“Don’t throw your mother into this,” Father growled. “We’re talking about your future, about the family line, about your inheritance.”
“Maybe I don’t want this inheritance.” Sam swept an arm around the room, but what he really didn’t want to inherit was the cutthroat business practices of his father.
“What?” Father’s face turned dark red as he rose to his feet. “After all the effort I put into molding you, you’re throwing it away?”
“Push me on this point, and I will.” Sam crossed his arms. Father might be strong, but through faith, Sam was now stronger.
“For a woman?” Father laughed derisively. “You’re a fool when it comes to women. You let that wife of yours run around and disgrace you publicly. Do you have any idea how many favors I had to pull to cover up that episode?”
In the past, that kind of accusation would have sent Sam into a black temper, but not today. Ever since that dip in the river with Pastor Gabe, he’d put Jesus in control of his life. And he knew in his gut that he was making the right choice. Sam had forgiven Lillian, Ned and even himself. The past had been washed away, and all he wanted now was to carve out a future with the woman he loved. No matter how long it took to earn back her trust.
“I’m not hiding any longer,” he told Father. “Let my life be an open book. Let the gossips chatter away. God has forgiven me.”
“God? What good is that going to do in the business world? You have to play the game.”
Instead of bowing to his father’s tirades like he’d done in the past, Sam saw the path ahead with utter clarity. “No, I don’t. I won’t blindly obey your dictates any longer. I’m done with secrets and pretending. I won’t hide my name or what I’m doing ever again. If that means I lose my inheritance, so be it.”
To emphasize the point, Sam picked up his luggage and walked out, past Miss Harris, who stared openmouthed, and onto the mezzanine.
“Where are you going?” Father yelled behind him.
Sam kept walking.
“Come back here. I’m not finished.”
“I am.”
Judging by the raised faces of the shoppers below, Father had followed him onto the mezzanine. In the past, Sam would have gone back. No more. He walked away, into a future without security of any kind apart from God. He’d never felt so free.
To his surprise, he heard his father cackling behind him. “That’s my boy. Finally got some gumption.”
Sam stared at the man who’d become a stranger to him.
Father crossed the distance between them. “Now you’re ready to preside over this company.”
Preside? Sam shook his head. After all this, Father was handing over the presidency to him? He didn’t believe it. “Even if Miss Fox agrees to marry me one day?”
Father’s face darkened. “Never!” He shook a finger at Sam. “That woman is a gold digger.”
“She’s no such thing. I will not allow anyone to malign Ruth. She’s the finest woman I know.”
“Is that why you covered the delinquent payments on her family’s loan?” Father’s grin showed that he thought he’d won. “Yes, I figured out what you did. Our bank back home confirmed you drained your account. You’ve got nothing left. Walk away, and you won’t be able to afford one night at that boardinghouse. You talk about God forgiving you?” He snorted. “I’ll show you forgiveness. If you cancel this contract and break all ties with that woman and her family, I’ll give you the presidency. You’ll get everything.”
Instead of rage, Sam felt pity. His father was trying so hard to hang on to his vision that he couldn’t see what was truly important. Poor Mother. Sam would do all in his power to give her the family she so richly deserved. And he’d pray that one day Father would see the truth.
“Please try to understand.” Sam made his words very clear. “I don’t want the company. I don’t want your money. Give it to Harry. He’s wanted to run the company his whole life. My path leads in another direction—one that I hope one day includes Ruth Fox. I love her, and I intend to keep loving her no matter what you say or do. I will give you my written resignation this afternoon.”
Father was dumbfounded. “You’re walking away from all this for a floozy?”
“No,” Sam said, an unnatural yet unshakable calmness coming over him. “I’m walking away from all this for the woman I love.”
* * *
The moment Ruth entered Hutton’s Department Store, the old doubts returned. The store was crowded, and she knew every woman shopping there. Many had been dress-shop customers at some point. The way they turned their faces away told her they would never come back.
No wonder Sam had offered her the alterations position. He’d seen what she couldn’t. The dress shop would fail. Her family needed an income, and he had provided, but she had stubbornly turned him down. Such unwarranted generosity!
Tears threatened, but she blinked them back. No man liked a blubbering woman. To change his mind, she must keep her composure and present her case rationally. An apology, of course. Then acceptance of his offer. Gratitude. Hope for the future.
Her mouth had gone dry as paper, and her heart pounded in her ears. The last time she saw him, she’d frozen and he’d walked away. What if that happened today? It couldn’t. It just couldn’t.
Abide in Me.
Ruth took a deep breath. No matter what happened, God’s love could not be shaken. He would remain faithful.
She looked around the store but didn’t spot Sam. He could be anywhere. Back in house furnishings or helping someone in men’s apparel. Where to check first? Or should she come back later? No. She would lose what little courage she’d mustered. Another look still didn’t reveal him. What if Sam hadn’t come to work at all? What if at this moment he was heading to the depot to catch the morning train?
Opportunity could pass her by if she didn’t ask for help. Someone must know where Sam was. She wandered into the accessories department, with its shelves of gloves and hats and suspenders and belts.
