The Parson's Daughters Boxed Set: Sweet and Clean Christian Romance - 4 Book Bundle

by Annie Boone

  Then, both mother and daughter started to laugh and they shared a moment that Faith had not enjoyed with her mother in a very long time. “I wish Daddy was here. I know it’s been a long time since he left us, but today I miss him. I wish he could walk me down the aisle today. Since he’s not here, would you do it, Mama?”

  “Oh, Faith. It’s not proper. A bride should be walked down the aisle by an important man in her life.”

  “You were mother and father to all three of us, Mama. It’s more than proper for you to walk with me on my wedding day. Will you? Please?”

  Helen nodded emotionally. “Yes. It will be my pleasure. I always knew you would lead the way to a beautiful life, but I would have never imagined that you would do so in such an extraordinary way.”

  “Thank you, Mama. Now, shall we go and get me married off?”

  Just then, Hope came back to summon them to the chapel. They went to their places as the music started. Faith wanted to remember all of it, but she knew she’d probably forget most of it. She felt a flutter of excitement rise up in her chest. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves as the progression started.

  Faith’s family, old and new, smiled brightly as she floated down the aisle to her very handsome groom and her amazing happily ever after.

  The story continues with Hope, the middle sister.

  Hope Makes a Decision

  Annie Boone

  The Parson’s Daughters Series

  Book Two

  Hope watched her younger sister, Charity, as they sat together on the front porch of the guest cottage. The morning air was nice and cool, refreshing and soothing. They both had enjoyed the milder climate in San Jose since they’d arrived almost a year ago. Of course it did get warm here, but it was nothing like the hot, sticky humidity of the Deep South they had left behind. Sweetwater Creek, Georgia could be a miserable place to be in the middle of the summer.

  The sweet little house they were living in was comfortable and cozy. Newer and nicer than the drafty farm house they grew up in, the cottage was big enough for each sister and their mother to have a room to herself.

  But one of the best things about the house was its location. The house sat a reasonable distance from the main house on the property where their eldest sister, Faith, lived with her husband and his two children.

  Their brother-in-law had offered them the cottage after his marriage to their sister. Charity, the baby of the family, had jumped up and down with glee when he presented them with his idea to move them here from Georgia. Hope and their mother, though had needed some convincing.

  “I’m so glad we made this move,” said Charity. “I absolutely cringe when I think about how close we came to declining Aaron’s offer.”

  “Mama was definitely reluctant,” smiled Hope. “I do love the climate here.”

  “I’m still amazed at his generosity. To have us and the Bentons living here on his property is a substantial arrangement, it seems. He could probably rent both places out and make some extra money,” Charity reflected.

  “It’s very kind of him. When I think about the issues Faith had when she got here, it’s a little surprising that he turned out to be a softy deep inside,” said Hope.

  “Sam and Martha have turned out to be wonderful people. They seem to be very happy to be so close to their grandchildren. It’s kind of funny how they’ve come to love Faith after how their relationship started.” Charity chuckled remembering how cold Martha was to all of them right before Faith’s wedding. She was sympathetic when she imagined how hard it must have been to see your son-in-law remarry after the death of your daughter. “Oh well, since it’s all good now, I just hope he doesn’t get wise and start charging us!”

  “If I could get some things figured out about what my next move should be, then I’d be so much happier. I don’t want to be so idle,” remarked Hope. “My brain is churning with ideas that I can’t do anything with right now.”

  Charity looked over at her again and silently kept walking. Then she stopped and glared at her sister. “Hope, I’m hearing the same things over and over about what you want to do. I’m happy to be your confidant, but it’s getting tiresome to have this conversation yet another time. I have tried to be patient, but it’s getting difficult.”

  “Well, excuse me for being such a burden to you.”

  “I don’t mean it that way, Hope. I just want you to stop obsessing on the same thing with no progress.”

  “I know. I’m sorry I’m grouchy.”

  The two sisters spent a good bit of their time at the main house, helping Faith and Aaron with the children. Faith had decided to teach again in the little village next to their property. She was only there three days a week, but she still needed help with Joseph and Sally.

  Aaron was a busy man. He owned three mercantile shops and he was in negotiations for space to open a fourth. Hope was eager to get some time with him soon to discuss his new venture. She was interested in what was going on with his business and how it might lead to opportunities for her. For now, though, she was trying to keep an open mind about her future. She wasn’t always doing such a good job with the open mind but she was trying.

  She was thinking about how she could approach her brother-in-law without seeming to take advantage of him. He’d already been so generous and she didn’t want to overlook that. She knew she couldn’t make this happen on her own, though. All these thoughts marched through her head while she did her part to help her family. She had a hard time lately maintaining focus on the activities of the day.

  Joseph was six years old now and would be starting school very soon. But for now, he and his sister were enjoying the attention from all their relatives. The two women stood up to take the short, scenic walk to the main house. They knew that Joseph and Sally would be bounding out into the yard any moment now, looking for the first adult they saw to play with them.

