Love Inspired March 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: A Wife for JacobThe Forest Ranger's RescueAlaskan Homecoming

by Rebecca Kertz

  Annie smiled as she watched them. Seeing Jacob having fun with the children, hearing his laughter made her think of things she wanted but couldn’t have. Jacob as her husband playing with their children, flashing her smiles of love and joy whenever he glanced toward her, which was often.

  Disturbed by her thoughts, she concentrated on the good time before her. She laughed at some of Jacob’s antics, gasped when a group of youngsters shoved him to the ground.

  “They are having fun,” Joe said. “If it wasn’t for this leg, I’d join them.”

  Annie looked at him with surprise. “You would?”

  Joe nodded. “Ja.” He paused as if choosing his words carefully, “Annie, Ike King—”

  She stiffened. “What about him?”

  “He’s headed this way.” Dat held her glance. “There is something I need to show you in the shop. Do you want to talk with him first?”

  “Now?” she asked with raised eyebrows.

  “Ja.” Her father rose and reached for his cane. “But we can go later if you need time with Ike.”

  Annie noted Ike’s purposeful strides as he crossed the yard. She didn’t particularly want to talk with him right now. She met her father’s gaze. “I’ll go with you.” Her father looked pleased. “I’ll tell Mam.”

  Dat shook his head. “Nay, no need. She’s busy with her friends.” He rose and took several steps on his sore leg, grimacing with each one.

  “Wait here,” she told him.

  “Annie—”

  “I’ll be right back.” She hurried inside for his wheelchair. When she returned, she found her father talking with Ike.

  Looking pleased at her approach, Ike smiled. “I told your dat about our scheduled ride through my property.”

  Had they scheduled a ride? Annie glanced from Ike to her father, then back to Ike. Her father’s expression hid his thoughts. “Ike, Dat needs me right now,” she said. “Can we talk later?”

  Ike blinked. “Ja, of course.” Then he smiled. “When you are done, come and find me.”

  “Why did you bring that?” Dat asked of the wheelchair.

  Annie maneuvered the chair so that he could sit down. “You’re in pain, and I thought you should rest your leg awhile longer.”

  Without argument, he sat in the wheelchair. “Let’s go before someone else delays us. I want to get back in time to watch the children play horseshoes.”

  Annie noted the game’s pegs some distance away from each other on the lawn. She pushed her father across the yard until they reached the shop, where she left the wheelchair to open the door. When she returned to guide him inside, her father raised a hand to stop her. “I can manage,” he said. He pushed himself into the smithy.

  “Would you please open up the back window? The day is nice enough, and for now there is plenty of light.”

  Annie obeyed, then waited for further instructions.

  Her father gestured toward a shelf. “The notebook. Would you get it for me?”

  Annie reached for the book and silently handed it to him. “Is something wrong?

  “Nay, daughter.” He opened the book and smiled up at her. “Everything is right. Come around. I want to show you this.”

  Annie frowned as she shifted to his side. “What is it?”

  “A listing of all the work that Jacob has done while I’ve been recovering. Since he stepped in to help, business at the blacksmithy has been better than ever.”

  At the mention of Jacob, Annie felt warmth skitter across her skin. “He has done well for you. That is gut,” she said, trying not to give away her thoughts.

  “Ja. So well that I am going to ask him if he will stay and work with me. Jacob seems to enjoy it, and I like having him here.”

  Annie struggled to hide a rush of heat brought on by his name. “You want him to work here permanently?”

  Her father watched her closely. “Ja.” He gestured about the shop. “It looks organized, doesn’t it? He leaves it as neat as a pin when he’s done. I like that. And the business is profitable. Josiah has never been interested in blacksmithing. And Peter? It’s hard to tell, but Jacob—he wanted to learn from early on.”

  Feeling restless, Annie wandered about, touching tools and work spaces—the table, vise and anvil. Everywhere she looked, she saw not only her father working here but now Jacob, moving about the shop, working with fire and metal.

