A Hopeful Harvest

by Ruth Logan Herne

  “Proposals don’t come with conditions. Do they?”

  “This one does. I want to keep this farm as a tribute farm to the original settlers here. The first fruit growers in Central Washington, the ones who began it all, including your family and mine. I don’t want it to become part of the huge Ingerson CVF. I want to build that barn or maybe just buy Moyer’s barn and have folks come and enjoy a reasonably priced farm experience every year. It won’t step on CVF’s toes, and I think in the end it would be a blessing to so many folks.”

  “That’s your condition?”

  “Well, it’s not a deal breaker,” she answered, “But—” She kissed his right cheek. Then his left. And then his mouth. “It would make your wife very, very happy.”

  “You strike a hard bargain but a fair deal. I think that’s a brilliant idea actually. Because coming to the barn makes people happy and seeing them happy made me happy, too.”

  “Me, too. Jax?”

  “Mmm-hmm?”

  “I love you. I absolutely, positively love you. Just the way you are.”

  His arm tightened around her. He drew her in again, but not for a kiss this time. For a hug. A hug that felt like coming home, at long last. For both of them. “I love you, too.” He stood and drew her up with him. “But as much as I’d like to keep right on holding you, we need sleep. Tomorrow we say goodbye to a wonderful man.”

  “And hello to a new beginning. Gramps would approve.”

  “I believe he would. Walk me to the door, darlin’. Then tomorrow we’ll take Gramps on his final walk on earth...”

  “While he gathers with Grandma and friends in heaven.”

  “Amen to that.” He kissed her one last time and went out the side door.

  She watched him jog to his truck. Strong, virile, handsome...and wounded, just like her.

  But together they would bind those wounds and stand strong. And the fact that they could do it and keep the O’Laughlin name alive made it sweeter. She hadn’t wanted to say goodbye to Grandma or Gramps, ever. Now that she had, she wanted their name, their legacy, to be respected, and her future offered her the chance to do that.

  And that was a blessing she never expected.

  Epilogue

  “Well, sweet thing, you surely did get a perfect day for a wedding.” Mortie adjusted Libby’s gown from behind. “I’ve never seen a more beautiful day in late November. And aren’t you the prettiest thing?” She smiled at Libby through the mirror, then kissed Libby’s cheek. “I am honored to help you today. I hope you know that.”

  “I do.”

  CeeCee sashayed in, and her swishy skirt splayed out as she spun. “I can’t even believe how pretty this dress is, Mommy, and yours is so pretty, too! Won’t Mr. Jax and his dad and the uncles think we’re just the prettiest things ever?”

  “I’m sure Jax will feel that way, but your new aunties might take exception. Are we ready?”

  “We are.” B.J. Johnson went to the side door and opened it wide. “Your chariot awaits, ladies.”

  She walked out, expecting B.J.’s SUV to be in the driveway.

  It wasn’t.

  A Cinderella-style carriage stood in the farm drive, with four big broad horses standing strong and tall in front.

  “B.J.” She turned as CeeCee let out a little squeal of delight. “Jax did this?”

  “I am not at liberty to say who did what, but I think you can figure it out.”

  A soft woof came from the front seat of the carriage, next to the tuxedo-wearing driver. And then a shaggy black-and-white dog poked a head up, over the edge. He spotted her. Then CeeCee. And his mouth opened in a doggy smile as his tail slapped a rhythm against the carriage driver’s seat.

  “Oh, you have a nice dog!” CeeCee hurried out the door and stared up at the dog and the driver. “He’s so beautiful, mister!”

  “I have no dog, miss.” The driver turned.

  Jax.

  Sitting up there, all handsome and happy and maybe a little smug.

  “I do believe this dog belongs to a young lady who lives at this very house. Someone named Cecelia, I believe?”

  CeeCee’s mouth gaped open. “Dreamer?”

  Jax reached out and flipped a small sign attached to the dog’s collar. “Yep. Dreamer.”

  Libby’s heart nearly burst.

  She couldn’t have thought to make this day any better, nicer or sweeter, but Jax just did. “Up you go, miss.” B.J. offered her a hand into the carriage. And when he tried to do the same for CeeCee, she aimed a pleading look at Jax up front. “Can I ride with you and Dreamer, Mr. Jax? I’ll be so good!”

  “How is your mother going to feel about dog hair on your dress, sweetness? Check with her.”

  The absolute look of love on CeeCee’s face evaporated dog hair worries. How often did a little girl get to be a real, live princess in a carriage? Libby nodded and gave CeeCee a princess-style wave. “See you at the church, darling.”

  He didn’t drive the horses quickly. He let them meander up the road. Folks came out of their houses and waved and laughed and cheered. As they drew into the small town of Golden Grove, people lined the short sidewalks or stood on porches, calling out congratulations.

  Libby had left the town in shame long years ago.

  She’d come back, ready to remove the tarnish from the family name, but as she stepped out of the carriage and put her hand into Jax’s, the happy smiles around her taught her a real lesson.

  Most folks didn’t care what happened twenty years ago. They rejoiced in the here and now, with her. With Jax. With CeeCee. On this beautiful day, surrounded by so many people, the whole town seemed like it was wishing them well.

