Hope (9781414341583)

by Copeland, Lori

  “I understand your consternation,” she said, worried that he might faint. The color had drained from his angular features. “I was so afraid you’d think horrible things of me, but I can explain. You see, I was kidnapped off the coach—”

  “Believe me, I … I had no way of knowing … What with the river up, and I couldn’t wire …”

  “Oh, I know. I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that I’d decided not to come, but things got very complicated.” She smoothed her skirts, trying not to cry. Lord, I don’t want to do this; I want to be with Dan. “It was impossible to send a wire—though I thought about it, thought about it a lot, actually. But I couldn’t; I was kidnapped three times.”

  John was apparently having a hard time grasping the explanation. “Three times?”

  She nodded. “I know it sounds absurd. You see, I’m not Thomas Ferry’s daughter.” She edged closer to the counter as he continued to back away. “Luckily, there was this handsome undercover agent who knew I wasn’t the senator’s daughter, and so in order to rescue me from this horrible gang, he had to kidnap me. Then I got terribly sick, he got shot; then we had to carry his favorite saddle until he just couldn’t tote it another mile. Do you know, we swapped that perfectly good saddle—Dan’s prized possession—for a goat. Well. That goat ate everything in sight.” Rolling her eyes, she continued.

  “We walked for days, well, actually it seemed more like weeks, off and on. Oh—did I say we stopped to have breakfast with an old couple, and they were fighting with kin over this stolen pig, and we nearly got shot ourselves—well, Dan did get shot when we tried to escape—but I think I’ve already said that, haven’t I?”

  John nodded mutely.

  “Well, I had to nurse Dan back to health because he came down with a fever. Just when he got to feeling better and we were on our way to Medford again, we stopped to help an old woman who’d hurt her leg with an ax. She was chopping wood when she shouldn’t have been. We intended to leave right away, but we couldn’t—Letty was down in bed and couldn’t see after the farm, so don’t you see, we had to stay on for a few days. By the time we got to Muddy Flats, we were wearing clothes way too big for us—why, we both looked like roosters wearing socks—we were riding that awful old mule, Cinder. Well, the moment we thought we were safe again, who should show up but that horrible Joe Davidson! Lo and behold, he kidnapped me again. Can you believe it?” She circled her ear with a finger, frowning. “Nutty as a squirrel, that one.

  “Fortunately, Grunt—who’s really Dan, the government agent—rescued me again, bless his heart. And this time he arrested the gang and put them behind bars where they belong. Big Joe, Boris, and Frog are this moment in Muddy Flats awaiting Dan’s return. He’ll have to transport them back to Washington because they’re his prisoners—federal prisoners, you understand. The only good thing about all of this is that Frog made a commitment to Christ, which makes the whole ridiculous episode worthwhile, I guess. And so here I am. Finally.” She pasted on a brave grin. “Ready to get married.”

  John opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

  “I know,” she soothed. “It sounds like a dime novel, doesn’t it? But I swear—no, I don’t swear anymore because the past few weeks have taught me a valuable lesson. I depended on Papa’s faith, not mine. I’ll not be doing that again, thank you very much. I was too lax with my beliefs—actually I didn’t know what I believed until now—but I know I believe in the Lord and his teachings. Did you know I can recite two chapters of Genesis by heart—almost?”

  John shook his head lamely.

  “Well, I can, and all because of Dan—and the Lord, of course. You know—Grunt?” She smiled lamely. “He’s just wonderful … but I think I might have said that.”

  Hope glanced up as a beautiful dark-haired young woman emerged from the back room wiping her hands on her apron. “John, you’ll need to put flour on the next order—” She paused, smiling. “Good afternoon.”

  Hope nodded. “Hello.”

  The young woman joined John behind the counter. “I don’t believe we’ve met. Of course, I’ve not met everyone who comes to Medford to shop.” Smiling, she extended her hand. “I’m Ginger Jacobs. Veda Fletcher’s niece.”

  Hope’s smile gradually faded. “Jacobs?”

  “Yes, John’s wife.” She glanced up at her husband adoringly. “We married a week ago.”

