“Me either,” Sallie whispered, delighted.
Tuesday dawned clear and warm, and excitement coursed through Sallie, knowing it was a mere eleven days until Kevin’s commencement. With all of her heart, she wanted to see him walk down the aisle, wearing the cords of distinction he’d written about in his recent letter.
An honor graduate with a Plain girlfriend, she thought while dry mopping the house for Essie.
After the noon meal, Sallie walked down to the Dawdi Haus and leaned her head in the back door. Mamm was wiping the green-and-white-checkered oilcloth on the table. “I’d like to talk to both you and Dat when ya have a minute,” Sallie said.
“Kumme on in. Your Dat’s brushing his teeth, gettin’ ready to go to a farm sale on Rohrer Mill Road.”
When Dat wandered into the small front room and settled into his easy chair, Sallie told them of her plans to go to Virginia. “My friend Kevin is graduating from college soon,” she said.
Sitting down, Mamm sighed and dropped the dustrag near her bare feet. “I’ve been observin’ you, daughter, since you returned from New Jersey last summer.”
Sallie held her breath.
“And I daresay you’ve been on a seesaw,” Mamm continued, her gaze seeking out Dat’s.
They disapprove, Sallie worried.
“But having seen ya with your Mennonite fella,” Mamm added, “Dat and I are beginning to think he might be the answer to your prayers.”
“You really think so?” Sallie frowned, bewildered.
Dat spoke up. “Our dear girl, in due course, each of us must follow what Gott puts in our hearts. If ya do that, you’re goin’ to be just fine.”
Mamm nodded, her eyes filled with tears. “Truth be told, it’s been hard to come to grips with your decision, but I’m ever so glad you took your time with it. And you must know that we’d love to see ya stay here amongst the People . . . yet we won’t stand in your way.”
Looking first at Mamm, then Dat, Sallie was flabbergasted. “Are ya ever so sure?” she asked softly.
“Da Herr sei mit du,” Mamm said as Dat leaned forward in his chair and placed his hand on Sallie’s shoulder like a blessing.
Kevin’s Mennonite relatives had an open house following his commencement ceremony, since they lived close to EMU, and Sallie was able to meet his older brother and family, as well as his two sisters, childhood friends, and “church family,” as he referred to them. Sallie felt a bit overwhelmed meeting so many new people, though she was touched that Kevin, who looked mighty nice in his black dress trousers and white shirt and tie, had gone out of his way to introduce her to everyone.
“You fit in real well with all of us,” Kevin said as he led her outdoors once the guests left.
“I guess it helped to wear my best fancy dress?” she joked, glad she’d found the modest yet pretty outfit.
He reached for her hand and took her to see what his aunt called her secret garden, situated behind mature trees and a stone fence in front. Rows of tulips and pansies, yellow trilliums, lilacs, and grape hyacinths graced the lovely area with a small water fountain in the center.
There, in the privacy of that peaceful spot, Kevin stopped walking and turned to her. “Thank you for coming to cheer me on today.” He paused. “I want you with me, Sallie . . . wherever I end up.”
Oh, the thrill of his words . . . and the promise they held. Never had she felt happier.
He smiled, gently drawing her near. “I’ve always hated good-byes,” he said. “And honestly . . . there’s a great way to remedy that.”
She nodded, hoping he might say what she longed to hear.
“Sallie, will you marry me?”
The question hung between them as she smiled into his sincere face, barely able to utter the response that had long taken shape in her heart. “I will,” she whispered, taken with his tenderness. “I love you, too, Kevin. I would love to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Surprising her, but only for a moment, his lips met hers, sealing their love.
Epilogue
Well, Autumn Logan got her wish. I worked as her and Connor’s summertime nanny in Cape May, the beautiful, that next summer while Kevin pursued his important research just two and a half hours away in New Brunswick. We saw each other whenever he could get away, often talking by phone whenever he couldn’t.
My dear parents, along with Frannie and Jesse and Cousin Essie, came to visit in late July, while Kevin was in town for the weekend. Frannie and Essie both enjoyed climbing to the tip-top of the Cape May Lighthouse, and I showed Dat and Mamm where I’d first seen the lively dolphins diving for food, just a few hundred feet from the shore. Kevin even arranged with one of his boat captain friends to give all of us a private whale-watching cruise. A never-to-be-forgotten day.
But, not surprisingly, it was the ocean itself that most captivated my family.
“I daresay I could sit and watch those waves all day,” Mamm said on the final evening of their visit. She lifted the hem of her long cape dress while walking on the beach, and Dat joined her, reaching for her hand as they moved leisurely in the direction of the red-streaked sky.
A little more than a year later, during a splendid August sunset, Kevin and I said our vows to the Lord and to each other beside the sea, encircled by our families and the Cape May church friends and pastor. The Logans and eleven-year-old Autumn and two-year-old Connor were there, too, all smiles, along with my supervisor at the Pier House and a handful of local merchants I’d come to know, including Mr. Jason, the umbrella man. Six-year-old Aaron and his sisters and mother, Barbie Ann, also came.
After the wedding, Len and Monique hosted a reception in their summer home. Before we cut the wedding cake, Kevin stood up and gave a heartwarming testimony to the power of love . . . and to prayer. I couldn’t help noticing Cousin Essie nod her head in agreement.
