by Jillian Hart
I really don’t want to die today, Lord.
“Alexandra!” John’s voice boomed, full of panic and terror. It reverberated along the canyon walls.
Lord, please hold her in the palm of Your hand. John was already running. No man with a gun was going to stop him. Cam shouted, trying to stop him, but it was too late. All John could see as he skidded down the steep grade was Alexandra tumbling behind an outcropping of rocks and out of sight.
No! She was gone. She was dead. Rage hammered through him as he took the slope at a run, letting his boots ski over earth and rock. The descent was fast—he braced his heels to absorb the shock as he skidded from the open face to a more protected outcropping of rocks. Above the pounding of blood in his ears, he heard the pop of a gun. A cold numb feeling blossomed in his left biceps. Crimson spread in a fast-moving circle on his sleeve.
He didn’t care how badly he was shot. He had to get to Alexandra. His life wasn’t worth anything if she wasn’t alive. She was everything. And if she was gone… Grief lashed him hard as he reached the edge of the cliff, digging in with his heels, throwing his whole body back to stop his descent.
I should have loved her when I had the chance. Reached out and held her to me instead of shoving her away. If only I could have told her how much I love her. Heart and soul. For now and for eternity.
He crept over the cliff on his belly, already knowing what he was going to see. An empty canyon oddly silent with the feel of death.
“John.” His name was a ragged whisper. He looked down into a pale, bloody woman’s face a couple of feet below him. Her scraped hands were clutched tight around a spindly pine tree limb…one that looked ready to go at any minute.
Alexandra. He felt as high as heaven in one second. He read her fear. He saw the earth begin to move as the tree gave way.
He couldn’t reach her. He crept out as far as he could go, stretched and touched air. Inches separated them. “Take my hand.”
“I can’t.” She was on the edge of losing control. Panic flashed in her eyes. She looked up at him. Help me, she seemed to say. Save me.
Rocks tumbled. The tree gave, the roots breaking off, Alexandra began slipping.
“No!” Horror rose in the depths of his heart, from the breadth of his soul. A terrible image flashed back to him. One moment he was seeing Bobbie falling all over again, her hand outstretched to him, her fingers reaching for his as the distance between them grew. The pleading look in her eyes, the fear of death and pain stark on her pixie face.
As he had then, John dug down deep, asking for strength, gathering every bit of might he possessed, praying that Cam had caught up to Patrick. Tree and rock gave way and he snared Alexandra’s wrist as the tree tumbled in a free fall along the jagged cliff wall.
His injured arm trembled with the strain, but he hauled her up and into his arms. Holding her tight and safe, never to let her go.
Thank you, Lord. John buried his face in Alexandra’s neck, breathing in the scent of earth and apple shampoo. Tears burned in his eyes and ached in his throat. “I’m so thankful. Oh, baby, I thought I’d lost you.”
“Me, too.” She held him tight, sobbing now, clutching his shirt with both fists. “You saved me, John. You’re so amazing. I love you so much. I just love you so much.”
“Oh, my love.” He kissed her hair, her cheeks, her lips. Life and death were in God’s hands today, just as it had been those many years ago. It had been God’s will, which only He could understand.
And it was God’s will that Alexandra was safe in his arms, smiling up at him. She’d never looked so beautiful. So renewed. So serene. “I owe my life to you.”
“Yep. You’re in deep debt to me now.” He kissed her forehead, then her lips. A soft, tender caress. “I’m going to have to think of a way to charge you for saving your life.”
“How about free housecleaning for a month?”
“Hmm, I was thinking you might like to clean our house for the rest of your life.”
“Our house? But you said—”
“Marry me, Alexandra.” He kissed her again, feather-soft on her silky skin, and the tenderness inside him doubled. Fierce love burned in his chest for her, in his heart, in his soul. “I have never loved anyone the way I love you.”
“I know just how you feel.” Tears sparkled in her eyes. Happiness lit her up as she kissed him gently. “How do you feel about a quick wedding?”
“The quicker the better. I can’t wait to lift your veil. I want you for my wife.”