  “Ready?”

  She turned to Jax as CeeCee skipped ahead once they’d convinced the dog to stay in the carriage. “Absolutely.”

  They started forward. At the last minute, just before they got to the open church doors, Dreamer jumped down, bounded forward, dodged around them and went to stand sedately at CeeCee’s side.

  He didn’t bark.

  Didn’t whine.

  He just stood there, and when CeeCee started down the aisle, so did the dog.

  “Should I get him?” Jax whispered. “This wasn’t part of the plan.”

  Libby watched the dog and little girl walk down the aisle, then she looked up at him—her soon-to-be husband—and smiled. “I know the plans I have made for you.” She paraphrased the quote from Jeremiah and squeezed his arm lightly in a silent message.

  “God’s plan it is.” He grinned down at her and when the music started, he walked her down the aisle to a future neither one had seen coming. A future filled with hopes and dreams for two people who’d weathered storms and emerged. And when he promised to love, honor and cherish her for all of his days...

  Libby Creighton knew that it was true.

  * * *

  If you loved this story,

  be sure to pick up Ruth Logan Herne’s

  previous miniseries, Shepherd’s Crossing:

  Her Cowboy Reunion

  “Falling for the Christmas Cowboy”

  from A Cowboy Christmas

  A Cowboy in Shepherd’s Crossing

  Healing the Cowboy’s Heart

  Available now from Love Inspired!

  Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com.

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Her Secret Alaskan Family by Belle Calhoune.

  Dear Reader,

  I enjoyed writing this story because we all have so much to thank the Lord for, even in hard times.

  I love blending faith and romance, and I love adding children into stories because they are the hope for the future. But Cleve was a big part of my love for this story.

  The road of Alzheimer’s and dementia is not easy. It is nothing to be undertaken lightly. The scourge of
Alzheimer’s runs in my husband’s family. His father, his grandfather, his uncles and all of his great-uncles had it. That makes this a personal experience for us as a new generation tiptoes into that age group.

  I hope you loved Libby and Jax’s story. It was inspired when I read about this new treatment for PTSD developed by Frank Bourke to help post-9/11 victims. His work has been refined to help returning soldiers. When I read the positive results of the clinical trials, I saw my hero, Jackson Ingerson. The brain’s a funny thing. When one moment replays in our heads incessantly, it can mess with our emotional stability until we learn how to hit that mental off button without guilt.

  Libby’s story hits close to home for me and so many people who come from dysfunctional families. It’s hard to live your life categorized by others’ actions, isn’t it? But she learns and rises above, and I just love her.

  Thank you so much for reading this story. I love hearing from readers. You can email me at loganherne@gmail.com or through my website, ruthloganherne.com, and I love it when folks follow my friends page or author page on Facebook!

  God bless you all, and I hope you love all of the Golden Grove, Washington, books.

  With love,

  Ruthy

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.

  You believe hearts can heal. Love Inspired stories show that faith, forgiveness and hope have the power to lift spirits and change lives—always.

  Enjoy six new stories from Love Inspired every month!

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  Her Secret Alaskan Family

  by Belle Calhoune

  Chapter One

  “Welcome to the last frontier,” Sage Duncan murmured as she walked to the bow of the ferry and looked out across the breathtaking waters of Kachemak Bay.

  Despite her frayed nerves, Sage was able to appreciate the raw beauty of her surroundings. She took a deep breath and inhaled the crisp Alaskan air. Snow-covered mountains rose up to greet her. A bird swooped down toward the water, then emerged a few seconds later with a fish in its mouth. Sage shook her head at the stunning sights unfolding before her eyes. The vista was spectacular. It was like nothing she had ever seen before in her life.

  In her wildest dreams she had never envisioned herself traveling to this magnificent land. It had always seemed so out of reach, like a faraway constellation in the heavens.

  She shivered and wrapped her arms around her middle. This Alaskan climate was a far cry from back home in Florida where heat and humidity reigned. Sage couldn’t remember the last time she had seen snow, but as a little girl she had fantasized about catching snowflakes on her tongue and sledding down snowy mountains in the wintertime.

  Sage shook off those long-ago memories. She hadn’t traveled all this way to Owl Creek, Alaska, in order to live out her childhood dreams. Her reasons for coming here were complicated, and hurt bubbled up inside her as the reality of her situation kicked her in the gut.

  Her mother’s death two months ago had changed her life in so many ways. With her dying breath, Jane Duncan had made a startling confession to Sage. Months later and she was still processing the revelation. According to her mother, Sage had been stolen as a baby from her birth family. Right after Jane had uttered those shocking words she had died, leaving Sage with a hundred burning questions. Who was she? Who were her real family? Why had Jane Duncan committed such a horrific act as kidnapping somebody else’s child?

  Digging through her mother’s belongings had turned up old newspaper clippings about a three-month-old baby who had been taken from her crib in the middle of the night, never to be seen again. Goose bumps had popped up on her arms when she’d come across a photo with the word MISSING written in bold black print on the flyer. There were two pictures side by side—one of a baby girl and the other a pretty teenager. The words age enhanced were written beneath the image. The girl had looked a little bit like her. Similar features. Same age. Even the same birth month.

