Hometown Promise

by Merrillee Whren

  “I think so.” She dusted the snow from her pants and coat. “Is that what you call good hands?”

  “You didn’t wind up in the creek.” Lukas put an arm around her shoulders. “Ready to go again?”

  “Yeah, but this time give me a little warning before you take off.”

  “I’ll do my best.” He saluted and grabbed the sled with one hand, and one of her hands with the other.

  As they climbed up the hill for another run, Juliane couldn’t help thinking that being with Lukas was the ride of her life. Could she withstand the perils of a relationship with him? Maybe it was too late to be asking that question.

  For the rest of the afternoon, Juliane tried not to think of anything except having fun. It wasn’t hard to do as they made numerous trips down the hill and later had a playful snowball fight and made snow angels on the hillside.

  As the sun sank lower on the horizon, the snow stopped falling, and the sky began to clear. The leafless hardwood trees that surrounded the property were covered in snow. The pinks and oranges created by the setting sun in the dissipating clouds gave an iridescent glow to the landscape. The scene presented a picture worthy of any winter postcard.

  Lukas, Tim and the boys started to make a snowman. Lukas looked at Juliane as he rolled a ball of snow for the body. “Aren’t you going to help?”

  Melanie stepped forward before Juliane could answer. “I’ve got homemade chili in the slow cooker, so I want you guys to stay for supper. Juliane and I can get things ready while you finish the snowman.”

  Lukas stopped rolling the ball and straightened. “We don’t want to wear out our welcome.”

  “You can’t do that. We’d love to have you. Please say you’ll stay.”

  After checking for Juliane’s nod of agreement, Lukas turned back to Melanie. “Hey, I’m not one to refuse some good homemade chili. Thanks.” Lukas grinned.

  “Great!” Melanie turned to Juliane. “Let’s go inside.”

  Juliane followed Melanie into the house. “Thanks for rescuing me from the cold. I’m not sure I can feel my feet anymore.”

  “I know what you mean.” Smiling, Melanie closed the door. “Do you want to change into some dry clothes? We’re about the same size. You can wear something of mine.”

  “That would be wonderful.”

  Juliane put on the clothes that Melanie gave her, then went to the kitchen to help. “This has been a wonderful day. Thanks for inviting us.”

  “I’m so glad you came.” Steam rose into the air as Melanie lifted the lid of the slow cooker and stirred the contents.

  “I love chili on a cold snowy day. Smells delicious.”

  “Thanks. Me, too.” Melanie took some bowls from the cupboard. “I’ve wanted to tell you how much Tim and I have enjoyed doing things with you and Lukas the past few weeks.”

  “We’ve had a great time, too.”

  “It’s hard to move to a new community where you don’t know anyone. So I really appreciate your friendship. The church people are always friendly, but until we started spending time with you and Lukas, I didn’t feel as though I had developed any close friends.” Melanie laid a hand on Juliane’s arm. “I thank God for the times we’ve spent together and that Lukas is such a good friend and boss to Tim.”

  “I’m glad you count me as your friend. I grew up in Kellerville, so I have no idea what it’s like to move to a new town.”

  “You and Lukas seem so happy together. I could see at the Valentine’s banquet that he was singing those songs right to you.” Melanie got napkins and a box of crackers from the pantry, then turned to Juliane. “I hope you don’t mind my asking. Is this a serious relationship?”

  Juliane swallowed hard. “We haven’t been dating that long.”

  Seemingly embarrassed, Melanie shook her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry or put you on the spot. Sometimes love happens fast and other times it’s a slow process. Tim and I knew we were right for each other almost from the first date.”

  Before Juliane could make a response, noisy feet and voices sounded from the laundry room just off the kitchen as Lukas, Tim and the two boys entered the house.

  Juliane couldn’t help thinking of Melanie’s question and subsequent comments. Juliane knew she was serious about her feelings for Lukas. But loving Lukas meant accepting him and all his flaws. They’d overcome their past, but what about their future? Was their relationship—along with Lukas’s faith and commitment to sobriety—strong enough to stand the test of time?