  “Have you asked him yet?” she said, feeling shaky.

  “Nay.” He smiled. “I wanted your opinion first.”

  Annie widened her gaze. “Mine? Why?”

  “I value your judgment.”

  She was so stunned she couldn’t answer him. It was unusual that a father would value his daughter’s thoughts. She was pleased that he felt this way. She considered her father’s decision. If Dat believed that Jacob should stay on, then who was she to say nay?

  “If you think Jacob should stay, then I think he should,” she said.

  Her father sighed and maneuvered himself out of the chair, grimaced then sat again. “Annie.”

  “Ja, Dat?”

  “Ike King is interested in you. I believe he sees you as his future wife.”

  “He’s a nice man,” she said carefully.

  “But do you want to marry him?”

  Annie didn’t want to answer, but she knew she must. “He is the kind of man I’d hoped to marry.”

  “So you will agree to become his wife?”

  Annie opened her mouth and then closed it. She thought of her love for Jacob, and she began to cry. “Why is this so hard? Ike is the man I should marry, but—”

  “You’re in love with Jacob Lapp,” her father said quietly.

  Startled, she stared at him. “Ja,” she whispered. “Is my love for him that obvious?” She sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Dat, how can I continue to love a man who has no interest in me? I thought if I avoided handsome men, I’d be safe, but I can’t help loving Jacob—”

  Her father smiled and patted her arm. “There is nothing wrong with loving Jacob.”

  She nodded, her eyes overflowing. “Except that he doesn’t return my love. It’s like Jed all over again. Will I ever learn? Only I love Jacob more than anything, more than I ever loved Jedidiah.”

  “Why not tell him?” Dat asked.

  “Nay! I can’t. I don’t want to be hurt again. And it is not up to a woman to tell a man she loves him...not when he hasn’t told her of his love.”

  Her father sighed. “You and Jacob are both stubborn as mules.” He rose from his wheelchair and hobbled over to a wall cabinet where he kept supplies and specially crafted tools. Stretching to the top shelf with a loud groan, he grabbed something and took it down.

  “Here,” he said as he extended the metal box to her.

  “What is it?”

  “Take a look.”

  Annie took the box out of her father’s hands. She turned to study it from every side. “It looks like it was made in the shop.” Baffled, she met her dat’s gaze. “It’s pretty. Why did you want me to see it?”

  The container was crudely made but there was something endearing about it. It was lovely but it didn’t appear to have been made by him recently. She softened her expression. “You made this for Mam when you were younger?” She felt warmth inside at the love her father must have felt for her mother at such a young age to have made such a gift.

  “Nay. Take a look on the bottom,” her father instructed.

  Annie carefully turned it over, saw that something had been scratched into the surface—“Jacob and Annie,” inside the shape of a heart.

  Annie felt an overwhelming rush of feeling. “Jacob made this for me?” she whispered.

  Her father smiled. “Ja. When he was younger. Jacob made that during the months he worked in the sh
op with me.”

  Annie clutched the box to her breast. “I don’t understand.”

  “How can you marry Ike when you love Jacob?”

  Tears filling her eyes again, Annie shook her head. “I can’t. How can I marry without love?” she sobbed. “I love Jacob, but I don’t know how he really feels about me.” She drew a shuddering breath. “I thought that maybe he cared, but then...something happened.” His kiss. “And suddenly he was avoiding me. He once asked if I trusted him, and I did, but then he changed, and I didn’t know what to think.”

  “Jacob is trustworthy. Why don’t you talk with him?” her father said. “Show him the box. See what he says.” He captured her hand. “Maybe he is as unsure of you as you are of him. Annie, don’t wait. Do it now.”

  Should she risk all and talk with him? What if he didn’t love her? What if he does? She’d be foolish if she did nothing. “I’ll talk with him,” she promised.

