Jack stared down at his shirt. “A man gets some clothes from one of the shipments, and you think I’m dressing up for another woman?”
Alaina stamped her foot. “Don’t you dare laugh at me.”
“I’m not laughing. Really. I know you’ve been under a lot of stress. Everyone has.” He put some distance between them. “There’s something that’s happened that we need to talk about.”
❧
Jack knew he was being vague, but he didn’t know how to suggest what he felt God had been nudging him to do. He’d wrestled with the ever-stronger urging of his spirit for two weeks, and he felt exhausted from the mental struggle.
He drew a strengthening breath. “It’s ironic, really, everything that has happened in these last few days.” He grimaced. “But let me start at the beginning. After the flood, as I worked at the bridge and around Johnstown, I kept wondering if I could go back to Cambria Iron. They’re calling some of the men back and trying to get in full swing. Part of me wants to stay here and see Johnstown rebuilt, but then your mother is so ill, and I wondered if it would be wiser to take her away from here.”
“I’ve thought the same thing,” Alaina offered.
Hearing that made it easier and lessened Jack’s fear. “But then there’s you and me. And money.” He swallowed. “You see, the plans I turned in right before the flood hit were looked over, and the boss thinks they might work. He called me into a meeting yesterday and gave me a nice sum.”
“That’s. . .wonderful news.” But Alaina’s words were wooden, devoid of happiness, and he thought he understood the sudden flicker in her eyes.
He licked his lips. “When I had that money in my hand, I felt such satisfaction, but something else, too. I realized that God had allowed everything to happen to bring me to this point. I had everything I thought meant so much; now what would I do?”
He paused before continuing, “There are still so many who need shelter, and though food isn’t nearly the problem it once was, housing is. I could build a huge house and have families come and live there, but I realized it wasn’t what I wanted. I want to divide the money between some families who need it.”
Alaina’s mouth parted. “Are you serious?”
Jack’s throat thickened. “I mean it so much it hurts. I’ve learned my lesson, Alaina. I want to help someone else. I’ll still keep a portion for us, but the rest will go to help those in need. To rebuild life for those so shaken by the disaster.”
Tears shimmered in her eyes, and Jack felt the rightness of his words in every part of his body. “We’ll move away, you, me, and your mother. Frank and Missy and Sam, too, if they want to come. Then we can settle down and make a home.”
Alaina brushed her hand across her cheeks. “Where will we go?”
He shrugged. “Wherever you want to go. We’ll travel until we find a place. God will show us.”
She hugged herself and stared out over Johnstown, and when she finally met his gaze, Jack saw the spark of a smile. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
He chuckled. “I was wondering if you would notice.” He closed the distance between them and grasped her by the waist. “I think this is going on the third time I’m going to ask, so I’m hoping for a better answer.”
She reached as if to smack his shoulder, but he captured her hand and raised it to his lips. As he stared into her dark eyes, he glimpsed a future of peace and commitment, not only to her but also to God and to his fellow man. “Alaina?”
“I would be most honored to become your wife.”
Epilogue
Dear Aunt Jo,
We hope this letter finds you doing well. We’ve settled down in Kansas for a space of time. Sam and Missy love the prairie grasses and fresh country air, and Frank has them going to the schoolhouse down the road, something they both seem to enjoy very much. I think Frank is pleased with the idea of staying on here. Jack thinks it would be a good place to put down some roots and start a family. I can honestly say that my heart has already learned to love the prairie, and staying here would be a joy.
Mother is doing quite well. In the two weeks since we arrived, she has taken more to sewing, even completing a new dress for Missy. She still doesn’t say much, but I suspect time will heal that as well. Time and Frank. Yes, you read that right. I think the two of them are finding that their hearts aren’t quite so lonely when they’re together. It’s a wonder to behold, Auntie. Momma’s face takes on such a beautiful gentleness when Frank is near.
Jack just lit the lantern for me to write by, but I think he really wants to go for a short walk. By the way, he and Frank have been whispering lately. My guess is they’ve found some land on which to build. But I wouldn’t want to spoil Jack’s surprise and will write no more until I know for sure.
As you will see, I’ve included a likeness of us. We posed for it the day after Jack and I were married, at the insistence of the man taking pictures of Johnstown. He said everyone should have a memory of their special day. It was a special day, Auntie. In the midst of Johnstown’s rise to its former glory, we stood on Green Hill and were joined as husband and wife. Many of the townspeople were there to share our happiness and, we hope, glean a bit of joy to give their hearts a new promise for all their tomorrows.
It’s been a long road for all of us, but we’re praying for strength and grace, and for Momma’s complete healing, though if Frank has anything to do with it, that prayer is being answered as I write.
We send our love.
Alaina Kelly
About the Author
S. Dionne Moore is a multi-published author who makes her home in Pennsylvania with her husband of twenty-one years and her daughter. You can visit her at www.sdionnemoore.com.
Dedication
To my mother with love
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Promise of Tomorrow Page 16