“May I help you, Miss Fox?” Mrs. Highbottom smiled at her from behind the department’s counter. It was the perfect position for the pretty woman, who’d never struck Ruth as much of a farmer’s wife despite her marriage to Charles Highbottom.
“No, no.” Ruth turned to head in the other direction and then realized this was her chance. She pressed close to the counter. “Is Mr. Rothenburg here today?”
Mrs. Highbottom’s eyebrows lifted for a second. “I assume you mean the younger Mr. Rothenburg?”
Ruth nodded and swallowed hard. This wasn’t going to be easy. If Mrs. Highbottom knew about her relationship with Sam, then everyone did.
“He was here a quarter hour ago or so,” Mrs. Highbottom said. “He’s probably assisting in another department.”
Of course the employees wouldn’t know exactly where to find Sam. Ruth would have to do it herself.
She walked out of the accessories department. Ahead, the everyday dresses hung in every imaginable color. Headless mannequins modeled the most stunning outfits. The displays took her breath away. Sam’s store was beautiful. No wonder women wanted to shop here. She wanted to shop here. She’d be proud to head up the alterations department, if the offer still stood.
First, she must find Sam. She turned slowly, surveying the store from her new position. To her left a staircase led to the upper mezzanine, and on that staircase stood a man. Sam! She started toward him, but then her heart sank.
He was descending the stairs, a portmanteau in one hand and a hat in the other.
No! He couldn’t leave now. Not before she apologized. Not before she had a chance to retract every cruel word she’d spoken and beg for the alterations job.
Why would God snatch him from her now, when she finally understood that love must be given with no hope of return?
&nb
sp; Ruth sucked in her breath. That was it. That was the answer God had been trying to reveal all along. Love was all about giving. She must give with no hope of return. She couldn’t expect a job. Nor Sam’s love. Not even forgiveness. She must expect nothing and be willing to walk away empty-handed.
Pain sliced through her heart.
Sam had nearly reached the bottom of the stairs without once looking in her direction. Soon she would lose sight of him behind the displays. With his long stride, he could be out of reach in seconds.
She raced toward him, but a woman with two toddlers blocked her way. She darted around them, only to come face-to-face with a towering display case on a long counter. Left? Or right? Which would get her there more quickly? By now he must be on the floor, striding toward the door. The door! She’d cut him off there. She spun, but Mrs. Grattan stood before her.
“Ruth, I’ve been meaning to speak to you.”
“Not now.” She tried to look around the large woman. “I’m in a hurry.”
“But I’m bringing you business,” Mrs. Grattan said.
“Thank you, but this is urgent.”
Her pulse pounded in her ears. Sam was leaving. He would be gone if she didn’t do something to stop him. He couldn’t leave. He couldn’t. But she couldn’t stop him. Or could she? One avenue remained.
Cupping her hands around her mouth, she yelled with all her might, “Sam Rothenburg! I love you!”
The din of shoppers quieted as eyes turned toward her. No doubt they thought her crazy. Well, let them. She was crazy in love with Sam. The whole world could know it.
But he didn’t answer.
“I love you,” she yelled again. When she saw no motion and heard no response, her courage faltered.
God’s love never fails.
Even if it cost her every scrap of pride and Sam paid her back only with pain, she must give her all.
“I will always love you.”
Chapter Twenty-One
The moment Sam heard Ruth’s voice he tried to find her. He wanted to sweep her into his arms and kiss away the trace of doubt that lingered behind each word. Unfortunately, he’d never been good at direction. When Father had tested Sam and Harry on their camping trip by making them find the source of his duck call, only Harry had found the way back. Father had been forced to mount a search party for Sam.
Now the sweetest voice in the entire world was uttering the finest words he’d ever heard, and he couldn’t find her. She must be hidden behind something. Though he had the advantage of height, he wasn’t tall enough to see past whatever was blocking her. He needed more height, and that meant returning to the staircase.
He sprinted up the steps two at a time.
Then he heard her shout again, this time filled with confidence. “I will always love you.”
“And I you,” he returned.
This time, he saw her threading her way around the displays and customers. Mrs. Evans stepped aside with the widest grin he’d ever seen. Every customer watched and waited, collective breath held. Ruth disappeared behind the shelves of knitwear, and when she reappeared, Miss Grozney pointed the way.
“Sam.” Ruth halted at the foot of the staircase, her expression anguished. “I must apologize.”
“No.” He hurried down the few steps separating them. He couldn’t let her suffer even one instant of pain. “The fault is mine. I should have told you what I was doing. I should have trusted you.”
“And I you,” she echoed. But her lip quivered, and she blinked rapidly. “I didn’t really mean it when I said I didn’t want you to help me...us, that is. I—I—I—”
He reached for her but she waved him away.
“Let me say what I must.” She drew a shuddering breath. “I needed to let go of the past. A wealthy man once hurt me, and I foolishly measured you by the same standard. It was wrong.”