  “Thanks be to God,” she thought she heard her father murmur as she left the shop.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Annie saw Jacob purposefully striding in her direction as she exited the barn into the autumn sunshine. She saw his determined look and grew concerned.

  “Annie!” he called as he crossed the yard. “We need to talk!”

  She lifted a hand and waved. “Jacob!”

  She heard a child’s wild cry and saw a horseshoe flying toward Jacob. It happened so fast there was nothing she could do but watch as the curved piece of metal connected with the back of Jacob’s head. The thud against his flesh propelled her forward. She screamed and ran to him.

  “Jacob!” Crouching beside him, she cupped his face. “Jacob? Talk to me. Are you all right?” She leaned closer, felt his breath fan her cheek and knew the tiniest bit of relief.

  “Jacob,” she urged, “you’re scaring me. We do need to talk.”

  His eyelashes flickered.

  “Annie.” Eli stood behind her. “Is he all right?”

  She looked up with tears in her eyes. “I don’t know! He has to be! There is something important I need to tell him, that I love him—” She glanced back as Jacob’s eyes opened. He moaned softly and attempted to sit up. She reached to help him, feeling the strength of muscle beneath his shirtsleeve.

  “I’m all right.” Upright now, he grabbed her hand. “What do you need to tell me?” he asked hoarsely.

  Feeling suddenly shy, Annie stood. Grabbing the box from the ground, she hid it against her back. What if her father was wrong?

  But what if he was right?

  “Eli,” she heard him say, “help me up. Annie and I have to talk.”

  Annie shot him a glance. “Jacob—”

  He stood, grimacing, but there was a look in his glazed golden eyes that set her heart racing. Jacob held out his hand to her. “Walk with me,” he said. She saw him studying her intently. His expression changed as if he’d read her face and liked what he saw.

  “Jacob, we shouldn’t. You’re hurt.” Nervous, she backed away.

  “Annie, please.”

  She saw the panic in his handsome face, and she relented and took his hand. As his fingers entwined with hers, she experienced a feeling of joy like no other. “Where do you want to go?” she asked huskily.

  “Anywhere we can be alone.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. She nodded toward the fields. “We can walk the farm.” She glanced over her shoulder. Her father had wheeled himself back to the gathering. They locked eyes, and she saw his pleased smile.

  She and Jacob walked without talking for a time. The air felt thick with anticipation. Annie waited for Jacob to speak, and when he didn’t, she wondered what to say.

  “What are you carrying?” Jacob asked after a long moment of silence, referring to the object she had in her other hand.

  Annie frowned, realized that she still held the box. She didn’t want to pull away. She liked the feel of their hands touching. She stopped, faced him, let go of his hand, but she didn’t immediately show him the box. “Jacob, the others will have plenty to say about us walking off alone together.”

  “Annie, tell me,” he asked urgently. “Do you love me?” His golden eyes burned. “Enough to marry me? Or do you still want Ike?”

  She inhaled sharply. Marry him? She closed her eyes and wondered if she was dreaming. “Jacob, I—”

  “What is that behind your back?” His voice was soft, tender. “Show me.” She was disarmed by his expression and quiet tone. “Annie?” He gazed at her with his beautiful tawny eyes in a face so handsome that he stole her breath.

  She hesitated, then showed him the metal box.

  Jacob looked stunned. “Where did you find that?”

  “Dat gave it to me.” His expression worried her. “He took it out of the shop cabinet.”

  She saw deep emotion contort his expression. “I thought I’d tossed it away.”

  “Jacob...” she began.

  “Nay,” he said in a strangled voice. “Do you know what that is?” He turned and moved away.

  Annie felt his pain as she crossed the distance between them. “It’s a beautiful box,” she whispered. “A gift from a young boy to a young girl, who had no idea how he felt about her.” She was stunned by the knowledge that Jacob had spent hours as a youth, firing and hammering metal into this precious box for her. She placed a hand on his shoulder. She felt his tremor before he jerked away.

  “I was young,” he said bitterly, “and I adored you.”

