“Andrew says I can tell you my secret now.”
Kate looked around, searching the grounds for Andrew, but he was nowhere to be seen. She looked back at Emily. “Okay.” She smiled. “What is it?”
Emily leaned in, a serious look on her face. “He says he loves you and he wants to marry you.”
Kate closed her eyes and bit her lip, a smile spreading across her face. “Emily, where’s Andrew? Did he just tell you that?”
“Nope,” Emily said. “He told me that when I very first met him. But he just told me now that I could finally tell you.”
“Emily, can you help me find him?” Kate asked.
Emily nodded her head and took off around the corner of the house. “He’s back here!” she yelled over her shoulder.
Kate followed behind her niece. She found Andrew in the back corner of the garden, leaning against the trunk of an old cherry tree. The tree had been a customary retreat of Kate’s childhood and one of her favorite spots. She stopped in front of him, heart racing.
“Hi,” she said.
“I see you got my message.” Andrew smiled.
She looked at his smile every day, and still, it made her heart melt. “Yeah,” she whispered softly.
“Marry me, Kate,” he said, dropping to one knee. “Marry me and make me the happiest man alive.”
* * *
They waited until spring when Kate was able to go to the temple. On the anniversary of her baptism, Kate entered the Lord’s house and married the man of her dreams. She didn’t worry one single time that Andrew might not show up. After their own ceremony, the couple stayed in the temple awhile longer. Kneeling across the sacred altar for the second time that afternoon, they were sealed for Ian and Jennie Wylie, uniting the couple in an eternal union.
When they finally left the temple, Andrew paused just outside the door and looked into his wife’s eyes. “That was pretty amazing,” he said gently. “He was there this afternoon, Kate. Ian was there. I’m sure of it.”
Kate closed her eyes, overwhelmed and grateful. “I know,” she said softly. “When I rose from the altar, I couldn’t help but feel he was speaking to me, urging me not to forget.”
“Not to forget what?” Andrew asked.
“The others,” Kate said. “There is still so much work to do. He doesn’t want us to forget the others.”
“We won’t forget,” Andrew said. “Not ever.”
They walked arm in arm to the car and headed to the airport. They had a plane to catch that afternoon . . . to Scotland.
About the Author
Jenny Proctor writes from her home in the mountains of western North Carolina. She loves being a mom to six kids, loves being a writer, and loves being a Mormon in the South.
Jenny is convinced the four basic food groups should be fruit, bread, cheese, and chocolate, and she consumes plenty of each—quite often together. When she isn’t writing, Jenny likes to run, swim, and bike (because it balances out the bread, cheese, and chocolate).
Her first novel, The House at Rose Creek, was inspired by discoveries she made in her own family history. She has always felt strongly about the importance of family history work and has experienced firsthand the joy that such research can bring.
To learn more about Jenny, visit her website at www.jennyproctor.com.
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