  Throughout the rest of the evening, Juliane tried without much success to push troubling thoughts aside. She was going to have to answer that question eventually.

  But not today.

  Today was all about having fun. She just wanted to enjoy being with Lukas. He loved God, he cared for her and he was good with kids, too. She’d seen that today while he’d played with the two boys.

  What else was going to trip her heart and make her care about him more than she already did? Was she willing to take a ride through life with him? Not that he was asking, but where this relationship was headed was something she should consider.

  If they continued to date, she had to deal with the reality of future expectations. And those expectations were barreling down on her like the toboggans that had rushed down the hill today.

  But why should she borrow trouble from tomorrow? Didn’t Lukas have to take one day at a time? So should she. Everything about today had been perfect. Life was good. What could happen to change that?

  The loud jangling awakened Lukas from his sleep. Sitting up in bed, he wiped a hand down his face. He grabbed his BlackBerry from the bedside stand. As he answered the call, the lighted face on the BlackBerry told him it was five o’clock in the morning. The caller ID indicated that the call was coming from Tim Drake. Was something wrong at the plant?

  “Lukas Frey here.”

  “Lukas, this is Melanie Drake.” Lukas couldn’t miss the distress in her voice. “I didn’t know who else to call. Can you…” Her voice trailed off as she began to cry.

  Lukas’s heart sank. “Melanie, what’s wrong?”

  “Something’s wrong with Tim. I’m at the hospital. Can you come?”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I get dressed.”

  “Thank you.”

  His heart pounding and a sick feeling in his stomach, Lukas jumped out of bed and grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater. He pulled on a pair of socks on his way to the door. Opening the door to the garage, he grabbed his coat and shoved his feet into the shoes that he’d left by the door. As he drove through the darkness, he relived the night when the ambulance had taken his grandfather to the hospital. He prayed that Tim would be okay.

  When Lukas arrived, he found Melanie in the emergency room, along with Ryan and Andrew. The poor little boys were half-asleep. The stress of the situation plus having to drag her children to the emergency room showed on her face. His heart went out to her.

  As soon as Melanie saw him, she rushed over. “Thank you so much for coming.”

  “I’m glad to help however I can. Do you know what’s wrong?”

  Melanie shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. “The doctors are still examining him.”

  Lukas put an arm around Melanie’s shoulders and tried to comfort her. “Would you like for me to say a prayer?”

  She nodded. Lukas led her to the chairs where the boys were sitting. They held hands in a circle while he prayed for Tim. After they finished praying, Lukas looked up. “If I call Juliane, she could take the boys back home, so they don’t have to sit here. Do you think they’d go with her?”

  “You don’t have to disturb her.”

  “She won’t mind, and the boys should be comfortable with her since we watched them the other night.” Lukas knew he could count on Juliane.

  “I’ll see.” Melanie talked softly with Ryan and Andrew, then looked over at Lukas with a nod. “That’ll be fine.”

  Lukas called Juliane and explained the situ
ation. She immediately agreed to come for Andrew and Ryan.

  When Juliane arrived, Lukas met her at the entrance and gave her a hug. He wanted to keep her in his embrace, but this wasn’t the time. “Thanks so much for doing this.”

  “You know if you ever need anything, I’m there. Do you know anything about Tim’s condition yet?”

  Lukas shook his head, knowing Juliane’s statement went beyond this current problem. She would be there for him no matter what because she loved him. In the past two weeks she had made that abundantly clear. He still had a hard time believing what a lucky man he was. “I’m reliving that night with Grandpa.”

  “I thought of that as soon as you told me.” Juliane went over to Melanie and gave her a hug. Then Lukas helped Juliane take the boys to her car.

  After they buckled the children into the backseat, she turned and gave Lukas a kiss on the cheek. “Take care of Melanie. I’ll be praying.”