  There was no shortage of entertainers for the children. Every adult took their turn as needed to help the hardworking parents get everything done. Faith and Aaron both showed their appreciation for the support they received in many ways. Besides the lovely place to live, there were family suppers and sweet treats from the bakery shared thankfully by the Chapman couple.

  The path to the main house was bordered with fragrant flowers. The colors were vibrant and enticing. It was an overload for the senses at this time of year. The artist in Hope reveled in the visual beauty of this place. It wasn’t that Sweetwater Creek lacked beauty or had little to offer. The difference was that their home in Georgia had been cared for by four women who didn’t have the money, time, knowledge, or strength to make it the picturesque spot that this place was.

  With all of the prosperity that surrounded them, Hope couldn’t deny that life was good. In fact, it was pretty wonderful. Every day for her was comfortable with very little stress. All the difficulties they had faced before they moved here were distant memories. She was very grateful.

  “So you don’t feel challenged or useful. What do you want to do then, Hope? Move back home?” Charity asked. “And you know, that doesn’t even sound right to me now. Home is here. Georgia isn’t home to me anymore. I’d have thought you’d feel the same way by now.”

  Hope sniffed and kept walking.

  Hope made beautiful clothing for the women in her life in San Jose and she had sewn lovely new draperies for every room in the cottage. Her artist’s eye never lacked for inspiration here, but there wasn’t much of a demand in her miniscule circle for what she could create. She wanted more. There was something missing from her life.

  She had always dreamed of having the finest fabric to work with and she now had access to very fine materials. What was missing was the premier buyers for her creations. Right now she didn’t have the connections to help her build up a business. She worried that if she struck out on her own, she wouldn’t have the clientele to make her venture successful.

  Hope was the one in the family who had the desire and the head for business.
Even though her products came to be through the art of sewing and her creative gift of design, she had the drive and business sense to make money with it. Her mother believed she had inherited the mindset for making money from her grandfather. None of the girls had ever met their father’s father since he died before they were born.

  Instead of answering Charity’s question right away, she thought about Horace Barnesdale as she followed. He had been a savvy and somewhat ruthless financier. He’d made a fortune that had gone to his business partner upon his death. Not to her father. She sometimes wondered how different her life would have been if her father had inherited the Horace Barnesdale estate.

  Her grandfather sounded like an ogre, but she was intrigued by his success. He’d scoffed at the love her parents shared and cut his only son out of his will when he refused to seek a more appropriate wife. He’d refused to even meet Helen. Hope was certain that her mother would have pierced his hard shell and won him over if they’d ever met.

  But things had gone drastically different. Her father had never spoken of Horace. The girls had only learned his story a few years ago when Helen felt they were old enough to understand the cruelness that existed in the world. Cruelness that had actually existed inside their own family.

  Hope brought her mind back to the present and shook her head at her sister. Since she realized that Charity couldn’t see her, she sighed heavily and replied testily, “No, I don’t want to go back to Sweetwater Creek. There’s nothing left for us there, anyway. I really want to go to Atlanta.”

  “I thought you’d come to your senses about that. Faith said things would be far worse in Atlanta and we have a good life here,” Charity said. She stopped and turned around to look at Hope. “Don’t you see that things are better for us now?”

  Hope tried to control the urge to roll her eyes or stick her tongue out at her sister. She managed to control the childish impulse before she answered, “Yes, Charity, I do realize that things are better here than in Sweetwater Creek. It’s absurd to think otherwise.”

  “What’s the matter then? Why are you so unhappy here?”

  “I wouldn’t say that I’m unhappy, but I also feel as though what’s obviously right and well for Faith is not automatically right for me. Nothing more sinister than that.”

  “Sinister? For pity’s sake, Hope, don’t be so dramatic,” Charity sighed.

  Hope didn’t respond, but looked pointedly at her sister.

  “So, it’s obviously true that people aren’t all the same,” Charity continued, “but what does that have to do with being here or Atlanta? We’ve all been welcomed with open arms at church.”

  “It’s not the same thing. Having friends from church doesn’t help me do what I want to do with my life. You are comfortable and fulfilled at church. I’m not.”

  Charity sucked in her breath sharply and her eyes flew open wide at the same time. “Hope! We’ve been raised to believe in God and trust in His will for our lives. Our father was a parson! Have you forgotten that?”

  “I haven’t forgotten. I feel it differently about all that than you, though,” said Hope unemotionally.

  “You have a special talent and that comes from God even if you won’t acknowledge it. I wish you’d open your heart,” Charity answered sounding sad and a little whiney.

  Hope had seen how her younger sister interacted with the people from the church. She was intelligent and outspoken while being tolerant. She spoke of her faith beautifully and freely. She had been asked to lead a young woman’s group and had spoken a few times in the Sunday service. Each time she addressed the congregation, she had done so flawlessly. For some reason, when she talked to her sisters about something important, she was still that baby sister who begged for their agreement.

  Not wanting to get into a discussion about church, Hope redirected. She would have preferred to just drop the subject completely, but she knew that wouldn’t happen now that it had started. “I know that I have people who love me here. That’s not what I mean.”

