She smiled and handed him the pieces. “Oh, but it does . . . Husband. It does.” Stuart clearly noted her emphasis. He looked at her for a moment, then drew a deep breath and nodded.
He turned to look at his father-in-law and then Arjan. “Very well. Let us start anew.”
Jael smiled. “I think that would benefit everyone.”
September 1887
Summer’s end brought many changes. Deborah and Christopher moved back to the doctor’s house in town and received provisions to reestablish the infirmary. This was thanks to Jael’s father, who had forced his son-in-law to sell his shares of the mill town. Together with Zed Perkins, who was back at the helm, Mr. Longstreet promised to make Perkinsville even better than before. To honor this pledge, the people voted him mayor.
“He’s never been happier,” Jael told Deborah.
“You seem quite happy yourself.”
“I am, Deborah. I truly am happy.”
Deborah knew the reason for this. Jael had been quite pleased when Stuart announced that his father needed him back East. Deborah had been there when Jael had told him firmly that she would stay in Perkinsville. Stuart hadn’t been surprised, but he did seem concerned. Jael promised him that she would remain his faithful wife. She would write to him, so his father would see that they remained wed. Deborah argued that he didn’t deserve her generosity, but Jael told her she desired to forgive Stuart the past and move forward. Her words humbled Deborah—Lizzie too.
“Who knows,” Jael had told Deborah. “If God is as powerful as you say He is, then He can bring love even to our hard hearts.”
Many of the families returned to Perkinsville. Margaret Foster came back with one of her sons and his wife. Their young children quickly befriended the Kelleher siblings. Little by little, many of the other regulars came home, as well. Zed reinstated each crew member with promises of a bigger and better mill. He split the workers between rebuilding the black town and getting the mill up and running. The progress lifted everyone’s spirits.
Perhaps the greatest joy, however, had been the well-attended wedding of Robrecht Vandermark to Miss Mara Shattuck. Only an hour earlier, Deborah had stood at the depot with her family, waving good-bye to the couple as they caught the train to Houston. Rob had agreed to pastor a church in the area, and Mara had great plans for the Sunday school. Even Pastor Shattuck was delighted with the couple’s plans, although Mara was worried he would grow lonely.
“I do fear he won’t eat properly,” she told Deborah as they bid each other farewell. “You will look in on him, won’t you?”
“Of course,” Deborah assured her. “And you can bet that my mother will, as well. She isn’t about to see anyone go hungry.”
But with everything falling back into a normal routine, Deborah couldn’t help but wonder if that might allow for her and Christopher to have a little time to themselves.
“Haven’t you finished in here yet?” Christopher teased.
“I’m daydreaming,” Deborah said, glancing over her shoulder. “I often do so when I’m cleaning the examination room.”
“And what are you dreaming about?”
She halted her work. “You do realize that we’ve never had a proper wedding trip? I thought that with Miz Foster back in town, perhaps we could get away for a week or two. She would surely be willing to treat folks while we were away. Wouldn’t it be great fun to go to Galveston?”
“Goodness, woman, you think I’m made of money?”
Deborah put her hands on her hips. “I happen to know that my family paid you quite well for your service before and after the storm. And they paid me for my work. If you would check the new bank at the commissary, you would find that we have quite a nice bit of savings.”
He laughed. “And it’s burning a hole in your pocket—is that it?”
“Not exactly, but I think it would be awfully nice to be alone with you.” She put down the cleaning cloth and walked toward him with a provocative smile. Reaching up, she trailed her fingers against his cheek and down to where a hint of chest hair peeked out from his unbuttoned shirt.
“Just imagine it. We could stay at the Tremont Hotel. I’ve heard it’s absolutely beautiful since they rebuilt it. We could have a lovely suite and order room service.” She stretched on tiptoes to brush his lips with a kiss. “Just imagine—an entire week alone.”
He took hold of her. “Go on.”
“Of course, there’s also something else that might hold your interest.”
Nuzzling her ear with kisses, Christopher shook his head ever so slightly. “That isn’t possible.”
“Oh, but I think it could be.” She pulled away and smiled. “They are building a new hospital, and rumor has it that a new medical college will be established. The paper noted that several lectures were going to be given next week. One is on the repair of compound fractures.”