  “Thanks.” He blew her a kiss and thanked God that he had found her.

  While he walked back to the emergency room, he thought about the night barely two weeks ago when the two of them had watched Ryan and Andrew while Tim and Melanie had gone out to celebrate their tenth anniversary. Sharing that time with Juliane made him want a family of his own more than ever, and she was part of that dream.

  Just as Lukas returned to the waiting area, a physician in a white coat escorted Melanie through the swinging double doors. Lukas prayed and paced as he waited to hear the news. In a few minutes, Melanie walked back through the doors. Her grim expression caused a lump to form in his throat. When she saw him, she burst into tears and covered her face with her hands. Rushing to her side, he gathered her in his arms. She blubbered something against his chest. In the almost unintelligible sentence, he understood two words.

  Aneurysm.

  Died.

  His heart sank to his stomach. A churning sensation hit him in the gut while a cold, numb feeling settled around his heart. He took a shaky breath as Melanie clung to him and wept. How was he going to comfort her when he was hurting so badly himself?

  Chapter Fifteen

  Shivering in the cold confines of his car, Lukas gripped the steering wheel. The day had been rotten. The past two weeks had been even worse. Sorrow over Tim’s death still weighed him down. He’d never had a good friend like Tim. They’d only known each other for a few months, but it had seemed as though they had known each other for years. Now he was gone, leaving a huge void.

  The red-and-white neon sign advertising the beer Lukas used to drink beckoned to him from the pub’s window two doors down the block. While he relished the taste of a cold draft beer, he could still see the casket and the stricken faces of Tim’s widow, Melanie, and her two boys, so solemn and brave in their little suits and ties. The scene tore him up inside. A crushing sensation filled his chest as he swallowed the lump that formed in his throat and made him feel as though he couldn’t breathe.

  The extra responsibilities at work and the pain of losing his good friend made Lukas want a beer in the worst way. He’d managed to get through helping Melanie with the funeral arrangements and the funeral itself without the need for a drink. But the cumulative effect of all that had happened was beginning to bring him down, and the need for a drink became stronger every day.

  His thoughts played good-cop, bad-cop. The bad cop kept telling him that a couple of beers would ease the tension and take the edge off his problems. Just two tonight and then he’d go back on the wagon. The good cop told him he was a fool to believe that he could stop with two.

  Lukas knew which one was right, but he didn’t want to listen. The pain was too great. Even thoughts of Juliane didn’t take away the hurt or the desire for that beer.

  Why had God allowed Melanie and her boys to lose their husband and father? Tim’s death brought back all the anguish Lukas had dealt with when his mother had died.

  God hadn’t been there for Tim, and God wasn’t helping Lukas now. His prayers went unanswered.

  Lukas got out of his car and pocketed his keys. His breath created a cloud in the night air. Still warring with himself, he stood on the sidewalk and stared at the blinking sign. What would be the harm? He’d order a burger and fries and wash them down with a couple of beers. That was the plan.

  Shoving his hands in his coat pockets, Lukas strode toward the pub. As he reached for the door handle, a car honked and he turned to look. A movement across the street caught his eye as a man lurched away from the curb in front of Keller’s Variety. He stumbled down the walk, then stopped and leaned against the brick building. In the store window, a mannequin dressed in a spring outfit mocked the cold surrounding him.

  In the darkness, Lukas tried to figure out what was wrong with the man. Was he ill, or was he drunk? Lukas hurried across the street to assist him. When Lukas reached the man’s side, he took his arm. Then he looked into his face.

  Juliane’s father—Ray Keller.

  Shock stabbed Lukas in the heart when he smelled the alcohol on Ray’s breath. Gazing into Ray’s eyes, Lukas had no doubt that the man was drunk. What was going on? Lukas swallowed hard. He’d never known that Juliane’s father drank anything stronger than cola. What was he going to do?

  Contemplating what this would mean for Juliane, Lukas managed to steer Ray across the street toward the car. Lukas helped Ray into the passenger seat and realized that the older man didn’t recognize him or know where they were.