  “What do you mean, then? I’d really like to understand.”

  “I want to make something of myself,” she answered tightly. “And before you get all blustery about what that really means, I want to be able to support myself. I don’t want to depend on anyone else for the roof over my head or the food on my table.”

  “Oh, my. A woman’s responsibility -”

  “Stop, Charity,” Hope butted in. “Business interests me. Being a homemaker or only sewing for family and friends does not. Unless something changes, I don’t think that I can find what I am looking for here.”

  “Why not?” She demanded, “I get compliments all the time on the dresses you’ve made for me. People will appreciate you for that. I’m sure you could sell plenty of dresses here.”

  “I don’t see it that way,” Hope answered simply, shaking her head, “I believe I can make more money for my dresses in Atlanta. I could get more exposure there, too.” She smiled before she added, “I’m a city girl.”

  Charity laughed a little, but Hope wasn’t sure how to take it, so she just let it go.

  “You have no experience running a business. How do you think you’ll do it if you don’t know how? I hear that businesses fail all the time.”

  “So, you think that is what is going to happen to me?” Hope hissed indignantly. She now knew that she should have listened to her instincts and never said anything about this to her sister. She needed to remember to keep her big mouth shut from now on.

  Immediately though, Charity shook her head and insisted, “I don’t think anything of the sort. I just think that you would have a better chance here, with people who know and love you. You have relationships here and you have none in Atlanta. Why take the difficult path when you don’t have to?”

  As much as she hated to admit it, Charity’s argument did make sense. However, she wasn’t about to give her sister credit for such deep deliberation on something she wasn’t supposed to know anything about. So she teased, “You just don’t want me to go anywhere.”

  “Well, I can’t deny that,” She laughed heartily. “I truly don’t want you to go. I want all of us to stay together.”

  “We’re all comfortable together, me included. That doesn’t change the fact that I need to expand my horizons.”

  “But Hope, did you like being without Faith for all that time after she left to come out here? I seem to recall that you missed her as much as I did. Now that we’re in the same place again, I don’t want to lose the family connection.”

  “All right, I understand. We don’t have to keep going through that part. I know how you feel.”

  Then Charity held up her forefinger as if a fabulous and important thought just popped into her head. “And besides, didn’t Aaron offer to help you make some contacts?”

  Hope nodded, “He did.”

  “Well, that’s certainly a benefit that you would not have if you moved to Atlanta. If you can start there, then you’ll just have to add a little bit of your own imagination to pull it all together. Creativity and imagination are things you have no shortage of.”

  Hope nodded and thought about this for a moment before she made a decision. She’d been going back and forth about this for weeks and it was time to start – one way or another. She suspected deep down that her desire to go to Atlanta was in part because she’s always been in awe of the regal city. She didn’t doubt that she could be successful there, but it was reasonable to believe that she could accomplish good things in San Jose, too.

  “You win. And you’ve made me see that I can’t keep thinking about wanting to be successful somewhere else before I try it here. If it’s a total flop, I’m going to be on the first train to Atlanta, though. And it will be all your fault!”

  The family supper table was full that night. Mrs. James had prepared a special meal for them when Aaron came home with an unexpected delicacy the day before. The market next to the main location of the Chapman Mercantile had smoked trout. He couldn’t r
esist bringing enough home to feed everyone the next night.

  Mrs. James worked some magic and produced a hearty smoked trout hash that she served with ripe tomatoes and bread. The Benton couple, the Barnesdale women, and the Chapman family all had places at the expansive table.

  Once everyone was stuffed from the delicious supper, they decided to wait a while for dessert. Mrs. James had surprised them with her famous bread pudding. The surprise wouldn’t go forgotten, they all just needed to make room in their bellies for it.

  Aaron stood to gather Joseph and Sally to take them into the main room. “Aaron, if you don’t mind, could I have a word with you?” asked Hope.

  He turned good naturedly and looked down at Hope who was still seated. “Sure. Faith?” he said gesturing with his eyes down at his children.

  “Oh, um, Faith, would you please stay? I want you to hear what I have to say.”

  “Let me take these youngsters out to the yard,” interjected Sam. “I think there’s some daylight left for playing a little hide-and-seek. Maybe their Grammy might want to join us.” He winked at Hope and she smiled back at him in appreciation.

  Charity had heard Hope’s request to Aaron and she gave an encouraging nod to her sister as she walked out of the room.

  Aaron sat back down and Faith moved to take the seat beside him. He looked inquiringly at his sister-in-law and smiled warmly. “So, what’s on your mind?”

  “Well, um, I’m not sure how to start. I’m just going to jump in here. I need your help,” she said nervously.

  “Is anything wrong, Hope?” he asked. He looked over at Faith who seemed to have turned anxious very quickly.

  “Oh, no. No. I’m sorry. I didn’t get started very strongly, did I? Let me start again,” Hope laughed tensely. “Remember when I told you that I want to start my own dress company?”