesse tossed two ski jackets to Elliot, then held up his left arm. “Expect no mercy. When it comes to snowball fights, I’m ambidextrous.”
Elliot chuckled as the herd of Cummings kids, big and small, stampeded out the door, Grandpa Buck on their heels. He helped Kate put on her jacket and then slipped into his own, zipped it, and put his arms around her.
She looked up into his twinkling eyes, her heart overflowing, and just relished the moment.
“I love you,” Elliot said, pulling her closer. “You’re not disappointed that I proposed in front of the kids, are you?”
“Nothing you do disappoints me,” Kate said. “Did you see their faces? I can’t remember the last time I saw them this happy.”
He smiled. “You look pretty radiant yourself.”
“I feel radiant. And the ring … my goodness”—Kate held out her hand and admired how the diamonds sparkled in the light—“it’s magnificent. I never expected anything like this.”
&nbs
p; “I intend to surprise you for the rest of your life.”
Elliot gently pressed his lips to hers, just as the first snowball hit the window, turning their kiss into a mutual smile.
“We can’t let that go unanswered,” he said.
“Definitely not.” Kate put on her gloves and stocking cap, then turned and walked out onto the deck, where the snow was rapidly accumulating.
She stood at the railing and breathed in the crisp mountain air, aware that Elliot had ducked and a snowball had hit the house, evoking a round of laughter from the kids.
Elliot fired back, then put his arm around Kate, a boyish grin overtaking his face. “I hope they never outgrow this kind of fun.”
“Well, even if they do”—Kate heard herself squeal as a snowball hit Elliot’s sleeve—“we’re bound to have grandkids.”
Kate picked up a handful of wet snow, formed it into a ball, and threw it randomly over the railing. She was delighted by the sound of her children’s playful voices and imagined it echoing all the way to heaven. Micah would always be her first love and her children’s father. But God, in His faithfulness, had filled the aching void of Micah’s absence with an exciting new love, who was everything her heart desired and the most fitting father figure her children could have hoped for.
A familiar honking sound caused Kate to look up. Her eyes found a flock of Canada geese gliding southward across the snowy Arkansas sky, powered by nothing more than what God had programmed into their DNA. She had no more idea of what the future held than they, but she no longer felt the need to control it. No matter what direction her future took, or what obstacles she might face on the journey, she trusted the Lord to get her to the final destination—right on time.
… a little more …
When a delightful concert comes to an end,
the orchestra might offer an encore.
When a fine meal comes to an end,
it’s always nice to savor a bit of dessert.
When a great story comes to an end,
we think you may want to linger.
And so, we offer ...
AfterWords—just a little something more after you
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We invite you to stay awhile in the story.
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• A Note from the Author
• Discussion Guide
A Note from the Author
“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:6
Dear friends,
I think the process of crucifying the flesh is one of the most difficult, ongoing challenges of the Christian life. Many believers sincerely want to be conformed to the image of Jesus, but once the battle rages between flesh and spirit, they are unwilling to make the personal sacrifice necessary for transformation to take place.
Kate’s faith took a terrible beating in those agonizing hours while she waited for Virgil to find Jesse. She bemoaned having the same faltering faith that had crippled her efforts to trust God in tumultuous times past. But this time, Kate’s fear and crushing pain were more than she could bear, and she surrendered Jesse’s fate into God’s hands … and was both surprised and relieved to feel her burden lift.
Ultimately, she was able to look back on those miserable years she had spent in a crucible of uncertainty, fear, and despair and see that nothing had been wasted. The very trials she thought would destroy her had been used by God to reshape her thinking, strengthen her faith, and restore her trust. Little by little, Kate had died to that part of herself that needed to be in control, and she found the freedom to face the future with Elliot.
In contrast, Jesse, with childlike faith, took God at His word and was willing to be obedient, even if it meant he could lose his life. Jesse modeled what it is to be dead to self, alive in Christ, evidenced by his need to tell Liam he had forgiven him, even as Liam was ready to pull the trigger. It was also evidenced by his unselfish choice to go back, despite the risk to his personal safety. And by his unrelenting passion to make Liam understand the need for a Savior.