  Lukas stared at Ray’s slack jaw and glassy eyes. Was that the way he’d looked when he’d been drunk? The picture created a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Ray, do you want me to take you home?”

  Ray looked up, his head wobbling like a bobble head. He seemed to try to focus. Then he started to weep and talk at the same time, his words slurred. “Don’t take me home. Barbara will be upset. I’m so sorry.”

  Lukas closed the car door and went around to the driver’s side and got in. As he sat there wondering what to do, the neon beer sign caught his eye again. He’d almost given in to temptation and thrown away everything he’d worked for over the past six years. At that moment, he knew God had saved him by providing a wake-up call. He felt like weeping the same as Ray but for a whole different reason—gratitude to God. Lukas knew he’d been wrong. God was there. He’d been there the whole time.

  If he hadn’t been tempted to have a drink tonight, he wouldn’t have been here to see Ray and help him. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. The scripture from Romans that Lukas had memorized ran through his mind.

  Lukas started his car and headed for his home, where he planned to have Ray sleep it off. When Lukas reached the house, he helped Juliane’s father inside and into the guest room. Lukas wanted the man to explain the situation, but this wasn’t the time. Ray needed to be sober for that talk.

  While getting Ray settled in the guest room, Lukas thought of the estrangement with his own father. Their parting wasn’t bitter, but Lukas had let that relationship deteriorate while he’d been drinking heavily. Once he was sober, he didn’t know how to repair it. Maybe the time had come.

  Ray started snoring as soon as he hit the bed. Lukas shut off the light and went into the living room. Plopping on the couch, he worried about Juliane’s reaction. Should he call her? Surely Barbara would be concerned when Ray didn’t come home. He had to call Juliane.

  When Lukas heard Juliane’s voice, his stomach clenched. “Hi. How are you?”

  “Good. Is your meeting at the plant done?”

  “Yeah.” Lukas hesitated. “I need to talk to you about something, and I don’t want to do it over the phone.”

  “You want to come over?”

  “No. There’s something here I have to show you.”

  “What?”

  “You’ll see when you get here.”

  Ending the call, Lukas hoped he was doing the right thing.

  While he waited for Juliane to arrive,
he paced. He tried to figure out how he was going to approach this problem. He stopped in his tracks. God had helped him tonight. Why wasn’t he praying about this, too? Bowing his head, Lukas prayed until he heard the doorbell.

  He raced to the door. “Thanks for coming.”

  “You’ve been too busy. I’ve missed you.” Putting her arms around his neck, she kissed him.

  When the kiss ended, he held her tight and let his chin rest on the top of her head. He knew how close he’d come to ruining their relationship, but what he was about to tell her could damage it just as much. “I’ve missed you, too.”

  She stepped out of his embrace. “What do you have to show me?”

  Lukas wished this was all a bad dream. “Come sit on the couch.”

  Juliane joined Lukas and sat there with expectation written all over her face. “Okay, show me.”

  “First, I have to ask you something.”

  “Okay.”

  Lukas had no idea how to phrase the question. Finally, he blurted, “Has your father ever been drunk?”

  Her eyes grew wide as the color drained from her face. “Why would you ask that?”

  “Follow me.” Lukas stood and went down the short hallway to the guest room. He opened the door and stepped aside as the hallway light illuminated the snoring figure on the bed. “I found him tonight outside your store, barely able to stand.”

  “Not again.” Her words came out in a soft cry. Leaning back against the wall, Juliane lowered her head and placed a hand on her forehead.

  “So this has happened before?”

  She nodded but wouldn’t look at him. She pushed away from the wall and walked back to the living room without saying a word. He wanted to rush after her and pull her into his arms and comfort her. But part of him was angry—angry that she hadn’t been willing to share this with him.

  When she reached the living room, she pulled her BlackBerry out of her purse. “I have to call my mother.”

  While Juliane talked to her mother, Lukas fumed. He wanted answers.