He laughed. “You don’t want to get away with me—you just want to attend lectures on medicine.”
Deborah feigned shock. “How could you say such a thing? You know perfectly well that I am the kind of gal who wants it all. Why couldn’t we have both? After all, lectures only last an hour or two at the most. We needn’t leave our room for much longer than that.”
“You are positively scandalous, my dear.” He drew her back into his arms. “And that’s what I love most about you. You are a woman without boundaries. No one tells you no and gets away with it.”
She shrugged and smiled. “At least not for long.”
“Docs! Come quick!” someone yelled from outside.
They went quickly to the door. “What’s wrong?” Christopher asked, pushing open the screen door.
“There’s been an accident at the mill. Otis done cut himself up on that new-fangled saw,” one of the young Foster kids declared.
“I’ll get the bag and bandages,” Deborah told her husband. “You go on ahead.”
He nodded and shot out the door. Deborah hurried to grab what they would need. This was indeed the life for her—the life she loved. Working alongside her husband to help others. There was no way of knowing what the future held, but her hope had been rekindled and her heart overflowed with joy. And that—for now—was entirely enough.
Letter to the Reader
Dear friends,
So many struggles plague people these days. From time to time, my readers write to tell me about a particularly difficult time or heartbreak that they’ve endured, reaching out to share when the world seems to turn a deaf ear to their pain.
My heart has been touched so many times by your letters, and I felt it was only right to share my heart with you now. I pray that the books I write will encourage you to lift your eyes to Jesus. That your hope will be rekindled in the promise of God to never leave you or forsake you. If you haven’t yet put your hope in Him and accepted His free gift of salvation, then I encourage you to do so now.
The world tries to convince us that it is no simple process to yield your heart to the Lord. The world tries to tack on all sorts of other requirements, but the Bible makes it clear in Romans 10:9–13 that receiving salvation in Jesus is quite easy:
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (niv, emphasis added).
I’m praying that these verses will bless your heart and bring you to a richer life in Christ Jesus. God bless you!
Tracie Peterson
Tracie Peterson is the author of over eighty novels, both historical and contemporary. Her avid research resonates in her stories, as seen in her bestselling Heirs of Montana and Alaskan Quest series. Tracie and h
er family make their home in Montana.
Visit Tracie’s Web site at www.traciepeterson.com.
Visit Tracie’s blog at www.writespassage.blogspot.com.
Books by Tracie Peterson
* * *
www.traciepeterson.com
A Slender Thread • House of Secrets • Where My Heart Belongs
Bridal Veil Island*
To Have and To Hold
Song of Alaska
Dawn’s Prelude • Morning’s Refrain • Twilight’s Serenade
Striking a Match
Embers of Love • Hearts Aglow • Hope Rekindled
Alaskan Quest
Summer of the Midnight Sun
Under the Northern Lights • Whispers of Winter
Alaskan Quest (3 in 1)
Brides of Gallatin County
A Promise to Believe In • A Love to Last Forever
A Dream to Call My Own
The Broadmoor Legacy *
A Daughter’s Inheritance • An Unexpected Love
A Surrendered Heart
Bells of Lowell*
Daughter of the Loom • A Fragile Design • These Tangled Threads
Lights of Lowell*
A Tapestry of Hope • A Love Woven True • The Pattern of Her Heart
Desert Roses
Shadows of the Canyon • Across the Years • Beneath a Harvest Sky
Heirs of Montana
Land of My Heart • The Coming Storm • To Dream Anew • The Hope Within
Ladies of Liberty
A Lady of High Regard • A Lady of Hidden Intent
A Lady of Secret Devotion
Ribbons of Steel**
Distant Dreams • A Hope Beyond • A Promise for Tomorrow
Ribbons West**
Westward the Dream
Westward Chronicles
A Shelter of Hope • Hidden in a Whisper • A Veiled Reflection
Yukon Quest
Treasures of the North • Ashes and Ice • Rivers of Gold
* with Judith Miller ** with Judith Pella
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
Facebook: Bethany House
Hope Rekindled Page 28