The Forgiving Hour

by Robin Lee Hatcher

  Make Me Lord of your heart, beloved.

  “I have.”

  Of every corner of your heart.

  “I have!”

  Exasperated, she got up and went to the couch in the living room. She sat down, grabbed the television control, and pushed the On button. The room was immediately filled with the noise of gunfire.

  Good. A senselessly violent movie. Just what she was in the mood for. She wanted it to be loud enough to drown out the small Voice in her heart.

  It didn’t work.

  I will not share your affection with any other god!

  “What other god?” She closed her eyes and covered her ears. Leave me alone. I don’t understand anything anymore.

  PART 5

  Gladness

  But let the righteous be glad;

  let them exult before God;

  Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.

  Psalm 68:3

  THIRTY-THREE

  MAY

  The instant the Fasten Seat Belt sign was turned off, Claire jumped up from her seat and reached for her carry-on in the overhead bin. Her heart raced in anticipation of seeing Dakota again and meeting Sara for the first time. The last two months in Seattle had seemed years long.

  Not that her work hadn’t been both interesting and challenging. It had been. But ever since the day Kevin asked her to wait and see what God wanted for them, she’d felt herself in limbo. She’d prayed until she had no prayers left, asking for guidance, asking what God wanted. But if He was speaking to her, she wasn’t hearing Him.

  She saw passengers begin to leave the front of the aircraft and heard the attractive flight attendant spinning off her litany. “Thanks.” “Have a nice day.” “Thank you.” “Good day.” “Thanks.”

  When Claire reached the young woman, she returned a smile as she hurried by. The moment she turned the corner in the Jetway, she craned her neck in an attempt to see over the heads of other passengers, looking for her tall son. It wasn’t until she was almost to the door that she saw him. He was grinning from ear to ear as he waved at her, and she felt a rush of joy.

  “Dakota!”

  A few seconds later, she was crushed in his tight embrace.

  “Welcome home, Mom.”

  “Oh, it’s good to be back.” Misty eyed, she drew away from him and laid her palm flat against his cheek. “You look wonderful.”

  “You too. You’ve lost some weight, haven’t you?” As he spoke, he took the carry-on bag from her.

  “About ten pounds. Thanks for noticing.” She looked around for Sara.

  “She couldn’t be here,” he said, answering her unspoken question. “Her boss sent her to Pocatello yesterday afternoon.” He put his free arm around Claire’s back and steered her down the corridor. “But she’ll be home late tonight, and we’re coming over to your house tomorrow. She can’t wait to meet you.”

  “Likewise.”

  He stopped walking. “You really are gonna love her, Mom.”

  “I know.”

  He grinned before giving her another hug.

  Thank You, Father, for making my son so happy. He deserves it. Bless his marriage with joy all the days of his life.

  Dakota took hold of her arm and started walking again. “Mrs. Jennings is planning a get-together next weekend with you as the honored guest. She thought you’d like a week to get settled in again before you’re subjected to a big family dinner at their place. There’s a bunch of them, remember. But you’ll meet everyone at church on Sunday.” His grip tightened on her arm. “You are planning to attend Sunrise Fellowship, aren’t you?”

  “Of course. I missed a lot of years when I could have been going with you. I don’t want to miss any more.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  At the carousel, they waited with the crowd of other passengers for the luggage to appear, adding their voices to the cacophony rising all around them. Dakota asked her about Alana and Jack Moncur’s visit to Seattle. By the time she’d finished answering, they’d collected her bags and were headed for his Jeep in the parking lot.

  Half an hour later, she unlocked the front door of her house and stepped inside, pausing in the entryway as she looked around the living room. She felt a rush of pure pleasure. She was home again.

  “Feels good, huh?” Dakota asked as he stepped in behind her.

  “Mmm.”

  “And look. Not a single plant died in your absence.”

  She laughed.

  “Want these in the bedroom?”

  She glanced over her shoulder. He had a bag under each arm and another in each hand. “Oh, put them down anywhere, honey. I’ll take care of them later.” She walked through the living area and into the kitchen. Sunshine spilled through the windows of the eating nook, brightening the pale-green and white room. A bouquet of daffodils and tulips sat in the center of the table, and a plate of frosted sugar cookies, covered with colored cellophane, waited on the counter near the stove.

  “The flowers are from me,” Dakota informed her as he entered the kitchen. “The cookies are from Sara.”

  She turned toward him. “Everything’s so clean and sparkling. You must have worked hard to get it all spic-and-span.”

  “John helped since Sara had to be out of town. She wanted to do it for you. By the way, John sends his love. He said to tell you —” The ring of the doorbell interrupted him.

  Claire raised an eyebrow. “Who knows I’m even home yet?” She went to answer it. Opening the door, she discovered a floral delivery man holding a beautiful springtime bouquet.

  “Ms. Conway?”

  “Yes.”

  “These are for you.”

  “Thank you,” she said as she accepted them.

  As she closed the door with the toe of her shoe, she heard Dakota ask, “More flowers? Who’re they from?”

  “I don’t know.” She sniffed a sprig of sweet-smelling lilacs before setting the flowers on the coffee table. “Here’s the card.” She sat on the sofa as she opened it.