Not that Jesse gave up his own desires without a struggle. He was desperate to go home. To get warm. To satisfy his hunger and thirst. To be safe. But when he weighed what he wanted versus what he believed God was asking, there was no contest or delay. Jesse was simply and solidly sold out to God. And because it was no longer Jesse, but Christ living in him, Liam was able to see the living God and believe.
Let us embrace for ourselves this mystery of the faith proclaimed by the apostle Paul in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
When the world looks at us, who they see will depend on the choices we make. Let us choose well.
Join me for the finale, A Treacherous Mix, where Hawk finds himself caught in a web of deceit and learns a valuable lesson about the consequences of moral compromise.
I would love to hear from you. Join me on Facebook, where you can find me at www.facebook.com/kathyherman, or drop by my website at www.kathyherman.com and leave your comments in my guest book. I read and respond to every email and greatly value your input.
In Him,
Discussion Guide
1. Can you put into your own words what Romans 8:12–13 is saying to us? “Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”
2. Have you experienced what it is to die to the flesh? If so, was it difficult? Was the outcome worth it? Do you think dying to the flesh is a onetime experience? Or do you think it happens little by little? Explain your answer.
3. Which character’s struggle could you most relate to: Liam’s, Jesse’s, or Kate’s? Which character’s struggle do you think would be the hardest for you to deal with? Why?
4. In Galatians 2:20, the apostle Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Now let’s make this personal: I have been crucified. I no longer live. After Christ lives in me, how am I different?
5. Do you think having Christ living in us should change the way other people see us? Do you think the change should be seen as physical? Or can it be seen in our attitudes and actions?
6. Are you able to see Christ in other believers? If so, how does that look? Do you see it all the time, or just sometimes? Do you think members of the body of Christ should look different from everyone else? If so, how?
7. Can we grow as Christians without dying to our sin nature? Why, or why not?
8. Do you think Liam would have drowned his mother if there had been no inheritance? Do you agree with Colleen that, had it not been for that horrible choice, Liam might never have given his heart to God?
9. When Kate’s fear of losing Jesse became second to the pain and anguish she was feeling, she finally gave up fighting God—and, to her surprise, found peace. Why do you think that was? Is there comfort in accepting that the circumstances we’re in are bigger than we are—and that God is bigger than both?
10. Jesse struggled with life issues as any twelve-year-old boy does, and sometimes made immature and hurtful decisions. But when he was confronted with the hardest of all decisions—whether he was willing to risk death rather than abandon what he believed God wanted of him—he showed amazing spiritual conviction and resolve. Why do you think that was? Which do you think helped him more—his childlike faith, or spiritual wisdom?
11. Is it possible that the easiest way to handle dying to our sin nature is to approach it with childlike faith and trust instead of analyzing how hard it’s going to be a
nd fighting it every step of the way? Have you experienced both? Which was easier for you?
12. What was your takeaway from this story?
Bonus material from book 3 in the Ozark Mountain Trilogy
A Treacherous Mix
Prologue
Brody Armison leaned against a rock formation and held the binoculars to his eyes, pretending to watch the sailboats on Beaver Lake, but never losing sight of the young woman who sat on a patchwork quilt, her sleek dark hair tossed about by the playful breeze.
She looked both innocent and seductive, barefoot and dressed in a pink sundress, her smooth ivory skin caressed by the sun. Her dark eyes were almond shaped, her cheeks the color of the roses that grew around his grandmother’s front porch. Posed against a distant backdrop of white sails and rippled water the color of blue topaz, she might have made the perfect subject for an Impressionist’s canvas.
What could a classy lady like her possibly see in the rugged, unlikely companion who sat beside her, trying to look cool in his Walmart sunglasses, his hairy arm casually draped over her shoulder like a cheap handbag? The man was definitely not in her league—denim versus fine linen—and yet the joy she wore needed no interpretation. She was smitten, wholly absorbed in the moment. And judging from denim boy’s tender touches, it was mutual. Lucky dog!
He turned his gaze away from the couple, and onto the reason for his being there—the sailboat races on Beaver Lake. He’d never watched them from up this high on Sure Foot Mountain, but every year the crowds that gathered close to the water made him more and more claustrophobic. He had driven up the mountain and some distance beyond Angel View Lodge and spotted this rock formation at the top of a grassy slope. He got out and really liked the view of the lake from there, never thinking that he would be invading anyone’s space.
Only by Death Page 32