“But I did hurt you by not telling you who I am. Nothing can make up for that.”
“But you did.” She ducked her head momentarily before lifting it. Fierce determination lit those pale blue eyes. “I know all you did to help us. The dresses. The loan. The job offer. I want to accept that job if it is still available.”
Sam did not want her working for his father, even if Father would have her, which he wouldn’t. “I resigned from the store.”
“Resigned?” The tough edge melted away. “But I thought...”
“That’s right—I gave up my inheritance. I’m as poor as you now.” He pulled out his trouser pockets. “Poorer, it seems. I’ll have to work off my room and board at Terchie’s.” He gave her a wry smile. This was the point when a gold digger would make excuses and scurry away. Lillian certainly would have.
Ruth’s shoulders actually relaxed. Her gloved hands covered her mouth. “Y-you did? Why?”
“For you,” thundered Father’s voice from above. “He gave up a department-store empire for a dressmaker. If you have any sense, you’ll tell him to come back.”
Instead, those beautiful eyes of hers welled with tears. “For me? You did this for me?”
“You taught me what’s truly important, Ruth.” Sam went to her, cupped her chin his hand. “Family. Love. Working hard to help each other. Laughing and crying and praying together. That’s what’s been missing all these years. That’s what I want in life, and if you would someday give me a second chance, I’d like to earn back your trust.”
Warmth surged through Ruth. Sam Rothenburg was everything she’d ever dreamed of in a man. He loved her. He loved her family. He loved the Lord. The sights and sounds of the store faded away. She saw only Sam, felt the gentle strength of his touch. His scent welcomed her like a cup of afternoon tea. In the depths of his eyes she saw everything good: honesty, loyalty, love. The thread between them grew stronger, twined so it would not break.
“You have my trust already,” she breathed.
That little-boy smile of his flickered into place. “I do?”
“Will you forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive. But I do have something important to ask you.”
“I’ll ask Mother and Daddy if you can sleep in the parlor.”
“Ruth!” He rolled his eyes just like Jen. “Let me speak. That’s not even remotely close to what I wanted to ask.” He swallowed, the mirth replaced by seriousness. “I would like to ask your father’s permission to court you, fully and for a proper length of time, if you are willing.”
“No.”
He stiffened.
She did feel just a tiny bit guilty for that, but her grin should have given the joke away. “I’ve waited my whole life for you, Sam Rothenburg. I don’t want to wait a full and proper length of time. If I’ve learned anything these last two weeks, it’s that every day is precious. I don’t want to waste a single one. Do ask Daddy for permission, but please make the courtship as short as possible.”
The smile returned, and oh, how he could draw her in. “I think I can manage that.”
Then he kissed her. Not soft and gentle like their first kiss, but with the firmness and strength that a lifetime commitment deserved. This kiss acknowledged that though they’d made mistakes and would continue to do so, their love would always forgive.
Ruth drank in his secure embrace and the future she’d always wanted. Only after he broke the kiss and wrapped her in his arms did she realize that the customers, those dear citizens of Pearlman, were clapping.
Sam gazed deeply into her eyes. “You are the most beautiful woman I know, Ruth Fox.”
“Glasses or no glasses,” she laughed. For the first time in her life, she truly believed it. She threaded her arm through his. “Shall we go see my father?”
“I’m at your beck and call, my lady.” Plopping his hat on his head, he picked up his portmanteau and walked her to the door of the
store. “After that, I must look for employment. Your father will never approve my suit if I can’t provide for you.”
She laughed as the perfect solution came to mind. “Funny thing. My family happens to have a little dress shop, and we might be able to use a man of your abilities.”
He pulled open the door and waited for her to exit. “Speaking of dresses, did I tell you that I contacted a couple clothing manufacturers who are interested in producing your designs?”
“You did?” Ruth halted. “My designs?”
“Yours.”
She nearly burst with excitement when he detailed the efforts he’d made on her behalf.
As they stepped into the sunshine, the path ahead had never been so obvious.
“I wonder why I never saw it,” she murmured.
“Saw what?” Sam held her close. “Do you need stronger glasses?”
She smiled up at him. “Not at all. For the first time in years, I can see clearly.”
Epilogue
Two months later
Ruth smoothed the batiste flouncing on the ivory satin gown for the hundredth time. Though she had no doubts about marrying Sam, she couldn’t help but worry about their future. They had yet to receive a definitive answer from Sam’s contacts in clothing manufacture, so they hadn’t been able to lease an apartment of their own. Instead, they would have to impose on her parents. The concern for her father also remained. Though Daddy had not recovered much of his strength, he insisted on walking her down the aisle at her wedding. She worried that he would not be able to manage the fifty feet to the front of the church. Why, this very morning, after Sam had helped him downstairs, he had sunk to the sofa, winded. Would she be able to support him if he faltered walking down the aisle?
“May I come in?” Mother poked her head into the tiny bedroom Ruth used to share with Minnie. After the wedding, Jen would move in here, while Ruth and Sam squeezed into Jen’s room. The house would be full to overflowing.
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