Love lit him up inside, chasing away every last shadow, and the wall protecting his heart came crumbling down, every last piece as she buried her face in the hollow of his neck, holding tight, so very tight. She was heaven in his arms, so precious and amazing, and he intended to treasure her all the days of his life from this moment on.
Epilogue
“It was a beautiful ceremony.” Bev appeared through the crowd, a glass of her special-recipe punch cradled in one hand. As the mother of the groom, she’d chosen a deep rose chiffon that made her look even more elegant. “Alexandra, you make a beautiful bride.”
“Love makes any woman beautiful—isn’t that what they say?” Alexandra did feel like a princess in her gown of white silk. The wedding ring sparkled on her left hand. A beautiful ring. “I never should have let you do most of the cooking and baking for the buffet, but it’s a great success. Thank you.”
“Oh, my pleasure, my dear. Goodness.” Bev wrapped her in a warm embrace, loving and motherly. “To think you’re my daughter now. What fun we’ll have. I told John he can’t keep you away too long on that mysterious honeymoon he’s got planned.”
“Trying to find out where he’s taking me, are you?” Alexandra was brimming with the secret. John was taking her through the national parks of the West on a luxurious driving tour. He’d bought a new car for the occasion. They were taking Hailey, too. Alexandra’s first real family vacation, and they were going to do it right.
Joy filled her heart, filled her soul.
“Here’s a little surprise from me.” Bev pressed something into Alexandra’s hand. “Welcome to our family, sweetheart. Oh, there’s Helen. I must speak with her.”
As Bev hurried away, Alexandra looked at the bundle in her hand. A stack of handwritten cards tied in a pretty yellow ribbon. “A few of my treasured recipes, since you are now a cherished member of the family. Love always, Bev.”
“Hey, it’s not right for a bride to be alone.” John’s voice, John’s touch. His tender kiss on her cheek. “What are you thinking? That you should’ve run for the hills while you had a chance?”
“Yep. Too bad I forgot my tennis shoes. I can’t get far in these heels.” She leaned into his welcoming arms, savored his strong embrace. “I love you, John.”
“I love you.” His hand cupped her nape, tenderly. “It’s a beautiful day, don’t you think?”
“Yes. It’s going to be a beautiful life.”
The past had faded away, Patrick was in jail, and she’d found a place to belong. Her Bible Study friends waved to her from the table on the back lawn. A few women from the choir were accompanying the church’s pianist as she coaxed “Amazing Grace” from the keyboard. Hailey in her lilac maid-of-honor dress raced through the backyard with best friends Stephanie and Christa, while Angel followed, barking with delight.
Alexandra felt whole. God was truly good, for showering her with these precious blessings. And the best one of all took her hand in his and leaned close to whisper in her ear, “You have tears in your eyes. Happy ones? Or sad ones?”
“John.” She leaned her cheek on his chest, settling into his arms, where she was meant to be. “I’m happy.”
“Good, my love. Because this is just the start of our good life together.” The proof of it was in his kiss, in his tenderness and in the brush of their souls. It left no doubt. Theirs was a true love, blessed from above, a bright glowing light that would forever burn.
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for choosing Heaven Knows. While I was writing Alexandra and John’s story, I began with the idea of a woman on the run, looking for safety, and ended up with something more. This is the story of a woman who has never known real love and finds it in the arms of a strong and tender man.
Love is one of the Lord’s greatest gifts to us, and one of the most powerful forces in the universe. Whether in romance novels or in real life, love does triumph over all.
Wishing you love and peace,
ISBN: 978-1-4268-6505-3
A LOVE WORTH WAITING FOR AND HEAVEN KNOWS
A LOVE WORTH WAITING FOR
Copyright © 2003 by Jill Strickler
HEAVEN KNOWS
Copyright © 2003 by Jill Strickler
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.
® and TM are trademarks of Steeple Hill Books, used under license. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.SteepleHill.com
*The McKaslin Clan
†The Granger Family Ranch
**Buttons & Bobbins