  “A week ago?”

  John’s face turned cherry red. He was having trouble meeting Hope’s apprehensive gaze.

  “Ginger, uh—,” John began.

  Hope let the words sink in slowly, gloriously.

  John was married. John was married? John was married!

  Praise God! John was married!

  Hope stuck her hand out. “Hope Kallahan. I’m so glad to meet you, Mrs. Jacobs.”

  Ginger’s eyes widened. “Oh, dear—you’re Hope?”

  “I’m so sorry,” John said. “I thought—” He cleared his throat. “Well, after weeks passed, and you hadn’t arrived, I assumed—”

  “Just what anyone would assume! That I’d changed my mind and wasn’t coming. I’m not angry!”

  The realization that she was free—free to marry anyone she chose—left her giddy. And the man she wanted to marry most in the world was about to get away.

  “It’s a long story. I’ll write you both a letter and explain it all, soon, but right now I really have something I must do—congratulations! I hope you’ll both be very happy.”

  She whirled, leaving the young couple staring after her as she ran out the door and back down the hill.

  Running as if her life depended on it, Hope prayed. Please, God, don’t let Dan be gone. I know I don’t deserve your mercy the way I’ve been acting and thinking, but please, don’t take Dan away from me.

  Suddenly events of the past few weeks became clear to her: She’d been accusing God of deserting her, blaming him for all her troubles, doubting that he loved her, when in fact he was only trying to help her!

  When she got sick and Dan nursed her back to health in the cave, God had removed them from Big Joe’s path long enough to convince the outlaw they’d gotten away. When Dan got shot, God tucked them safely in another cave where the Bennetts couldn’t find them. If it weren’t for that old goat they swapped for Dan’s beautiful saddle, they couldn’t have traded with Letty for the mule—

  She came to a skidding halt in the road, thunderstruck by the enormity of the revelation.

  If she hadn’t been kidnapped, then she would have reached Medford and married John. John would have missed the love of his life, and she, most certainly, would have missed hers.

  But best of all, if she hadn’t met Frog, she couldn’t have told him that God loves him—truly loves him.

  Dear God! Can you ever forgive me for being such a dunderhead?

  By the time she reached the boat landing, she had a stitch in her side and her hair had come loose from the pins.

  Dan was standing beside his horse as she ran toward him.

  “Dan!” she shouted.

  Dropping the reins, he ran toward her. His boots covered the uneven ground in long, impatient strides. “Hope?”

  She raced toward him, her breath coming in painful gasps. It took an eternity to reach him.

  Catching her in midstride, he held her tightly, the shelter of his arms firm and strong. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

  Hugging his neck, she laughed with pure joy. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing! For the first time in weeks, everything is fine!”

  He let her slide to the ground, still holding on to her. “Where’s John?”

  “With his wife.”

  “With his—what?”

  “John is married.”

  His eyes anxiously searched hers. “Married? But—”

  “I know. It’s crazy, but so is everything else that’s happened lately! Her name is Ginger, and she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. She and John got married last week, and I just know that God’s
going to shine on their union.” She hugged him so tightly he stepped backward, swaying with the force. “Oh, Dan, they look as if they absolutely adore each other.”

  Dan stiffened. “Wait a minute. Jacobs is married? How could he do that? He’s engaged to you.”

  She laughed. This protective side of him thrilled her. “It’s all right. I’ll be forever grateful that he did! He thought I wasn’t coming—and why wouldn’t he?”

  “You’re not upset?”

  “No. Relieved. Ever so much relieved.”

  Dan took a deep breath, then pulled her back into his arms and held her as if he’d never let her go. “That’s good, because I was coming after you.”

  “You were?” Her heart sang. The Lord was just pouring out blessings! Dan Sullivan was coming after her!

  His arms tightened possessively around her waist. “You bet I was. I’m not about to let another man have you, even if you had given your word. I tried—I prayed about it, and God and I came to an understanding. We agreed I had too much time invested in you to let you go. We belong to each other. Until we’re old and gray and have fifteen grandchildren.”

  “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.