  Thinking of you,

  Kevin

  Her heart fluttered at the sight of his name; she wished it didn’t.

  “An admirer, Mom? Are you holding out on me?”

  She shook her head. “They’re from Kevin, but don’t go reading anything into it. He was just being thoughtful.” How she wished it were more than that.

  Be patient, the small Voice in her heart whispered.

  Be patient. Be patient. I hear You, Lord. But what am I being patient for?

  Sara had a difficult time keeping the car at seventy-five miles per hour as she drove toward the setting sun. She wouldn’t get home until after ten o’clock at this rate. Too late to see Dakota.

  She wondered if his mother had arrived from Seattle okay. She’d wanted to be at the airport with Dakota and had been more than a little disappointed when she was required to be out of town, today of all days. She’d already waited several weeks for the first meeting with her future mother-in-law.

  She and Claire had spoken a couple of times on the telephone at Dakota’s urging. But what could they say to each other when they’d never actually met?

  What if she doesn’t like me?

  Dakota adored his mother. It was evident in so many of the things he said and did. If Claire Conway didn’t approve of Sara, if they couldn’t get along, what would he do? Would he still want to marry her?

  But that was silly. There wasn’t any reason why she and Claire shouldn’t get along. Mother-in-law horror stories didn’t have to be the norm. Look how fond all of her brothers’ wives were of Kristina Jennings. That alone was proof her worries were groundless.

  She smiled to herself, remembering the last time she and her mother were together.

  “Oh, Sara,” Kristina’s voice broke. “Oh, my baby girl. It’s breathtaking.” She sniffed. “No, you’re breathtaking.”

  Sara swept the beaded train of the wedding gown out of her way as she turned around. “Don’t cry, Mom, or you’ll get me sta
rted too.”

  “I can’t help it.” Still sniffing, Kristina searched through her purse until she found a tissue. She touched it to the corners of her eyes, then blew her nose. “I wish your father was here to see you.”

  “I think he’d better wait until just before he walks me down the aisle.” She suspected her dad would be even more emotional than her mother.

  The salesclerk poked her head through the opening in the dressing room curtains. “Oh, that’s definitely the one, isn’t it?”

  Sara nodded as she looked toward the mirror again. She didn’t know if she’d ever seen anything more exquisite than this gown. And she should know. She’d tried on at least forty of them in the past few weeks. But this one was special. Yards and yards of satin, lace, and tulle. Hundreds upon hundreds of shiny pearls and beads. An elegant ten-foot train. This was most definitely the one.

  “I have the perfect veil for it,” the clerk said. “I’ll be right back.”

  Dakota’s bride, Sara thought, hardly aware that the salesclerk had spoken. She pressed her palms against her stomach in an effort to still the tingling sensations inside her. Dakota’s wife. In less than two months, she would stand before him in this gown and pledge to be his, forever and always.

  “Oh, Mama,” she whispered, her vision blurred. “I’m so happy, I’m almost scared. What if something goes wrong?”

  Kristina released a halfhearted laugh as she dabbed at Sara’s tears with another tissue. “What could go wrong? Dakota loves you so much. It’s evident to everyone who sees you two together.” She hugged Sara, careful not to crush the gown. “I’ve never known a couple more meant for each other than the two of you.”

  “Here we go.” The clerk entered the dressing room. In her hands she held a white satin hat with a wide brim and a long, delicate veil. She waited for mother and daughter to release each other, then stood behind Sara, holding the hat over Sara’s head. “It will be spectacular with your red hair. See? You’d wear it at a slight angle. Like this.” She put the hat in place.

  The woman was right. It went perfectly with the gown.

  And her mother was right too.

  What could possibly go wrong?

  The chirping of her cellular telephone brought Sara abruptly back to the present. She flipped the phone open and held it to her ear. “Hello?”

  “Hi. It’s me.”

  She smiled, the mere sound of Dakota’s voice causing her heart to race. “Hi, me.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Almost to Twin Falls. I didn’t get away as soon as I’d wanted.”

  “Shoot. I was hoping you were closer than that. Guess that means I won’t see you until tomorrow.”

  She heard the words he didn’t say. “I’ve missed you too.”

  Twitter-pated. That’s what the Wise Old Owl in Bambi had called this strange, wonderful feeling in her stomach. All jittery and fluttery, like she’d just gotten off a carnival ride.

  “Did your mother get home all right?”

  “Yeah. And she liked your cookies too.”

  “Did you tell her I was sorry not to meet her at the airport?”

  “Of course.”

  “I wish I could’ve been there.”

  “She understands, Sara. Hey, guess what?”

  “What?”

  Softly, “I love you.”

  The warm, curling sensation in her stomach intensified. “I love you.” She never tired of hearing it or saying it.

  “I told Mom we’d be over about one o’clock tomorrow. How about if I pick you up and we go to lunch first?”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Okay. I’ll be at your place by eleven-thirty.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, then, “I sure wish we’d eloped so that you’d be driving home to me right now.”

  Me too.

  “You call when you get in. I don’t care what time it is. I’ll be up.”