  “Jacob—” Her heart tripped hard.

  “And now you know how I feel.”

  Annie inhaled sharply. “I love you, Jacob,” she whispered.

  “Don’t marry Ike, Annie. He can’t make you happy.” Jacob cupped her face. Holding her steady, he kissed her with pent-up feeling.

  Annie, her pulse racing wildly now, felt his lips against her mouth and reeled with love for him. When he pulled away, she gazed up with raised eyebrows. Hadn’t he heard what she’d admitted? “Jacob—”

  “Ike can’t—and never will—love you as much as I do.”

  Annie’s heart beat with joy. “And that’s why you kissed me?” she asked.

  “You truly love me?” he said at the same time, apparently just realizing what she’d said.

  * * *

  Jacob gazed at the woman before him and longed to take her into his arms and prove to her that he would be a better husband than Ike or anyone. Hadn’t he loved her since he was twelve? He had fought his feelings, shoved them to the back of his mind after she’d become his older brother Jed’s sweetheart. He had known for years that she’d loved Jedidiah with all the passion of a young girl’s heart, even before Jed had taken notice of her. But now that she was a woman, and he no longer a boy but a man, they could make it work if they both wanted it.

  She didn’t say anything at first as she inspected the box, turning it over to read the silly inscription he’d scratched into the metal bottom with a forged nail.

  “I don’t think anyone has ever made anything more lovely for me,” she murmured as she looked up and met his gaze. “And to think that I never knew how you felt.”

  There was nothing mocking or teasing him about the box, no hint of rejection in her pretty blue eyes. She extended the container toward him, and when he reached for it, Annie grabbed his hand and pulled him close. The keepsake fell to the ground as she cupped his face and pressed her lips against his mouth.

  “Jacob Lapp, what am I going to do with you?” she whispered.

  Jacob stared at her, swallowed. “Love me?” he suggested hoarsely.

  “I do.” Annie smiled, warmth radiating from her in thick waves. “Jacob, I can’t marry Ike King, even if he asks.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he isn’t you.” She reached for his hand,
raised it to examine the burn. “I was sorry when you hurt yourself. I wanted badly to make it feel better, but there was only so much I could do.”

  Jacob gazed at her bright face, wondering if he’d heard right when she’d said that she loved him. Had he been dreaming?

  “Annie—”

  “I love you, Jacob,” she said, “and I know now that you love me.”

  Jacob smiled. “Only as much as a man can love a woman and more.” He saw her eyes fill with tears. He frowned. “Annie, what’s wrong?”

  “I didn’t understand. You kissed me and then avoided me.”

  He nodded as he settled his hands on her shoulders, as his gaze roamed over her lovely face, enjoying every glorious inch of it. She was everything to him. “I was afraid to hope,” he admitted. “I wanted more from you, but you seemed determined to stick to your plan.”

  He heard her sigh.

  He lifted a hand from her shoulder to caress her cheek. “Annie Zook, I want to court you and marry you.” He frowned. “You will marry me?” She nodded, and he continued, “I don’t have much to offer you now. But I will. I’ll find a job quickly. I don’t want to be apart from you any longer than necessary.”

  “I’ll wait for as long as you need,” she promised. “At least now, we know how we feel about each other.” She looked as if she had something to say, but then she bit her lip instead. “Jacob, I think we should get back, although I would like nothing more than to be alone with you.” He released her and she stepped back.

  “Your dat—”

  “Guessed we love each other.” Annie grinned, and Jacob felt the sunshine warmth of her smile.

  Walking with her by his side as they approached the house, Jacob felt the true power of God’s blessings.

  Annie halted suddenly. “Ike,” she said.

  “Do you want me to talk with him?” he asked. The day had turned cloudy. It looked as if it would rain.

  “Nay, I should be the one to talk with him,” she replied, glancing toward the farmhouse.

  Ike was on the front porch talking with Horseshoe Joe.