  A search on the internet had turned up even more information. If what she suspected turned out to be true, her real name was Lily North. Her family—the Norths—were the owners of the North Star Chocolate Company. Her parents still lived in Owl Creek and they had never stopped looking for her or praying for her return. Her image had even been plastered on milk cartons back when she was an infant.

  Which was why, in order to seek out those answers, she had traveled to this southern portion of Alaska and booked herself into a cozy bed-and-breakfast in Owl Creek for a period of six weeks.

  Sage felt a solid presence next to her as she looked out toward land. She turned to her right. The man standing a few feet away from her was handsome. He was looking in her direction, his eyes focused on her like laser beams. With sandy-colored hair and turquoise blue eyes, he had a rugged appearance. A shiny gold badge sat on his chest.

  He quirked his mouth. “Let me guess. You’re Lily North, aren’t you?”

  Sage’s knees threatened to give way beneath her, and her heart began to beat like thunder inside her chest. Why had she thought she could get away with this?

  “Wh-what are you talking about?” she asked, wondering how in the world this stranger knew her true purpose for being in Owl Creek.

  He let out a chuckle. His features immediately went from attractive to downright spectacular. “Sorry. Just a bad joke. Our little town has been inundated with women claiming to be the missing North baby.” He frowned at her. “Surely you’ve heard about the case?”

  “Just a little bit,” she hedged. “I’m not from Alaska, but I recall seeing some news coverage a few weeks ago back home.”

  “It’s the twenty-fifth anniversary of the kidnapping so it’s been plastered all over the news and on the internet,” he explained. “Every scam artist from here to Toledo has been trying to fleece the family by pretending to be Lily. It’s been going on for years but lately it’s gotten out of hand. I was born and bred in Owl Creek so I’ve grown up hearing about the case.” His expression turned somber. “In a way it’s always cast a shadow over the town.”

  “Do you know them? The Norths?” she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. She wanted to learn everything she possibly could about them. Were they kind people? Had the kidnapping taken all the joy out of their lives? Had they moved past it?

  “Sure do,” he said amiably. “They’re good people. Connor North is one of my best friends. And they make some of the best chocolate you’ll ever taste.” He stuck out his hand. “By the way, I’m Hank Crawford. Town sheriff.”

  She reached out and shook his hand. “So that explains the fancy badge,” she said with a smile. “I’m Sage Duncan.”

  “Are you a tourist? We get a lot of them in our little town, but not usually in the winter. The weather is pretty intimidating for those who aren’t used to it.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I suppose you could call me a tourist. I teach second grade back home in Florida and I’m on leave for a few months. I’ve always wanted to visit Alaska, and I do adore chocolate,” she said. “Call me crazy, but I’m looking forward to some wintry weather.”

  “You’ll need a winter parka and some insulated boots for winter in Owl Creek. Otherwise you’ll freeze,” he advised, giving her attire the once-over. He was wearing a hunter green parka and a dark pair of cords. Sage had the feeling her clothing hadn’t passed muster. Her decision to travel to Alaska had been made rather quickly. She’d taken a leave of absence and booked her airline tickets as well as the bed-and-breakfast before she could change her mind and chicken out. As a Floridian she didn’t own many cold-weather clothes, so she’d done a little shopping online and stocked up o
n a few sweaters, hats and pants. She looked down at her boots. They were suede with fringes on them. Hardly fitting for the Alaskan climate. She hoped this little village had clothing stores and winter gear so she could round out her wardrobe.

  “Thanks,” she said, unwilling to offer any more information to Sheriff Crawford. She had already said too much, and he was the last person whose suspicions she wanted to arouse.

  “Well, we’re about to dock. It was nice to meet you, Sage,” he said with a grin. “In a town as small as Owl Creek, I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other.”

  Sage nodded and murmured goodbye as she watched the sheriff walk away from her. His gait was confident and strong. She let out a ragged sigh. Hank Crawford was no doubt the handsomest man she’d met in quite some time. But she wasn’t in town to meet good-looking men. Not by a long shot. Sage had traveled all this way in order to scope out the people she believed might be her birth family. There was power in no one knowing she might actually be Lily North. She wouldn’t have anyone questioning her motives or digging into her background.

  She would have time to decide what to do.

  At this point she had no idea whether or not she would reveal her identity to the North family. Doing so might cause a world of legal trouble for Eric Duncan, the man who she had called father for the last twenty-five years. According to her dad, he’d been in the dark about her mother’s actions up until her dying day. Sadly, he had never addressed certain irregularities in Sage’s adoption, which could make it appear as if he’d known the truth all along. Eric had asserted he’d never had any knowledge about her being kidnapped. He’d believed that her birth parents had abandoned her. From what he’d disclosed to Sage it was evident that her adoption hadn’t been legal. Having just lost her mother, Sage couldn’t imagine losing her father as well if the North family decided to file charges against him for being her mother’s accomplice.

  Sage clenched her fists at her sides. She would do anything in her power to protect him.