When it was my turn, I thanked each of our gracious guests for coming to witness the blending of our hearts as husband and wife. I shared with them, as a reminder to us all, how life’s tides retreat and move forward in a predictable cycle, one that we don’t always understand. “Those quiet in-between times are ever so important,” I said. “If we have faith to wait, a miracle can happen.” I looked at Kevin, and tears sprang to my eyes.
“I love you, sweet Sallie,” he whispered. It was the perfect conclusion to all the talks we’d had my very first summer there in Cape May.
“All good things come to those who wait,” Mamm had often said when I was growing up. So postponing our honeymoon until Kevin’s Christmas break was not a sacrifice. What’s more, his parents surprised us with the generous gift of a trip to Australia, with some unexpected financial participation from Dat and Mamm.
“Since your twenty-second birthday comes durin’ your travels, you oughta celebrate right fine,” my father said when he called our apartment near Rutgers from the community phone shanty. And so, yet another seemingly impossible dream had come true.
Someday, we hope to realize another one of our goals and offer faith-based tours to various seaside locations around the world—once Kevin’s work as a marine biologist permits.
Each and every day, Kevin and I set aside time to thank our dear Lord above, who brought us together in such an extraordinary place and time. Oh, to think what I would’ve missed!
Author’s Note
Like the seashore itself, my life—and yours—is a constant work in progress. I have pondered this even as a young girl walking along the beach, skipping through the surf. It was during my childhood in Lancaster County that I fell head over heels for the Jersey Shore, where I spent long summer weekends.
Cape May in particular was a place that held keen interest during those growing-up years. Recently, while on a book tour through that spectacular state, I revisited this most charming of seaside towns and was compelled to claim it as the setting for this book.
I deeply appreciate the many people without whose help this story might still be waiting to be told. My
astute and faithful editors: David Horton and Rochelle Glöege, along with their fine editorial team—Helen Motter, Ann Parrish, Cheri Hanson, Jolene Steffer, and Elisa Tally. My thanks also extend to expert proofreader Barbara Birch; gracious Pennsylvania Dutch linguists Hank and Ruth Hershberger; meticulous marine biology consultant Scott Fravel; helpful medical research assistant Diana Poorman, RN; photographer and research assistant Steve Oates; prayer partner and cheerful owner of my temporary writing “cottage,” Aleta Hirschberg; encourager and longtime friend Julie Klassen; the good folk at the Cape May Nature Center, as well as Duckies Farm Market; the librarians at the Cape May Public Library; my helpful cousins Kristen and Nick Bozza, as well as Brenda Jones Horner; and the thoughtful Amish and Mennonite manuscript readers who kindly offered invaluable input. You are all so appreciated!
For the record, the twin snow leopards featured in this book were actually born in April 2013. Also, the historic Rotary Park bandstand was demolished in March 2016 and rebuilt, but because it was the bandstand of my childhood, I fondly memorialized it on these pages. Also, the annual Cape May Promenade Craft Fair, held the second week in August, was moved back to the first week in August for this particular story.
Dave, my kind and patient husband, gave me the heartfelt support required to birth this novel, as did our children—Julie, Janie, and Jonathan—and lovely granddaughter, Ariel. Your prayers touch my heart daily.
My growing number of reader-friends (the best ever!) cheer me on with prayer, Facebook messages, and emails received via my website, and for that, I couldn’t be more thankful.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Beverly Lewis, born in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, is the New York Times bestselling author of more than ninety books. Her stories have been published in twelve languages worldwide. A keen interest in her mother’s Plain heritage has inspired Beverly to write many Amish-related novels, beginning with The Shunning, which has sold more than one million copies and is an Original Hallmark Channel movie. In 2007 The Brethren was honored with a Christy Award.
Beverly has been interviewed by both national and international media, including Time magazine, the Associated Press, and the BBC. She lives with her husband, David, in Colorado.
Visit her website at www.beverlylewis.com or www.facebook.com/officialbeverlylewis for more information.
Books by Beverly Lewis
The Ebb Tide
The Wish
The Atonement
The Photograph
The Love Letters
The River
HOME TO HICKORY HOLLOW
The Fiddler
The Bridesmaid
The Guardian
The Secret Keeper
The Last Bride
THE ROSE TRILOGY
The Thorn
The Judgment
The Mercy
ABRAM’S DAUGHTERS
The Covenant
The Betrayal
The Sacrifice
The Prodigal
The Revelation
THE HERITAGE OF LANCASTER COUNTY
The Shunning
The Confession
The Reckoning
ANNIE’S PEOPLE
The Preacher’s Daughter
The Englisher
The Brethren
THE COURTSHIP OF NELLIE FISHER
The Parting
The Forbidden
The Longing
SEASONS OF GRACE
The Secret
The Missing
The Telling
The Postcard
The Crossroad
The Redemption of Sarah Cain
Sanctuary (with David Lewis)
Child of Mine (with David Lewis)
The Sunroom
October Song
Amish Prayers
The Beverly Lewis Amish Heritage Cookbook
www.beverlylewis.com
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
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