  She loved the caring tone of his voice. “I will. The instant I’m in the door, I’ll call you.”

  “Drive safe.”

  “I will.”

  “Keep it under eighty, will you, please?”

  She chuckled. He knew her tendency for exceeding the speed limit. “I will.”

  After a little more billing and cooing on both ends, Dakota said good-bye and hung up. Sara pressed the phone against her heart, as if doing so would bring her closer to him.

  Twitter-pated, indeed.

  She laughed aloud as she pressed her foot down on the accelerator.

  THIRTY-FOUR

  Clothes littered Sara’s bedroom. Dresses and slacks and blouses lay in puddles on the floor. They were also draped over the back and seat of a chair and were piled high on the unmade bed.

  “It still isn’t right,” she muttered as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

  She unzipped the blue cotton dress, let it fall to the floor, and kicked it aside, letting it join the others she had also deemed inappropriate for meeting Dakota’s mother.

  “I should have gone shopping. I should have bought something new.”

  A glance at her bedside clock told her Dakota would be there at any moment. Out of time, she groaned as she reached for one of the few remaining items in her closet.

  “Please let this one be okay.”

  She’d just hooked the clasp above the zipper of the lime-green jersey dress when her doorbell announced his arrival. With another groan, she went to answer it.

  He grinned the moment their eyes met. “Wow!”

  “It’s too short, isn’t it?” She tugged on the soft, knit fabric. “Maybe it’s too tight. Do I look like I’m trying to be younger than I am?”

  “No, no, and no.” He gave her a quick kiss. “You look perfect. The dress is just right. I love that color on you.”

  Unconvinced, she turned from him, heading down the hall. “I should’ve put my hair up. It’s a mess. I look like I just got up.” Another glance in the mirror made her want to crawl beneath the covers and clothes on her bed and hide there.

  Dakota appeared in her bedroom doorway. “Would you relax? You’re meeting my mom, not the Wicked Witch of the West.” He chuckled softly.

  “You don’t understand!” She whirled toward him. “I could throw a bucket of water on the Wicked Witch and melt her. I want your mother to like me.”

  “Ah, sweetheart …” He went to her and gathered her into a warm and tender embrace. “We’ve been over this a dozen times already. Mom won’t be able not to like you. She’s going to love you.” He kissed the top of her head. “And it won’t matter if your hair is up or down. It won’t matter what you’re wearing. It’s who you are that matters, and that’s who she’s going to see and love.”

  “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

  Another chuckle rumbled deep in his chest. “Maybe. But it’s also the truth.”

  “It’s not fair.”

  “What isn’t?”

  “You knew my family before you met me. You didn’t have to be nervous like this.” She tipped her head back and looked up at him. “They already loved you before I did. I think my sisters-in-law had us married before we ever left the airport.”

  One corner of his mouth lifted in the lopsided grin she adored. “You never stood a chance, did you?”

  The tension began to drain from her. “No.” She tightened her arms around him. “Not for a moment.”

  Dakota lowered his mouth to hers. Sara rose on tiptoe to meet him. The kiss was slow and sweet, and it restored her confidence, at least momentarily.

  Claire removed the freshly baked coffee cake from the oven. Her stomach growled as the warm scent filled her nostrils, but she knew she couldn’t eat a bite. There wasn’t room in her stomach for food with all those butterflies in there.

  Setting the cake on a rack to cool, she opened the refrigerator and removed the container of decaffeinated coffee from the tray in the door. As she mea
sured the dark grounds into the filter, she noticed her hand was shaking.

  An old saying repeated in the back of her mind: A son is a son till he takes a wife. A daughter’s a daughter all of her life. A son is a son till he takes a wife … Till he takes a wife … Till he takes a wife …

  Was she going to lose Dakota to Sara? She was prepared for things to be different, just as when he’d moved into a place of his own, but she couldn’t bear to lose him completely. She knew it sometimes happened. She’d seen it with her own eyes in other families. She didn’t want it to happen to her.

  Claire closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. She let it out slowly. She hated herself for having these thoughts again. It showed a weakness in character that she despised.

  “I’m behaving like an idiot,” she scolded aloud. “I will not cling. I refuse to.”

  She took another deep breath and pressed the button on the coffee maker to start it brewing. A glance around the kitchen told her everything was in readiness. On the island counter was the silver tray that had belonged to her grandmother. Claire had polished it last night when she couldn’t sleep. Three china dessert plates, three forks, and three cloth napkins in silver rings, along with the china creamer and sugar bowl, were already in place on the tray. Three matching china cups waited near the coffeemaker. All that was left to do was put the coffee cake on the platter. She would wait and do that after her son and Sara arrived.

  She was just headed for the living room to watch for their arrival when the phone rang. She hoped it wasn’t Dakota calling to say they weren’t coming.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Claire. It’s Kevin.”

  It wasn’t necessary for him to identify himself. She’d know his voice across a million miles of phone line, let alone five hundred. “Kevin. What a nice surprise.” She gripped the receiver with both hands, cradling the mouthpiece with one palm.

  “I’m not calling at a bad time, am I?”